Book Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin

Cath Avery is a fan of Simon Snow. (Think Harry Potter. He's that big in this author's world.) And Cath is the author of a fic called Carry On, which is the fanfic world's version of a best selling novel. She gets so many hits on this fic it is unfathomable. And in the world of Simon Snow, Cath is a rock star.

She goes off to college with her twin sister, Wren. Leaving their father, an advertising pitch man/idea guru, at home alone for the first time since their mother left them when they were eight.

The story follows Cath as she tackles her first year of college, her first year of being separated from her twin, who has pretty much embraced the entire college party life and fallen off the deep end. And their father does much of the same, except no partying and just working so hard he goes a bit bonkers. And this leaves the heroine of this story conflicted, worried and yes, extremely stressed.

I have to admit that this was one heck of a good book. It has great flow. It is SO easy to read. I love books like this. You really get into Cath's head and you wonder how Wren got so screwed up when on the outside it seemed she had it all. I loved how the author characterized all the characters. They are really fully rendered. So much that you think these are friends of yours and you're gonna see them next week and hang out. 

I am a bit older than the normal reader of such a book. I am 45. Will be 46 in April. But I was in the first wave of fan fiction authors before there was even a term for what we were doing. I wrote a script for MacGyver back when I was in college in '87 called Murder Incorporated. And I went by the alias Bradygirl when I wrote Mike and Carrie Days of Our Lives fan fic. So this story completely resonated with me. I was fully "in" when reading it. And I suggest anyone who either loves fan fic or wants to know more about its inner workings should dig into this book and give it a go!

TBR pile

I don't know if you are like me but I have at least a thousand books in my TBR pile. For some reason, that never seems to stop me from buying new books when they are released. Here is a screen shot of a number of my hardback books that I need to get through this year.

I have been collecting books since 1987. So, needless to say, I am overflowing with tome-like goodness. I recently gave away two truckloads of books to my local used bookstore and that only made a small dent in my collection. I need to unload a lot more, I think to make room for the new books I'm currently more interested in reading.

Book Review: The Energy of Words: Use the Vibration of Language to Manifest the Life You Desire

The Energy of Words: Use the Vibration of Language to Manifest the Life You Desire

by Michelle Arbeau

This was a wonderful book that really shows us how we can use the energy of words to create a new life for ourselves. How we use words, what words we use to define our lives, how we speak to others, have made our life as it is now. Imagine the wonderful, magnificent things you can create when you alter your vocabulary to really assist you in making a great new life for yourself. Anything is possible.

Michelle also has another book called Soul Numbers.

Check Amazon for her book or get it straight from the publisher. Published by  Llewellyn Publications www.llewellyn.com

http://www.amazon.com/The-Energy-Words-Vibration-Language/dp/0738736643

Top 11 Books of All Time

Currently, I am reading Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. It's set in a distopian society where the world is not how it is today. This gal, Juliette, has a strange affliction. Everyone she touches dies. And now an evil son of a corporate/government type of unit want to use her "talents" for their own ends. It is pretty great. I'm about three-fourths the way through. 

I am interested in what you are currently reading or just plan to read sometime.

Here are my Top 11 Books of All Time to give you some ideas if you are looking for inspiration.

1. Unlimited Power - by Anthony Robbins

2. Awaken The Giant Within - by Anthony Robbins

3. The Complete Sherlock Holmes - by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

4. You Can't Afford The Luxury of A Negative Thought (and Life 101) - by Peter and John-Roger McWilliams

5. Take Time For Your Life - by Cheryl Richardson

6. What Happy People Know - by Dan Baker

7. Reinvent Yourself - by Steve Chandlee

8. Life's Greatest Lessons - by Hal Urban

9. The Artist's Way - by Julia Cameron

10. The Success Principles - by Jack Canfield

11. Ask & It Is Given - by Ester and Jerry Hicks

I hope this inspires you to pick up a book and read. Let me know what you plan to read and write your own top 11 list. And don't forget to tag me in the post.

Book Review: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Kensington Books

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
A Hannah Swenson Mystery (Book #1)
Published by Kensington Books


I really enjoyed this book. I had picked up the books the Cinnamon Bun Murder and the Red Velvet Cake Murder a while back and decided to download this one from my iBooks app. This is the first book in the Hannah Swenson Mystery series. I was surprised by that but glad I had started reading the first in the series. It was a wonderful jaunt into the lives of the residents of Lake Eden. Hannah owns a cafe/bakery called The Cookie Jar and she is constantly handing out little baggies of cookies to people. The book has many cookie recipes that go along with the storyline and they all sound delicious.

Once you got past the fact that Hannah is literally doing the job of her sheriff brother-in-law who is aiming for a promotion to detective by solving this case, you find all the characters to be fresh and inviting and as Hannah gets to know people, so do you. It is just a lovely little stroll into Lake Eden and you get to try and solve the case along with Hannah.

There is quite of bit of investigating in this storyline, so if you are looking for something that spends more time talking about recipes, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you are looking for a good cozy mystery that is wonderful and fun, this is your book!

Pick it up on Amazon.com or you can download it from your iBooks app on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Here is the Amazon link:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder