Top Ten Tuesday - The One With Obstacles (and the Book Blogger Hop)

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On occasion I'll be joining in the Top Ten Tuesday posts hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl and today is one of those days. The occasions on which I have time and remember to join in are far fewer than I'd expected!

This week's Top Ten Tuesday Topic is: Things Getting In the Way of Reading. In other words, what's taking up your time right now - other than reading? Seems to me that there are probably things getting in the way of my attempts at writing blog posts too. Probably some of the same things! At any rate, in no particular order, here are the things that tend to chip away at my reading time.

Sleep - Although it's just as likely that I'll get caught up in a book and keep reading 'one more chapter' when I should be sleeping, very often I just can't stay awake or I decide to take a nap rather than read for a bit.

Games - I have a couple of puzzle games I like to play on my phone or Kindle, and sometimes I just want to conquer the game rather than pick up a book.

Internet - Pretty much everything I do on the computer will take longer than I expect or intend and there goes a reading opportunity.

Podcasts - I have several podcasts I like to listen to, and I don't like pausing in the middle. So I'll decide to finish the podcast and before I know it, no time left to read.

Housework - In a way this goes with the podcasts, because I can listen to podcasts while I do a lot of household tasks, but I obviously can't do that while holding a book. (Yes, I could listen to audio books, couldn't I? I've never really gotten into audio books, sadly.)

Homework - Either grading papers for the students I tutor or working on my own homework for a course I'm working on.

Darkness - Sometimes I'd like to read, but it's late and my husband is sleeping so I really need to turn out the light. If I don't have something on my Kindle that I feel like reading at the moment, then I don't read.

Trouble Concentrating - If there are things going on around me, I can have trouble focusing on my book.

Not Prepared - I hate when I get stuck just waiting somewhere but I didn't bring a book to work on. Or I don't have my reading glasses with me. Or I brought my Kindle but the battery is dead.

Not In the Mood - This is so weird, but yeah, there are times when I just don't have anything handy that I feel like reading in that moment.

This article will be linked at Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl .

And I skipped my Friday Fun post so here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: Do you have a "trademark" that everyone would know it's you whether you said your name or blog name?

My Answer: I'm not sure that I do, except that I've tried to keep each of my blogs "branded" with a coffee theme. When I leave comments on book blogs, I often end my comment with "Happy Reading!" but I've noticed a lot of others do the same. So I guess my coffee cup button or avatar might be the closest thing to a "trademark" that I have.

Book Blogger Hop

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - The Seaside Affair

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The Seaside Affair by Vicki Hopkins - Elizabeth and her older brother Francis end their period of mourning for their mother by visiting the seaside resort of Aycliffe. The invitation to visit came from long-time friends of their mother, whom she had corresponded with for all the years since she herself had held a governess post in Aycliffe. 

Beth and Francis are curious about why their mother maintained her correspondence with the Wilsons for so many years, and yet had said so little about her time in Aycliffe. Their curiosity becomes more urgent when their new friends around the town drop some hints that there may have been unpleasant gossip attached to their mother. The Davenports are the family that had employed their mother as governess, and the now grown children remember her fondly. Alexander, Edwin, and Lydia Davenport, along with the Wilsons' daughter Celia, and Lord Howard's niece Annie, form the social circle that Beth and Francis move in during their vacation. Beth is quite surprised when Lord Howard asks her to stay with Annie as a companion for about a month, but decides that she will stay even if Francis objects. 

Beth's extended stay gives her opportunity to find out more about her mother's past, and gives her more time to spend with Annie and Celia, and even with Alexander whose interest in her is becoming obvious. Alexander, for his part, is determined to break away from his father's expectations to pursue his own dreams and interests. But back at home, Francis makes a discovery that sheds new light on his mother's past and realizes he must confront the people of Aycliffe with the truth, and make sure that Beth hears the truth from him.

Although the story is interesting and piqued my curiosity about the secrets of the past and the outcomes for the characters, the writing style was disappointing. Misplaced modifiers, clumsy wording, and redundant descriptions of unnecessary details were common throughout the book, and it was full of the kind of awkward writing one would expect from middle schoolers. I also found many places where incorrect words were used, and where sentences were clumsy and confusing. I found the writing so distracting and frustrating, and it surprised me that this author has many other titles published. A good story, but poor writing, to be honest.

