This Winter Is Killing Me

Okay so not literally, but it fecking feels like it.

So far 2015 has been a cruel mistress, and the winter has been just as bitchy. (I’d like to use a harsher word, but my swearing is bad enough. No need to take it up a notch. At least not publicly 😉 )

Just when I thought Spring has finally arrived with sunshine and grass and mud, we get more snow. And the melting landscape is once again a winter wonderland.

Blah.

On Sunday I got home from taking care of my mom for close to two weeks. Hence my absence. (She’s fine, btw. Just post op recovery 🙂 )

I had hoped to come back with a peppy update and book review. (I’m currently reading ‘Doctor Sleep’ by Stephen King). I thought I’d finish it at my mom’s but I didn’t even crack it open.

But I honestly feel very tired and run down. In a couple of days I plan to catch up on reading some of my fave blogs. And, if I can summon the energy, write a Fandom Friday post! I need to get the geek up and running in this place again! 😉

I did get a couple of fantastic geeky letters and managed to send one out as well. Oh, and ‘The Walking Dead’ finale. HOLY. HELL.

I certainly hope you have all been well. Thanks for sticking around. 🙂

What geeky things have you been up to? DID YOU WATCH TWD??? I NEED to know your thoughts!! 😉

Quick Update and Book Review

I have spent the last week being very sick. The flu that hit me was the worst one I have gone through in a long time. Nothing like waking up feeling like death for days on end.

And on top of that, Cape Breton had the storm of the century. And just a couple of days later, I am home from work due to a snow day. yet another 20 cm is barreling down on us. Oh. Joy.

During these days, I managed to finish my current book, ‘Lover at Last’ by JR Ward. This is my last JR Ward book for a bit. While I am dying to get into the next book of the series, ‘The King’, I don’t have it yet. Today I started a Stephen King to break things up just a tad.

My mind was pretty wonky when I read ‘Lover At Last.’ Between three days of no sleep (I wish I was joking) and flu meds, my head was fuzzy. But I was able to read it and still enjoyed it.

Back Cover: Qhuinn, son of no one, is used to being on his own. Disavowed from his bloodline, shunned by the aristocracy, he has finally found an identity as one of the most brutal fighters in the war against the Lessening Society. But his life is not complete. Even as the prospect of having a family of his own seems to be within reach, he is empty on the inside, his heart given to another….

Blay, after years of unrequited love, has moved on from his feelings for Qhuinn. And it’s about time: The male has found his perfect match in a Chosen female, and they are going to have a young—just as Qhuinn has always wanted for himself. It’s hard to see the new couple together, but building your life around a pipe dream is just a heartbreak waiting to happen. As he’s learned firsthand.

Fate seems to have taken these vampire soldiers in different directions… but as the battle over the race’s throne intensifies, and new players on the scene in Caldwell create mortal danger for the Brotherhood, Qhuinn finally learns the true definition of courage, and two hearts who are meant to be together… finally become one.

My Thoughts: When all is said and done, I really enjoyed this book. It was the one I have been dying to get to for awhile. I did feel a bit disappointed in the execution of this novel.

One thing I did with this book that I hadn’t really done with the others (and I am ashamed to admit it) was skim over several scenes. Most of the ones with Assail and Sola. I’m supposed to care about characters and I didn’t care about these two at all. I felt like this wasn’t the book to see their POV. I ended up skipping these parts, to get on with the rest of the story. I felt the attention was taken away from Quinn and Blay and it was supposed to be ‘their’ book.

There was a lot of character development, especially with Quinn. I have loved Quinn since the first time we see him. He is a strong character and in this book does some epic things, including pulling off the mother of Hail Mary’s when flying a plane for the first time, and coming to terms with who he is, and finds the courage to…well, you will have to read the book to find that out.

There were too many different POV’s, but I did love  seeing the POV of Wrath, The Blind King, yet again. I miss seeing the minds of the original Brothers, the ones who the first number of books centered around. The more into the series we go, the less of their POV we see. (That is why I am so stoked about the Legacy series, where we will see the main Brothers yet again.)

Also, I found there was just a bit too much angst. I felt like the end result could have happened a bit sooner so we could have seen some more of the happier moments. I felt for Quinn because he’s already had so much crap happen to him in his life that I just wanted him to be happy already. The guy deserves it.

Overall I loved it. JR Ward is a fantastic author who has created in depth characters, keeps the story going with plot twists, leaves you hanging and wanting more.

As much as I love vampires, I am now into an adventure with the King of Horror. After that, I’m not too sure. What are you reading? What’s next on your reading list?

Liebster Nomination: Part 2!

So in my last post I answered my questions from Shannon. Now it is my turn to nominate some of my fave blogs for this award!

