When your TBR is Lit!

We all know I read a lot; in fact i average about 50 books a year. But when you look at my TBR list of 1701 books you know I simply am not reading at a fast enough pace! I've got to do better.

You can check out your TBR time results here:
http://www.readitforward.com/tbr-time/

Sweet Summer Reads....

The summer of 2016 has by far been my best and most bookish summer to date. I came in at 17 books read ;)! Four more than I read last year!!!! While most of them where great, eight books really stood out. Here they are:

1)1984 by George Orwell

2) Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

3) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

4) The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward

5) The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith 

6) A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker

7) The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey

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

You can find my no spoiler reviews of these books here on my blog. How many books did you read this summer? What books would you recommend for me to read is fall? Please feel free to leave a comment. Happy Reading 🤓

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"

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:

Whoops.....I purchased three more books!

I was only going to the library for one book; The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly. I have not been able to find it anywhere. I ended up spending six bucks! I was so excited. I completed my Cormoran Strike (Robert Galbraith aka JK Rowling) series with this purchase. The book was 3$; really a steal. I also got The Memoirs of Cleoparta by Margaret George; which was a 1$. And The Fifth Witness was 2$! I am really excited about all of these. I am planning on reading the Cormoran Strike novels this summer ;) I think it will be a summer of mystery novels!

It's a full on angel Apocalypse....

Hey Bookies, long time no review! Sorry about that; so here goes nothing. At the beginning of this month I finished Susan Ee's novel End of Days; the final book in the Angelfall Trilogy. I was really dragged reading this out because I was so in love with the series. So reading this book was really bittersweet. It was very hard to leave behind Raffe and Penryn. In this book we are thrust back into a world that seems to have ended; however, the real apocalypse has not even happened yet. Which makes this book even more exciting. I know that seems messed up to wish an apocalyptic event on a books characters; but, if you've read these books you know that the action is often the best part. 

Honestly reading about Raffe and Penryn battling it out with scorpion like creatures and rogue Angels is the truly the best! It also happens to produce some of the funniest dialogue I have ever read. The best part of this particular book is when Raffe and Penryn decend into the underworld to bring back fallen angels to help Raffe fight for the human race. 

It was during their time in the underworld that I think Raffe's true feelings for Penryn are on full display. The tension between them had been building since the second book. However, Raffe made it clear that he could not be with her no matter how he felt because getting the heavenly hosts (the Angels) back in order is what is most important. He promises Penryn that he will do all he can to get the Angels back where they belong and perhaps they will even be able to fix what happened to her sister. What I loved about the story is that Susan Ee seemed to wrap things up so nicely. She really left no lose ends. What was most surprising was Raffe's sacrifice to keep Penryn safe. I really wish that Susan had showed us a little more of what happened after the finally battle to save humanity. All together I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads. 

Quotes I loved:

“He looks down at me with sincere eyes. 'If I were human, I would have been the first in line for you...' He looks away. 'But I'm not. I'm an archangel, and my people are in trouble. I have no choice but to try to set things straight. I can't get distracted by a Daughter of Man.” 

“Raffe arches his brow at me. ‘You should be with a nice human boy. One who takes your orders and puts up with your demands. Someone who dedicates his life to keeping you safe and well fed. Someone who can make you happy. Someone you can be proud of.’ He waves his hand at the Watchers. ‘There’s nobody like that in this lot.’ 
I glare at him. ‘I’ll be sure to pass him by you first before I’ – settle for – ‘choose him.’ 
‘You do that. I’ll let him know what’s expected of him.’ 
‘Assuming he survives your interrogation,’ says Howler. 
‘Big assumption,’ says Cyclone. 
‘I’d like to be there to watch,’ says Hawk. ‘Should be interesting.” 

"I challenge you to come find us.’ ‘This is Penryn Young, Daughter of Man, Killer of Angels." 

 

A woman I want to be like.....

