City of Ashes Review

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Type of Book: young adult, paranormal, fantasy

Synopsis: Book 2 of the Mortal Instruments series. This book picks about a week or so after the end of City of Bones. Clary and her friends are trying to deal with all the changes in their lives and new ones that keep coming their way. Jace is under investigation and that add all sorts of new twists.

Review: Still loving this series. I'll have to put it on hold though for a while till I can get book 3. The only down fall of it is that the books lead right in to the next. So you finish the book and there isn't much closer. I there is some for what ever big disaster that they are trying to battle but the story just stops and waits for the next installment. Make one kind of desperate to read the next one.

4 out of 5 stars

City of Bones Review

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Type of Book: young adult, paranormal, fantasy

Synopsis: Book 1 of The Mortal Instruments series. Clary grew up your average teen but learns things aren't what the always appeared to be. Clary's single mom goes missing and she learns she's part of the this other world that she keeps catching glimpses of. She learns that werewolves, vampires, demons, fay, and angles aren't just fairy tales, there real.

Review: Loved it. What a surprising twist at the end. I'm glad that I decided to buy these books to keep in my collections. I already started the second book in the series. I've also heard rumors that there might be a movie in the works.

4 out of 5 stars

Not just reading

I know, three book reviews in a row. And well if you think all I've been doing is reading, well it's partial true. But I have been doing other things too.

There has been a lot of  TV/disc watching going on too. The Hubby and I have been catching up on episodes of Fringe. We re watched parts of season 2 that we missed and on are on to season 3. I've also been watching last winter's Downton Abbey that aired on Masterpiece Theater, which I believe will be season 1. I've heard that season 2 is airing on the BBC. Other than that it's been catching some new shows that are starting this fall and the season premiers.

But while we've been watching these I've been knitting. It's slow going, as I get distracted by what I'm watching quite easily. Mostly I've been working on these socks:

Pattern: Hermione's Everyday socks. Which I'm loving because it's simple to remember and pick up but yet not just st st. Yarn is Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dy sock. Which was in my stash. I had originally picked it up for a dropped stitch scarf, but it didn't look right.

I've also been work on this sweater. Not much to show. But I love how the pattern is written. No more sticky notes falling off and getting lost.

This has been lingering on my sewing table for months now. But have finally started to sew the blocks together.

And finally my other knitting project that you won't hear about often:

I started this crazy afghan. I'm just using scrap sock yarn (fingering weight). Needless to say I don't have a whole lot of scrap yarn right now. So it's already on hold until I can add a couple new colors to the jar. This one is going to years, to get done but I'm okay with that. But if you have any scrap fingering weight yarn that you'd be willing to part with or know someone who does send them my way.

Well I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I off to get ready to go out with my hubby.

Redheaded Princess Review

The Redheaded Princess by Ann Rinaldi

Type of book: young adult, historical fiction

Synopsis: About Princess Elizabeth I from the age of nine until she becomes queen.

Review: A nice quick and easy read. There are lots of books and movies out there on this subject right now. Not one you want if you want to get into a lot of details.

Growing up Ann Rinaldi was one of my favorite authors. The fact still holds. You can definently tell it was written for an early young adult though.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Reading Promise book review

The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma

Type of book: non-fiction, reading, life

Synopsis: A girl and her dad challenge themselves to read every night for 100 nights. The then continue until he drops her off for college, 3218 nights later.

Review: I liked the thought of this book. But to tell the truth it was more about her relationship with her dad, which was okay. I just wished it had been more about the books that they had read. Some of it was hard to follow. The time line didn't always flow nicely.

It was okay to read, I started this back in June when it came out. I put it aside for library books, that were hot on my reading list. But I did go back and finish it. The beginning and the end were good. The middle kind of lost me.

2 out of 5 stars

The Wilder Life review

The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure

Synopsis: Author goes back and re-reads the  Little House series of books that she loved as a child. And the book follows her obsession following this.

Review: I had heard lots of good things about this book and had been really excited to read. To be honest I did not finish this book. It was a short check out from the library and I just couldn't get into it that much that I wanted to put myself back on the waiting list for it. 

Growing up I was a huge Laura fan. And I still am. I have often thought of going to some of the "Laura sights" like Wendy does in her search. Wendy seemed like she was lost and looking for something.After reading 2/3 of it I still wasn't sure what she was searching for and I'm not to sure she was either. I couldn't relate to how she was telling this story. The journey she took both in the travel and research has so much potential, but it just falls short.


2 of 5 stars.