I'm So Sorry Dear Readers!

Hey there,
You've probably forgotten about me by now. I used to run a small book blog but then the semester started back up. I was taking 6 classes, 18 hours this semester. 5 of the classes were education classes that required a lesson plan almost every week. I still have a pile of work I should be working on. So for the sake of my GPA, I had to let the blog fall behind. I haven't had much time to read over this semester, let alone type a review about them but I will now post a review of a few of the books that I have had time to read. I will try to post more over Christmas break and try to keep up to date on everything next semester.
Thank you if you're still following me,
Alex

A Bad Day for Voodoo Tour!

Ok guys, let me just say this, being without internet stinks worse than a poopy diaper on a hot July day! That being said, I had the extreme honor of being contacted to be part of A Bad Day for Voodoo's blog tour! :D

This book sounds amazing and I really cannot wait to read it, I've been approved on netgalley and I'll post my review when I get a chance to read it.

Now I didn't really get a chance to talk to the author but I was sent several guest posts written by him that are hilarious! I almost started giggling here at the library reading them and I MIGHT just post all of them and make a week of it!

(I had to take my cover image from Amazon and my blurb from goodreads this time)

by Jeff Strand

In this hilariously bloody comedy, sixteen-year-old Tyler has never had a meaner teacher than Mr. Click. So when Mr. Click falsely accuses him of cheating on a test, Tyler lets his best friend Adam convince him that a bit of revenge is in order, using a voodoo doll.
Of course, Tyler doesn't believe in voodoo. He's just humoring his friend. But after he jabs the doll with a pin during class, he becomes an immediate believer. Not only does the doll work, it's more powerful than he could have ever imagined, and now Tyler has a dead history teacher.

Then, due to circumstances a bit too convoluted to get into here (but trust us, they're extremely entertaining), Tyler ends up with a voodoo doll of himself. Which gets stolen. And now Tyler, his girlfriend Kelley, and Adam must race across the city to get the doll back...before Tyler shares Mr. Click's gruesome fate!

And now for the guest post, An informative Q&A with author Jeff Strand:

Q: Is A Bad Day For Voodoo as good as The Hunger Games?

A: Well, I wouldn't say that. I guess it's up to the reader to decide.

Q: Did you really just compare your book to The Hunger Games?

A: No! All I said was that it’s up to the reader to decide.

Q: But apparently you think that A Bad Day For Voodoo is worthy to be in the same sentence as The Hunger Games.

A: Um, no, I’m not the one who put them in the same sentence. You did that,

Q: But did you stop me? Did you say “Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, let’s stop this Q&A right here!”? You most certainly did not. You were just going to let it happen. That disgusts me, sir. Your book is not worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence. In fact, the word “voodoo” is not worthy to be in the same sentence as “hunger.”

A: I’m sorry.

Q: The Hunger Games is 100% pure awesomeness and I resent you saying that your book reaches those heights. The Hunger Games is kind of violent, though. If they could get rid of the violence, it would be even better. I should write my own version that doesn’t have any kids killing each other. That would be sweet. Is A Bad Day For Voodoo a wholesome tale that contains no violence?

A: Yes.

Q: Are you lying?

A: Yes.

Q: For shame.

A: The book isn’t...I mean, there’s some violence...but it’s funny violence.

Q: So you’re basically saying that your book represents everything that’s wrong in today’s society?

A: No, I wasn’t basically saying that. Look, you asked if it was as good as The Hunger Games, and I just said that readers can decide for themselves.

Q: Everybody knows it’s not, though. I mean, duh.

A: Have you even read it?

Q: I skimmed the back cover. Do you have anywhere to be for the next few hours? I could read it right now and tell you what I think.

A: Could I maybe go get some lunch or something and come back?

Q: No.

A: Okay.

[A Few Hours Pass...]

Q: Well, shut my mouth. A Bad Day For Voodoo is way better than The Hunger Games. In fact, it makes The Hunger Games look like somebody just slobbered on some paper and called it a book! If I had a copy with me, I’d punch it!

A: Thank you.

Q: I should have said that I’d shoot it with an arrow. That would’ve been a better Hunger Games reference. Lots of arrows are shot in that book.

A: Oh well. Too late now.

Q: Yeah. Anyway, everybody should go read The Hunger Games, and then if they want to read something better, they should read A Bad Day For Voodoo. Don’t read A Bad Day For Voodoo first, because it will ruin The Hunger Games for you because you’ll spend the whole time thinking “This isn’t as good as A Bad Day For Voodoo.”

A: No, it’s okay. They can read it first. I’m cool with that.