On this day of Women's History month I would like to draw attention to the beautiful Nobel Prize winning author, Toni Morrison. I was introduced to Miss. Morrison by my aunt; who at the time was reading Beloved. She gave me the book after she finished and if had a profound affect on me. Never had I read something so haunting but so beautifully written. It remains one of my favorite books. Some of her other works in include The Bluest Eye, Tar Baby, Home, and God Bless the Child. Morrison is not only an accomplished author but a civil rights activists and she is has even lead discussions on the importance of fighting against censorship. For more information one her and her books visit tonimorrisonsociety.org

Here are just a few of the Quotes by Morrison that I love:

Newest Aquistions....

🤓 New Book Alert*****

I wanted to share with you my most recent acquisitions! 

1) A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker:

 A sweeping epic set in the harsh deserts of Arabia and ancient Palestine. A war that rages between kingdoms on the earth and in the heart. The harrowing journey of the woman at the center of it all. Step back in time to the year of our Lord...A.D. 30.

The outcast daughter of one of the most powerful Bedouin sheikhs in Arabia, Maviah is called on to protect the very people who rejected her. When their enemies launch a sudden attack with devastating consequences, Maviah escapes with the help of two of her father's warriors--Saba who speaks more with is sword than his voice and Judah, a Jew who comes from a tribe that can read the stars. Their journey will be fraught with terrible danger. If they can survive the vast forbidding sands of a desert that is deadly to most, they will reach a brutal world subjugated by kings and emperors. There Maviah must secure an unlikely alliance with King Herod of the Jews. 

But Maviah's path leads her unexpectedly to another man. An enigmatic teacher who speaks of a way in this life which offers greater power than any kingdom. His name is Yeshua, and his words turn everything known on its head. Though following him may present even greater danger, his may be the only way for Maviah to save her people--and herself.

2) Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington: 

This groundbreaking study documents that the infamous Tuskegee experiments, in which black syphilitic men were studied but not treated, was simply the most publicized in a long, and continuing, history of the American medical establishment using African-Americans as unwitting or unwilling human guinea pigs. Washington, a journalist and bioethicist who has worked at Harvard Medical School and Tuskegee University, has accumulated a wealth of documentation, beginning with Thomas Jefferson exposing hundreds of slaves to an untried smallpox vaccine before using it on whites, to the 1990s, when the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University ran drug experiments on African-American and black Dominican boys to determine a genetic predisposition for "disruptive behavior." Washington is a great storyteller, and in addition to giving us an abundance of information on "scientific racism," the book, even at its most distressing, is compulsively readable. It covers a wide range of topics—the history of hospitals not charging black patients so that, after death, their bodies could be used for anatomy classes; the exhaustive research done on black prisoners throughout the 20th century—and paints a powerful and disturbing portrait of medicine, race, sex and the abuse of power.

 

3) Thin, Rich, Pretty by Beth Harbison- this lovely book was a gift from my buddy Angel, I will put it on my summer reading list! Here is the synopsis:

Twenty years ago, Holly and Nicola were the outsiders at summer camp. Holly, the plump one, was a dreamer who longed to be an artist. Nicola, the shy, plain one, wanted nothing more than to be beautiful. Their cabin nemesis was Lexi. Rich, spoiled, evil Lexi. One night, Holly and Nicola teamed up to pull one daring act of vengeance. But they never considered that this one act would have repercussions for decades. 

Today Holly is a successful gallery owner who has put her own artistic dreams on hold. She still struggles with her weight and for approval from her overly critical boyfriend. Nicola is an almost-famous actress who believes that one little plastic surgery fix is just what she needs to put her over the edge into fame. And Lexi . . . Lexi is down on her luck and totally broke. 

Holly will do anything to be thin. Lexi will do anything to be rich. And Nicola will do anything to be pretty. But at what cost? Hilarious, heartwarming, and full of truth, Thin, Rich, Pretty will strike a chord with any woman who has ever looked in the mirror, or at their bank statement, and said, "If only . . . "

4) Elizabeth 1 by Margaret George - this one was also a gift from Angel, I had been talking about this book for Ages and I always missed an opportunity to purchase it! I am really excited to dive into. Mainly due to the fact that Elizabeth 1 is one of my favorite women in history!

