Monday, October 31

Music Monday & Halloween....Boo!


First of all.........HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! I love Halloween because of all the candy and the costumes. I even got to wear a costume at work. As you may or may not know, I went as a Ball of Yarn with devil horns that glow. I don't have any pictures because I was self-conscious all day. Mostly if I had to service an attractive guy or one of our regulars. *shudders* But everyone loved my original costume. I always come up with interesting costumes. Like in my junior year in High School I dressed up as a Princess with an extra chromosome (I wore a white beard). What were some whacky costumes have you worn?

Anyways....not only is it Halloween today, but it's also Music Monday. Woot woot! Shall we begin?

First of all I want to share my favorite Halloween song as a kid, but now I wince when I hear it. Ugh. It's 'Dance like an Egyptian'. Enjoy......if you can:






Okay, that's enough for me. Here's a little video featuring Anne and Henry from 'The Tudors' with the song 'Good Girls Go Bad' (great song). It was created byDayJolie80. ^.^





I shared this with Lizzy from Historically Obsessed, because it's one of my favorite Marie Antoinette videos of the moment. It's been a while since I've seen a great video for Marie Antoinette. It's created by very awesome tiukudaa. The video stars the song 'Good Life' by OneRepublic:






Ready for a funny video? Of course you are. What a silly question. haha. This one is from Nighiga. He is a true man of my own heart....thing....he understands my and other's lack of being able to do that dancing thing. I just look like an idiot. Enjoy:






Well, I hope you guys have an EXCELLENT rest of your Halloween night. Peace.



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<3CaroleRae



Sunday, October 30

Sunday Ketchup

~'Sunday Ketchup' was inspired by The Muse in the Fog's 'Suddenly Sunday' postings. However, mine are going to be a little bit different. Also when I went to spell 'Catchup' I accidentally spelled it wrong and put 'Ketchup'. I thought it was cute, so I kept it. Also, I'm addicted to ketchup! I want one of those ketchup shirts that says "I <3 Ketchup". Wouldn't that be cute? Every week, or whenever I remember, I'm going to post events that happened this past week, things coming up next week, updates, and news. You can join in and post your own 'Sunday Ketchup' postings, just make sure to mention me...if you want ^.^ ~


Happy Sunday everyone! ^.^ Halloween is right around the corner and I'm kind of excited. I get to wear a costume to work. Huzzah! The theme that the people I'll be working with decided on was 'Cat and it's toys'. The manager of the day, Anee's mama, is going as the cat. Tay is going as a mouse toy. Moi? I'm going as a ball of yarn with blue devil horns (I got them at the Haunted Warehouse I went to with Sarah last weekend). HAHAHAHA. It'll be cute ^.^ I can't WAIT! What are going as on Halloween?


Past Week Posts:



What Came in the Mail/Store:
Errrrrr.......nothing book related. I haven't had time or money to book or movie shop. =( Sad I know. 


What's Going to Be Posted this Week?:
I'll try and get the usual posts posted. I'm getting use to my new schedule and midterm week is over, so freetime as been allotted. Huzzah! Hopefully I'll have a book review AND maybe a movie review. Don't hold your breath on the movie review, because I'm checking it out at the library but it has to be shipped from another library. *fingers crossed*


Anything New For the Blog?:
The other day I sat down and played with my blog for like 2 hours after work. How sad. But hey, I needed to reconnect with my blog baby. I updated the 'Quotes' and gave slight changes to different parts of my blog. Can you tell? I'm also playing with some different ideas. 


Tim Horton News:
I get to work Halloween. Woot woot! 


Anything Else Worth Mentioning?:
Ummmmmmmmm..........nope. I maybe adding little things to the Blog, but besides for that....nope. ^.^


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<3CR







Movie of the Week Announcement.........

It was super hard to decide what I wanted to watch and review. I thought about reviewing a spooky movie for Halloween coming up, but....nah. I'm a casual Spooky-movie-watcher. I'll watch it if everyone else wants to watch it, but I don't go out of my way to watch it alone. I've only watched one movie this Halloween season, which was Halloween: H20  and I watched it with my Daddy. It was okay, but I missed the first 15 minutes so that review was down the drain. If you have any scary movies you want me to review name the movie and I'll check it out. ^.^

Anywho...I've finally decided on a movie to watch and review. I was just bumming around the internet looking for a good unheard of movie and this movie kept popping up, so I decided to give it a shot and it looks like it'll be my Movie of the Week. And the lucky (or unlucky, depending on the review) is.......


