30 Days of Books :: Day 7

And another one! I'm on a roll this week, huh? ;)

{joining Jenni}

Day 7 :: Most underrated book

I don't know if this counts as underrated or not, but I'm choosing it. Underrated can mean underappreciated and this book certainly falls under that category. Definitely The Blue Castle! Because while I've seen this one around the blogosphere several places, I'd never heard of it until I started reading reviews. Anne (of Green Gables fame) is so widely known and poor Valancy just gets the short end of the stick. (Even in her own story!) As wonderfully good as this book is, I really can't figure out why more people don't seem to know about it. When I mention to friends how much I loved it, they have no idea what book I'm talking about. (Well....to be honest this is typical as most of my real life friends don't read. But still! My point stands. *nods* Yes indeed.) Watching Valancy find her brave is so inspiring and I can attest that several rereads do not diminish her awesomeness!

Long story short? More people need to read this book! The end.

30 Days of Books :: Day 6

So when I said this would probably take a while to complete, I wasn't kidding! As you can clearly see. But here I am again. Ready for the next day! :)

{joining Jenni}

Day 6 :: A book that makes you sad

It's honestly a rarity that a book will make me cry. I do feel sadness a lot, but actual tears? Nope. Also to find one book that makes me feel sad overall is a tough one, because I usually go for the stories that end with hope, if not happiness. The Return of the King definitely has a hope-filled ending! Yet it's still a bittersweet ending at the same time. (Which is why I chose it.) Although I understand (and even like!) why certain things happen to certain characters in this book, there's still a sense of sadness to it. At least it was for me. That moment that Frodo and Sam say goodbye just gets me every time. (Especially in the movie!) And Tolkien wrote so vividly that I grew attached to his characters, so when it came time for goodbyes (whether between characters or just me having to say goodbye to this beautiful story) and other sad things, I wasn't ready! But I love that he wrote it so true to life because I wouldn't change a thing. (Except maybe give a bit more detail about Eowyn and Faramir's happiness. But that's just my inner romantic coming out, so don't mind me. :)

So! While I wouldn't call this book sad, the bittersweetness that I felt at the final page is the reason why I picked it. What book makes you sad?

:: A Bookish Tag ::

Recently drove through Beaufort, NC where Nicholas Sparks'
A Walk to Remember and The Choice take place

So I saw Kristen post this recently and it looked like fun. It's always a grand time to talk about books, right? Of course it is. Plus I haven't done one of these in a while, so it's about time. :)

What book is currently on your nightstand?

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen, I started it a while back, but haven't gotten back to it yet. Which is not to say I wasn't enjoying it. It's Sarah Dessen, of course I was enjoying it! :)

I just recently finished The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd, it's still sitting on my nightstand as well. (Definitely a keeper!)

What was the last truly great book that you read?

Now that's an easy question, The Lady and The Lionheart by Joanne Bischof! So good, people, SO GOOD.

If you could meet any writer, dead or alive, who would it be? And what would you want to know?

Oh boy, that's not so easy. I think I'm going to have to say it's a toss up between Jane Austen, JRR Tolkien, and CS Lewis. Austen, because I am a huge fan and would love to be able to chat and see what she was really like in person. Tolkien and Lewis I'd love to chat with together. And have tea! :D To get a chance to see their friendship in real life and how their minds worked. Their writings are phenomenal, so to get the chance to meet them would be beyond my wildest dreams! :)

What books might someone be surprised to find on your shelves?

I read such an eclectic mix of things, I'm not sure? I do have certain genres I tend to meander to the most often, but also many others. You'd really have to ask someone who came to see my shelves that question, I think. :)

How do you organize your personal library?

Currently it's organized by color! But I am constantly adding and removing books from it, so it's basically always changing. I used to shelve them in alphabetical order by author last name.

What book have you always meant to read and haven't gotten around to yet? Anything you feel embarrassed never to have read?

Jane Austen's Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. As much as I love Austen, I have NO idea why I haven't gotten to the rest of her stories by now. But I hope to soon! Does that count?

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: which book did you feel you were supposed to like but didn't? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?

Dune by Frank Herbert (sorry Jenni!) I'm not sure I thought I was "supposed" to like it, but I anticipated that I would. I was so disappointed not to like any of the characters! :(

The last one I put down unfinished was The Forgotten Sister: Mary Bennet's Pride and Prejudice. For some reason I love Mary (I'm still trying to figure out why), so I always have high hopes for sequels involving her. Sadly I could not get into this one at all.

What kind of stories are you drawn to? Any you stay clear of?

