Book number five in The Outlander series did not disappoint in my opinion! It was full of family, love, affection, bravery, horrible scrapes and snarls, but all the same it was interesting. There's something about the life of Claire and Jamie Fraser, it can never be dull. As the main man, the leader, the laird in a way, Jamie is always busy with the goings on of Fraser Ridge. It does help that he now has Roger MacKenzie, formerly Roger Wakefield, to help him. He also has my love Fergus! You know how Lord John has his own series, I think that there should be books dedicated to Fergus and what he does when he's on his own, I bet he can't resist the urge to pick a pocket every now and again. Plus being the dear that he is, I'm sure he gets into his own troubles. Anyway, with the introduction of Brianna and Roger, the loss of Ian, and Duncan marrying Jamie's aunt Jocasta; there's a lot going on. Not to mention Stephan Bonnet has yet to be dealt with! There's death and mayhem; near wars and near deaths, this book has a little bit of everything! We get to see the lovely Jemmy go from a tiny baby to a toddler whom Brianna and Roger are trying to potty train which leads to many interesting conversations. One of which is with Jamie where they talk about ball, Jemmy can't figure out why someone said that Jamie has balls, Jamie is wearing a kilt at the time and shows young Jemmy his balls, Jemmy says "Is Willy!" Which caused me to laugh so hard that I dropped the book and there were tears running down my face. What a childlike thing to say and Jamie and Roger of course went back to trying to show him about balls but outside.
Jemmy's paternity is always wondered about, he doesn't look like Roger but no one can really see Stephen Bonnet in him either, to say the least he looks like Brianna. Roger spends a lot of his time not knowing whether Jemmy is his or not and though it doesn't seem to bother him, he has to wonder. There's also the chance that if they should have to go back to their own time, that if Jemmy is Stephen Bonnet's that he couldn't time travel. Which is worrying to them all. They know that the revolution is coming and they know that times with become hard; they want to go back to the 60s if they can but it won't be easy if Jemmy can't travel with them. How could Brianna and Roger leave their child? The deaths of Claire and Jamie also play a big part, they know when they are supposed to die and they know that it says that they are not survived by any children. Therefore, Claire worries about Brianna, Roger, and Jemmy; while Jamie just worries in general about everything. Or does he? Who can tell? He does nearly die but I think at this point that's quite normal for Mr. Fraser. It is known that he struggles with Ian staying with the Mohawk. But other than that, there's not a whole lot known. Jamie keeps it to himself. Stephen Bonnet and the smuggling ring that he runs becomes a big part of this book because we do know that Jamie is quite content to get his revenge on Bonnet. He feels tremendous guilt in sparing his life and having it come back on him. Does Jamie find Mr. Bonnet, who is a disgrace to all of those who have a good Irish name? Well you'll have to read the book to find out now won't you?
What I think?
I think that if you're looking for a good historical fiction series that will keep you in a time that is so unlike your own. Then you'll really like the Outlander series and though it does have death, destruction, and all of this; it's also funny because you never know what some of the characters are going to say. My main man Fergus for one! This book shows a lot of settling in, not only the Frasers but the MacKenzie's as well. Brianna and Roger find a way to exist in this time and they do a good job of it. Of course it's difficult and they do fall on hard times and things are not easy but they manage to get through it. Their love story might be different from Jamie's and Claire's, some people might find it not so interesting but I think it's great! There's no doubt about that! Jemmy and Fergus' children add a different element than it has in the past. We didn't see Brianna growing up and we didn't really know what she was like but we're getting a good taste of children and the mischief that they can get up to in this installment. They provide a bit of comedic relief at times because the story can get quite heavy and there's some struggles that just make you think, people are cruel but that's true in any time. Also can we talk about how many people have had name changes? Claire Randall --> Claire Beauchamp ---> Claire Fraser ---> Dr. Claire Randall ----> Mistress Fraser! Brianna Randall ---> Brianna Fraser ---> Brianna MacKenzie/ Himself's Daughter! Jamie Fraser ---> Jamie MacTavish ---> Captain Jamie Fraser ---> Dunbonnet ---> Mac Dubh ---> Alex Malcolm ---> Jamie Fraser/Himself! Roger MacKenzie --> Roger Wakefield ---> Roger MacKenzie! Look at that! That's just crazy is it not? How many times are people going to change their names back and forth? I think it's because there are so many people who have been adopted. Jamie just changed his name because he's an outlaw and therefore a bad lad. Oh my bad! Claudel---> Fergus ---> Fergus Fraser. Jeez that's as bad as the amount of times that Jamie's aunt Jocasta married a Cameron! Although she's Mrs. MacInnes by the end of the book! It's a good book and it's 1400 pages so if you're on the fence about it at all, don't read it. Probably won't be worth it but if you've made it that far and are as sucked in as I am, you'll need to read it! I think this book is worth 8.5 White Bears out of 10! Now there's a rating for ya! ;)
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
The Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by DG
You know how the first time I said that Outlander reminded me of Doctor Who, well this title did the same thing because all I could hear was that music that The Master plays, here comes the drums, yeah that! Before I forget what this book is completely about!
Claire, Jamie, and company are trying to make their way in America. They're trying to get Ian back to Scotland before Jenny murders Jamie, they're attempting to forget the things the Gellis Duncan said about Lord Lovat's line, which gets more complicated, and most of all they are trying to make their way to Jamie's Aunt Jocasta's without any trouble whatsoever. Welcome to the Outlander series, that shall never happen! In the more modern times, Brianna Randall is getting to know Roger Wakefield and they are quickly falling in love! Which of course is not a bad thing. However, things become complicated quickly and the story of Jamie and Claire become more intertwined with Brianna's and Roger's.
Why? Because, they meet a man by the name of Stephen Bonnet. Now they don't meet him in a usual way, they find him hiding with the corpse of one of Jamie's men from Ardsmuir who was hanged for being a thief. Jamie takes pity on Bonnet and helps him get away because he knows what it's like to feel that rope going around your neck. Bonnet is most grateful and I honestly thought that maybe you know he would join the merry crew, though he was an Irishman. You'd think he would because he's be grateful to Jamie but that's not what he did. Jamie thinks that they have seen the last of Bonnet but his decision of that night comes back to haunt him many times. Let me just say that Stephen Bonnet is a bad example of Irish people because he's a dick or a douchecanoe. Whatever you wants to call him. He eventually helps rob Jamie and Claire leaving Jamie to turn up at his aunt's pennyless which is not what he wants at all.
They eventually become settled at a place that Jamie calls Fraser's Ridge; mostly because as much as they like Jocasta they need to make it on their own and Jamie feels used by her. She may be blind but that doesn't stop her from being sly as a frigging fox. You wouldn't know what was going on with that one. As proved in the next book! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! That woman! We won't talk of Jocasta, that's all. They settle in and build their little house, Fergus eventually goes back to get his wife and the baby who is called Germain. All is well. Or well not all is well, you know there are always things going on. There's quite a few tangles but let's say that things are relatively on the straight and narrow.
Roger hasn't really heard from Brianna and he is starting to worry, normally he wouldn't but he knows that he is supposed to meet her soon and things just aren't feeling right. He discovers that she has gone back through the stones and he starts to plan to go back himself. Here is where the story starts to become even more tangled and that is a fact. Roger does go through the stones, though he had a bit of difficulty at first, he knows that he is a descendant of Gellis Duncan, so he knows that the chances are that he could. He just messed it up the first time but managed to go with the help of Fiona. Brianna has travelled to Lally Broch and has met her Murray relatives and is learning where her parents are. She makes plans to go to America and in the middle of this ends up with a maid named Lizzie, who is a shy but sweet little thing. Roger has taken on the name MacKenzie and is sailing on a ship with Stephen Bonnet as Captian, oh yes him again. Roger and Brianna's paths do cross and she is both sadden and happy to see him. They um consummate their hand fasting and all would seem to be well except Roger leaves and then they become separated.
