Book Review: A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane HollowayMy rating: 3 of 5 starsEvelina Cooper's world consists of steam-powered machines, fancy-dress parties, and the mysterious death of a servant in her best friend, Imogen's, house. This is Evelina's year to come out in Victorian society, that is, Victorian society of the steam-powered, speculative variety. All she should be concerned with is obtaining an invitation...

Read More

Book Review: Winter Shadows by Casey Bond

Winter Shadows by Casey BondMy rating: 2 of 5 stars- I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.This review is painful for me to write because I always try to be as nice as possible to authors, especially new ones. But, I just could not get into Winter Shadows. There was nothing to grab me, not the heroine, not the hero (either one), and none of the secondary characters....

Read More

Book Review: Burning Sky: A Novel of the American Frontier by Lori Benton

Burning Sky: A Novel of the American Frontier by Lori BentonMy rating: 5 of 5 starsRead Chapter OneWhen Willa Obenchain is kidnapped by Indians at the age of fourteen, she expects to never see her parents again. She adapts to her new culture with the Wolf Clan, her new life. She even eventually marries and has children. Then, in practically the blink of an eye, she loses everything and is left adrift....

Read More

Book Review: It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne Gist

It Happened at the Fair by Deeanne GistMy rating: 5 of 5 starsCullen McNamara is frustrated as all get-out with his father for securing him a place at the Chicago World's Fair. Always a clever boy, Cullen invented an automatic sprinkler system for houses and barns. The Fair is everything he ever imagined it would be, but it turns out that his location in the Machinery Building is nearly deafening....

Read More

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

 The mountain smoked beneath the moon. The dwarves, they heard the tramp of doom. They fled the hall to dying fall Beneath his feet, beneath the moon. - J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit I spent the last year waiting for December 13th. It sounds absurd, but not a week went by that my thoughts did not turn towards Middle Earth and the journey of a hobbit and thirteen dwarves to reclaim a...

Read More

A Plethora of Christmas Ornaments!

All right, so I promised at least a few people to post photos of my tree, so here you have it! I don't use garland anymore, but strings of gold beads. You'll probably see them up-close in the next photos. Meet Jack Frost! He's the newest edition to my ornament collection, a gift from my sweet sister because I love Rise of the Guardians so much. She even gave him to me early this year! I'm...

Read More

LOTR Blog Party Tag Questions

So, yes, I am participating in two blog parties at once. Good thing school is mostly over! But how could I resist one for The Lord of the Rings? I mean, come on, I've lived the last twelve years salivating to participate in one of these! Nine tag questions to rule them all.......

Read More

...

Read More

Winter Wonderland Blog Party Week 1: A Merry Little Christmas

I'm participating in Natalie and Anna's Winter Wonderland Blog Party. Instructions on how to join are on both their blogs! But even if you don't join, I hope you'll have fun reading my posts. :) 1. What Christmas tree ornament holds the most sentimental value for you or the most memories? It's a glass Hershey's Kiss ornament with a little goldish heart on one side, tied with a red ribbon. A friend...

Read More

...

Read More

December 4th - The Nutcracker with Mikhail Baryshnikov

I was four-years-old the first time my mother took me to the ballet. It was in late November, and we went to see The Nutcracker. I've been smitten with the story ever since. Don't ask me who the dancers were because I have no idea, but the face of the Nutcracker Prince for me has always been and will always be Mikhail Baryshnikov. I had three heroes when I was a child: Macgyver, Luke Skywalker,...

Read More

Veronica Roth, what are you doing to the world!!! a.k.a. When reviews ruin the ending!

I don't know whether to be furious or grateful to this one Amazon reviewer for totally spoiling the ending of Veronica Roth's Allegiant. But because I'm a nice person, I won't go into details about the spoiler that smacked me upside the head.Have you ever stumbled on a review that completely ruins your desire to read a book? I mean, I haven't even had a chance to read Insurgent yet because of school,...

Read More

Happy December 1st, My Darlings!

All right, so the way this works, I'm going to post something every day up until Christmas. Something that I find inspirational about the holiday season. Who knows, maybe I'll even snatch a photo of my sweet kitty being all cute and lovey-dovey under the Christmas tree. But for the moment, we'll start off with Elvis singing "If Every Day Was Like Christmas." Why this song? Because he's right....

Read More