This week at The Life and Lies…

A few minor ramblings before I get into the cool stuff (the book related stuff that you actually care about :D)

I had a government test on Thursday. It was open book! yay! I think I did pretty well………

Ok. So I’ve been working on a sequel to my book series. I don’t have a title yet. But I had most of the plot. The problem was, it’s a character-driven crime thriller. How can you have an exciting crime thriller that’s character-driven? Well… you have to have a good plot. I had a basic plot, but no under-plot. No mission. No crime-thriller aspect of it that ran through the whole book. Sure Lindsay and Brett did some short-term missions here and there… but I had no main mission. However I knew that if I waited long enough, it would come. Lindsay would disclose whatever secret she was keeping, Brett would be more than willing to let me in his head, and Michael would stop being a stupid stubborn meanie-pants (hey! I’m your favorite character! Don’t say that about me—) Shut up, Michael.

I figured it out in government class. Of all places. Duh. I knew that class would serve me well in some way, shape, or form…

No I’m not going to tell you what it was! That would defeat the purpose of reading it later!

As far as my other classes… well let’s just say that today I’m going to read a few chapters of a certain Statistics textbook. Anyone out there want a textbook review? It would give me a good excuse to read it! Oh yeah. Another good excuse—passing the class? Yes…… Anyway the test (which i’m not ready for and am probably gonna fail) is on Monday :\ blech.

Also I’m trying to pick a famous speech (or any speech, famous or otherwise) for an English assignment. Any ideas or favorites you’d like to share?

I’ve prolonged the contest for HEARING FROM GOD EACH MORING because I only had about 9 people enter… go enter! the new deadline is February 10th. Just tell me your favorite Bible verse.

Also, I’ve got a blog survey goin’ on right here… just trying to figure out where I stand etc. :D Please fill it out, it takes 30 seconds!

Ok, onto the fun stuff:

Last Week:
Guest Post: E-readers vs. Real Books
Bleeding Violet
Alice I have been  (short review. Full coming soon.)
Cheating Death
The Channel

This week I will read/review:
Searching for Tina Turner
Whatever else I get to.

In My Mailbox:

For Review:
Sons of Thunder

Sophie Frangos is torn between the love of two men and the promise that binds them all together. Markos Stavros loves Sophie from afar while battling his thirst for vengeance and his hunger for honor. Dino, his quiet and intelligent brother, simply wants to forget the horror that drove them from their Greek island home to start a new life in America. One of these sons of thunder offers a future she longs for, the other the past she lost. From the sultry Chicago jazz clubs of the roaring twenties to the World War II battlefields of Europe to a final showdown in a Greek island village, they’ll discover betrayal, sacrifice and finally redemption. Most of all, when Sophie is forced to make her choice, shell learn that God honors the promises made by the Sons of Thunder.

Won:
Dream Chaser

Hades doesn’t often give second chances...
Xypher has one month on Earth to redeem himself through one good deed or be condemned to eternal torture in Tarturus. But redemption means little to a demigod who only wants vengeance on the one who caused his downfall.
Until one day in a cemetery...
Simone Dubois is a medical examiner with a real knack for the job. Those who are wrongfully killed appear to her and help her find the evidence the police need to convict their killers. But when a man appears and tells her that she’s more than just a psychic, she’s convinced he’s insane.
Now the fate of the world hangs in her hands...
It was bad enough when just the dead relied on her. Now’s there’s the seductive Dream-Hunter Xypher who needs Simone’s help in opening a portal to the Atlantean hell realm to fight insatiable demons. The future of mankind is at stake—and so is her life. The only question now is: Who is the bigger threat: the demons out to kill her, or the man who has left her forever changed?

Books Bought (goodwill! yay!):

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

(Sherlock Holmes. Enough said.)

