Just Keep Swimming...

What I'm listening to right now: Star Wars soundtrack
What mood I'm in today: Reading

I'm loving this new year. I've finished, like, four books. Does it really matter that I started three of them last year? Or that two of them were audio books? Maybe. But I did finally finish Mockingjay and LOVED it. Not only that, but I picked up on a new series about the Syrena, a book called Of Poseidon by Anna Banks. Here are the links to my Goodreads reviews.

 

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

 

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

I decided I must still be a teenager at heart. Not that I want to go through that again (please no!). But I love YA books. It's totally on my level!

Until next time, Happy Reading!

Happy New Year!

What I'm listening to: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Audiobook
What Mood I'm In: Writing

Happy New Year! Loved all the books I read last year; here are reviews on Goodreads for the last two I finished:

The Iron Traitor, by Julie Kagawa

and

What Happened to Serenity, by PJ Sara Collins

May you have Happy Readings in your new year! Short but sweet, my mission this year is to link this with my Goodreads reviews. It saves me a lot of work. Good luck to you!

Skulduggery Is Afoot

What I'm Listening To: Linkin Park, What I've Done
What Mood I'm In Today: Editing

This is a copout, because I'm just copying and pasting my review from Goodreads, but really. I have to read all of Shakespeare's sonnets by Friday, so relax. Also, this is more of a kids book than a YA book. But I enjoyed.

 

I couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars, so I just put 4, mostly because my kids absolutely LOVED this book. They're pretty excited now to read the rest of the series.
Skulduggery Pleasant is the name of a skeleton detective who works for the magical. Stephanie is actually the protagonist, and this is her story of how she got involved in a case and a chase for a key and a mythical scepter that not even the strangest creatures believed in. It's fast paced and really interesting.
That being said, it was a little harder to follow because there was so much going on. I felt like there was a lot of information scrunched into one book, and too many characters. After a few chapters I was thinking, "Who's Tanneth?" This could also be because we listened to the book while on a road trip, so I recommend sitting down and reading this one. It will probably make more sense.
Very fun though, and my oldest son especially enjoyed it and started drawing the characters while we were in the car. If you like fantasy books that are maybe similar to Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, this is a really fun book.
Click for link to Goodreads site

Finally! The Eternity Cure is Finished

What I'm listening to: My kids playing with G.I. Joe toys.
What mood I'm in: Writing

Everybody knows I love Julie Kagawa. The second book in The Blood of Eden series called The Eternity Cure was my most recent finish. It was hard to finish, too, because I've been reading Shakespeare for school. I've got so much time on my hands, right? (Please inject sarcasm here).
The Eternity Cure begins with Allie and Jackal making their way to Keenan to free him from the psycho vamp named Sarren. On their way there, they run into Zeke of all people, and Allie remembers everything, especially how much she's in love with him. But of course, romances for vamps and humans is a no-no (if we haven't learned that from Twilight when will we?). He goes with them anyway, promising to help Allie free Keenan.
They have to deal with a power-hungry Vamp Prince who infects Keenan with the new Red Lung virus just to make sure they can track down Sarren and get a cure. We learn that Jackal has a real name - James - and it's fun for Allie to call him that because he hates it. Through all kinds of twists and turns, the end leaves you hanging and waiting for more.
AUGHHH! Spoiler Alert!
Seriously? I think Zeke is a vamp now.

Anyway...What I loved about this book was the story and the romance between Allie and Zeke. They're two totally tough kids from weird backgrounds who want to prove to the world that they can make it. I like Keenan, he's one of my favorite characters, and I'm still dying to find out why he Turned Allie. I like Jackal too, and I love the reappearance of Stick, who, let's face it, is infatuated with Allie and probably didn't feel a bit sorry for turning Zeke over to Sarren in the end.
What I didn't like about this book....not much. It was long, but sometimes it's worth it. And there were two f-bombs, which you all know I have a thing about, but I really didn't think she should've changed the language. It was there for a reason.

If you're into Dystopian thriller/romance/tough-chic novels, I seriously suggest this for you. And as always, Happy Reading!

Just So You Know

What I'm listening to right now: Celtic Violin Music
What mood I'm in today: Reading

I always try to review a book once a month, but I'm often a slacker. I haven't even really finished a book in the last two months, except for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, which I cheated with and listened to. And the truth is, I'm going back to school starting tomorrow and will be reading nothing but Shakespeare. Although I'm excited for it, it's hard to read and I doubt I will be able to fit in much else.

The first book in the series - Thanks to Google Books for image

As for my review of Percy Jackson, it'll be short. It was fun to listen to while I was doing dishes and cooking, I'll admit that. The book seemed to lose me in a few places, but the plot and overall feel of the book was just kind of fun and wholesome. It was the kind of book I needed, really. I thought Annabeth was a little more interesting in the movie than the book, and I admit that I liked the movie better, but maybe that's because I saw it first. The characters were more developed in the movie, and honestly I can't wait to see Sea Of Monsters, which just came to the movie theater.

IMDB

Honestly, I can't believe the Lightning Thief didn't get very good reviews. This is one of those movies we own and watch at least every three months. I guess when you read the book first, sometimes you don't like the movie much (enter Harry Potter), but I like this movie and the actors in it.

The one thing I did like about the book was *SPOILER ALERT* the fact that Luke went through a lot of people (Aries, for one) and made him look like the bad guy, when it was really Luke all along. I suspect, however, that as the series progresses that Luke won't be Bad Guy Number One (I could be wrong about that, who knows?) and that someone else is behind all of this messing with the gods.

Now that my schedule will be hectic, I'll probably be writing some things about Shakespeare. I'm hoping to finish The Eternity Cure before I have to take it back, but we'll see how it goes. Until then, I'm praying for more rain and that the deathly heat wave we've been experiencing is finally over. I can't wait to spend a day in the park with my back turned to the warm (not hot) sun, my nose buried in a book.