Bookbabe Review: I Take You by Eliza Kennedy

                                       

Beware: Not your conventional chic lit: Review of I Take You by Eliza Kennedy

I received this book from Blogging for Books (a program maintained by Penguin Random House); and have promised to write an honest review. Eliza Kennedy's I Take You was not at all what I had expected. I thought it would be your typical chick lit story. But boy was I wrong. 

In this novel we are introduced to Lily; a tough talking, overly flirty, 30 something attorney. She's brutally honest and funny and Gosh It could be so easy to like her...if....she was not flirting and kissing with all these unnamed men and then swooning over how great her fiancee Will is. 

The Book actually opens with Lily making out with a man in a bar and then after having her partying cut short goes into work and proceeds to have sex with her boss. 

It was at this point; which was way to early on, that I almost wanted to ditch the book. But, I really wanted to see where the author was going. Plus, I wanted to know if she and Will would make it down the aisle; and if Will was going to find out about her cheating.

As the book goes on we start to get an even deeper look into Lily. We find out that her actions as a teenager caused the death of a friend; she cost another friend (and her first love) the lost of his freedom for a few years. She also does drugs, which is featured at least twice in the book. Lily is anything put perfect. But in reality none of us are. So maybe that is why her personality, character and the novel is so utterly realistic. 

Lily's fiancé, Will, seems absolutely perfect. He's funny, intelligent, well educated and employed at the Met. However, Will, is not at all what he seems. He is as bad as she is. However, he has been hiding it will and Lily was none the wiser. However, Will knew very will what Lily was doing. She was not as good at hiding it. She kept odd hours and came home smelling of liquor and sex. Also, she had weird text messages from strange contacts on her phone. Will, however, had a two phone system. A phone just for texting and talking to random women. One of which was Lily's college roommate Nicolle. Who he sleeps with, more than once. Lily is not made aware of Will's betrayals until their rehearsal dinner. He reaction is a bit infuriating; she actually gets mad. Which makes absolutely no sense. And Will tells her as much. Lily has no right to be made because she has been sleeping with anyone and everyone. Will is just the male version of herself; which makes them perfect for one another. 

This book was not exactly one of my favorite reads of the summer. But, it was enjoyable. It was like watching a train wreck, you just could not look away. In the end, the only character I really liked was the Grandmother. Kennedy could have featured her a little more in this book....because she was funny. I gave this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads.

Quotes I loved:

"Think positive, Iz....Your kitchen skills could jump start a new career. The legal profession's loss could be the prison food industry's gain."

"The human heart is the darkest of all mysteries. Who among us can honestly say he knows, truly knows, anyone else? Who even knows himself? Not you. Certainly not me."

"Can you imagine what would happen if people knew their spouses properly before marrying them? It would be calamity."

"A recent law school grad is like a newborn panda, mewling and useless. She needs a few years of growth and experience before she can be released into the wild without getting eaten."

     

Fall means....Tea and Pumpkin everything....but...let's focus on the Tea!

Hey Bookies,

Warm Pre Autumn greetings! As you all know Fall is for Book lovers. But did you know God also created Fall for Tea lovers? Well, as always, around the end of August I start buying Pumpkin everything and getting my Tea Game together. Which is exactly what I did today. My pal Michelle and I met up today to visit the Delmarva Pagan Pride Festival in Downtown Dover. My main objective was to visit a good friends tent to shop her incense (I use them for meditation and prayer) and just to see all the wonderful wares everyone has. I always love to see the fairy art. In fact, last year there were some amazing fairy doors, garden stuff etc. 

However, this was the first year I had seen loose leaf teas and of course I jumped at the chance to buy these. The Sabbat Tea: Litha; contains cinnamon, ginger and pomegranate. It also have apple and rose hips. And can I just tell you it smells heavenly! It's supposed to he a summer tea but it's just perfect for fall evenings and bonfires...I can not wait to taste it while reading a good book. 

