Succubus Revealed is the last book in Georgina Kincaid's story by Richelle Mead. Its no secret that I have deep and probably abnormal love for this series. Georgina is an amazing character - a succubus who regrets the deal she made to become one, in love with a man she can never have because...well, she's a succubus.
So, the first book opens with Georgina working at a bookstore. She's obsessed with a particular author who's books she loves, Seth Mortensen. He's coming into the bookstore to sign books and give a reading. She strikes up a conversation with a man and makes a total idiot of herself only to find out the man is Seth Mortensen. What follows is an epic love story with two terribly flawed characters who keep making horribly hurtful mistakes.
I love all the characters in this series from Hugh (an imp) to Peter and Cody (vampires) to Jerome (demon) to Carter (my very favorite of all the characters and an angel) to Roman (nephilim) to Tawny (succubus extraordinaire) to Doug, Maddie, and all the Mortensens - its just a wonderful tale. I do have to say that Georgina, being a succubus, has to perform sex acts to harvest souls, so there's some pretty graphic sex scenes in these books. But what Richelle does so incredibly well is that she gives you the emotion first and foremost. You know that this sex is meaningless and degrading and Georgina doesn't enjoy it even as she gets something from it. And then there are the moments with Seth, where she loves him so much that getting a succubus high from it is excrutiatingly emotionally devastating. You see the contrast. You feel the difference. It's heartbreaking.
I'm not giving too much away, I hope. This last book deals with the aftermath of Succubus Shadows and Georgina's struggle to find happiness. Carter (did I say I adore him? lol) makes a number of appearances in this book. Because Hell isn't happy with Georgina - she hopes, she dreams, she strives to make people around her happy - and that's not what demonic beings are supposed to do. And Carter? Well, he wants to see her find happiness, but he's not allowed to help out (angel rules) as much as he might want to. (Plus, there seems to be a problem with Georgina's succubus contract...or is it someone else's contract? hmmm)
I will tell you one secret...for several of the books, I HATED Seth. If you've read the series, you probably know why. He made me so mad, I wanted to pop him in the nose! I kept rooting for Carter to fall from grace or for Roman and Georgina to get together. But in the end, she wants Seth, so who am I to argue?
So, will she get her happy ever after? I'm not telling. But I give this book a resounding 6 stars, a number reserved only for the best of the best. I wish these books were hardcover (I have the trade paperbacks & e-books), because I know I'll read them all again and again. I'm worried I'm going to destroy them. (After finishing this book, I carried it around with me for the rest of the day and periodically hugged it - it was that good.) I know most people recognize Richelle by her Vampire Academy books, but truth is Georgina blows those books out of the water. This series is a satisfying, touching story of love against all odds.
(My one warning here is these are books that have sex in them which has a lot of emotion attached to it - negative emotion in some cases. If you're under 16, you need to understand the difference between lust, meaningless sex and love, and how that distinction can change the act of sex before you read them - just sayin').
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Aspergers and Social Interaction 101 - a lecture & vent
As I've mentioned before, my love of Urban Fantasy extends beyond books. I also love the show Supernatural, and as part of that love fest I follow several of the actors on twitter. One of those actors is Jim Beaver, who plays Bobby Singer. From following him, I learned he has a 10 yr. old daughter who is very much like my son. And by that I mean she's been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder but has learned enough coping skills to blend in and get by.
So recently, she (because I'm betting she's highly intelligent) figured out how to access her father's twitter feed. And for some reason, some of his followers decided to attack her and her father for it. I'm not privy to the tweets others sent her. I've read one, tho, and that was enough to make my blood boil.
How did this woman, who's twitter name I won't mention, respond to this 10 yr. old? "Tell your dad that me & many others like me will stop following him unless you get off his twitter account." WTF?!
This person then went on to tweet to Jim "I'm unfollowing you cos that thing with Maddie caused me grief from other people. And also cos you've become a boring old man."
Now, you'd assume this was some sort of troll. But she's not. She's someone who loves Supernatural (from other tweets), but felt inclined to attack a 10 yr. old girl and her father over something trivial like a kid tweeting on their parent's feed. I'm astounded. And yet I shouldn't be. Because I'm all too familiar with people like her. I deal with them on a daily basis.
So, I'm doing this post in the hopes that she reads it. And I'm calling it...
ASPERGERS and SOCIAL INTERACTION 101
Aspergers is a hidden disability (and trust me, I hate that word "disability", but for this post I'll use it). By that I mean that people with Aspergers look just like you or me. But they are not the same. Their difference is in how their brain operates. It's like being a Mac computer in a PC world. You can make most software compatible if you know what you're doing, but some things just won't work no matter how hard you try. And the way you process information is completely different, which can cause malfunctions if input is PC friendly, but not Mac friendly.
