Monday, December 5, 2011

"Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver," by E. Lockhart

"Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't Be Ruby Oliver" (Ruby Oliver #4) by E. Lockhart


Now I'm a big fan of Ruby Oliver. BIG FAN. Most people who read these books are. It's one of those you either love-in-the-sort-of-super-gushing type of way, or you hate it, and according to Goodreads, the vote is YES on Prop Ruby Oliver.

(See here for my previous gushing on this series)

But sadly, this is my least favorite of the series. There seems to be less randomness than usual, less lists, less footnotes... and I think Ruby only said "Spankin" once!


Also, I liked the old covers better.

However, there was a seriously brilliant scene about an intended Meatloafery... You know how sometimes you come across things and you're like, "DANG, I wish I wrote that...."? This is one of those things. Sheer random genuis.

This is to be the final book in the Ruby Oliver series.

Oh Roo, I'll miss you.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Splendor Falls, by Rosemary Clement-Moore

The Splendor Falls, by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Quote:
"Don't be obtuse princess. It's only because I'm a gentleman that I haven't let you know that I find Victorian ruffles insanely hot." -Rhys

Alright so... essentially, I enjoyed this book. I say this AFTER I finished it. If you had asked me at page 150, 250, 350... I would have said something along the lines of... "WHAT THE FREAKING FREAK IS THIS BOOK ABOUT?!?! JFIOSDJIOHJFASKMCLKAJSJRIOWJdsjfioweioafnewhjioajeklrj! CAN WE GET ON WITH IT ALREADY?!?"

Truly, I would have given it up... had it not been for Gigi. Thank goodness for 6-pound fluffy reject designer handbag dogs... because she saved this book.

The Splendor Falls is a 513 page book. Of the Young Adult Urban Fantasy Genre. However, it isn't until page 405, yes that would be FOUR HUNDRED AND FIVE, that MAGIC is confirmed as part of the plot.

405.

It's not even BROUGHT UP until a few pages earlier (page 393, to be exact).

That's a lot of pages to read of Sylvie Davis mucking around Bluestone Hills, not knowing what's going on. There's a few ghostly encounters and some skepticism towards the motives of the Teen Town Council, particularly Shawn Maddox, and some love/hating going on with Welsh hottie Rhys, as well as some prime time pouting over the loss of Sylvie's ballet career... but other than that, it's just mucking around the family mansion-turned-almost-open-inn, and gardening.

That's where Gigi saves the day. Like I said, good ol' reject designer handbag chihuahuas. :)

Anyways, once the whole magic thing is FINALLY put on the map, the books lights up like a Christmas tree, and it becomes so much more entertaining, exciting, and pleasing to read. I truly believe that if Ms. Clement-Moore had condensed the first 400 pages into like, 150, or 200 tops, then it would have flowed faster, easier, and been simply more pleasing to read. There was simply a TON of material to get through.

Because Sylvie's quest for info on her ancestors took her to all different sources all over the course of the book, it became patchy, confusing, and as a reader, you felt like the information was all over the map, and yet wasn't drawing any conclusions, for Sylvie or you as a reader. Also, often during coversations throughout the book, I felt like they jumped topics without making sense on many different occasions. Am I the only one who felt that? Like, they were alluding to one thing, like Hannah, and then all of a sudden they were talking about the Welsh legends, with no segue whatsoever? I got confused..... or, not confused, but thought it was really strange and RANDOM...

AND WHAT THE HECK DOES THE TITLE "The Splendor Falls" MEAN? Am I just stupid and can't make the connection to anything? I mean, there are a couple of LITERAL slips and "falls" during the course of the book... Hannah falling in the river, Clara down the stairs, and of course, Slyvie's epic fall that broke her leg in the first place etc., but I wouldn't have referred to them as SPLENDORific in anyway. And there weren't any sort of WATERfalls along the river, splendor or otherwise... Someone please explain it to me?

See, as much as I seriously dislike the one-word title craze going on amongst the YA genre, at least you can generally UNDERSTAND the reference. Grrrrrr.

Anyways, I'm glad Gigi didn't end up dying in some sort of heroic deed at the end or anything, because I REALLY would have been pissed off. Like, seriously pissed off. Like, throw the book at the wall pissed off.

And I don't even LIKE chihuahuas.


The book just need less of the "what's going on?" feel (first 405 pages), and a whole lot more of the really good last 100 pages feel.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

BR: Supernaturally


Pooooooooooop. It wasn't as good as the first one. :(((

Evie wasn't as cheeky, Lend wasn't there 3/4 the time, and I'm totally over all the Faerie crap. Evie lies about everything and goes behind everybodies back, then complains about her angst-ridden life. Oh, what's a sad, poor, unloved teenager to do? Buck up, little camper. Stop lying.

Where's the snark and uniqueness of Paranormalcy? Bleep, I missed it. Badly.

