To The Scaffold

Author: Carolly Erickson

One of history's most misunderstood figures, Marie Antoinette continues to symbolize the glamour, the extravagance, and the decadence of French society before the French Revolution. Yet there was a poignant innocence about Antoinette, sent away in her early teens from her home in Vienna to the chillingly formal French court.

Married to the maladroit, ill-mannered dauphin and condemned to childlessness by his inability to beget an heir, Antoinette sought pleasure in costly entertainments and grotesque eccentricities of dress. Along with most members of the court, she spent lavishly while her husband's subjets, overtaxed and increasingly hostile toward their sovereign and his mismanaged government, blamed her from France's plight and accused her of every imaginable vice.

In time Antoinette matured into a capable and courageous queen, though her husband, Louis XVI, remained timid and inept at a time when France needed bold and visionary leadership. When the forces arrayed against the monarchy finally closed in, however, Antoinette followed her husband to the guillotine, an aged, white-haired widow not yet forty.

In To the Scaffold, acclaimed biographer Carolly Erickson provides an unusually nuanced portrait of a lost queen, a portrait that is psychologically acute, richly detailed, and finally, deeply moving.

So, pretty much, I've wanted to read this biography for quite a while since I've read Carolly Erickson's novel about Marie Antoinette several times and I wanted to see how they compared, since, frankly, the novel is extremely historically incorrect. I was actually really surprised because I thought it was a pretty good biography, because the reviews that I read weren't so great.

Erickson presented a lot of information that I've never heard before. She gave some really interesting details, for example, Marie Antoinette's childhood. Normally, biographers give you a quick overview and don't really talk about it in depth much. I was very excited that Erickson decided that that information was important enough to include! I feel like I definitely learned a lot of new things about Marie Antoinette from her book.

However, there were some points where I didn't feel like there was enough details. Her friends weren't mentioned much, and they were a huge part of Marie Antoinette's life. There was a short section about the Polignacs, but not much on Princesse de Lamballe, who was Marie Antoinette's first best friend, and the one that was with her in the end. The time that the royal family spent in the Temple prison doesn't get very much mention at all, and that disappointed me a bit.

I thought that the book was very well written. It definitely read more as a story than a biography, in my opinion. That makes it a really good choice for those people that are interested in Marie Antoinette's story, but are turned off by a biography.

However, Erickson wasn't very kind to Louis XVI. While I know he was not the best leader in the world, I don't think he was as horrible as she thinks he was. She also says that Marie Antoinette made all the decisions for many more years than any of the other books I've read say. So I guess that I wasn't a big fan of her portrayals of some of the people.....

And finally, I, of course, have to mention the Axel Fersen myth. Erickson did present why everyone thinks the affair did happen, but she treated it as a complete truth. I feel like she also made up facts to make it seem like a bigger deal than it actually would have been. It felt like she was saying that Fersen was the most important person to her, even over her children! This I know not to be true from everything else I've read.


I didn't really have a ton to say about it, but I was pleasantly surprised. You should read it. =D So next up I think I'm going to reread Sharon Lathan's In the Arms of Mr. Darcy because I really feel like more Darcyness. =D After that, I have quite a few choices of new books on my shelf to choose from. So I'll review one of those next. =D And sorry for my super short review!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

In the Arms of Mr. Darcy

Author: Sharon Lathan

If only everyone could be as happy as they are...

Darcy and Elizabeth are as much in love as ever-even more so as their relationship matures. Their passion inspires everyone around them, and as winter turns to spring, romance blossoms around them.

Confirmed bachelor Richard Fitzwilliam sets his sights on a seemingly unattainable, beautiful widow; Georgiana Darcy learns to flirt outrageously; the very flighty Kitty Bennet develops her first crush, and Caroline Bingley meets her match.

But the path of true love never does run smooth, and Elizabeth and Darcy are kept busy navigating their friends and loved ones through the inevitable separations, misunderstandings, misgivings, and lovers' quarrels to reach their own happily ever afters...

So, if anyone has been paying my Twitter any attention, you'll know that I've been looking forward to it ever since I realized that it didn't come out when I thought it did. I kind of have mixed emotions about it. I liked it, but it wasn't as awesome as I was expecting, which was disappointing...

The reason it probably didn't reach my expectations is because, surprisingly, despite the book having Darcy in the title, I didn't think that it focused on Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy as much as it should have. Instead, it changed perspectives quite a bit. Sharon Lathan has done this before in her other novels, but not to the extent that she did in this one. I mean, I love Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Lathan's Darcy Saga mostly because I love Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth. So it just seemed that they were ignored way too much in favor of other characters, especially Lizzy. I just feel like she didn't have a huge part in this book, which is a shame.

However, I did like that we got to see the characters in their own mindset more. I just think it was a tad too much. The fact that we got into other characters' perspectives, like Colonel Richard and Mrs. Smyth along with others, definitely helped me know them better. I was able to make connections with some of them and developed some very strong feelings for others. For example, I've decided I hate Mrs. Smyth. She's a jerk. =D Also, it was a better way to depict some scenes, like Caroline's engagement than just having Lizzy and Mr. Darcy summarize it later. But like I said, it was just used way too often for my liking. I miss Lizzy and Darcy!

Also, I thought a lot of the events were way too rushed! It was very strange and I definitely wasn't expecting it, since usually Lathan is very detailed. But some scenes had a huge buildup and then were resolved in two paragraphs! I thought it made it kind of anti-climatic. There were also a lot of skipped events that I was really expecting to see in this book, since they were such a big part of the last book. For example, Mary's wedding to Mr. Daniels, as well as Anne's to Raul Penaflor. Mr. Darcy and Lizzy discussed them for about five seconds, each getting maybe five sentences as a summary. However, I do see reason for shortening them (just not to this extent). I mean, there were two weddings in one month, so it would have been repetitive. I just wish they had gotten a little more mention. Another example would be the Darcy's second anniversary/ Alexander's birthday! They got no mention other than saying they were two days away. The book was 355 pages and covered a whole year, while the previous three each covered a few months each, if that gives you any idea how rushed it was.

Also, a few of the events seemed a little pointless, especially in the beginning of the book. Things would happen and then it would go away and make no difference to the story. For example, the whole murder thing in the beginning. It happened and had a big build up, then was pretty anticlimactic (although I may just think this because I do read quite a few of murder mystery books and I'm used to the big ending), and then Darcy went home, summarized it in a paragraph or so and then it was never mentioned again. I just wasn't very impressed with that.

Now, the other problem I had has all to do with my OCD. In the beginning Cast of Characters, it said Darcy was 29, but he's 30, as he had his 30th birthday in the 3rd book. And then there were several spelling errors. So I just think a little more perusal by the proofreader would have been nice. =D

One last thing, I don't really care how old your kid is, whether they're only a few weeks old or much older, having sex while your kid is in the room is just nasty. I'm sorry.

Overall, I liked it, it just didn't reach my expectations. The third is still my favorite, but this one wasn't bad. I'm looking forward to the next one, which I just realized is called A Darcy Christmas, which is a collection of three stories by three different authors. Maybe that one fills in some of the blanks from this novel about Lizzy and Mr. Darcy's doings at Christmas... So I might read that one, but I can't promise anything since I have a thing about more than one author in one book. I think it's kind of awkward. But then again, I'm a strange, weird person as my roommate likes to say.

