House of Night Series (books 1-5) by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

"House of Night is a thrillingly engaging book series that follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird, who gets “Marked” by a vampyre tracker and begins to undergo the “Change” into an actual vampyre. She has to leave her family in Tulsa and move into the House of Night, a boarding school for other fledglings like her.

It’s within the school’s walls that the heart of the action takes place as Zoey meets new friends, finds love, comes to terms with how her life will be different now and begins to realize her awesome new powers.

Here’s the deal though: Yes, Zoey’s a vampyre now. But she’s still a teenager – with all the humor, angst and confusing feelings any other teenager has." ~http://www.houseofnightseries.com/pages/overview.html

This summary is accurate and vague.  The first two books were good, obviously or I wouldn't have continued.  Books three and four were okay and by book five and six I didn't care.  I actually started book six got about seventy-five pages in and realized that the characters annoyed me and I didn't care about their drama so I stopped and put it down.  I returned it to the library unfinished (which I rarely do).  I will probably revisit it later this year but we'll just have to see.

I can't say that the ideas involved were horribly new but pieces were different.  All vampire (or vampyre) novels involve a 'Change' and this one was no different.  Some involve it being lovely and easy, others indicate it is violent and painful.  This takes a bit of both ideas and winds them together with a bit of a 'Harry Potter boarding school' twist.  Taking a brief moment to compare this series (thus far) to Harry Potter I have to point out that HP is by far superior.  The writing, ideas, etc but one aspect, the time line, was much more agreeable.  In HP each book is a year in the school life of the main character, by book six in the House of Night series only two months had gone by.  There was entirely too much drama for one person (supernatural or not) for that short a period.  It would have been a tad more enjoyable had the time line been longer, at the point that I put the book down the characters had become way too melodramatic, foolish, one-sided, and unbelievable (in a bad way).  The main character, Zoey, turned from a decent, fairly moral person to a complete ho...which I'm sure was the intent of the authors to show how difficult her life was.  The only positive in her personality which remained throughout the series was loyalty to her Grandmother, her Goddess, and her friends.  

If you choose to read even one of these books remember that it is for young 'adults'.  Had it not been for the sexual nature of some of the scenes I would say it would be geared toward those around twelve or thirteen years old.  It's simple minded, has a predictable plot, overly dramatic (I mean seriously, you really want us to believe all that happened in two months???), and finally the characters went from endearing to annoying in a very short time.  Perhaps wait a month between each book as this might help with the annoyance factor.  Should I finish the series I'll write an update about the last three books.  At this point I would say skip it.

hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen -- and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.~simonandschuster.com

What can I say?  I'm a sucker for paranormal romances.  Who could say "no" to something with a fallen angel? The first book in this trilogy/series was fun.  I actually finished it in one day and was glad the library (which is around the corner) had the second one.  Although based on the description the reader is already aware of Patch's status as fallen angel the main character, Nora, has no idea.  This little tale is all about the bad boy, following your intuition, ignoring your intuition, and sacrificing it all for love.  Not an entirely new plot but entertaining none-the-less.  It was nice to read something decent that didn't have vampires, werewolves, or witches.  It was definitely more geared toward young and I mean high school "adults".  If you are looking for something super simple this might be up your alley but don't buy it, it's totally not worth it.  Go visit your library, if for some reason they don't have it they can find it for you for little or no charge.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

"Elantris was beautiful, once.  It was called the city of the gods: a place of power, radiance, and magic.  Visitors say that the very stones glowed with an inner light, and that the city contained wondrous arcane marvels.  At night, Elantris shone like a great silvery fire, visible even from a great distance.
Yet, as magnificent as Elantris had been,its inhabitants had been more so.  Their hair a brilliant white, their skin an almost metallic silver, the Elantrians seemed to shine like the city itself.  Legend claimed that they were immortal, or at least nearly so.  Their bodies healed quickly, and they were blessed with great strength, insight, and speed.  They could perform magics with a bare wave of the hand; men visited Elantris from all across Opelon to receive Elantrian healings, food, or wisdom.  They were divinities.
And anyone could become one.
The Shaod, it was called. The Transformation.  It struck randomly - usually at night, during the mysterious hours when life slowed to rest.  The Shaod could take beggar, craftsman, nobleman, or warrior.  When it came, the fortunate person's life ended and began anew; he would discard his old, mundane existence and move to Elantris.  Elantris, where he could live in bliss, rule in wisdom, and be worshipped for eternity.
Eternity ended ten years ago."  ~Back of Book