The Love Child

As Anna Martell grows into womanhood in the nineteenth-century English countryside, she is determined to overcome the legacy of her birth--as one of six illegitimate children--a goal aided by the love of wealthy Timothy Barrington. (the summary from the back sounds so much better than this… but I don’t feel like typing it out)

A Season beyond a Kiss

Her marriage to dashing American shipping magnate Jeff Birmingham signals the beginning of a wonderful new life for Raelynn Barrett. In the loving shelter of her husband's embrace, the pain of loss is diminished, as is her anger over her family's tragic and undeserved disgrace. But try as she might, Raelynn cannot close her ears to the cruel accusations and whispered rumors about her new spouse that buzz around her head like bees. And she cannot deny what her own eyes see, though the images before her seem to brand her darling Jeff as the worst sort of criminal, forcing her to flee his desire and his love.
Yet Jeff knows he is innocent—-though he is unaware of the conspiracy that has shrouded his marriage in secrets and now imperils it with lies. And he will oppose the treachery with every fiber of his being in order to preserve his threatened happiness—-to win back the trust of the woman he cherishes...and secure his place forever in his beloved Raelynn's heart.

The Last Season

For the solitary, introspective Morgenson, who grew up in Yosemite Valley and as a young man honed his mountaineering skills in the Himalayas, this was more than a job -- it was a calling. He became fiercely devoted to preventing outside forces from encroaching on the wilderness he loved.

But over the years, the isolation Morgenson had once cherished took its toll, and he grew increasingly estranged from his wife and friends. When, at the height of his struggles, he went missing without a trace in Kings Canyon National Park, where he had long patrolled, many suspected suicide or foul play. Morgenson, after all, had once said, "The least I owe these mountains is a body." As one of the Park Service's most intensive search-and-rescue operations unraveled, some wondered if they were searching for a man who did not want to be found.

The Other Boleyn Girl

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.
Tamed by a Laird

Baroness-in-her-own-right, Jenny Easdale is ready to accept her fate. She’s agreed to marry a man she will never love—yet not before slipping away for one last adventure. Following a traveling minstrel troupe, she’s whisked into a world of intoxicating freedom. Then, all too soon, she finds herself in danger—from a vengeful political plot against Scotland and from the man who has come to take her home.
Duty bound to return with his brother’s wayward bride, Sir Hugh Douglas is not prepared for how her quick wit, courage, and laughing eyes touch his warrior heart. Now, as the merry minstrels play matchmaker and passion sparks between Hugh and Jenny, the conspiracy against Scotland builds…and threatens all they hold dear.

 
Jennifer Government

In the horrifying, satirical near future of Max Barry's Jennifer Government, American corporations literally rule the world. Everyone takes his employer's name as his last name; once-autonomous nations as far-flung as Australia belong to the USA; and the National Rifle Association is not just a worldwide corporation, it's a hot, publicly traded stock. Hack Nike, a hapless employee seeking advancement, signs a multipage contract and then reads it. He discovers he's agreed to assassinate kids purchasing Nike's new line of athletic shoes, a stealth marketing maneuver designed to increase sales. And the dreaded government agent Jennifer Government is after him.

 
Dracula

Jonathan Harker is sent by his law firm to Castle Dracula to discuss business with Transylvania noble Count Dracula. His nightmare experience there is just the start of a macabre chain of events. Harker soon finds himself in a race against time to free his wife, Mina, and other souls who are in thrall to the evil count. Dracula must be destroyed at all costs. . . .

 
Alaska Twilight

"You're afraid of really living, Haley." He flicked his finger at her camera. "You hide behind your camera instead of stepping out and engaging life with both hands. You're so afraid you'll fail at something, you won't even try."

For some people, Alaska is a breathtaking wilderness adventure, full of light and beauty. For Haley, it is a dangerous world of dark dreams and tortured memories. On the surface, she's here to document wildlife activist Kipp Nowak's bear encounters. But her real reason is to unearth the truth about a past murder. The suspense mounts when another body turns up, and Haley begins to wonder if the tragedies she experienced in the past are connected to the dangers and mysterious incidents of the present. From behind the viewfinder of her camera, Haley observes it all, including Tank Lassiter, the bear biologist who has been forced to lead Kipp and his team into the Alaskan backcountry. As she watches him with his work, she feels a growing attraction. It will take great courage and faith to confront the truth she once ran away from. Before it's over, Haley may be viewing herself from an entirely new angle.

Alaska Twilight is the story of a young woman's emergence from the shadows of past sorrow into the light of forgiveness and grace.

(Ok I’ll admit, I picked this one up because not only is my name used, but it’s spelled correctly. Do you have any idea how rare it is to find my name not only used in a book but spelled the way I spell it? Not only that, it’s Christian Fiction. I’m pretty excited about this one!)

