So, you probably noticed that I haven’t been posting for awhile now.
Well, there’s a good reason for that.
I’ve been moving!!!
I’m still not fully moved yet, as a matter of fact I’m still in the thick of it, but I’ve missed blogging so much and I was all sad like, “Aaaaw, remember at the old place where I used to blog?” and then I remembered, “Wait a minute…. that’s the whole reason why I’m striving to be a writer! So that I can still write and do the things I’ve always done no matter where I am in the world, life, or universe.”
So, that’s why I’m here today. 😀
I will be back, blogging more, talking about books, writing, TV shows and more (btw, if you’re wondering how my “read 1 book a week” new years resolution is going… 😬 it’s not.🙃 But, I have books, and I will get back to reading! Back to reading and writing!!
Before I go, I will leave you with my current obsessions…
1.
Anything Doctor Strange related at the moment.
2.
Young Lady and Gentleman (a superb k-drama that is basically a family friendly version of Jane Eyre!).
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is the ultimate ‘whodunit’ ‘locked island’ murder mystery that has inspired mystery aficionados’ in the creation of more novels, movies and games for decades.
Summoned to a mysterious island by an acquaintance, whom all of them they just ‘can’t seem to quite remember’, ten strangers find themselves trapped on an empty island on a dark and stormy night at a dinner party, where the main course has been seasoned with sinful secrets, poison, and quite possibly – a little bit of paprika.
In every room there are plaques and placards with the poem “Ten Little Soldiers” (although, when it was originally published it was known by a ah – *cough, cough* another name). In the center of the dinning room table are the 10 little soldiers themselves, and after the first unfortunate, and totally “accidental”, murder, the remaining guests discover that 1 of the little soldiers has been removed.
There is a murderer amongst them – and he is killing everyone, systematically, one by one.
As the poem continues to prophetically come true and the little soldiers continue to disappear, will the guests be able to figure out who the murderer is before there are “none” of them left?
I read this entire book the first time all the way through in a single afternoon.
I literally could not put it down! (Well, I guess technically I could’ve put it down, but you get what I mean, it was just THAT engrossing!)
If you’ve never read any of Agatha Christie’s work, or if you have, or if you’re just a fan of good books, then you should definitely give And Then There Were None a read. It will have you creeped out, confused, and intrigued all the way up until the very end. If you’re like me then you won’t know who did it until Christie reveals it herself.
It’s a 10 little soldiers out of 10 for this gem. 😀
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien is a well-known cult classic, about a group of unlikely heroes that band together to defeat an evil tyrant, but here’s why you should read The Fellowship of the Ring specifically.
Reason #1: It’s a classic epic quest story, with a clear objective – destroy the one ring.
If you’re a fan of D&D, Oblivion, gardening, or just epic military tales in general, then you’d appreciate The Fellowship of the Ring.
It follows the life of Frodo Baggins as his world is turned upside down by the revelation that his dear Uncle’s most prized possession is actually an evil object of extraordinary power. Thus confronted in the middle of his ordinary life with this extraordinary twist, Frodo accepts the responsibility of delivering the ring to those much stronger and wiser than himself, so that they may properly deal with it.
Of course, however, once he reaches them he discovers that things are much worse then he’d originally feared, and the strong allies much weaker than he’d hoped. Thus again, Frodo makes the decision to responsibly deal with the destruction of the deadly device on his own, when he is happily joined by 9 others. Together these 9 elves, men, dwarves, hobbits and a wizard make up the Fellowship of the Ring.
From there (now you’re at the halfway point of the book, and you’ve made it through the Council of Elrond chapter, which was the looooongest one, so good job!), the Fellowship sets out, journeying across the land, fighting goblins, balrogs, and orcs, suffering hunger, cold, and loss, before ultimately winding up shattered and broken at the Falls of Rauros.
Reason B: It’s got Boromir!
If you’re like me, then you are a fan of Sean Bean aka Boromir aka the King of Death Scenes!
Boromir in the books, unlike Sean Bean in the movies, is a lot more respectful towards Aragorn. He recognizes Aragorn’s right to the Gondorian throne, and Aragorn wants the throne, as he has been preparing himself for it for nearly ninety years. Boromir is hotheaded, just like in the movies, but a little less angrily so. He really gives off the vibe of being a true jock, not a tortured would-be prince.
Regardless, whether you’re watching the movie or reading the book, Boromir is a huge + on why you should pick The Fellowship.
And lastly: It’s the starting point.
Unless you’re a person who likes to know the ending of a story before you start it, or if you’re someone who just enjoys being confused, then you’re going to want to start at the beginning of the story. You could start with The Two Towers or The Return of the King, but I guarantee that if you do that that you’ll be more than a little confused by everything.
So, plain and simple, just start at the start.
(If you really, reeeeeally want to start at the start – then you should read The Hobbit first. But, that one is more of a one-off fun adventure story, and not the beginning of the epic quest. So, again, if you want to start the epic quest at the start of the quest, then you should read The Fellowship first.)
Bonus Reason: Bonus content.
There are a lot of parts from the beginning part of the quest that are cut out of the movie. So, if you’ve only seen the movies, then The Fellowship book will have the most surprises and easter eggs, as it was the one that was the most shaved down for film. And, if you’ve never seen the movies, then you’ll enjoy all of the fun, frightening, and fantastical twists and turns that the beginning of the journey has.
So, there you have it!
If you’ve been sitting around, thinking about diving into the LOTR trilogy, but you’ve been unsure of just exactly where to start, then these are your reasons as to why you should start with The Fellowship of the Ring.
