The Scarlet Reader

Thoughts? What book did you enjoy reading the most in November? Let’s chat in the comment below!

It’s In the Stars, He Said, It’s in You (Stargazing at Noon – A Book Review)

November 24, 2019Kat J. Leave a comment

Stargazing at Noon

Author: Amanda Torroni

Published: 2019

On Goodreads

Amazon

My Rating:

Rated D for being positively divine and devastatingly spellbinding, reaching through my heart, body, and soul.

Things I learned from the moon:

at times you feel like a sliver of yourself.

There is beauty in this too.

An expansion of Torroni’s original book of the same name, more poems have been added, covering all kinds of material, far and wide. Filled with gorgeous metaphor, weaving incredible images in your mind ranging from philosophers delving into the planets to navigating intimacy like one maps the stars.

Absolutely breathless. Soft giggles of wonderment. Deep sighs of daydreams and longing. This is my absolute favorite book of poetry. I’m pretty sure it’s going to rest by my head for the rest of time and the pages will get worn and bent from being turned and read so much.

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I’m so very in love with the moon. There’s never a moment I don’t admire her. To come across a book of poetry that utilizes the moon with heartache, love, loss, and nostalgia has swept me away completely. I’m pretty sure I left my body. I couldn’t put this book down and by the time I did it was nearly 5:30am. So. Worth it.

It’s a work of art. I don’t say that just because words and poetry are art, but because the cover with its rippling water that reminds me of the way summer sun reflects on the ocean or glimmers on a lake as the sun begins to set. Even inside the book, there are bursts of unbelievably beautiful, curving and wild font that brought so much more to the poem. Each section was marked by a phase of the moon, from its beginning to end.

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Overall

This was a moving book for me. There wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t enamored and mystified and completely lost in its words. Recommended? Hell yes.

Quotables:

I don’t feel like this is a quotable book, but here are a few poems that turned me into a puddle of sighs.

Pop Rocks & Soda Pop (p. 10)   

We were electric that night the power lines collapsed
 & you laughed because our cell phones died 
& I, for the life of me, could not find a flashlight. 
There were plenty of candles, not a single match, 
&  only the palest moonlight
 catching your skin through open windows 
as we listened to the winds howl                         
                  the thunder clap                         
                  the sky break                         
                  the branches snap
 & we explored the storms 
that have long existed,
 braved the blizzards within, 
traded breaths & tangled limbs,
 all of this until the winds calmed                         
                  the thunder died                         
                  the sky healed                         
                  the branches sighed 
& we collapsed like power lines
 because we were electric that night.     

Stargazing (p. 12)  
I wasn’t admiring 
the freckles on your skin; 
I was stargazing.
 & when I said I wanted 
to make love to you, 
I meant all of you. 
& when you felt my fingers 
tracing poetry 
over parts of you that 
were supposedly broken, 
know that all I saw
were prisms, refracted light, 
& everything I wanted 
to make mine.     

The Brightest Thing (p. 16)  
I need you to know something— 
that when you’re feeling defeated 
beat up & down on your luck
 when you feel like you haven’t done 
anything of enough 
that the most important things in life
 cannot be built with your hands.  
& even on days you feel burnt out                         
                   dim in the darkness                         
                   lacking sheen  
I need you to know—  you’re still the 
brightest damn thing
 I’ve ever seen.     

Two Truths, One Lie (p. 82)  

The kitchen table appears and an arm’s reach
 between us. We play two truths and one lie.     

   1. Some nights you stay awake counting stars. One for       
      every regret. Two for every time you wished you were       
      someone else.     

   2. You don’t love me.    
 
   3. A black wolf visits you while you dream.

  You never dream.

More to come soon…

-K.

P.S. Song today? Navigator by MOONZz & Restless Modern.

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Thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Halloween Book List – A Book List

October 10, 2019Kat J. 2 Comments

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Hello, my spooky little monstrous book hoarders!

It’s time for the Halloween book list! I think this is the one that I do every year. I know I like to change things up, but this is the one that I always put up. I love putting up all of the new possible reads and sharing them with you. I’m even putting some of these on my TBR.

Now, there aren’t very many, but why should that matter!

School Spirits

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Goodreads

Hunting magical creatures is the family legacy. Getting a normal, high school life? Totally abnormal and strange.

Capturing the Devil

Author: Kerri Maniscalco

Goodreads

Fourth, and the big finale, in the Jack the Ripper series. I’ve been told that this series is thrilling and enthralling. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse with real historic events and a true villain: the White City Devil himself. What a better way to treat yourself than a YA read on a killer mystery like this.

Planting Gardens in Graves

Author: R. H. Sin

Twitter

A trilogy of poetry that I hear is supposed to be amazing. If you’re into poetry then definitely get into these pages.

Merciless

Author: Daniella Vega

Under The Book Cover

Alright, this is a series and I recommend the entire thing. I read Vega’s Survive the Night and it was phenomenal. Gave me some intense, action-horror vibes. Really loved it and I got that feeling that this series is right up there with a side of devilishness.

House of Furies

Author: Madeleine Roux

Bibliomantics

After escaping a horrific school where punishment is the main curriculum, the new job as a maid at a strange, haunting house with strange rules and scary expectations that may not be much better.

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

Author: Paige McKenzie

America’s Most Haunted

A chill. Giggling in the dead of night. Strange shadows lurking in the back of photographs. But, nobody believes her. Nobody believes she’s being haunted. How can she help? What could happen if she doesn’t?

A couple of books and some series to get your binge on with. Or, perhaps you’ve read a few already. How were they? Did you like them? Or, maybe you have some spooky reads already up and going for the season! In any case, I hope you’ve caught a few that you’ll add to your TBR, I know I have!

More to come soon…

-K.

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A Court of Coffee and Books

Let’s chat in the comments below and feel free to follow me on Twitter and I’m always happy for more friends on Goodreads to geek out with.

The Back-To-School Book Tag

September 13, 2019Kat J. 2 Comments

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Fall has begun and those long yellow rockets are moseying down the streets again and toting off tiny humans to fill their brains with a little thing called knowledge that in some cases just seeps out of their ears. Not going to lie, I didn’t pay much attention in school, yet I magically passed with some great grades. I always had my nose in a book, and no, not a textbook. LOL. I must’ve learned something.

So, this is a book tag for back to school. Some subjects you loved and some you dread and possibly some you slept through. Here is a book tag to commemorate those days!

Let’s get started!

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The class that taught you one of the most complicated and ever-changing languages on the planet. I still suck at it-both writing it and speaking it. LOL. But hey, it’s what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and I’m all right with that. It also helped me discover just how much love Shakespeare and Gothic literature and other genres and that I want to write.

What is a favorite classic or book poetry of yours?

Stargazing at Noon

Author: Amanda Torroni

Amazon

I haven’t read it yet, but I have such high hopes that it’s the one I’m choosing. I can’t wait to read it.

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Somehow letters and shapes found their way into this subject. This is worse than English in my opinion.

A book with a number or shape (freaking Geometry. Smh.) in the title.

The Darkest Star

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Macmillian

A star is totally a shape. I’m also super excited for the next book in the series: The Burning Shadow that’s coming out next month.

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I loved all the sciences, especially Astronomy. They were an adventure for my creative brain, something I could really use later on. And, I do to this day when I write, creating worlds or manipulating them into what I see in my imagination. I can take this very real and solid fact and turn it into magic. I love it.

What is a Science Fiction or Dystopian book or series that swept you away?

The Dark Tower series

Author: Stephen King

Amazon

Currently in the middle of this one. It’s been pretty wild and having just finished the fourth book and now consider myself hooked on it. It’s pretty dense but that’s the King-man for you. Full of detail, sarcasm, and immense storytelling that will swallow you whole.

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History was majorly touch-and-go for me. Sometimes I was enthralled and sometimes I wanted to sleep, which is why I sat in the back.

What’s a historical book you enjoyed? How about a book that you both loved and hated?

The Last Magician

Author: Lisa Maxwell

Simon & Schuster

I went with the historical book. It’s not often that I get swept up in a historical book, but The Last Magician really swept me away and if I can promote it I will. With magic and danger and the cusp of romance and secrecy and betrayal who could ask for more!?

Bookidote

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As a bookworm and a person who just does not athlete well (No, I’m serious. I will more than likely hurt myself than be a valuable teammate), this was not a class for me.

What’s an action-packed book that made you sweat?

Wicked

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Amazon

From some kickass moments of kicking fae ass to some seriously steamy moments, I was always out of breath.

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I loved art…though I can’t draw to save my life. I’m a big lover of covers, not because I think they solely decide whether I will read the book or not, but because graphic designers put in as much work into those covers as authors do their books. So, praise to the cover artists!

What is a book with an unbelievably, astounding, gorgeous, can’t look away cover?

