The following is a list of what I've read in Jan. & Feb.
No stars - it sucked
1 star - it was barely readable, skipped large chunks
2 stars - it was flawed but readable, may have skimmed parts
3 stars - an average book worth reading, but might not buy sequels
4 stars - a good book, I'd definitely buy the sequel
5 stars - excellent book, will not only buy sequels, will read the book again
6 stars - among the best I've ever read, will probably worship the author for life
JAN.
Eve of Darkness by S.J. Day ****
Eve of Destruction by S.J. Day ****
Eve of Chaos by S.J. Day ****
Unperfect Souls by Mark Del Franco ****
Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick ****
They Call Me Death by Missy Jane ****
Hell's Belles by Jackie Kessler *****
The Road To Hell by Jackie Kessler *****
Hotter than Hell by Jackie Kessler *****
Staked by J.F. Lewis *****
Revamped by J.F. Lewis *****
Beneath the Skin by Adrian Phoenix ******
Bite Marks by Jennifer Rardin *****
Spiral Hunt by Margaret Ronald ****
Wild Hunt by Margaret Ronald ****
Unbound (anthology) ***
FEB.
Unknown by Rachel Caine ******
Spider's Bite: An Elemental Assassin Book by Jennifer Estep *****
A Tale of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox *****
The Dark Storm by Kris Greene **
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa ****
The Devil's Librarian by Lilith Saintcrow ******
TBRN (to be read next)
Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison
Roadkill by Rob Thurman
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
the passing of Phil Harris...
Okay, I admit it. I'm a sucker for reality tv. But not all reality tv. Yes, I like Survivor and Amazing Race. No, I don't watch those crap reality dating shows.
My real love is Deadliest Catch. I guess there's a certain draw to hard working, hard living men for me. I grew up in rural Vermont, where that practical 'you do what you have to do' attitude is common. They work hard jobs with little complaint and provide for their families. The crab fishing, and the danger that goes along with it, just added to the appeal for me.
So today, as I read the news of his passing, my heart broke just a little. Fifty three years old is too young to die. I'm only a few years short of that myself. He should have lived long enough to enjoy watching his children run his boat. But I also think that his kids would have enjoyed his retirement more than he did. Like my dad, who he reminded me of, I think he would have been bored and restless as a retiree.
Today, I mourn the passing of Capt. Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie. My heart hangs heavy. The show will be missing a piece of its soul without him. The deep love and pride you could see in him when he talked about his kids touched me.
My sympathies and prayers go out to his family.
My real love is Deadliest Catch. I guess there's a certain draw to hard working, hard living men for me. I grew up in rural Vermont, where that practical 'you do what you have to do' attitude is common. They work hard jobs with little complaint and provide for their families. The crab fishing, and the danger that goes along with it, just added to the appeal for me.
So today, as I read the news of his passing, my heart broke just a little. Fifty three years old is too young to die. I'm only a few years short of that myself. He should have lived long enough to enjoy watching his children run his boat. But I also think that his kids would have enjoyed his retirement more than he did. Like my dad, who he reminded me of, I think he would have been bored and restless as a retiree.
Today, I mourn the passing of Capt. Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie. My heart hangs heavy. The show will be missing a piece of its soul without him. The deep love and pride you could see in him when he talked about his kids touched me.
My sympathies and prayers go out to his family.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Gabriel - the movie?!
I'm sitting here watching Gabriel, which is a movie that apparently came out in 2008. I'd never heard of it before today when I went on fearnet looking for something to watch. I have to say, this movie is phenomenal. The storyline is fantastic, the acting is excellent, the actor who plays Gabriel is beyond yummy (hey - isn't he Spartacus? :b )
I'm a major sucker for anything having to do with the stories of archangels, demons, and fallen angels. I don't know why - probably my devout Catholic upbringing. I'm more of a lapsed catholic these days, but I like the whole idea of angels walking among us.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying Gabriel. It's so dark and compelling, I might have to watch it multiple times.
