In Which I Faint at the Mailbox

I've already shared these pictures with many of you. Yes, if you are on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you've seen my mail already. However, if you are not, how could I neglect sharing here also? I must keep sharing 'till I've shared in every single place there is! (And after this post, I promise, I will shut up about it. I think.)

So I went to the mailbox the other day... the long and arduous trek down to the end of the driveway where usually I gather all the junk mail and throw it away in the can on the way back to the house, where I then stack the rest of it to be shredded at some later time. Getting the mail is usually so disappointing. However, sometimes there's a book in the mailbox, which is always exciting, but only rarely happens these days. Sometimes, during letter month or Christmastime there's a card or a note from a real life person, though this is far and few between too.

But one this particular day there I found a postcard that looked like this:

At first I thought it might be from Melissa of Avid Reader's Musings since she's been known to send me Book Thief related things. I was thinking... ah cool! Melissa you are the best!

Then I looked on the back and saw this note:

I couldn't understand it at first, but then I realized it says THESE not THERE... and "whole lot of these" was referring to the postcards themselves.... Book Thief movie promotional materials I'm thinking. Still, it's not quite clicking in what I have in my hands.

And then I saw this on the other half of the post card:

And that's when I freaked and gasped and very much out loud there at the mailbox said, "Are you kidding me?" I looked again. Out loud, I said to no one. "Seriously? Oh! My! Gosh! Really? He didn't! He did!! Wow, he really did!"

If the neighbors had been out, I wonder what they were thinking!

I may have turned about in a circle, I may have done a happy dance, I may have giggled a little. And then I took myself quickly back in the house were I looked again, and thought "I think this is for real. This is real, right?"

About that time I managed to calm down and think rationally that I really am no one special, that he probably sent a "whole lot of these" to EVERYONE he knew... or I should say, to everyone he had an address for. And I'm sure that stack was a very large one.

But how did he get my address, you may ask. Remember back nearly two years ago at the first Letter Month? And I was brave (or crazy) enough to decide to send him a fan letter? Even though I felt pretty darn silly doing it? Remember that?

Well, sometimes it pays to write a fan letter! Especially if it's to Markus Zusak because I think he says what he means and means what he says! Back at the time, this is what he tweeted me back:

@SueySays Suey - I got your letter! Thanks. I'll reply when I've done some decent work on the new book. It's killing me. THANKS AGAIN- mz
— Markus Zusak (@Markus_Zusak) March 7, 2012

And ever since then I've wondered if he really would, but figured he really wouldn't. I mean, seriously. He has better things to do.

And yet he has! In the form of a promotional movie postcard, and, you know what? I'll take it.

A Pinteresting Update!

I've been madly working on the Pin It and Do It Challenge! Madly!

Here's a few things we've accomplished:
(links to the original Pinterest pin, but the pictures here are proof of how things turned out for me!)

A Fruit Fly Trap!

Thoughts: It worked! Though you have to tape the paper to the jar or the critters manage to escape.


Fresh Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

Thoughts: I made a huge batch and put it in the freezer!

A Halloween Wall Hanging

Thoughts: Pretty easy! I like how it turned out. How I found time to actually do this one, I'll never know.

Witch Hat Cookies

Thoughts: Extremely easy. A big hit at the party we took them to.

Pumpkin Brownie Blondies

Thoughts: Very heavy and rich. I'm not sure I really liked these.

Spiders on the Door!

Thoughts: We had to buy spider rings and cut the ring part off. Then make sure you use the heavier round magnets. We tried the thin sticky backed stuff and it did not work at all.

Seems like we've done more stuff, but I guess it was all before the challenge actually started! Anyway, let's see what we come up with during the second half of the month!

TLC Book Tour, Review and Giveaway: Fiesta of Smoke by Suzan Still

Book: Fiesta of Smoke by Suzan Still
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
Rating:★★★★★
For: Book Tour
From: TLC Book Tours

You know, whenever I get an email from TLC saying "Hey, Suey! I think you'll LOVE this book!" I have a hard time passing it up because... they are pretty much almost always right!

And this book was no exception. A book and author I'd never heard of, and now I'm giving it five stars? When I first saw how big it was I was a bit worried and thought, oh man, can I fit this thing in right now? Well, I blazed right through it and loved every bit of it.

This book is one of those sweeping sort of stories that covers a lot of time and territory. It follows three main characters throughout their lives and how they all connect eventually in the end. Along the way, we get many different flashbacks to other times in each of their lives, including stories within stories that they were told as they were growing up or learning or experiencing different things.

