November Round Up

My November

This month has pretty much sucked for me.  I barely got any reading done, I didn't get much crafty stuff done, even my nails were even polish-less for 95% of the month, and I'm single again: whoo hoo!

My house is currently under a massive renovation, which leaves us with only one bedroom, the dining room, the kitchen, and the living room mostly intact.  It's been rough.  Especially when the idiot cats get themselves stuck in the wall.  It was our black cat, so I had a nice Edger Allen Poe moment.  We only noticed he was there because of the crying.

At the beginning of the month I was in NYC for a work conference for a couple days, one of which was a Friday.  So three of my friends joined me in the city for dinner then a speakeasy.  I went back into the city two days later with my mom and we walked a crazy amount.

My friend from Long Island came up to visit and we went to the Two Roads Brewery with another friend of mine.  It was a great day following by watching some Rick and Morty and playing games (Exploding Kittens is awesome!) while drinking extra Two Roads beer.

I was back in the city a third time this month for the Holiday Spirits Booze Cruise we do for my friend's birthdays (the cruise is right in between the two).  It was a blast, despite the rain.

When I was in high school I was involved in a youth symphony, this year is the symphony's 60th anniversary so they had the alumni come back to play in their fall concert.  It was a weekend of binge violin playing since I haven't picked it up in a while.  But the concert went well and it was a lot of fun hanging out with my friends playing.

I returned to Cape Cod to have Thanksgiving at my brother's.  It was my sister-in-law's first time having to do a Thanksgiving meal, so good times!

Today I'm en-route to New Mexico to see my cousin.  It was an impromptu trip due to me having way too much vacation time that I was going to lose.  But plane rides mean reading time!

I also received another OwlCrate, so now I'm 2 for 3 for receiving books I already own signed copies of.  I loved the Cinderella tea and the strigoi battle tattoo is really cool.  The rest of the stuff in the box I thought was kind of lame.

November's Artsy Stuff

I really didn't do anything remotely artsy this month, I redid an old nail design at one point though.

November Blog News

I've been slacking on the blog front.  I've had no motivation to write reviews, so that paired with my minimal reading this month does not mean good things.  I'm hoping to get my act together in December and do some more reading and writing.  But we'll see.

Kissing Frogs

by Rich Amooi

Summary from GoodReads

Summer is finally here and Geography teacher Sara Larson has exactly one month to find the perfect date for the wedding of a high school rival. The odds seem stacked against her, but the last thing she wants is to sit at the kids’ table again. Or even worse, the singles’ table. While trudging through an assortment of certified losers, Sara fights her attraction towards Ian, the irresistible guy next door. 

Art teacher Ian McBride has a dream of opening his own gallery, but for now he’s focused on sculpting a gift for his grandparents’ fiftieth anniversary and enjoying a relaxing summer. However, Ian is blind-sided when crazy, beautiful Sara and her giant dog move in next door and rock his world. Too bad she wants nothing to do with him. 

How can Sara avoid the attraction that sizzles between them and stick to her rule of not dating neighbors? As far as Ian’s concerned, the prince Sara is looking for is right under her nose. And one kiss just might change everything. 

KISSING FROGS is a fun, fast-paced romantic comedy guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Let the fun begin!

Thoughts on the Book

I bought this one for my kindle.  I thought it looked like a cute fairy tale retelling based off of the cover.

My Review

This book was not a fairy tale retelling, it was a contemporary romance about two neighbors.

I do enjoy contemporary romances, so even though it had nothing to do with actually kissing frogs who were princes in disguise I thought I would still like it.  The end of the summary calls it "fast-paced" which is no understatement.  It went too quickly to even enjoy any of the tension.  You never really got to know either of the characters, then other characters randomly showed up for no purpose at all.  I've read my fair share of romance novellas that have been amazing, this one definitely fell short of that.  It might have been better if the characters were actually hashed out and instead of the author telling you things he let you see and experience those things.  

