Bookish Quote of the Day for Feb. 28th, 2015

Oh Mr. Darcy...

Bookish Quote of the day for February 27th, 2015

The Bookbabe Review's ......... Until I Saw Your Smile by J.J. Murray

J.J. Murrray is back at it again with this tale of love and this time at all happens in a little coffee shop in Brooklyn. Matthew McConnell is a recovering corporate laywer who is trying to get back into the dating   scene; after being left by his girlfriend Joy. From the moment that I read this you start to feel a little bad for Matt. Joy has left him for a foreign exchange teacher and has taken almost everything in his apartment. Including the food in the fridge, the towels in the bathroom and his crappy microwave. All this leads him to call up a former coworker for his first date from hell. After being scared off by a certain womans condom collection he wanders into Smith's Sweet Treats & Coffee; and in enters Angela its pretty owner who instantly feels the need to chat Matt up. She gets a kick out of his bad date stories. As the story goes on Matt continues to have bad dates; one with a recently released felon, a Christian woman lusting after her pastor and a woman that feels the need to bring her bestfriend on the date. After each date from hell he goes back to Angela's coffee shop and devours her houseblend coffee and treats. Its not until he goes on his final date from hell that he begins to really see Angela. He is deteremined to breakthrough her defenses and boy oh boy does that take a lot of work. Angela has a lot of reasons to mistrust him. Mainly she thinks he is a player but also she is hiding a pretty big secret that makes opening up to someone really hard. As things move on Angela slowly falls in love too and opens up to Matt. They become not only partners in business but eventually in life.

What I Loved about this book:

Angela and Matt's relationship was extremely realistic, funny and loving. Murray told this story almost completely from Matt's prespective. You get to see him fall in love slowly and want to build something lasting with Angela. Matt makes sure to follow her lead; and by doing so he gains her trust and love in return. Also, for a romantic comedy (of sorts) J.J. Murray doesn't over do it with sex. He adds just enough at the right time, and its sweet and loving and beautiful. Also, Murray touches on some really heavy issues in this book. Which I can't reveal because that would lead to a huge spoiler (and I don't want to ruin this book for anyone). 

Favorite Quotes: 

 1) "Who lies about dropping six grand on a dress with a first, middle and last name? For six grand, it had better have a social security number and give you a tax break for living in your closet"

2) Matthew to Warrick: "I look forward to meeting you face to face, or are you to much of a coward? You like hiding in alleys and preying on defenseless women. Really, Warrick. Calling you a pussy would be a compliment."

I give this book 5 Stars and would gladly recommend it to anyone that enjoys a class boy meets girl romance.

So funny I could not help but share <3

This is what happens with Edgar Allan Poe meets Lil Jon lol. 

Bookish Quoteable of the Day....

From The Perks of Being a Wallflower by  Stephen Chbosky 

February Book Blitz

Hey guys and gals here are some of the book I have come across this month and that have been added to my to read list,

The Miniaturust by Jessie Burton (Hardcover 19.34$ on amazon.com)

Synopsis: 

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam-a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion-a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.

"There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed…"

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office-leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella's world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist-an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes' gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand-and fear-the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

Enchanting, beautiful, and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth. 

The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin (Paperback is 11.88$ on amazon.com)

Synopsis:

When Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan met in 1857, she was 18: a professional actress performing in his production of The Frozen Deep. He was 45: a literary legend, a national treasure, married with ten children. This meeting sparked a love affair that lasted over a decade, destroying Dickens's marriage and ending with Nelly's near-disappearance from the public record. In this remarkable work of biography, Claire Tomalin rescues Nelly from obscurity, not only returning the neglected actress to her rightful place in history, but also giving us a compelling and truthful account of the great Victorian novelist. Through Dickens's diaries, correspondence, address books, and photographs, Tomalin is able to reconstruct the relationship between Charles and Nelly, bringing it to vivid life. The result is a riveting literary detective story—and a portrait of a singular woman.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (Hardcover is 16.17$ on amazon.com)

Synopsis:

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. “Jess and Jason,” she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

 

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (Paperback is 12.96$ on amazon)

Synopsis:

The art of love is never a science: Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which Don approaches all things, he designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a sixteen-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers. 