I'm a major sucker for anything having to do with the stories of archangels, demons, and fallen angels. I don't know why - probably my devout Catholic upbringing. I'm more of a lapsed catholic these days, but I like the whole idea of angels walking among us.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying Gabriel. It's so dark and compelling, I might have to watch it multiple times.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Thought on e-readers & Amazon
I've been reading a lot about the e-reader and its counterparts over the last year. And more so in the last few days. As an avid reader, I'd like to share my opinion on the whole electronic book issue.
I love books. I love the smell of the ink, the feel of the pages between my fingers, the art that adorns them. To me, books are more prized than diamonds. I also love bookstores, with all those crisp new books that have never been held or opened, containing all that knowledge just waiting for my eager hands and eyes.
The idea of an e-reader replacing my collection of well-read and well-loved books leaves me chilled to the bone. To not be able to hold tangible evidence of a writer's blood, sweat and tears in my hands is nauseating. To not be able to walk up to someone in a store who is puzzling over what to choose and say "have you read this?"...unthinkable.
e-Readers are here to stay. I know that as surely as I knew that online music was the death of CD's. I don't regret the loss of music stores. In all honesty, I never bonded with them the way I've bonded with bookstores. Does that mean I don't still buy CD's? No. If there are enough good songs on a particular CD and it's more cost effective to invest in it, I buy it. Recently, I've found the cost of buying a CD is often cheaper than downloading it. Go figure.
I hope I never live in a world where books cease to exist.
As for the e-Readers, I don't have a problem with them per se. Yes, they're more convenient in some ways. Until they crash. Or die. And you find yourself having to duplicate or retrieve your library when you can't remember everything it contained. Anyone who owns an mp3 knows this happens. Give me my tangible, touchable books any day.
And now lets address the cost. I understand that bookstores, publishers, agents and writers all need to make a profit off their books. Hell, I like trade paperbacks and hardcovers - though the hardcovers are often out of my price range. When possible, I choose these over mass market paperbacks. I'm willing to pay for a book. What I'm not willing to do is pay the same price for a document loaded onto a digital recorder. I don't believe it costs the same amount for someone to upload a digital book as it does to labor over a hardcover book with jacket. Sorry.
What would I pay for the digital version of a book? I don't know. I guess I would have to see what the profit margins are. I want authors to get their money. They wrote the damn book, they spent hundreds of hours on it. So did the publisher. And the artist who created the cover. Paper isn't cheap. Neither is ink. But you can't tell me that it takes as much in resources, personnel, and time to produce an e-book. And people who want to buy their books that way shouldn't have to pay for the cost of the tangible bookstore book. Figure out what it costs and charge accordingly. Or better yet, offer for an additional charge, the e-reader copy to those who buy the hardcopy. I'd pay a couple of dollars more for that.
So, while I think the e-readers are nifty little devices, and maybe I'll even get one someday, I'm first and foremost going to spend my money on a good solid book that I can hold in my hands.
Long live books.
I love books. I love the smell of the ink, the feel of the pages between my fingers, the art that adorns them. To me, books are more prized than diamonds. I also love bookstores, with all those crisp new books that have never been held or opened, containing all that knowledge just waiting for my eager hands and eyes.
The idea of an e-reader replacing my collection of well-read and well-loved books leaves me chilled to the bone. To not be able to hold tangible evidence of a writer's blood, sweat and tears in my hands is nauseating. To not be able to walk up to someone in a store who is puzzling over what to choose and say "have you read this?"...unthinkable.
e-Readers are here to stay. I know that as surely as I knew that online music was the death of CD's. I don't regret the loss of music stores. In all honesty, I never bonded with them the way I've bonded with bookstores. Does that mean I don't still buy CD's? No. If there are enough good songs on a particular CD and it's more cost effective to invest in it, I buy it. Recently, I've found the cost of buying a CD is often cheaper than downloading it. Go figure.
I hope I never live in a world where books cease to exist.
As for the e-Readers, I don't have a problem with them per se. Yes, they're more convenient in some ways. Until they crash. Or die. And you find yourself having to duplicate or retrieve your library when you can't remember everything it contained. Anyone who owns an mp3 knows this happens. Give me my tangible, touchable books any day.
And now lets address the cost. I understand that bookstores, publishers, agents and writers all need to make a profit off their books. Hell, I like trade paperbacks and hardcovers - though the hardcovers are often out of my price range. When possible, I choose these over mass market paperbacks. I'm willing to pay for a book. What I'm not willing to do is pay the same price for a document loaded onto a digital recorder. I don't believe it costs the same amount for someone to upload a digital book as it does to labor over a hardcover book with jacket. Sorry.