BR: I Am Number Four


I don't get it... I liked the movie. I thought it was fast paced and interesting. Then again, maybe that was because it had Alex Pettyfer in it... man, if that boy were a few years older...



But the book suuuuuuuuucks. "Pittacus Lore," as he calls himself, cannot write himself out a paper bag; and I use that terrible cliche in honor of him. I could hardly focus on the story line or connect with the characters because I was so distracted with the sucky seven word sentences lacking any sort of literary depth or variety whatsoever.

So sad little reviewing girl dared to have the audacity to come this book to HARRY POTTER! I couldn't help barking out a laugh. In no way, shape or form does this book resemble Harry Potter. No where. Ever. In any thing. Sorry, little girl. I dislike putting down my fellow reviewers, everyone is entitled to their own opinions is how I see it, but that is just a mistake that must be corrected. Harry Potter must not be disgraced, you know.        

Friday, August 26, 2011

BR: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb


I wasn't expecting this book to be a tragedy! I suppose when dealing with real life, there's always some tragedy and roughness involved, but I wasn't expecting to come away feeling so sad for Vinnie. I wonder if, and hope not that, this is an accurate depiction of her emotions and views of life, or if Vinnie saw things completely in a different light. Either way, she was an extraordinary woman, and this is an extraordinary book full of rich history, adventure, stiffled emotion, and a woman quite literally searching the world for happiness, and what she did when she culdn't find it.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Oh, Sweet Muses, I Missed You

I felt it again tonight.

The need to write. I felt it again. The feeling that no, I didn’t want to lay here and read this book. I didn’t want to read. I wanted to write.

It’s been so long since I’ve had this feeling, that I hardly know if I even have anything to say, but it doesn’t matter. I just need to write. I’d forgotten what muses felt like. The stream of consciousness, where my fingers fly and write at almost the precise moment I think. It’s elating, these words flying from my fingertips, the sound of the keyboard clicking and tapping as my thoughts spill out from my head into real live, written words instead of the phantom letters that float around in my skull. As easy as I breathe, the words now flow from my fingers. My words, my being, slipping from my fingers onto these simple keys, while the page in front of me lights up with ideas and imagination. I can hear the sound of my voice as I write, sounding more lyrical, and perhaps a bit more hopeful, than in real life.

It's been so long, it's almost foreign. The dam that cut off my mind from my fingers was getting more and more solid every day, and I had not almost, but truly had given up hope that it would ever come down. I thought it was fuzed to the inside of my mind, that the synapse had been snapped and could never find their way back together, no matter how much a prayed.

And then it happened. In the most peculiarly subtle and normal way, as if synapses simply connected together again and metaphoric dams, miles thick, vaporized every day. The stream of my consciousness reaches my fingers just fine now. My fingers no longer stand poised over the keys, my muscles aching, begging for the words in my mind to use them as a conduit to the keys of my computer.

I think thoughts, and as quickly as they come, my fingers tap and the thoughts show up as letters in Times New Roman font onto my computer screen, staring me back in the face.

It's magic, I swear.

I couldn't be more delighted than if I won the lottery or fell in love or woke up fifty pounds lighter, or was given a lifetime supply of Goldfish crackers.

I can write again.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

What I Stole On Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Found the best review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Goodreads.com from one "Montambeau"... hope she doesn't mind me putting it here to share with you all... because it's great!


Full-On SPOILERS! Watch OUT!


"Top 13 Hallows Happenings that I Loved...

13) Dudley says, "I don't think you're a waste of space."

12) Kreacher cleans the house and makes them soup after Harry is appreciative of him and gives him a chance to do something for Regulus.

11) Harry takes Moody's eye off of Umbridge's door, even though this causes panic and frenzy at the ministry and almost gets them caught.

10) The visit to Luna's rook-shaped house--especially seeing the loving portraits in her bedroom and Hermione's kick-ass escape plan.

9) Ron is in turmoil when Hermione is being tortured by Bellatrix.

8) Escape from Malfoy Manor--awesome! Fallen hero Dobby's last words are, "Harry...Potter."

7) Neville has become the leader of Dumbledore's Army while Harry's been away. He's got battle scars before the battle!

6)Harry performs the crucio because the Carrow spits on McGonagall.

5)Molly Weasley kills Bellatrix. "Not my daughter, YOU BITCH!"

4) All of Hogwarts is involved in the battle. Suits of armor march to battle, all the portraits are shouting tips and encouragement, Trewlawney gets Fenrir with a crystal ball!

3) Snape asks Harry to look at him as he dies so that Snape's last vision is of Lily's eyes.

2)James, Lily, Lupin and Sirius escort Harry through the forest safely and give him love and encouragement. Harry thinks he could stare at Lily forever.

1) Ginny and Harry live to make sweet, sweet love. I wouldn't name my own child, "Albus Severus," but I can see why Harry did.

"Yeah, JKR, ear ear! Job well done." "

-Montambeau

Great, right? Thanks!