Rosie Jarman possesses all these qualities. Don easily disqualifies her as a candidate for The Wife Project (even if she is “quite intelligent for a barmaid”). But Don is intrigued by Rosie’s own quest to identify her biological father. When an unlikely relationship develops as they collaborate on The Father Project, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie―and the realization that, despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.

Book Show Case....

Each week I am going to post photos/quotes from some of the many books that mean the most to me. This weeks post comes from Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden. This book is deeply moving and so beautifully written! 

Here is a synopsis of the book:

In this literary tour de force, novelist Arthur Golden enters a remote and shimmeringly exotic world. For the protagonist of this peerlessly observant first novel is Sayuri, one of Japan's most celebrated geisha, a woman who is both performer and courtesan, slave and goddess.

We follow Sayuri from her childhood in an impoverished fishing village, where in 1929, she is sold to a representative of a geisha house, who is drawn by the child's unusual blue-grey eyes. From there she is taken to Gion, the pleasure district of Kyoto. She is nine years old. In the years that follow, as she works to pay back the price of her purchase, Sayuri will be schooled in music and dance, learn to apply the geisha's elaborate makeup, wear elaborate kimono, and care for a coiffure so fragile that it requires a special pillow. She will also acquire a magnanimous tutor and a venomous rival. Surviving the intrigues of her trade and the upheavals of war, the resourceful Sayuri is a romantic heroine on the order of Jane Eyre and Scarlett O'Hara. And Memoirs of a Geishais a triumphant work - suspenseful, and utterly persuasive.

The confessions of a certified Book nerd ...

Howdy good followers of my page; here I am again with another crazy book nut confess. I will have to admit that all future post under this title will dare to be funny, flirty and perhaps a little bit dirty. Well as  dirty as one can dare to be on the topic of books. Well as the title says this is the second book nerd confessional and this time I am conquering the vast subject of reading habits. I know that we all have them; some that will we cop to and others that we won't. Well in this post I am going to be as honest and forward as possible. Well here goes nothing. 

1) Gummy bears: okay this one is pretty harmless. Well almost, whenever I know that I am going to have a long evening of reading I have to get myself some Haribo gummy bears. This is the only kind I will eat and I usually get more than one bag. (I have even got the one pound bag before). 

2) Wine: Depending on the book genre or author I noticed that I like to have a glass of wine. If I am reading Jane Austen I prefer a white wine. Such as a pinot gris or dry riseling. When I am reading Edgar Allan Poe or something mysterious I prefer a nice red wine. During these occassions I like a lovely pinot noir but will splurge on my favorite red; which is Crush by Dreaming Tree wines.

3) Clothing: When I read I have to be super duper comfy...this means my Hogwarts tee, lounge pants and cozy socks and my hair ALWAYS has to be out of my face. 

4) My reading space: I have to have a ton of blankets and at least two pillows to prop my book up. Also any and all book I am reading that evening have to be placed on the rightside of my bed. This means I fall asleep with at least two books and my iPad on my bed.

5) I always have my book journal or iPad available so that I can record quotes and my first impressions of what I am reading. On my iPad I use a free app called Evernote.

6) Calendar: I use a calendar to track my reading. I try to spend at least two weeks reading a book. If I know that a particualr book will take me a longer time to read I account for that and make sure not to read to many books while reading that one. For instance; in March I will be starting A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness; from what I have heard this book is not exactly "light" reading material so I will take a full month to read it. Also I will only read two other books that month; instead of my usual attempt of four a month.

And there is my confession and while I was writing it all I kept thinking was maybe I am odder than I thought and perhaps I have a touch of OCD! Let me know your quirky reading habits in the comments below or on  facebook at www.facebook.com\thebookbabeofde.

And the winner is...

Congratulations are in order for Dalma M. winner of The Bookbabes second annual Valentine`s Day giveaway...

