the infinite sea

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity. Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race. Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate. -Goodreads

I struggled with rating this book. At times the story just felt choppy and disjointed. The last part of the book felt like the author forgot he left some characters back at a bombed out motel and just focused on Ringer and what she was going through. That being said, what Ringer was going through was pretty mesmerizing. At that point I didn't really care about Evan or Cassie or any of the rest of them. Hopefully by the 3rd book all the storylines will come back together. The ending left me in a pretty big lurch.

rating: 4 stars

the king's curse

Regarded as yet another threat to the volatile King Henry VII's claim to the throne, Margaret Pole, cousin to Elizabeth of York (known as the White Princess) and daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, is married off to a steady and kind Lancaster supporter;Sir Richard Pole. For his loyalty, Sir Richard is entrusted with the governorship of Wales, but Margaret's contented daily life is changed forever with the arrival of Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon. Margaret soon becomes a trusted advisor and friend to the honeymooning couple, hiding her own royal connections in service to the Tudors.  After the sudden death of Prince Arthur, Katherine leaves for London a widow, and fulfills her deathbed promise to her husband by marrying his brother, Henry VIII. Margaret's world is turned upside down by the surprising summons to court, where she becomes the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. But this charmed life of the wealthiest and holiest woman in England lasts only until the rise of Anne Boleyn, and the dramatic deterioration of the Tudor court. Margaret has to choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical king, or to her beloved queen; to the religion she loves or the theology which serves the new masters. Caught between the old world and the new, Margaret Pole has to find her own way as she carries the knowledge of an old curse on all the Tudors.- Goodreads

	It's a Philippa Gregory book, of course I liked it. I might even say it's one of my favorites of The Cousins' War series. I really enjoyed the voice that was given to Margaret Pole in this book. rating: 4 stars

egg & spoon

A fantasy set in Tsarist Russia.
Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar’s army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg — a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena’s age. When the two girls’ lives collide, an adventure is set in motion, an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and — in a starring role only Gregory Maguire could have conjured — Baba Yaga, witch of Russian folklore, in her ambulatory house perched on chicken legs - Goodreads

I liked this book, but I felt like Gregory Maguire got bored and just started adding odd content into this story. It started out great and then he just went overboard with little details that didn't add anything but a distraction from the story. Baba Yaga is an amazing character, but I could have done without the modern references. The Far Side reference was weird. It's a fun read, but annoying at times. rating: 3 stars

The Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance. - Goodreads

Have you ever felt like you went into mourning after reading a book? That's how I feel about this book. I loved the beautiful descriptions and emotional imagery. The characters were delightful. The story was inventive and brilliant. I absolutely and thoroughly loved it all...and I am going to miss it terribly.

rating: 5 stars

what remains

"What Remains" is a vivid and haunting memoir about a girl from a working-class town who becomes an award-winning television producer and marries a prince, Anthony Radziwill, one of a long line of Polish royals and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. Carole Radziwill's story is part fairy tale, part tragedy. She tells both with great candor and wit.Carole grew up in a small suburb with a large, eccentric cast of characters. She spent her childhood summers with her grandparents and an odd assortment of aunts and uncles in their poorly plumbed A-frame on the banks of a muddy creek in upstate New York.At the age of nineteen, Carole struck out for New York City to find a different life. Her career at ABC News led her to the refugee camps of Cambodia, to a bunker in Tel Aviv, to the scene of the Menendez murders. Her marriage led her into the old world of European nobility and the newer world of American aristocracy. "What Remains" begins with loss and returns to loss. A small plane plunges into the ocean, carrying John Kennedy, Anthony's cousin, and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Carole's closest friend. Three weeks later Anthony dies of cancer. The summer of the plane crash, the four friends were meant to be cherishing Anthony's last days. Instead, Carole and Anthony mourned John and Carolyn, even as Carole planned her husband's memorial. Carole Radziwill has an anthropologist's sensibility and a journalist's eye. She writes about families--their customs, their secrets, and their tangled intimacies-- with remarkable acuity and humanity. She explores the complexities of marriage, the importance of friendship, and the challenges of self-invention with unflinching honesty. This is acompelling story of love, loss, and, ultimately, resilience. –Goodreads

I'm not sure how to rate a memoir... Do you give it a lower rating because you don't like how the story ends? Or the characters? You can't really do that, since it's a memoir. I didn't like how the story ends, but I knew that before I started reading the book. I like Carole Radziwill. She's the "It" girl and she doesn't even have to try. I really enjoyed her style of writing. The flow of her writing is effortless to read. Maybe I should have given it a higher rating considering I couldn't go to sleep until I finished it... Which means it was very late at night and I was on the floor of my closet with tears streaming down my face.

