Review: Belzhar

Title: Belzhar
Author: Meg Wolitzer
Category/Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fantasy, Magical Realism


See it at Goodreads


If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be  at home in New Jersey with her sweet British  boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching  old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing  him in the library stacks.

She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.

But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.

Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

From New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer comes a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.


Let me start by saying that Belzhar has one of the covers I can’t seem to stop staring at. It’s one of my favorite covers in the last few years for some strange reason--despite that I don’t think there’s anything different about it really, but it’s just out there, and it sticks out particular to me. If I hadn’t picked it up at BEA, I still would have grabbed it up immediately from a bookstore without bothering to find out what it could be about first. And I didn’t know at the time of pick-up what it was even going to be about, I just felt inexplicably drawn to this title and wanted it badly. It was at the top of my list of must-haves for the cover alone. I know… how wrong of me as a reader, right? But it happens to the best of us. 

When I pulled myself from my reading slump recently, I knew which title I was going to go for: Belzhar. The cover was calling to me again from my shelf, and I had to know if the contents inside was just as good. I’d finally learned what it was supposed to be about by then, too, and it sounded intriguing. Reviews from my peers were up and down though. Half seemed to really like it, and the other half seemed to really dislike it. So I was stuck at a crossroads on which side I could end up on. 

From the start, I adored the story. The details and background into The Wooden Barn were interesting, along with the variety of the characters. I also really liked how the story drew parallels to The Bell Jar and each character had their own little world. It had a strong beginning to the introduction of each individual and their tragedies, along with the development of their personalities. 

However, toward the end of the middle and the last portion of the read is where it began to fall flat. This is where I begin to pick up minor details (and some annoyances) that just felt off to me mostly. I didn’t particularly like the characterization of DJ--the girl with the ‘eating problems’ because well, I didn’t feel like she was displayed properly as someone who deals with this. From my own personal experiences, DJ’s character was certainly treated like a joke in my honest opinion… and I would’ve like more from her so that a reader could understand. If the author wanted to portray characters dealing with real issues, then portray them. Otherwise, maybe DJ shouldn’t have felt like such a forced character. This is only my opinion naturally. I did like that she was open in her feelings and sexuality later. I just wanted MORE. 

It’s such a hard book for me to review without revealing spoilers. I kind of want to talk about THAT ENDING but I can’t. It just didn’t satisfy though. I feel like it could’ve been more also though. It was a good twist, I’ll give it that. But I do feel it would still have more impact had it been what readers thought it was going to be from the beginning. Maybe some changes--but I didn’t feel the impact. And the twist disappointed in the long run leaving me to feel deflated and blah when the last page turned. I still had more questions of the characters and their stories, too. So yeah... 

The romance, though slow and subtle throughout, was strange for the most part. I couldn’t connect. When it happened toward the end of the middle I was just left feeling “okay.” I liked him as a character overall and was glad to finally know his story as well, but it was underwhelming to say the least. 

Saying all of this, you’d think I’d hated the book. But I didn’t. There was an odd sense of likeness throughout and I never wanted to put the book down because I had the desire to keep reading this odd story, up until the end as I said above. Mostly, I just really like the general idea and the Bell Jar theme of the overall piece. It’s a book I will still keep in my thoughts for a long time and will continue to recommend to others when looking for something different to read. 


I would definitely read more from this author in the future, for that I'm certain. :)

ARC Review & Discussion: The Darkest Part of the Forest (Read-A-Long)

Title: The Darkest Part of the Forest
Author: Holly Black
Category/Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: January 13, 2015

See it at Goodreads

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?



Lyn of Great Imaginations and I recently read The Darkest Part of the Forest and then had a fun discussion review on it! Today we are sharing our thoughts on the read, and as you can see had slightly different experiences. I always love having read-alongs like this and sharing our discussions since it gives an edge to the review process and changes the pace sometimes. :P

From my perspective, you can tell that I really loved The Darkest Part of the Forest. It was one of my favorite reads of the year, and I was so excited after finishing it. I will be highly recommending it to many!

