February, 07, 2010

Read: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when head cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, the results are bound to be explosive. But neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all–love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?

This book ended my string of “books started, books put down after one or two chapters” so it’s a good thing I finally found it again in early January after looking for it for months. Of course, I found it accidentally and also in a place I’m sure I looked at least twice.

Perfect Chemistry tells a story that has strong shades of West Side Story. In fact, it has strong shades of nearly every cliché found in high school romances. Or at least, it has enough of them it would have been turned into three Sweet Valley High books back in my day. There’s The Bet, a year-long school project that brings two people together who normally wouldn’t have any contact, and there’s the good, perfect cheerleader and the bad boy gangsta. What keeps it all together is the look beneath the surface, some sweet and touching moments, and two young people finding their own identity. That’s why I enjoyed reading Perfect Chemistry. Quite a lot and nearly up to the ending. Especially the epilogue pushed it too far into fairy tale territory whereas the whole gang business, let’s just say I had trouble buying it completely in the setting of that story. But up until the last few chapters, I was caught up in the story. I even had to sniffle a time or two. (4/5)

Currently Reading: Ice Blue by Anne Stuart

Museum curator Summer Hawthorne considered the exquisite ice-blue ceramic bowl given to her by her beloved Japanese nanny a treasure of sentimental value-until somebody tried to kill her for it.

The priceless relic is about to ignite a global power struggle that must be stopped at all costs. It’s a desperate situation, and international operative Takashi O’Brien has received his directive: everybody is expendable. Everybody. Especially the woman who is getting dangerously under his skin as the lethal game crosses the Pacific to the remote and beautiful mountains of Japan, where the truth can be as seductive as it is deadly….

I’m maybe halfway through and the more books I read in this series, the harder my time gets with the idea behind the Committee. It’s just too “James-Bond” to me – a private organization that’s out to save the world without any involvement of authorities.

With Ice Blue I also have the problem to understand why Summer still lives. Takashi claps eyes on her and he can’t do what he’s send to do: kill her. Especially because the first time he looks her in the eyes, it’s a situation conducive to just pull the trigger and be done with it – his assignment and saving the world. But he doesn’t. I guess I would have less trouble believing that if he’d spent some time with her. But after looking her in the eyes for the first time – a cold-blooded killer? – uhm, not so much.

What’s even more puzzling to me, the Committee deemed Summer expendable for the greater good from the start but they go and gather information about her right down to her bra size (they are able to produce a near identical wardrobe to her own for her in the matter of a few hours later in the story). Why do that when they wanted to off her from the get-go? Why go to all that trouble?

All this leaves out my impression that I’m basically reading the same story again as in Cold As Ice. Different names for the main protagonists and villains, different locations, but more or less the same situations between the main protagonists, the same conflicts. But all this also leaves out the fact that I still find the conflict – falling for the one you’re ordered to kill – compelling.

I’ll continue reading.

February, 4, 2010

At the moment (well, the last few weeks/months actually) I’ve been rather meh about blogging. I don’t have a really good reason for it, like being swamped with work for example. Or that I’m busy playing.

I play, but not a lot. In fact, I’m thinking about quitting Runes of Magic. There are a number of reasons but if I go into them, it’ll be a whole post and I just don’t want to open that can of worms. Basically, it comes down to the unease I had from the beginning about the business philosophy behind it. Also, the post probably wouldn’t be all that interesting if you don’t play as well.

So anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, being meh about blogging. I guess it just comes down to that I don’t feel really inspired to write. Now I just have to accept that and wait.

Good thing I still feel inspired to buy books.

And conveniently, I received a 5-Euro-off coupon because Valentine’s Day is coming.

January 2010

* * *Books* * *

Books bought / ordered:
Maya Banks – Seducing Simon

Books read:
Maya Banks – Seducing Simon /3/5)
Claire Delacroix – Fallen (4/5)
Janice Kay Johnson – Snowbound (4/5)
Kathryne Kennedy – Enchanting the Lady (3/5)
Juliet Marillier – Heir to Sevenwaters (4/5)
Patti O’Shea – In the Midnight Hour (3,5/5)
Deborah Smith – A Place to Call Home (4,5/5)

• TBR pile: – 6 books

Favorite novel:
Based on the grade, I would have to go with A Place to Call Home by Deborah Smith but it’s missing that “special connection” I look for in a book I’m going to call a favorite (it also lost some of its appeal during the later chapters). I also very much enjoyed reading a book my Marillier again but the way the story was told didn’t convince me completely. Snowbound by Johnson had some strong points but again, not enough to make it a favorite. So no, no favorite book for me this month.

New-to-me authors: Maya Banks, Claire Delacroix, Janice Kay Johnson, Patti O’Shea, Deborah Smith

New-to-me authors I would read again: (Maya Banks), Claire Delacroix, Janice Kay Johnson, Patti O’Shea, Deborah Smith

* * *Games* * *

Games bought:
Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)

Games played:
Runes of Magic (PC)
Persona 4 (PS2)

Comments: Games —
Currently Playing: “Persona 4″ (PS2)

* * * ~ * * *

• one measly (longer) book comment
• one measly game comment (short)
• not counting this one, five measly posts this month
• didn’t manage the one challenge I wanted to do
• there goes my resolution to do better with blogging this year. Right away – fail.

Nothing To Say

I have nothing to say but I feel like I should post because the longer I stay away from the blog, the harder it gets to get back to posting. So here goes:

I’ve read three books:

• Seducing Simon by Maya Banks
  I was hoping for a nice unrequited-love story but it turned out to be a story with more than a whiff of secret-baby-Harlequin-Presents style. (3/5)
• Fallen by Claire Delacroix
  Liked the setting and the world + the mystery. It also had two WTFs. (4/5)
• In the Midnight Hour by Patti O’Shea
  I nearly put the book down in the beginning (too “flimsy”) but it turned out to be a decent read after all. Mostly thanks to the hero, Deke, who wasn’t a jerk with a capital J and a rather interesting mystery about a curse. (3,5/5)

I started two books but put them down after a few pages/chapters.

• The first one had a heroine who has to save the day. That is, her mother is into “borrowing” other people’s things and the heroine has to return them at night (year 1848). She also has to manage the household. – Wasn’t in the mood for that.
• The second one has a heroine who catches her husband “cheating” on her with his secretary in his office. Three problems: 1) he has his shirt off, yes, but he hasn’t his xxx up her xxx; he hasn’t even his pants down. The secretary is lounging on the table. 2) She readily believes the lies the secretary tells her but she doesn’t believe her husband. He has a motive – cheating – but the secretary of course doesn’t have one for lying. 3) Ten months later she still hasn’t really talked to him. She’s also still married to him. – Wasn’t in the mood for that.

In the Midnight Hour nearly got tossed (among other things) because the heroine is too stingy to buy a new bowl despite that she actually doesn’t have the right bowl for a very important spell. She’s all “this has to go exactly right” and “this is so important” and then she doesn’t get the right bowl even though she has the money for it? But then again, the ceremony also calls for being outside – naked – and she skips that, too. Yep, I can see that this is one important spell, easily screwed up, and that this woman is a mighty responsible one.

Or maybe I’m just cranky and it’s me and not the books.