The books of February 2015

Finally got the snow and ice...and now it's finally melting. I figure that despite the rising temperatures, we probably have one more wintery storm coming? I mean, we usually do since it's only March at this point.

Crafts:
Not too many crafts this month. A couple of gifts, but I've also been working on other projects. As usual, both patterns came from awesome sellers on etsy. First, for a new friend who loves the movie Mean Girls as much as I do:

On Wednesdays, we wear pink!

Second, for an old friend who enjoys various video games, another Nintendo themed gift to add to his collection:

It's just good advice.

Movies:

I didn't make it out much with the sub-zero weather and the laziness combining forces. But I did manage to see two really fun movies.

Jupiter Ascending could've gone either way. The directors are hit and miss with me: hits being The Matrix and V for Vendetta; misses being everything else they've touched. I went in expecting the worst, but I was extremely entertained. The story is okay-ish...and at times, too slow. And I can not stand Eddie Redmayne, despite his acting chops. He really squicks me out...which is a good thing for a villain so I guess the casting decision was wise. Some of the costumes were fabulous and the alien machinery...I still think about it. The machinery from the movie...the delicate, gracefulness of the movements from these huge mechanical things...it was really beautiful in a way. I read an article after I saw it that kind of sums it up...overall, it's not a great movie, but I loved it anyway because it had everything I wanted to see in a movie. I'm planning to own it when it's released so I can watch it over and over...probably much to the dismay of many who know me.

Kingsman: Secret Service might be one of the best spy movies I've ever seen. In no way is it serious like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or the Debt. In no way is it overly campy like some of the old Bond films. In every way it is utterly entertaining! Explosions! Fireworks! Colin Firth! Bespoke tailors! London! It's actually been hard to keep me from going to see it again. I completely loved this violent little movie and will also own it one day for repeated viewings.

Books:

My reading list was fairly short this month (although it doesn't count the other history book that I'm still trying to finish up): Yes Please by Amy Poehler; Tudor: Passion. Manipulation. Murder. The Story of England's Most Notorious Royal Family by Leanda de Lisle; As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden; Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook.

Do you like Amy Poehler? Do you think she's funny? Then read this book. I like her and I think she's funny. My feelings are unchanged after reading. No spoilers...but you will laugh out loud.

If you read this blog even every once in a while, you've noticed that I'm a bit into history...specifically history of the United Kingdom. Tudor is about the Tudor family and all the things they did (good and bad) trying to keep the seat of power. There's a lot in this book that I've read in other books, but since I clearly don't tire of the topic, I kept reading. It's not the best of these books that I've read, but it did cover a lot of ground, people-wise. If you like reading about the Tudors, it's a decent way to pass some time.

As You Wish was great! I love The Princess Bride and reading this brought it all back to me. I loved all of his insights behind the scenes and once I was done, I re-watched the movie...something I hadn't done in a long time. It really does stand up...and now that I know the secrets, I can see the things he talks about in the book as they happened in the movie. It's a fun read...parts of it made me laugh so hard, I cried. The interviews with other cast and crew members were a nice addition to the memoir. Every one clearly loved working with each other and making such a timeless movie.

After reading Mad World, I wanted to read more about the music scene. Unknown Pleasures is about how Joy Division came about and it's demise with the lead singer's death...and a little about them becoming New Order. These people came together without much in common to make some of the best music to come out of Britain in the 80s and beyond. Their sound is still very recognizable today and as Hook points out, in retrospect, the lyrics are just the lead singer's inner torment spilling out into the music for our consumption. Ultimately this is a pretty sad, messed up book. But so was the band, the individuals, and the time. It's a good read despite the bias of the former band member against other band members. 

Back to reading...

The books of January 2015

Is it me or is time speeding up? As usual for January, it was cold and I was indoors a lot. Well, that indoors thing never really changes in any season.

Crafts:
Leftover from the holidays, three more cross-stitched jewels. All patterns found on etsy. Glorious, glorious etsy! This first one is for my friend who has "had it up to here".

