Review - Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

So I started and finished Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev within the last 36 hours. Took me about 10 pages to understand how it worked, but after that I absolutely loved it! Another one that is completely different than anything I've ever read before. And I love Bertie. She's great. Her little Faerie friends are too funny!

I'm totally rooting for Nate over Ariel anyway. Of course, that could just be because I totally dig pirates. :-P And unless Ariel finds a way to redeem himself in the 2nd book, I'm still not going to like him. LoL.

Completely surprise twist about Berties mom (no spoilers!) that I loved as well.

Definitely a must read. I can't wait to go pick up the second book. I know it's been out for a long time, but I've been waiting for my tax return to buy this one. I give it two thumbs up! Check it out.

The Cowboy

Well, I'm in bed right now, sick as a dog (hmmm wonder where that saying came from... 'scuse me while I google it... "Sick as a dog is actually the oldest of them, recorded from 1705; it is probably no more than an attempt to give force to a strongly worded statement of physical unhappiness. It was attached to a dog, I would guess, because dogs often seem to have been linked to things considered unpleasant or undesirable; down the years they have had an incredibly bad press, linguistically speaking (think of dog tired, dog in the manger, dog’s breakfast, go to the dogs, dog Latin — big dictionaries have long entries about all the ways that dog has been used in a negative sense)". found this on yahoo's answer site... saying still makes no sense), drinking water like it's a chocolate cake and I'm hungry for sweets. Was out of books to read.

THE HORROR.

No seriously. I've read all the books I came to VA with, and unfortunately, have left some in Maine that I did not mean to leave behind (ie. Afterlight by Elle Jasper). Cue sad face.

So I was harumphing around trying to figure out what to read next when my mom plopped a book in front of me (almost, she accidentally left it on the porch, so technically I plopped it down in front of myself) called The Cowboy by Joan Johnston.

Not. A. Fantasy/Paranormal/Supernatural/Sci-Fi. Book.

But that's ok. Because honestly? If someone gives me a book I will read it, regardless of what kind it is.

From what I've read on the back, there was some sort of dispute between Trace Blackthorne's family and Callie Creed's family. Sounds like a Romeo and Juliet type of situation. So anyway, Trace has apparently been gone for some time and when he comes back he finds Callie. And Trace is the type of man who takes (not goes after, but, takes) what he wants. Sounds charming. :-X Trace proposes (hmmm... ultimatum?) to Callie. A marriage between the two is going to save Callie's family from the financial black hole they've been sucked in to. I guess Callie starts dwelling on the past and what drove the families apart and then has to make a choice BETWEEN her family and the man she loves (loves...really? he sounds kind of demanding to me).

I know they say don't judge a book by it's cover (does the description on the cover count?) so I'm trying not to dislike Trace before ever reading the story. I'll have to start it tomorrow and report back my findings. Hopefully the INSIDE of the book will read better than the outside.

I like Cowboys.

What is everyone else reading right now?

Paper or Plastic

I don't know why, but I don't believe I will ever invest in a Kindle. Or a Nook. Or any other E-Reader that they can come up with. Not that they aren't fantastic. They're compact, easy to carry around and travel with. You get books a whole lot quicker than having to wait for the time to go to the store. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them at all. So please don't misunderstand.

They just aren't for me.

I'm a tactile person. I NEED to have the book in my hands. I want to be able to see it. To turn the pages. To be able to put it with so many other books that I have or that I'll be getting in the future.

One of my goals in life (don't laugh, I'm serious) is to have wall to wall bookshelves. Ideally I'd love my own library. But.... baby steps. One wall full of books would satisfy me for a while. As most of my books have been lost in the 3 moves that I've made in the last few years, it would take me a while to fill them up. But reading is such a passion you'd see me with a smile on my face the whole time (unless of course I was reading a book that made me cry....).

I've read a few books online on my computer. And it's fun. And easy. But I can't carry my laptop with me everywhere I go. So, seeing as how some of them aren't published works yet, I await them extremely impatiently, to come to a bookstore near me. :-)

What do you prefer? Hard copy? Or are you an E-Reader?

A Book Is Good Company

I love to read. Give me any book and I'll read it, though I prefer fantasy novels. I absolutely love them. Adore them. Reading is my all time greatest passion. I read to relax. I read to forget. I read to remember. I read when I'm happy or sad or just kind of... there. I read one book or sometimes two or three at once.

I used to have shelves and shelves of fantasy novels. When I moved from Virginia to Maine, my collection of books was severely crippled. Much had to be left behind. Even now, I buy new books, read them, and then they disappear at the hands of my 2 year old. I'm sure they're around here somewhere. But she's good at hiding things.

A long time ago, I started a reading list. Fantasy novels that I've read and novels that I want to read or that someone has suggested. I follow a book review blog and got the idea to start posting my own reviews of the books I've read and loved. Nothing fancy. Just want to share my escape from reality with everyone else. Maybe it'll inspire you to pick up something you otherwise wouldn't have read.