Spring Into Horror Readathon -- Starting Line

Go visit Castle Macabre for more details.

So excited for this readathon.  I love horror and spring just seems like the perfect time to bring out the horror.  Like all my readathons, I'll be doing a daily update post.  Unfortunately this is the week that I'm moving from Omaha, NE to San Jose, CA.  Reading time may be spotty or even nonexistant towards the end fo the week.  We will see...

Goals:

• Read 3 books or more
• Write reviews for all books read
• Read an average of an hour a day (trying to not pressure myself too much)

TBR Pile:

• Bad Doings and Big Ideas by Bill Willingham
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• The Radleys by Matt Haig
• Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux
• The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Spring 2012 Dewey Readathon -- Finish Line

Last Update Information --

Total books read: 1

Update in 6 words: well that didn't go as planned

Comments: As I suspected, my planned reading day disappeared due to moving activities. And I was so hoping to read a ton. Between activities, I did squeeze in reading The Walking Dead Book 4. I guess all was not lost. On to hopefully actually participating in the Spring into Horror readathon starting tomorrow.

Spring 2012 Dewey Readathon -- Starting Line

The original plan was that J would be in San Jose until tomorrow.  So I would be free to read, read, and read some more.  Well, he came back early.  And a coworker decided to throw me a going away party at noon.  And we have more packing to do.  So my original plan of read, read, and read some more has become maybe squeeze in some reading here and there.  I still want to commit to some reading today.

TBR Pile:

• The Walking Dead Book 4
• Bad Doings and Big Ideas
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Here we go!

Pages read:

Total pages read:

Books read:

Total books read:

Update in 6 words:

The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg

Title: The View from Saturday

Author: E.L. Konigsburg

Publisher: Atheneum 1996

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 176

Rating:   5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Young Adult; A to Z -- V; My Years 1996

How I Got It: Library Loan

HOW HAD MRS. OLINSKI CHOSEN her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why did they make such a good team?It was a surprise to a lot of people when Mrs. Olinski's team won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany Middle School. It was an even bigger surprise when they beat the seventh grade and the eighth grade, too. And when they went on to even greater victories, everyone began to ask: How did it happen?It happened at least partly because Noah had been the best man (quite by accident) at the wedding of Ethan's grandmother and Nadia's grandfather. It happened because Nadia discovered that she could not let a lot of baby turtles die. It happened when Ethan could not let Julian face disaster alone. And it happened because Julian valued something important in himself and saw in the other three something he also valued. 

One of my favorite childhood books is E.L. Konigsburg's From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  Ever since then, I have reread that book every few years.  Yet somehow I never read any of Konigsburg's other books.  I finally picked this one up from the library.

And I'm so glad I did.  I loved this story of four students and their teacher, each on a journey and not even realizing it until the end.  I loved how each section of the story was interlaced with personal recollections from each of the four students.  I could imagine my sixth-grade self right alongside them for every adventure and obstacle.  The book is a quick read, but so dense with material.  This would be the perfect book to read on a rainy day.  If I was teaching middle school langauge arts, this would be on my permanent list of books to discover.  Now I really want to read the rest of Konigburg's material.

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

Title: The Ghost Map

Author: Steven Johnson

Publisher: Penguin 2008

Genre: Nonfiction - Science (epidemics)

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Mixing It Up -- Science; Dewey -- 600s; Mount TBR

How I Got It: I own it!

 A thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London-and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world. The Ghost Map takes place in the summer of 1854. A devastating cholera outbreak seizes London just as it is emerging as a modern city: more than 2 million people packed into a ten-mile circumference, a hub of travel and commerce, teeming with people from all over the world, continually pushing the limits of infrastructure that's outdated as soon as it's updated. Dr. John Snow-whose ideas about contagion had been dismissed by the scientific community-is spurred to intense action when the people in his neighborhood begin dying. With enthralling suspense, Johnson chronicles Snow's day-by-day efforts, as he risks his own life to prove how the epidemic is being spread. When he creates the map that traces the pattern of outbreak back to its source, Dr. Snow didn't just solve the most pressing medical riddle of his time. He ultimately established a precedent for the way modern city-dwellers, city planners, physicians, and public officials think about the spread of disease and the development of the modern urban environment.