Yes.  I finally did it.  I'm commenting about a book by Brandon Sanderson, currently my favorite author.  He found his way into my hands through a different book several years ago but this was his debut.  This book allowed readers and critics a glimpse into the skilled and delightful storyteller he is.  It's an interesting concept, humans becoming gods then those same gods becoming...repulsive, detested, reviled.  They become a sort of undead creature.  As humans they could be anything from a beggar on the street to royalty then suddenly they were gods and those humans left behind came to seek their help.  Can you imagine it?  I can't but some how Sanderson created the possibility and I believed him.  What if that great blessing became a curse?

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, those who are hit with the Shaod (The Transformation) are "half done".  They are undead with no need to eat but the hunger remains.  They do not heal so a stubbed toe or paper cut could cause increasing agony to the point of madness.  They are not longer beautiful but repulsive, their skin blotchy and blackish.  Someone else who had read this book referred to them as zombies, at first I disagreed but upon reflection I can see the correlation.  Undead creatures wandering a dead city.  Horrifying.

Imaging being engaged to a normal person and then when you arrive for the wedding (you are from somewhere else, it's an arranged marriage but your excited about it) and to meet him for the first time you find out he's dead.  What you don't realize is he's not dead but his parents would rather he was because he's been taken by the Shaod and deposited into Elantris where all those creatures are held, imprisoned.

Sanderson doesn't stop there.  He also incorporates a holy war.  Just as in our day and our world religions dot the earth and just like always each believes that theirs is the only one that is incorruptible.  Throughout our history countries have gone to war in the name of God.  Sanderson's world is exactly the same but determining who are the good guys and who are the bad guys is a full-time job.  Throughout the novel you are given a glimpse into three main characters:  Raoden (the crown prince), Sarene (his betrothed), and Hrathen (Fjordell high priest).  Each looks at the world and at each other in a vastly unique way.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and it gave me a lot to think about.  It wasn't my favorite book by Sanderson as I found a few pieces of information that left me confused or wondering about.  He has a knack for tieing up loose ends, but in this debut I was left wondering on a few minor things...a minor complaint given my experiences with other famous authors.  This book begins a major theme seen in all of his books (minus his children books...which I haven't read yet) and while the theme is similar the way it is presented is different.  I'll definitely be reading it again.  A fun read for sure!

A Place of Their Own by John Vickrey Van Cleve & Barry A. Crouch

"Using original sources, A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America" traces the history of deaf people in America.  It views deafness not from the perspective of pathology, but of culture, not as a disease or a disability to be overcome, but as the distinguishing characteristic of a distinct community of individuals whose history and achievement are worthy of study.  Focusing on the development of the American deaf community during the nineteenth century, "A Place of Their Own" brings history to bear on the reality of deafness and provides fresh and important insight into the lives of deaf Americans." -Back of the Book

I started this book thinking it was something else.  I asked my husband about it and he recommended it and, considering the his job as an ASL Interpreter as well as a highly sought after presenter and teacher (for interpreters and ASL classes), so I decided to give it a go.  This nonfiction work was quite an eye-opener.  I had been aware of several aspects of Deaf History based on my ASL classes in college and my exposure to the Deaf Community as the wife of an interpreter but fully understanding the struggles they went through, and continue to go through, was somewhat surprising.

Many people in American culture view Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, as a great man.  Indeed many people discuss in detail how amazing and insightful he was and I can't disagree if we are talking about some pieces of his life.  Others, though, I would have to disagree with.  Ironically Bell's mother was deaf and he married a deaf woman but he spent a large part of his life (after inventing the telephone - if I remember correctly) working to 'cure' deafness, undermining the community indicating that they were not intelligent enough to hold jobs other than those taught at residential or day schools.  He spent time undermining the residential school system in an effort to seclude deaf individuals from others with deafness.  When I look at this I can't help but wonder what he was so afraid of.

