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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday- Prince of Shadows; A Novel of Romeo and Juliet




Waiting on Wednesday is a fun meme where we showcase a book we cannot WAIT to come out. It is hosted by http://breakingthespine.blogspot.in/


This week I am talking about the new Rachel Caine novel Prince of Shadows; A Novel of Romeo and Juliet I lovelovelove a Shakespeare retelling and I enjoy Rachel Caine as an author so this looks promising.

It comes out February 4 2014, which means I probably won’t read it till the end of the month since that is four day before my wedding eeeeeek. It is 368 pages long and is being published by NAL Hardcover



In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.



Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…



…And will rewrite all their fates, forever





Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Sweetest Spell- Suzanne Selfors







Emmeline Thistle, a dirt-scratcher's daughter, has escaped death twice-first, on the night she was born, and second, on the day her entire village was swept away by flood. Left with nothing and no one, Emmeline discovers her rare and mysterious ability-she can churn milk into chocolate, a delicacy more precious than gold.




Suddenly, the most unwanted girl in Anglund finds herself desired by all. But Emmeline only wants one-Owen Oak, a dairyman's son, whose slow smiles and lingering glances once tempted her to believe she might someday be loved for herself. But others will stop at nothing to use her gift for their own gains-no matter what the cost to Emmeline.



Magic and romance entwine in this fantastical world where true love and chocolate conquer all.

It has been a long time since I took advantage of a public library and I am so glad I did.


Sweetest Spell was a precious, sweet, adorable book.

All about a girl who finds she can churn milk into chocolate, a delicacy that has not been seen in their world in many many years.

The heroine of this novel was sassy, strong, interesting and clever and NOT perfect or a Mary Sue. The love interest was very back seat to the rest of the plot and was a stubborn, nice, normal boy who falls in love with this red headed maiden. He is a breath of fresh air from all the other pain in the ass love interests I have read about in YA over the past few years.

The author created Kingdoms based on real life (Anglund verses England) and same thing with people, for example the Kells with their red hair are obviously Celtic like. However even with this information the author was able to make the concepts her own and create depth and interest in the plot; past and present.

This novel tackles how hard it is to be poor and illiterate, gay, different and female. It also shows how slavery is bad and the slavery scenes were reminiscent of the people who were forced to work in mines/work camps, whether slaves, criminals or the poor who had no choice. The author also delves into the problems with caste systems and the gaps in cultures and class. All the while she kept the fairy tale feel.

I felt this was the best mix of social commentary (even if she didn’t mean for it to be) and fairy tale.

I had a good time reading this and very much enjoyed myself. I would read other works by this author.







Top Ten Book I was "Forced" to Read




Top Ten is hosted by http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com


This week we are featuring books you were forced to read, either by other people, teachers etc…etc.. Now by “forced” you all know that unless it was school I didn’t HAVE to read these, so before I offend anyone please note I read most of these by recommendation. Lol or very insistently urged. Now I am not listing these because I enjoyed them (though some I did) I am listing them because they made the most impact.



Lolita by Valdmir Nabokov- my fiancĂ© made me read this. It wasn’t half bad if you don’t mind a sensual and beautifully written story about an older man having sexual relations with a 13 year old. I also got really BORED.



The Handmaidens Tale by Margaret Atwood This was a pretty good story, if you don’t know what it’s about I can’t really explain it. My fiancĂ© made me read this and in exchange he read Little Women. I got a tiny bit bored and the ending was a little disappointing. But a good read.



To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee Forced to read this Junior year… Is still one of my very favorite books. Can you say Atticus?



Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry I was forced to read this Sophomore year in high school. Ugh, so boring. It all takes place in the same house. I know it’s a classic but I just couldn’t enjoy it.



The Summer of my German Solider by Bette Greene I was forced to read this Junior year in HS. It wasn’t a bad tale about a Jewish girl who finds a German Soldier (possibly a Nazi) and makes friends with him (hints of other things) but it was WAY to below my reading level to be a challenge.



The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers A book about talking dinosaurs who love literature? This book was awesome! Thanks Boo for making me read it!



The Crucible by Arthur Miller Forced to read this Sophomore year…Not half bad…though I wanted to smack most of the characters by the end. Nothing quite like a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials to make you interested and a little uncomfortable



Romeo and Juliet My first introduction to Shakespeare, Freshman year. Don’t care for this story, but I have loved the BARD every since.



Naked in Death by J.D. Robb My little sister bought the first five of these books and hated them. She pushed them on me telling me I would enjoy them and she was right! I still read this series eagerly. It’s about a kick ass female cop in New York in the year 2050. There is action, mystery, love, friendship, humor great plot….I can’t gush enough about how great this series is.



The Pearl by John Steinbeck Forced to read this in school. I am from CA so we read a TON of Steinbeck and I hate all of it. This one left a particularly bad taste in my mouth. But hey if you like depressing stories where nothing good happens and it shrouded in misfortune, go for it.