Lyn: Alright! Pixie and I did a co-reading of Holly Black’s The Darkest Part of the Forest. Now we’re co-reviewing the book together!

Alright, Pixie! You seemed very whipped up over the book. What was your overall take of the novel?

Pixie: I was immersed into the story from the very first page! I seriously could not stop reading this book. Haha.

Lyn: I LOVED that the book started with a glass casket. That is one of my top attention-grabbers: anything that sounds like it could be ripped right out of a D&D game. Big plus there.

Pixie: Yes! There were some very easy visuals because the descriptions were amazing.

Lyn: This was my first Holly Black novel, so I was very nervous about picking up this novel, since I had no previous exposure to her writing. Is this your first HB book?

Pixie: No. I’ve been a big fan of hers for years. She was one of my first YA authors after I picked up Melissa Marr in my early twenties. :)

Lyn: How did it compare to her other books?


Pixie: DPotF had a more contemporary vibe to it. I liked that. Despite the fantasy elements, it felt as if she gave her characters (and world) a more modern approach.


Lyn: I do love some contemporary fantasy. I suppose you could label this urban fantasy.

I suppose I should come out and be honest - I wasn’t crazy over this book. I gave it three stars. :( Womp Womp. The descriptions were beautiful and I really loved the plot, but the characters were very dull and flat for me.

Pixie: LOL, don’t feel bad. I gave it four stars. I don’t think it was her best (Coldest Girl in Coldtown still wins, I’m almost sure), but I liked the story and world-building for the most part. My biggest complaint were the characters also. I felt they could have used more. Especially in the romance.

Lyn: The romance REALLY killed it for me. I am very critical when it comes to pairing, and I seemed to get side-tracked by the constant “Who does s/he like more/the best?” The whole “let’s play fantasy pairing!” issue really killed a lot of my enthusiasm. I know it sounds horrible, because I so loved the whole GLBT angle, but it just didn’t end up working for me. I wanted more fae and court life.

Pixie: Oh I agree! I almost want to say that if it were longer or more detailed in some areas to better explain some things, it’d be even better for that area. It can be difficult for stand-alones in my opinion to gain some perspective for romances. I think I could’ve done without a romance and would’ve loved the whole general story.

Lyn: I have to give props to the author for writing a stand alone. I love my series, but it seems that a multi-book series is all the rage right now. I think it would have helped if the book was longer. There was quite a bit going on for such a short page count.

Pixie: Major props to her. I’m the same way. I love stand alones. :) I always find myself going to Holly Black’s books because that’s what she writes a lot. Fantasy and stand alones. But I agree, would’ve been nice seeing more. Or maybe I’m just selfish and wanted more of that pretty writing. Lol.


Lyn: I am excited to read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, so I have a basis of comparison. The descriptions were awesome, but the writing left something to be desired. It almost felt like this was a short story that the publishers pushed to become a novel, so the writing felt a bit forced. Maybe it was just boredom setting in, but I really didn’t feel the heart of the writer in this one, you know?

Pixie: I understand what you’re saying. I have seen her writing through the course of the years and it does come off a bit differently here. I’m excited to see what you think of Coldest Girl!

Lyn: Same here! Is there anything else we want to cover?

My take away from this is flat characters that i wanted to like in the worst way, but the plot was awesome and the description of the fae and the magic of the forest was very dazzling.

Pixie: That is almost my same take, except I think I was a bit more enchanted than you by the book. :P Other than that, I don’t think there’s really anything else I have to discuss without
putting in spoilers and I don’t want to go doing that. Lol.

Lyn: So agree!


 

Pixie's Rating: 4



 

Dual Review: Made For You

This a two part review coming from both of us today since we read this title together!

