“We’re all a little mad here”

   It feels like it has been forever since my last B4B review but I have finally found a book that I thought I would enjoy. 
   I was taking a break from coloring so I could work on some of my own art to potentially have some home decor for our room but I’m hung up on finding picture frames at a decent price that won’t fall apart. 
   I picked Wonderland by Amily When because I LOVE ALL THINGS ALICE. Growing up I read and re-read Alice in Wonderland so many times and I never seemed to get enough.
   This coloring book had its pros and it’s cons like all others. The pictures are beautiful and quite detailed. It follows it’s own story while incorporating new story fragments which was interesting. 
   The cons are pretty much what I had a problem with on a lot other the other coloring books, they are dual printed, front and back and the pages are NOT perforated. Also, as much as I love the detail, it is so hard to get into most of the spaces if you are like me and don’t have a ton of fine point pens to color with. 
   Other then that I would say I like it but I’m taking out the pictures I want and passing it on…

~Synopsis~
   Follow the White Rabbit into this imaginative coloring book inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, featuring intricate pen-and-ink drawings by acclaimed artist Amily Shen. Meet the Cheshire Cat, attend the Mad Hatter’s tea party, and play croquet with the Queen of Hearts in this evocative tale that invites you into a strange and beautiful new world of coloring.

“What we all want, really, is to be loved. That craving drives our worst behavior.” ― Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care

  I love Chrissy Teigen! She is always bubbly and happy at least on camera. She never hides the fact that she loves food and honestly, that is something people like me like to hide. I have always been a bigger person and its normal for me to want to hide the fact that i thoroughly enjoy food. In her cookbook it shows where she came from and where that love of food came from.

From reading this book i have come to a few conclusions. 1: Chrissy Teigens life revolves mainly around family. 2: She prides herself in cooking all of her meals herself, which, lets be honest, as a celebrity it would be so much easier to hire someone and let them cook for you. and 3: she likes to live a simple life.

Every recipe she has in this book seems fairly easy to replicate and a lot of them have minimal ingredients which is nice for our family because it makes cooking meals for five to eight people easy and still pretty cheap. In our household we have five people, sometimes sic in our household throughout the week and eight people total on the weekends, plus and toddler. Money for groceries add up and the list we make each week is thoroughly plotted out and meticulously planned with a set price in mind and we hardly ever go over our $75- $80 a week budget.

Some of these recipes are mainly for couples but if its just you and your significant other it would be perfect for you to add a little variety to your weekly menu! So if thats the case or you just like collecting cookbooks like me, pick it up! Ill leave the description below and link for anybody who would be interested in checking it out! Keep reading my lovelies!

~Synopsis~

   Maybe she’s on a photo shoot in Zanzibar. Maybe she’s making people laugh on TV. But all Chrissy Teigen really wants to do is talk about dinner. Or breakfast. Lunch gets some love, too.
For years, she’s been collecting, cooking, and Instagramming her favorite recipes, and here they are: from breakfast all day to John’s famous fried chicken with spicy honey butter to her mom’s Thai classics.
Salty, spicy, saucy, and fun as sin (that’s the food, but that’s Chrissy, too), these dishes are for family, for date night at home, for party time, and for a few life-sucks moments (salads). You’ll learn the importance of chili peppers, the secret to cheesy-cheeseless eggs, and life tips like how to use bacon as a home fragrance, the single best way to wake up in the morning, and how not to overthink men or Brussels sprouts. Because for Chrissy Teigen, cooking, eating, life, and love are one and the same.

~Buying link~

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012KJXFNW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?ie=UTF8&btkr=1

 

“I have to say that although it broke my heart, I was, and still am, glad I was there.” ― Markus Zusak

 

So for  the longest time i have heard about a book series called Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. I just could never afford to pick up the whole set at one time with everything going on lately. So I was elated when i won the entire series in a giveaway. As soon as they were delivered wireless to my email i put them on the kindle. I started reading the first book right away and was sucked in!

As i got further into the book i was a little thrown off because there were some spelling errors EVERYWHERE, but i thought, yeah this is weird but ill keep going. It wasn’t until the second book that i noticed something really weird…

If you haven’t already put it together, the quote i used for the headline is from The Book Thief and when i found out that i had received PIRATED COPIES of a book that i was so excited about, it broke my heart. I will not finish this series with the copies that i have because i feel like i am committing some huge crime for receiving stolen goods!