Swapped at pbs: 
Catch Me if you Can (reviewed)

  
Night World no. 1

The Pillars of the Earth

I also got The Big Fat Nerd Journal! I’m pretty excited about that…… I’m a big time journal lover. It came to me all the way from France.

~Haleyknitz

Review: The Channel

The Channel—Stories from L.A. by Susan Alcott Jardine
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5

The Channel is a collection of short fictional stories, some with a touch of paranormal. Some will make you cry, some will make you think, and some will make you smile. Susan is a wonderful storyteller with a talent for leaving her readers with questions and possibilities in their minds but ending the stories with a satisfying close.

Content: Clean

Recommendation: Ages 14-Adult

~Haleyknitz

Review: Cheating Death

Cheating Death by Sanjay Gupta  
Genre: Medical, Non-fiction
Rating: 5/5

Summary (from goodreads):

An unborn baby with a fatal heart defect . . . a skier submerged for an hour in a frozen Norwegian lake . . . a comatose brain surgery patient whom doctors have declared a "vegetable."

Twenty years ago all of them would have been given up for dead, with no realistic hope for survival. But today, thanks to incredible new medical advances, each of these individuals is alive and well . . .Cheating Death.

In this riveting book, Dr. Sanjay Gupta-neurosurgeon, chief medical correspondent for CNN, and bestselling author-chronicles the almost unbelievable science that has made these seemingly miraculous recoveries possible. A bold new breed of doctors has achieved amazing rescues by refusing to accept that any life is irretrievably lost. Extended cardiac arrest, "brain death," not breathing for over an hour-all these conditions used to be considered inevitably fatal, but they no longer are. Today, revolutionary advances are blurring the traditional line between life and death in fascinating ways.

Drawing on real-life stories and using his unprecedented access to the latest medical research, Dr. Gupta dramatically presents exciting accounts of how pioneering physicians and researchers are altering our understanding of how the human body functions when it comes to survival-and why more and more patients who once would have died are now alive. From experiments with therapeutic hypothermia to save comatose stroke or heart attack victims to lifesaving operations in utero to the study of animal hibernation to help wounded soldiers on far-off battlefields, these remarkable case histories transform and enrich all our assumptions about the true nature of death and life.

My Review:

Dr. Gupta takes his readers on a wild ride through modern medical science. I learned so much from this book! It was interesting, fast-paced, informative, but also held a certain amount of adventure and suspense as Gupta tells stories and relates interviews with people who have had amazing experiences with life and death—and in-between. Prepare to have your mind boggled with modern day science written in easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow prose.

Audio review: The audio-book was read by the author, and he is one of the best readers I’ve listened to. Gupta takes pride in his own work, and it shows through his voice. It’s not too fast or slow, is read with energy, and is enjoyable and engaging.

Recommendation: Ages 16+ to anyone who likes non-fiction, medical thrillers, or thrillers of any kind.

 

About the Author: Sanjay Gupta is an American physician and a contributing CNN chief health correspondent based in Atlanta, Georgia. An assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, he is also a frequent guest on the news program Anderson Cooper 360°. "Charity Hospital" won a 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Feature Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast. From 1997 to 1998, he served as one of fifteen White House Fellows, primarily as an advisor to Hillary Clinton. Gupta currently publishes a column in TIME magazine. He is also host of House Call with Dr Sanjay Gupta. His book Chasing Life was a New York Times and National bestseller. As of January 2009, he has been offered the position of Surgeon General of the United States in the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama; the final vetting is currently under way.

~Haleyknitz

New Winner!

Why is this happening to me? sigh. oh well. new winner of

is

Lisa B.

I love to photograph my children and flowers, and would love to learn how to take more professional looking photos. Thanks for the chance!!

congrats! E-mail me at haleymathiot@yahoo.com before February 2nd with your mailing address and I’ll send it out!

 

~Haleyknitz

a little out of the ordinary

Geta’s Quilting Studio is having a giveaway for quilted pockets!

aren't they beautiful? wouldn't you like to win one? But the contest ends tonight at midnight! (Jan 30th) Hurry and go enter!

~Haleyknitz

And speaking of Kindles…

If you read Teresa Jackson’s earlier post about the Kindle, you’ll know what I mean ;) Over at Warning:The following blog contains bitter, friendly, sarcastic, and helpful moments here is a giveaway for a Kindle!

