Swoon Thursday

So, I have managed to finish City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. It was City of Ashes that I finished while taking a bath until about 3am. Couldn't not wait to get to book 3 and could not put that one down either, so I basically got no sleep for a few days. It..was...AWESOME!!!!!!!

While not all my questions were answered, the biggest one was, so I was satisfied. I started reading City of Fallen Angels, but so far, it is all about Simon and while I don't dislike Simon, he did get on my nerves quite a bit. I really wanted to ask him why he didn't just go home. But he felt so entitled to be around all the time. Nevertheless, he is a good character, I just don't know if I feel like reading a whole book about him, so I'll give it a few chapters. It may be time to take a break and read some other things.

While City of Glass was full of so many delicious passages, I was so happy to find this one near the end which is my swoon for the week.

Swoon Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by http://yabound.blogspot.com




It's simple. You take a book you're currently reading and share what made your toes curl and your heart race!!!

"Valentine couldn't believe I'd killed Jonathan, " he said. "Couldn't believe it because I was the weak one, and Jonathan was the one with more training. By all rights he probably should have killed me. He nearly did. But I though of you - I saw you there, clearly, as if you were standing in front of me, watching me, and I knew I wanted to live, wanted it more than I'd ever wanted anything, if only so that I could see your face one more time."

"And now I'm looking at you, " he said, "and you're asking me if I still want you, as if I could ever stop loving you. As if I would want to give up the thing that makes me stronger than anything else ever has. I never dared give much of myself to anyone before - bits of myself to the Lightwoods, to Isabelle and Alec, but it took years to do it - but, Clary, since the first time I saw you, I have belonged to you completely. I still do. If you want me."

Ah, nothing like a great swoon to warm the soul. I hope you all enjoyed this week's selection.

Until next time, Go Pens!!

A Top 10 Tuesday List of my own

I have been somewhat frustrated with the lack of time I have to get on the computer lately and not just with my blog. In order to vent a little, I decided to do my own Top Ten list today of why I can't get anything done. Well, anything important, anyway. So here it is, in no specific order...

Top 10 Reasons I Can't Get Anything Done

1: Work - I am still working 15 hours OT every week and am now working both Saturday and Sunday which seriously cuts into my free time.
2: Time Management - I can't get up in the morning for work, so I've been leaving later which means I have to stay later at work. It's usually 7 by the time I get home.
3: Hockey - The hockey lock out is finally over, but it is a very condensed season of 48 games, so no team has more than a 2 day break between games. If the Penguins are being broadcast on TV, I'm going to be watching it.
4: Housework - I still have Christmas decorations up, for crying out loud. I had thought to sort through the Christmas decorations because I thought to sell some off, but that means I have to put them in categories. All the Peanuts have to be together, Pooh, Star Wars, etc. There is a lot to organize before I can make any decisions, but I just haven't had the time. I have a tree that is missing the very top and there are no decorations on it, but it is standing in the middle of the floor between the living room and library. I feel guilty spending time on my blog or reading when I have to get this stuff put away. And let's not even get started on actual cleaning.
5: Egg - Egg demands chin rubs and it has been so cold lately that as soon as I come home he yells at me until I sit down so he can jump in my lap and suck up all my body heat. I spend a lot of time on a daily basis catering to the whims of one furry little critter.
6: Mortal Instruments - Can't put the damn books down. I just started book 4, City of Angels. I keep the books with me where ever I go and read every chance I get. The questions have been driving me to keep reading until I get the answers I'm looking for. Thankfully, my biggest question was answered at the end of book 3, so perhaps I won't be quite so compelled and can actually post my reviews.
7: Weather - The weather has been playing havoc with my sinuses since it is fluctuating up and down, so I have been getting some sinus headaches. I usually take Bendryll. It does dry me out, but unfortunately, it also makes me lethargic if not downright sleepy.
8: Meals - I know it seems like a non-thing, but while I had intended to eat at home more, that pretty much hasn't happened a lot since Hurricane Sandy. We usually go out or sometimes order in. Since I'm not getting home until about 7pm as it is, by the time we go get something to eat and get home, it is already 9pm and I'm usually too tired to sit up typing.
9: Bath time - If I take a bath, which I infinitely prefer over a shower, and I take a book in with me, I'll be in there for hours. Well, a couple at least. Time just gets away from me and if the bath water is getting a little cold, I just let some of the tub water out and fill the tub up some more.
10: Hubby - Perhaps last, but certainly not least, I still have want to find time to spend with him.

