Hilarious,
profound, and achingly true-to-life, Jonas Karlsson’s novel explores the
true nature of happiness through the eyes of hero you won’t soon forget
A
passionate film buff, our hero’s life revolves around his part-time job
at a video store, the company of a few precious friends, and a daily
routine that more often than not concludes with pizza and movie in his
treasured small space in Stockholm. When he receives an astronomical
invoice from a random national bureaucratic agency, everything will
tumble into madness as he calls the hotline night and day to find out
why he is the recipient of the largest bill in the entire country.
What
is the price of a cherished memory? How much would you pay for a
beautiful summer day? How will our carefree idealist, who is content
with so little and has no chance of paying it back, find a way out of
this mess? All these questions pull you through The Invoice and prove once again that Jonas Karlsson is simply a master of entertaining, intelligent, and life-affirming work.@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
3 STARS
This book is cray! And a little scary when I actually think about it!
So
this nameless dude works part time in a video store. He has an average
life. He doesn't do too much. He has a sister and his parents are
deceased. He has a friend.
And then one day he gets an invoice
in the mail saying he owes 5,700,000 kronor. Now I'm not going to tell
you what this money is for but it's crazy train and I'm sure glad it's
not real. Lol
He thinks this is a joke at first but then he
decides to call the number to the company, W.R.D. The hold time is 2
hours and then it goes up instead of down! So he hangs up and tries
again. FINALLY, he gets through to Maud and she tries to explain
everything to him. She stumped me and him both. She gives him her
personal call through number so he can call back and not wait a long
time. He needs some time to think about all of this. He tells her he
doesn't have that kind of money, uh, he does work part-time in a video
store. Hello? 
The
next thing you know (nameless) and Maud are talking on the phone all of
the time. It was kind of sweet, but then he has to go in and talk to
some peeps in the company because things are just weird. They are like,
"oh yeah, there is a mistake, you owe more." Um, no!
So he's
talking to Maud again about all of this and then he happens to mention
something and she's looking into his stuff and he has to go back into
the company. OMG! Then they give him a higher number! I won't even tell
you that number because it's a stroke out number. You can check it out
at the library and find out.
I do have to agree with him about the number going up all of the time and some people around him have lower numbers. 
Anyway,
this was a bizarre little book that was kind of cool, but not, if that
makes sense! And don't open any random invoices in the mail! *I would like to thank Blogging For Books for a print copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1744810191
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Invoice-Novel-Jonas-Karlsson/dp/110190514X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472686880&sr=1-1&keywords=the+invoice
Young Fitz is the
bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the
royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast
by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly
tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic
Skill—and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds
and rejected by his family.
As barbarous raiders ravage the
coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first
dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a
threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the
kingdom.
@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
These were the lessons in my assassin's primer. And more.
Sleight of hand and the art of moving stealthily. Where to strike a man
to render him unconscious. Where to strike a man so that he dies without
crying out. Where to stab a man so that he dies without too much blood
welling out. I learned it all rapidly and well, thriving under Chade's
approval of my quick mind.
If
your looking for a big ole bloody and everything goes book, this is not
it. This is just a great story about a boy that was born to not knowing
the love of a mother or father. But he still turned out to be a good
person, even if he was an assassin.
Fitz is a wonderful
character even though he went through a lot as a child. He was brought
to the royal guard at 6 years-old by his grandfather telling them he was
done with him and it was time for Prince Chivalry to take care of his
own son. As you can read on the blurb, Fitz wasn't born the proper way.
But
Fitz was allowed to stay with the stable master, Burrich, whom I loved
very much. He was so kind to the horses, dogs, and hawks that belonged
to the Prince and he was very kind to Fitz. Although, there is one part
with someone named Nosy that I thought he didn't something bad to and it
turns out he didn't so I forgive him. Those of you that have read the
book know what I mean.
Fitz has the ability to get inside an
animals mind. I call it mind melding and they can see through each
others eyes and communicate. They call this the Will in the book. But
Fitz also learns how to use the Skill which is a form of telepathy
<--- I think that's the word I'm looking for.
Fitz father,
Prince Chivalry never once met him. He left with his wife to go into
exile because of the boy and he stepped down from being next in line to
be the King. I didn't understand this part too good but that was how I
saw it.
At one point when Fitz is a little older, I think around
10, his other grandfather who was King Shrewd decided to start getting
him trained as an assassin. Burrich was hoping that he would keep being
ignored but that wasn't so. Prince Regal who was a jerk beyond jerkdom
didn't like this at all. Prince Verity didn't seem to mind. He was
always kind to Fitz. Prince Verity is another character that I grew to
love because of his kindness to Fitz and their relationship later on in
the book.
I think this was a really good book to start out the
trilogy. Robin Hobb brings us slowly into a world that she built for us
to enjoy along the way. Yes, there are some bad people trying to do bad
things but isn't there always? But that fact that I could read a fantasy
book that wasn't all about - cut off their head, burn, burn, burn, rape
this and rape that - was actually pretty nice =)
There are some
people that say this book is slow and that is why I said if your looking
for some huge action book, this is not it. If your looking for a
journey with some good people than you will enjoy it.