Let's just say that things do not become any easier from there. Brianna does eventually find her parents and she is very glad to see them, although it can be said that it is somewhat strange because she is so used to thinking of Frank Randall as Dad. They soon realize that Brianna is pregnant and Lizzie tells Jamie of Roger. Which doesn't end well because Roger shows up and Jamie has his hauled off to live with the Indians for raping his daughter while Brianna frets about him. It's partly Ian's fault as well and he even manages to propose to Brianna. It later comes out that it's not Roger that has her so upset but Stephen Bonnet, yes he raped Jamie Fraser's daughter and now he's going to die. The merry band leave Brianna at Riverrun with her Auntie Jocasta and search for the Mohawk who have Roger MacKenzie. Do they find him? Of course they do but to get him back they must sacrifice Ian and this is the thing that leaves Jamie Fraser with the most guilt in this world.
My Thoughts
To be completely honest it's been a few weeks since I finished this book and I don't really remember the nitty gritty details of it all. I do remember that Claire does surgery on some guy's penis and that makes me giggle to no end. I know that I cried with they left Ian, I was glad that they got Roger back but to leave Ian with the Mohawk and how Jamie told him to not forget in Gaelic made me really sad. The birth of Jemmy complicated things in my mind, Roger accepted him of course and didn't think twice about it but does that now make Jemmy the last of Lord Lovat's line? It has to be because he has Fraser blood as well as Brianna does. Maybe it's not as strong but he would still be of Lord Lovat's line. So what does that mean for Gellis Duncan's predictions? Also how creepy is it that Gellis Duncan was trying to kill Jamie and Claire while her descendant is married to their daughter. That's another thing, if Roger and Brianna's genes have mixed with Jemmy or a future child, what does that mean for them? This book left me with more questions than answers and that's why I dived headfirst into the Fiery Cross and didn't really think about doing a blog post about it. That's not true, I thought about it. I just preferred to stay in the books than to actually put my thoughts to it all down. I give this book 8 Near Hangings out of 10. Also stay away from Stephen Bonnet, he's trouble!
Claire, Jamie, and company are trying to make their way in America. They're trying to get Ian back to Scotland before Jenny murders Jamie, they're attempting to forget the things the Gellis Duncan said about Lord Lovat's line, which gets more complicated, and most of all they are trying to make their way to Jamie's Aunt Jocasta's without any trouble whatsoever. Welcome to the Outlander series, that shall never happen! In the more modern times, Brianna Randall is getting to know Roger Wakefield and they are quickly falling in love! Which of course is not a bad thing. However, things become complicated quickly and the story of Jamie and Claire become more intertwined with Brianna's and Roger's.
Why? Because, they meet a man by the name of Stephen Bonnet. Now they don't meet him in a usual way, they find him hiding with the corpse of one of Jamie's men from Ardsmuir who was hanged for being a thief. Jamie takes pity on Bonnet and helps him get away because he knows what it's like to feel that rope going around your neck. Bonnet is most grateful and I honestly thought that maybe you know he would join the merry crew, though he was an Irishman. You'd think he would because he's be grateful to Jamie but that's not what he did. Jamie thinks that they have seen the last of Bonnet but his decision of that night comes back to haunt him many times. Let me just say that Stephen Bonnet is a bad example of Irish people because he's a dick or a douchecanoe. Whatever you wants to call him. He eventually helps rob Jamie and Claire leaving Jamie to turn up at his aunt's pennyless which is not what he wants at all.
They eventually become settled at a place that Jamie calls Fraser's Ridge; mostly because as much as they like Jocasta they need to make it on their own and Jamie feels used by her. She may be blind but that doesn't stop her from being sly as a frigging fox. You wouldn't know what was going on with that one. As proved in the next book! Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! That woman! We won't talk of Jocasta, that's all. They settle in and build their little house, Fergus eventually goes back to get his wife and the baby who is called Germain. All is well. Or well not all is well, you know there are always things going on. There's quite a few tangles but let's say that things are relatively on the straight and narrow.
Roger hasn't really heard from Brianna and he is starting to worry, normally he wouldn't but he knows that he is supposed to meet her soon and things just aren't feeling right. He discovers that she has gone back through the stones and he starts to plan to go back himself. Here is where the story starts to become even more tangled and that is a fact. Roger does go through the stones, though he had a bit of difficulty at first, he knows that he is a descendant of Gellis Duncan, so he knows that the chances are that he could. He just messed it up the first time but managed to go with the help of Fiona. Brianna has travelled to Lally Broch and has met her Murray relatives and is learning where her parents are. She makes plans to go to America and in the middle of this ends up with a maid named Lizzie, who is a shy but sweet little thing. Roger has taken on the name MacKenzie and is sailing on a ship with Stephen Bonnet as Captian, oh yes him again. Roger and Brianna's paths do cross and she is both sadden and happy to see him. They um consummate their hand fasting and all would seem to be well except Roger leaves and then they become separated.
Let's just say that things do not become any easier from there. Brianna does eventually find her parents and she is very glad to see them, although it can be said that it is somewhat strange because she is so used to thinking of Frank Randall as Dad. They soon realize that Brianna is pregnant and Lizzie tells Jamie of Roger. Which doesn't end well because Roger shows up and Jamie has his hauled off to live with the Indians for raping his daughter while Brianna frets about him. It's partly Ian's fault as well and he even manages to propose to Brianna. It later comes out that it's not Roger that has her so upset but Stephen Bonnet, yes he raped Jamie Fraser's daughter and now he's going to die. The merry band leave Brianna at Riverrun with her Auntie Jocasta and search for the Mohawk who have Roger MacKenzie. Do they find him? Of course they do but to get him back they must sacrifice Ian and this is the thing that leaves Jamie Fraser with the most guilt in this world.
My Thoughts
To be completely honest it's been a few weeks since I finished this book and I don't really remember the nitty gritty details of it all. I do remember that Claire does surgery on some guy's penis and that makes me giggle to no end. I know that I cried with they left Ian, I was glad that they got Roger back but to leave Ian with the Mohawk and how Jamie told him to not forget in Gaelic made me really sad. The birth of Jemmy complicated things in my mind, Roger accepted him of course and didn't think twice about it but does that now make Jemmy the last of Lord Lovat's line? It has to be because he has Fraser blood as well as Brianna does. Maybe it's not as strong but he would still be of Lord Lovat's line. So what does that mean for Gellis Duncan's predictions? Also how creepy is it that Gellis Duncan was trying to kill Jamie and Claire while her descendant is married to their daughter. That's another thing, if Roger and Brianna's genes have mixed with Jemmy or a future child, what does that mean for them? This book left me with more questions than answers and that's why I dived headfirst into the Fiery Cross and didn't really think about doing a blog post about it. That's not true, I thought about it. I just preferred to stay in the books than to actually put my thoughts to it all down. I give this book 8 Near Hangings out of 10. Also stay away from Stephen Bonnet, he's trouble!
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Death Du Jour
The second book in Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series follows Dr. Brennan as she tries to make sense of the bones of a hoped saint, a young family with twin baby boys, a woman in her seventies, a young woman who was a prostitute who was four months pregnant, two young women found on an island that is now a monkey sanctuary, a missing young woman, and there could possibly a cult that has to do with all of this. Tempe has her hands full and this isn't counting the fact that her sister Harry has recently split up with her third or fourth husband, her ex-husband makes some come ons, her cat goes missing and she thinks that Birdie might be dead, and Detective Andrew Ryan keeps getting more and more attractive by the minute. Death Du Jour does not let the reader settle down and think about what is going on for even a minute.
The nun Elisabeth is the starting point for this novel, Dr. Brennan is trying to find the grave of this young nun who selflessly tried to point the health authority in the right direction during an epidemic of the flu or smallpox or something like that. She was pensive and solitary and wrote many letter to th health authority telling them to keep people out of churches but of course this didn't happen. She nursed many people through this epidemic and is thus thought well of in Quebec. She's possibly thought of for sainthood or that seems to be what the priest and the Sisters of the Order there are thinking. They are putting her up there anyway. They do find the grave and they do find her but things aren't exactly what they seem once they get back to the lab. I'm not going to give away the secret here but hmmm, she's in the convent for a reason. Let's put it that way!