Just as soon as I can get Christmas put away I will have more free time and can get down to writing my reviews which I really miss doing.  So my goal is to have Christmas down in time for Valentine's Day.  I think that's a realistic goal.

So any thoughts out there on how you all balance the demands of daily life and manage to post on a regular basis?  I'd be interested to hear how you do it.

Swoon Thursday

Here it is, Thursday again. My favorite day of the week, or I guess I should say my favorite day of the work week. Let's face it, Saturday is the best day of the week.

But here it is...Swoon Thursday!!!

Swoon Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by http://yabound.blogspot.com

It's simple. You take a book you're currently reading and share what made your toes curl and your heart race!!!

I have been having a very difficult time trying decide which swoon to post. I am now reading City of Glass by Cassandra Clare and cannot put it down. The last time I ripped through a series like this was Harry Potter. I may share one of the others at a later time, but here's the one that turned me to mush.

"There is no pretending," Jace said with absolute clarity. "I love you, and I will love you until I die, and if there's a life after that, I'll love you then."

She caught her breath. He had said it - the words there was no going back from. She struggled for a reply, but none came.

"And I know you think I just want to be with you to - to show myself what a monster I am, " he said. "And maybe I am a monster. I don't know the answer to that. But what I do know is that even if there's demon blood inside me, there is human blood inside me as well. And I couldn't love you like I do if I wasn't at least a little bit human. Because demons want. But they don't love. And I - "

Enjoy!!!

Stacking the Shelves - A Day Late and a Dollar Short

So Verizon came and hooked up Fios for us, but since it is a whole new network, I have naturally been having connectivity problems on my computer. The main computer is my hubby's. My computer is hooked up by wireless. I happened to pick up a wireless keyboard and mouse for my work laptop as I work downstairs. Unfortunately, the software had to be loaded to the computer via a disc and my laptop has no CD drive. You need a plug in in order to use a disc. And since it is a work computer, they kind of frown on installing external software anyway. So, I took the plug in keyboard and mouse from upstairs and decided to install the wireless keyboard and mouse upstairs, which unfortunately coincided with me trying to get the new network set up. It has taken me two days.

And as I have not read any manga recently to post, plus I worked overtime all weekend long, I figure I will do a Stacking the Shelves post even though it is not so timely.

Nothing but issues lately.

My last STS post was December 30 (Really?), so here is what I've picked up in 2013.

Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews


Books:
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Dreamspinner ( A Novel of the Nine Kingdoms) by Lynn Kurland
Scoundrels: Star Wars by Timothy Zahn
Bone: Quest for the Spark Book 3 by Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski
Flaming Carrot Hardcover Collected Vol 2 by Bob Burden

Kindle:

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls) by Maggie Stiefvater - $2.99

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman - $1.99

Wake (A Watersong Novel) by Amanda Hocking - $2.99

Dante's Girl (The Paradise Diaries) by Courtney Cole - $3.99

The End of the Dating Moratorium by Stephanie Celeste Perkins - $2.99

The Prince with Amnesia by Emily Evans - $2.99

DVDs:

A Princess for Christmas - I saw this enough on TV this holiday season, however, all the external shots were filmed at Castelul Peles in Sinaia in Romania, which I've been to, so I just had to pick it up.

On the Second Day of Christmas - Starring Mark Ruffalo and, as if that wasn't reason enough, it was like $6.00.

Bridesmaids - Guilty Pleasure - It's like a train wreck that I can't look away from and this one is the unrated version, so it will be even more unpleasant. Still Chris O'Dowd more than makes up for it as the charming Irish police officer.

So that is it for this week.  I have a few books and some manga I am waiting on that haven't come in yet, but I will share them when I do.  Until then, I wish you all lots of good things in your mailbox!!

TTFN!!

Swoon Thursday

So, tomorrow, Verizon is coming in the afternoon because we are switching from Cablevision back to Verizon Fios. Because we are going to lose everything we had DVR'd, I have been spending the entire evening trying to watch the movies I recorded. I watched three Hallmark Channel / Lifetime Channel Christmas movies, another movie set in the California Wine Country and a movie that was on Cable not long ago that I have wanted to get on DVD for years, Dreaming of Joseph Lees. It stars Rupert Graves as a geologist who lost his leg in a quarry accident and it is about a cousin of his who has pined after him for years. An all around feel good movie (not), but I must say, Rupert Graves is just dreamy in this movie. I have one more I probably won't get to as it is almost midnight. Anyway, after watching hours of Christmas romance, love in the country and a tale of twisted, tragic love, it is time to get my swoon on. This week's swoon comes from City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments Book 2) by Cassandra Clare.

