library – Page 18 – booksandopinions.com

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister – Gregory Maguire

September 20, 2014October 9, 2014Angela4 Comments

This is not your mother’s fairy tale! Gregory Maguire has created quite the niche for himself, reconstructing fairy tales we have heard our whole lives, giving us the backstory, and twisting it up a bit.

What really happened with Cinderella, her step-sisters, and her step-mother? It is all right here.

This story is told from the viewpoint of Iris, who is burdened with taking care of the disabled Ruth as well as keeping peace in the family. (There is even a twist there, but no spoilers from me!)

Clara is beautiful. Her step-sisters Ruth and Iris do not fail to notice this. Her own mother had kept Clara locked away from the world before she died. Things would not change very much for her with her new family.

Iris wants nothing more than to paint, and be with her tutor’s apprentice.

There are many subplots, and lots of twists and turns. Everyone has an agenda, telling themselves they only want the best for themselves and their families.

This is not a complicated read, with too much going on that you cannot follow the many plots going on. If you think you know what really happened to Cinderella, I would like to suggest you open this book up and read about it from a different perspective. It is certainly worth the time and effort. You will not be disappointed.

For Your Friday !

Image September 19, 2014October 9, 2014AngelaLeave a comment

Better Than I Hoped, and Not What I Expected

September 18, 2014October 9, 2014AngelaLeave a comment

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter – Seth Grahame-Smith

Being a huge fan of all things Abraham Lincoln, I was a little worried when I first picked up this book that it was just going to be horrible, and ruin my penchant for Abe forever. Boy was I wrong!

Even persons vaguely familiar with Abraham Lincoln are likely aware of the love he had for his mother. Her passing was devastating to the young Abe, and although he loved his step-mother very deeply, no one could fill that void.

That is where this journey begins. It begins with Abe finding out a vampire is responsible for his mother’s death. He discovers a vampire colony that is responsible for numerous unsolved deaths. And then he meets Henry Sturges. Vampire extraordinaire, Henry has the same goal as Abe. Henry teaches Abraham the ins-and-outs of vampires, and Abe is a willing student.

What did the vampires have to do with the Civil War and the reshaping of our nation? More than you would ever believe. This story is told from the 3^rd person perspective, with the journal entries of Abraham Lincoln dispersed throughout.

We all know who won the war, and what became of Abe, so I will not spoil the story any more. But if you like history, Abraham Lincoln, or vampires, you definitely need to read this book!

Tuesday’s Thought For The Day!

September 16, 2014September 16, 2014Angela1 Comment

Reading Things you Would Really Rather Not…

September 15, 2014Angela3 Comments

…I have been doing a lot of this lately. Being about halfway done with my MBA has me reading textbooks, data, statistics, charts and graphs, and the occasional book written on leadership. I am happy with how far I have gotten so far, and that I made the decision to take this journey for myself.

I just always seem to forget how much time I do not have for reading, until I am no longer able to do it. It just took me a month to finish a book I could have read in one day. A month! Anyone who knows me knows that me needing a month to finish the book means one of two things; either the book was absolutely horrible, or I was just too busy.

Luckily I have gained the courage to stop reading horrible books. You know what I mean, right? You start reading a book, and it is terrible, yet you feel terribly guilty for leaving a book unfinished. I have finished my fair share of not-so-great books because I was not brave enough to close it without ever knowing how it ended. Well not anymore. Not for me. I have finally started to realize the value of my time, and it is much too valuable to read some of the garbage I have come across lately. It almost makes me feel sad to think of the number of books I have not been able to finish lately. Did you see my blog post (okay, rant!) on self-publishing? You may want to check it out. It’s right here: https://booksandopinions.com/2014/08/05/do-you-self-publish/

I have a stack of books I want to read, sitting next to my stack of school books. I have a few days break between classes, and am wondering how many books I can get read in that amount of time. I am not a fan of wishing my time away, but I cannot wait until it gets closer to the holiday season, and I have some extended time available to do my favorite thing: sit in a reclining chair with a good book, my cat, and read myself into oblivion.

Murder at the Cherry Festival – Richard Baldwin

September 14, 2014AngelaLeave a comment

Another great read by Richard Baldwin, this Michigan-based story takes place in Traverse City, one of Michigan’s more beautiful towns if you have never been there.

I have seen some reviews to Mr. Baldwin’s books that are pretty harsh, critiquing the fact that the local police would never let a citizen assist in any cases, etc. etc. This story is fiction. Fiction. It is an easy read, and flows nice right from the beginning, to the middle, and the ending is something that you usually don’t expect or see ahead of time.

This story concerns the murder of Tom McNutt, Grand Marshal for the Cherry Festival, and winery owner with a score of enemies. There is one witness, a teenage girl, and a list of suspects as long as your arm. The descriptions are spot on, and the characters are well developed.

There is nothing too complicated here, and is a good story to read on a cold and rainy weekend, which seems to be the current season in Michigan.

This is the 3rd book by Mr. Baldwin that I have read, and I will definitely be getting more!

Friday Fun Facts!

September 12, 2014Angela1 Comment

Scary Books? How do you feel about them? I used to be able to read them all the time, and I loved it! Now they just kind of freak me out 🙂 I used to love being curled up in my bed with a small lamp on reading a book that just literally freaked me out. I would hear sounds that I heard every day in my house, and now I would start wondering who or what could possibly be in my house! It has been a while since I have read a truly scary book, I think Dr. Sleep by Stephen King was the last. I think I am going to have to revisit some classics, including this one that completely scared the bejeebies out of me. I still question if this is a true story or not, and definitely lean towards true. I will admit that I can no longer watch any scary movies, but The Amityville Horror movie, both old and the remake, completely freaked me out.

What is your favorite scary book?

Friday Fun Facts!

August 15, 2014AngelaLeave a comment

Patricia Cornwell

Born: June 9, 1956

Wrote: numerous Kay Scarpetta novels, starting with Postmortem, as well as The Body Farm, Potter’s Field, and numerous others, with the latest being 2014’s Flesh and Blood. She has also written a couple other series, but no where to the extent of the Scarpetta series.

Awards: Too many to list them all, but they include the Edgar Award, Sherlock Award, and British Book Awards.

Personal: Patricia married one of her professors shortly after graduation, and divorced 9 years later. She was in a relationship with a married female FBI agent before meeting and marrying Staci Gruber in 2005.

She suffered with Anorexia Nervosa and depression, as well as bipolar disorder.