Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

13. Read 101 books (31/101) (more info)

Rating ***

(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)

This book in 6 words : A great introduction to the fey!

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr is another book that I can’t remember where I heard about it from (I’ve since started keeping a GoogleDoc form)… I requested it from the library and although I have a ton of books just waiting to be read, it got picked randomly yesterday and I couldn’t put it down.

RULE 1 : Don’t stare at invisible faeries.

RULE 2 : Don’t speak to invisible faeries.

RULE 3 : Don’t ever attract their attention.

Aislinn has always seen faeries and she fears their cruelty. So imagine her fear when a terrifyingly beautiful Keenan starts following her.  Keenan is the Summer King who has spent the last nine centuries wooing mortal girls in the hopes that one of them will becoming his Summer King and save the lives of all his fey and humans.

I’ve never read a book about faeries and to be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect. I assume every author has their own take on the subject and I like what Melissa Marr was done with this series. Each chapter starts with a quote from a book about faeries explaining the “laws” or giving hints of what will happen. I liked the mix of human and faerie worlds and the idea that this all exists without any of us knowing.

I was surprised to like Aislinn and loved watching her become more commanding and strong as the book went on. I LOVED that her bestfriend and mortal love-interest isn’t your typical nice guy. He’s sweet, caring, smart, and has piercing and long hair. He’s the crowd your parents warn you about without really knowing them.

Keenan’s story and personality is complex and to be honest I don’t have it all figured out (I guess that’s why there are sequels!). I liked the other side character, Donia, and am happy to see her play such a large role in the story.

I’ll recommend this book to those who like YA Fantasy. From what I gather Ink Exchange is a sequel about another character and Fragile Eternity goes back to Aislinn and Keenan. I will probably pick up the books from the library, but won’t be rushing out to buy them.

Stray by Rachel Vincent

13. Read 101 books (31/101) (more info)

Rating ***

(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)

This book in 6 words : Wondering why I didn’t like weres!

To be honest I’m not sure where I heard about Stray by Rachel Vincent (Did you write about it recently? Let me know!). I usually skip over books about weres. I’m a vampire girl all the way. Well… I thought I was… Turns out I really liked this book and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

I picked the book off the coffee table for Friday Firsts and posted the first few sentences:

The moment the door opened I knew an ass-kicking was inevitable. Whether I’d be giving or receiving it was still a bit of a mystery.

I then took the book with me to work and read it on my break. After working two shifts (waitressing during Valentine’s Day weekend nonetheless!), I came home and stayed up until 4:30am to finish the book.

At 25, Faythe wants what most quarter-life crisis girls want, freedom and time to figure out what the hell they want to do with their life. However, Faythe is not your average grad student. She’s the only daughter of an alpha were-cat who wants nothing more than for her to come home and make babies with his second in command. After a fellow tabby goes missing, Faythe is ordered to come home until things are safe.

This book is packed full tension both emotional and sexual. I loved Faythe’s personality (so maybe she reminds me a little of me…) and her would-be beau, Marc, is a hardass with a soft-side. With plenty of supporting characters and a well thought-out world, you’ll find yourself lost in Vincent’s story.

SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR A WARNING!! (highlight with cursor to read) —> There is some violence against women including rape and murder.<—

I would recommend this book for those who love a good urban fantasy or paranormal. I’d also suggest fans of mystery check it out. I will be reading the next books in the series.

Fire by Kristin Cashore

13. Read 101 books (30/101) (more info)

Rating **** 3/4

(Same review as posted at 25HourBooks.com)

This book in 6 words : can’t believe waited to read this

I put off reading Fire by Kristin Cashore. I LOVED Graceling and believe I was hesitant out of fear that it wouldn’t live up to the first book and would cause Graceling to lose some of its magic. I was wrong. It only made me love the world Cashore created even more. If I had to pick a favorite between the two I’m not sure that I could. I will say that although others have said that you could read these out of order, I believe it’s best to read Graceling first and then Fire.

With wild, irresistable appearance and hair like the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she has the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.  – inside book cover

Fire is set in the same world as Graceling but across the mountains in a kingdom called the Dells and years earlier. The Dells doesn’t have native Gracelings, however they do have monsters. Beautiful, colorful, mind-stealing monsters of all kinds. Fire is the last human monster. The kingdom around her is in the middle of an internal battle and Fire must find her place in the war.

This book is much more adult than Graceling. There is plenty of action, but most of the conflict is emotional. It is also darker and more complex. There are more characters, but I never felt confused. I will say that I cried more than I expected. I think I realized how talented Cashore really is when I came across a twist in the story that was kind of obvious, but I had completely overlooked it because I was so entranced by the story.

THANK YOU to everyone who voted for this and got me to finally read it!! I highly recommend this to everyone, but again I must insist that you read Graceling first. I cannot wait for the next book in the series, Bitterblue, to come out! I’m now suffering from severe PABD — Wait, you don’t know what PABD is? Well then head over here and see if you have it and how to live with it.

The Invention of Lying (2009)

30. Watch 101 new movies (49/101) (more info)

Rating ****1/2

I loved The Invention of Lying (2009)! In a world where everyone tells the truth – and just about anything they’re thinking, Mark Bellison isn’t happy. He is a screenwriter, about to be fired. He’s short and chunky with a flat nose – a genetic pool that means he won’t get to first base with Anna, the woman he loves. When faced with eviction, he comes up with something that has never crossed any one else’s mind – lying. This leads to more problems than answers and as we see why lying can be a necessity and when it can be a pain.