Ho, ho, no.

Another friend loved Fraggle Rock back in the day, so she got a little homage to that show.

Like the Muppets, but not.

And since Arrested Development is always the gift that keeps on giving, I gave this to another friend who I knew would understand.

Movies:
I actually went to several movies in January. I started out strong on the first day of the year seeing Whiplash. It's hard to put into words how amazing this movie is. It's a very focused and driven piece, accentuated by great acting and a stellar beat. I've loved J.K. Simmons for a long time and even though he's playing a character that I'd not like to meet, he is still amazing and I want him to win all the awards. This also has a great soundtrack and you'll be very tempted to buy some jazz after seeing it. See it if you can...it's a really awesome guy flick that chicks can also enjoy.

The Gambler was ok. It was no Departed, which is what they were advertising it to be-ish. It was also no John Wick (out on DVD yesterday if you missed it). I like Marky Mark, I mean, Mark Wahlberg, so I wasn't disappointed. It was just something that I probably would've liked more sitting on my own couch in my own place.

The Imitation Game was quite good. I've since been told, by sciencey people who know things that I never will, that it wasn't as factual as people are believing it to be. You know what? I'm ok with that. It was a good story, even if parts are made up. Unless I'm seeing a documentary, I'm willing to let my brain believe what it's being given on the screen. So, I enjoyed it...I get that it's not 100% true and that's cool. What's even cooler is that it was Benedict Cumberbatch for a couple of hours. And while yes, there's truth stretching, it's also not completely wrong what Keira Knightly's character said at the end about what Alan Turing did...on some level, he did make computers a tangible thing for some people and when you think about all the tech we surround ourselves with today, that's amazing.

Inherent Vice is not for everyone. I really enjoyed it, but I went in understanding that (a) Paul Thomas Anderson still had The Master stink on him (yes, I know people liked it, but I did not...it seemed not like a PTA movie at all to me...which was sad) and (b) it's a Pynchon novel. The people sitting behind me on a double date did not have that information. They were stunned and confused and had no idea what to make of it. So, if you think maybe you want to see it, be prepared...it's gonna get strange, but if you're open for it, you'll like it.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was a cute movie that made me have too many feels. I don't know what my deal was, but wow, I was clearly in need of a good cry...and the lighthearted family movie did it. I loved seeing all the things in the British Museum come to life though...it made me feel like I was walking around there all over again. It was truly sad to realize that was the last new movie I'll see Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney in...such great actors and they're just gone. There were a couple of things thrown in there for my generation that the grandparents and grandkids in the audience didn't get, but me and the lady two rows down thought they were hysterical. Definitely watch it if you like the other ones...it's a good wrap up of Ben Stiller's character development.

The last movie I saw was Cake. Sometimes, in all the Brangelina-related dramas, I forget that Jennifer Aniston is actually a good actress. She's been in a couple of little indie movies that I've really enjoyed and this one, while quite the downer, is really good as well. Her character's super dark sense of humor and over the top sarcasm are excellent coping strategies and she does them well. See this if you can. It's got a lot of sadness to it, but there's a teeny, tiny glimmer of hope at the end that makes you leave thinking it might be ok.

Books:
I didn't read too much in January...clearly I was busy going to see movies. I read: Bagthorpes Liberated by Helen Cresswell, The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane by Alex Irvine, Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs that Defined the 1980s by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein, The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford, and Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams.

I loved, loved, LOVED the Bagthorpe series when I was younger. They're difficult to get hold of now, but Helen Cresswell created an extremely eccentric and competitive English family. The grandmother is conniving and unrepentant; her husband is selectively deaf in that he only hears what he wants to hear; her son, the head of the family is a cantankerous writer who is forever fighting and plotting and failing to get what he wants; his wife is benevolent but often loses her temper; their children consider themselves highly evolved and accomplished...except for Jack, who is by al counts quite ordinary...and his dog, who is called Absolute Zero; the ethereal aunt who can't bear anything untoward; her adoring husband who enjoys driving like a maniac; their precocious little girl Daisy who is a fire-starter (literally); and the housekeeper, who thinks they're all insane. I went looking online around the end of December and found out that there were another 4 books beyond what I owned. EXCITEMENT! I got this one from the library and immediately fell back into their world. Bagthorpes Liberated picks up where Bagthorpes Haunted leaves off. They're returning from their trip to find that a vagrant has taken up residence in their home...and they forgot to tell the milkman they were away. Hijinks ensue...pretty much for the entire book. I love this family! It was nice to revisit them...now I need to find copies of the other three books I've missed.