Epidemics have always fascinated me.  I also thought that was the one area of medicine that I would have enjoyed.  Instead, I became a social studies teacher.  Thankfully, I still get to read about epidemics through books like The Ghost Map.

Johnson blends historical narrative, science, and social commentary to create a very readable account of a devastating epidemic.  I have read some science history texts that have bored me to tears.  Too many of them focus solely on the science, not mentioning the human effect.  Johnson uses both sides to tell a remarkable story.  And it's one that I haven't heard before.  It definitely opened my eyes to the way society and specifically city living has changed the microbe world.  I would definitely recommend this book to the geeky historical minds out there.

On a side note: while reading the book, I experienced a nasty stomach bug for about 24 hours.  I was convinced that I had cholera and obsessed about it for about half a day.

Quote Wednesday -- Dahl

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.  Those who don't believe in magic never find it." -- Roald Dahl The Minpins

Not a book of his that I have read...  but I do love this quote.  I wish all people could have childlike wonder when viewing the world.  We live in an extraordinary place and time.  Enjoy it!

Top Ten Tuesday - Tips For New Book Bloggers

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

This week's topic is "Tips for New Book Bloggers."  I started my blog about a year and a half ago.  And I was completely winging it.  I tried to figure it all out myself and there were definitely stumbles along the way.  But I'm now happy with my blog.  There are areas that I want to improve, but it really comes down to what I want.  I do have a list of a few general tips that I try to follow.

1. Think before you leap -- I see many (and yes, I was guilty of this) just jump into blogging without a general plan.  Plan before you publish.  What do you want your blog to look like?  Who is this for (audience)?  Do you want advertisements?  Do you see room for future growth or changing of direction?  Lay out a bit of a plan before you start blogging.

2. Schedule posts -- I learned the hard way to make posts ahead of time and schedule them.  I wanted to write a blog post every day, but life just seemed to have other plans.  Now I pre-write my weekly features (Music Monday, Top 10 Tuesday, Quote Wednesday, etc).  This leaves me time to write as I can or when inspiration strikes.  I don't feel so boxed in with the schedule. 

3. Don't be too rigid -- Along the same lines as #2, I've learned to be flexible.  Some weeks my posts take hit.  Others I have tons of time to write and be creative.  I've learned to let the writing flow not force it.

4. Ask questions -- If you want to know how to do something, ask questions.  If you like someone's design, features, etc, ask questions.  Bloggers are great people willing to share.

5. Don't be afraid to say "no" -- I see many bloggers over commit themselves to events, interviews, and review books.  I've mostly stayed out of all those things, but even I have to say no sometimes.  This is my blog, I need to run it as I see fit.

6. Create templates -- I have templates for every reoccurring feature.  These collect my thoughts and I think are helpful for readers.  Everyone has their own style of templates.  Find one you like and modify to fit your needs.

7. Back up your blog -- How many bloggers have recently lost posts and entire sites due to malfunctions?  Make sure your blog is backed up somewhere.

8. Feel free to brag -- You write for a reason.  Share that reason.  Don't be afraid to brag about your blog.  Tell others about it.  Have business cards made up (I have cute blue with owl cards that were basically free from Vistaprint).  Print flyers.  Hire a skywriter.  Whatever floats your boat.

9. Embrace or don't embrace memes -- I signed up for tons of memes in the beginning.  Many have fallen by the wayside.  But I have stuck with a few that I like (mainly this one!).  Memes are personal choice.  Embrace or don't embrace.  Whatever works for you.

10. Go your own path and enjoy -- Blogs are very personal (kinda the point, right?), so don't be afraid to change it.  If you are sagging or unmotivated, don't be afraid to radically change the blog or even take a hiatus.  This is supposed to be fun, remember!

Spring Break Vacation Part 3/3

See Part 1

See Part 2

Days 8-9 were spent in the Pittsburgh area.

Day 8: Carnegie Mellon Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History.  Awesomely they are in the same building and one admission price gets you into both.  The boys were over the moon with the dinosaurs.  J loved the art museum.  And I really liked everything.  I really am a museum whore and proud of it!

Pictures: Working lab, Allosaurus, boys in front of the T Rexes, Boys being paleontologists, main staircase, Terpsichore Muse of Lyric Poetry

Day 9: We drove about an hour outside of Pittsburg to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.  I've been to his house in Oak Park (Chicago) and see the designs there.  But I've always wanted to see Fallingwater.  The boys even enjoyed it!  Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside the house.