Here is the synopsis:

Personal and political conflicts among such larger-than-life historical figures as Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, and Will Shakespeare intertwine in George's meticulously envisioned portrait of Elizabeth I during the last 25 years of her reign. Unlike most contemporary depictions of the Virgin Queen, this one is actually a virgin; she's married to England, whose interests she pursues with shrewdness, courage, and wisdom borne of surviving the deaths of her family. Readers see the queen through her own eyes and those of her cousin, Lettice Knollys, wife of Elizabethan heartthrob Robert Dudley, aka the earl of Leicester. Elizabeth's antithesis, thrice-married and much-bedded Lettice, is driven by passion and self-interest, easily evidenced by the story's beginnings: it's 1588, and Elizabeth meets the threat of the Spanish Armada head-on while Lettice calculates how her son might benefit. Like her heroine, George (The Autobiography of Henry VIII) possesses an eye for beauty and a knack for detail, creating a vibrant story that, for nearly 700 pages, enables readers to experience firsthand Elizabeth's decisions, triumphs, and losses. Rather than turn Elizabeth I into a romantic heroine, George painstakingly reveals a monarch who defined an era. 

 

The Wisest Woman you will ever read....Dr. Maya Angelou

On International Women's Day what better woman to celebrate then the author, Dr. Maya Angelou. After all, she penned the poem "Phenomenal Woman". Dr. Angelou was a fierce writer, and a civil rights activist. She is one woman, whose grace and wisdom always seemed to shine through her works. I deeply admire Dr. Angelou. She is the author of several collections of poems and the novel, I know why the caged Bird sings! 

 

Here are some of the Quotes I love by Dr. Maya Angelou

Women's Histoy Month....writer edition Day 3

Women's History Icon of the Day....Sonia Sanchez. The beautiful Miss Sanchez is a poet, author and activist. She is the author of several books including: Shake Loose my Skin, Homegirls and Handgrenades, and I've been a Woman! 

Some of the best quotes by Sanchez:

Jane Austen, Mysterious men and Bookselling: The Bookbabe Reviews First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

                                         

       

Howdy Bookies, I am back with yet another review of something Jane Austen related. A few weeks ago I read First Impressions by Charlie Lovett; a book that questions the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice. What bought me to this book was the fact that I had read and  LOVED Lovett's The Bookmans Tale last year. This book was definitely not a disappointment.  Basically the books main character Sophie Collingswood is an Austen fan, and general book lover. She gets caught up in the mystery of the murder of her beloved uncle and a mystery involving her beloved Austen; with a bit of romance and danger added in. What I really loved about this book, like Lovett's other novel, is that the characters are 100% relatable. Sophie is everything you love in a  bibliophile; she is intelligent, well read, overly protective of  books, and quick on her feet. Sophie comes from a seemingly well to do family that had a long history of publishing in its blood. However, her father is not a fan of books, or even reading. He finds the family library to be unnecessary, basically it is a waste of space and since most of the books are first editions of collectables they can be sold off to the highest bidder. The only person standing is his way is Sophie's beloved Uncle. Who won't allow his brother to sell even one book in the family library. Sophie's uncle is the reason she loved books; he is the reason she is found of old books and behind her as she studies Library sciences at Oxford. So when he suddenly is found dead in his flat Sophie just can not seem to accept the cause of this demise. She is determined to prove that someone murdered him; in fact, the quest almost costs her her life. 

What I really loved about the book was that it bounced back from Sophie's time period to the regency period, in which, Austen lived. Lovett writes in Austen's voice so beautifully that it made me feel like I was re-reading one of my favorite novels. He made Austen come alive in a way that I have never seen other authors do. Another thing that was extremely impressive was the balance of innocent romance and suspense. There was just enough romance to make you swoon and enough suspense to keep you up at night wanting to finish the book in one sitting. I am happy to say that I took my time reading this book so that I could throughly enjoy it. It was the well developed characters and the artful balance of romance and suspense that lead me to give First Impressions 5/5 stars on Goodreads. 

I definitely see this book becoming one I give away to fellow Austen fans.