The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane is pretty much a brain dump of the plot lines of season one of Sleepy Hollow. It went very quickly for me since I'd seen season one and already knew everything that happened. There are some cool little additions to the text, but this is one you can skip unless you're a diehard fan of the show.

Mad World? Pretty much written specifically for me. Small interviews with amazing bands from the 80s. I think I'm going to have to own the book...it was a great read! It's always cool to get the inside story on your favorite bands and song...that's part of why Behind the Music was such a great series. I hope they write another one...there are still a lot of 80s bands that need recapping and in the words of Depeche Mode, I just can't get enough!

The Watchers sounded promising. It's about the spy network during the reign of Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, it didn't translate into anything terribly exciting in book form. It was interesting, but kind of dull at the same time. I learned more about plots to kill Elizabeth, but I wasn't shocked by anything I read...no spy named was a surprise. I don't know...maybe I expected more Bond than factual reporting. It's always good to learn more history though, so my time wasn't wasted.

I waited a long time to read Kraken...and given my obsession with Clash of the Titans, that should come as a shock to you all. Again, kind of a disappointment. Many years ago, I read The Search for the Giant Squid and loved the way it was written, including mythology and pop culture along with fact. This book was just fact really. I liked the chats the author had with the field experts...they seemed to be interesting...and the history parts were interesting, but again, despite my interest, I felt it to be a bit dull. No spark. I think this one can be skipped.

Up next, more reading, more crafts, more movies, and THE OSCARS! Happy February!

The books of December 2014

It's already January and it's already snowy and super cold. Hurrah? I'm thinking about how I'd like this year to go...and I'm hoping it's a good one.

Crafts:

All the Christmas gifts have been given except three at this point...two of those include craft projects that will have to be on the January blog. Sad. Oh well. All patterns came from different stores on etsy.com. If you don't use etsy yet, you should. It's like a miracle shopping mecca for people who craft!

First up, a wee owl dressed as Santa:

Christmas crafting is always a hoot!

Next, a pretty little snowflake:

I think if snowflakes were all colorful like this one, people might like it better.

Continuing the snowflake theme:

Snowflake tree! 

One friend got some helpers in various states of stress:

That last really sums up how I feel on certain days.

Simple math:

This is the kind of math we can all enjoy!

Another kind of tree:

It's a tree! Made of gears! That are green!

This one is a nice life lesson stitched with a kitty who is not to be messed with:

Unikitty is unimpressed with your inability to be nice!

And for my brother-in-law who can not stop repeating this quote:

It is! Everything is a trap all the time!

Movies:

I saw three movies in December. The first was, of course, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. This was a lovely end to the trilogy and set us up nicely for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The battle was really cool. There was a lot of emotion in this. I kept waiting for Luke Evans to control those bats like he did in Dracula Untold, but it never happened. Shame. I think they really missed an opportunity there. Anyway, it's one of those that if you like them, you'll see it and like it as well. 

Next up was Big Eyes. This was a nice little movie. I went in knowing nothing about it except it was about the artist who painted the "big eyed" paintings and had Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz playing the main characters. It's based on the story of the artist Keane, and how her husband took credit for her work and after years of what basically appeared to be emotional abuse, she left him and ended up suing him after he tried to blackmail her into creating more art for him. I really liked this movie a lot. 

