• Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Wading Through...

  • Home
  • About
  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Hello, Gorgeous! by MaryJanice Davidson

Title: Hello, Gorgeous!

Author: MaryJanice Davidson

Publisher: Brava 2005

Genre: Cyborg Romance

Pages: 195

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library

One minute I'm out with my sorority sisters; the next there's a terrible accident (beyond my friend Stacey's outfit) and I'm waking up in some weird clinic transformed into a human cyborg--with a mission: to stop evil and stuff. Uh, hello? I've got a beauty salon to run.

Granted, it is cool to run faster than a Ford Mustang when I need to, even if it's totally hard on my shoes. But then I have to bring in another human cyborg on the run? One who happens to be male, totally gorgeous, smart, funny--and, um, his "enhancements"?--as if!

Okay pretty entertaining.  Not a "stay-with-me-forever" read, but definitely fun for a day read.  I enjoyed Davidson's Alaskan Royalty trilogy.  This was the beginning of the Cyborg series. Like the Royal series, this was one was funny.  Full of crazy adventures, quirky characters, and funny dialogue.  I really liked the main character, Caitlyn.  She's just wild enough, but still likeable.

I started the second book, but just couldn't get into it.  I eventually stopped reading it after about 70 pages.  Just like the Royal series, there was a wild difference in likeability.  Oh well, on to the next book.

Cyborg series (DNFed series)

  • #1 Hello, Gorgeous
  • #2 Drop Dead, Gorgeous
tags: 4 stars, MaryJanice Davidson, suspense
categories: Book Reviews
Thursday 03.03.11
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
Comments: 1
 

A Zombie's History of the United States by Dr. Worm Miller

Title: A Zombie's History of the United States

Author: Dr. Worm Miller

Publisher: Ulysses Press 2011

Genre: Zombie; U.S. History

Pages: 228

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; Zombies

U.S. History and zombies in one volume?  Yes, please...

A very enjoyable "true" account of U.S. history from the zombie angle.  Who knew that zombies almost thwarted Washington's crossing of the Delaware?  Or that war in the Pacific was helped by the Berzerker's Corps (zombie unit)?  Or that Meriweather Lewis was in fact a zombie hybrid through most of the journey across the Louisiana Purchase?  I didn't.  And I call myself a history teacher.

In all seriousness, this is a great, fun parody of history.  I loved the tongue-in-cheek tone throughout most of the entries.  At times, I did find myself skimming the nonzombie history sections (I do know my fair share of u.s. history).  But that's okay, it was still immensely enjoying!

tags: 5 stars, Dr- Worm Miller, U-S- History, zombies
categories: Book Reviews
Wednesday 03.02.11
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
Comments: 2
 

Quote Wednesday -- Asimov

"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor of our society." -- Asimov

As a history teacher, I've trained myself to see the change in our society.  I love to look back through history and see movements (people, ideas, things).  It makes our everyday lives seem worthwhile somehow.  We are all a part of the constant change happening to us, by us, around us.  It's change that drives the species.  We are the only ones that think about the past, the present, and the future.  We are constantly evaluating our paths.  Sometimes we stay on the current path and sometimes we deviant.  But the point is we move.  We are constantly in motion, changing the who we are are, what we want, what we do.  We are change.

I'd like to think the changes are always positive.  Of course that's not true, but the thought holds so much hope in it.  To always be thinking of a better world, a change for the better.  That's what we strive for...

categories: Quote Wednesday
Wednesday 03.02.11
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Top Ten Tuesday - I Just HAD to Buy... But are Still Sitting on My Bookshelf

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. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

This week's list is pretty difficult for me to write.  For the past year, I've lived mostly out of boxes.  I haven't even seen most of my books that entire time.  I've bought a ton of books in the past few years and most of those are still sitting on "shelf."  I buy books and then check books out from the library.  Sometimes I get back to the ones I own, and sometimes they just stay somewhere.  I have one box of books sitting in my room, so I'll look at those.

1-2. Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager by Diana Gabaldon -- C made me read Outlander (while reenacting, what a trip!) and I fell in love with the story of Claire and Jamie.  I had to get the other books and read the rest of the Outlander series.  So I rushed out to the used book stores and found Dragonfly in Amber and Voyager and what did I do?  Left them on the shelf.  I started Dragonfly a few months back and something happened.  I got distracted or something and didn't finish it.  So I've got these great books sitting here and haven't read them yet.  Thankfully I have joined the Outlander series reading challenge so I am going to read the entire series this year, but it probably won't be until August (to coincide with my Year of Reading challenge).  I promise I will get to them.

3. Wideacre by Philippa Gregory -- I love historical fiction.  I read The Other Boleyn Girl and told myself that I had to read more from Gregory.  So I had to buy this when I saw it on the used book store shelf.  And again, I have let it sit on the shelf.  No matter, historical fiction is another one of my reading challenges.

