Giveaways?

Hello readers,

I'm not precisely sure if I have enough traffic to try and do this, but I desperately need to pass along some books. I recently bought a five-shelf book case ((putting that together was ridiculous)) and it's completely full. I still have books in boxes beneath my bed.

Now, I've come across books in a variety of different ways. Most of the books I've received ((specifically the books mournfully hidden beneath my bed)) were given to my from a co-worker. She just needed to get rid of them. Unfortunately, most of them are titles and authors that I've never heard of before -- although there are authors I know are fairly popular -- and the blurbs just don't catch my attention.

Of course, since I'm trying to branch out you'd think I'd keep them and try to read them anyway. I think I have enough on my plate, thanks.

So, at any rate, I have a box of books I'd like to give away. If this first attempt goes well, then I'll continue the next month until they're gone. If not, I'll just keep hold of them until I can pass them along to someone else ((I should mention I've tried the library, but most of the titles they already have too many copies of -- go figure. I never sell anything on Amazon anymore, probably because no one will rate me and everyone thinks I suck!)).

Also, I should let you know that most -- not all -- of these books have been read through. I'm going to be completely honest in their appearance so that you know what you're receiving. I'll probably throw in pictures, too. On the other hands, some of these books have never been read, I know, because I received them from the Literary Guild and never read them.

I'll come back on the first ((9/1)), once I get everything in order, and try my first giveaway. No pressure, anyone.
For now, here's some of the author's I'm dealing with::

Jennifer Belle
Jilliane Hoffman
Lisa Jackson
Sandra Brown

Those are the names I'm unfamiliar with. However, I do also have::

James Patterson
Nora Roberts (J.D. Robb)
Danielle Steele
Janet Evanovich
Stephen King

I'll Scream Later

Truly and honestly I enjoyed this book. And since I'm being honest, I wasn't 100% sure I was going to enjoy it. I didn't want any sort of biography or auto-biography; it's just not my cup of java. But since becoming fascinated with the beautiful and talented Marlee Matlin I knew it was a book I just couldn't pass up. It truly was fabulous.

There are so many things that I respect about her book. The fact that she's so candid and fearless. She delves deeply into her past, plucks out her demons and puts them on display for her readers. She's real. I loved it. And she just seems so down to earth.

For those of you who do not know, Marlee is Deaf. And for those of you who do not know the difference, Deaf has a different connotation than deaf. The capitalized D means that the individual -- or group, for that matter -- is proud of their deafness. And, possibly most importantly, Deaf person is not disabled.

On the other hand, being so profoundly Deaf ((and I mean proud)) can be...well, a turn off. ((For me.))

I took Deaf Culture and History two years ago. I received my Associates Degree in American Sign Language Communicatons and Interpretation. I've been in love with ASL since seeing the movie Children of a Lesser God. And through my college courses and getting out and meeting people in in the Deaf Community, I've learned so much. And unfortunately, one thing I've learned is that the Deaf Community can be brutal. If you're not Deaf then you're most likely ousted from the community. If you go mainstream ((public schooling, not a residential school specifically for the Deaf)), then you're almost traitorous. Often times if you speak, as opposed to signing, or are pro-Cochlear Implants you're accused of not being proud of who you are.

To me, it seemed a little too much like prejudice.

Now, allow me to say that not every D/deaf individual that I meant has shared that mentality, and after reading I'll Scream Later, I've realized that Marlee didn't either. At least, she appeared not to be. In fact, over the course of her career she's received a lot of flake from the Deaf Community. If she didn't do something to their liking then she was "unsupportive."

Anyway, the fact that she is so incredibly down to earth in that aspect and has found away to exist in both Deaf and Hearing Culture is something I admire and appreciate so much. She seems like such a sweetheart.

Now that I'm off my little pedestal -- lol -- I just want to say that this book is definitely an excellent one to pick up. It's motivational. It's funny and witty. Definitely it can be dark, what with her mention of her on-going struggle with addiction and her abusive relationship with William Hurt.

That, I think, would have to be the only thing negative to say about the book. It is one-sided and it's difficult to remain unbiased or arbitrary. I try not feel anger towards this Academy Award winning actor I don't know, but it's tough. *shrug* Maybe I'll read his biography, if he ever gets around to writing one.

Next, from my booklist I'm going to read Jane Eyre, and then I think I wanna try this new book I found:: Echoes by Maeve Binchy. I've never heard of the author. Any of you? I hope I like it! *crosses fingers*

Confessions of a Shopaholic

I was certain that I'd enjoy this novel. After discovering Sophie Kinsella's Remember Me? sometime last summer, I knew her writing style would be something that I could fall into easily -- that's including her use of 1st person, which I'm sure is evident by now that I don't really care for. With that said, I was surprised at how much Confessions of a Shopaholic infuriated me.