Title: Made For You
Author: Melissa Marr
Genre/Category: Contemporary, YA, Realism, Mystery, Fantasy

See it at Goodreads

Bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely books Melissa Marr’s first contemporary YA novel is a twisted southern gothic tale of obsession, romance, and murder. A killer is obsessed with Eva Tilling. Can she stop him, or will he claim her?

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

Pixie's Review

Melissa Marr is perhaps one of my favorite authors EVER. Ever. Ever.

I was a bit star-struck when I met her finally at BEA. She’s such a huge inspiration to me and my own writing, and I’ve absolutely adored everything I’ve read of hers through the years. Picking up Made For You possibly had me slightly worried in the beginning because this time around, it was a little more special. This was probably one of the books I’d been anticipating most throughout the year, or at least at the very top of that list of a short list of books, and from a reviewer’s perspective I didn’t want to give it any different treatment either. I’m not. After finishing it, I can be honest with my review, just like I can be honest when I say Johnny Depp has his ups and downs in his roles. So that’s good and a bit of a relief on my part. If I felt like I couldn’t give my full, honest opinion, I wouldn’t have even posted my thoughts.

But here I am.

Made For You was certainly a different read for me from what I’m used to with Marr. And it wasn’t the best I’ve picked up from her. Maybe it was because of the Contemporary aspects, not quite the fantasy I adore in her usual style, but I still enjoyed it. There was an addictive quality to the story that kept me flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen next--and I was held in a constant suspense. My biggest issue was I predicted the mystery pretty early on, but I’m always a good guesser at these things and so when I realized I was right later, it took so much out of the supposed twist I felt a bit of a disappointment.

I really enjoyed the presence of the parents and their interactions. We didn’t have our usual absentee parents (though I thought that was how it was going to be at first) for a teen, and instead had some interactive ones. They were obviously still trying to learn about their child. And that was pretty realistic in my opinion. A teen changes and grows a lot through those years. Communication is key.

The romance didn’t do it much for me. I liked it to an extent. It was cute. It built up nicely even, but I felt the background lacked some. I wanted to know more and had some burning questions of why’s. But there were interesting pieces put in that left me feeling like FINALLY, NORMAL TEENAGERS. NORMAL RELATIONSHIPS. So for that, I really enjoyed the realistic aspects of the story and character developments.

I felt like Marr may have wrote out of her comfort zone for this book when I finished reading. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. I rather enjoyed reading something different from her. I hope she continues to deliver work in other styles and genres and shows that she can do whatever she likes. It takes a lot of skill to do that. It wasn’t my favorite Marr novel, but I still read through it rather quickly and enjoyed it. I’d certainly recommend if you enjoy mystery and unusual contemporary with fantastical elements.

Pixie's Rating:

Taylor's Review

Well it's no secret that Melissa Marr is one of my absolute favorite authors! If you know me even a little bit that's a fact that is well known lol. I adore her books there isn't a single one I've read over the years that I haven't liked. But not only that, she's just an awesome person! I love her personality and she's such a big inspiration and I am determind to meet her one day in person!! That being said, I was pretty darn jealous of everyone who went to BEA this year and got to meet her. And when I say "pretty jealous" I really mean Wicked-Witch-Of-The-West green with envy lol.

But anyways, lets talk about this book Made For You!

As soon as I read the synopsis I was immediately intrigued, of course because it was Melissa Marr it went right on my TBR list and I featured it on one of my Waiting on Wednesday posts as well. The thing that caught my attention the most was the fact that it's something totally different than any of the other books I've read by Marr, I love her Wicked Lovely series with a passion and all of her other books lean more towards the fantasy realm but this one is a contemporary type, which I do happen to be a fan of as well.

I'll go ahead and say it wasn't the best book I've read by her, but even so it still strongly held my attention and I couldn't put it down because I was ready to see what would happen next in the story! And like Pixie mentioned in her review, I figured out the mystery fairly early into the book and I kept my fingers crossed that I'd be wrong when it was all said and done, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. So there was a little disappointment there because I was hoping for more of a twist and that the mystery aspect wouldn't be so predictable.

