Living, Breathing Books

HELLO!!! *hears a couple crickets answering back* 

So City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare was released on May 27th. It was a beautiful Tuesday morning. I was sitting in my car from 8:45am ... awaiting my bosses to open the doors to let me in so I can buy my copy. 

I go in and there it is. 

I freaked out. I admit that I let out a bit of a girlish squeak as I picked it up. It's the FINAL book in the Mortal Instruments series. The book blogs have been talking about this book for the last TWO YEARS, debating about what's going to happen to these beloved characters. 

Clary Fray has to finally face her evil brother, Jonathan "Sebastian" Morgenstern before he unleashes his Endarkened Shadowhunters on the world. Is there a cure for those forced to drink from the Infernal Cup? 

Jace Herondale is learning how to use the Heavenly Fire that courses through his veins as a weapon, but at what cost when it means he can no longer have physical contact with his girlfriend. 

Ugh! It's a book series that we're all anxious to finish ... but terrified at the same time because so much is at stake in the novel. Plus, we have to wait another year and half until her new series, The Dark Artifices is released. 2015, you can't come soon enough. 

There's another book that I'm looking forward to as well. 

It was recommended to me by a friend and author, J.H. Trumble. 

Now I know nothing beyond the main synopsis of the book so here it is. 

When a cheating boyfriend leads to an unexpected summer job, Rowena discovers that the best way to let go of the past might be to dive right into it.

Rowena Duncan is a thoroughly modern girl with big plans for her summer—working at the mall with her best friends, taking trips to the Cape, date nights on the beach—until she catches her boyfriend making out with another girl. Heartbroken, she applies to an out-of-town job posting and finds herself somewhere she never expected: the Renaissance Faire.

As a face-painter doubling as a serving wench, Ro is thrown headfirst into a vibrant community of artists and performers. She feels like a fish out of water until Will, a quick-witted whip cracker, takes her under his wing. Then there’s Christian, a blue-eyed stunt jouster who makes Ro weak in the knees. Soon, it’s not just her gown that’s tripping her up.

Does that sound fun or what? 
I can't wait until I can get a copy of this because this book combines my TWO favorite loves when it comes to books. Renaissance Faires and Romance! Teehee! So I'm putting it out there. I'm psyched about even more books to pick up. Not that I really need anymore. Am I right? 

On another note ... WHEN did it get to be June? I feel like someone has been using Hermione's Time Turner (yes, I used a Harry Potter reference) and I woke up in June. Yesterday was January, I swear! 

We live in a fast paced world and I get that we've entered the Technological Society or whatever, but what I wouldn't give to return to the days where books weren't read on e-readers, internet wasn't used as a PRIMARY means of communication, and social networking was hanging out at the mall or wherever WITH actual people. 
Okay, rant over! 

I'm better now. Especially considering how invalid that it must be considering that ... I'm writing this rant ... on a BLOG on the INTERNET.
Yeah, I have problems. 

Oh well. 

Fare thee well everyone! I can't wait to write something for you again. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself

Finally Did Something Right

I was looking at the timeline of my novel. 

I had it all setting out before me and I was analyzing every part of it, searching every scene for a way to tie it all together when it hit me. My bad guy. He really has NO role in it except towards the end. 

And let's face it, I don't want to be a Nora Roberts novel waiting to happen. I want my bad guy to actually BE prominent, a source of fear in my main characters mind that will keep her AND my readers up every night, devouring each page until the very end. 

Now I do try my hardest NOT to sound like a book snob, but seriously? Where's the plot if your bad guy doesn't show up? 

I imagine that the characters wander around aimlessly like this ...

Duh! 

I think that face says it all. Whatever! 

Anyway ... things are complicated enough than to add to them by constantly staring at a blinking cursor and wondering what your bad guy is doing ... so I simply found a way to put in his issue right away. Now my bad guy has a REASON for constantly coming after my main character. 

That has been a trial by itself. 