Ink and Bone

Author: Rachel Caine

Amazon

There are so many books with unforgettable covers, but if I have to choose one, I’m going with this one because it really just made me swoon and fall in love. I love books. I love the way this book and every one them in the series captures the traditional, old fashion, and ancient cover of a book well-kept through history. The colors are vibrant and correlate with the story so beautifully. It just truly gives my sense some overload and nostalgia in the way a library does and that’s the point.

Never an easy class to sit through and more often than not showed you the most uncomfortable things about life and the many ways you can die. Awesome!

Name a sad book that just made your stomach sink.

Glass Sword

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Goodreads

Book two of the Red Queen Quartet. After reading it, I couldn’t start the next book for close to three months I was such a mess. That ending…getting me a teared up just thinking about it.

Bonus one? (Because honestly, who can choose just one all the time?): We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach. I still get teary-eyed sometimes when I hear ‘Landslide’ by Stevie Nicks because it reminds me of specific parts of the book.

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These days, colleges love if you can get even just a little bilingual. Most of them want two or more years of study. I took three years of Spanish and then some more during my college years. It was pretty fun.

What’s a diverse or otherworldly book you enjoyed?

Undertow

Author: Micheal Buckley

Goodreads

Giving those Aquaman vibes, I didn’t expect to get pulled into a world of the sea fighting the land and in Coney Island no less. Now I just need to get the other two books!

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It’s not a club I joined. I was a choir girl for 7 years. My voice is shot now, but I still sing terribly in the car and the shower. The drama club and other arts are such a staple and keep creativity alive and it’s very sad how underestimated and underfunded they are these days.

What’s a romance that pulled you in and wrapped you around its little finger?

Paper Princess

Author: Erin Watt

Amazon

This one of many. I wanted to mix it up a little so that you know I do many MANY favorites. LOL. This was an intense, contemporary book that didn’t hold back. Left me holding my breath a few times not only because it could get super-steamy but because it could get me shook up pretty hard. Some of the things that happened were c-r-a-z-y! So wild! I would be hopelessly addicted if it were a TV show.

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The class that was meant to help prepare you for life after high school with a variety of things from cooking to sewing to complex paperwork. Personally, I believe it needs to be a full year class, not just a quarter semester. You taught me how to pay a mortgage for a house I’ll probably never own because it’s more expensive than I can earn at the moment and how to pay taxes, which was such a confusing mess. However, I did learn to be braver and risk-taking by taking up my teacher’s dare to eat a vinegar-soaked pig’s foot. And hey, I am a fantastic seamstress and can cook some pretty good brownies. Woohoo?

What book left you with mixed feelings or confusion afterward?

Actually, I just finished one recently.

Night Shift

Author: Charlaine Harris

Goodreads

I just…struggled. LOL. I had high hopes and they just fizzled and disappeared the way rain does after a downpour in the middle of summer.

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The course that you take with your gym teacher who just reads from the manual which you can do at home. But you get credit, so you might as well if only to make sure that you won’t be that person who doesn’t nearly run over the person on the sidewalk during the driving test.

What book drove you out of your comfort zone?

The Princess Diarist

Author: Carrie Fisher

Princess Diarist - goodreads

Now, I put this up here not because it was because of some theme or dirtiness n the books. It’s because I don’t typically get into memoirs or any non-fiction really. Just not for me usually. But, I am a major fan of the princess. She’s one of my idols. So, I wanted to read about one of the biggest breakout moments of her life: Star Wars.

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Study Hall: It was the one period in the day you could sleep. Of course, I was the person that did all my work because I did not want to lug books home. Just nope. I also got to go to the library which, like any bookworm, is my happy place.

What’s a book you didn’t expect to enjoy but did?

Twilight

Author: Stephanie Meyer

Goodreads

No joke. It was middle school and everybody was carrying it around and talking about it and I didn’t get what was so appealing because I’m a Buffy girl. My vampires didn’t sparkle. They were sarcastic and soulless (except for two) and they got dusted. But, these ones sparkled and a strange introvert fell in love with one and it was rainy and I was like…”Wha?”. I did a thing I don’t do too often. I fell into the trend. Now, I didn’t become as obsessed as many others did, but I did nit-pick because of the mythos of vampires and werewolves. LOL. The story itself was beautiful, and in a way, tragic. I think I’ll reread them at some point.

And a couple of college courses too…

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One of the best subjects ever, but that may be because the results can be pretty horrifying and the magic is out of this world. Plus, the way these stories came into being and how they come from a stem of truth is mindblowing. I get super geeky and ecstatic with mythology and I mean all kinds.

