Must Reads #4: "Hood," "Scarlet," and "Tuck" by Stephen R. Lawhead

Title: The Raven King Series (Hood, Scarlet, and Tuck)

Author: Stephen R. Lawhead

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Edition: Hardcover: April 8, 2008

Back Cover Summary: The Legend Begins Anew

For centuries, the legend of Robin Hood and his band of thieves has captivated the imagination. Now the familiar tale takes on new life, fresh meaning, and an unexpected setting.

Steeped in Celtic mythology and the political intrigue of medieval Britain, Stephen R. Lawhead's latest work conjures up an ancient past and holds a mirror to contemporary realities. Prepare yourself for an epic tale that dares to shatter everything you thought you knew about Robin Hood.

*******

With my love of all things Robin Hood in full bloom, picking up this book was a real no-brainer! What? More Robin Hood stories to fuel my obsession? Yes, please! What? It's a trilogy? Heck-to-the-yes!

Hood is a brand new take on the Robin Hood Legend. Where most tellings base the story around the 13th or 14th century, Lawhead decides to base it more around 1066 when the Normans (French) decide to invade England and take of the little Welsh kingdoms.

High Notes: The history is fabulous! I first started reading the series when I was taking Medieval Civilization and England to 1600 back to back in college. I was able to keep right up with the book and all the politics that were going on between the Welsh people and their new Norman conquerors. Might be a little more difficult to keep track of for someone who was not previously taught the history, but as long as you care to understand it, there really shouldn't be a problem.

Each book has a different narrator, Hood is narrated by Hood, or Bran, as he is called, Scarlet is narrated by Will Scarlet, my personal favorite, he was very funny, and Tuck is narrated by Friar Tuck.

This is also an origin story, which is always fun. Bran starts out as a bit spoiled, really only thinking of himself, fooling around with Marian from time to time, until his land is stolen from him and he is wounded and forced into the woods where he is thought to die, only to be reborn, after months of stubbornness, as a powerful leader.

There are many characters you will recognize and others that steal your love just as easily as the old ones!

Low Notes: Some slow parts, like in Hood when Bran is wounded, it takes a long time for him to heal and become stronger, but you do get to see him grow and morph into the legend that he is, which is very interesting.

If you're looking for romance, you might not get all that you want. There is a love story between Bran and Marian as you would expect, but it takes a long time to develope and is really on the back burner for almost all the books. There are other little relationshipd that help fill in, but it really is all about Bran's transformation and his and the Welsh peoples' impact on this particular period in history.

Ratings:

Character Development: 5/5

Dialogue: 4/5 Not a ton of dialogue.

Prose: 4/5 Bit confusing at times.

Believability: 5/5 More believable then almost an Robin Hood I have read or seen!

Style and Grammar: 5/5
Entertainment Value: 4/5 You have got to be into it or else it could seem a bit tedious.

Overall Rating: 90% Best Robin Hood book I have read thus far!

Bookmark Break Challenge 2012 (1 Month Update!)

Ready for the 1 Month Update? Here we go!

This year is starting off better than ever, and we have way more competitors now to show for it! Welcome all you newbies! I am thrilled to have you!!! This is really turning into a great challenge that I am proud to continue it for another year!

REMEMBER: Anyone and everyone that would like to be a part of this year's Bookmark Break Challenge is more than welcome to still join! Just read more about it here, leave me a comment somewhere saying you would like to join, and create your booklist somewhere where I can keep track of your progress! :)

Now, let's see the break down of the challenge so far!

There are currently 22 competitors that have read a total of 94 books in January! Way to go!