Go enter here.

~Haleyknitz

Awards make my day

I got an award today! from Reading with Tequila.

Kreativ Blogger award: tell 7 secrets and tag 7 people.

Ok! here we go.

1. My favorite color is forest green, but the color I cannot stand is the green the shade of split pea soup. I cannot eat split pea soup because of this, and it makes me sick to my stomach to look at anything that color. Don’t ask why, it must’ve been some reverse psychology thing from my childhood that I’ve repressed.
   
2. I learned to play Oh Holy Night on the piano by ear.
   
3. My first play, I was a disciple of Jesus named Bartholomew.
   
4. I am 150% NOT photogenic.
   
5. My left leg is about 1 inch longer than my right, and my kneecap is 23 degrees off centre. That doesn’t help my knee injury any, which is a result of this plus overworking a muscle, and improper technique. It causes my kneecap to pop out at random times. Not exactly convenient.
   
6. I LOVE Simon and Garfunkel and The Cowsills, and Riders in the Sky.
   
7. I spell Centre, Theatre, and some other words the way the French and Europeans spell them, because of five years of dance training. Microsoft Word hates me.

I’m tagging some creative bloggers…

1. Sinking Up
2. Afternoon Eyes
3. The Pirate’s Bounty
4. Hannah’s Magic Pencil
5. Coffee for the Brain
6. Lions and Men
7. Subliminal Rabbit

~Haleyknitz

25-hour books

over at 25 hour books is an awesome giveaway where you could win a copy of Soulless, a box of tea, $10 amazon.com gift card, a beautiful mug, and second place will be two Sookie Stackhouse books. Head on over and enter!

~Haleyknitz

60 things to do at McDonalds

I didn’t write this! But I’m borrowing it. Because my friends are so awesome and post really funny posts that I “borrow.” (Love you, Brooke!)

I don’t ever go to McDonalds (to make a long story short—mom got sick and had to go to the hospital after eating there once. It cured our whole family of our McDonalds love.) but I might now, just for the sake of doing some of these…

1. Say "Amen" after you say your order.
2. Order a large cheese pizza.
3. Terminate the order by saying, "Remember, we never had this conversation." and then drive off.
4. Tell the order taker a rival fast food place is down the street and you're going with the lowest bidder.
5. When they say "may i take your order?" say "surprise me!"
6. Answer their questions with questions.
7. Use these bonus words in the conversation: ROBUST, FREE-SPIRITED, COST-EFFICIENT, UKRAINIAN PUCE.
8. Sing your order.
9. Spell out your order.
10. Talk about your social life.
11. Rattle off your order with a determined air. If they ask if you would like drinks with that, panic and become disoriented.
12. Tell the order taker you're depressed. Get him/her to cheer you up.
13. Change your accent every three seconds.
14. After ordering say "and once your done throw it out and do it again cuz you won't get it right the first time!"
15. Act like you know the order taker from somewhere. Say "Bed-Wetters' Camp, right?"
16. Start your order with "I'd like. . . ". A little later, slap yourself and say "No, I don't."
17. Ask to rent a burger.
18. Ask if there is a warrantee on your meal.
19. Order with the radio turned up at full blast.
20. Ask if you get to keep the bag. When they say "yes" start crying with happiness and call your whole family to tell them the big news.
21. Tell them to double-check to make sure your buger is, in fact, dead.
22. Imitate the order taker's voice.
23. Eliminate verbs from your speech.
24. When they say "What would you like?" say, "Huh? Oh, you mean now."
25. Amuse the order taker with little-known facts about country music.
26. Ask if they have any idea what is at stake with this meal.
27. Order just one fry.
28. Doze off in the middle of the order, catch yourself, and say "Where was I? Who are you?"
29. Order two different meals and then say, "No, they'll start fighting."
30. Ask for the guy who took your order last time.
31. Take a picture of the person at the window.
32. Hand the person at the window a box of pizza and say, "that will be $7.95"
33. If he/she suggests anything, adamantly declare, "I shall not be swayed by your sweet words."
34. Wonder aloud if you should trim those nose hairs.
35. Start the conversation with "My order at McDonalds, Take 1, and ... action!"
36. Ask if the burger is organically grown.
37. When they repeat your order, say "Again, with a little more OOMPH this time."
38. State your order and say, "that's as far as this relationship is going to get".
39. Ask if they're familiar with the term "spanking a burger." Make up a description to go with the term. Ask that this be done to your burger.
40. Tell them to take the first bite.
41. Teach the order taker a secret code. Take your order using that code.
42. When the order is repeated, change it slightly. When it is repeated again, change it again. On the third time, say "You just don't get it, do you?"
43. When you'ge given the price, say "Ooooooo, that sounds complicated. I hate math."
44. Bargain with the price.
45. When they say "Will that be all?", snicker and say "We'll find out, won't we?"
46. Ask how many dolphins were killed to make that burger.
47. Wear a detective suit and pass the person at the window a breifcase and then drive off.
48. Ask if the burger has had it's shots.
49. Don't say a word. Just stare.
50. Speak in a different language.
51. Add "Mc" to the beginning of everything you say.
52. Once you've gotten through the drive through tell them that your conversation was compromised and that they should destroy the burgers then speed off.
53. Tell them you are a vegetarian trying to break the habit and then order a burger.
54. Ask for chicken nuggets without the chicken.
55. Go to the drive thru with a couple of ppl.......when he asks for ur order....scream like a girl and start itching urself. - Bader Al-shawaf
56. When the order taker for the drive through asks you how you are today say, "On the verge of committing suicide you?"
57. Start playing peek-a-boo with the employee then refer to then as mommy or daddy and say that its storytime and you don't wanna go to bed.
58. Talk like a robot and recruit the guy at the window to take over the world.
59. When you get to the food window make sure you are facing directly forwards, say nothing, have a creepy grin on your face, and then slowly rotate your head to face the server. Take the food calmly, slowly rotate your head back, still grinning, then drive off.
60. When you get to the window, hit the order taker with a water balloon and just sit and stare at them.