A fantasy book that stems from mythology that you couldn’t get enough of.

American Gods

Author: Neil Gaiman

Bustle

This will always be one of those ones that is at the top of my list. Through and through, this book is just laced with the gods and stories we know not to mention the new gods we don’t even think about.

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Not. My. Favorite. Subject. At. All. Complex with so much masculinity. Sheesh. However, putting the Pavlov effect in motion can be hysterical. And, I’m also fascinated with dreams. I guess it’s trying to decipher everything else that’s just not up my alley. That and the idea of analyzing myself is shudder-worthy. I don’t hate the subject, but it’s just not for me. Book, however? YESSSS.

A thriller that had you jumping out of your seat.

Wake

Author: Lisa McMann

Goodreads

Thriller can be touch and go because it all depends on what keeps you clinging to the edge of your seat. I have a fascination with dreams and in this book, a girl can get sucked into people’s dreams. Something deadly is going on and she must figure it out before people, or possibly herself, end up dead.

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Understanding the history of women and men, and venus and mars, and learning about sexuality can be overwhelming, but so useful in real life. The world is evolving and we as the human race are a major part of it. Learning the history and continuing to live in the history being made today is eye-opening and exciting. No longer should anyone fe afraid to be anything or anyone other than themselves.

An LGBTQ book or one with LGBTQ involvement that you love and/or it inspired you.

All Soul’s Trilogy

Author: Deborah Harkness

: Pretty Sassy Cool

Sexuality isn’t something that is of concern in this trilogy I’ve realized. It’s more important to love and be loved and just be who you are than anything else and those themes are so strong and I’m so in love with this series!

I was never one to get up on stage in front of a lot of people. I loved EVERYTHING behind it from designing sets to hands-on building them to make-up and costume. Some of these classes I didn’t get the chance to take, but those that I did were so much fun.

What’s a play that you would recommend people to read?

The Cherry Orchard

Author: Anton Chekov

Bloomsbury Publishing

Okay, so I love A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare and definitely recommend it, but to reach outside that one I went with a Russian play. I enjoy Russian Literature so much and this entwined family, romance, desperation, and romance.

If you could go to any school, what one would you choose? ANY. SCHOOL.

Me? Not going to lie, I would’ve wanted to go to either Sunnydale High or Beacon Hills High. I live for the “Will I die by some mysterious supernatural cause?” kind of day. Keeps life interesting. LOL. And I probably would’ve gone to UC Sunnydale for further education. That or Whitmore College (The Vampire Diaries).

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For this book tag I’m tagging:

Bibliomedico

A Little Haze Book Blog

What Rebecca’s Read

The Book Raven

I haven’t tagged some blogs in a while and miss being in contact with them! So I hope you guys take up the call! It’ll be fuuuun! Just don’t forget to tag me in it because I want to see your results! If you have additional courses to add that’s cool too! And if you weren’t tagged and want to do it then go for it!

More to come soon…

-K.

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Thoughts? What subject do (or did) you love in high school or college? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Speedy Quote Sunday

April 28, 2019Kat J. Leave a comment

Speedy Quote Sunday

Hey there you beautiful booksters you!

So, I’ve been TOTALLY slacking on the Speedy Quote Sunday and for that, I’m terribly sorry. I love doing this every other Sunday. It’s so much fun to share some of my most favorite book quotes.

Some book quotes just stick out to you whether they strike you in the heart, make you laugh, or just leave you inspired.

“Choose me. Choose the dawn.” (King’s Cage, Victoria Aveyard)

The moment I read this line my heart plummeted. So short, but so powerful. And some mega Grey’s Anatomy feels coming out of it too.

“I thought the food at college would be more edible than in our high school cafeteria, but apparently I was wrong.” (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters Vol. 2 – Moonsong, L. J. Smith)

I loved this one because it was hilarious. This is always the number one mistake college Freshmen make.

“It’s amazing the difference
A bit of sky can make.”

(Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein)

Who says a poem can’t be one of the most epic quotes too? This is like that beautiful dab of happiness and quirk that’ll always make you hopeful and always make you smile.

More to come soon…

-K.

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Thoughts? A favorite book quote of your own? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Once You’re A Princess You Never Stop (Princess Diarist – A Book Review)

January 19, 2019Kat J. 1 Comment

The Princess Diarist

Author: Carrie Fisher

Published: 2016

On Goodreads

My Rating:

I liked being Princess Leia. Or Princess Leia being me. Over time I thought we’d melded into one…So Princess Leia are us.

