Reading Wolf

So the new B&N eink reader has been announced. It has a glowlight, it's white, but guess what....no physical page turn buttons and NO SD EXPANDABLE STORAGE.

I am raging hardcore right now. The expandable memory and the fact that my first e-reader was a 1st edition Nook was the only think keeping me with the company. Now they have broken my heart and I will probably choose a Kobo as my next e-reader. Unless B&N restores the expandable storage, I can't see myself continuing as a loyal customer. I can deal with the lack of physical page turn buttons. I do use them quite a bit but I can DEAL...though I shouldn't have to deal. (I'm being a spoiled brat.) 

I'm just...so disappointed. Things like this shouldn't upset me the way they do. I shouldn't be this heartbroken over a stupid electronic device. But I am. 

I don't care that it is lighter.

I don't care that they have improved the grip.

I don't care about resolution improvements.

I don't care that page turns are no longer flashy.

I don't care that they "expanded" the storage to 4GB. Considering they took away SD expansion this is a loss really.

Not spending $119 on this. 

*Rant Over. Sorry for this outburst.*

Once again been without internet access, turns out my new phone carrier doesn't pick up at my house. 

Day 27: The Most Surprising Plot Twist or Ending

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

I haven't read a lot of books that surprised me in the end. Most books seem to have enough foreshadowing that I can predict what is going to happen. MNiM surprised me because I didn't see the story ending in a bittersweet way but it did. 

Day 28:  Favorite Title of a Book

There are two titles that I think are awesome and make me want to read the book each time I see them. 

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente - This mouthful of a title sounds like it would be full of magical creatures and stubborn young protagonists. 

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan - This title just screams "wife from the sea" and I grew up reading stories about men who married seal women (selkies) only to be abandoned later. 

Day 29: A Book Everyone Hated But You Liked

The Selection by Kiera Cass - I liked it well enough. A lot of people I follow seemed to dislike it quite a bit. I totally understand where they are coming from but it didn't hit me as hard I think as everyone else. 

Day 30: Your Favorite Book of All Time (doing this one early while I have internet)

I don't even think I could choose a favorite book of all time. There are so many books that I have loved for so many reasons. Most of I already talked about.

The Hobbit, Ella Enchanted, My Name is Memory, Deerskin, Stardust, I could just keep going with this list. Some of my very favorites fall into the retold fairy tales subgenre. Zel by Donna Jo Napoli is one that I haven't had a copy of in years and loved so much. I miss it. Wicked was a retelling of the Wicked Witch of the West and I loved the backstory involved in Elphaba's evolution into the WWoW. 

It is not possible for me to choose amongst them. They are all my favorites.

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 26: A Book That Changed Your Opinion about Something

Honestly, no book has ever done this. Sorry. Can't answer the question. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 24: A Book You Wish More People Would've Read

I try not to tell people what the read cause different people like different books but here are a few. 

The Monster Show by David J. Skal 

This is a really interesting examination of monsters in entertainment and how it relates to society. Read this cause of a college class I took. (Ghosts, Myths, and Legends) 

ANY BOOK ASSIGNED IN HIGH SCHOOL 

Because really these books are assigned for a reason and most of the time we just skim the books without really appreciating them. Then we reread them as adults and feel like "Why didn't I just read it then?". 

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Because the Wicked Witch of the West is misunderstood and she was born green, imagine the effect that can have on your social life. 

Day 25: A Character You Can Relate to the Most

Luna Lovegood - cause I am strange and live in my own little world most of the time. And I talk about imaginary creatures...a lot. 

I can't think of anymore off the top of my head. Well Hermione Granger but really that's just cause I try to correct people a lot and my hair is unruly. That's more of a how everyone else perceives me relation. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 23: A Book You Wanted to Read for a Long Time But Haven't

I'm just going to make a short list. 

