Mismatched Lovers

Published:  February 1st, 1979

Harold and Maude

By: Colin Higgins

Avon Books

ISBN-13:  9780380003853

Nineteen-year-old Harold Chasen is obsessed with death.  He fakes suicides to shock his self-obsessed mother, drives a customized Jaguar hearse, and attends funerals of complete strangers.  Seventy-nine-year-old Maude Chardin, on the other hand, adores life.  She liberates trees from city sidewalks and transplants them to the forest, paints smiles on the faces of church statues, and "borrows" cars to remind their owners life is fleeting -- here today, gone tomorrow!  A chance meeting between the two turns into a madcap, whirlwind romance, and Harold learns that life is worth living.

Review

       Ugh.  I know this is a classic, and I have a couple friends that absolutely loved it.  Maybe it also doesn't help my opinion that I've never seen the movie?  Not sure, but for some reason I'm not at all a fan of this one.  It was okay, but overall un-inspiring for me personally.

       I found it to be kind of similar to Love Story, in the fact that you can totally tell it was written to be a screenplay.  It was never written to just be a book and for me personally, that hurt my enjoyment of it.  There was no real flesh to the characters and barely any plot happening.  And that freaking ending...

       Since when is that the freaking answer?  Maybe if I had seen the movie, or read this as a teenager, I'd have had more tolerance for the whole "suicide-star-crossed-age-gap-lovers" thing.  But get this: I just didn't.  She could have just told him, "Hey yo, I'm way too freaking old for you.  Find a nice girl your own age and P.S. I'm going off on further adventures."  Instead she committs suicide and Harold learns a nice, neat lesson?  FUCKING GAG ME.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*I received this book from Avon Books on NetGalley.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was originally published on February 1st, 1979.*

Crazy On You

Published:  March 3rd, 2015

Rocket Raccoon, Vol. 1: A Chasing Tale

By: Skottie Young

Marvel

ISBN-13:  9780785193890

Rocket Raccoon has been a hero to the weak, a champion of good, a heartthrob to many intergalactic females, but his high-flying life of adventure may be a thing of the past when he's framed for murder -- and the authorities aren't the only one on his tail!  (Get it?  Tail?)  The real killer is an imposter who seems to be one step ahead of Rocket at every turn...now it's up to our hero and his best pal Groot to find the truth!  With Macho Gomez and the Ex-Terminators tracking him, can Rocket make it out alive and clear his name?

Review

       If there's any comic that I can get behing whimsical, unrealistic-in-every-way artwork, it would be a comic starring Rocket Raccoon and his ever present buddy, Groot.  So this time, it wasn't the art that got on my nerves.  In fact there really wasn't much of anything that got on my nerves, so to speak.  It was yet another case of the "mehs" for me with this book.  I really enjoyed the first few issues, but I felt like it ran out of steam and I must be the only one who read this that DIDN'T enjoy the issue that was all "I Am Groot"s and pretty artwork.  This whole book starts with Rocket on a quest to find the surviving member(s) of his race, that he found out about recently.  Oh, and to clear his name of murder.  Not that he hasn't committed murder before, but this rap sheet doesn't actually belong to him.  So, it has to be another from his race, right?  Then there's also the matter of all the ex-girlfriends that are trying to kill Rocket, for overall being a womanizing douchebag!

       As soon as the story arc from the first three issues was tidied up, I felt like the last half of the "story" was just filler.  And I think that's half of my problem with reading Marvel comics over DC.  No matter which publisher, there's a 50/50 shot as to whether or not it's going to be any good, no matter what.  But when you look at the pros and cons, I usually choose DC over Marvel.  It tends to be because Marvels trade volumes are about 20-30 pages shorter (2 issues, give or take).  Also, the story arcs, at least from the trades that I've read, seem to be more pointless/used to less effect.  About half the volume is filler, unlike DC where even if it's shitty, all of it's pertinent.  I guess what I've been learning from reading Marvel, and what I learned from reading Rocket Raccoon in particular, is that I'm old and a fun-sucker.  Which, y'know, doesn't make me Marvel's ideal audience.  In other words, I'm the perfect DC fan (to my DC-fan friends, just admit it to yourself).

VERDICT:  3/5 Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

Bite Sized Review: Lois Lane - A Real Work of Art

Published:  March 4th, 2015

Lois Lane: A Real Work of Art

By: Gwenda Bond

Capstone

ISBN-13:  9780000000

In high school art class, Lois Lane demonstrates her undeniable talent.....but not for painting.

This is an official teaser short story for the young adult novel LOIS LANE: FALLOUT that takes place before Lois moves to Metropolis.

Review

       I normally don't care too much for short stories, especially ones that are under 50 pages long.  I know that a lot can be conveyed in them if the right writer is guiding the ship -- but more often than not, these short stories and novellas for popular YA book series are just useless filler.  This was available on NetGalley, so I requested it and hoped for the best.  And I got it!  Lois Lane is exactly how I wanted her to be - sassy, smart, and self-aware.  Of course, she's a teenager, so there is some self-doubt.  Lois is constantly moving around as an army brat, and she's in a new town again.  All she wants is to figure out something that she's good at, something that can be just for her.  So, Lois decides to try out an art class, and manages to get into more trouble than you'd think possible.  If you're a fan of Lois Lane (especially as portrayed by Erica Durance on Smallville, who this Lois really reminded me of!), try reading this.  I am now super pumped up for the full-length book coming out in May.  I enjoyed Gwenda Bond's style and I will LOVE reading more of Lois' misadventures!  Highly recommended.