It’s the story all Star Wars fans have been craving since the beginning. Carrie Fisher, with her wit and sharp sense of self, telling the story that’s been kept safely hidden in her diaries that she’d long forgotten about from her days as Princess Leia of Alderaan and rebel leader oof the rebellion. Rediscovering the words of her youth and naivety, she navigates through the life she had as a princess and how she looks back on it. Intimate and revealing from one of the most popular sets of all time, as well as behind the scenes of it. Outright hilarious and entertaining, Carrie Fisher tells all and she’s not censoring any of it. Not the cringeworthy audition or the truth of the ship: Carrison.

To this day, I still miss Carrie Fisher. The woman had a powerful voice whether she realized it or not. A part of me just thinks that she thought she was just being frank, loud, and giving no fucks, which is also possible. I wonder if she knew that she was more than a sex icon, a space princess, and a woman with astounding comedy. But, that she was also the rebel for people who wished they could be heard. She was that for me, and I don’t just say that because I can relate to her and we shared the same birthday. She carried a power to be inspiring and bold, and to never let anyone bring down, especially if you bring yourself down already. If someone was being an asshole she told them. That’s important. It’s important to speak up for yourself. I wish she were still here.

On to the book!

I adored this book as I adore one of my favorite outspoken and bold rebels and heroes, Carrie Fisher. I also loved LOVED Star Wars. One hell of an epic space adventure. Her style of writing matched that over her voice and the way she approaches everything she is and does to a perfect tee. I could hear her so clearly in my head as if she were directly telling me her story and I was just sitting there like a little kid with their legs crossed and their chin propped in their hands, enthralled by this story.

The story is one only she can tell and I loved that she told it. I’ve only ever heard a few bitts here and there about her time on Star Wars; the most popular one is her time not wearing a bra because there were no bras in space. I loved it even more that she was bluntly honest, even when she couldn’t entirely recall specific details. That’s how it is when you tell a story. You don’t always remember everything and sometimes you have to go back when you do. It’s okay. She knew the story and knew it was hers. The fact that not all of the pieces were there doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. She knew it did. THAT’S what mattered. These moments also provided humor.

And there was so much humor. I was giggling up a storm. And while there were these moments that I felt like I could laugh with her, there were moments that were very serious in her life. Moments that she worried and wondered what the hell she was doing and that’s the way it is for all of us. The moments regarding her mother, Debbie, and her…fling-a-ring-ting?…with Harrison weren’t just spotlights, but human moments that she was just trying to navigate. The drama was there, but so was reality, mingling with it, even though sometimes they got a little lost.

In the midst, the epicenter, of this bewildering story were some of the actual pages of her diary from her time on Star Wars. From prose to poetry to exploration blerbs, her thoughts are laid bare in some of the most incredible writing I’ve ever come across. Vivid with emotions, I was blown away.

Don’t offer me love

I seek disinterest and denial

Tenderness makes my skin crawl

Understanding is vile

When you offer me happiness

You offer too much

My ideal is a long-lasting longing

For someone whom I cannot quite touch

(p.125)

Within these pages, Carrie Fisher has answered a question that feels like it’s more to herself than it is the to the world. How does she separate from Princess Leia? Does it bother her that that’s how people will see her forever? Speaking for myself, I know she’s much more than a princess, though that’s how I came to know her at first. Hell, one time she was a nun (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), but that’s besides the point. She answered the grand questions with humorous humility, in knowing that she is this princess and that without her, her life would never be what it was. And she’d never change a thing. No regrets. For that, I’m glad.

Overall

This is a book that really captured me. Definitely one I had to keep both hands on (metaphorically) in order to keep up with it. It was special to get such a close glimpse at something so special for Carrie Fisher. From how the story of Star Wars unfolded to her time spent alone in the dark with Harrison to the conventions that she attended, she divulged more than I expected and her take on this entire adventure with met with nothing but love and light. I loved it. It’s made the loss of such a strong and beautiful and interesting figure that much heavier.

Quotables:

“Kidding yourself doesn’t require that you have a sense of humor. But a sense of humor comes in handy for almost everything else.” (p. 12)

“I’m no liar. I need you to trust that or stop reading. Recollections might differ with regard to the smaller details, but I don’t think my perceptions are distorted.” (p. 51)

More to come soon…

-K.

P.S. Song today? Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper.

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