Traveling today and two books purchased for my trip

I hope everyone is having a great day. I am traveling today and currently at the airport. Can anyone guess where I am headed? Here is a hint:

While waiting on my flight I decided to purchase a couple of books. I searched through several of the little airport shops and ultimately decided on these two:

(Blind Faith by CJ Lyons)

and 

Past Shelfari Reviews: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

Available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Half Price Books

When I closed the cover to this book upon its completion there was a sadness in my heart as I felt I was leaving friends behind that I would never get to visit again. This feeling has never came to me as I finished a book before. Morgenstern creates a world that is mystical and serene that is unlike any other world that I have read before because it is rooted in our own world, but so many layers are added upon to it. 

This book at times feels like Morgenstern is adding a lot of filler material, but this is one of those books where the filler material actually weaves itself into the story to add details that are needed that you don't even realize until the end of the book. She has so richly woven the tapestry of this book that while it may take awhile to read when you reach those final words you will feel like you are leaving the world of magic forever. 

My only true gripe about this book was her misuse of the character of Isobel. I understand where Morgenstern wanted the lead characters to end up, but I felt that there should have been somewhat of a better ending for this character as she was essentially used, even though in many ways she wanted to be. Everything else in the book was so masterfully done that it is easy to look past this one complaint because essentially it is not even a true sting because to be that invested in a secondary character just shows how Morgenstern is able to make you care about essentially every single character that she decides to place in the story.

*Note*- Past Shelfari Reviews may not be in the same writing style as previous postings due to these being made for friends on Shelfari and not originally intended for the blogging audience. 

Until next time... Stay Optimistic!!!

Random Read: P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern

"Love is a many splendored thing"

P.S. I Love You

by Cecelia Ahern

Available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Half Price Books

"P.S. I Love You" is about dealing with the loss of a loved one, in this a spouse. Imagine thinking you have your whole life stretched out before you with them only to discover they are dying. Upon their death you are not sure how you will go on. Your spouse was your rock and your future. This is what Holly Kennedy is faced with. How does she move on with her life after her great love, Gerry? She just wants to sit around and cry about his death. Gerry had other plans though and wrote ten letters to Holly, extending their relationship and helping Holly down the road to forming a new life without him.

Ahern wrote the character of Holly stunningly. She taps into the emotions of the grieving widow in a shocking way since she is a relatively young writer who has not grieved the death of her spouse, in fact I do not believe she is married. Ahern understands human emotions obviously and because of this she creates this ravishing masterpiece of learning that even after someone we love dies we have to still live. We can't allow ourselves to die simply because they have. It takes Holly awhile to learn this lesson, but she ultimately does. The journey of her getting there is hysterical, sweet, and breathe-taking all at the same time. Each moment culminates together like each stroke of a paintbrush working to create a lavish painting. One moment taken away from this novel would have decreased its worth significantly. 

A particular nice aspect that she adds to the story is the reality of discovering who your friends are upon death. In real life we can discover who is there for us when dark times come rolling in and we all know they will at times. Those people that are there for us are true friends and Ahern showcases that here. She also does a masterful job of showcasing that it isn't always the people we thought it would be and that people we disliked at one point of our lives can prove to be our rock in the storm. I found this added element to be realistic and needed, so Ahern's inclusion strengthened the book beyond what it could have been otherwise.

Yes, there is a point where the reader wants to say, "just get over it already" but this doesn't happen until near the end. To have her grieving for Gerry for the great length of the story and not feel this way long before you arrive there is simply awe-inspiring and shows just how wonderful a tale Ahern has created. It was nice that when you get that feeling she indeed does get over it, as best as can be said when someone is grieving. Outside of this one simple flaw, which is it really?, there isn't much to be upset about. 

I would highly recommend this book to individuals that are looking for a simpler read about an important part of the human experience. Grieving the loss of a loved one is natural and not everyone knows how to deal with it. Ahern captures grieving realistically and shows that everyone has their own time schedule. The time spent reading this is well worth it. 

Until next time... Stay Optimistic!!!

Series Books- Fear Street Seniors: Last Chance by R.L. Stine

"Cheating on a test can be MURDER!!"