What would I pay for the digital version of a book? I don't know. I guess I would have to see what the profit margins are. I want authors to get their money. They wrote the damn book, they spent hundreds of hours on it. So did the publisher. And the artist who created the cover. Paper isn't cheap. Neither is ink. But you can't tell me that it takes as much in resources, personnel, and time to produce an e-book. And people who want to buy their books that way shouldn't have to pay for the cost of the tangible bookstore book. Figure out what it costs and charge accordingly. Or better yet, offer for an additional charge, the e-reader copy to those who buy the hardcopy. I'd pay a couple of dollars more for that.
So, while I think the e-readers are nifty little devices, and maybe I'll even get one someday, I'm first and foremost going to spend my money on a good solid book that I can hold in my hands.
Long live books.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Why am I "emo mom"?
Why am I "emo mom"? An excellent question. My son decided that should be my title for the following reasons:
1. I like to read obituaries. I don't what that says about me, but I've been doing it since I was about thirteen. I like to read the names of the people who've died and their age. I want to know how they died. Was it cancer? A car accident? How? I like to see how its phrased - were they surrounded by family and friends? did they have children? grandchildren? Obituaries fascinate me.
2. I like angsty alt rock. Give me Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, Airborne Toxic Event - anything that makes me feel gut wrenching emotion. In particular, I like songs where I can almost feel the singer's heart being ripped from his chest. Halleluiah by Jeff Buckley is my favorite song. Every breath, every note, conveys his emotion, although Sometime Around Midnight by Airborne Toxic Event comes damn close.
3. My favorite genre of books is urban fantasy. I love stories with vampires and werewolves, demons and angels, seelie and unseelie. The more devastation wrought, the better I like it. I like my heroines flawed and tortured by choices that truly test their character. If you loved a vampire, but to be with him you had to become one, would you? Why? I also love Horror books - especially Dean Koontz (oh Odd Thomas) and early Steven King.
4. My favorite author of all time is Edgar Allen Poe. I wish I could have met the man. Such amazingly dark and strange stories. If I'd had a daughter, she would have been named Annabelle Lee - my favorite of all Poe's works.
5. I like black. Black clothes, black nail polish, black eyeliner, black shoes. If I wasn't too old for it, I'd probably be a goth. As it is, I own a lot of black.
6. I wish I had a nose ring. Okay, I know, totally gross if you get a cold, but if I hadn't had strict parents who threatened me with disowning, I would have pierced my nose, my eyebrow, my belly button, and put a lot more than 3 holes in my ears - probably along the cartilidge. I would also be sporting a number of tattoos (which I still may get). You know the saying "Your body is your temple"? Well my temple likes artwork. Lots and lots of artwork.
7. I love vampire movies. Blade, Buffy, BloodRayne, whatever! If its got vampires in it, I'm there. I also love horror movies - not the weird "the Ring" type - give me Jason or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And epic sci fi movies like The Fifth Element and Serentiy. I'd rather watch those than some sappy girl movie.
So, there. Those are the reasons I'm "emo mom".
1. I like to read obituaries. I don't what that says about me, but I've been doing it since I was about thirteen. I like to read the names of the people who've died and their age. I want to know how they died. Was it cancer? A car accident? How? I like to see how its phrased - were they surrounded by family and friends? did they have children? grandchildren? Obituaries fascinate me.
2. I like angsty alt rock. Give me Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, Airborne Toxic Event - anything that makes me feel gut wrenching emotion. In particular, I like songs where I can almost feel the singer's heart being ripped from his chest. Halleluiah by Jeff Buckley is my favorite song. Every breath, every note, conveys his emotion, although Sometime Around Midnight by Airborne Toxic Event comes damn close.
3. My favorite genre of books is urban fantasy. I love stories with vampires and werewolves, demons and angels, seelie and unseelie. The more devastation wrought, the better I like it. I like my heroines flawed and tortured by choices that truly test their character. If you loved a vampire, but to be with him you had to become one, would you? Why? I also love Horror books - especially Dean Koontz (oh Odd Thomas) and early Steven King.