Q: Okay, so everybody should read The Hunger Games and A Bad Day For Voodoo in whatever order works best for their own personal schedule. Buy them both today! 
_________________________________________________________________________________

Hahaha didn't it have you in giggles? I'm not sure if many books can beat the Hunger Games but I can't wait to read A Bad Day For Voodoo and see if it even comes close! :D

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Review

Hey guys! Just when I had reserved time to blog, my internet went away. Hopefully it can be reinstated soon but for now, I'm at the library writing up some posts to be released every couple of days. The good news is, without internet to distract me I've had time to read up a storm! Today is the review for the great book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

I was really quite excited to dig into this book! I had requested it at the library and asked to borrow it from some friends so my best friend bought it for me for my birthday! I loved this book. I love history but I actually haven't read a lot about Abraham Lincoln. I knew some of the basics that everyone else knows about the 16th president but nothing really about his life or where he was from. This book made me want to get a biography of Abe to cross check what I read in the book! Maybe the biography won't tell me if he chased vampires to avenged his loved ones, but it will tell me if Abe was engaged before Mary Todd and how many children he had and what happened to each one.

This book was written by someone who had been handed Abraham Lincoln's personal journals and who had been instructed to write what really happened. The author uses stories and facts about Lincoln and mixes them with "passages" from Lincoln's journals. I expected this to read just like a journal but I was happy to have the author's voiced mixed in to explain a circumstance or term.

This book shows Abraham throughout his life, from the time he shot his first turkey to his death. Just like in life, there is a flow throughout the book, its not constant violence or dazzling speeches. It shows him as a happy child with his mother, to an adolescent burning with rage, to a young politician losing his first race. We see Abe in love, as a doting father, and a stressed president trying to lead this nation through a civil war, a war that is more than what the history books tell you.

I personally really liked this book. I liked the author's voice. The way characters showed up again and again throughout the book and the twist at the end that I won't say anymore about! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history or who is trying to get someone else interested in history, I know I'm curious about Honest Abe's life now. There is violence but it isn't gory and it isn't constant. You feel for Abraham and you care about what happens to him. I can't wait to see the movie in just a couple weeks. This is a book you want to pass around your friends so you can discuss it!

If you've read Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about it! I thought it was quite amazing, do you agree? Or are you planning on reading it now, after reading my review?

Teaser Tuesday

It's that time again! My teaser this week comes from Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.  

click for Amazon page

Indiana, 1818. Moonlight falls through the dense woods that surround a one-room cabin, where a nine-year-old Abraham Lincoln kneels at his suffering mother's bedside. She's been stricken with something the old-timers call "Milk Sickness."

"My baby boy..." she whispers before dying.

Only later will the grieving Abe learn that his mother's fatal affliction was actually the work of a vampire.

When the truth becomes known to young Lincoln, he writes in his journal, "henceforth my life shall be one of rigorous study and devotion. I shall become a master of mind and body. And this mastery shall have but one purpose..." Gifted with his legendary height, strength, and skill with an ax, Abe sets out on a path of vengeance that will lead him all the way to the White House.

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years. That is, until Seth Grahame-Smith stumbled upon The Secret Journal of Abraham Lincoln, and became the first living person to lay eyes on it in more than 140 years.

Using the journal as his guide and writing in the grand biographical style of Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough, Seth has reconstructed the true life story of our greatest president for the first time-all while revealing the hidden history behind the Civil War and uncovering the role vampires played in the birth, growth, and near-death of our nation.

I now have 67  followers that stayed with me despite my hiatus and so I flipped to page 67. I haven't reached the page yet but reading it, I can't help but posting more than 2 sentences!

So my first teaser phrase is:

"I felt the wooden stake in my fingers. I could do anything. I was a god." 

(see? Those sentences needed each other to make any sense.)

and my second teaser phrase:

"It was true. Until that moment there had been room for doubt. But now I saw it with my own eyes. Now I knew. Vampires were real." 

(I needed to include that.) 

What do you think of my teaser sentences? Do they make you want to add the book to your TBR pile? Leave me a comment about my teaser or a link to your teaser! :) 

I'm Back!

This semester kicked my tail and so I had to let the blog fall to the side. But the semester is over and I  am back! Below you'll see all the books I need to read and review! I only included two of the books I bought myself in the stack because I want to read the books people sent me to read first. I'm working through the stack now and I hope to post some reviews this week or early next. :) Right now I'm reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith!

Thank you all who stayed with me through my hiatus. Also, would y'all be upset with me if I started talking about letters and postcards on the blog? My grandmother gave me her mom's old typewriter the other day and I want to spread the joy of letters and postcards and get lots and lots of pen pals! :) Do you want to be pen pals? If so, let me know!

My "new" typewriter! Excuse the mess. :/

Guest Post from Bryan Cohen

Bryan Cohen here, guest poster and author, promoting my new book The Post-College Guide to Happiness for The Happiness Blog Tour. I'm giving away free digital review copies of the book and doing a giveaway for paperback copies, audio copies and even a Kindle Fire! Read on and check out the info below the post. “We are disturbed not by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens.”
— Epictetus


Are We What We Think?