My last theater viewing of the year was Into the Woods. I've heard a lot of differing opinions on this, but I really, really liked it. It was ridiculous and over the top and all fairy tales! It was lots of fun. I think the funniest part to me was the song with the two princes complaining about who has it worse. But I also enjoyed Red Riding Hood's songs. It had a lot more laughter than I expected...perhaps more than it was meant to have? Anyway, I enjoyed it and that's what I wanted from it. 

Books:

In December, I read: Prince Lestat by Anne Rice, Revival by Stephen King, Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett, Texts from Jane Eyre and Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg, and I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer.

Prince Lestat was an all around surprise. I was browsing the book section in Target when I saw it and added it to my library request list. Apparently, not a lot of people around here knew about it, so I got it quickly. As you probably remember, Anne Rice and I have a troubled relationship...she keeps working through any crisis of faith through her writing and I keep getting really annoyed that she tries to cram her viewpoints down my throat through her words. In any case, the vampire books, that's what set off the initial rift. I loved the first and second books. Book three was horrible until exactly halfway through where it became the best book ever. Then books four and five started the cramming of beliefs. I got frustrated and didn't read anything else by her until the wolf books came out fairly recently. I liked the first one of those and the second one was pretty boring. So, that's why I chose a library request instead of buying the book...I wasn't willing to take the chance of spending money on something I wouldn't like. That said, it was kind of great. I loved catching up with all those characters. The cramming of beliefs was tempered somewhat by having written the wolf books before this. It was just a nice homecoming for all the vampire characters. I enjoyed it and since she left it open ended, I kind of hope there are more that follow. If you liked Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat, I think you'll enjoy this one as well.

Stephen King is another hit or miss writer for me. Of the more recent books, 11/22/63 was amazing...Doctor Sleep was a great sequel to The Shining...Mr. Mercedes was just not good to me. I was bored and didn't like the characters. Revival, though? Just a really, really great book. I don't think that I've read anything quite like it before. Preacher man turned carny turned faith healer turned obsessive, murdering freak...and the coming of age story of the boy whose path was intricately tied to him. It was engrossing and I didn't like putting it down to do things like work and sleep. I highly recommend this one.

Edge of Eternity was the third book of Follett's Century Trilogy. It was just as good as the other to books. The focus this time was civil rights, the rise and fall of the Soviet Bloc, the Vietnam War, the Kennedys, and there was an epilogue of the Obama inauguration. In other words, it covered the last third of the century. It was good...I got a little confused at the beginning as to which family lines were being followed, but I caught on pretty quickly...probably because the second book had been a recent read. If I'd waited a year or something, no way would I have remembered them all this time. The trilogy as a whole was good, but it's a definite time commitment from readers. 

Texts from Jane Eyre was extremely silly, but that was the point. The author created conversations between literary characters in text form. Some of them made me laugh out loud. For the most part though, this was complete fluff.

Judy Greer is an actress I've liked for a while, so I'd been meaning to read her book since it came out. I'm really glad I finally did...she's even more hilarious in book form. If you like laughing and know who Greer is, you'll want to read this. She's a very normal person with a great perspective on being an actress and all the insanity that comes with it. 

That's it for 2014. I've already seen two movies in 2015 and I'm on my second book. More to come!

The books of November 2014

November went way too quick, didn't it? And it's already a week into December. Seriously, time is whooshing by us! I got to go home for Thanksgiving and see family, so that was very nice. Otherwise...I didn't do too much.

Crafts:
I forgot one from October...for my friend who like kitties (pattern found on etsy):

Stretchy kitty

The next one was for a friend who's hooked on Supernatural (pattern also from etsy):

I'm still weirded out that he was Sami's twin on Days of Our Lives

Movies:
I only made it to one movie this month: Hunger Games: Mocking Jay, Part 1. It. Was. Awesome. I didn't really love the book...I remember thinking it was kind of boring. Luckily, the movie was really good and makes me excited to see Part 2...which seems like it's a billion years away, but given how fast time is going, shouldn't be that long of a wait at all.

