Teaser Tuesday #18

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"However, toward the end of it, and on hearing some slight rustle behind me, I half-turned, discreetly, and caught a glimpse of another mourner, a woman, who must have slipped into the church after we of the funeral party had taken our places and who stood several rows behind and quite alone, very erect and still, and not holding a prayer book. She was dressed in deepest black, in the style of full mourning that had rather gone out of fashion except, I imagined, in court circles on the most formal of occasions." Page 44 from The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

I just started reading this book so I'm only on page 4. I randomly opened up a page in the book and loved that the above was what I saw. It was a perfect description of what the book is about. I do notice though that Susan Hill loves really long sentences. I might have a hard time not letting my "grammar Nazi" side come out, lol.

Review: If Teacups Could Talk by Emilie Barnes

Sharing A Cup of Kindness with Treasured Friends

Synopsis: For hundreds of years, "Come for tea" has been another way of saying, "Come, let's share a little bit of our lives together." Quietly and without threat, this inviting phrase calls us out of ourselves and into special relationships with others.

My thoughts: I am absolutely in love with this book! This was a gift from my belly dancing mama last month when the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with broke my heart. It has taught me the importance of tea and what it means to share a moment of "celebration" with those you really care about.

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis: It all comes down to this - a final faceoff between good and evil. You plan to pull out all the stops, but every time you solve one mystery, three more evolve. Do you stay the course you started, despite your lack of progress? Do you detour and follow a new lead that may not help? Do you listen to your instincts, or your friends?

Lord Voldemort is preparing for battle and so must Harry. With Ron and Hermione at his side, he's trying to hunt down Voldemort's Horcruxes, escape danger at every turn, and find a way to defeat evil once and for all. How does it all end?

My thoughts: What an ending! I began a fabulous adventure with Harry Potter and was not disappointed. This last book was for sure my favorite since it had me gripping the pages from the beginning.

H.P. Lovecraft Sundays #8

It's Sunday again and I read two more entries from H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction:

"Memory"
4 stars

"In the valley of Nis the accursed waning moon shines thinly, tearing a path for its light with feeble horns through the lethal foliage of a great upas-tree."

In this very short story (it was only five paragraphs long), Lovecraft shows his skill in details. He describes a land called Nis were ancient monuments stand and only ugly toads and apes dwell there. In this land runs a river name Than.

Friday Hops, Oct 26th.

From the Crazy for Books blog:

"The Book Blogger Hop is much more than just a “follow for a follow”. It’s about making friends. There are literally thousands of book bloggers around the world. It can seem like we are blogging in a bubble, constantly checking the same blogs over and over again. The Hop is about taking the time to make a quality visit to another blog, getting to know the person who is writing that blog, and seeing if you really *want* to follow that person!"

Every week is a chance to visit a new blog or more, find connections, and learn about new books to read!

This week, the question is:

What are three of your favorite book blogs and/or communities? Why do you like them?

1. Shelfari- this is a wonderful book community similar to Goodreads. It's the first one I joined and it continues to be my favorite place to meet new book lovers and learn of new books. My favorite group in Shelfari is Bibliophile, which I co-adminster in. This group has monthly books and discussions, and I love how active it is.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!!

 

I am participating for the first time in the 3rd annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm. For this hop, I am giving away 5 paperbacks to those in the US:

*Note: These are used copies but in good conditions

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Misery by Stephen King

Teaser Tuesday #17

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB from Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

 My Teaser:

H.P. Lovecraft Sundays #7

Sunday is here and it's time for another short story review from the works of fiction by H.P. Lovecraft!

"Beyond the Wall of Sleep"

4.5 stars

"I have frequently wondered if the majority of mankind ever pause to reflect upon the occasionally titanic significance of dreams, and of the obscure world to which they belong."

An intern at a mental hospital describe a patient case that affected him tremendously, Joe Slater. The intern tells the reader that it is important to know what our dreams mean and he admits that he is fascinated in learning more about them. He goes on to say that Joe Slater was a special case: he had very wild dreams which led him to murder a neighbor.

FF Friday, Oct. 19th

 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Q: When you step out of your USUAL genre what do you like to read? Best books in that genre?

A: Hmmm...I'm always reading different kinds of genres. I guess the unusual genre that I read would have to be Scifi. I'm not a huge fan of aliens and advance technology stories but I have read a few that have been good. For example, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, some of H.P. Lovecraft's tales, and The Cat Star Chronicles (this series is also categorized as romance/erotica).

 

What's your unsual genre?

 

Valentina Goldman's Immaculate Confusion $100 Book Blast

Title: Valentina Goldman's Immaculate Confusion
Author: Marisol Murano
Publisher: Hipso Media
Released: August 1, 2012

Since her arrival in the United States from Venezuela, Valentina Goldman isn’t exactly living the American Dream. She’s living the American Nightmare.