Fear Street Seniors: Last Chance (Book 5)

by R.L. Stine

available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. (Not available from Half Price Books)

Coming off of "No Answer" (Book 4) I had a bit more hope, maybe not a lot but some, for the series overall. This didn't live up to that hope. Stine has done the student stealing tests in other books and here it just feels like him trying to fill in part of a twelve book series with something to make his money as a writer and meet his contract deadlines.It just isn't a very good book in my opinion and lacks any real character development, but as I have stated previously about the Fear Street books this seems to be the way Stine writes these characters. He wants to be able to interchange characters as he needs. Characters that didn't seem friendly in previous volumes suddenly are best friends even though someone else was saying they were that person's best friend in the previous volume. It gets a bit overwhelming trying to figure out who really is best friends in this series, but I guess that is sorta like high school where it could change every single day depending on what the person is doing for you. Popularity is a winding road and if you want to stay on it I guess you have to keep the right people around you and change your friends every book.

This book focuses on Mary O'Conner stealing a test from one of her favorite teachers. He starts blackmailing her. That is the entire premise of the book and what is sad is I am not really spoiling anything for the reader here because this happens pretty quickly within. For a 150 pages you wonder why all of this is occurring and if there is even a point to what is happening. When you reach the final conclusion you will probably have the same sour taste left in your mouth that I did. It seems a little silly and stupid. The ending could have been significantly stronger had he let it be a true horror story, but instead he settles for the normal "teenage" read. I wish he would have started to grasp that teens are okay reading horror novels that actually contain some violence and parents will not be upset with mild violence either. They will embrace it as long as it is not gratuitous. Parents allow their children to watch half the crap that is on TV. I recognize these were made several years ago, but even then we had shows like Buffy, The Vampire Slayer that actually showed a significant amount of violence. Children are capable of handing this. This book would have been better with a more impressive ending that adhered to the name of the series FEAR street. Alas it doesn't though and thus it falls rather flat on its face.

To date I would recommend only "No Answer" as the must read book in the Fear Street Seniors series. Considering this is nearing the halfway point of the series (only one more book) I do not hold a lot of hope for it improving. It is sad when a love dies when reading a series when you are an adult, but it does happen. Sometimes it is better to not revisit something and allow the nostalgic feelings that it brings to remain, so you always enjoy whatever the thing is. Be it a book, a tv show, or a toyline we enjoyed as a child. If I had done this I may have still had a deep love for the Fear Street series.

Until next time... Stay Optimistic!!!

Graphic Novel Reviews: Courtney Crumrin, Volume 1 by Ted Naifeh

"A dark fantasy world spun for children"

Courtney Crumrin Volume 1: The Night Things

by Ted Naifeh

Published by Oni Press

Free Reading Copy from NetGalley

available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Half Price Books

This is not a book I would have normally been drawn to if I came across it on a bookshelf, but felt like it would be interesting to go with something outside of my comfort zone for my first comic book review on the site. I am pleasantly shocked with my feelings of this particular volume based on this. Courtney Crumrin has both horror and fantasy undertones, but is also clearly made for a young audience. It feels like it may draw some influence from similar graphic novels like Neil Gaiman's "Coraline". One difference you need to be made aware of though is Courtney Crumrin is darker, especially when you consider Naifeh had a character eaten within it. This doesn't detract from the fact that this is a pleasant read and one that will make you want to have further adventures with the Crumrin family.

The book starts at Courtney's family moving into what can best be described as a haunted mansion with her father's great-uncle to take care of him. It becomes apparent pretty quickly that the uncle is trying to make himself appear to be normal. The stories contained within primarily involve Courtney getting into trouble in the new home because of her lack of knowledge of the witchcraft that it contains. Each story builds nicely upon each other, but each can also be taken separately without losing any of their charm. This is a rare gem when reading a graphic novel since so many creators are desperate to have the entire volume be a gigantic collected work. Naifeh doesn't do this and as a result he creates a truly unique and memorable experience. As a reader you can feel that you can stop at any moment to return later, but you will find yourself not wanting to put it down. The stories are clever and interesting. They are also easy to read, which is important since this feels like a children's series. 

