Teaser Tuesday

I just recently learned about something called "Teaser Tuesdays" and thought it would be fun to participate! This fun little activity is hosted by fellow blogger Should Be Reading
http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/

Here's how it works:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers

So here it is, my first attempt at Teaser Tuesday!

     She stares at me for a long time, actually looking at me as a person. For a moment I think I sense a chink. Then she snaps back into action. "Is your family taking you to the circus this weekend?"
     "Oh yes," I say with some pride. "Someone comes every Sunday. Like clockwork."

- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (p.16)

Book Review 3: The Demon King

So I finally got around to reading one of the many books on my "books I want to read" list. I usually like to complete one book series before starting on another (I'm currently going through the Percy Jackson series, Warriors cat series, Chronicles of Narnia series, and now The Seven Realms series) but I just couldn't help myself from grabbing a hold of The Demon King when I found it readily available at my local library. The Demon King is book one from the (planned) four part Seven Realms series. Having recently read the first three books of the Heir Chronicles by the same author (Cinda Williams Chima), I knew I wanted to check out any other book(s) she had written. Although The Demon King was different from the Heir series, it was equally as enjoyable. The Heir series dealt with fantasy in the modern world, while The Seven Realms series is more high fantasy in the Royal Queendom of Fellsmarch. It follows the story of Han Allister who is a reformed streetlord still constantly getting himself into trouble with the Raggers, his previous streetlord posse. Meanwhile, Raisa ana Marianna is the heir to the Fellsmarch throne. I don't want to give away too much, but I found this story a bit more complex than the Heir series since there was a lot more information to absorb. But I will say this; it was one of those books which was hard for me to put down. Cinda Williams Chima grasped onto my attention with this epic tale of love, loss, and self discovery. An intriguing page turner to say the least. There are currently two books out in the series; The Demon King and The Exiled Queen. Book three is due to come out around late August or mid September, which will be titled The Gray Wolf Throne, I'm really excited for it's release! One of my favourite passages in The Demon King was a scene in which Han stands up to his mother, who is constantly on his back about getting a better job so he can feed his family (Mam, and kid sister Mari.) This passage is just too awesome not to share. I remember getting goosebumps the moment I read it. Enjoy!

     Mam's breath hissed out, like he'd confirmed all her worst fears. "You're cursed, Hanson Allister, and you'll come to a bad end," she said. "It's no wonder you're in trouble when you're out on the streets all day long. When you run with street gangs, thieving and robbing..."
     "I'm not with the Raggers anymore," Han interrupted. "I promised you back in the fall."
     Mam plowed on as he hadn't spoken. "When you take up with ill-favored sorts like Lucius Frowsley. We may be poor, but at least we've always been honest."
     Something broke loose inside Han, and when he opened his mouth the words came spilling out. "We're honest? Well, honest won't fill our bellies. Honest doesn't pay the rent. It's been me supporting us for the past year, and it's a lot harder without slide-hand. Be my guest if you think you can keep us out of debtor's prison taking in washing and picking rags. And if we do go to prison, what do you think will happen to Mari?"
     Mam stood speechless, eyes very blue, her lips as white as the rest of her face. Then she snatched up a stick from the kindling pile and swung it at him. Reflexively, he gripped her wrist and held it. They glared at each other for a long moment, married by blood and anger. Slowly anger drained away, leaving only the linkage of blood.
     "I'm not going to let you hit me anymore," Han said quietly. "I've already had one beating today. That's enough."


http://www.cindachima.com/Demon_King/Demon_King.htm

The "Epic" Conclusion of Harry Potter

When I was about fifteen years old, one of my friend's introduced me to the world of Harry Potter. My immediate reaction to her recommending the series was, "Seriously? Why would I want to read a children's book?" However, I eventually learned never to judge a book by the section it sits on at the book store! At the time, only the first four books had been released. Since it was summer break when I began reading Harry Potter, I had no exams to worry about, so I devoured all four books in less than a week. (This included lots of self-discipline to keep my nose in the books, neglect my house chores, and ignore my mom's constant yelling due to the lack of chores being completed!) This followed up with years of waiting patiently for J.K. Rowling to complete book 5, 6, and 7. I read all three almost immediately upon release. Not to mention, I took part in a very memorable and enjoyable "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" midnight release party on July 20th, 2007. After four years of the book series coming to an end, it is time for the movie franchise to end. Below is the movie trailer for the final movie entitled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2." Are you excited?! I know I am! =)

Note: Anyone who knows me knows how much I HATE the word "epic". ;) 

The Vampire Blogs.

A few years ago, international bestselling author Stephenie Meyer introduced the world to a dreamy (this is questionable...) vampire named Edward Cullen. Little did she know, it would create a world of frenzy amongst preteen girls around the globe. Furthermore, the "birth" of the Twilight saga also created a whole new genre of entertainment in which vampire books were being turned into movies and TV Shows left, right, and centre. The Vampire Diaries, Darren Shan, and True Blood to name a few.

Don't get me wrong, I too was bitten by the Twilight bug and found it's cheesiness, terrible writing and predictable story line rather entertaining. But, I found it ironic that vampires only started to get popular after they began to sparkle, feed on forest animals and prey on poor teenage girls in their sleep. What ever happened to the dangerous yet loveable vampires that slept in coffins, bit necks and killed simply for the fun of killing?

