The Importance of Being Evil

Still on holidays, I am spending most of my time at the beach where I have one of those huge umbrella (a sort of large parasol) and a very comfortable lounge bed.

I am making idle conversation with my neighbours or sleeping, I am getting really tan but so far I managed to read only one book (Moon Called by Patricia Briggs and I really liked it).

At least today I had a conversation about books, we were talking about “evil characters”, “big bads” (I noticed Angie made a post on those a few days ago), “villains”, characters that appear in your nightmares, repulsing and intriguing at the same time.

To me a great villain must be or perform something unique, simply being evil doesn’t qualify.

On top of my list there is Jean Baptiste Grenouille, he is the main character in “Perfume: The Story of a murderer by Patrick Suskind” a book that I read ten years ago and really made a strong impression on me. Grenouille is the creepiest serial killer I ever came across to, smart, driven by an obsession, depraved.

I will never forget Tom Chapman in “High Crimes” by Joseph Finder ( my favorite writer when it comes to spy fiction), when I think about duplicity I picture Tom Chapman.

The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, although after reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire I must say that I sort of fell in love with Elphaba, a terrorist, a terrible mother, a very difficult character to relate to but also a free independent thinker capable of murdering for the greater good.

When it comes to YA the first prize goes to Jude ( Malorie Blackman’ series, Knife Edge) , Jude has let hatred and bitterness rule his life, there is no hope for him, from a reader’s prospective it really makes you realize that there are consequences a villain can’t escape.

In the chick-lit department where a villain is not usually a murderer, a serial killer or a terrorist I can think of Jake in Innocence by Kathleen Tessaro, Jake  sounds far too real for my taste, a confident musician, a heavy drug-user, a charmer, Jake is manipulative, he is the ultimate toxic character and I found myself rooting for him through the whole novel.

Last but not least an italian piece of fiction that I absolutely adore is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, I won’t say the name of the villain but this character and, more importantly, his motivations are very unique. I highly recommend reading this.

Em

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

Magic Bleeds it’s the fourth book in Kate Daniels’ series by Ilona Andrews, I rambled before about how special Kate is ,  it gets better and better as you get to know and love all characters.

This is what I love about series, when they are good  I can feel my interest increasing to the point of turning into something that is no longer rational, a mild obsession, all I can think of is how badly I want to read my book.

I love when this happens, I love when books mess with my routine to the point that all I want to do is reading, reading, reading.

This review contains spoilers, This review contains swooning, This book is pure awesomeness.

On Ilona Andrews’ website there is a really cool feature “the world of Atlanta” where you can check all main players:

Kate Daniel:  engaging kick-ass  heroine, a combination of dry humor, determination and combat skills … I like the way she doesn’t take crap from anybody. She doesn’t cause problems, she CAUSES CATASTROPHES . Kate used to be a merc but she now works for The Order, highly empowered with magic, she cleans up magical messes

Curran Lennart: a shapeshifter (part lion and part human), 31 years old, 5′11,  Beast Lord, observant and shrewd, skilled fighter, confident but not obnoxious, jealous, possessive, insightful, caring, power comes with responsibility and Curran doesn’t take his role lightly

Saiman: I adore Saiman, talented, excellent at his job, a pervert with great sense of humor, a gentlemen when he wants to be, interested in money and pleasure, hid duplicity would appear at its best on screen

The plot from GoodReads:

Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle—especially if they involve Atlanta’s shapeshifting community.
When she’s called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there’s a new player in town. One who’s been around for thousands of years—and rode to war at the side of Kate’s father.  This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family…

The opening is great, Kate is cooking dinner for Curran but he doesn’t show up, she calls The Pack and she is advised to leave a message plus the receptionist informs her that in the future she should go through proper channel.

Kate cooked a huge meal and Curran stood her up. Kate is sad, angry, mad, scorned but when duty calls she will run and work her ass off.

Payback Time later. Kate is not your average oh-I-am-so-heartbroken whiner, she is hard working and I love her even more for her strong ethic.

