Out of commission

It might be some time before I post again. Unfortunately, I had a wee bit of an accident while attempting to roller skate today. I discovered that gravity is still a heartless bitch. In my right arm: the top of my radius bone broke off & is floating by itself. The very top tip of my ulna bone broke off (little triangle piece). Also, the ball joint of my humerus is also multiply cracked. Short of it, I need reconstructive surgery & will need physical therapy. So far the nerves are okay & intact. Can feel my fingers & wiggle even though it hurts like the dickens. The orthopedic doctor said  they won't know about the ligaments until they do more scans or when they operate.
However, they don't have the resources here to do this surgery so they are sending me to Hawaii. 


If you'd like to stay updated, please follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Those are ultimately easier to update. I will try to remind hubby to tag me in status updates. 


Happy blogging & reading, fellow bookies! See you on the flip side of surgery. All my bookish love,
Marissa


PS - My Waiting on Wednesday is..... Surgery. Haha 

Tune in Tuesday (6): 80s Edition Redux

Tune in Tuesdays is hosted by Ginger at GReads to help spread the love of music!  I hope you enjoy and perhaps it will take you back.

That's right folks.  I am torturing you with a second week of my throw back to the 80s.  Blame my brother for my music tastes!  Some of the following tunes I can remember waking up to and listening to while getting ready to head off to school.  

Starship: We Built This City

Fleetwood Mac: Everywhere

The Bangles: Manic Monday

Nena: 99 Red Balloons (English version)

Do you have any songs that remind you of going to school or that you listen now while you're getting ready to head out the door to class?

Thanks for tuning in!

In My Mailbox: 9/25

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme sponsored by The Story Siren to highlight books we may have borrowed, purchased, or received in the mail. 

Welcome to my first In My Mailbox! I NEVER thought I'd get to do one of these since I get all my books through the Kindle so I'm completely ecstatic that I get to share this AWESOME first installment. I received two packages this week, one from Karen at For What It's Worth & one from Book Nerds Across America Blog with SWAG & I received some e-books as well.
Without further ado...

For What It's Worth Giveaway from Twitter during the original #TeamKilt Party:

From Jeri Smith-Ready herself via Karen:

-Death Cab for Cutie t-shirt from their Codes & Keys tour
-Death Cab for Cutie & Frightened Rabbit tour pamphlet signed by Jeri with a note

pointing to a picture of frightened rabbit declaring them Jeri & Zach's new band!

-ENTHRALLED swag signed by Jeri

From Karen:

-The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver, postcard

-Return to Paradise by Simon Ekeles, bookmark

-Class of 2k10, bookmark

-For What It's Worth, bookmark

-Intertwined series by Gena Showalter, bookmark

-How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston, pocket mirror button

-Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, button

-Wicked Game, Bad to the Bone, & Bring on the Night, mini cards

(BotN signed by Jeri)

From Book Nerd's Across America Blog for a small contest about their crush tournement:

-Die For Me by Amy Plum, bookmark, signed by Amy

Not pictured this week, E-books for review:

-Tower of Parlen Min by Matt Xell, from the author

-Double Clutch by Elizabeth Reinhardt, from the author

Purchased by me on the Kindle:

-Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith

Review: Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways by Traci Hall

Her Wiccan, Wiccan Ways
Rhiannon Godfrey Book #1
Traci Hall
Samhain Publishing
December 1, 2008
Kindle edition

Rhiannon Godfrey is a psychic prodigy, but her parents don't see things her way. They think she needs a "normal" high school experience. She wants to stay in trendy Vegas. In the small farming town of Crystal Lake, being Wiccan doesn't exactly help the Godfreys blend in. Beyond angry, Rhiannon neglects to inform her parents the farmhouse they just bought is haunted. Instead, she decides to use the resident ghost to prove that she belongs back in Dr. Richards's Institute of Parapsychology. Not that dispelling ghosts is her area of expertise, but really, how hard can it be? And then there's Jared Roberts. Totally hot. For a cowboy, that is. Only problem? He comes with an evil twin sister, the shallow and popular Janet. Janet's only goal is to make Rhee's life miserable. So when she and her friends decide it's time for a little payback, Rhee goes to her mother's book of spells. Janet needs to be taught a lesson, and what harm can come from a few words? Just one little spell. - Goodreads.com

When I started this book I thought Rhiannon was a bit whiny and sulky but the further I read and learned more about her, I could understand where she was coming from attitude-wise.  She did feel like a very real person to me. Of course I'm fifteen years her senior so I felt like she was being immature but the 15 year old girl that lives inside my brain sympathized with her and could see why she felt animosity for being transplanted to someplace new. It's clear that Rhiannon felt safe and had a good thing going at the Institute.

I am not a follower of Wicca and am unfamiliar with the practices but it gave the story an interesting spin. Rhiannon is embarrassed by her family's beliefs and how they practice their religion. I'm sure that we can all related to being embarrassed by family members are some point in our lives. The paranormal/ghost aspect was very interesting. For me, it added creep factor without going overboard to the point that I needed a friend to go use the restroom, if you know what I mean, or sleep with the lights on.