 I always loved the slogan of the healthy eating lifestyle I used to hear all the time as a kid, “You are what you eat.” I thought it was silly in that I certainly wouldn’t turn into a fish if I ate some salmon that night, but it certainly conveyed an important point about regulating what you put into your body. While most people don’t realize it, the exact same is true for your mind and your thoughts.

We’re surrounded by negative advertising, negative commentary in television shows and movies and even negative lines of conversation from our best friends and loved ones. It’s tough to stop all negativity from hitting you in one way or another, so the best thing you can do is learn to deal with it and modify it positively if possible. But what about the things that happen to you that you think of as being negative; what can you do about those?

 Of course, an ancient philosopher has the answer to the question. The things that happen to us that are less than positive aren’t making us depressed or down in the dumps. We’re making ourselves feel that way. It’s actually up to us to be optimistic and positive when these situations occur. Now, you might be saying, “But I just lost my house, my spouse, my job, etc. How could I not construe that as negative?”

We all have tough circumstances to deal with. The incredibly hard ones are almost impossible to see in a positive light. The medium and light inconveniences such as missing the last train and stubbing your toe; those are the kinds that you can whether with optimism and a good attitude. The really stinging jabs of life are going to be painful no matter what, but it’s up to you not to dwell on them for the rest of your life. It’s not the things themselves that take us down a peg; it’s our thoughts about them. If we concentrate on the parts of our lives that are happier and healthier, those things don’t go away, but we’re more able to deal with the day-to-day aspects of living.

I wouldn’t say that I’ve dealt with great tragedy in my life. I wasn’t accepted to every school I applied to, I’ve lost some relatives and acquaintances and I’ve had some financial troubles, but there were no major, unexpected events I’ve had to cope with. These circumstances will come at some point, but I plan to keep my head above water by staying positive and strong during times of woe. As long as I can control my thoughts, I will keep myself happier over the long term.
 --

 Bryan Cohen is giving away 61 paperback and audio copies of The Post-College Guide to Happiness and a Kindle Fire between now and May 7th, 2012 on The Happiness Blog Tour. All entrants receive a free digital review copy of The Post-College Guide to Happiness. Bryan hopes to give away at least 1,000 copies during the blog tour. To enter, post a comment with your e-mail address or send an e-mail to postcollegehappiness (at) gmail.com. Bryan will draw the names at the end of the tour. Entries will be counted through Sunday, May 6th.

Bryan Cohen is a writer, actor and comedian from Dresher, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2005 with degrees in English and Dramatic Art and a minor in Creative Writing. He has written nine books including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More, 500 Writing Prompts for Kids: First Grade through Fifth Grade, Writer on the Side: How to Write Your Book Around Your 9 to 5 Job and his new book, 1,000 Character Writing Prompts: Villains, Heroes and Hams for Scripts, Stories and More. His website Build Creative Writing Ideas helps over 25,000 visitors a month to push past writer's block and stay motivated. 


Feel free to follow along with the tour at The Happiness Blog Tour Hub Page or on the book's Facebook Page. 


_____________


Thank you so much for approaching me for this guest post Bryan! You certainly brought up some interesting points. I've long known that if I just smile and pretend to be happy that sooner or later, my bad mood floats away. 

Teaser Tuesday Time!

Hey guys! I'm sorry I haven't been posting like I should- school's been crazy but I wanted to take this time to post a Teaser Tuesday! :) 

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading where you grab your current read and post two non-spoiler sentences from a random page. I am currently reading The Replacement Wife by Eilen Goudge. The Replacement Wife is about: 

From New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge comes a poignant new novel that asks the question, “What would you do if you were told you had only six months to live?” For one professional matchmaker the answer is heart-wrenching: She must find her husband’s next wife. 

Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father. Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back—and this time it’s terminal—she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone.

But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for”? For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming.

At once deeply felt and witty, The Replacement Wife is an unforgettable story of love and family, and a refreshing look at the unexpected paths that lead us to our own happy endings.

Doesn't it sound awesome?! I'm really enjoying it so far and since I now have 66 WONDERFUL GFC followers I flipped to that page and found: 

Camile felt her stomach turn, imagining her dad and Louise doing what she herself had  done with Tim Watkins, a boy in her ninth-grade class with whom she'd made out at Serena Hughe's Christmas party the year before. 



"I'll always be your mom no matter what. But your dad will need someone to help look after you and your sister when I'm gone." 

I'm really enjoying The Replacement Wife so far and I can't wait to get to this page!


*By the way, I have very many books that I've read recently that I will post reviews of so watch out for that!

Interview and Giveaway with Judy Serrano!

Hey ladies and gents! :) I had the opportunity review and interview Judy Serrano, author of the Easter's Lillys series! 

The first book in the series is called Easter's Lily and follows Lilly who went from an affair with a lowly gangster to being married to the head of the organization. In Brother Number 3 the story continues about the gang brothers and it was this book that I interviewed Ms. Serrano about!