Curse of the Golden Flower. Here's a trailer, the trailer really caught my attention:





Doesn't it look like it has EPIC potential? ^.^


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<3CaroleRae

Friday, October 28

Book Review: Heart of the Falcon

Author: Suzanne Robinson
Title: Heart of the Falcon
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 272
First Published: 1990
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Amazon)



"Only one woman could win the...Heart of the Falcon.

All her life, raven-haired Anqet had basked in the tranquility of Nefer...until the day her father died and her uncle descended upon the estate, hungry for her land, hungry for her. Desperate to escape his cruel obsession, she fled. But now, masquerading as a commoner in the magnificent city of Thebes, Anqet faces a new danger. Mysterious and seductive, Count Seth seems to be a soldier loyal to the pharaoh. Yet soon Anqet will find that he's drawn her into a web of treachery and desire, where one false move could end her life... and his fiery passion could brand her soul forever.

Set against the glorious opulence of the pharaoh's court, this is a breathtaking tale, rich with pageantry and aflame with unforgettable romance."





I will admit I haven't read many books set in Ancient Egypt (a shocker I know) and this was my first Historical Romance set in this setting. Another shocker. I was a little unsure how I would like this book, but I was dying to read it, so I ignored my reading list and began this journey. 


Its a decent sized book, but for some reason I felt like I was taking forever to get it done. The plot was entertaining and I liked the story, but some spots were very....blah. I just would put it down at those points and play the Sims or something and I would have to force myself to continue to read the next day. At some other spots I felt like the story was being rushed and I felt like the author was rushing through some important moments. I would get a little annoyed, but I accepted it and can't reading.


Besides for some blah and rushed spots, I really liked this book. It was cute and a fun read. I loved the world that Suzanne Robinson showed me and I loved her detailed writings. I felt like I had become a part of the world and was seeing the story with my own eyes. Also, I really liked the characters, even though I couldn't help but giggle at the name Seth. I kept envisioning Seth Green, who is completely different then Count Seth. However, both are red-heads and I couldn't help myself. Sometimes I wonder about my brain.


ANYWAYS, it was a decent read and I would recommend this to Historical Romance lovers (like moi). I'll probably revisit this book sometime in the future and I'm looking forward to other Historical Romances and etc set in Egypt. Out of five stars I grant this one.....3 stars. ^.^




Favorite Character(s): Khet and Anqet
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Sennefer (he confused me and made me mad)

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<3CR

Thursday, October 27

Book Review: Indian Slavery in Colonial America

Author: Alan Galley and others
Title: Indian Slavery in Colonial America
Genre: Nonfiction, History
Pages: 448
First Published: 2010
Where I Got It: Baker College - Flint Library

"European enslavement of American Indians began with Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World. The slave trade expanded with European colonies, and though African slave labor filled many needs, huge numbers of America’s indigenous peoples continued to be captured and forced to work as slaves. Although central to the process of colony-building in what became the United States, this phenomena has received scant attention from historians. Indian Slavery in Colonial America, edited by Alan Gallay, examines the complicated dynamics of Indian enslavement. How and why Indians became both slaves of the Europeans and suppliers of slavery’s victims is the subject of this book. The essays in this collection use Indian slavery as a lens through which to explore both Indian and European societies and their interactions, as well as relations between and among Native groups."

This is slightly an odd book to review but not an odd book for me to read. I picked this up for my midterm paper which I just turned in Tuesday night. The topic I picked was the Native American Slave Trade in the colonies. I was so relieved to find this book amongst all the books at the Baker College library. I found this such an interesting read, I read even the stuff I didn't need for my paper.

This book is actually a book filled with individual articles made by different authors and put together by Alan Galley. I found the different voices make the book even better. Each author showed different views and viewpoints of this forgotten Slave Trade. However, each pretty much ended saying something like, "there is still much more to know about this slave trade." It's true. It was so hard to find concrete information on this slave trade and that's why I was jumping for joy when I found this book.