Favorite Quotes:

"A bibliophile raised in a family that does not know the word...that's me"

(it was this moment that let me know Sophie was set to be my literary BFF of the moment)

"A good book is like a good friend. It will stay with you for the rest of your life. When you first get to know it, it will give you excitement and adventure and years later it will provide you with comfort and familiarity. And best of all, you can share it with your children or your grandchildren or anyone you love enough to let into its secrets"

"Let me ask you this, Miss Austen. Are you able to prevent yourself from writing?"

"Indeed not. I find that my stories will not cease to crowd all other thoughts from my mind until I have committed them to paper"

"...Then, Miss Austen, let there be no doubt about it - you are a novelist"

"It is only when we attach happiness to those things which are worldly and unimportant that our lives become corrupted"

For more information of this book go to www.goodreads.com

Please be sure to follow me at www.facebook.com/thebookbabeofde and www.delawarebookaddict.blogspot.com

Revolutionary Prose: The Bookbabe Reviews: Citizen by Claudia Rankine

        

                                                 

Citizen is perhaps one of the most powerful, thought provoking books that I have read in a while. The book is a collection of poems about African American life; every thing that Rankine wrote reminds you of what it feels like to sometimes doubt what you feel, and think. One of the best parts of the book is about the career of tennis star, Serena Williams. In this particular part of the collection Rankine talks about some of the open criticism that followed Williams over the years when it came to her body. The idea that she was "to big", "to man-ish". Rankine discusses why Serena boycotted the India Wells tournament; a tournament where both she and her family had been openly booed. Not to mention the fact that racial epithets had been shouted at her sister and father. Rankine points out that Serena Williams seemed to detach herself from of the slights thrown at her; maybe it was a way to deflect the pain of being considered an outsider in the tennis world. Or maybe it was because Serena did not want to make a fuss about something that she knew would never change. Rankine also includes and image of Dane Caroline Wozniacki mocking Serena by stuffing rolled up towels into her shorts and top during a televised match. What made this particular section of the book stick with me was the fact that I never knew anything about these events. Of course, I know who Serena Williams is and what an incredibly focused athlete she is but I would have never ever imagined she had experienced this kind of thing. The larger thing I got from this is that sometimes the presence of a black body can be intimidating. In fact, this was a theme that ran throughout the book. Over and over again, Rankine draws attention to the "body", almost in a detached sort of way. On of my favorite passages reads as follows: " How to care for the injured body, the kind of body that can't hold the content it is living? And where us the safest place when that place must be someplace other than the body?" 

Also she openly addresses the way we sometimes are made to feel guilty if we speak up about the things that make us uncomfortable. Like when a friend makes a racially charged joke etc. Sometimes we will call them on it only to shrink back when they deflect from it or say "none of the other black friends feel that way and how you feel is how your feel". Personally I can say that in the months after Trayvon Martin,  Mike Brown, and Freddie Grey I have felt the same way. Like I was walking on eggshells with some folks, never really able to speak to the things that they said or posted on social media that made me upset. 

What I so deeply loved about this book was that it was raw and real, a lot of the topics covered in the book is something that I think many African Americans can relate too. Also, I think its something a lot of other people would be a little shocked at. I will say that this book is definitely at the top of my gift giving list for the year. I will be recommending it to everyone I talk to that wants a good, thought provoking read. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

Quotes I Loved:

"For so long you thought the ambition of racist language was to denigrate and erase you as a person. After considering Butlers's remarks, you begin to understand yourself as rendered hyper visible in the face of such language acts. Language that feels hurtful is intended to exploit all the ways that you are present. Your alertness, openness, and your desire to engage actually your presence, you're looking at, you're talking back, and, as insane as it is, saying please"

"And you were not the guys and still you fit the description because there is only one guy who is always the guys fitting the description....."