Coming in third place was something that was all too familiar to Hector Montiago. As his strength and grounding personality pushes him into first place with the woman he loves, lines are crossed and sides are chosen. In the second book of the series, Brother Number Three depicts family ties in a light unequal to any other. Lilly tells the story of how the brothers unite in the effort to recover her missing son, as blood becomes both the indestructible bond that holds them together and the opposing force that pushes them apart. They fight temptation, while the enemies of the Montiago cartel unleash their wrath, only to discover that the true danger lies within.

When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I have always loved to write. I started with poetry and songs but I wrote my first novel when I was 12. My two passions were singing and writing and I apparently chose the wrong one. I was a singer for most of my young life and after I went back to college decided to try my hand at an adult novel. It was so much fun that it became addicting and before I knew what happened I had a handful of Easter’s Lilly stories.

What made you decide to write such an amazing sounding thriller series about a gang organization? 

My intention was to write a book about my successful marriage. When I put my fingers on the keyboard, my characters took me on a journey way far away from where I had first intended. They are still doing that to me, even with the new series I am writing.

Can someone read your books out of order or does the series need to be followed book-by-book?

 I highly recommend reading the books in order. There is so much background necessary to understand the psyche of some of these characters. Plus, I think it helps to find out what is so irresistible about the dangerous Montiago brothers.

Are your characters startling real to you? Do you have a gang living in your head? :) Have you ever had the times we all hear about when your character grabs the story and yanks it away from you? 

My characters are all very real to me. One of the reasons I haven’t stopped writing Lilly yet is because I know I will miss her and the family so much. My characters totally take me, I do not direct them. A lot of my story lines come from dreams. I am anxiously awakened from my sleep only to dart over to my MacBook and start typing some notes down. It is always a mystery to me where my characters are going to land.

Thank you Alex so much for letting me appear on your blog today. I hope you have enjoyed the read.

Thank you Ms. Serrano for agreeing! I can't wait to read this series- it sounds really really interesting!

Download this free book on Amazon!

I had the author of an awesome looking book get in contact with me a while ago asking me to let you know that the book is going to be FREE today! That's right, FREE! The promotion starts today and goes to at least the 29th so go ahead and grab your copy! I know I'm looking forward to reading it! 

Click on the cover to go to Amazon and download your free kindle copy of Don't Let the Fairies Eat You (Looking for the Witch)  an anthology by Darryl Fabia and Julie Fabia! 

Within, you won't find fairy tales meant for children at bedtime.

Collecting thirty stories of wonder and mischief, Don't Let the Fairies Eat You is inspired by a time when misbegotten pregnancies and meat pies made of men were as expected in fairy tales as magic spells and happy endings. At times amusing, at others unnerving, Don't Let the Fairies Eat You revels in the primal nature fairy tales once had, and invites you to enjoy the wildness of every story.

The following is a list of the stories you'll find inside the book.

Sacrifice of the Cats - A feral cat leads a child through a labyrinth on the Sacrifice Day.

Calling the Ladies - With his magic pipe, a young man can get any girl, even ones he doesn't want.

Hunting Grounds - Hannah can't escape her pursuers, whose shapes change with the land itself.

In Her Service - One girl cannot disobey, no matter who or what instructs her.

Dansi and Lyri - In the time of giants, humans are prey, but two sisters conspire to outlast them.

Elephant Funerals - The dry season has come and an elephant herd begins a perilous search for water.

The Fairy-Blood Curse - A young page is fed up with one knight's abuse and a fairy offers her assistance in revenge.

Boy-Hunt - Baelin only wanted a bite to eat while the lord was out hunting--now he's the prey.

Broken Horse - A man catches a wild horse to be sold for racing, but the horse has other intentions.

No Shelter - Three battered soldiers trek through a wintry wasteland while something hunts them from the battlefield.

Krampus the Generous - The good children get presents in the winter. The bad children get Krampus.

Delicacy for a Giant - A hungry giant traps a woman and her sickly newborn.

Legs - A witch's brew gives a legless knight the chance to grow back his lost limbs, but they aren't what he expects.

Briar Thorns - A dutiful boy is caught in a witch's deadly game.

Half-Heart - A man loses half his heart, leaving a gap in his chest that twisted creatures wish to fill with evil.

Ica and the Troll - A troll forces a traveler to help him find a princess.

The House of Dreams and Promises - A tale of a warlord's lonely wife and the fool who loved her.

The Shadows are Coming - When bandits raid her village, all one little girl can do is hide.

The Cold Thing - Winter may bring snow, and leave blood in its wake.

Serpent's Tongue - A witch's curse turns a woman's tongue as venomous as her words.

The Horn of Plenty - In a plague-blasted land, one starving family finds a magic basket of everlasting food.

Old Wolf and the Gremian - By sparing a fairy, a wolf expects to get food, but the fairy instead plans to get even.

A Night Without Souls - Two makers of magic dolls want a night of peace in their noisy village, no matter the cost.