The biggest issue for people with Aspergers or High-Functioning Autism is social interaction. Most people understand the nuances of facial expressions and non-verbal language. We learn it almost instinctively. But for people on the spectrum it's nearly impossible. They have to learn social rules and interactions like the rest of us learn ABC's. I'll give you an example:
On Monday, Billy is playing with Joe outside. The sun is shining. Joe has a ball and Billy wants it. So Billy takes it. Mrs. Jones, their teacher, intervenes. She tells Billy that Joe had the ball first and that's he can't just take it. Typically developed kids will learn from that interaction that they can't take things from people. BUT for a kid on the spectrum, this means literally on Monday when he's outside and the sun is shining he can't take the ball from Joe. Does it mean he can't take it on Tuesday? Or what if it's a block? Or it's Daisy? Or it's raining? All new scenarios that have NO connection. So what might take a typically developed child 2-3 times to grasp the concept "don't grab things away from people" could take a spectrum kid 20 to 200 times to learn - IF YOU'RE LUCKY!
Another example: My son's 1st grade teacher had a rule "we will raise our hands". She could not understand why he kept calling out to her and having meltdowns when she didn't immediately respond to him. Until I read the rule. I rewrote it (on a sheet she pasted to his desk). "When we need the teacher's help, we will raise our hand. We will not call out to her. We will wait quietly for our turn for her to help us. We understand this may take a long time. We will be patient." Now, that may seem like a lot, but after I re-wrote the rule and went over it every day with him before school for a week, she only had occasional problems with him.
Now imagine how complex social interactions get as you get older.
Next, imagine how many people (and I'm talking full grown adults) give a kid who struggles with proper social interaction a hard time because they look normal, so they should get it. I can't even begin to tell you how many friends and family members suggested ways for me to "teach" my kid (which usually included physical punishments). Never mind the strangers in the mall!
Now imagine how cruel other kids would be to a kid who can't interact socially with them - a kid who is socially awkward, doesn't understand when someone likes them or not, doesn't see when someone isn't interested in what they're talking about, doesn't get when someone is making fun of them. A nightmare, right?!? My son is 16. He had NO friends until 3rd grade, one - ONE - friend from 3rd-6th grade, NO friends 7th & 8th grade, and finally a small group of friends in 9th grade.
NOW imagine a slew of people attacking a little girl on Twitter because she was probably incredibly lonely and she figured out how to access her father's account so that she could talk to people. She was probably thrilled that she was talking to people. But when these "fans" could have chosen to chat nicely with her or just ignored her tweets, they instead chose to attack her viciously. And then went on to attack her father because he didn't "teach" her not to do it.
To those people, I say this: Until you walk in our shoes, until you see the social ostricization that our kids endure on a daily basis, until you see the toll it takes on them emotionally, until you sit with them while they cry because they are SO lonely and people keep being HATEFUL to them, until you get what it's like to live day in and day out as a person with Aspergers - SHUT THE FUCK UP AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
Go look at your kids and count yourself BLESSED that they don't suffer what our kids do. While you're worrying about soccer practice times, we're worrying about whether our kid is going to need physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, medication, etc etc because people like you make the world a difficult, unfriendly place for them. While you're planning birthday parties, we're planning Individual Education Plans. While you're imagining weddings, we're imagining group homes and us not being there someday.
And the worst part about all of this?? Jim Beaver didn't get to tell his daughter that she had a disability in the loving way he should have been allowed to - no, he tweeted to these people to leave her alone because she had a disability and SHE READ THE TWEET. I can't even imagine how devastating that was for him. She was crushed and she thought he didn't love her. And these people kept right on tweeting telling her things that should ONLY be coming from her father. How dare they?!
To those people who caused Jim and his daughter such stress, I say you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. What could have been an outpouring of friendly tweets that made a little girl feel accepted and good about herself (while gently suggesting she should ask her dad's permission to tweet as him) instead crushed her. And probably crushed him as well. Why don't you go kick some puppies now, you idiots?
You know what's wrong with Aspergers? Nothing. I have never met a person on the spectrum who was anything but kind, respectful, generous, funny, sweet and a joy to be around. I can't say the same for the rest of society.
Okay, I'm done. I'll shut up now.
So recently, she (because I'm betting she's highly intelligent) figured out how to access her father's twitter feed. And for some reason, some of his followers decided to attack her and her father for it. I'm not privy to the tweets others sent her. I've read one, tho, and that was enough to make my blood boil.
How did this woman, who's twitter name I won't mention, respond to this 10 yr. old? "Tell your dad that me & many others like me will stop following him unless you get off his twitter account." WTF?!