I really hope I enjoy the next two books in the trilogy as much as this one!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1348931564
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472680031&sr=1-1&keywords=assassin%27s+apprentice
So you think know the
story of Little Red Riding Hood, the girl with the unfortunate name and
the inability to tell the difference between her grandmother and a
member of a different species? Well, then, try your hand at answering
these questions:
-Which character (not including Little Red herself) is the most fashion challenged?
-Who (not including the wolf) is the scariest?
-Who (not including Granny) is the most easily scared?
-Who is the strangest? (Notice we're not "not including" anyone, because they're all a little off.)
-Who (no fair saying "the author") has stuffing for brains?
Vivian
Vande Velde has taken eight new looks at one of the world's most
beloved (and mixed-up) stories. You may never look at fairy tales in
quite the same way again. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
This was a nice, short book of Red Riding Hood stories. And I have to
say no wolves were killed in this book or else I would set fire to those
peopled! =)
Okay on with the stories: The Red CloakThis
story is about Meg who is sent out to her granny's house but she spies a
wolf on the way. She keeps going even though she is terrified and then
she runs into a woodsman that is doing some illegal chopping of trees.
She asks him to help her but then he turns all menacing and she does
some things to sic the wolf on him. Let's just say he spends a lot of
time up the tree's that belong to the King. And Little Red skips merrily
away! lol
The Red Riding Hood DollThis
story was a little creepy. Georgette was a seamstress in her mother's
shop. One day after dealing with a horrible customer, Georgette decides
to make herself a life size doll. Her mother wasn't happy about this and
told her she would take it out of her wages. Georgette loved her little
girl doll, she always wanted a child of her own and now she does in a
way. She even has a little red cloak. After spending the night in the
woods with her doll, she is awakened by the woodsmen to find out her
doll came to life. I was hoping it was going to be more creepy but it
wasn't so this was my least favorite story. Little Red Riding Hood's Family
This
is a story of Roselle who has to take supper to her granny because her
mom sprained her ankle. Roselle's father was afraid of granny because
she had a temper. This is one of my favorite stories because granny is
not what she seems but Roselle isn't either =)
Granny and the Wolf
In
this story the granny, Nelda, is out in the woods one day and she finds
a wolf in a trap that she saves. She takes the shite trap away as well.
She tends to the wound and the wolf decides to follow her home and stay
with her. Then of course everyone and their brother's uncle shows up to
visit and she has to keep trying to hide the wolf. But, after getting
rid of everyone she ends up telling Scarlet. She took the news well and
they decided the wolf would be enough protection for granny out in the
woods alone. So all three of them sat down and ate apple tarts and
friend chicken =)
Deems the Wood Gatherer
There
was an old wood gatherer named Deems. He was partially blind and he
kept coming upon different people in the woods. Or so he thought. He
tried to give each of them sound advice because he loved to help people.
I thought this one was pretty cool because he runs into the wolf and
the three pigs, the gingerbread man, and hansel, gretal and the witch.
Why Willy and His Brother Won't Ever Amount to Anything
This is the story of Isolda, she has a bunch of brothers and sisters and they all live with her parents in the apple orchard.
This
story is just bizarre and not one of my favorites, but the brothers
that seem dumb as stumps end up being The Brothers Grimm.
The Little Red Headache
One
day a wolf is having a nice nap when someone steps on his tail. Of
course it hurt and he jumps up to find a little girl and she screams so
loud it gives him a headache. She runs away and leaves her basket, he
tries to yell to her but it came out all wolfy and scared her more. So,
being the nice wolf that he is, he takes the basket to the granny's
house and tells her what happened but she screams and then the little
girls shows up and there is more screaming. Eventually the wolf runs
away thinking they are all crazy!
Little Red Riding Hood's Little Red Riding HoodThat's
a long title. Anyway, there is this really bratty girl that is actually
a fairy godmother and she is always complaining about everything! She
hates her cloak but can only use magic once a day.
The fairy
godmother was visiting the little baby, Ruby Marie and since she hated
the cloak so much she gave it to the baby and accidentally put a spell
on the cloak to make it smart instead of the child.
Years later,
Ruby Marie's mom asks her to go see her granny because she was sick.
The cloak was not happy at all because of germs and Ruby Marie wasn't
either because she was a brat.
On the way there they run into a
wolf and the cloak keeps trying to help her get away, almost strangling
her. They finally get to the house where the wolf was hiding. The cloak
kept trying to strangle her and then strangle the wolf. Ruby threw the
cloak off and said she hated it basically and wished the fairy godmother
never gave it to her. A woodman passing heard all of the yelling and
the wolf jumped out the window before he got caught. Ruby told the
woodsman he scared off her granny but granny was in the wardrobe. Ruby
wouldn't believe it though and the cloak had enough, so it ran away too
(well slithered away) It had many owners through the years but later on .