Wedding the White Death - In the land of a thousand demons, Anzi fears only one.

Melemity, Esty, and Lality - Three brothers desire a beautiful fairy bride, but other creatures have their sights set on the foolish men.

The Fevering Child - No one wants Elise to be pregnant, not her father, not the priest, and not the three strange men who want her baby out.

The Graveyard Agreement - Two impoverished boys stumble upon a deal that could make them more money than they ever dreamed.

Thunder Horn and Fire Box - The demons Io and Nao have decided to steal the land's fire and thunder.

Art of Begging - The secret to getting anything from anyone passes to a destitute woman before her journey through a nightmarish wilderness.

Death Dance - A dying man's wager with Death leaves most of his children deformed, except two who inherit Death's power.

And the winner is....

Honey Tea Thyme's great giveaway of the sample of honey ended Friday and rafflecopter decided the winner was...... MEGAN! :) I've sent Megan an email and then the shop owners will send out the honey. :)

If you weren't lucky enough to win the sample, then you still should visit Honey Tea Thyme and try some of their lovely honey! Their honey is delicious and you can try a sample for only $3.00!

I want to thank Honey Tea Thyme for this giveaway and for letting me ask them some questions about their delicious honey! :) 

Etsy Finds Friday- super soap interview!

It's another Friday- Hunger Games here I come! :D and another Etsy Finds Friday! I contacted the owner of a bath and beauty shop for this feature and she agreed to answer a couple of my questions! :) I haven't had the chance to buy any soap from this shop but everything looks amazing and I hope I can try some soon! :) 

So without further ado, my interview mixed with beautiful pictures with Ms. Angel of SymbolicImports:

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your shop please!

 My name is Angel. I am first and foremost a wife (married to my high-school sweetheart) and mother of three beautiful children. I am a nurse and soap making is my full time job (it really does not feel like a job, because I love doing it so much) :) Outside of my business, I love to spend time with my family and friends and I love to travel! 

2. What made you decide to make soap and other beauty products? :) 

After researching how most of the store bought brands of bath products I was purchasing contained such harmful detergents and ingredients, I then decided to make my own skin care products. I have been creating handmade products for 7 years - it has become a positive obsession and a devoted passion in my life.

3. How do you come up with the scents for your products?

My scents are mostly based on what my customers like or have requested. I like to explore what is "in" at the moment. I also create many seasonal scents. 

4. What are your future plans for your shop?  

 I have so many future plans and goals :) I am hoping to bring out more lines of bath and beauty products. I want to add more items and scents to my etsy store. I would love to also branch out into the physical world one day and own my own soap shop in downtown Asheville, N.C. I would also like to start attending big craft shows in the future, but most of all, I am living in the here and now and having so much fun doing it! 

Most of my handmade products contains natural ingredients and most are handmade to order, which means that our customers receive the freshest product possible. I also believe that my customers are #1 priority! I try to go above and beyond for special circumstances or requests.
I enjoy accepting custom orders for our soap favors. We create soap favors for weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, parties, anniversaries, etc… I will also be glad to work with anyone on a custom fragrance or if you see a product in my shop, but want it in another fragrance, I can make it happen!

Where you can stalk me?

Store: SymbolicImports.etsy.com
Blog: symbolicimports.blogspot.com
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/SymbolicImports
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/SymbolicImports
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/symbolicimports
Email: SymbolicImports@gmail.com

We welcome you to browse our beautiful shop on etsy, SymbolicImports.etsy.comFor your first visit we would love to offer you a small token of our appreciation for visiting our shop.

Please use coupon code SMELLGOOD for 10% off your first purchase. Coupon expires on 3/24/12 (this was the original end date for this coupon because I was supposed to have this up last week. stupid internet. Since Ms. Angel is amazing she agreed to let me extend the coupon 1 week so now it ends 3/30! Thank Ms. Angel while you're at her shop.) and cannot be used on our soap favors, thank you so much ~Angel

This is also the 1 year anniversary of SymbolicImports so Ms. Angel is also offering her customers a 30% off coupon code for tomorrow! :O We're super lucky! You can use the code 1YEAR at checkout to take 30% off!

Thank you so much Ms. Angel for agreeing to this feature. I had a great time looking through your shop and picking out just what I want to buy and that coupon code is great! :)

Whipping Club Review

I just finished The Whipping Club and I have mixed feelings about it. I was really looking forward to reading this book- its a family drama set in Ireland that talks about the cruelty found in mid century Irish orphanages. I expected to cry over this book and get a shot in the face- which I kinda did. I think this is going to be a long review as I talk through my feelings.