1- Midget Bites

2- Gingerbread Sagas

3- Pink Letter Box

4- Devalayer Mail 

5- A Little Bit Kinder

My Questions:

1-What are your top 5 favorite books?

2-What city would you like to travel to and why/

3-What are your 3 favorite foods?

4-How do you relax?

5-How do you start your day?

6-If you could have a fictional character come to life, who would it be and why?

7- If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, past and present, who would it be?

8- If you were give $1000 and were told you could only use it for fun, what would you do?

9-What is your favorite hobby and how did you get into it?

10- If you had a superpower, what would it be?

11- Would you be a hero or the villain?

So there you have it, some blogs I follow and love and I think you will too! To my nominees, now it’s your turn to nominate some of your fave blogs! Don’t forget the rules! (Found Here In Part 1)

Golly Gosh! A Liebster Nomination! (Part 1)

So last week I get an email from my friend and pen pal Shannon from The Simple Joys of Life asking me if she could use a photo to represent my blog because I was nominated. I was just so excited that I got nominated for something, that I didn’t ask the what and the why of it all.

Not sure what this is all about? The Liebster Award, it is an award given to Bloggers, from Bloggers. To receive an award, you should have less than 200 followers and the goal is to small blogs you like and help them get discovered. I think it’s a great idea and a lovely gesture!

I am happy just to have some followers and get the odd like here and there. I didn’t know when I started this if anyone would follow me (over 80 of you now, I love you all 🙂 ) or if anyone would even like or comment, but quite a few have. I love the interaction. I am honored to be nominated!

Shannon posted the rules so I’m snatching them from her! 😉

1- Mention the person who nominated you on your own blog and link them.

2- Answer the 11 questions chosen by the person who nominated you

3- Nominate 5 to 11 more blogs you like who have less than 200 followers

4- Create your 11 questions

5- Let your nominees know!

Quick and easy!

Shannon’s Questions:

1- What  pushed you to start blogging?

If you had asked me five years ago about blogging, I would have told you I’d never do it. But never say never. I don’t know what pushed me to start exactly. I have always loved writing, from fiction to journals. I looked at blogging as another way to journal, to talk about the things I love or are interested in. Or even just to vent.

2- What is your favorite blog and why?

Oh this is tricky! Instead of naming which blog is my fave, I will tell you my fave type of blog. The ones I read about most are about writing (fiction as well as pen palling). They are two of my biggest loves.

3- If you could put 5 things from your home into a time capsule today, what would they be?

Hmmm, I’d go with an album with my family photos, my Harry Potter books, a letter to my future self, my Yoshi plushie, annnnnnnd my favorite movie of all time, ‘The Princess Bride’.

4- What is your all time favorite book?

Gasp! ONE?! JUST ONE?! LOL! Well, this is a VERY hard one for me to answer, because I have MANY! But today I think I will say…..’Lover Eternal’ by JR Ward. (If you’ve read these books, Rhage is my bae 😉 )

5- If you could travel anywhere tomorrow, where would you go and why?

Scotland! I have wanted to go here since I was a kid. Learn more about the history and visit CASTLES!

6- What do you do to relax?

I read. I also love walks. Nothing better then zoning out with tunes in my ears while enjoying the outdoors.

7- Do you prefer the country or the city?

I’d rather a rural area, a place that’s in between the two.

8- What is the most adventurous thing you ever did?

Oh my, well, I have never done anything wild or crazy like skydive or something. But a couple years ago we went to Toronto for Fan Expo. It was my first plane ride and first big trip and we did SO much. So that trip was an adventure in itself.

9- How do you like to start your day?

When the weather is good, with a walk. I get to wake up and get in a good mood with my music and fresh air. I get ready for work and play on my computer for a few minutes or read a chapter of my newest book before heading to work. And I need an iced coffee from Timmy’s. My day doesn’t go right if I don’t have that tasty delight.

10- How did you come about one of the hobbies you blog about?

I started pen palling when I was little. I wanted to get some mail and my mom told me “Well if you want mail then you have to write.” So at eight years old I started sending letters to my cousin in Newfoundland. When I got into sixth grade, our class had penpals from another school. My interest grew from there.

11- What is your favorite word?

I don’t really have a favorite word. not at the moment anyway!

So I have a few ideas as to who I will nominate. I just have to try to figure out if they have less then 200 followers and more importantly, think of some questions! 🙂

Book Review: Lover Reborn

Back Cover: Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment has been a heartbroken shadow of the vampire leader he once was. Brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel, he fights again with ruthless vengeance, unprepared for a new tragedy. Seeing his beloved in dreams—trapped in a cold, isolated netherworld—Tohr turns to the angel Lassiter to save his former mate. The only way to rescue her is for Tohr to love another. As war with the lessers rages, and a new clan of vampires vie for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between an unforgettable past and a hot, passion-filled future. But can his heart let go and set all of them free?