Day 10: J and I drove back to Omaha.  On to the moving!

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Title: Beastly

Author: Alex Flin

Publisher: HarperTeen 2007

Genre: YA Fairy Tales

Pages: 304

Rating:  4 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Telling Tales; Book2Movie; Read Your Name - F

How I Got It: Library Loan

I am a beast. A beast! Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. I am a monster.You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll,stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

If I was 15, I would have loved this book.  As I am 30, I liked it.  Overall a cute read, but nothing I will gush over.  I liked Lindy, Will, Magda, and Kendra.  All were great characters.  Kyle/Adrian was so-so.  I get that he was supposed to be the villain in the beginning and find redemption in the end, but I never found him charming, at any point in the book.  This maybe my 30-year-old self not being attracted to 15-year-old boys.  But I also think part of it lies with his personality.  The change seemed rather abrupt and disgenuine.  I just didn't believe him.  Oh and the chat room transcripts... seemed really hooky and silly.

Movie

I have to confess that I saw the movie before reading the book.  After watching the movie, I would have rated it 3 stars.  But after reading the book, I now give the movie 4 stars.  Raising the age of the main characters made the true love romance feel real.  I just can't believe in 15-year-olds finding their one love.  While I am not a fan of Vanessa Hudgens in general, she did a decent job as Lindy.  I loved Alex Pettyfer as our Beast.  He had the right amount of vanity in the beginning, but we also really get to see his gradual change.  I could have done without Olsen twin (which one?) as Kendra.  She's supposed to be ugly at the beginning.  She was just too glamorous to be believed.  Neil Patrick Harris' Will was great.  And the change in makeup really did it.  He was still a Beast, just an interesting looking Beast.

Music Monday -- 1996

As part of my ongoing celebration for my 30th birthday, I am highlighting some popular songs from throughout my years.  Songs were picked based off of a list of Grammy award winners and Billboard Top 100.  Then, I chose my favorites to highlight.  

Year: 1996

Book: Unknown

Music Selections: An interesting mix of music.  As you can see, I'm now leaning more towards alternative rock.

1. Fugees "Killing Me Softly"
2. Sublime "What I Got"
3. Poe "Hello"
4. The Verve Pipe "Freshman" -- I still absolutely adore this song and can't resist singing along everytime it comes up on my iTunes shuffle.
5. No Doubt "Don't Speak"

Spring Break Vacation Part 2/3

See Part 1

Days 4-7 were spent in Philadelphia, PA.  We stayed at a beautiful house in the Mount Airy/Germantown area north of downtown.  It was a quite neighborhood full of some great restaurants.  B&Bs or the like are the way to go in big cities.

Day 4: We drove from Hershey to Philadelphia.  First stop: the zoo.  Did you know the Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest in the country?  Built in 1847, you can definitely see the old designs mixed in with newer ones.  Of course we all loved the zoos.  Who doesn't?

Pictures: Entrance to Zoo, pig-nosed turtle in the Reptile House (I hate snakes, but even I have to admit that house was pretty neat), very cool sculpture

Day 5: National Constitution Center, Old Philadelphia, Hard Rock Cafe (lunch).  It was our big history day.  While the boys just didn't love this day, I always enjoy history.  My favorite was seeing an original printing of the Constitution. Very Cool!

Pictures: Alex and Nick chilling with Ben Franklin in the Signer's Hall, Me with Alexander Hamilton in the Signer's Hall (he was really short),  Independence Hall (where Constitutional Congress was held), George Washington's family pew in Christ Church, Elfreth's Alley (longest continually habited street in U.S.)

Day 6: Eastern State Penitentiary and Franklin Institute.  I loved the prison (very creepy and kept in semi-ruins) built by the Quakers. Al Capone was even kept there for awhile.  And the boys and J really loved the Institute.

Pictures: Cell block 1, Alex in front of an original door to cell in block 1, outside of Franklin Institute, real meteorite that you can touch, Ben of course, the boys learning about physics in Sir Isaac's Loft (I think their favorite part)

Day 7: We crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge to go to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden.  From there, we drove towards Pittsburg.

Pictures: Philadelphia sky line from New Jersey, giant aquarium with multiple species of sharks, Nick in an aquarium, I braved the shark tunnel to get this awesome pic of Alex next to a huge shark

Part III coming tomorrow...