I laughed, I teared up, and I throughly enjoyed this movie. I highly recommend it (unless you are easily offended by religious themes). *** I’m including slight spoilers after the trailer to explain why I loved it and it offended so many people. ***

*** SPOILERS ***

Mark’s mother becomes ill and is frightened while dying because of the eternity of nothingness awaiting her. So Mark, now able to lie, tells her about life after death. The hospital staff overhear his version of “Heaven” and want to know more. Word spreads and soon Mark is inventing religion. I didn’t realize this was overly offensive… until I was talking to a girl at work about it and it caused quite the argument (mostly because she called me a bad person because I’m not Christian — long story). So if you would be offended by this, you shouldn’t bother watching the movie. Although I don’t believe it’s the point of the movie. I think it’s more of a “if religion was created now” kind of funny.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

30. Watch 101 new movies (48/101) (more info)

Rating ****1/2

I had heard such great things about The Hurt Locker (2008) and it lived up to all of them! The movie takes place in Iraq and follows a group that disarms bombs. It was extremely action-packed and will make you cringe. It was really hard to watch knowing guys that are over there or heading back soon. You will laugh and bite your nails with fear. I highly recommend this movie!!

Bring It On : Fight to the Finish (2009)

30. Watch 101 new movies (47/101) (more info)

Rating **1/2

You may be asking why I watched this. You should be. My reason (excuse) is that it was on TV and I was too lazy to change the channel. I liked the first Bring It On. However, the 4th(?) just felt like a very, very bad rip=off. The acting was TERRIBLE. The cheer-vocab is beyond old and the cheering scenes weren’t even entertaining. But I didn’t change the channel so I guess I have to give it at least a two and a half, right?

Terminator: Salvation (2009)

30. Watch 101 new movies (46/101) (more info)

Rating **

I expected a lot more out of this. Shane and I watched Terminator: Salvation (2009) thinking at the very least it would be entertaining. I can’t say I was entertained. I like where they took the story. I like Christian Bale. However, it was so predictable that it wasn’t even fun to watch. Here’s the IMDB summary and trailer.

It’s the early stages of the war between man and machines. And the savior John Conner is doing everything he can to make sure man survives. He thinks he’s found a way to ensure that, and he also learns that the machines have targeted the man who’s suppose to father him, Kyle Reese, so he tries to find him. One of Conner’s soldiers meets a man named Marcus Wright who has no knowledge of Judgment Day. When they reach the base they discover Wright is part machine and suspect that he was sent by Skynet but Wright claims that’s not true.

The Road (2009)

30. Watch 101 new movies (44/101) (more info)

Rating ***1/2

A few nights ago my husband, best friend, and I went to see The Road (2009). I had been waiting to see this since I finished reading the book in June of this year (find my review of the book here). I guess I should have paid more attention to when it came out because it seems to have been released a few months ago. All of us liked it. Myself and my husband liked it more than Alex.

The film/book tell the story of a man and his son traveling to the coast in a post-apocalyptic United States. We don’t know what happened. We don’t even know their names. The movie did take some liberties and added more of a back story with the wife. This didn’t take away from the book and I think helped keep the movie from being too slow. The movie is very gray and depressing just like the book. They did not shy away from gruesome scenes. The acting was excellent. Viggo Mortensen looks and acts like a starved father holding on to the little faith and hope he has left.

Overall the movie is slow moving (which I expected). Don’t expect a ton of action. However, be prepared to feel tense and depressed and possibly tear up. The ending is just like the book, which some found to be extremely anti-climatic almost to the point of not really having “an ending”. I would highly recommend this movie if you loved the book, otherwise I’d say watch it at home when it comes out on DVD.

The trailer includes a version of my favorite quote from the book : When your dreams are of some world that never was or of some world that never will be and you are happy again then you will have given up.

Year One (2009)

30. Watch 101 new movies (43/101) (more info)

Rating *1/2

I am not sure I want to waste the time it would take to review Year One (2009). So instead I’ll just include the IMDB summary and say that all the funny parts are in the preview.

Zed, a prehistoric would-be hunter, eats from a tree of forbidden fruit and is banished from his tribe, accompanied by Oh, a shy gatherer. On their travels, they meet Cain and Abel on a fateful day, stop Abraham from killing Isaac, become slaves, and reach the city of Sodom where their tribe is now enslaved. Zed and Oh are determined to rescue the women they love, Maya and Eema. Standing in their way is Sodom’s high priest and the omnipresent Cain. Zed tries to form an alliance with Princess Innana, which may backfire. Can an inept hunter and a smart but slender and diffident gatherer become heroes and make a difference?

Cucumber Sauce for Gyros

50.   Try 2 new recipes a month (8/33)

I’ve been wanting to make gyros at home for a looooong time, but haven’t come across gyro meat. Today I found a new store that I think I love. It’s basically a SAM’s Club with no membership fees (and less of a selection). So I picked up 10 pitas (that you keep in the freezer and pop in the oven for 7 minutes) and 400 slices of pre-cooked frozen gyro meat all for around $10!! Now all I needed was cucumber sauce and I couldn’t find it (or a mix) at the grocery store, so I made my own. It was a little runny (but I think I know how to fix that) and it was a little too pickley (so I won’t add the dill next time). I halved this and it was still more than enough for each Shane and I to have 2 gyros. — Sorry I forgot to take a picture.

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2/3 cup peeled and grated cucumber
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

I mixed it all together in my mini-blender, however, next time I think I’ll mix all of it BUT only half of the sour cream and then stir in the rest of the sour cream to thicken it back up a little.