Creature Corner: Cupid and Eros

In celebration of Valentine's Day - or rather, in celebration that the month is finally over - I've decided to take a look at a couple of divine matchmakers.

The TBR Jar Experiment

What's a TBR jar? It's simple, you cut out some paper, write down the titles of all your books, one on each scrap of paper, fold and dump into a canning jar. Then, whenever you want/need to, you draw out a scrap of paper and the book written on it is the book you read. See, told you it was simple.
Original idea comes from Alex in Leeds.

Review: The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

Series: Not Part of a Series
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romance (NA)
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What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again. (from goodreads)

Top Ten Favorite Book Heroines

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

As much as I love this prompt, I really struggled with this list. You see, I love strong heroines - girls that I can really connect to. However... I have so much trouble putting into words why I like them - and it seems as though just saying 'I like her' isn't enough. So, in an effort just to get this list out, I'm doing something I hate to do. I'm just making this a list. No reason or explanation given. Just a list of the heroines I like and the book/series they are from. I hope you all will just bare with me and I sincerely hope that next week's prompt is easier for me.

My Birthday - Take Five: Young At Heart

TO ME

Yup, today's my birthday. Funny, I don't feel any older than I did yesterday. Isn't it all supposed to sneak up on you at once, making it so I'm a year older today than I was yesterday? What do you mean 'that's not how it works'? Anyhow, I'm not going to tell you how old I am. Suffice to say I'm closer to thirty than I am twenty. They say, though, that you're only as old as you feel and I seldom feel my age. (Should I be bragging about that?) I decided to make a list; five books I want to read this year that will feed my inner child. These are all books that are either MG or very young YA.

Bookish Findings - February

After much thought how I could tie this feature into the romance of Valentine's Day, I decided to feature furnishings straight out of fairytales. After all, with all the gore and violence in the original Brother's Grimm stories, what could be more romantic? (Just kidding, but I mean, really.) Anyways, I chose to feature just one fairy tale (my favorite!) this month - instead of doing a bunch and none of them getting enough attention. So, I'm willing to do more of these - so much fun - but I'll need people to let me know what fairy tale they'd like featured.

Review: Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

Death Sworn by Leah Cypess

Series: Death Sworn #1
Genre: Fantasy (YA)
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When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world. (from Goodreads)

Top Ten Book Related Problems I Have

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Okay, I think we all have a few...

Snow Day - How Do You Get Comfortable?

Let it snow; let it snow; let it snow.

That's right everyone, I am in the midst of a snow day. (Not gloating. Well... Maybe just a bit.) I went to bed last night to freezing rain and woke up this morning to six inches of snow! I love snow days. Nothing beats sitting inside with a book when it is too cold to go outside.

So, I was wondering, how do you get comfortable on those snow days? Of course, you've got to change out of those pants with the wet, cold cuffs. (Unless you don't even have to set foot outside. I wouldn't if I didn't have to walk my dog.)

I personally like putting my feet up off my wood floor, grabbing a fleece throw to snuggle under and having a cup of tea - preferably chai.

How do you get comfortable on snow days?

Page to Screen: The Vampire Diaries

Welcome to Page to Screen. Here I'll be taking a look at some of the books that were turned into movies or tv shows.

The book series the tv series is from was written by L.J. Smith and first published in 1991. It is called The Awakening and it is book one of The Vampire Diaries series. It remained somewhat unknown, something of a cult classic even, until the advent of vampire-as-love-interest fiction. There are now several series and over a dozen books, but this is where it started.

A Love Triangle of Unspeakable Horror...

Elena
Searching for the ultimate thrill, she vowed to have Stefan.

Stefan
Haunted by his tragic past, he struggled to resist her passion.

Damon
Driven by revenge, he hunted the brother who betrayed him.

The terrifying story of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.

First thing you gotta know, I didn't buy this book. If it had been up to me, I probably never would have read it. But, I got it free in audiobook format when I bought season one of the show and thought 'eh, why not?' Turns out there were plenty of reasons 'why not' - but, before I get ahead of myself, let's talk about the show.

The series is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls and follows teenage Elena Gilbert. Her parents died in a car crash months ago, leaving Elena and her younger brother, Jeremy, under the care of Aunt Jenna. Not everything is peaceful in idyllic Mystic Falls though. It isn't long before mysterious, brooding Stefan Salvatore catches Elena's attention. Not long after that his brother, Damon Salvatore, arrives in town, seeking revenge.

Soon, Mystic Falls turns into a hotbed of supernatural occurrences: vampires, werewolves, witches all working on their own plans.


In the interest of 'full disclosure' - I really didn't think I'd like the show much. I was kind of digging the whole vampire thing at the time though, so I thought I'd go ahead and buy season one. Low and behold, I liked it. Long story short, I'm still buying seasons of the show as they release.

Book vs Show

(When I say 'show' I mean season one of the show. Yay for character development.)