The Sunday Salon #7

We have a place to live!  J secured our new apartment in Sunnyvale, CA yesterday.  Now every time someone asks me, I can say I live in Sunnydale CA.  Oops, too much Buffy the Vampire Slayer on the brain.  Sunnyvale, Sunnyvale, Sunnyvale...

Listening To: I finally got around to downloading the Gotye album and Hunger Games soundtrack.  I am thoroughly in love with both of these albums.  I especially am loving the Arcade Fire and Punch Brothers song on HG.  Random just found out: the Punch Brothers singer is none other than former solo artist and one-third of Nickel Creek Chris Thile.  I love him!  Now I must look them up...

Book finished: Everneath by Brodie Ashton, Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos; Beastly by Alex Flinn

Reading: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson

Making Lists: Moving to do list.  We still don't have an exact date of moving, but it will be before April 30th.  I currently have a list a mile long of errands, things to take care of, and things to pack before we can move.

Around the house: Making piles for moving.  One for trash, one for Craigslist, one for Goodwill donations, one for giving to friends, many for keeping.  I feel a bit claustrophobic will all these piles and boxes.

From the kitchen: While J is already out in California, I am trying to eat everything in the house.  We have many freezer meals sitting there.  My plan is to make something every night and take the second portion to work for lunch the next day.  So far it's working well.  And I basically have a $0 grocery bill.  Extra score.

On the Web: Trying to catch up with all my GoogleReader blogs from vacation.  I still have some to get through.  And I really should clean it out, but that sounds like too much work...

Weekly Quote: "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." -- Dori from Finding Nemo

Crafting: None.  But I am packing all my crafting this week for the big move.  So I won't be doing any crafting until we get settled in SJ.

Work Observations: Again with eating of supplies!  Really people!  How many pads of post-its do you need?

Watching: J took down the theater so no server for me.  I did and will continue to have access to Netflix, Hulu, and various other tv show sites.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, I haven't had time to watch much with the other tasks.  I did manage to catch up with The Vampire Diaries and Once Upon a Time before the big move.

Wondering: How many boxes it will take to finish packing?

From Nature: Typical spring storms rolled through the area.  Although it has stayed fairly warm so that's a plus.

Shopping Scores: Saturday morning I finally made it to the eye doctor to get some new glasses. Because of my prescription it can take up to two weeks to finish, but at least they're ordered.  The everyday frames are Tory Burch.  Very cute, but understated.  They were a no brainer pick.  And drumroll please,  I ordered prescription sunglasses.  I figured I have no excuse with moving to Sunnyvale California.  The sunglasses are Coach.  Definitely glam, but perfect.

Project: The move, of course.  My current packing task is the garage.  When I moved, many boxes were regulated to the garage.  I've forgotten what's even in some of those boxes.  The task is to sort through the boxes and condense to what I actually want.  Then I can start on the inside of the actual house.

Spring Break Vacation Part 1/3

We're back!  Okay, so we've been back for a week, but that week has been super busy.  Packing an entire house for our impending move to California delayed my vacation posts.  I finally got to them...  here we go!

Day 1: J and I drove to Indiana...  no pictures.  Driving through Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana is really boring.

On to...

Day 2: Drove to Dayton to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.  The boys and I especially loved the WWI era planes.  The newer stuff just isn't as exciting.  Plus some of those models are at the SAC Museum right here in Omaha.

Pictures: Wright era glider, post WWI era plane, WWI Model T ambulance, Japanese Zero, B-2 Spirit

Day 3: Drove to Harrisburg area to the Indian Echo Caverns.  First time the boys had ever been in a cavern.  And I think they really enjoyed it.

Drove to Hershey, PA for Chocolate World.  Best part: make your own chocolate bar.  You get to pick the chocolate, the fill ins, and the packaging.  The boys loved watching their bars get made.  And We all loved eating them...

Pictures: Boys in their chef finery, Outside of Chocolate World, candy bars being made

We stayed the night at the Red Caboose Motel.  Not the fanciest place, but the boys were excited to stay in real train cars.  Supposedly the entire motel started as a bet and has grown over the years.  J stayed there as a child.  The best part: real bacon (like slaughtered pretty close to that day) at breakfast.

