Shopppinggggg!

I had the pleasure of book shopping early last week and decided to share my loot.  =)  I had a B&N giftcard, which made shopping that much better!  Who doesn't love "free" stuff?? 

Anyway, this is what I picked up:

I plan to review the Stieg Larsson book in a later post and you've already seen the Janet Evanovich book, so for now, let's admire that book with the shoe on it - shall we?

It's Manolo Blahnik Drawings with the official authors being Michael Roberts & Anna Wintour (I say offical because Manolo Blahnik did the drawings, the authors just put it in book form).  This was one of those books I just stumbled upon and thought it was so neat I couldn't put it down.  I'll probably never own a pair of Manolo's in my entire life, but I will most definitely enjoy looking through this bad boy.  Basically, it's a sketch book of Manolo Blahnik's drawings and there's a few quotes from notable people who love his shoes thrown in there.  I took a sampling of my favorite shoes to share with you:

*sigh* Arn't they just fabulous?!?

Browsing Bookshelves: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library [1]

This "Browsing Bookshelves" features Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (BRBL), which was a 1963 gift of the Beinecke family. The building is the largest building in the world reserved exclusively for the preservation of rare books and manuscripts. It is located at the center of the University, in Hewitt Quadrangle, which is more commonly referred to as "Beinecke Plaza". A six-story above-ground tower of book stacks is surrounded by a windowless rectangular building with walls made of a translucent Danby marble, which transmit subdued lighting and provide protection from direct light. Three floors of stacks extend under Hewitt Quadrangle. The sculptures in the sunken courtyard are by Isamu Noguchi and are said to represent time (the pyramid), sun (the circle), and chance (the cube). The library also contains an exhibition hall that, among other things, displays one of the 48 extant copies of the Gutenberg Bible, study areas, reading rooms, the catalogue room, microfilm room, offices, and the book storage areas. The two books of the Gutenberg Bible are left open in a display case, and the librarians at Beinecke are said to turn one page of each book daily.

Let's take a peek, shall we? 

 Oh, goodness!!  Arn't those just the most fabulous bookshelves you've ever seen!?  I could spend hours there!  Eekkk!!!

Do you have a bookshelf you'd like to share?  We'd love to see public, private, whatever you want to share!  Be sure to e-mail me here!

Article and pictures for this "Browsing Bookshelves" feature are from Wikipedia.org.

Review: Sleeping Arrangements

Sleeping Arrangements
Author: Madeleine Wickham (a.k.a. Sophie Kinsella)
Characters: 3 out of 5
Plot: 2.5 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5

Description: (Publisher's Weekly) Wickham (The Gatecrasher; also, the Shopaholic series as Sophie Kinsella) spins a delightful story of British families forced to spend their vacation together after a mutual friend promises them the same week in his Spanish villa. Chloe Harding hopes that a holiday will soothe the strain between her and longtime partner Philip Murray, who is worried that a recent takeover of his company may cost him his job. Their hopes are dashed when they arrive and find another family already settled at the villa. To Chloe's disappointment, she'll be sharing the space with Hugh Stratton, the beau who broke her heart 15 years ago. Now married to high-maintenance Amanda and with two children, Hugh apologizes, and though Chloe initially expresses nothing but hurt and disdain (all the while keeping their past a secret from Philip), she eventually considers beginning life anew with Hugh. Wickham does a bangup job of creating believable characters—even Amanda is less vapid than she at first seems. Surprises abound as the plot unfolds, and the families begin to wonder whether their mutual friend made an innocent mistake in getting them together.
 
From My Point of View:  I recently discovered something delightfully shocking:  Sophie Kinsella is only a pseudonym!  At first, I was rather disappointed, but, when I discovered that meant the same author, really named Madeleine Wickham, had loads of other books I haven't read yet, I was pretty excited!  So I nabbed Sleeping Arrangements and dug right it.  It wasn't exactly fabulous.  I much prefer her other titles, but this was an OK read.  There were lots of unexpected twists and turns to keep your attention.  It held my attention and kept me wanting to read more, so it scores some bonus points for that, but I thought the characters were pretty bland and the plot a little boring.  I don't forsee this as being one I'll pick up again any time soon.