I liked the way Marr portrayed the romance in the story, it was one of the more realistic ones I've come across in quite awhile and I thought it was well paced and didn't just happen all of a sudden. I'm not a fan of the whole insta-love thing at all. But at the same time I do wish there had been a little something more to it, maybe that's just my inner hopeless romantic side coming out. But I couldn't help feeling like it was lacking a little bit, and there were some questions I would have liked to have answers to. But as far as characters go, I thought they were very well written and they grew and developed well throughout the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was a nice quick read and it was cool to see one of my most favorite authors step out and do something different. If you're a fan of mystery and contemporary I would definitely recommend giving this a read! And of course becasue I love her other books so much if you haven't read any of them I very highly recommend those as well!

Taylor's Rating:

 

           

 

The Haul (BEA Part Two and other things)

Buckle up, it's going to be a long post. This is THE HAUL.

But it's more than just my BEA Haul. I wanted to include books/ebooks I received in the last week or two as well while I was at this. And there's pics. And lots of flailing. So yeah. Let's just get the show on the road now, shall we? :D

Let me start by saying this is actually a post in relation to Stacking the Shelves, which is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. I don't post often with this feature, I know, but I'm pretty much making up for that right now with this one. And will try and get around to doing so more in the coming months.

I'm going to begin with the easy ones before I get to the major haul from BEA.

The e-books I was approved for in the last two weeks on NetGalley/Edelweiss:

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club - Genevieve Valentine
Of Monsters and Madness - Jessica Verday
Stray - Elissa Sussman
In the End - Demitria Lunetta

Physical copies I received from pubs:

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead from Dutton.
The Jedi Doth Return from Quirk (have already read, enjoyed, and given away)

Purchased:

The Maze Runner - James Dashner
Highland Hearts - Hannah Howell (sshh, I have a secret enjoyment for some of these books)

Gifted (now here comes the BEA haul immediately following!):

Okay, so there's a story to this gift. One: I love love love TMNT. Don't judge me! Two: I have been trying to find Dreams of Gods and Monsters EVERYWHERE and I just couldn't and it made me really sad. I live in the sticks. I pretty much have to order a majority of my books when I want particular ones it seems. I was on the verge of ordering this, and was going to when I got back from BEA, until Lyn (Great Imaginations) handed it to me the night before our trip. Did I mention we traveled together? Oh, well, we did. I miss her already. I nearly screamed in her face though when I saw she got these for me. Just wait until she sees what I get her.

BEA HAUL!!

I paced myself people. I didn't get as much as I thought I'd get. And I didn't get invited to any parties this year, probably because it was my first year and I don't really know anyone or have any connections. I don't know. Maybe next year? Either way, I was still extremely happy and grateful for the books I did bring in. I picked up my biggest priority books I think -- Melissa Marr, Holly Black, and Sarah J. Maas especially. I really look forward to a lot of reading over the next few weeks.

So here's what I've got:

Broken Monsters - Lauren Beukes
Made For You - Melissa Marr
The Darkest Part of the Forest - Holly Black
Heir of Fire - Sarah J. Maas
Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick
Famous in Love - Rebecca Serle
Sinner - Maggie Stiefvater
Mortal Heart - Robin LaFevers
Unhinged - A.G. Howard
Salt & Storm - Kendall Kulper
I'll Give You the Sun - Jandy Nelson
Lacy Eye - Jessica Treadway
The Boy Who Drew Monsters - Keith Donohue
Clariel - Garth Nix
The Map to Everwhere - Carrie Ryan & John Parke Davis
History of the Future - A.S. King
Messenger of Fear - Michael Grant
10:04 - Ben Lerner
The Jewel - Amy Ewing
A Plague of Unicorns - Jane Yolen
Gabriel Finley & the Raven's Riddle - George Hagen
Nest - Esther Ehrlich
On a Clear Day - Walter Dean Myers
Missing Reels - Farran Smith Nehme
Positive - Paige Rawl
Story of Land and Sea - Katy Simpson Smith
A Sudden Light - Gath Stein
Burn For Me - Ilona Andrews
The Question of Miracles - Elana K. Arnold
Tape - Steve Camden
Anatomy of a Misfit - Andrea Portes
Falling into Place - Amy Zhang
Lies We Tell Ourselves - Robin Talley
Belzhar - Meg Wolitzer