VERDICT: 4/5 Stars

*I received this book from Capstone, on NetGalley. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. This book was published on March 4th, 2015.*

Bite-Sized Review: K is For Knifeball, A Contact Sport You'd Do Well to Avoid...

Published:  September 26th, 2012

K is for Knifeball: An Alphabet of Terrible Advice

By: Avery Monsen & Jory John

Chronicle Books

ISBN-13:  9781452103310

Adorable illustrated characters lead readers down a path of poor decision-making, and alphabetical, rhyming couplets offer terrible life lessons in which O is for opening things with your teeth, F is for setting Daddy's wallet on fire, and R is for Racoon ( but definitely not for rabies).  With plenty of playfully disastrous choices lurking around every corner, this compendium of black humor may be terrible for actual children, but it's perfect for the common-senseless child in all adults.

Review

       What is with this trend of humorous books, that are "made" for children (but not really)?  The authors of this book also wrote one called "All My Friends Are Dead."  I kept having their other book recommended to me and was told constantly how funny it was - so, I figured I'd give this one a shot.  After all, any book titled "K is for Knifeball," must be read and enjoyed with all the funniness the aforesaid title entails.  Except for the fact that while, yes, this book made me smile a little bit, it actually wasn't something that I found hee-haw-larious like I expected.  My expectations were probably WAY too high to be met in any realistic way, especially after all the recommendations.  Really though, the best ones are already given away in the synopsis on the back of the book.  Which, with the whole alphabet covered (kind of, they cheated with a couple letters in my opinion) you'd think there'd be plenty of room for funny stuff.  But they seemed more intent on going for the cheap laughs.  It might be black humor, but it was by no means SMART humor.  And to me, that was it's biggest failing.  What I personally want is the "Adventures of Knifeball."  But you know what they say about not having everything in life.

VERDICT:  2/5 Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

At The End of the World

Published:  September 13th, 2005 (first published 1983)

The Color of Magic (Discworld #1)

By: Terry Pratchett

Harper Perrenial

ISBN-13:  9780060855925

The Color of Magic is Terry Pratchett's maiden voyage through the now legendary land of Discworld.  This is where it all begins -- with the tourist Twoflower and his wizard guide, Rincewind.  On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out.  There's an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet...

Review

       I will admit that I've had this book on my shelf for at least a year, waiting for me to read it.  I was a little bit scared, actually, because of all the negative things people have said about it on Goodreads, Amazon, etc.  Apparently it's the weakest Discworld novel according to a lot of people.  I haven't read enough Discworld to agree or disagree yet (exactly four of them, counting this one) on that particular point.  But I can say that I enjoyed Going Postal and The Wee Free Men a lot more than this one (Making Money, not so much).  There weren't a lot of laugh out loud moments to be found in this one for me.  It elicited a lot of smiles, but no real laughs were emitted.  

       Probably my favorite thing in this book was the fact that it made fun of "fantasy" books so freely and openly.  I thought it was awesome that the Gods were playing a dice game (obviously a nod to the immortal nerd pasttime, Dungeons & Dragons!) that determined the circumstances of Rincewind and Twoflower.  I thought the whole Conan the Barbarian parody was a bit much, but the thing with Twoflower's camera was funny.  Rincewind was an okay character, a failure at being a wizard and a fraidy-cat of the highest order - but very realistic in that aspect.  Who (other than the oblivious Twoflower) would think that being a sacrifice was all part and parcel?  Or that a Soul-Eating God was something to take a picture of and gawk at?!  I loved the bits with the person-eating luggage and DEATH'S problems getting Rincewind to keep his appointment were some of the best moments in the book.  Overall though, too much parody and world-building, but not enough actual story to keep me completely involved.  I do want to know what's over the edge of the world, so I'll probably read the next one.  Damn curiosity!

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

GIVEAWAY for 1 Signed Copy (U.S. ONLY) and 3 e-books (INTL.) of "I Want Crazy" by Codi Gary!!!

       Hey everyone!  I hope you are all having a great New Year so far, with many great reads in your book life! :D  As of New Year's Eve 2014, I was tweeting a link to my Top 10 Books of 2014 (and the 10 runners up).  I was just putting a blog post out there, sharing my opinions like usual.  It started a conversation with romance author Codi Gary, whose wonderfully funny and touching book I Want Crazy (Loco Texas #2) (my review here) was part of my Top 10 list.  She generously offered to send me a signed copy of her book and to send an additional one for this giveaway!  Because I love this book so much (and it's only $0.99 for the Nook & Kindle right now!!!), I decided to spread the love a little more by giving away 3 ebook copies (format of your choice) as well.  Just enter the giveaway below and good luck to you all!  I hope whoever wins enjoys this book just as much as I did! :D

Published: July 8th, 2014

I Want Crazy (Loco Texas #2)

By: Codi Gary

Books with Benefits Press

ISBN-13:  9781941170007

Alfred “Red” Calhoun is in a rut so big, he doesn’t know how to climb out of it. After his second best-selling romance novel, Red signed a contract for three more books, but now he’s having trouble finding his romantic mojo. To top it all off, his favorite bar has been bought by a woman who wants to close down and re-vamp it. With his favorite place gone, Red is looking for a distraction…just not the kind that the bar-ruining Jessie Dale has to offer, no matter how hot she may look in a pair of paint-covered overalls…

Jessie has been running away from trouble since the time she was a kid and now that she’s decided to make a place in Loco, Texas, she’ll be damned if she’s going to let a pain in the rear cowboy with too blue eyes chase her out of town. As Red and Jessie go toe to toe in an epic battle of wills, Jessie finds it hard to stay mad when Red’s kisses make her want to forget her trust issues…and take him home for a test drive.