The second tea I purchased was Two Faces Bitch! I will admit that I purchased it because of the name. This tea has lavender and honey brush. It smells smoothing and rich. I really can not wait to try it out. If you would like to check out these teas you can find them at 

http://blackthornhoodooblends.com .

Also, Check out The Enchantdrose on Facebook; that's the shop I purchased it from. Well...til next time...Happy Reading!

The Bookbabe goes Book Shopping.....

I got more books....here is my mini book Haul for August 2016! 

 **All Synopsis' are from Goodreads.com**

1) A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees by Kenõ

Synopsis: 'It is a most wonderful comfort to sit alone beneath a lamp, book spread before you, and commune with someone from the past whom you have never met...' 

Moonlight, sake, spring blossom, idle moments, a woman's hair - these exquisite reflections on life's fleeting pleasures by a thirteenth-century Japanese monk are delicately attuned to nature and the senses. 

2) Lover Unleashed by J.R: Ward

Synopsis: Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side... and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either. 

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can—and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night—like vampires—he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

3) Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham

Synopsis: Sebastian Rudd is not your typical street lawyer. He works out of a customized bulletproof van, complete with Wi-Fi, a bar, a small fridge, fine leather chairs, a hidden gun compartment, and a heavily armed driver. He has no firm, no partners, no associates, and only one employee, his driver, who’s also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddy. He lives alone in a small but extremely safe penthouse apartment, and his primary piece of furniture is a vintage pool table. He drinks small-batch bourbon and carries a gun.

 
Sebastian defends people other lawyers won’t go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house.  Why these clients? Because he believes everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even if he, Sebastian, has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice, doesn’t like insurance companies, banks, or big corporations; he distrusts all levels of government and laughs at the justice system’s notions of ethical behavior.

4) The Invisible Library by G. Frogman

Synopsis: Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.

5) Black Skin, White Mask by F. Fanon

Synopsis: A major influence on civil rights, anti-colonial, and black consciousness movements around the world, Black Skin, White Masks is the unsurpassed study of the black psyche in a white world. Hailed for its scientific analysis and poetic grace when it was first published in 1952, the book remains a vital force today. “[Fanon] demonstrates how insidiously the problem of race, of color, connects with a whole range of words and images.” — Robert Coles, The New York Times Book Review 

6) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis: It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

7) Graceling by Kristen Cashore

Synopsis: Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... 

                 ***not pictured***

8) The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly

Synopsis: Mickey Haller gets the text, "Call me ASAP - 187," and the California penal code for murder immediately gets his attention. Murder cases have the highest stakes and the biggest paydays, and they always mean Haller has to be at the top of his game.

When Mickey learns that the victim was his own former client, a prostitute he thought he had rescued and put on the straight and narrow path, he knows he is on the hook for this one. He soon finds out that she was back in LA and back in the life. Far from saving her, Mickey may have been the one who put her in danger.

Crisp Autumn Air, Crunchy Colorful Leaves and Big Books....aren't we all itching for Autumn!

Fall is this Book Lover's favorite Season!

 And like always I have compiled my Autumn TBR list! Please feel free to suggest books to me via email or on the blogs Facebook Page and Forum! 

Here are my Top Five (to be read immediately):

1) The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Synopsis: Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted. 

2) End of Watch (Bill Hodges #3) by Stephen King 

Synopsis: In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room. 

Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero ofMr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city. 

3) The Shining by Stephen King

Synopsis: Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

4) Conversion by Katherine Howe

Synopsis: It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t. 

  
First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic. 
  
Soon the media descends on Danvers, Massachusetts, as everyone scrambles to find something, or someone, to blame. Pollution? Stress? Or are the girls faking? Only Colleen—who’s been reading The Crucible for extra credit—comes to realize what nobody else has: Danvers was once Salem Village, where another group of girls suffered from a similarly bizarre epidemic three centuries ago . . . 
  