Trust me, though, that's a good thing. The novel was great. It was written well; it had me laughing -- literally -- out loud. I couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable (and quick) read, considering how much I've failed at life recently. What had me so infuriated wasn't the novel so much as it was Becky Bloomwood.

In the beginning, she was cute and funny, if a little idiotic and immature, but I thought those characteristics were endearing. It wasn't until the story progressed and she lied to a mutual acquaintance-(later)-turn-boyfriend about a dead aunt (which, really wasn't resolved to my liking), chucked every VISA statement and letter from her bank, and utterly refused to acknowledge reality did I get a mite annoyed.

Obviously this book was about a shopaholic who gets herself in a monetary bind (understatement), so I should have known what I was getting myself into. But some things were a little too much for me. Namely the dead aunt thing. Not cool, Miss Bloomwood.

Despite that, I really did enjoy the book! I'd say the amount of times I rolled my eyes in annoyance were outweighed by the times I giggled and "awwww'd". The awww-ing was mostly in regards to her relationship with her friend Suze. Suze was such a sweetheart. I would have liked more awww moments with Luke, but I guess I'll have to read the rest of the series to get those.

At any rate, good novel. Not my favorite by Kinsella, certainly not my favorite in general, but it was a pleasant enough read for me to want to continue with the series.

Next, I'm gonna tackle I'll Scream Later. Pretty stoked about that one.

Good Fail, Me

So, after completing The Last Unicorn, I attempted to read both A Northern Light & Atonement.

I failed.

I just couldn't get into Jennifer's book. I didn't like the way it was written; the switching back and forth was confusing, and the tone -- I just didn't like it. I feel like a failure with that one, because my friend Sarah really recommended it. As for Atonement, I didn't get to finish because it was due back at the library, and I felt incredibly ridiculous asking to check it out for the third time. It's all right, though, because I have it saved on my iPod Touch. I love WattPad. *smile*

Getting slightly off topic -- I really do lust my iPod. I downloaded the Kindle Application, and I just couldn't be anymore excited. It's awesome downloading and reading books from my iPod. Especially considering I'm not allowed to read at work and if I get caught I'll get fired and that's not good. It's a lot easier to hide an iPod.

I downloaded several eReaders like the Kindle and WattPad. More books are going to be added to my list ((I'm also going to coordinate my list a bit more to really highlight my failures, lol)). It's really cool because each eReader application gave me a few free books -- most of the classics, and most of them are doubles, but sometimes I get lucky and receive a free one. I'm stoked to really get into it.

Right, so, after taking by the library books, I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife ((this was my first solo movie adventure, which my BFF has been raving about forever; I love it. Every movie that I just *have* to see, I'm going it alone)). It was pretty amazing. Definitely not better than the book -- not by any means. Actually, a lot of stuff was left out, and a few pivotal scenes were changed but I still think they did a great job with the kind of novel they had to work with. Even now, after I've already seen the movie, I get giddy whenever I see a preview for it. Probably because I loved the book so much.

In the previews they showed a trailer for The Lovely Bones; my friend Alex said to "stop whatever I'm reading and read it now." Since I had recently returned Atonement, I thought it would be a good time to pick up The Lovely Bones, which my mother had and has never read, lol.

So, that's three books -- in one month -- that have defeated me. I got four chapters into Sebold's novel and gave up. I've never come across a book that has given me a headache while reading. I just couldn't stand it any longer. Again, it was the style of the writing, and the tone, and the fact that I had to read a simple sentence several times to understand what was going on. Maybe I'm mildly retarded, but I shelved it. No thanks.

Now, I'm reading Confessions with a Shopaholic. Good ole Ms. Kinsella won't let me down. I need to add the rest of the series to my list....

I think I'll read I'll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin next, and I've added the following to my booklist::

Butterfly Tattoo by Deidre Knight
My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Granger ((if this is anything like P&P&Zombies, then I'll adore it))

The Last Unicorn

I finished this novel two days ago. In all honesty, I wasn't anticipating that I'd enjoy it as much as I did. I've never been into fairies and unicorn, or magicians and evil Kings. Apparently I'm okay with vampires though, haha, which seems a little odd that I don't enjoy the rest.

At any rate, I think The Last Unicorn was a fantastic read; thanks to whoever recommended that for me.

I was a little worried when the back cover said it was "whimsical and sensuous," but it totally worked. The often time rhyme-y and odd speeches only added, in my opinion, to the story. That's probably only because for every whimsy detail there was a more modern flare to balance it out. In the middle of it all someone was called a dude, and I loved it.

