Finally...

Finally I get it next, I hope it's not a stinky read! I've read some mixed reviews on it though so I'm a little wary about this book...

Coming Library Holds.

Shannon: A Novel, by Frank Delaney.

Synopsis from B&N.com: A stirring new novel about an American priest’s journey through the heart of Ireland, from the New York Times bestselling author of Ireland and Tipperary.

In the summer of 1922 Robert Shannon, a young American priest, is shell-shocked by his experiences as a chaplain with the Marines, and then further disheartened when he witnesses corruption in the Boston Archdiocese. Sensing trouble, his mentor dispatches Robert to the land of his ancestors with the hope that the discovery of his family roots will restore the young priest’s equilibrium. Stepping ashore on the bank of the river that bears his family name, Robert is immediately thrust in to Ireland’s deepest issues, as a civil war has just begun.

Random Acts of Heroic Love, by Danny Scheinmann.

Synopsis from B&N.com: With over 200,000 copies sold in the UK, a Richard & Judy pick, rights sold in 19 countries, called “riveting” and “mesmerizing,” this is a cinematic debut from a gifted new writer. Based on real family events, Danny Scheinmann’s novel paints a dramatic portrait of two epic love stories.
1992: Traveling through South America with his girlfriend, Leo wakes up in a hopsital to find his girlfriend is dead. He blames himself for the tragedy and is sucked into a spiral of despair. But a surprising secret leads Leo to discover something that will change his life forever.
1917: Moritz is a POW fugitve, with seven thousand kilometers of the Russian steppes separating him from his first love, whose memory has kept him alive through carnage and captivity. The war may be over, but he now faces a perilous journey and the insecurity of whether his love is still waiting.

We Have Always Lived at the Castle, by Shirley Jackson.

(I found this last night at Regular Rumination's blog, and I had to check it out from the library right away!)

Synopsis from B&N.com: Taking readers deep into a labyrinth of dark neurosis, We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a deliciously unsettling novel about a perverse, isolated, and possibly murderous family and the struggle that ensues when a cousin arrives at their estate.

Next Week is going to be Scandalous. *

(I have not abandoned my blog. Really.)

So. Yes. Next week, I am going to dub my scandal week. I've never had a themed reading week, so this should be fun. Also, it will be fun to get back into my beloved reading. & I swear I will not disappear again! Books lined up:

• The Book of Scandal, by Julia London.
• Snowy Night with A Stranger, by Jane Feather, Sabrina Jeffries, & Julia London.
• Highland Scandal, by Julia London.

Notice an author theme as well? :p I just love Julia London, she is definitely one of my favorite historical romance authors. :) So I figured what better author to get back into reading than her? Oh, her newest book, Highland Scandal came out yesterday, so go look at it at least, if you're a romance fan of course. It is book two in her Scandal series. (Book one: The Book of Scandal.) I picked my copy up today. I would have yesterday, but well, it was just too hot to go anywhere. I am so glad it has begun to cool down today.

So that's that. I'm waiting on the second book in my list up there to come in from the library, hopefully by Saturday. (I'm also waiting for Mail Order Bride by Victoria Bylin. I just could not wait for this one anymore.) But first this week I must find out what happens to Little P and his brother Emerson in The Foreigner by Francie Lin. I started it months ago but I had to take it back to the library before I could finish it due to me lazy reading habits. Ugh.

See everyone next week! (I swear.) :D

update on scandal week!

Library Pick-ups.

I picked these up from the library today:

From top to bottom:

1. Poison Pen by Sheila Lowe: The first Forensic Handwriting mystery book in her Claudia Rose Series. I wanted to read this one first, before I went and read Written in Blood, so I'd be more familiar with the character.
2. Baby Shark by Robert Fate: Book one in his Baby Shark (Series? There are three books in all). I got an e-mail about the third book, Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption, and replied back to it requesting a copy because it interested me, I haven't gotten it yet so I don't know if I ever will or not, but I still would like to read this character and her story so I am starting out with the first book, naturally.
3. Me of Little Faith by Lewis Black: I love this man and his work. He is one of my favorite comedians. I rather liked his first book so I hope I'll like this one too; it is made up of his views and experiences on/with religion.
4. Inkspell by Cornelia Funke: I can barely wait to get to this book. I am dying to know what happens with all the characters and somewhat loose endings from Inkheart.

