Did you know it is National Library Week? Yeah, me either. How could I not possibly know this? I feel a bit guilty and ashamed at the same time. (I am going to blame this on my busy schedule. Yeah. That works!)
So, I am posting a picture of one of numerous libraries that I am sure if I was ever fortunate to walk into, I would never walk out of.
Do you visit your local library? What do you love about it?
Here is a picture of the glass floor in one of my local libraries…
What a great story I stumbled across (well, more like tripped over). I do not want to give too much away, the plot will keep you guessing to the very end, and that is what makes this book so great. So no spoiler alerts here! This story revolves around a therapist, she is a recovering alcoholic, has some minor boyfriend issues, and a seriously ticked off former patient, who is bound and determined to make her life a living Hell. The main character is Letty, full name Violet Whittaker.
I read this in a day, and you definitely won’t want to put it down either. Yes, I would have still read it in a day, even if my cable and internet were still working! It is fast paced, not over flowing with needless characters and storylines that just confuse the plot. There is a 2nd book in this series featuring Letty, called “The One We Love”. I will hopefully be tracking that down sooner rather than later.
What book have you randomly found that you absolutely couldn’t stop reading?
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle KStJ, DL
Born: May 22, 1859
Died: July 7, 1930
Wrote: The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries
Mr. Doyle was a Scottish Physician as well as a writer. Most famously known for writing Sherlock Holmes, he wrote 60 mysteries that centered around Sherlock and Watson. He was married twice; his first wife dying of tuberculosis. He had a total of 5 children.
Quote: Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.
Yes, I was that kid 😀
You will see why I could not read another word of this second book of fan fiction. I also think I am done with fan fiction. Just not my cup of tea.
So, I started the 2nd book, and after the first couple chapters, I have decided to keep reading it. I say this because very early on in the story, there are 2 people who tracked down a goblin to fix a painting. A moving painting, of course. A painting of Voldemort that is basically in shreds, but can still communicate.
Really? REALLY? I actually said to myself “Come on! You’ve got to be kidding me.” Sorry Mr. Lippert, I just personally feel that this is a ridiculous way to take a story line, even if it is fan fiction. And yes, it is strictly my opinion, and not worth a can of pork-and-beans, but I find this almost comical.
Be aware, spoilers are ahead, and likely quite a few of them.
The first one being….
Arthur Weasley is dead. Yep, he had a heart attack. Killed him off, right at the beginning of the book. During his surprise 78 ½ birthday party. That’s probably normal for wizards, right? Molly said it was the only chance they had to surprise him, and he still got one over on them.
So we have the funeral, Draco and his wife show up, James gets his 1st pair of glasses, and he is NOT happy, and there is some type of shadow stalking him and causing all kinds of ruckus.
Then it is off to school for James’s 2nd year at Hogwarts, and Albus’s 1st year. Of course he is a nervous wreck, convinced he will get sorted into Slytherin, and James of course teasing him about it. An interesting fact, Albus Sirius Potter, ASP, is one of the most poisonous snakes in the world. This of course is why he is getting teased as bad as he is. I thought it was quite the coincidence that his initials worked out like that, when JK was the one who gave him the name. Was there a reason for it?
So, on the train, James and Albus both see the shadow again, and chase it throughout the train. Having it cornered, and it trying to remove the pin holding the cars together, James prepares to stun the shadow, just as Merlin grabs his arm and points it upward, telling James he shouldn’t do that to the Borley. Yes. The Borley. A form of Shade; shadow creatures. Completely magical beings. They grow from magic, so when someone does magic in front of them, they grow larger and stronger. What do they grow into? Wait for it….
Dementors.
Albus manages to get in a squabble with Scorpius, Draco Malfoy’s son. Soon enough, they reach Hogwarts, and are sorted. Scorpius Malfoy is a Gryffindor, and Albus Potter is a Slytherin.
So, I left off with Albus in Slytherin, and Scorpius in Gryffindor. Back in the common rooms, the 1st years of Gryffindor refuse to let Scorpius bunk with them, so he goes into the 2nd year’s room and takes James bed. James goes back to the common room, where he gets to be a look out for who knows what kind of trouble these kids are about to get in to. They won’t even tell James, letting him know that this way he can honestly plead ignorance.
Merlin asks for assistance from James, Ralph, and whomever else James chooses. James chooses Rose, and they go on a journey to retrieve some of Merlin’s belongings. (I am sure this will be important later).
As the school year gets to a start, the 2nd years seem less than impressed with their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Kendrick DeBellows. He is teaching class in the gymnasium (apparently none of the students knew Hogwarts had a gymnasium either) and requiring everyone to get into fit shape before learning the spells.