But when Jessie’s pissed-off ex comes to town to make trouble, Red finds himself playing a hero in his own life and can’t seem to stay away from the her. But will he be able to handle all the crazy baggage Jessie’s been hauling around, or will these two miss out on the greatest adventure of all…falling in love? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As Yoooouuuuuu Wiiiisssshhhhh......

Published:  October 14th, 2014

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

By: Cary Elwes (with Joe Layden); Foreword by Rob Reiner

Touchstone

ISBN-13:  9781476764023

From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account, and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.

The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades.  Ranked by The American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.

Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion.  In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets, backstage stories, and answers to lingering questions about off-screen romances that have plagued fans for years!

Review

       So, I love The Princess Bride.  It's one of my favorite movies and has definitely earned its cult-classic status - and I agree with it being one of the top 100 screenplays of all time.  There is so much going on and all of it ties in together wonderfully and sensibly.  The humor is phenomenal, the action is balanced out with romance and friendship.  If you're someone who's never seen it (no judgement, honestly), go do that now.  No, seriously, I'll wait for you.  Then you can talk about this book with me!  That said, I was truly excited to get a behind the scenes look at this particular film.  And with Cary Elwes (aka dashing Westley) as our tour guide, this couldn't be anything but interesting right?  It has interviews from his co-stars, stories about Andre the Giant (whom I knew nothing about, really, before this book) and we get to learn a little about Elwes himself.  What more could a fan ask for?

       A little bit more, actually.  I think what it comes down to for me, is that even though there were a couple injuries (like Cary shooting some action scenes with a couple broken toes!), and getting himself knocked out by Christopher Guest for real, the filming was mainly conflict free.  Also, Elwes is extremely British.  Well, the stereotype of British would be more accurate I suppose, in that he has nothing bad to say about anyone, EVER.  He loved everyone on set, was in awe of them, working with them was a dream, best time of his life, etc.  There was some interesting rivalry between Cary and Mandy, but even that was pretty good-natured.  A book starts to get kind of repetitive and stale after awhile if there's no conflict to break things up.  It got kind of boring, with those rose-colored glasses on.  I did like learning the extra trivia, but this book was more pleasant and time-wasting than actually interesting.  I still love the movie and really like the original book.  I highly recommend them both, but unless you're a hardcore fan, you might find this a little bit disappointing.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

Boys Apparently DO Knit

Expected Publication:  March 24th, 2015 (Originally January 1st, 2014)

Boys Don't Knit (Boys Don't Knit #1)

By: T.S. Easton

Feiwel & Friends

ISBN-13:  9781250053312

Knitting is a man's game.

After an incident regarding a crossing guard and a bottle of Martini & Rossi (and his bonehead friends), 17-year-old worrier Ben Fletchermust develop his sense of social alignment, take up a hobby, and do some community service to avoid any further probation.

He takes a knitting class (it was that or his father's mechanic class) under the impression that it's taught by the hot teacher all the boys like.  Turns out, it's not.  Perfect.

Regardless, he sticks with it and comes to find he's a natural knitter, maybe even great.  It even helps ease his anxiety and worrying.  The only challenge now is to keep it hidden from his friends, his crush, and his soccer-obsessed father.  What a tangled web Ben has weaved...or knitted.

Review

       Let's just lay it all out on the line: I know absolutely NOTHING about knitting!  I have a couple friends who know how, and I've always thought it would be cool to learn, but I know nothing about it.  Also, I don't read a lot of YA books with male protagonists.  Mainly because I feel like a lot of the ones I've picked up have protags that are either complete assholes or so unrealistic that they might as well be the next Disney Prince!  Yes, nice guys exist and so do awful ones.  Most REAL guys (adult, teenage and child) are some combination of the two though, rather than one extreme or another.  T.S. Easton really captures that fact with Ben Fletcher.  Not perfect by any means, 17 year old Ben allows himself to get into sticky situations by going along with his harebrained friends.  After an incident with some stolen liquor, a lollipop lady and a damaged vehicle, Ben is on probation.  He has to keep a diary to hand in to his caseworker and complete community service to show his reform.  Part of this is a college class.  Not wanting to be in his dad's mechanic class, Microsoft Office (too easy/boring), or pottery, he goes with knitting (the teacher is supposed to be a hot, younger woman).  Turns out the teachers listed were wrong and it's his crush's Mom and now Ben's stuck.  But guess what, he's a natural knitter - and he really enjoys it!

       Basically, this book is set over the course of eight months and told through Ben's diary entries.  We get to meet his soccer/car obsessed Dad, his often on tour magician Mom and his crazy little sister Molly.  Also in supporting roles are his very memorable friends (one of whom he's editing an erotic book called "Fifty Shades of Graham" for!) who get him into plenty of trouble, Mrs. Frensham i.e. the lollipop lady he practically ran over, Megan (the girl he likes), the hot teacher Miss Swallow, and the women from his knitting class.  Everyone is well characterized, and we see Ben grow from someone unsure of himself and more of a follower, to a young man who has found something he loves to do and refuses to apologize for it.  Along the way he makes friends with some unlikely people and we get to see his big heart and hilarious turn of phrase.  I laughed out loud mutliple times while reading this, especially at Ben's mounting lies and the box of "shame" he hides under the bed with his knitting stuff.  The knitting competition at the end is the stuff comedies should be made of!  All in all, I super enjoyed it.  I am beyond the high school angst and Facebook obsessing over a crush, so I did roll my eyes a little.  But I highly recommend this book, because it's so much more than that.  Can't wait to read the next one!