From the publisher:

Over twenty years after their mother left the seaside resort of Aycliffe on the English coast, Elizabeth and Francis Edwards visit on holiday. They are invited by long-time friends of their mother, who are saddened to hear of her death.

Upon arrival, the siblings soon discover that the sleepy seaside town is plagued by family drama and plots of self-preservation. Gossip, greed, deceit, and lust are the vices hidden under the sands of time. As Elizabeth and Francis unearth the truth about their mother's life at the resort, a shocking revelation comes to the surface. In the end, lovers find the courage to embark on adventures, while others accept change and new lives.

(Historical fiction, set in 1840, with romantic and family saga elements.)

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Recent Reads - The Curse of the Healing Kiss

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The Curse of the Healing Kiss by Mark McClelland - This novella is written in a style that is meant to feel like it's an old French fairy tale, and with kingdoms and curses it does have that overall vibe. The story centers around a beautiful and outgoing woman named Malvinia who has a natural gift for connecting with people and making them feel comfortable. As the story opens, she has no particular wish to marry, and encourages a developing relationship between her friend Larisa and a quiet young man named Modeste. However, Modeste loses interest in Larisa and eventually turns to Malvinia, and when Larisa realizes this she is consumed with jealousy and lays a curse on Malvinia.

Time goes by, and Malvinia and Modeste are happily married, until a young prince makes their acquaintance and asks Malvinia about a magical gift she may have - a healing kiss that gives confidence and strength to anyone she bestows it upon. Despite her misgivings and her worry that she is betraying her husband, Malvinia is convinced that this gift is real and does give it to the prince. Eventually Modeste discovers the truth and that the gift is also a curse, and his mistrust and jealousy threatens to destroy their relationship.

The story starts out strong and the writing is lovely, although I found the use of a few modern words and expressions (for example, "okay" is used several times) jarring when dropped into a narrative and dialogue that tries to imitate 17th century tales. The characters are fairly two-dimensional and their inner conflicts are simply presented and not well-developed, but as this is a novella, I didn't expect those aspects of the story to be very deep. In fact, I was greatly enjoying the story right up until the last page or two, when the book abruptly ended with only one vague phrase hinting that "everything will be okay" but without any explanation. It was a lot of built-up tension and anticipation for a resolution that turned out to be nothing. Almost as if the author had no idea HOW to resolve the problem, so just stopped writing. A very disappointing and unsatisfactory final paragraph that largely negated the enjoyment of all the previous chapters.

From the publisher:

"Love is not a diamond, destined for a single hand."

Inspired by French fairy tales of the 17th century, McClelland's novella brings emotional realism to a universal story of love, trust, and jealousy, in a fantasy kingdom where curses are all too real. The narrative revolves around two people in love: Malvinia, a sunny, outgoing woman with a knack for opening hearts; and Modeste, a man of quieter virtues. Their relationship, however, is the story's true protagonist, as its resiliency is tested by the capacity of each to grow and to sacrifice in response to forces neither of them anticipated -- a conflict familiar to anyone who has struggled to be one's true, uncompromised self while at the same time honoring the needs of another in a loving long-term relationship.

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

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Book Blogger Hop - May 12th, 2017

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Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to another Book Blogger Hop question. Visit Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer to see the responses from other book bloggers.

If you read a book you ended up hating, would you stay away from future books by that author, or would you give them a second chance? 

In theory, I'd sometimes be willing to give the author a second chance, but the reality is that I would probably stay away from any other books. When I think back to the times that I've truly disliked a book, I have indeed blacklisted the author in my mind.

It does depend on the reason I so disliked the book, I suppose. If I hated it because I didn't like the writing style, or because it contained too much graphic content then it's quite unlikely I'd try anything else by that author.

If the problem was that the grammar and punctuation was so bad that it ruined any enjoyment of the story, I might give the author another chance down the road. I can think of one book I read that was a pretty good story but was beyond frustrating for me because there were so many punctuation and grammar problems. The author had not made use of an editor, and in responses to the reviews mentioning these problems, it appeared he didn't really understand the importance of correct punctuation. There is at least one sequel planned to the book I read, but I would not read it unless I saw that the author had used a good editor the next time around.

With so many books and authors to choose from, I guess I'd rather not revisit those that weren't enjoyable for me the first time!

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Book Blogger Hop - April 21, 2017

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Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to another Book Blogger Hop question. Visit Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer to see the responses from other book bloggers.

