Moonlight Downs.

Adrian Hyland will take you on a wonderful journey through the Austrailian Bush in this surprising murder-mystery with his terribly interesting character of Emily Tempest, and all of her friends and enemies alike.

We first meet Emily, trying to find her place in the world, returning to her homeland of Australia, to her childhood memories and best friends, in Moonlight Downs - the (Aboriginal) community where she grew up.

Shortly after she arrives however, the community leader, Lincoln, is brutally murdered, and all of the signs point to an aboriginal sorcerer, Blakie. A man-hunt begins after him, and leads Emily to become deeply involved in this case and catching the real killer, which for a while has her thinking it may not be Blakie after all, until she returns to the camp after a long absence due to an argument with her best friend Hazel. After she sees what has happened, and finds Blakie there, she is sure it was him that killed Lincoln after all. But she soon finds out that she was completely mistaken, and is in for the run of her life from the real killer.

I didn't really start to enjoy this story until it really got going and completely sucked me in. I for one, was completely shocked at who the real killer was, and now that I think back to where he re-enters the story, it's a bit on the obvious side, with him just happening to be there. Still could be a good shocker though, because it really comes from nowhere. He was the last person I would have suspected! Anywhoozer, I also enjoyed the language in this book, shocking and vulgar as it may have been at times, it was also downright funny with the way they sometimes chose their words. If you're interested in the Australian Outback (like I am), this book gives a wonderful picture of what life is like there.

From the dust-jacket: Moonlight Downs, the first Emily Tempest mystery, was published in Australia and England as Diamond Dove. It won Australia's prestigious Ned Kelly Award for best First Novel.

Updates; of Sorts..

I went to the library today, to pick up Coldplay's Viva La Vida in which I am planning on listening to tomorrow. I also took back a book and the MGMT cd, and I took in a book for donation. It was actually my first donation, which felt pretty good. :)

I haven't been reading much, it's not that I don't like the books I've got, it's just that other things get in the way, and I hate that! Oh well though, at least I was able to renew them today.

After the library stop my mother and I went over to Target, where one of the things we picked up was the "Prince Caspian" DVD. I can't wait to watch it, but since my mom paid for it, she told me I can't have it until Christmas, lol. She can be so cruel sometimes. :p (kidding, of course!)

I didn't do the Mad for Movies yesterday because I decorated for Christmas instead, but I love doing that so it was no big movie night loss. :p I decided to do it tomorrow night, since I usually watch three shows regularly on Tuesday nights..I've no clue what I'm going to watch yet though for a movie. Probably something funny.

I've already given up on my challenge, pretty much. I wouldn't mind adding a few more books to the list but there is no way I'm going to make it to 50 since I'm not that fast of a reader, but at least I've done better than last year's count. :) I thought about doing it again next year, but decided not to, because it would just suck to bomb on it two years in a row, lol. Besides, I already have a few other challenges I am going to participate in.

I'm off for now, to hunt for sugar cookie ingredients for tomorrow, and then to watch TV. Yay. :p

Still Life with Elephant.

Still Life with Elephant, by Judy Reene Singer was a greatly fun and touching read, even though it was fluffy. All I can say is that I am a sucker for elephant-involved fiction. So, if you're looking for a fun and touching read right now, this might just hit the spot.

When we first meet Neelie, she is telling us about her husband's "collie" who happens to be blonde, beautiful, and pregnant by him. We also learn that Neelie doesn't listen very well, which can be very funny at times with what she thinks she hears. Thus begins her adventure of a life, where she decides whether her cheating husband Matt stays, or is replaced by millionaire ellie rescuer Tom. Neelie works hard to train Margo the elephant and socialize her baby, Abbie; all between avoiding her phone calls, running her horse training business, and jelly donut runs (you might want one yourself by the end of this book, I know I do). We also meet some very lovable characters in her life, both human and animal alike. (My favorite would have to be Grisha, even though he has only a small role in the book.)

Neelie makes a somewhat surprising choice in the end, and I couldn't have been more happier at finding out her new life goals.

Little Stories.

Little Stories, by Jeff Roberts is a heart-stirring collection of stories. Filled with just the right amount of emotion and detail, each one gave me a satisfying glimpse in to the lives of the people and places that are within the pages of this short book. The author writes beautifully and simply enough to create a realistic venture, one after another of real-life situations that definitely touch the right lines of the heart.