My Current Book adventure....Until I Saw You Smile by J.J. Murray

            What I am reading now: 

              Until I saw your smile

                 By: J.J. Murray 

Synopsis: 

At Smith's Sweet Treats and Coffee, you'll find Brooklyn's best house blend and the freshest homemade pastries. It's more than a business to owner Angela Smith. It's her home and her refuge--one she stands to lose thanks to her gouging landlord. Then a new regular offers to cover her rent increase if Angela lets him meet his clients there. If Matthew McConnell weren't such a persuasive lawyer--and so sweet, funny, and sexy--she wouldn't dream of letting him in. 

Since he left a high-paying, soul-sucking legal firm to go solo, Matthew has been striking out, professionally and personally. The best part of his love life is regaling Angela with date-from-hell stories over steaming, fragrant coffee. Behind her captivating smile is a smart, sensual woman he'd love to get close to. And when a secret from her past is suddenly exposed, he gets a chance to prove he's the man she needs, in every way that matters...

My First Impression: I am five pages in and I am hooked. Murray tells the story of a would be internet lawyer and his disastrous dating life. His girlfriend has dumped him; running off with another man. Taking his food and microwave. He goes on a date with an ex co-worker only to discover that all she wants is sex and it doesn't matter who with. And the Matt goes to a protest/block party/house party only to end up helping his "date" avoid criminal charges. The first five chapters alone made me want to actually stay up and devour another fifty or so pages. I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those really quick reads. J.J. Murray has been on of my favorite authors for at least the past 12 years are so. I just can't get enough of his multicultural old school romances. If your not reading him you should be! 

Some of my favorite quotes from Angelfall by Susan Ee

The Bookbabe Reviews....Angelfall by Susan Ee

What is not to like about this book? Susan Ee gives us all the things that we love about current YA (young adult fiction). It has fallen angels, a post apocalyptic world, a kick ass main character and a hot forbidden love interest. What I really loved about this book is that it was so different from all the others that I have read over the years. Some could say that it is like Hunger games. We have our main character Penryn trying to protect her family after Angels have descended on the world and ripped it apart. She has to deal with a Schizophrenic mother that is off her meds. She also has to support her

handicapped sister. They have little food and have made a decision to make a run for it and so that they can be in a safer environment.
Along the way the stumble across a fight between a few Angels and here is where we meet our hot, sarcastic angel named Raffe. Raffe becomes a very likeable character right off the start. He is not very much unlike many of the other male characters we find in this kind of YA
novel.  In fact when he is first introduced he reminds me so much of Jace Wayland from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
   Raffe seems distant and unwilling to help Penryn after her sister is kidnapped by Angels. However, he seems drawn to her and duty bound to help. So they make and alliance that seems fragile at first but later as the book progresses we see that it so something all together deeper that will keep them together a bit longer. Another thing that I really
enjoyed about this book is that Susan Ee is not afraid to be gory and to create creatures that will scare the living mess out of you. The monsters at the end of this book will make you cringe. I can’t wait to see what she does in the next two installments of the series. I will
definitely say that this book is really worth your time and will be a great and very fast read that will keep you turning the pages.

Quote I loved:
“When I was little, I always thought I’d be Cinderella, but I guess
this makes me the wicked witch. But then again, Cinderella didn’t live
in a post-apocalyptic world invaded by avenging angels”.



For personal book recommendations you can email me at thebookbabe84@gmail.com

Happy Valentines Day Booknerds <3 *muah*

The Bookbabe's Opinion of the Fifty Shades of Grey Movie

Wow; just wow. The movie was exactly what I expected. It was beautifully and tastefully done. E.L. James tight control over the book to movie adaptation was seen throughout. Of course, there are some scenes that ase changed. This makes sense because some of these scenes are not necessary not to mention some of the sex scenes are cut or changed due to the nudity clauses each star insisted upon. I found Dakota Johnson's portrayal of Ana Steele 

to be genuine and fun and very true to the fictional character. Dakota made Ana

really come alive; she was funny and naive. I came into the movie expecting Jamie to be as horrible as some reviews made him out to be. But that was not the case; he protrayed Christian beautifully. Right down to the facial expressions. He captures Christians complex nature and close guarded personality. It will be lovely to see how Jamie plays Christian in the next two films. In which, we will see more more of his closely guarded walls tumble down as he falls even more deeply in love with Ana. I think the movies have great promise; supposedly we may have to wait til 2016 for the The sequel Fifty Shades Darker.