To Nook or not to Nook?

I love technology.  If it's the latest and greatest, I want it.  It's like a disease... "Ohhhh, Fancy new toy? Yes, please!"  "Costs a lot? Well, that must mean it's fantastic!"  Knowing me, you would think I'd be all for the Nook, the Kindle, any and all e-Readers.  But not so much.  There's something about them that's keeping me away.  Half of me says, "Shiny new technology - I need one!" and the other half says, "But my books!"

There's just something about a book that I can't tear myself away from.  Maybe it's the smell?  You know that one I'm talking about... the way each book has it's own unique scent.  I can open my Harry Potter books and instantly I'm in that world (or Twilight or Nora Roberts or something that's not nerdy!)  Did you know scent is the strongest sense for humans?  None of the other senses trigger memories like smell.  Maybe that's my hook?  My hang up?

The convenience is a huge plus for these machines.  All my books in one place?! YES!  Books are HEAVY!  Amazingly so.  And they take up insane amounts of space.  Take for example, my bedroom.  I have an entire bookshelf (6'' tall, 3'' wide, your standard book shelf) stuffed full of them, and more shelves in the closet teeming with them.  I imagine all that empty space and the possibilies are endless!  Never choosing one book over the other for vaca?  I'm in!  But where's the connection?  Sure, I can hold my Kindle, Nook, whatever, but it's not a book.  You can't look at my Kindle and know which book is my favorite - there's no wear and tear, no love marks, no folds, rips, bends, nothing!

But the accessories.  Ohhh the accessories.  I love to accessorize.  Everything. Anything.  New purse? I need the matching wallet, wristlet, cell holder, all of it!  New notebook for school?  Where's the matching pencil case, erasers, and pens? I love matchy matchy accessories.  So, when I found this case for the Nook, I was more or less sold, already placing the order.

But I don't know... I don't think I can do it.  This might be the one piece of technology that I willingly resist.  For my books.  I'm obsessed, I know.  But if you're the type of reader I am, where you live and learn and feel via your books, you probably understand.

Review: The Sookie Stackhouse Series

The Sookie Stackhouse Series
Author: Charlaine Harris
Characters: 5 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5

Today I don't have one book, I have an entire series.  It has two names: The Sookie Stackhouse Series and The Southern Vampire Series.  These books are fabulous and much more adult than the Twilight series.  The relationships are much more complicated and there is much more realistic action between the supernaturals. =)  Who doesn't love a good vampire fight?

I thought these books were really well written for their genre.  They definitely fall into the "adult vampire" category, which I quite enjoyed.  They were action packed and brimming with romance, which was another plus.  I really enjoyed Harris' twist, if you will, where vampires are functioning members of the general population.  This was a first for me and a welcomed one at that.  No more creeping around in these books!

It's also been adapted for TV : True Blood on HBO.  I really dislike the TV show in all honestly.  It is VERY graphic and strays from the book plot line (which, really is nothing new as far as book adaption to tv/movie goes).  It would likely be a great show if it left out the raunchy scenes that are just too much.  So, view that show with caution. =)

And so, I'll list for you the entire series (thus far - new books are still being released) with a description off the back of each book.  (Descriptions thanks to Amazon.com)

Book 1: Dead Until Dark

Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana.  She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much.  Not because she's not pretty.  She is.  It's just that, well, Sookie has this sort of "disability."  She can read minds.  And that doesn't make her too dateable.  And then along comes Bill.  He's tall, dark, and handsome - and Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking.  He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting for all her life... But Bill has a diability of his own: He's a vampire with a bad reputation.  He hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, all suspected of - big surprise - murder.  And when one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next...

Book 2: Living Dead in Dallas

When a vampire asks cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse for a favor, she complies.  And soon she's in Dallas, using her telepathic skills to search for a missing vampire.  She agrees to interview the humans involved as long as the bloodsuckers promise to let them go unharmed.  Easier said than done.  All it takes is one delicious blonde and one small mistake for things to turn deadly.

