I want to talk about Cassandra Clare...

Okay, so some of you might be fans of The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare, and her Infernal Devices series that exists in the same fictional world she's built. Recently, she announced several other series that exist, yet again, in the same world populated by the Shadowhunters and all the other goodies that Miss Clare apparently spent a crap load of time building and designing.

If you are aware of her fandom, you might also be aware of the fact that her fans are starting to get buggy concerning her need to write series after series in the same exact world. She simply changes characters or time periods, then writes with the same world-building she has been relying on since City of Bones first came out into the YA industry. 

(Series set in the world of the Shadowhunters...

The Infernal Devices
The Mortal Instruments

The Bane Chronicles
The Dark Artifices

TLH Series
and a shit load more, but I got sick of looking...)

These fans are really, really annoyed. They just want her to stop. They want her to write something, anything, different. (It appears she has, actually. According to Goodreads.)

So I've been thinking about this situation, mostly because I have nothing better to do with my time. I've looked at this from a readers point of view, from the writers point of view, and from the eyes of a person who really enjoys the challenge, and hopefully the reward, of world-building. And I say this, who the feck cares?

I personally have no problems with her writing a series in the same world as her current books. It just doesn't piss me off like it does some people. I don't know if it's because I haven't read all of her currently published books or what, but I just can't get mad at her. I love her world building, and her witty writing, and (so far) it hasn't annoyed me.

What does annoy me are people who need to add reviews on Goodreads for books not yet released to complain about this. To each their own opinion, I know, but I just see it from everyone. Yes, we know, a lot of people aren't thrilled about it. No need to tell me with a bunch of cleverly placed gifs. Maybe if one or two people had mentioned it, instead of a couple of dozen, I wouldn't be annoyed. As far as people going bat crap crazy over this bookish revelation, here are the fecks I give...

Oh, look, there are none... (And see, I can use pretty gifs, too.)

I completely respect everyone's decision to be upset with Miss Clare, and their desire to tell everyone, in every possible, even visual, fashion. I just want to say that I, and I'm sure some other people, are going to buy these books, read them, probably enjoy them, and I'm not going to pop a blood vessel over something that hasn't even been published/given a title/given a real synopsis/received a cover yet.

Rant over, I'm going back to reading. Love you all.

I now have a Kindle (and my thoughts on e-books)...

I have a Kindle! (Yay?)

When e-books and e-readers started becoming really popular I dug my heels in. I'm an old-fashioned sort of gal, and I don't like when technology creeps up and snatches something away, something I thought was beautiful without techies having to get their hands on it. I wrote posts about my love for actual, tangible books. I didn't have a hate for them, I just didn't want to convert right away and toss my love for physical pages out the window.

But this Christmas my family surprised me with a Kindle. I was, oddly, extremely excited. I think I downloaded several dozen (free) books on it before Christmas morning had ended. Okay, I was in love with the idea that I could tote around any number of classics in my bag. And then I named my Kindle Aloysius and once you name something you want to keep it, right?

I thought of the pros and cons of having an e-reader before I got the Kindle, so I thought I'd do the same now that I have one.

Pros:

It is nice to have the kindle in my pocket and have any number of books on it. Recently, I started David Copperfeild but my copy weighed a ton. I didn't take it anywhere because it just wouldn't... fit in any of my bags, and I felt like I was taking a brick anywhere. So I read my hard copy at home, and I have a copy on my Kindle to read while I'm out. I think this is a good time to mention I can get a lot of free books for my Kindle, as well. A lot of them are classics, but I know Amazon offers some Kindle books for free if you keep a look out for them.

The Kindle is just fun. It's easy to take out, go straight to a book, move to another book you have downloaded, and of course there are the apps. (I downloaded the Goodreads app RIGHTaway.) Plus, for those of you who are super creative otherwise, like I am with writing, it's great to keep your ideas organized.

But the Kindle will never replace the real books...

Cons:

It's a device. It runs out of power, the screen gets smudgy, there's glare, etc... It's not a book. I don't like the way it feels in my hands, at all, and if I can't get the book for free I just don't want to buy it as an ebook. I don't like purchasing something I can't just hold in my hands, something that is floating in some suspicious "cloud."

I find it easier to actually buy books and not ebooks. I just love the way they feel in my hands. Honestly, when I think about it, the only good thing about the kindle is that I've gotten enough free books that, in a way, it's paid for itself. But I never had to charge books, my books never alerted me with obnoxious alerts, and I wasn't attacked with Candy Crush Crap. It's like reading on a damn phone, it's pretty impossible to block out the world. And then there are the little things I miss about books. I'm more afraid of dropping my Kindle in the water if I want to read in the tub.

Kindles are kind of high maintenance. They're not romantic in the idea books are at all. Really, I treat it like a tablet, not an e-reader.

This weekend I went to the bookstore to spend a gift card. While there, I saw tons of people just loading up on books. And no line at the Nook desk. I was so happy. I felt that, despite having e-readers, we were still going to buy real books.

