Maybe it's time for an update?

I really haven't dropped off the face of the earth - I promise.  Remember, I'm pregnant?  Well, that about sums up my absence.  Don't you agree?

No?

Oh.  Well, here's what's been happening lately.  5 yr old son had soccer, practices and games - now he has baseball practice and games.  3 yr old goes to preschool and tries to keep up with his brother.

Baby is growing, I'm 29weeks now (11 weeks to go - yay!).  I've painted the nursery, set up the crib and changing table, been scouting garage sales for baby clothes (because I can).

Hubby and I are 95% done with the guest room, random furniture pieces have been bought or sold.

DIY Club was at my house, sewed curtains for baby room, painted.

I've read several books (crap, now I have to update the blog with those - hopefully I can remember them all).

I've written a little here and there (but not nearly enough in my mind).

So, you can see I've been busy, too busy obviously to update my little blog here and I apologize.  I will be better, except after the baby comes - then I'll just be sleeping...Hopefully.

My Reading List: Water Song

Water Song by Suzanne Weyn

Once Upon a Time Series

Young, beautiful, and wealthy, Emma Pennington is accustomed to a very comfortable life. Although war rages abroad, she hardly feels its effect. She and her mother travel from their home in Britain to the family estate in Belgium, never imagining that the war could reach them there. But it does. 

Soon Emma finds herself stranded in a war-torn country, utterly alone. Enemy troops fight to take over her estate, leaving her with no way to reach her family, and no way out. 

With all of her attention focused on survival and escape, Emma hardly expects to find love. But the war will teach her that life is unpredictable, people aren't always what they seem, and magic is lurking everywhere.

My Reading List: Violet Eyes

Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguie

Once Upon A Time series

Seventeen-year-old Violet is amazed when a storm brings the dashing Prince Richard to her impoverished family’s farm. The two fall in love at first sight, but although Richard has given his heart to Violet, his parents will only let him marry a princess of their choosing, a lady of the highest nobility and sensitivity. Now on a quest to be reunited with her true love, Violet must rely on her wits—and a little help from an unexpected source—to compete with princesses, pass the king and queen’s tests, and prove herself worthy of being Richard’s bride.

Props to Tahereh Mafi

TaherahBooks.com

I think it's time I posted a book review on here, not just a "I read this book" post.  So, since I just finished Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi, I figured I'd start there.  Besides, I can't get her writing out of my mind. 

SPOLIER ALERT: If you have not read either Shatter Me or Unravel Me, you may want to stop reading now as I'm going to be giving away some major plot points.

First I am going to start by talking quickly about Shatter Me, because it comes first in the trilogy.

Juliette has been imprisoned for the murder of a small child, locked up, studied and nearly tortured.  Her mere touch is lethal and the murder was an accident but people suddenly feared her and her ability.

A childhood acquaintance winds up imprisoned with her, Adam and her trust is slow to come by.  Over time, he does win her trust and her love after we find out that for some reason Adam can touch her.

But here comes Warner, the hot bad guy we all love to hate...or do we?  He uses Juliette's powers trying to teach her to become something greater than she is, but she hates his methods and him.

Adam and Juliette escape the prison and Warner only to be hunted as they work their way to Omega Point, a sanctuary for those against Warner and his father's regime.

Here's where Tahereh Mafi lost me:  it gets all X Men in the book.  See Omega Point is not only a sanctuary, but it's for people with powers.  Their leader has extreme telekenesis (Magneto, anyone?), they have healers, people that can blend into their surroundings, stretchy limbs, etc.  Juliette doesn't know where she fits in and moreover, will they let Adam stay?

Now, on to Unravel Me, the book I can't get out of my head.  Well, maybe not the book, the writing style.

Juliette struggles to find a place within Omega Point, her relationship with Adam is tested, so much so that we come to learn that Adam does have special powers too: he has the ability to disable other people's powers.  Which kinda sucks when it comes to him and Juliette, because even though they can touch, her power is so strong that it takes so much out of him to fight off her lethality (is that a word?) that it is literally killing him.

With the help of Kenji, Juliette's only friend, other than Adam at Omega Point, she is able to begin to fit in and learn more about her ability.  He gives her the trust she needs to start going out on assignments with other Omega Point people, which leads them into a trap set by Warner's father.

Anderson is evil, just like his son, Warner - but far worse.  In an attempt to rescue four Omega Point members, Juliette, Adam and Kenji agree to meet with Anderson - only Kenji blends himself and Adam into the surrounding so it looks like Juliette goes in alone.  Warner shows up only to find out that Anderson plans to kill Juliette in front of him because he's fallen in love with her, which is weakness in the eyes of Anderson.

His plan goes south after an argument occurs, Juliette gets a gun and shoots Anderson in the legs.  Adam and Kenji rescue two of the four hostages and take Warner hostage as well - only after we learn that Anderson is not only Warner's father, but Adam's father too.  While he's held captive at Omega Point, Juliette is assigned to question him and find out where the other two hostages are located.

Through her conversations with Warner, she begins to have feelings for him and feels guilty thinking she's betraying Adam - even if they are broken up.  We learn that Warner also has powers, and he's not happy about it.  Warner has the ability to transfer other people's power.

Warner tells Omega Point that there is going to be an all-out war, so all of Omega Point prepares.  He approached Juliette asking her to run away with him - followed by the longest make out scene I've ever read (seriously like 5 pages, maybe 6).

Warner escapes Omega Point, they go to war.  Juliette is captured and brought to Warner's mother's house where Anderson promptly shoots her in the chest in front of Warner.  The healers of Omega Point have been kidnapped, and Warner uses them to heal Juliette.  And now she's pissed.

The end.

Wow, this is turning into a really long post - oh well.  So, my overall review of Shatter Me and Unravel Me is that I like them, 3.75 stars for the plot, 4.25 for readability.  Book 1 flowed really well, and I read it quickly.  I really enjoyed it until it went down the X Men path.  Book 2 redeemed the whole X Men factor, though I found Juliette almost annoying this go around.  She is so depressed and unsure of herself or her purpose.  It's not until the end of the book that you get a sense of who she's becoming.  I also thought some of the plot was predictable, such as where we learn that Warner and Adam are brothers.

What I did REALLY like, is Tahereh's writing - more so in Unravel Me.  I feel like a lot of what she wrote was almost like poetry.  I felt like I could feel what was going on inside of Juliette's head. There were so many parts of the book where I felt the writing was just magical.

Would I recommend these books - yes, without a doubt, you'll just have to wait until Fall 2013 to finish up the series and to find out if Juliette picks Warner or Adam.