Review: Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

My sister loves this series, and since I have begged her to read the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, I figured I aught to read her favorite...right?

Book one....vampire executioner takes a job working for a vampire...interesting.

My first reaction was not to like it too much. My complaints? Mainly Hamilton's over-use of words. (There is a sentence in book 2 where she used the word car twice in one sentence!) That and other things made me a little nutty. My complain about the character was that she reuses her own jokes. It might also be that I am used to reading vampire novels written from the vampire's perspective. All of Anne Rice's vampires tell their own stories or have them told though the Vampire Lestat's point of view. This one is told from a human perspective.

Now for the positives. Anita is a bad ass. I absolutely loved that the hero of these novels is a female, and one who doesn't need a man. While I see a budding romance between her and Jean Claude, I am so happy to see that it is not helpless girl falls head-over-heals for a sexy, somewhat abusive, vampire. She is independent and not looking for love.

I decided to stick with this series because I think I will learn to love the characters, despite the somewhat repetitive writing.

Review: Blackwood Farm

I have not read all of Rice's novels yet--not even close--but I have to say so far this one is my favorite. The only others in the Vampire Chronicles I have read are Interview, Lestat, and Queen of the Damned. And to be honest, Vampire novels are not really my thing. But there is something about the way Anne Rice writes--I would read anything if she wrote it. 

Blackwood Farm is a story about a Vampire who, in his mortal life, was joined to his spirit doppelganger, haunted by spirits only he could see, struggled with his sexuality, and was abandoned more times that even imaginable. He seeks the vampire Lestat to intervene and rid the world of his, now evil, doppelganger which is threatening his mortal family, as well as to seek answers about his new immortal life. 

This book stuck out to me for several reasons.  First of all, and probably most importantly, I felt as if this book belonged along side the novels I read in college when I studied literature. Rice, as usual, has woven in so many different topics, and made so many strong statements, all within one story. The main theme I drew from this is the outcast, or isolation. 

Within every one of Rice's novels you see the theme of the outcast. That theme doesn't take much thought to notice. But this story in particular touches on that theme in more ways than just the vampire motif we have come to love. Yes, when the characters become vampires, they become outcasts. They no longer can interact among humans and have to give up family and friends. That is what happens when Tarquin Blackwood becomes a vampire. However, he doesn't become a vampire until very near to the end of the book and he is an outcast since birth. 

First, he is an outcast due to the fact that he is haunted by a spirit that only he can see. His doppelganger, Goblin, follows him everywhere and copies him, becoming more and more intelligent as Tarquin ages. He is Tarquins first, and often only, friend. But he is also often a jealous friend. A jealous friend who will ultimately cause destruction and death to those Tarquin hold dear. 

Secondly, Tarquin sees other spirits besides just Goblin. He sees the ghost of Rebecca, a family member who was murdered, as well as others. This is isolating as, more than once, his sanity is questioned. Occasional characters come into his life that can either see Goblin, or pretend to, but they are all taken away from him just as quickly as they come. Tarquin longs for companionship from someone who completely understands his gift. This point is solidified when we meet Mona Mayfair (a character from the Mayfair family of which Rice wrote the Mayfair Witch Chronicles) Tarquin falls instantly in love with her due to the fact that she could see the spirits like he could.

Tarquin has several quick love affairs and sexual encounters with both men and women, Once, he even has an encounter with Goblin, which can be seen as an extension of himself. Good old fashion Catholic guilt is for sure the third type of isolation in this story. This is confirmed when we meet Petronia, a vampire who is physically both male and female, but has chosen, most often, to live as a woman (a female gladiator in her mortal life.) She alone would be easy to write an entire post about. The fact that she is the vampire to create Tarquin is immense knowing her story of isolation and her struggles with gender. The theme of sexuality is found in all of Rice's novels, but is handled more directly in Blackwood Farm, in my opinion.

