I Love This Line

"The bottom line is I never had any business marrying anyone who wasn't you." - Plan B by Jonathan Tropper

Fun Time Links

Really enjoyed this interview with Ginnifer Goodwin. Filled with Once Upon a Time gossip and sneak peek for this Sunday. (LA Times)

Yay! A new book by one of my favorite authors and bloggers is out. Congrats Tawna Fenske! (Buy it!)

The Jolie-Pitt kids are growing up so fast! (Celebitchy)

Learn to cook a Thai brunch. (Brunch Gang)

Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Take 1

I spent this past weekend in Orlando. I laid out poolside, got a tan (with a little burn) and WENT TO THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER!!!!!

I have been wanting to go to WWofHP ever since I heard it was opening and I finally did. It is EVERYTHING that a HP fan could wish for. I took a ton of photos, so I'll split it up in a couple of posts.

First official Universal sign to the WWofHP spotted

Hogsmeade entrance

Close up of the Hogsmeade sign

Hogwarts!

Hagrid's Hut

Buckbeak!

This is What I Read Today . .

This made me really happy. I teared up when I read it. The Navy's first gay homecoming kiss. A GREAT moment in history. (Towleroad)

Interesting read . . . sums up a lot about my work situation. (MSN Careers)

James Franco is officially OFF the Freebie Five. (Celebitchy)

Lainey is right - I would completely want to be Duchess Catherine in that photo, at that time. (Lainey Gossip)

New spoilers for Revenge and Once Upon a Time! Yay! (Wetpaint and Examiner.com)

I downloaded two new samples from two new books thanks to Sarah Jio's guest blog post. (Allison Winn Scotch - Ask Allison)

I'm totally bummed but not surprised. One of my favorite books/series might be an awful movie. This trailer does not give me hope. (YouTube)

Ever wanted to dramatically quit your job but didn't? Live vicariously through this montage! (Vulture)

On My Kindle: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

I've heard about this book before but it didn't spark my interest until I read Lainey's reponse to a reader's letter. You can read it here. Lainey is one of my sources for great book recommendations. I've liked almost every book I've read that she has recommended.
The parts that resonated with me: "It sounds like you've had a lonely few years", "sometimes, I know, being right and doing the right thing can only make you lonelier", "there's a dearth of beauty in the world", and "don't think about moving just yet."

I haven't felt some of those feelings in a long time but I do always remember them. I started the book on Friday and it's an indepth read so I'm appreciating taking my time with it. I love the little girl, Paloma but I'm not quite sure about the concierge Renee. But it is an interesting read and holds promise. Here's a review from chasing bawa.

I'll update my blog when I'm done with it. Hopefully, it'll be my Christmas plane reading!

Click here to buy it on amazon.com.

On My Kindle: Q by Evan Mandery

Last week or so I got caught up in The Frog Princess series. As enjoyable as these magical fairy tales are they made me crave a more substantial literary tour de force. I downloaded a couple of Kindle Daily Deals but none of them struck the right chord with me.

I was poking around my daily blog reading list and I found this review of Evan Mandery's book Q via Janet Reid's blog (literary agent and Query Shark).

Fleur Fisher gave Q a glowing review. The concept of Q is compelling on its own: a man does not marry the love of his life because his future self comes back in time to tell him not to. Q's premise made me so incredibly interested as to WHY a man or woman would ever let the love of his or her life go. So whatever this future self said had to be incredibly convincing and irrevocably important.

Sidebar: this is exactly what the Query Shark tells her shark chum - ENTICE your readers (literary agents, editors and readers alike).

I downloaded a sample on my kindle and fell in love with the first chapters. I loved how the unnamed protagonist (ummm . . . I just realized I never get his name) fell in love with Q. The book is appropriately titled, "Q" because it is all about full life is with Quentina Elizabeth Deveril, Q, and how life is a gaping void without her. I was disappointed I didn't get to meet the future self before my sample came to an end. I debated about buying it because it was the author's style was a bit over the top and wordy for my normal taste. I re-read Fluer's review and she sold me on the novel  because it's a book "for both head and heart."

