Friday, June 26, 2015
Title: Death of a Mad Hatter
Author: Jenn McKinlay
While
managing the shop and taking care of business, the two women take on their grandmother’s old friend (Dotty) as a client (who happens to think that Vivian (Viv) is
their grandmother). The job? Create Alice in Wonderland themed hats for a tea party fund-raiser to name a hospital wing after the late Mr. Grisby. The job is easy enough to accomplish. The family, on the other hand, is a different story all together. Geoffrey is a pompous ass, Daphne is a bitter bitch, Lily is an artsy free-spirit, and Rose is all sorts of timid - hold the back bone. Let's not forget Mrs. Geoffrey Grisby - Tina - who is actually a decent person. We also have the offspring of Daphne - Liam and George.
The day of the fund-raiser goes off without a hitch. Geoffrey is canoodling with his secretary, the late Mr. Grisby's mistress makes a scene and vows to kill Geoffrey, and oh yeah! Geoffrey is found dead by miss Scarlet Parker.
The mystery is afoot.
At first Scarlet thinks the death is caused by a heart attack. Then she finds out that he was poisoned! But who would want to murder a charming likable fellow such as Geoffrey? [I am being sarcastic here - he is not a likable person at all.]
Let's look at the suspects:
Author: Jenn McKinlay
In
Death of a Mad Hatter we are introduced to Scarlet Parker and her life of
normalcy working in a hat shop she runs with her cousin Vivian. Having just gone through a scandalous and
high profile break-up (her boyfriend was married and Scarlet wasn’t having any
of that nonsense), she has sworn off men for a year to allow herself time to
just be herself – unattached.
Vivian
is the talent behind Mim’s Whims. She
learned the trade and took over the business from her grandmother. With her cousin and apprentice, Fiona, by her
side, she can accomplish making any hat for any occasion. Even ones that don’t quite turn out as
planned.
Harrison
is a long-time family friend.
He takes care of the business side of Mim's Whims. He also makes things complicated for Scarlet
in the romance department. Will he (and his stolen kiss) be the one to break down Scarlet's wall?
The day of the fund-raiser goes off without a hitch. Geoffrey is canoodling with his secretary, the late Mr. Grisby's mistress makes a scene and vows to kill Geoffrey, and oh yeah! Geoffrey is found dead by miss Scarlet Parker.
The mystery is afoot.
At first Scarlet thinks the death is caused by a heart attack. Then she finds out that he was poisoned! But who would want to murder a charming likable fellow such as Geoffrey? [I am being sarcastic here - he is not a likable person at all.]
Let's look at the suspects:
- The Mistress - Threatened Geoffrey at the even he was murdered at.
- Daphne - Thinks it is unfair that Geoffrey is was the sole inheritor of their father's fortune.
- Liam - Eldest son of Daphne. Could have committed the crime on his mother's behalf.
- George - Youngest son of Daphne. Could have committed the crime on his mother's behalf.
- Tina - Was treated awfully by Geoffrey and could want to inherit his newly inherited fortune.
- Rose - Quiet. Too quiet?
- Lily - Free spirit. Gotta be careful of the ones you least expect right?
So who was the culprit? It wouldn't be much fun if I told you now would it?
My Opinion(s):
Death of a Mad Hatter, to say the least, was a fantastic read! I loved how real the story was. It wasn't too over-the-top but it wasn't boring either. The Jenn McKinlay did an awesome job at world and character building. I felt like Scarlet could step out of the book and be my normal neighbor with a normal life. At least until a mystery comes along that needs meddling of course.
While I was routing for Scarlet to bring down her shield and give Harrison a chance, I also admired her for basically saying, "Hey. I like you and I want to see where this is going but... I made a promise to myself to stay boyfriend free for x amount of years/months. I'm going to see that through first." Doing something like that, especially for someone who is used to being on a guy's arm, is courageous and self respectful. This is a book I would encourage my daughter to read when she's a bit older - to show her that it's not just all about the boys.
Now I'm not and English major or professional writer but I do believe that Death of a Mad Hatter is very well written. The story structure was as solid as a rock and twists were done in a "Oh that makes sense." sort of way. It wasn't too out there but it wasn't too predictable either. It was just right.
To be honest... I don't really have much to say about this book other than I really really enjoyed it - very much. In fact I have a book in another series by Jenn McKinlay on my reading list. I can't wait to read it and I definitely can't wait to share it with you.
Your Turn:
Have you read Death of a Mad Hatter? What are your thoughts on the book? Do you agree with my opinions? If you didn't like the ending, how would you have ended the story?
Remember to be respectful in your comments.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Just Finished: Taken by the Huntsman by Mistral Dawn & Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Currently Reading: Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer
Up Next: Endless Knight by Kresley Cole
Happy Reading!
My Opinion(s):
Death of a Mad Hatter, to say the least, was a fantastic read! I loved how real the story was. It wasn't too over-the-top but it wasn't boring either. The Jenn McKinlay did an awesome job at world and character building. I felt like Scarlet could step out of the book and be my normal neighbor with a normal life. At least until a mystery comes along that needs meddling of course.
While I was routing for Scarlet to bring down her shield and give Harrison a chance, I also admired her for basically saying, "Hey. I like you and I want to see where this is going but... I made a promise to myself to stay boyfriend free for x amount of years/months. I'm going to see that through first." Doing something like that, especially for someone who is used to being on a guy's arm, is courageous and self respectful. This is a book I would encourage my daughter to read when she's a bit older - to show her that it's not just all about the boys.