Prologue

                Heaving with exertion, muscles screaming for relief, and head pounding, Cara was hurrying back towards the manor as fast as her legs could carry her. When Teresa, her boss and the housekeeper told someone to run, they ran. Cara was no exception. Especially now. A thousand different thoughts were whizzing through her mind as the enormous house came into view at the end of the street. What was she going to say? How was she going to say it? She pushed the wrought iron gate open with a heavy groan and let it close behind her. The feeling of being back behind the gates brought back the uncertainty of what she was about to do tenfold, but Cara pushed the feeling away. Putting on a final burst of speed, she cranked the door handle and rushed inside, ignoring the inquisitive looks of the other servants as she zipped past them out of the enormous living room and towards the back of the house. His study was in sight, then. Cara slowed to a walk, trying to slow her breathing and racing heartbeat. She closed her eyes, inhaled a deep, calming breath and knocked … a bit more rapidly than she’d initially intended.

                “Come in.”

                The voice beckoned her inside and Cara turned the knob and entered the study of the Vampire Lord. “My Lord?” She lowered her head in a bow, not wanting to meet his gaze.

                “What is it?”

                “I have a message from Teresa. It’s urgent. I tried to get here as fast as I could.” Cara raised herself to her full height and finally looked at her master, Azreal Somerfeld.
                “Well?” Azreal had remained seated at his desk, folding his arms across his chest. “What’s the message?” He waited as Cara pushed a folded piece of paper across the desk to him. Azreal picked it up and unfolded it with an exasperated sigh and began to read silently. Cara continued to stand there awkwardly. She knew the rules well. She could not leave until he dismissed her. Azreal put the letter back down on the desk and leaned forward, interlocking his fingers together and looking up at his servant. “And what exactly does Teresa propose I do?”

                “Steal her.”

And there it is, folks! THIS is the beginning prologue for my novel. Now my bad guy, Crescent is going to royally pissed and go after Azreal if he goes in and steals his pet. And please note that this is just the ROUGH draft so no critiques at this point. 

It's times like this when I realize that my choosing to be a writer was indeed an excellent life choice. Now I just have to do one TEENY TINY thing ... get published. Small detail, right? :P 
Meanwhile, I'm going to start throwing myself into Freelance Editing. 
According to the Writer's Group I attended a couple weeks ago, that's the way to get started. It is what I went to school for, after all.

Moving on, shall I? 

The training for the 5K at Binder Park Zoo is actually going really well. But that's all I have time for ... because ... I have to go to work. But hey, tomorrow's Wednesday so I'll try to post something tomorrow too. Hopefully it will be something that doesn't make me feel like such a primadonna. Oh well. What do you do? 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Tea For Me. Tea For You.

I am sitting in the tea shop (shocker) and it dawned on me that I haven't had anything frozen like a frappe in so long.
I decided to fix that. Instead of just a pot of tea, I got a chai tea frappe. It's so frozen and delicious. 

Plus, I've been doing so much better on my diet lately so I figured I deserved something frozen. I've been running every morning (except for this morning) to get in training for the Cheetah Chase 5K at Binder Park Zoo in June. I'll be doing my run closer in the evening tonight when its cooler outside. 

There are two 'races' in the Cheetah Chase. 

One is the Gazelle Gallop (the run). Or you can do the Sloth Walk (the walk). I'm signed up to do the run portion because I feel like I'm going to be so ready to do that. When I started training, I had forgotten how much I loved running. At first, it sucks. You're wheezing and heaving and feeling like you're about to die, but once I hit my stride, I feel powerful and fast and unstoppable. 

I love the burn I feel in my legs when I've reached my limits and can push myself through it. Plus, I have my favorite radio station as an App on my phone so it gives the most uplifting music to listen to ... and that keeps me going too. 

Speaking of the Binder Park Zoo, they just opened up for the season. The bear exhibit is now open and I WANT TO SEE!!! 

I'll bet they're really cute and climbing up trees and having fun because they're so young. I can't help it. I love the zoo. 

I have been reading that romance novel I mentioned in  my last post. I admit it, it's actually really good. I didn't have the highest hopes right away because I've never read Mary Balogh before ... but now I'm hooked. The main guy, Vincent, is blind and the way Balogh describes his world is fascinating. She does a really great job keeping up the fact that he can't see so everything from his perspective is all described by touch, hearing, smell, and taste. It's actually kind of interesting. For example, instead of just writing 'He picked up the tea cup and took a sip', Balogh writes instead something like 'The smell of bergamot assaulted his senses and the taste of the Earl Grey went down his throat like a bitter medicine'.

I made that sentence up, but you get the idea. Focusing on the other four senses instead of sight makes the reading experience that much better. 

However, I can't wait until I get to the next book on my list. I'm FINALLY going to read Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed. 