VERDICT:  4/5 Stars

**I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is March 24th, 2015.**

Selling Hell To a Bishop

Expected Publication:  September 16th, 2014

Sway

By: Kat Spears

St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN-13:  9781250051431

In Kat Spears' hilarious and often poignant debut, high school senior Jesse Alderman, or "Sway," as he's known, could sell hell to a bishop.  He also specializes in getting things people want -- term papers, a date with the prom queen, fake IDs.  He has few close friends and he never EVER lets emotions get in the way.  For Jesse, life is simply a series of business transactions.

But when Ken Foster, captain of the football team, leading candidate for homecoming King, and all-around jerk, and hires Jesse to help him win the heart of the angelic Bridget Smalley, Jesse finds himself feeling all sorts of things.  While following Bridget and learning the intimate details of her life, he falls helplessly in love for the first time.  He also finds himself in an accidental friendship with Bridget's belligerent and self-pitying younger brother who has cerebral palsy.  Suddenly, Jesse is visiting old folks at a nursing home in order to run into Bridget, and offering his time to help the less fortunate, all the while developing a bond with this young man who idolizes him.  Could the tin man really have a heart after all?

Review

     So, this book turned around my reading slump in the best of ways.  I feel like there has been very little amazing contemporary romance/whatever in my reading so far this year.  I actually picked this up expecting absolutely nothing, and the description of this as yet another Cyrano De Bergerac knock-off did nothing to interest me.  I got this through the tour site I'm part of on a fleeting whim.  Boy am I ever glad that I did!  This one is told in first-person, by the main character Jesse, whose sense of humor and choice of language leave a lot to be desired.  Not to mention the less than legal activities he is most well known for among the other kids at his school - even the adults come to him asking for favors!  The overall tone and balance of emotion and humor reminded me of two of my favorite contemporary reads of last year, Cherry Money Baby and Firecracker.

     Jesse "Sway" Alderson is the go-to guy for anything you want: drugs, exam papers, favors of an indeterminate nature and whatever else you want - for a price.  So when Ken Foster, the moronic asshole captain of the football team, comes to Jesse asking for help with getting the saintly Bridget Smalley as his girlfriend, Jesse agrees to do it.  But following Bridget around and getting to know her causes Jesse to grow a conscience and fall in love.  How can he let Bridget be with Ken, knowing the whole thing is a lie?  And what effect will all the deceit, growing feelings and new friendships out of random circumstance have on the rest of his life?  Can Sway make things right, or will Jesse be stuck cleaning up the biggest mess he's ever made?

     Jesse doesn't care to censor himself.  He just says whatever pops into his head first, consequences be damned, and I truly admire that!  There are a lot of people in his life: his gothy and sarcastic best friend Joey, his distant alcoholic father, Carter from the football team, a drug dealer named Digger, truly scary supplier Skinhead Rob, and his ex-girlfriend Heather.  But he never really connects to anyone until he meets cranky Mr. Dunkleman at the old folk's home and uses him as his pretend grandfather.  Another nail in the coffin was the shine he takes to Bridget's kid brother Pete, always calling him on his shit and never treating him as disabled because of his condition.  He calls Pete retarded to his face!  The romance in this was sweet, but this book was more about self-realization than anything.  What can we do to fix things, when we realize that our entire life is built around a philosophy that could cause us to lose the one thing we actually want?  Another big part of this book is Jesse coming to terms with living again after his mother's death by way of pill overdose.  He doesn't know whether to feel everything or nothing at all.  I loved that the ending isn't wrapped in a neat little bow, with every loose thread tied up.  We never do see whether Pete and Jesse get close again after their blowout.  Or the fallout of Skinhead Rob's ultimatum.  The open-endedness was nice for a change though.  A lot more like real life!  I absolutely love this book and if you want to be an emotional yo-yo, you should just pick it up already!

Favorite Quotes:

"Why do you call him that?" Pete asked.  "Sway?"

"Because he is sway," Carter said simply.  Pete looked at me but I just shook my head and turned to stare out the plate glass window at the deserted main street.

"But what does it mean?" Pete asked.

"You never heard of sway?" Carter asked, baffled by Pete's question.  "No."

Carter shrugged.  "Sway ain't somethin' you can define.  A brother who's got sway is the man -- don't have to try to be cool, just ...is.  Jesse's as cool as the underside of my pillow.  He's so slick, he could convince you that I'm white, have you believin' it like it's gospel."  

Carter turned his attention to me as he said, "I thought you were ed-you-catin' this boy."

In the haze between consciousness and oblivion I mumbled crazy shit and started to shake with the cold.  Joey covered me with a blanket, then curled up on her narrow bed beside me and held me close as she stroked my hair.  Carter sat behind the bend in my legs and they warmed me with the heat from their bodies.

"I wanted to die," I said into my chest, my voice a grunt as I jerked with another shudder of cold.  "I want to die."

"I know," Joey said, and shushed me and kissed me on the forehead.  "I know.  But you can't die.  If you die, I'll be all alone."

"Shit," Carter said, and I felt him start to shake with quiet sobs as I drifted into the black.

Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" drifted through the air from Joey's iPod, and I remember thinking how appropriate it would be to die listening to that song.

VERDICT:  5/5  Stars

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book's expected publication date is September 16th, 2014.*

Rollin' Old School, Newbury Style: Holes by Louis Sachar

Published:  August 20th, 1998

Holes (Holes #1)

By: Louis Sachar

Scholastic

ISBN-13:  9780439244190

Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Center.  Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labor at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything he finds in that hole.  The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth.