Now I'm not and English major or professional writer but I do believe that Death of a Mad Hatter is very well written. The story structure was as solid as a rock and twists were done in a "Oh that makes sense." sort of way. It wasn't too out there but it wasn't too predictable either. It was just right.
To be honest... I don't really have much to say about this book other than I really really enjoyed it - very much. In fact I have a book in another series by Jenn McKinlay on my reading list. I can't wait to read it and I definitely can't wait to share it with you.
Your Turn:
Have you read Death of a Mad Hatter? What are your thoughts on the book? Do you agree with my opinions? If you didn't like the ending, how would you have ended the story?
Remember to be respectful in your comments.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Title: A Spear of Summer Grass
Author: Deanna Raybourn
In A Spear of Summer Grass we are introduced to Delilah Drummond and her life of high society in the roaring 20's. Delilah, a strong and independent woman, finds herself in the middle of a scandal and flees (or rather is sent away) to the plains of Africa until things blow over. As soon as she arrives to her destination, it is made perfectly clear that she is not wanted there and that she needs to steer clear of trouble. The demand sounds simple enough but Delilah seems to attract trouble wherever she goes.
Delilah travels with her cousin Dora who serves as a sort of babysitter; making sure she doesn't get intoany that much trouble. Dora finds her own place in Africa as she observes, passes judgement, and takes her leave from Delilah's life.
While in Africa, Delilah meets Ryder and Gideon.
Ryder is an entrepreneur, of sorts, with a tough exterior but a soft and kind interior. He is unapologetic for who he is but is a true and loyal friend to those who deserve it. Ryder, like many in this book, has a past that is kept guarded with great care. His story gets revealed one layer at a time. Ryder takes Delilah under his wing and teaches her to respect, love, and fear Africa and her inhabitants.
Gideon is a Masai Warrior who befriends Delilah and teaches her how to communicate with the native people as well as what their customs are. He proves to be a true friend to the end.
*MY OPINIONS - MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (MAY NOT)*
At first, I thought Delilah was a bit cold and uncaring. Just going through life without giving a damn about how her actions could affect others. As the story progressed, however, I started to see why Delilah had that persona. It was her way of coping and shielding herself from heartbreak. By the end of the book I actually admired her for being who she was despite other people's opinions and perceptions. She never tried to justify or excuse her actions. Even if what people thought of her was not true. She would just let them believe what they believed and would, at times, play into it. Her personal business was just that - personal.
Dora got on my nerves more than once. She was very judgmental of her cousin and made presumptions that were not true. One part that got to me was when Delilah was summoned by a neighbor who's husband had called upon her a couple of times for some friendly chat (nothing more) and Dora was acting so smug thinking that Delilah was going to get in trouble for doing something that she never actually did. It turned out to be some sort of kinky party - go figure. More than once I had the urge to reach inside the book, grab Dora, and slap her around.
I didn't really know what to think of Ryder at first. He seemed kind of full of himself but at the same time it was evident that he was a hard worker and extremely loyal - admirable traits. Ryder knew the terrain well and was handy with a gun (as was Delilah) so he took it upon himself to teach Delilah all she needed to know to survive in Africa. Traveling around with Ryder is Gideon. Delilah and Gideon form a bond - a sort of mutual respect for one another. I think Gideon filled a family void for Delilah - He was a brotherly figure - Teaching her the ways and customs of Africa and helping her negotiate with the people of the land.
To be honest, I didn't know if I would like this book at all. It is not a book that I would have chosen to read on my own. It was being read for the book club I participate in (part-time) and so I decided to give it a go. I can honestly say, however, that I enjoyed this book very much. I was trapped in the essence of the time and setting; moved by the hidden emotions of past, present, and potential future. Deanna Raybourn did an amazing job at crafting Delilah's story and making her world come to life.
*EXTRAS*
*First - While Delilah and her cousin were on a train, shortly after their arrival in Africa, Delilah starts reading a book about Africa. She torments Dora with the story of some man-eating lions who fed on rail workers in the night while their companions listened to the screams and bone crunching of those being fed upon. Sound familiar? It did to me too so I did a little poking about.
That story sounded familiar to me because I remembered it as the plot to a movie that came out in the 90's staring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. Any guess what that movie was? Yup, it was The Ghost and the Darkness. Now I have never seen the movie but I remember the movie trailers... anyway. I looked the movie up on IMDB (kind of a go-to guide to movies for me) and read that it was based off of a true story. So then I looked that up and low and behold I found information on the Tsavo Man-Eaters. Over 30 workers were eaten within 9 months in 1898 by two mane-less male lions. How terrifying is that!
*Second - So there is another part in the book towards the end where Delilah's ex-husband/solicitor (basically a lawyer) says something to the effect of, I didn't know it rained so much in Africa. That one sentence reminded me of the song Africa by Toto and I have basically had that song in my head ever since. The song reminds me of the book, the book reminds me of the song... Enjoy the music video below:
*Third - Casting Delilah Drummond. I'm not usually one to cast the characters in books I read - mainly because I'm not very talented at it. While I was looking through Pinterest, however, I came across a photo that was just spot on to what I envisioned in my mind whenever I thought of Delilah. That photo was of actress Louise Brooks - best known for her role in Pandora's Box. See the photo below. And speaking of casting... I think that a movie adaptation of A Spear of Summer Grass would be fantabulous!