Books:
Much of November was spent making crafts to give away as gifts in December, so I didn't get a lot of reading done. But I managed to get through the following: Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich, The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas, and Written in My Heart's Own Blood by Diana Gabaldon. I also started Prince Lestat by Anne Rice, but I haven't finished it yet...so far, so good.

Janet Evanovich has her formula for the Stephanie Plum books down pat. Car explosions, near death experiences, same two men vying for her attentions...it's all there. There's not really a point in talking about these anymore...I read them; they're funny; I'm going to keep reading them even though it's pretty much the same every time. If you like the series and haven't read this one yet, get to it.

I took a chance on The Illusionists. It wasn't my best pick. About halfway through, I realized I still didn't like the characters and didn't care what happened to them. I don't know...it seemed like a good idea, but I just never truly got into it enough to enjoy it. The main trio of characters were interesting solo...and their act of illusions were interesting...but just something never gelled as I read. Probably stress from reading instead of doing crafts.

So the EIGHTH Diana Gabaldon Outlander book was more of the same. She left the tiniest of windows open to write book nine...which makes me sad. All the major players are currently safe and together in the post-Revolution America. Seems like a fabulous time to let it lie, but she won't. There are still people in the 1980s who are out to get the gold from Brianna and Roger...and to find out more about the time traveling. There is one man in America who wants to take the French lands from Fergus. The story picks up where the last book left: Jamie has taken John; Claire is trying to recover from the shock that Jamie's alive; Brianna and Roger are trying to find Jem...same old perils, different time periods, different players. Some things were nicely done in this book...both of Roger's poignant moments at the rocks in the 1700s come to mind. I'm still not overly sure of why they brought the witch into it again. I actually enjoyed reading this one a little bit...which is saying something since the last four have been like dental surgery on the enjoyment level for me. I just want them to catch a break and have as normal as a life that they can have...and that's kind of what this was...I mean, you know, except for the battles of the American Revolution.

So next month will have more books (hopefully) and more movies...I know of three I want to see as soon as they come out. Hope everyone's having a good holiday season!

The books of October 2014

It's November! Time for even more pumpkin things, my birthday, and Thanksgiving. I'm definitely ready for all of those things. I was slightly less prepared for the 20 degree drop in temperatures, but that's what winter accessories are for, right?

Crafts:
I was able to send one gift out to a friend for her birthday. Her recently found affinity for the Beatles made her gift easy: the movie Help! and this little gem (pattern from etsy, work by me):

Psst...hey! Be-at-le!

Movies:

I saw two movies in October. The first one, Dracula Untold, was a whole new take on the Dracula origin story and I liked it a whole lot. They made it make sense. And the special effects (and Luke Evans's torso) were awesome! If you like the regular Dracula story, but want something a little different, you'll probably like this. The best part is how they bring it into modern times instead of Victorian England for what will hopefully end up being an intro to the sequel (always a possibility).

The other movie was John Wick. I have a very large soft spot for Keanu Reeves. For a 50 year old, he took quite a lot of beatings in this film. The character goes through a horrible loss and through some random coincidences, ends up being targeted by a mob boss's son. The son then makes the mistake of stealing his car and, I'll phrase this like the trailer, "messing with his dog". I don't know how many bullets were used...it wasn't a wasteful use like in the building lobby in the Matrix...this was calculated with each bullet having a purpose. Turns out, John Wick wasn't just another schmoe with a nice car...they totally picked on the wrong guy. It was extremely entertaining.

Books:

This month I read the following: After Dead by Charlaine Harris, The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones, The Blood of Olympus: The Heroes of Olympus Book Five by Rick Riordan, While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell, and The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith.

After Dead was the follow up of characters from the Sookie Stackhouse books. It was really short (maybe a couple of paragraphs at most for less known characters) and, well, kind of boring. Two strong B-characters got a shout out, hinting that there may be more later, which makes me think they'll get their own books. But yeah, I'm not really sure why she bothered writing this.