rating: 3 stars

a great and terrible beauty

It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to? – Goodreads

I tried. I really tried. I've had this book for a month and tried to read it, but finally I give up. I just can’t get into the story or the characters…and I'm not wasting anymore time on it. I may give it a go some other time, but right now this just isn’t the series for me.

rating: not finished

prisoner of night and fog

In 1930s Munich, danger lurks behind dark corners, and secrets are buried deep within the city. But Gretchen Müller, who grew up in the National Socialist Party under the wing of her "uncle" Dolf, has been shielded from that side of society ever since her father traded his life for Dolf's, and Gretchen is his favorite, his pet. Uncle Dolf is none other than Adolf Hitler. And Gretchen follows his every command. Until she meets a fearless and handsome young Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen. Gretchen should despise Daniel, yet she can't stop herself from listening to his story: that her father, the adored Nazi martyr, was actually murdered by an unknown comrade. She also can't help the fierce attraction brewing between them, despite everything she's been taught to believe about Jews. As Gretchen investigates the very people she's always considered friends, she must decide where her loyalties lie. Will she choose the safety of her former life as a Nazi darling, or will she dare to dig up the truth—even if it could get her and Daniel killed? From debut author Anne Blankman comes this harrowing and evocative story about an ordinary girl faced with the extraordinary decision to give up everything she's ever believed . . . and to trust her own heart instead. – Goodreads

I really liked this story. It's the first book in a series and I'm not sure when the next will be published...oh how I hate waiting.

I look forward to finding out what happens to Gretchen and Daniel. I think we all know what eventually happens to Hitler.

The only problem I had with the story is how fast Gretchen was able to go from a darling in the Nazi party to realizing the evil that was sweeping over Munich and soon the rest of Germany.

rating: 4 stars

april 2014 update

I posted a few things from April, but I thought I would go back and highlight a few things I missed…

~~~~~

The first weekend in April is General Conference. It is a wonderful weekend to be spiritually fed, but it’s also a weekend that we get to enjoy church in our pajamas.

We also started a rule about no electronics…not even for scriptures. It really makes a difference in our house while Conference is on.

But it is kinda distracting sitting next to this joker while trying to listen and learn…

~~~~~

After Conference we decided a little fresh air would be fun. So we loaded up and headed to Fountain Hills…because they have a fountain.

A really big fountain.

And who can be completely serious when there is a big fountain behind you?

Not Roo…

Or Einstein…

Or even Candie…

I know, I know.

More Fountain Hills fun.

~~~~~

As April went by the puppies started showing more of their personalities…

Which may have ended with more kennel time for them.

~~~~~

I love sitting down in the evening a reading. Since the Little’s had to read every evening for school soon it became a family affair.

Oh how I love these kids of mine…

~~~~~

The puppies weren’t completely naughty…

for maybe a minute.

~~~~~

It still odd to not be in the driver seat any more.

It’s even more odd that he’s in the driver’ seat.

~~~~~

I am serious…best cul-de-sac EVER!