*Fourth - There is a prequel to A Spear of Summer Grass called Far in the Wilds starring none other than Ryder White! So go forth and check it out! (I will probably get to it next year.)
And that concludes my post on A Spear of Summer Grass. As always, feel free to leave your comments below!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
In the last two posts here at EP Book Nerd, I created a couple of reading lists. What I didn't realize is that they were both different. I looked through both lists and compiled a new and improved list (see below)! Yay!
Just Finished: Death of a Mad Hatter by Jenn McKinlay
Currently Reading: Taken by the Huntsman by Mistral Dawn
Up Next: Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Happy Reading!
Author: Deanna Raybourn
In A Spear of Summer Grass we are introduced to Delilah Drummond and her life of high society in the roaring 20's. Delilah, a strong and independent woman, finds herself in the middle of a scandal and flees (or rather is sent away) to the plains of Africa until things blow over. As soon as she arrives to her destination, it is made perfectly clear that she is not wanted there and that she needs to steer clear of trouble. The demand sounds simple enough but Delilah seems to attract trouble wherever she goes.
Delilah travels with her cousin Dora who serves as a sort of babysitter; making sure she doesn't get into
While in Africa, Delilah meets Ryder and Gideon.
Ryder is an entrepreneur, of sorts, with a tough exterior but a soft and kind interior. He is unapologetic for who he is but is a true and loyal friend to those who deserve it. Ryder, like many in this book, has a past that is kept guarded with great care. His story gets revealed one layer at a time. Ryder takes Delilah under his wing and teaches her to respect, love, and fear Africa and her inhabitants.
Gideon is a Masai Warrior who befriends Delilah and teaches her how to communicate with the native people as well as what their customs are. He proves to be a true friend to the end.
*MY OPINIONS - MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (MAY NOT)*
At first, I thought Delilah was a bit cold and uncaring. Just going through life without giving a damn about how her actions could affect others. As the story progressed, however, I started to see why Delilah had that persona. It was her way of coping and shielding herself from heartbreak. By the end of the book I actually admired her for being who she was despite other people's opinions and perceptions. She never tried to justify or excuse her actions. Even if what people thought of her was not true. She would just let them believe what they believed and would, at times, play into it. Her personal business was just that - personal.
Dora got on my nerves more than once. She was very judgmental of her cousin and made presumptions that were not true. One part that got to me was when Delilah was summoned by a neighbor who's husband had called upon her a couple of times for some friendly chat (nothing more) and Dora was acting so smug thinking that Delilah was going to get in trouble for doing something that she never actually did. It turned out to be some sort of kinky party - go figure. More than once I had the urge to reach inside the book, grab Dora, and slap her around.
I didn't really know what to think of Ryder at first. He seemed kind of full of himself but at the same time it was evident that he was a hard worker and extremely loyal - admirable traits. Ryder knew the terrain well and was handy with a gun (as was Delilah) so he took it upon himself to teach Delilah all she needed to know to survive in Africa. Traveling around with Ryder is Gideon. Delilah and Gideon form a bond - a sort of mutual respect for one another. I think Gideon filled a family void for Delilah - He was a brotherly figure - Teaching her the ways and customs of Africa and helping her negotiate with the people of the land.
To be honest, I didn't know if I would like this book at all. It is not a book that I would have chosen to read on my own. It was being read for the book club I participate in (part-time) and so I decided to give it a go. I can honestly say, however, that I enjoyed this book very much. I was trapped in the essence of the time and setting; moved by the hidden emotions of past, present, and potential future. Deanna Raybourn did an amazing job at crafting Delilah's story and making her world come to life.
*EXTRAS*
*First - While Delilah and her cousin were on a train, shortly after their arrival in Africa, Delilah starts reading a book about Africa. She torments Dora with the story of some man-eating lions who fed on rail workers in the night while their companions listened to the screams and bone crunching of those being fed upon. Sound familiar? It did to me too so I did a little poking about.
That story sounded familiar to me because I remembered it as the plot to a movie that came out in the 90's staring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. Any guess what that movie was? Yup, it was The Ghost and the Darkness. Now I have never seen the movie but I remember the movie trailers... anyway. I looked the movie up on IMDB (kind of a go-to guide to movies for me) and read that it was based off of a true story. So then I looked that up and low and behold I found information on the Tsavo Man-Eaters. Over 30 workers were eaten within 9 months in 1898 by two mane-less male lions. How terrifying is that!
*Second - So there is another part in the book towards the end where Delilah's ex-husband/solicitor (basically a lawyer) says something to the effect of, I didn't know it rained so much in Africa. That one sentence reminded me of the song Africa by Toto and I have basically had that song in my head ever since. The song reminds me of the book, the book reminds me of the song... Enjoy the music video below:
Get the song here.
*Third - Casting Delilah Drummond. I'm not usually one to cast the characters in books I read - mainly because I'm not very talented at it. While I was looking through Pinterest, however, I came across a photo that was just spot on to what I envisioned in my mind whenever I thought of Delilah. That photo was of actress Louise Brooks - best known for her role in Pandora's Box. See the photo below. And speaking of casting... I think that a movie adaptation of A Spear of Summer Grass would be fantabulous!
 |
| I took the photo from this post at Corvus Noir. |
*Fourth - There is a prequel to A Spear of Summer Grass called Far in the Wilds starring none other than Ryder White! So go forth and check it out! (I will probably get to it next year.)