Review

     Stanley Yelnats is in trouble again, and it's all his dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather's fault!  With his family's seemingly permanent cursed state, Stanley is convicted of a crime that he didn't committ.  Given the option of jail or Camp Green Lake, Stanley chooses the camp.  After all, he's poor and has never been to camp before - it won't be that bad, will it?  Guess again!  Stanley and the other boys spend their days digging 5X5 ft. holes (one per day), supposedly to build character.  But Stanley thinks the Warden is looking for something and using the boys to do it.  Spending his days tired, thirsty, and exhausted, Stanley makes friends with a somewhat lost boy named Zero.  Teaching Zero to read, Stanley feels like he has a purpose.  But when things escalate with the other boys, the counselors and the Warden, can Stanley find a survive until he can clear his name?  Or will it be too late.....

     I read this book either at the tail end of elementary school or the beginning of middle school when I was younger.  All I know is that it captured Small Anna's attention and imagination, making me sweat along with Stanley as he dug his seemingly meaningless holes.  I love that there is an intertwined plotline with the history of Camp Green Lake when it was still a town, and how notorious outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow went "bad."  Also we get to trace Stanley's family from his great-great-grandfather Elya Yelnats (a dirty-rotten, pig stealer cursed by a gypsy if you believe family lore), to his great-grandfather who was robbed by Kissin' Kate and the rest of Stanley's family who are currently affected by the curse; Stanley's inventor father is unable to make his inventions work the way he wants.  We never find out what Stanley's Grandpa's story really is, he's mostly the storyteller, giving the readers the family history.

       I will admit that Stanley is kind of placeholder character in the grand scheme of the book, mostly weak and just there to drive forward the plot.  My favorite characters were honestly Kissin' Kate Barlow and Sam the Onion Man.  My God, was her story devastatingly sad for a kid's book!  And poor Sam and his donkey Mary Lou are somewhat tragic figures as well.  Stanley does develop though, going from and overweight, detached, quiet outsider, to a part of the group (nickname -Caveman- and all) and far braver than he ever thought he could be.  The ending is a little too fairy tale-esque in its happy ever after quality.  But then again, I'm a cynical adult now and this book is basically the equivalent of a modern day, America fairy tale.  I definitely can see why it won the Newberry Award, with its sparse, but infinitely descriptive language and rich characterizations (the Warden still freaks me out to this day, I can picture Mr. Sir with his bag of sunflower seeds, and Mr. Pendanski is easy to see as well).  I will also say that the movie, while not completey faithful, is worth checking out as well.  I very much enjoyed it when I saw it in theaters in 2003/3004 (unsure which) and I rewatched recently.  It holds up very well.  All in all, a great book for teachers and also for anyone who wants to be entertained with a thoroughly original story.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

**No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.**

How to Catch a Professor (Without Even Trying)

Published:  January 20th, 2014

Prudence and the Professor (Brides of Jubilee #1)

By: Sibelle Stone

Moon Valley Publishing

ASIN #:  B00I0B8Y22

Civil War widow Prudence Worthington has vowed to never again be at the mercy of a man.  She's determined to make her own way in the world after being one of the first women to graduate from a business school in upstate New York.  In search of adventure and independence she takes a position as a personal secretary to an eccentric inventor and heads to Montana territory.

Professor Gerritt Rhineheart must develop his newest invention to meet a critical deadline.  Someone is willing to do almost anything to stop him, and the distraction of a raven-haired beauty he hired as his secretary makes it impossible to concentrate.  But he must stay focused, especially when his invention could change the course of the War-Between-the-States.

Discover a rollicking steampunk romance from an award-winning author.   The first book in the Brides of Jubilee series.

Review

     Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to avoid most things steampunk related.  I like my complicated world-building and overall book surroundings to be more fantasy than mech in their flavor.  But occasionally there will be a steampunk novel that will sneak its way into my to-read pile.  Because of the fact that this was marketed first and foremost as a historical romance, this one crawled in through the breach!  I was interested because the cover doesn't scream steampunk OR typical, historical romance, at all, and I wanted to read it and find out how it would turn out.  I enjoyed the fact that Prudence, while still fairly young for a widow and heroine, is a strong and independent woman.  She has graduated from business college and wants to run her own secretarial school one day.  After being stuck living with her cruel mother-in-law, who treated her like an unpaid servant, and was abusive verbally and physically, Prudence wants to make a way for herself.  She wants to control her own destiny and help other women do that as well.  Plus, she's sassy, kind of awkward, and pretty darn funny!

     Professor Gerritt Rhineheart is a colleague of her Uncle's, so Prudence starts corresponding with him and takes the position as his secretary.  But Gerritt hired her mainly because the tintype (photo) she sent him made her look plain, unappealing and downright ugly  He figures she won't be getting married away from her job anytime soon, so it's safe to hire her to help him out.  Well, the tintype just turns out to be a bad picture day.  Prudence is very pretty and also, very distracting to Professor Rhineheart himself.  With Prudence and Gerritt getting into compromising situations at every turn, his inappropriate bawdy housekeeper Alma trying to get them together, the Confederates trying to steal the designs for his game-changing invention, and someone trying to harm Prudence, can Gerritt truly resist falling in love?  Especially when Prudence is falling right along with him?