Would you stop reading a book if an element of the plot strongly clashed with your personal beliefs, or would you continue reading until you finished the book? 

Well, y'know I'm trying to remember what I did the last time this happened. I read a book last month that didn't clash with my personal beliefs so much as it offended me with its unnecessary graphic descriptions of se* acts. In that case, I did keep reading, but skimmed large sections of the book so I could just get a general sense of what the story would do and avoid the scenes I'd rather not read. I think this type of thing has happened to me more often than something that clashed with my belief system - a book that is more graphic than I'd anticipated or so poorly written (poor grammar and punctuation) that I couldn't carry on. Then it depends how far into the book I am, and if the plot itself is interesting to me. I try to know what I'm getting into as far as something that would be incompatible with my beliefs, and I probably wouldn't choose to read such a book in the first place. If I was already invested, then I'd have to weigh my decision.

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

What I'm Reading - March 20, 2017

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This weekly reading list meme is hosted at Book Date. Join in to see what others are reading and maybe get some ideas of what to read next! I also link up with Tales of a Pee Dee Mama for D.E.A.R. Monday (Drop Everything And Read).

I finished reading . . . 

The Faery Bride by Lisa Ann Verge - a decent story, but regularly ruined by pages of tawdry se* scenes. I skimmed, and skipped over the unnecessary junk, and won't take the time to write a full review, so consider this my review: This author appears to be a good story teller, although not award-worthy in my opinion. This story blurs the line between fantasy and historical fiction, but is essentially a "Beauty and the Beast" tale in which a Welsh nobleman keeps an Irish healer captive in an attempt to have her cure his affliction - the disfigurement of his face. It turns out that he is building a castle on land where a circle of standing stones had been, and the disfigurement is a curse from the Sidh. It's unfortunate that the story isn't told on its own merit, and that rather than have the characters develop a true relationship, the author is content to leave them to unbridled lust as if that is enough. As I said, a fairly good story cheapened overall, and made downright disgusting in places. It's about to be deleted from my Kindle, and I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone. (For which it earns my "hours I will never get back" tag.)

I'm currently reading . . .

Shepherd, Potter, Spy and the Star Namer by Peggy Miracle Consolver - watch for my full review of this YA historical novel in a couple of weeks!




My Heart Belongs in Fort Bliss, Texas: Priscilla’s Reveille by Erica Vetsch - Enjoying this light historical romance set in Texas just after the Civil War.




The Trees Will Clap by Bonnie Mae Evans - just started on this for a review too! Look for my full review later this spring.

Next on the stack...

All in Good Time (The Gilded Legacy) by Maureen Lang
Sanditon by Jane Austen
Lady Susan by Jane Austen

 

     

 On my blogs last week . . .

Here on Just A Second:

Scripture and a Snapshot - Surround Me
Teaser Tuesday/First Chapter First Paragraph - Priscilla's Reveille

And on my homeschool blog, Homeschool Coffee Break:

Homeschool Highlights - St. Patrick's Day
Irish Brigade Monument - Blogging Through the Alphabet
Virtual Refrigerator - Peacock Feathers
Favorite Pi(e) Recipes for Pi Day
I Lost An Hour!

What are you reading?

©2008-2017 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Wuthering Heights (Back to the Classics Challenge)

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Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - I've often heard that this is a book that readers either love or hate. I'm not sure my feelings about it are that neatly delineated, but it took me many long weeks to finish it. It took me quite a few chapters before I actually wanted to continue reading, and by that time I'd also decided that there were very few characters in the book that I liked or had much sympathy for, so while it's certainly a well-crafted and fascinating story of how bitterness and hatred bring destruction and misery to two generations of families and their servants, I couldn't genuinely like it.

The story opens with Mr. Lockwood's narration of his visit to the estate of Wuthering Heights, being new to the area and letting the smaller house known as Thrushcross Grange from the master of Wuthering Heights, Mr. Heathcliff. Lockwood's interactions and brief unplanned stay at Wuthering Heights are so unusual that as he is recovering from an illness, he requests his housekeeper to tell him the background as she knows it. Most of the remainder of the book is Ellen Dean's telling. Ellen (or Nelly, as she is often called) was nurse and servant to both generations of the two families.