There was a lot of stuff that was like really?  For example Sara's first date with the guy who brought his mother along.  Or her dog eating a small box of artisan chocolates and getting sick.  I'm guessing the box of chocolates weren't 100% cocoa and there weren't a hundred of those pieces.  If that's the case, her St. Bernard would be fine.  Maybe if she had a Yorkie that ate a large box of dark chocolate that whole rushing to the vet thing would have made sense.  Do you research before you jump on topics like this for the 'thrill'.

Overall I give this a 3/10.  It was a waste of my time to read, but I was able to get through it, I guess the "fast pace" was good for something...

Waiting On Wednesday [27]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira (January 19, 2016)

 Summary from GoodReads

In a perfect world, sixteen-year-old Phoebe Martins’ life would be a book. Preferably a YA novel with magic and a hot paranormal love interest. Unfortunately, her life probably wouldn’t even qualify for a quiet contemporary. But when Phoebe finds out that Dev, the hottest guy in the clarinet section, might actually have a crush on her, she turns to her favorite books for advice. Phoebe overhauls her personality to become as awesome as her favorite heroines and win Dev’s heart. But if her plan fails, can she go back to her happy world of fictional boys after falling for the real thing?

Why I'm Waiting

This book sounds so fun!  I love that the main love interest plays the clarinet.  I definitely have a soft spot for musicians (especially strings and woodwinds), so I'm sure I can relate to Phoebe with this.  Especially the turning to books for advice.

Top Ten Tuesday [25]

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that allows bloggers to share their top ten lists for that week’s topics

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful For

1 - My Friends - From my bestest oldest friends to my newest friends, to the ones that I see every day to the ones that moved far away that I wish I still saw every day.  Life wouldn't be the same without you guys!

2 - My Family - While sometimes they like to toy with the love/hate line, I don't know what I would do without them.

3 - My Cat - I got her in college, and she's pretty much the best, I'm sure I would freeze at night if it weren't for her snuggles.

4 - Ability to Travel - I went to Minnesota and Quebec earlier this year, Cape Cod again for Thanksgiving, and I'm going to New Mexico next week, I'm super excited, I've never been.  To top that all off I'm planning a Europe trip with a friend, which I really couldn't be more excited for.

5 - Video Streaming - Lame, I know, but I love the ability to watch all sorts of movies and tv shows so easily.

6 - Living so Close to NYC - I've been going into the city more and more as I get older and I'm loving it more and more, so many awesome bars and speakeasies.  Then there are the Broadway shows (hoping to finally see Hamilton this spring!)

7 - My Co Workers - Including those that don't count as friends, I work with a great group of people, and those that aren't great are really entertaining.

8 - Being able to Sleep in My Bed - My house is currently under crazy amounts of construction, but for almost the whole time I get to keep my bed, others are not so lucky.

9 - My Favorite Bar - It's the best experience to go to your regular bar that has the best bartender that you don't even have to think about what to order, he'll just make you a fantastic drink to go along with your awesome happy hour food.

10 - My TBR Pile - I'll never run out of reading material!

A Madness So Discreet

by Mindy McGinnis

Summary from GoodReads

Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us. 

Thoughts on the Book

This one appeared in a Waiting on Wednesday.  Needless to say I was super excited to receive it in my Owl Crate.

My Review

This book is about a girl, Grace, who is in an insane asylum because she is pregnant, unmarried, and a daughter from an affluent family.  She refuses to talk because of the injustices of life.  

All the characters in this book were great.  Grace was such an amazing protagonist.  She was so strong and put up with so much, how she stayed sane throughout everything she had to deal with is an incredible testament to her strength.  Thornhollow was another awesome character.  I was fully expecting not to like him, he started off as being described as a psychopath, and at the beginning it seemed like he might be one.  The more you get to know him you realize that he's actually not, he just doesn't show his emotions in typical ways and he has reasons for behaving like he does.  His actions at the end of the novel made him my favorite character!