Part II coming tomorrow...

Definitely Not Mr. Darcy by Karen Doornebos

Title: Definitely Not Mr. Darcy

Author: Karen Doornebos

Publisher: Berkley Trade 2011

Genre: Romance

Pages: 384

Rating:   4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romance; Support Your Local Library

How I Got It: Library loan

 Chloe Parker was born two centuries too late. A thirty-nine-year- old divorced mother, she runs her own antique letterpress business, is a lifelong member of the Jane Austen Society, and gushes over everything Regency. But her business is failing, threatening her daughter's future. What's a lady to do?Why, audition for a Jane Austen-inspired TV show set in England, of course.

What Chloe thinks is a documentary turns out to be a reality dating show set in 1812. Eight women are competing to snare Mr. Wrightman, the heir to a gorgeous estate, along with a $100,000 prize. So Chloe tosses her bonnet into the ring, hoping to transform from stressed-out Midwest mom to genteel American heiress and win the money. With no cell phones, indoor plumbing, or deodorant to be found, she must tighten her corset and flash some ankle to beat out women younger, more cutthroat, and less clumsy than herself. But the witty and dashing Mr. Wrightman proves to be a prize worth winning, even if it means the gloves are off...

 This was a fun, albeit fairly predictable read.  A retelling of Pride and Prejudice, of sorts.  Chloe was thoroughly likeable.  A few times her density got the better of me, but I was still rooting for her throughout.  Grace was a standard villain.  Of course, I loved Henry and couldn't wait for Chloe to wake up and see him.  The writing was clear and engaging.  I swept through this novel fairly quickly.  A good few days in reality tv Regency Era.

Quote Wednesday -- Carroll

"I wonder if I've changed in the night? Let me think.  Was I the same when I got up this morning?... But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!" -- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll One of my all time favorite books.  I read this to the boys last summer and they really got into it.  We didn't have time to read Through the Looking Glass before they left for Indiana.  So, it's definitely going on our summer reading list.

I find that this book, more than most I read, has some great quotes about life and identity.  I find that I ask myself the same exact questions that Alice does throughout her journey.  Maybe that's why I've always loved her as a character.

Birthday Giveaway Winners

Winner, winner chicken dinner!  Who's the winner?  Let me see:

Prize Pack #1 Reimagined Classics -- Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies... Melissa Sawvell

Prize Pack #2 Hatter M series -- Volumes 1, 2, 3... Elven Johnson

Prize Pack #3 Willomere series by Candace Camp -- A Lady Never Tells; A Gentleman Always Remembers; An Affair without End... Stacey Sirtak

Prize Pack #4 Immortals series by Alyson Noel -- Evermore; Blue Moon; Shadowland... Janan Cheskis

Prize Pack #8 Fantasy Pack -- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs; The Magicians by Lev Grossman... Rebecca Stephen

Prize Pack #9-10 Your Choice Pack

• The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory and The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance... Carol Mallory
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffennegger and The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson... Maureen Morra
• This Book Will Change Your Life and Paradise Lost by John Milton... Melissa Sawvell

Congrats to everyone who won!

We're Back...

Back from a crazy roadtrip vacation in 10 days.  I want to do a few vacation posts, but won't have time until probably tomorrow.  So look forward to some of our adventures.  We took a gazillion pictures (oh, not a gazillion, it sure seemed like it), visited four cities, took in many many sites, had some fun, experienced beautiful weather, ate some great food.  Overall, I would say that this vacation was a resounding success. ...

And getting moving on moving.  At this point we are ~3 weeks away from moving to San Jose, CA from Omaha, NE.  I am a bit stressed at this point.  We have a house full of things with real furniture.  We are hiring a moving company to take care of the furniture, truck packing, ad unloading.  But that still leaves us to pack all of the "stuff." And "stuff" we have.  Thankfully, we've already started purging, putting things in trash pile, Goodwill pile, Craigslist pile, and friends pile.  Progress is slow by steady.  Adding to all this moving fun is the fact that get to do most of it on my own starting tomorrow.  J is flying out to start work and find us a place to live.  He won't be back in NE until the 22nd.  So it will be me, in a house full of stuff, boxing said stuff, and attempting to wrap up things on this end.  Oh so much fun...  If no one hears from me in a few days, please try and find me.  I may have gotten lost amongst the boxes.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Title: The Shadow of the Wind (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1)

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Publisher: Penguin 2005

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 487

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Historical Fiction; Mount TBR; My Years

How I Got It: I own it

“A secret’s worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept,” begins Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s astounding novel of postwar Barcelona. But more than four years after its initial paperback publication, the secret is out—the novel remains a favorite of booksellers and readers alike.