I'm almost finished reading The Charm School, which is pretty good so far. I love the characters and that's always important for me in my reading. Also I'm still (slowly) reading the Jesse James book. It's not a bad book, it's just non-fiction. I am not a non-fiction type of girl. (This is only my second non-fiction read of the year.) I'd rather be running off to lands far away from my front door and world's I wish existed than be reading non-fiction. But well, I love Jesse James so it's worth it to venture out of my reading comfort zone. Anyhoo, hopefully I can finish these two books by Monday so I can get to the books I picked up today. :)

Also I read 3 Beatrix Potter tales last night, and I am so glad I did. Her stories always put me in a good mood. :)

More New Books, yay!

Today I bought a couple of new books and a new bookmark. (I seem to be in a craze for them lately!) I got some extra money and it was burning a hole in my pocket. I knew exactly what I wanted to buy, so I went straight for them when I got to the bookstore. (Barnes & Noble.)

I bought Pam Jenoff's The Kommandant's Girl, and the follow-up book to that, also by Pam Jenoff, The Diplomat's Wife. She is definitely one of my new favorite authors. I've already read The Kommandant's Girl, which I just completely fell in love with, from the library. So I just had to buy it, and the follow-up of course. I was about to type that it's been a while since I bought a book I haven't read yet via the library, but I recently bought The Book of Scandal by Julia London which I haven't read yet. But, I've been reading her for years so it felt like a safe purchase you know? I've only read the one book by Ms. Jenoff, so it was a little strange feeling even though I think I'll really love this one. If any of that makes any sense at all. :p

Anyhoo, here are the pictures I took today of all that I bought:

The bookmark, and the cute tassel it has. It actually took me a little while to decide on this one. There were lots of nice ones, but it was really between this one and a Pirates of the Caribbean one. I wasn't feeling that fangirlish for Johnny Depp, so I chose the cat. :D

Stack-able and side-able. :p

Starting Over, Not Much Fun.

Ugh. These past couple of weeks have been so blah reading wise. Maybe I have too high of expectations for books, since I've read some really good ones recently. I don't know. But two books (in a row!) I've decided to put away is really bad.

The most recent unfinished book-victim I've given up on is Jane Caryl Mahlow's Hiss, Whine & Start Over. The first few chapters were so enjoyable, but as I got further in, I just had to stop and wonder what the heck happened...I wondered if I was just being a lazy reader, but then I realized, it's not me, it's the book! The author started skipping events. This, truly makes me feel annoyed. Why bother to mention something that is going to happen, that the character is looking forward to, and then go ahead and skip it? I realize every single little event in a book does not need to be described and/or written. But it happened way too often in this book. I even daresay it was badly written, and edited as the story went on. Too many grammatical errors. A little predictable and blah blah blah. Enough of my book shredding now.

Anyhoo, I'm going to move on to Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho next. I'm filled with dread and excitement to start it. Dread because it is horror fiction, and I hate horror fiction, excitement because I read a snippet of it on amazon.com and I actually liked it and the potential I saw in it. Also, it will give me an excuse to picture Christian Bale while reading it. :D But, dread overpowers the power of Mr. Bale, as I flipped through the book just now and saw that one of the chapter titles is "Tries to Cook and Eat Girl." Doesn't that leave a great image? I am shuddering at it now. Eew.

Library books.

This weeks library books, which I picked up today:

First, I went over to pick my hold off of the shelf. Ever since I found out Inkheart was also a book, and not just a coming up movie with two of my favorite actors in it - Brendan Fraser and Andy Serkis; I have been dying to read it. It finally came in yesterday and was ready for pick-up today. So yay. I am in love with the cover already and cannot wait to start on it (probably) later tonight.

Jesse James: the Man and the Myth is a biography read that has long been on my TBR list. It is about time I have gotten to it, before the interest-flame for Jesse James dies out in my brain completely. I don't exactly remember how I became so interested in this man, I think it started with Wyatt Earp and then led to Jesse James and Billy the Kid. Anyhoo, this book is supposed to "set the record straight" and reveal the real Jesse James. I am looking forward to this read, and stepping out of fiction-land for a while and discovering what can lie in a real life of a real legend.