And that concludes my post on A Spear of Summer Grass. As always, feel free to leave your comments below!
In the last two posts here at EP Book Nerd, I created a couple of reading lists. What I didn't realize is that they were both different. I looked through both lists and compiled a new and improved list (see below)! Yay!
Currently Reading: Taken by the Huntsman by Mistral Dawn
Up Next: Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Happy Reading!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Title: Bronze Gods
Author: A. A. Aguirre
Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work, as partners, with the Criminal Investigation Division (CID). After a House scion goes missing, things change for Ritsuko and Mikani; in the most complicated way.
The missing scion case quickly turns into a murder mystery with a magically evil twist. A murdered House scion is no small matter (no murder is a small matter really) so Mikani and Ritsuko are put under pressure to solve the murder as quickly as possible to appease House Aevar.
Let's take a step back for a bit.
In the land of Hy Breasil, ten Ferisher (a variation of Fairy) princes each took a bride from the invading strangers to bring peace after a long war (the Iron War). They formed the ten great Houses. Some Houses stood the test of time while others dwindled away. The surviving Houses keep their bloodlines "pure" to keep what little fey blood they have. The females in these Houses don't seem to have much freedom. If they do something that happens to be "unfit" for a House member, they are essentially shunned and deprived of any House privileges until they comply or for the remainder of their lives.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Women seem to be held to some pretty unfair standards in general. For example, Ritsuko is often sneered at and looked down upon for being a working woman. This is something that she deals with on a daily basis though it doesn't deter her from her duties. She's strong because she has to be.
Okay. Now back to the show.
Mikani and Ritsuko find out pretty quickly that magic is involved with the murder of miss Aevar. At the same time Aurelia, the dance director at the theater that miss Aevar is linked to, meets a peculiar character whom she has a feeling is ancient (really really old). By this point we have learned that those who have Ferisher blood have special abilities and/or can live a really long time by aging slowly. Mikani and Aurelia are such people.
*
Mikani has a gift (or curse) that allows him to sense things that cannot be seen. He senses feelings - fear, happiness, etc. - of people who have been in the area he is opening himself up to. The more recent the person was there, the stronger their presence is felt. He can also sense deception. Aurelia is also able to sense deception. Well, she's able to tell whether someone is telling the truth or not. Same thing. Right?
*
While the investigation is under way, another body is found. This time it's a girl from the Summer Clan. To be honest, I really don't get what or who the Summer Clan are. They are not part of the Houses but are important because they control the roads...? At least that is what I understood. This is what happens when you wait a long time between finishing the book and writing your thoughts about it. And I already returned the book to the library so - there you go. Anyway. The Summer Clan is pretty pissed about the death of one of their own so they put a stop to the transport of things needed by people such as food. This, of course, causes people to get upset and places more pressure on Mikani and Ritsuko to find the killer.
While M&R are searching for the bad guy and following leads, Aurelia (same name as my maternal great-grandmother - just FYI) visits her mystery man at his home. [Aurelia is the (former) member of a House and the daughter of the Architect (a person of importance). She wanted to follow her passion of dance and was banished (to a certain extent) from the House.] While walking through his garden she learns that he uses magic to create and maintain most of his organic creations. It is at this point we are given the idea that this stranger (Theron) may or may not be a Ferisher Prince (given his magical abilities). Hmmmm.
Will Mikani and Ritsuko find the killer and unearth his secrets? Will Aurelia find love with her ancient stranger? Well now - it wouldn't be much fun if I told you. But I'm sure there will be some hints once I start giving my thoughts away.
First of all...
I want to apologize for this post being a little wishy-washy. I checked Bronze Gods out from my local library a while ago. A long while ago. Like months ago. And because I have a habit of checking 8 books out at a time... I only got to read 86 pages before I extinguished all 5 of my "renew checkouts." {Fun math: The Library allows you to keep a book for 3 weeks per check out. EP Book Nerd renewed her checkout status 5 times. How many weeks did EP Book Nerd keep her book?} So I had to turn in the book and then request it again to start my 5 renew checkout limit all over again. Luckily it only took me four weeks to get through it. [What can I say? I work and have a kid. Time is not my friend.] Anyway. My point? Well, I may have forgotten little details here and there that may or may not be important to the end result. But... it doesn't change my opinion about the book at all. I still remember how I feel about it.
With that said...
I enjoyed Bronze Gods very much. I won't say that I "loved" it but I did like it a lot. To be honest, it took me a while to get into the characters of Mikani and Ritsuko. Aurelia captured my attention more. The case, however, was the reason I kept going back for more. I just had to find out who was behind the murders and why. I wasn't sure who to suspect and, to be honest, was thrown for a loop when it was revealed in the end. I mean I had a suspicion but was successfully guided elsewhere through pages of word wizardry. Towards the end I did get into Mikani and Ritsuko as well as their relationship potential.
I have to say that I enjoyed the fact that there was no horizontal tango in this book. It allowed me to really enjoy the character and relationship building more.
So there you have it! I have FINALLY released this post. I hope the next one won't take as long to produce. Thank you for your patience!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Just finished: A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn
Currently Reading: Death of a Mad Hatter by Jenn McKinlay
Up Next: Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Happy Reading!
