Book Review: "Havisham" by Ronald Frame
Havisham by Ronald Frame is the prequel to Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Frame takes the jaded and unhinged Catherine Havisham out of her musty clothes and turns back the clock. We find Catherine as a young girl learning about herself, where she is full of life and hope, and longing before her future life stunting heartbreak.
I enjoyed learning about Catherine's before: her family relationships and friendships. How her beloved father strove to turn her from a wealthy businessman's daughter into a Lady. To do this, Frame had to take the elusive - even ethereal Havisham and make her a real multidimensional character. Just as Dorothy unmasking the wizard ruined the magic, Catherine Havisham looses some of her mystique as her ghostly wedding gown is replaced with fancy ball gowns. He begins this demystification of Catherine Havisham at a place a reader would easily recall from Dickens' tale; the point when Estella first encountered her adoptive mother. The opening scene was a fragmented and brief glimpse into that day which set the tone for the entire novel which was written in these fragmented glimpses. This fragmented style of writing was interesting, but at times a bit frustrating much like trying to stream a video that keeps buffering. Overall I enjoyed the novel because it allowed me a glimpse into Havisham's past and her own mental anguish. I thought Frame really could've delved deeper into the psychological aspect of Havisham's unraveling and found the lack of this aspect to her demystification disappointing.Would I recommend this?. Yes. Especially if you're a fan of the classic.Havisham by Ronald FramePublished by Random House LLC on 28 Jan 2014Genre: Young AdultStand Alone or Series: It’s a loner.Source: NetGalleyFormat: eARCBuy on Amazon• GoodreadsHaven't read the classic? You can download it on Amazon for your Kindle for free!
A Week By The Sea - Lyrics 5591/Justin Furstenfeld - Blue October
Precise like a metronome, to the boneSo calm, you're a week below the seaI'm blessed like a leprechaun finding your goldTwo cheers for the low that you take up to highThey come crashing like a winter warm rainSo soft you could tremble on all of my soulChorus:Cause yeah, you show me to the open part of my soulCause yeah, you show me to the open part of my soulCause yeah, you show me to the open part of my soulSoul, my soulSo I'll rise when you ask me to, and follow throughI'll climb to the highest point blankI'll crawl just to get to you, you are my homeAnd only time will be the judge of this romantic trialWhen I'll kiss away your worries of meJust smile and believe that you live in my soulChorus:Cause yeah, you show me to the open part of my soulCause yeah, you show me to the open part of my soulCause yeah, you show me to the open part of my soulI said you show me to the open part of my soulImpressed by the who you are, shooting starBest-dressed by the fall, you are treeTwo steps to the intimate part of my soulYou show meYou show me to...my soulShow me toYou show me to***I love this song. It's not been officially released but I've got a demo of it from the band. You can Google and find videos of Justin Furstenfeld performing it. It's got a really cool electronica sort of beat.Check out Blue October online at blueoctober.com
Half Agony. Half Hope.
This morning I heard my boys whispering intently in their playroom. I waited a while until I went to inquire as to the topic of such debate and found them playing amicably. I inquired as to what they'd been whispering about and was told, by my five year old Evan, "We were working out our differences." I smiled and said, "Oh. Okay." Then went about my business. There are some days when you feel like you're failing as a mother and other times when you feel like you're doing it right. This morning I felt like I was doing it right.
Love & Hopexo
The One Where Jolene Perry Guest Blogs & We SHOULD Be Buds!
I love when authors come to visit! Please welcome Jolene Perry! So. When I'm on blogs that I don't visit often, I feel the need to skim them over and check them out, and the longer I was on Nicole's blog, the more I was like - WE MUST BE FRIENDS! WE HAVE LOTS AND LOTS IN COMMON.FIRST - PROJECT RUNWAY. I love this show. LOVE. This is the only bit of reality TV that I watch. I have not missed an episode. Ever.SECOND - There are a lot of Twilight posts on this blog. I will readily admit that I don't have TV and when I want it on just to have it on... I usually toss in a Twilight movie.THIRD - I Have a board on Pinterest labeled - STUFF THAT MADE ME SMILE.For real.SO, there.Anyway. Since I gave you three reasons why me and Nicole should be friends, I thought I'd also give you three reasons to read my book ;-)ONE -Writing a guy with one arm who is falling for a girl and is trying to figure out how to be with her, how to get closer to her, when he's used to having two arms... It was fun.TWO -Kate is a scattered mess who rarely does the right thing the first time - very much like me.THREE -The hair cutting scene, the scene where Kate helps him drive his stick shift car before he has to sell it, the scene where he kisses her in the back of said car, the night she sleeps over and where I wrote my fav sex-scene EVAH :-)So. Thank you SO much for letting me "invade" for a day!!!!~ Jolene
"All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction."