I will admit, though, I found some of the articles a little boring...and if I didn't need that information I would just skim it and move on. It is an information driven book so its not meant to really be entertaining. The only thing that sparks the interest part of the brain is the topic its talking about. I was startled that being part Native myself, I didn't know a lot about the slave trade that affected my ancestors too. I knew that there was a Slave Trade but I didn't know any details or figures.

All-in-all, I'll forever love Alan Galley and his pack of authors for creating this book. I almost had to go to my professor with my tail between my legs and ask to switch topics. Even though this book may seem boring to even history nerds (like me), I read it and liked it. The information was brilliant and the each different article brought the past to life. Out of five stars, I'll grant this one 4 stars. It would be 3.6 but I don't give decimals.



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PS- Happy Birthday 21st bday Anee! You are the best! ^.^

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<3CaroleRae


Saturday, October 22

Today is History + The End of the World Averted (Again) + Liebster Award


Happy Saturday everyone! It seems like its going to be a nice day and I have to work at 2pm. Booo. Oh well, better than being a zombie on the midnight shift. Anyways....I just wanted to post today because the world has avoided another predication of the End of the World.  *sighs* Why bother announcing the date that the world will end because in the end you will always end up either the bad guy or the idiot. Why do I say that? If you are right everyone dies and you are the bad guy that jinked us. If you are wrong you are going to look like an idiot/fool. No more predications! I beg of you (and you know who I'm taking to)!




ANYWAYS, I just wanted to thank Lieder Madchen for awarding me the Liebster Blog Award. *sniff sniff* I'm so honored to win an award. I never win any awards. I'll soon have my list of winners in the next few days. It'll be hard to only pick 5 *chews lip*.

If you're wondering what this award is all about, I'll tell you....it awards good blogs that only have 200 or less followers. It gives these baby blogs some sunlight and love. Just like a baby tree in the forest (mind me, I just woke up). Well, once you will this from a fellow blogger, you do the honors and award 5 other blogs you think deserve this award.


ANYWAYS, now I'll share some events that happened on today's date, because since the world survived again, it's time to appreciate a little world history:




 ~Peyton Randolph dies, 1775, American Revolution


~President Kennedy announces blockade of Cuba during Missile Crisis, 1962, Cold War



 ~My favorite gangster, Pretty Boy Flloyd, is killed by the FBI in 1934 *sniff sniff*



~A coal mine in New Mexico explodes, 1913


~The first parachutist uses the parachut, 1797


~Today is Jeff Goldblum's birthday! He was born in 1952


~Franz Liszt is born in 1811 (he's a pianist and composer)



~American forces suffer first casualties in the Vietnam War, 1957



~President Thieu turns down peace proposal, 1972

~Germans capture Langemarck during the First Battle of Ypres during WWI in 1914


~Allies in WWII confer secretly about Operation Torch, 1942




Well, I hoped you liked today's little history reminder. Have a great weekend you guys!

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<3CR





Thursday, October 20

Book Review: Marika

Author: Andrea Cheng
Title: Marika
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 153
First Published: 2002
Where I Got It: My shelf (Goodwill)



(I'm a little upset right now, because for some reason my original copy of this review has "vanished" and so I had to re-type the whole thing. Ugh >_>)


"'I would be an explorer, a scientist, a writer. Did Andras really think that a man named Hitler in Germany would stop me?' In 1944, the Nazi invade Hungary, and Marika's family is forced into hiding. As her world shatters around her, the concerns of Marika's childhood suddenly seem very small and far away. Unspeakable acts of anti-Semitism are everywhere. Now Marika will need to call upon her sharp intelligence and an unexpected core of strength and courage-to keep herself and her family alive."


Marika is set in Budapest, Hungary during WWII. The book focuses around Marika (a young girl) and her family, who all happen to be Jews. The story is told in young Marika's viewpoint. Her parents are fully aware that the war and the Germans will be coming their way soon, so they have Marika and her brother, Andras, learn as much as they can; they even spend a lot of money to forge papers that "prove" their Catholic ancestry.


Before I began reading, many people have told me that this book is a lot like The Diary of Anne Frank and they weren't entirely wrong, but I found that this book was very different. For one Anne and Marika were completely different and their experiences were different. Marika was pretty much clueless the whole time, while Anne had to live in fear the entire time. Both are good stories who shared many similarities and differences.