bold ones are my favorite…… and I love the idea of giving them my “vampire” look. (the one that makes my sister scream and run away… lol)

got any you’d like to add? what was your favorite?

~Haleyknitz

Real Books Vs E-Book Readers - What’s Your Cup of Tea?

I have the privilege of welcoming Teresa Jackson to my blog today with a wonderful and relevant article: Real Books vs. E-books, the topic we’ve all been discussing and worrying over…

Real Books Vs E-Book Readers - What’s Your Cup of Tea?

The only real passion that has stayed with me from my childhood and through all these years is my love for books. All my friends and family members know that I’m happy with a good book and that I really don’t need anything else to be content. But of late, my affinity for books is being questioned, not because I’ve lost my love of reading, but because I’m torn between the e-version and the real thing. My new Kindle is kindling up new feelings in me, but I feel like I’m betraying my one true love and being tempted by a sleeker model because it is more convenient and trendy. And even though I don’t want to accept it, I must admit that the Kindle does have its finer points.

Among its advantages are:

• You can carry around much more than one book and not add to your burden by a single ounce.
  
• You can buy eBooks which are now much cheaper than the paperback version. 
  
• You can download any book (that’s available in the eBook format) instantly
  without having to go to a bookstore and buy it off the shelves.
  
• You can search for and skip to any part of the book in a jiffy using the tools that are available.
  
• Your e-books are all saved in your Kindle account, so you don’t lose access to them even if you misplace your Kindle tool. Of course, you do now have to spend some money to buy a new gadget.
  
• If you’re worried about your eyes, the Kindle uses an eco-friendly format called e-ink which is easy to read, even for a prolonged period of time. So try it before you skip it outright.

But then, the merits of good old-fashioned reading still stand:

• There’s nothing to beat the feel and smell of paper when reading a flesh-and-blood (I use this term because it seems most apt) book.
  
• The Kindle and other e-Book readers could set you back by as much as $300. Besides, you also have to pay for the books you download.
  
• You cannot build a library, that impressive collection of books, using your Kindle and its listing of eBooks.
  
• You are limited to buying only the books that are available in the electronic format with a Kindle. 
  
• Although a Kindle can hold a multitude of books, when it runs out of charge, you don’t have access to a single one of them until you recharge the device.
  
• There is no strain on your eyes from staring at an electronic screen for the time it takes you to read a book.
  
• The Kindle is a little flimsy and delicate, so you risk breaking it if you’re clumsy and not careful with your gadgets.
  
• The Kindle can hold only 1500 books, and although this is a large number, it does not allow for memory expansion.