Shortly after freezing for hours, Brennan is called to a house fire where a young family has been burnt or so they think. They haven't found the bodies yet and when they do, it's not what it seems. Shockingly, the find the body of an older woman in the basement and she did not die in the fire; she was shot. Dun dun dun! The babies are missing wherever they have gotten to. Brennan starts to think about the woman in the basement but she also wants to go back to the Nun and what may have happened to her. She goes to McGill to find out what she can about the family of Elisabeth; there she meets a professor, Dr. Daisy Jeannotte who is involved with the Religious Studies department. Known as Daisy Jean for her connection with her students, Brennan finds her strangely cold and unwilling in really help. She also has a twitchy assistant that goes by the name of Anna, who later comes into it again. Because Anna is missing either the next day or the day after that and Brennan realizes this because one of the Nuns that was assisting her with the Elisabeth issue, tells Brennan that her niece is missing. Slowly the pieces come together and Brennan realizes that it's Anna.
She reports it to one of her favourite people in the world, Claudel, and then another body turns up that just might be Anna but it's not. It's a young prostitute and she has been killed in a gruesome way, dogs and scalding, I believe. It's not something that you want to hear about really. Most deaths in Kathy Reichs' books are pretty gruesome, much like the show Bones; which of course is based very, very, very loosely on the books. Though I love both! However, I'm off topic because that's what I do.
Brennan's sister Harry turns up and she's involved with some enlightenment class/course and she ends up flirting with Ryan because...that's what she does and it causes all kinds of issues because Brennan has a thing for him that she's not admitting. Brennan goes back to the South or "Dixie" as many characters like to call it.
Let's sum it up, more deaths, lots of sexual tension, and a whole lot of crazy that has to do with a cult! If you want to figure out how every death, except the Nun's, comes to pass, you better read the book because I can't summarize it. Not really. I mean look above ^; is not good! However, everything is connected and there might be nearly some bow chicka wow wow for Brennan and Ryan who I want to call Booth but he's not Booth, he's an awesome Nova Scotia boy! I think this book is slightly predictable in the mystery/thriller sense because you go through the motions with them. I didn't figure out who had actually done it, that's not the way that I meant it. It brings you through processes and since Reichs is a Forensic Anthropologist herself, she does know a lot and she brings you through many processes to get you to the solution. It's a good book! Me, I like a book that revolves around a creepy cult in the same way that I like watching 19 Kids and Counting on TLC. It's just fascinating. Murder and Cults; ah you've found my weakness. Plus I want to see how it's going to move from the point where it is, to where I know it goes with Ryan. Call me crazy but I love the way that they work together and what they have going on. Sexual tension at it's finest and it's never perfect. Reichs' does a really good job on this book and every one that I have read from her. I really like them and I'm reading the next book Deadly Decisions so that will tell ya!
This was read via scribd.com and it's an amazing site for someone like me because I have many, many books for my many many moods! And back to my loving books too much, I updated my Anne of Green Gables books, not hardcover, but still a new copy! I'm sure to love them too much as well!
EDITED: Cause I'm not the brightest crayon in the box; I give this book 8 Irish Folk Songs out of 10!
The nun Elisabeth is the starting point for this novel, Dr. Brennan is trying to find the grave of this young nun who selflessly tried to point the health authority in the right direction during an epidemic of the flu or smallpox or something like that. She was pensive and solitary and wrote many letter to th health authority telling them to keep people out of churches but of course this didn't happen. She nursed many people through this epidemic and is thus thought well of in Quebec. She's possibly thought of for sainthood or that seems to be what the priest and the Sisters of the Order there are thinking. They are putting her up there anyway. They do find the grave and they do find her but things aren't exactly what they seem once they get back to the lab. I'm not going to give away the secret here but hmmm, she's in the convent for a reason. Let's put it that way!
Shortly after freezing for hours, Brennan is called to a house fire where a young family has been burnt or so they think. They haven't found the bodies yet and when they do, it's not what it seems. Shockingly, the find the body of an older woman in the basement and she did not die in the fire; she was shot. Dun dun dun! The babies are missing wherever they have gotten to. Brennan starts to think about the woman in the basement but she also wants to go back to the Nun and what may have happened to her. She goes to McGill to find out what she can about the family of Elisabeth; there she meets a professor, Dr. Daisy Jeannotte who is involved with the Religious Studies department. Known as Daisy Jean for her connection with her students, Brennan finds her strangely cold and unwilling in really help. She also has a twitchy assistant that goes by the name of Anna, who later comes into it again. Because Anna is missing either the next day or the day after that and Brennan realizes this because one of the Nuns that was assisting her with the Elisabeth issue, tells Brennan that her niece is missing. Slowly the pieces come together and Brennan realizes that it's Anna.
She reports it to one of her favourite people in the world, Claudel, and then another body turns up that just might be Anna but it's not. It's a young prostitute and she has been killed in a gruesome way, dogs and scalding, I believe. It's not something that you want to hear about really. Most deaths in Kathy Reichs' books are pretty gruesome, much like the show Bones; which of course is based very, very, very loosely on the books. Though I love both! However, I'm off topic because that's what I do.
Brennan's sister Harry turns up and she's involved with some enlightenment class/course and she ends up flirting with Ryan because...that's what she does and it causes all kinds of issues because Brennan has a thing for him that she's not admitting. Brennan goes back to the South or "Dixie" as many characters like to call it.
Let's sum it up, more deaths, lots of sexual tension, and a whole lot of crazy that has to do with a cult! If you want to figure out how every death, except the Nun's, comes to pass, you better read the book because I can't summarize it. Not really. I mean look above ^; is not good! However, everything is connected and there might be nearly some bow chicka wow wow for Brennan and Ryan who I want to call Booth but he's not Booth, he's an awesome Nova Scotia boy! I think this book is slightly predictable in the mystery/thriller sense because you go through the motions with them. I didn't figure out who had actually done it, that's not the way that I meant it. It brings you through processes and since Reichs is a Forensic Anthropologist herself, she does know a lot and she brings you through many processes to get you to the solution. It's a good book! Me, I like a book that revolves around a creepy cult in the same way that I like watching 19 Kids and Counting on TLC. It's just fascinating. Murder and Cults; ah you've found my weakness. Plus I want to see how it's going to move from the point where it is, to where I know it goes with Ryan. Call me crazy but I love the way that they work together and what they have going on. Sexual tension at it's finest and it's never perfect. Reichs' does a really good job on this book and every one that I have read from her. I really like them and I'm reading the next book Deadly Decisions so that will tell ya!
This was read via scribd.com and it's an amazing site for someone like me because I have many, many books for my many many moods! And back to my loving books too much, I updated my Anne of Green Gables books, not hardcover, but still a new copy! I'm sure to love them too much as well!
EDITED: Cause I'm not the brightest crayon in the box; I give this book 8 Irish Folk Songs out of 10!
Monday, January 19, 2015
I've loved books too much!
I am going to be the first to admit that there books that I have loved so much that I killed them! My Anne of Green Gables series was so well loved that there were stains of chocolate ice cream and bits of cheesies. There were water stains, grass stains, and bits of sand; and eventually the poor books couldn't take it anymore. They fell apart but I feel like I grew up with those books.