Scoop up The Summer I Found You on AMAZON/BARNES & NOBLEFind Jolene Perry Online: Blog • Twitter • Website • Facebook • Tumblr Jolene Perry is a YA Author of:Out of Play The Summer I Found You (March 1, 2014)Stronger Than You Know (September 1, 2014)Love Blind (2015)Other Books By Jolene Perry Thanks Jolene!Can't wait to read The Summer I Found You!xo nicole
The One Where Jolene Perry Guest Blogs & We SHOULD Be Buds!
I love when authors come to visit! Please welcome Jolene Perry! So. When I'm on blogs that I don't visit often, I feel the need to skim them over and check them out, and the longer I was on Nicole's blog, the more I was like - WE MUST BE FRIENDS! WE HAVE LOTS AND LOTS IN COMMON.FIRST - PROJECT RUNWAY. I love this show. LOVE. This is the only bit of reality TV that I watch. I have not missed an episode. Ever.SECOND - There are a lot of Twilight posts on this blog. I will readily admit that I don't have TV and when I want it on just to have it on... I usually toss in a Twilight movie.THIRD - I Have a board on Pinterest labeled - STUFF THAT MADE ME SMILE.For real.SO, there.Anyway. Since I gave you three reasons why me and Nicole should be friends, I thought I'd also give you three reasons to read my book ;-)ONE -Writing a guy with one arm who is falling for a girl and is trying to figure out how to be with her, how to get closer to her, when he's used to having two arms... It was fun.TWO -Kate is a scattered mess who rarely does the right thing the first time - very much like me.THREE -The hair cutting scene, the scene where Kate helps him drive his stick shift car before he has to sell it, the scene where he kisses her in the back of said car, the night she sleeps over and where I wrote my fav sex-scene EVAH :-)So. Thank you SO much for letting me "invade" for a day!!!!~ Jolene
"All they have in common is that they're less than perfect. And all they're looking for is the perfect distraction."
Scoop up The Summer I Found You on AMAZON/BARNES & NOBLEFind Jolene Perry Online: Blog • Twitter • Website • Facebook • Tumblr Jolene Perry is a YA Author of:Out of Play The Summer I Found You (March 1, 2014)Stronger Than You Know (September 1, 2014)Love Blind (2015)Other Books By Jolene Perry Thanks Jolene!Can't wait to read The Summer I Found You!xo nicole
Book Review: "And We Stay" by Jenny Hubbard
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard the author of Paper Covers Rock is a story of overcoming tragedy and is full of good prose and in a few instances poetry which caused me do that thing, where you inhale and hold it for a second…because you want to pause for a moment to give yourself enough time to really absorb the words.Though I enjoyed the story overall, I felt disconnected from the main character Emily Beam, as she tried to deal with her guilt over the role she played in the events that transpired in her school's library. Events, which ultimately led her to be in Amerherst, the home town of her favorite poet Emily Dickinson. I have to wonder if the author didn't choose to write in third person so that the reader would feel a separation from Emily, much like she felt from the world as she struggled to face the pivotal moments that shattered her life. It is through her poetry the reader really begins to feel for Emily, and I suppose that is the point.If I had one issue with the plot it's with regards to Emily Beam's character mirroring to perfectly in a lot of ways that of Emily Dickinson. I however enjoyed some of the history regarding Emily Dickinson and the treat of both her poems and those written by her namesake.And We Stay by Jenny HubbardPublished by Random House LLC on 28 Jan 2014Genre: Young AdultStand Alone or Series: It's a loner.Source: NetGalleyFormat: eARCBuy on Amazon • Goodreads
Book Review: "And We Stay" by Jenny Hubbard
And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard the author of Paper Covers Rock is a story of overcoming tragedy and is full of good prose and in a few instances poetry which caused me do that thing, where you inhale and hold it for a second…because you want to pause for a moment to give yourself enough time to really absorb the words.Though I enjoyed the story overall, I felt disconnected from the main character Emily Beam, as she tried to deal with her guilt over the role she played in the events that transpired in her school's library. Events, which ultimately led her to be in Amerherst, the home town of her favorite poet Emily Dickinson. I have to wonder if the author didn't choose to write in third person so that the reader would feel a separation from Emily, much like she felt from the world as she struggled to face the pivotal moments that shattered her life. It is through her poetry the reader really begins to feel for Emily, and I suppose that is the point.If I had one issue with the plot it's with regards to Emily Beam's character mirroring to perfectly in a lot of ways that of Emily Dickinson. I however enjoyed some of the history regarding Emily Dickinson and the treat of both her poems and those written by her namesake.And We Stay by Jenny HubbardPublished by Random House LLC on 28 Jan 2014Genre: Young AdultStand Alone or Series: It's a loner.Source: NetGalleyFormat: eARCBuy on Amazon • Goodreads