Heathcliff is a wild young orphan brought up by Mr. Earnshaw, along with his own daughter Catherine and son Hindley. Catherine and Heathcliff are inseparable companions as children and develop a fierce love for each other as they grow up, but even so, Catherine marries a neighbor, Edgar Linton. Heathcliff is jealous and angry, and on top of that is badly mistreated by Hindley Earnshaw who became master of Wuthering Heights several years previous. There is a great deal of hysterics and passions and throwing of fits by all three of them, and eventually Heathcliff elopes with Linton's younger sister, which sets up even more complete enmity between the two houses. Catherine takes ill and passes away after delivering a child - her namesake, Cathy - and is mourned by only her husband and the self-absorbed Heathcliff. Heathcliff's wife, having been cruelly treated, runs away and for several years brings up her own child, Linton, by herself, being determined that Heathcliff should not even know about him.

This second generation of characters takes over the story when Linton Heathcliff's mother dies, and Edgar Linton brings the child home. Young Cathy is determined to be friends with her cousin, but Heathcliff comes to claim the child almost immediately. Young Linton is sickly and spoiled and under the cruel conditions and scorn of his father, he becomes a weak-willed, selfish, and manipulative little tyrant. I tried to like Cathy, as she was spirited and cheerful, but I didn't like her a great deal, to be honest. Unfortunately, she is manipulated and tricked into finally marrying Linton, by design of Heathcliff, so that he can gain his revenge on Edgar Linton by having ownership of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange by the marriage. Of course Linton does not live long, and Cathy's father-in-law is incredibly cruel to them both, as well as to Hareton Earnshaw, who would have been the rightful heir to Wuthering Heights, except that his father had mortgaged the estate heavily and lost it to the conniving Heathcliff.

I suppose the ending is more or less happy for Cathy and Hareton, and sobering when when Heathcliff finally dies completely unrepentant of all the torment and wickedness he has heaped upon so many people, none of whom deserved his savage hatred. This is why I say I disliked the characters. Heathcliff does not have even one redeeming characteristic, in my opinion; and the object of his selfish obsession, the first Catherine, was likewise a selfish, malicious, hateful person. Neither of them seemed sane from early on, and both had a tendency to be vicious and vindictive, and actually took pleasure in hurting others. Young Linton was a sniveling and spoiled weakling when he was introduced, and quickly became a hateful and self-absorbed wretch, and why Cathy made any effort to care for him after his first display of vileness is beyond me, except that she was very young. I did have a little bit of sympathy for Cathy, and for Hareton, who seemed to have everything and everyone against him through no fault of his own. 

How anyone could consider this a love story is inexplicable. Whatever the feeling between Heathcliff and Catherine is, it is definitely not love. It is obsession and possessiveness, and I felt like they both needed to committed to insane asylums. Heathcliff is a thoroughly evil villain and yet is somehow cast as a star-crossed lover. Young Linton is despicable, although I suppose he didn't have much chance to become otherwise. Certainly Cathy would have been better off if he had died much sooner like I was hoping, but then Heathcliff wouldn't have been able to get his desired revenge on all the people that were already dead. That, in itself, is an indication of his depravity and insanity. Overall, I'm glad to be finally finished reading this classic! I doubt I'll re-read it.

This post is linked to the Challenge Link-Up Post: Classic With a Place Name in the Title

All the details are here: Back to the Classics Challenge for 2016, hosted at Books and Chocolate. 

1. A 19th Century Classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899.
2. A 20th Century Classic - any book published between 1900 and 1966.
3. A classic by a woman author 
4. A classic in translation - any book originally written and published in a language other than your native language.
5. A classic by a non-white author - can be African-American, Asian, Latino, Native American, etc.
6. An adventure classic - can be fiction or non-fiction.
7. A fantasy, science fiction, or dystopian classic
8. A classic detective novel - It must include a detective, amateur or professional. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, completed February 10th.
9. A classic which includes the name of a place in the title - It can be the name of a house, a town, a street, etc.  Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, completed June 5th.
10. A classic which has been banned or censored - If possible, mention why it was banned or censored.
11. Re-read a classic you read in school (high school or college)
12. A volume of classic short stories - This must be one complete volume, at least 8 short stories. White Nights, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, in progress.