Book 3: Club Dead

There's only one vampire Sookie Stackhouse is involved with (at least voluntarily) and that's Bill.  But recently he's been a little distant - in another state distant.  His sinister and sexy boss, Eric, has an idea where to find him.  Next thing Sookie knows, she is off to Jackson, Mississippi, to mingle with the under-underworld at Club Dead.  It's a dangerous little haunt where the elitist vampire society can go to chill out and suck down some type O.  But when Sookie finally finds Bill - caught in an act of serious betrayal - she's not sure whether to save him... or sharpen some stakes.

 Book 4: Dead to the World

It's not every day that you come across a naked man on the side of the road.  That's why cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse doesn't just drive on by.  Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does.  It's Eric the vampire - but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric.  And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory away now wants his life.  Sookie's investigation into wh and why leads straight into a dangerous battle among witches, vampires, and werewolves.  But a greater danger could be Sookie's heart - because this version of Eric is very difficult to resist...

Book 5: Dead as a Doornail

Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural - but not it's really hitting close to home.  When Sookie sees her brother Jason's eyes start to change, she know's he's about to turn into a werepanther for the first time - a transformation he embraces more readily than most shape-shifters she knows.  But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason's new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter.  Now Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who's behind the attacks - unless the killer decides to find her first...

Book 6: Definitely Dead

Since Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has so few living relatives, she hates to lost one - even her cousin Hadley, undead consort of the vampire Queen of Louisiana.  Hadley's left everything she has to Sookie, but claiming that inheritance has a high risk factor.  Some people don't want her looking too deeply into Hadley's past, or Hadley's possessions.  And they're prepared to do anything in their power to stop her.  Whoever it is, they're definitely dangerous - and Sookie's life is definitely on the line...

Book 7: All Together Dead

Betrayed by her longtime vampire love.  Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse must not not only deal with a possible new man in her life - the oh-so-handsome shape-shifter Quinn - but also contend with a long-planned vampire summit.  With her power base weakened by hurricane damage to New Orleans, the local vampire queen is vulnerable to those hungry for the takeover.  Soon, Sookie must decide what side she'll stand with.  And her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe...

Book 8: From Dead to Worse

After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the man-made horror of the explosion at the vampire summit, Sookie Stackhouse is safe but dazed, yearning for things to get back to normal.  But her boyfriend, Quinn, is among the missing.  And things are changing, whether the Weres and vamps in her corner of Louisiana like it or not.  In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death... and once more, betrayal by someone she loves.  And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood has ceased flowing, her would will be forever altered...

Book 9: Dead and Gone

Except for Sookie Stackhouse, folks in Bon Temps, Louisiana, knew little about vamps - and nothing about Weres.  Until now.  The Weres and shifters have finally revealed their existence to the ordinary world, and the backlash may have claimed the life of someone Sookie knew.  But her determination to find out who is responsible for the murder is put aside in face of a far greater danger.  A race of unhuman beings - older, more powerful, and more secretive that vampires and werewolves - is preparing for war.  And Sookie will find herself in an all-too-human pawn in their battle...

Bookish Finds (1): Book Clutches

I am dying for one of these:

They are Kate Spade's latest and greatest creation:  clutches that look like a book!

I just love them!! If the price tag wasn't so steep, I think it'd be #1 on the my Christmas list. =)  My favorite is the Great Expectations one:

Again, I just love them!!  Check them out here.

Review: One For The Money

One For The Money
Author: Janet Evanovich
Characters: 4 out of 5
Plot: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5

Description: (Publisher's Weekly) The gutsy heroine introduced here is Stephanie Plum of Trenton, N.J., a recently laid-off lingerie buyer who has no job, no car and no furniture. She does have a hamster, a deranged grandmother, two caring parents and several pairs of biking shorts and sports bras. Finding work with her cousin Vinnie, she becomes a bond hunter and scrounges money enough to buy a gun, a Chevy Nova and some Mace. Her first assignment is to locate a cop accused of murder. Joe Morelli grew up in Stephanie's neighborhood. Possessed of legendary charm, he relieved Stephanie of her virginity when she was 16 (she later ran over him with a car). In her search, Stephanie catches her prey, loses him and grills a psychotic prizefighter, the employer of the man Morelli shot. She steals Morelli's car and then installs an alarm so he can't steal it back. Resourceful and tough, Stephanie has less difficulty finding her man than deciding what she wants to do with him once she's got him.
 