This person then went on to tweet to Jim "I'm unfollowing you cos that thing with Maddie caused me grief from other people. And also cos you've become a boring old man."
Now, you'd assume this was some sort of troll. But she's not. She's someone who loves Supernatural (from other tweets), but felt inclined to attack a 10 yr. old girl and her father over something trivial like a kid tweeting on their parent's feed. I'm astounded. And yet I shouldn't be. Because I'm all too familiar with people like her. I deal with them on a daily basis.
So, I'm doing this post in the hopes that she reads it. And I'm calling it...
ASPERGERS and SOCIAL INTERACTION 101
Aspergers is a hidden disability (and trust me, I hate that word "disability", but for this post I'll use it). By that I mean that people with Aspergers look just like you or me. But they are not the same. Their difference is in how their brain operates. It's like being a Mac computer in a PC world. You can make most software compatible if you know what you're doing, but some things just won't work no matter how hard you try. And the way you process information is completely different, which can cause malfunctions if input is PC friendly, but not Mac friendly.
The biggest issue for people with Aspergers or High-Functioning Autism is social interaction. Most people understand the nuances of facial expressions and non-verbal language. We learn it almost instinctively. But for people on the spectrum it's nearly impossible. They have to learn social rules and interactions like the rest of us learn ABC's. I'll give you an example:
On Monday, Billy is playing with Joe outside. The sun is shining. Joe has a ball and Billy wants it. So Billy takes it. Mrs. Jones, their teacher, intervenes. She tells Billy that Joe had the ball first and that's he can't just take it. Typically developed kids will learn from that interaction that they can't take things from people. BUT for a kid on the spectrum, this means literally on Monday when he's outside and the sun is shining he can't take the ball from Joe. Does it mean he can't take it on Tuesday? Or what if it's a block? Or it's Daisy? Or it's raining? All new scenarios that have NO connection. So what might take a typically developed child 2-3 times to grasp the concept "don't grab things away from people" could take a spectrum kid 20 to 200 times to learn - IF YOU'RE LUCKY!
Another example: My son's 1st grade teacher had a rule "we will raise our hands". She could not understand why he kept calling out to her and having meltdowns when she didn't immediately respond to him. Until I read the rule. I rewrote it (on a sheet she pasted to his desk). "When we need the teacher's help, we will raise our hand. We will not call out to her. We will wait quietly for our turn for her to help us. We understand this may take a long time. We will be patient." Now, that may seem like a lot, but after I re-wrote the rule and went over it every day with him before school for a week, she only had occasional problems with him.
Now imagine how complex social interactions get as you get older.
Next, imagine how many people (and I'm talking full grown adults) give a kid who struggles with proper social interaction a hard time because they look normal, so they should get it. I can't even begin to tell you how many friends and family members suggested ways for me to "teach" my kid (which usually included physical punishments). Never mind the strangers in the mall!
Now imagine how cruel other kids would be to a kid who can't interact socially with them - a kid who is socially awkward, doesn't understand when someone likes them or not, doesn't see when someone isn't interested in what they're talking about, doesn't get when someone is making fun of them. A nightmare, right?!? My son is 16. He had NO friends until 3rd grade, one - ONE - friend from 3rd-6th grade, NO friends 7th & 8th grade, and finally a small group of friends in 9th grade.
NOW imagine a slew of people attacking a little girl on Twitter because she was probably incredibly lonely and she figured out how to access her father's account so that she could talk to people. She was probably thrilled that she was talking to people. But when these "fans" could have chosen to chat nicely with her or just ignored her tweets, they instead chose to attack her viciously. And then went on to attack her father because he didn't "teach" her not to do it.
To those people, I say this: Until you walk in our shoes, until you see the social ostricization that our kids endure on a daily basis, until you see the toll it takes on them emotionally, until you sit with them while they cry because they are SO lonely and people keep being HATEFUL to them, until you get what it's like to live day in and day out as a person with Aspergers - SHUT THE FUCK UP AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
Go look at your kids and count yourself BLESSED that they don't suffer what our kids do. While you're worrying about soccer practice times, we're worrying about whether our kid is going to need physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, medication, etc etc because people like you make the world a difficult, unfriendly place for them. While you're planning birthday parties, we're planning Individual Education Plans. While you're imagining weddings, we're imagining group homes and us not being there someday.
And the worst part about all of this?? Jim Beaver didn't get to tell his daughter that she had a disability in the loving way he should have been allowed to - no, he tweeted to these people to leave her alone because she had a disability and SHE READ THE TWEET. I can't even imagine how devastating that was for him. She was crushed and she thought he didn't love her. And these people kept right on tweeting telling her things that should ONLY be coming from her father. How dare they?!