 ©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - A Taste of Traditional Regency Romances

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A Taste of Traditional Regency Romances: Extended excerpts of Regency novels (Bluestocking League Book 1) by Gail Eastwood, Camille Elliot, April Kihlstrom, Vanessa Riley, Regina Scott - This collection is somewhat awkward to review, as it is a free-for-Kindle volume consisting of extended excerpts from the beginnings of five separate novels set during the Regency period. As such, I knew before starting that I would not be able to read the end of any of these stories, but the purpose was to whet my appetite so that I would (hopefully) purchase one or more of the full-length novels to find out how things worked out.

The Captain's Dilemma by Gail Eastwood - Merissa stumbles upon an escaped French war prisoner but decides not to alert anyone to his location. She even provides him information about a safe place for him to stay until he can move on. When she realizes he has been wounded, she risks charges of treason in order to help him further.  ***  I liked these two characters and was interested in learning more about both of them and how they wind up together, as I'm certain they do, so this full novel may be something I'd like to read.

The Spinster's Christmas by Camille Elliot - Captain Gerard Foremont is home recovering from a war wound and meets his childhood friend Miranda at a large house party. Miranda is looking for a way to escape the drudgery she's fallen into as a poor relation in a cousin's household. Gerard is looking for a way to help her, and one of the young children in the party, but it appears there is an enemy that puts them all in danger.  *** I've read, and loved, a previous novel by Elliot so her name was what drew me to this collection. The opening of this novel was not quite so exciting as I'd hoped, but Miranda is in an awkward position and the writing is excellent, so this will be on my to-read list for the Christmas season.

The Wicked Groom by April Kihlstrom - The Duke of Berenford is engaged to marry a woman he doesn't know, and his fiance, Lady Diana, is resentful that her family expects her to go through with a marriage to man she's never met. James, the Duke, disguises himself as a groom in order to meet Diana, and the two are desperately attracted to one another.  ***  It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when Diana finds out she's been deceived she'll not be pleased, but that the two will wind up with a happy and passionate marriage anyway. This was my least favorite of the excerpts, partly because it seemed like a "cleaned up" bodice-ripper. I was not impressed by the writing and the characters were rather one-dimensional.

Unmasked Heart by Vanessa Riley - Gaia Telfair is shy and nearsighted, and somehow doesn't fit in with her siblings, but she is shocked to discover the real reason - she is mulatto, and not really a Telfair at all. William St. Landon doesn't guess her secret, but sees that she has a gift for helping young children learn to speak, so he wants her as a companion for his troubled daughter. *** Only a few sentences into this excerpt, I realized that I was somewhat familiar with Vanessa Riley. I had previously read her story, Swept Away, and I had not given it a very good review at all. This excerpt proved no better, with word usage errors and an amateurish style that puts me in mind of a young teen overzealous in using descriptive words yet not understanding what they mean. I will definitely not be reading the rest of this one.

Secrets and Sensibilities by Regina Scott - Art teacher Hannah Alexander must act as chaperone to some students on a country house visit, and meets the handsome new owner of the estate, David Tenant. David has been living in Boston, and with his Americanized manners, he sees nothing wrong with spending time with the young teacher. Besides, she's very attractive, and he wants her help solving a mystery involving the art collection at the estate.  ***  Although perhaps a bit far-fetched, this story premise appealed to me, and I found myself quite drawn to the two lead characters and rather curious as to how the mystery will play out. Another possibility for a future read here.

Also by Camille Elliot - Prelude for a Lord
Also by Vanessa Riley - Swept Away

©2008-2016 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Ruby

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Ruby (Dakotah Treasures #1) by Lauraine Snelling - Ruby Torvald has been governess to a family in New York City, and her young sister Opal lives with them. Their mother died many years ago, and they've had no contact with their father since he left them with a grandmother and moved west. Then Ruby receives a letter from her father - he is very ill and near death, but wants her and Opal to come to him in the Dakota territory so he can see them and they can claim their inheritance. The two travel out into unfamiliar territory, and do get to see their father briefly before he passes away, but he charges Ruby with "taking care of the girls" and leaves his hotel, Dove House, to her. To Ruby's shock and dismay, Dove House is not a simple hotel - it is a saloon and a brothel. As the new owner, though, she puts an end to all whiskey sales and "hospitality services" and is determined to turn Dove House into a reputable dining room and hotel. The employees all stay and the girls are grateful for a second chance and the hope of becoming respectable, and they all discover that they have skills such as cooking and sewing that can be put to use in making Dove House a success... if only they can overcome the reputation and scorn it's earned in the past, and the opposition that Belle - and perhaps others - have to operating Dove House without the more lucrative but disreputable aspects of the business.