     What drew me in was the approachability of these characters.  Prudence is by no means a prissy, perfect widow.  She is flawed, slightly lust-driven and sometimes says things she knows she shouldn't.  Gerritt is insecure, but beyond charming and the sex appeal just oozes off the page in every encounter between the two of them.  Sure, the verbal exchanges are a bit corny sometimes.  And the "high action" sequence at the end of the book, meant to resolve the mystery, is by no means unpredictable.  I knew who the villain was going to be less than halfway through.  But this book tickled my funny bone, tugged at my heart and had some truly awesome characters.  It was a sweet romance (if a bit sexually unrealistic, in terms of their somewhat weak surrender & societal disregard a great deal of the time), and the supporting characters were wonderful too.  I loved Alma, who teaches Prudence to shoot a revolver and a rifle, gives her sex advice (and unsolicited stories from her bedroom, set when her husband was alive), and can cook like nobody's business.  She's a scary, warm and fuzzy teddy bear.  And somewhat of a man-eater.  I adored her so much.  Alma is the latter day Golden Girl of the Wild West romance genre!  

     Also, Gerritt reminded me SO MUCH of Nathan Fillion in his role as Mal on Firefly - only with slightly more common sense and more academia.  But the way the reader is introduced to his character is very swashbuckling, daring hero-esque.  The cover model also does not help to dissuade me from this notion.  I also love the cover of this one and it's relation to the actual story!  Prudence and Gerritt look just how they're described, all the way down to her horribly ugly hat with the stuffed, dead birds on it!  Overall, even with some mech tendencies, the focus in this one was more on the romance.  I recommend it to fans of light, humorous historical romance who don't mind a slight bit of alternative history.  Also, fans of Nathan Fillion.  Be prepared for Gerritt Rhineheart to melt your panties with his daring, tragic backstory and sweet talking ways!

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received this book from Moon Valley Publishing, on NetGalley.  No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  This book was published on January 20th, 2014.*

It's About To Get Personal - Or My Thoughts on Goodreads, Author Interactions, Trolls and Opinion Shaming

Not my pic, but it illustrates my point/the topic of this post!

   

   You want to be a book blogger, huh?  I'm sure plenty of other bloggers have much advice (both good, bad and seemingly bizarre) to dole out generously.  Most of it is probably FAR more interesting than mine and more along the lines of what you would like to hear.  What prompted me to voice my thoughts on these topics (better known as rage button-issues!) would be an incident that happened last night when I was doing a status update on Goodreads for a book that I'm reading.  I won't name any names, but I noticed that the overall rating of the book had dropped dramatically in the last week since I looked at it's Goodreads page.  

     So, I started looking at reviews to see what was going on.  Apparently someone posted a review questioning a few things about the books and had a discussion going in the comments with their friends.  The author dropped themselves into the conversation and gave some unsought explanations for their questions.  I can see how this would be jarring to the reader and make them feel unsafe to express their opinion or like they were being attacked.  That said, it escalated from respectfully WTF? style dialogue to all out rage-mongering on the part of the blogger and as a result lots of people marked it DO-NOT-READ, TROLLS, and gave it one star reviews.  Here I am, weighing in on the situation (and ones like it that happen all the time) to give you my personal dos and don'ts for author interaction/opinion expression:

My Personal DOs for Respectful Opinions/Interactions on Social Media

1. DO feel free to express your opinions.  That said, do it in a respectful and constructively critical manner.  If you have nothing to add to why you hated it, do not be surprised if someone (maybe not even the author) tries to start a dialogue with you.  Be prepared for it.  Try to be intelligent about it.
2. DO make sure they are your opinions.  It is wonderful to stand behind your friends and take their part on things.  But if you have not read something, do not mark it as ONE STAR out of FIVE STARS.  If you have not cracked the spine, you have all the right to mark it as do-not-read for whatever reasons you fancy.  But to trash the rating of the author's hard work with no real opinions to share as to why (except for personal, rage-y ones) is just downright malicious.  You're rating the author, not the book!!!   Which is not what the forum is for.

       ***That said, if you want to add a note as to why you're forgoing the book in where the review usually 

              is, that's definitely the more mature and respectful option.  It adds reason that others can see, with 

              any malicious action behind it.

      3.  DO engage in relationships with authors and other readers.  It is really fun to meet new people 

           that share your interests.  Be they authors, or just fellow readers/bloggers it can be fun to get into 

           debates and make book suggestions to others.  Differing opinions are exciting because they can lead 

           to awesome new experiences/wisdom on both sides.  Treat the how you'd treat your real-life friends: 

           with respect and care.

My Personal DON'Ts for Respectful Opinions/Interactions (i.e. SANITY!!!) on Social Media