Author: A. A. Aguirre
Janus Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko work, as partners, with the Criminal Investigation Division (CID). After a House scion goes missing, things change for Ritsuko and Mikani; in the most complicated way.
The missing scion case quickly turns into a murder mystery with a magically evil twist. A murdered House scion is no small matter (no murder is a small matter really) so Mikani and Ritsuko are put under pressure to solve the murder as quickly as possible to appease House Aevar.
Let's take a step back for a bit.
In the land of Hy Breasil, ten Ferisher (a variation of Fairy) princes each took a bride from the invading strangers to bring peace after a long war (the Iron War). They formed the ten great Houses. Some Houses stood the test of time while others dwindled away. The surviving Houses keep their bloodlines "pure" to keep what little fey blood they have. The females in these Houses don't seem to have much freedom. If they do something that happens to be "unfit" for a House member, they are essentially shunned and deprived of any House privileges until they comply or for the remainder of their lives.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Interesting information about Hy Breasil:
Hy Breasil is a mythical vanishing island believed to be off the west coast of Ireland and has been noted on maps as early as 1325. So... if it's on a map, is it really just mythical? Well, according to The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, (found under Brazil) the island cannot be seen by any ordinary person. Apparently only a few chosen have been gifted a glance at the wondrous island (Manguel & Guadalupi, 2000).
Hy Breasil is a mythical vanishing island believed to be off the west coast of Ireland and has been noted on maps as early as 1325. So... if it's on a map, is it really just mythical? Well, according to The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, (found under Brazil) the island cannot be seen by any ordinary person. Apparently only a few chosen have been gifted a glance at the wondrous island (Manguel & Guadalupi, 2000).
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Women seem to be held to some pretty unfair standards in general. For example, Ritsuko is often sneered at and looked down upon for being a working woman. This is something that she deals with on a daily basis though it doesn't deter her from her duties. She's strong because she has to be.
Okay. Now back to the show.
Mikani and Ritsuko find out pretty quickly that magic is involved with the murder of miss Aevar. At the same time Aurelia, the dance director at the theater that miss Aevar is linked to, meets a peculiar character whom she has a feeling is ancient (really really old). By this point we have learned that those who have Ferisher blood have special abilities and/or can live a really long time by aging slowly. Mikani and Aurelia are such people.
*
Mikani has a gift (or curse) that allows him to sense things that cannot be seen. He senses feelings - fear, happiness, etc. - of people who have been in the area he is opening himself up to. The more recent the person was there, the stronger their presence is felt. He can also sense deception. Aurelia is also able to sense deception. Well, she's able to tell whether someone is telling the truth or not. Same thing. Right?
*
While the investigation is under way, another body is found. This time it's a girl from the Summer Clan. To be honest, I really don't get what or who the Summer Clan are. They are not part of the Houses but are important because they control the roads...? At least that is what I understood. This is what happens when you wait a long time between finishing the book and writing your thoughts about it. And I already returned the book to the library so - there you go. Anyway. The Summer Clan is pretty pissed about the death of one of their own so they put a stop to the transport of things needed by people such as food. This, of course, causes people to get upset and places more pressure on Mikani and Ritsuko to find the killer.
While M&R are searching for the bad guy and following leads, Aurelia (same name as my maternal great-grandmother - just FYI) visits her mystery man at his home. [Aurelia is the (former) member of a House and the daughter of the Architect (a person of importance). She wanted to follow her passion of dance and was banished (to a certain extent) from the House.] While walking through his garden she learns that he uses magic to create and maintain most of his organic creations. It is at this point we are given the idea that this stranger (Theron) may or may not be a Ferisher Prince (given his magical abilities). Hmmmm.
Will Mikani and Ritsuko find the killer and unearth his secrets? Will Aurelia find love with her ancient stranger? Well now - it wouldn't be much fun if I told you. But I'm sure there will be some hints once I start giving my thoughts away.
First of all...
I want to apologize for this post being a little wishy-washy. I checked Bronze Gods out from my local library a while ago. A long while ago. Like months ago. And because I have a habit of checking 8 books out at a time... I only got to read 86 pages before I extinguished all 5 of my "renew checkouts." {Fun math: The Library allows you to keep a book for 3 weeks per check out. EP Book Nerd renewed her checkout status 5 times. How many weeks did EP Book Nerd keep her book?} So I had to turn in the book and then request it again to start my 5 renew checkout limit all over again. Luckily it only took me four weeks to get through it. [What can I say? I work and have a kid. Time is not my friend.] Anyway. My point? Well, I may have forgotten little details here and there that may or may not be important to the end result. But... it doesn't change my opinion about the book at all. I still remember how I feel about it.
With that said...
I enjoyed Bronze Gods very much. I won't say that I "loved" it but I did like it a lot. To be honest, it took me a while to get into the characters of Mikani and Ritsuko. Aurelia captured my attention more. The case, however, was the reason I kept going back for more. I just had to find out who was behind the murders and why. I wasn't sure who to suspect and, to be honest, was thrown for a loop when it was revealed in the end. I mean I had a suspicion but was successfully guided elsewhere through pages of word wizardry. Towards the end I did get into Mikani and Ritsuko as well as their relationship potential.
I have to say that I enjoyed the fact that there was no horizontal tango in this book. It allowed me to really enjoy the character and relationship building more.