However, the main year of the story is 1992, the main location is Mexico (and a little bit of Paris) and the main conflict is the Mexican Revolution, where toward the end everything comes together in a harrowing, nail-biting climax worthy of any movie!

Speaking of movies, I couldn't help thinking a bit of Romancing the Stone while reading this book! (Switch out Michael Douglas with Antonio Banderas, change the place from Columbia to Mexico and bam!) And while the details are quite a bit different, it has that same sort of feel to it! It also reminded me a bit of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's books, only with just a touch of that magic realism stuff that is really awesome when it comes in small doses! Know what I mean?

The book starts out in Paris where a newsman named Hill happens upon our heroine, Calypso, an American writer, who appears to be running away from something or someone. He falls pretty much instantly in love with her and they talk and talk for the evening, and then she disappears. He is now obsessed with finding out more about her and learning her back story. We follow him on this quest which takes him all over the place, meeting all sorts of interesting people, and ending in Mexico.

Meanwhile, we ourselves, are learning the details of her story, which includes going to college at Berkeley when suddenly this Mexican kid (named Javier) shows up at her door. She, for some crazy reason, lets him stay. He is Gorgeous (yes with a capitol G!) and so of course, Calypso cannot resist and they hook up and it appears they fall deeply madly in love.

But then some really bad stuff happens (read the book!) and he disappears... for YEARS! She goes on with her life, which ends up quite miserable, because all she can think about is Javier.

Meanwhile, he is having quite the many adventures himself, but all he can think about is Calypso! Oh, and leading a revolution of course!

Oh my word! It's so good! The writing is totally wonderful with that rich, beautiful, flowing style that makes you feel totally immersed in the story and the world and feel the passion and emotions of these fascinating characters. They are truly something and it was a blast to read their story and feel all these things right along with them. It's one of the best overall romance stories I've read in a long long time. I totally loved it.

For those squeamish sorts of readers, do beware, there's some graphic and disturbing scenes and some strong language now and then. But for me, it had a place and was not abused, which I appreciated.

Bottom line: This book was a blast to read and I loved every minute of it.



Hey and you are all so lucky because for just one more day (through today the 17th) you can grab this book for your Kindle at Amazon for only $1.99! Totally worth it!

Also, if you are interested in winning her previous book, Commune of Women, leave me a comment here (tell me a favorite historical fiction book that you've read) and I'll randomly choose a winner and the TLC people will send you a book! 

If you'd like to see what others have to say about Fiesta of Smoke, check out the list of reviews here over at the TLC site. And be sure to drop by the author Suzan Still's, website and say hi!

Book Review: Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

Book: Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Rating:★★★☆☆
For: Review
From: Edelweiss

I was so looking forward to this book having loved the first book, For Darkness Shows the Stars, so so much last year.

But while this one had essentially the same feel as the first one, it just wasn't quite the same for me! And I know I'm going to have a hard time putting my finger on just exactly why. Maybe it was just one of those mood things, and if so, dang, that's frustrating!

Anyway, this particular tale takes place in the same world as the first one, the world full of characters dealing with the consequences of the mistakes their ancestors made when they tried to create a superhuman race. This ended up causing havoc on the gene pool and instead, created people born with major mental issues, which they call Reduced. At first, I thought perhaps this story took place years and years after the first one, but later on we find out that no, it's only shortly after, but in a different part of the world.

In fact, the setting is in what we know as Hawaii... I think. Or some other nearby Polynesian island. There are two islands, who have quite the major conflict with each other. (And I'm not sure I understood what the conflict is, which is partly why I had a hard time with this book, much of the plot details were lost on me.) Our main character has taken it upon herself to free certain people (the Reduced, or the people like them who have taken a drug to cure the problem which has now backfired) and she calls herself the Wild Poppy.

Yes, this book is a retailing of The Scarlet Pimpernel, just as the first one was a retelling of Persuasion.

And yes, we can see all the fun similarities, complete with all the fun differences too. That's what I like about these books. The obvious retelling and yet the unique take on it too. It's awesome.

My problem with this one was that the plot was much too complicated for me and I felt the characters got lost in that. You know I'm a character person! And I'd much rather have lots of interaction between them than lots and lots of parts that exists just to explain the complication of the plot.

And these characters were pretty cool. Our Wild Poppy spy had some pretty nifty gadgets and technology going for her. And the guy she wanted to love, but couldn't because she thought he was for the other side, was pretty cool too, yet, we just didn't get to know him well enough. I needed more!

Also for much of the book I was wondering if Kai and Elliot from the first book would show up. To answer this question for you, I would just say..... keep reading!