Like so many other cultures and minorities this book concentrates on their struggles.  In many areas of the text they were compared to others who have been attacked with the sole purpose of eradication (Jews) or enslavement (Blacks).  An interesting point that the authors pointed out was that unlike other minorities the Deaf would never be able to communicate in the native language of America (English).  There are many who are oral (lip read), others who use American Sign Language (ASL), a combination of the two, as well as other methods of communication.  But those that lip read only grasp at a low percentage (I think around 20%) of what is being said.  Interpreters are used to ensure that the true message and intent is received and given. 

This book was so interesting that I was annoyed at how it ended.  One of the most successful protests by a minority group (in my opinion) was the Deaf President Now! protest/rally at Gallaudet University in Washington D.C.  The university was over 100 years old, the only Deaf school of Higher Education in America (and the world?) yet it never had a deaf president.  The students, faculty, and staff expressed their desire for a Deaf President but their request was ignored and a hearing woman with NO experience with the Deaf Community was hired.  The protesters closed campus and refused to attend class, allow others on campus, etc. until their demands were met.  Eventually they were and a Deaf president was hired (I. King Jordan).  The reason I was annoyed by the ending is that it was so abrupt.  They only gave a small preview of the rally and didn't talk to anything else that was going on at the time (late 1980s).  The first printing was 1989 which explains a bit but the fifth printing was 1998...I mean seriously...couldn't they update the text?  Give us more information?

This book is great if you are interested in history, minorities, pathology, Deaf Culture, America, American Universities, education etc.  It addressed everything from some of the methods used to cure deafness (including puncturing the eardrum with a needle!), educating those that are deaf, creating a purely deaf State, organizations, American Sign Language (both the inception and the attack), the attempt to bar Deaf people from marrying other Deaf or at all, employment, and the brief view of the Deaf President Now! rally.  I will definitely be reading more on this topic.  I promise you'll be surprised at what you learn!

A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter

"The Limberlost is life...What I like is the excitement of choosing a path carefully, in the fear that the quagmire may reach out and suck me down; to go into the swamp naked-handed and wrest from it treasures that bring me books and clothing, and I like enough of a fight for things that I always remember how I get them."  Back cover of the novel in Elnora's words.

Elnora is the main character in Gene Stratton Porter's novel that was recommended to me by my friend Harmony.  I have to admit that I wasn't keen on reading it and it turned out to be different than I expected.  I'm not sure I had very high expectations but in the end I'm certainly glad I read it.  This novel was written about a girl in rural Indiana around the turn of the century.  Elnora's father died when she was very young and the effect it had on her mother, Kate, has left a rift of misunderstanding floating between them.  Kate doesn't understand why Elnora would want to attend high school and Elnora doesn't understand why her mother refuses to assist her in the necessary financial obligations. 

Throughout the novel Elnora is given various hardships and is able to overcome them with imagination and poise.  She has had an affinity for the things of the Limberlost, the natural life, and uses it to her advantage.  This is definitely classic 'coming of age' tale reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables and Huckleberry Finn.  The cast of characters come alive and you grow to love, hate, sympathize, or dread them.  You worry about Elnora when it looks as if her innocence is in danger and you are proud of her when she stands up for herself, her way of life, and her relationship with the sickly yet dashing Philip Ammon.  This story has all the elements of a fun read, it has adventure, romance, character growth and vivid details.  Definitely worth your while.

After finishing it I came away with a strong desire to get to know my new home and all the natural splendors within it.  I didn't want to collect butterflies or anything but I did want to reconnect with the natural world around me.  Nature has so much to offer and in this day and age we have become too busy with our daily fast-paced lives to even notice.  When was the last time you appreciated a sunset and the natural hues of red, purple, and pink; what about the lazy circling of a bird of prey as it hunts and spies its next meal; perhaps the scurrying of an army of ants as they busily go about the daily grind of ensuring their queen's health and happiness; or maybe the loving gaze of a long-time pet as he/she watches you in adoration as you sit quietly on the couch and read.  Embrace the world that we have forgotten, beauty and surprise lie under every rock, in every tree, over any mountain and within the human body.  No matter where you live whether in the 'cement jungle' or the backwoods of Kentucky take a look around you and notice that which caught at Elnora's heartstrings and allow it to tug on your own.  Isn't it time we all reconnected to the natural?