I chose this book for my September #collaboreads selection. September's theme was "back to school" and as Ruby was teaching a family of children and her own sister when the book opened, I thought it would suit. A few chapters in, and Ruby is trying to run a hotel rather than acting as a teacher! She does later teach the young maid, Milly, how to read and write, but it turned out not to be a big factor in the story. Oh well - it's my #collaboreads contribution anyway!

Riveting. {What part of the book could you NOT get enough of?} Honestly? I can't think of anything. While there wasn't anything I actually disliked about the story, it never reached out and grabbed hold of me either.

Elements. {How did you relate to/care for the characters?} I liked Charlie and the girls at Dove House, and I felt that each of them had a complex and mostly untold story about how they had wound up where they were. Stories that must have included some tragedies and deep hurts. I would have liked to know Rand Harrison better, as he also seemed to have the potential to be a truly interesting character with lots of background to explore. I disliked Belle from the start, which is, I think, what the author was going for. Unfortunately, I didn't have any warm fuzzies for Ruby or Opal. With Ruby being the main character, I wish I could have developed more empathy for her, but I never related well to her and thought her humorless and unimaginative, even as I admired her determination, loyalty, and commitment to doing the right thing.

Associate. {What other books are like this one? Does it remind you of a TV show or movie with its themes and characters? Did it serendipitously line up with things going on in your life or in the news right now?} I kept thinking about the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, although of course the storylines are not very similar! 

Design. {You know you judged this book by the cover. What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel?} The cover art didn't particularly impress me, and that may be why this book sat unread on my Kindle for so long. The building in the background is a good portrayal of Dove House, and once I had reached that point in the novel I could see the potential that Ruby saw in the place, thanks to the cover. The title character herself is very much like her picture on the cover - pretty and proper, but very serious and not many smiles.

Stars. {How many out of five do you give this book? Would you recommend this book to a friend?} Since this one was only an "okay" read in my opinion, and didn't turn out to be quite my cup of tea, I'm giving it two-and-a-half stars. There really is nothing "wrong" with the book, and I don't have any sharp criticisms - it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting and not exactly my style. What disappointed me most was the sense that the story wasn't finished. Of course it is the first of a series, and naturally the author would want readers to be drawn to read the next one, but I would have much preferred a satisfying ending that gave some sense of completion to Ruby's story, while offering a teaser that urged me to find out more.

This review will be linked at Rachel A. Dawson for #collaboreads (September's theme was "Back to School")

©2008-2015 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Swept Away

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Swept Away: A Fairwilde Reflection Regency Fairy Tale by Vanessa Riley - This was described as a Regency retelling of the Cinderella story with a twist, and had quite a few positive reviews, so I took a chance on it. It started out with a fair bit of promise, but as I got further along the problems began to annoy me more. More about that in a moment - first, a quick summary of the plot.

Charlotte Downing is the Duchess of Charming, and she is determined to have the beautiful fairy slippers on display at Ella's Establishment for her presentation to the queen. Edwin Cinder is the handsome merchant that owns Ella's, and despite his attraction to Charlotte, he has no intention of giving up those shoes, and he knows that he hasn't got the pedigree to win the hand of a duchess. Circumstances throw the two together at a ball held in the home of Edwin's stepfather, when disaster strikes and the building begins to collapse. Edwin will risk everything to save Charlotte's life, but isn't sure he can risk his heart by declaring his feelings for her.

As you can see, this story reverses the roles of Cinderella and her prince in some ways. Edwin does have stepbrothers that are quite undesirable, but has a very good relationship with his stepfather. Charlotte starts out spoiled and defensive, proudly determined to be completely independent and never allow a man to control her. In short, not very likable, and it was rather unclear why Edwin was attracted to her - except that she's beautiful. Edwin is very honorable and wealthy, but because he is not heir to a title, he feels unworthy to pursue Charlotte. His reluctance on that basis is understandable, but in some ways is inconsistent with the rest of his character. 

