These Walls

     As we grow up, we begin to build a wall. This wall is our protection, our sanctuary against the elements, our happy place. As each day passes, we face new challenges, discover new fears and secrets, grow stronger and wiser. But we also add another brick to the wall, another layer to this prison. As the years pass and the wall begins to rise, we cut ourselves off from the world. The ties that bind us to each other become thinner, so as to fit in between the cracks of the wall. Where before an expanse of air housed a steel cable that connected us to one another, now there is only a thinning string. Our view of the world vastly changes, as blue skies and rolling green hills are replaced with marks to count the days. Our imaginations get cluttered as we try to count the layers that make up our walls, and we try to remember what lies just beyond it.
     But we have to stop. We have to break down these walls, and step away from the barriers we create ourselves, and discover the world again. We have to stretch and grow, build ourselves instead of the walls. We have to learn how to be human again, how to live and breathe and see without fearing what's in front of us. Because these walls aren't just hiding us; they're stopping us. So stop them, and start new.

Wither Away

     I spent the afternoon lying in bed finishing up my book. It was just too good, and I had to know how it ended. But of course, it is just the first book in the trilogy, and the next book won't come out until 2012. Life just sucks like that.

     Wither by Lauren Destefano is about the future world where humans are plagued by a genetic disease that severely shortens our lifespan. Men die at age 25, women at age 20. And there's nothing they can do to stop it. It's a story that really makes you think about life and how we go through it doing these petty things. Do we really make the most of what we have, or are we just settling for what we believe we deserve? The main character, Rhine, is kidnapped and forced to become one of three brides for a man who is blind to what is really going on behind the doors of his mansion. I usually don't enjoy science fiction type books, but I really loved this one. Anyway, it was fantastic and beautiful and I can't wait for the next book but it's going to take forever for it to come. It's called Fever, and the trilogy is called The Chemical Garden trilogy.

     I've got a big biology assignment that I now have to go and do so that I don't leave it for tomorrow like I usually do, so I will write once that is done, and only then. DFTBA, and have a good weekend.

Literary Lunacy

     It's pretty crazy how many novels I can read in just over a month. I read 8 novels in the month of April, and I took some breaks in between a few of them. I'm also two-thirds the way through another book. Good god I'm a nerd. But I love it. I don't know what my life would be without it.

     Starting from the beginning, I read the John Green novel An Abundance of Katherines which I received from K for my birthday. It was the last book I needed to have read all of John Green's books. It was really good, though not my favourite of his books. It's the story of Colin, a child prodigy who only dates girls named Katherine. He attempts to develop a formula that would predict the outcome of any relationship between any two people. For a book about a math formula, it had surprisingly little math, and the math it did have was pretty easy to understand (thanks to grade eleven functions, though). The story was really good, and there never seemed to be a dull moment, thanks to other characters and their complicated lives.

     The next book that I read was Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong. Please don't try to 'click to look inside.' I really do hate it when pictures come with captions or things like that. And I couldn't find another one of my cover that would size correctly and not blur. Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series chronicles the lives of supernatural women who try to live their lives as normal as possible under their circumstances. This specific novel featured Hope Adams, who is an Expisco half demon. She struggles with being both a demon and a human, and how it affects her life. Toss in a pair of chameleon-esque brothers (one with an eye for a special lady), a supernatural gang, and a few dead bodies, and you've got yourself one  amazing read.

     Let's just say I was on a Kelley Armstrong binge for a while, because the next few books are all by her. No Humans Involved introduces Jaime Vegas, a necromancer whose career in showbiz is to 'contact' to the spirits of the dead. But when her chances at reality TV come along, she jumps at the chance ... and finds herself in the middle of a ghost infested house with secrets of its own in the backyard. Jaime has to figure out what is going on before anyone else notices something is up, or worse, it happens again.

   I took a break from the Otherworld series and read a different kind of Kelley Armstrong novel. Made to be Broken is one of her crime and mystery novels, told by hit woman Nadia Stafford, or Dee to her employer. But this time it isn't a job that has Nadia leaving her lodge in the Canadian north; its the disappearance of her teenage employee and her baby. No one else seems to take a notice, or any interest, that the young girl is missing, and that here has been no sign of her for days. Nadia knows that this isn't just normal teenage pressure from living in such a small town in the middle of nowhere. And she's not about to let them disappear without a trace. 

I returned to the Otherworld series, and was introduced to a human girl named Robyn in Living with the Dead, who is great friends with half demon Hope Adams. Framed for two murders she didn't commit, Robyn is forced to run, into a new world she could never have imagined. Werewolves, demons, sorcerers, people who know where you are no matter where you are. It gets pretty crazy in the end, but it was pretty good, definitely one of my favourites of the series I think.

     The next was Frostbitten, another Otherworld novel. I loved this one because it finally returned to the story of Elena, the female werewolf. I must admit I'm usually not one for tales of werewolves (they are one of my least favourite supernatural beings) but the Otherworld werewolves have capture me in their world. I think it's because they have this really tight knit family type society going on, and they are so familiar with each other, and I just love it. I like the smallness of it coupled with the closeness. Anyway, Elena and her husband Clay (also a werewolf) have to go to Alaska to fix up a mutt problem (what they call werewolves who aren't part of the pack). It was really an amazing one because you learn a lot about the wolves, but also quite a bit about the Alaskan wilderness and some of their legends. I think it would be an interest place to take a vacation in the future, if I was ever so inclined to go someplace and freeze my fingers and toes off.