So there you have it! I have FINALLY released this post. I hope the next one won't take as long to produce. Thank you for your patience!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Just finished: A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn
Currently Reading: Death of a Mad Hatter by Jenn McKinlay
Up Next: Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
Happy Reading!
Monday, February 23, 2015
Greetings fellow book nerds! I have taken a bit of a break from EP Book Nerd. I got a bit stuck on one of my posts and kind of got a bit discouraged for a while. But, I have overcome that discouragement and have come back to my beloved blog.
I hope to have my long awaited post published no later than next week. Hopefully sooner.
Thank you all for being so patient with me!
Also, EP Book Nerd has it's own Twitter account! Follow us (me, myself, and I) at @epbooknerd. You are also invited to support EP Book Nerd by visiting our book store powered by Amazon!
If you would like to follow along with EP Book Nerd, here is what I am currently reading followed by the next three books on my list:
Currently reading: A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn
Next up: Death of a Mad Hatter by Jenn McKinlay
And after that: A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
Last but not least: Taken by the Huntsman by Mistral Dawn
As always, I am open to reading suggestions as well as short story submissions. Suggest a book for me to read in the comments section or by sending me a message. Submit an original short story by clicking here.
Happy Reading!
I hope to have my long awaited post published no later than next week. Hopefully sooner.
Thank you all for being so patient with me!
Also, EP Book Nerd has it's own Twitter account! Follow us (me, myself, and I) at @epbooknerd. You are also invited to support EP Book Nerd by visiting our book store powered by Amazon!
If you would like to follow along with EP Book Nerd, here is what I am currently reading followed by the next three books on my list:
Currently reading: A Spear of Summer Grass by Deanna Raybourn
Next up: Death of a Mad Hatter by Jenn McKinlay
And after that: A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James
Last but not least: Taken by the Huntsman by Mistral Dawn
As always, I am open to reading suggestions as well as short story submissions. Suggest a book for me to read in the comments section or by sending me a message. Submit an original short story by clicking here.
Happy Reading!
Saturday, January 3, 2015
I have mentioned a couple of times that I was accepting submissions for short stories and poetry to post here on EP Book Nerd. I didn't get any. But! I did get inspired to write one of my own while having a conversation with my little girl. She asked, "I wonder what it's like to be a painting." So I told her that we should write a poem about it.
This is what we came up with.
To be a painting on a wall,
To be a painting so big so small,
To be a painting with colors so bright,
To be a painting so black and so white,
To be a painting old and new,
To be a painting just like you
Hope you enjoyed our little poem! Just for funnsies (<--- not an actual word), write a poem of what it would be like to be a painting. Send your submissions to submit@epbooknerd.com. My daughter (she's seven by the way) and I will pick our top five faves and I will post them (with full credit to the author) here. Please make sure to use the subject Poem Submission and include your name, poem, website (if you have one), and your favorite book and author in the body.
Happy Reading!
This is what we came up with.
To be a painting on a wall,
To be a painting so big so small,
To be a painting with colors so bright,
To be a painting so black and so white,
To be a painting old and new,
To be a painting just like you
Hope you enjoyed our little poem! Just for funnsies (<--- not an actual word), write a poem of what it would be like to be a painting. Send your submissions to submit@epbooknerd.com. My daughter (she's seven by the way) and I will pick our top five faves and I will post them (with full credit to the author) here. Please make sure to use the subject Poem Submission and include your name, poem, website (if you have one), and your favorite book and author in the body.
Happy Reading!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Welcome to my first "Inspired By..." post! These posts will be dedicated to anything inspired by a book I have read. It could be a craft project, fashion, playlist, or (in this case) a recipe.
In Poison Fruit, Daisy makes some homemade hot cocoa with a little something extra for her and her friends to drink while watching the tree lighting in their town. Well I decided to create a little hot cocoa recipe myself (without the something extra).
WARNING: If you follow the recipe exactly the way it is written, you will be subjecting yourself to a whole lot of sugar. More than any one person should ingest. I believe I saw Food.com calculate it at 99% the suggested daily value in one serving. For that reason, I suggest lowering the sugar content to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup and add about 1/3 cup water to increase the servings made to 5 small servings.
The above mentioned changes have not yet been tried. Please leave a comment below if the changes suck or if they rock. I will test the changes this weekend and update the recipe on Food.com.
ALTERED RECIPE:
Replace 1/2 cup sugar with 1/3 cup sugar.
In addition to the milk, add 1/3 cup water in step 2.
Change the servings from 4 to 5.
So there you have it. You can be brave and try the sugar filled original recipe or you can be extra brave and try the untested altered recipe. Either way, feel free to leave a comment to share your thoughts, tips, or recipes of your own.
Happy Reading!
In Poison Fruit, Daisy makes some homemade hot cocoa with a little something extra for her and her friends to drink while watching the tree lighting in their town. Well I decided to create a little hot cocoa recipe myself (without the something extra).
WARNING: If you follow the recipe exactly the way it is written, you will be subjecting yourself to a whole lot of sugar. More than any one person should ingest. I believe I saw Food.com calculate it at 99% the suggested daily value in one serving. For that reason, I suggest lowering the sugar content to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup and add about 1/3 cup water to increase the servings made to 5 small servings.
The above mentioned changes have not yet been tried. Please leave a comment below if the changes suck or if they rock. I will test the changes this weekend and update the recipe on Food.com.