Magic Bleeds displays  gross content, there are some disgusting scenes (especially at the beginning), there is an engaging thrilling storyline but I kind of started grinning at this point in the story:

“Here you go” He leaned his head to me, his neck so close to my lips, I felt the heat coming off his skin. His breath was warm against my ear. His voice was a ragged snarl “I miss you”
This wasn’t happening
“I worry about you” He dipped his head and looked into my eyes “I worry something stupid will happen and I won’t be there and you‟ll be gone. I worry we won‟t ever get a chance and it’ s driving me out of my skull”
No, no, no, no . . .
Mad gold eyes stared into mine “Do you miss me, Kate?”
I closed my eyes, trying to shut him out. I could lie and then we’d be back to square one. Nothing would be resolved. I’d still be alone, hating him and wanting him.
He grabbed my shoulders and shook me once. “Do you miss me?”
I took the plunge. “Yes”

I melted at “Did you miss me?”, I waited three books hoping to see Kate and Curran together and IT WAS WELL WORTH IT.

Relationships come at a price, is there a future for those two together?

Not only they have different personalities (Kate can’t stand authority, Curran is a controlling freak) , they are also defined by their different natures (Curran is half animal), different roles in society,  different lifestyles. Kate is an agent of the order, she values her neutrality, Curran is the Beast Lord which means that his mate will have to accept responsibilities among the Pack.

The result is poignant, heart warming, compelling.

Magic Bleeds is clearly a transitional book ,  it helps us to understand Kate’s heritage and how scared she really is that something bad will happen to people she loves  because of her identity. We also find out more details about Curran’s Story.

This is by far my favorite urban fantasy series, I can’t wait for the next  book.

Read those reviews and you’ll want to read this:

Angieville

See Michelle Read

Lurv a la mode

Chachic

wonderful snippets from Curran’s point of view on Ilona Andrews’ website.

My grade: 5/5

Em

High Expectations and Romance Clichès

Prologue

A conversation I just  had at lunch with a friend/colleague in his mid thirties who broke up with his long-term partner and recently started dating again:

me: “so how is it going with Miss X?

him:  “I am broke, I don’t think I can keep it up any longer”

me: “How comes?”

him: “She wants  me to pay for everything, she doesn’t like dining in, we went away for the weekend but she didn’t want to stay in a B&B, I had to book a hotel with a spa”

me: “That’s unfair, you should be honest, talk to her”

him: “Yesterday I asked her to share the bill,  after she was in a really bad mood all night, she said that it doesn’t feel right , that  we just started dating “

My thoughts

All my life I’ve hung out with relatively broke friends, I still do, so when it comes to money I am very “new fashion” and to me the concept of not sharing a bill (or a taxi ) is a foreign one (although I shamelessly accept free drinks).

My last line on the upper  conversation: “DUMP HER” (I am diplomatic like that)… but apparently it’s not that easy and she is very nice and not a gold digger (besides my friend doesn’t make lots of money neither he hides his moderate income) I read my fair share of romance so I can’t help thinking: do you believe that romance novels have an impact on women’s concept of love?

My husband thinks so while I always claim that it’s fiction, translated: “as much as I enjoy watching Dexter he would not be my friend if he was a real person” ,”as I much as I love fairytales I don’t believe in them” (all right just a little) … my point is that believe  I can tell the difference between fiction & reality.

It is true that lately while reading romance novels I’ve been rolling my eyes A LOT, all male heroes seem to be a variant of the very same character:

* broad and dark,  hard chest and corded arms;

” He was tall and big-framed, all hard muscle and easy masculinity, with dark eyes and heavy well-cut black hair” Lisa Keyplas, Smooth Talking Stranger

* jeans must be well worn;

“he wore a navy T-shirt and jeans instead of the standard-issue suit and tie most agents were expected to wear” Julie James, Something about you

* insolent attitude, capable of arching eyebrows;

“He stood with the insolent, loose-jointed slouch of someone who’d rather spend his time in a pool hall. Although he was well-dressed, it was obvious he didn’t make his living sitting behind a desk” Lisa Keyplas, Blue-Eyed Devil

are you rolling your eyes? not yet?

* confident, doesn’t like authority

“He’d be a loner, and have trouble with rules and superiors, but he’d be smart enough to have turned the detriment into an asset. A man who kept his own counsel, and would definitely not be interested in sharing command” Dee Davis, End Game

* a caring lover, he may last forever if he puts his mind into it

“I‟m not all lion,” Curran said. “But I do bounce back quickly.” “How quickly?”. He shrugged. “Two minutes.” Kate Andrews, Magic Bleeds

* successful, professionally accomplished (the sort who will never allow you to pay for anything), a real hero comes with £££, $$$, €€€

Those quotes are from books that I read and enjoyed but I admit that when I think about it (really think) I wish there were less stereotypical characters in adult romance novels, someone refreshing like a struggling writer (Ethan in Something Blue), like a conceptual artist (Ian in If Andy Warhol had a girlfriend)  or a shy blushing co-worker (Ray in Slacker Girl).