Crown of Coral and Pearl is a young adult novel about twin sisters and their tangled destinies. There’s Zadie, the twin who wants nothing more then to stay in her hometown and marry the boy that she loves, but whose beauty has predestined her as the bride of the mother kingdoms crown prince. Then there’s Nor, the twin who has dreamed her whole life about something more then just working and settling down, who’s unfortunate scar has shackled her to her hometown for good.
Desperate times call for desperate measure and the twins hatch a plan to Parent Trap the whole thing – and swap places!
Unfortunately, the tale is far from smooth sailing. Zadie’s actions have caused the parents of the boy she loves to deem her unsuitable for him. And Nor has discovered that not only is the crown prince’s brother far more lovable, but the crown prince himself is downright murderous!
With the tides turned against them, will these two sisters ever have a happy ending?
I had such a fun time with this book!!
And I’m about to give out some SPOILERS, so if you want to avoid those – then just scroll to the end, subscribe to my blog and then get yo’self to a bookstore to buy your own copy of Crown of Coral and Pearl!
First off, I loved the concept of an ocean city. Like, a literal, on the ocean, in the middle of the water, floating city! As a desperate ocean girl myself it had me going, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
Secondly, I am such a huge fan of anything knights and ladies and castles – so all in all, the setting was a total *chef’s kiss*!
I am so excited to read the sequel, but before I do, I’ve got to share my thoughts.
So, here’s what I wanted to happen, what I thought was going to happen, and what I’m sure is going to happen.
Firstly, what I wanted to happen – I wanted there to be MORE TALIN!!! There were plenty of swoonworthy moments between Talin and Nor, and I just wanted there to be a liiiiiitle bit more. For example, I wished that Talin would’ve physically fought Ceren (multiple times) over Nor. I know, I know, there was the whole diplomatic situation going on and he was trying to avoid execution, of either himself or Nor, but still I would’ve liked to see a bit more chivalry out of him.
Secondly, I was so sure for a hot minute there that Ebb’s brother, the one that she was so hush hush about, was going to turn out to be Ceren. It would’ve made sense! And then, that would’ve meant that Ceren’s spy was Ebb. That the one person that Nor felt pretty confident was innocent, simple, and on her side was actually the worst one of the bunch. Ultimately, I’m glad that Ebb wasn’t a traitor, but it would’ve been such a ‘duh, duh, dun!’ moment!
And lastly, Ceren is most DEFINITELY alive!! There’s no way that he’s dead. He had just told us how Nor’s blood had finally made him healthy, and over the course of the whole book, we’d gotten to learn about how it was the exposure to the blood coral that had given Nor her own extraordinary healing abilities, so, there was no way that the blood coral would kill him. That, and she left before confirming that he was dead. It’s the classic murder rule – no body, no death, that b’ is still alive. Only one chapter later it is revealed that another character who was presumed dead, with no body, is in fact alive. So yeah, Ceren is totally alive!
Ranking systems are hard for me because, I want to give everybody and everything 10 out of 10 every time! But, I’m going to try to be accurate and serious for a moment, so… All in all I give this book 4.7 pearls out of 5!
Good job @mararaewrites! I can’t wait to read more of your work! 🙂
It’s a great book to read at any age, whether you’re 7 or 77.
It follows the lives of siblings Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy and their adventures in the magical world on the other side of a dusty old wardrobe.
The world of Narnia – where there are fauns and talking beavers and terrifying witches. It’s a place where, when the children first arrive in it, it is always winter but never Christmas.
The arrival of the 2 sons of Adam and 2 daughters of Eve is the sign that the return of Christmas, spring and Aslan and then end of the White Witch’s reign is near.
CS Lewis is such a good writer!!
Each chapter is only about 10 pages long and, though he’s writing for children, there is no condescending going on. He respects the intelligence of the reader and delivers a story that is – simply put, a classic.
Everybody should read The Chronicles of Narnia.
Everybody.
100/10!
Also, if you’re only prior exposure to Narnia was the live action disney movies then please – FORGET THOSE!!
The books are a thousand times better AND there’s a cartoon movie from 1979 that is PHENOMENAL!! Go find and watch that – PLEASE!
Do you like mysterious strangers that just randomly appear and disappear on the road only to later end up being the master of the house at which you were just recently employed as a governess and now you find yourself falling for him even though he probably has a crazy wife in the attic?
Then Jane Eyre is the book for you!!!
Seriously, this is one of my favorite books! 🙂
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte follows the life of a young orphan girl in victorian times that deals with all of the hits – dead parents, horrible aunts, terrible teachers, bad orphanages, the consumption and so on and so on. Despite all of this she grows into a practical, pretty smart, plain young lady who has the good fortune of being employed as a governess at Thornfield Hall.
Jane had no idea that her brief tenure there would be the starting point of the rest of her life. And she certainly had not been prepared to meet her future husband when she’d sent in her application. But, fate has a funny way of giving us exactly what’s good for us – even if it’s a little dark, broody and damaged at first.
The only thing standing between Jane and happiness (in her mind) is her social status.
She had no idea about the reeeeal obstacle!
I’ve been trying to think of a unique ranking system. You know, like 10 out of 10 or 5 stars or S Tier or something like that but I want it to be fun and different. Maybe it’ll be some kind of pudding scale?… But anyways, point is on any scale this book sits at the top!!
Have you read it? And if not, why not? … 😉 Are you going to read it?
Whatever your answer let me know your thoughts on Jane Eyre in the comments! 😀 That way we can squeal and rant about it together!!
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