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien - I've read bits and pieces but haven't gone full force into LOTR. 
2. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - I read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe as a kid but not the whole series. 
3. All Neil Gaiman's Books - I've wanted to read this for so long but keep putting it off. 
4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan - I just keep putting it off. 
5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - Seen the movie years ago, can't seem to get around to reading it. 
6. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt - Once again, saw the movie, loved it, still haven't read the book. 
7. The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare - I am currently reading City of Bones but I waited quite a while to finally start reading.
8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - I'm slow about reading classics it seems.
9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Classics *shrug*
10. 1984 by George Orwell - I want a PRINT copy. I will not read it until I have one.
11. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - This is always checked out and when my turn comes around to borrow it....something happens. I don't check email for three days and lose my chance. Or I read the email, star it, then forget to go back and check it out. That's ok. I'll get it. Hopefully soon.
12. Micro by Michael Crichton - I like Crichton's work, just too many YA books out there to read. Can't seem to swim back to adult land. LOL.
13. Ashfall by Mike Mullin - I keep putting this off. I want to read it but keep picking up something else. 
14. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood - I read Year of the Flood first, started reading O&C but then stopped. And I LIKED IT. 

**BTW You can only connect 10 books to your post

30 Day Book Challenge

Some of these challenges I feel only need brief mentionings so I am doing a two at a time post about them. 

Day 21: The First Novel You Remember Reading

Two books I distinctly remember in my childhood for different reasons though they are not the first two books I read. I mean a lot of people remember reading Green Eggs and Ham/Goodnight Moon/Berenstain Bears/Etc. so why really mention them.

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

I was obsessed with mythology and history as a kid. I still am at this point in my life, there are more historical eras and fairytales thrown in as well. The Egypt Game is one of the first history related kids books I remember reading. I could relate to the girls cause I was just like them. I loved to play make believe about Egyptian Gods/Goddesses/Life. This is one of the first books I felt I could relate to the characters. 

Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar

I remember reading this book for a different reason. It was the book I was reading in 2nd grade, in my mom's bedroom, the day before Thanksgiving....when our house caught on fire and I alerted my mom to the smoking coming from her bedroom. This book will forever stand out vividly because of that scary day. 

Here's the story of that day in brief:

It had been picture day, I was wearing your usual 90s kid female attire, a sunday best dress and frilly socks. I had just received Sixth Grade Secrets through a book program at school called RIF. I was laying on my mom's bed reading page after page, cause I liked to stretch out and the big bed allowed that...plus...QUIET. No little brothers to annoy me. 

I took a break to go get a something to snack on and use the restroom. When I came back to my mom's room, there was smoke in the air and the wall was covered in flames. I ran down the hall, told my mom, and went back to save my cat. Mom came running, saw the flames, told me to run to the neighbors while she got my brothers out of the house. 

I ran a quarter mile to the neighbors and ruined my frilly socks. The fire trucks came but the house was lost. So was my cat, she ran back into my mom's room after I grabbed her, Sixth Grade Secrets was unfinished, and every happy Thanksgiving after that was ruined. 

Day 22: A Book That Makes You Cry 

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson & Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner

I don't handle the death of children or animals very well.

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 20: Favorite Romance Book

I have said this many times, I'm not a romantic girl. Romance usually leaves a uncomfortable feeling in my stomach and I rarely swoon for hot bods and sugary words. But I respect a trope called Eternal Love, to a point. Some of the eternal love storylines, I just can't swing with and tend to skim read the romantic parts.

I like eternal love especially when the characters find each other over and over in either past lives or have some long ago (usually in their immortal/reincarnated lives) connection. Three books I feel fit into this category and I enjoyed them. One was a little less romance and more, lets destroy a classic love story. And I liked that. 

My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares

Daniel has retained the same soul throughout centuries. And he has in some way fallen in love with the same girl(or old lady) over and over throughout the centuries. Her name changes but she is still the same soul, though she does not know it. And each time they are torn apart by fate. The ending was sad and left a major cliffhanger, but I have a feeling that Sophia (Lucy) will be seeing Daniel once again. And not as a romantic love this time. 

This book would also fall under the Reincarnation Romance trope. I count it as Eternal Love though, not every love Daniel feels for Sophia is romantic in nature. 

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Nasty (Nastasya) is around 450 years old, but looks good for her age. For the past 100 years she has been a self-absorbed pleasure hound who cares for no one but herself. She grows sick of that life and takes refuge in a house for immortals who've had a little to much fun in their day. 