Book I'm already reading: Broken Monsters
Also currently reading The Forever Song. Can't wait to start reading Dreams of Gods & Monsters and Made For You soon. <3


Now I can't guarantee I'll read ALL of these. I know there's been a lot of drama the last few days regarding BEA and ARCs, so I'm going to say a few quick words: When I picked up my books, I had full intention of wanting them for reading/reviewing at that moment. I was caught up in the moment. Everyone is, am I right? Now that I am at home, with a deeper, longer look at each individual book, I can see there a few in this pile I probably won't be so in to after all. When it comes down to it, I'd much rather take the few I know would be disasters for me and host a fun giveaway (in which a reader from my blog can win a cool little bundle of about 3-4 books) and pass them on to someone that would have much more interest. Ya know? That's the whole gist of an ARC anyway. Passing them around, giving them out, promoting. And that's that from me on this particular topic. Lol.


Also... I'm still freaking out a bit over this:

<3





I can't wait until next year!!

BEA Recap: Part One

It’s BEA recap time! I wanted to get to this a lot sooner than now, but you just can’t imagine how exhausted I was when I arrived home from New York. I wasn’t much at all when I was there, the energy buzzing through me like crazy, but then it crashed hard the morning I was leaving. LOL. The little amount of sleep and food I lived on for the four days of my trip probably didn’t help much, but in the end it was well worth it and I totally can’t wait to do it all over again next year (at least, I’m keeping my fingers crossed to go again!).

This was one of the single most amazing experiences of my life with a lot of firsts for me. It was my first ever plane ride. My first ever train ride. First time in any cab. First time so far from home. First non-family vacation. MY FIRST TIME MEETING AUTHORS AND GETTING BOOKS SIGNED (and yes, I totally fangirled with included stuttering and open-mouthed, wide-eyed, staring). I overcame and fought through a lot of anxiety issues with crowds and meeting new people… and I’m so glad I did because I met some amazingly wonderful people throughout the BEA.

I stayed with the ladies of Great Imaginations (Kara, Lyn, and Bekka) and Jessie from Ageless Pages Reviews, and had a total blast! The inside jokes we now share will last us and have us in stitches for a long, long time I’m sure. Miss those ladies already!

I was so worried I would be overwhelmed going into BEA my first time but I really wasn’t at all. It felt like I was home. It probably helped I had a great friend (Kara) who’d been there the previous year and gave me all the rundown beforehand with such helpful advice, too.

There were some things I sadly missed out on due to time restraints (like missing out on meeting Julie Kagawa and I wanted to cry when I realized), and some things I'm glad I missed due to the insanity... Hello? Saturday BookCon? I heard (and saw pics) that Javits was chaos so I skipped the final day and had a relaxing time wandering around New York a bit, having lunch with several other bloggers, and then laying around in the hotel until it was time to go do my volunteer work at the library for the Kids' Author Carnival.

One of the best moments during the event would have to be meeting Melissa Marr. You just don't understand the years I've spent waiting for that moment and how much she means to me as a writer and a reader. By the time I stepped up to her, I was in utter shock and basically unable to form a proper sentence. Still, she was so sweet and she recognized me! And look!

I also met Sarah J. Maas, who was so lovely and resembled JLaw so much, but unfortunately couldn't get a pic. I did have this pretty cool pic taken with the Bookcrastinators (awesome bloggers, btw!) while in line though. It's on their Instagram if you want to see it! :)

I could probably go on and on with all the awesomeness and epic feels I had throughout the event. The best part overall: the people. I made new friends, met ones I'd already known just through the interenet and built an even closer connection, and had a great experience with the crowds the majority of the time...