To those people who caused Jim and his daughter such stress, I say you ought to be ashamed of yourselves. What could have been an outpouring of friendly tweets that made a little girl feel accepted and good about herself (while gently suggesting she should ask her dad's permission to tweet as him) instead crushed her. And probably crushed him as well. Why don't you go kick some puppies now, you idiots?
You know what's wrong with Aspergers? Nothing. I have never met a person on the spectrum who was anything but kind, respectful, generous, funny, sweet and a joy to be around. I can't say the same for the rest of society.
Okay, I'm done. I'll shut up now.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
So cool!!! I'm part of Duck Nation!
So I had the neatest little surprise this morning when I got up. I checked my twitter (I follow a lot of authors, some Supernatural tv show people & a few family members) and discovered a tweet to ME! It read as follows:
bodyguard4jandj
If anyone knows Karen from Bridgewater, please let her know that her duck now resides on our exec producer's office desk, he stole it ... lol
My sis, who saw the tweet last night had already tweeted him back, but of course, I did as well this morning because....well because its freaking cool!
See, Clif, (aka bodyguard4jandj) decided to ask fans to send ducks to the Supernatural set. Not real live ducks (I hope no one did that!), but rubber ducks. They're calling the collection of ducks "Duck Nation". I thought it was a really clever idea, and since I was still high on my trip to the Supernatural Tour, I hurried out to find me some ducks.
Can I give a shout out to Newbury Comics, who have the best selection of rubber ducks this side of heaven?
Anyway, I bought 3 ducks. The first was a little cowboy duck - the reason behind it, at the convention Jared was talking about wanting to do a western episode and joking about how he looks in a cowboy hat. So, I had to include that one.
The second duck was a red devil duck. Yes, I know, the odds were they were going to get a billion of those. So this is what I did... I got out my trusty sharpee pen and drew all over it. I made the wings angel wings. I gave it a moustache and bigger eyebrows. I decorated the head. I wrote "I (heart) Supernatural" on its breast. I drew Dean's necklace around it's neck, put the Impala's license plate on its ass and added my two favorite quotes to its body ("Man, you fugly!" and "I lost my shoe.")
It was a mess - lol - so on the bottom, I wrote something to the effect that its really hard to write on a rubber duck. Which, by the way, unless you're a gifted artist - it is.
But that's not all - I found a 3rd duck. A Red Sox duck! It was so freaking awesome, I had to get it. On the bottom, I wrote that we loved having the guys visit Boston and hoped they'd be back next year. Then I packed the three ducks up and shipped them off - in of all things, a duck mail box (seriously, there was a picture on the box with a duck delivering mail - how perfect is that?!)
A lot of fans took pictures of their ducks. They've been posting them online. I was a total dumbass and in my excitement to get my ducks off, neglected to do that. But Clif has been posting pictures of some of the unique ducks that have arrived as well as daily group photos. As expected, there were a lot of red devil ducks and there were plenty of cowboy ducks....but every day I looked and I didn't see my ducks. I figured the red devil duck would be hard to miss in a picture because its crazy bad (and I don't mean bad in a good way - my artwork was .... let's just say ... kindergarten art). Nothing. I was beginning to worry that maybe they got held up at customs, but then I saw the tweet!
Not only did my ducks make it, but one of them now resides in the exec. producer's office! How freaking awesomely cool is that?! (Okay, I have no life. My husband and son were like "meh...and?...") I'm hopping around and laughing like I just won the lottery. I'm assuming its the Red Sox duck, although maybe he found my devil duck a magnificent piece of art. (I highly doubt that, but hey, stranger things have happened.) So go Red Sox! And rock on Duck Nation!!
Thanks for the tweet mention Clif...
bodyguard4jandj
If anyone knows Karen from Bridgewater, please let her know that her duck now resides on our exec producer's office desk, he stole it ... lol
My sis, who saw the tweet last night had already tweeted him back, but of course, I did as well this morning because....well because its freaking cool!
See, Clif, (aka bodyguard4jandj) decided to ask fans to send ducks to the Supernatural set. Not real live ducks (I hope no one did that!), but rubber ducks. They're calling the collection of ducks "Duck Nation". I thought it was a really clever idea, and since I was still high on my trip to the Supernatural Tour, I hurried out to find me some ducks.
Can I give a shout out to Newbury Comics, who have the best selection of rubber ducks this side of heaven?
Anyway, I bought 3 ducks. The first was a little cowboy duck - the reason behind it, at the convention Jared was talking about wanting to do a western episode and joking about how he looks in a cowboy hat. So, I had to include that one.