Competitor's List:

• PoeKitten (14 Books)
• Susan (12 Books)
• Ruthie (11 Books)
• Sierra (9 Books)
• Julie (7 Books)
• Corina (7 Books)
• AubrieAnne (5 Books)
• Kyria (5 Books)
• Shah (5 Books)
• Lynette (4 Books)
• SimplyMe (4 Books)
• Kea (3 Books)
• Cheney (3 Books)
• Ib (2 Books)
• Lesley (1 Book)
• Mrs. Facehead (1 Book)
• Natalie (1 Book)
• Patrick
• Tegan
• Shan
• Glenda (Goodreads)---Not yet sure how you are going to do your list. Are you adding it to your blog somewhere? or do you want me to keep track using your Goodreads account?
• Carrie Ann---Carrie Ann, I have no link to find you at and your profile is private so I can't get a hold of you. If you see this please leave a link to your blog and or your book list in the comments and I will get you set up. Or you can email me at WhosYourEditor@aol.com if you wish to remain private. Thank you.

Nice job everyone! Let me just say that I am more excited about this year than the last. nI feel like we've had more exposure, there are people participating for the second year in a row, definately a lot of enthusiasm going on! Also, I have stuck with my goal thus far, which is one book a week! I was so excited that I decided to update the list early about 2 weeks ago, thinking I was kicking butt! Then, I checked on Poe, Susan, Ruthie, Sierra, Julie, Corina, Kyria, and Shah! I must say I was knocked down a peg, but never discourage. You girls are rocking this competition so far. Keep it up!

Here's what I've been up to!

My Book List:

1. Haiku for the Single Girl (Poetry/Comedy)
2. The Web of Titan (YA/Sci-Fi/Space/Post-Apocalyptic)
3. The Hunger Games (YA/Dystopian) (2nd Read) Getting ready for the movie! I can't wait!
4. One for the Money (Fiction/Comedy) Also, getting ready for the movie! It came out last Friday!
5. Catching Fire (YA/Dystopian) (2nd Read)

I noticed that A LOT of people have been reading or rereading The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins! I saw it on quite a few of your lists. The first two are on mine too! What was your reasoning. I'm getting ready for the movie! Plus, I let a friend borrow all of them and she was so into them and wanted to talk to be about them so I had to get all caught up again so we could chat away!

Currently Reading:

• Outside In (YA/Dystopian) By one of my favorite authors right now! Her name is Maria V. Snyder!

On Deck:

• Incarceron (YA/Futuristic/Fantasy)
• Touch of Power (Fantasy) Also by Maria V. Snyder!
• Two for the Dough (Fiction/Comedy) Can't wait for this one! I just read the first one in anticipation for the movie!

Work Week Drama!

Is it bad when you are more excited to get to work to hear the latest drama from your co-workers than the actual work?

Well then, consider me bad, but it's really one of the most entertaining parts of my day. I'm not too terrible of a drama queen. At least, not in front of anyone but my mom. Or maybe, other people just have more interesting lives. Whatever it is, I LOVE it! I just get to hear everything that is going on without having to get involved or having it directly affecting my own life. Pure bliss!

I get to hear who is seeing who, who's facebooking everyone at work, who's mailbox got run over, where people are going for the weekend, who lost wieght, who gained weight. It might not seem terribly interesting, but it makes my day sometimes!

And, it has definitely made work more worth it. The environment is social and laid back.

Where do you get your drama fix from?
Anything new going on with anyone?

Discussion Topic: What Compels you to Read a Book for the First Time?

I know this topic has been discussed before, but perhaps not all by itself or to this length.

What I am wondering is what compels you to read a book for the first time?

Or, another way of saying this might be...

What are the steps you go through to determine what to read?

I think many people start with a recommendation from someone, especially a friend or a family member, but what happens if you are out of recommendations, you've just finished that spare books on your shelf, and the last thing you read was one of the best books you have picked up all year! Where do you possibly go from there!?

Now, I'm one of those kinds of people that stockpiles! Very rarely are there no other books on my shelves that I have yet to read. Currently, I believe there are over 100 books on my shelf left to read, just waiting for me to choose one of them next! Nevertheless, when I am looking for the next best thing in stores, the first thing I do is...