After reading Legend, The Frog Princess books and Chasing Amanda, I deeply needed a great literary read. Q was my prescription.

I ended up skimming certain parts that didn't feel crucial to the story. These were the sections that the author included actual parts of the protagonist's writing. I felt validated for reacting this way later because of one of the future selves.

As Mr. Mandery states in his acknowledgments, "I expect it is obvious to anyone reading this or any of my other novels that I have a heavy dose of existential angst."

No matter, I truly enjoyed Q. It is a compelling novel beautifully written.

Listening to your future selves and basing decision after decision on what they said was an interesting and occasional frustrating way to live one's life; for me and the protagonist. I kept wanting to ask - How do you KNOW this is a good idea?

If you need a great read about life and the downfalls and upsides a person experiences - go read Q.

p.s. I pleasantly surprised myself by figuring out a key plot point before it was revealed.

On My Kindle: The Frog Princess Books

ED Baker writes charming books. The Frog Princess (The Princess and The Frog Disney movie inspiration) was listed at $1.99 on Amazon so I bought it.

It's a charming tale about a princess meeting a frog. Our Princess Emma, short for Emeralda, meets a frog in the swamp behind her palace who claims he is a prince (of course!). Emma doesn't quite believe Prince Eadric but due to her loneliness at the castle and considering his somewhat annoying compansionship is the best friendship she's ever had she decides to kiss him.

She kisses him and SHE turns into a frog! Stunned at first, Emma quickly likes the freedom her transformation brings her. Eadric and Emma can't figure out why the witch's curse isn't undone so they embark on a froggy adventure to find the witch.

A number of animal friends are made along the way and Baker creates a cohesive and magical world for these characters to inhabit. I went on to read three more books in this series that give Emma and Eadric a past, a future and so many adventures. You can buy the book here. 

On My Kindle: Legend by Marie Lu

I finished re-reading the Hunger Games (that's what the new movie trailers and posters did to me!) and couldn't decide what my next book would be. Then I read on one of my favorite literary agent's blog, Pubrants, about Legend.

I was still in the mood for reading a YA dystopian novel and the kindle sample sold me. Hard.

The novel switches between the perspectives of its two main characters, June and Day. These two teenagers represent opposite ends of a dystopic Los Angeles' spectrum. Los Angeles has been flooded and now suffers from various plagues, is run by Republic and its elite officers while warring with the colonies.

June is of the elite, Day is a sought after criminal. They are unlikely to cross paths until the day June's world falls apart. Her brother is murdered and Day is his killer. June is now all alone. Her parents died in a car crash years ago and her brother was her world. June wants to hunt Day.

Day is on the run from the law but he watches over his family as much as can. His life changes when his former home is marked with an unusual sign of the plague. He is uncatchable but when a cure to the plague is offered to him he slips up.

June and Day are entwined in each other's lives and together they discover society's darkest secrets and the unimaginable way everyone has been forced to live their lives.

I read Legend in ONE day. Enough said.

Okay - a lot to be said. It's a page turner and the way Lu creates each scene, character and the new world it jumps out at you. Like Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games (inevitable comparison but I don't think they are too similar) and Ally Carter's Heist Society, Legend is cinematic. I read it as if I was seeing it on a big screen. The twists and turns are sometimes expected but not terribly obvious.

I fell in love with June and Day; separately and together. They are sympathetic yet fierce characters. Brilliant yet normal.

This novel reminds me most of Divergent; especially the ending. I can't wait to read the next! 

On My Kindle: Fun and Games

I've read two young adult novels and a romantic comedy in the last couple of weeks, so I'm still in the mood for a fast and fun read. Fun and Games so far has not been disappointing.

I downloaded a sample chapter because it was a kindle daily deal and I wish I had bought it then because I bought it today full price. But I'm never going to regret putting money in an author's pocket.

I'm really enjoying it so far. Quirky plot, fast-paced and very enjoyable. It reminds me a lot of the James Patterson novels I've read before but that's a VERY good thing.

What if all of those overdoses and crazy celebrity deaths we've all heard about where actually orchestrated by a team of highly skilled hit people?

Here's the Amazon.com description:
Charlie Hardie, an ex-cop still reeling from the revenge killing of his former partner's entire family, fears one thing above all else: that he'll suffer the same fate.