It's a Young Adult book about a girl named Rose Cliffe who goes to this house to be a lady's maid to Ada Averley who is about her age. For the first time, Rose has a chance to make a friend, even if that friend is her employer. And when a scandal surrounds Ava's father, they depend on their friendship to get through it. 

I got it for a STEAL from a bookstore in Grand Rapids that was closing down. I HATE when bookstores have to close due to business being slow. I wish I could say that I had a plan to make bookstores come back in popularity again, but I don't. I'm just one person after all. It's one of the things that breaks my heart though. When I was little and my heart set on being an author, I also had this idea that I would open my own bookstore where I could sell my own books as well as other local authors and have my own coffee bar/tea shop and have a stage for poetry readings or author signings. 

But in today's world? I don't know if it'd make it. 

For my SECOND big book recommendation, I wanted to share another book on my To Read List that I found. 

Alienated by Melissa Landers

Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L'eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she'll have inside information about the mysterious L'eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara's blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn't sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L'eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn't seem more alien. She's certain about one thing though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn't just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life-not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Doesn't that sound good? I thought so. I read this on the cover jacket and was like 'MUST. READ.' I'm on the waiting list for it at the library. I would get it at work but it's not there. Sadness! *sighs* I love Sci-Fi stories. I might have to try and share some more of those on here. I tend to get carried away with other genres for a while and then come back to some of the favorites. Like Terri Pratchett or Neil Gaiman or Ray Bradbury or Brandon Sanderson. 

All right, I'll leave you all for now, but I'll be back and with more inspiration to share with you all. 
Until then, I remain your faithful blogger

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Easter Is Tomorrow

So tomorrow is the holiday with the bunny and the eggs and the chocolate. 

No it's not. 

I mean ... yes it is ... but it's not. Easter is all about celebrating the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and saved us ALL from dying with our sins. 
This year, I did something a little different than I normally do for this day. Typically, we go to a family member's house for a nice dinner but ... due to the fact that my cousin Karissa is very VERY close to having her baby ... we're having a nice dinner at our own house. No big deal. So this year, I went out and got a couple of LITTLE things for my family. I even wrapped them up in pretty paper.

It's kind of my way of saying 'Thanks and I'll work on being more responsible'
Normally, this is the part where I'd tell you what I purchased, but my family reads this and it would spoil the surprise. :P

Speaking of the Easter bunny though ... I'm willing to share a bit of my childhood with you. THIS is what I thought the Easter Bunny looked like when I was little. 

I just thought that it was a normal sized PINK bunny that ran all over the yard, hiding eggs that were filled chocolatey deliciousness. 
It was the only explanation that made sense. Little rabbits can hide really well. That giant THING at the mall that torments children? Too obvious! You'd notice that in seconds. 

It's funny how these little traditions get started. My one big question is ... how did the concept of the bunny and eggs come into play? No amount of googling can give me that as a straight answer, I'm afraid. If ANYONE knows this, I'd love to know. Leave it in the comments and I will thank you with a smile and virtual hug. 

So this past Christmas ... my parents had gotten me a blu-ray player. I opened the box a couple of weeks after that and realized that it hadn't come with a very important cord. Sold separately, of course. It took a long time,  but I had finally gotten a cord and was trying to figure out how to get it plugged into my tv. I hadn't wanted to just jam it in and break it after all. I have a bit of a timid nature. *laughs* Last night, my sister comes in and in ... about five seconds, she plugged in both ends of the cords, turns on the tv. Guess what? It worked. I was so excited that I watched the Little Mermaid. I couldn't believe it was that easy. 
Now I feel like I need to go through all my blu-ray movies and watch them ALL on this new player. So that means I have Avatar the Last Airbender, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, 2012 (yes, I love the dumb disaster movies. No judging), The Little Mermaid, and my Oceans documentary. 

I won't be spending all my time with the TV though. I have way, way, WAY too many books to get through. I actually made a stack of SOME of the books that I have not currently read and it came to above my knee. I might have to admit to a problem sometime soon. Maybe. Not likely. But maybe. 
The book I JUST finished today was one that I wanted to share since Easter is tomorrow and everything. 

