Things I"ve Learned About My Kindle

A couple of little things I've discovered recently about my Kindle.
I actually was able to buy more physical hard copy books with my money than if I would have bought e-books for my reader. On Amazon.com. And with free shipping. Hmmmm-keep that in mind if you order a book and you aren't in a hurry or particular about the format.

When you are surfing for books on your WI-FI enabled Kindle- take the time to check out all the extras. Many of the available extras are compiled and submitted by the amazon.com community and contain spoilers. You can choose to keep the spoilers "hidden".

Each book varies on what the "extras" are and some are only available after you purchase the book for your Kindle. Most though, seem to have the following:If the book is part of a series. A list of the main characters.
Memorable quotes.

"Ridiculously Simplified Synopses". Read these just because they are funny.

A summary-very good-especially if you don't have time to read my blog;)
Settings and Important Places. Glossary. Organizations mentioned/featured in the book. Awards the book received. Themes and symbolism. Authors and Contributors.

First Edition. Kinda cool-you can see when it's been published abroad.
Classification. Subjects covered. The first sentence.
Notes for parents.Love this- it tells you if it's Adult Content. Be warned though; this is submitted by the amazon.com community.It's subjective.

 Similar books by other authors. And finally books that may have been mentioned in said book:)

A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches
By Deborah Harkness
Fiction
Released February 8, 2011
$14.99 Kindle www.amazon.com


This book has been rockin' out the best sellers list for months! Curious about all the hype and being a fan of the whole vampire/supernatural trend- I figured I had to check this book out. Bleck. I didn't like it. If you enjoyed the "Outlander" series, or "Lasher" by Anne Rice; especially because of the history-then this book is perfect for you. It has time travel and historical details with a supernatural twist.

The story centers around Diana Bishop, a very powerful witch from a long line of witches. Diana is a professor who ignores her destiny and power. She discovers a very important book that holds a powerful key for all supernatural creatures. Enter in Matthew Clairmont, a prestigious, well-known professor who also happens to be a vampire. Clairmont and Bishop fall in love. Inter-species relationships are forbidden in the supe world but that doesn't stop these two crazy kids from being together. The story takes place in modern times and yet Matthew is a caveman when it comes to women and their roles. Ugh. A war is brewing in the world of vampires, witches, demons and all other creatures. Fighting for the control of the "book"  and their relationship, Diana and Matthew decide to stay safe the best thing for them to do is travel back in time.

I  found the book toooooooooo long. The plot is slowwwwwwww moving and not only is there a lot of  history but very detailed scientific junk that I have no interest in. There really wasn't any great action or huge climax to the story, either. Some of the traveling they did was totally unbelievable.  And a witch and vampire who practice yoga? As if! Harkness skimmed over the scenes that seemed to have potential  - only to devote more time to big, outdated words and terminology. No supernatural sex. Yawn. And too much  hemming and hawing between characters. I almost feel like Harkness was overwhelmed by the potential of this story and where it could go. She lost her writing in the details. She lost the story while trying to focus on the description and history. All the things she got wrong were the same things Gabaldon got right in "Outlander". The things that made me want to keep reading. And Ann Rice gives really good sex to her historical, supernatural books. This book needed a little of that kind of Rice spice!

Finally, the title, "A Discovery of Witches"????  I don't get it. I felt like there was no discovery of anything. All the creatures know about each other and Diana knew all along she was a witch and that she came from a long line of witches. Skip this one even if it's in the box of free stuff at the yard sale.


Recommend it: No.

But: Only if you really enjoy historical fiction. It's more history than witches versus vampires.


Bonus: This book is the first of three novels in the "All Souls Trilogy".

Quotes from "Things I Want My Daughters To Know"

"Motherhood offers the best, most exquisite moments of my life. But every single one has been paid for."


"Our job has as parents is to give our children 2 things: Roots and wings. The simple things and the extraordinary things."


You make new rules for the people you love. They aren't subject to the same judgement criteria you reserved for the rest of the world. In some ways you are easier on them, and in others, much harder."


"For no other reason than I love him wholly I am here. For this one night at least the world has shrunk to a boyish breast on which my head, brilliant and exhausted, rests, and can know of nothing more complete. I am as far beyond doubt as the sun. I am as far beyond doubt as is possible."


"You don't love your stepchildren when you get them. You want to, because you love their mother and she loves them...you grow on each other gradually. Sometimes like roses; sometimes like mold."


"and the greatest of these is love. Please know that you had mine; unconditional, and powerful, and awesome. So strong that I cannot believe it will die with me. I want to imagine it as a living thing that goes beyond my body, and my death, as a vine that has grown and wound its way through the very cores of all of you and cannot be uprooted or destroyed, but rather will hold you up erect when everything else is crumbling and withering inside of you."

Things I Want My Daughters To Know

Things I Want My Daughters To Know
By Elizabeth Noble
Fiction/Drama
Released March 17, 2009
$22.95 or $9.99 Kindle www.amazon.com





Thanks to the women in book club who picked this book! I was hesitant to read this one. It wasn't my normal go-to romance and the premise, "How do you cope in a world without your mother?" seemed downright depressing! I checked it out of the library and gave myself a pep talk, "Sometimes we do it for the team, Ronda! Maybe it will be the best book ever, Ronda! Maybe you can fake it at the meeting and just nod your head in agreement with whatever anyone has to say...."