. . it found is true owner =) 
Obviously, the last one was my favorite!
This was a cute little book and it's on kindle unlimited right now if anyone wants to read it!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1743208091
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Cloaked-Red-Vivian-Vande-Velde/dp/0761457933/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472561318&sr=1-1&keywords=cloaked+in+red+in+books
Learn the rules of the game…and then play better than anyone else.
Through
a Faustian bargain, Edie Kramer has been pulled into the dangerous
world of the Immortal Game, where belief makes your nightmares real.
Hungry for sport, fears-made-flesh are always raising the stakes. To
them, human lives are less than nothing, just pieces on a board.
Because
of her boyfriend Kian’s sacrifice, she’s operating under the mysterious
Harbinger’s aegis, but his patronage could prove as fatal as the
opposition. Raw from deepest loss, she’s terrified over the deal Kian
made for her. Though her very public enemies keep sending foot
soldiers—mercenary monsters committed to her destruction—she’s not the
one playing under a doom clock. Kian has six months…unless Edie can save
him. And this is a game she can’t bear to lose. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
I
loved this one way more than the first book. I'm still a little
confused with some things from both books but that's alright. ***Mild
Spoilers***
I will admit, until about 100-ish pages in I was
getting a little annoyed thinking it wasn't going to pick up more from
the first book. But I kept pushing and it sure as hell did pick up! I
mean you have the Harbinger, a killer clown, a sun god's heart,
an awesome blade made of out of said sun god's heart, a ghost helper,
evil people and god's left and right!
Kian doesn't have
long to live in this book since he gave up all of that to save Edie. And
Edie is being protected by the evil Harbinger. Although, I really got
to like him in this book and I really hope it goes well in the last
book! 
Okay there is so much going on let me try to give this a decent enough review without spoiling every little thing.
Edie
wants revenge against Wedderburn for killing her mom and some other
things. And he is on and off wanting her dead or with him. Who knows.
Then there is Dwyer & Fell who want her on their side as well or
they will kill her. Seems like Edie is having a hard go of it. And all
of these people are not what they seem. They sound like some kind of
lawyer's offices, but NO, they are something very, very different!
<--- I wish I could say!
Kian and Edie are still in love and
Edie is secretly trying to find a way to keep Kian alive. To break the
contract or whatever on his life. Then you have Raoul (I loved him) who
is the person that brought Kian over, just like Kian brought Edie over.
<--- I'm not going into all of that, read the first book and then
this one :-D
Raoul starts training Edie in self-defense because she has monsters, demons and gods wanting to kill her.
Then
we have "BUZZKILL" the killer clown. I loved him which is messed up
because I don't do creepy clowns. And it was only for a short time that
he was sent from Wedderburn to help protect Edie! After that was over he
said he would kill her if they met again. Anyhoo, let me insert some
excerpts of ole Buzzkill because he's funny and just to the point! 
Fine. We'll have the lesson as planned. I'll use a different exit.
Raoul's
risk of capture was freaking me out, my chest hurt when we got off at
the stop closest to the abandoned school. The area was bad enough to
unnerve a killer clown apparently because he quickened his pace, cutting
the distance between us. I tried to hurry.
No luck.
Buzzkill caught up with me. "What the hell are you doing out here?"
"Training," I said.
"At what, murder school?"
"That's very judge-y coming from you, killer clown."
In response, he showed me his true face.
•••••
"I
think you already know the answer to that. Look, we can't go to a
neighborhood coffee shop. I'll give everyone in there a psychotic
break." He seemed to read my expression because he added, "Yeah,
normally, that'd be funny as hell but I'm under orders to be
inconspicuous."
•••••
"He's out of the
game, remember? Whereas you, chickadee, are still Boss's favorite little
play-pretty. How's that stupid saying go, don't bite off your nose, and
all that. Unless you're actually biting off someone's nose. In which
case go ahead. But remember, there's a surprising amount of gristle."
"You are everything that's wrong in the world."
"If you knew how much self-control I'm exerting to keep from fileting you, kid, you'd pin a medal on me."
Edie
is also trying to keep her dad in the here and now since her mom was
killed. And then he gets taken by the other evil side. And she has to
fight said evil side and something cool comes out of that with the help
of Buzzkill.
Then they all go see a forge god who makes Edie an
amazing blade which she uses to take out some other gods and peeps and
things.
It's just cray and I enjoyed it very much. I will say
some things made me sad but the very, very ending has changed things
dramatically and I can't even imaging how it's all going to come into
play in the last book!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1274649936
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Public-Enemies-Immortal-Game-Aguirre/dp/1250024668/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1472506014&sr=1-2
From the award-winning author of the acclaimed novel Poe
comes an edgy, witty, and bone-chilling novel about a woman who
unwittingly agrees to complete one favor for the devil himself at the
risk of her immortal soul.
