Slave to Sensation

Slave to Sensation
By: Nalini Singh

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed.  To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation"-the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...
Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain.  After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women.  Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his pack-mate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society.  But he soon discovers that this ice cold Psy is very capable of passion-and that the animal in him is fascinated by her.  Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sacha must remain bound to their identities-or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.








Oooh, I loved this book!  Normally I don't love paranormal romances.  I just kind of say "meh" and shrug my shoulders and move on to the next book.  I really liked the idea of a Psy race, one that shows no emotions and does things based on logic....cold, calculating logic.  It was so evil sounding!  Like Terminators. Creepy.

The development of Sasha and Lucas' relationship was enjoyable to read about. I liked when Lucas took Sasha to his Pack's house and introduced her to some of his pack members and two children and how she responded to getting her shoe chewed on.   It was cute.   It was fun to read about Sasha's struggle to keep her emotions from showing, especially around Lucas.

As far as plot, I pretty much guessed who the Psy killer was right away but it still made for some interesting reading.  I'll definitely be reading the next in the series!

The Winter Rose

 The Winter Rose
By: Jennifer Donnelly

When India Selwyn Jones a young woman from a noble family, graduates from the London School of Medicine for Women in 1900, her professors advise her to set up her practice in London's esteemed Harley Street.  Driven and idealistic, India chooses to work in the city's East End instead, serving the desperately poor.  In these grim streets, india meets and saves the life of London's most notorious gangster, Sid Malone. A hard, wounded man, Malone is the opposite of India's aristocratic fiance, Freddie Lytton, a risings star in the House of Commons.  hough Malone represents all she despises, India finds herself unwillingly drawn ever closer to him, intrigued by his hidden, mysterious past.  ANd before long, even as they fight hard against their feelings, India and SId fall in love.  Theirs is an unpredictable, passionate, and bittersweet affair, and it causes destruction they could never have imagined.






    How does she do it? No seriously.  Jennifer Donnelly never fails to impress me with her mastery of storytelling.  I mean wow, just wow.  I think the thing I love most about her is that she doesn't stick with any one genre and she always has a strong female protag.  Not some whiney, crazy, self centered, annoying, help me male I need you to save me girl.

Winter Rose is one of her earlier books, and is also the sequal to The Tea Rose, which I did not read.  You also don't need to read The Tea Rose to understand this story, which I liked.  Ok yeah The Winter Rose was long too, and towards the middle it started to drag a bit for me.  One thing I will say is that I wish a character had gotten more of what he deserved.  Man this guy was such a little shit!  lol!

India was awesome and Sid was amazing, and I loved this whole story.  Of course I realize that I haven't really said much about the book but here is all you need to know in five words or less:

         Read anything by Jennifer Donnelly. 

 I promise you will not be disappointed.

Most favorite of 2010

I figured since it's the end-ish of the year, I'd reflect back on some of my favorite reads of the year.   All in all, it's been a pretty great year for book reading if I do say so myself  :D
Last year my New Years resolution was just to read the books on my bookshelf LOL.  I started buying books, but never got around to reading them ( I went to the library a lot in spite of the books I had already sitting on my shelf....Bad book hoarder!  BAD!!), and before I knew it I was up to my EARS in books.  So yeah.  I figured the easiest way to get through all the books was just to start alphabetically.  I think I did pretty good, minus the fact that I started a blog and found all these other great books to read that I didn't know about.  So of course while I was reading alphabetically down my shelf, I was also buying books from the letters I had already read.  I suck.  I really truly suck.  I am so sorry to all the books that I purchased two years ago and still have not read them yet...I'm looking at you Forest of Hands and Teeth, Grimspace, and The Name of the Wind  SOoOooo Sorry!

Anyways, without further ado, here are the books that I most enjoyed reading this year, in no particular order, except for maybe alphabetically ...enjoy!