I think the two stories that shine brightest are "The Triptych," and "The Red and The Black." I found The Triptych to be both peculiar and sad, peculiar at the wife's behavior when her husband returns home to talk things out, and sad solely for the reason of the old man (Ron) and his dog (the dog I may add, reminded me of our family dog - a black lab - which passed a few years ago, faithful and loving as ever.) The Red and the Black I found very touching in the ending, which was beautifully saddening.

Certainly not a book to miss or overlook.

Visit Reader Views to read another review, and an interview with the author.

Reading Update.

Ugh. I haven't read a thing in at least three days. I caught a cold and I just want to sit and stare at the television like a zombie while I try to breathe through my nose instead of my mouth (which is failing, horribly). Thank goodness it's Monday and I actually do have a good excuse to just watch TV tonight, besides the cold, it's my movie night. :) Yay.

Yesterday while browsing my favorite blogs, I read about a Book Bloggers Christmas Swap. How freaking awesome does that sound? I think I'm going to sign up for it. :) Read more about it here at The Hidden Side of a Leaf, or over at Nymeth's - who organized the whole thing last year!

Back to my bad reading habits; I think I'll actually try to stay up late tonight and put a nice big reading dent in Inkdeath, I've pretty much given up on Frederica. It's not bad, I just don't have enough time to put into it so it gets the reading attention it should. I'm going to take it back to the library this week - more holds coming in, yay. I hope I can at least get those read on time! By the time they get in the worst of the cold should be over, I hope. Anyhoo, I am definitely going back for Frederica once I'm done reading the coming books.

I feel a little sad about my challenge, because clearly I am not going to read 50 books this year, but it's still okay, because I passed the number I read last year (27) already. :)

Enough blabbering for now, I have a hair-dying...experiment to do now.

Inkspell.

Spoilers (or at least half-spoilers) are within.

You know, I was worried about these books being so long, I was afraid I would get tired of the characters and of the story and that it would drag (honestly, sometimes it does feel so a little smidgen of a bit, but I digress), but, I've become quite enraptured by the characters and the story and the land of the Inkworld, so those feelings have gone away. I'm so glad I found out about this series because it is truly wonderful.

In Inkspell, by Cornelia Funke; we return to Meggie & company to see how the untied adventure in Inkheart ends - only to find that by the end of this story there are more unanswered questions and adventures left for the readers and characters alike. (I look forward to finding out what happens in the next book.) We first meet "cheese faced" Orpheus, someone Dustfinger has been searching for who can do for him what he's been dreaming and longing for: returning him to his own story. Orpheus succeeds, but he refuses to read Farid in with Dustfinger because he does not belong in the story, and thus Farid is left behind and faced with two familiar villains, in which the adventure begins.

By the end of this story I was filled too much with wonderment on Dustfinger's final fate, and I felt like punching Orpheus right in his cheese faced nose! I was very touched at Dustfinger's sacrifice and I just wanted to cry and turn away from the book at that point because it was too sad. It wasn't an entirely sad book though, I did find myself laughing and happy while reading it, with the exceptions of those parts that required other feelings not so bright. I wish I could understand Roxanne's reaction to Farid at the ending, but I can't, really. I sort of can, but there's just something missing in it for me & I hope it will be explained further and hopefully resolved in the next book.

If I had to pick a favorite character out of this trilogy, it would have to be the Black Prince. He's just so...wonderful. He's like someone you've always wanted to meet and have on your side in the rough road of life. I just adore his character. Another character I really like is Basta, even though he's a villain. He's just so amusing.

I couldn't help but ponder a few predictions this time, so here they are:

• Elinor will end up the Inkworld, either through Darius or Meggie. I can't decide which. But I know it would be positively heartbreaking if she didn't even get two minutes in the Wayless Wood, it would just feel so wrong.
• I think Orpheus will definitely take his time bringing back Dustfinger, and Farid will finally have to force him to do so, and it may not work, but I really wish it will.
• (This one is more of a hope) The Black Prince and his bear will stay alive and free. It would be too horrifying to see his character be killed, or captured again.
• (Another hope) Roxanne will be more understanding and possibly have less anger toward Farid, because he really did care for Dustfinger possibly as much as she did. It'd be too sad if she never forgave him.
• I also hope that the Adderhead will get what he has coming to him. I think Mortola might be the one to kill him, but who knows what will happen.