Marika was a simple and quick read, but it was a pretty good read overall. I hate to say it was cute, because of the cruel times that it was set in. I say its cute because I love how Andrea Cheng used an innocent child's viewpoint and I really felt that Marika herself wrote it. I loved the innocence that Marika had and how her family tried to keep the truth from her for so long, because they didn't want her to grow up in fear.

Like I stated earlier, it was short read and I wished that some points had been expanded upon...especially the last couple of chapters. I felt that those experiences (if it was a real diary) would have been more detailed. However, I'm glad that it was a short, but bittersweet book.

All-in-all, I liked this book and I'll probably read it again in the future. I wished some points would have been expanded, but hey it was short and had a simple plot and I liked it. If you're looking for a small but good book you should check this out and if you're into the 1940s I think you would like this. Out of five stars, I grant this 4 stars.


Favorite Character(s): Andras (Marika's brother), Zsofi (Marika's best friend), and Marika...of course 

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Umm....the German SS? I don't know really...there wasn't really any characters that I disliked.

Quote(s) That Stuck With Me: "I would be an explorer, a scientist, a writer. Did Andras really think that a man named Hitler in Germany would stop me?".


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<3CR

Tuesday, October 18

Top Ten Tuesday

~The Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.~




Today's topic is: book covers that made me buy the book. This should be fun! Oh, by the way, there is no order to this list. 


10) The Red Queen by Phillippa Gregory. 




9) The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig




8) Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn



7) Mystical Warrior by  Janet Chapman





6) Lakota Love Song by Madeline Baker



5) Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (I bought this when it first came out, I thought the cover was cool and my friend told me it was "an okay book", who would have thought?)




4) Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray




3) Kushiel's Justice by Jacqueline Carey




2) Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith




1) Her Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham










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<3CR

Monday, October 17

Music Monday



Happy Monday! Ahhhh Mondays are so....Mondayish. Is that a word? Well...it doesn't matter, so how are you all doing? I'm doing okay I'm still not feeling that great and I'm super tired because I'm still adjusting to the afternoon shift at work. I didn't think the switch from Midnights to Afternoons would be this hard. Eh.


This is the new song from Adele Someone Like You. I really like it. I've been humming this a lot:





I have two reasons for posting this...1) I love me some collabs starring historical based movies/shows and 2)I like this song and it's been playing in my head while reading 'Heart of the Falcon'. This was created by xAllAboutHistoryx:



Part 01: 25djadja (Achilles/Briseis - Troy)
http://www.youtube.com/user/25djadja
Part 02: IrisMn7 (Pope Joan)
http://www.youtube.com/user/IrisMn7
Part 03: jonaslovato92 (Anne Boleyn)
http://www.youtube.com/user/jonaslovato92
Part 04: KillerMadchen (Daenerys Targaryen)
http://www.youtube.com/user/KillerMadchen
Part 05: Twinkle988 (Balian)
http://www.youtube.com/user/Twinkle988
Part 06: xMeredith248x (Marie Antoinette)
http://www.youtube.com/user/xMeredith248x
Part 07: xxOiseaudecirexx (Katherine)
http://www.youtube.com/user/xxOiseeaudecirexx
Part 08: BlackCousins4life (Robin/Guy)
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlackCousins4life
Part 09: LadyC189 (Merlin)
http://www.youtube.com/user/LadyC189
Part 10: xMeredith248x (Victoria)
http://www.youtube.com/user/xMeredith248x
Part 11: DerOderDasFake (Phantom of the Opera)
http://www.youtube.com/user/DerOderDasFake
Part 12: angel6881 (Cecilla/ Robbie)
http://www.youtube.com/user/angel6881
Part 13: Merenhenki (Tamina)
http://www.youtube.com/user/Merenhenki

Now here's my weekly funny video...it's a scene from 'Family Guy'. Hahahaha it connects (oddly enough) with the two books I'm reading.







