Title: Chosen (House of Night 3)
Author: P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal
Pages: 320

Synopsis: Dark forces are at work at the House of Night and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school take a mysterious turn. Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies. And oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends. So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before. Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity. Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected and rare position of having three boyfriends. Mix a little bloodlust into the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster. Just when it seems things couldn’t get any tougher, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-father in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres. But, as Zoey and her friends so often find out, how things appear rarely reflects the truth…

Personal Rating:

Thoughts: (Yes I skipped reviewing the second book, I really didn't have many thoughts on it.) Ok, I'm giving this a 4-star rating even though I actually do have a lot of various complaints and somewhat agree with some of the more negative reviews I've read. Firstly, the writing really isn't that great. Some books are just richly written, some are way more simplistic and even 'bare' in spots. These books are most definitely more simplistic. Like Twilight simplistic. It's a little off-putting at first until (or unless) you get engrossed in the story.

By this point in the seriss things in Zoey's life have started to both speed up and slow down. Things aren't always going her way so much as in the previous book, and the drama is increased. She gets herself into some pretty sticky (and dumb) situations, and I've seen a lot of complaints about this but hello? She's a kid. We've all made dumb choices as teenagers (and adults). The story also started to feel pretty repetitive and I did find myself skimming in a few places. And yes, it gets a tad preachy with Zoey's beliefs.

However, having said all of that I still found the entertainment value of it outweighed all of my complaints. Which is exactly what happened with the Twilight series, which I love but can also equally pick apart.

Total books read so far this year: 62

Title: Marked (House of Night 1)
Author: P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal
Pages: 320

Synopsis: The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire--that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

Personal Rating:

Thoughts: Vampires and magic. I have to say this book had a rather unique take on vampires to any other books I've read. The crescent tattoo of those who are Marked, the unique facial tattoos of each vampire, the fact that not all survive the Change, and the emphasis on female empowerment. I like that Zoey was from Oklahoma and of Cherokee descent. The heavy emphasis on magic was also a fun twist. Overall it's just fun and witty and very entertaining.

Total books read so far this year: 60

I have not made journal icons in ages. Didn't even save these in the right format and the borders really bug me but, I just wanted something to do. I'll do better ones another time.



( 30 behind the cut )

All images found on tumblr. Take, alter, no credit necessary.

Didn't figure I could share this on Facebook so I'll share it here because I've watched it twice and cracked up mightily both times.




This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth.

Not long ago I had obtained a free copy of Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. About halfway through my reading, the file ended, precisely on page 172 out of 240 pages. This simply will not due. I'm really liking this book and I have to finish reading it.

So I pop over to Barnes and Noble, where I learn its ridiculous price: $12.99.

Really?? For a freaking e-book?? Really? I shop for e-books the way I shop for real books. They better be cheap or it's a no-go. My cut-off price for e-books is $7.99. $8.99 if it's a vampire book. I quickly shake my head and devote myself to finding another free copy that would surely work better.

Nope! No dice. I scroll back over to B&N and eye the price again, off and on for another half an hour. I browse, I look through my other books trying to find something else to read, but all I can think of is finishing this book. I like this book, I want this book.

Somewhere, in the logical part of my brain, it occurs to me that I've laughed, giggled, chuckled and all out guffawed over nearly every page of this book. If ever there was an author that deserved $13 out of my pocket, clearly it's this crazy woman.

So I finally suck it up and click the 'buy now' link to obtain a legal copy, grumbling and muttering the whole time. I'm happy I have it, but I still feel grief over the price. I will internally bitch about this price for days to come.

All over twelve dollars and ninety-nine cents.

I've had my Nook for awhile now. And while in general I've only used it in a limited capacity since I don't yet have wireless, I seem to have solved one of my complaints against it: the 'swipe' option of turning pages never worked for me. Until I finally got around to downloading the software update. Now it works beautifully and I'm happy.

Of course that might have only been part of the fix. My biggest complaint is the battery life. So I did some googling to confirm that no, it's not just my Nook but all Nooks in general that have ridiculously short battery lives. From what I read, 4-5 days in between charging is the norm (with wireless turned off), and about what I get. But I've adjusted my settings further to try to get more juice out of it. Like limiting the time the color touch screen lights up, and how bright it gets, etc. It was mentioned that also could improve the 'swiping' ability. We'll see if it does much to the battery life, though just from my reading today it doesn't seem to have worn it down much. -fingers crossed-

And, overall it turns pages a little faster, which is always nice. So yay for updates!

This some makes me tear up whenever I hear it. It's one of those songs where you think my God, she's singing right to me. It's my 'it'll be ok' song.

1) What would you say your all-time favorite book/author is?
Wow, that's honestly a hard one. I can't say that I have a favorite right now. But my favorite genre at the moment is young adult fiction, specifically paranormal romance. Vampires, fallen angels, etc.


2) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Anywhere with more opportunities for someone like me. Living in the middle of nowhere has its perks, it's quieter, people in general are more apt to want to help you out, and we have amazing, un-chlorinated water. It's a good place to retire, not start a life. I'm cut off from a lot of things life has to offer by being stuck here. Including relationships that have nothing to do with the internet.


3) What are some of your favorite songs/artists?
My favorites are in a constant state of flux, but here's a few:

Artists:
Pink
Sara Bareilles
Bon Iver
Florence + The Machine
He Is We
Hinder
Theory of a Deadman
Jimmy Eat World
The Limousines
Rihanna
The Pretty Reckless

Songs:
Sheryl Crow - Strong Enough (I still maintain this is my personal theme song.)
Eminem - Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna
B.o.B - Airplanes (Feat. Hayley Williams of Paramore)
Taylor Swift - Back To December
Eve 6 - Here's To The Night
Sam Phillips - Reflecting Light
Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Fishin' In The Dark (I AM a country girl, after all.)


4) What are your New Year's Resolutions (if you make them)?
I don't call them resolutions, but here's what I'd like to accomplish this year:
- Spend more time journaling because I think it's important.
- Read more: I've set a goal for 30 books in 2011.
- Become a tea drinker. I feel the need to branch out with my hot beverages. :)
- Basically just experience whatever I can, whenever I can.


5) What was the happiest moment of your life?
Probably when the ex proposed to me. It was a simple moment, there was no grand gesture, no getting down on one knee or anything 'typical', but in that moment I realized being married and starting a family with someone was everything I never knew I wanted.

And the guys in hockey masks dancing all goofy? Can't stop laughing at that. lol

I finally got around to buying a case for my Nook. Actually it's not a case but a zippered bag that I ordered from WallabyBagCo on Etsy before Christmas, and got it a few days ago. Prettier and much more reasonably priced than the stuff from Barnes and Noble.



My only complaint is that it's just about a smidge too small. I have to angle my Nook just right or it pushes the power button and turns it on as I slide it inside. But overall I like it. :)