Then there is the issue of Tarquin's mother, who he didn't grow up knowing as his mother, but as his aunt. He learns early on that she gave him up to be raised by his grandfather, but it isn't until the end of the novel that we understand why the hatred for him exists. We learn early on that Tarquin was not only unwanted, but that his mother was paid to keep him.Again, an entire post could be written about this relationship alone.

 We learned in the beginning of the novel that Tarquin sought out Lestat to help him be rid of Goblin who is suspected of becoming strong (and a vampire) by feeding on Tarquin's blood after a hunt. So it is not a surprise when we find ourselves in the last chapter battling to the death with Goblin. What we don't know in the beginning is if Lestat will be killing Tarquin as well. In the beginning of the novel, Tarquin is delivering a letter telling his story to Lestat's home, only to be walked in on. The bulk of the novel is back story leading up to Tarquin being turned into a vampire, and all the while we have no idea whether Lestat will respond negatively or positively to the intrusion (but it is Lestat, after all. Didn't we all expect him to welcome this outsider in?)

As usual, we examine spirituality, specifically Catholicism,  heavily in this book. One scene in particular that stood out to me was when the vampires attend a memorial and take communion, What follows is a gentle statement about whether they are still worthy of this sacrament which is the single symbol the Catholic faith revolves around. Hmmm I am not one bit surprised to see Rice bluntly commenting on the religious "outsider" being actually within the love of their God. 

Phew! So much is packed into one novel, and I could have kept going! So much history straight from her previous novels and so much to be looked at through the lens of the outsider. Beautiful! I simply cannot wait to dive into more in this series, and of course, Prince Lestat when it comes out in the fall!

Review: Every Day

Every Day by David Levithan

"If you want to live within your own truth, you have to choose to go through the initially painful and ultimately comforting process of finding it."

"A" has no body, and instead wakes up every morning in a different one. There is no predicting which body A will be in except that they are always the age A would have been and always geographically near where the last one was. A has complete control over that body for the day and even has access to all the persons memories allowing for as "normal" of a day as possible. But then, A wakes up as Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend Rhiannon.


The ultimate question remains...Can love conquer all?

Like all of Levithan's novels, Every Day is rich with wisdom and beautifully written prose. It is the type of novel to savor. The language is rich yet completely embraceable to the modern reader. 

Besides just the story of love, this story examines people and their connection to life and to one another. Have you ever tried to talk about someone without using their gender, it's harder than you might imagine. That is how it has been discussing A. You cannot use him or her, he or she. It really changes how gender is viewed. Watching Rhiannon interact with A in different genders, sizes and shapes further examines the different ways we treat people based on what we know about them visually. Also, A examines different lives and how different people see the world. A describes this once to Rhiannon explaining that the color blue looks different through different eyes. Isn't that a wild concept to imagine? But it is true, tastes, smells and sights would be different to everyone.

So much of what we think about a person, how we react to them, how we interact with them is based on the way they present themselves visually. We treat men different than women, the old different than the young, someone professional differently than someone who is sloppy, the fat different than the thin, the ugly different than the beautiful. A even notices the different ways Riannon reacts depending who she is standing next to. She is more affectionate with males she finds attractive than she is with females. She acts intimidated when next to the overly beautiful woman. She is disgusted by the incredibly obese young man.

Over all, this is my favorite book to date and certainly my favorite book for 2013. I highly recommend it for teens and adults alike.

Review: Done Deal

Done Deal by Rene Shultz


If you were to die tomorrow, what would you be remembered for?

For Cissy, she was remembered as a nurturing mother, a compassionate friend, and the woman who saved thousands of lives from her death bed.

What Schultz has done here is created a novel that doesn't only chronicle a woman’s journey through cancer, but shows the value of living a life that makes a difference for others. Cissy, a woman just shy of her fiftieth birthday, finds out she has cancer and the prognosis does not look good. From the first page of the novel we learn that she did not survive. Knowing she is gone altered the way this story is perceived. Because we know this, we see everything she does as her mark she will leave on the world. Based on the background story we learn through other vivid characters, we know Cissy to have touched lives and been cherished throughout her life. Then we watch as she does the unimaginable to leave a better place for all cancer victims who will come after her. She is selfless in her final acts on this earth. This is a quick read with a past paced plot that will leave you regretting that it has to end.