The second duck was a red devil duck. Yes, I know, the odds were they were going to get a billion of those. So this is what I did... I got out my trusty sharpee pen and drew all over it. I made the wings angel wings. I gave it a moustache and bigger eyebrows. I decorated the head. I wrote "I (heart) Supernatural" on its breast. I drew Dean's necklace around it's neck, put the Impala's license plate on its ass and added my two favorite quotes to its body ("Man, you fugly!" and "I lost my shoe.")
It was a mess - lol - so on the bottom, I wrote something to the effect that its really hard to write on a rubber duck. Which, by the way, unless you're a gifted artist - it is.
But that's not all - I found a 3rd duck. A Red Sox duck! It was so freaking awesome, I had to get it. On the bottom, I wrote that we loved having the guys visit Boston and hoped they'd be back next year. Then I packed the three ducks up and shipped them off - in of all things, a duck mail box (seriously, there was a picture on the box with a duck delivering mail - how perfect is that?!)
A lot of fans took pictures of their ducks. They've been posting them online. I was a total dumbass and in my excitement to get my ducks off, neglected to do that. But Clif has been posting pictures of some of the unique ducks that have arrived as well as daily group photos. As expected, there were a lot of red devil ducks and there were plenty of cowboy ducks....but every day I looked and I didn't see my ducks. I figured the red devil duck would be hard to miss in a picture because its crazy bad (and I don't mean bad in a good way - my artwork was .... let's just say ... kindergarten art). Nothing. I was beginning to worry that maybe they got held up at customs, but then I saw the tweet!
Not only did my ducks make it, but one of them now resides in the exec. producer's office! How freaking awesomely cool is that?! (Okay, I have no life. My husband and son were like "meh...and?...") I'm hopping around and laughing like I just won the lottery. I'm assuming its the Red Sox duck, although maybe he found my devil duck a magnificent piece of art. (I highly doubt that, but hey, stranger things have happened.) So go Red Sox! And rock on Duck Nation!!
Thanks for the tweet mention Clif...
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Books Read in August 2011...
This has to be the lowest number of books I've ever read in a month. *heavy sigh* It, of course, does not bode well for me considering the number of books I bought this month (ummm...74 *cough* hunh? I didn't say anything....shhh...O-o)
To be fair, I found an AWESOME website that sells books dirt cheap. So, about 25 of those books cost me no more than $1.49!! BookCloseOuts.ca They're out of Canada, so the shipping is thru UPS and its UPS expensive, but still, for my stack it was $16.95, I think). All in all, it was an amazing deal. And I picked up some books I've been trying to find forever.
And then there was the 50%-60% off at Borders. The rest came from Amazon (13 of them - and I have Amazon Prime, so no shipping cost). So in general, I spent a whole lot less than you might think.
Yes. I'm making excuses. I need therapy. Is there a book lover's anonymous?
Anyway, I read all of 5 books this month, which was a month filled with shopping (apparently), getting kiddo ready for college, parties, and cleaning house.
First up? Basilisk by Rob Thurman - which gets 5 stars! I love so much about Rob's writing style and this book didn't disappoint. Second in her Chimera series, its told from Michael's POV. Michael is...genius, sociopathic (but knows it and tries to compensate), and sneaky. I love his interactions with Stefan, his older brother. Stefan is so patient for a seriously bad-ass dude.
Next is Backstage Pass: Sinners on Tour by Olivia Cunningham (3 stars). This was a recommended book that I downloaded on my e-reader. It's not urban fantasy - more, hmmm, erotic smut? Still, there's a nice little storyline there, so that all the sex isn't just that. I actually liked it, and I think I've mentioned before I'm not a big fan of long raunchy sex scenes. The author takes the time to create a connection between the characters (even if the first hookup is a little contrived and cheesy). Sooo, for an e-reader purchase, I enjoyed it enough to be willing to buy more in the Sinners series. (*blushing*) My only advice, don't let your kid pick it up and look at it...and you might not want to read it while they're in the room. I got a little flustered by some of it.
Magic Mourns: A Novella by Ilona Andrews (4 stars) Oh jeez, does this even count as a book? Screw it, I need numbers! What can I say? I love the Magic series. This short story is from an anthology and is about Andrea and Raphael (ooh, I love me some Raphael). I downloaded this one, too, even tho I own the anthology. Definitely worth the money.
Always the Vampire by Nancy Haddock (3 stars) I think this is the book that killed my reading this month. Its the third in her series about a vampire turned tour guide. I'm going to try to be fair about this brief review because I honestly really liked the first two books. This one - well it was not my favorite. I still love the characters, and if there are more in the series I'll definitely buy them. This book lost its way a little, I think. My problem with it was that the story kept getting bogged down by the descriptions of places and people. I felt like it was all filler and very little story, which is disappointing. But because I like the series so much, I felt obliged to slog my way through it. For about 2 (yes, TWO) weeks. Finally, I just said screw it and started skipping chunks to get to the end. I HATE doing that with a book. I feel like I'm not giving it a fair chance to enchant me. But if I'd kept trying to read it, I think I'd still be reading it now.
