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Michelle

St. George Street

For more pictures, click here.

We had a great time. It was very cold. Even the visiting northerners were complaining. But we still did our sight seeing and took in a lot of wonderful history in this 400 year old city. We also went on a haunted pub tour and, on the way home, we drove down A1A and we were so distracted by the gorgeous ocean drive that we took it all the way to Daytona before cutting across the state.  St. Augustine is a cute little city and I can’t wait to go back for a warmer weekend.

The Books

I did not have as much time to read this week as I would have liked, but I did manage to finish two books: The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by LJ Smith and The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson.

I tried to start The Eye of The World by Robert Jordan but I didn’t make it very far. I’m not sure if it’s my kind of book, but I will give it another try when I’m in the right mood.

I posted one review: The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray. I must say, it was a refreshing change to write a negative review.

This week, I plan on starting East of Eden by John Steinbeck and Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. I also hope to get to the second Vampire Diaries book before it’s due back to the library.

Plot summary (from The Book Depository):

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds. The Order–the mysterious group her mother was once part of–is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence’s burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

Plot summary (from me):

600 pages of pointlessness. 200 pages to wrap up the story. Oh, and there is some kissing. And some magic. But that’s all that sticks with me.

Other Books I’ve Read By Author: A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels (the first two books in the series).

Why I Picked Up This Book: I started it ages ago for Seriespalooza, but basically I just needed to finish the trilogy.

My thoughts:

I’ve been pretty vocal about my dislike of this book while reading it.  I have no idea why this book was 820 pages long. I’m pretty sure I could have skipped the first 600 pages and been fine. I thought the first two books picked up toward the end, and so did this one, but there was just too much before any real action happened.  I was annoyed with the characters – I disliked Ann and her whining, Felicity and her selfishness. And Gemma and her “oh what should I do, what should I do” complaints all the time.

My biggest problem with the book was that I don’t think their world was explained well enough so I didn’t care about it or what happened to it.  Because Gemma is the story teller and she doesn’t know anything, I didn’t either. Perhaps I just don’t remember the first two books well enough, but I felt like it was all just made up as we went. I want my fictional worlds to be carefully crafted and make sense.

I also was annoyed by all the selfishness that happened in the book. I know they’re only teenagers and maybe I’ve just watched too many episodes of Charmed, but I’m a believer in the idea that the people who hold magic should not use it for personal gain. I was annoyed by all the scheming.

The only thing that kept me going (besides the need to finish the trilogy) was the Gemma-Kartik storyline. I did want to know what happened with them.

Memorable Passages:

“Peace is not happenstance. It is a living fire that must be fed constantly. It must be tended to with vigilance, else it dies out.” p. 301

Will I Read This Author Again?: Possibly, but I won’t go out of my way.



As I mentioned in my last post, Ben and I went to St. Augustine this weekend. We had a wonderful time (despite the arctic air that invaded the state) and I hope to share some pictures with you all soon.

I finished my first two books of the year this week:

• Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (review)
• The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (review to come)

Books I’m reading/hoping to start this week:

• Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer
• The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith
• The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
• East of Eden by John Steinbeck

I apologize.  I’m feeling much to tired/under the weather to insert pictures/links into this post. I promise I will be back in full force next Sunday.

Sadly, this means I will not be around to join in the fun with all you Bloggiesta participants, but I hope you all have an enjoyable and productive weekend.  I hope to see all kinds of changes when I return on Monday.

One of My Favorite Wedding Pictures

*I added a soft focus to the picture and I can’t decide if I like it, but I really wanted to play with Picassa.

Plot summary (from The Book Depository):

Gussie Fink-Nottle’s knowledge of the common newt is unparalleled. Drop him in a pond of newts and his behaviour will be exemplary, but introduce him to a girl and watch him turn pink, yammer, and suddenly stampede for great open spaces. Even with Madeline Bassett, who feels that the stars are God’s daisy chain, his tongue is tied in reef-knots. And his chum Tuppy Glossop isn’t getting on much better with Madeline’s delectable friend Angela. With so many broken hearts lying about him, Bertie Wooster can’t sit idly by. The happiness of a pal – two pals, in fact – is at stake. But somehow Bertie’s best-laid plans land everyone in the soup, and so it’s just as well that Jeeves is ever at hand to apply his bulging brains to the problems of young love.

Other Books I’ve Read By Author: The Code of the Woosters

Why I Picked Up This Book: It was an audio and I had a long drive home after Christmas. Plus Bertie and Jeeves are hilarious.

My thoughts:

Reading Wodehouse is absolutely fabulous. Listening to Wodehouse is simply wonderful.  Nicolas Coster did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life.  And of course, the messes Bertie manages to get himself into and the lengths Jeeves goes to to get him out of them are more than entertaining.  I know a lot of you are already Wodehouse fans, but if you aren’t, I challenge you to read one of his books and not like it.

It’s hard to review this book because you really have to experience the madness to appreciate it.

So I’m going to leave you with things this book made me want to do:

• Go back in time or be rich enough to summer somewhere.
• Have a butler who solves all my problems.
• Try Anatole’s food.
• Refer to all alcohol-infused nights as taking place in a “post-orange juice era.”
• Be British.

I’m also glad that this was my first book of 2010.*  I think it starts my year off perfectly.

Will I Read This Author Again?: Of course!

*I know that audio books should count as books read, but I still feel like I needed an asterisk next to the claim that it was my first book of 2010.  With time, I’ll get past this.  I promise.