When Fiona Quinn is approached in a
bar by a man who calls himself Scratch and claims he’s the devil, she
figures it’s just some kind of post-modern ironic pickup line. Fiona
doesn’t believe in anything of the paranormal sort. A few drinks in,
Scratch offers one wish in exchange for her immortal soul. Fiona’s been
wondering if her boyfriend is having an affair, so why not, invisibility
would be a good way to find out—hypothetically, of course. It can be
done, but there’s only one other small detail—at some point in time,
he’ll call in a favor. Whatever it is, Fiona has to do it—and do it
well—otherwise she’s his for all eternity. Fiona finds the whole thing
so hilarious that she agrees and they shake on it. Bad idea.
Not only does Fiona soon discover that she really was
talking to the devil incarnate, but she’s now become a “dead
soul”—those who have exchanged their souls on a whim, and must spend
their waking hours in mortal terror of that favor eventually being
called in...
With Fenn’s “wicked raw and proudly untamed” talent (Bloody-Disgusting.com), Dead Souls is a terrifying and witty venture to the dark side that will haunt you long after you’ve turned the last page.@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
My friend Shelly starts her review off with, the devil walks into a bar :-D Mine is a little different but the same idea ;-)So, an atheist walks into a bar . . . <---I think we all love the chance to use that opening. Well, us nuts at any rate!
But
she really does, Fiona stumbles into a bar one night in her night
clothes and no shoes. She thinks her husband is cheating on her and she
just wigs out and wanders off. I bet she wished she stayed home.
Fiona
meets Scratch and he tells her he is the Devil. Really? Actually if
you're ever in a bar and someone says they are the devil, just get up
and leave, do not pass go. Trust me!
So Scratch and Fiona sit
and talk for hours and Fiona gets drunk. I mean obviously the devil
doesn't get drunk. He offers Fiona anything for her soul. Fiona thinks
since she doesn't believe in anything that it will be just fine to go
along with the joke. Bwhahaha! Fiona decides she will sell her soul to
be invisible when she wants. And she wakes up the next morning at home
and in a shite storm. 
Now
there is a group of people that Fiona meets and I can't remember all of
their names but the leaders name is Alejandro. They are in a tribe
called the dead souls. They have all sold their souls to the devil for
something or other. Mostly it's stupid crap, but I guess if your stupid
enough to sell your soul, your stupid enough to make stupid wishes.
Everyone
in the group is freaking out because they are just waiting for their
ticket to be called in a sense. If you don't do the favor the devil asks
of you, well your in for a world of hurt.
And let me tell you,
when the devil starts to slowly call in everyone's ticket, there are
some macabre stuff going on. Well, it is the devil! And all of this is
going on at Christmas so he has to bring in a Christmas theme! But it's
not, uggg I can't say without giving a spoiler so lets move on. 
I
will never look at ornaments on the Christmas tree in the same way
again! When mom is putting them up this year (because that's her thing)
and I'm watching, I'm going to be thinking about certain ornaments that I
can't get over in this book! OMG! You all have to read this book if you
like horror stuff, I'm telling you. 
There's not a big climatic ending, there's just a simple little wrap up. Uh, as simple as you can get with the devil involved!
All
in all I thought it was a good book. I wish I could tell more but I
might end up slipping in some spoilers and I don't want to do that. I
want you to walk into this horror story fresh and ready to go!
*I would like to thank Netgalley and Gallery books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1740482395
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Souls-J-Lincoln-Fenn/dp/1501110934/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472407076&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=dead+souls+in+books+by+J.+lincoln+finn
No one ever said life
was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out.
He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he
knows that he can count on his friends - true friends who would do
anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the
beating up on "greasers" like him and his friends - he knows that he can
count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far,
and Ponyboy's world is turned upside down... @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
I have watched this movie over and over when I was younger and I still
have it today and love it just as much. I will admit I was in love with
Dallas and had a crush on Sodapop but Dallas was my man =)
I
just can't believe it took me this many years to read the book! And the
book was so close to the movie it is almost unreal. Maybe it was due to
the fact that S.E. Hinton was on set helping with the movie, I really
don't know. I just love that I can read a book and watch a movie and
there not be that many things different.
Ok, there will be . . . . 
This
is a remarkable story of people from different sides of the tracks. The
greasers (the poor boys and some girls) and the socs (the rich kids)
This story is told from the greasers side which is awesome because I really don't care about the socs!
These
boys all looked out for each other in the best ways they could. Even if
they were dirt poor, they did what they could for each other. 
They
had fun times getting in rumbles with the socs, most all of them loved
to fight. It was like getting set loose in a candy store.
Most
of the beginning of the story revolves around Ponyboy and Johnny. They
are the best of friends and poor Johnny seems to have it bad no matter
which way he turns. His parents treat him bad, he sleeps outside most of
the time and he got a very bad beating from the socs. That's what they
do, cruise around and find a greaser or two alone and gang up on them.
They damn near beat Johnny to death and all of the other friends always
rally around him and try to protect him from things.