5) In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Synopsis: Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood has all the hallmarks of a good psychological thriller-- a woman lured back to a past she's spent a decade trying to escape, a few unstable characters, and a shocking death. The impending marriage of Nora's best friend from that long ago time brings her to a glass-walled cabin deep in the woods, for a hen party (the U.K. equivalent of a bachelorette weekend). But why is she there when the two haven't spoken since Nora fled their college town ten years ago? As the party gets underway things start to take a dark turn that builds with each passing moment. In a Dark, Dark Wood is a slow burn, each revelation and obfuscation luring the reader at an ever faster pace towards its ultimate life and death conclusion.--Seira Wilson

 ---------------------------------------------

        The rest of the wild bunch 

6) Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding 

7) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

8) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

9) The Silkworm by Robert Galibrath 

10) Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

*all synopsis are taken from Amazon.com*

Who Doesn't love the Ice Cream man: Bookbabe Review of Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

It's been a few years since I have dived into a King Novel; and I was so happy to be re-introduced to him via Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges #1). I will admit that I was not sure I would enjoy a detective thriller by a novelist known largely for his horror novels. But, as a lover of crime novels and a good who - dun -it; I can say that King does not disappoint.
In Mr. Mercedes we meet recently retired detective, Bill Hodges. Hodges seems to be losing his way. He has lost his purpose after retirement. He spends his days watching crap tv and playing with a loaded gun; contemplating how long it will be until he is ready to pull the trigger on himself. But, that all changes when he receives a note from "Mr. Mercedes" - the man that carried out the City Center attack; that left 8 people dead and injured several others. After receiving the letter Hodges is determined to find out more about the letter and to track down the killer; he wants to put this case to rest. 
What I found amazing about the book is that King identifies the killer quickly. He wraps you so fully in the killers motives and mind that you simply have to keep reading. You also get to see both sides of the story unfold in a very satisfying and unpredictable way. The killer in this story is smart, dangerous and unpredictable. While his main crime (center city) was a "sledgehammer" he actually prefers to go after his victims with a "scalpel". We see this with the way he goes after Olivia Trelawaney and Hodges. What I love is that the reader is clued in to the just how close Mr. Mercedes is to Bill way before Bill and his friends can actually figure it out. Fortunately, for Bill and his crew they figure it out before the killer can do even more damage. 
I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads.

Favorite Quotes:

"Most people are fitted with lead boots when they are just little kids and have to wear them all their lives. These lead boots are called a conscience. I have none, so I can soar high above the heads of the normal crowd"

"Wouldn't work. You know that Dorothy Parker said, right? You can lead a whore to culture, but you can't make her think"

Strong women come from the Desert: Bookbabe reviews A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker

A.D. 30 was my first experience reading a Ted Dekker novel, and the first real historical fiction novel I can say I really enjoyed. The book takes us into the life of Maviah; who is the daughter of a tribal leader. However, she is so much more than that. Maviah is a woman that has been thrown away by her father; sold into slavery, and sent back to her father in disgrace. She lives in a time where women are seen as property and have no rights. Its is during this story that we watch Maviah grow into a powerful woman who is fully willing aware of the fact that she is the daughter of a King. The most powerful part of this book is that Maviah is forced to help a father that does not care for her. She could be bitter, hateful and only look out for herself but she wants to be honored in the eyes of a man that cast her aside. 