1. Look at the book cover. Now, I know they say never to judge a book by it's cover, but it certainly is the best way for a book to make a first impression.
2. If the cover in enticing enough, I read the title. Titles that tend to grab me are usually peculiar, something I have never heard before. For example "The Near Witch," "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane," and "The Knife of Never Letting Go," all very insteresting titles.
3. Then, if I am still hooked (which I almost always make it to step 3) is I read the backcover of the book. This is really the do or die point! Does the story appeal to me, does it sound original, like a fun quick read, or the same old, same old, ripoff of something else, or just completely opposite of what I feel like reading. I tend to lean towards characters similar to my age with a touch of romance. I enjoy fantasy and sci-fi more, with some historical fiction and tend to shy away from realistic fiction.
4. Next, I check the price! With so many books waiting to be read already, it's hard to spend more than $7 on a book that you're not positive about. However, you wouldn't believe how many books I can find for $5 or less. I've got all my little places.
5. Finally, I turn to a random page, kind of towards the beginning and read a page or two, just to get a good feel for the writing.
6. I make the final decisions. To read or not to read. To buy or not to buy!

What is your process when you are faced with a book store like the one above!!!??? That's a lot of books to choose from!!!

Storyteller Challenge #4: Random Promt Generator!

Shah is at it again, creating lots of opportunities for us writers to practice, do a few prompts, talk about them and so much more. It's been a while since I did one, but when I saw my prompt, I was inspired to do something.

The prompt for this challenge is randomly generated and every one is funny, a bit off, but full of inspiration!

Here is the prompt that I recieved:

The painfully shy, German grandmother who feeds the pigeons and secretly plays the lotto.

And here is what I came up with!

Grandma Ba-bam-ee

Doesn't Fight the Lottery

Grandma Ba-bam-ee

Sits on her German fanny

Counting her docket

Deep in her pocket.

She finds bird seed

And pigeon feed,

Some torn tweed

And a type of greed.

The birds were feeding

While Grandma was seething;

Still not enough sums

Reaching her thumbs.

Ba-bam-ee needed a ticket

To satisfy her thicket.

The night filled with crickets

And still no ticket!

Tomorrow would be better,

And the pigeons were fatter.

She’d try again

And by summer’s end

She might have enough,

And a little more scruff,

To pay for the fluff

Instead of having to huff.

Grandma Ba-bam-ee would be,

More than you and me,

The richest hag

In all the bag.

No more sitting on benches

With only wrenches

Thrown into her trenches;
A life like the French’s.

Painfully shy

And about to cry

Grandma turned from the lights

Trying to block out city brights.

But the lottery called to her.

It sang and begged of her!

“You can win like before!

A dollar or more!”

Holding her ears so tight

Ba-bam-ee yelled with might,

“You run my life!

Not now! I can’t fight!”

It haunted her dreams,

Pulling at frayed seems.

Cold on the streets,

Needing warm sheets.

Those with homes passed her,

Ignored and suppressed her.

But Grandma stuck up her nose,

Struck a daunting pose,

Walked to the park,

Sat down by the arc,

Fed the lark,

No lack of spark.

She had a good life,

Before this strife,

But never was she more content

When she found a cent.

She’d hid it away

Until came the day

When it would pay

And take her away.

Book Review #10: "The Near Witch" by Victoria Schwab

Title: The Near Witch

Author: Victoria Schwab

Publisher: Hyperion

Edition: Paperback Advanced Reader's Copy: August 2, 2011

Summary: The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.
*******

I found this book in one of my favorite places on the planet: the basement of the downtown bookstore! That's where all the good stuff is hidden!

High Notes: I have to start with the fact that the very best part of this book was the backcover summary (which I have typed out for you in the summary section about.) Now, don't take that the wrong way! It doesn't mean that the rest of the book wasn't just as poetic, but the summary is probably the BEST summary I have read in my entire life!!! I think summaries are terribly difficult and this one just seemed effortless and beautiful.