Bottom line: I totally love the style, setting and take on this retelling, however, the plot details bogged me down. And like I said above, this could have just been my "unable to focus" mood this past week!

Other Reviews:

And I'm all for a science-filled background and plot, but biology (especially genetics) is not my strong point, and there was some stuff that just went over my head and I had to skim through it. If you're interested in that kind of research, I think you'd really enjoy this book. From City of Books

The ending provides much tension, but up until that it's just a really interesting, well-paced story that I really enjoyed. From Annette's Book Spot

To me, the strongest parts of Across a Star-Swept Sea were these moments when characters had to take moral stands, to come to terms with their historical or personal culpability in a situation and figure out what to do. From YA Romantics

There wasn’t a moment I didn’t like it, I never got bored and I enjoyed every part of it. From The Reader Lines

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was "Forced" to Read!

The word forced is truly in quotes as I've never in my life felt at all forced to read something. The word forced and read just don't go together in my brain. I know some people feel very much differently, but that's how it is with me!

With that being said, here's a list of some books off the top of my head where I had some pretty good encouragement and incentive to read them! I could go on and on, but I think I already hit the ten book limit here!

Ten (SOME?) Books I was "Forced" to Read

"Forced" by a book club or group:

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy: read by an online group years ago
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: read by an online group years ago

"Forced" by a read along:

Under the Dome by Stephen King: a read along I did with Jenny a year or so ago
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson: a read along I did with Ibeeeg awhile back
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel: a read along I did with Florinda and Heather
Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel: read along with Jessica

"Forced" by another reader:

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz: encouragement by Jenny!
The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy: encouragement by Ibeeeg!

"Forced" to read at school:

Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy: which started my Thomas Hardy love affair
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: which brings back lovely memories of the movie we watched
The Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: in which I didn't understand a thing but loved it anyway!

What book would be on your list today? Link up over at The Broke and the Bookish!

Concert Review: Josh Groban

On Friday evening, I went to see Josh Groban in concert.... again.... for the third time. I will never get sick of the experience. It's truly an amazing thing to watch and listen to him sing. Amazing.

The different thing about this show was that is was "in the round" as you can see from the picture below. Now, while that seems really cool, I must say that I don't think our floor seats were as good as the seats up in the bowl this time. That was a bit disappointing. I mean, it was AWESOME when he came to our end (yes, we were on the end) but when he didn't, we could hardly see him. And did he come to our end very much? NO! Dang it! But when he did come, it was heaven. I mean, he was just RIGHT THERE singing! Loved it, loved it.

Our experience generally was quite the same as last time, just a couple of years ago. (The full account of that concert can be found here.) I went with my sister Megs (from Sweet and Sour Sassiness, though dang it, she hardly blogs!) who is even more of a fanatic fan than I am! We managed to find will call and got our tickets without stress and then we waited to be let in...which was about 20 or so minutes later.

Once we found our seats, 7th row on the floor, we climbed back up and out and spent a good 45 minutes in the merchandise line while Megan stressed about what to buy. I didn't buy anything as I was already wearing my merchandise which my work friend gave me last Christmas! Awesome! 

Then we came back to our seats and waited some more. The opening act was Judith Hill and she wasn't bad, I enjoyed most of her songs and they made me want to dance. 

Then we waited. Some more. During that time, I think it was when the two people sitting in the seats right in front of us finally came and sat down. See picture below. We laugh/cried about that for a good couple of minutes. Seriously?

Finally! The show begins with the violinist in the crowd on one side, and the trumpet player in the crowd on the other side! Then Josh runs in from back stage and starts singing Brave! 

And then, and then... he sang... all sorts of other things! Um, yes, I was going to remember them all, but now I can't. Several from his new album of course, but not Hollow Talk which we wanted so so bad. She Ran Through the Fair was beautiful and I can tell by the way he talks about this one that he absolutely loves it and that it makes him feel all romantic-y. I loved that he sang several songs from his very first album like Vincent (was that the first or second, I don't know) and To Where You Are. Of course he sang the few that he will ALWAYS sing at concerts.... You Raise Me Up, Remember When It Rained and Alla Luce, which is pretty much my favorite one. And then, his final finale.... Smile. 

Ah, and then it was sadness. I hate that feeling when it's over. We stood around and gawked at the stage until the security guy got nervous (as if we'd run up on it or something) and came and stood there. Then, we decided to go ahead and be true fan girls like last time and find where he would come out, just in case he'd do some fan greetin'. 