Her late husband, Max, has left her a young widow, a step-daughter whom Valentina didn’t want, and a bi-polar ex-wife. And oh, having given up her dream job in New York, Valentina is also unemployed in Arizona.

Part "Bridget Jones Diary," part "Modern Family," "Valentina Goldman’s Immaculate Confusion" is the story of a woman trying to get a handle on her whacky life in America. In breathless, blog-like snippets, Valentina compares her own story with that of her eccentric sister, Azucena, who has bizarre troubles of her own down in the tropics.

Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Synopsis: The war against Voldemort is not going well; even the Muggles have been affected. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet...as with all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Harry receives some extraordinary help in Potions from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. And with Dumbledore's guidance, he seeks out the full, complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort--and thus finds what may be his only vulnerability.

My thoughts: Okay...this book took me a lot longer to finish reading than what I was expecting and a lot of it was because I had a harder time getting into theit. Yes, this book is mature and speaks more to an older audience but there wasn't enough conflict. Three-fourths of the book was about explanations and only the last third did it have any action. I do understand why Rowling took the time to explain the characters more instead of developing the conflict but some of it was dull for me.

Other than that, I did enjoy reading this sixth book in the series. Like I said before I liked the fact that Rowling gave the reader more in depth descriptions on the characters. I got to learn more about Dumbledore and Voldemort and how all of this "prophecy" starte. Further, I adore the fact how the love between Ron and Hermione grew as well as Harry's and Ginny's. I also appreciate how Rowling is able to show how our main characters are growing up into adults. This book has great character development.

Once the action started happening, I was completely put at the edge of my seat (even though I've already seen the movie). The description of the cave where Harry and Dumbledore go to look for the Holcrux was creepy. Next, when Dumbledore gets cornered in the tower, this scene had my heart thumping. Also, I have to admit, when Hagrid's cabin is caught on fire and his dog was still in there, I cried out (I think I was more worried about the dog than the other characters lol). I won't say anymore so I won't spoil anything else to those who haven't read it. All I have to say is that the way this book ended was done very well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book even if there were certain parts that I was not too into. I give this:

Teaser Tuesday #16

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB from

Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

 

"You don't need a lot of people to enjoy a lovely tea party. Taking the time to prepare a lovely tea just for you will calm you down and give you a wonderfully pampered feeling." page 15 from If Teacups Could Talk: Sharing a Cup of Kindness with Treasured Friends by Emilie Barnes

H.P. Lovecraft Sundays #6

Sundays are the days that I post my readings from my massive book, H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction. Here's the next story I read:

"Polaris"
4 stars

"Into the north window of my chamber glows the Pole Star with uncanny light. All through the long hellish hours of blackness it shines there. And in the autumn of the year, when the winds from the north curse and whine, and the red-leaved trees of the swamp mutter things to one another in the small hours of the morning under the horned waning moon, I sit by the casement and watch that star."

The narrator of the story starts off describing how he watches the stars outside his window every night. The Polaris star is always in the sky watching over him and his home. Only on nights when the sky is cloudy is he able to go to sleep.

Then one night when the stars are covered, our narrator falls asleep and soon finds himself in a strange land. This city is made out of marble and the people speak a strange language that he has never heard of but yet he understands. Before he could learn more about the city, he awakens.

He continues to dream about the city and he soon decides to become a main part of it. He begins to talk to the people not as a stranger but as an inhabitant named Olathoë. He learns that this city is in war and he decides to help them out.

As he is supposed to guard the city, Olathoë looks up at the sky and sees the Pole Star (Polaris) sending an evil message. Though he is not too sure what the message entails, he does become frightened.

In all, this was another short story but it was very detailed. I enjoyed it tremendously because this is Lovecraft's introduction to his manuscript of the Cthulu Mythos. What I really liked about this short story was how it had me hooked and it kept me wondering whether this city was real or not. Does Olathoë the man really exist? Which is his real reality? I only wish that this story was longer.

If you would like to read this story, then you can check it out over at the H.P. Lovecraft Archives or you could listen to the audio below:

Teaser Tuesday #15

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB from

Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

 

My teaser:

"Bilbo rushed along the passage, very angry, and altogether bewildered and bewuthered--this was the most awkward Wednesday he ever remembered. He pulled open the door with a jerk, and they all fell in, one on top of the other. More dwarves, four more!" page 23 from The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

H.P. Lovecraft Sundays #5

I am back with H.P. Lovecraft. Last Sunday I decided to rest instead of read and going on my blog (I've been too busy that my health is not too well). Well, here's the next short story that I read in The Complete Fiction:


Dr. Samuel Johnson

 

"A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson"

2 stars

"The Privilege of Reminiscence, however rambling or tiresome, is one generally allow’d to the very aged; indeed, ’tis frequently by means of such Recollections that the obscure occurrences of History, and the lesser Anecdotes of the Great, are transmitted to Posterity."