Ugly Day.

Well, I didn't do the read-a-thon after all. I knew I wouldn't when I woke up in the middle of the night sweating and wanting to throw-up because (oh yay) my *woman's troubles* decided to show up. I ended up sleeping in and then being woken up by my mom because we had to go to the laundromat. While walking out to the van to put our clothes in there and drive off, my favorite pair of sunglasses broke. They were hanging out of my pocket, and apparently the basket leaning against them made the whatcha'-call-it part that rests on your ears to friggin' help hold them on your head, went through the lens and popped it out and cracked the frame. So now it has to be glued (not seeing a bright forecast for this), or, I get another pair. I loved those sunglasses. :( They were perfect. When we got home, one thing led to another and became a busy day.

I hope I have better luck with the next read-a-thon, because I definitely plan on signing up again, and holing myself in my room with a big stack of books that I hope to get through, and just stay in the literary world until I get hungry and possibly need a shower.

I hope everyone else had a great-read-a-thon! :)

Also, I had my own challenge catch-up idea. I just feel like I should have read more books lately, my read count should be higher, but it's not where I wish it was, so I'm going to start using my time more wisely, watch way-less (daytime) TV (too many distractions at night: dinner, family, quick house-tidy before people get home, etc.), spend way less time on-line - a few minutes quickly turns into it's blah o'clock already? So yeah, I need to discipline myself more. Then, hopefully, my read count should climb, & I can visit the library more often. :p

Last night wasn't a total waste though. After I took a shower, I went into my room at about ten o'clock armed with a king-size snickers bar and a bottle of water and disappeared, and I read more of Inkspell. I am loving that story. I'm a little worried about Inkdeath though because it's already in transit to my library, and it's always been good for me to take a break during a series/trilogy. I hope don't get tired of the characters, but I don't really think I will because, I still have two other library books to read on my nightstand. (Frederica by Georgette Heyer, and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.)

So, that's it for now.

Little Women.

I cannot begin to explain how much I adore this book. As soon as I was finished I wanted to read it again. I didn't though, in trying to keep up with my challenge. (Which I've been sadly slacking with. Bleah.) Anyhoo, Miss Alcott has a truly wonderful writing style. It was a simple story and so beautiful at the same time.

Call me crazy, but I rooted more for Professor Bhaer than for Laurie. Jo and Laurie were too close as friends, and I was so glad it wasn't completely ruined when Jo refused him. And Laurie's proposal to Amy, so sweet and suttle. I just loved everything about this book I found myself wanting to cry over it several times while reading it, and it quickly became one of my favorites and I am so glad I bought it earlier this year. Highly recommended.

Me of Little Faith.

This was an interesting read, though I'm afraid I haven't much to say about it. Typical Lewis Black humor and story-telling, which I positively love. Entertaining, to say the least.

The Charm School.

In this historical sea-romance, by Susan Wiggs, we meet Isadora Peabody, the black sheep of her perfect family. Her comical struggles to fit into Boston society lead her to a voyage to Rio once she hears that a sea captain - Ryan Calhoun, is in need of an interpreter, & she finds her way aboard despite his open opposition towards her.

We see her go from awkward ugly duckling to beautiful swan throughout the story and finally become accepted into society as she so longed for, only to leave that dream behind when her heart is re-captured by the captain she thought dead on her return home.

This was a very enjoyable book, and I look forward to the sort of continuation with Ryan's brother, whenever I can get to it on my reading list. :)

The Diplomat's Wife.

Last night, I finished Pam Jenoff's The Diplomat's Wife, and I was completely blown away. I think this was the perfect follow-up book, and I have definitely found myself a new favorite author.

I must admit though, at first I found myself unsure about whether or not I liked this book, but as I got further in, and was carried off and quite surprised by all the twists as it goes on, I ended up loving it.

I don't want to give too much away, so I will give the back cover description, and I will say, that if you read and enjoyed The Kommandant's Girl, then you will surely love this one, as well.

From the back cover:

"1945. Surviving the brutality of a Nazi prison camp, Marta Nederman is lucky to have escaped with her life. Recovering from the horror, she meets Paul, an American soldier who gives her hope of a happier future. But their plans to meet in London are dashed when Paul's plane crashes.