And last, Another Kind of Dead by Kelly Meding (4 stars) This is also part of a series. And I was torn as to whether it should get 5 stars, but I think I'm sticking with 4 stars. Why? DON'T READ PAST HERE, BECAUSE THERE MIGHT BE A BIT OF A SPOILER!!! Evy takes a lot of abuse in this book. A lot. The torture is difficult to read because she's suffering so much. And a lot of what happens, happens while she's being tortured. She loses huge amounts of time where things happen. I don't like that. I want to know what happens. (Maybe there's going to be a short story to explain it? I dunno.) But it frustrated me a little. OKAY. YOU CAN START READING AGAIN HERE! Still, I love this series. Evy, Wyatt and Phin (who I adore) are great characters. Kismet and her team (I want to know more about them - hmmm maybe there needs to be a breakoff series?) are a nice addition to the storyline. And heck, this book ended with a very serious turn of events. So I most definitely want more.
So....that's it. Sad, hunh? I guess I didn't do much reading at all this month. (I think I missed a book - I was so crazy that for a while there I wasn't keeping my logs...) Right now, I'm reading Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead, the final book in the Georgina Kincaid story. It's wonderful so far although I'm terribly worried about Georgina making bad choices that could doom her (I don't think she will tho). And I'm loving that Carter is in this one. (I love Carter.) When I'm finished I may blog about this one.
So, over and out. I have some serious reading to do. Serious. Oh my God. How am I supposed to read all those books? ACK!!! (Need caffeine and 72 hours in each day.)
To be fair, I found an AWESOME website that sells books dirt cheap. So, about 25 of those books cost me no more than $1.49!! BookCloseOuts.ca They're out of Canada, so the shipping is thru UPS and its UPS expensive, but still, for my stack it was $16.95, I think). All in all, it was an amazing deal. And I picked up some books I've been trying to find forever.
And then there was the 50%-60% off at Borders. The rest came from Amazon (13 of them - and I have Amazon Prime, so no shipping cost). So in general, I spent a whole lot less than you might think.
Yes. I'm making excuses. I need therapy. Is there a book lover's anonymous?
Anyway, I read all of 5 books this month, which was a month filled with shopping (apparently), getting kiddo ready for college, parties, and cleaning house.
First up? Basilisk by Rob Thurman - which gets 5 stars! I love so much about Rob's writing style and this book didn't disappoint. Second in her Chimera series, its told from Michael's POV. Michael is...genius, sociopathic (but knows it and tries to compensate), and sneaky. I love his interactions with Stefan, his older brother. Stefan is so patient for a seriously bad-ass dude.
Next is Backstage Pass: Sinners on Tour by Olivia Cunningham (3 stars). This was a recommended book that I downloaded on my e-reader. It's not urban fantasy - more, hmmm, erotic smut? Still, there's a nice little storyline there, so that all the sex isn't just that. I actually liked it, and I think I've mentioned before I'm not a big fan of long raunchy sex scenes. The author takes the time to create a connection between the characters (even if the first hookup is a little contrived and cheesy). Sooo, for an e-reader purchase, I enjoyed it enough to be willing to buy more in the Sinners series. (*blushing*) My only advice, don't let your kid pick it up and look at it...and you might not want to read it while they're in the room. I got a little flustered by some of it.
Magic Mourns: A Novella by Ilona Andrews (4 stars) Oh jeez, does this even count as a book? Screw it, I need numbers! What can I say? I love the Magic series. This short story is from an anthology and is about Andrea and Raphael (ooh, I love me some Raphael). I downloaded this one, too, even tho I own the anthology. Definitely worth the money.
Always the Vampire by Nancy Haddock (3 stars) I think this is the book that killed my reading this month. Its the third in her series about a vampire turned tour guide. I'm going to try to be fair about this brief review because I honestly really liked the first two books. This one - well it was not my favorite. I still love the characters, and if there are more in the series I'll definitely buy them. This book lost its way a little, I think. My problem with it was that the story kept getting bogged down by the descriptions of places and people. I felt like it was all filler and very little story, which is disappointing. But because I like the series so much, I felt obliged to slog my way through it. For about 2 (yes, TWO) weeks. Finally, I just said screw it and started skipping chunks to get to the end. I HATE doing that with a book. I feel like I'm not giving it a fair chance to enchant me. But if I'd kept trying to read it, I think I'd still be reading it now.