The King's Grave is the book version that goes with the documentary (currently available on Netflix). I just wanted to read more about how they found his grave in a parking lot. The book actually supplied a lot of history on Richard III as well as going over the recent findings of the grave site. I wasn't overly moved by Langley's part in the video, but the book is a bit more informative. I like history and this is one of the more interesting historical finds in the past few years, so I felt it worth my time. She's not a scholar, so you don't plow through loads of complicated footnotes or anything like that. She just lays out her involvement with the project, how she felt as it progressed and the discovery was complete, and the history of Richard's last days interspersed as they grow nearer the end of the project. Interesting...not something I needed to own though...thanks local library!

The Blood of Olympus I totally own though! It was fantastic! I realize the Rick Riordan series are aimed at kids and young adults, but I don't care. They are too much fun. This was the last of the Greeks vs. Romans. The demigods battle horrible demons and monsters to save the world...again. I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't read this yet and want to, but you won't really want to put it down. And! AND! The next series? Norse gods! Can. Not. Wait.

While Beauty Slept was a book I took a chance on because I usually like retellings of fairy tales. Blackwell isn't nearly as entertaining as Mercedes Lackey in this genre, but it was an interesting twist. Told from a maid's (to Queen's attendant, to lady-in-waiting) point of view, the story covers a little time before the Princess Rose was born up through her marriage. It's not the same story...fairies are real people; true love sometimes waits; 100 years sleep would've been a blessing considering; and princes can be what you make of them. The different take on the story took away the fairy tale atmosphere of it all. It was good, but not the best.

Another Jennifer E. Smith book finished in just about four hours. Her books are like my crack. I can not read them fast enough. The main characters in The Geography of You and Me live in the same building in NYC but are worlds apart financially. They spend a day together when the city is in a blackout and they get trapped in the elevator. From elevator, to apartment, to rooftop, to a city that's turned into a party, the two misfits bond. Then the girl and her parents go to London and then move to Scotland while the boy and his dad take off west, stopping at several cities along the way. They keep in touch via postcards and occasional emails. After more traveling on both sides, they are able to see each other in San Francisco. They think the bond is shattered, and they part upset. But they can't stop thinking about each other. Eventually they meet up again where they started and the story starts again. Smith is a GREAT storyteller. I love it when a new book of hers comes out because I know for a few hours, I'm going to be somewhere unexpected with characters who are complex and simple at the same time. 

Ok. Back to cooking and baking. Less than two months until Christmas...that seems unreal!

The books of September 2014

It's hit that portion of the year where time truly flies. I'm spending a lot more time making gifts and trying to get all the holiday shopping done, but still finding time to read, see a random movie, and cook. I also started a new exercise class that works the core...and all the other things. So much. It's not as entertaining as the belly dancing class was, but I'm not hating it as I had suspected I might.

Crafts:
People had some birthdays and stuff, so I can post a few things. Part of my BFF's gift this year was this pattern by Alessandra Adelaide called Gallo:

Knock, knock! (Click here if you don't know why this is funny.)

The same day as BFF's birthday, another friend got married. It was a very pretty wedding. When I was looking for something pretty to make, I returned to Alessandra Adelaide's patterns and found this one with kitties:

Look at the kitties' tails! Twue wuv!

Next up, my friend who I tend to give unicorn themed items. This year was no exception. I figure if you want to express your opinion without feeling bad later, simply pointing to this unicorn (I found the pattern on etsy) can help express your feelings:

Umhmmm...yeah...I hear you... (points at cross-stitch)

Movies:

This month I only felt the need to see two movies and they were completely worth my time and money. First up, I saw David Lynch's Duran Duran Unstaged concert movie. The music was fantastic...the David Lynch was interesting with moments of crazy. Mostly, they were still some good looking British men singing songs I still love. There were a few guest singers and they were actually good...but it's hard to watch Kelis and NOT want to hear Milkshake.

The other movie I saw was This Is Where I Leave You. If memory serves, I enjoyed the book immensely. The movie was no different. It's rare that I book I liked hits awesome on the meter. But whoever cast this thing was a GENIUS! Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Timothy Olyphant (Olyfantastic for those who know), Jane Fonda...the list goes on. It was just hysterically funny and I will definitely watch it again when it comes out in rental form.

