New Blog...

So yep, I'm moving blogs...I haven't been active really on this blog since I had Maddie a year and a half ago. So I'm changing it up and I've created a new blog which is here... thereadingknitter So go find me there...

Updating for Bout of Books...

So I've really been loving the Bout of Books this time I'm doing it. Although I'm not on the computer as much as I'd love to be and I'm not blogging as much I'd like to, I have been reading each and every chance I get. Which brings me to the updates...

Monday
Earth: pages 32-38
The Knife of Never: pages 161 to 200
Total of 45 pages

Tuesday
Earth: pages 38-67
The Knife of Never: pages 200 to 237
Total: 66 pages for Tuesday.
Combine pages: 111 pages

And I'm still working on today's pages. So I'll probably update with today and Thursday's page counts on Friday afternoon. :)

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

My Review - this book kind of drove me crazy with the way the language was. It was something you have to get use to. But other then getting use to that it was pretty good. I really liked Todd, Ben, Manchee, and Viola. I'll be reading the next book in the series for sure!

Updating a little...

So Bout of Books Read-a-thon starts today! I'm reading as much as I can between work and regular life. I'm not sure if I'll stick to my goals or be able to update every evening but I'll try.

Starting off I'm reading Earth by Shauna Granger & The Knife of Never by Patrick Ness.

Monday
Earth: pages 30 to ?
The Knife of Never: pages 161 to ?

I'll try to update again later.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

My Review - So glad I read this book after it was recommended to me. It was so good! I couldn't imagine living in a world like that and being as strong as those kids were. East River was freaky to me, especially Slip Kid. I liked Liam, Chubs and Zu though. I'll be on the edge of my seat waiting until book #2 comes out in October.

Goals for Bout of Books...

So the Bout of Books starts Monday, May 13^th. I’m excited because I’m hoping to get some massive reading done. I plan on reading as much as I possibly can, anytime I can. So for this reason I’m going to refrain from my knitting except when hubby and I are watching TV. (Sorry but I can’t just sit and watch TV. I gotta have something to do with my hands.)

As for my goals….HUM….I’d really like to finish two or three books but I don’t know if that’s even possible having a 17 month old and working full-time. So my legitimate goal is to finish one whole book this week.

Here's the list of possible books:

1. The Knife of Never Letting Go (currently reading)

2. The Ask and the Answer 

3.  Sketchy

4. Vigilante Nights 

5. Odd Thomas 

6. The Thorn 

I was going to pick just 5 books that were "possible reads" but I figured the first one is the one I'm currently reading so it doesn't count. So I'll come back and try to update daily but I may just be updating on my goodreads profile! :) Which is here...

 

I'm BACK!!!

So I haven't blogged in a REALLY long time...SO I thought I'd use the Bout of Books to return to the blogging world. I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to blog for this or for any other events because life is so busy these days.

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

So a little update before I start the Bout of Books...

Maddie is now 17 months old! WOW, hard to believe. She’s a feisty, sassy little one for sure. But gosh I love her. We celebrated her birthday in November with a Hot Pink and Zebra themed party. She soaked it all up of course.

In December 2012 my sweet Momma was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastasized Breast Cancer. The cancer has spread to her bones. So it’s in her hips, shoulders, and spine. She did chemo for a while and then last week she did another PET scan and the cancer wasn’t as intense as it was previously. But still if you would keep her in your prayers please and thank you!

I started knitting back in June of 2012 and I’ve become quiet addicted so if I’m not reading I’m usually knitting. And I’m hardly ever on the computer anymore cause I’d rather be knitting! Haha. My current addiction in the knitting world is dishcloths. I love making them cause they go fast and are super easy to make.

My beloved Chubby aka Mr. Chubs passed away in April 2013. It was super hard cause he was for sure my kitty. I didn’t think at first that I’d want another cat right away. But after coming home on lunch one time to an empty house I told my husband we had to get another cat. So about two weeks after Chubby passing we adopted Hattie from the local animal shelter. She’s a sweetie! :)

Anyhow, hopefully I’ll keep up with this blog more in the future. But if not know that I’m spending my time with my family!

Outlander (Outlander #1) by Diana Gabaldon

** spoiler alert ** Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

My Review - Whew, this book took me long enough, 39 days to be exact! I think if I'd had it in Nook Book format that I would have read it MUCH faster. But still I started it and it sucked me right in. I was glad when she made her decision at the stones when Jamie took her back to them. Me personally I couldn't imagine being transported back 200 years. Some of the clans and historical stuff dragged for me but I know it's just because I don't know much about it. Even though this book took me over a month to finish it wasn't one of those books I was ready to be finished with cause I was tired of it. The characters were well written and it was good until the very last page. Everyone these days are raving about the book Fifty Shades of Grey and while this book wasn't exactly like that book, I would compare it to that book. The difference is it was less vulgar and graphic details. I will be reading the rest of the series sometime, but it won't be the next book I read. And the next book in the series, I will definitely buy on my Nook, even if it is $9!