Albus seems to be taking to the Slytherins rather sportingly, and I am not quite sure if he told his parents yet. He has every intention of trying out for the Quidditch team, an idea that James is none too thrilled about.
Professor DeBellows is not teaching D.A.D.A. spells to the younger students, which has many asking James to form a group like back in his father’s day, when Umbridge wouldn’t let them use spells, and they formed Dumbledore’s Army. James bright idea on who to teach it? The ghost of Cedric Diggory. Yes, he is still floating around the castle, not sure why he is still there, and not sure where he is expected to go.
And this just takes the cake, and I cannot finish this story. While James Sirius Potter is talking to a painting, who is about to tell him some very, very juicy information, he gets a stabbing pain in his forehead, the same spot that has been itching for weeks. What is this, the scar we couldn’t see? Cedric the Ghost can see it; it glows green. Way to be original. And with that, folks, I am done. If you want to know how this ends, if is called James Potter and the Curse of the Gatekeeper. It’s free (It would have to be!), and you can find it on Goodreads.com
I apologize, but I can only handle so much ridiculousness. And yes, this is strictly my own opinion.
Though stories of spirits and hauntings and visits from ancestors of old are abundant in Sleepy Hollow, tiny neighbor to Tarry Town, nestled quietly in New York, the one most talked about is the Headless Horseman.
Legend claims he was a Hessian trooper, whose head was removed in a battle of the Revolutionary War, and the tale is told that he rides out nightly, in search of his head. Officially, he is known as The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.
Some blame the influence of the witching air that pervades Sleepy Hollow, some blame the story tellers, and some just blame the Headless Horseman himself.
We then learn about Ichabod Crane, resident of Sleepy Hollow, and teacher to the children of the residents. Described as tall, but lank, with a flat head, large ears, and green eyes that looked like glass, Ichabod does not a pleasant picture paint. The baggy clothes that made his attire only leant to the impression of a wandering scarecrow. Even more bewildering is the idea that Ichabod took up residence with the families of the students he taught, moving along to the next house a week at a time.
It seems that Ichabod’s real troubles started with the meeting of a particular woman; Katrina Van Tassel, the only daughter of a successful Dutch farmer. Ichabod took an instant liking to her when he saw her; and that liking increased exponentially when he saw her father’s farm, a farm that Katrina’s husband was sure to inherit. The only competition he seemed to have for her affections were from Brom Bones.
Brom began to torment Ichabod with practical jokes, unwilling to give himself a bad name by beating the lad up, though he could do it easily enough. Ichabod was good enough to avoid him as well to avoid having this happen.
Having been invited to the Van Tassel’s for the evening, Ichabod was more than willing to let school out early, to the excitement of his pupils. Ichabod goes on horseback to the Van Tassel farm, enjoying the beauty of Autumn in Sleepy Hollow (Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year and I could read these descriptive paragraphs in this story over and over again!)
Something certainly happened between Ichabod and Katrina that night, but what it was for sure, no one seems to know. He left the farm dejected and dismayed, upset over the idea of not taking over such a beautiful estate.
Riding back home, downtrodden and defeated, suddenly all the ghost stories that were told that night that he gave no attention to came crowding into his mind, leaving no room for any other thoughts.
With a mind of its own, as Ichabod became more scared, Gunsmoke, the horse he rode, seemed to be scared himself, and took Ichabod in a direction completely different from what he had intended. In the shadows appeared a form, huge and towering, not moving; just there. The apparition moved into the road, but came no closer. Ichabod moved away, but no matter the speed or direction he took, he was shadowed by this thing. Moving into the moonlight enough, he finally showed himself to be headless.
The last thing we hear of Ichabod is that the Headless Horseman threw his head at him, hitting him in the cranium and knocking him to the ground.
The horse returned home, sans rider. The saddle was found with a shattered pumpkin next to it, but never again was Ichabod Crane seen.
There were tales of course, that Ichabod was still alive, but chose to leave the town, both from embarrassment and disappointment of not winning Katrina’s heart. Brom married her; and always had a hearty laugh when the story of Ichabod was told, making some wonder if he knew more about it than he ever let on.
James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing
G. Norman Lippert
Not usually one to get myself involved in fan fiction (No, I do not have anything against it) I came across James Potter and the Hall of Elder’s Crossing. It had numerous reviews, mostly positive, some complainers, and there are also more books to this “series” as well.
James Potter is the oldest son of Harry and Ginny (Weasley) Potter, and older brother to Albus and Lily Potter. This book begins in James’ 1st year at Hogwarts, and it appears that the more things change, the more they stay the same, i.e., some talk of Voldemort. Yes, he really was killed, and will not be making a guest appearance in this story (at least he hasn’t yet!)