Of course her issues with the girls at school and integrating into high school is typical for an outsider-trying-to-fit-in story. Rhiannon is determined and stubborn, sometimes to a fault and detriment to herself. She certainly is not a stranger to making bad decisions, that's for sure.

Overall, I was entertained and enjoyed the story. It didn't change my life or make me gush and bounce over the moon about it but that's okay. Not every book can be my absolute favorite and not every female protagonist is going to feel like my long lost best friend. It wouldn't be a book that I would suggest right off the bat if someone asked me for a recommendation. The following books in the series would make for interesting reads and I wouldn't be opposed to picking them up in the future for tickles and grins just to see where Rhiannon's story goes.

Waiting on Wednesday (7): Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Out of Sight, Out of Time
(Gallagher Girls #5)
Ally Carter
Hyperion
Expected publication: March 20, 2012

The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan--an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole. The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers. Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind. It’s a race against time. The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

I kicked off my summer reading with the first book in the Gallagher Girls series, I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You and I was immediately drawn into Ms. Carter’s writing style.  I sped through the four books that had been published and yearned for more of Ally’s writing and THAT turned me to Heist Society.  I just couldn’t get enough of her writing!  I can’t wait to read Out of Sight. 

Boarding school for girl spies.  Need I say more?  Not to mention hot spy-boy, Zach.  (What IS IT about boys named Zach ladies?)  I am starting to believe that it is quite possible that naming a boy Zach means hot, mysterious, charm-the-pants-off-the-heroine main squeeze material. (It’s true.  Ask anyone from #TeamKilt.) 

If you haven’t tried out the Gallagher Girl series, I suggest you give it a try.

Tune in Tuesday (5): 80's Edition

Tune in Tuesdays is hosted by Ginger at GReads to help spread the love of music!  I hope you enjoy and perhaps it will take you back.

Since this is my birth month and I am a definite child of the 80's for the next two installments I am going to celebrate my birth decade.  So if you don't like the music from that era, go no further!

My older half-brother Patrick is probably mostly to blame for a large part of this list.  I can remember him listening to Duran Duran, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and even the Beastie Boys.  Seriously, thinking about it now I might have Pat to thank for my eclectic tastes!  Well, and my parents, too, but of course you always want to listen to what your big brother does right?  Without further ado, I take you back in time to the 80s.

Duran Duran: Save a Prayer

Madonna: Get Into the Groove

Michael Jackson: Billie Jean

Poison: Every Rose Has Its Thorn

What's your Tune in Tuesday pick? 

Review: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Waterfall (River of Time #1)
Lisa T. Bergren
David C. Cook, publisher
February 1, 2011
Amazon Kindle edition


In Waterfall, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in Fourteenth-Century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties. Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the Fourteenth Century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another. –Goodreads.com

It has been a few weeks since I finished Waterfall and I am realizing now I should have written this review much sooner to capture the spirit of how I was feeling at the end of this book.  Can I just say I really, really, really want to know what happens next?!  There are two more published books in the series, Cascade & Torrent (which was just recently released) but I haven’t gotten a chance to purchase & read them as of yet.  However, I SO want to know what happens to Gabi & her sister.
With that being said, the Goodreads summary hits the high-lights of this book on the head: knights, swords, horses, armor…and Italian hotties.  I know my blog is fairly new but there are a few things I should share with you. I am a sucker for:

• Guys with accents
  
• Guys in armor
  
• Foreign settings
  
• Historical fiction

The list could go on and on and now with THAT being said… In both high school and college I studied Italian (although my grammar is still  rusty as heck) and even got to visit Italy.  This book reminded me of that so it immediately struck the right chord with me. I love Gabi’s thought process as she gets flung back into time.  She is worried about how to get back to her time, how to survive in a world without modern medicine, realizes how easy and what a blessing modern conveniences like indoor plumbing can be.  Gabi is a smart, considerate, and amazing protagonist.  She takes action and brings her modern knowledge into play to help those in need.  This girl is not going to sit demurely in the corner and let the boys fight her battles.  No, she is going to be right beside her new crush and his flirtatious best friend kicking butt and taking names.


The romance between Gabi and Marcello is not love-at-first-sight and I love that!  It was a slow build and felt so right.  It was courtly and chivalrous & *sighs* just perfect. 

There is a small undertone about religion but it did not interfere with the story.  However, religion was a very big part of the time period so it fit.  The time travel in the book isn’t quite explained.  It happens and you’re not sure of the “how” or the “why”.  BUT it isn’t confusing (for those of you that get worried when you hear the words “time” and “travel” put together).  However, I’m hoping that further into the story we will find out what mystical/magical happenstance brought Gabi & Lia back in time.

Was it a divine plan that took her and Lia back in time?
Will Gabi and Lia’s heroic efforts change the course of history?
What happens to Marcello & the rest of the characters at the end as well?

These are all things that we were left wondering but I’m hoping we’ll find out more in the next two books.  Head’s up: There is some Italian in the book but Ms. Bergren is very good about translating the phrases she uses. 

This book left me wanting but in a good way!  After reading this book, if you don’t want to travel to Italy or at least learn a few phrases of this romantic language, I’d be surprised.  This book screamed, “Marissa, READ ME!” and I am so very glad that I did.
I hope it will do the same for you!