~~~~~

April ended with a AZ Diamondback’s date night…and they actually won! Woo Hoo!

~~~~~

Watch out…May’s update is coming soon!

the forgotten sister

'I prayed for a brother every night. My two older sisters also prayed. They felt the want of a brother equally keenly, for our father's estate was entailed upon a male heir, and without a brother to provide for us or a rich husband to rescue us, we would all be destitute.' Mary Bennet has been long overshadowed by the beauty and charm of her older sisters, Jane and Elizabeth, and by the forwardness and cheek of her younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia. From her post in the wings of the Bennet family, Mary now watches as Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy – and Mr Wickham – glide into her sisters' lives. While she can view these three gentlemen quite dispassionately (and, as it turns out, accurately), can she be equally clear-sighted when she finally falls in love herself? In this elegant retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Mary at last learns – with a little help from the man she loves – to question her family's values and overcome her own brand of 'pride and prejudice'. – Goodreads

I'm always sucked in to books that claim to be a retelling of Pride and Prejudice...and I'm always disappointed. Because really? There is the only one Jane Austen. But once I'm able to let go of the fact that an author is silly enough to try to rewrite a classic and just enjoy the book as it's own story I can enjoy it. I didn't like the personality that this author tried to give Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet or of Mr. Bennet. And why are modern authors so cruel to Mr. Bennet? As a retelling of Pride and Prejudice I really disliked it.

As a story about a girl named Mary Bennet I like it...quite a bit.

rating: 4 stars

the historian

To you, perceptive reader, I bequeath my history…
Late one night, exploring her father’s library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to ‘My dear and unfortunate successor’. Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of – a labyrinth where the secrets of her father’s past and her mother’s mysterious fate connect to an evil hidden in the depths of history. – Goodreads

This is how you write a book about vampires. It's a daunting book, but well worth the 600+ pages.

rating: 5 starts

the supreme macaroni company

For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past . . . and a secret. A piece of surprising news is revealed at The Feast of the Seven Fishes when Valentine and Gianluca join her extended family on a fateful Christmas Eve. Now faced with life altering choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: "A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything." The proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves -- the bitter and the sweetness of life itself. Romantic and poignant, told with humor and warmth, and bursting with a cast of endearing characters, The Supreme Macaroni Company is a sumptuous feast of delights: a portrait of a woman and the man she loves, her passion for craftsmanship, and the sacrifices it takes to build and sustain a family business while keeping love and laughter at the center of everything. – Goodreads

** spoiler alert **

This book has so many flaws I don't know where to begin...
What happened to the usual beautiful storytelling? The story is totally flawed. There are continuity issues that one might expect from a young author, but not an experienced author. The "witty" dialogue is just obnoxious and stereotypical of big Italian families. The character of Valentine is so annoying in this book. How does someone who eats, breathes and lives her family-owned company all of a sudden decides to name her factory The Supreme Macaroni Company, a factory that makes shoes? And how does someone who we are constantly reminded how important her company is and how nothing comes before it and how she is so involved with every aspect of her business not know that Gianluca sold his home to finance this new factory. And don't even get me started with the shock ending.
Completely unbelievable and very disappointing...

rating: one star

brava, valentine

Very Valentine, an instant New York Times bestseller, introduced the contemporary family saga of the Roncalli and Angelini families, artisans of handcrafted wedding shoes in Greenwich Village since 1903. As Brava, Valentine begins, snow falls like glitter over Tuscany at the wedding of her grandmother, Teodora, and longtime love, Dominic. Valentine's dreams are dashed when Gram announces that Alfred, "the prince," Valentine's only brother and nemesis, has been named her partner at Angelini Shoes. Devastated, Valentine falls into the arms of Gianluca, a sexy Tuscan tanner who made his romantic intentions known on the Isle of Capri. Despite their passion for one another and Gianluca's heartfelt letters, a long-distance relationship seems impossible. As Valentine turns away from romance and devotes herself to her work, mentor and pattern cutter June Lawton guides her through her power struggle with Alfred, while best friend and confidante Gabriel Biondi moves into 166 Perry Street, transforming her home and point of view. Savvy financier Bret Fitzpatrick, Valentine's first love and former fiancée who still carries a torch for her, encourages Valentine to exploit her full potential as a designer and a business woman with a plan that will bring her singular creations to the world. A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis and Valentine is determined to hold her family together. More so, she longs to create one of her own, but is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her. Brava, Valentine, Trigiani's best novel yet, delivers a hilarious and poignant mix of colorful worlds and unforgettable characters as only she can create them. – Goodreads

This book felt more like the usual Adriana Trigiani story...and was the book that finally got me out of my reading slump.

rating: 4 stars

very valentine

Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. Very Valentine is the first novel in a trilogy and is sure to be the new favorite of Trigiani's millions of fans around the world. In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin. While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected. Very Valentine is a sumptuous treat, a journey of dreams fulfilled, a celebration of love and loss filled with Trigiani's trademark heart and humor. – Goodreads

Nobody writes a epic family story like Adriana Trigiani. I'm not sure if she wanted to make sure that we all remembered that Valentine was in the fashion industry or she just fell in love with color while writing this book. She is VERY descriptive about every little detail of this story...Every. little. detail. The book would have been just a lovely without beating us with the little details.

Rating: 3 stars

longbourn

• Pride and Prejudice was only half the story •
If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them.
In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice,the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended. Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s classic—into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily particulars faced by the lower classes in Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars—and, in doing so, creates a vivid, fascinating, fully realized world that is wholly her own. ~ Goodreads

As soon as I was able to forget this is supposed to be a back story to Pride and Prejudice and read it as it's own story I enjoyed the book. Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice and the Elizabeth Bennett from this book were completely unrecognizable. And the portrayal of Mr. Bennett was completely unkind.