The only gripe I have actually turns out not to be such a gripe. The artwork is done wonderfully, but the way that he draws his people feels a bit rushed. When we compare this to the time spent on backgrounds we can understand that this is a conscious choice made by Naifeh. It makes you focus instead on the content of the story instead of worrying about the character's look. I commend him for this excellent decision that adds a much needed distraction from the normal trappings of other lesser graphic novels. We are able here to focus entirely on Courtney's world and become entrenched in the dark fantasy aspects. We are able to escape and find ourselves wondering what will happen next.

As I mentioned, I am not normally a person that enjoys books, especially comics, with a dark element to them, but this was a fun read. If you want a children's series that has a nice element that isn't dumbed down this, in context of having read only the first book, appears to be a worthwhile series. One that I feel that I might enjoy reading the second volume of in the near future myself. 

Until next time... Stay Optimistic!!!

Mystery Read: Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konroth

"Death... on the rocks"

Whiskey Sour: A Jack Daniels Mystery

by J.A. Konrath

Published by Hyperion

available for purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Half Price Books

"Whiskey Sour" is the first novel in the Jack Daniels Mystery series. Konrath creates an engaging novel  that takes you on a roller-coaster. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels has given her entire life over to her job and as a result she has worked her way up to a Lieutenant in her local precinct.  It has caused her to sacrifice most of her relationships, including romantic ones. The girl is a mess. Then enters the "The Gingerbread Man", who has an unhealthy appetite for Jack. Will she survive his wicked games? Only one way to find out... Read the book.

Konrath is able to foreshadow the aspects of the mystery without revealing to the reader that they are the pieces that they should be looking for, which is only something a true mystery genius would be capable of doing. When you reach the end of the novel you slap your forehead and go, "Duh, all the pieces fit together. He told us everything that we needed to know." We just don't realize he gave us all the components for understanding why "The Gingerbread Man" is killing the women he chooses. This makes it an exciting read. 

One complaint about Konrath is that he sometimes tries to be too technical in his writing. He wants to explain out things for the reader, but he fails to recognize that in most instances the reader isn't looking for this. Most mystery readers are not looking for high-brow explanations, so trying to explain procedures is lost on the intended audience. Most mystery enthusiasts are simply seeking a thrill, which this book does do. Konrath is very graphic about what the killer does to his victims and you will squirm in places, but it just adds to the fun of the book overall. This makes up for his over-explanations. 

The other interesting component of this book is the chapter that you would think that it would end with isn't the ending. I thought as Jack read the Ed McBain novel would have been a rather clever ending to the first book, but Konrath pulls us for a loop. He sets up nicely for a continuing series of books, which I had forgotten that most mystery writers want to do with a title character, especially one as awesome as Jack Daniels. 

I want to reiterated before closing that there is some rather graphic content contained within this book. Most mystery lovers will be able to handle these scenes, since they will be used to them. The typical reader may find themselves uncomfortable with these descriptions though, so go into this book knowing that there may be content that is upsetting. Do not go into it thinking that it is a fluffy little piece of literature that you will walk away from feeling happy about, instead go into it expecting your pulse to race and your heart to reach critical mass. If you go in with this you will LOVE Whiskey Sour.

Until next time... Stay Optimistic!!!

Past Shelfari Reviews: Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Equal Rites

by Terry Pratchett

*Note- Past Shelfari Reviews may not be in the same language as other daily content as not originally written for the blog audience, but for friends on Shelfari.

My partner recommended this book to me because he loves this author, so I finally decided to give it a read. While this book didn't have a lot of shocking moments in it it was one of those great books that kept me interested in it the entire time. This was a wonderful book.

It was interesting to see these characters develop from the first moment to the end of the book in ways that I hadn't expected. I had never read Terry Pratchett before this, but if this is what he does I am very interested in reading more of the Discworld series. His humor is very much on par with what I want to read as well. He took all the things that I expected to happen in a fantasy book and said nope that isn't going to happen but THIS IS and as a result I fell in love with this book.