ALTERED RECIPE:
Replace 1/2 cup sugar with 1/3 cup sugar.
In addition to the milk, add 1/3 cup water in step 2.
Change the servings from 4 to 5.
So there you have it. You can be brave and try the sugar filled original recipe or you can be extra brave and try the untested altered recipe. Either way, feel free to leave a comment to share your thoughts, tips, or recipes of your own.
Happy Reading!
Monday, December 8, 2014
Title: Poison Fruit
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Here it is fellow book nerds! My opinion post on the third and final installment of the Agent of Hel series.
Where to begin? From the beginning of course.
[SPOILER ALERT]
This book opens up with Cody (werewolf guy) basically telling Daisy that he is falling for her but can't be with her because he has to procreate with his own kind. (Ouch right?) After a night of drink therapy, Jen, Daisy's bestie, drunk texts the hot ghoul (Stefan) from Daisy's phone telling him he's "hawt." Yeah. Enter mortified morning after realization of drunken text. Daisy talks to Stefan in person to discuss some unrelated subject and learns that he is going out of town for a while and may ask her for a professional favor as Hel's liaison.
So just to recap. Wolf boy - No. Hot ghoul (outcast) - Not now. What is a girl to do?
Distract herself with a side case of finding and capturing a Night Hag of course. What else? She learns that the Night Hag only feeds on people who have nightmares so she asks Sinclaire to take a walk on the dark side and whammy her with her worst nightmare. She sleeps over at Cody's house (strictly business *wink wink*) to have her nightmare and bind the Night Hag to do her bidding. For example, get the hell out of town.
After her major nightmare / Night Hag adventure she has a *ahem* different kind of adventure with wolf boy only to discover that he was chatting with a fellow wolfette (and possible mate). Did I mention that Cody's clan wants Daisy (as Hel's liaison) to go to the wolf mixer? Talk about torture.
So Stefan returns from his trip and makes true to asking for that professional favor. What is this favor (you may ask)? To put down a friend of Stefan's with dauda dagur (the only weapon that can kill the undead permanently). Daisy has an inner battle but does it anyway. She is a little freaked out by the whole thing and asks for some time to process. So we're back to "not now" status for the hot ghoul outcast.
I could go on a play by play commentary here but I'm not going to. Lets double-time it.
Eventually Daisy and Stefan hook up in an extremely intense way. Seriously. Wow. All the while Pemkowet is under attack by the mysterious hell-spawn lawyer (remember him?) and his even more mysterious employer. With Pemkowet under the fire of a lawsuit, Daisy gets her scooby gang together to see if they can save the judge and jury from the hell-spawn's power of persuasion.
After losing the lawsuit, the big cards are dealt and we finally see who exactly is behind the lawsuit and purchases of land - Hades' wife Persephone. Hel, not wanting to give up her territory so easily, accepts the challenge and bids Daisy to put an army of the Eldritch kind together and get ready for war. Oh snap!
[MY OPINIONS]
Okay so I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it was just genius how Daisy saves everyone, Eldritch and Mundane alike, by claiming her birthright and then gives her dad (a demon) a big "F*ck you" by bargaining with God for the Outcast to have a chance to die (it makes sense if you read the book - better if you read all three) and to help end the current battle in exchange for her renouncing her birthright forever. Apparently that's allowed since she didn't technically use the power she claimed.
For this being the last book I have to admit that I would have liked to see an Epilogue portraying a "five years later" scenario but I'll settle for what I got. Daisy saved her community and got the guy she wanted all along. She also gave all the Outcasts a second chance to die and earned more street cred as Hel's liaison. That's a happy ending all around.
One thing I would have done if I was in the book and possessed the magic killing dagger was kill that sneaky lawyer before he even had a chance to persuade the judge and jury in the lawsuit case. Then there would have been no need for Persephone to have bailed the town out of the financial mess which led to her taking legal claim over Hel's demesne. But then that would have made for a very very short book. So on second thought - I wouldn't do anything differently.
[EXTRAS]
So I'm a person who gets easily distracted. My mind tends to hop from one subject to another with little provocation. My point? I'm sure I had one. Ah yes. While I was looking up the word eldritch to make sure I was spelling it correctly (I didn't want to skim through the book), I found the word in the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Eldritch (adj.) - weird, eerie.(Merriam-Webster)
Possibly came from the Middle English word elfriche meaning fairyland.(Merriam-Webster, 2008)
I also found out that there are people with the last name Eldritch. Now from what little I know about last names (also referred to as surnames), having the last name Eldritch means that, back when surnames started being used (around 1200 A.D.), the head of the family had a weird or eerie personality. Or if the name evolved from Elfriche then it could have meant the head of the family lived in or came from a magical place (fairyland). Of course it could have also meant that they had fairy or elf-like physical features or looked otherworldly. In those times people believed in fairies and/or magical creatures more so than now.
This is all speculation of course. Pure fun speculation.
[YOUR TURN]
Have you had the pleasure (or displeasure) of reading Poison Fruit? Feel free to share your thoughts on the book in the comments section below.
Also, if you take a look to the right you will see a widget for the book club I participate in. And by participate I mean I read one of the books (most of the time) and watch the Hangout every last Tuesday of every month (unless otherwise specified). I have officially checked out Wolfsbane and Mistletoe from my public library but will not actually read it until I'm done with my current read - Bronze Gods by A. A. Aguirre.