The supporting characters were great as well, Lizzie was a lot of fun to read about, and I really want to know more about String!  Nell was a lot of fun too, it made her illness that much worse, especially when you find out about her past.  Even the 'bad guys' were great characters as well.  I love how this book played with the brain and why people act they way they do.  The murderer and main antagonist were not inherently evil, it was events that made them that way, and the evil wasn't so much as knowingly doing horrible stuff, but more of not understanding how to do it any other way.

I really enjoyed the story line as well, I always love it when there's a duel plot going on, especially when it's well done.  There was the serial killer Grace and Thornhollow were hunting down as well as Grace's backstory catching up to her.  It was masterfully done and wonderful to read.

I give this one a 10/10.  I loved every second of it!  I highly recommend it, but be warned it's not really a horror book, there's nothing super scary about it.

Fans of the Impossible Life

by Kate Scelsa

Summary from GoodReads

Ten months after her recurring depression landed her in the hospital, Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can’t get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she’s with Sebby.

Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who’s been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it’s as if he’s been expecting him.

Sebby, Mira’s gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him like a backlit halo. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives.

As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira’s world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don’t understand their quest to live for the impossible.

A captivating and profound debut novel, Fans of the Impossible Life is a story about complicated love and the friendships that change you forever.

Thoughts on the Book

I got this book from BEA and it's been sitting in my TBR pile for a while.  It finally made it's way to the top and I was starting to see some great reviews for it so I picked it up to give it a read.

My Review

This book is about three teens, all with some sort of issue, Mira who suffers from depression, Sebby who lives in foster care, and Jeremy who can't quite figure out who is is.

I hated every second of this book.  The only character I could semi relate to was Mira, but even she was awful.  And the chapters?  Ugh.  How quaint, each character will be told from a different point of view.  It was horrible, especially Sebby's second person chapters. 

Let's begin with Mira.  She suffers from depression, he father gave up caring about her after she completely betrayed their trust.  She doesn't do a thing for herself no matter how many people try to support her.  She latched on the the one person who was the absolute worst for her, feeding into all of her bad habits all the while not caring one bit about her.

Then there's Jeremy.  I almost liked him, he's a shy kid growing up with two dads.  Kids at his elite school start making fun of him, to the point of he had to leave school, because if his dad is gay then he must be too.  The thing that annoyed me with him was he seemingly gave in to the pressure and was like, well, everyone things I'm gay, my dads are gay, therefore I also am gay.  Imagine if it were the opposite, a gay kid feeling like he has to be straight because his parents are and everyone around him thinks he is.  Neither scenario is okay, but Scelsa felt that if he struggling to figure out who he was, him being gay would be so much more edgy and topical.

And lastly Sebby.  By far the worst character.  He was a walking stereotype.  Flamboyantly gay, going after whatever guy he fancied.  He's a foster kid, so he steals and runs away from home, drops out of school, has zero respect for anyone and of course, turns to drugs because his life is just so horrible.  

There were so many stupid side stories that took away from the main three stories.  Way too many things going on in this book.  There was Rose and her girlfriend/ex girlfriend with all of their alluded to drama, there was their English teacher who they all got inappropriately close to which caused him to loose his job, there was the girl who helped Jeremy out the previous year that had her own drama to deal with which sort of played a part in the main story.  It was just a jumble of too many things going on and everything was left unresolved.

I think my main problem with this book was Sebby.  His chapters were too harsh and they just made me hate him.  The most unrelatable character was done in second person, all of his decisions started with 'you' so my reaction was hell no not me.  Even his very first chapter, getting a bj from some poor schmuck in the mall, and thinking that it's okay?  Turning to drugs and totally screwing over everyone who cares about him?  Hating his foster mother who really cares about him but he's too blinded by his 'woe is me' attitude.  At the end I was almost hoping for him to O.D. then the book would have at least been a cautionary tale. 

I give this book a 1.5/10.  It was a struggle to get through it and when I finally did get to the end my only reaction was 'thank god it's over'.  

