The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy

It's been a while since I've blogged about a book and I feel a little guilty.  One, it isn't like I have stopped reading - quite the opposite! - but more because I haven't felt like blogging.  Two, it's because I have another blog that keeps me more active (and interested).  Thirdly, since I'm no longer working, I've been idling away my time with fluff romance books that I'm a little embarrassed to admit to reading.  And sometimes the time and thought processes that go into a book review, I feel, just aren't worth my time if I'm reading something that isn't provoking any actual thoughts.

That being said, I just finished a book that not only made me laugh, a lot, but made me also want to pass on the advice I learned.  Recommended by my very good friend, The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine is hilarious.  It's a no-nonsense (and entirely nonmedical) approach to pregnancy; more like having a coffee date with your best friends and chatting about their experiences and what they learned while pregnant.  It is forthright and non-judgemental while still being informative.  And entirely non-PC!  She tells you that what you're feeling is normal, while giving you examples from her own pregnancies or that of her friends, and if it isn't, she suggests heading to your nearest OB to get it checked out.  Covering everything from infertility and miscarriages to delivery and life after pregnancy, Vicki's commentary is funny, frank, and sometimes gory, in her desire to cover all the bases. 

From a Canadian perspective on an American pregnancy book, the only differences would be the medical practices and tests.  Otherwise, giving birth is giving birth, with all the terror and confusion included, regardless of which country you call home.  One of the things I admired most was her ability to cover the little aspects of pregnancy as well as the embarrassing ones.  And the way she tells her stories makes you believe you're sitting right there hearing them!

I highly recommend this book - but only if you're already pregnant or have already had children.  Otherwise, the graphic nature of this book may compel you to decide against ever having children of your own.  And be warned if you are pregnant: my hormones caused me to laugh hysterically and then promptly bawl my eyes out.

Silver Borne

In Silver Borne, book five of this series, Patricia Briggs returns to the Tri-Cities and my favourite coyote-shifter, Mercy Thompson.

Unfortunately, a date with Adam goes bad after Mercy realizes that someone in the pack was messing with her mate bonds. That same night, Samuel is taken to the hospital after a car accident and Mercy realizes that his Wolf counterpart, Sam, has taken control since Samuel tried to commit suicide. Mercy's attempt to keep Sam's condition secret gets found out after a Bounty Hunter tries to kill Sam at Mercy's garage. Fortunately, the police arrive with Adam and they notice that the warrant for Adam's arrest is forged.

Adam agrees that Sam deserves a chance to prove himself, but when Mercy and Sam go to return a book to its owner, the fae torch Mercy's home. Thinking Mercy was home, despite some of his pack knowing otherwise, Adam runs into Mercy's place looking for her and receives serious burns. After sorting out that mess, Mercy and Adam return back to his place and Mercy confronts Mary Jo. Unfortunately, Adam is challenged for the Alpha position while Mercy is occupied.

Adam takes care of that debacle and then promptly passes out from his injuries. And that's when Mercy finds out that Gabriel has been kidnapped by the fae, who tries to exchange him for the object that she carries. Knowing that Adam wouldn't approve, Mercy sets off with Jessie and Sam to meet Zee and another fae, Ariana (which means Silver). Ariana also happens to be a long-lost love of Samuel's. Seeing her gave him a reason to take back control of his wolf - it also gave him a new reason to keep on living. Using magic, Ariana locates Gabriel at a fairy mound and Zee creates a back entrance. Unfortunately, it was a trap and they are forced to bargain their freedom, which results in Mercy getting left behind. While attempting to force Mercy under thrall, Bran makes contact and helps Mercy out.

I absolutely love this series. Mercy is funny, she's outspoken and she bluffs her way through almost every situation. Honestly, I wish I could be as insightful and calm as Mercy. She confronts people as needed and with a clear head. And when that doesn't work, she shoots them. Seriously.