And books just smell awesome...

Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

Angelfall by Susan Ee


My rating: 5 of 5 stars

How I got it: I own a copy, and shall never part from it...

This book is absolutely amazing. When I first started it I was really apprehensive. So many people have recommended this to me and the reviews have been uber-positive. I really wanted to like this one, especially since the premise sounded amazing. So without further ado, my review...

I loved the characters. A lot of times in Young Adult lit, you can't rely on the characters or the writing. They don't feel or sound believable, and often times I hate the female characters who are written as whiny, spineless bitches. But not in this case. I loved Penryn, her attitude, her strength, and I found it entirely believable.

The story line was a lot of fun. At first I thought a lull was coming. I held my breath, anticipating a disappointment, but there was none. Without giving anything away, let me just say the author is probably the only person who could have pulled this plot off. By the end I was sure that no other story teller could have done such a good job.

Honestly, most of this book was me preparing to wince, and then being more than pleasantly surprised at how situations were handled. Face it, if you read this book, there are countless areas the author could have buried herself in. But she didn't. Holy shit she was spot on at ever possible turn.

I don't know how to write this review without gushing, so I'll just say this. Everything was so authentic, so believable, from the writing to the dialogue, that it was just an absolute thrill ride and pleasure to read. Absolute favorite.

Review: Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

My rating: 3 of 5 stars How I got it: I own a copy...

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful; too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

3.5 Rating...

Okay, so when I finished this book I didn't know how I felt about it. There are some massive pros and cons that I would love to get into, but then I just hard a hard enough time deciding if I liked it or not. I decided to let it mellow in my head for a wee bit, and as time wore on, for some dumb reason, I actually started to enjoy it. But not love it.

The writing is probably my biggest pet peeve. It wasn't very well developed. Some chapters were completely unnecessary, the dialogue was wobbly, and there was just this odd sensation of the author rushing through important parts. She'd drop a sentence to cover one complex action. I don't know if I was reading it too fast (I read pretty fast), but a couple of times I was sure the author had made a slight error in where characters were standing, etc... Plus, a few odd plot questions I had...


I had a hard time getting to believe her characters, especially the main character, which is the last thing I ever want to experience in a book. Eventually, and by some miracle, things began to pick up in the book and for the characters and, tada, I didn't hate them anymore. I really want to remark on the authors attempt, and fairly good job, at re-writing fae lore.

By the end of the story I was having fun. It wasn't edge of my seat, hold me breath, can't put it down even for a moment fun, but it was fun. I liked the witticism that the book came with, and how, with time, it grew on me a little more. When I finished it I didn't hate it the way I was sure I would. And a small aprt of me is actually interested in reading the rest of the series.

So yeah, it was... fun, :)

Top Ten Resolutions, Bookish and Not-So-Bookish

Hey Gang! Thanks for stopping by. After checking out my TTT, please look to your right and consider checking out my challenge. I'd love to have some company, and make new friends along the way. Thank you, and as always, happy reading!

Top ten Resolutions for 2014? This is intimidating, as I've completely ignored my resolutions list so far this year. NOT a good thing. Maybe proclaiming it to all of you lovely people will help me keep the promises to myself? I doubt it, but let's see, eh?

1. Read a lot more than I did last year. I didn't read as much as I usually do, which sucks, but I had a nutty year. This year I'm starting out well, focusing myself on certain books, and being a tad more selfish. Sometimes I would put other things in front of my greatest pastime, and I can't anymore.

2. Read books I'm afraid of reading. Sometimes, for some reason, I can't push myself to read a book. Lots of times I find out that book is fantastic and it becomes a favorite, but I'm always hesitant. Dunno why.

3. Buy more books. I used to buy books ALL the time when I was younger, but I didn't read them as fast. So for a few years I have been completely holding back on book purchases, and I'm running low!

4. Get more bookish or writing friends. I had an incident with a now ex-friend when I was told reading was my social handicap. Wha...? And I don't have many friends who like to write, so it would be nice to find a few more to swap some creative ideas with.

5. Write more! I love to write, but lately I've been lazy. I can feel it. Other creative people will know what I'm talking about when I say that when I'm not writing, I get kinda depressed.

6. Not related to bookish things, but I'm hoping to have a couple adventures this year. I do every year, and I look forward to them, no matter how small they are, :)

7. Try new things. I need to be more brave about trying new foods and starting new hobbies. I'm actually hoping that I get to eat a termite this year. I guess they taste like peanuts? No idea where I'm going to get one, yet...

8. Be healthier. I had a good stride of being super healthy over the summer. Then the fall came and I was like, "Ohhhh, cookies and stuff..." Now I need to go back to being a veggie monster.

9. Let go of things that bothered me last year and made me twitch.

10. Do awesome stuff. Just really awesome stuff. Be fearless, and have fun, and try new things, and meet knew people, and take chances. Life is more fun that way!