4-5. Inkheart and Inkspell by Cornelia Funke -- I watched the movie Inkheart and really liked it, so I just had to read the book right?  Then I found out it was trilogy.  Oh, well, okay I can do that.  So I found Inkheart and Inkspell, but have yet to find a cheap copy of Inkdeath.  I keep telling myself that I haven't read them because I don't have the third, but really I just keep getting distracted by other books.

6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- Another must read after hearing about it for so long.  I found a copy for cheap and snatched it up.  It's only been on my shelf for about two weeks so far. I have high hopes that this one will be read soon.

7. The Magicians by Lev Grossman -- J's said that I had to read this one.  And his description of the book made it really sound like something I would like.  I found a cheap copy at Half Price Books about three weeks ago.  I just need to work it into my crazy reading schedule now.

8. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez -- Up until this year, I read mostly nonfiction or "classics."  This is one of those books that I always considered a "classic," but hadn't read.  So I found a copy sometime last year thinking that I would tackle it in the coming weeks and promptly forgot about the book.  It sat in a box until I unearthed it last night while trying to think of entries for this post.  I'll try to get to it soon, but I know it's one of those books that I'm going to have to devote actually dedicated reading time.  Maybe during a trip or a snow day...

Okay, so I only found eight for this week.  That's not to say I only have eight books in my purchased TBR pile.  These are just the eight books that I was super excited to find and read and then not read for one reason or another.  I am going to try really hard to put these into my must read pile.  We'll see how it goes.  I'm not making any promises.

tags: lists, Top Ten Tuesday
categories: Books
Tuesday 03.01.11
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
Comments: 3
 

February 2011 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (17 books)

  • Bespelling Jane - Mary Balogh, Colleen Gleason, Susan Krinard, Janet Mullany
  • Wildflower Brides: Four Romances Blossom Along the Oregon Trail - Andrea Boeshaar, Cathy Marie Hake, Sally Laity, Pamela Kaye Tracy
  • Zombies for Zombies - David P. Murphy
  • Valentine's Day is Killing Me - MaryJanice Davidson, Leslie Esdaile, and Susanna Carr
  • At the Scent of Water - Linda Nichols
  • Flip This Zombie - Jesse Petersen
  • The Royal Mess - MaryJanice Davidson
  • Cupid Cats - Katie MacAlister, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Connie Brockway
  • Birnbaum Guides: Walt Disney World
  • Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania - Loree Lough
  • Heroes Vol. 1
  • Don't Stop Believin' - Erin Balser and Suzanne Gardner
  • A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
  • Heroes Vol. 2
  • Austenland  - Shannon Hale
  • Twilight: The Graphic Novel - Stephenie Meyer
  • The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Current Read

A Zombie's History of the United States by Dr. Worm Miller

Books I Gave Up On (1 books)

Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly -- Gave it 50 pages, but couldn't get into the story.  It's a mystery and I don't think those are my cup of tea.  Oh well, on to the next book.

Books Bought (24 books)

From Half Price Books (great coupon deal)

  • * Mystery book for J's birthday
  • * The Wedding Dress - Virginia Ellis
  • * Chocolat - Joanne Harris
  • * Weekend in Paris - Robyn Sisman
  • * The Magicians - Lev Grossman (J's recommendation)
  • * The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant
  • * Gossip Girl - Cecily von Ziegesar
  • * Gossip Girl: You're the One that I Want (#6) - Cecily von Ziegesar
  • * Gossip Girl: Nobody Does it Better (#7) - Cecily von Ziegesar

Village Books Fun

  • * Nightworld Vol. 2
  • * Nightworld Vol. 3
  • * Contact - Carl Sagan
  • * Year Zero - Jeff Long
  • * Soulless - Gail Carriger
  • * Changeless - Gail Carriger
  • * Blameless - Gail Carriger

Library Sale (5 books for $1!)

  • * Good Night, Mr. Holmes - Carole Nelson Douglas
  • * Consider Lily - Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
  • * All for Love - Amanda Elyot
  • * Pleasing the Dead - Deborah Turrell Atkinson
  • * The Serpent on the Crown - Elizabeth Peters

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Hatter M Vol. 1 (The Looking Glass Wars)

Hatter M Vol. 2 Mad with Wonder (The Looking Glass Wars)

Comments

17 books in the shortest month of the year!  That is definitely a great total.  Of course, many of the books this month were "easy" fun reads, but it's still reading.  I had fun getting into the "romantic" atmosphere for February.  As for my favorites, I am going to have to go with At the Scent of Water (very moving and sad, but happy too) and Flip This Zombie (fun, fun, and more fun).

Next month, the focus of the Year of Reading is Fantasy.  I've already got a stack of fantasy books sitting on my floor just waiting to be opened.  I think it will be a good month.  And it's my birthday month!  Extra fun!  On a related note, reviewing my reading challenges, I have decided to increase my fantasy challenge to the "addicted" level of 12 books.  I'm well on my way there.

categories: Monthly Wrap-Up
Tuesday 03.01.11
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
Newer / Older

Powered by Squarespace.