I got them for Christmas when I was 10 and I had them for 13 or 14 years when they started falling apart. Santa brought me the boxset that I was drooling over into Chapers or Coles and I couldn't have been happier. Now I mentioned that these books were full of everything and I would like to think that it marked my passage from child to teen to adult; the chocolate ice cream stains were from summer nights reading and eating because I couldn't put the book down. The grass stains and sand were from the days of being a teen, taking the books to the beach, and laying on the grass on a blanket and reading them. That never stopped the wind from whipping the pages around, or the fog from dampening the book further. And as an adult or well a young adult; the books became stained with tears when Matthew died because I read it after losing my grandmother and then grandfather, so I could relate to the loss. I enjoyed Anne through many parts of my life and I was very sad when they started to become unreadable, oh I could have kept them I suppose and maybe I should have but they were tattered and sad. I couldn't believe that the shiny new books had become these old ones and I put them down. I was cleaning out my closet and though I hated to part with them, I couldn't keep them either.
Another set of well loved books that took the same path at the same time was The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I got those in grade 8, I think the movies had just started coming out so they had the movie covers and I know that some people wouldn't like that but I don't really pay attention to the covers too much. It was my first real descent into the world of fantasy and other worlds; I loved it. I read the books within a week and was sad that it was over. I even put them aside not wanting to know what would become of the merry band of travelers. I was so into the books that I read the whole index of what happened once the books were done, I read all about Sam's children and what he became. Who Merry and Pippin turned out to be and how Frodo and Bilbo went on adventures. These books too were battered, the covers wrinkled and the spines so bent that they could stay open in the middle. The pages were curled from where I took the books to the bathtub. There were some bits of sand and grass because I took them with me too. I fell in love with Fantasy books at that point and I don't think that I will ever look back. I didn't want to give up on my books but I couldn't keep them. Battered as they were, I was shocked that my mother hadn't thrown them out before. Battered, ratty, and honestly I think there were a few pages missing. The hardcover set came out in October of this year and I treated myself to this version, a little harder to kill them. I've opened these pages and been transported back to the time when I was 13 and falling in love with fantasy all over again.
My Game of Thrones books recently were the ones that are much loved and abused to no end. I should have learned not to take my books into the bathtub with me but I haven't. I have a steel plate in my shoulder from an accident about 4 years back and when it gets very cold, it hurts; hot water is one of the things that soothes me. So I spend a fair amount of the cold winter, in a bathtub; Game of Thrones took me out of the world and made me laugh and cry. I hated that George R R Martin killed off so many of my favourite characters but I love that I laughed as I thought I might have a bad shoulder but at least I still have a head to sit on my neck unlike Ned Stark. And I have re-read them in the bathtub partly because I don't really want to bring more books in there.
I loved all these books and I still do! I have yet to replace my Anne of Green Gables series but I will. I can't live forever without Gilbert and Anne. Their relationship makes me so happy and angry at the same time. I think every girl should want a Gilbert Blythe; he's the most patient man in the whole wide world and yes he has his faults but he's only human. Just as I can't live without the adventures of Frodo and company, I must set out on that journey every now and again. Just to relive it. To be reminded that a very small person can have a big impact on the world without really knowing it. Everyone needs to be reminded of that. As for Game of Thrones, it reminds me that my life doesn't suck and that I don't have the Lannisters ruling over me, so I'm good. I'm sure that the Outlander series will be read again and I'll probably share it with some friends, so that they too can enjoy it. So those books will eventually tell a story as well.
Chances are if you read, you've loved a book too much!
I got them for Christmas when I was 10 and I had them for 13 or 14 years when they started falling apart. Santa brought me the boxset that I was drooling over into Chapers or Coles and I couldn't have been happier. Now I mentioned that these books were full of everything and I would like to think that it marked my passage from child to teen to adult; the chocolate ice cream stains were from summer nights reading and eating because I couldn't put the book down. The grass stains and sand were from the days of being a teen, taking the books to the beach, and laying on the grass on a blanket and reading them. That never stopped the wind from whipping the pages around, or the fog from dampening the book further. And as an adult or well a young adult; the books became stained with tears when Matthew died because I read it after losing my grandmother and then grandfather, so I could relate to the loss. I enjoyed Anne through many parts of my life and I was very sad when they started to become unreadable, oh I could have kept them I suppose and maybe I should have but they were tattered and sad. I couldn't believe that the shiny new books had become these old ones and I put them down. I was cleaning out my closet and though I hated to part with them, I couldn't keep them either.
Another set of well loved books that took the same path at the same time was The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I got those in grade 8, I think the movies had just started coming out so they had the movie covers and I know that some people wouldn't like that but I don't really pay attention to the covers too much. It was my first real descent into the world of fantasy and other worlds; I loved it. I read the books within a week and was sad that it was over. I even put them aside not wanting to know what would become of the merry band of travelers. I was so into the books that I read the whole index of what happened once the books were done, I read all about Sam's children and what he became. Who Merry and Pippin turned out to be and how Frodo and Bilbo went on adventures. These books too were battered, the covers wrinkled and the spines so bent that they could stay open in the middle. The pages were curled from where I took the books to the bathtub. There were some bits of sand and grass because I took them with me too. I fell in love with Fantasy books at that point and I don't think that I will ever look back. I didn't want to give up on my books but I couldn't keep them. Battered as they were, I was shocked that my mother hadn't thrown them out before. Battered, ratty, and honestly I think there were a few pages missing. The hardcover set came out in October of this year and I treated myself to this version, a little harder to kill them. I've opened these pages and been transported back to the time when I was 13 and falling in love with fantasy all over again.
My Game of Thrones books recently were the ones that are much loved and abused to no end. I should have learned not to take my books into the bathtub with me but I haven't. I have a steel plate in my shoulder from an accident about 4 years back and when it gets very cold, it hurts; hot water is one of the things that soothes me. So I spend a fair amount of the cold winter, in a bathtub; Game of Thrones took me out of the world and made me laugh and cry. I hated that George R R Martin killed off so many of my favourite characters but I love that I laughed as I thought I might have a bad shoulder but at least I still have a head to sit on my neck unlike Ned Stark. And I have re-read them in the bathtub partly because I don't really want to bring more books in there.
I loved all these books and I still do! I have yet to replace my Anne of Green Gables series but I will. I can't live forever without Gilbert and Anne. Their relationship makes me so happy and angry at the same time. I think every girl should want a Gilbert Blythe; he's the most patient man in the whole wide world and yes he has his faults but he's only human. Just as I can't live without the adventures of Frodo and company, I must set out on that journey every now and again. Just to relive it. To be reminded that a very small person can have a big impact on the world without really knowing it. Everyone needs to be reminded of that. As for Game of Thrones, it reminds me that my life doesn't suck and that I don't have the Lannisters ruling over me, so I'm good. I'm sure that the Outlander series will be read again and I'll probably share it with some friends, so that they too can enjoy it. So those books will eventually tell a story as well.
Chances are if you read, you've loved a book too much!
Saturday, January 17, 2015
The Shipping News
The best way to describe this book is weird. Very strange but so good at the same time. The main character he's just not that interesting, he kind of hates himself if I'm honest about it but that's what makes him so life like. Quoyle doesn't really have a clue about much in his life, he doesn't like his brother, his parents committed suicide, he got married but his wife was always screwing around on him, he has two daughters but he says one of them (Bunny) is homely looking; so Quoyle's life is a lot like a lot of ours but even more crappy. His wife takes off, takes the daughters with her, sells them to a pedophile, and gets killed in the process. Quoyle needs to change, he really does, and he moves to Newfoundland; which is where his father came from to find it!