Until one
tragic night Ponyboy and Johnny get attacked by a group of socs AGAIN,
but this time Johnny stabs and kills the jerk that beat him so bad
before. They were trying to drown Ponyboy. They have to run to Dallas to
help get them out of town. Because that's what friends do, they hang
out and help each other if they are in trouble. 
Dallas
tells Ponyboy and Johnny to hop on this train and go to a town and stay
in an abandoned church until things die down and he would come up
there. He gives them money and a gun. Johnny buys them food and hair dye
for Ponyboy (which he hates) and he also gets "Gone With The Wind" for
Ponyboy because he has always wanted to read it. I thought that was so
nice of him and he picked a really great book. Ponyboy spent time
reading the book to his friend when they weren't playing cards to pass
the time.
At one point Dallas shows up and tells them some
things and takes them out to eat. The boys decide they are going to turn
themselves in but when they get back to the church, it's on fire and
there are a couple of people and a bunch of children huddled around it.
When the boys get there they find out some of the kids are inside and
Ponyboy and Johnny (being the good guys that they are) go in after them.
Of course Dallas is yelling for them to get back out!
Needless
to say they get the kids to safety but Dallas and Ponyboy get a little
hurt in the process. Johnny gets messed up bad. It's always Johnny! He
always just wanted to be normal for shite's sake! The people thought
they were heroes which is truly what they were. "We
think the towheaded kid is going to be all right. He burned one arm
pretty badly, though, trying to drag the other kid out the window.
Johnny, well I don't know about him. A piece of timber caught him across
the back--he might have a broken back, and he was burned pretty
severely. He passed out before he got out the window. They're giving him
plasma now." He must have seen the look on my face because he hurriedly
changed the subject. "I swear, you three are the bravest kids I've seen
in a long time. First you and the black-haired kid climbing in that
window, and then the tough-looking kid going back to save him. Mrs.
O'Briant and I think you were sent straight from heaven. Or are you just
professional heroes or something?"
Sent from heaven? Had he gotten a
good look at Dallas? "No, we're greasers," I said. I was too worried
and scared to appreciate the fact that he was trying to be funny.
Johnny isn't doing so well in the hospital and Dallas and Ponyboy are really afraid for him.
Dallas
breaks out of the hospital on the night of the rumble to fight for
Johnny. He was so happy after the fight that he grabbed Ponyboy and
rushed back to the hospital to tell Johnny they had won. Even though,
they didn't know it at the time, they got to spend the last few minutes
with Johnny before he died. It was so sad, I cried a river. I knew what
was going to happen but it doesn't matter, I cried the river. 
Dallas
goes nuts of course and runs off. Ponyboy is in a daze when he gets
home and tells everyone that Johnny is dead and that Dallas ran off.
They are all sad of course and worried what Dallas is going to do. And
then they get the call that Dallas robbed a store and the police are
after him so they go to meet up with him. But when they get to him the
stupid cops killed him. And I think he wanted that really because he
pulled an unloaded gun on them. Maybe it's just my thoughts but I feel
like he called the guys because he did want to live in a way but he was
so messed up with Johnny dying after all that poor kid had been through,
that he wanted to die himself. Of course I cried and cried at that as
well. 
So,
Ponyboy is trying to cope with two of his friends dying in one night.
He doesn't do very well and is sick for quite some time.
This
book really made me have some feels. Like I said before I have watched
the movie a million times but as an adult, reading the book put more
things into perspective. This is the second book that I have read lately
that has made me want to change some things in my life. At least some
of the things that I can and that is one of the many things I love about
reading. ♥
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1740439113
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-S-E-Hinton/dp/014240733X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472339649&sr=1-1&keywords=the+outsiders
Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you’re only seventeen?
Maya
is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of death and
destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s
kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is
torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political
convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of
Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As
Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds
something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…
But
Akaran has its own secrets—thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass,
and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her
life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With
the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance,
Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to
save those she loves the most…including herself. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
2 STARS
I just couldn't get into this book :-( 
I give the book two stars because of Kamala, he's the people eating horse. lol
Just
because I didn't like this book, does that mean I won't read any more
of the author's books? No. I just didn't like this book and it's my
fault for taking the time to read it because it didn't sound too much
like something I would like but I like to sometimes go out of my zone
just to see.
Oh well, I was wrong this time around. I didn't enjoy the characters, I didn't enjoy the setting. Just nothing :-(
I'm
glad there are others out there that love the book, I just wish I could
have loved it too. That's the way it goes when reading a book. You
either love it, hate it, or something in between. = )
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1579756688
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Star-Touched-Queen-Roshani-Chokshi/dp/1250085470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472309022&sr=8-1&keywords=the+star-touched+queen
With her career, live-in
boyfriend and loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the
rebellious young woman who got mixed up with drug runners and delivered a
suitcase of drug money to Europe over a decade ago. But when she least
expects it, her reckless past catches up with her; convicted and
sentenced to fifteen months at an infamous women's prison in
Connecticut, Piper becomes inmate #11187-424. From her first strip
search to her final release, she learns to navigate this strange world
with its arbitrary rules and codes, its unpredictable, even dangerous
relationships. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her
with tokens of generosity, hard truths and simple acts of acceptance. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
4 STARS
I totally picked up this book because I love the show on Netflix and wanted to read about the real deal. 