So up next is Carolly Erickson's To the Scaffold, which is, of course, a biography about Marie Antoinette. I'm really excited to see how Erickson's novel and biography compare, since the novel isn't exactly the closest thing to historical accuracy ever, but whatever. =D I'm excited! I'll definitely review it. I'd also like to point out that this is my first post since I got into college! I feel totally accomplished now. =D So, as always, please comment about anything. I love talking, so I'll respond to anything you say, unless it's just dumb. Then you're on your own. =D

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Little Bits of Wisdom- May, August, and Septemer 2010

So I haven't posted my monthly quotes in forever! So here's a catch up:


"It was harder to be bold when the whole world seemed to be watching your every move." -Michael Grant, Gone

"Evil things love chaos." -Michael Grant, Lies

"Sometimes life gets tough and scary, okay? We've all been scary places before. But here we are, right? We're all still here." -Michael Grant, Lies

"There was no better way to understand life than to live it-if not through your own life, then through another's... Not to read was to turn your back on the wisest of minds." -Ted Dekker, Thr3e

"You don't fight evil with evil; it just creates anarchy." -Ted Dekker, Thr3e

"The heart is always at liberty- the sudden spark of feeling, the quick jet of passion, the mellow glow of satiated love. In all these states, the heart has its independence and will not be governed. The great secret is that all the conventions of society can be satisfied, and still the heart is at liverty. The heart knows what it knows, and it knows when it is met in a rapture of recognition." -Sena Jeter Naslund, Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

"It's never something huge that changes everything, but instead the tiniest of details, irrevocably tweking the balance of the universe while you're busy focusing on the big picture." -Sarah Dessen, Lock and Key

"'And the rest is history.' I said.
'Nah,' he shook his head. 'The rest is now.'" -Sarah Dessen, Lock and Key

"Not everything's perfect, especially at the beginning. And it's all right ot have a little bit of regret every once in a while. It's when you feel it all the time and can't do anything about it... that's when you get into trouble." -Sarah Dessen, Lock and key

"Dark days often force us to become more ingenious, to monitor and modify the ways we reached failure and reshape them into a new patter of success." -Isaac Fleischmann


Ok, I admit it. I only found one in September and I found it in my business textbook (thank you Mr. Fleischmann!). So I took it out of context a little, who cares? I mean, you would never have known that the last quote was actually talking about how patents have actually risen since the whole economic crisis rose, would you, now? =D But whatever. But I'm just starting My Dearest Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan, so once I finish that one I'll move onto the new book in the series and review it, yes?

As always, feel free to comment and follow me on Twitter and stuff. You can see my THREE latest tweets over on the right hand side of your screen. It always makes me happy when I get new comments and followers! *hinthint*

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

My NEW Bookshelf

So I don't know if anyone remembers my post I did about my bookcase, back in May, but I just realized that I have a new bookshelf now since I'm in college and such. So, I decided to write a post all about it since I haven't written in forever and I'm a major bum of a blogger.

There it is! It's definitely a lot smaller than I'm used to, but I manage. I didn't bring all of my books with me to college! I only brought 48! But I did buy a lot more, so I guess that kind of cancels it out.... But whatever. =D

It's organized in pretty much the same way as the old one. My books are up top in alphabetical order by author's last name, then first name, then book title, or volume. And my DVDs are organized alphabetically too! You can't see it, but they're double stacked on the two shelves to the left and continue onto the shelf on the top right. I can't really stand it, since I can't see all of my movies at the same time, but I deal with it. Also, my books are way too high for me to reach, so I had to buy a stepladder. Yeah, I'm short, but who cares?

The gap you see is where the book I'm currently reading, Loving Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan and the future home of her new book, In the Arms of Mr. Darcy, which I should hopefully be getting on Friday if the post office doesn't get everything all messed up! So, you know what I'm reading, but I should add I still have the third book in the series to read, My Dearest Mr. Darcy, before I can move on to the new one. But once I finish the fourth one, I PROMISE to write a review! I can't believe I haven't posted anything since August! But, then again, I have been super busy, adjusting to college and studying, plus I've only read two new books recently. One I didn't have a lot to say about and the other I probably could've written a very strongly opinionated review about, but I had a ton of homework, so never got to it.... And I always review stuff right after I finish it, so it didn't work very well. The book was Nanny Returns, which is a sequel to The Nanny Diaries, which I wasn't the biggest fan of.... But whatever, it's my own fault for reading it. And excuses are over now. =D

As always, please feel free to comment! I love getting those and they make me really want to write more posts and such. Also, if you want to know what my opinions are on the books I mentioned, just let me know, and I'll gladly tell you. =D You can always talk about others too! Like the top of the page says, anything book related is fair game. However, I am a pretty talkative person (if you haven't realized) so if you want to say something else, go for it! =D

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Sarah's Key

Author: Tatiana de Rosnay

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by theFrench police as they go door-to-door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard- their secret hiding place- and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty years later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.


So, my best friend has been trying to get me to read this book for about a year. And if you knew my best friend, you would understand that she doesn't give me book recommendations a lot, because she doesn't really read as much as I do (which might be understandable, seeing how I always call her when I finish reading a book and rant on about it while she pretends to listen. =D). But I have never been disappointed by a book that she tells me to read, so I don't really know why I don't listen to her right away.

Obviously, since Maria's recommendation never fails, I really liked Sarah's Key. I think it had a really good balance of predictable and unpredictable moments. Honestly, I love when something unexpected happens, but occasionally, if every single thing is unpredictable, it feels over the top. But if it's all predictable, it gets really boring. However, this book has the perfect combination, which makes it feel much more realistic. The author also makes the unpredictable things plausible, which helps the story extremely. She didn't take it to the extremes, she put in plot twists that, while you would never have expected them, also makes sense. For example, when you find out what actually happened to Sarah, my jaw did drop, but I also thought, "Well, why didn't I think that would happen?"

I also loved that the author chose to write about such an obscure point in history, the Veldrome d'Hiver roundup that occurred in Paris on July 16, 1942. I've never heard of this, ever, and I'm a history freak, so I'm not used to reading books where I don't at least have a small amount of knowledge about the history. That means that I learned quite a bit, while reading a really enjoyable book. That's always a plus. =D

Another great thing about Sarah's Key is the setup or layout (I'm having problems thinking up words tonight because it's about 3 am). I love how in the beginning the perspectives change every chapter between Sarah in 1942 and Julia in 2002. I think it's really interesting and I think de Rosnay handled it very well, by making sure that neither of the characters knew anything they weren't supposed to know until they were supposed to know it, even though the other character may have known. (Confusing sentence, eh?) Personally, I would've jumbled it all up (like I do with everything), so I have major respect for her, especially since I think that a lot of authors really don't handle it very well, either, when you've got two different people in two different time periods. I also think that she chose the right time to end Sarah's narrative. Not only would it have ruined some of the bigger plot twists, it also seemed (to me, at least) kind of symbolic of when Sarah really lost her spirit, no matter how cheesy I just made that sound.

I only had a few things that bugged me. It kind of got annoying how Sarah was referred to as "the girl" through most of her perspective chapters. I mean, it was obvious who it was. The book is called Sarah's Key and the synopsis on the back of the book says that Sarah locked her brother in a cabinet. So wouldn't it make sense that girl who locked her brother in the cabinet and had the key would be named Sarah? I'm sure there was a reason for doing it, but it just bugged me, because I didn't see that reason.

Also, I thought that ending kind of dragged, after it transistions to 2005. I thought it was pretty unexciting compared to the rest of the novel, until it got to the very last chapter. I liked that. =D

But anyways, overall, I did really like it, so I'm glad that my best friend told me to read it and my aunt gave it to me. I would highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in a little historical mystery. =D Sorry if my blog sucked, but I haven't written in quite a while, plus it's super late. But, anyways, I think that I'm going to read The Private Life of Marie Antoinette by Madame Campan next, because I've only read it once and I don't really remember how much I absorbed of it last time. So, I'm not going to be reviewing it, since I have read it before. I start college in 2 weeks so if I have time after that (which I'm pretty sure I will), I'm going to try read something that I've decided to leave behind. Yes, my parents and my best friend have convinced me that I will not have enough room in my dorm to bring all of my books, so I've narrowed it down to about 48, so I'm proud of myself. =D As always, please feel free to leave me comments about anything, and I really do mean anything. =D Chances are, I'll respond!