I just watched the movie adaptation of "Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" last weekend. I had read the first book from the Darren Shan saga several years ago, but never got around to finishing the entire series. Even though there was something "cute" about this movie, being that Darren Shan was an innocent little child being transformed into a vampire, I found the story line somewhat refreshing. Nowadays, vampires seem to be more interested in love than their usual naughty antics. Darren Shan tried it's best to stray away from this.

On a side note, I like how everybody says The Vampire Diaries, True Blood and Cirque Du Freak are "Twilight copies" when these books actually came out LONG before the Twilight books.

Love 'em, or hate 'em, vampires are here to stay. Whether they sparkle or kill, leave a comment and let me know what your take is on this new vampire craze.

PS, The Vampire Diaries is my own personal guilty pleasure!

Photo Diary of "Me, Myself and I."

This is a follow up blog to yesterday's post "Me, Myself and I." These are a few pictures I took while hanging out in the Atrium on Bay.

 

Spring Rolls: I didn't take this photo, but I thought it was quite lovely

 My Precious book!!! Shout outs to BMV!

Me, Myself and I.

Let me start off by saying I haven't been too regular on my blog lately and frankly... it was because I really had nothing to say. But, the creative juices are flowing once again! =)

This past weekend presented me with an unexpected surprise. My husband had to go to downtown for work and I decided to tag along. While he kept himself occupied with a University presentation, I decided to become a tourist in my own city. I was walking on the University campus and noticed a quaint little park where I could sit, relax and read my book (Jane Eyre.) I stayed there for a good hour or so, until I decided I wanted to keep my hunt going to find some more hidden gems. I found a shortcut which lead to the heart of downtown; Yonge & Dundas Square. I walked towards the Eaton Centre but unfortunately, got really overwhelmed by all the noise, religious fanatics giving away free Bible, and people dancing and/or playing instruments on the street corner. I quickly made my way safe into the mall until I realized; the weather is gorgeous outside, do I really want to stay stuck inside all afternoon?! I attempted to make my way through all the rowdiness and shortly after escaping a man telling me I need Jesus to "save me", I saw a huge sign that read "World's Biggest Bookstore." Mind you, there is nothing I love more than libraries and book stores. I walked towards it but before I got to it I noticed a tiny "BMV" right next to it.

I've heard great things about BMV from a handful of my friends. Now what could be better than purchasing books in good condition for a fraction of the cost? As soon as I stepped in, the first thing I noticed was a sign on the wall which read "no cell phone use." This immediately put a smile on my face... I managed to survive busy Dundas Square, and even better, found a quiet little book store where noise is not allowed; could the afternoon get any better? I browsed around and found several books to my liking, with unbeatable prices also to my liking! I could have walked out the store with at least 10 books that afternoon but the first book I thought of was "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." Let me give you a little back story; this is my all time favourte book and I've always picked it up at Chapters'/Indigo thinking if I should buy it or not; hardcover $29.99, paperback $14.99. I always ended up putting it back saying to myself "one day... but not today." I asked the clerk if they had that book in stock and lucky for me, they did. Even luckier for me, it only cost $5.99 for a hardcover, in almost perfect condition! Even then, I was about to put it down, but told myself that I've waited long enough and today is the day! So I bought it and now I finally have my favourite book in my home library!

After making my purchase, I went back to my park bench and continued reading Jane Eyre, this time doing so with an even bigger smile on my face. Lunch time came, so I bought myself some food at Tim Hortons, and kept myself company at the campus' outdoor patio. After finishing my bagel and Iced Capp, I realized I still had some time to kill. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give Dundas Square and Eaton Centre another go. On my way there, I found a doorway which lead to "The Atrium on Bay." This was new to me, I'd never seen it before. Considering that I'd already seen the Eaton Centre before but had never even noticed the Atrium, I decided to go there instead. It was quiet, many of the stores were closed, but I found the building architecture breathtaking. I did the only thing I could think of at this point; I enjoyed myself. Before I knew it, the afternoon was over and it was time to go home. Little did I know me, myself and I would keep me such great company on a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Book Review 2: The Book Thief

WARNING: THIS BOOK REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. 

I go for a weekly book club at my local library and last month's book was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I was somewhat familiar with this book, since I've seen it at my book store numerous times but I was always reluctant to pick it up. After reading the synopsis, I just didn't think it was for me. I generally don't like to read about real life situations, especially when tragedy meets tragedy. I didn't expect to enjoy this book. I thought it would be one of those awful reads which is sad from beginning to end. Oh how I misjudged The Book Thief. The unconventional narrator was the first thing that caught my interest. How many books have you read which have been narrated by Death? Zusak did a great job of giving Death human qualities which almost made me sympathize with him as a reader. Although the general story line was as sad as I thought it would be, I was unable to put the book down. One of my favourite parts of the story was Liesel and Max's platonic friendship. There have been very few stories I've read with a male and female character developing an innocent relationship, having nothing to do with love, sex or intimacy. However, I couldn't help but wonder (by the very end of the book) if Max was Liesel's husband, as Zusak never made it clear to the readers who she married. Nevertheless, Zusak did a great job of delivering The Book Thief through simple language and a complex plot line. Anyone who enjoys stories about young children, accordions and a whole lot of thievery is sure to fall in love with this book.

Happy Reading!