Ash by Malinda Lo-Review

Ash by Malinda Lo

I just finished this book for my Young Adult Book Club I thought it was a good book but not great.  I also picked the UK book cover above because I LOVE it, and the US one is just OK... here it is in case you are curious. Also the goodreads description follows the cover:

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love. Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

I am very excited to have read this because Malinda Lo is going to be stopping by the YA Book Club for a Q&A! So be sure to stop by if you want to throw in a question or just read what she has to say: Group Q&A. I just finished and I have to say I really liked the re-telling of Cinderella. This was my first LGBTQ book and loved it. I thought it was great. At first I wasn't sure what to expect I must admit. But I thought it was beautiful how Lo wrote about the love between two women. I really loved the fairy tales spun into the story! There was fairy tales within fairy tales! I like the addition in the story of the faeries in the forest. BUT I didn't like the ending, it ends to abruptly.  It's like the author was only allowed so many pages and just cut the ending out.

Have you ever read the original Cinderella story?  You will be QUITE surprised how it really is told!  Here it is, it is quite short so if you are curious check it out:  Aschenputtel (Cinderella) by the Brothers Grimm !

Again.. please feel free to stop by the group to ask Ms. Lo any questions. You have till November 28th, 2011 to do it!!

UPDATE!!  I won a copy of her book from Malinda Lo's Blog.. signed!! Go here to see it:

In My Mailbox-signed copy!

Follow Me Friday (#17)

This is the day of the week where we get to know each other better by answering a question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee & Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new follower since I automatically follow back. And now for this week's question....

This week's Follow Friday question:

In light of 11.11.11 and Veteran’s Day tell us about your favorite soldier and how he or she is saving the world. Fictional or real life.

Well my favorite solider is my husband Eddie.  He is no longer in the Air Force but did 6 years and then separated.  He's been to Iraq and Saudi Arabia as well as other places.  I'd also like to mention my dad who is retired Air Force.  So I am have been a military brat most of my life.  Both Eddie and my dad still work for the military as civilians and I am so proud of the service they have done for our country! 

Leave me a comment so I can see who your favorite veteran is!!  Happy Veterans Day and thanks to all the soldiers who represent the USA!

Follow Me Friday (#16)

 

This is the day of the week where we get to know each other better by answering a question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee & Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new follower since I automatically follow back. And now for this week's question....

Q: Today’s Question is something new, an activity. We want to see what you look like! Take a pic with you and your current read! Too shy? Boo! Just post a fun pic you want to share. 

This is not my current read because my current read, Ash by Malinda Lo is too dark to really turn out in the picture.  So I picked my favorite read instead Harry Potter... PLUS I can include some pics from when I went to the Wizarding World!

Happy Follow Friday!  Leave me you link so I can check out your picture too!!

Malinda Lo interview-YOU ask the questions!

Hello all!! I am pleased to announce that Malinda Lo, author of Ash, will be stopping by my Young Adult Book Club!  Please feel free to stop by and ask any questions you may have about the book, or just writing in general.  The group will be taking questions the whole month of November and then at the end of the month she will stop by and answer them!  I am quite excited, and if you haven't read the book well you should!!!!

1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell

I have always wanted to read this book but just never made the time.  Recently I was babysitting my cousin and finished the book I brought with me so I went through my aunt's drawer (yes a small drawer) of books and found this one so I picked it up and got started!  Here is the goodreads description:

Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell's chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell's narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time

WAR IS PEACE.
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
This book was good... but sometimes too preachy for me. Part 2 went on and on when I was reading the parts that took place from the book that was given out. I will say I was surprised at the twist at the end about who was apart of the Party. I can see why some people love this book. If you are someone would is afraid the US is acting too much like big brother you will love this book. I can see why this book is still popular and has become a classic. Some section and lines really disturbed me! YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. It is a very memorable book of what the world could become.

I still wonder though now that I am done is Big Brother really a man?  Did the Brotherhood really exist?  What do you think?

Twilight the Graphic Novel Volume 2- Review

Twilight: Graphic Novel Volume 2

Just finished the second volume in the series of Twilight Graphic Novels.  I have really enjoyed the art work in the series.  Beautiful!  Here is the goodreads description:

Having uncovered the dark secret of her enigmatic classmate, Edward Cullen, Bella Swan embraces her feelings for him, trusting Edward to keep her safe despite the risks. When a rival clan of vampires makes its way into Forks, though, the danger to Bella has never been more real. Will she make the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people dearest to her? The second volume of Twilight: The Graphic Novelcompletes the visual adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's worldwide bestselling debut novel and is a must-have for any collector's library.

This is a great graphic novel. I can't find any information if there is going to be a third graphic novel in the series but I am hoping there will be!  The story itself falls flat... it is like a hurried Twilight graphic novel.  This is why I only gave it two stars.  The book only takes about an hour to read so I would get it from the library unless you are a die-hard Twilight fan.  The pictures are wonderful... here is a few

 

ONLY A FEW MORE WEEKS TILL THE MOVIE!!

Looking for someone to read a YA Book with???

Hello... if you are looking for someone to discuss a monthly YA Book with then stop by the YA Book Club!  This month we are reading Ash by Malinda Lo and will be reading it all month long.  So you have plenty of time to pick up your copy and have some good discussions with great people!! Click the link below!!

YA BOOK CLUB