Let's talk Newfoundland shall we? Best people in the whole wide world, I'd know I'm one of them! We have the cutest accents, beautiful landscape, lots of history (good and bad), the best music, the most bars on one street in North America, and we're the toughest! We have to be to live here where the weather will change every five minutes and that's not a joke! Now there are times where we can be the butt of the joke to some people in some parts of Canada but don't ever listen to a stupid Newfie joke, I'm sure that there are some Newfoundlanders that aren't the brightest crayon in the box but isn't that everywhere? I don't believe that there is one place in this world where there's not a stupid person! So stop it; it's not funny! We have a great sense of humor but that's not very funny for many people. Hey we have a place called Dildo and then there's South Dildo and if you're not for the um cruder named places although I think our Dildo came first; how about Cupids, Hearts Delight, Heart's Desire, or Angel's Cove. Yeah, they're all beautiful! Come to the province, we have fish!*
This isn't about how beautiful Newfoundland is though. But isn't she beautiful? Rugged and ahhhh! Something else! However, if you should read The Shipping News, think about these pictures because this is what Quoyle would have seen when he was coming across on the ferry; I think this takes place on the West Coast but it's quite similar! Now someone from New York coming here who have seen and tried to adjust to this world, the one where people aren't as fast paced and are maybe a little bit eccentric and are into everyone's businesses. Quoyle met quite a few characters and I will be the first to admit that I could see people that I know in a lot of them. They are people that you would meet around here every day. And they're all absolutely fantastic, salt of the earth people, who are nar bit grand!** Life here is pretty simple and Quoyle, I think he likes that and comes into his own, he finds out that the family that he comes from are a bit odd and perhaps he shouldn't connect to his roots but I think more than anything he finds himself. In the beginning he wants no part of a boat and toward the end, I don't think he loves them but he definitely gets used to them. He quickly becomes a part of the community and maybe it's because he does the shipping news and makes a place for himself that he realizes I'm worth it. Or maybe it's something else entirely.
I think anyone can admit that they have been in over their head, you're waist deep in it before you even realize what you're doing and that's the way that it was with Quoyle and Petal; he was married to her before he really knew what happened and when she dies in a car accident, he's sad but honestly I think he's better off. Things turn out better in the end when he has his aunt, and his girls. Sure there's bad things that continue to happen but generally speaking it all turns out well in the end. It really does.
My Thoughts
I didn't think that I would like this book; I saw it on Scribd and was like it's about Newfoundland, how can I resist? That's not saying that I like all books about Newfoundland, I don't. I have to re-read Random Passage because I'm sure that I didn't give that a fair review in the past, but I was in Grade 11 when I read it. I think this one was interesting because the characters were easy to relate to but at the same time it was strange and a bit hard to get into at first. And after a while you're thinking this is boring and then slowly you become immersed in this book and the characters and then you're there with them and you want to know what happens and you want a happy ending and in the end, you kind of get one. You don't really know that everything is going to turn out alright but you know that it's better than it was before. A lot better. I didn't get into this book a lot and basically tell everyone what it's about because it's one of those ones that if I tried to summarize it, I'd just screw it up because there is wayyy too much going on. But I will say that I liked it a lot and it was a good read, if you pick it up and you're not sure about it, push through because once you get past a certain point, you can really get into it. I give it, 8 Sunken Boats out of 10!
*Fish means Cod. Any other fish is called by name; Halibut, Tuna, Flat Fish, etc.
**Put on no airs
Let's talk Newfoundland shall we? Best people in the whole wide world, I'd know I'm one of them! We have the cutest accents, beautiful landscape, lots of history (good and bad), the best music, the most bars on one street in North America, and we're the toughest! We have to be to live here where the weather will change every five minutes and that's not a joke! Now there are times where we can be the butt of the joke to some people in some parts of Canada but don't ever listen to a stupid Newfie joke, I'm sure that there are some Newfoundlanders that aren't the brightest crayon in the box but isn't that everywhere? I don't believe that there is one place in this world where there's not a stupid person! So stop it; it's not funny! We have a great sense of humor but that's not very funny for many people. Hey we have a place called Dildo and then there's South Dildo and if you're not for the um cruder named places although I think our Dildo came first; how about Cupids, Hearts Delight, Heart's Desire, or Angel's Cove. Yeah, they're all beautiful! Come to the province, we have fish!*
All these pictures are mine by the way! Just in case you were wondering! They were all taken in my home town! I'm lucky, I know!
This isn't about how beautiful Newfoundland is though. But isn't she beautiful? Rugged and ahhhh! Something else! However, if you should read The Shipping News, think about these pictures because this is what Quoyle would have seen when he was coming across on the ferry; I think this takes place on the West Coast but it's quite similar! Now someone from New York coming here who have seen and tried to adjust to this world, the one where people aren't as fast paced and are maybe a little bit eccentric and are into everyone's businesses. Quoyle met quite a few characters and I will be the first to admit that I could see people that I know in a lot of them. They are people that you would meet around here every day. And they're all absolutely fantastic, salt of the earth people, who are nar bit grand!** Life here is pretty simple and Quoyle, I think he likes that and comes into his own, he finds out that the family that he comes from are a bit odd and perhaps he shouldn't connect to his roots but I think more than anything he finds himself. In the beginning he wants no part of a boat and toward the end, I don't think he loves them but he definitely gets used to them. He quickly becomes a part of the community and maybe it's because he does the shipping news and makes a place for himself that he realizes I'm worth it. Or maybe it's something else entirely.
I think anyone can admit that they have been in over their head, you're waist deep in it before you even realize what you're doing and that's the way that it was with Quoyle and Petal; he was married to her before he really knew what happened and when she dies in a car accident, he's sad but honestly I think he's better off. Things turn out better in the end when he has his aunt, and his girls. Sure there's bad things that continue to happen but generally speaking it all turns out well in the end. It really does.
My Thoughts
I didn't think that I would like this book; I saw it on Scribd and was like it's about Newfoundland, how can I resist? That's not saying that I like all books about Newfoundland, I don't. I have to re-read Random Passage because I'm sure that I didn't give that a fair review in the past, but I was in Grade 11 when I read it. I think this one was interesting because the characters were easy to relate to but at the same time it was strange and a bit hard to get into at first. And after a while you're thinking this is boring and then slowly you become immersed in this book and the characters and then you're there with them and you want to know what happens and you want a happy ending and in the end, you kind of get one. You don't really know that everything is going to turn out alright but you know that it's better than it was before. A lot better. I didn't get into this book a lot and basically tell everyone what it's about because it's one of those ones that if I tried to summarize it, I'd just screw it up because there is wayyy too much going on. But I will say that I liked it a lot and it was a good read, if you pick it up and you're not sure about it, push through because once you get past a certain point, you can really get into it. I give it, 8 Sunken Boats out of 10!
*Fish means Cod. Any other fish is called by name; Halibut, Tuna, Flat Fish, etc.
**Put on no airs
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend
The book by Kody Keplinger was an audible.com pickup because I was intrigued by the title, the more I listened, the more my mind wandered. I'm not in high school so obviously the world of teenaged boys doesn't interest me anymore, I'm not a cradle robber or a pedophile. However, the word DUFF and what it stood for now that did intrigue me. So what is a DUFF? To be exact it's the friend in a group of friends that just doesn't add up to the standards of the group that she is with or is the one that makes everyone look that much better. So maybe she's not as pretty as her friends or she's a little plumper or whatever but guys tend to agree who the DUFF of the group is. The main male character Wesley doesn't seem to mind using it anyway. Mostly this book had me cringing a bit going why couldn't I be like that in high school? I was no where near as confident and I don't care what people think about me as Bianca did. I wish.
Bianca Piper is the main character and the protagonist, she's a high school senior and for the most part is very cynical and a bit bitter about the things that have happened to her. She has two best friends, Casey and Jessica, a huge crush on a guy names Toby Tucker, a mother who is always gone doing self esteem seminars and talks, and a Dad who calls her bumblebee and hasn't drank since before she was born but was an angry drunk. Bianca isn't exactly like Casey and Jessica, she doesn't like dancing or being out, she would prefer to be home but she doesn't think too much of the whole situation until one night that she is sitting at the bar of The Nest. The Nest is a bar for high school students, they obviously do not serve any alcohol but she's enjoying a cherry coke. It's here that the resident manwhore Wesley Rush, takes a seat next to her and informs her that she is the DUFF of her friend group. He then tells her that friends of the DUFF love it when guys are sweet to her, it would make them fall into his arm and into his bed. The only thing that Wesley gets is a cherry coke into the face and Bianca walking away.