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<3CaroleRae

Sunday, October 16

Sunday Ketchup

~'Sunday Ketchup' was inspired by The Muse in the Fog's 'Suddenly Sunday' postings. However, mine are going to be a little bit different. Also when I went to spell 'Catchup' I accidentally spelled it wrong and put 'Ketchup'. I thought it was cute, so I kept it. Also, I'm addicted to ketchup! I want one of those ketchup shirts that says "I <3 Ketchup". Wouldn't that be cute? Every week, or whenever I remember, I'm going to post events that happened this past week, things coming up next week, updates, and news. You can join in and post your own 'Sunday Ketchup' postings, just make sure to mention me...if you want ^.^ ~




Happy Sunday everyone! I'm still adjusting to the new work schedule, so bare with me. How has your week been? Mine has been a little chaotic. 




Past Week Posts:


 ~ The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
~Wordless Wednesday (4)
~Movie Review: Love Actually




What Came in the Mail/Store?:
Nothing actually...I haven't had any real time to look at books or whatever. :( I was tempted to buy a book at Krogers buuuuut that was because I was just bored waiting in line....maybe I should've got it. Hmmmm.






Anything New For the Blog?:
I promise to update my 'quotes' section. It's been a while since I did update that. Ummm, I've been playing around with some ideas BUT nothing I can foresee. I'll let you know.




What's Going to Be Posted This Week?:
Oh dear. I will try my hardest to post the usual stuff EVEN if I have to pre-type it up and have it automatically posted. I'll be a good girl this week.


Tim Horton News?:
I've been working afternoons two weeks now. I'm still adjusting, but I really like it. It's more fast paced than the midnight shift, but I like it. Well, Halloween is around the corner so we've started our Halloween Timbits boxes which are adorable! I love Halloween. ^.^ I'll take a picture of one and post it. They are so cute!


Anything Else?:
I added a couple buttons to my button collection below. ^.^ That's about it. 






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<3CaroleRae













Saturday, October 15

Movie Review: Love Actually



Length: 135 minutes
Released: 2003 (USA)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Rating: R Rated, because of nakey scenes and the bloody language
Directed By: Richard Curtis
Awards: Won 10 Awards
Where I Got It: Borrowed it from the library


Love Actually follows the love stories of eight different couples in England during December, aka the Christmas month of chaos. All the couples have some sort of connection either in an obvious way or just a random strain of connection. Each couple has different issues on why they can't be together or why they have to be with each other. This movie focuses on how love binds all of us and makes the world a little bit better.

This movie has A LOT of big names and biggish names. Hugh Grant (9 Months, Two Weeks Notice) as The Prime Minister, Colin Firth (The King's Speech, Girl With A Pearl Earring, Fever Pitch) as Jamie, Emma Thompson (Sense & Sensibility, Harry Potter, Much Ado About Nothing) as Karen, Liam Neeson (Schindler's List, Taken) as Daniel, Keira Knightley (The Duchess, Pirates of the Carribean) as Juliet, and so many others.

REVIEW:

It took me a while to actually put on the movie. For some reason I kept avoiding it. Don't ask me why, but I did...I regret now that I didn't watch it right away! It's a pretty good movie! I loved that the movie focuses on the idea that love does make the world slightly better. It shows that love is an agony, but a life without love is not a life at all. I couldn't help but smile throughout the whole movie.

Love Actually is just one of those movies that makes you feel better and you just can't help but stop smiling after the credits are done. I loved all the mini stories and love stories, because they were all cute in their own ways. Some of the "love stories" were about friends realizing they need each other or reconnecting with your family. I loved how the movie makers combined all these stories and how somehow, someway they are all interconnected. At the end everyone appears at this play at the little kid school and at the airport. It's freakin' adorable.

The only thing I didn't like was there were too many mini-stories going on. I felt not all the stories got equal screen time. It's just a personal opinion of mine. Maybe they could have cut it from 8 to 6. I don't know, but I felt that some of the stories were a little ignored. Other than that I have no real complaints.

All-in-all, this was such a cute movie and I'll be re-watching this on Christmas and perhaps on my birthday, because my birthday is the same week of Christmas. I recommend this to anyone who wants a cute movie about true love and Christmas joy. It makes me have faith in people and you'll have faith too after watching this. I grant this 5 stars (it would be 4.5, but I don't give decimals). ^.^ Woot woot.