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

I'm Back!

My hiatus is finally OVER! I'm sure you're very excited. =D haha. That's the main message of this post, so if you don't want to hear my blurb of randomness, that mostly has nothing to do with books, you can stop reading now and I totally won't mind, because I have been told that my blurbs are waaaaaaayyyyy too long. =D

But, anyways, I got back from my longest vacation ever about two weeks ago. I got to visit my wonderful family (my mom's side, along with my dad's mom) in Florida for 6 whole weeks! I haven't seen them for 3 years, so it was really awesome! Also, since my family is HUGE (my mom is one of 7 children and my dad is one of 5), I swear, we are always adding new family members. So, since the last time I was there, we added a new uncle, and 4 new cousins! So I got to meet them and they are just adorable!

Since my brother and I are the only grandkids that don't live in Florida, we normally do get a fuss when we're there, but apparently, that is NOTHING compared to when you graduate high school. =D I'm the oldest grandkids on my mom's side, so, therefore, first one to graduate and first to go to college right afterwards. So, I got a LOT more attention than usual, which was uncomfortable at times, but whatever. I got a party, a cake, and a cousin talent show dedicated to me, full of hula-hooping, spelling, and singing Taylor Swift songs.

My brother left a few weeks earlier than I did, so that he could help my parents move into their new house, but I stayed. My aunt and uncle decided to celebrate my cousin Megan's 7th birthday at Fort Wilderness in DisneyWorld since they just bought a new camper and my mom got us tickets to go to the Magic Kingdom for 2 days! Needless to say, all girls of any age (or at least most of the ones I know) are huge Disney fans, Megan, her older sister (and my oldest cousin at 10 years), Victoria, and I were thrilled! It was their first time doing the whole meet the characters things since they normally just went on the rides before, so we did that, which I LOVE doing (and did most of the time when I went to DisneyLand in May). But, I didn't get my own autographs and pictures, and just let my cousins do it. (Although, I DID stand in for Megan while she went on a ride in Tomorrowland and Victoria wanted to see Chip and Dale, so I have a picture with them.)

Anyways, they also took me to this show called the Hoopdeedoo Review, and despite how corny it sounds, it was probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. If you ever go to Fort Wilderness, SEE IT! Victoria also introduced me as the new Disney princess, so you are now reading words written by royalty, aren't you excited? =D haha.

But anyways, when I had to leave, I started crying REALLY BAD, which was really embarrassing, because I was in the airport with my grandparents, two of my aunts, Victoria, Megan, and my youngest cousin Dylan, and I most definitely don't like crying in front of people. =C So, I flew here to Texas, where my family moved, but to be completely honest, I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of it, no offense to any Texans. But I'm sure I'd probably like it more if I were in a place more like Phoenix, instead of a city that's 45 minutes away from the closest Target. But that's ok. I'm also still adjusting, and haven't really made any effort to make any friends, since I'm going back to AZ in a few weeks to start college!

Anways, I'm excited to go start college, even to actually go to the classes, because they're actually interesting! =D But to relate this post more to books, like it's supposed to be, I'd like to add that I did read a TON while I've been on break, so I may post a list of what I read and a few thoughts on them. I won't do full reviews because I probably won't remember the details of the books, but I definitely read some really good ones. I guess part of being a huge reader/book hoarder in a family of aunts that never keep their books (like my mom, but she actually throws them away, which breaks my heart! =C), that means that I get a whole bunch of new books to bring home! Plus my aunt took me to Georgia to go visit for a few days with one of her friends, so on the drive up there, we found an awesome discount bookstore, full of old library books. We spent two hours there. =D But I'll probably make that list later, since it involves a lot of effort and I'm just in a lazy mood.

In other news, my best friend, and my parents, and pretty much everyone finally convinced me not to bring all of my books with me to college, so I'm only bringing around 48..... So I'm really hoping that I don't feel an overwhelming need to read one of the books I decided not to bring.... But then again, there is a Barnes and Noble right across the street, so it's all good.

FINALLY, we're at the end, so I'm sure you're relieved my blurb is over. =D I'm currently reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, which my best friend has been trying to get me to read for months (and getting a book recommendation from her is a very rare occurance, since she kind of thinks I'm a freak for reading so much. =D But we're just the kind of friends that call each other freaks, so it's not mean, if that's what you're thinking) and my Aunt Jodie gave me when I visited her. So that'll be my first review after my hiatus! =D

And I think that's all I have to say. =D

So, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Well, I Forgot to Post a Notice About Hiatus....

So, here it is, I suppose.... About a month too late, actually.... But the reason I'm put the blog on a temporary HIATUS is because I did have to go to my college orientation (which was probably the BIGGEST waste of time and two days, since all they did was repeat all the same things over and over again). Then I had to get all of my stuff in my house, along with my brother's since I pretty much packed all of his stuff as well, into boxes so my parents could get it all moved to Texas (since that's where they're moving to after I head off to college) while Chase (my brother) and I went to Florida to visit my family. We're still here and I just now finally got an internet connection in my aunt's barn apartment (which, since my brother and I are older, we get to stay in. =D). Exciting and super busy, yes?

But let my say that I have no idea what I was thinking, bringing as many books with me as I did, plus finding two more books at this awesome book store that sold $20 books for $3, and then my Aunt Kelly gave me TWO MORE books. So my count right now of the amount of books I actually have is 9, but one of those books has every single Jane Austen novel, so technically I have 16.

And here's the list I have. I haven't decided if I'll do reviews of any of them, yet, or if the blog's hiatus is even over, but just so I can put it out there with a few of my thoughts on those that I have read:


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Sherman Alexie)- I have this book because my school gave it to me and told me to read it over the summer. I read it in about 4 hours at my grandparents' house the other day. It's not my favorite book ever, but it certainly wasn't the worst one, either. It was funny, and I also enjoyed the pictures, though.

The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)- One of the books my Aunt Kelly gave me. I loved it, even though it was really sad.

Kiss Me, Kill Me (Lauren Henderson)- I got this at the $3 store, but I haven't gotten to it just yet.

Someday My Prince Will Come (Jerramy Fine)- Another $3 store find, but I haven't gotten to this one either.

Dear John (Nicholas Sparks)- I haven't read it yet.

Versailles: A Biography of a Palace (Tony Spawforth)- This is what I started last night at midnight. I've only read the preface and looked at the map, so far, though. I think it looks good so far, though. =D

Picture Perfect (Jodi Picoult)- Got it from my Aunt Kelly, and I haven't read it yet.

Emma (Jane Austen)- Emma has a book all to itself, because carrying my huge Jane Austen book is a hastle on the airplane. I loved it though. But Pride and Prejudice is still my favorite.

Seven Novels of Jane Austen- I'll get to it eventually. =D

Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette (Sena Jeter Naslund)- I had to bring it and reread it, but my Aunt Nique is currently borrowing it. =D


So, there we go. If I decide to review a book, then I'll get it up, if not, then I'm not doing anything. =D Make sense?

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

My Bookshelf

Above, you see a picture of my bookcase. Unfortunately, the vast majority of my books and DVDs are packed away and in storage. That was a very sad day. =C However, I did take this picture a few months ago and since then I've added significantly to my library, and maybe 2 or so DVDs (I just love the $5 movies at Walmart!). Currently I've only got 6 books on my shelf, so I pretty much bought 4 books in the past week or so. 

