I Am Back… Or Trying To at Least

Hi you, whoever you are, my imaginary friend!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Last year was filled with bumps and had barely anytime left to do any pleasure reading– trust me, it was filled with… You know what? It matters not! The point is: I barely read anything I was actually interested in, and there was not any productive writing done by me, which I am deeply ashamed of and honestly? It is driving me insane! When I read I escape from reality to a completely different world, and when I write I enter my own Neverland! So.. Without any escape I guess you can imagine how fed up with reality I have been, right? Right! I decided the situation had to change and it is a new year, I have a new attitude and want to join my book world again. I have been missing it.

I have no idea how I am to get in “reading” shape again, but I believe it is not impossible– Time to get my hands on some books ASAP because I am waaaaayyy behind on reading. Oh my! *EXCITED* I have Blood Cursed by Erica Hayes waiting for me and Alice by J.C. Noir to read right after. Fun times ahead! =)

Well… I am outtie!

Hope everyone has a lovely night– and WELCOME BACK!!!! (Including myself there) 😉

❤

I am Back!

So after a very long hiatus, I am back– my laptop crashed before the Summer started and I got it back two days after the semester started… Keen, right? I am going to be a bit slow on both my reading and posting since I have a crapload of stuff to do for school already, but I am elated to be back on track.

 

Hope y’all have a lovely day!

XOXO

Books Lots of People Love- Me? Weeell…

There are a lot of very well liked books- the kind that people love and would probably rip your throats off if you dare say you do not like them… Scratch that, they WILL rip your throats out and feed your brains to kitties if you said that. This makes me wonder, are we obligated to like/love those books, and even more so because they are so famous? Geesh, I get called names on a daily basis when I admit to not liking some of those too much or to not having read them.

So, here I am, ready to throw myself out there and odds are that you guys will likely be raising torches and pitchforks after I am done with these (I will go slow and just mention 3 major YummyFails) 😛 So I ask nicely, please- be careful not to burn my hair; I am quite fond of it as it is. Thank you very much! LOL

1- Stephen King-

I have never read any of his books… Shameful? Maybe, but please keep in mind that I did not grow up in the US and books were very expensive where I grew up. And even if some of the movies that have been brought to screen from his books, but I did not know who he was until a few years back. Please do not get your panties in a bunch, Mr. King is already on my TBR list; so sooner rather than later I will read his writingzzz.

2- Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse Series-

Okie, this is the hardest part–> I really do not like this series much. I have the first seven books and I only got to the fourth one. Before you start saying something, I am not saying that Charlaine Harris’ writing is bad; not by a long shot. Her writing is awesome and the plot in the books so far was pretty amazing, so it is easy for me to understand why a lot of people love these books– I really do. But it is just not my cup of tea, or water, or whatever I feel like drinking at a given moment. Should I give the books another try? One day soon, hopefully before classes begin. I promise I will try to read them again soon, so please do not hate me. *grin* I do love the HBO show though 😉

3- L. K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series

I have not read this series yet, despite the fact that I have the first 4 books and other 2 that a friendie got me for Christmas last year. This is another series that I hope to read (or at least part of it) before next semester begins. But yeah, I guess you can call this a ReadingFail just like with Stephen King. =)

The Dresden Challenge [Part 1]

Hi! I know, I suck– but just a bit. As you might or might not know I am reading Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files as a challenge/dare/bet [you pick] which is the reason as to why I have not been posting regular reviews. I have until June 11th to finish the series, so far: 5 books to go, and 6 days left– I CAN DO IT! =) When did I start? I started Storm Front on May 26th. Let me just say that these books are amazing; they are a mix of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and Anton Strout’s Simon Canderous Series… I know that Simon Canderous came a bit after, but I read it first so in MY head Simon has seniority- Mind you, it does not take anything away from Mr. Dresden’s awesomeness! *grin.*

I just finished Dead Beat (Book #7) and “Hell’s Bells!!!”… Butcher sure knows how to keep the reader’s interest on edge. I am supposed to go now and start Grave Peril, but I think I will leave that for tomorrow. I will not lie, reading one whole series in a row is a bit overwhelming; but do not get me wrong, I am enjoying these books way more than I expected– and trust me, I had huge expectations. Now I understand why everyone is so in thrall with Mr. Harry Dresden.

I shall not blurb too much about the books now– that shall come as soon as I finish all twelve books. Though I must say, Harry Dresden is sure on of my fave male characters ever. I love how developed the character is; how we can see how strong he is and yet how vulnerable at the same time. I just love it!

Right after, expect my blurbs on:

• Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
• Num8ers by Rachel Ward
• Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane
• Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

Also, I should thank some friendies for supporting me on this Dresden Challenge– though not some people around me that keep interrupting me when I read *glares.*

And talking about booksies, here are more I have gotten lately [I think I will resume these posts to once a month, at the end of the month.]