I was never really involved in the dating scene so I can’t help wondering: how many dates would you expect your partner to pay for? and do you believe that romance novels have an impact on women’s concept of love (do they influence our expectations)?

I would be interested in hearing other people opinions.

Em

P.S. May I share you feedback with my friend?

Summer List

One of the things I love about my job is that this year I am entitled to 31 paid vacation  days (!!!) plus bank holidays.

So I am leaving on  friday, I am flying back to Italy where I will spend two weeks camping with my family. I can’t wait, I feel reckless, weather is currently really bad in Dublin, I love the heat, when temperature hits 38 ° (100 Fahrenheit) I say bring it on, I barely sweat and I surely don’t need air-conditioning.

(my brother, my mum and me)

Plus I love good food but I am very very lazy in the kitchen, while on holidays my mother will take care of me so I will  gain a few pounds  and I will have a very good time in the process.

Most importantly I won’t have an internet connection (hey maybe there is hope but I want to keep my expectations low) , I won’t have a tv, the place I am going has a beach, a camping and a few restaurants, boys in my life mainly enjoy playing music but I am a terrible singer … what could I possibly do for two weeks?

Reading, Yes, Reading.

On top of my list there is Megan Whalen Turner I keep reading how great her books are (from very reliable source like Angie and Li) , I can’t wait to get started on this series.

I also bought Rampant from Diana Peterfreund (because I can’t stop thinking about Poe and I have a feeling Diana knows how to create an appealing boy character).

Next on my list is Cracked Up To Be,  I like girls with an attitude (it seems Parker fits the category).

I borrowed One for The Money by Janet Evanovich as I have no doubt that I will end up watching the  movie plus how come I’ve never read this?

I will also follow Erin’s recommendation , Gail Carriger has been on my bookshelf for a while, it has a wicked cover but it’s time to discover what’s inside.

Last but not least I’ll be reading The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg, I won this in a contest and it sounds cute and cheerful.

What are you reading on your summer vacation?

Em

The Summer I turned pretty by Jenny Han

The Summer I turned pretty has been around for a while but it has one of those “not-so-catchy” titles and the one I got from the bookshop has an awful cover, this one I admit is pretty:

Plus I recently read and disliked The Boys next door by Jennifer Echols and I was thinking not another silly story about summer romances … don’t get me wrong I am all for summer romances but I prefer them in real life than on paper (while college  I prefer it on paper that in real life).

Then I stumbled into this review by Kay and I was intrigued. I don’t know why it took me so long to read The Summer I turned pretty, I found it refreshing, well written and utterly enjoyable.

From GoodReads:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer — they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

It’s a character driven story told from Belly’s prospective, I found Belly’s voice honest and realistic. While reading this book I found myself remembering the excitement I experienced every time my family was driving into our holiday camping.

I spent my summer vacation in the very same place for 18 years and I can’t help smiling remembering the feeling of belonging to a different community for a few weeks every year, the knowledge that your body has changed and something it’s bound to happen (I shared my first kiss there), the realization of being pretty.

What I really liked about this story:

* the style , Jenny Han is a very talented author and I appreciate the way she keeps things straight and simple, there aren’t long description or annoying diversions but through dialogues and observations Han manages to build real three-dimensional characters;

* the relationship between Belly and her brother Steven. I have an older brother and I found Steven very believable,  you can’t trust older brother to not making embarrassing comments, older brothers have to speak up their mind especially when hanging out with  hot friends;

* the force of a crush. Belly is 15 and she has a crush on Conrad, a very powerful one. I don’t know if Conrad is worth it but I guess I’ll find out in the following books;

* there is no triangle, not really;

What I didn’t like is the fact that Savannah (Conrad and Jeremiah’s mother) is very sick, I wish it did not have to go like that.  As I stated before I have a problem with ya books that try to deal with issues like cancer, so I can either pretend that there wasn’t a mother terminally ill with cancer in the summer house and keep liking those characters or I can think about what really happens when there is a mother who is terminally ill with cancer,  this changes everything, you couldn’t possibly turn pretty in a summer like that.