Devastated and pregnant, Marta marries Simon, a caring British diplomat, and glimpses the joy that home and family can bring. But her happiness is threatened when she learns of a Communist spy in British Intelligence, and that one person who can expose the traitor is connected to her past."

American Psycho.

I finished reading American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis last night, and it was...gruesome. Explicit. Disgusting. Funny. Strangely Interesting.

I actually liked the character Patrick Bateman. Of course I didn't like the serial-killer side of him, but the "normal" side of him that was very hard to understand. He just seemed so...bored. Unfulfilled. He had too much at his fingertips to do whatever he wanted with and in his case, that was a very bad thing.

I can't believe how the book ended. I didn't even really get a hint of what happens to him. I found him to be the kind of character to randomly pop into my head and just wonder about. Wonder what it would be like to be in the circle of his world, however strange that may be. I kind of like the open-ness of the ending, but not really. I like how it's left up to the reader, but it still somehow feels unfulfilled as an ending.

The book as a whole, as a horror story was good I guess, because it definitely horrified me to no end at times, and I am glad to be done with it. But I think I might miss Patrick, because he was oddly fascinating in an *off-limits* sort of way, because he was obviously insane.

Serving Crazy with Curry.

In this book; Serving Crazy with Curry by Amulya Malladi, we meet Devi and her...dysfunctional family. Devi is harboring many secrets which lead to her almost suicide. I say almost, because she is saved (found) by her mother just in time. After she gets out of the hospital she stops talking and starts cooking. Each family member's story begins to unfold as we see Devi cooking up a storm and take those important steps towards recovery.

I was not wowed by this book, though I didn't hate it either. About half-way through I realized, "Hey, this is pretty much chick-lit!" I try not to read chick-lit as a general rule of my reading habits. Not to just blatantly run over it, but I hate all the "fluff" feeling of it. But, Devi and her family was lovable enough to keep reading, because I wanted to know what was going to happen to them, and by the end, I was glad I had stuck with it.

The Kommandant's Girl.

This book; The Kommandant's Girl, by Pam Jenoff...was just so sad. And yet I devoured it. I loved this book. I can barely wait to get to the follow up book, The Diplomat's Wife.

I'm not sure how to describe this book without giving things away, but I will say that it is heart-wrenching, exciting, and sweet in some places. It is a must read.

Set in Poland during WWII, we meet Emma and her loved ones, seemingly struggling to survive, and concealing the truth that is swamped in lies, that if reavealed, could mean the end to all of them. Not so much actual war action is described at all, but mostly the love story growing and conflicting in Emma's heart, which I found so interesting and shocking I could harldy put this book down.

Highly recommended.

Inkheart.

Once again, I have come across a book in which I do not even know how to begin to describe how much I loved it. Loved it.

Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke is definitely a must read recommendation. If you are a true book lover at heart you may find yourself wanting to jump right into the book with Meggie and her father, Mo - wishing you had the same gifts that they do, even for just a one time use. I know I wished that many times while reading this enchanting book. & Now I can barely wait until the movie comes out (I heard) in January next year. I just hope they don't make too many changes to the story.

Now, in Inkheart (the first in a trilogy; followed by Inkspell & Inkdeath) Meggie learns that her father Mo, is a very gifted reader. When she first sees Dustfinger out of her bedroom window, she has no idea who he is or even where he came from in such an amazing way due to her father. After mysterious Dustfinger enters the story, we find the three characters on their way to the home of Meggie's Great Aunt Elinor, to try to escape from the path of a horrifying man and his band of equally scary men who are in search of a book that Mo has in his possession and refuses to give up to them for as long as he can. Thus begins Meggie's and her father's forever life altering adventure.

That is all I shall say because I fear I may write a spoiler. :p

It's Alive!

Last night I finished reading Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. I don't know why, but I expected this book to be more like the movie. I should have known it wouldn't be, from what I remember of the movie, I see that the film strayed, a lot. I don't mind that. I like both versions. The movie turned me on to the book, the book turned me on to the real character of "the wretch." But I must admit, I found the movie more on the exciting side and not the book. It was interesting, in that "what happens next?" kind of way. But it did not make my heart beat quicker in the paths that the words took in each chapter. That is not to imply that I didn't enjoy it, because I surely did, but it just wasn't as thrilling as I hoped it would be. Still very worth the read though.

The Art of Racing in the Rain.