May 23rd

• Dead Beat (The Dresden Files, #7) by Jim Butcher
• Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, #8) by Jim Butcher
• Small Favors (The Dresden Files, #10) by Jim Butcher
• Unholy Ghosts (Chess Putnam, #1) by Stacia Kane

May 28th

• Perchance to Dream (Théâtre Illuminata, #2) by Lisa Mantchev
• Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
• Witch Craft (Nocturne City, #4) by Caitlin Kittredge

June 3rd

• Accidentally Demonic (Accidental Series, #4) by Dakota Cassidy
• Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker
• Feed by Mira Grant
• Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh
• Turn Coat (The Dresden Files, #11) by Jim Butcher

I am a bit disappointed at the bookstores though– I have been to two of them and neither had Jim Butcher’s Changes… I hope I can get it before Friday the 11th.

Well, I shall leave now- movie is waiting =) [How to Train Your Dragon] I promise that as soon as I am done with this challenge I will try to update reviews.

Ciao!

Now tell me: Any book recommendation? Have you read Jim Butcher’s books? What do you think of them?

Real-BOOKS-Life

I know, I am a slacker… But real life, reading, writing, and the little world in my mind keep me very busy all the time– despite the tweeting all the tim *shame… not really.*

I just realized that it has been a while since I posted something remotely productive, so I decided to do something close to it and give you guys a walk through my last two weeks and a half in my book world…

I won the bet/dare I had with @SimonCanderous— I was supposed to finish the first six books on the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, also read the Insider’s Guide, and get to read a part of book #7 [Lover Avenged] before Lover Mine came out… And I did it! Now, there is another bet/dare going on by @SimonCanderous and @Hagelrat: As soon as the semester is over I am supposed to read Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files in two weeks. I am actually looking forward to that one *grin.*

“Hi everyone, my name is Ale and I have a problem: I am a compulsive book buyer.” [crowd replies: Hi Ale!] … For real, I have this thing that whenever my emotions are extreme I have to go to a bookstore. Everyone knows what happens when Ale goes to a bookstore, right? She ends up buying books– more than I should, and I cannot help it. So, here you go, books I have bought this past two weeks:

April 18th

• Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
• Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
• Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells
• Covet by J.R. Ward
• The Fallen 1 by Thomas E. Sniegoski
• Randiant Shadows by  Melissa Marr
• White Night by Jim Butcher

April 21st

• Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett
• Branded: Fall of Angels by Keary Taylor
• Willow by Julia Hoban

April 23rd

• Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
• Blood Vice by Keith Melton
• Darkest Night by Gena Showalter

May 1st- Free Comic Book Day! *YAY* That says it all…

• Preacher Vol. 1 by Garth Ennis, Glenn Fabry, Steve Dillon
• Dead @ 17 [a lot of them] by Josh Howard
• Marvel Zombies: Dead Days by Robert Kirkman, Mark Millar, Reginald Hudlin

May 1st

• Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn
• Burned by P.C. & Kristin Cast
• Battle of the Network Zombies by Mark Henry
• Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

May 4th

• Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi
• The Nymphos of Rocky Flats by Mario Acevedo

Honestly, I think my bookshelf is going to break/fall soon… There are, literally, +100 books on top of it waiting for me to read them… *shame* I think I need some profeshunal help now. LOL

Well, homework is glaring at me and calling me names from on top of the table… Nope, I am not kidding- I wish I were.

Good Night y’all! Hope you guys have a good one and cute dreams! ^-^ -Ciao

Dead to Me- Winner!

OMG! Sorry for the lateness!

Thank you guys so much for entering the contest- I loooved every answer posted in there. =)

Eek– *insert dramatic song* And the winner is: #2-> Arianna, who said:

To me, what makes a person attractive is that moment when your standing or sitting down….and you turn around because your friend says that cute guy is staring at you. So you look over and he smiles at you & you smile back. That smile is what makes the person attractive. A smile can say so much, that a frown can never say.

Congratsies Arianna! Hope you like… Sorry, I am sure you are going to love this book! It is awesome, and Simon is all sorts of yummy, not to mention that Mr. Strout is one great author. Please send me your address to: ale_bodden11 (at) hotmail (dot) com

Black Dagger Brotherhood Series (1-3) -Thoughts [Spoilers]-

Hi everyone! Well, as you might [or not] know, this past weekend I started reading J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood Series. So far I just read the first three and this morning on my commute I started #4… And Oh-Holiness! I do not know how I managed to wait so long to start it– considering that I got the whole collection for Christmas last year =) I hope to finish before book #8 comes out.

But up to the point: What do I think about them? Good question: These books are awesome! [Please keep in mind that I am referring to books 1-3] I think I am going to be spoiler-ish here, so if you have not read the books: I am sorry, but I have just so much to say about them…

First, lets me just say that I love how the POV changes are done. It is so easy to understand and impossible for the reader to get lost– It flows quite nicely! I really like how in the novels you get other characters POV, not just the main ones’.