Anne Bishop and the Black Jewels Trilogy

 Oh my gosh, when I got to Daughter of the Blood , I did NOT want to read it.  It seriously took me over a week to get 100 pages in to it. ( I think it was all the crazy world building, I mean this world is MASSIVE and complicated too!)  But then I forced myself to sit down and read read read, and I'm glad I did.  It turned out to be such a beautiful story and I had to rush out to get the last two books so I could read more of Janelle and Daemons' story.  I was sad to leave the world when it ended  :(





Never Dream by Scott Charles Adams
 This was a book that I randomly found at Half Price Books  ( love that store.)  I had never seen or heard anything about this book, and actually I still haven't.  Which is too bad, because I really liked this book and it kind of has a sad ending.  Or at least I wish it would have ended a tad differently.  The author has not put anything out since this book.  Boo! Get writing Mr. Adams!!  I want more!









Patricia Briggs - And the Mercey Thompson series

Ok so really, I just read the most recent book that came out, Silver Borne. Anyways, story was awesome, as usual.  I'm so in love with this series, I can't wait for the next one!









War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
I've never read anything by Emma Bull before.  I picked this book up from Half Price Books too!  I really enjoyed this one, even if it was extremely dated! Haha  oh, those clothing descriptions were killing me!










Dresden files by Jim Butcher DUH

I mean, do I really have to say anything?  I think I've fan girled over this series enough, so lets just leave it at....*drool* Please write faster.  I love you Jim Butcher.











The Weather Warden Series by Rachel Caine
Total Eclipse was the last book of the series.  It was so sad to say goodbye to some characters that I really and truly loved.  I've been there with them since the beginning and all the crazy shit that happened in between.  It was one hell of a crazy ride and I am going to miss this series so much.

I read the first book in the spin off series that is in the same world as Weather wardens, but I just couldn't get into it  :(









House of Night series by P.C. Cast

BFF told me to read this series and I was extremely reluctant to do so.  I was sure I wasn't going to like it at all.  Then I read the first book and I was hooked.  Sure they repeat stuff way too much, and the Easy Peasy crap is annoying, but it's just got this crazy good story going on between all the some times funny, but mostly annoying chit chat.










The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
I always shied away from this series because I thought the covers were ugly.  Actually, I still think the covers are ugly.  But I really loved the story inside.  More Magnus please  :D

Jennifer Donnelly
Oh my gosh I could gush about this author all frickin day long.  But I wont.
A Northern Light was a book I randomly picked up and didn't read for a while.  I didn't like it at first, but kept reading, and it turned out to be such beautiful story.  Jennifer Donnelly is such a talented and emotional writer.

Revolution was the other book from her that I read and well, let's just put it this way, it's on my all time favorite book shelf.







If I Stay by Gayle Forman
This was one of the first books I read when I started this blog and it was soooo lovely.  I cried. I admit it.  But shhhh don't tell anyone.  I can't wait till Where She Went comes out!













Night Huntress novels by Jeannine Frost

OMG OMG OMG I L-O-V-E this series!  My favorite is still the first book because Cat wasn't such a bitch yet  lol!  Hurry up February!













Looking for Alaska by John Green
Thanks to Barnes and Noble, I found this book for $2! omg no frickin way.  Yes WAY.  Pudge, the main character has a great voice and a funny sense of humor.  Really great quotes and some lessons thrown in for good measure, and I am totally hooked on this author











Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

I loved Sophie.   LOVED her.  It's rare that I LOL whilst reading books, and I laughed quite frequently while reading this.  The best part was that even though this was a YA book, to me at least, I thought there were some very dark situations thrown in and I loved that too.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I read this book on my phone while I was on vacation in D.C.  I am totally and completely in love with this book.  I want it in paperback and I want it NOW.














SO, there you have it.  The books that I really and truly loved reading this year. Sure, I had to get through some books that I really, REALLY disliked to get to these gems, but I figure it was all worth it!

This year my New Years resolution is to read at least 100 books off my shelf, and STOP BUYING MORE BOOKS!!  *crosses fingers and prays to the book goddess that she can at least keep her book buying to a minimum*



I'm going to be pretty busy this holiday so this will probably be my last post until the new year.  : ( Please don't forget about me!  I swear I shall return!  But until then I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday! And please eat lots of cookies, and candy because it's good for your health I SWEAR!  :D



Happy Holidays!

Outlander

Kindle had this book for free a few weeks ago.  It wasn't something I would normally think that I would like being a historical romance and all that.  But a friend on goodreads gushed and gushed about this book so I finally got around to reading it.