"What happens to you doesn't belong to you, only half concerns you. It's not yours. Not yours only"

      

Vampires, and Sympaths...Oh My...The Bookbabe reviews Lover Avenged (Blackdaggger Brotherhood # 7)

            

    

                                            

Well I ventured back to Caldwell, NY with the seventh book in the Blackdagger brotherhood series. This particular book was very interesting because the subject of it was not a brother but Rehvenge; a drug dealing, club owner, and all around bad boy. For anyone that has read the series they are very aware that Rehvenge leads a double life. He is in hiding; and only a few people know the truth about what he really is. What I love the most about his character is that even though he tries to put on a tough guy exterior Rehv really takes care of those that he loves. He is the keeper of many secrets. He keeps his drug running and his "pimping" a secret. Not to mention the secret of this meetings with the Princess of the Sympaths. Due to his contact with her he tries to keep people away. He also blocks his thoughts from her so that she can have no access to his inner most feelings. What was extremely interesting about this book was watching Rehv's love affair with Ehlena develop. It was very slow and innocent. Ehlena is not the type of woman that anyone would have expected Rehv to end up with.  She came up among the upper vampire classes. However, due to a bad business deal her family ends up poor. Ehlena ends up being the caregiver and bread winner in the home. Her father, however, is suffering from something similar to Dementia. It takes up a lot of her time and if it would not have been for her treating Rehv at the Clinic she would have never meant him. Mind you she did not want to treat him at all; she just happened to be the only nurse that was not scared of him. 

As their relationship is progressing we get a tangled into a drama of a murder plot. We find out that Wrath has angered the upper classes and they want him out. Who else would they turn to but Rehv, and that is because his secret has been discovered. Rehv, being who he is, thinks that Wraths demise could work out in his best interest. However, because of his sisters connection to the Brothers he comes clean to Wrath. In return, Wrath vows to help him keep his secret from his sister and the rest of the vampire community. Even though Wrath has sworn to keep things quiet the Brotherhood receives an email calling on them to expel Rehv from the community. Of course, Rehv decided to take it upon himself to do what was best for his family and leave. Upon his surrendering to the Princess he spends months as a prisoner. Back home in Caldwell, Ehlena hatches a plot along side Xhex to rescue Rehv. 

What I loved most about this story was it showed the softer side of Rehv. We get to see him as a man in love. As a family man, and as a best friend. I am sure that we will see even more of him in the upcoming books. 

Quotes I Loved:

"The Fabric of the Race's society is going to unravel, and if you think that's going to help in the war, you've got your head so far up your ass you're using you're colon as a mouth piece"

"Oh man, there's a marathon of Beaches running tomorrow night. Can we go after ten so I can see it once all the way through?" (Rhage)

"What...Look its not Mary Tyler Moore, Kay? So you can't give me shit! "(Rhage)

"It's worse then Mary Tyler Moore. And to call you an idiot would be an insult to halfwits around the fucking world" (V)

Rating on Goodreads: 5 stars

So many books so little time....my Dec/Jan book haul!

There is nothing like new books....(all purchased between last month and this one)!

Here is what I purchased:

1) The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman

2) Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Candor

3) Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

4) Passage by Alexandra Bracken

5) Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard

6) Tess of the D' Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

7) In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

Of course there are so many more books that's been added to my list since purchasing these. Ugh...such is the life of a book worm! 

Currently Reading: Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

I am currently reading the seventh book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by the wonderful J.R. Ward. Here is the synopsis: 

Rehvenge is used to living in the shadows and dealing with the roughest night walkers around—including the Black Dagger Brotherhood. As his secret identity as a sympath is threatened, he turns to the only light in his ever darkening world—a female vampire untouched by corruption, who’s the only thing standing between him and eternal damnation.

First impression: (I am 15 chapters in) 

I am pretty impressed with Rev's story so far. We are finally seeing Lash's betrayal unfold. Of course, there is one big thing that is plaguing me and I am wondering how John Matthew's seeing Lash alive is going to play out. I think he is keeping that particular secret. There have been a few surprises in this book so far. Finally Wrath; the king of the vampires, is back in on the action. And Phury is making a comeback as well. I still have a lot of story to make it through but I am

Excited for this book. My plan is to have it completely read by New Years Eve.  

Adagio Fandom Teas Review

(Teas above are Jem Carstairs created by Auburn Kelton and Three Broomsticks created by Maddie W.)