I choose the first option.

Other opinions:

Steph Su Reads

The Crooked Shelf

My grade: 4/5

Em

Pick Me Up It’s friday: What do you do to break yourself out of a really bad mood?

I had a very stressful week, I’ve been sick, I’ve been co-existing with a hammer in my head, I’ve had to deal with very difficult customers, I argued, I gossiped… I haven’t been in the mood for reading so I didn’t.

This is what I am trying to lighten my mood:

* calling a friend;

* listening to Cat Stevens

* looking for a nice happy book that will make me laugh (it seems that I read them all);

* booking an appointment with my hairdresser  (as I now look more cocker spaniel than human);

* drinking jasmine tea;

I would take a bubble bath with lots of scented candle (If I only had one). Bubble Bath always works best in this scenario.

What do you do to break yourself out of a really bad mood in a couple of hours?

Em

My Soviet Kitchen by Amy Spurling

I received a free copy of My Soviet Kitchen , as soon as I opened the package I was intrigued because I found a book, a small compendium guide and a tiny bottle of vodka (a welcome addiction in my cabinet).

From Goodreads:

Memory loss, homo sovieticus, and a wandering phD student. This is Neo-chick lit. with a darker side, a vodka twist and a generous slice of post-Soviet living. It’s 1994 and English Ph.D student, Ivy Stone, wakes up in a Moscow flat with a hangover and a vague sense of unease…
Unable to remember what she did last night or why there is a cryptic Post-It note on her fridge, she begins an emotional, alcohol-fuelled journey via an Uzbek wedding, an Estonian sauna, and a Georgian serenade. What dark past haunts her new Russian man? And will she ever find the author of the mystery Post-It note?

Although I am not sure that we could label this as chick lit I found this novel very interesting, it’s not overly romantic, it’s not that funny, I couldn’t really relate to Ivy Stone and I found her relationship with K.K. as cold as Ivy’s empty sovietic fridge but it’s intriguing, ironic, witty:

“Previous love history: teenage fumblings in the dark followed by a couple of relationship with academia types. The first was volatile soul-searching and state of the nation talks with a classicist, which got pointless after a while; the second was a more predictable biologist, but he was the type that Russians call ‘stiller than water and lower than grass’, i.e. insignificant and small, and we became like Grandma and Grandpa about sixty years too early“

Plus I know nothing about Russia , Uzbekistan and Georgia but after reading this I am considering a trip in this mysterious and resourceful land.

Each chapter starts with a catchy title (“They Keep secrets” “Conversation with a maniac” “A slap in the face”…)  and a food reference like a russian recipe or just an observation, there are pictures, illustrations , a compendium guide and lots of booze (gosh at some points I experienced a literary induced  hangover).

Spurling manages to build a story that also revolves around Vladimir Mayakovsky‘s personal life (it focuses on Mayakovsky’s relationship with Lilya Brik) although I must admit that the storyline is not exactly fluid.

The ending wasn’t exactly a surprise but my issue with  this book revolves around characters, Ivy is an enjoyable character but doesn’t really build relationships with other characters and somehow I never get attached to her or any other character in the story.

It’s not what I would define a heart-warming novel, it’s not exactly swoon-worthy material but I highly recommend reading this because it’s very peculiar in a good way and you might learn a few things on the way.

Other reviews:

West End Extra

Novel Insights

My grade: 3,5/5

Em

Fantaghirò The Beautiful

“Myth is the hidden part of every story, the buried part, the region that is still unexplored because there are as yet no words to enable us to get there. Myth is nourished by silence as well as by words.”

–Italo Calvino

When it comes to fairy tales, folklore and fantasy there is plenty of material in the italian literature,  my passion for fairy tales started when my mother borrowed Italian Folktales by Italo Calvino:

I became so passionate on this collection of traditional tales that as soon as I was able to read my parents bought it for me, it was a very big volume for a six years old girl but I was (I still am) very keen on it  and I read those tales hundreds of times.

I have a love-hate relationship with Italo Calvino but  he was  a brilliant intellectual  and a  master storyteller .

Out  of two hundreds fairytales my favorite has always been Fantaghirò The Beautiful.

