thanksgiving: YAY!

Oh Thanksgiving! Such a great holiday when we can appreciate what we are thankful for (and eat a lot of food). Although I was unable to spend the holiday with my family in California, I spent it with great friends who have become as close as family. My friends and I made a plethora of great food and pies, all of which now sit happily in my tummy. I took a few pictures in order to share in the greatness that is Thanksgiving day food!

Even though there was lots of food to be made, I still made time to read some. Currently, I am reading Rachel Caine's first in the Morganville Vampire series Glass House. I am really enjoying it and I like the fact that the vampires are evil creatures in this book. Lately a lot of vampire books portray them as characterized to be sypathized with instead of feared. I like the plot line and I hope to finish it soon.

Book Review- Evernight by Claudia Gray

Description provided by Goodreads:

Bianca wants to escape.

She's been uprooted from her small hometown and enrolled at Evernight Academy, an eerie Gothic boarding school where the students are somehow too perfect: smart, sleek, and almost predatory. Bianca knows she doesn't fit in.

Then she meets Lucas. He's not the "Evernight type" either, and he likes it that way. Lucas ignores the rules, stands up to the snobs, and warns Bianca to be careful—even when it comes to caring about him.

"I couldn't stand it if they took it out on you," he tells Bianca, "and eventually they would."
But the connection between Bianca and Lucas can't be denied. Bianca will risk anything to be with Lucas, but dark secrets are fated to tear them apart . . . and to make Bianca question everything she's ever believed.

My thoughts:

I love this book! It was exactly up my alley and read it as fast as I could so I could find out how it ended. It’s written to the point and flowed so smoothly I could barely put it down. It was fast paced and consisted of the most perfect elements: romance, mystery, surprise and paranormal history.

When I first picked up the book and read the description of the back, I bought it because it seemed like a book that differed from the usual genre I read. I started reading it and thought it was just about a girl who went to a boarding school with preppy, rich snobs. About halfway through the book, something so surprising happened, I actually down the book and just started at my roommate. I reread the back of the book, read the description on the back to my roommate and asked her what she thought it was about. Then I told her what happened in the book and asked her if she thought it was a paranormal type of book and she seemed just as surprised as I was. But don’t worry, it’s a good surprise; the kind that makes you want to read more and more so you can know what happens.

The purpose behind the Evernight boarding school is very interesting. I love the history that Gray puts in the book; it gives it a foundation and substance. Bianca also develops into a more mature vampire that eventually has to question what she has been taught.

Overall, the book was 100 percent worth reading and worth buying. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of paranormal romance or vampire books. I hope my parents pre-order it for me for Christmas, even though I won't get it until February :(,so I can find out what happens between Bianca and Lucas!

"Waiting On" Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Last week I went searching for some Young Adult books that are going to be release next year. Here is one that I found and I can't wait for it to be released.

This week's selection is Folly by Marthe Jocelyn:


Three fates intertwine in this moving and passionate love story set in Victorian London.

Mary Finn: country girl, maid to a lord in LondonCaden

Tucker: liar, scoundrel, and heart's delight

James Nelligan: age six, tossed into a herd of boys

When Mary Finn falls into the arms of handsome Caden Tucker, their frolic changes the course of her life. What possesses her? She's been a girl of common sense until now. Mary's tale alternates with that of young James Nelligan, a new boy in an enormous foundling home.In Folly, Marthe Jocelyn's breathtaking command of language, detail, and character brings Victorian London to life on every page, while the deep emotions that illuminate this fascinating novel about life-changing moments are as current as today's news.

First of all, I love reading books that are set in a period like the 17th or 18th century (probably because I have a BA in History). I also love a book that has a couple different story lines but they all become intertwined by the end. Some of my favorite movies are make like that (21 Grams). I hope it turns out as good as I am anticipating!!

What are you reading on Monday?

This is a weekly Meme run by J. Kaye's Book Blog. Post the books completed last week, the books you are currently reading, and the books you hope to finish this week.

Last week I finished reading:

Splendor by Anna Godbersen
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Right now I'm currently reading:

Evernight by Claudia Gray

This week I hope to finish:

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
The Morganville Vampires (Books 1&2) by Rachel Caine

Wow I set my sights high this week but I have a little more time with Thanksgiving and all. I have full confidence that I will read all these books (that's my mantra....haha).

Book vs. Movie- The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is one of my most favorite books ever. I don’t read adult fiction very much but I was glad I decided to pick this one up. I devoured it, cried through it and loved it. Then the movie came out! Not only was I super excited with the mere fact that it was adapted to a movie, but the stars are Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana; a couple of great actors.

Although the movie was released quite a while ago, I’ve only seen it just recently. It’s not very difficult to explain in a book that the main character travels through time without being able to control when it happens and the movie does an excellent job of this. I also love how the movie introduces Clair and her serious role in Henry’s life. The movie highlights all the important aspects of the story but I would have liked to see more of the dynamic between Henry and Gomez, who helps Henry through a lot of rough times. In the movie, Clair sees Henry for the last time in the meadow (though that’s not how in went in the book) and it is the most moving scene (I don’t want to say why or I will spoil it).