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect Of The Holy Spirit by Francis Chan is written for any Believer who has fallen into this trap of neglecting the Spirit of God. 
Sadly, I myself have found myself in this position too. 
When Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised that He would send the Counsellor or the Helper to us. Francis Chan discusses how sometimes we live in awareness of the Father and the Son, but we forget that we also have the Spirit who guides us who loves us as well. 

It was a very enlightening read and I do recommend it.

Another book I read very recently is this one. 

The Museum Of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman 
This is a book about Coralie Sardie. She lives with her father above his museum where exhibits like the Butterfly Girl (a girl with no arms and her face painted like a monarch), the Wolf Man (a heavily bearded and hairy man with an appetite for books), and Coralie herself as the Mermaid are featured. She's treated not like a treasure, but a possession by her father and when she falls in love with a photographer named Eddie, it only makes her vindictive and vicious father hold on tighter. 
Set during the tragic events of 1911 on Coney Island, Alice Hoffman writes the tale of Coralie in a poetic and beautiful fashion that captured my attention from page one. 

Last Friday, my friend Stephen came to visit for a couple of days from Washington. I showed him my pile of books that I had currently not read yet too. He showed no surprise. I think that was a good indication that he knows me too well. *laughs* He was the friend that finally made me finish the Divergent series. So to Stephen ... I finally FINISHED Allegiant. I'm a little sad still. I hated the ending and when I get a chance to update my Goodreads, you'll see the rating I felt I HAD to give this book. 

Now ... on to the book I just moved onto. It was literally the first book I picked up off the top of that particular pile. It is .... a romance novel. BAM! 

Don't worry, as you all know, I only read the TASTEFUL romance novels. 
The Arrangement by Mary Balogh 

Desperate to escape his mother’s matchmaking, Vincent Hunt, Viscount Darleigh, flees to a remote country village. But even there, another marital trap is sprung. So when Miss Sophia Fry’s intervention on his behalf finds her unceremoniously booted from her guardian’s home, Vincent is compelled to act. He may have been blinded in battle, but he can see a solution to both their problems: marriage.
 
At first, quiet, unassuming Sophia rejects Vincent’s proposal. But when such a gloriously handsome man persuades her that he needs a wife of his own choosing as much as she needs protection from destitution, she agrees. 

So far, the book is kinda funny. I'm not disappointed with Balogh's writing style. But I do have one criticism that I know is not the author's fault. The cover. Really? They just had to have the guy's shirt open ALL THE WAY. *laughs* I feel like the photographer was thinking something along the lines of this: 

Photographer: Okay, [model] this is for a book cover. Look historical.
Model: How about this? 
Photographer: Could you unbutton the top buttons of the shirt? Great! That's REAL historically sound, right there. Guys did that all the time.
Model: *poses*
Photographer: Oh wait. You have really great abs. Let's unbutton the whole shirt.

*head smack* Why don't we just go back to the Fabio lookalikes too, why don't we? If I was to ever write a romance novel (let's face it, I'm going to need the cash), I think I want a say on the cover. So I would say .. no girls with their chests practically falling out of their shirts/dresses/etc. and no guys bearing shirtless facades and a sour expression. I put my foot down on this. 

Jeanne, I think you'd like this book, though. Ignore my humor about the cover. 

All right, I think I'm going to end this for now. It's been a long time since my last post after all. I would hate to overwhelm my beloved readers with too much. I hope you enjoyed. 

I really AM going to get better about posting on a proper schedule. Really. With summer approaching, I'm bound to improve, correct? 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

It's Saturday NIGHT!!!

And we're LIVE ... from Ashleigh's living room. 
Tonight's guests: The Walking Dead cast (watching reruns), Shaun Spencer and Burton Guster (Psych episodes), and a local chef will be teaching us how to make a snack (we made apples with peanut butter) 

I had some time on my hands to come up with this as you can see. 
A whole 10 seconds to make all that up. I could TOTALLY do the real SNL and would be hilarious. 
Moving on ... 

I had a great night on Friday. Went to see Les Miserables at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre and they had amazing talent on the stage. The sets were amazing. There was a rotating stage so the turntable made sets so much easier to see from different angles. And can I totally take a moment to praise the orchestra? 
Even when the mic went out on Fantine and her big number ... the orchestra played low enough so she could belt out those notes and even without a mic on her, she had incredible projection. 