Swoon Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by http://yabound.blogspot.com

"She felt the brush of his lips, light at first, and her own opened automatically beneath the pressure. Almost against her will she felt herself go fluid and pliant, stretching upward to twine her arms around his neck the way a sunflower twists toward the light. His arms slid around her, his hands knotting in her hair, and the kiss stopped being gentle and became fierce, all in a single moment like tinder flaring into a blaze. Clary heard a sound like a sigh rush through the Court, all around them, a wave of noise, but it meant nothing, was lost in the rush of her blood through her veins, the dizzying sense of weightlessness in her body."

Breeders: A True Story

Breeders...It's a story about how two adorably cute infants turn deadly killer. Whether purposely or unwittingly carrying the virus, these two seemingly innocent children take down an entire dynasty across two continents. No one is safe. It is a story about biological warfare wrecking havoc on unsuspecting immune systems and I got caught in the crossfire.

Beware!!!  Look upon their faces and quake with fear!!!


The top 3 are Tai (6 mos) and the bottom 3 are Ayden (1 yr). 

So, yeah.  I've been under the weather for more than a week.  Finally feeling better now.  Both of my nephews were sick at Christmas and New Year, so they got me and their uncle sick, their grandparents and their parents.  I felt bad for my baby brother because he and my sister-in-law, Em, had to fly back to Germany with a sick baby and being sick themselves.  And they missed their connecting flight so had to hang out at the airport for extra hours.

Sorry I was not around, but I was in bed a lot.  I worked from home for the week and am ashamed (not really) to say that I didn't get out of my pajamas since last Sunday afternoon until this morning when I finally had to drive back into the office.  I just don't understand why pajamas are not considered appropriate for work.  Everything's covered up.  Maybe for Casual Friday?

Anyway, I missed my fav post, Swoon Thursday, but only because I thought Thursday was Wednesday.  It was Friday by the time I realized it.  I was heavily sedated.  Benadryll.  Say no more.  I do have a swoon or two lined up for this week, though.  I missed my Stacking the Shelves, so I will post last week's goodies this coming weekend.  And I missed It's Just Another Manga Monday, but that's not so bad as I didn't have anything ready to go.  Got to start catching up on the manga.

While in my sick bed, I reread the last half of Illusons by Aprilynne Pike.  Destined, the finale, came out in 2012 which was one of my top 5 must reads.  I needed to refresh myself, though, hence the reread.  I will not be reviewing Illusions, however, I also didn't start Destined because I picked up Book Two, City of Ashes, in the Mortal Instruments series.

OMG!!!  Started a little slow, but now I can't put it down.

I got one phrase for you...

"Ask your father, when next you see him, what blood runs in your veins, Jonathan."

I must know!!!  (Please don't tell.)  Now I'm dreaming about the book as well, course it could be the delirium set on by overdosing on Nyquil, but I think not.

GTGFN.  Jace's calling me.

Teaser Tuesday: What I can't wait to get my hands on now

So, I was surfing Amazon yesterday looking for new releases yesterday and I found two new books coming out I didn't know about and I just had to tell somebody!!!

The first title is Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins. That's right! It is the finale in the story arc of Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door!!!

Book Description (From Amazon):
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Falling in love in the world’s most romantic city is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year at the School of America in Paris, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to deal with the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.

All the characters I came to love are going to be there so I just can't wait to get my hands on it!!!

Sorry, no picture available yet.



The second book was an even bigger surprise: Unbroken: A Ruined Novel by Paula Morris.

Ruined is a haunting story set in New Orleans. It came out in 2009. So, I was shocked to find out that there was a sequel almost four years later!!! I may have squeed and can't wait to get my hands on this one either!!!

Book Description (From Amazon):
Publication Date: February 1, 2013
Welcome back to New Orleans.
Where the streets swirl with jazz and beauty.
Where the houses breathe with ghosts.

A year ago, Rebecca Brown escaped death in a New Orleans cemetery. Now she has returned to this haunting city. She is looking forward to seeing Anton Grey, the boy who may or may not have her heart.

But she also meets a ghost: a troubled boy who insists only she can help him. Soon Rebecca finds herself embroiled in another murder mystery from more than a century ago. But as she tries to right wrongs, she finds more questions than answers: Is she putting her friends, and herself, in danger? Can she trust this new ghost? And has she stumbled into something much bigger and more serious than she understands?


These two are going to be at the top of my pile when they do come in.  Heck, they may not even make it to my pile.  I might have to read them immediately!!!

TTFN!!!