This is how this "memoir" begins. H.P. Lovecraft describes how he knew Dr. Samuel Johnson, an English author who was famous for his poetry and contributions to literature. Dr. Samuel Johnson was born in the 20th of August, 1690-- 200 years before Lovecraft's birthday, which makes Lovecraft 228 years old as he writes this memoir.

Here, Lovecraft embodies himself as a very old man and makes fun of himself. He describes how he knew many famous people and recounts his meeting with the famous Johnson. He describes Johnson as "a full, pursy Man, very ill drest, and of slovenly Aspect." Johnson also wore a powdered wig that was too small for his head.  Lovecraft then goes on to explain how he would meet Johnson in Literary Clubs and discuss important works of literature.

In all, this was one of the shortest stories I've read and my least favorite. Lovecraft is known for being the master of suspense and horror, but non of those qualities were evident in this piece of work. I was not too sure what this work was suppose to be about. I had to read it two times and listen to the audio to comprehend what he was talking about (even then I am not too sure what it's about). All I know is that Lovecraft is over 200 years old and he makes fun of himself and he is suppose to know a famous person from history.

*Sigh* I did not like this one.

If you are interested in reading this short story, you can visit The H.P. Lovecraft Archive or listen to the audio below (ignore the first couple of minutes of the audio):

Review: The Taking by Erin McCarthy

For 18+ audiences

Synopsis: Heiress Regan Henry knows that passion can be an illusion, and she keeps her emotions in check-until she falls under the spell of the beguiling Felix LeBlanc. He knows that the rumors that her mansion is haunted are true, and that he's the only one who can save her from the spirits residing there. But the only way he can do it is to sacrifice his last chance at redemption...or risk a love that could consign them both to an eternity of evil.

My Thoughts: This is the third (and final book so far) in the Seven Deadly Sins series. I've read the first two books years ago and I remember enjoying them tremendously. The Taking was written well and is perhaps my favorite from the series.

In just around 289 pages, the few characters are introduced and developed. Regan is dying to get away from her cold-hearted husband and wants to get the chance to be independent and experience her passions without any guilt. Felix is the damned voodoo master who is over 100 years old who is looking for love and freedom. These two characters balanced each other perfectly and their chemistry between them was quite steamy!

Next, the storyline was very interesting. It had both scary and romantic elements. The house that Regan moves into is haunted by the spirit of a young woman who met an unfortunate death. There were parts that I felt a little spooked out when ghost will appear. Also, the innocent love between Felix and Regan and the immediate sexual attraction between them had me sighing. I was quite entertained with how the story was developed.

The only complain that I have of this book is that it's too short. I did enjoy the fact that it was a fast read, which I needed at the moment, but the story was too good that I wanted it to keep going. This book would have been perfect if everything was expanded more.

Overall, this was a great read and it makes me sad that there are no other books that continue the series.

I give it:

Friday Hops, Oct. 4th

 

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee & Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with your blog? Is it to one day become an author yourself, just for fun, maybe get some online attention, or maybe something very different?

A: I became really interested in blogging this past June because I really wanted to connect with others who are passionate about books. The people that I'm around in real life are not big book fans. Yes, some of them read and enjoy them, but they do not have the same passions as I do. They actually think that I'm weird that I have so many books and that I get excited about them. So having this blog is just to help me share what I love and allows me to meet many wonderful other bibliophiles.

Also, I want to improve with my writing. Back in high school, I was a big writer. I even wanted to become an author. Now, I don't want to be an author but I still want to write. I hope that blogging will help me get out of my comfort box and experiment the different ways on how to expand my writing skills.

 **********************************************************************

Crazy-for-Books is the creater of Book Blogger Hop. This hop helps connect book bloggers with other fellow book bloggers. Starting in October, The Book Blogger Hop will be hosted by different bloggers. This week, it is hosted by Soon Remembered Tales and this is her question:


Q: Banned Books Week ends on the 6th. How do you feel about books being challenged to be banned from libraries or schools? Have you read any banned books?

A: I find it very ridiculous when books get banned. I understand that there are certain books that parents don't want their children to read but that should be an individual choice and not have to affect others. It doesn't make sense.

Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to really read banned books. The only ones were the Harry Potter books, which I'm still reading.

Teaser Tuesday #14

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB from

Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser:
" 'And will you, to the best of your ability, protect him from harm?'
'I will,' said Snape." ~ page 36 from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling






What's your teaser?

RAK: October's sign-ups :D

RAK (Random Acts of Kindness)is hosted by Book Soulmates and you can join the fun here. RAK is a monthly event where you sign up and share your book wishlist. Then you can view other's wishlists and send them a Random Act of Kindness. Isn't this neat?! I have sent three books last month to people and it was very exciting!

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules! Thank you!

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post. This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

Links you will need:

Sign up for October 2012 [HERE]
See who else is participating [HERE]
If you have any questions regarding RAK, please contact us via the following: rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com

 

 

I am number 36ish in the RAK list.You can also check out my wishlist over at Amazon.