Beyond that I like the story as a stand alone story. I enjoyed the character of Sarah. I wanted her to find the happiness that she remembered as a child.

rating: 4 stars

battle of the ampere michael vey book 3

The hair-raising action continues for Michael Vey in this charged third installment of the #1 New York Timesbestselling series.In the third book of the electrifying Michael Vey series, Michael and his friends must continue to fight the Elgen and try to disrupt their plans to rule the world. – Goodreads

This is the third book of the Michel Vey story and it picks up right where book 2 left off. This is not a stand-alone story, to fully understand the situation Michael Vey and his friends find themselves in and the battle they face, you need to read the first two books. They are clean, fast-paced books about some teens with electrical super powers. That sounds kind of cheesy, but they are fun books to read.

rating: 4 stars

fools' gold order of darkness book three

All that glitters may well be gold in the third book in the Order of Darkness quartet filled with intrigue, mystery, and romance, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory. Tasked to expose a coin counterfeiting scheme, Luca and Isolde travel to Venice just in time for Carnival. Amid the masks, parties, and excitement, the romantic attraction between the two reaches a new intensity that neither can deny. Their romance is interrupted by the arrival of the alchemist, who may be the con artist they’ve been looking for. But as Luca starts to investigate the original charge, the alchemist reveals his true goal—he plans to create the Philosopher’s Stone, a mystical substance said to be capable of turning base metals into gold and producing the elixir of life. With pounds of undocumented gold coins and an assistant who claims to be decades older than she appears, all evidence points to the possibility that the alchemist has succeeded in his task. But as Luca and Isolde get closer to the truth, they discover that reality may be more sinister than they ever could have imagined. – Goodreads

I just don't enjoy these books as much as I enjoy Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction...yet I keep coming back for more.

Rating: 2 stars

the interestings

From bestselling author Meg Wolitzer a dazzling, panoramic novel about what becomes of early talent, and the roles that art, money, and even envy can play in close friendships.
The summer that Nixon resigns, six teenagers at a summer camp for the arts become inseparable. Decades later the bond remains powerful, but so much else has changed. In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge. The kind of creativity that is rewarded at age fifteen is not always enough to propel someone through life at age thirty; not everyone can sustain, in adulthood, what seemed so special in adolescence. Jules Jacobson, an aspiring comic actress, eventually resigns herself to a more practical occupation and lifestyle. Her friend Jonah, a gifted musician, stops playing the guitar and becomes an engineer. But Ethan and Ash, Jules’s now-married best friends, become shockingly successful—true to their initial artistic dreams, with the wealth and access that allow those dreams to keep expanding. The friendships endure and even prosper, but also underscore the differences in their fates, in what their talents have become and the shapes their lives have taken. Wide in scope, ambitious, and populated by complex characters who come together and apart in a changing New York City, The Interestings explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shift and tilt precipitously over the course of a friendship and a life. – Goodreads

I was not a big fan of this book overall. I trudged through hoping I would like it more than I did.

rating: 2 stars

taste of darkness

She's fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears? Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever. But there's a more immediate threat: The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever. Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.  -Goodreads

I am a true creature of habit and when I find an author I enjoy I will try to read all of their books. I really like Maria V. Snyder. I like her characters, usually the main character is a strong female, and I like her writing style.
But this book...
I'm not sure if it had been too long since I've read the previous book or if in the previous 2 books there was so much added that it was hard to wrap up in just 1 book. There were characters from the first two books that were mentioned over and over without really even being in this book. And all of a sudden a new bad guy enters the story out of nowhere? And the military strategy...enough already. I was lost about which army was going which direction to cut off what other army. Not to mention the endless wandering the main characters did. And the guessing about who is really dead or just assumed dead. You know it's bad when the characters talk about being confused about whether someone is actually dead or just missing. And the ending just kind of came to a screeching halt. A good screeching halt, but jarring nonetheless.
If I were to recommend a Maria Snyder series to read I would probably not pick this one.

Rating: 3 stars

hollow city

The extraordinary journey that began in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children continues as Jacob Portman and his newfound friends journey to London the peculiar capital of the world. But in this war-torn city, hideous surprises lurk around every corner. Like its predecessor, this second novel in the Peculiar Children series blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reacting experience.     - Goodreads

I liked the story in Hollow City better than Miss Peregrine's Home. It's a very interesting concept. The pictures were much less creepy and some looked photo-shopped to fit with the story, and I am fine with that. I think this book could stand on it's own without the pictures. I'm not sure the first could have done that.

Now the wait for book 3.

Rating: 4 stars

the white princess

Philippa Gregory, #1 New York Times best­selling author and “the queen of royal fiction” (USA Today), presents the latest Cousins’ War novel, the remarkable story of Elizabeth of York, daughter of the White Queen. When Henry Tudor picks up the crown of England from the mud of Bosworth field, he knows he must marry the princess of the enemy house—Elizabeth of York—to unify a country divided by war for nearly two decades. But his bride is still in love with his slain enemy, Richard III—and her mother and half of England dream of a missing heir, sent into the unknown by the White Queen. While the new monarchy can win power, it cannot win hearts in an England that plots for the triumphant return of the House of York. Henry’s greatest fear is that somewhere a prince is waiting to invade and reclaim the throne. When a young man who would be king leads his army and invades England, Elizabeth has to choose between the new husband she is coming to love and the boy who claims to be her beloved lost brother: the rose of York come home at last.   - Goodreads

I am an unapologetic fan of Philippa Gregory. One of my favorite genre is historical fiction and she is by far the Queen of Historical Fiction. I have read most of her books and I know before I read them I will like them…well, I am on the fence when it comes to her new YA fiction. So it’s not surprising that I enjoyed this book.

Rating: 4 stars