But let me start with Dark Lover. For me it was the perfect way to start the series. And the beginning was all like: BANG! The scenes of Darius car being blown by the bomb and Beth being taken to the alley were fascinating for me– It played like a movie in my head. The descriptions of the brothers and everyone else were so detailed that made [or makes] the characters feel real for the moments you are reading them. From beginning to end I LOVED Wrath– he is just so mysterious and charming in a twisted way, and sexy as hell very good looking in my imagination. Beth was a pretty strong girl, I liked her, too! My other two favorite brothers in this book were Z and Rhage, so imagine my happiness when I realized that the next two books were about them *GRIN* There were two females that pissed me off though-> Marissa and the Scribe Virgin… I do not know why, but sweetness I just wanted to punch them both =P

Moving on to Lover Eternal. Rhage was one hell of a character. I liked how tortured he was, but how he accepted it because he knew he deserved that curse. But then Mary came in and… Well– I did not like her character too much. She was just too whiny. I mean, I understand her being bitter at everything, and her wanting to be completely independent and not getting close to many people– I really do; but the way she was sometimes just pissed the hell out of me. I am not saying that she is a bad character or that I think less of the book because of it; I love the book, and I love it when I dislike characters on them. Once again I wanted to kick the Scribe Virgin… And Mary as well. But other than that, I loved everyone else. I liked how J. Matthews [Tehrror] was introduced in the book. And Torhment — I really like him, too!!!!!

Now up to Lover Awakened. Zsadist is my favorite brother! It bothered me how everyone assumed stuff about him since book #1. I mean– c’mon! The fact that he is traumatized beyond belief is bound to make him different and to break him in ways that are impossible to understand unless you have been in the same situation. I was amazed at his depth despite of his brutality. Bella was a great main character, too! When they met on book #2 was one of the best parts of that book, and here– when she was on her needing? I just wanted to scream. You can feel the tension rolling off the book. And Phury’s and Zsadist’s flashbacks were so sad… No wonder Zsadist is/was that way. The ending was spectacular- the way that many things came together: Rehvenge being the Reverend, Zadist’s transformation, Phury’s destruction… But I cried– yeppers, I did; when Wellsie died! It shocked me, and it was so freaking sad! I want to know what happened to Torh. … Well… I will stop my rambling now 🙂

But there is one more thing though– John Matthews. I was talking to a friend of mine and I told her that there is something weird with him. I mean, you can tell that there is more to him than just what we can see; but what is it? [Please, if you know, do not answer– I do not want spoilers.] Like I told her– the Scribe Virgin told Darius he was going to come back, but that she was going to take something from him, did she not say that? But then again… John M. was born way before Darius died… Still I think there is something going on and I sure cannot wait to find out!

Well, I is out! It feels good to actually get my thoughts out. =)

Ciao 

Book Playlist or Not, That is the question.

Well, that along with “To read and blog, or to do homework and work…” I guess you can see where I went, but just because my grades depend on that answer. I have been slacking, I know *Sheepish grin.*  

  

This past weekend I kept playing certain songs whilst reading Angelology. They fit the mood of the book and the events happening on it [in my head at least.] I realized that it is something I usually do when I am either reading, or writing. It helps with understanding, getting into character sometimes– or staying IN character- and goes with the flowing plot. 

There is one special composer that I like, and I love reading to his music– Hans Zimmer. He did the music for Pirates of the Caribbean (2 & 3,)  The Dark Knight, Frost/Nixon, The DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, Serlock Holmes… Well, needless to say- I love his music. That got me into thinking how important music is to set the mood on something; and how it can make a movie suck, or the opposite. For every mood and every feeling there is, you can find a song to relate it to- the same with the reading. 

I definitely need music for everything I do: drawing, writing, reading… What about you? Do you listen to music when you do certain stuff? Can you not concentrate with it? Without it? =) 

Shadowglass Giveaway- Winner! =)

And here it goes, my first giveaway- Shadowglass by Erica Hayes. Thank you guys so much for participating! 

The winner is #8- Jennifer, who said:

Talk about cutting it close! Go me! HAH!

“Her personality is like syphilis.”

That is all.

YAY! Congrats Jennifer! Please send me your address to: ale_bodden11 (at) hotmail (dot) com

I promise that soon there will be another one! Oh yes there will be, trust me!! *Grin*

=)

I know, I know– I have been slacking and I am sorry about it. School have been kicking my ass in more ways than one. And last week I was not able to read Cat’s Claw— not even a page! I am still on page 200-something, can you believe that? I *SMH* at myself. Also, this week I am starting H.P. Lovecraft’s The Call of the Cthulhu because I am going to write a paper on it for my L-Scholars Program. It is going to be kindda hard, so I guess I will not be having a nice and relaxing Spring Break *le sigh.*

Hopefully this week I will be able to finish it! [I promise I will try!] 

XOXO~

Ale