The book had quiet a few of your standard gushy "he is so hot" moments and Nasty is a little immature at times. I liked this though because she can grow from that. She can develop and change into a likeable character. The flashbacks were well written in my opinion and I liked the backstory that carries into the second book. There is a third book in the trilogy which I haven't read yet, I'll be getting on that soon. 

Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

This takes the Romeo/Juliet story and reworks it into a battle between good and evil. Juliet was killed by Romeo for immortality. Now she works on the side of "good" as an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. She fights for True Love and to keep Romeo and the Mercenaries from taking their souls. 

There were some poorly written plots to the story and an alt universe thrown in at the end but I think the sequel, Romeo Redeemed is going to work out the kinks and hopefully bring Romeo around to the side of good. 

Mostly I liked this book because it took a love story, tore it apart, made you hate the character you originally wished was your boyfriend, and made my black little heart happy. But it counts as Eternal Love because I know Juliet and Romeo will work their conflict out. They will be back together, just watch. 

30 Day Book Challenge

I missed Day 18 because we were without power or cell service all day Friday. I am just going to combine 18 & 19 into the same post. 

Day 18: A Book That Disappointed You

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I understand all the symbolism of the story. I understand all the conflicts, the characterisation, the main theme of the story...but the storytelling is really disappointing me. I was hoping for more....depth. I feel like there is no pull, nothing to make me want to turn page after page. 

Day 19: Favorite Book Turned Into a Movie

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (Adaptation 1964's The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price)

I think The Last Man on Earth did more justice to the original Matheson storyline then 2007's I Am Legend. There is a third adaptation The Omega Man (1971) starring Charlton Heston, but I haven't seen it so I cannot judge it. TLMoE kept the spooky feel of the story and without leaning heavily on bad CGI and hairbrained story additions. Plus....Vincent Price. Come on. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 17: Favorite Quote from Favorite Book

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

“It is helpful to know the proper way to behave, so one can decide whether or not to be proper.” 
― Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted

“I'm wondering what to read next." Matilda said. "I've finished all the children's books.” 
― Roald Dahl, Matilda

“Remember this: Nothing is written in the stars. Not these stars, nor any others. No one controls your destiny.” 
― Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly -- they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” 
― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 16: Favorite Female Character

Toss up between Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood.

I can relate to both characters.

Hermione is really bookish and has that thing she does when correcting someone...the sort of scoff then the know it all explanation. Yea...I do that. Except I say "Actually......blah blah blah blah blah" and it really irritates people. LOL. I wasn't the first to raise my hand to answer every question though. I was far too shy for that and made fun of way to much to draw attention willingly to myself. 

Whereas Luna is a dreamer, she lives in a world of her own and dances to drums no one else can hear...(whoa...sort of like The Master) and she is a joke to others. But she is that way cause she is so comfortable in her own skin and she has a quiet intelligence that doesn't need to be bandied around showing everyone up. She is the opposite of a know it all. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 15: Favorite Male Character

Bilbo Baggins 

I'm not even going to explain why, he's just sassy and all professory. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 14: Book Turned Movie and Completely Desecrated

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The book was and still is one of my favorites. The movie was cute and funny...but nothing like the book. Not one bit. So many scenes I LOVED were not even mentioned. The movie made Char and Ella's love look like insta-love and it really pissed me off....then there was the addition of the Uncle. I like Cary Elwes, I do, but he just look and talked like an old high school boyfriend of mine so...and he was no where in that book. And Ella doesn't do martial arts. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 13: Your Favorite Writer

I like a lot of writers. But for the sake of being short-winded, I will only list five writers I will read without hesitation. 

Neil Gaiman - The first book I read by Gaiman was Stardust. He is a fantastic writer and I love his storytelling. 

Gail Carson Levine - It started way back with Ella Enchanted and continued with Two Princesses of Bamarre, Cinderellis and the Glass Hill, etc. I love retold fairytales, I love to see the magic reworked to make something whimsical and entertaining. Levine fulfills my hopes and wishes with every book. 

Jackson Pearce - Once again, retold fairytales. (Loved the original covers) But she has a few non-fairytale books I would like to read as well. (Purity) 

John Green - I like his nerdy, cute guys and manic pixie dream girls. Plus there is meaning in a lot of his novels. 