For me, some parts of this novel were especially sad because I have lost family members to cancer. I feel very strongly about any novel that commemorates the lives of people who have struggled whether it is cancer or something else. I would recommend this novel for sure and look forward to more by Ms. Schultz in the future.

Review: Two Boys Kissing

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan


Every once in a while, a book comes along that is so profoundly beautiful, so emotionally evocative, so special and important that I simply must buy a hardback copy to keep on my shelf. (And the kindle copy to travel everywhere with me in my purse)

 Leviathan wrote such a unique and touching story that I struggle to even find another book to compare it to. The story surrounds two high school aged boys who set out to break the world record for longest kiss. They do so publicly in the lawn outside of their high school. Much preparation must go into this kiss and the rules of the world record must be followed. Their kiss is broadcast via live video feed which slowly gains interest until they become a Internet sensation. The story is not
just about these boys, and in fact, they don't do much but stand there kissing for the majority of the book. Instead, we get a peek into the lives of other gay teenage boys who have been in some way influenced by this kiss through the watching of the live feed or even being able to watch it take place in person.

 The part of the story that is most profound is the choice of narrator. It is narrated in the first person by someone who isn't even part of the story. The ghosts of all the gay men who have died of AIDS tell the story of these two boys and all the boys watching as if they are the fly-on-the-wall observer. Their inability to interact with the characters while delivering touching narrative is the most emotional narration I have ever read. This is a beautiful piece of YA Literary Fiction. Just as the genre suggests, it focuses more on the characters than a fast moving plot. Really, you only see into a little over a day in time. But it is a very monumental day, for sure.

Review: RIP Choices After Death

RIP Choices After Death by Daniel Sherrier

A witty and humerous page turner! This book is not your average ghost story. The story begins when Rip, a paranormal investigator,  meets a clever and blunt ghost named Serissa. She sets the story in action by informing him that he is one of the Seven, something he has never heard of, but that will forever change his life. He must now set out, despite his fear, and kill the dead to prevent them from damaging the living.

This story appeals to a wide audience. I enjoyed it but also couldn't help thinking how perfect it would be for a high school aged reader. Themes such as good-verse-evil and learning to embrace who you are, make this an action packed coming-of-age tale.

It was refreshing to read something this unique centering around the timeless ghost story theme. I could see this turning into a television series one day. Strongly reccomended!

Cover Reveal: Shattered by Fate

Shattered By Fate
Part 2 of Fates Path
By Jacelyn Rye

One heart cannot remember. Another heart cannot forget. Both hearts reach toward something to grasp. For Sarah, it is her past. For Will, it is to bring that past back. The only thing standing squarely in their way — is their future. Each has promised their heart and life to another. But where happiness should be, instead are the dark billowing clouds of a storm of reckoning. The thunder of regret splits a horizon now raining down upon them in shards of shattered promises and unreachable memories.      
     In Book One of this three-part saga, fate seemed it would not be denied, bringing Sarah and Will together in a turbulent world, uniting young hearts for the right reason: love. But — almost as if it has eyes — fate sees to it that no love that is meant to be is allowed to be, without it being tested to the passionate edges of chance.      
     Accidents. Small ones are remembered and retold with a laugh. Useful ones are celebrated.  But shattering ones — those are the ones that slip from the fingers of fate. The kinds that are followed by silence as it roars the sound of life changing. And it is this pounding drone that Sarah and Will — once inseparable — now hear when they listen to their hearts.      
     After her accident, Sarah awakens in a hospital room and into a very different life. Will, accidentally buried by heavy timber when he heroically saves a fellow worker, is also delivered into his own unforeseen, disoriented new life. Destiny’s dust never settles.        
     And nothing is clear when doubts appear. Sarah is betrothed to Adley, while Will is engaged to Margaret, yet both are still connected to each other by an indescribable draw seemingly groping out from the deepest reaches of fate. A fate that deliberately leaves the door of temptation cracked open, giving Will a yearning peek at the naked truth of Sarah, who reaches out with the same tortured passions.  A fate that leaves both to fight the desperate desires of wanting what each knows they cannot have.  A fate that dares them to ask, “What will happen if I finally feel you?”