Immersed

by Katie Hayoz

Summary from GoodReads

Forget petticoats and demure female behavior. Melusine Doré prefers armored corsets and knives and slays evil creatures for a living. The grim and gruesome don’t frighten her; she’ll take on a cyclops or a dragon and not even break a sweat. But when her rival, the charismatic Levi Cannon, comes to town, all her buried fears begin to surface. Melusine realizes she is in danger of something much more horrifying than facing blood-thirsty beasts – she’s in danger of falling in love. Because love alone has the power to reveal a secret terrible enough to completely shatter her world.

Set in the muddy streets of 1850s steampunk Chicago, Immersed by Katie Hayoz is a dark yet romantic fantastical romp. It is a stand-alone novella, but the first in a series of adventures that follow Melusine on her quest to rid the world of monsters…and her struggle to come to terms with every monstrous facet of herself. 

Thoughts on the Book

I got this book through NetGalley.  I thought the premise sounded very cool.

My Review

This book is about Melusine, a cursed monster-killer.  She gets forced into working with her arch enemy, Levi, a fellow monster-killer.

I loved the world Hayoz built.  It's a steampunk Chicago filled with mythological creatures.  I love the rivalry between Melusine and Levi, and the tension between them.  I really enjoyed learning about Melusine's curse as well and the reason behind it.  I want to know more about her family life!  

My main issue with this book is that it was too short, some things felt kind of rushed or glossed over.  If Hayoz had taken time to really draw out some of the stuff, especially between Melusine and Levi, it would have been so much better!  Which is saying a lot since it was awesome as is.

I give this one a 9/10.  I can't wait to read more from this world!

The Immortal Heights

by Sherry Thomas

Summary from GoodReads

In a pursuit that has spanned continents, Iolanthe, Titus, and their friends have always managed to remain one step ahead of the forces of Atlantis. But now the Bane, the monstrous tyrant who bestrides the entire mage world, has issued his ultimatum: Titus must hand over Iolanthe, or watch as his entire realm is destroyed in a deadly rampage. Running out of time and options, Iolanthe and Titus must act decisively to deliver a final blow to the Bane, ending his reign of terror for good.

However, getting to the Bane means accomplishing the impossible—finding a way to infiltrate his crypt in the deepest recesses of the most ferociously guarded fortress in Atlantis. And everything is only made more difficult when new prophecies come to light, foretelling a doomed effort....

Iolanthe and Titus will put their love and their lives on the line. But will it be enough?

With The Immortal Heights, Sherry Thomas brings the acclaimed Elemental Trilogy to its breathtaking conclusion.

Thoughts on the Book

Pretty much my only thoughts on the book were "omg, it's here, it's out, omg".  Needless to say I've been anxiously awaiting this book since I finished The Perilous Sea.

My Review

This is the conclusion to The Burning Sky and The Perilous Sea.  It followed Iolanthe and Titus into an epic battle.

Shortly into the book I realized that no one was safe.  I still had hope though, I hoped desperately that Titus' mother's interpretation was totally wrong, but then the second prophecy...I almost thought it was George R.R. Martin-esque.  Oh, you have a favorite character? DEAD! Oh, you have a new favorite character? DEAD!  But no worries, Thomas isn't nearly as bad as him (seriously, is anyone going to still be alive in A Dream of Spring?).

Like with the first two books this was full of action and adventure.  Even though you kind of knew what was coming with the prophecies, you had no idea how they would come to be.  Pretty much everything about this book took me by surprise, an impressive feat especially when you're told essentially what will happen.  A few times I had to stop reading, out of fear of what would happen to the characters, not being able to handle what they were going through, a brief respite of sheer relief, a brief respite to process what had just happened to a beloved character.  These breaks didn't last long because the "how? when? why?"s running through my head due to the prophecies.