Marian McKeever and Ben Ellis are not typical young lovers in 1957 Dublin, Ireland; she’s Catholic and teaches at Zion School, and he’s Jewish and a budding journalist. The two plan to wed, but their families object to an interfaith marriage. And when Marian becomes pregnant, she doesn’t tell Ben. Coerced by Father Brennan (a Catholic priest who is also her uncle), Marian goes to Castleboro Mother Baby Home, an institution ruled by Sister Paulinas and Sister Agnes where “sins are purged” via abuse; i.e., pregnant girls are forced to mow the lawn by pulling grass on their hands and knees. Marian is told that her son, Adrian, will be adopted by an American family. The riveting storyline provides many surprises as it fast-forwards to 1967 where Marian and Ben are married and have a 10-year-old daughter. Marian’s painful secret emerges when she learns that her son was dumped in an abusive orphanage not far from her middle-class home and Sister Agnes is his legal guardian. Thus begins a labyrinthine journey through red tape as the couple fight to regain their firstborn child. Ultimately, 12-year-old Adrian is placed in the Surtane Industrial School for Boys, which is rife with brutality and sexual abuse at the hands of “Christian Brother Ryder.” Though unchecked church power abounds, this is not a religious stereotype or an indictment of faith. Hateful characters like Brother Ryder are balanced with compassionate ones, such as a timid nurse from the Mother Baby Home. Father Brennan deepens into a three-dimensional character who struggles to do what is right. Henry weaves multilayered themes of prejudice, corruption and redemption with an authentic voice and swift, seamless dialogue. Her prose is engaging, and light poetic touches add immediacy. For example, when Marian returned to Mother Baby Home after 11 years, she “opened the car door and stepped onto the gravel, wanting to quiet its crunch, like skeletons underneath her shoes.” Echoing the painful lessons of the Jewish Holocaust, Henry’s tale reveals what happens when good people remain silent.  


How I felt about this book: 
The cover and title- I love this cover- I think its really pretty and intriguing. I like the single lit window shows the chance of hope. 


The characters- This is where I got a little iffy in this book. I didn't really fall in love with any of the characters in this book. I thought the mom, Marian, was a little pathetic to be honest. When she was young she gave her son up for adoption- without letting the father, her husband know about it. Then she spends the rest of her life kind of listless and depressed. I can empathize with all of this and I feel bad for her. I just thought her mood swings and listlessness were too abrupt and I couldn't like her as much as I was hoping too. I thought I could fall in love with the husband then- he had a son out there he didn't know about so I felt sad for him- but I couldn't love him either.  He had a tendency to give up on his loved ones way too easily. They were fighting to get their son back but he wasn't falling in love with his son like I wanted him too. When the authorities were set on taking his son away he was just too complacent for me.  Marian and Ben had a daughter after she gave Adrian up for adoption that I also liked but she was a little too jealous and had a tendency to think of her actions after she's done them.


My favorite character from this book was Adrian. I liked him because he was very brave and showed steel in the toughest possible times but I think I felt too sorry for him and his situation to fall in love with him. I couldn't get behind him like I hoped to as he fought for his situation. 


There was a host of other characters but I really want a hero to fall in love with in a book and there was no one that really became that hero for me. All in all, I found the characters in this book just a little too flawed to fall in love with. This being said, there were tons of characters to hate that did help drive the story. 


The story- I thought this story sounded so interesting when I requested it on netgalley and it really was an interesting and gripping story. I liked how the author showed not only how Adrian's life was in his orphanage but also how his family was dealing without him. This was a gritty story that showed great emotion and there weren't many parts in this story that dragged. I think the one thing I didn't like about the story was there were very few just happy moments for the family where they could enjoy being together which I think would have invested me emotionally. 


Overall- If I had a rating system I would give this book a 3.5/5. I liked the story line but the characters are the ones that brought this book down for me. I couldn't fall in love with any of the characters and while I really liked Adrian but he couldn't carry this book alone. I was fine with the rawness of the book and the topics in it and I would say this book is definitely worth a read despite some of the characters  being a little too flawed.  I would recommend this book to adult fiction readers who are ok with some language, violence, religious topics, and other very adult topics. 


Buy it at Amazon here, Barnes and Noble here, or Book Depository here!

* I received and e-galley of this book from netgalley for free but all opinions are mine alone.

Guest Post by Author Sara Jo Easton- and giveaway! :)

I was approached the other week by Sara Jo Easton, author of The Zarder (find my review here) to do a guest post about March 15th, the Ides of March! So without further ado, I give you..... Sara! 

Happy Ides of March, everyone!

Well, I suppose the word "happy" is relative when it comes to this day in history. There have been many famous deaths on the Ides of March, from a Roman leader to a horror writer. If you believe Wikipedia, the Ides of March is "a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held" in ancient Rome.

So why is it called the ides? Ides just means the middle of the Roman month. You could run around on the 13th day of April telling people to beware the ides, but it wouldn't have the same Shakespearean quality as "Beware the Ides of March!" Ides didn't really get a bad reputation until Julius Caesar was killed in 44 B.C.