This
is one of my favorite shows and it's funny because I could pick out
some of the real people in the book that are in the show. Obviously the
real names are not given. 
Piper
talks about the stupid, stupid drug stuff she got into with Nora. I
mean moving drugs and money for a drug lord, come on. And then 10 years
later, she gets caught and taken to jail! Just when you think you turned
your life around, um, NOT! And then when they tell her she is going to
trial and then to prison, it takes 6 years to get to the trial. I would
have went nuts every day of those 6 years!
Piper talks about
life in prison and about the friends she actually made there. I really
enjoyed reading about this because it make it a little nicer having
friends.
As Nina headed down the hill to the FCI, I felt
a real sense of loss. She was the first real friend I had made, and I
wouldn't have any contact with her at all. Prison is so much about the
people who are missing from your life and who fill your imagination.
Some of the women who had sisters or cousins down the hill in the
high-security prison. One day while walking back to work after lunch, I
glimpsed Nina through the back gate of the FCI and went crazy jumping up
and down and waving. She saw me and waved too. The truck that patrolled
the prison perimeter screeched to a halt between us. "Cut that shit
out!" came sharply from the guard inside.Piper really
did have a job in the electrical area and people came and went from
jobs, from the prison. It seemed like every time she made a good friend,
they were off to to somewhere else.
I grew powerfully
attached to Natalie in just a short time--she was very kind to me. and I
could tell that being her bunkie conferred on me an odd credibility
among other prisoners. But despite, or because of, the fact that we
lived in the closest of quarters, I knew virtually nothing about
her--just that she was from Jamaica and that she had two children, a
daughter and a young son. That was really it. When I asked Natalie
whether she had started her time down the hill in the FCI, she just
shook her head. "No, bunkie, back in the day things were a little
different. I went down there for a little while--an' it was nothin'
nice." That was all I was going to get. It was clear that where Natalie
was concerned, personal subjects were off limits, and I had to respect
that.
Piper had a lot of people visiting her in the
jail, unlike in the tv series. Larry, her fiance came all of the time.
But she had friends and family coming all of the time. She was getting
letters and tons of BOOKS in the mail. Yes, books! What would we do
without our books! =)
I did enjoy this book a lot. The author
also does an interview at the back of the book and she has a lot of
references to different things concerning women in jail. I'm going to
look into some of them!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1249782195
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Orange-New-Black-Womens-Prison/dp/0385523394/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472262517&sr=1-1&keywords=orange+is+the+new+black+in+books
Ambrose Young was
beautiful. He was tall and muscular, with hair that touched his
shoulders and eyes that burned right through you. The kind of beautiful
that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know.
She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was
so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until
he wasn't beautiful anymore.
Making Faces is the story
of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes
back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of
beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's
love for a broken boy, and a wounded warrior's love for an unremarkable
girl. This is a story of friendship that overcomes heartache, heroism
that defies the common definitions, and a modern tale of Beauty and the Beast where we discover that there is little beauty and a little beast in all of us. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
Let Me Just . . .
The
end of this book broke my heart and made me rage. Okay, the very end
was a good ending. But before that I just, there was, WAIT . . . 
So
in this book I loved many characters but my favorites were Fern, Bailey
and Ambrose. Fern and Bailey are cousins who live next door to each
other. Bailey has muscular dystropy and Fern helps him in anything he
needs. They are wonderful characters and funny and smart and dorks and I
loved them. I wanted to be their best friend. Yes, I say that a lot in
books! I get really involved in my books and the characters. Don't judge
me!
Anyway, so Fern falls in love with Ambrose for the first
time when she meets him as a child. He came over and crushed a spider
outside that Fern and Bailey were watching. He thought they were afraid
of it and didn't understand why Bailey went inside crying.
"Bailey
has a disease. It makes his muscles weak. It might kill him. He doesn't
like it when things die. It's hard for him," Fern said simply,
honestly. She actually sounded kinda smart. Suddenly, the events at the
wrestling camp earlier that summer made sense to Ambrose. Bailey wasn't
supposed to wrestle because he had a disease. Ambrose felt bad all over
again.
As you have guessed, Ambrose is on the wrestling
team at school. He ends up being a star and wins a scholarship to go to
college. But he has other plans. He talks 4 of his teammates so sign up
for the military and that is what they do. They were in school when 9/11
happened and Ambrose wants to do something other than try to be a star
for everyone.
Fern has been reading romance books since she was
young and she has been writing her own books in private for just as
long. Only Bailey knows that she's trying to get a book deal, well until
Ambrose finds out later on.
Fern has another best friend named
Rita and at one point in their school days Rita wants to get together
with Ambrose. She doesn't know that Fern is crushing on him so she asks
her to write some notes to Ambrose - because Fern can write good stuff.