    

     The next book that I picked up is really different from the last few books that I've read. Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I've got to admit this novel made me think quite a lot about life and what it means to really experience it. The novel is set up in a series of letters written by Charlie, to some unknown friend. All the names have been changed, including Charlie's, so that the recipient of the letters won't know who they are from and won't be able to send anything back. The letters are all about growing up and experiencing new things. Charlie's experiences and observations kind of become your own, and you start to feel sorry for this boy who doesn't really understand the world quite yet. Though I can tell you that none of us do, and we never will. Sorry. We just won't. Here are some of my favourite quotes from the novel:  "So this is my life, and I want you to know that I am both happy and sad, and I'm still trying to figure out how that can be." "I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there."  I really recommend this book, it was such a great read and I enjoyed it so much, I was really upset when it ended.

     The next book I read was a collection of stories by Holly Black called The Poison Eaters. I really enjoyed them because they were quick reads and they were interesting and unique. My favourite story from the collection was The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. It was pretty much about a time when a vampire virus takes over, and parts of cities are quarantined and called Coldtown, since the vampires are so cold. Anyway, the Matilda is trying to starve the virus out of her system so she can return to her family and boyfriend, until she learns he has gone to Coldtown with her friend to find her. So she has to go and find them. There are many other good stories in the book, including faeries, unicorns, elves, the devil, and many more magical type things. It really satisfied my appetite for fantasy.

     Anyway, I'm exhausted from this week, it seems like it has dragged on forever, so I'm going to crawl under my covers with my book and read until my eyelids cannot stay open, and then sleep. I will hopefully post again tomorrow, and satisfy my writing mood again. Until then, keep reading, and DFTBA.

A Return and Introductions

  Kye peered into the darkness between the branches, waiting for any sign of movement that would indicate she had been followed. Once she had reassured herself that the path behind her was empty, she turned her eyes to the one that lie ahead.
  The ground was an abundance of overgrowth and fallen branches as she picked her way quietly across the landscape. Her ears twitched at the slightest sound from the surrounding forest, and her eyes strained to watch the darkness ahead. She may not have been followed, but there was no telling of the possibilities of what was to come.
  She stopped only when she came to a clear stream about three feet across. It stretched as far as she could see in either direction. She crossed and climbed a tree, ensuring that her scent would be lost in the steadily flowing water.
  Resting against the trunk of the tree and watching the forest beneath her, she relaxed for the first time since she started running. She hadn't wanted to leave Trevor behind like that. There was just nothing she could do. Once she saw the blood beginning to pool and the glassy look overtake his eyes, she knew she had no time. She had to go. Run.
  Trevor Davenport was from a small town on the Maine coastline. He had come to Canada to get away from the gang life that had begun to consume him. Then he met Kye. Kye Winters was a city girl, and out in the country she had stuck to Trevor like a shadow. Not that he hadn't minded. He told her once that he enjoyed her company, listening to her stories...
  A snapping twig brought Kye back to the forest. Trevor was gone, and she would be next if she didn't keep her mind in focus. He would come for her next. And this time, he wouldn't spare her.

     I realize I haven't written in a long time, and I've kind of come to the conclusion that it's because every time I want to write, I feel like I need to excuse myself for having not done so in a long time, and trying to catch up on things that I've done and missed. So I'm not. I'll add in the mass of books that I've read since the last time I"ve posted, but other than that, things will continue on.
     I wrote that short piece last night because I was in a writing kind of mood, but Blogger was down so I couldn't post it right away. It really ticked me off. Anyway, it made me feel kind of good to write like that, so whenever I do I'll post it here. Let me know what you think of it. It won't always be about the same characters, or the same time lines or plots. It'll probably be more like a how I feel when I feel like writing kind of thing, unless I get into something that I really like and it picks up.
     Anyway, I'll end this post and get one up on the books I've read, update everything for the 50 Book Challenge. I believe I'm nearly halfway through, which is really amazing considering it isn't even halfway through the year yet.
     DFTBA.

Forever Teasing Me

     I've never put a video into my blogs before, but this is a special occasion and I am SUPER EXCITED and I'm going to start doing it in the future so why not start now. Introducing the Forever trailer, complete with mesmerizing wolves, enchanting music, and a hidden story that I cannot wait for:

     I talked about Forever back in September. It was one of my first blog posts. I'm sure you could tell that I was super excited then, and if you haven't read that post, well you know that I'm super excited now. I mean, only a bit more than two months left until I can FINALLY read Forever. By the way, you can preorder Forever here. Not only preorder it, but preorder it autographed. By Maggie Stiefvater. (Duh). I don't think nerdlife could get any better sometimes.

     Anyway, the song from the video is "Summer Girl" from the novel Shiver and this version is done by Jonas and Plunkett. I love it. It reminds me so much of Sam and Grace and Mercy Falls and the wolves and how much I wished for summer to come so that they could be together. If you like it, you can get it here.

     So now I'll go back to counting down the days until I can stop wondering and I'll know what happened to Grace and Sam and everyone else from Mercy Falls. Until then, keep dreaming, and DFTBA.