My Rating: 5 out of 5

My Review: Lover reborn is book 10 in the Blackdagger Brotherhood series. It is now in the top 3 of my favorites for this series. It almost comes in first, but Rhage (book #2) will always be my #1!

Ok so, I was looking forward to this book for awhile. Tohrment was one of my favorite brothers since book one. His character has pretty much gone through hell and back, and finally he gets his own book and happily ever after.

Through the coarse of the series, the man Tohr looked up to as a father/best friend was killed, his shellan was murdered, his best friend and Brother (the Blind King) was severely injured, had a rift with his adopted son, and he was on the brink of death himself. If it wasn’t for a sassy fallen angel, he would have died. When he returned home to the mansion to be with his Brothers, Tohr was the shell of who he used to be. And come on, after everything he went through, who could blame the guy?

Lassiter informs Tohr that his late shellan, Wellsie, has not moved onto the Fade. That she is stuck in the In Between, and if Tohrment doesn’t move on, his beloved will vanish with their unborn son into nothingness. And it’s not just Wellsie’s fate at stake. Lassiter has been sent to help him move on, and he doesn’t think he’s the angel for the job.

Meanwhile we have No’One, once a female of worth, she comes from the Other Side to be with her daughter. She has her own horrible past and renamed herself No’One, since that is how she sees herself. Later she is renamed, and I loved the new name and how it happened.

I loved watching Tohr and No’one become friends, and then slowly turn into more. He denied any feelings of love even though to me it was obvious. A couple of times I yelled at the book (am I the only one who does that!?) because I just wanted them to realize their love and be happy.

We also seen more of the Band of Bastards. The leader, Xcor, wants to overthrow Wrath and become King of the vampire race. We haven’t seen much of the Lessers, aside from the fights with them. (I hate when I have to read the point of view of one of those baby powder scented bastards.)

This was the best book I have read in this series in awhile. I enjoyed the last few but they didn’t have me this engrossed. Tohr ripped my heart up on more then one occasion. I am a sucker for pain and angst in a book and this poor guy has it in spades. Needless to say, I cried with him but I also cried for him.

Some people online were worried that the WARDen couldn’t pull this story off. She totally did. I had faith in her.

Now that this book is finished, I have two books to go before I am caught up, but I doubt I will get both finished before the newest is released at the end of the month. I need to track down a copy of ‘The King’, and luckily for me I have ‘Lover at Last’ sitting on my shelf waiting for me.

International Women’s Day

For once I am actually on top of things, and not worrying about being late like the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

Today is International Women’s Day, and I have chosen to honor it with my favorite thing in the world: books.

Books written by my favorite female authors, which include some of my most favorite female characters.

I could have picked a bigger stack of books for this, but then I wouldn’t have been able to get them all in one photo. So I narrowed it down to my top faves.

‘Lover Eternal’ is my favorite book written in J.R Wards ‘The Blackdagger Brotherhood’ series, which features Mary Madonna Luce, who is compassionate, kind, and has a heart made from gold.

‘One’s Aspect to the Sun’ is written by Sherry D. Ramsey. Sherry’s novels and short stories always feature strong and interesting characters. I love Captain Luta Paixon, and her secret. (Wouldn’t it be nice to never look older then your thirties?!)

I’ve loved Jodi Picoult since I read ’19 Minutes’, which is a heartbreaking story that hits too close to home for some. I love how she shows the story for everyone’s aspect, and not just one or two POV’s. In stories such as ’19 Minutes’, seeing those extra POV’s adds depth to the story. Bonus Points: I wrote to her and she signed my card I sent. 😀

Jane Austen. If I could have picked an era to live in, it would have been hers. ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is the novel that made me fall in love with her. I’m a sucker for romance, and I have watched the movie and read the book countless times. The Dashwood sisters remain near and dear to my heart. Although sometimes I have wanted to kick Marianne right in the caboose.

Being the sucker I am for vampires, the supernatural and romance, my guilty pleasure is the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. Although one of her books, towards the last of the series had me irked at the fantastic author, I have still loved each and one of these books. Charlaine has been one of the authors who inspired me to write dark fantasy/paranormal romance, and Sookie will always be one of my favorite female characters. (I’m a book or two behind. Don’t tell me if Sookie did something to fuck shit up.)

J.K Rowling inspired the world and our imaginations with Harry Potter. And what better female to honor today in the fictional world then Hermoine Granger, the bookworm/book smart/street smart lady full of sass who kept Ron and Harry in line. I am happy that someone had the sense to pull her manuscript out of the trash and seen it for what it was and is: pure gold.