There was an attempted carjacking. An intern was threatened. I saw Keanu fucking Reeves. Yada yada yada... This is all inside stuff. :P

You guys. This small-town Texas girl fell completely and madly in love with the city of New York. I'm not even kidding. I can't wait for another visit. The city that never sleeps? I can see why! There's always something to do there. There's so much to see. I want to go back already and see everything I wanted to see that I didn't get a chance to. I don't care if I have bruises on my legs from all the walking--- I didn't mention the approx. two mile walk Lyn and I made one night around Manhattan, but it was actually really nice and I would totally do it again right now if it meant hanging out there again for a bit longer (and not in this hundred degree heat haha).


Guess I should start my save jar now for next year, huh?


Stay tuned for Part Two, coming at you this weekend, which will include my haul from BEA, gifts received before the trip, and packages picked up when arriving home! :P

BEA 2014!!

So it’s been a while since I last made an update and that’s probably because the last couple of weeks have been rather hectic for me. This is my first year for BEA! Getting ready for all that has been rather time consuming, shopping, and all that jazz. Lol. I’m so excited to be sharing my experience on that here soon when I return. Lots of pictures to come, I’m sure. :D

Anyone else going? Look out for me! I'd love to meet you. :)

I’ll also be volunteering at Kids’ Carnival on Saturday the 31st with friends and looking forward to the fun with that.

If you remember my post from some time back about Bookish Bucket Lists, this was one of the many things on that. I'm so glad to be checking it off, along with one of my official Bucket List of things in life that I've always wanted to do: flying in a plane, traveling on a train, and going to New York. Wow. I've never gone so far from home before--much less practically on my own without family for my own vacation--and despite the nerves, it's exciting. I'm really looking forward to the experience this is about to give me!

See you all again real soon as my blogging will resume to normal I hope when I return.... And for some of you, I will see you in just a couple of days in New York at BEA! <3



 

Armchair BEA: Classics

 

Classics were my first love in literature. When I began reading a lot more as a kid, I picked up more classics than any other kind of book. I read everything from Mark Twain to Charles Dickens to William Shakespeare to The Bronte Sisters, and more.  To be honest, I wasn’t interested much in anything modern for a long time. Not until I was older with the exception of a very few—and only those came to me recommended, and usually were adult reads. I didn’t read much YA or Middle Grade until I was actually an adult. Except when Harry Potter popped onto the scene. Then I was devouring those books in my teen years without shame.

I did have some favorite YA and children’s classic reads as a kid: Nancy Drew. I adored those. I also loved A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. I’m sad that somewhere along the way, through several moves and growing up, I’ve lost my supply of the books. I know I had a big collection of them. I remember sitting down and flying through a book within quick hours. And my mom would get mad because I finished the book so fast. Ha. I think it was mostly because I read through them all so fast. My dad taught me to read when I was four using Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham, anyone? Still one of the best books ever in my opinion.

I was around eleven or twelve when I discovered William Shakespeare. This is probably why I’m such a Shakespeare geek, too. I read him for fun. I wasn’t forced to read one of his plays for the first time for any kind of school required reading. I had free reign of my school library to check out whatever I wanted because I was on the gifted reading program, and when I found a Shakespeare book, I was enchanted by the language. I wanted to take it home and read it and understand it. The librarian tried to steer me away from it by saying I was “probably too young to get it”, but I insisted and got it anyway. It was Romeo & Juliet. Since then, I’ve read 13 of his plays so far and all 154 of his sonnets. What’s my favorite play? It’s still Romeo & Juliet. Though I would say that Hamlet is now a close second.

