It's All Saint's Day...you know what that means: NaNoWriMo

Review: The Eternal Ones

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book was pretty good but not great and I feel that it missed reaching it's full potential. The characters, setting, premise and writing were all good and entertaining. The main problem was plot and a wobbly protagonist.

The theme of true love lasting eternal and the theme of reincarnation were handled very well but the book had about 20% filler as the main character Haven Moore flip-flops back and forth trying to decide who she believes and whether or not she trusts her One True Love. This got really really REALLY annoying. I mean, it was back and forth like a tennis match. I might have whiplash.

Also the fact that over the course of the novel she does not grow at all from all of her experiences. She is easily persuaded by people she doesn't have any reason to trust and doesn't ever question anyone's motives ever. After being duped a few times she doesn't become more critical in what she believes? WTH? The one person she constantly questions is the one person she is supposed to feel a deep connection to. I didn't get it...even taking her age (17) into consideration, it makes no sense except that the author couldn't come up with more creative ways to fill pages.

It made the third act of the novel pretty frustrating because she didn't seem this dumb in the beginning of the book. Still, it was an original concept that I liked. Bonus points for the Tennessee setting (where I live)I hope if there are more of these books to come, the author will show some growth for Haven so you don't want to kick her.



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25 best book jackets of 2012

25 best book jackets of 2012:
With the rise in e-readers, book jacket design is rumored to become a lost art. We don’t think so, but the game is certainly changing. Cool cover art still exists, but as the 25 best book jackets of 2012 show, they’re trending toward bold simplicity, with high-contrast colors and giant, graphic font.
       


For more of our Best of 2012, check out our Top 50 Books of 2012.

See the best book jackets of 2011.

See the best book jackets of 2010.

Or simply browse all of The Book Case’s Best of 2012 coverage.
ETA: some readers have asked about designer info; when available, it is displayed as you hover over the image. Designers, if your jacket appears here and is not credited, please leave a comment and let us know! If you love cover design, don’t miss the excellent blog Talking Covers. 
What were your favorite book jackets of 2012?

NaNoWriMo Check-in

Well I'm a third of the way through the month and only behind by, oh thirteen-thousand words or so. I got off to a rocky start when my seasonal job scheduled me for all of this mandatory overtime. The paycheck will be nice...my novel, not so much.
That said, I do not abandon hope. My novel is still clawing at me from the inside of the creative side of my mind. I just need to give it a transmission portal to drain all of the adventure out of it and fill the screen of my HP with it's escapist thrills.

Current NaNoWriMo WORD COUNT: 5,041

The Last Mayan NaNoWriMo for 2012!

Well, I am officially a greater masochist than I ever thought possible. Evident by ME undertaking the task of writing an entire novel in a month. In NOVEMBER.  Not only is it the birth of the "Holiday" season but it is the LAST NOVEMBER EVER! According to the Mayan calendar. Last year I completed my novel  for NaNoWriMo for the first time, but I had much more free time to invest on attending write-ins and pouring over my laptop in a creative frenzy. I also had more time to work on editing and re-writes afterward (which I didn't utilize at all). This year? Not so much, I believe I have until December 21st or 22nd before our current epoch dies and civilization falls. So get ready to live like were gonna die young. (Thanks Ke$ha). This year is also a greater challenge as I will be juggling it with classes that wont matter after the apocalypse, as well as a full-time job that required mandatory overtime.

Despite the impossibility of this venture and my precarious position on that glass precipice, I still have a burning drive and a dream that I will make it to the end because this is a story I'm really excited to tell. So wish me luck and feel free to jump in on this bandwagon 'cause there's plenty of room. I'm turning into a writer come Hell or high Holy Water! 
-K

Review: In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Can I just say that I think EVERYBODY should read this book! At the very least, as a springboard for discussion. This book helped me to see just how much I take for granted, and how much blind faith I put in ______?? I don't even know who...just so much trust in an unknown entity to supply my food...or "food". Read the book so we can discuss it's brilliance as well as any shortcomings. One thing is for sure, I am really happy to be able to banish all of the guilt associated with eating in our American culture and eat butter again...happily. :)



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Review: The Expats: A Novel

The Expats: A Novel by Chris Pavone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Spies galore!! This started out slow for me...it seemed to spend more time on Kate's (our lead protagonist)life as an expat mom and less on her recent past with the CIA....and the jumping back and forth between past and present, action and memories, was confusing at times. However by the middle of the book I was hooked...completely intrigued by how it was all going to play out. As soon as I thought I figured one thing out...there was another angle. All in all, I say well done! If you like spy thrillers, you should check this out.



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