I'm not sure when I found this in the library catalog, but it was definitely this year. So, since my other holds are taking their time arriving, I decided to go for it with this one instead of letting it sit on my list like so many other books at the moment. This looks like a promising good read, so I hope I won't be disappointed with it. Part from the back cover:
"Nineteen-year-old Emma Bau has been married only three weeks when Nazi tanks thunder into her native Poland. Within days Emma's husband, Jacob, is forced to disappear underground, leaving her imprisoned within the city's decrepit, moldering Jewish ghetto. But then, in the dead of night, the resistance smuggles her out. Taken to Krakow to live with Jacob's Catholic cousin, Krysia, Emma takes on a new identity as Anna Lipowski, a gentile."

I found this while browsing amazon.com for pirate reads, and my library has it so I've gotten it. I am very fascinated by pirates, especially Blackbeard. This is actually the first book I am reading on him though. My interest started through various television specials on him and other pirates. This is also a biography read.

what's next...

Right now I am reading Marcia Willett's The Courtyard. I am only five chapter's in (out of thirty-eight) and I am really liking it. I wasn't too sure about it at first though, but somewhere among those first five chapters I got sucked in and interested. I think it's the character Gillian that has me most interested; for her motives, and I want to see if she gets *busted* by anyone. lol. At the end I hope I can find this as a great, or even just good, story.

This is sort of a break from reading Christy Brown, (I have three of his novels left to read from the library) not that I'm bored with his work, because it is lovely and he had a fantastic way with words, but I just need a mixture of authors. Especially since I've just read five of his works in a row. I was thinking of reading my favorite Sherlock Holmes stories in between his books as well, because I haven't even touched my volume of the work in so long. (Positively dreadful of me. :p) Also, recently on PBS, I saw one of my favorites - The Copper Beeches, turned into live action and I just loved it. So it sort of lit the flame again for Mr. Holmes and his faithful partner Dr. Watson. So I guess I shall be reading those again soon. :)

Also, due to my continuing obsession with Christian Bale, I decided to get the book (from the library, of course) American Psycho, since he was in the movie. I'm not quite looking forward to it though, they have it listed as horror fiction. (Of course I already knew it would be from watching the movie.) I hate horror fiction. But I am a bit in the mood for a literary chill-thrill, so it might just hit the spot, and hopefully it won't be too....horrifying.

There is also a load (38, I believe) of other library books I want to get (slowly but surely), the catalog just seems to be getting better and better by the month for their new books listings. And I am so glad for that. :) It gives me something to do library related, and of course, new things to read. :p

Sister's Choice.

I finished reading this book this afternoon, and it was splendidly heart-warming. I loved it.

In this book, Sister's Choice - by Judith Pella (book 2 in her Patchwork Circle Series) young Maggie Newcomb sets her sights on Colby Stoddard once and for all. She forms a plan with the help of Mabel Parker, and Mabel's brother Evan, a new lawyer home from Boston spending time with his family, whom is also trying to decide the road his life will take. There is one big problem: Tamara Brennan, a house guest of the Stoddard's - she is pretty and seemingly perfect. In the meantime, Maggie tries her best to improve her quilting and impress Colby and his mother Emma Jean - knowing she is the one that will be the hardest to win over. Maggie's plan is working, until she finds that she has mis-judged her feelings for Colby and realizes she loves someone else entirely.

That is all I shall give away. :p Oh, I think I should also mention, this is Christian fiction, though it is not over-powerfully obvious. There is the mention that characters believe in God and must learn to trust his will and his plan for their lives, but it does not give the feeling it is being forced down one's throat as I have encountered in other authors' styles. I am not Christian, I just love the clean-ness and good nature of the story, and Judith Pella's writing, period. :p So, if you don't like trying out that sort of fiction or just have some sort of issue with it, now you know.

I'm not reading anything right now. I don't know if I will until I get my next batch of books from the library. After I finished this book I came online and put all of Christy Brown's books on hold at the library that they had. It'll probably take about a week or so for them to get them in. (9 in all.) :) I can barely wait, as I've been dying to get to the time when I can finally get them from the library and read them. I've been fascinated by him for quite a while now.

The Russian Concubine.

I finished reading this last night, and it was interestingly far-fetched to say the least, and sometimes shockingly so. It felt like the story was just dragging for a while and then nearing the end, the author just sped things up and it finished quickly, with some events that were so bad I think I actually liked seeing where they went next. It could have been better, but it wasn't. And I didn't like how some things just felt untied and on the "left-hanging" side of things at the end. The writing style helped make it worth the read though. It was vivid and imaginative, and at times it even felt poetic, which I very much loved.