So when he father is taken captive, and even though she loses her child, she decides to take a dangerous trip across the desert to meet with Herod. She walks into Herod's presence completely unsure on how she will be perceived or even if she will get the help that she seeks. It is there that she meets Phasa; Herod's first wife. It is through this meeting that things really begin to shift. As Maviah is waiting on Herod to come back from Rome she and Phasa become close; so much so that she feels comfortable enough to ask the young queen to help her in keeping her traveling companions safe. Phasa agrees to help, after Judah (one of Maviah's companions) kills a guard. It is only after this happens that Judah, Maviah, Saba and Phasa partake in a journey to meet Yeshua. It is during Maviah's first experience with Yeshua that I was reminded of how deeply personal and beautiful following Yeshua can be. It was during her experience with him that you are reminded that Yeshua is caring and deeply interested in the lives and well beings of his followers. He had the power to make every interaction personal; even though he was in room full of people. It is after this meeting that something in Maviah begins to shift. She begins to think about herself differently and she begins to think about life differently. After there journey and upon their return to the palace Maviah is entrusted with information that can drastically change the course of everything; especially since she now knows Herod had no interest in helping her. This change is circumstances sets her on a journey that takes her directly into the heart of the home of her fathers enemies. It is here that she slow emerges as the Queen that Judah always thought that she was.

What I loved the most about this book: I enjoyed the way Dekker wove the beauty of Yeshua's words into the story of a lost woman. This book truly is about the power and importance of faith. Its also about the struggle to stay the course and hold tight to your faith through even in the hardest times. 

I gave A.D. 30 5/5 stars on goodreads.com.

Quotes that I loved:

"The Stars do not lie"

"I was plunged beneath the waters of the Galilean sea a dirtied slave and emerged a queen fit for a king"

"You must understand...to have faith is to let go of knowledge as the means to salvation. To do so, one must embrace trust and mystery rather than make knowledge one's God...It is not where that matters so much as simply following? Faith, you see? Trust, like a child"

"You have heard me say, Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy...but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"

"The eye is the lamp of the body, if your eye is clear, you whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness"

"Put your faith in me, not the storm, nor the boat. I and the Father are one. You can not truly forgive until you surrender your belief in this storm and trust me instead"

These Two are Made for each other: Bookbabe Review of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

So I am just going to say it...Gillian Flynn is a bad ass!  I have never had this much fun reading a thriller. I will admit that the last real thriller (similar to this) that I enjoyed was Andrew Pyper's Lost Girls; and that was years ago. Gone Girl was definitely a book that I wish I had read in 2012 - when I originally purchased it. (Yeah I know, I let this gem linger on my shelf for a long long long long time.) Gone Girl takes us on a ride into the marriage of Amy and Nick Dunne; he is an ordinary guy and she is an extraordinary and deeply complicated woman.  Nick is the typical "man" - forgetful of almost all things sentimental, not necessarily clingy, but definitely head over heels in love with his wife. Well, at least at first! Amy is the "cool girl" - just what Nick likes. She seems to enjoy what he enjoys etc. However, that is a farce. She is just playing the "cool girl"; Amy is a sociopath. She truly does not care about anyone other than herself and is only concerned with what others can do for her. This is seen in the way she treats not only her husband but her parents; who can not seem to do enough for her. As their marriage goes along and things begin to stagnate; Nick's eye and possibly his heart begins to wander. Of course, Amy is not going to take that lying down and that is when, as they say "shit gets real"!  I will not ruin that for anyone; especially those of you that have not read the book or seen the movie. Let me just say....Amy's actions are 100% genius and 2000% crazy. I have never read a character like Amy; which is what made this book so interesting. Whats also completely crazy about this book is that while you could find something to dislike about almost every character (except maybe Go, Nick's sister) you find yourself wanting to root for both Amy and Nick. You want him to be vindicated and you want Amy's insane plan to work. Another amazing thing about this book is that it could happen. Anyone; man or woman, could pull an Amy. Of course, they would most likely be caught and we would most likely be watching the story on ID Channel because after all this is reality and not a bestselling work of fiction. 

I would recommend this book to anyone that really enjoyed the movie; which while completely close to the adaptation but so much more in depth. I gave the book 5/5 stars on goodreads.com. 

Quotes I loved:

"Should I remove my soul before I come inside."

"Amy, I don't get why I need to prove my love to you be remembering the exact same things you do, the exact same was you do. I doesn't mean I don't love our life together."