John Green knows us Girls so well!

To the Critics of Fifty Shades of Grey....

I recently commented on a post on Facebook about a new Faith Based movie called "Old Fashioned". I found the idea of a movie based on an old fashioned, faith based courtship refreshing. I was really excited about seeing how that movie would fair in theaters. Then I started seeing posts comparing it to Fifty Shades of Grey. Then even more about how Fifty Shades of Grey dehumanizes women and makes them look like objects and cheap. Christian was looked at as an abuser, stalker and a creep. According to some of the comments and things I read he was the worst kind of man. One thing became very clear to me; that none of these people had read the book and that they made some assumptions. 1) That Ana was forced or manuiplated into becoming Christian's Submissive and 2) That Christian was abusive. The issue with this is that Ana was given a Choice. We see this over and over again. We see her battle with her emotions on the subject over and over again. We see Christian reassuring her that she can walk away. Secondly; Ana knew exactly what she was getting into. She signed a contract to that affect; not to mention we had to read several chapters based on what she would and would not permit Christian to do to her. Last but not least; Ana was a stronger woman then these critics think. To her credit she became  more assertive and took charge of her own destiny. Author E.L. James did a wonderful job at developing Ana. What really bothers me is that there are books with the same themes that better fit the criticism that Fifty Shades has recieved. One such book is the Story of O by Pauline Réage; in the story O is offered up as a slave to be trained and broken and molded into a submissive. At one point O is branded and falls in love with her master Sir Stephen. Who does not love her; and who is also the step brother of the boyfriend that turned her over for training. O was forced; plain and simple. She was manuiplated. Made to please men she did not love or want. This was not the case with Ana. She clearly loved Christian despite his faults; and she gets through to him over time. Another book that is equally unsettling is The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by Anne Rice. I will admit that I never finished the book because it was to much for me. In the book Sleeping Beauty is awakened not with a kiss but after sexual intercourse; did I mention she was asleep and could not give consent. The man who does this strips her naked and makes her walk through the surrounding villages to his kingdom where she is trained among other men and women to become a sex slave. Again; this is not something we see in Fifty Shades of Grey. Those latter books contain sexual violence of the worse sort; and someone taking problem with that will hear no complaint from this book worm. However; I will complain when others condemn and shame others for reading Fifty Shades of Grey. I was told I was not a true Christian because I had read such a vial book. It dawned on me through this experience that these types of people are the same ones that ban hundreds of books every year and all because they have faulty assumptions about what is right and proper. So good bookworms...I say take up all the Banned books you can and read them openly. Thrust these despised books into the hands of anyone who is willing to read them and lastly make sure you fight back against the ignorance people spout against these books. Protect the FREADOM to read! 

Some of The Most Romantic Words Ever Written

Every February the prayer is the same!!!

One Keystroke at a time!

I am working on a romantic comedy now. Hope to have it done by the end of 2015! I believe writing is the thing that sets me free! 

Contest for My facebook Followers....

Hey Beautiful Bookish Babes ....

I am giving away one of three of my Favorite romantic tales this Month. Winning is simple....

Each Day I will post the Name of a fictional male character (with a photo when possible); it is your job to write a note to said character either denying their proposal of marriage, accepting it or breaking off your already pre arranged engagement. Please be sure to make it funny. 

The giveaway will end on Feb 28th...

The Books up for grabs are

1) The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

2) Renee and Jay by J.J. Murray 

3) Austenland by Shannon Hale 

*contest only open on facebook*

*winner will be picked at random*

You can like me there and join in on the fun at 

www.facebook.com/thebookbabeofde

And Maury Determined....That that was a Lie!