Things continue to go downhill from there for Bianca; she finds out that Toby has a girlfriend and has for a while now, her Mom sends her Dad divorce papers, Jessica's brother comes back into town and he is Bianca's ex. Jessica's brother who has some generic name that I cannot for the life of me remember had Bianca as the girl on the side and now he's back in town with his fiancee and Bianca feels like shit. She has too much stuff going on and then she's paired with Wesley Rush for an english project and things go completely down hill from there. "Working on an Essay"is just code for having sex with Wesley and she uses him for the escape, to get away from all that is going on. And it works, at least for a little while. Ok things aren't going so good with her friends, she's blowing them off but Dad has started drinking again and Bianca is struggling to deal with it. One night she has Wesley over and they are playing scrabble because they were doing something else but that's not the point. They go downstairs and it's here that we find out just how angry Bianca's Dad is when he's drunk, he calls her a whore and ends up slapping her. Wesley punches him in the face and they go back to his house where Wesley just listens. Bianca has learned something about Wesley in her time with him too, his parents are never home, his sister stays with his grandparents but he can't because his grandmother doesn't approve of his lifestyle. Earlier that day, they had dropped his sister off at his grandparents house and his grandmother told Wesley to stay away from Amy. Wesley was far from pleased and Bianca just felt like a slut or a whore. So twice in the one day!
The next morning, Bianca realizes that she can't use Wesley to escape anymore; she calls Casey who isn't really speaking to her to come and pick her up. She has an awkward conversation with Wesley about why she can't do this anymore and she leaves. The real reason is because she has feelings for him but Bianca can't admit that. She makes up with Casey and Jessica and starts to avoid and move on from Wesley, Before this drama with Wesley went down, Bianca was sorting Valentine's Day stuff with Toby Tucker and they talked and became friendly, she even found out that he didn't have a girlfriend anymore. And she was the one that he came to open his Harvard acceptence letter and then he hugged her. Which causes issues with Casey because Bianca was supposed to be talking to her. So soon after she cuts Wesley out, Bianca starts dating Toby and Casey is all for it because Toby includes them and she doesn't like Wesley at this point. Bianca and her Dad have talked and he has agreed to go back to AA and start talking to a sponsor again and she was supposed to thank Wesley for him but you know...avoidence is a thing. So one bright, sunny afternoon when Toby and Bianca are in her room, getting ready to knock boots; Wesley shows up knocking on her room door and flings it open. Awkward! They go downstairs and he admits that he has feelings for her and she tells him that it hurts her when he calls her the DUFF and shouts at him that he's afraid to tell his parents that he doesn't like to be alone and he wants them to come home. All stuff that is probably true but it hurts Wesley's feelings.He leaves, she goes back up to Toby, and they do homework and that's not code for anything.
Wesley doesn't give up that easily though and he starts leaving her notes and flowers telling her that he's in love with her. Bianca is stuck between a rock and a hard place; she really doesn't know what to do but she knows that she shouldn't go for Wesley. He does seem to be changing though, he's refusing girls and he's chasing her. Bianca's Mom comes back and they have a heart to heart, they go to the Nest, Toby tells Bianca that Wesley has been watching her all night and she has been watching him and that she needs to go to him if that's what she wants. Toby then admits that he's not over his ex and Bianca tells him to call her. Bianca walks over to Wesley, falls down in the process; ugh who hasn't been there and they have a heart to heart. He tells her that she was right and that he called his parents and they are making it better. She tells him about her Dad and they start making the rules for their relationship and he wont' call her the DUFF anymore. Although Casey has started using it.
My Thoughts
I liked this book! I liked it a lot. It had a lot of funny moments and generally it's about something that every girl thinks about and the point that is made that everyone feels like the DUFF. Every girl feels like she is the ugly one of her friend group at some point but that doesn't mean that someone else won't think that she's beautiful. Everyone has different tastes and what might be the DUFF for one guy will be someone else's princess. Now I'm not saying that you should constantly feel down one yourself and accept anyone that likes you because you're the DUFF. No matter who you are, you shouldn't settle for less than what you think you deserve. Beauty is only skin deep and if you've got a great personality then you've got it good. I'm a lot like Bianca, I'm cynical and sarcastic and a little bit pessimistic, I keep a lot of things to myself and sometimes, I'm the DUFF but that's ok. This book also has a lot of sex in it, it never really goes into a lot of details but we know that they are having sex and that they are safe. Which is a good thing; there is talk about an unplanned pregnancy but it's just people talking and it makes Bianca feel bad for judging a girl who sleeps around a lot. Sex doesn't make you a bad person but it doesn't make you a good or better one either. It's just sex; now don't go and sleep with everyone and their sister or brother but don't worry so much about it either. Oh god I'm preachy. Enough said! The DUFF is the kind of book that makes you think and if you're in high school, it's a good read. Hey! I thought it was good and I'm 26! 26 going on 12 most days though! I give this book 7.5 cherry cokes out of 10!
Also; this book is going to be a movie! It comes out February 20th at least in the US. I don't know much else about it.
Oh! And also this book was read by Ellen Grafton who did a really good job. She had the teenaged girl voice down pat!
Bianca Piper is the main character and the protagonist, she's a high school senior and for the most part is very cynical and a bit bitter about the things that have happened to her. She has two best friends, Casey and Jessica, a huge crush on a guy names Toby Tucker, a mother who is always gone doing self esteem seminars and talks, and a Dad who calls her bumblebee and hasn't drank since before she was born but was an angry drunk. Bianca isn't exactly like Casey and Jessica, she doesn't like dancing or being out, she would prefer to be home but she doesn't think too much of the whole situation until one night that she is sitting at the bar of The Nest. The Nest is a bar for high school students, they obviously do not serve any alcohol but she's enjoying a cherry coke. It's here that the resident manwhore Wesley Rush, takes a seat next to her and informs her that she is the DUFF of her friend group. He then tells her that friends of the DUFF love it when guys are sweet to her, it would make them fall into his arm and into his bed. The only thing that Wesley gets is a cherry coke into the face and Bianca walking away.
Things continue to go downhill from there for Bianca; she finds out that Toby has a girlfriend and has for a while now, her Mom sends her Dad divorce papers, Jessica's brother comes back into town and he is Bianca's ex. Jessica's brother who has some generic name that I cannot for the life of me remember had Bianca as the girl on the side and now he's back in town with his fiancee and Bianca feels like shit. She has too much stuff going on and then she's paired with Wesley Rush for an english project and things go completely down hill from there. "Working on an Essay"is just code for having sex with Wesley and she uses him for the escape, to get away from all that is going on. And it works, at least for a little while. Ok things aren't going so good with her friends, she's blowing them off but Dad has started drinking again and Bianca is struggling to deal with it. One night she has Wesley over and they are playing scrabble because they were doing something else but that's not the point. They go downstairs and it's here that we find out just how angry Bianca's Dad is when he's drunk, he calls her a whore and ends up slapping her. Wesley punches him in the face and they go back to his house where Wesley just listens. Bianca has learned something about Wesley in her time with him too, his parents are never home, his sister stays with his grandparents but he can't because his grandmother doesn't approve of his lifestyle. Earlier that day, they had dropped his sister off at his grandparents house and his grandmother told Wesley to stay away from Amy. Wesley was far from pleased and Bianca just felt like a slut or a whore. So twice in the one day!
The next morning, Bianca realizes that she can't use Wesley to escape anymore; she calls Casey who isn't really speaking to her to come and pick her up. She has an awkward conversation with Wesley about why she can't do this anymore and she leaves. The real reason is because she has feelings for him but Bianca can't admit that. She makes up with Casey and Jessica and starts to avoid and move on from Wesley, Before this drama with Wesley went down, Bianca was sorting Valentine's Day stuff with Toby Tucker and they talked and became friendly, she even found out that he didn't have a girlfriend anymore. And she was the one that he came to open his Harvard acceptence letter and then he hugged her. Which causes issues with Casey because Bianca was supposed to be talking to her. So soon after she cuts Wesley out, Bianca starts dating Toby and Casey is all for it because Toby includes them and she doesn't like Wesley at this point. Bianca and her Dad have talked and he has agreed to go back to AA and start talking to a sponsor again and she was supposed to thank Wesley for him but you know...avoidence is a thing. So one bright, sunny afternoon when Toby and Bianca are in her room, getting ready to knock boots; Wesley shows up knocking on her room door and flings it open. Awkward! They go downstairs and he admits that he has feelings for her and she tells him that it hurts her when he calls her the DUFF and shouts at him that he's afraid to tell his parents that he doesn't like to be alone and he wants them to come home. All stuff that is probably true but it hurts Wesley's feelings.He leaves, she goes back up to Toby, and they do homework and that's not code for anything.