Anyways, I'm very OCD when it comes to this bookshelf. It is ALWAYS clean, unlike the rest of my bedroom. It's always organized and I swear I can tell if anyone moves my books from their place (like my brother tends to do quite often). There is a very specific way that it's organized. It goes alphabetically by the author's last name, then first name, if two authors have the same last name. All of the books by one author then go alphabetically by title. (Example: For Sarah Dessen's books go Along For the Ride, Dreamland, Just Listen, etc.). 

Then after all my books are my seasons of Gilmore Girls, because that show is just awesome. =D Then my DVDs start and they are also alphabetized. I try to get as many to fit on the darn bookcase as possible because all the ones that don't fit go on this awesome thing my parents got me a few years ago from Sharper Image. It looks like this (click it because my computer is dumb and is only letting me put one picture on this post). But it the spaces for the DVDs don't fit my weird shaped ones, so I try to just use it as overflow since most of the weird shaped ones just happen to start with letters at the beginning of the alphabet. That way, all the DVDs stay in order, like they should be.

So, now you know a little bit about my OCDness. Do you have any weird OCD moments? You should tell me in the comments! =D I'd love you forever! Anyways, currently I'm reading Thr3e by Ted Dekker because my friend asked me to. I'll review it, I think, and then I'm going to move on to Austen's Emma.

So, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Lies

Author: Michael Grant

It's been seven months since all the adults disappeared.

Gone.

It happens in one night. A girl who died now walks among the living: Zil and the Human Crew set fire to Perdido Beach; and amid the flames and smoke, Sam sees the figure of the boy he fears the most: Drake. But Drake is dead. Sam and Caine defeated him along with the Darkness-or so they thought.

As Perdido Beach burns, battles rage: Astrid against the Town Council; the Human Crew versus the mutants; and Sam against Drake, who is back from the dead and ready to finish where he and Sam left off. And all the while deadly rumors are raging like the fire itself, spread by the prophetess Orsay and her companion, Nerezza. They say that death is a way to escape the FAYZ. Conditions are worse than ever and kids are desperate to get out. But are they desperate enough to believe that death will set them free?

447 pages. 12 hours. Minus the times that I left to go to lunch with my family. Minus the time I spent searching for the keys to my dad's truck (which my mom seems to have accidentally forgotten to take them out of her purse when she went down to Texas this morning). And minus the times that I spent inspecting the gorgeous handwriting that my best friend put ALL over my car for my birthday. So 8-9 hours, possibly? That's how long I spent reading this book today. 

If you've read any of my Twitter things lately, you already know I have been looking forward to the newest novel in the Gone series (and if you haven't been paying attention, first of all, now you know, and second of all, you should definitely follow me. =D). And let me tell you, I was not disappointed. 

I was hooked from the very first sentence, all the way to the last one. When I was forced to put the book down, I was a VERY unhappy camper. It was just so exciting throughout the whole thing.

What was really great about it was the unpredictability of the novel. Usually, I'm pretty good at guessing what's going to happen, just because I read so much in general, and so many authors seem to be incapable of writing anything that doesn't sound like something else that's already been written. However, this is most definitely NOT the case with Michael Grant. I only had ONE correct prediction, and it doesn't really even count, because I was half wrong at the same time. That is majorly impressive.

And as with the other two books in the series, I loved how realistic the characters were, even the ones that had crazy powers. All of them were complex enough to be real people. They had their good qualities and bad qualities. Astrid, for example, while she does remain Astrid the Genius, proves that while she's theoretically the best person to lead the FAYZ, she doesn't manage to pull it off due to her failure to work with the team to accomplish what needs to be done. Diana also shows that even though she's on the side of bad boy Caine, she actually is a good person.

I love the writing style. The dialog is mostly perfect and completely appropriate for each individual character. A lot of authors have problems with that, in my opinion, and all the dialog sounds like the same person could be saying each thing. Also, I love the little humor that's added into it. When the book gets really intense, sure enough, a joke will come up in the perfect spot. Grant performs an amazing balancing act!

I must admit, however, that I was very confused at some points in the book, especially with the whole Drake/Brittney thing, but that's how Grant set it up, I think. Everything that was supposed to make sense at the end, did. However, there were of course, the new mysteries that were brought out. Like what's behind the FAYZ wall, for example. Were Orsay and Little Pete right that the parents lay just outside, watching and waiting for the children? And what exactly happened to Mother Mary? I have a feeling that her story isn't over yet. But I believe there's going to be six or seven total books in this series, and this is only number three, so there's plenty of time to learn all the answers. 

The only bad thing I thought was that Michael Grant definitely needs to get a better proofreader. I swear, punctuation and spelling mistakes are my pet peeves when I'm reading. However, that still didn't detract from the general awesomeness of the book. =D

So, as you can tell, I LOVED IT. End of story. I mean, if you knew me and what I normally read, you would NEVER think that I would like this book at all. These books are the only sci-fi ones that I like. I just generally don't enjoy sci-fi books, so I give major kudos to Michael Grant. And I must say that I don't hate looking at the cover. Sam is a very, very nice looking man. =D

Anyways, the plan was to finish reading Dear John since I ditched it to reread the Gone series. However, I was supposed to move today, but that didn't happen, so all of my books are currently in storage. =C But I bought Jane Austen's Emma yesterday, so I'm going to read that. And while it is going to be my first time reading it, I'm not sure if I want to take on reviewing a classic.... So I probably won't do a review for it. Therefore, I have no idea what book I'll be writing about next, but I'll update my Twitter account and you can see my latest 3 (?) Twitter posts on the right hand side of the page, so you can keep updated there. =D Or you could just follow me. =D And, as always, please feel free to comment about anything! I love comments!

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Little Bits of Wisdom- April 2010

Ok, so I know that it is not the last day of April yet. BUT I'm leaving for Disneyland trip with school tomorrow, so I have to post this today. So, here we go:

"Tribulation makes one realize what one is." -Marie Antoinette

"I see you are a wit."

"Oh, no," I say sincerely. "That is something I have never wished to be, for wit is cruel, and my first wish is always to be kind." -Sena Jeter Naslund, Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

"Good deeds echo after us, long after we have forgotten their enactment." -Sena Jeter Naslund, Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

"Where there is a lack of other connections, of meaningful moments, in our lives, music can often fill the gap." -Sena Jeter Naslund, Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

"But of what merit is firmness if it represents a wrong choice?" -Sena Jeter Naslund, Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

"Madame, be yourself and you will always be perfect." -Chauveau-Lagarde (lawyer to Marie Antoinette)

"Without my books, I truly believe I would shrivel up and die." -Catherine Anderson, Summer Breeze

"Sometimes you have to dig deep for courage, girl. Start digging." -Catherine Anderson, Summer Breeze

So there we go! Now I kind of feel like I didn't read much this week.... But oh, well. Anyways, originally I started reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, but then I realized that Lies by Michael Grant come out on TUESDAY, so I had to ditch that to reread Gone and Hunger so that I could remember what happened before. So, I'll make sure to review Lies and THEN I'll restart Dear John and review that. Ok? Good. Well, as always, please feel free (in fact, you are encouraged) to leave me a comment. About anything, really. Books, movies, life, etc. =D

Well, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Summer Breeze

Author: Catherine Anderson

The year is 1889, and Rachel Hollister hasn't set foot outside her house in five years. Ever since a savage attack left her family dead, she's cordoned herself off from the outside world, afraid to let anyone into her home-or into her heart. But now trouble has appeared on her doorstep-and suddenly she has no choice but to let a handsome rancher invade her well-guarded existence....