As the months get a little colder, and the holidays approach I find myself in need of a nice cup of tea every evening. One of my good buddies, and fellow reader, Heidi M. Introduced me to Adagio teas. She recieved their "Cinderella" tea bags as part of her Owlcrate. She absolutely loved it and that made me want to hunt it down. Well, I ended up not purchasing that tea but purchasing several others. Among them were a Lemon Soliel black tea, Jasmine Pearl Green tea, and then these two amazing babies above. The Jem Carstairs tea is based on the character by Cassandra Clare (he is featured in The Infernal Devices series) this tea reminds me of Lady Earl Grey; which is one of my favorite teas. It's very smooth and light and has a beautiful fragrance. It does have a high level of caffeine so you will get a nice little buzz from it. This tea is one of many named for the Cassie Clare characters. I mainly picked this one because Jem is one of my favorite characters ever written. 

The next tea is Three Broomsticks; and any Harry Potter fan knows that the Three Broomsticks is only the best pub in Hogsmeade. I was extremely interested in this one because it recieved such amazing reviews. This tea has a very caramel taste, even without sugar. And it's scent is amazing. It is strong upon your first steeping but it mellows out upon a second brewing. This is a great morning tea, or mid afternoon tea. What I really loved about all of these teas is that I was able to reuse the leaves up to four times without losing any flavor or potency. Which in my opinion is a good sign of a high quality tea. I will definitely be back on the Adagio website after the holidays to order more tea! Of course any other fandom teas will be reviewed her as well. 

Here is a list of some of the other fandom teas is saw listed:

- Divergent

- Jane Austen

- Doctor Who

- Nightmare Before Christmas

- Edgar Allan Poe

- Jane Eyre 

- Harry Potter Characters

- Harry Potter Houses

And many many more! 

Oh my...I am reading Manga!

On first glance this is just your typical manga/comic. Nothing really extraordinary about that; however, it is based on the Dark Hunter Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Thanks to my beautifully bookish friend Lauren, I was "told" to give Sherrilyn a shot. So lady week I made my way to the book store and picked up book one of the Dark Hunter series and I just added it to my TBR pile. Let did I know but the manga was available on Scribd (a service I highly recommend); so I was like what the hell. It will be a quick read and will allow me to see if the books are really worth my time. Well I was pleasantly surprised. The novels are Paranormal Romance; so you can except a fair amount of sex. But the manga, mainly due to the medium, hints at the sex and keeps to the action. Which I LOVE. One of the best thing about these (and the story line) is that it is based on Greek Gods and Goddesses. And the story is very unique; much like Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, the story has complex characters. I really can not wait to do a full review on the manga series. If you have read these please leave a comment in the comments section! As always happy reading! 

Library, Book Outlet, and Acorn Books Book Haul

My Dover Public Library Book Haul; I spent a whooping 7$. The this Haul includes the following:

1) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 

Here is the synopsis: 

The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule. ("...I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.")

2) In the Woods by Tana French

Here is the synopsis:

When Katy Devlin, a 12-year-old girl from Knocknaree, a Dublin suburb, is found murdered at a local archeological dig, Det. Rob Ryan and his partner, Cassie Maddox, must probe deep into the victim's troubled family history. There are chilling similarities between the Devlin murder and the disappearance 20 years before of two children from the same neighborhood who were Ryan's best friends. Only Maddox knows Ryan was involved in the 1984 case. The plot climaxes with a taut interrogation by Maddox of a potential suspect, and the reader is floored by the eventual identity and motives of the killer. A distracting political subplot involves a pending motorway in Knocknaree, but Ryan and Maddox are empathetic and flawed heroes, whose partnership and friendship elevate the narrative beyond a gory tale of murdered children and repressed childhood trauma.

3) Seeker by A.E. Dayton

Here is the synopsis:

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’. 

Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin's new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

4) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Here is the synopsis:

Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. 

As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love--and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle. 

My second haul came from Bookoutlet.com; they had a 15% off sale last week. Even though I was in Gettysburg, PA on vacation I could not pass up the offer. Here are the four books I purchased: 

1) Conversion by Katherine Howe 

Here is the 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.