I was slightly older when I found Wuthering Heights. That was a required school reading. I think I remember being the only one in the class that liked it. It’s one of my favorites. (I recently read her sister’s, Jane Eyre, just to see if it was as good—and it was amazing. Only sad that I’d waited so long on that one.) Once again, maybe it was me being already into classics. But there’s something about the way that story was presented. There’s a dark, gothic tone to it. But the style is romantic. And with most classics. This is what I like. I like being transported to the past and feeling this heavy sense. It’s almost creepy. Haunting. The writing is beautiful. That doesn’t mean our modern reads lacks on the writing, of course. But you can certainly see a difference most of the time between a book from 2013, and book written in the late 1800s-early 1900s. And I like that dense reading sometimes.

Some of my other favorite classics that I just can’t forget to mention (and I certainly recommend if you haven’t read them):

The Hobbit

Fahrenheit 451

Dracula

Edgar Allan Poe : The Raven, Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Masque of the Red Death

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

 

Thanks for coming by!

What do you think of classics? Have any favorites?

 

Armchair BEA -- Introduction

I'm happy to be participating in Armchair BEA since I won't be making it to BEA with my fellow friends and bloggers this year. That's okay though! I'll gladly take part from the comfort of my own home with this fantastic event!

So, let's kick it off with the introduction first--and then over the next few days the participants will have some fun posts for you! If you're curious about this event, just click the above link for more information!

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Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging?

Well, I’m Pixie! Not a real Pixie that flutters around and spreads fairy dust or anything like that. Haha. I’m a dork. I’ve been blogging for a little over two years now and the reason I started was because I really just didn’t have anyone around me in real life to talk books with. At all. It gets lonely. So this is my little place, my home away from home, where I can share my thoughts and passion with other like-minded individuals.

Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures.

I’ve lived in Texas my whole life. Born and raised—though I’ve moved to a few places here and there throughout the state at times. For the last 10 years, I’ve lived in this tiny old Civil-War era town with my husband, three step-kids, cat and dog. There’s nothing really special to tell about the location really…hmmm… Oh! Mathew McConaughey is from the city over from us. So is Forest Whitaker and Neal McCoy. So we have a few local celebs. Kind of cool.

Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event?

Never participated but I caught interest in it last year. It was just too late for me to do anything by the time I saw it. So I waited to jump in for this year. I really like the idea of this event because I just can’t make it to BEA (maybe sometime in the next couple of years I’ll be able to!), but until then, this is great for those of us still wanting to participate with the community during BEA week!

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013?

Right now I’m reading Rush by Eve Silver. So far my faves of 2013 have been: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa and The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.

I’m a tennis junkie. I play tennis. I watch tennis all the time. I was going to be a serious tennis player when I was younger. Except I got in a spot of trouble and was kicked off the tennis team at school in freshman year. Don’t ask. Oh well. Writing is my where my passion is really at. Tennis is now a weekend hobby.

Name your favorite blog(s) and explain why they are your favorite(s).

I have too many to name. I read a lot of blogs and this list would be really long. You can go to my tab that says “fave bloggers” just to see a small listing of SOME of my favorites. Why are they my favorites? Because I love them. Reviews are fantastic. They have great features. There’s always some kind of good discussion going on that keeps me coming back. Simply put.

Which is your favorite post that you have written that you want everyone to read?

I really like my discussion posts and Sound Effects features, but that’s just me. According to my stats, it seems a lot of my followers like my Top Ten Tuesday posts usually. Which I find a little funny at times because I don’t always do those every week. :P

If you could eat dinner with any author or character, who would it be and why?

Oh my. That’s tough. Author? If I could revive the author, William Shakespeare. If not, then I want to really meet Melissa Marr or Richelle Mead. Character? Adrian Ivashkov. He would be fun.

What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?

Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-Upon-Avon. Because I’m a Shakespeare geek.

What is your favorite part about the book blogging community?

I’ve made some wonderful friends the past couple of years and I don’t know what I would do without them. I’m still making new friends. This is such a wonderful community full of so many great bookish people that I adore! It’s great being able to discuss books and bookish things because some of us just don’t have anyone to do that with other than this community.

 

 

 

Thanks for visiting. I look forward to this week of Armchair BEA with you!