The book would have been better presented as a novella, because it is rather short. In fact, it shows as having thirteen chapters, but only the first eight tell the story. Chapter Nine is an author's note, which mentions some of the research into the time period. It seemed to me that it was the author's justification for using an epic storm as the device to collapse the building where Charlotte and Edwin were. I found the event and the description of their efforts to escape difficult to believe, even if she could point to a hurricane-like storm that was recorded in England during her story's time-frame. Chapter Ten is a Glossary, with less than twenty terms, and the definitions were quite unnecessary. Chapters Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen are excerpts from the author's other books. I was less than impressed with the book I had just finished, and not at all inclined to read anything else she had written. 

Unfortunately, the quality of the writing seemed to diminish as I got further into the book. It appeared as though the author was trying much too hard to write creative descriptions, and much of the narrative was overdone and awkward at best. reminding me of a young child trying to use big words that they don't completely understand. Some descriptions didn't even make sense, such as a "spark surging through" someone - it isn't the nature of a spark to "surge" in my experience. I almost stopped reading completely when I came to a sentence that was apparently trying to describe the sound Charlotte's gown made as she walked - "the bleating of her beaded gown". What??? I don't even know what word she was looking for! Bleating is the sound sheep make and I can't imagine that a beaded gown would sound anything like that under any conditions. Several incorrect word usages were present as well, such as "fair" when "fare" would clearly be the correct word. 

Perhaps this is Riley's first published novel, and if so, I hope that her style has improved. The story she presented had a lot of promise and was indeed a very interesting twist on the Cinderella tale. It's unfortunate that careless editing and awkward writing spoiled my enjoyment of this light romance.

©2008-2015 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read

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It's Wednesday already, but it's my chance to post a Top Ten Tuesday list to link up at The Broke and The Bookish. This week the list is "Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read". There are a lot of books that have been top of the best-seller lists in the last couple of decades that I have never touched. For whatever reason, I tend to stay away from the books that are the latest reading fad. Often it's because I'm just not much into contemporary fiction. Often it's because I don't want to buy a book that I'm not confident I'll care for, and since everyone else and their brother is reading it, the wait list at the library is too long and I've lost interest. Sometimes I've read a current best-seller and been so profoundly disappointed that I wasted any of my life on a book I thought was stupid, no matter what anybody else thought of it. And sometimes, it's just a matter of not getting to it yet.

So, here are ten books that the general populace seems to have drooled over at some point, but that I have not read.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Just not my genre for several reasons. A couple of my daughter's friends absolutely loved this book (and movie) and convinced her to read it. She hated it. My apologies to those who love it - I have nothing against it, it's just not of interest to me.

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - I know. Hard to believe that anyone living today has not read any of this series, but I haven't. When it first came out, my kids were too young to care, and they never started caring, so I couldn't be bothered. This goes in the "never got to it" column, and although I bet I'd like the books, I think that train has left the station.

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - This is another train I've kind of missed. My daughter is crazy about The Hunger Games and owns the books, and she's basically told me the entire story. I've seen bits and pieces of the movies too. So I could read this, and I might someday, but I don't really need to since my daughter has told me everything that happens.

Divergent series by Veronica Roth - See my notes on The Hunger Games. Very similar situation.

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown - I actually tried to read this. More because I wanted to know what everyone was all excited about. I didn't get very far because I thought it was stupid and refused to waste any more of my own brain cells in reading it. It also aggravated the daylights out of me that so many people apparently took it as truth and forgot that it was total fiction. 

The Shack by William Paul Young - Here's another one that people went ape over, and talked about how it changed their views about God etc. Please. It's FICTION. My husband read it and didn't loathe it, but the picture of God it presents is NOT Biblical. So I do not even get how people have "Bible studies" that are based on this book, unless it's to point out how UNBiblical it is. 

Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice - I'm not sure why I never read this book. I remember wanting to, but I must have gotten over it. 

And speaking of vampires... The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - It's not that I don't like vampire stories, it's more that I recognized that this isn't the "love story" that many young people thought it was. All the hype about the movies and the fan obsession with it made me cringe from start to finish.  While it's nice that some young people were inspired to actually read a book, it concerned me that children were reading this. 

Also not a love story? Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James - I will not even post a picture of this book. I find it disturbing that anyone described this as a "love story" - it is all about control, abuse, and obsession. Didn't read it. Wont' read it.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding - I can't even tell you why I didn't read this. Maybe I will someday. But then again, it's contemporary fiction, and as I said, that's not really my thing.

Ever feel like you're the only person who hasn't read the latest and greatest book? What hyped books have you NOT read?

©2008-2015 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/