Gorgeous...  That's the word that kept coming to mind as I was reading.  Gorgeous.  The writing is gorgeous.  The characters are gorgeous.  The setting and descriptions are gorgeous.  The storyline is gorgeous.  The reader is treated to a gorgeous novel that sucks you in within the first few pages.  I took days to read this novel because I kept wanting to reread beautiful written paragraphs.  I savored the language (translated from the original Spanish).  It has a lyrical quality.  I wanted to read the paragraphs out loud and often did to anyone within earshot.

The story itself presents a fairly simple mystery that grows as the novel progresses.  We meet new characters.  We discover things about known characters.  We run the gamut of emotions with Daniel on his journey.  The Barcelona of the book is a wondrously dangerous place and I want to visit.  I want to join Daniel on his quest to find Julian Carax.  I want to listen Clara play piano badly.  I want to havea meal with Fermin.  I want to help all escape Inspector Fumero's grasp.  But above all, I want to visit the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

Cemetery of Forgotten Books

• #0.5 Rose of Fire
• #1 The Shadow of the Wind
• #2 The Angel's Game
• #3 The Prisoner of Heaven

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Title: Everneath (Everneath #1)

Author: Brodi Ashton

Publisher: Balzer + Bray 2012

Genre: Young adult fantasy

Pages: 384

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fantasy; Read Your Name -- E; Support Your Local Library

How I Got It: Library Loan

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen.

Definitely done with the fantasy, young adult, love triangle bit.  I tired of Nikki's wishy-washy behavior.  I tired of the ridiculous high school behavior.  I tired of Cole and Jack being oblivious yet forward.  Overall, not a horrible book, but I don't think I will be reading any more of the series.  Romeo and Juliet, anyone?

Everneath

1. Everneath
2. Neverfall -- novella
3. Everbound
4. Evertrue

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Title: Aftertime (Aftertime #1)

Author: Sophie Littlefield

Publisher: Luna 2011

Genre: Dystopian, Zombie

Pages: 384

Rating:  5/5 stars

Reading Challenges:  Zombies; Support Your Local Library

How I Got It: Library Loan

Awakening in a bleak landscape as scarred as her body, Cass Dollar vaguely recalls surviving something terrible. Having no idea how many weeks have passed, she slowly realizes the horrifying truth: Ruthie has vanished.And with her, nearly all of civilization.Where once-lush hills carried cars and commerce, the roads today see only cannibalistic Beaters—people turned hungry for human flesh by a government experiment gone wrong.

In a broken, barren California, Cass will undergo a harrowing quest to get Ruthie back. Few people trust an outsider, let alone a woman who became a zombie and somehow turned back, but she finds help from an enigmatic outlaw, Smoke. Smoke is her savior, and her safety.

For the Beaters are out there.

And the humans grip at survival with their trigger fingers. Especially when they learn that she and Ruthie have become the most feared, and desired, of weapons in a brave new world….

A dystopian world inhabited by Beaters and survivors.  I loved the bleak feel of this novel.  It didn't try to glamorize the end of the world as we know it.  The book showed the stark reality of surviving in this new and desolate world.  The graphic description of desolation is haunting.  We really get a feel for the nothingness that is left.  I appreciate this departure from the fancy dystopian novels I've read in the past.

The characters are memorable.  No one is a clear likable character.  Instead each one has good and bad qualities; much like you find in real people.  Sometimes I wanted to hug Cass and others I wanted to smack her.  She's real.  She has problems.  She has past issues.  She has insecurities.  But she also has a drive to survive and reclaim her daughter.  Smoke is an enigma.  We don't get a huge amount of information from or about him, but we understand that Cass must rely on someone.  I predict that he becomes a white knight in the end.  Hopefully we get more from him in future books.  There's too many other minor characters to list, but they all made an impression.  I can't wait to read the next book.

Aftertime

• #1 Aftertime
• #1.5 Survivors
• #2 Rebirth
• #3 Horizon