From My Point of View: This was an interesting and light hearted read that I thoroughly enjoyed.  The main character, Stephanie Plum, is quick-witted and on a mission!  I'm beyond excited this is one in a series of sixteen because I cannot wait to dive into the next 15 books!  There was plenty of humor mixed up in suspense that had me sitting on the edge of my chair (figuratively speaking of course).  The characters were all interesting and it was fun to watch them interact (I just love her hamster)!  The plot was quick moving, so it grabbed your attention and held it throughout the novel.

The best part?  One for the Money is soon to be a movie!  Katherine Heigl has been cast for the role of Stephanie and I think she'll be perfect!  Also cast are Jason O'Mara as Joe Morelli and Daniel Sunjata as Ranger.  Should be a good one.  I can't wait =)  (Oh, and, release date?  July 8, 2011)

Review: Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed
Author: Emily Griffin
Characters: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5
Overall: 5 out of 5

Description: (Author Website) Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé.  Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness.
 
From My Point of View:  I absolutely adored this book.  I think the characters were fantastic.  I loved how vain Darcy was -- it worked perfectly with the storyline.  I found myself both laughing and crying as I read this novel.  It jerked at the heartstrings, but it was still light and humorous.  I LOVED the ending, which was an unexpected twist!  If you're looking for a quick, quirky read this book is the one!

On a side note, this book is becoming a movie in 2011 starring Kate Hudson and John Krasinski (from the Office).  I can't wait!

And if you're interested in the story from Darcy's point of view, you should check out this book, "Something Blue."  Same story line, just a different perspective.  As of yet, I've not read it, but I wasn't all that fond of Darcy.  I may have to add it to my reading list though. It's definitely worth it if it's as good as Something Borrowed.

About Me & The Blog

Thanks for checking out my book blog!!


About Me

I'm Ashley, 21, and seriously addicted to reading.  If there weren't pictures proving otherwise, some would swear I was born with a book in my hand.  I love reading books, collecting books, and I even enjoy occasionally smelling my books (seriously -- have you ever smelled a book? There's nothing like it!)  Aside from having my nose consistently in a book, I am currently studying to be an Accountant.  I'm engaged to the best guy ever and we have two cats.  In my free time (when I'm not reading that is), I enjoy shopping, scrapbooking, and other crafty things.  You can read more about my life in my personal blog, sevenpinkdiamonds. 


What I Read

I'm pretty open in my taste for books and there isn't much I won't read.  I most enjoy paranormal books about vampires, though I'll pick up a chick lit just as easily.  Some other genres I love include historical fiction, mystery, romance, and pretty much anything that is fiction.  It's a rare occasion when I read a non-fiction novel.

Though I love the work of many authors, my favorites include: MaryJanice Davidson, Janet Evanovich, Philippa Gregory, Sophie Kinsella, Stephenie Meyer,  Nora Roberts, and J.K. Rowling.


About The Blog

This blog is a place for me to post reviews, suggestions, and other book related paraphernalia.  It was created in October 2010 when I discovered my personal blog was becoming a sea of book posts.  I plan to include two regular features here: Wanted Wednesdays and Browsing Bookshelves.  Wanted Wednesdays will feature a weekly post with my latest and greatest book wants.  Browsing Bookshelves will be a frequent, but not date specific, feature that will show off some awesome bookshelves and/or libraries.  I'll pull inspiration for this one from anywhere: magazines, google searches, reader e-mails, whatever strikes my fancy.  Feel free to submit photos for this by using the e-mail link on the right.