Here are two of my favourite quotes from this book:

After a dominance fight for the Alpha position between Adam and Paul:

I'd been keeping an eye on Henry throughout the fight. I glanced at him just as he stepped up to the mat.
"Alpha," he called. "I chal-"
He never got the whole word out - because I drew my foster father's SIG and shot him in the throat before he could.
For a split second everyone stared at him, as if they couldn't figure out where all the blood had come from.
"Stop the bleeding," I said. Though I made no move to do it myself. The rat could die for all I cared. "That was a lead bullet. He'll be fine." Though he wouldn't be talking-or challenging Adam-for a while. "When he's stable, put him in the holding cell, where he can't do any more harm."
Adam looked at me. "Trust you to bring a gun to a fistfight," he said with every evidence of admiration. Then he looked at his pack. Our pack. "What she said," he told them. (page 248)

and after Mercy gets captured by the fairy queen who is attempting to enslave her through hypnosis:

The fairy queen had continued to talk in my head, but I wasn't paying attention to what she said.
"Whom do you serve?" she asked aloud....Not as though she were interested in the answer.
"'Choose this day whom you will serve....But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.'" It seemed appropriate to quote [the Book of] Joshua at her.
"What?" she asked, startled.
"What were you expecting me to answer?" I asked, feeling a little let down. Some of the very old fae react poorly to scripture, but this one didn't seem to mind-not the scriptures anyway. (page 317-318)

I have several reasons for those being my favourite quotes. In the first quote it shows Mercy's impulsiveness and protective nature (by shooting a man to prevent him from challenging Adam when he's injured) and it also shows Adam's respect and admiration for her (by backing up her order to the Pack).

The second quote just makes me laugh - especially when she states that she stopped paying attention to what was being said to her. It also shows her being quick-witted (both with the reference to the Bible verse, but also to her knowledge of fairy-lore).

I love the relationship between Adam and Mercy: it's still very new, but they would do anything to protect each other - even from themselves. Despite Mercy always getting in to trouble, she knows that Adam will always show up to rescue her. And I especially love the fact that though there is a relationship in this book, this isn't a paranormal romance!! As a friend described it, a paranormal romance is urban fantasy whose storyline wouldn't be able to stand on its own without the relationship. And I'd like to say that as much as I like Adam and Mercy together, they were friends first in this series and if their relationship had never evolved, the story could've kept going.

I think this series could be appreciated by many people. While there is sex in the series, it's fairly mild and left mostly to your own imagination, as it should be. If you like smart female leads (as I do) you'll like this series. A good friend of mine borrowed the first book thinking she couldn't make fun of it without reading it first - and she's since asked me for the rest of the books. :)

Just read it, it's cute.

Banned Book Club

I have exciting news! I'm in a Book Club. But! Not just any Book Club - it's a Book Club that will read books that were banned and/or burned in the past.

The first book? Fahrenheit 451. Coincidentally, that is also the latest book that I've been attempting to finish. Now this will give me the excuse to finally finish reading it.

I've never been part of a Book Club before, and after having read the book list (of which I already own 3-4 books), I'm super stoked - both for the books themselves, as well as the discussions. Part of the reason why I even started writing this blog was so that I could talk about books (my favourite subject). However, as much as I like talking about books, I like discussing them even more. I'm just nervous that I'll have nothing to contribute since I don't know anything about literature.

However, I'm game. Two of my very good friends are in the club as well so this will be a fantastic way to spend time with them as well as meet more like-minded individuals.

Can't wait!!

Oh, Darwin

How much is too much?

A friend of mine told me that I read alot, like crazy much, which, well yeah, I guess I do. I read for pleasure, to escape the stresses of the everyday world (I manage a Cafe), to live vicariously through someone else and maybe, just maybe, to see the world from a different angle.

And that angle, right now, is dystopitarian (which probably isn't even a real word). Dystopia, however, is a real word and this is what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Dystopia is a vision, of an often futuristic society, which has developed into a negative version of Utopia. A Dystopia is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It often features different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and a state of constant warfare or violence.

I think one of the reasons why I like those books, along with post-Apocalyptic ones, is to see how the world would function or change in the aftermath of a cataclysmic event. In Ariel, for example, the Change itself was the introduction of magic and the end of technology.

These events really show the determination of our species to survive on a whole, to adapt to new circumstances and to conquer what we don't understand. It also brings out our more basic, animalistic tendencies. As a Biology major, I have a special place in my heart for natural selection and these books just prove again and again the power of Darwin's ideology: survival of the fittest.

My Soul To Save

My Soul To Save is the second book in Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series.

Our heroine is Kaylee Cavanaugh, a 16 year old who discovered in the last book that she's bean-sidhe - or in English, banshee. One of the side effects of being bean-sidhe is that Kaylee has an uncontrollable tendency to scream hysterically when someone nearby is about to die. Her boyfriend Nash is bean-sidhe as well, and his voice can calm her down, not to mention Influence others.