Favorite Couple(s): The Prime Minister and Natalie
Favorite Character(s): The Prime Minister (it's Hugh Grant, why not?), Natalie, and Jamie
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Harry and Mark (I don't know, but who falls for their best friend's new wife and is super mean to her? I mean c'mon)
Favorite Quotes: Karl: "Life is full of interruptions and complications."
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(PS: I'm going to go back to all my old Movie Reviews and had the little snipbit of information like I did at the beginning here. I meant to do something like that, but I always forget and then I get too lazy and go back to add it.)

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<3CaroleRae


 

Wednesday, October 12

Wordless Wednesday (4)



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<3CaroleRae

Book Review: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle


Author: Haruki Murakami
Title: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Pages: 613
First Published: 1994
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Amazon)

"Japan's most highly regarded novelist now vaults into the first ranks of international fiction writers with this heroically imaginative novel, which is at once a detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage, and an excavation of the buried secrets of World War II.

In a Tokyo suburb a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife's missing cat. Soon he finds himself looking for his wife as well in a netherworld that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo. As these searches intersect, Okada encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists: a psychic prostitute; a malevolent yet mediagenic politician; a cheerfully morbid sixteen-year-old-girl; and an aging war veteran who has been permanently changed by the hideous things he witnessed during Japan's forgotten campaign in Manchuria.

Gripping, prophetic, suffused with comedy and menace, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a tour de force equal in scope to the masterpieces of Mishima and Pynchon."


A missing cat, a wife who vanishes, a WWII veteran who's missing a hand, drywells, a fashion designer, a zoo, a very morbid teenage girl, skinning people alive, a prostitude turned psychic, a not-so-nice politican wannabe, a guy who doesn't talk, baseball bats, crazy dreams, crazy dreams that aren't dreams at all, and so much more! That pretty much sums up the book. Haruki Murakami is a man of my true-heart, because he's so random but random with a reason. Every little random occurance has some sort of meaning to the story being presented.

At first I thought I was catching on and I thought I had the mysteries solved, but I was wrong. The last few chapters left my eyes and mouth wide open. Yes, it was a pretty large novel, but Haruki Murakami could have kept writing and I would have kept reading. I really wanted to know what would happen next, so I kept reading. It took me a while to read this, but it was worth it. An old friend of mine who read this gave me two pieces of advice: 1. Take your time reading this so your brain can make sense of what you read (I listened to this whole-heartedly) and 2. Don't read this before going to bed (which I failed to listen to and paid the price with crazy dreams).

For some reason, I could really relate to Toru (the main dude). I also felt really bad for him, because he just wanted a new job, his wife, and that darn cat. He just wanted a quiet and peaceful life, but that wouldn't be his fate. He's forced to face the unusual people and events that would make the weak of heart runaway. Even though his wife left him, he fought to find her and I find that oddly romantic. If I was Toru I would just let her go after a certain letter she sent. Maybe he's just a better person than me, but oh well.

 Even though I really liked this book, there was a couple things I didn't like. I do believe that it was really too big and maybe it could have used some trimming down. Also, there were some parts that were, well, very detailed and I was rather surprised by the vivid details. I know he why he described these morbid scenes in great detail, because it gives affect, but my poor little unconscious brain gave me some bad dreams.

All-in-all 'Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' makes you question so much about humanity, society, reality, history, and the "unnatural". I really liked this book and I can't wait to read his other books. I recommend this book to everyone who loves a good mind-twisting book and who needs a change in their reading. Out of five stars I grant this one 4 stars.

Favorite Character(s): Toru Okada (main character) and May (the cheerfully morbid teen, she's pretty epic) and Cinnamon Alaska (the man who doesn't speak, seems like the perfect guy, eh?)
Not-so-Favorite Character(s): Noboru Wataya and Boris the manskinner (I wonder why...)
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<3CR

Saturday, October 8

Book Review: Burnt Offerings

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Title: Burnt Offerings (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, #7)
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Mystery
Pages: 392
First Published: 1998
Where I Got It: My Shelf (Barnes&Nobles)


"Anita Blake is a vampire hunter. But when someone else sets his sights on her prey, she must save them both from the inferno."


This is the 7th installment of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. It had been a while since I read the last one, but Laurell Hamilton keeps the reader kept up on important pieces of information from the last books. I love this series, but I hated the ending of the last one, The Killing Dance, and I was so angry at Anita that I refused to read the next one for a while. I finally got over it and picked this up and continued reading.