Elena Gilbert of the show is somewhat weak and...pathetic. She's not very admirable. The Elena of the book is a bit of a bitch. She's 'Queen Bee' of the school, she's spoiled and rich and everything self-absorbed. She also has blonde hair and gemstone eyes - unlike poor, boring brown on brown show Elena.

Jeremy Gilbert is Elena's younger brother. In the show. In the book, Elena doesn't have a younger brother, instead having a four year old sister. (!?)

Caroline Forbes is the third in the trio of close friends, with Elena and Bonnie, in the show. In the book, she's Elena's 'frenemy' who is constantly trying to take over the 'Queen Bee' role and is an even bigger bitch than Elena.

Mystic Falls, a lovely little town - but where is it? It wasn't until I read the book that I found out it was in Virginia.

So many changes... Honestly, I gotta say that if you like the show, I wouldn't bother with the books. If you like the books, I wouldn't bother with the show. They kept the basis - or, mostly, just the names - but everything else changed so much.

Final Verdict

Accuracy: * (Uh... Well, they got the names right.)
Homage: * (Not even applicable.)

Enjoyment: *** (Hey, I liked season one enough to buy, sight unseen, season two.)


So, do you like the show or the book? Let me know what you think, drop me a comment.

Monthly Releases - February

There are so many new books coming out this year that sound so good - so, I have decided to have a little post at the beginning of each month where I can talk about the books that release soon that interest me.

Review: Riveted by Meljean Brook

Riveted by Meljean Brook

Series: The Iron Seas #3
Genre: Steampunk/Romance (Adult)
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A century after a devastating volcanic eruption forced Iceland’s inhabitants to abandon its shores, the island has become enshrouded in legend. Fishermen tell tales of giant trolls guarding the land and of seductive witches who steal men’s hearts. But the truth behind the legends is mechanical, not magic—and the mystery of the island a matter of life and death for a community of women who once spilled noble blood to secure their freedom.

Five years ago, Annika unwittingly endangered that secret, but her sister Källa took the blame and was exiled. Now Annika serves on the airship Phatéon, flying from port to port in search of her sister and longing to return home . . . but that home is threatened when expedition leader David Kentewess comes aboard.

Determined to solve the mystery of his own origin, David will stop at nothing to expose Annika’s secrets. But when disaster strikes, leaving David and Annika stranded on a glacier and pursued by a madman, their very survival depends on keeping the heat rising between them—and generating lots of steam . . . (from Goodreads)

Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.
This prompt was more difficult than it should have been. Of course, because there's so much that I actively dislike in my romances, that section was easy to fill out. Then I was left wondering 'what do I actually like in romance?' So, yeah, I'm splitting this list up.

My Favorite Book Couples

So, I had several ideas for posts for Valentine's Day week. However, one stood out as sounding really fun. More fun than all my other ideas. You see, for years I avoided romance novels and most books that had romance in them. Now I can still take romance or leave it, but sometimes two people are just so perfect together that I want to tell everyone that I love them. So, this is a list of some of my favorite book couples. I cannot say all of them, because I've probably forgotten several. (Don't even ask, they aren't in any order. I can't and don't understand how people can.)

Series Spotlight: The Emperor's Edge

There's always those books that you meant to review, the books that you read before you started reviewing, or maybe you reviewed one of the books but it wasn't even the first one. Well, here's my answer to that: Series Spotlight. I'll be reviewing an entire series, and just generally talk about it

What's Next? Black Frost Clockwork Academy

I've decided to link up to this meme (hosted here) this week because I remember how much fun this was the first few times I did it when my blog was new - and because I'm stuck. The past week or two has been really light on reading - though I've enjoyed most of what I read - and I was mostly working on one 700+ page book. Now, I'm looking for something else to read but I don't know what. So, I've chosen a few books that, right now, sound good. I'll probably start one of them over the weekend. So, tell me which one you think I should read first, please. (All synopsis are pasted from goodreads.)

Review: Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes

Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes

Series: Cassidy Jones Adventures #1
Genre: Sci-Fi/Superhero (YA)
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One Girl. One Accident. One Incredible Superhero.

Cassidy Jones is your typical fourteen-year-old— that is, until a seemingly harmless accident in the laboratory of a world-renowned geneticist turns her world upside down. 

Discovering incredible strength, speed, and enhanced physical senses that defy logic, Cassidy embarks on an action-packed adventure that has her fighting for answers…and for her very life. (from goodreads)

Top Ten Fantasy Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Fantasy Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read

Me, I'm a fantasy reader. I have been ever since I was first introduced to the genre. I will dabble in other books, but when it comes down to what I read the most of, as well as my comfort go-to, it's fantasy.

The Month of February

Welcome all, to a monthly look-ahead post. I'm trying something different this month: instead of just a dry schedule, I'll give you a bit of a color look into this month.