At a concert Kaylee & Nash watch as the star, Eden, drops dead; however, Kaylee doesn't scream. As a Soul Screamer, Kaylee realizes that Eden has no soul to sing for because it has been bartered away to a hellion in exchange for fame and fortune. When they learn that the opening act, Addison Page, is next, they go on a wild hunt to retrieve her soul before her time is up.

I like this series for a variety of reasons. The biggest one is the bean-sidhe concept. I'm always sold on an idea that has a different take. The second reason is that the main character is an outcast. At high school she is labelled a freak by her popular cousin and her cheerleading clique.

Though Kaylee has a big heart and an apparently steel spine that may get her killed one day, I find that strength a little hard to swallow. Risking her life for someone she doesn't know? It is explained away as making up for those she couldn't save in the previous book, but her altruistic abilities, while commendable, aren't very realistic.

The sexual tension is this book can get pretty thick at times between Kaylee and Nash. While they both want it, it is really only poor timing and a little insecurity that keep them from going all the way (read: Nash is/was a man whore and Kaylee is worried about him losing interest if they do the deed). Granted, it is toned down some from the previous book.

I've had discussions with Vyxen about teen sexuality in the past and we have differing ideas.

Mine: I prefer it to be practically nonexistent; if I want to read about sex, I'll read an adult romance. I think it's cute when they act shy around eachother and when holding their crush's hand is a huge accomplishment. I am also not a teenager.

Hers: it is a huge issue nowadays and should be discussed; they do want it, so why not present it in an elightened way to show teens that they have options when it comes to dealing with sex.

She has a good point and while I personally am not a big fan of teen sex, I'm also not the target audience since I haven't been a teenager for nearly 10 years. (Though neither has Vyxen.)

It will definitely happen for those characters, but I hope it's done in a tasteful and smart (ie, birth control & condoms) manner. I think Kaylee also needs to learn to let up a little on her self-doubt before that ever happens. Otherwise I predict bitter fights.

Another reason I like the book is because the main character doesn't know a thing about being bean-sidhe so she's learning from her boyfriend's mom. The bonus being that the reader learns about it at the same time without it seeming dumbed down for the readers.

I also like the main character is this series way more than the main character in Rachel Vincent's other series, Shifters. She even gets grounded for being out late (saving lives), so at least she doesn't have a free ticket just because she's supernatural.

Note: Vyxen left me this message about what she has to say about teen sex:
"I have to say that I don't advocate it. I, in fact, adore Meyer for having her characters abstain until marriage. I think you have to be hugely responsible as a YA author, these days, and present information. I also think that this information should be presented to a strong female protagonist (actually, though. Not some half wit we see as strong initially, only to find out that she is "nothing without her man." [Cough]BellaSwan[/Cough]) who, wisely, says no to her suitor and isn't judged a prude because of it. I want "no" to be an okay option is all. (But I don't want an author to candy coat life, either. I'm all for kids being kids, but this is a big deal.)

YAs won't read novels that present a fluffy world. It's insulting to their intelligence and generally pisses them off. I figure don't hide the real world and recognize that, for the most part, they're smart enough to make their own decisions, we just have to equip them with whatever knowledge we can."

I stand corrected. :)

Stardust

First post of the New Year!


This is the first book that I've ever read by Neil Gaimon, much to Vyxen's shock and horror.


In this story, the half-fairy hero Tristran Thorn sets out on a fool's quest to find the fallen star for his one true love. Since he is not the only one searching, he must outwit his enemies to stay alive and to keep his star safe from their clutches. Along the way Tristran encounters witches, a unicorn, a cloud-sailing ship and receives help from a tree.


I was surprised and more than a little confused when I was reading this book. However, the story, no matter how obscure it seems at the time, flows together to wrap up in the end. Considering how the story begins (a female fae seducing a human male, although he is attached to a different female), I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into.

There does seem to be more to the book than what I got out of it. For example, there were references to the Unseelie court and the Castle Fellowship that I didn't understand. However, I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale, an errant knight on an impossible quest for his fair lady.

I'll definitely read this again at another point. And hopefully I'll manage to understand more of it next time!

The Wayfinders: Update

Heya! So, I've finally finished The Wayfinders by Wade Davis and the review is written. It's in the process of being edited by my wonderful friend Vyxen and once that's done and posted on the Books & Co website I'll post it here too. :)

Wonderful news! Devon Monk's book, Magic in Shadows, is in my grubby little hands! Well, not literally, at least not yet, but tomorrow! I have seen the future and it is at Books & Co!

The next series of books to be reviewed will be the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson.

Stay tuned....