4. My favorite author of all time is Edgar Allen Poe. I wish I could have met the man. Such amazingly dark and strange stories. If I'd had a daughter, she would have been named Annabelle Lee - my favorite of all Poe's works.
5. I like black. Black clothes, black nail polish, black eyeliner, black shoes. If I wasn't too old for it, I'd probably be a goth. As it is, I own a lot of black.
6. I wish I had a nose ring. Okay, I know, totally gross if you get a cold, but if I hadn't had strict parents who threatened me with disowning, I would have pierced my nose, my eyebrow, my belly button, and put a lot more than 3 holes in my ears - probably along the cartilidge. I would also be sporting a number of tattoos (which I still may get). You know the saying "Your body is your temple"? Well my temple likes artwork. Lots and lots of artwork.
7. I love vampire movies. Blade, Buffy, BloodRayne, whatever! If its got vampires in it, I'm there. I also love horror movies - not the weird "the Ring" type - give me Jason or Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And epic sci fi movies like The Fifth Element and Serentiy. I'd rather watch those than some sappy girl movie.
So, there. Those are the reasons I'm "emo mom".
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Books Read In One Year...
I have been on a reading jag for the last year. It started November 17, 2008 when I picked up the first Twilight book to find out what all the craziness was about. While it isn't the best book I've read over the last year, it rekindled a love for reading that had taken a back burner to raising my son, dealing with special ed school issues and managing life in general.
I've always loved urban fantasy, but most of my reading over the last 15 years has been short books with little depth. It's hard to concentrate on a book when you're worrying about whether your child will get thru their day without disaster. Disaster happened a lot.
He's 14 now and finally seems to be getting the hang of navigating a world that has been less than friendly to him. I find myself with time on my hands.
I made a list of Urban Fantasy books. It encompasses all urban fantasy in Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction and Teen book sections. It's currently 31 pages long. I expanded to a second list of Urban Fantasy To Get, which is 21 pages at present. Both lists keep growing. On the original list of all books out there, I rated and reviewed the books I've read.
I have 3 bags of books (roughly 100) just waiting to be read. Borders loves me.
I have 6 more days until my year is up. So far, my grand total of books read is 304! Six of those are anthologies of short stories.
I believe I'll finish the current series I'm reading - Ilona Andrews - Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes - which I give 4 stars. I'm a sucker for bad-ass female protagonists with issues. I think the world she created where magic and tech are two sides of a coin is well thought out. Her vampires scare the crap out of me. Her weres are scary and still manage sexy. That's hard to do. The dialogue is smart. I'm forcing myself to read it slowly because books like this I tend to consume like chocolate.
Thank you to all the authors who pour their hearts and souls into writing. You are my escape and my solace on tough days, and my pleasure on good days.
I've always loved urban fantasy, but most of my reading over the last 15 years has been short books with little depth. It's hard to concentrate on a book when you're worrying about whether your child will get thru their day without disaster. Disaster happened a lot.
He's 14 now and finally seems to be getting the hang of navigating a world that has been less than friendly to him. I find myself with time on my hands.
I made a list of Urban Fantasy books. It encompasses all urban fantasy in Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Romance, Science Fiction and Teen book sections. It's currently 31 pages long. I expanded to a second list of Urban Fantasy To Get, which is 21 pages at present. Both lists keep growing. On the original list of all books out there, I rated and reviewed the books I've read.
I have 3 bags of books (roughly 100) just waiting to be read. Borders loves me.
I have 6 more days until my year is up. So far, my grand total of books read is 304! Six of those are anthologies of short stories.
I believe I'll finish the current series I'm reading - Ilona Andrews - Magic Bites, Magic Burns, Magic Strikes - which I give 4 stars. I'm a sucker for bad-ass female protagonists with issues. I think the world she created where magic and tech are two sides of a coin is well thought out. Her vampires scare the crap out of me. Her weres are scary and still manage sexy. That's hard to do. The dialogue is smart. I'm forcing myself to read it slowly because books like this I tend to consume like chocolate.
Thank you to all the authors who pour their hearts and souls into writing. You are my escape and my solace on tough days, and my pleasure on good days.
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