Sigh. I started in with a mental agreement to myself, that if it was truly horrible, I would stop reading and ban all future book club choices;) Thank goodness, the book was wonderful!

The protagonist (hero or lead) is Barbara, a mother of four daughters, and a woman battling terminal cancer. She decides to write a letter to each daughter  as well as leaving a journal she has kept. The letters and journal become a history; lessons in life, advice for the future and one woman's confessional not just to her children but her husband as well.
Barbara remarried a wonderful, younger man named Mark. He took on the large task of raising Barbara's three daughters as well as their own little girl. Lisa, the oldest, has a fear of commitment. Jennifer, next in line, is extremely uptight. She is stuck in a unhappy and childless marriage and her misery makes her the least likeable character. Amanda, a free spirited, irresponsible sibling. She can't deal with her mother's illness so instead travels abroad for much of her mothers illness. Finally, the youngest, step sister Hanna. She is teenage girl struggling to deal with the loss of her mom at a time in her life when she needs a mom the most.
I completely related with the characters in the novel. I come from a family of many women. Several aunts, two sisters, two daughters, and three nieces. I also have a wonderful stepfather who had to navigate through all these women. From poopie diapers to puberty to marriage.

"Things I Want my Daughters To Know" holds great humor and love. Barbara's family makes me see my family. The struggles of her daughters makes me feel the struggles of my own children. The relationships between the sisters, their failures and successes, all made me think of my own sisters.

I loved that in this book I could see each character not just as the title they were given (mother, daughter, sister ) but the individual story each woman presented. Especially Barbara. It was wonderful to see her not just as the matriarch of the family, not just as a women dying of cancer, but as a woman. All imperfections and love and ugliness, passion,  and secrets,  and parts of her life that had absolutely nothing to do with her kids. And that was important. We all become so absorbed that sometimes we forget there are other lives that exist outside of ours. Events that happen without us. Barbara's journal held secrets that devastated her daughters. Maybe she was cowardly to confess in a journal but it makes you realize that love, while being wonderfully powerful, also motivates us to sometimes make the wrong choices.

If the books would have just been the harrowing goodbyes of mother and daughters, it would have been unbearable.

But this story about death is so full of life with all of it's twists and turns.

I was thrown off a few times by the dialect and lingo of the books (set in Great Britain) but the story is so well written that the distractions were minor.

I look forward to reading more books by Noble and I'm happy that my first book club title was so enjoyable!


Recommend: Yes.

But: It might cause you to shed a few tears, or make a long-distance call to a special woman in your life.


Side note: Shortly after I read this book, I went to a my daughter's school play. My mother met me there and we proudly watched my daughter perform. After the show we walked out to our cars and my mom gave her usual goodbye, "Love you-Bye!" and I replied the same. I thought nothing of it, as my mom and I always end our conversations and visits the same way. A woman came up to me, though, and said, "I heard what you and your mom just said to each other. How lucky you are to be able to say those words ....I wish I could still do that with my mom...."

That pretty much sums up how I feel about this book. I'm so grateful I get to hear my mom's voice and say those words to her.

Shakespeare's Landlord

Shakespeare's Landlord
By Charlaine Harris
Fiction/Mystery
$7.99 Kindle www.amazon.com
Released November 1,2005

This book is one of five in the Lily Bard Mysteries. The book is a quick, easy read. The plot is fast moving and Harris writes with a no-nonsense style, just like the characters she writes about. The chapters are short and sweet. Harris is a master at this genre. She creates gritty, funny characters; almost always southern and not complete without with a dark streak. Her women are fearless and her men are rough and tumble. The characters should come with the warning, "All Sharp Edges-Handle With Care".
"Shakespeare's Landlord" is a classic who-dunnit but instead of Sherlock Holmes we get Lily Bard.
Bard, a mysterious, intensely private woman has recreated a new identity for herself  in the small town of Shakespeare. Trying to recover from a traumatic event in her past and heal from mental and physical scars, Lily has thrown herself into martial arts and body building. Lily Bard is a bad ass (and a blonde!). In her past life she was a white collar professional; now she's a cleaning lady. An under the radar job that involves very little interaction with others.
At her apartment complex Lily stumbles upon the body of her landlord and finds herself thrown into the middle of the unsolved murder case.
The novel hosts an odd cast of characters-true to form for  a Harris novel. We are introduced to some key characters that we get to read about again in the next few books in the  series. Marshall,martial arts instructor, gym owner, and potential lover. Deedra, a neighbor in Lily's apartment complex. She also happens to be the town hussie. And Bobo, an employee at the gym, who has the hots for Lily. Quirky southern charmers for sure.
I have yet to find a Charlaine Harris book I didn't enjoy or wouldn't recommend.  Great read for the modern day sleuth!

Recommend it: Yes!
But: Graphic violence.

The Places You'll Go

In honor of both of my daughter's first day of school tomorrow I will just offer up the recommendation of "Oh, The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. One of my favorite pieces of fiction and so very inspirational. My mother gave it to me as a high school graduation gift and I have in turn given it  as grad gifts many times over. I will do the same for my girls upon their graduation. Until then, cheers to 5th and 9th grade tomorrow for my kids!
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."   

Quotes from "A Million Little Pieces"

Quotes from "A Million Little Pieces" By James Frey

"What time do you start drinking?"
"When I wake up."
"How much per day?"
"As much as I can."

"Be content with what you have and take joy in the way things are. When you realize that you have all you need the world belongs to you." Book of Tao