I have reported the person i got them from and then messaged them to explain that whether they believe so or not, piraters, like themselves are the reason books these days cost so much! Our favorite, least favorite and authors everywhere spend their HARD work and money in their work and how is that fair to them or their families to steal the food out of their families mouths.

To all of you wonderful bookworms, please take caution in where you get your books from! Support our lovely authors and don’t buy or pirate books for your leisure time enjoyment!

“If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence we could rise up rooted, like trees.” —Rainer Maria Rilke, Rilke’s Book of Hours: Love Poems to God

Let me start off by saying… THIS WAS NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE…. AT ALL!!! But i also when into this book completely blind! Every time i picked this book up, i wasnt sure how i felt until it was over… and at that point i couldnt take it back. Now everyone knows how i feel about romance novels and even though i see this as one, it isnt like most romance novels.

Yeong-hye and her husband are ordinary people. He is an office worker with moderate ambitions and mild manners; she is an uninspired but dutiful wife. The acceptable flatline of their marriage is interrupted when Yeong-hye, seeking a more ‘plant-like’ existence, decides to become a vegetarian, prompted by grotesque recurring nightmares. In South Korea, where vegetarianism is almost unheard-of and societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye’s decision is a shocking act of subversion. Her passive rebellion manifests in ever more bizarre and frightening forms, leading her bland husband to self-justified acts of sexual sadism. His cruelties drive her towards attempted suicide and hospitalisation. She unknowingly captivates her sister’s husband, a video artist. She becomes the focus of his increasingly erotic and unhinged artworks, while spiralling further and further into her fantasies of abandoning her fleshly prison and becoming – impossibly, ecstatically – a tree. Fraught, disturbing and beautiful, The Vegetarian is a novel about modern day South Korea, but also a novel about shame, desire and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.

This is a three part book told from different points of view, one part for each of the main characters of whose life was touched the most by the main character. It is a very dark tyoe of book and there are somethings i read that im sure i will never be able to un-read…. I also thought the book was laid out in an odd way… i start to understand the writers train of thought when… WHAM!!! im am lost and confused yet again… As a whole i was fairly disappointed and confused most of this book but it might just be that after a while i was tired of being confused and just… read it to read it….

“You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world!” — The Doctor, Season 2, Episode 2

The last time i wrote a review for a Dr. Who book it was because i had gotten one for mariah from Blogging for books and honestly, I GOT HOOKED! so I got another Dr. Who book for myself this time and i have to say that i was so much more impressed with the one i got this time than the one i got last time.

I picked Doctor Who: Royal Blood By Una McCormack. She puts so much detail into this book i can see it becoming part of the tv series…. which BTWS i have also gotten hooked onto as well! Much to Mariahs surprise i have been binge watching like crazy!!!!

Synopsis:

“The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn’t exist on your world! It can’t exist here!”
The city-state of Varuz is failing. Duke Aurelian is the last of his line, his capital is crumbling, and the armies of his enemy, Duke Conrad, are poised beyond the mountains to invade. Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle. So when a holy man, the Doctor, comes to Varuz from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his blessing in the war.
But all is not what it seems in Varuz. The city-guard have lasers for swords, and the halls are lit by electric candlelight. Aurelian’s beloved wife, Guena, and his most trusted knight, Bernhardt, seem to be plotting to overthrow their Duke, and Clara finds herself drawn into their intrigue…
Will the Doctor stop Aurelian from going to war? Will Clara’s involvement in the plot against the Duke be discovered? Why is Conrad’s ambassador so nervous? And who are the ancient and weary knights who arrive in Varuz claiming to be on a quest for the Holy Grail…?

Doctor and Clara work well. There is a strong grasp of their relationship and some enjoyable dialogue. Unfortunately the two spend a lot of the novel separated and thus this interaction is absent for most of the book. Instead both are paired off with a character that is a bit dull. The Doctor spends most of his time with Bernhardt who seems to just tolerate him. For much of the story the Doctor is quite ineffective and it is likely that events may have proceeded in much the same way with or without his presence. For all “Whovians” this is a must read! Below, as usual is the buying link for amazon and as always, READ ON BOOKWORMS!

Amazon Buying Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Who-Royal-Blood/dp/184990992X

“Upon my word, just see how mortal men always put the blame on us gods!” ― Homer, The Odyssey

OMG!!!!!! Just finished another great read and had to share it with all of you! I was contacted on Goodreads by an author who needed reviews for her book and i jumped at the chance! She expressed with me that it isnt like most Young Adult/Fantasy/Supernatural book and i thought, “Okay, I can roll with this!” And roll I did ladies and gentlemen! Hybrid By Venus Morales was a great read! Perfect for all mythology fans!