Confirmed bachelor Joseph Paxton grudgingly offers to take up temporary residence at the Hollister ranch-even though it's obvious Rachel doesn't want his protection. But once he catches a glimpse of his beautiful young ward and her remarkable spirit, he'll do anything to break through the dark spell that's walled off her heart. It may take a miracle, but he's determined to make her see the refuge he's offering in his embrace-and the splendor that exists beyond her front door. Otherwise he'll just have to build a safe haven big enough for the both of them....

Ok, I lied. I am doing a review for this, because I just realized that I am in a HUGE predicament. I have no unread books left on my bookshelf anymore! So, I have no idea when I'll actually have another book to review, unless I decide to do one on a book that I've already read (which I don't like doing, because I think the first reading is what will always tell you if you actually love or hate a book). But, for reference, it definitely won't be a long review. Mostly because I don't really have a lot to say about it.....

However, even if I don't have a lot to talk about, I still liked the book. It was definitely a romance, which I was expecting. It was really cute and it was touching at a lot of parts, like the letter in the very last chapter. I also loved the humor that was added into it. Especially in the very beginning when they were talking about how the first time Rachel and Joseph saw each other, Rachel tried to shoot him. The book really takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. You go from laughing to being sad and then moving on to being completely surprised.

My biggest problem with the book was its similarities to Anderson's Early Dawn. That's the only other book I've read by her, but I definitely thought that they both were following the same basic plot. One of the characters suffers from a huge family tragedy five years before the book starts and so they shut themselves off emotionally (or in this case, physically). Then something happens to threaten the girl's life, so the man comes to the rescue, then they try not to fall in love with each other, but do anyway. Then all hell breaks loose, and they get confronted by the people trying to kill the girl, the good guys win, then they end happily ever after. Sorry for ruining the ending, everyone, but it's kind of obvious once you actually start reading it. So, while the books had different details to make it different, I would have appreciated a little more varied plot. However, I did think that the details were creative enough to make it seem like a completely new story.

One of my favorite things about the book was the unpredictable "Whodunit" ending. I was literally like, "What just happened?" It's really intense and so surprising! I am still in awe of it!

But, I think that's all I have to say. So, I recommend that if you feel like a cute, romantic book, you should definitely read this one! Next I'm reading one of my favorite books, Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why. I guess I might do a review on it, unless I'm super lucky and manage to get a new book soon. I can only hope! =D Anyways, as always please feel free to leave a comment of sort! Tell me if you like my review, or hate it, or agree/disagree, or pretty much anything else. =D I like to talk, in case you haven't noticed, so chances are, if you leave a comment, I'll most likely respond! 

So, thanks for reading!!

Love,

Kristi

Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

Author: Sena Jeter Naslund

Marie Antoinette was a child of fourteen when her mother, the Empress of Austria, arranged for her to leave her family and her country to become the wife of the fifteen-year-old Dauphin, the future King of France. Coming of age in the most public of arenas-eager to be a good wife and strong queen-she warmly embraces her adopted nation and its citizens. She shows her new husband nothing but love and encouragement, though he repeatedly fails to consummate their marriage and in so doing is unable to give what she and the people of France desire most: a child and an heir to the throne. Deeply disappointed and isolated in her own intimate circle, and apart from the social life of the court, she allows herself to remain ignorant of the country's growing economic and political crises, even as poor harvests, bitter winters, war debts, and poverty precipitate rebellion and revenge. The young queen, once beloved by the common folk, becomes a target of scorn, cruelty, and hatred as she, the court's nobles, and the rest of the royal family are caught up in the nightmarish violence of a murderous time called "the Terror."

With penetrating insight and with wondrous narrative skill, Sena Jeter Naslund offers an intimate, fresh, heartbreaking, and dramatic reimagining of this truly compelling woman that goes far beyond popular myth-and she makes a bygone time of tumultuous change as real to us as the one we are living in now.

Oh my goodness. I think I just found my new favorite book. 

I swear, this book was absolutely fantastic! It's definitely my most favorite one out of anything I've reviewed on here so far. And it is by far the BEST historical fiction novel about Marie Antoinette that I've ever read. Easily.

My favorite part about this book was the historical correctness. Very few historical novels stay as true to the real events as this one did. I mean, why do authors always want to add in outrageous twists into Marie Antoinette's life? Ms. Naslund definitely understood that Marie Antoinette's story didn't need any major embellishments. Sure, she added very minor things in here and there, but they didn't change the main plot at all. They were mostly just little points that just enhanced the story and made it better. She didn't feel the need to add in completely fictitious events, like a trip to Sweden (like in Carolly Erickson's The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette). Like the saying goes, why fix what isn't broken? (Or why change what isn't boring? is probably a better phrase).

So, obviously, Sena Jeter Naslund did absolutely fantastic research. Almost every anecdote that I've read about in biographies was at least mentioned, but many of them were actually talked about in detail. Also, the author used REAL letters and quotes in her novel (but please note that not ALL the quotes are real!). This absolutely added more to the authenticity of it! I thought it was a really nice touch that not a lot of authors do, which really is a shame. Why not use the resources you already have? I loved those parts, because I really felt like I was learning so much more about Marie Antoinette.

And, of course, I HAVE to mention Axel Fersen. However, for the first time on this blog, it's not something bad I have to say. While Naslund did say include the love affair between Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen, I think that she did it in a way that actually made it more believable than a lot of biographies present it (not that it convinced me that they DID actually have an affair. See Tea at Trianon!). Naslund actually wrote it how I imagined it. I always thought that they were just innocently in love, not a passionate, physical affair. That's just the impression that I always got for some reason. I really felt like Naslund and I were on the same wavelength.

I thought that she was particularly good at portraying Marie Antoinette's relationships. She effectively showed the innocent love and friendship between the King Louis XVI and the queen; the true friendship that Marie Antoinette and the Princesse de Lamballe shared; the true, motherly affection that she had for her children, and her relationships with everyone else. I felt like each character had a unique bond with Marie Antoinette, and there were always different characteristics of each person that attracted them to each other. It really added depth to the characters and made them seem like actual people instead of just imaginary, 2-D people.

So I had something else to say, but I definitely forgot what it was (oops!), so that's the end of the review! As you can tell, I absolutely, 100% loved it! The only thing I didn't like was the cover design and art. I thought it looked much too busy, but it doesn't matter. I highly recommend this one over other Marie Antoinette novels, because this one actual teaches you what really happened, but in the form of a not-biography (since biographies seem to turn people off). It's more personal and emotional, so read it!!! 

Anyways, I think I'm reading a romance with a sparkly cover called Summer Breeze by Catherine Anderson next. I'm excited to read it because I read another book by Anderson a few months ago and I absolutely loved it. It was just so cute. So, I'll try to get the review up, if I do one (and yes, I know, every time that I say I might not do a review, I do it anyway), as soon as possible! My goal is at least one blog post a week starting now, since I didn't post anything last week. Sorry! But I do have a life that I have to balance out with reading, unfortunately. =D Anyways, as always, please leave comments if you want to talk about anything, or give suggestions! I'm always looking for new books to read, so I really appreciate suggestions! So leave a comment! 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France

Author: Evelyne Lever

Married for political reasons at the age of fourteen, Marie Antoinette was naive, impetuous, and ill equipped for the role in which history cast her. From her birth in Vienna in 1755 through her turbulent, unhappy marriage, the bloody turmoil of the French Revolution, her trial for high treason (during which she was accused of incest), and her final beheading, Marie Antoinette's life was the tragic tale of disastrous circumstances colliding.

Drawing upon diaries, letters, court records, and memoirs, Evelyne Lever paints vivid portraits of Marie Antoinette, her inner circle, and the lavish court life at Versailles. Marie Antoinette dispels the myth of the callous queen whose supposed response to her starving subjects was the comment, "Let them eat cake." What emerges instead is a surprisingly average woman thrust into a position for which she was wholly unprepared, a combination that proved disastrous both for her and for France. This is the revealing story of how Marie Antoinette kept her dignity and courage when Fate turned its back and she lost everything: throne, children, husband, and - in a very public and cruel execution- her life.