Oh my gosh. Once I started reading I could-not-stop

Outlander
By: Diana Gabaldon


The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord...1743. 

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.










This book has a little bit of everything.  Time travel, sword fights, kilts, romance, chamber pots (HAHA) prison break-ins, witch burnings, murder, political power moves, etc etc oh and JAMIE  *swoon*

Now I usually don't swoon about the men in books.  It's just not my thing.  But Jamie has got to be the most honorable, understanding, loving, and intriguing redheads I've ever ever read about. I wish my husband had a Scottish accent... Oh, and I loved Claire too.  She was funny, caring, understanding, and sometimes belligerent.

There are lots of deep issues in this book too, and some really heartbreaking scenes.  Some parts dragged, I mean it is an 850 page book after all!  But I can safely say that I loved every second of this book!  Ok well not 'loved' exactly.  Some parts were really tough to read, especially the parts with the villain of the book Jack Randall.  I really hate him!

As I'm typing this, I'm sitting here wondering what Claire and Jamie are doing, and that's how I know when I've read a good book.  I'm itching to run out the the library and grab the second book in the series but I must restrain myself!  I still haven't finished the books I took from there last time.  :::sigh::  Maybe I'll just start reading the book over again.  *grins*




BTW I hate the cover.  It's what made me NOT want to read the book.  The awful awful cover.  However I will take this cover over a cheesy picture of a sweaty muscled man in a kilt with his hair blowing in the nonexistent wind and some girl in a dress in the background. UGH

Revolution

Revolution
By: Jennifer Donnelly

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break. 

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape. 

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present. 

Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart







I read Donnelly's A Northern Light a few months ago and when I started it, I honestly didn't think I would like it.  In my opinion it was extremely slow at first but I kept on truckin'!  After I got past page fifty I couldn't put it down and got mad when my husband pestered me about how hungry he was.  Seriously? How could he think about eating at a time like this?!  Doesn't he know how beautiful, and lyrical, and somewhat depressing this book is?  Doesn't he know that I can't put the book down until I finish?   Well, he didn't and I had to wait to finish the book, and I grumbled the whole time that I was making dinner.  LOL I'm such a baby  :D  Anyways,  A Northern Light was definitely one of the most surprisingly good books I found this year and I am so glad I gave it a chance.  So when I found out that Donnelly had another book coming out I squealed with joy!  But then I made an agonizing noise when I learned it was coming out in hardcover  YUCK!  Luckily, with my new obsession of going to the library and not reading my own books at home, I found Revolution at the library!  I jumped for joy and no joke, ran to check the book out, then ran to my car, then ran into the house, then jumped on the couch and didn't put the book down.

So now that you know the whole story of how I acquired this book, and I know that you care deeply about how I got it, let's move on to me gushing about this most recent book from Donnelly.

Seriously this book is so beautiful. Everything about it, the cover, the words inside, the story, the characters....<3

Andi is majorly depressed about the loss of her brother, and she's just barely hanging on to her own life.  Thoughts of suicide are always running through her head, and she's pretty much pushed everyone away. Andi's voice is so incredibly smart and sarcastic and so brutally honest.  The one thing that keeps her hanging on is her love of music.  I mean like, classical music, Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, and tons more people that I have never even heard of.  Her guitar, is her life line, literally.  Donnelly brings a lot of musical knowledge into the story and most times I had no idea what was going on.  I am not musically oriented at all, and there were times when she talks about specific chords, or references to an artist I've never heard of.  But instead of being discouraged and my lack of understanding, Donnelly makes me want to go out and research everything she talks about.

The French Revolution plays a major part in the plot and I'll be honest, I am almost positive that we never studied it in history class.  Or maybe I was sleeping?  So basically, I know/knew absolutely nothing about the French Revolution which is sad, but now I want to know everything about it!  Donnelley works the Revolution flawlessly into the story using Alexandrine's diary as the tool to bring the history into the present.

This book is so layered with history, music, art and other things, and Donnelly brings it all together in such a beautiful way that I am considering reading this book one more time just to catch all the things that I am sure I missed.

If you get a chance to read this book, seriously, do, it's probably one of the best books I have read all year and now that I am writing this review I want to run out and get the *gasp* hardcover copy of this book. Yes, I loved it that much.