Wesley doesn't give up that easily though and he starts leaving her notes and flowers telling her that he's in love with her. Bianca is stuck between a rock and a hard place; she really doesn't know what to do but she knows that she shouldn't go for Wesley. He does seem to be changing though, he's refusing girls and he's chasing her. Bianca's Mom comes back and they have a heart to heart, they go to the Nest, Toby tells Bianca that Wesley has been watching her all night and she has been watching him and that she needs to go to him if that's what she wants. Toby then admits that he's not over his ex and Bianca tells him to call her. Bianca walks over to Wesley, falls down in the process; ugh who hasn't been there and they have a heart to heart. He tells her that she was right and that he called his parents and they are making it better. She tells him about her Dad and they start making the rules for their relationship and he wont' call her the DUFF anymore. Although Casey has started using it.
My Thoughts
I liked this book! I liked it a lot. It had a lot of funny moments and generally it's about something that every girl thinks about and the point that is made that everyone feels like the DUFF. Every girl feels like she is the ugly one of her friend group at some point but that doesn't mean that someone else won't think that she's beautiful. Everyone has different tastes and what might be the DUFF for one guy will be someone else's princess. Now I'm not saying that you should constantly feel down one yourself and accept anyone that likes you because you're the DUFF. No matter who you are, you shouldn't settle for less than what you think you deserve. Beauty is only skin deep and if you've got a great personality then you've got it good. I'm a lot like Bianca, I'm cynical and sarcastic and a little bit pessimistic, I keep a lot of things to myself and sometimes, I'm the DUFF but that's ok. This book also has a lot of sex in it, it never really goes into a lot of details but we know that they are having sex and that they are safe. Which is a good thing; there is talk about an unplanned pregnancy but it's just people talking and it makes Bianca feel bad for judging a girl who sleeps around a lot. Sex doesn't make you a bad person but it doesn't make you a good or better one either. It's just sex; now don't go and sleep with everyone and their sister or brother but don't worry so much about it either. Oh god I'm preachy. Enough said! The DUFF is the kind of book that makes you think and if you're in high school, it's a good read. Hey! I thought it was good and I'm 26! 26 going on 12 most days though! I give this book 7.5 cherry cokes out of 10!
Also; this book is going to be a movie! It comes out February 20th at least in the US. I don't know much else about it.
Oh! And also this book was read by Ellen Grafton who did a really good job. She had the teenaged girl voice down pat!
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Trial By Fire
Trail by Fire is the first book in Josephine Angelini's new Worldwalker trilogy. I read her Starcrossed series and I was absolutely blown away by it! I thought that it was so good, I like the idea and I thought that she did a really good job with it. Now I've had Trial by Fire on my Kobo for a while and I started it but didn't really get into it. Lily wasn't Helen and Tristan just wasn't Lucas; I guess I just needed time to let go of the Starcrossed universe before I fully sank myself into Trial by Fire and the Worldwalker's gang. Now Lily is not Helen but Helen had her struggles too upon finding out what she was and Lily suffers from a number of allergies and has a lot of troubles. Tristan is one of her only friends and well of course she falls for him. How could she not? Her sister Juliet is someone that she is very close to and her Mom, Samantha, is a bit out to lunch. She keeps talking about other Lily's and other worlds. However, Lily moves past that and she decides that she is going to a party and Tristan is her boyfriend but he's still treating her like she's made of glass and that she will break in a thousand bits. So long story short, he cheats on her with some trollop, and she has a seizure where she hears herself talking to her.
Now, Lily thinks that she is dying but she ends up in a completely different place where people keep calling her Lady. She meets up with Juliet and Juliet treats her with so much love but yet, something's not right and she ends up running through this city banging into someone who is hot and ok I can admit it's good to meet the good guy. Cause Tristan just ain't him, pardon my use of the hated ain't. We later learn that his name is Rowan and he takes her out of the city and into the woods, or the forest, whatever. He doesn't believe that she is not Lillian, as the Lily of this reality refers to herself. Despite many people telling him otherwise. She meets the Tristan of this world and discovers that much like her Tristan he loves to flirt and he loves the ladies. But she is also meeting shamans and a guy named Aleric, and they all seem to be a big deal but she's very confused because they don't seem to have things the way that the do in her world. Although she's still very confused and all she wants to do is go home. So she reaches out to Juliet because when you're confused, you do accidentally talk to those you love through your mind, that's just want you do. When Juliet shows up she accidentally brings the bad guys with her and the bad guys are known as Gideon and Carrick. Rowan, Tristan, and Caleb separate and Rowan takes Lily with him because he's the strongest. Lily sees Gideon, not that she knows his name at this point, torturing a man because he taught science. She then learns that science is not something that is taught or learned in this world because of her or well her double Lillain.
On her trek through the forest with Rowan, she learns that she's known as a crucible, an untrained witch basically. Her body gives off heat and energy and Rowan can take that from her which is why he doesn't need to eat or drink when he is with her. He can also tell what she needs from touching her. Around this time they start to talk about the stones that everyone wears around their necks. Rowan tells her about them and how everyone has one and that they all have their own frequency. They're called Willstones and if a crucible or a witch touches them they can take over the minds of the person wearing them. They own them in a sense and it's different. Lily doesn't really understand this and I didn't either and I don't think that she truly understands it until she has a willstone of her own. They are a bit like pieces of yourself living on your neck, they make you very vulnerable and if people grab them or handle them roughly it hurts you. And of course it's used in a sexual way as seen later but that's besides the point right? There are 13 cities in this world and the remainder of the people are known as Outlanders (uh huh, I laughed) and they seems to be like the Native Americans type of a thing. Also there are the Woven who were created for a purpose, maybe farming, but they just got out of control and are so dangerous and would eat you whole, like leave nothing but the fricking bones! So the Outlanders are dealing with the Woven and the Coven/The 13 Cities are dealing with the Outlanders, the diseases that they are getting, and the Woven as well. Basically Lillian is the head witch and she makes all the rules but right now she's very sick and is continuing to get sicker. Lily doesn't understand this world and may be getting in over her head.
Lily and Rowan are wandering around the woods, go into a cabin, share a moment but he totally hates her because he hates Lillian because they had a thing but she turned evil and had his father killed. But she has a reason, that's the thing with this book, Lillian seems to be all knowing and has a reason but Lily is trying to do the right thing. Home girl is a vegan, and I would never be a vegan, but that's the thing about it, I can't help but wonder if she will do more damage trying to do good and in a way she does. She ends up claiming Rowan to fight off the Woven and they sneak her into the city by dying her hair and having her hide out in his apartment. He and Tristan start to train her, all the while they are looking for a shaman to get her back home. Rowan is really standoffish because of the whole Lillian thing and he's falling for her, Lily. Obviously, what would this book be without dram and romantic drama is the best. (Sarcasm). Caleb's partner dies while they are trying to sneak them out of the city, Lily claims Caleb, Tristan gets angry and feels left out, she claims Tristan. They try to dig out a tunnel and uber skank Esmeralda rats them out. Gideon takes Lily, all the while he's scheming about how to get Lillian out of power and get some for himself. Carrick is discovered to be Rowan's half brother and he's angry and hurts Lily while she's in jail by playing with her Willstones which isn't cool. Rowan uses Juliet, who is growing real tired of her sister's crap(Lillian), to talk to Lily and using Carrick he discovers where she is. She thinks that she is being taught to spirit/worldwalk by a shaman and it is later discovered that said shaman is dead.