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

"A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913.  She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book - a beautiful volume of fairy tales.  She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own.  On her twenty-first birthday, they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and very little to go on, "Nell" sets out to trace her real identity.  Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family.  But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled.  A spellbinding tale of mystery and self-discovery, The Forgotten Garden will take hold of your imagination and never let go."

That is the description on the back of the book.  When first given this book by my friend Harmony I wasn't sure at all if it was something I'd be into but since we are going to visit her next month I knew I had to read it so I could return the book.  I read this particular book in 1.5 days (it's 549 pages).  Not only did it capture my attention and keep me interested it kept me guessing.  Every time I turned around I thought I knew what would happen and then something would emerge in the story line and make my theory change. 

At first it was difficult keeping track of the various characters in the various times but eventually I straightened it out in my head and looked forward to what each of them had to say.  Nell, the 'little girl lost', was the crotchety old woman with a past.  You think you understand her and then you realize you don't.  Cassandra, the devoted granddaughter, has had some things happen that she is trying to overcome but she doesn't realize the healing process of the journey until much later.  Eliza and Rose are polar opposites.  You think you know how they are connected and in a sense you do but then suddenly you don't.  You find yourself connecting emotionally with each of the characters, mourning with them, loving them, being their cheerleader, and then in the end missing them when the story is complete.  The Forgotten Garden really does spin such an amazing tale that you want the end to be different although you know how it ends in the first pages.  It's sad but you are given a sense of hope.  Not only for the characters but for yourself.  This book inspires its readers to learn about the hidden story behind each and every one of us. 

Not all of us will have characters in our family tree as colorful, adventurous or courageous as those in this novel but you never know.  Perhaps you have an Eliza, a Rose, or even a Nell.  Perhaps your ancestors were slave owners or pirates, royalty or czars, paupers or gold diggers.  I think now it's time we each take a lesson and search our own personal histories for the 'novels' that created us.  I'm grateful to Harmony for passing this book my way, although she will get her copy back I will soon have my very own copy that I can re-read again and again.  I highly doubt that the story will lose its fascination or grip with another reading.  In fact, I think that it will continue to inspire and encourage me to keep going.  To look at everyone I meet as a person with a past much more interesting than what appears on thier cover.

Obsession, Passion, Hobby...Does it really matter what we call it?

Lastnight in a Nyquil stupor I realized the secret to blogging.  You must blog about something that you really care about.  Some people blog about their family (yep, I am one of those) and others blog about scrapbooking, hunting, movies, finances, church, and a plethora of other topics.  When I think about my personal obsession two things come to mind: Elizabeth I & books.  I figure I can incorporate the first while addressing the other so here it is.  If you know me, and even if you don't you will soon enough, you'll realize that I love books.  During a recent move I believe we had more boxes of books than another single other item.  I was proud of myself when I let go of a small box of books but couldn't bring myself to let go of more. 

I wasn't always connected with books.  In fact I didn't discover the allure of words until I was in 7th grade where I was placed in a remedial reading class.  I'm sure there were a lot of things we did but what I reemmber most was choosing a book from the tall bookshelf and reading it.  I would then report back to the teacher what I had read.  I don't remember her name but I do remember that since that time I have never been able to put a book down.  My husband commented once to friends that in the time that he has known me (10 years) he has never seen me without a book.  I'm constantly reading.  I don't limit myself to one genre, instead I find it much more exciting and fulfilling to one day pick up a science fiction book and then when I'm done pick up historical fiction or cultural non-fiction.  I find that my personal viewpoints and interests are adjusted, expanded, deepened and explored through whatever I might be reading at the time.  If a book doesn't interest me I put it down and try to read it later.  If after several failed attempts at reading I will give it to someone who will appreciate it more.

It will surprise some of you to know that I do not intend my first book blog to be about my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson, but someone I recently discovered through the recommendation of a good friend.  Each week I plan to write about a book, author, article, or whatever strikes my fancy...as long as it's something I read.  So this little thing, this hobby...or obsession as others would put it...this passion of mine is here for you to read.  Perhaps there are fellow bibliomaniacs or bibliophiles out there who can point me in the direction of more good books to read.  If you are a budding bookworm just breaking through your own cocoon have no fear, you are in very good company. 

I would love your comments, book/author recommendations, histories, etc.  I'm excited to have you join me on this varied and wonderful journey.