1. DON'T engage.  I have been fairly lucky that the majority of my negative/critical reviews are generally not commented on by the author themselves.  I have HOWEVER, had this happen a couple of times.  Lots of times, I don't even notice because I tend to keep my book discussion to my favorite groups threads or my blog.  I always feel bad when it happens.  And yes it does feel like they invaded my personal space.  But you know the best way to get over it?  IGNORE IT.  If you don't engage people who are asking for an argument or want to start a shitstorm, they can't start one.  If they keep harassing you, while you ignore them, it's easy to prove who the malicious party was.  ENGAGING leads to hurtful comments, discussion that only becomes more hateful and less intelligent as it continues on and it angers other bloggers too.  Keep it to your reviews, private discussions and places you know you won't be interrupted.  Or just IGNORE.
2. DON'T actively create your own shitstorm when you feel threatened or wronged.  Yes, it might get everyone else's attention and cause everyone to spotlight the author/other fan's wrongdoings.  Everyone else can see what they're doing and how wrong it is.  Freaking YAY FOR YOU.  It might satisfy you in the short run, but it will also inevitably draw negative attention to you as well.  It might even draw the attention/ire/horrible acts of OTHER rude assholes on the Internet.  Just because they know they can start something with you and get somewhere.  By just letting things go, I guarantee you can completely bypass 99.9% of any drama waiting to tag along with you.
3. DON'T one star review books that you have never read for yourself.  This has got to be MY ABSOLUTE BIGGEST PET PEEVE.  EVER.  Especially on Goodreads, where people seem to just rate things low or the lowest possible, just for the Hell of it!  I go on there looking to find reviews or ratings of the books themselves, from others who have read them.  Didn't enjoy it, be honest.  There's nothing wrong with that! :D  Loved it?  Shout it from the hilltops!  Didn't read it, but you're pissed off about author/trolling drama?  DO NOT RATE THE BOOK ITSELF.  Shelve it accordingly, write in the review box about what is irking you, complain to all your friends, etc.  The book is not the author.  They are separate entities!  It could be a masterpiece!  It could change people's lives and the entire world (most of them probably won't, but still!) around us with its pages!!!  Do not punish the book (and the people who might love it anyways) because of the author.  Yes, they profit from it.  It might hurt your soul a little bit, but it is the honest and best way to handle the situation.  One starring a book that you have never read a word of is just as malicious as a trolling author or fan butting in on your social media life!  Don't stoop that low.

     Every single person in this world is entitled to their opinion!  Shaming someone else for their opinion is NEVER okay, even if it just means commenting on a post when you know it will make someone uncomfortable.  If they ask you to leave, then do it.  You might just be trying to make them "understand" something.  But what you're most likely to do is make yourself look like a complete ASSHOLE, no matter how polite you are about it.  They don't want your opinion, didn't ask for it and don't want any further dialogue.  ABORT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE (in most cases, it's already too late at this point in the eyes of most involved).  Well, I said what I have to say on the matter.
     As someone who has been on Facebook longer than I've been blogging, Twitter for only about six months, and Goodreads for almost three years, I find the easiest way to avoid this kind of thing is to have a life/things to keep busy with outside of social media!  Things won't sting as badly if your Goodreads/Twitter/Facebook accounts aren't the sum of your life and opinions.  They are an addition to you and yes, someone else trying to censor that is an injustice.  But be involved in real life too! :D  Go join a physical book club, hang with some friends, do something fun.  DON'T be logged in 24/7.  It will save your sanity and so will limiting your emotions to your books!  Before Goodreads, I never would have known that an author was behaving badly in regards to reviews, etc.  So I pretend like it doesn't exist now and just do my thing with the books!

P.S.  The books are what matter the most, after all.  The personal shit is secondary and either awesome or not awesome.  That's just life and that's my opinion, such as it is.  Feel free to disagree with me and start a shitstorm in the comments if you want.  Just know that you've been forewarned - I WON'T ENGAGE.

JK.  I totally lied - I engaged! LOL  Sorry, gotta love a horrible joke every now and then!

North Pole Reform School Blog Tour - Review and Giveaway!!!

 

Title: North Pole Reform School

Author: Jaimie Admans

Date of Publication: November 6, 2013

Genre: YA rom-com, fantasy

Blurb:

 

Mistletoe Bell hates Christmas. So would you if you had a name like hers. Her Christmas-mad parents make the festive season last all year, and with another Christmas looming, Mis doesn’t think she can take any more. After her carelessness causes an accident at school, it seems like things can’t get any worse.

Then she wakes up to find The Ghost of Christmases Ruined in her bedroom.

She is taken to the North Pole, to a reform school run by elves determined to make her love Christmas. Stuck in a misfit group of fellow Christmas-haters with a motley crew of the weird and even weirder, watched over by elves day and night, she doesn’t expect to meet cute and funny Luke, who is hiding a vulnerable side beneath his sarcastic exterior. She doesn’t expect to fall in love with him.

But all is not as it should be at the North Pole. A certain Mr. Claus is making the elves’ lives a misery, and pretty soon Mistletoe and Luke are doing more than just learning to like Christmas.

A YA romantic comedy in which Santa is the bad guy, teaching reindeer to fly is on the curriculum, and zombies have a fondness for Christmas music.

 

Suitable for older teens and upwards due to bad language.

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18754638-north-pole-reform-school?ac=1

Purchase link: Amazon

About Jaimie Admans:

 

Jaimie is a 28-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps. She has been writing for years but has never before plucked up the courage to tell people. Afterlife Academy is her third novel and she hopes you enjoy it. There are plenty more on the way!
 

Website: http://www.jaimieadmans.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/be_the_spark

Facebook: http://facebook.com/jaimieadmansbooks

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/oDXZj

 

My Thoughts

 

     So this book starts off with the main character, Mistletoe Bell, being woken up by a purple moose (also known as The Ghost of Christmases Ruined) and informed that she is being sent to North Pole Reform School.  It's not a crime to hate Christmas yourself, but to ruin it for someone else either on purpose or through carelessness is unacceptable.  So Mis is being sent to learn to love Christmas again, like she used to when she was a kid.  In her class at reform school are also a teenage boy named Luke who turns out to be part elf himself and hates Christmas because of his mean & violent Dad, a little boy named Hugo whose family died on Christmas, Joe who is a rude and disastrous drunk, and Emily who has a serious phobia of ducks.  Unable to escape, especially with the zombies that are on the outside of the North Pole's dome growing restless (yes, you read that correctly), it's up to Misty and the others to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas.  But is this Santa the right one for the job?  Can they survive meals of candy canes, mince pie and yule log?  Also, is there a possible romance brewing between Luke and Mis?  Read and find out all that and more...plus zombies you guys!