*Synopsis*

Ari is the daughter of Ares, the God of War. Half goddess and half Phoenician, she is raised by her father in secrecy until her 18th birthday, when he is forced to return to Olympus.
She chooses not follow her father, and decides to venture out into the mortal realm. There, Ari crosses paths with the archangel Julius, who bears a message from a seer. Ari must return to the Bayou to her late mother’s coven to regain her family crown, she is soon fighting for more than just the crown; she is fighting for her life, and the inner darkness that’s consuming her.
With 7 days to prepare for her trials and 7 days to fight for her life, Ari does the one thing she must do to survive; she forges herself into the weapon she was born to be.
What wouldn’t you do to save those you love? How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to save the mortal realm, the heavens and Olympus?

So my absolute favorite part of this book is how relatable Venus makes the main character! Ari is logical and realistic and it is so hard to find characters like that in books these days! I know people will find it hard to believe that a paranormal book or its characters can be realistic but Venus makes it happen! I laughed quite a bit through this book and wanted to cry when it was over because, well, it was over! I can not wait for the next installment!

The  characters were well built  and carried throughout the story! Unlike books in the mythology genre the gods are actually playing a bigger roll than just being mentioned and the reason our Heroine is dealing with her problems, which is HUGE! They have a side to the story as well! It isnt just limited to just Gods and Goddesses though! Its demons, vamps and Arch Angels. I think it works for me because im more of a If-one-thing-exists-then-they-all-must-exist type of person!

Check the book out by clicking the Amazon buying link below and while im at it ill give Miss Venus Morales’ goodreads link so you can follow her as well!

Amazon Buying Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Hybrid-Venus-Morales-ebook/dp/B00TFTB1H8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441559172&sr=1-1&keywords=9781508406471&pebp=1441559175323&perid=03XKQD2K4NGX5ZQGQW3V

Venus Morales on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13490108.Venus_Morales

” A little bit of chicken fried, Cold beer on a Friday night!”

One of our families favorite things to make for a dinner is fried chicken. We dont do it often because it takes sooooo much to feed everyone! When we do make it though, its a four to five hour experience. We have at least three different ways of making it and each time we switch off between those three recipes. This last week I picked Fried Chicken By Rebecca Lang from Blogging For Books because in my opinion you can never have to many fried chicken recipes. Its not a bad book to have in our household of five people because ninety percent of the time we have Tims family here. So most of the time its not just the five of us… it can be anywhere from five people to ten people and everyone likes something a little.

This cookbook is split into three chapters; chapter one is skillet fried chicken, chapter two is deep fried and chapter three is combination fried. Now i myself only always skillet fry my chicken but i like the idea of different fry techniques. It also covers the different types of oils to cook with, how to cut up a bird, as well as proper oil temps. My only problem with this book is that a lot of these recipes dont really look like fried chicken. They look amazing, just not like fried chicken.

Amazon Buying Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Fried-Chicken-Recipes-Crunchy-Comfort-Food/dp/1607747243

Journals, Journals, Everywhere!

The other day a friend of mine on Facebook posted about how Facebook seems to be a personal, yet public, journal and then proceeded to ask how many people on her friends list actually still used a normal pen-to-paper journal. I was the first to admit that yes i do still keep a journal and let me explain why.

In high school when my mother had signed me up to see a psychologist weekly, he had suggested that i keep a journal. I explained that things like that were not possible because i had two, very snoopy, very sneaky, younger twin sisters. He looked at me and said;

“And that is stopping you, why?”

Before i could answer him, he turned around and dug around in his desk looking for something. When he found what he was looking for he turned around and handed me a lighter. I sat there just staring at it. The ugliest lighter i had ever seen, bile yellow and completely full with lighter fluid. I guess i was in shock that an adult was handing me a lighter, almost like he was telling me to commit arson. I started to ask him what i was supposed to do with an ugly ass lighter but he stopped me and said;

” Sharon, if there is nothing for them to find, then they cant read it.If you write something down and you dont want it read, burn the pages and let them float away. You get them out and let your anger float away like the pages.”

BRILLIANT MAN!

So since then i have always kept a journal and occasionally, on the days i write to get anger out, and say things i dont mean i still burn those pages. But my journal collection continues to grow and i find myself burning pages less and less. While on blogging for books i found a Q&A a Day journal almost like the last ones i reviewed for B4B but its SO MUCH BETTER!!! Its for artists! Or maybe not just artists but those who feel like doodling! I absolutely love it! Its a four year journal and every page has a writing prompt, you draw how you see that prompt and fill in the year of that entry! Since i have been doing more drawings i thought it would be a great addition to my other new “artsy” journals. I just recently got a wreck this journal box set that included Wreck This Journal, Mess, This Is Not A Book and Pocket Scavenger! Brilliant journals and i have no shame in admitting i WRECK those journals! If your a journal writer or havent started or wrote in one for a long time i highly suggest every one of them! They are fun and give you ways to get those feelings out and sometimes without even knowing you are doing it! Read on, Bookworms!

“If you keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty scoundrel!” ― Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

When you are a child, the thought of finding lost, buried or even new-to-you things is addicting. The thought of going on a mystery treasure or scavenger hunt is not unheard of but happens occasionally while playing with friends or siblings. Of course when I was growing up I loved the idea of finding a buried a treasure in a book store, you know that book in the very back of a bookcase or box in an old run down second hand shop for only $0.25. Those were my favorite treasures and nothing could beat them. One of my absolute favorites was Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. When I picked up this book I never knew how drawn into the book I would be, and certainly that I would not end up reading the book a couple dozen times in my life.

While browsing through the list of books on Blogging For Books last week I opened another tab to look at my new weeks book. I choose The New World By Andrew Motion and was so excited to find out that it is a continuation type of story from Treasure Island. I was not disappointed in the slightest with this story and i feel that Andrew Motion should do continuations of all of the Great American Classics. Now this book could definitely be read as a stand alone but I highly suggest that if you have read Treasure Island you run, type or call for a copy of this book! I’m almost positive that its books like these that will convert children and teens of this generation from smart phones and gaming consoles to print and e-books. Below, as usual, I will post the synopsis and buying link and don’t forget; READ ON, MY LOVELIES!

Book Synopsis:

Washed ashore after escaping Treasure Island, young Jim Hawkins and his companion Natty find themselves stranded on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Their ship, the Nightingale, has been destroyed, and besides one other crew member, they are the only survivors.  Before they can even grasp the full scope of their predicament, they realize they are not alone on the beach. When a band of Native Americans approaches the shore in a threatening fury, they brutally kill Jim and Natty’s last shipmate, rob their dead crew, and take the two desperate survivors hostage.

Suddenly, Jim and Natty are thrust into an adventure that takes them all across the unruly American South. Starting with a desperate escape from a violent chief who obsessively keeps close on their trail, they join up with a troupe of entertainers who take them to a thriving and dangerous New Orleans, and seek the closest port so they can set sail for home once again.

In magnificent, free-wheeling prose and in a high-flying style, Andrew Motion has spun a fantastic yarn that will win the hearts of adventure lovers everywhere.

Amazon Buying Link:

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-World-A-Novel/dp/0804138451

“I might not use capital letters. But I would definitely use an apostrophe…and probably a period. I’m a huge fan of punctuation.” ― Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park

I am absolutely and utterly appalled at the book that i got from Blogging For Books this week. I am disappointed, sad, angry and confused. I picked a book  that someone was actually just talking to me about the other day…. I expected great, promising things from this book and i am absolutely crushed.

I picked A Girl Is A Half Formed Thing By Eimear McBride. My fiance and i had a long, LOOOOOONG discussion about this book last night because i could not get over the form of writing. At first i figured, “okay, maybe this wont last long.” NO! it is this way the entire FUCKING book! After realizing that i was like, ” Okay maybe there is a trick to reading it!” i tried covering up sentences and adding my own words, treating it like a puzzle. I spent so much time confused that i couldn’t feel any emotion. I think i just don’t understand why it has so many great ratings when every page is the same horrible grammar, improper sentences and puzzling words…. Ugh i am so pissed right now.

Synopsis:

In scathing, furious, unforgettable prose, Eimear McBride tells the story of a young girl’s devastating adolescence as she and her brother, who suffers from a brain tumor, struggle for a semblance of normalcy in the shadow of sexual abuse, denial, and chaos at home. Plunging readers inside the psyche of a girl isolated by her own dangerously confusing sexuality, pervading guilt, and unrelenting trauma, McBride’s writing carries echoes of Joyce, O’Brien, and Woolf.  A Girl is a Half-formed Thing is a revelatory work of fiction, a novel that instantly takes its place in the canon.

Buying link:

http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Is-Half-formed-Thing-Novel/dp/1101903430