Lillian arrests scientists who are trying to cure children and sentences them to death, Juliet finds out that she has no intention of helping children and ends up getting arrested herself. The three muskateers save Lily and help her get through her weakness. She realizes that she is being used by a lot of people including the Outlanders but decides to help them get the scientists out anyway. They do a jail break and to get Juliet out, Lily must claim a lot of people, but she does get her out. This means war and war means stepping onto the pyre and firewalking so that she can send energy to her armies. Big battle, yadada, talk to other self, fight with other self, and then haul loverboy into your world because you can suddenly do that!
Thoughts
It's a lot isn't it? A whole bunch of new worlds and new terms. I have a headache from this book but it's in a good way. I got into it and though I don't find it to be as good as Starcrossed and that series I think it has a lot of potential. I think there will be a whole lot of doublecrossing and trying to figure out the world before Lily figures out her place in it all. We know that she's not supposed to be there and that she should go home. The shaman said so but let's be honest, in the end Lilian will probably take Lily's place and Lily will take hers because Lillian will be able to be cured in Lily's world and Lily will want to stay with Rowan and Tristan will have some heroic deed that will be very useful much like the guy from Starcrossed who ended up in the underworld. Orion? Yes I can figure out the end and it will be interesting to find out if I am indeed right but we're not there yet. I like the series and I like the way that Angelini builds worlds and how detailed she is about it. I think this series has a lot of potential and yeah it's a bit typical of YA Fantasy/Fiction but if you want something like that, then you want it. You don't always want the Game of Thrones, everyone dies; so don't like everyone. You don't want the typical romance, you want somthing different and you get it! Which is why I like this genre. I'll admit that Greek Gods appeal to me more than witches but I'm sure I will get over that.
I'd give this 6 Willstones! Not bad at all.. Lots of potential and it will be interesting to see how close to the ending I will get!
Also isn't John Proctor a character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller?
Now, Lily thinks that she is dying but she ends up in a completely different place where people keep calling her Lady. She meets up with Juliet and Juliet treats her with so much love but yet, something's not right and she ends up running through this city banging into someone who is hot and ok I can admit it's good to meet the good guy. Cause Tristan just ain't him, pardon my use of the hated ain't. We later learn that his name is Rowan and he takes her out of the city and into the woods, or the forest, whatever. He doesn't believe that she is not Lillian, as the Lily of this reality refers to herself. Despite many people telling him otherwise. She meets the Tristan of this world and discovers that much like her Tristan he loves to flirt and he loves the ladies. But she is also meeting shamans and a guy named Aleric, and they all seem to be a big deal but she's very confused because they don't seem to have things the way that the do in her world. Although she's still very confused and all she wants to do is go home. So she reaches out to Juliet because when you're confused, you do accidentally talk to those you love through your mind, that's just want you do. When Juliet shows up she accidentally brings the bad guys with her and the bad guys are known as Gideon and Carrick. Rowan, Tristan, and Caleb separate and Rowan takes Lily with him because he's the strongest. Lily sees Gideon, not that she knows his name at this point, torturing a man because he taught science. She then learns that science is not something that is taught or learned in this world because of her or well her double Lillain.
On her trek through the forest with Rowan, she learns that she's known as a crucible, an untrained witch basically. Her body gives off heat and energy and Rowan can take that from her which is why he doesn't need to eat or drink when he is with her. He can also tell what she needs from touching her. Around this time they start to talk about the stones that everyone wears around their necks. Rowan tells her about them and how everyone has one and that they all have their own frequency. They're called Willstones and if a crucible or a witch touches them they can take over the minds of the person wearing them. They own them in a sense and it's different. Lily doesn't really understand this and I didn't either and I don't think that she truly understands it until she has a willstone of her own. They are a bit like pieces of yourself living on your neck, they make you very vulnerable and if people grab them or handle them roughly it hurts you. And of course it's used in a sexual way as seen later but that's besides the point right? There are 13 cities in this world and the remainder of the people are known as Outlanders (uh huh, I laughed) and they seems to be like the Native Americans type of a thing. Also there are the Woven who were created for a purpose, maybe farming, but they just got out of control and are so dangerous and would eat you whole, like leave nothing but the fricking bones! So the Outlanders are dealing with the Woven and the Coven/The 13 Cities are dealing with the Outlanders, the diseases that they are getting, and the Woven as well. Basically Lillian is the head witch and she makes all the rules but right now she's very sick and is continuing to get sicker. Lily doesn't understand this world and may be getting in over her head.
Lily and Rowan are wandering around the woods, go into a cabin, share a moment but he totally hates her because he hates Lillian because they had a thing but she turned evil and had his father killed. But she has a reason, that's the thing with this book, Lillian seems to be all knowing and has a reason but Lily is trying to do the right thing. Home girl is a vegan, and I would never be a vegan, but that's the thing about it, I can't help but wonder if she will do more damage trying to do good and in a way she does. She ends up claiming Rowan to fight off the Woven and they sneak her into the city by dying her hair and having her hide out in his apartment. He and Tristan start to train her, all the while they are looking for a shaman to get her back home. Rowan is really standoffish because of the whole Lillian thing and he's falling for her, Lily. Obviously, what would this book be without dram and romantic drama is the best. (Sarcasm). Caleb's partner dies while they are trying to sneak them out of the city, Lily claims Caleb, Tristan gets angry and feels left out, she claims Tristan. They try to dig out a tunnel and uber skank Esmeralda rats them out. Gideon takes Lily, all the while he's scheming about how to get Lillian out of power and get some for himself. Carrick is discovered to be Rowan's half brother and he's angry and hurts Lily while she's in jail by playing with her Willstones which isn't cool. Rowan uses Juliet, who is growing real tired of her sister's crap(Lillian), to talk to Lily and using Carrick he discovers where she is. She thinks that she is being taught to spirit/worldwalk by a shaman and it is later discovered that said shaman is dead.
Lillian arrests scientists who are trying to cure children and sentences them to death, Juliet finds out that she has no intention of helping children and ends up getting arrested herself. The three muskateers save Lily and help her get through her weakness. She realizes that she is being used by a lot of people including the Outlanders but decides to help them get the scientists out anyway. They do a jail break and to get Juliet out, Lily must claim a lot of people, but she does get her out. This means war and war means stepping onto the pyre and firewalking so that she can send energy to her armies. Big battle, yadada, talk to other self, fight with other self, and then haul loverboy into your world because you can suddenly do that!
Thoughts
It's a lot isn't it? A whole bunch of new worlds and new terms. I have a headache from this book but it's in a good way. I got into it and though I don't find it to be as good as Starcrossed and that series I think it has a lot of potential. I think there will be a whole lot of doublecrossing and trying to figure out the world before Lily figures out her place in it all. We know that she's not supposed to be there and that she should go home. The shaman said so but let's be honest, in the end Lilian will probably take Lily's place and Lily will take hers because Lillian will be able to be cured in Lily's world and Lily will want to stay with Rowan and Tristan will have some heroic deed that will be very useful much like the guy from Starcrossed who ended up in the underworld. Orion? Yes I can figure out the end and it will be interesting to find out if I am indeed right but we're not there yet. I like the series and I like the way that Angelini builds worlds and how detailed she is about it. I think this series has a lot of potential and yeah it's a bit typical of YA Fantasy/Fiction but if you want something like that, then you want it. You don't always want the Game of Thrones, everyone dies; so don't like everyone. You don't want the typical romance, you want somthing different and you get it! Which is why I like this genre. I'll admit that Greek Gods appeal to me more than witches but I'm sure I will get over that.
I'd give this 6 Willstones! Not bad at all.. Lots of potential and it will be interesting to see how close to the ending I will get!
Also isn't John Proctor a character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller?
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