     When I started reading this I was warily optimistic.  I've been disappointed many a time in books that promised to be original and funny.  But this one was both of those things, in spades!  Once I started laughing, I never really stopped.  I especially loved the head elves, Tinsel and Navi who are so full of Christmas spirit it's practically oozing out of their ears.  It makes for some funny situations.  I think my favorite part of this was closer to the end of the book when Mis and Luke are stuck working with the Elf who answers all the letters to Santa.  That really brought things home for them AND made them want to enact a change for the better as well.  It also brought tears to my eyes a few times!  The ending was sweet and probably my main complaints are that it was too short (I want to know what happens next!) and that Emily, Hugo and Joe just kind of dropped off the face of the Earth once the romance/friendship deepened between Luke and Mis - they became the center of the novel.  Overall, a hilarious, sweet and touching story of learning what the Christmas spirit truly means and why we need it! :)

VERDICT:  4.5/5  Stars

 



*I received an ARC from the author and tour host for the purpose of this blog tour. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published November 6th, 2013.*

 

 

***Don't forget to enter the tour-wide giveaway, for a $25 Amazon Gift Card!!! :)  Good luck.

 

 





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Late Night With Andres Blog Tour - Review, Playlist and Giveaway!!!

Release date: October 29th 2013

Purchase: Amazon

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18469063-late-night-with-andres

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Rising-star blogger Milla Kierce knows she's arrived when she sees the swag basket in her dressing room on the night of her late-night television debut. But before she can bite into the muffin that symbolizes her success, gunfire echoes through the TV studio. She's just hidden herself (mostly in plain sight) when the door flings open. Instead of a gunman, there stands one of the world's most popular rock stars, Gage Daxson, looking for his own way out of danger.

Thrown together, they'll battle a venomous man seeking revenge and his own sexual pleasure, but they may never leave the building again. Distracted by fear, fame, and infamy, can these two somehow find their way to each other?

Equal parts horrifying and hilarious, Debra Anastasia's Late Night With Andres offers more than a few twists and turns—and, of course, enough heat to keep things interesting.

My Thoughts

     Definitely an interesting read!  Milla Kierce is a blogger who has suddenly become famous in the media for her wit and advice with her online persona.  Now she's waiting to be interviewed by late night talk show host, Andres.  Things don't happen the way she expects however when a crazed gunman comes to the studio, throwing together her and rock star Gage Daxson, into a mutual fight for survival.  Now all they have to do is stay alive until the police are able to get them out of there,  Will they find they have something more in common than they ever thought?  I was already a fan of Debra when I read this novella, having read her book Poughkeepsie and absolutely adored it.  So I went into this one expecting something mainly hardcore and intense in it's rendering.  What I got instead was something slightly hardcore, with a very big sense of humor!

     Gage and Milla are both bad-asses but the gunman himself is a caricature most of the time, making me laugh while making me cringe and fear for their lives.  Probably the biggest caricature in this book is Andres himself, the talk show host who is basically a complete asshole and uses the entire situation to break back out into on the scene reporting.  He has hidden cameras in the dressing rooms, tries to obstruct justice by denying the police access to anything and everything - oh and he'd like nothing more than for someone to die and make his story all that much more exciting!  Probably my biggest disappointment was that the novella length didn't really allow for any serious character development and the romance felt very, very rushed and superficial.  The thing with the toes (I won't go into detail, so as not to spoil it) was funny and weird, but overall I just didn't feel like they could really say they loved each other based on the interactions they had.  Overall, it kept me entertained and was a fast, fun read.  I would recommend it, and I hope Debra decides to maybe expand it into a novel someday!

VERDICT:  3.5/5  Stars

*I received an ARC from the author.  No money or favors were exchanged for this review.  This book was published October 29th, 2013.*

Playlists

Gage:  I felt like Gage would probably be a really big fan of ballady, 70s and 80s rock bands.  Gage probably listens to a lot of Journey and Foreigner on his downtime, with some AC/DC mixed in for good measure, just to make sure people know he's a bad-ass!  For newer stuff, I see him as being a fan of Seether, Blink-182 and maybe some Imagine Dragons.

1.  For Those About to Rock - AC/DC
2.  Faithfully - Journey
3.  Cold As Ice - Foreigner
4.  Fake It - Seether
5.  What's My Age Again? - Blink 182
6.  Amsterdam - Imagine Dragons

Milla:  She's not a fan of Gage's music, which leads me to believe that she might be more into stuff that doesn't neccessarily hit the mainstream.  Here are five songs that I think Milla would probably like (the last is kind of what I think her preconceived notions of Gage match up with):

1.  The Beekeeper - Aoife O'Donovan

2.  Open-Ended Life - The Avett Brothers

3.  Tell Your Heart - Schuyler Fisk

4.  Helplessness Blues - The Fleet Foxes

5.  Talkin' Smooth - Kate Voegele

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Debra Anastasia grew up in New York and got a bachelor's degree in political science at SUNY New Paltz. At the start of her marriage, she moved to southern Maryland with her husband. She still doesn't trust crabs and all their legs, though everyone else in her family thinks they're delicious. Her favorite hobbies include knitting, painting furniture and wall murals, and slapping clowns.

Her writing started a decent handful of years ago when along with the dogs, cat, kids, and husband, the voices of characters started whispering stories in Debra's ear. Insomnia was the gateway for the plots that wouldn't give up, wouldn't let go. In the shower, a twist would take hold and--dripping and frenzied--she'd find somewhere, anywhere to write it down.

www.debraanastasia.com | twitter.com/Debra_Anastasia

a Rafflecopter giveaway