Well, originally, I wasn't planning on actually reviewing this biography, but as I was reading I definitely had a few opinions that I wanted to share. And I'm going to be completely honest right now, I'm not a fan of it at all. 

So, as you might be able to tell, Marie Antoinette is my favorite historical figure, and I've read quite a few biographies related to her. And I must say, I've never heard anyone else be so harsh about her personality. I mean, most people that haven't learned much about Marie Antoinette believe she was just an extravagant, selfish person, but if you've done extra research, you find that she was actually a pretty good person. Yes, she was extravagant and naive, but it's okay to have faults. Having a balance of good and bad qualities is what it means to be human. However, Evelyne Lever completely forgot to acknowledge ANY good qualities about her. I thought that made the book one-sided and that it just went along with what people think now. 

Also, I had a REALLY big problem with the whole Axel Fersen plot. Yes, I understand that the relationship between Marie Antoinette and Fersen is commonly accepted as fact, and I'm really used to reading about it. However, I have been convinced that they were not lovers (due mostly to the fact that the 3-part blog about Marie Antoinette and Count Fersen at  Tea at Trianon makes much more sense than any argument I've ever read) and this biography did nothing to convince me that they were. My biggest reason for this was that a lot of her reasoning didn't make sense to me and also seemed contradictory with other things she was saying. I actually put Post-Its in my book (which I HATE doing) so that I could quote an example for everyone. Lever said, on page 165, "Unfortunately, the passages of interest were so effectively crossed out that they are illegible. An ultraviolet lamp is of no use in deciphering them, nor are nay of the other procedures used by the curators at the Archives de France. There can be no doubt, given where they were placed and their context, that these were crossed-out love messages." That made absolutely NO sense whatsoever to me. If you can't decipher what the BLANK SPACES in the letters are, how can you effectively say that there's no doubt as to their content? 

Also, I thought that there was WAY too much emphasis on Axel Fersen. I mean, he was mentioned at least once in almost every chapter after he had met Marie Antoinette. But, according to everything else that I've read, her children were the most important things to her in the entire world. Surprisingly, they were very rarely mentioned. When her daughter, Sophie, and her oldest son, Louis-Joseph, died, I believe Sophie got a one sentence mention, and Louis-Joseph got at most a page. That is completely ridiculous in my opinion. Also, she failed to mention that Louis-Charles, who was the son who accused her of incest in her trial, only made the accusation in order to please his jailers (and Marie Antoinette herself said that her son would say anything that would please those around him). Madame Royale (aka Marie-Therese) was probably the least mentioned of all of them except Sophie, who only lived nine months. Considering that she was the only one to survive the French Revolution, I think that she should have been given much more attention. However, I do admit, that she is generally mostly ignored in most biographies. I just wish that Lever would have set different priorities for her book. It seemed almost as if the point was to try to prove that Marie Antoinette did have an affair with Axel Fersen, instead of trying to tell the most important parts of her life.

However, I must say that I did like the way the Lever wrote the book. I personally think that the biography read more like a story than a biography. But on the other hand, that was also one of the reasons I didn't like it as well. I thought that it seemed romanticized  a lot of the time. So, based on what I observed above, I wasn't sure if I should believe those sections. However, I did still appreciate those minor facts that she included in the book. I hadn't ever read about a few of them, so I thought it was interesting. 

So, overall, I didn't like it very much. I must say that I prefer Antonia Fraser's Marie Antoinette: The Journey. It talks about all of her life, with the emphasis on Marie Antoinette's life, and not just her affair with Count Fersen. It shows you both the good and bad aspects of her personality and I think that you just get a better idea of who she actually was and how she lived her life. It's also more current, so it has information that wasn't available when Evelyne Lever wrote this, such as being able to say, definitely that Marie Antoinette's son, Louis-Charles, did actually die in the Temple Prison. So, if you're interested in learning more about Marie Antoinette, I highly recommend Fraser's biography. 

Well, here's the deal, I ordered two books from Barnes & Noble that won't be here until Wednesday! They're both about Marie Antoinette (I'm sorry, but once I read one book about her, I just want to go on to another one!). They are Marie-France Boyer's The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette and Sena Jeter Naslund's Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette. And because I have to go TWO days without my new books, I think I'll probably read a few small books until then. So, I have no idea what book I'll review next on here or when it will be, since I haven't decided if I'm going to review Abundance, but I definitely won't be reviewing Private Realm. So, I'll post something else if it takes too long. As always, feel free to comment with opinions, question, or anything really. =D I'm not too picky. 

So, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Little Bits of Wisdom- March 2010

Hey everyone! So, it's the last day of March, so it's time for me to post the quotes that I found and liked this month! I really, really love a few of them. =D I swear, I just need to do one of those cool wall murals with a whole bunch of quotes overlapping each other. That'd be pretty cool. So, anyways, let's get started!

"Life is about growing wiser... A true student should never bypass a ready chance to learn." -Sharon Lathan, My Dearest Mr. Darcy

"Your job... is not to screen me from life so that I do not mature in wisdom." -Sharon Lathan, My Dearest Mr. Darcy

"Oh bother! Simplicity is overrated. Spirit and passion are preferential." -Sharon Lathan, My Dearest Mr. Darcy

"I suppose when one is young, one imagines that all events are etched permanently upon the mind, but time has a way of eroding some memories, or perhaps the brain can only hold a finite amount of information." -Sharon Lathan, My Dearest Mr. Darcy

"Someday's better. It's always in the future, and it's always possible." -Luanne Rice, Safe Harbor

"Kids can see inside a person better than anyone." -Luanne Rice, Safe Harbor

"No matter what mysteries we're facing, we still have to live our lives." -Luanne Rice, Safe Harbor

"It's a simple thing for a man to forget his nature, to get lost in the present and forget how he was and how he will be." -Anna Godbersen, Rumors

"I don't want to hid from danger- that's not what it means to be a man. I don't think so anyway. To look in the face of hard things and keep moving forward-that's what one has to do." -Anna Godbersen, Envy

"Life was a short window, and there was no sense in doing the wrong thing over and over even if it was so difficult to stop." -Anna Godbersen, Envy

So, there you go. I love quotes, don't you? =D Anyways, I'm still working on Evelyn Lever's Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France. I've got some definite opinions about it right now, so I'm pretty sure that I will do the review. However, when that'll actually be up might be a very good question. I'm not quite halfway through, yet, so it may be another week or so? Possibly. I make no promises right now. =D Anyways, I hope everyone is having a nice week! Doing anything exciting? Feel free to leave comments and such! Oh, you should also follow the blog on Twitter! I'm getting better at actually tweeting now! =D There's a link somewhere on the right side of the page! --->

So, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Splendor

Author: Anna Godbersen

New beginnings. Shocking revelations. Unexpected endings.

As spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father's death comes to light, the Holland girls wonder at what cost a life of splendor comes.

Carolina Broad, society's newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty- but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover that his father's rule extends well beyond New Yorks' shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York's most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city's oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: Will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

Just to put it out there: I demand another sequel!!! 

However, sadly, it's not to be. But, then again, I'm sure anyone reading this is tired of all my reviews on the series. But I just loved them so much! 

Again, I loved everything that I loved in all the other ones, like the characters, the openers, transitions, etc., so I won't talk about them again. If you want to read about those, you can see the reviews for The Luxe, Rumors,  or Envy.