I find myself drawn more to contemporary stories with a little romance and really good character growth. The characters are what will keep me reading! I tend to stay away from thriller or horror.

If you could require the president to read one book, what would it be?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien. Those are classics and have such wonderful characters who are conflicted at times, yet choose the right thing no matter how difficult it is! (I'd probably recommend them to anyone actually. :)

What do you plan to read next?

Currently I am reading Susanna Kearsley's A Desperate Fortune, Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey, and Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. I have The Cautious Maiden by Dawn Crandall, Unblemished by Sara Ella, and A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay for review, so I'm hoping to get to those soon. Not to mention several others on my shelves that I haven't read yet. Basically it'll be whatever suits my mood at the moment I suspect! (Why yes, I do tend to have multiple books going at once, why do you ask?)

Review: A Lesson in Love and Murder by Rachel McMillan

Such fun! Once again, Ms. McMillan has taken me on an adventure right from page one and kept me fully invested in these characters lives. Y'all know how characters make or break a story for me, and this entire cast are some of the most frustrating yet charming! I love the friendships, the romances, all the relationships between them. They're quirky, and sometimes make terrible decisions, but isn't that true of real life? And I love how they care for one another, Jem and Merinda especially. Their interactions and how they always tend to go flailing into danger keep me turning the pages. Their friendship is my favorite! I really enjoy seeing them do whatever it takes for each other. In book one, it felt like most of that was being done by Jem, I was so pleased to see Merinda step up a little more in this one. (Only, with that ending now I'm terribly worried what's going to happen in book three. *bites nails*)

Jem and Merinda are a delight together, as always. But I have to admit, Benny is a really nice addition to this circle of friends. Mounties can be awfully swoony! (Clearly Merinda thinks so. I had to laugh at her awkwardness around him! ;) But poor Jasper, I wanted to hug him a few times. I surely do love that man. (Book three better give him some happiness, is all I'm saying!) I really enjoyed getting to spend more time in his head this go round. He has to balance his friendships and how much he wants to truly help people with the trickiness of keeping those he works under happy. Especially since there's obviously stuff going on with the higher ups at his job. It's not easy and when the woman he loves starts falling for someone else? Well.... (Although I was glad to see that she's realizing her heart is capable of that. Hopefully that bodes well for Jasper in book three...? Here's hoping!)

Ah, my poor Ray-and-Jem-loving heart! Those two....if only I could have knocked their heads together in a few instances! Communication is not nearly as hard as they make it. Their relationship is sorely tested, much to my sadness. Yet as their romance happened so quickly in book one, it only makes sense that there would still be things they're learning about each other. Likewise for the other relationships. We get to know all of the characters much more in this book, as they get to truly understand one another. Things don't always go as they plan (naturally), but this is just the sort of things I was looking forward to, prior to reading this. Perfect happiness isn't possible, life takes hard work just as the characters find out. And I actually really love that things happen at a pretty quick pace. Since it's a series, we have three books (plus novellas) to see these characters grow and change, which gives us time to enjoy the mysteries they're all trying to solve, as well as the romances. All the details don't have to be explained, the characters are able to just be themselves and we don't get bogged down with any slow chapters. Yay! :)

The mystery is suitably intriguing and dangerous, but I have to be honest. I'm not here for the mystery, I'm here for the characters. More Jem and Merinda please!

**I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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"You're a woman!"
Merinda Herringford's eyes were magnetic. He kept hold of her hand as she studied him. She didn't immediately pull away, but looked intently at him. "This is my colleague and particular friend, Jemina DeLuca."
"A-and where's Watts?" Benny asked, looking at the newspaper clipping.
"Oh, that's me!" the brunette said in a light voice. "At least, it was. I'm married now."
"But your advertisement..."
"Yes! No problem too great or small!" Merinda said.
"Herringford and Watts. Detectives. But you're women!" he said again.
"Perceptive. We're also detectives." She narrowed her eyes. "Come, have a seat and tell us what brought you so far from the Force."
Benny gaped. "How did you know?"
"Your hair. It's cut with military precision, but there's a decided line running at the back of it, embedded just behind the ear line. Clearly not from one of the berets worn by soldiers. Rather, a stetson. Of course, you could be a cowboy, but then you wouldn't stand with your feet just slightly apart and your hands behind your back."
"A Mountie!" breathed Mrs. DeLuca, blue eyes aglow.
Benny was visibly impressed. Perhaps this lady detective would be the solution he was looking for. "Benfield Citrone, Royal Northwest Mounted Police, late of Ford Glenbow. I'm here because my cousin knows how to blow things up."