Languishing in self-imposed exile, Hardie has become a glorified house sitter. His latest gig comes replete with an illegally squatting B-movie actress who rants about hit men who specialize in making deaths look like accidents. Unfortunately, it's the real deal. Hardie finds himself squared off against a small army of the most lethal men in the world: The Accident People.

It's nothing personal-the girl just happens to be the next name on their list. For Hardie, though, it's intensely personal. He's not about to let more innocent people die. Not on his watch.

**UPDATE: Finished it on my lunch break today (10/26/11) and it was so good that I pre-ordered the sequel, Hell and Gone. Best part - it comes out on the 1st so I don't have to wait long!

On My Kindle: Making Waves

I've been in the mood for easy reads and since I'm such a fan of Tawna Fenske's blog I thought I'd check out her debut novel, Making Waves.

I haven't read a romance or a romantic comedy novel in a while but I wanted something fun and light. I downloaded a sample on my kindle and it reminded so much of Ms. Fenske's blog humor and narrative that I ended up buying it. Well worth my $$. I just finished it and it was exactly what I wanted to read.

It is an enchanting novel full of quick wit, humor and a great, easy, fast read not unlike Ms. Fenske's heroine.
Making Waves stars Juli and Alex who meet at a bar on an island and after 5 minutes of meeting each other they compete in a newlywed game. Our lovers share instant chemistry and have hidden secrets. Neither is whom they seem to be but are not what the other imagines. In a twist of events Juli stows away on Alex's boat and we get to know the supporting quirky crew - Jake, Cookie Cody and Phyllis. This romance ebbs and flows with predictable and unpredictable events. If you're in the mood for an unusual, fun, witty with some tantalizing sex scenes - go buy it. NOW. 

On My Kindle: The Son of Neptune

I was so excited for this book to come out. I've read all of the Percy Jackson books to date and the first one in this complementary series about Greek and Roman demigods left me hanging and I couldn't wait to pick up the next installment.

I was not disappointed.

I love Rick Riordan's books in the same way I love James Patterson novels. They are dependable yet intriguing reads. I wish Janet Evanovich would take a hint from them; it's how I used to feel about her Stephanie Plum series.

When I read a Rick Riordan novel I am never disappointed and I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. The Son of Neptune was no exception!

It picked up right where The Lost Hero did and I enjoyed it immensely. There were demigods, demons and gods left and right. Riordan did a nice job of incorporating the Roman and Greek versions of gods and the respective camps. Percy Jackson is also growing up nicely - the series reminds me a lot of Harry Potter in that way. I loved reading about Harry growing up. I got to the end of the book and it cut off at a great cliff hanger. I'm ready to pre-order the next installment already!

P.S. I bought the movie Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief and I've watched it a few times. I wish they'd make another movie.

On My Kindle: The Death Cure

I've actually been waiting The Death Cure as soon as I finished The Scorch Trials. The trilogy has been compared to The Hunger Games and rightfully so - dystopian society, rebellious main character - we get a hero instead of heroine, and it is action packed from the minute you finish the first in all three books.

I'm 67% of the way through and really enjoying the last campaign against WICKED with Thomas. I am glad I decided to pre-order it on Amazon because it was automatically delivered and I had been craving a great book since I finished Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  

It's well written, fast-paced and James Dashner has built a world that you easily believe in and understand. I'm devouring it just like I did The Hunger Games.

The Night Circus

Based on hype and a recommendation from Lainey of Lainey Gossip (not a personal rec just listed among her many delicious gossip tidbits) I downloaded and read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern on my kindle last week. 

Here's the book description from Google Product Search:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

I found The Night Circus enchanting. Ms. Morgenstern wove a world for me that I wanted to live in. My favorite parts were the results of the duel between Celia and Marco - wonderful, imaginative additions to the circus that I wished with all my heart I could see, taste, touch and live in for real. I also enjoyed the extended cast of characters and the amount of depth and involvement they were given. If you care to further examine certain characters and aspects of this tale by letting your imagination turn over sentences and explore subtle hints - this novel becomes truly remarkable.