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Do twins begin in the womb?
Or in a better place?

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin.

For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.

Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?

My Review - so I'd read reviews from others before about a twist at the end so I was kind of expecting the twist! haha. I liked this book pretty good and kind of semi-guessed the twist before it happened. I didn't like it more then her Crank Series. I couldn't imagine going through what Kaeleigh went through. I loved the ending of this book and Ian in the book was pretty cool too. Overall it was a pretty good book and I gave it 3 stars.

I'm behind...

On Maddie's monthly pictures...Sorry, life just gets in the way sometimes...Enjoy! She's growing up quickly!

 

Thumped by Megan McCafferty

It's been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. Since then, their story has become irresistible to legions of girls: twins separated at birth and living different lives, each due to deliver sets of twins...on the same day! In a future where only teens can "bump," or give birth, babies mean money, status, and freedom.

Married to Ram and living in religious Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once loved and believed in. But she can't seem to forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell in love with under the strangest of circumstances.

To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything she always wanted: a big, fat contract and a coupling with Jondoe, the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.

Cursed by their own popularity, the girls are obsessively tracked by their millions of fans, who have been eagerly counting down the days to their "Double Double Due Date." Without a doubt, they are two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and there's only one thing they could do that would make them more famous than they already are:

Tell the truth.

My Review - Although at times this book was really good there were some times where I was like just get on with the point. There was on part where Harmony was giving birth and it says something like she felt like she was pregnant forever and now the twins are coming to fast and she's not ready. I think that's the way I felt when I gave birth. I was so excited but so overwhelmed with how fast it was going. Overall this book was pretty good. I'll definitely read some more of McCafferty's books. Overall I'd probably give it a 3.5 stars.

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

A book that started out as a simple Twilight fan fiction, but then turned into a bestseller phenomena on its own.

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

My Review - I first heard about this book on the news about how it was so great and it was relieving some sexual tension in some marriages. And while I found this book to be a pretty good story line, it didn't affect me in ways apparently that it's been affecting other women. First, I could have dealt with out all the language. Call me old fashion or whatever, I just didn't care for so much vulgar. And to say the book is intended for mature audiences is a true statement. I actually told my best friend that I felt like if I couldn't tell my own mom what the book was about without getting embarrassed I probably shouldn't be reading it. haha. Second, what woman wouldn't want a man to give her a mac, blackberry and car! Um, I wouldn't mind if someone had lots of money they wanted to spend on me. Third, Christian was just freaky to me I guess. I mean how could this man look so good? I want to see a picture of him please?! haha. Overall I gave it 2 stars cause it was an okay story line. But it will be a while before I read the other two books in the series if I ever do.

The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred

After seeing another review on this book I wanted to read it...Hope it's as good as the review I read said it is! :)

The Sweet Gum Tree By Katherine AllredSweet tea, corn bread, and soup beans everyday fare for eight-year-old Alix French, the precocious darling of a respected southern family. But nothing was ordinary about the day she met ten-year-old Nick Anderson, a boy from the wrong side of town. Armed with only a tin of bee balm and steely determination, Alix treats the raw evidence of a recent beating that mars his back, an act that changes both of their lives forever.Through childhood disasters and teenage woes they cling together as friendship turns to love. The future looks rosy until the fateful night when Frank Anderson, Nick's abusive father, is shot to death in his filthy trailer.Suddenly, Nick is gone leaving Alix alone, confused and pregnant. For the next fifteen years she wrestles with the pain of Nick's abandonment, a bad marriage, her family and friends. But finally, she's starting to get her life back together. Her divorce is almost final, her business is booming, and she's content if not happyf{until the day she looks up and sees Nick standing across the counter. He's back Kand he's not alone.Once again Alix is plunged into turmoil and pain as Nick tries to win her love, something she resists with all her strength. Only one thing might break the protective wall she's built around her emotions the truth about Frank Anderson's death. But when that truth comes out and those walls crumble, neither Alix nor Nick is prepared for the emotional explosion that could destroy as well as heal.

My review - this book started out kind of slow for me and didn't actually grab my attention until around page 90 or so. I kept thinking this has to start going somewhere but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. It was an amazing story after I got sucked into it. I loved Alix and Nick. I honestly cried about Katie though. And after reading that part I had to constantly start checking on my 7 month old. And I didn't even guess about Daniel until it was about to come out. Last, I loved the ending of this book, it's rare that I actually like an ending but to love one is a stretch. I'm glad I read the review of Brandie and splurged my $1.49 on it for my Nook. I'm glad that I read this and will probably look into more books by this author.