And last, Another Kind of Dead by Kelly Meding (4 stars) This is also part of a series. And I was torn as to whether it should get 5 stars, but I think I'm sticking with 4 stars. Why? DON'T READ PAST HERE, BECAUSE THERE MIGHT BE A BIT OF A SPOILER!!! Evy takes a lot of abuse in this book. A lot. The torture is difficult to read because she's suffering so much. And a lot of what happens, happens while she's being tortured. She loses huge amounts of time where things happen. I don't like that. I want to know what happens. (Maybe there's going to be a short story to explain it? I dunno.) But it frustrated me a little. OKAY. YOU CAN START READING AGAIN HERE! Still, I love this series. Evy, Wyatt and Phin (who I adore) are great characters. Kismet and her team (I want to know more about them - hmmm maybe there needs to be a breakoff series?) are a nice addition to the storyline. And heck, this book ended with a very serious turn of events. So I most definitely want more.
So....that's it. Sad, hunh? I guess I didn't do much reading at all this month. (I think I missed a book - I was so crazy that for a while there I wasn't keeping my logs...) Right now, I'm reading Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead, the final book in the Georgina Kincaid story. It's wonderful so far although I'm terribly worried about Georgina making bad choices that could doom her (I don't think she will tho). And I'm loving that Carter is in this one. (I love Carter.) When I'm finished I may blog about this one.
So, over and out. I have some serious reading to do. Serious. Oh my God. How am I supposed to read all those books? ACK!!! (Need caffeine and 72 hours in each day.)
Friday, September 2, 2011
The Good The Bad and the Ugly...
The good news: at some point today I will be putting up a book blog about what I read this month.
The bad news: it was another slow month.
The bad news: thanks to Hurricane Irene (I will never ever EVER pray that a storm hits us again) we had no power from Sun. at 10:38 am to Tues. at 11:23 pm. Some people in town still don't have power.
The good news: we have power, cable, internet and phone service!
The ugly: lost everything in fridge/freezer, kid went a little mental without computers (withdrawal is a bitch).
The good news: kid got notice he is accepted to college as a commuting freshman late monday evening.
The bad news: there was a computer glitch (or a hack) that messed up all the late enrollments & registered them for testing/orientation at non-existing times.
The ugly: he missed orientation, without orientation he can't register for classes, registration is over so he must now do add/drop first week of school which begins sept. 7th, BUT he can't do that without orientation either, welcome week starts sunday BUT he can't attend that without orientation, and he can't attend school without welcome week, and ..... suffice it to say, I called the president of the college this morning (who had no idea any of this was going on) and we finally got some action BUT still haven't talked to a human being who can resolve anything.
The ugly: stress and aspergers do not mix well.
The good: I have a cold 12-pack of beer in my fridge. lol
The bad news: it was another slow month.
The bad news: thanks to Hurricane Irene (I will never ever EVER pray that a storm hits us again) we had no power from Sun. at 10:38 am to Tues. at 11:23 pm. Some people in town still don't have power.
The good news: we have power, cable, internet and phone service!
The ugly: lost everything in fridge/freezer, kid went a little mental without computers (withdrawal is a bitch).
The good news: kid got notice he is accepted to college as a commuting freshman late monday evening.
The bad news: there was a computer glitch (or a hack) that messed up all the late enrollments & registered them for testing/orientation at non-existing times.
The ugly: he missed orientation, without orientation he can't register for classes, registration is over so he must now do add/drop first week of school which begins sept. 7th, BUT he can't do that without orientation either, welcome week starts sunday BUT he can't attend that without orientation, and he can't attend school without welcome week, and ..... suffice it to say, I called the president of the college this morning (who had no idea any of this was going on) and we finally got some action BUT still haven't talked to a human being who can resolve anything.
The ugly: stress and aspergers do not mix well.
The good: I have a cold 12-pack of beer in my fridge. lol
Friday, August 26, 2011
In Honor of Irene, Let's Talk Books...
Specifically, Rachel Caine's weather warden and djinn series.
First up, the weather warden series, which consists of 9 books - Ill Wind * Heat Stroke * Chill Factor * Windfall * Firestorm * Thin Air * Gale Force * Cape Storm * Total Eclipse. There are also short stories on her website.
The series follows Joanne Baldwin, a Warden. What is a Warden, you ask? They control nature. Or try to control it. Contain it, maybe - if they're good at being wardens. They have help, though - djinn. The djinn are elementals, captured and owned (think really pissed off genies in bottles). So when an earthquake happens, or a hurricane is coming, the wardens with the djinn's help can keep them from being complete disasters.
Joanne is called into action to deal with a serious problem. Along the way, she meets David, a free djinn (A really HOT djinn!) and they fall in love. That doesn't exactly please most of the djinn.
