Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Laurel Ann Nattress

Title/Author: Jane Austen Made Me Do It by Laurel Ann Nattress
Publisher/Date published: Ballantine Books, October 11th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Stories by: Lauren Willig • Adriana Trigiani • Jo Beverley • Alexandra Potter • Laurie Viera Rigler • Frank Delaney & Diane Meier • Syrie James • Stephanie Barron • Amanda Grange • Pamela Aidan • Elizabeth Aston • Carrie Bebris • Diana Birchall • Monica Fairview • Janet Mullany • Jane Odiwe • Beth Pattillo • Myretta Robens • Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway • Maya Slater • Margaret C. Sullivan • and Brenna Aubrey, the winner of a story contest hosted by the Republic of Pemberley
“My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” If you just heaved a contented sigh at Mr. Darcy’s heartfelt words, then you, dear reader, are in good company. Here is a delightful collection of never-before-published stories inspired by Jane Austen — her novels, her life, her wit, her world."

If you have been reading this blog or knowing me for some time, you will perhaps already know this, but I LOVE Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is my all-time favourite novel and I try to reread it at least once a year. Which is in fact due around Christmas I think :)

So I was really excited to read this book, as it contains a collection of short stories based on Austen's novels. I must admit that I pretty much never read short stories and they are not really my cup of tea, because I like to stay with my characters for some time after meeting them. But how could I resist reading this?

And there were some stories that were wonderful! I really liked the one by Alexandra Potter, which is a continuation of Mr. Darcy and Me, a book by her I really enjoyed. Also special mentions to Laurie Vera Riegler's (in which Mr. Darcy brings the authors of continuations/adaptations of P&P up on charges) and Jo Beverley's (in which a widowed woman has a sweet encounter through some meddling by Miss Austen herself and there's mistletoe involved!)! Especially the last one was heartwarmingly sweet and made me want to read another historical romance, cause I love those!

There were also some stories that didn't really work for me, but well, I could either skip those or they ended soon enough for it not to bother me. And while this did not make me want to read more short stories, it did make me want to read and watch P&P again (both the BBC version and the one with Keira Knightley)! And my little Austen-loving hard was glad I read this :) It really featured every single one of her novels and made me appreciate her genius anew!

My rating: 3,5 stars

Daisy Update

I am feeling kind of lazy today, so instead of recording the IMM I had planned, I am doing this again :)

So, I had a pretty good week! I had an unexpected extra day off from work, cause there wasn't enough to do, which on one hand sucks cause I need the money, on the other hand: it's cold and I don't really want to go outside when it's cold. So I got to sleep in a bit on Thursday and then stay snuggled up beneath my blanket with my tea and book. This made me ridiculously happy.

Another exciting thing: Tuesday I watched 2 of my best friends graduate and become doctors! It was amazing, one of them I've known since the very beginning of college, she was in my introductin group and the other I've known about a half year less. But we've done this whole thing together and it makes me proud to see them looking all pretty in their dresses, accepting their diplomas!

Friday I had a high tea at a restaurant with one of my best friends, who used to be my roommate, we lived together in the apartment I now live in with my boyfriend for 3 years and we don't see enough of each other now. So I was really glad we could do this and it was so much fun! We ate LOTS of delicious food and drank so much tea, it was wonderful :) I also discovered where they get their pina colada tea, which is SO GOOD! Am probably ordering it soon.

I have also officially started my Christmas shopping! I got my blog/Twitter buddy Alexa something, I'm not telling what cause she hasn't gotten it yet. And got my mom a bathrobe to wear when we go to the spa together and I also got myself a little something:



FLEECE PJ PANTS!!! I didn't get the jacket that matched it. But it was the last one and I was so happy when they had it in my size! And they are totally as comfortable as they look (am wearing them now) and very soft :)

The boyfriend and me went to a concert on Friday and a party near his parents' yesterday night, which explains the laziness today. You know what I hate? How they smoke in the bar we went to and then the next morning everything smells so bad! I really dislike smoking, especially in bars when they're not paying attention and accidentally stab you in the hand/arm with a cigarette. Yeah, that also happened yesterday night...

On bookish aspects: I have managed to read 4 books this week and will start another one later tonight, I only loved 1: Between the Sea and Sky, which is adorable! But the others were enjoyable as well.

That's all for me this week, hope you had a good week as well! :)

Variant by Robison Wells

Title/Author: Variant (Variant #1) by Robison Wells
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, October 4th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher thought NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.
He was wrong.
Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.
Where breaking the rules equals death.
But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape — his only real hope for survival — may be impossible."

This is gonna be a hard review to write, because I had such mixed feelings while reading this book! I almost pulled a DNF on this one, but slowly it got slightly better and the last part I really enjoyed. But I think it took about 250 pages before I started enjoying it and I'm kinda proud of myself I didn't stop before then.

The main problem I had was the narrator's voice. I didn't really like Benson and it took until the very end for me to warm up to him. He'd been to a lot of stuff, but I didn't feel the least bit inclined to feel sorry for him. And a huge part of it is that he kept complaining A LOT about being in the school.

I mean, I get it sucked when you had expected something completely different, BUT I felt all he did was complain about it and not really being constructive in his wanting out. And the whole thing with there being 3 different gangs at a sort of war with each other didn't really work for me either, though I'm not really sure why.

I did like the ending scenes, it got really tense there and exciting! I think this book was a bit too much build-up for me, because once we got to the part about what was really going on, I found myself eagerly turning the pages! It ended at a huge cliffhange rand I'm wondering how we'll go from there and what exactly is up with that school!

Rating this is kinda hard, but as it was an almost DNF and I didn't end up loving it in the end...
My rating: 2,5 stars

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Title/Author: The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
Publisher/Date published: Sourcebooks Landmark, October 4th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "When Eva's film star sister Katrina dies, she leaves California and returns to Cornwall, where they spent their childhood summers, to scatter Katrina's ashes and in doing so return her to the place where she belongs. But Eva must also confront the ghosts from her own past, as well as those from a time long before her own. For the house where she so often stayed as a child is home not only to her old friends the Halletts, but also to the people who had lived there in the eighteenth century. When Eva finally accepts that she is able to slip between centuries and see and talk to the inhabitants from hundreds of years ago, she soon finds herself falling for Daniel Butler, a man who lived - and died - long before she herself was born. Eva begins to question her place in the present, and in laying her sister to rest, comes to realise that she too must decide where she really belongs, choosing between the life she knows and the past she feels so drawn towards."

This book went BEYOND my expectations! Seriously, on starting it, I thought I would enjoy this book. Instead, I ended up LOVING it! It was so amazing, so prepare for a gushing review :)

This is a time travel story and this makes it a historical romance mixed with a contemporary romance novel and I really enjoyed this part of it! I loved how there's such an emphasis on the importance of the house, to the point it almost felt like a character itself. I also loved that Eva had such a connection to it from her childhood!

Eva as a main character is wonderful! I'm all about the strong family bonds, mostly with close family (parents, siblings) and Eva genuinely loved her sister very much. Her sister was a famous actress and I didn't sensed only a little jealousy because of this, which I can totally understand. She is sensitive and strong and I loved how this balanced out for her.

And I loved the guy! Daniel is SO amazing! If I was transported back in time and met him, I would totally fall for him! Because really, who in their right mind wouldn't? He's understanding and generous, not to mention HANDSOME and charming! *sigh* I loved the chemistry between them and I was just going AAAH! KISS ALREADY! So yeah, good romance :)

I also loved some of the other characters, which is always a huge bonus! And I love how everytime tied together in the end and how I kept thinking 'OH, so THAT's why that detail was mentioned before!' I love it when that happens and seriously!

This story left me feeling a mix of happy and sad at the ending, happy because the ending was SO FREAKING GOOD and sad because it ended. I didn't want it to stop yet and this for me is the sign of a good book!

My rating: 5+ stars

Eve by Anna Carey

Title/Author: Eve (Eve #1) by Anna Carey
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, October 4th 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus — and the vaccine intended to protect against it — wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.
Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust... and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life."

This was an amazingly fast-paced book! I just flew right through it and really enjoyed every minute of reading it!

I've mentioned it before, but I am obsessed with things like this: a virus or some other disease wiping out a big part of the population. Because I believe this is what will eventually happen. Hopefully not in 2016, as it did here, cause that's a little too close for comfort.

I really liked the way the author envisioned the impact of such a thing happening and was horrified by what people would quite believably be capable of doing to others! I mean, what they do to the girls is horrible, but so is what is happening to the boys! Gosh, it was awful!

I really liked Eve, I mean, she is obviously brainwashed, but you can't really blame her, because it's the way she was raised. And it provided some pretty funny moments, like when she tells Caleb when they meet that he 'wants to have intercourse with her', cause she's taught that's all guys want.

And let's talk about Caleb, because really, SWOON! I LOVED the boy! He was amazingly patient and such a good guy! I mean, that thing he does near the end? You know what I mean if you've read it, but it's just such a loving thing and so selfless!
And can I just say the two little boys at the cave where Caleb lived broke my heart? I just wanted to hug them!