Well, we all know that backfires when Ambrose starts to care for Rita,
writing back beautiful things and then finds out Rita and Fern were
tricking him. He didn't talk to them much after that!
So off to
war they go and the book goes back and forth from the present to some
things that happened in the past but it's not confusing at all. When
Ambrose returns home a year or two later from a horrific tragedy, he's
not the same. He goes back to work in his father's bakery which is in
the grocery where Fern works until midnight. She tries to become friends
with him again. In black letters she wrote KITES OR
BALLOONS across the whiteboard, and she taped a red balloon, his
favorite color, to the side. He would know it was Fern. Once upon a
time, they had asked each other a million questions just like this. In
fact, Ambrose had been the first to ask this particular question. Kites
or balloons? Fern has said kites because if she were a kite she could
fly, but someone would always be holding onto her. Ambrose had said
balloons: "I like the idea of flying away and letting the wind take me. I
don't think I want anyone holding onto me." Fern wondered if his
response would be the same now as it had been then.
Gradually,
Fern and Bailey bring Ambrose out of hiding. He didn't want the world
to see him. He felt like a beast and he felt it was his fault for a lot
of things that happened. But the three started having a wonderful time
together. How could you not with Fern and Bailey!
But there are
more tragedies and the book just broke my little heart. I don't want to
do any spoilers for this book because this is one that you should read
for yourself. The feels and just . . . the everything. Even though there
were things that brought me to my knees in this book, I did love it.
Just know that if you read it, bring the tissues and if you have no
reaction to some of the stuff then I wonder if your human?
Oh and there was one thing at the end that had me happy crying too ♥
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1738822419
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Making-Faces-Amy-Harmon/dp/1518609554/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&coliid=INHZS4VPSJAT9&colid=200PK5IIT8BDX&qid=&sr=
When the redoubtable
Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is ordered to South America on Diplomatic
Business he parks his only daughter Sophy with his sister's family, the
Ombersleys, in Berkeley Square.
Upon her arrival, Sophy is
bemused to see to see her cousins are in a sad tangle. The heartless and
tyrannical Charles is betrothed to a pedantic bluestocking almost as
tiresome as himself; Cecilia is besotted with a beautiful but quite
feather-brained poet; and Hubert has fallen foul of a money-lender.
It
looks like the Grand Sophy has arrived just in time to sort them out,
but she hasn't reckoned with Charles, the Ombersleys' heir, who has only
one thought - to marry her off and rid the family of her meddlesome
ways. @goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
Once
again, my goodreads friends and in groups have gotten me to read a book
that I thought I would never like - and guess what? I loved it!
Lady
Ombersley's brother, Sir Horace decides to leave his daughter, Sophy
with them while he is away. Sophy usually goes with him when he travels
the world, but on this occasion he needs her to stay with her aunt and
uncle and all of the cousins.
What a joy Sophy was to a most
droll household. The eldest brother, Charles was so tiresome in the
beginning. He didn't seem to want to let any of the women have any kind
of fun or do anything for that matter. Charles is also engaged to the
horrible, Miss Wraxton, I wanted to drop kick her off the roof. They
both seemed made for each other, at least in the beginning =)
And
then . . . SOPHY arrives. I thought she was going to give her aunt a
heart attack. You see Sophy has been brought up very differently then
most girls. She arrives with her beautiful horse Salamanca, Tina her
little Italian Greyhound and Jacko the monkey she brought for the
children that she rescued. I think she had a bird too. I just loved her.
=)
Sophy is a force to be reckoned with, she sets out to turn
everything right for as many people as she can. She works on her cousin,
Cecy, who is being stupid in her choice of men. She helps her cousin
Hubert who is in a bit of a gambling situation himself. There are
several things she does and she doesn't take no lip from Charles. She
puts him in his place so many times I loved it so much. Sophy is such
fun.
She asked her aunt where bank was so she could go get her
finances in order. Well this just about made the woman in the family
fall over, not to mention Charles. No one ever heard of a woman going
into a bank. And then Charles is taking Sophy to the back because that's
how she rolls =) They got into a little arguement when Sophy was asking
Charles where she could buy her own phaeton and horses and he was
livid, saying women don't drive their own phaetons. Blah blah and blah.
Well she showed him. After her business in the bank, where she had
Charles wait in the phaeton, they stopped off on an errand for Charles.
She waits in the phaeton with the groom. I knew exactly what she was
going to do when she takes off one glove and lets it fly over to the
ground. She talks the groom into going over to get it and this is what
happens next:'Tell your master that it is too chilly to
keep the horses standing!' Sophy called after him. 'I will tool the
curricle round the streets for a few minutes, and come back to take him
up when he is ready!'
The groom, who was stooping to pick up the
glove, nearly fell over, so swiftly did the spin round. He had an
excellent view of Miss Stanton-Lacy (Sophy) driving at a smart pace up
the street. He made a gallant but belated attempt to catch the curricle,
but it swept round a corner just as the wind blew his hat off, and sent
it blowing down the street.Needless to say that Charles was furious when she got back. I laughed and laughed.