I found Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, to be so good and consuming I don't even know how to describe how much I loved it. How much I simply enjoyed this book. This book made me laugh, and brought tears to my eyes - rarely does a book do that to me. It is definitely a good kind of emotional roller-coaster of emotions felt for Enzo and the ones he held dear, and not so dear.

We meet Enzo the dog on the eve of his death, where he tells his touching, funny, and sometimes saddening life story. From puppy-hood to adult-hood and his old-age. He is chosen by his master, Denny, and remains loyal to him all of his (Enzo's) life. Not only do we see Enzo's life, we see Denny's and his family's life as well. Through all of their goodness and struggling through tragedy, Enzo shares all in a particularly touching way.

That is all I shall say; as I do not want to end up giving too much away. It is a touching read and I would definitely read this again sometime. Highly recommended.

murder and monsters.

Last night I read my two favorite (so far) Sherlock Holmes stories: The Adventure of The Speckled Band, and The Adventure of The Copper Beeches. Very good choice to have made.

Also, I started Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which I bought a few weeks ago for my birthday. I'm still in the preface though, which is pretty interesting. I've been wanting to read this for the longest time, and now that I've started it I can barely wait to get into the actual story, I'm just so in the mood for a literary thrill. I hope this book will be enough to satisfy that mood. :p

Later today I hope to make it over to the library to pick up The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. I've heard good things about it so I'm happy that my turn finally came up for it. Also, the doggie narrative factor is great because I love dogs. I hope it won't disappoint.

And, speaking of library book turns, I put Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series on hold. I have a very long wait though. Each book has over 100 holds on it already. Ugh. It would be easier just to buy them but I can rarely afford new books. That's why I'm such a library addict. :)

So, I think I'm doing okay with my challenge, considering that around this time last year I wasn't that close at all to having read 22 books. Plus, four short stories. I don't think I read any short stories last year. But this year I've read two Beatrix Potter Tales, and two Sherlock Holmes Adventures. Even if I don't make it to my goal of fifty, I think I'll still feel pretty good about this years reading. But, it is only just the end of July, lots more time to build up the number. :)

Once A Knight.

Christina Dodd's Once A Knight proved to be a somewhat trying book to read. The editing for one, I think could have been better. Character development could have been better. I didn't really understand Lady Alisoun, and found her to be a very hard heroine to *get.* At some points in the book, with what went on, I found far-fetched and hard to get through, even for a romance novel.

From the back cover:

"Only a threat to her life can make strong-willed Lady Alisoun hire Sir David of Radcliffe to protect her castle. Although he had once been a hero and master swordsman, the good life has been a little too good to the warrior, and he has become as rusty as an old suit of armor. But he needs the money to support his motherless daughter, and Alisoun is in too much danger to haggle. Once he arrives at her grand estate, Sir David must use the wits and strength that made him a legendary mercenary when Alisoun's enemy draws too close for comfort. But after he saves her life, David will be shocked to discover that the fiery damsel has stolen his well-guarded heart."

This, sounded like a very promising good read. It did have it's good moments where I got a silent chuckle out of it but never a full blown laugh. I do not think David's heart was very well guarded at all, however - Lady Alisoun's very much was, and I found her much too proper, even when she and David were alone in the book. It is a wonder to me how he even fell in love with her in the first place. The whole thing with Philippa on Lady Alisoun's part was handled much dumbly for such a "clever" lady. I mean really, with her situation, I would not have had her so often out in the open. There were, thankfully, three very lovable characters; Bert - David's young daughter, 11 year old Eudo - who is introduced first in the story through his narrative which is throughout the book, who becomes David's squire, and David's horse - King Louis, were all very enjoyable to read... And I think, that is all I have to say about this semi-disappointing read.

I had never read Christina Dodd before, and I don't think I ever will again.

Down All the Days.

I finished reading this book, Down All the Days, by Christy Brown, last night, and I was shocked, amused, and heartbroken while reading this book. It is about a (lower, I assumed) middle class family living in the slums of Dublin, and what goes on (mainly) through the eyes of one of the sons of the family, whom is disabled. I think this book shows what a truly great writer Christy Brown was. This was lyrical, poetical, and sometimes downright vulgar. But I did indeed love that. For it's different style than what I've gotten used to - it's always nice to be emotionally shocked by a book and fall in love with the language and style of writing the author had. While it is a great read for the heart, I don't think it would be for everyone's heart.