So you can see why I’m torn between something that’s convenient and something that has been around for ages and comforted me through thick and thin. I finally decided to buy a Kindle and put my favorite books on it. But I still make a detour to the airport’s bookstore every time I take a flight – that’s the one concession I’m still going to make for my one true love.

 

This guest article is written by Teresa Jackson, she writes on the subject of Nurse Practitioner Programs . Email her at teresa.jackson19@gmail.com.

 

What do you guys think? Do you prefer e-books and Kindles (or any other e-reader) or real books?

Personally, I prefer real books and hope that there are enough people out there like me to keep them from going out of print. Think about Fahrenheit 451. Do we really want that? Because that’s where it’s leading… Big Brother is watching you… ;)

 

 

 

 

 

One day I’m going to have an office with floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall bookshelves and every book I love will be proudly displayed… and they will be my friends :) Because that’s what books are, right? They’re our friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a comment and tell me which you prefer and why.

~Haleyknitz

Review: Bleeding Violet

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Genre: YA, Romance, Paranormal
Rating: 4/5 

My Summary: Hanna is a freak. Diagnosed with Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia, Hyperactivity, Insanity, and nearly shut away as a maniac-depressive, she runs away from home in search of the mother she never knew. On arriving in her mother’s strange town called Portero, she makes a deal with her mom—if she can fit in with the people in this town within two weeks, she can stay. Her mother scoffs at the idea of Hanna being able to fit into the town—but Hanna soon learns that this has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with the town. Portero is like nothing she’s ever seen or heard of or imagined before. Strange creatures, invisible doors, a police-like force with a strange sense of right and wrong, a boy who she’s not sure if she likes or hates (but knows for sure that he’s hot), and a mayor who thinks she’s a god, Hanna starts her two-week challenge trying to fit in—and ends it trying to save the lives of everyone she loves.

Review:

Bleeding Violet was freakishly amazing, morbidly exciting, and realistically romantic.

I love it when the romance between the characters is real—not two perfect people who never fight who get along perfect. No, the romance between Hanna and Wyatt was not perfect, but it was there and it was special, and it was funny.

This whole book was funny. Though parts of it were strange and morbid, a lot of it was moderately confusing in an understandable way (Does that make any sense? probably not. Remember that Hanna is insane. She hallucinates… and makes some pretty interesting things happen near the end. It is confusing because it’s impossible, but understandable because she’s crazy.). I laughed almost the whole way through. It’s light and heavy, witty and serious, all mixed with the color purple.

The characters were my favorite. All the characters were very distinct and different. Sometimes when reading a story, some of the minor characters kind of blend together and seem similar, not defined enough, because they don’t really matter. But in Bleeding Violet, all the characters are distinct. I’m not sure if telling everyone that I identify with Hanna would be a wise idea because it might scare you… but to a certain extent, I did (and do) relate to her. Not just because of my own insanity (mwa-ha-ha!) but because her character was written in a very clear personal way. The story is told from first person inside Hanna’s head, so I knew exactly what Hanna was thinking all the time. Wyatt wasn’t perfect either. He had his flaws and that made him a real person. The change in Rosalie (the mother) was… both interesting and wonderful to see (Trying to keep this spoiler-free… but those of you who’ve read it already know what I mean by “change”).

The plot was engaging and fast paced, but not rushed. The details enhanced the story, rather than slowing it down just for the sake of telling you what something looked or felt like.

Bleeding Violet has a good mix of reality and paranormal. It’s mixed well enough that you can relate to it and it feels like our present day, age, and atmosphere, but the paranormal aspects are still strong and don’t feel out of place.

The low points of the book were the writing, and the ending. The writing was nothing special, but for the most part it was acceptable. The ending wasn’t a let down, but it could have been better. It was cute and sweet, but it didn’t fix all the problems, didn’t answer all the questions, and didn’t have quite enough closure for me. 

Content: There was some sex, but no explicit details. There were some sexual references, moderate language, and some morbid details. Not for the easily offended or the weak of stomach.

Recommendation: Ages 16+ to anyone who doesn’t mind being a little freaked out or surprised by crazy people.

Will I buy this book and read it again? Yes, probably. (I read the e-book copy for review.) It will (hopefully soon) have a permanent spot on my bookshelf.

 

~Haleyknitz