The entire book reads just as seemlessly beautiful, really like some old folk music, or a poem. That was my favorite part. Victoria schwab really does know how to craft a sentence and paint a scene.


I also loved the style of the book. It read like a story some elder would tell his/her children, as a warning, or as a great story to lull you to sleep. It had this very old storyteller tone, both somber and pretty at the same time. 

 

Low Notes: I've read some other book reviews about this book before writing my own and the one thing I noticed complaints about the most was the character developement. The story really is about just that...the story. The main characters are very typical of the YA characters of our generation. The main girl, Lexi is strong willed, independent, lacking in a very sturdy mother or father figure, has a younger sibling to take care of (note also: Katniss Everdeen, Elena Gilbert, etc) and the main boy, Cole, is quiet, secretive, a bit broody, but really a loving teddy bear under it all (note also: Edward Cullen, Stephen Salvatore, etc.) Nevertheless, that does not mean we love them any less. And besides that fact, there are other very unique characters in the story that break the mold, especially, the two witches that live right outside town.


The story did slow a bit in the middle, but once the two main characters set out into the woods for the final time to complete the task they need to do (I'm trying not to give anything away), things pick right back up.

Ratings:

Character Development: 3.5/5

Dialogue: 4/5

Prose: 5/5

Believability: 4/5

Style and Grammar: 5/5

Entertainment Value: 5/5

Overall Rating: 88% A quick and beautifully written novel!

Finding the Time to...

The last few weeks, especially since starting my new job, has been all about finding the time to do...ANYTHING!!! The list begins here...

• Hang out with friends
• Exercise
• Make jewelry
• Paint
• Draw
• Watch tv
• Read
• Do something new
• Get back into something I love
• Etc.

Most of my friends are back home now, but many of them don't have a steady job yet so they have all this free time and I can barely hang out on the weekends, let alone when I get out of work at 5 or 6 o-clock.

Exercise has been a big goose egg. I was taking a Zumba class there for a few weeks, but had to stop because I can't get out of work early enough to make it. Plus, that's the last thing I think about doing when I make it home just before 7.

My jewelry has been shoved aside and I haven't added anything new to Etsy.

I've had this hankering to draw and paint lately, but won't get everything out at night because I know it will just be left out because I don't think I'll have a lot of time to finish a whole project. I like to start and finish the same day so I often need a few hours and working into the wee hours of the morning is a no-go when I have to be up so early for my 30 minute commute!

I love to watch tv and read! I get a bit in before bed, but not a lot. My DVR is filling UP!

Sometimes, I think about trying something new. Who knows what? Going back to school, taking a dance lesson, but when is that going to fit into my schedule?

Get back to something I love. Here I am referring to horseback riding. I used to take lessons as a teenager and it was really the most fun I have ever had! I'm trying to get back into it now!

Etc. And the list goes on and on! I can't even make it to the bank to cash my check! Or go and get my eyes checked so I can get more contacts! Now, I know why some people wish there were 48 hours in a day!

How to possibly juggle it all or free up some of my time!??! There is just so much more I want to do!
Anyone else feel the same way?
How do you handle it?

Who vs. Whom

This is a rough one that I am always looking up!!!

It's even a pain in the butt to have to try and explain so I am just going to let grammargirl.com take it away once again! Here is her Quick and Dirty tip...

"Like whom, the pronoun him ends with m. When you're trying to decide whether to use who or whom, ask yourself if the answer to the question would be he or him. That's the trick: if you can answer the question being asked with him, then use whom, and it's easy to remember because they both end with m. For example, if you're trying to ask, "Who (or whom) do you love?" The answer would be "I love him." Him ends with an m, so you know to use whom. But if you are trying to ask, "Who (or whom) stepped on Squiggly?" the answer would be "He stepped on Squiggly." There's no m, so you know to use who. So that's the quick and dirty trick: if you can't remember that you use whom when you are referring to the object of the sentence, just remember that him equals whom."

...Yes! Finally a solution that makes sense! Thanks Grammar Girl!