Books:

This month I read: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory, Viking Tales by Jennie Hall, Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett, and The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin.

The Queen of the Tearling kept showing up my feeds as something that I might like. The feeds, they did not lie. It was a little slow going, but once I got into it, I did really enjoy it. Utopian world goes to crap and the rightful queen, who has been hidden away since birth, must come back to the Tearling to prove herself worthy of the task and rule her people. Of course, in no way does that go smoothly. She manages to get wounded more than once, nearly die, be captured by a master thief, develop feelings for that same kidnapping thief by the end of this first book, oust her corrupt uncle from the throne, defend against the evil queen of another territory, set free and defend hundreds of people, and finds out that the necklace her mother gave her might actually be the best weapon she has. It was a good read and I'm looking forward to more.

The King's Curse is the billionth(?) book in the Cousins' War series. Like all of the books in this series, and those by Gregory in general, I held my breath before diving in because I didn't know if this would be one of the good reads or one of the duds. I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be an interesting tale about the oldest woman to be beheaded by Henry VIII (not a wife). Margaret Pole was the daughter of George, Duke of Clarence. She had a legitimate claim to the throne, but after watching many family members be killed (including her father) for the crown, she said silent and survived. The story follows her from trusted friend to Henry VIII's mother, Prince Arthur's governess (essentially), lady-in-waiting to Katherine (Arthur's and then Henry's wife), devoted friend and caregiver to Lady Mary, and eventually, declared an enemy to the throne. This was a really good story about a player in the game who isn't often brought to the forefront of the Tudor stories. I enjoyed this one a lot. Almost as much as the two in the series that were mostly about the Woodevilles.

I'd been reading Viking Tales on and off for a while. Just short stories from Viking life...mainly about King Haraald. Not too bad. Nice way to fill time between huge, historical, fictional tomes.

Winter of the World picks up in Germany before WWII begins. (The first book left off after WWI is over.) Again, the intertwined families are spread through eastern North America, England, Wales, Germany, France, Spain, and Russia. The main characters who were alive at the end of book one are now the parents of the emerging main characters in book two. WWII is not my favorite topic to read about, so it felt like this book took forever to read. It wasn't quite 1,000 pages, but it was close. By the time I'd gotten halfway through, I'd hit my stride though. I will need a fairly big break before reading the next book, Edge of Eternity. It's a lot of characters and side stories to remember...and Follett doesn't really go back and recap anything, so if you haven't read the first one, do not read the second. I will say that while it all seems a bit formulaic after reading two, I still enjoy the way Follett tells the story well enough to continue reading about them all.

The Fortune Hunter was kind of an outlier. I have American Heiress by the same author, but every time I've tried to start it, I put it down. I forced myself to read it in big chunks so it would be over a little quicker. At least it managed to keep my attention. I think what threw me was that all of it was loosely based on real events and people, but so much of it was made up. I don't know. I liked it, but I'm not sure I recommend it.

Since it's already getting close to double-digits, date-wise in October, I've already read a couple of things, but I'll talk about them in the next post. Looking forward to books, movies, crafts, and Halloween. Enjoy the awesome fall weather people!

The books of August 2014

Summer finally showed up toward the end of August...that hot, humid, icky kind of summer that makes me want to stay in the air conditioning 24/7. That will go away soon right? Like, really soon? Ugh. I've been working through a lot of craft projects for birthdays and stuff, but I can't post them until I've given them away, so nothing this month.

Movies:
This month, there was only one movie I wanted to see, so I saw it twice...once even in IMAX 3D! Guardians of the Galaxy is awesome. If you've not seen it yet, stop reading and go right now. It's got everything: lots of action, lots of funny moments, lots of classic music, and most importantly, lots of Groot. It has 100% more Groot than other movies this year :) I don't want to give anything away on this one, but it's just really, really, really fun. I just loved it...both times. Go sit in some nice air conditioning and enjoy yourself for a couple of hours. It's totally worth it!