In addition, the earth mother is waking up, the contained djinn want their freedom, there are weather wardens who aren't exactly good guys (okay, they're super bad guys), and the old djinn are at war with the new djinn. This all builds through the series until it comes down to a final showdown where choosing sides doesn't necessarily mean good vs. evil.
The characters are well developed, including bit characters, and each has their purpose to propel the story forward. The storyline is smart and exciting. The world is brilliantly conceived. The books are fast paced with tender moments where Joanne has to stop and deal with the shit in her life. Her happiness with David is constantly challenged. There is no guarantee of a happy end for her or any of the characters that you will grow to love.
In addition, there is an offshoot series - the Outcast Season series - from Joanne and David's story. Cassiel, an old world djinn who makes an appearance in their story, gets her own story in trying to deal with the earth mother and Pearl, a really bad djinn that's transformed into something else. Cass is turned human and is forced to learn to live as a human, tho she still needs to draw energy from a warden. Enter Luis. As they race to save the world and Luis's niece, some disastrous, awful stuff happens. The last book in this series isn't out yet. The 3rd book ended on one of those WTH cliffhangers that have me horribly worried for the characters.
So, in honor of Hurricane Irene, which is going to cause *cough* death and destruction in eastern MA *cough* (seriously that's how they're portraying it as they say we're going to have 60 mph winds - whoop dee doo)....anyway, in honor of that, today I am recommending both the Weather Warden and Outcast Season series. Of the two, I'm far more drawn to Cassiel's story because I think her POV is so well written. But, that being said, I highly recommend both. Go. Buy. Before books die out forever or the apocalypse happens....
First up, the weather warden series, which consists of 9 books - Ill Wind * Heat Stroke * Chill Factor * Windfall * Firestorm * Thin Air * Gale Force * Cape Storm * Total Eclipse. There are also short stories on her website.
The series follows Joanne Baldwin, a Warden. What is a Warden, you ask? They control nature. Or try to control it. Contain it, maybe - if they're good at being wardens. They have help, though - djinn. The djinn are elementals, captured and owned (think really pissed off genies in bottles). So when an earthquake happens, or a hurricane is coming, the wardens with the djinn's help can keep them from being complete disasters.
Joanne is called into action to deal with a serious problem. Along the way, she meets David, a free djinn (A really HOT djinn!) and they fall in love. That doesn't exactly please most of the djinn.
In addition, the earth mother is waking up, the contained djinn want their freedom, there are weather wardens who aren't exactly good guys (okay, they're super bad guys), and the old djinn are at war with the new djinn. This all builds through the series until it comes down to a final showdown where choosing sides doesn't necessarily mean good vs. evil.
The characters are well developed, including bit characters, and each has their purpose to propel the story forward. The storyline is smart and exciting. The world is brilliantly conceived. The books are fast paced with tender moments where Joanne has to stop and deal with the shit in her life. Her happiness with David is constantly challenged. There is no guarantee of a happy end for her or any of the characters that you will grow to love.
In addition, there is an offshoot series - the Outcast Season series - from Joanne and David's story. Cassiel, an old world djinn who makes an appearance in their story, gets her own story in trying to deal with the earth mother and Pearl, a really bad djinn that's transformed into something else. Cass is turned human and is forced to learn to live as a human, tho she still needs to draw energy from a warden. Enter Luis. As they race to save the world and Luis's niece, some disastrous, awful stuff happens. The last book in this series isn't out yet. The 3rd book ended on one of those WTH cliffhangers that have me horribly worried for the characters.
So, in honor of Hurricane Irene, which is going to cause *cough* death and destruction in eastern MA *cough* (seriously that's how they're portraying it as they say we're going to have 60 mph winds - whoop dee doo)....anyway, in honor of that, today I am recommending both the Weather Warden and Outcast Season series. Of the two, I'm far more drawn to Cassiel's story because I think her POV is so well written. But, that being said, I highly recommend both. Go. Buy. Before books die out forever or the apocalypse happens....
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Hurricane Irene
Do I prep for it? Do I not prep for it? Do I batten down the hatches or not? Geez, weathermen, make up your mind where it's going. I want to know whether I'm going to see a real hurricane or not.
Yesterday, the track showed it going directly over my town & level 2. Then it showed it slightly to the left. Now it's somewhere out past Worcester & level 1. Come on!! I already stocked up on batteries, dry foods and water. WTH?
(And what's the deal with everyone and their brother buying up every last D battery in Massachusetts??)
Yesterday, the track showed it going directly over my town & level 2. Then it showed it slightly to the left. Now it's somewhere out past Worcester & level 1. Come on!! I already stocked up on batteries, dry foods and water. WTH?
(And what's the deal with everyone and their brother buying up every last D battery in Massachusetts??)
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