Since
Charles wouldn't tell here where to buy a good phaeton and horses she
asked another gentleman she met when she was out at the park with some
of the family riding horses. Of course they had a fit because Sophy was
racing Salamanca around and women just don't do that in the park. lol
Sophy
ended up getting some horses a man was selling that supposedly everyone
wanted, but she got there first. And she ended up getting her own
phaeton that was considered a sporting one and not one for a lady. This
is how I picture it since it's supposed to be 5 feet high, which is my
height. It's like those monster trucks, the monster phaeton. lol 
Once
again I loved how many family members Sophy helps in this book and I
loved the many times she put Charles and Miss Wraxton in their places
about things.
He said through shut teeth: 'I think I
told you once before, cousin, that we did very well here before you came
to upset all of our comfort!'
'Yes, you did, and what you meant,
Charles, was that until I came no one dared to flout you. You should be
grateful to me - or at any rate, Miss Wraxton should, for I am sure you
would have made an odious husband before I came to stay with your
Mama.'
She
even goes to see an moneylender to help out the other cousin I
mentioned. And oh my goodness! She is not afraid of him or cares less
for what he says. When he dares to try to threaten her she just pulls
and gun and demands what she came for, says she will give him the money
owed, or she can go to the cops or just shoot him. Either way . . . and
she gets what she comes for =)
Sophy had me laughing or smiling
through most of the book. She is someone I would love to know in my real
life. I loved her and I loved this book. Another little gem found in
the wonderful world of books and book friends. ♥ And yes, Sophy finds
love herself at the very end! ♥
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1737861002
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Sophy-Regency-Romances/dp/140221894X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472148868&sr=1-1&keywords=the+grand+sophy+in+books
A burning vengeance.
Adrian
sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of
magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash
is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into
chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man
responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his
powers not to save a life but to take it?
A blood-based curse.
Abandoned
at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told the mysterious magemark on the back
of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a
relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that
it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based
curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that
she can’t get caught.
Destiny’s fiery hand.
Eventually,
Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by
chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue
each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.
Set in the world of
the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a
thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable
characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.@goodreads
MY REVIEW:
5 STARS
Cinda Williams Chima just broke my heart! 
I
didn't much read the blurb to the book and I skimmed reviews so I never
really knew what was going to happen in this book. I just knew that
Chima wrote it and I wanted it so I got it. I thought that the Seven
Realms series was over and I was happy and then they weren't (in a
sense) and the beginning of this book destroyed me =( ***MILD
SPOILERS***
And
at first I blamed the person that blamed them self in the book for what
happened. But I knew I just had to read the book and not think about
the beginning.
Also, there are people out there that think book
readers are crazy to get so invested in their books. I have to say that
people like us, the bookaholics, book geeks, book nerds, book dragons,
worms - whatever you want to call us - have a great passion for the
world of books and there is not a thing wrong with being invested in
anything that you love. The only harm that comes from this is maybe, too
much crying, too much yelling, not enough sleep. Now let us begin!
Adrian
(Ash) sul'Han is a healer and he goes off to the school his mom and dad
went to so he can learn more. Then after some time someone is trying to
kill him so that doesn't work out. Ash meets a girl named Lila
Barrowhill that saves his life and tries to get him back home to his mom
and sister. But, he doesn't want to go THERE, he wants to kill the
king. That rat b•••••d who destroys lives and everything in it! I wanted
to see him burn. <--- Hehe, I just, nevermind.
So Ash ends
up in the stables of the good ole King arsehat, I mean, King Montaigne,
where he helps the animals and finally makes his way into the palace.
And of course he meets Lila there because she is Lila and she is good
and OMG she is connected to the old books. Anyhoo . . .
We get
to meet Jenna Bandelow in the beginning of the book too. That part made
me mad too. I just loathed that King through-out the whole book. I mean,
loathed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jenna has a mage mark on the back of
her neck and all of the sudden some Empress Celestine across the way
wants her. This puts old King Montaigne on her trail because she must be
worth something if the Empress wants her. The twat puts her in the
dungeon and things are found out, slowly but surely. I mean Jenna didn't
know much of anything about her past, only that she was adopted and her
parents didn't know much either. OH, but she is so much more and when I
found out I got me some chills! Lord have mercy, I can't wait to read
more about her and Flamecaster =)
I was so happy at the ending of this book. I did a little couch dance and I laughed and cried. It's so freaking amazing! 
There is some love in the book but it doesn't really have time to manifest, but I just thought I would mention it. 
I can only hope there are good things on the horizon for this little group I have grown to love. And the new edition as well! ♥
But we all know how Chima likes to break our hearts so I should probably start hating everyone and everything right now!
GOODREADS REVIEW:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1377659197
AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Flamecaster-Shattered-Realms-Cinda-Williams/dp/006238094X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472057473&sr=1-1&keywords=flamecaster+in+books