The characters in this series are so great, they're solidly written characters who stay true to their nature and really shine through.  It's one of the reasons why I needed to process, I usually don't get so completely attached to characters, but these guys, man, you really just feel for them and all the shit they have to deal with.  I also absolutely love that while there is a romance, well, two...sort of three romances going on they're not all encompassing.  They're there, they're in love, they need to go on fighting.  It's refreshing to read a series like that.  The drama that happens isn't petty, the tender moments are like a deep breath before all hell breaks loose again, and while hell is loose just the little bits of comfort they give each other, both as friends and romantically, is so well done.  Just a quick glance at each other before entering battle, a nod to a friend to show solidarity.  Fantastic, all of it.

Even after everything was all over and done with it wasn't a "and they lived happily ever after" end to the story.  The epilogue was great.  Eton was a little silly, but it was really nice and gave good closure.  The first part of the epilogue though, I was kind of flipping out with even more "where? why? WHAT???" before it was explained. 

I absolutely love this trilogy, it was completely epic and awesome, and why isn't there a huge fandom for this?  Seriously, such a phenomenal story!  

I give this an 11/10. The conclusion to the series was utterly fantastic, I seldom read such a great ending (the only other one that comes to mind is His Dark Materials).  There's absolutely nothing more satisfying than finishing a story going what a perfect ending, there is no other way that could possibly have gone that would have made it any better.  If you haven't already - GO READ THIS SERIES!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously.  Do it.  Now.

Waiting on Wednesday [26]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine allows bloggers to share which books we are most anticipating

This week I am waiting on Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (February 2, 2016)

Summary From GoodReads

The enchantment continues. . . .

The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies?

With six stories - two of which have never before been published - and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer's upcoming novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland,Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.

Why I'm Waiting

I only just started Winter and already I'm dreading finishing it because the story will be over.  So a new collection of short stories to enhance the over Lunar Chronicles story?  Can't wait!  

Top Ten Tuesday [24]

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish that allows bloggers to share their top ten lists for that week’s topics

Top 10 Book to Movie Adaptions I Wish I Never Saw

I generally dislike book to movie adaptions, so there's really none that I want to see, but a bunch that I've seen and regretted, walked out of the movie theatre even.

1 - Timeline - Michael Crichton

They took out simple tech and added a superfluous character, changed other character's genders, and all around made every attempt to ruin one of my favorite books

2 - Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

I can't pinpoint exactly what went wrong with this one, but the end result was just not good.  Rose's snark didn't come off how it should have, Lissa and Christian were both lame.  And what was with all of the Twilight jokes?

3 - Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

The silly was halved in the movie, and it just wasn't as memorable.  They added stupid humor to make up for the inability to translate the intelligent humor of the books onto the screen. 

4 - The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - Ann Brashares

This movie was so blah, and it took away so much of the girl's friendship and made it all about boys.

5 - Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Strictly speaking all the remakes of it are nothing like the book.  However, the musical is awesome.  But no matter how you look at it the movie was God-awful.  It had the freedom to follow the musical and pull extra from the book.  I don't think the writers for the movie even knew it was a book originally, they just removed the story farther away from the original.

6 - Emma - Jane Austen

So bad.  So boring, I fell asleep while watching it.  And I wanted to love it so bad.  Granted, I haven't been able to get through the book either, but other remakes have been fantastically done: Clueless and Emma Approved to name a couple

7 - Eragon - Chris Paolini

I'm a big fan of the books.  But this movie?  Way to take everything awesome from the books and remove it.  They put emphasis on all the wrong things.

8 - City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

Again, what happened to reading the book and understanding it and the characters?  It's like the screenwriters got a summary of the book that they worked off of.

9 - The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

Another one of my favorite books that Hollywood felt the need to butcher.  They totally ruined it and made it stupid for what?  To be able to split the smallest book of the series into three movies.  Bravo Peter Jackson, great job.

10 - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling

They felt the need to stay so close to the books for everything that they lost the magic feel of them and everything they skipped over from the books was blatantly obvious.  I really hated this movie and Chamber of Secrets.  When Chris Columbus left the project the movies got oh-so-much better.

Honorable Mentions