And the ending! OMG! The ending killed me and I am sort of glad I read the summary for Once (the sequel) already and I am really looking forward to reading it! Fair warning: this is not a bloodless book, as most dystopians aren't, it's not overly graphic or something, but it's not for the faint of heart I think.

My rating: 4,5 stars

Daisy Update

I finally took the leap and decided to make this blog a little more personal. Cause, you know, I'm so interesting and all ;)

You may know I'm a med student and now I can officially say I'm in the final stages of this part of my education. I am having a little break right now from interning, because the scientific research internship I had ended 4 weeks ago and I won't start the next one until January. Which means that right now I'm working 20 hours a week as an administrative assistant (which is a fancy name for typing out letters the doctors record on a tape ;) ), cause I need to somehow pay for important things like food, clothes and books!

I am kind of enjoying working part time! But, as of January I will again be interning 50-60 hours a week for another 3 months and then I'm DONE! Which is very exciting, cause then I get to WORK and be all grown-up and all that. Basically I'm tired of having to constantly ask someone else to prescribe the meds for my patients and fun things like that.



Some Dutch culture added in: in Holland we celebrate 'Sinterklaas', which is basically like Santa Claus, but with politically incorrect helpers/minions (whichever you prefer) as pictured above. We always have a sort of Secret Santa for this with my boyfriend's family and that will be this afternoon. I already got the presents, now all I need to do is write the poem to go with it. And then there'll be lots of food :D

While shopping for the presents for this, I bought WAY too much stuff for myself: 3 dvds, A Discovery of Witches, 2 necklaces (cause I can really wear them at the same time..), new black boots, jeans, grey pumps and two belts. That is on top of the four dresses, cardigan and sparkly grey top I bought in the last two weeks. And ALL the books I bought.

As for a bookish update: I read and loved Hallowed by Cynthia Hand, it was full of sadness, but amazing. And if you're into clean romance/historical romance, you should DEFINITELY read The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley, it was AMAZING! I think my review will be up somewhere this or next week.
Right now, I'm reading Jane Austen Made Me Do It, which is a collection of short stories and I'm loving some and not so loving others, but it makes my romantic little heart happy :)

I hope you all have a great week!

In Pursuit of Miss Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens

Title/Author: In Pursuit of Miss Eliza Cynster (The Cynster Sisters Trilogy #2) by Stephanie Laurens
Publisher/Date published: Avon Books, October 1st 2011
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "Three heroes, three rescues, three weddings.
The pleasure of your company is requested
at the wedding of Miss Eliza Cynster
...but not until she's rescued from a daring abduction by the most unexpected of heros!
Brazenly kidnapped from her sister Heather's engagement ball, Eliza Cynster is spirited north to Edinburgh. Desperate and determined to escape, she seizes upon the first possible champion who happens along - gentleman scholar Jeremy Carling.
Villains and rescues are a far cry from Jeremy's expertise, yet he cannot abandon a damsel in distress. But danger lurks and hurdles abound in their race to escape the mysterious laird, until a final confrontation on a windswept cliff reveals what their future life could hold - if both are bold enough to seize and own the unexpected love they now share."

I remember reading at least one of the previous books in the Cynster series, as I recognized a lot of names while reading this one, I just can't remember which one I read... Because, let's be honest, a lot of titles of romance novels resemble each other and I read it before I kept track of my books on Goodreads (I can barely remember such a time...).

I am sad to say I struggled a bit with this book. And for once I know exactly why that is: there was no tension. None. I LIVE for the tension in romance novels and I KNOW Stephanie Laurens can do this, because I remember really enjoying one of her other novels, but there was just nothing in this one. I did think Eliza and Jeremy suited each other, but it lacked the stomach clenchiness that makes me such a fan of this genre!

Also, I took a bit of offense at the constant mention of how unexpected it was that Jeremy pulled the rescue off, because he was a SCHOLAR. I mean, seriously? My boyfriend goes to university and I am telling you he is very strong and could have pulled it off as well. Being smart does not make you less manly! I get that things were different back then, but still.

Anyway, I am one of those girls who lives for the moments in historical romance when there are things that drive the two lovers apart of when they believe the other one doesn't love them and such, because: DRAMA! TENSION! And in this one they just sort of mutually fell in love and were chased around and I didn't really feel it.

But, there is some major foreshadowing for the third book in the series and as I am anticipating the two main characters in that one will clash some more in their personalities, I am really looking forward to reading it! Also, of course knowing there's a third book, I guessed who the mysterious captor was and he sounds really interesting! :)

My rating: 2 stars