My enchantment with this fairytale was  fueled by a tv adaptation (the Cave of the Golden Rose)  starring Alessandra Martines as Fantaghirò:

In this story there is a mix that always works for me: a feisty heroine who engages in battles and wins, knights, enemies who fall in love, adventure, great setting and, of course, a happy ending.

You can read it (in english, pag 249, fairytale 69) on Google Books (keep in mind that  it’s meant to be for pre-schoolers).

Em

This is not a book review

This is not a book review because I won’t be negative  on such a happy day, I was planning to but I guess I will try something different instead.

No I am not spanish but here in Dublin I have a few spanish friends :

their happiness is contagious! and check this video (oh my cuteness!).

I should write about Insatiable by Meg Cabot and Sunshine by Robin McKinley, two books that gave me a mild headache, two books that I found extremely boring.

Here are my short reviews:

Sunshine: too little action, too many cinnamon buns my grade 2/5

Insatiable: Much Ado About Nothing my grade 2/5

Those books  won’t change my mind about how good Robin McKinley and Meg Cabot are, on the same level my low consideration for vampires  hasn’t changed.

There must be something in their cold blood that goes against my nature.

Believe me I tried and:

* Twilight: I was bored to death (plus I dislike Robert Pattinson  so there is nothing for me in this whole twilight saga worth reading or watching);

* Dark Lover: Cringe.  I could not get into those lusty bits, not a chance;

* Insatiable:  I was about to give up  when Alaric appeared on the scene and made it tolerable;

* Sunshine: I was really optimistic in the first one hundreds pages or so…then I became confused and then I must have lost my grip on the story;

I tried and I failed but I won’t give up on vampires, not yet.

On a cheerful side I recently discovered my passion for shape changers and I will stick to them for a while. Did I mention how much I am enjoying Ilona Andrews?

A second opinion:

Sunshine Love Vampires

Insatiable by  Lit Snit

Em

Tap and Gown by Diana Peterfreund

It’s over.

In the last ten days or so I have exclusively focused on Secret Society Girl Series by Diana Peterfreund, it’s been a while since I have been so absorbed into anything, even my significant other started complaining about my lack of attention towards barbarian things and I justified myself claiming that there is a character (guess who?) that strongly reminds  me of him. To explain why I should probably write a few more posts about how we met and what happened next.

Tap and Gown deserves another top grade, it did not make my stomach flutter as much as Rites of Spring but it’s the perfect ending for a brilliant series, although to be perfectly honest I wish there was more to come.

Peterfreund introduced new characters like Michelle and Topher and I wish I had more time with them, I really enjoyed Michelle’s character and she could be the main character of a new series (I hope).

What I liked most:

* Reflections On  Maturity:

“There was that word again.Mature . Was this what maturity was? Giving up on the things we wanted because we knew we’d never get them?”

“It’s compromise. It’s mature”  “It sucks.”

Amy’s observations about maturity really got me because I sort of have mix feelings  towards this specific subject. One of my favorite songs (an italian songs I fell in love with when I was a teenager) claims “I want everything also what it’s impossible I want everything and I will be implacable“.

Most of the time I think compromising it’s a bad idea, eventually there will be pay back time, on the other side only  fools don’t change their mind. It’s a subtle line, isn’t it? Truth is lately I have compromised a lot so I am trying to come up with a back-up theory for my new attitude.

*Reflections on Love:

If equal affection cannot be / Let the more loving one be me

(The more loving one, W. H. Auden)

The dialogue between Brandon and Amy is one of my favorite part:

Brandon: “It’s the underlying inequality. Someone is always the one who loves more, and it eventually drives the
other—the less loving one—away. Just the pressure of it.”

Amy: “Sometimes you met someone that changed the pattern, who wormed their way past the cracks in your heart, caulked them up, sealed themselves in, and stayed there. Sometimes they did it by insisting you meet them at every step, as Jamie had done to me.”

I couldn’t agree more with Amy, this is why Amy and Jamie are so great together, this is why this series is now possibly my favorite romance on paper.

All my reviews of this series focus on romance but those books are so much more, Secret Society Girl is also about friendship, secret society, pranks, secret islands,  kidnapping, crimes, politics, spies … plenty of action! there is enough to keep any sort of reader engaged.

My grade: 5/5 plus

Em