It did have some interesting little twists, and there was one character I truly liked: Liev Popkov, even though he didn't play a huge part in the story, he was very likeable. I'm not sure I quite understood Lydia and Chang An Lo's relationship, but it did have some sweet moments. Lydia's relationship with her mother (Valentina) was interesting to me as well, on the point that I could never imagine having to go through what they'd gone through together and how they struggled so.

That's pretty much all I have to say about this book. Next I am going to read Judith Pella's Sister's Choice. The second book in her Patchwork Circle series. I had been waiting a long time to get it from the library - and I finally got it last week, so I am excited to read it. :)

Swan Island.

Unfortunately, I found this book too boring to get into. The mysterious meeting in the prologue didn't even spark any curiosity to how it all turns out. So I have put it away, with intent to return it to the library tomorrow.

I've decided to read The Russian Concubine, by Kate Furnivall next. I have yet to actually start it, but I plan to do so today. :) She will be another new author for me to be reading, so I'm excited about "discovering" her.

new journal.

just a little note...

so I went to the library yesterday as planned. yayness. I got all four books I wanted. I was going to start with The Russian Concubine, but opted out since I decided I am more in the mood for an adventure, so I'm going to start reading The Whale Road either tonight or tomorrow.

I went to Barnes & Noble today, looked around a bit and ended up just getting a new journal. I decided to get a somewhat different kind this time. the only difference is the size (8x11) and look of it. there's no design, it's just solid black. obviously, all of my others have had a design on them. and they've been the smaller "standard" size. here's a little peek:

I really like the basic look of it though. :)

'tis all.

upcoming books.

Here is a little info on my upcoming books for my challenge:

1 - The Russian Concubine, by Kate Furnivall: I don't quite remember where I first heard about this book, but I am glad even by the description that I did hear about it.
- Description from Amazon.com: "A sweeping novel set in war-torn 1928 China, with a star-crossed love story at its center. In a city full of thieves and Communists, danger and death, spirited young Lydia Ivanova has lived a hard life. Always looking over her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old must steal to feed herself and her mother, Valentina, who numbered among the Russian elite until Bolsheviks murdered most of them, including her husband. As exiles, Lydia and Valentina have learned to survive in a foreign land. Often, Lydia steals away to meet with the handsome young freedom fighter Chang An Lo. But they face danger: Chiang Kai Shek's troops are headed toward Junchow to kill Reds like Chang, who has in his possession the jewels of a tsarina, meant as a gift for the despot's wife. The young pair's all-consuming love can only bring shame and peril upon them, from both sides. Those in power will do anything to quell it. But Lydia and Chang are powerless to end it."
I find this very interesting indeed, and I cannot wait to see how things unfold in this book. Kate Furnivall will be a new-to-me author and I hope I don't find her disappointing.

2 - Swan Island, by Elizabeth Gill: I believe I found this in the library catalog last month or so.
The first in a trilogy, here is the description from Amazon.com: "The first in a new trilogy from a well-loved author - 1920s, Durham. Ellas happy childhood in Swan Island is abruptly ended when her father dies, leaving the family bankrupt and forcing them to leave the area. Over the years Ella settles into domesticity with her husband, but she has never forgotten Harry, whom she met in the early years of the Second World War. In 1951, he comes back into her life..."
I can't help but wonder and speculate who Harry was to her and how they meet again and what happens between them when they next meet.

3 - My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult: I have been hearing and hearing about this author, so I decided to finally read one of her books. This one sounded the most interesting, especially seeing as how I have four sisters. I hope I don't find it disappointing, though some creeping feeling just tells me I might find it so. I don't know why, but I just get that feeling.

4 - The Whale Road, by Robert Low: I found this book in the library catalog this month, and once I looked it up on Amazon.com and read the description, I simply had to read it as soon as possible. In 965 A.D., the tale of Viking warriors on a quest for hidden treasure is set. This just screams adventure, a genre I very much enjoy, and the Vikings factor, perfect. Though I don't know very much about them, I am still highly fascinated by them. I think I will enjoy this book, or, at least I rather hope that I will.

That is it for the remainder of this month and probably a couple weeks into next month as well. After these I want to get some books by Christy Brown. I have become very fascinated by him in these past couple of weeks, and I am very much looking forward to reading his work and life story.

Babble, Moving onto Elephants.

