Currently Reading....

Woo hoo! I am currently reading these three lovely books....

1)Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

2)Cleoparta: A life by Stacy Schiff

3)A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J.Maas

Vampires at their best....The Bookbabe reviews: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

                           

     Books from the backlist: My Review of Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Interview with the Vampire is probably one of the best known books in most reading circles. and perhaps it is also a book that some may love to hate. Before reading the book I had some serious mixed feelings about it. Especially since I loved the film and I had heard some terrible things from friends about the book. However, I decided to give the book a go after having the soft cover sitting on my shelf for some time. I was immediately surprised by what I found within its pages. All I can say is that one can never judge a book by its movie or by its cover.

Rice introduces us into a world of dark, haunted, deeply flawed characters. We immediately meet Louis, a vampire, as he opens up a young man about his life. Louis, over the course of the night tells the entire story of his vampiric life. Starting with what started him on the dark path that lead him to becoming what he is. Louis is a character that you definitely feel a connection with. Unlike most of the characters that we meet in the novel, he is perhaps the most relatable. The most human. His flaw seem to be that he is to naive (at least in the beginning of his journey) and perhaps to unforgiving (towards the end of the story). Louis spins his tale of love and lost. The most tragic of his loves and his losses is Claudia. The child that he drains and who Lestat gives the "gift" of vampiric life. Claudia was the surprise for me in this novel. After watching the movie, I thought that I knew what to expect from this character. However, she was a bit to much for me. I got the impression that Claudia, no matter who played her, could ever truly be understood as a character unless you read the book.

Claudia, being a child, at first acted and was loved as a child. As a human child would be. However, as the years go on she remains a child. She matures as a person, her mind becoming that of a woman. She begins to resent being treated as a child. She hates that she can never be a fully grown woman. Claudia is perhaps the best written villain of this story; Lestat, while a brat, has nothing on this little she demon. Claudia and Louis are held together by a mutual need of one another; Louis feels that she and her love connects him to his humanity and she needs him as a means of protection. Honestly, it does not feel that she loves him at all. She simply tolerates him because he can protect and provide for her. The manipulation of Louis by both Lestat and Claudia only deepens the readers affection and sympathy for Louis.   

There were several changes from the book to the movie adaptation. All of which is going to make it even harder for me to look at the movie in the same light as I used too. Honestly, I am glad that I have read the book and I am also happy that I did not let the negative reviews from friends deter me from reading the book. On goodreads I gave it  4/5 stars.  

Quotes I Loved:

The Mother of all....My Review of Eve by Wm. Paul Young

                            

Wow. That is the first word that comes to mind when thinking of this beautifully woven tale by Wm. Paul Young. Eve is a story of creation, from Eve's POV (point of view) but it is also a story of redemption and healing. In the story we meet Lilly, a young woman who is physically, mentally and spiritually broken. Lilly is transported to a world that she is unsure of. It a dimension between plains; and while she is there she is meant by a cast of friendly and caring characters. Their only concern is to heal her and to help her on her path as a witness. A witness to creation that is. So as the story unfolds, we meet Eve. The mother of all creation, the wife of Adam. Eve is presented as a caring mother and also a woman in love. She is the mother of all those she interacts with but she takes a quick liking to Lilly. Trying her best to help her heal mentally and spiritually, she does this by insisting that Lilly see herself in a different light. She tells Lilly that she is loved, wanted and cared for. Not only by Eve but also by Adonai (God in hebrew). Throughout the story Adonai is ever present; he is with Adam every time Lilly and Eve visit Eden. In fact, though Lilly and Eve's presence is not felt by Adam, Adonai knows they are there. Eve continuously tells Lilly that Adonai is fond of her, that he choose her to be a witness because of her flaws. However, Lilly, falls to her own doubts. She does not go to Adonai, even though she feels the pull. 

What I found astounding was that Young beautifully writes about how free will factored into the creation story. He teaches us that Adam and Eve both had free will. Adam had decided to turn from God the moment he begun to feel that God could not fulfill him; and Eve turned because she did not want to leave Adam on his own outside of Eden's gates. And Lilly, used her freewill to never turn to Adonai; not until she was ready. The entire time that I read this Adonai continuously tells his children "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Deut. 31:6"). The moral of the story, in my opinion, is that God is always pursuing his children. No matter what the situation is like, no matter what your life is like, and no matter what your mistakes are God can and will use you. In fact, he seems to love to use those that are the most flawed. God sees the beauty in our messes and imperfections. 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone; and like The Shack (Young's first book) I think this will go on the long list of books that I give as gifts. I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads.com

Quotes I loved:

Book's Finished Last month....

So far I have written two of the reviews and will be writing the other two this weekend...to be posted shortly <3