James immediately makes 2 friends, Zane, who is in Ravenclaw, and Ralph, who is in Slytherin. Ralph is quiet, reserved, and not the “Slytherin” type, so it will be interesting to see how he grows in these stories.
Some things at Hogwarts have changed, such as this trio tends to hang out in all of their common rooms, depending on what they are up to. A Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in the Slytherin common room takes a bit to get used to!
It seems as if James cannot get out from under his father’s shadow, but we do not hear too much about the “old” Hogwarts students, except for small mentions here-and-there.
It seems as if Merlin himself was a horrible magician, and he has a couple people who are trying to bring him back from the grips of death. The alignment of the planets, along with his staff, robe, and throne are all that are needed for him to come back to life on Earth.
But as usual, all is not as it seems at Hogwarts. Merlin does make it back, but it certainly wasn’t what I expected.
So, the storyline seemed to revolve around how a muggle news reporter was able to gain access to Hogwarts. After sneaking in a couple times, Mr. Prescott was apprehended and questioned by the staff. They let him go, knowing he would bring back the video cameras to reveal to the world that there were witches and wizards among them.
The staff of Hogwarts however, used this to humiliate Mr. Prescott, making everything look like bad magic tricks. The source of the leak was revealed, and of course, all that was wrong was put right again. Hufflepuff won the house cup at the end of the year (I would have never saw that coming!) They were the only house to not lose significant house points due to being involved with the whole Merlin conspiracy.
It seems as if Headmistress McGonagall is looking to retire and they are going to have Merlin be the next Headmaster. Everything gets neatly tied up in the end, and the school year comes to an end at Hogwarts.
It was a good read, obviously different from the Harry Potter books, but a good story none-the-less. I will likely read the next book he wrote, as soon as I figure out what it is!
So True! Being a librarian would be my dream job. Yes. I am serious 🙂
After Sophie is saved from plunging her car into the water, she is walking to her moms (Cora). Everything looks the same; the yard, the house, even her mother. Her mom lets her in, saying she had been waiting a long time for her to show up. It was her mother’s turn to tell her the story of her life. Sophie is not sure she is ready for this, but sits down anyway.
The story of Sophie’s mom and dad brings her the closure she is looking for. Sophie learns that there is such a thing as unconditional love, and just like she did for her daughter, protecting her and taking care of her, Sophie’s mom did the same for her.
(I don’t want to reveal too much of this story to you, should you decide to read it, but there are spoiler alerts ahead!)
Sophie hears the story of her Dad, Peter, and her real father, Matt. How Cora was engaged to Peter, Matt disappeared for years, and one day shows back up. Cora realizes Matt is who she truly loves, and ends it with Peter. Growing up, Cora, Peter, and Matt were inseparable.
Matt is also dying of brain cancer, with a 50% chance of making it through surgery. Cora spends every possible minute with Matt, and Peter even shows up on the day of his surgery to be there for both Sophie and Matt.
Cora ends up married to Peter, who promised Matt he would always take care of her. Sophie sees how everything has come full circle, and finally hears from Peter about how he blamed himself for her mother’s death. She didn’t leave anyone, she was killed in an airplane accident.
Sophie’s high school love also comes back into the picture, and they end up married, having 2 children of their own.
This really is a great story, a fast read, and I promise I did not give out too many spoilers that you would not enjoy reading this yourself. There is so much more that happened that I didn’t even mention 🙂 I downloaded this story free on my Nook, so if you have an e-reader, you should definitely look up this book and get it for yourself!
After it taking me weeks to finish “Dead on Demand”, I literally started this book as soon as I finished that one, and had it completely read before sun-up. It was a wonderful story, sad, beautiful, heartbreaking, and full of more emotions than you could imagine. It is a story that goes full circle, pulling in a few others while that circle is making its way around.
The Color of Heaven – Juilanne MacLean (writing as E.V. Mitchell)
Sophie had the perfect life, a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. Michael and Megan were everything to her, and then Megan got sick. At the too-soon age of 5, Megan passes away. Sophie cannot cope, and Michael drifts away. After losing her daughter, she loses her husband to his pregnant girlfriend who wasn’t afraid to move forward. She wasn’t even angry at him, because she understood.
A car accident that leaves her upside down in an iced over lake begins the changes in her life, the things that she will learn, the things she always knew but couldn’t bear to face, and the fact that it is okay for her to be happy.
Her relationship with her father has been irreparable ever since she was 14 and her mother left her, her sister, and her father. It is well past time for her to fix the things in her life that truly need fixing.
More to come later 🙂
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