While waiting there, the violinist (I think the piano guy came too, but he didn't stick around for the whole line) came out and worked the line and was so sweet and nice to say hi and take pictures with everyone. Dang, he was a cutie and so very hot on the violin too! So that was fun.

And then, and then, and then... Josh came out! But... we were at the very back of the line and we realized that he was only going to go at the front were people could crowd up along the barrier there, so we left our spot and crowded up too. And my camera started being weird, but my sister managed a picture with her phone. So, that was cool, even though we weren't close enough for an actual true encounter or to get something signed... but still, he was just RIGHT THERE! :) Sigh.

And then we went home. Now, we'll wait for another couple of years, and yep.... do it again! One of these years we'll be front row, for a normal stage, so he'll be RIGHT THERE singing to us the whole time! I want to be in the spit zone!

In the Round!

The view from our seats.

Posing in my hoodie.

When the people came, here's our new view.

I love this singing stance of his.

The cool guitar player whose name I can't spell!

The trumpeter and violinist!

Love how this picture turned out.

Some singing emotion!

Josh's footprints on the stage!

With my sister and the violinist, Christian.
He is one tall dude!

Our close encounter, sort of.

And now, a little montage of some of the songs I captured on video, for what it's worth:

Readathon Updates and Challenges!

Happy Readathon everyone! I'll be putting all my readathon "stuff" here on this one post throughout the day today, with the newest update/thing/challenge/whatever at the top. It's going to be interesting attempt today! So here goes nothin'!

UPDATE HOUR... 16 I think!

So I went to Jenny's reception and did not read:

Jenny and Guy

A hot chocolate bar!

Handwritten quotes on all sorts of mugs!

But since being back, so far I've managed to get to 63% on Across a Star Swept Sea... and then I had to take another break because I just couldn't focus. I wish I could just relax, but I'm a little keyed up. And I don't feel much like reading. Bummer to suddenly not be in a mood to read while the readathon is still in full swing, you know!?

But, I'm going to give it another go now.

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BEST OF MINI CHALLENGE from Lisa's World of Books

Best Romance Book of Your Reading Year: Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson

Best YA Book of Your Reading Year: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Best Non-Fiction Book of Your Reading Year: The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne

Best Sci-Fi Book of Your Reading Year: Fragments by DanWells

Best Fantasy Book of Your Reading Year: Poison Study by Maria V. Synder

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MID-EVENT SURVEY

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired? I am sleepy but my eyes are fine since I haven't really been reading that much!

2) What have you finished reading? NOTHING! I have read 15 more % in Across a Star Swept Sea (this book is not as good as For Darkness Shows the Stars, dang it) and I read 11% in Tinkers, which turns out to not be a very good book for the readathon. BUT my daughter is almost done with I Am Not a Serial Killer, so that's cool.

3) What is your favorite read so far? Nothing is a favorite so far. Maybe I need to try something completely and totally different and very very easy...

4) What about your favorite snacks? We had homemade mac and cheese, and lots of caramel popcorn, and soon I'm going to be having wedding reception treats! That's enough food for now I'd say. 

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love! I haven't yet, but I plan to get to that later tonight. I hope. Man, why does the day have to fly by so fast!? I hate that.
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UPDATE ONE

What I’m reading now: Across a Star Swept Sea

How many page read since last update: 12 %

How many pages read total: 12 %

Books finished since last update: no finished books yet

How many minutes/hours read since last update: I've probably only read an hour total! FAIL!

What we are listening to: Hans Zimmer Pandora Station

What we are eating: just had some waffles!

Distractions: sleepy, breakfast, shower, family, many many things

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INTRO MEME


1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? UTAH!

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I'm looking forward to finishing Across the Star Swept Sea. I'm starting at about 20% into it, so here's hoping I can finish it and move on to even more books!

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? Caramel Popcorn, which has turned into a readathon tradition around here. However, I didn't have time to make it yesterday, so we'll see if it even happens!

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! So, I went to the Josh Groban concert last night! I stood in the fangirl line afterwards and met his violinist and then got a good glimpse at Josh himself, but didn't "meet" him or get him to sign anything. Then I slept over at my mom's house so I could take my sister to the airport this morning and I have just returned home form all that adventure. We got about four hours of sleep, but I heard the freaking clock chime every single one of those hours, so... not sure if I even slept at all. So, this readathon should be interesting!

A picture from last night that I had to share:

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? It's been awhile since I've been able to participate, and so I'm looking forward to it! I won't do anything very different since I know not to stress about any of it and just have fun doing whatever feels right! 

Happy reading everyone! I'll be here all day!