I have to respect Anna Godbersen for all the twists she puts in her books. This was definitely the most intense book in the series, especially everything with Elizabeth. And, while I wasn't personally a fan for a few of the characters' endings (mostly because I love happy endings), I have to admit they were still wonderful! She always surprises you with everything, because nowadays we're so used to the happy ending, instead of the realistic one. But Godbersen definitely goes the realistic route. In my opinion, that's really a mark of a good author, when they're confident enough about their books that they don't feel the need to do what's happy or popular. So, kudos on that!

Also, I love how Godbersen doesn't feel the need to tell us every little thing or every piece of dialog. For example, the beginning of this novel is several months after the end of the last one, and plenty had happened in that time. She really knew what was necessary to the story and didn't waste time having to go over everything, especially the things we already know. So many authors make me so mad, because when someone asks for an explanation that we have already read, they actually make the them explain the whole thing over again! I mean, we already read it, why do we need to read it again? But there is thankfully none of that in these books, which is wonderful.

The only downfall in this book was actually some of the dialog. I thought it got a bit cheesy and overdramatic at times, which hadn't happened in the other ones. It lost some of the realism that I do love so much. But overall, it wasn't too big of a deal and I got over it. 

As you can most probably tell, I loved it. It was intense and unexpected throughout the whole thing. So, READ IT! The whole series, actually, because you won't understand what's happening if you start in the last book. But anyways, again, short review, but the series stays so consistent, that most of the things I like stay the same, so I don't want to constantly repeat everything. Next, I'm going to read a biography about-who else?- Marie Antoinette. It's called Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France by Evelyne Lever and I actually found it IN Barnes and Noble. They rarely have Marie Antoinette book IN the store, so I felt very happy and I'm excited to read it! So, I'll probably do a review on it, if I have anything to say... But if not, then I won't, but I'll post something else! 

So, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Envy

Author: Anna Godbersen

Jealous whispers. Old rivalries. New betrayls.

Two months after Elizabeth Holland's dramatic homecoming. Manhattan eagerly awaits her return to the pinnacle of society. However, when she refuses to rejoin her sister Diana's side, those watching New York's favorite family begin to whisper that all is not as it seems behind the stately doors of No. 17 Gramercy Park.

In this thrilling installment of Anna Godbersens's bestselling Luxe series, Manhattan's most envied residents appear to have everything they desire: Wealth. Beauty. Happiness. But sometimes the most practiced smiles hide the most scandalous secrets....

So, just for reference and in case you didn't realize it, I most definitely did not write the italicized part above. I have made an executive decision based on the fact that I hate writing plot summaries because I never know what to tell everyone about and what to let them read themselves, so normally I give WAY too much away. So, I stole the idea of letting the author explain the plot of the book, since they know exactly what they want the reader to know going into the book, from about a million other review blogs.... It might just be laziness on my part, but I like to think the best summary comes from the person who wrote the whole book. =D So, from now on, I think I'm going to get the plot explained by posting what the back or the inside cover says the book is about. 

So, anyways, on to the actual review of this book! As with the past two books, I loved it, although maybe not as much as I loved the other ones. However, I still really enjoyed the chapter openers, transitions, the balance of all the different stories of the characters, and the time period, but I've talked about all of those in the other reviews. So, you can read about that stuff in my posts about The Luxe and Rumors.

I only had two problems with this particular book that I didn't have with the rest of the series, and they kind of disappointed me. My first was that a few of the chapters were dragging in my opinion. I've never felt like I didn't want a certain character's part to come up before, but I definitely felt like that for most of  Lina/Carolina's parts turned up after she returned from Florida. Also, her parts were really disjointed after that, as well. In one chapter she was back in the hotel after her return, in the next she was working for another society lady, in the next she was trying to get a job in a dressmaker's shop, and then she was at the will reading. But they were relatively short chapters, so it was all good, and we got to the parts I was more excited to read. =D

The other problem was predictability. I guessed Carolina and Elizabeth's big problems in the beginning of the book and so I wasn't very surprised when they happen. I'm used to having my jaw drop in this series, and I have NEVER predicted something completely correctly until this book. However, the ending was still completely unexpected, so that's the most important, because it was definitely setting up the next (and final!) novel. 

A new point that I loved that I didn't really think about until this book (but it was still really present in the others!) was that the author definitely succeeds in making you have feelings about the characters. I personally hate Penelope with a passion and I really hope she falls in a ditch in the next book, and I admit I smiled at the very end when she was upset. I feel really bad for Diana and Elizabeth because of their lost loves and really hope the end of the story is going to make them happy!!! You can also really tell that Henry has lost his way, and while he's trying to fix it, everything he does seems to make the situation worse and I feel for him. However, my opinion changes a lot about Carolina. I don't hate her, but I definitely don't like her, since she's pretty much the cause of the biggest problem. But, that's ok. I think that Anna Godbersen is doing a really good job with developing her characters and making each one unique from the other, which a lot of authors fail at when they write from the different point of views. 

So, I definitely loved the book, and I recommend it, along with the rest of the The Luxe series! As for me, I'm going to read the last book in the series, Splendor. Sorry if you're tired of those reviews, but I want to read it, so I'm going to! I'm just a selfish person, I guess. =D But, as always, if you have any comments, questions, recommendations, or anything, leave a comment! I just love those. =D 

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

Rumors

Author: Anna Godbersen

I literally finished this book about ten minutes ago and I'm STILL shocked!! Rumors was incredible and just as good as the first novel in the series: The Luxe. It's so insane! Just for reference, if you haven't read the first book, but plan to, I recommend NOT reading this review because there will be spoilers from The Luxe, but I'll try not to give away anything important for the second book! Don't you just hate when people do that?

So, this book centers on Elizabeth Holland, Diana Holland, Penelope Hayes, Lina Broud (aka Carolina Broad), and Henry Schoonmaker. As you'll know from the first book (if you read it!), Elizabeth had faked her death to escape from marrying Henry, because she was in love with her stableboy, Will Keller. She also knew that her little sister, Diana, was in love with Henry, and he with her. So, Elizabeth was finally reunited with Will in California, while New York's society is still in mourning for her death, except for those who knew that Elizabeth was actually still alive: Diana and Penelope. Henry is initially extremely upset because he believed that Elizabeth had killed herself to escape him, but when he finds out the truth from Penelope, who was trying to get Henry for herself, he finally realizes that he and Diana could be together. From there, a series of betrayals, gossip, secret deals, and even blackmail take place. Put that together with the extremely unexpected ending, and you have a great plot! I couldn't put the book down! I literally spent my last night of spring break reading! 

Now, usually, I'm not a big fan of those books that switch between different characters' points of view, because very few people can effectively make a graceful transition between them. However, Anna Godbersen does a very good job! I like how each character has their own chapter, instead of everything switching mid-chapter. I thought it made it a lot less confusing than other books like this. 

Once again, I loved the little chapter openers! I thought they helped the transitions a lot, because they made the switch between chapters less abrupt and smoother. They also gave you a clue about what was going to happen in each chapter, even if they were a bit ironic a lot of the time. But most of all, I think that they make you feel more involved in the story and like you're there. 

I loved the fact that it was set in the late 1800s and that the story lead right up to December 31st. I thought it was a good place to end the story and I think will make the next book seem like a new beginning for everything. 

And really, I think that's all I want to talk about right now. Sorry if the review is too short! But, overall I LOVED it. I highly recommend them to everyone! I actually went out to the bookstore last night to get the next book in the series, Envy, so that I could just continue on with the story. And now I'm extremely glad that I did, because I just HAVE to know what happens next! So, that's what I'm going to start reading as soon as I press the lovely Publish button. I'll get the review up soon!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

My Top 5 Favorite Books (That I Actually Have!)