Fallout (Crank #3) by Ellen Hopkins

Hunter, Autumn, and Summer—three of Kristina Snow’s five children—live in different homes, with different guardians and different last names. They share only a predisposition for addiction and a host of troubled feelings toward the mother who barely knows them, a mother who has been riding with the monster, crank, for twenty years. Told in three voices and punctuated by news articles chronicling the family’s story, Fallout is the stunning finale to the phenomenally bestselling trilogy that began with Crank and Glass, and a testament to the harsh reality that addiction is never just one person’s problem.

My Review - This was my favorite book out of all the Crank Series. I knew the outcome was going to be what it was but I didn't know how the three were going to get to that point or what would happen when they did get to that point but it was good. I am so glad I finally read this series. I do plan on trying to read the rest of Hopkins books. She's an amazing author!

Glass (Crank #2) by Ellen Hopkins

Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go. Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive. Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby. The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.

My Review - This picks up 3 months after Crank ended. While this book was good it also started slow for me. But once it picked up I couldn't put it down. At times I felt sorry for Kristina but then at times I wanted to beat her. I couldn't imagine leaving my baby and not caring for her. But I guess drugs will do that to a person. This book will open your eyes to drugs and addiction. Very well written, I hope to eventually read all of Hopkins books. On to the next in the series though now.......

Crank (Crank #1) by Ellen Hopkins

This is a story about a monster. Not a dragon or a mythological beast, but a very real, very destructive monster--crystal meth--that takes hold of seventeen-year-old Kristina Snow and transforms her into her reckless alter-ego Bree. Based on her own daughter's addiction to crystal meth, Ellen Hopkins' novel-in-verse is a vivid, transfixing look into teenage drug use. Told in Kristina's voice, it provides a realistic portrayal of the tortured logic of an addict.

My Review - WOW! This is a book that I for sure judged by the cover. I've eyed this book for years when going into a book store or seeing it wherever. I'd had it on my TBR (to be read) list for years! Since 2008 to be exact. But this book was so good! I loved it and am already halfway through the second book. I want to smack Kristina and her Dad! But then again I feel sorry for her. I've never personally been around drugs and this book was an eye opener and made me very thankful that I haven't been around them. Hopkins is an awesome author!

Quick share...

of a picture we took of Maddie yesterday! :)

Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen!?

Letters to Elise by Amanda Hocking

In My Blood Approves, Peter Townsend fell in love with Alice Bonham, but she wasn't his first love. In a new novella told through his letters, his history is revealed.

My Review - at first the letters to Elise were almost sickening. All the lovey dovey stuff is not my cup of tea in books usually. haha. BUT it got better and better throughout the book. I do wish that I had of read this book in between books 4 & 5 of the My Blood Approves series. But overall still a good book! :)

So....

I haven't been blogging much and I'm sorry. I absolutely hate the new Blogger layout (not a fan of change). And Maddie's been keeping me busy. She's almost 7 months old and she's just recently grown two teeth. And she's getting up on her knees and rocking! :) I love it! Here are the monthly pictures...Enjoy, and I'll try to be better about blogging more then just book reviews...

Love on a Dime by Cara Lynn James

In age of elegance and excess, Lilly Westbrook longs for a love both true and eternal.

Newport, Rhode Island, 1899, is a place of shimmering waves, sleek yachts, and ladies of leisure. Of opulent mansions that serve as summer cottages for the rich and famous. Home of railroad magnates and banking tycoons--dashing young men and the women who aspire to marry them.

But it's not the place for lady novelists. Especially not those who pen disreputable dime novels. This poses a problem for Lilly Westbrook, because that's exactly what she does.

No one in Lilly's social set knows she pens fiction under the "nom de plume "Fannie Cole. Not her family or the wealthy young man about to propose to her. And especially not Jackson Grail, the long-lost beau who just bought her publishing company...and who stirs her heart more than she cares to admit.

But Lilly must put aside her feelings and follow the path that will maintain her family's social stature and provide the financial security that everyone is depending on.

Now Lilly faces a double dilemma. Can she continue to protect her secret identity? And will she have the courage to choose the man who will risk it all just to win her heart?

My Review - although this book was slow moving at first, the last 50 pages were intense and fast paced. I liked how it kept mentioning Irene's secret but you didn't know what it was until the very end. And I liked Jackson's character. Harlan was a drag though! I kept thinking to myself while reading it, my how times have changed. In this time era you went somewhere with an escort. Now that's not expected...Something to ponder...Overall a pretty good book and hopefully one day I'll get around to reading the other books in the series.