Libba Bray - I liked the hilarity of Beauty Queens and the setting of A Great and Terrible Beauty. And The Diviners....I love ghost stories and I love historical fiction. Best of both worlds. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 12: A Book You Love But Hate at the Same Time

There are actually three books...all in the same series that I love but hate at the same time. But I will only talk about the first one.

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I hate this book for two simple reasons. I LOVE the world building. I love the IDEA of this meteor hitting the moon and causing the apocalypse. I love the descriptions of the apocalyptic events, but I hate the character Miranda and groan at the scientific impossibilities. 

Miranda gets on my last nerve. She whines, she complains, she makes horrible decisions. So much angst while reading this. The girl just really was spoiled. She seemed to worry more about finding a boyfriend then how her family was going to survive. Maybe I'm being too harsh, maybe. But I don't think so. 

And the Science involved makes my eye twitch. The meteor just WASN'T big enough to cause that effect on the moon. Nope. I may be a historian, but I studied for a B.S. in History, so I was exposed to more science than humanities. I freaking KNOW this science is suspect. And honestly, there were astronomers studying the crap out of that meteor, wouldn't they notice in their calculations that this could happen?!? 

But the description of the events was entertaining. All the other characters were entertaining. And that is why I kept reading. And why I will read the last book. Unless of course it has really horrible characters as well. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 11: A Book You Hated

Season of the Witch by Troy Taylor

I was assigned this book in a college History class (Ghosts, Myths, and Legends - BEST CLASS EVER!) and I hated this book with a passion. I kept this book for a while but made the mistake, or luck, of loaning it to a family member. I never got it back. So most of this statement is based on what I remember of the story. I remember the inaccuracy in general and the dislike of the lackluster storytelling.

It was full of historical inaccuracies and poorly researched. It is supposed to be about the Bell Witch of Adams, TN. But really it was about twisting the facts to make this tale somewhat scary. Frankly, I have read scarier stuff in a children's book. The author seems to be a ghost hunter, which is cool. I like Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, and Ghost Lab as much as the next paranormal fan. But I know ghost hunters twist things to make them seem more scary. They stretch the truth. And this was just a written version of a ghost hunting show.

This was NOT an actual historical account.  The real story of the Bell Witch is actually interesting, but nothing like the 2005 movie An American Haunting. There is a lot of hair pulling and talk of Native American spirits haunting the family. 

The Legend of the Bell Witch gives a general account of the accepted mythos of the Bell Witch. 

30 Day Book Challenge

Day 10: A Book That Reminds You of Home

Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

There are two reasons why I connect this book with the feeling of HOME. 

1. It is set in "Live Oaks, South Carolina" so basically in my home state! The story is about a brother and sister who are turned out of their home by their stepmother. They leave Washington (state) and travel toward Folly Beach, South Carolina. In the prologue it is revealed that the girl, Gretchen, was a twin. Her sister was taken by a witch in the forests of Washington. For Gretchen and Ansel, escaping from Washington is a dream made possible by their banishment by their uncaring stepmother. They arrive in South Carolina and the Jeep breaks down, stranding them in Live Oaks, SC. They are taken in by Sophia Kelly, a local candy maker who creates treats seemingly made of magic. You can see the fairytale retelling set up here. Hansel and Gretel. 

2. This is the first book I bought when I moved back to my home state in 2012. I remember riding with my younger brother in his 1970-something, Powder Blue, VW Beetle on a sunday driving expedition. We had no real idea of where we wanted to go but we were just out driving around, enjoying the scenery and discovering new places. He asked me when I last bought a book and if I wanted to stop at the bookstore. He offered to buy me a book because he was happy I was home. So we went into Books A Million and my eyes landed on this book. The purple drew me in, the fairytale retelling drew me in, and so...I took it home. I devoured Sweetly. 

It is a shame they recently redesigned the covers, I have both Sisters Red and Sweetly in the original covers. They are so beautiful. But now Fathomless and Cold Spell will look out of place...unless of course I design my OWN covers and print them out...hmmmm. 

30 Day Book Challenge