2) Of Beasts and Beauty by Stacey Jay

 

Here is the synopsis:

In the beginning was the darkness, and in the darkness was a girl, and in the girl was a secret...

In the domed city of Yuan, the blind Princess Isra, a Smooth Skin, is raised to be a human sacrifice whose death will ensure her city’s vitality. In the desert outside Yuan, Gem, a mutant beast, fights to save his people, the Monstrous, from starvation. Neither dreams that together, they could return balance to both their worlds.

Isra wants to help the city’s Banished people, second-class citizens despised for possessing Monstrous traits. But after she enlists the aid of her prisoner, Gem, who has been captured while trying to steal Yuan’s enchanted roses, she begins to care for him, and to question everything she has been brought up to believe.

As secrets are revealed and Isra’s sight, which vanished during her childhood, returned, Isra will have to choose between duty to her people and the beast she has come to love.

3) Monsterous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

 

Here is the synopsis:

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost 140 years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra's help, Hester investigates her family's strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean--but, in Elizabeth Fama's Monstrous Beauty, powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

4) A Little Night Magic by Lucy March

Here is the synopsis:

Olivia Kiskey needs a change. She's been working at the same Nodaway Falls, NY, waffle house since she was a teenager; not a lot of upward mobility there. She's been in love with Tobias the cook for the last four years; he's never made a move. Every Saturday night, she gathers with her three best friends - Peach, Millie, and Stacy - and drinks the same margaritas while listening to the same old stories. Intent on changing her life, she puts her house on the market, buys a one-way ticket to Europe, and announces her plans to her friends... but then she meets Davina Granville, a strange and mystical southern woman who shows Olivia that there is more to her small town life than she ever dreamed. As her latent magical powers come to the surface, Olivia discovers that having an interesting life is maybe not all it's cracked up to be. The dark side of someone else's magic is taking over good people in town, and changing them into vessels of malevolence... including Millie, who has been a shining example of sweetness for Liv since they were kids. Unwilling to cede her home to darkness, she battles the demons of her familial past and her magical present, and learns that the important things in life - friendship, love, magic and waffles - can get a girl through almost anything the Universe can throw at her.

And finally....

A small paper back haul from Acorn books in Smyrna, Delaware. These cost me roughly 12$. 

1) Covet (Fallen Angels #1) by J. R. Ward

Here is the synopsis: 

Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about—his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charge with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he’s good with that — until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart—and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

2) Lover Enshrined (Black Dagger Brotherhood #6) by J.R. Ward

Here is the synopsis:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other—six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. And now, a dutiful twin must choose between two lives...

Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished.

As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself- she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.

3) If She Knew by Lisa Jackson

Here is the synopsis:

She Woke Up With A New Face. . .

Not only has Marla Cahill survived a deadly car accident, but her beautiful features have been restored through plastic surgery. She should be grateful. Instead, she's consumed by confusion. . .and panic. For the people gathered at her bedside--her family--are strangers. And so is the woman whose haunted eyes stare back from the mirror. . .


She Woke Up With No Memories. . .

Secluded at the magnificent Cahill mansion, Marla waits for something to trigger recognition. Yet the only thing she's left with is the unshakable feeling that she is not who everyone says she is, and that something is very, very wrong. .

 . . And She Woke Up To Murder

Determined to piece together the truth of her identity, she finds herself drawn to her brother-in-law, Nick--a man who seems both to want and despise her. And as her fractured mind slowly clears, Marla begins to have flashes of another life. . .of cruel betrayals and deadly secrets. Marla's life isn't just different--it's in danger, controlled by a twisted killer who's waiting for the right moment to strike. . .the moment Marla remembers. . 

 

Chaddsford Winery Trip & Adult Trick or Treating

On September 30, my coworker and I decided to take a trip to Chaddford, PA; an hour and ten minutes away from our home town. The winery was offering an adult trick or treating event that offered us a sample of their fall/winter wines. It was a nice Halloween experience; and I picked up an amazing Hard Cider that will pair well with my horror novels and mysteries this fall.