Then today on Saturday ...? 
We went out and did some shopping. I splurged on a pair of socks at a pair of earrings at this new store at Rivertown called Charming Charlie. Then I got to go to Barnes and Noble. Yay me! I love that store. I don't know if you guys were aware of that or not. Then afterward, Ash and I met up with our bestie, Emily at Red Robin for lunch. I love grilled cheese sandwiches. Especially THEIR grilled cheese sandwiches. 
We just had a ton of fun and I enjoyed myself. 

Oh ... and I discovered a new movie that was ... decent. We watched the movie Monsters University on Friday night. Are you guys aware of what the theme of that movie is exactly? 
Now just remember that I'm just picking up on this from a one time sitting. 

The movie actually starts out with a very good message. Work hard. Apply yourself. Be yourself. And you'll get to where you want to go, whether that be a good school, good job, etc... 
That's where the movie's GOOD theme ends. The movie essentially is telling kids ... and this is a SPOILER ... so I will let this pause so you can leave the room or whatever ...




....




Pausing for Spoiler ....






....





The real theme of Monsters University is this. It's OKAY to mess up in college, get expelled, and have no career prospects. There will be no consequences for your actions and as long as you join any company that you want to work for and start from the ground up ... you WILL get the top job. 
I kinda think that's a bunch of Bullshit (sorry family for language) but what is this world coming to ... telling kids that it's okay if you get EXPELLED because ultimately you'll still get the best jobs. 
Not to stand on a soapbox here, but that's not really what happens very often. Let's say you take 100 people. And those 100 people ALL get expelled for whatever reason from ANY university ... I'm going to wager that about 10 of those 100 actually achieve the theme of this movie and start in the 'mailroom' and work themselves up to 'Scarer' like in the movie. The other 90 are more likely still stuck in their minimum wage position in that 'mailroom'. So what exactly are we telling kids these days? I know that with the job market today, it's EXTREMELY difficult to get the jobs we GO to school FOR ... (I mean, let's face it .. I went to school to be an editor for a big time publishing company and I'm making coffee for a living right now) ... but should we really be telling impressionable children in today's media that a college education is essentially unnecessary? No. I still think that if you go to school, work hard, and apply yourself, you may STILL not get that top job ... but you have the MEANS to move forward that much faster. 
It's not like we're exactly living in a society where it's okay that you didn't go to school anymore. Nowadays, it's very literally like 

Me: "Hello, I'd like to apply for a job"
Employer: "That's wonderful. Here's the application form online. Please list your references and schooling"
Me: "Well, I'm not very qualified for this job"
Employer: "Then have a nice day. Thanks for wasting my time" (cue door slamming in your face) 

It sucks, but that's the way it is.

All right, I'm stepping off my soapbox now. I just ... found myself irritated with Disney at that moment and felt I had to say SOMETHING to that effect.

Whatever. 

All right ... I think that's enough for now. It's been a long day and tomorrow I go to church and then drive home for work at 4pm to close. So come on in if you get a chance and I'll make you the best Vanilla Macchiato you've ever had. Let's face it. I may not have gone to school to be a barista ... but I make amazing coffee. 

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Complications

I was going to title this 'Complicated' but that sounded WAY too Avril Lavigne to me. And yeah, it's her world and we're just living in it, but I still didn't want to copy her. 

How's it hanging in the cyber world? I've been ... kind of avoiding it like the plague lately. Only able to check in occasionally on my mobile phone. 

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to write a blog on a phone screen? Not easy. So I kinda fell off the face of the earth for a little bit. 
But at least it was fun for the time being. Being off the face of the earth, I mean. Trust me when I tell you that my time WAS being used constructively. I have attempted this thing where I read one book a day. 
It has NOT been easy. There were some days where I just charged through the books I was reading and then there were other days where I had this little thing called Work which slowed me down on some of the thicker books. 

Pesky work. 

But I'm grateful. At least I'm GETTING a few hours now. It's not just me pinching pennies, crying myself to sleep for fear of not being able to work more, and me screaming at the top of my lungs into a pillow because I was so PISSED at not having enough work. 

Oh yeah, my life was making me cranky. 

Still ... what do you expect? God throws us the unexpected, but it's nothing that we can't handle, right? 

So here's what you've missed. 
I've read about ... 12 books since you last heard from me. I know, I'm slipping. What a shame. *laughs*
Here we go...I'll try to remember them all. 