Well, after I finished Under the Skin, I decided to move right onto Maskerade: a novel of Discworld. Ugh. I got fifty pages in before I couldn't stand all the downright babble that was going on in that book. Eew. It just felt like page after page of the author's half-hearted attempt at a story. I tried looking at it as the simple comedy it was, but I just couldn't because I didn't even find it all that funny. I didn't hate it because it was a phantom parody, I'm all game to make light of something I completely adore with an open mind - it was just boring to me and I couldn't bear to even try to finish it during my 50 Book Challenge. It would only be a waste of time.

So I moved on to the next library book I had waiting to be read: Elephant Winter. I'm only around ten or so pages into it and I already am really enjoying it. The writing is very beautiful feeling and I love the idea of a story with Elephants in it. I've never read one that circulates around them before so I am looking forward to getting further into this book. :) Kim Echlin is a new author to me, and so far it has been a very good choice to take another chance on another new-to-me writer.

On another pleasant note, Phoenix of the Opera arrived yesterday. I cannot wait to read it next. :) Not to sound too shallow, but I am very in love with the cover art. :p

library stuff.

I recently saw the movie "The Good Earth," based on the novel (by Pearl S. Buck) with the same title, I really liked it so I decided to check out the book from the library. I haven't actually began reading it yet though but I plan to start it tonight. I hope to be finished reading it or at least have read over half way through it, by the time my other books get in at the library.

I'm just waiting for Elephant Winter (by Kim Echlin), Maskerade: a novel of Discworld (by Terry Pratchett), and Under the Skin (by Michel Faber).

Elephant Winter; I found in the library catalog: it is about a daughter and her dying mother. The daughter ends up falling for the keeper of the Ontario Safari and his five elephants. There's more to it than that, but I don't want to get too engulfed in the description or the reviews on amazon.com because I don't want to ruin this book for myself before I even get it.
Maskerade: a novel of Discworld; I found while browsing amazon.com for Phantom of the Opera related books. It looks like a parody of Phantom, but I don't mind that. I read a few of the reviews and it seems kind of so-so, but I want to check it out anyway; because I simply adore the Phantom of the Opera and I love reading anything about it - as long as it's done decently enough. In which I hope that this book will be.
Under the Skin; I found as a recommendation from someone else's diary on another site I visit. It sounded interesting from their review and the description on amazon.com, so I decided to get it. it seems like a horror book though. I hate those creepy books. I never, ever read horror. The only "horror" novel I've ever read is The Prestige. It wasn't that bad, and in fact, it was creepy-thrilling. I liked it for it's own way. This one, sounds a little more strange though, in the way that it will probably give me that gross horrific feeling I oh-so definitely hate. I am looking forward to reading it though because it will be different from what I normally read, and I feel like a change right now. I just hope I won't regret reading it for a few months.

I'm also waiting for another book - Phantom of the Opera related. I ordered The Phoenix of the Opera, by Sadie Montgomery. It is book one of her phantom series. I've never come across a series before for the phantom, so I was immediately intrigued, but a little put off by the description. But more-so, a little excited about it. Because it pairs him with Meg. I love Meg Giry, and I've always wanted to see her and Erik paired off together, so I am somewhat anxiously awaiting this book. Even if I don't like this one, I am still going to get the others of the series, because those do sound more interesting than this first one. But I wanted to go one at time with them. Also I don't see much sense in starting this series off on the second book, I just can't read like that. :p I have to know everything, because Erik is one of my favorite characters.

Anne of the Island.

Well, with Anne of the Island, I reached my goal of reading 27 books again for this year. :) I am quite pleased with myself. Also I have more confidence for reaching my goal of 50 for next year. I just have to work a little harder at it though.

Anne was, as always, a lovely read. It was so pretty. I just adore L.M. Montgomery. I was sad for Anne throughout the book though, even though she did gain much at the end in the middle she seemed to have much taken away as well. Though, I am glad for happy endings, especially for characters such as Anne Shirley. Many lovable ones arise in this book. I cannot wait to get on to the rest of the books and see how Anne and Gilbert grow together. Oh, how happy I was when she finally realized she wanted only him. It was so..heartwarmingly sweet.

For my next read, I think I will read Deception: A Phantom of the Opera Novel, by Shirley Yoshinaka. I read it last year and I have been aching to read it again, for I dearly love Erik. It is one of my favorite phantom stories.