Books:
This month, I did manage to read a few books, despite the crafting and the heat making me want to do nothing for a couple of weeks. I read: Love Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 7) by J. R. Ward, The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla by Lauren Willig, The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman, Landline by Rainbow Rowell, and The House of the Four Winds: Book One of One Dozen Daughters by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.

I think I'm finally tired of the BDB books...which is unfortunate as there are still about five left to read. This one was about the Sympath-Vampire hybrid, Rehvenge. He owns the club where most of the Brotherhood go. He deals in drugs, prostitution, gambling...whatever makes money. He's the brother of Bella, married to Zadist. In this book, he falls in love with a nurse at Haver's clinic, loses his mother, has his secrets revealed to those who matter most to him, breaks up with the nurse, fakes his own death, and gives himself up to the sympath community. That's when things get interesting. Seriously. It took more than 2/3 of the book before I was like ok, this is something I want to read. But it also kind of wasn't because spiders and scorpions aren't something I like to picture in my head, so I may have skimmed some of this ending. Anyway, like the other books, things work out as they should and the Brotherhood triumphs, despite evil still being evil and trying to win. They set up the next book pretty well, but I needed a break.

Lauren Willig's new Pink Carnation book, The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla, was just as fun as all the others! This one was about Turnip's sister, Sally. On a dare, Sally went into the local vampire's yard, Duke Lucien Belliston, only to run into the man himself...and see that the rumors of vampirism were very much just that...rumor...and she decides she will help him, whether he wants it or not. After some comical moments of Sally forcing her company on the Duke, they come across a dead woman. As they investigate who would murder and try to pin it on the Duke, old secrets come out and it turns out that Sally is needed more than she could know. The spy story isn't as strong in this one as the others, Miss Gwen is still there, as is a spy backstory involving the Duke's parents, but this is mostly just a good story of how two people found each other, despite the obstacles in their way.

I've waited a while for the third book of Lev Grossman's Magicians trilogy. I remember thinking the first one was ok and that the second one was better. The third one. The Magician's Land, was on par with the second one. This time, Fillory is dying and they need to save it. There are spells, adventures, gaps are filled in by story characters...it's just a good read. If you've not read the first two, reading this one will do you no good though. It's no Harry Potter, but what is, you know? It's more grown up and less good triumphs over bad. Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy as a whole, but you can not go into it thinking it's going to be like the Harry Potter books, because it isn't. They're darker in the human world and in the magical world.

Landline was a nice change for Rowell. This book was about a married couple who were having problems with their schedules and making time for one another. We join them at the breaking point. As they separate for Christmas, the wife ends up staying at her mom's house and calling her husband on her old landline princess phone...and the phone, once plugged in, works as it did the last time it was used...the week the husband broke up with her in the past and then drove hours on end to surprise her with a proposal. This is actually a pretty interesting study of therapy without an actual therapist. The phone is where they talk through their issues, only with the husband as a young adult and the wife as she is in the current day. I liked it.

Lastly, I read the new Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory book. I love Lackey's 500 Kingdoms books, like the Elemental Masters series, and like the one-off fairy tale books. So I thought I'd give this one a chance. In a small kingdom, the royal family has 12 daughters and 1 son. The son, by law, will inherit, but there's not enough to provide for all the daughters. They are brought up learning trades so they may make their own fortunes when they leave home on their 18th birthdays. Clarice is the oldest and this is her book. She learned swordplay, so she goes out to be a hired swordsman and then maybe a teacher. She books passage on a ship that turns out to be under a pirate scheme. She falls for the navigator, but she's pretending to be a male, so her Facebook status would say "it's complicated". There's punishments, fighting, mutiny, hard work, more pirates, lots of magic, and lots of treasure. As fantasy books go, it was ok. As pirate books go, it was also just ok. I don't know that I'll read more of the series like I did with some of the other series. It wasn't bad...just not immediately awesome.

Alright, me finishing this hopefully means summer is done and now it's fall...

Later!