"I have a few married friends who are married - not many who are happily married, but many married friends. The few happy ones are like my parents: they're baffled by my singleness. A smart, pretty, nice girl like me, a girl with so many interests...I know that they secretly think there's something wrong with me, something hidden away that makes me unsatisfiable, unsatisfying"

Moleskin notebooks = Trouble: Bookbabe review of Finders Keepers by Stephen King

Wow just wow. Stephen King really kept the action going with Finders Keepers and tied this book very artfully into the first novel of the Hodges series. This novel is really about obsession; one guys obsession with an author and his work of fiction. Just like the first novel the villain is identified quickly; his motives are identified quickly and we also get the feeling that the guy is way way way off the reservation. Complete nutter. (And won't King have fun with that). The book even opens up with a in your face home invasion and murder. King really held no punches in the beginning and the deep dive into the book was very necessary. 
It takes a while to get to the point where Hodges (now four years older) gets into the story. 
The story revolves mainly around Peter Saubers and his family; whose father is on the survivors of the attack as City Center. At the beginning of this story Saubers and his family have fallen on very tough times. Having to had to move to a low income neighborhood, the kids losing friends; then drowning the debt from medical bills and having to deal with the pain of living off a teachers salary. Peter is hoping for anyway to help his family and it comes; in the form of a trunk buried in an abandon field. 
Of course, we all know that sometimes something good can turn into something very bad very quickly. And this happens just a few years after Peter has found the trunk. You could say that opening that trunk was like opening Pandora's box - Peter had no clue what danger awaited him or what the consequences of his actions would be. What  I loved about this book was the growth and depth of the main character; Peter was well written and fully flushed out. We saw the good in him; along with his selfishness. And it was this selfishness that seemed to link him to the villain. It was his; as well as, the obsession of the villain that could have destroyed them both and for a while I thought that it would.
What's amazing about this book is that our previous villain plays a small role; mostly towards the end of the book - but his reintroduction is sinister and seems to foreshadow that something truly scary is coming in the next installment of the series. I really can not wait to start it. 
I gave Finders Keepers 5/5 stars on goodreads.com.

Quotes that I loved:

"You created one of the greatest characters in American literature, then shit on him...a man who could do that doesn't deserve to live"

"The critical eye should always be cold and clear"

"A good novelist does not lead his characters, he follows them. A good novelist does not create events, he watches them happen and then writes down what he sees. A good novelist realizes he is a secretary, not God"

Loving the Bookish Life.....

So Booklover's Day has come about again this year and as always it reminds me that everyday is Booklover's day. 

After blogging, discussing and loving books all these years I can say there is nothing like be bookish. When I was younger I was made fun of for loving to read, even now some of my family seriously does not understand my obession with books. I have to stop at every bookstore; have to spend time organizing my reading materials. I even make lists of what I plan to read by season. (Speaking of which my fall list will be up this week!) While they may not understand my love of words; I can not really understand their dislike of reading. Reading, I believe, just makes us better human beings. It makes us smarter, makes us better problem solvers etc. Not that non-readers can not be these things. However, there is just something so magical about us bookish folks. I wish you all a wonderful and tea filled Book Lover's Day evening! 

A little stroll through Downtown Dover

I spotted the Tardis but....no Doctor....that's definitely not a Good sign...hopefully he's off running around saving the citizen of Dover, Delaware! 

So today is Dover Comic Con....I will warn you guys so am not all that nerdy but....I do have a love for all things Whoivan and Potter. But there are a few other nerd things I love! Like The Ghostbusters....Brings be back to my childhood...I only wish I could have seen more Doctor Who, Potter, even Supernatural respresented! Maybe next year. All in all, I had a pretty good walk around the area and got to scope things out. Dover Comic Con is definitely worth braving the humidity and crowds! 

Do you really want to disturb me....think wisely!