[CREDITS]
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Here it is fellow book nerds! My opinion post on the third and final installment of the Agent of Hel series.
Where to begin? From the beginning of course.
[SPOILER ALERT]
This book opens up with Cody (werewolf guy) basically telling Daisy that he is falling for her but can't be with her because he has to procreate with his own kind. (Ouch right?) After a night of drink therapy, Jen, Daisy's bestie, drunk texts the hot ghoul (Stefan) from Daisy's phone telling him he's "hawt." Yeah. Enter mortified morning after realization of drunken text. Daisy talks to Stefan in person to discuss some unrelated subject and learns that he is going out of town for a while and may ask her for a professional favor as Hel's liaison.
So just to recap. Wolf boy - No. Hot ghoul (outcast) - Not now. What is a girl to do?
Distract herself with a side case of finding and capturing a Night Hag of course. What else? She learns that the Night Hag only feeds on people who have nightmares so she asks Sinclaire to take a walk on the dark side and whammy her with her worst nightmare. She sleeps over at Cody's house (strictly business *wink wink*) to have her nightmare and bind the Night Hag to do her bidding. For example, get the hell out of town.
After her major nightmare / Night Hag adventure she has a *ahem* different kind of adventure with wolf boy only to discover that he was chatting with a fellow wolfette (and possible mate). Did I mention that Cody's clan wants Daisy (as Hel's liaison) to go to the wolf mixer? Talk about torture.
So Stefan returns from his trip and makes true to asking for that professional favor. What is this favor (you may ask)? To put down a friend of Stefan's with dauda dagur (the only weapon that can kill the undead permanently). Daisy has an inner battle but does it anyway. She is a little freaked out by the whole thing and asks for some time to process. So we're back to "not now" status for the hot ghoul outcast.
I could go on a play by play commentary here but I'm not going to. Lets double-time it.
Eventually Daisy and Stefan hook up in an extremely intense way. Seriously. Wow. All the while Pemkowet is under attack by the mysterious hell-spawn lawyer (remember him?) and his even more mysterious employer. With Pemkowet under the fire of a lawsuit, Daisy gets her scooby gang together to see if they can save the judge and jury from the hell-spawn's power of persuasion.
After losing the lawsuit, the big cards are dealt and we finally see who exactly is behind the lawsuit and purchases of land - Hades' wife Persephone. Hel, not wanting to give up her territory so easily, accepts the challenge and bids Daisy to put an army of the Eldritch kind together and get ready for war. Oh snap!
[MY OPINIONS]
Okay so I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it was just genius how Daisy saves everyone, Eldritch and Mundane alike, by claiming her birthright and then gives her dad (a demon) a big "F*ck you" by bargaining with God for the Outcast to have a chance to die (it makes sense if you read the book - better if you read all three) and to help end the current battle in exchange for her renouncing her birthright forever. Apparently that's allowed since she didn't technically use the power she claimed.
For this being the last book I have to admit that I would have liked to see an Epilogue portraying a "five years later" scenario but I'll settle for what I got. Daisy saved her community and got the guy she wanted all along. She also gave all the Outcasts a second chance to die and earned more street cred as Hel's liaison. That's a happy ending all around.
One thing I would have done if I was in the book and possessed the magic killing dagger was kill that sneaky lawyer before he even had a chance to persuade the judge and jury in the lawsuit case. Then there would have been no need for Persephone to have bailed the town out of the financial mess which led to her taking legal claim over Hel's demesne. But then that would have made for a very very short book. So on second thought - I wouldn't do anything differently.
[EXTRAS]
So I'm a person who gets easily distracted. My mind tends to hop from one subject to another with little provocation. My point? I'm sure I had one. Ah yes. While I was looking up the word eldritch to make sure I was spelling it correctly (I didn't want to skim through the book), I found the word in the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Eldritch (adj.) - weird, eerie.(Merriam-Webster)
Possibly came from the Middle English word elfriche meaning fairyland.(Merriam-Webster, 2008)
I also found out that there are people with the last name Eldritch. Now from what little I know about last names (also referred to as surnames), having the last name Eldritch means that, back when surnames started being used (around 1200 A.D.), the head of the family had a weird or eerie personality. Or if the name evolved from Elfriche then it could have meant the head of the family lived in or came from a magical place (fairyland). Of course it could have also meant that they had fairy or elf-like physical features or looked otherworldly. In those times people believed in fairies and/or magical creatures more so than now.
This is all speculation of course. Pure fun speculation.
[YOUR TURN]
Have you had the pleasure (or displeasure) of reading Poison Fruit? Feel free to share your thoughts on the book in the comments section below.
Also, if you take a look to the right you will see a widget for the book club I participate in. And by participate I mean I read one of the books (most of the time) and watch the Hangout every last Tuesday of every month (unless otherwise specified). I have officially checked out Wolfsbane and Mistletoe from my public library but will not actually read it until I'm done with my current read - Bronze Gods by A. A. Aguirre.
[CREDITS]
Merriam-Webster. (2008, October 28). Word of the
Day: Eldritch. Retrieved from Merriam-Webster Online:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwodarch.pl?10.28.2008
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Definition: Eldritch. Retrieved
from Merriam-Webster Online: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eldritch
And that, fellow readers, concludes my opinion post on Poison Fruit.
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Happy Reading!
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Happy Reading!
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