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead 
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (you might have known this one though)
Bite Me, Your Grace by Brooklyn Anne
Mesmerized by Candace Camp 
Insurgent by Veronica Roth


I'm missing two on that list ... but I can't seem to remember what they are or find my lists anywhere. Oh well. The point is I've been reading. A lot. 
The book I am CURRENTLY reading is Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It's basically about what would happen if the moon was pushed a little bit closer to Earth's orbit and it follows this family as they survive the weather changes and other things. What can I say? I like a good dystopian series. 

So that's me... 

I hope I can update again very soon. I have missed this. I really have.

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn

Explanation

I'll bet you've been wondering where I've been the past week and half. 

Here's the story: 

I was on my way to work last weekend, right? I went downstairs and let our big, lumbering yellow lab out. I left the garage door open to kind of remind myself that I was leaving that way to go to my car. Well, sometime between letting the dog back in, I thought ... I forgot something (I think it was my apron) so I ran back upstairs to go get it. Instead of going back downstairs, I went out the front door. I was trying to be OH so careful going down our icy front steps. And when I put my foot down on a step, it slipped out from under me .... and down I went. Right. On. My. Tailbone. 

OWWWWWWW!!! 

Now I sat in the snow right where I'd fallen for several long minutes. I even kept looking at my cellphone that I had taken out of my pocket and kept looking at the time.
"You're going to be late, Taryn" I said to myself as I tried to get up without success. "Taryn, you've got to get going!" FINALLY ... I forced myself to my feet and the pain ... not getting any better. I got into the car and started going to work. 

So .... I haven't exactly been the most FIT company to be writing anything positive, uplifting, touchy feely, or fuzzy wuzzy.
Do you want to know who's been my friend all week? 

I've brought a pillow with me to sit on.

I send you my most inspiring piece of advice right here ... 

Are you ready? 

Okay ...

Don't fall down the stairs and land on your tailbone. Yep! Just don't do it. 

So to make myself feel better, I decided to restart one of my favorite shows on Netflix. Starting with season 1 and ending at season 9. Yeah. Go Grey's Anatomy! I just finished the episode where Izzy is making chocolate cupcakes and she knows she's missing an ingredient and can't figure out what it is. And then she's on this case where a patient is about to undergo surgery on a tumor on his brain that seem to be triggering his 'psychic visions'. Yeah. That's a good episode. 

Anyway ... what's been going on? Have you been in a blind panic without one of my posts? :P 

Maybe not. *laughs* I like to think that my blog is more popular than it probably actually is. Like celebrities are reading it. Or ... Doctor Who is reading it. Or Anne Rice or Jenny Trout. Now THAT would be cool. 

Ohhh! I have a huge book recommendation to throw at you. One of my favorite authors has written another one. This time for Young Adults. 

Such Sweet Sorry by Jenny Trout

Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo...

But true love never dies. Though they're parted by the veil between the world of mortals and the land of the dead, Romeo believes he can restore Juliet to life, but he'll have to travel to the underworld with a thoroughly infuriating guide.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not have inherited his father's crown, but the murdered king left his son a much more important responsibility—-a portal to the Afterjord, where the souls of the dead reside. When the determined Romeo asks for help traversing the treacherous Afterjord, Hamlet sees an opportunity for adventure and the chance to avenge his father's death.

In an underworld filled with leviathan monsters, ghoulish shades, fire giants, and fierce Valkyrie warriors, Hamlet and Romeo must battle their way through jealousy, despair, and their darkest fears to rescue the fair damsel. Yet finding Juliet is only the beginning, and the Afterjord doesn't surrender souls without a price... 

I have been following Jenny Trout's books for a LONG time now. In her Bloodties series, I was enthralled by Carrie, Nate, and (squeaks) Cyrus. In American Vampire, I kept reading to find out the mysterious beastie holding a town in Ohio hostage. In her Lightworld/Darkworld series, I kept wanting to know who would come out on top in this fantasy series. 
So of course, when I saw Such Sweet Sorrow, I immediately put it on my To Read list and am going to recommend it until the cows come home. 
Pick this up the next time you're hanging out at Barnes & Noble. You can NEVER go wrong with Jenny Trout. 

And I know that this was a short entry but ... I'm kinda getting tired. And ... more in pain. So I'm going to end this for now. But I wish you all the best and I will post again. SOON. I promise. PROMISE PROMISE. :D :D :D :D

Be Open, Be Loving, Be Yourself
Taryn