Julius Caesar's death was not a pleasant one. He was stabbed over twenty times by a group of senators who felt he was gaining too much power. Shakespeare's play claimed his last words were "Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar," but I am suspicious about his ability to say anything after getting a lethal wound to the chest. You can find out more about Julius Caesar by reading or seeing the play of the same name by William Shakespeare (but don't leave after Caesar is stabbed. Those movies and TV shows that show the play ending at that point are lying).

Some notable March 15 deaths have occurred in the fantasy genre as well. Just open up the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and you'll discover that the Battle of Pelennor Fields took place on March 15. (What follows are SPOILERS for those who haven't read "Lord of the Rings" or seen the films. If you are one of those people, what are you holding out for? It gets better after Bombadil.) Yes, this is the day Eowyn and Merry killed the Witch-King, thus ridding the world of Sauron's powerful servant. Unfortunately, it is also the day Theoden died and Denethor committed suicide. (/end SPOILER) So the Ides have a bittersweet feel for Middle Earth fans.

The horror genre lost one of its masters, H.P. Lovecraft, on March 15, 1937. He was best known for the Cthulhu Mythos, the often roleplayed tales of the Great Old One who drives humans insane. Lovecraft's death came after a battle with cancer of the intestine, and he tragically never saw his works become the popular stories they are today.

The Ides of March are an interesting date in history, to be certain. I'm sure some are wondering why I'd choose to release "The Speed of Wind", the second Onizard novel, on this day while knowing its strange history. (SPOILER ahead) There may be a character contributing to the Ides of March tradition. (/end SPOILER) Plus, it's just easy to remember the day.

Those of you reading to the end of this author guest post are probably expecting a chance for something free, right? Well, you've got it. Comment with your name, e-mail address and favorite Shakespearean conspirator. I'll be sending someone Smashwords coupons for "The Zarder" and "The Speed of Wind".

Teaser Tuesday with Pride's Run!

It's another Tuesday and time for another teaser! :) If you're not familiar with Teaser Tuesday, it's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading where you grab your current read and post two teaser sentences from a random page!

I got the page for this teaser from how many of you awesome guys are GFC followers! So I grabbed my Kindle and flipped to page 54 of Pride's Run by Cat Kalen! 

Seventeen year old Pride is a tracker—a werewolf with a hunger for blood. Taught to trick and to lure, she is the perfect killing machine. Kept leashed in the cellar by a master who is as ruthless as he is powerful, Pride dreams of freedom, of living a normal life, but escape from the compound is near impossible and disobedience comes with a price. When she learns her master intends to breed her she knows she has to run. Pride soon learns if she is to survive in the wild, she must trust in the boy who promises her freedom, the same boy she was sent to hunt. With life and death hanging in the balance the two find themselves on the run from the Paranormal Task Force—officers who shoot first and ask questions later—as well as her master’s handlers. Can Pride flee the man who has held her captive since birth and find sanctuary in the arms of a boy who has captured her heart? Or will her master find her first?

I'm super excited to be reading this book! I've been looking forward to being able to read it! My teasers from Pride's Run are: 


"I remain hunkered down in a defensive position and while I tune out the chaos erupting inside me, I mask my features and present a hardened exterior to my approaching handler."


"My stomach drops and a terrible sense of foreboding fills me as small cloudy particles rain from the ceiling and wash out my drawing" 


What do you think? I haven't read this far yet but I'm looking forward to it. Have you read Pride's Run? What did you think of it? Leave me a comment! :) 

Etsy Finds Friday- with Giveaway!

As promised, here is my first Etsy Finds Friday and yes, there is a GIVEAWAY! :) In this weekly, or bi-weekly post I will (hopefully) be featuring an Etsy shop I found that I think looks super cool! (Book lovers have to eat, sleep, and get dressed just like everyone else)

For my first post had the pleasure of asking the great shop owner of Honey Tea Thyme some questions about her delicious honey! I won some of this honey a while ago and I didn't know what to do because I'm not a honey fan! Well, the honey got to my house and my grandpa opened when I wasn't there and called me telling me it was really good. I tried it when I got home and I LOVED it! 

I literally hoarded this honey, eating it off my fingers straight out of the jar (I know, maybe a little gross but it was THAT delicious!)  I showed my friends the honey and let them get a (little) spoonful to try and they loved it too! I loved this honey so much I had to message the owners on Etsy and let them know how much I loved it- I also asked if I could do a feature of their shop and they offered to do a giveaway too! I asked the owners and couple questions about their shop:

1. Tell everyone a bit about your etsy shop please. What can we all find there?

We love what raw honey can do for the overall health of the body. For many years I have made this Honey Tea as a way of helping my family stay healthy. We created this product as an instant tea, to begin with to save this busy mom of 10 time, which is especially valuable when little people are not feeling well. We sell 100% Pure Raw Honey, Organic and conventional flavors of Honey Tea Thyme. We also sell handmade Baby blankets and Muscle Salve.