I loved Schmendrick, the Magician (who was teased mercilessly; "can't even turn butter into cream"). Molly Grue was probably my favorite. She was completely unrefined and unrepetent, but she had a good heart. Prince Lir broke my heart into a million pieces come the end, and The Unicorn...well, I'm not exactly sure what to say about her. Beautiful. Immortal. Oddly detached. I think she had the most brillant character arch I've come across yet.

The Last Unicorn is a short read -- only 215 pages. Sad story that it took me so long to read it, but I enjoyed every minute of it and would definitely recommend it for your enjoyment as well.


Next I'm reading A Northen Light by Jennifer Donnelly.

*BzzZzzZzz*

Amazing novel. Honestly, I wasn't convinced I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. Hands down, it's my favorite book thus far. Move over Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, while you're hilarious and fun to read, The Secret Life of Bees touched me in ways you failed to. I was sad to turn the last page.

The characters were brilliant and consistent. Nearly all of them were loveable; honestly, I've never thoroughly adored every character in a novel the way I did in this one. Even T. Ray, the asshole father, tugged at my heart strings. That's not an easy feat. I felt sorry for the man, and at the end I saw him a little bit differently.

The main character, Lily Ownes, lied and cheated and she stole, but it was difficult to hold a grudge against her because of it. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that. Rosaleen was hysterical. August was the kind of wise god mother figure every little girl (or boy, I guess) should have. May broke my heart. And I couldn't help but root for Zach and Neil. I cherished each and every one of them.

It was mildly slow in the beginning, but as soon as Lily and Rosaleen begin their journey it becomes impossible to put down. Had it not been for work and other responsibilities, I would have remained in bed to read it from cover to cover. It was that good. Even the ending was satisfying!

I've heard other reviewers and critics mention books that had a "true Southern voice." I never knew what that meant until I began to read this one. The accent -- that smooth, almost lazy talk was so clear in my head, which I think just added to the story. It didn't even bother me that it was written in first person!

Kidd did an amazing job. I just...it's my favorite. My new favorite novel. I borrowed it from the library. Now I have to look on Amazon to buy it. I just can't not own the thing.

*sigh* Really sad to know it's finished though. Now I have to watch the movie.

The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle is next.

Viola!

I finished reading The Host around 12:30 this morning. I practically devoured the last half of the book. Like I've heard mentioned, I'll agree that it is a bit strange. It's mildly slow in the beginning, but soon becomes fast-paced and hard to put down. For anyone who doesn't know what this book is about, and without giving too much away, it's about an alien (they're called Souls; this one's name is Wanderer) who inhabits a body (the host; Melanie). Melanie, however, doesn't disappear like she's supposed to, and Wanderer is stuck with her memories and emotions. Shennighans ensue.

Strange, yes, but totally an awesome read.

This novel, and the four books from the Twilight Saga, further confirms my theory that Stephenie Meyer was a Roswell fan. No one can convince me otherwise. That's probably another reason why I enjoyed the book so much.

With that said, I still have a few issues with the way she wrote her book(s).

I just don't do 1st Person very well. It's too limited, and more often than not that author tries to break through the limitations. They fail; only succeeding in irritating me.

Also, and I don't know why she does this, but SM likes to tell stories within her dialogue. She did this in the Twilight Series (I think it was Eclipse? Whichever one that Rosalie told her story), and she did it a bit in The Host, too.

She tries to have a character tell the story of his/her past. She goes into detail, which is great...but when she gets to the dialogue portion, she flubs it up. It's not believable; I don't like it. I...can't explain it very well. While a character -- let me use Rosalie...

While Rosalie is telling her story, she gives great detail. Which is wonderful. Good stories require a lot of detail. When she is telling Bella what the guys said to her, though, that's when it becomes unrealistic. She uses tags: "he said maliciously" within her story, as in, within the dialogue.

No one talks like that. No one tells their best friend what their douchebag ex-boyfriend said to them -- not like that. It's weird. I noticed it right away. I don't like it. It irritates me. (This is probably horribly confusing...)

...But I still really enjoyed the books, lol! People think that when I nitpik about stuff like that, then I don't like what I'm reading. Unfortunately, it's quite the opposite. The more I like the book, the more I pick at it. I think it should be perfect.

Unrealistic, I know. *shrug*

So, I went to the library today and picked up four books. I'll probably end up having to recheck some of them out, haha. But I'm starting, today, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Then, I think, I'll read The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. The other two books I checked out are A Northen Light by Jennifer Donnelly and Atonement by Ian McEwan. Pretty stoked about it.

I totally forgot how awesome libraries are. They smell nice. And they're quiet. It's pretty much heaven.

Dinner and movie tonight. I wanna read some before then....

Byye!