I'm a big lover of Fantasy books and this has to be my favorite series in this genre. I love the world Laurell Hamilton had created! It's set in the 1990s, but the US Government actually had recognized these monsters (vamps, werewolves, witches, and etc) as US citizens. Its pretty cool how different that world is from ours. Vampires own stores and bars and clubs and werewolves can still be part of society. However, there is still a huge hatred towards these monsters. That's were Anita fits in. She is called the 'executioner' and is a licensed vampire hunter. Shes allowed to kill vamps who go bad. Also, shes an "animator" which means she can bring the dead to life temporarily (so like a zombie), so they can ask them questions for legal reasons.

I can't give much away, because it'll ruin the other books. Even though I'm not happy with the main character, Anita, I can't help but love this book too. I love the story line and the odd and awkward love triangle between Jean-Claude and Richard and Anita. It's awkward, because they are bond to each other too. I can't explain, just read the books. ^.^ I love the voice Laurell Hamilton gives to Anita, it makes you really love her. I found this book one of the most complex book out of them all. There are so many things going on that I couldn't fathom how anything would be solved. I had no I idea how the ending would end. It did and I liked how it ended....sort of. I'm still not happy with Anita. Perhaps she'll come to her senses in the next book. We shall see.

All-in-all, the only thing I didn't like about this book was Anita's decision. I can't say more than that, BUT I can't really judge the book by that. I loved the book and I have to give it 5 stars. ^.^ I recommend this to those that love Fantasy books and action books with a little bit of romance thrown into the mix.


Favorite Character(s): Anita Blake (but I'm angry with her currently), Richard, and Larry
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Jean-Claude and Padma

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PS: This was meant to be posted yesterday, but I somehow found myself working an 11 hour shift...huh, how did that happen? I guess I'll never know. -.-
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<3CaroleRae

Tuesday, October 4

Top Ten Tuesday


~The Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.~


This week I'll be sharing my list of the top 10 bookendings the left my mouth hanging wide open (because of the cliffhanger ending, the ending was MINDBLOWING, or etc). There is no real order for this one...just randomness. This should be interesting because it takes a real good author/book to make my mouth drop open. I'm pretty good at guessing the ending of books and movies; I guess its a sixth sense of mine. ^.^

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10) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I just couldn't process what had happened! I mean everything went a little psychotic! I had to re-read to make sure I didn't lose my ability to read, because I couldn't believe what I read. The final actions of the characters seemed so...uncharacteristic. I don't want to ruin the ending for you so I shall stop before I give up spoilers...



9) The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamiliton. The ending not only left my my mind blown, but it also made me very VERY mad at Anita Blake (the heroine of the story). UGH. That is all...still a pretty good ending, but still....UGH



8) Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. The ending left me a little confused and I had a million questions, but I was so shocked I couldn't speak for a moment of two.


7) Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare. I was shocked...but in a good way. I loved how William Shakespeare ended it...it was simply brilliant. I can't say much more than that because I'll probably ruin the ending.



6) After Dark by Haruki Murakami. This book made me want to contiue to read his other novels. My mind was literally blown out of the water, but once I gathered all the pieces I felt a little shamed that I didn't see the end coming even though its near impossible to guess what would happen. Great book and I'm looking forward to his other books.



5) Spartan by Valerio Massimo Manfredi. I still can't decide whether or not I liked the ending. I was very baffled and I felt like the author left me dangling from a cliff. Pretty good book, but the ending...I'm still trying to work out...



4) Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie. The relationship between the characters were so complex and the situation they were in made me unsure on how they would untie the knot and then be together. I loved how Jennifer Crusie made the ending seem real, but surreal. After I was done having my mindblow, I managed an 'awwww'.



3) The Snow Fox by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. A great ending to a great book. Even though at first I was extremely upset, I couldn't help but like the ending. The ending blew my mind and I loved every moment of it (even though I teared up a lot)



2) Lord of the Night  by Susan Wiggs. I'm very good at figuring out mysteries and what will happen. Its a gift of mine, but the twist at the end of this one left me speachless.



1) The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig. Not only did the ending take me by surprise, it made me love Lauren Willig's books even more. It's hard to describe, but the ending was wonderfully written.




What book endings left your mouth hanging wide open?

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<3CR