2. What made you decide to start your etsy shop? 

 After lots of years of providing honey to family and friends and going to farmers markets, we decided that it was time to go online. You can find us at www.etsy.com/shop/honeyteathyme?ref=si_shop

this is the apple honey I tried and it was AMAZING!

3. Your honey is amazing! Is there a process you have that makes it like this or why is it so amazing? If you have a process, what is it?
Thank you! We are careful to preserve the natural enzymes that the bees put in the honey in the first place. We infuse Organic Herbs or natural essential oils into our 100% Pure Raw Honey. I believe that when you taste something that is pure and natural with no added chemicals or preservatives that you body goes, Wow! I need some more of that. We are as a country I believe, starved for something wholly nutritious.

Thank you so much HoneyTeaThyme for taking the time to answer my questions and even offering to do this  giveaway for us! :)

2012 Book Blogger Challenge!

I just saw something about a 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation challenge that I thought looked really interesting! This challenge is to read a certain number of book from the 266 book list that 34 bloggers have recommended. You can find out more about this challenge at Reading with Tequila. This is my post saying I want to join this challenge! I just decided there are many books on the recommended list that I'm planning on reading anyway- I might as well join the challenge! :) For now I'm going to join on the first level at 5 books- I may up my pledge later if I have time but for now, I'm going to say just 5. If you don't want to join the challenge then you can just check yourself against the list and see how many you've read and look for new book suggestions! 


I've read 20 books from the entire list and 6 books from the top 25 list! Right now my plan is to read 3 more books from the top 25, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, and something else! :) 

 The Top 25 

1.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 
2. Divergent by Veroncia Roth 
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 
4. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 
5. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 
6. Graceling by Kristin Cashore 
7. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare 
8. The Stand by Stephen King 
9. Delirium by Lauren Oliver 
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 
11. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
12. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini 
13. The Name Of The Rose by Umberto Eco 
14. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 
15. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal 
16. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle 
17. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 
18. Enclave by Ann Aguirre 
19. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson 
20. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead 
21. Poison Study by Maria V.Snyder 
22. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
23. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater 
24. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward 
25. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I've included the top 25 lists with the books I want to read bolded- have you read any of the top 25? Do you have any books you wish had made the top list? Leave me a comment and let me know! :) 

Losing Clementine Review!

As promised, here is my review of the wonderful Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream! I loved this book and I hope y'all will too! 

In thirty days Clementine Pritchard will be finished with her last painting and her life.World-renowned artist and sharp-tongued wit Clementine Pritchard has decided that she's done. After flushing away a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions, she gives herself thirty days to tie up loose ends—finish one last painting, make nice with her ex-husband, and find a home for her cat. Clementine plans to spend the month she has left in a swirl of art-world parties, manic work sessions, and outrageous acts—but what she doesn't expect is to uncover secrets surrounding the tragedy that befell her mother and sister. In an ending no one sees coming, will we lose Clementine or will we find her?

A bold debut from an exciting new voice, Losing Clementine is a wonderfully entertaining and poignant novel about unanticipated self-discovery that features one of the most irresistible, if deeply flawed, characters to grace contemporary fiction in years.

When I first got this book in the mail it actually looked a little depressing- a bit appropriate for the grandaughter of someone who has decided it's his time. But I didn't find this book depressing at all! I laughed far more during this book than I cried- actually I only cried when she had to say goodbye to Mr. Chuckles. 

I thought this was a great book. It is about a smart, funny, artist who has given herself 30 days to live. I thought at first she would have an incurable disease- and she does but not something like cancer. I was surprised that she decided to end it after hearing what disease she does have- is it a secret? I'm just going to tell you, she's manic depressive and I thought it was something that was liveable with but then I heard her back story- loved this! and I realized why she has decided to flush her pills down the toilet and end it all in 30 days. This isn't a kids book by any means- but if you were going to die in 30 days would you want to keep your life PG? I wouldn't- I'd be cursing, loving, and doing whatever I wanted to whenever I wanted to because what consequences will I have to deal with when in 30 days I'm dead? 


I loved all the characters in this book and there were so many twists and turns! She decides to find her father who abandoned her family when she was in elementary school and when she tracks him down you learn something that made me go *gasp!*


And the ending! Let me just tell you, the ending was SO cool. When I first read it I was a little.... disappointed? Not disappointed but I didn't expect it at all! I let the ending settle in my mind for a day or two and now I love what happened! :D 


Y'all really need to read this book- I think this is the longest review I've written so far because there was so much I wanted to say about this book. I highly recommend Losing Clementine for this adult readers that want a great fiction book. This book can be explicit sex but it's not a romance, it has some sleuthing but it's not a mystery, it's got great friends but its not chick lit! I really cannot recommend it enough!


Buy this book at Amazon here, Books A Million here, and and Barnes and Noble here!


Have you read this book, are you planning on reading it? Leave me a comment and let me know! :D