The book was more detailed when it came to Henry’s character and how his time traveling affects other aspects of his life. There are a few other things the movie changes but again I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone who has not seen it. Overall, the movie followed the book pretty closely and was able to convey the great love story of Henry and Claire DeTamble.

I recommend reading the book and watching the movie afterwards.

In My Mailbox

This week has been pretty slow. Not only in life but also with my books. First of all, I only recieved one Inter Library Loan and I only read two books this week! I have been reading so slow; maybe my mood has changed. Maybe I need to practice my speed reading skills again.

Anyway, In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Since my mailbox was a little empty, I purchased a few books this week.

Through Inter Library Loan I got:



This dark romance is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of 17-year-old Miranda and her guardian angel, Zachary, in an alternate America in which vampires and werewolves exist. Early in the novel, Zachary falls from grace as punishment for materializing in his full radiance in a failed attempt to save Miranda from being bitten by a vampire. The tale resumes a year later with the now-vampire Miranda a revered princess living among vampire royalty and feasting regularly on humans. Zachary, meanwhile, has sunk into a life of aimless debauchery and is resigned to never regaining his wings when an archangel suddenly gives him the opportunity to become Miranda's personal assistant. Determined to save his former ward, with whom he has fallen in love, Zachary takes the job. Miranda finds herself drawn to him, and the murders she has carelessly committed begin to weigh on her conscience. With his help, she is determined to find a way to redeem herself and help him return to grace.

Books I bought:

Morganville is a small college town in the heart of Texas—not a place that exactly screams “hotbed of creatures of the night.” But college freshman Claire Danvers is about to discover why, in Morganville, you should never, ever stay out after dark… Glass HousesCollege freshman Claire Danvers moves off campus and into an old house in the small town of Morganville. Her new roommates have her back when the town’s deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood… The Dead Girls’ DanceClaire may have a great roommate and a new boyfriend, but when she’s invited to the Dead Girls’ Dance all hell breaks loose—literally. Because this time, the living and the dead are ready to tear up the night…




Bianca has been uprooted from her happy, uneventful life to start anew at an elite boarding school where her parents will now be professors. Even though Bianca doesn't feel that she is the Evernight type—rich, beautiful, or gifted—she knows that her parents feel this is best for her. She and Lucas Ross share a special connection from the moment they meet and he, like Bianca and a few others, is an outsider. He is a rebel who is on a mission to discover the secret behind Evernight Academy. As the weeks progress, their relationship heats up. What they don't realize, however, is that they each harbor a great secret that could divide them forever. Can their love survive the truth?









Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters -- they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World.

In Secret Vampire, Poppy thought the summer would last forever. Then she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now Poppy's only hope for survival is James, her friend and secret love. A vampire in the Night World, James can make Poppy immortal. But first they both must risk everything to go against the laws of Night World.

Fugitives from Night World, three vampire sisters leave their isolated home to live among humans in Daughters of Darkness. Their brother, Ash, is sent to bring the girls back, but he falls in love with their beautiful friend.

Two witch cousins fight over their high school crush. It's a battle between black magic and white magic in Spellbinder.


Book descriptions are courtesy of Amazon.

I hope that I can get through these books this next week because only one of my books (Love, Stargirl) is going to carry over from last week's In My Mailbox.

Book Review- Splendor: A Luxe Novel

Title: Splendor: A Luxe Novel

Author: Ana Godbersen

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 400 in hardcover

Description provided by Amazon:

New beginnings.

Shocking revelations.

Unexpected endings.

A spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty—but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New York's shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

My Thoughts:

I am a big fan of Ana Godberesen and the Luxe Series. I have often thought about what it would be like to live in a time when women were expected to throw glorious parties, dress in huge fabulous gowns and marry into wealthy families. The series is full of high society and scandal. I absolutely love these books.

She writes with such poise and grace, 19th to 20th century, period novels fit her writing style perfectly. Her incredibly detailed description of the beautiful houses and dresses makes me wonder if she has them sketched out somewhere. She includes almost every spectrum of high society; the maid that comes into a great deal of money; the wealthy girl from a family of new money; the wealthy sisters of an old family that seem to have fallen on hard times and society’s most eligible bachelor whose sole concern is parties and his next conquest.

Her characters grow with every novel as they explore the world and discover themselves. Her accurate historic details allows one to wonder if these people actually existed, living in a time when what other’s could see was pretty much all that mattered.

Godbersen’s conclusion to the Luxe series is satisfying, the characters all getting what they deserved in the end. My favorite was Diana’s ending, bittersweet and emotional; she finally breaks free from the prison of high society and is able to discover her full potential. My only negative feelings go out to Elizabeth’s story. I felt there could be more to the story of her father’s death and Snowden’s involvement and the land that was purchased in California. I felt it was just brushed over and forgotten about. The book was already long so I could understand why importance and detail was given elsewhere.

This series is one of the must reads for Young Adult books.