Sophie Kinsella has always made me laugh with Becky Bloomwood’s antics, and made me cry in ‘Remember Me.’ No matter what book of hers I am reading, she never fails to entertain me and leaves me wanting more.

Another author that fills my love of dark fantasy is Karen Marie Moning. I started out reading her Highlander series when a client of mine recommended it to me. I devoured them quickly and moved on to her Fever series. The Fever series features MacKayla Lane aka Mac. She’s a girly girl who loves pink, who is thrown into the world of the supernatural and discovers she has a rare talent. I loved watching her transform from Mac 1.0, to the killer mac 5.0.

These are some of the ladies and characters who have inspired me and continue to do so. Aside from my mom of coarse 😉 Where would we be without those women who loved us no matter what and stuck by our side?

What female authors/ characters have inspired you?

Snail Mail, Old Man Winter and My Currently Off Kilter Life

I feel like I should start off with an apology.

My life the last two months has been very up and down, and my inner timeline is messed up. Every time I think of a post that ‘needs’ to be written, my next thought is “Oh, that should have been last week.”

Like my Month of Letters in February. I wasn’t the best at keeping up with updates and fun mail.

I’ve got a few ideas rolling in my head that center around the writing life, books and other geekery, I just haven’t had the mental energy or brain cells to remember to write them up.

I’ve had my mom on my mind for the last week or so especially. She had a surgery (all went well!) but of coarse, the worry and stress took up a good 90% of my brain.

The winter and I don’t exactly see eye to eye, either. And with the shit show that has nailed us here on the east coast, it makes me want to hibernate with books, video games, and Storm Chips. (Because, every snow storm needs some salty goodness to get you through it.)

I’ve had a few shining moments in the last week or so. My newest autograph showed up in the mail.

John Lithgow in one of my all time fave movies, ‘Harry and the Hendersons.’

I was pretty stoked the day I opened this. I have been a huge John Lithgow fan for years.

I also had another ‘celeb’ pop up in my mail box when I got another fab letter from Shannon.

Captain America was joined by two other Avengers. #Snail Mail Win

I also got two late Valentines, which was a sweet surprise. Mel and Sarah both sent me one. The one from Mel is currently missing in my paper pile (If you are reading this, thank you and no rush with a letter. ❤ ) And this one is from Sarah in the USA.

Snail mail Valentine. Too cute eh?

So, I promise I will get properly on track as soon as I can. Right now Momma Bear comes first on my list and also in my head.

In the meantime, when I am not re-blogging other cool posts or making a quick stop in, I’m making a list of ideas for future ramblings.

I hope you’re surviving the winter. And don’t forget the Storm Chips! 😉

Book Review: The Murder Prophet

Back Cover: Kit Stablefield is a detective with a secret and a crush on a guy she knows only online, in a future where magic is a part of everyday life. But when millionaire Aleshu Coro walks into the offices of Darcko and Sadatake with a message from the Murder Prophet and fourteen days to live, everything changes.

Suddenly Kit is questioning the decisions of her past, trying to find out if the man she loves is, in fact, a man, and hunting for a murderer and a mysterious seer. With her eighty-six-year-old grandmother insisting on helping out, and a sentient goose who simply won’t stop pestering her to watch his “killer” video game moves, Kit has more than her hands full as she races against the clock to prevent Coro’s murder…and possibly her own.

My rating: 5 out of 5

My Review: I am a HUGE fan of Sherry D. Ramsey, and not just because I happen to know her in real life. I have read quite a few of her stories, including her break out novel ‘One’s Aspect To The Sun.’ And even though some of her stories aren’t typically in the genre I read, she never fails at capturing my attention and drawing me deep into the world she has created.

If you love science fiction and fantasy, then this book is for you! It has an intriguing story line with strong and interesting characters.

This novel has so much that I loved. I was hooked right at the beginning when we met Trip, a talking goose who is addicted to video games (and happens to have KILLER ninja moves). Then there is the mysterious man who goes by LemurCandy, an AI with some pep, a group of co-workers who are all very different but manage to work well together, magic, and a mystery when a millionaire has his life threatened.

‘The Murder Prophet’ is full of twists, suspense and secrets, and I was engrossed in the story. The only reason why I hadn’t finished this quicker is because life got in the way. (It has an unfortunate way of doing that sometimes, doesn’t it?)

This was a great read overall. I am really looking forward to the next book and finding out what adventures Kit Stablefield goes on next!

I really wish I could convey just how much I loved this story. With being home sick, I’m not functioning at high capacity. 😉 So if you really want to see for yourself how good it is, go grab yourself a copy and dive in! 🙂

Oh, and as for my Goodreads challenge of reading thirty books this year, I’m on track and this makes five books finished. How many books have you read so far this year?