Did you miss book one: Surrender To Fate? Buy Book One Now!

About Jacelyn Rye 

Jacelyn Rye is many things. She can be as alluring as the love that flows from her pen: pure, honest, simple. But then, like a storm that suddenly appears over the mountain, she can also have you running for shelter where there’s no place to hide. Like life, itself, Jacelyn delivers the hard with the soft, the pain with the joy, the instant with the forever. All of it, for a reason. And it’s there that one can best enter her life.

“I believe in signs, I believe everything happens for a reason,” she’ll tell you. If you know someone like that, you already know a primal piece of Jacelyn — a person who actually listens to the Universe because there, she knows she’ll find more than answers, she’ll find reasons. And those reasons give her insights about nature, and human nature, both of which she invites us to explore with her.

Growing up in the blue sky country of Colorado doesn’t leave an impression, it becomes a lifeblood. For Jacelyn, the clarity of that truth flows through her stories, her characters and her inherent spirituality that somehow knows faith, in the end, triumphs over despair.

Through her storytelling — firmly stimulated by that early country life that taught her to always be prepared when venturing forth — Jacelyn’s uncanny ability to “see” what could happen takes readers into a crystal ball where the future’s many possible outcomes await in a swirl of incandescence, right down to the details of smell, touch, fear, love.

Because life also presents its possibilities in dreams, Jacelyn holds dear that open door. “My dreams mean a lot to me. I listen to them, solve problems in them, learn from them,” she confides. It figures, then, that when you read her stories, you’d best get ready for a trip with an original dream weaver.

And then, there’s serendipity. To know Jacelyn is to accept a dance with chance. She accepted one such chance when she moved from her beloved Colorado to an unknown life awaiting her in Southern California, where she lives today. “I knew another beautiful world was out there.  I was ready for adventure,” she says, with the confidence that proves her faith is more than just words. “I moved from Colorado as soon as I graduated from college, thanks to a great job offer. The night after I received my job offer, I saw a commercial that said, ‘California, find yourself here.’  In that moment, I stopped debating the move and took it as a sign that my adventure would be found in California.”

As Jacelyn does so well, she shares those adventures in her writing. In her first book series, you’ll find Jacelyn’s experiences of this major life change play out in Sarah, who also moves from Colorado to California. “What I’ve seen and felt enable me to write realistically about how a Colorado mountain girl feels about living in California.”

In the quiet mornings, you’ll find Jacelyn savoring her coffee, outside. To her, it’s all about listening, breathing in, appreciating being here for another day. And of course, there’s time spent in the mountains, fishing, wading in creeks with the people she loves. Curiously, this girl who comes from the mile-high mountains, still fears the miles-deep ocean she frequently visits, but only to sink her toes in the hot sand and watch, in awe and respect, the thundering surf.

On any given day, be it in the mountains, at the beach, or on her terrace, Jacelyn is dreaming and writing, her way of sharing something meaningful with those who come to know her.

One thing is for sure, wherever she goes, wherever she’s been, Jacelyn is aware and thankful for the gifts around her. Indeed, although she does not get back to Colorado that often, she’s there in spirit, and in absolute detail, in a moment’s call. “The smells, the sound aspen leaves make when the wind asks them to dance, how tall pines gently sway back and forth against a backdrop of the bluest blue I’ve ever known.” That’s someone who takes it all in, who takes it all with her, and who offers it to everyone who opens her books.