So, it's taking me about forever and a day to finish Safe Harbor by Luanne Rice, but not because it's bad. I actually like it just as much as I did when I was younger. So that's good. =D I've just been incredibly busy, so here's a new post, like I promised! 

1. Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen

You just can't beat a classic. Especially when it's THE best classic EVER (in my opinion, of course. =D).

2. Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher

I've never met anyone who's read this book and hasn't loved it. That just proves its awesomeness.

3. Anything Sarah Dessen.

I swear, I love every single one of Sarah Dessen's books. However, my favorites out of those would probably be  Just Listen or Dreamland or Along for the Ride or The Truth About Forever. Dreamland is by far the most intense, but they all are absolutely amazing.

4. Gone- Michael Grant

This is actually a series, so you can count Hunger in with this one. I must admit, I really didn't want to read this book, because I'm really not usually a fan of all that sci-fi stuff. But it was one of my good friend's favorite books and he asked me to read it so I did. I loved it and I am eagerly awaiting the next book, Lies. It looks epic and comes out 3 days before my birthday! =D

5. My Sister's Keeper- Jodi Picoult

I've only read it once, but it was amazing! It was WAY better than the movie, and was actually very surprising, and it's very hard to come up with unpredictable endings nowadays. 

So I had to get these all down soon since my books will be packed away in a few weeks, since my family and I are moving. However, I have decided that they will be the last things packed up (and they're going in my favorite suitcase!) and the first things unpacked! So, there shouldn't be a horrible backup in my reviews! I'll make sure to try to finish Safe Harbor soon and then will read Rumors by Anna Godberson  and post the review. So, if you want to discuss or talk about anything, make sure to leave a comment and such! 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

The Queen's Dollmaker

Author: Christine Trent

I finished this book just a few minutes ago, and I'm not completely sure that I have a lot to say about it. I didn't think it was a great book, but I didn't think it was bad either. It was just more of a good book (in my weird ranking scale, that means above average).

I did really like the plot, which is most important to me in a novel, as I state in a ton of my posts (sorry for the repetition! =D). I thought it was a really creative idea that I've never heard of before. Claudette Laurent, daughter of a Parisian dollmaker, becomes an orphan after a fire claims her parents' lives. As she's unable to find her fiance, Jean-Phillipe, she travels to London and becomes a kitchen assistant to a horrible mistress. Along the way she meets many people that affect her life in major ways, such as Beatrice du Georges and her daughter Marguerite, Elizabeth Preston, and William Greycliffe, being some of the most important. Claudette tries to turn her situation around and make herself into a successful dollmaker, hoping to return to France someday. As her business grows more popular, she earns commissions from none other than the Queen Marie Antoinette (I know, who would've thought that I, of all people, would read a book involving Marie Antoinette?). The story continues from there, as Claudette has to deal with her own personal problems, her need for independence, and also her loyalty to the French monarchs, who become her dear friends, in midst of the revolution. Intriguing, yes? Absolutely. And while the plot was somewhat predictable at some points, Christine Trent also managed to add in twists that NO ONE would have guessed at, especially the ending. My jaw literally dropped. That never happens.

One of the problems I have with the book is that it kind of jumps around a lot, so sometimes I wasn't completely sure what was happening. One time, I was actually convinced I was missing a page or something, because one big event seemed like it was still in the process of happening, but then I turned the page and Claudette suddenly had an invitation to appear before Marie Antoinette. I sat there for at least three full minutes, trying to figure out what happened. 

Also, some of the scenes with Marie Antoinette seemed like they were randomly thrown in there. They weren't very relevant to the story, because she didn't even indirectly enter into Claudette's life until Axel Fersen decides to buy her one of Claudette's dolls, which happens almost halfway through the book. And while I think she did effectively explain parts of Marie Antoinette's life, like the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, in just a plain summary, I wish that Trent had presented some other parts of her life, such as the deaths of two of her children, with something other than a summary, like dialog, or correspondence, because I thought it seemed almost devoid of emotion, and she had an extremely turbulent and emotional life. I think that it would have been much more appealing with more of Marie Antoinette's thoughts or feelings included a little bit more.

The biggest problem I had, though, was historical accuracy and consistency. While I understand that in a historical fiction novel, you can take certain liberties, I think that if you don't have to change something to fit into your story, you should just keep it the same. I don't think it was a lack of research, because I've read several of the books Christine Trent listed in her bibliography, and they're really very good sources of information. For example, there were several places where Axel Fersen was referred to as Alexl. I've NEVER heard of him being called Alex, and it just bugged me every time it came up. Also, another example was that until the fishwives marched to Versailles, it sounded like the Palace of Versailles was IN Paris, but it really isn't. The Palace OF Versailles is in a town called Versailles, about 12 miles or so away from Paris. I had a problem with that mostly because when the royal family was taken to the Tuilleries Palace in Paris, Versailles suddenly seemed as though it were in a different place. So, mostly, it was a consistency issue. Those were my only two big accuracy annoyances, but I doubt it would bug anyone but me, just because I'm weird and anal about that stuff. 

So, ultimately, I did like it and would recommend this book to someone or read it again. Try it out, if you want and tell me what YOU think. Comments and emails (Kristi_reads@yahoo.com) are always accepted. =D Next I THINK I'm going to start Safe Harbor  by Luanne Rice, which I most likely won't write a review for because I read it about a million times when I was younger. But I'll figure out something else to write about if it takes me too long to finish. =D

Anyways, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi

10 Books I Want on my Bookshelf Now

So, I decided to make a list of the books that I've been dying to read for a while now and that I would buy in a heartbeat if I actually had any money. Also, I wanted to take a break from all the reviews and quotes. So here we go.

1. Secret Diary of a Princess- Melanie Clegg

Historical fiction + Memoir form= My favorite stuff to read! Add in the fact that it's about my favorite historical figure, Marie Antoinette, and it seems PERFECT for me! I've been dying to read the book since I first saw it on the author's blog, Madame Guillotine.  

2. Dear John- Nicholas Sparks

I loved the movie, except for the really dumb 5 second ending. So I really, really want to read 

this to see what the real ending was. Plus, it just seems like such a cute book!

3. The Reagan Diaries- Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was a great man and president and I really wanted to see what no one else 

can really tell us: his own thoughts and feelings.

4. Impossible- Nancy Werlin

The plot seems really interesting and I always find myself just drawn to it every time 

I see it in a store. I'm not completely sure why, but I just really want to read it! =D

5. The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette- Marie-France Boyer

Marie Antoinette + Interior Design= Kristi wants! Marie Antoinette had amazing taste and style, and this lets you explore the places she lived and created.

6. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister- Gregory Maguire

I love Gregory Maguire and have every adult book that he's written, except this one. That needs to be fixed. It's just wrong.

7. Postsecret- Frank Warren

This isn't a book with a plot, just postcards from people all over the world sharing their deepest secrets. My friends and I love looking at these books, and it still provokes TONS of emotion.

8. The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen- Syrie James

I confess to not knowing much about Jane Austen's life (besides what I saw in a movie!), but this book seems like it can help me learn more about her. I love historical fiction about real people that I haven't heard of, because that usually sparks my interest in learning more! After all, the first book I read about Marie Antoinette was fiction!

9. Louis XVI- John Hardman

I've always been really curious about Louis XVI's life before and apart from Marie Antoinette. He's always mentioned as her shy husband who wouldn't consummate their marriage for years, but I really want to learn more about him and his life away from his wife.

10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime- Mark Haddon

This is the only book I've actually read on this list. I loved it though and I really, really want to read it again!

So, there you have it! As always, feel free to email me at Kristi_Reads@yahoo.com or just comment on the blog somewhere! 

So, thanks for reading!

Love,

Kristi