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Hey, all....
Just wanted to pop in and let you know that I probably won't have a post for tomorrow! I am spending the day with my 90 year-old Grandma and won't be home until late evening. And being that my day is starting at 6 a.m. (on a Saturday!! Unheard of!), I'll probably be beat.
I'm exhausted tonight.... just got in from a basketball fundraiser with the Harlem Wizards, and I must get into bed soon if I am to function at that ungodly hour tomorrow!
But, I just wanted to give a quick thank you to Angela at My Book Barn. She gave me a beautiful award, and I swear I will post it either tomorrow night, or definitely on Sunday. (I didn't want her to think it went unnoticed!)
Secondly, I just wanted to say WOO-HOO!!! I'VE REACHED 50 FOLLOWERS!!
This is very exciting for me and I definitely feel a giveaway coming on! So stay tuned! Maybe tomorrow while Granny is napping, I'll have time to gather my thoughts and put something together.
So Sunday Evening's Dinner Chat will be full of gratitudes, and great giveaways!
Have a great night all.... and, as always.... happy reading!
Okay, people. Go...now! Run...fast! Get to the store, or website... whichever you prefer, and get yourself this book. This series. You will not be sorry.
You need to start with The Luxe
, the first book. But make sure you have Rumors
on hand for when you finish it.
Rumors starts where The Luxe left off.
(just a side note - my "reviews" are not really "reviews". I don't give a huge synopsis with setting, characters, turning point, etc. It's really just my personal opinion. Whether I liked it or not. Not a whole big philosophical thing. Just a simple opinion.)
So, anyway... Rumors starts where The Luxe left off. It is now the close of the year 1899 with the same scandal, deceit and secrets of the first novel. Only now there is more, and it runs deeper.
I loved peeking in the windows of the Hollands' townhouse on Gramercy Park and the Hayes' and Schoonmakers' mansions on Fifth Avenue to see how "the other half" lives. There is no less attention to detail in this second novel of the series by Anna Godbersen
.
The story unfolds just as I hoped and imagined. The same cast of characters, plus a few minor players, only entrenched me more. I suppose that's why I love a good series. The more installments you read, the better you get to know them. And love the ones you love, and love to hate the ones you hate! And there is plenty to love and hate here.
I also don't want to give too much away by telling what happens in Rumors because for those that haven't read The Luxe yet, it's hard to give details without spoiling The Luxe.
We'll just suffice it to say that I really loved Rumors. As much as I loved The Luxe. The setting (1900 New York City is my all time favorite) is perfect. The historical details are fabulous. And, at different points in the book I found myself rooting for this one, and wanting to say "ha, take that!" to another one!
Tomorrow I will be starting Envy, the third book in the series. I don't imagine it will take me long to finish it. It's very hard for me to put these books down once I start them.
So, here's the bottom line:
My gut reaction: I loved it!
My sleep-loss meter: 5 under-eye bags! You'll be saying, "just one more page, just one more page!". And before you know it, it's 1:30 in the morning and you're quite close to finishing the book, so you might as well stay up and finish it! You will definitely have bags under your eyes in the a.m.!!
So, I see that there are alot of people giving their opinions about the e-readers available out there. I'm trying really hard to make my blog original, and not jump on too many bandwagons with weekly memes, etc. Don't get me wrong - I like reading everyone's memes, but that doesn't mean that I want to participate in all of them.
That being said, I am definitely getting on board the "to Kindle or not to Kindle?" question. I guess there are some differing opinions about these nifty devices... and yes, I said nifty. I think they are nifty. I want to love them. But, I'm going to be honest.... I don't. Love them, that is.
I love the idea of them. The concept behind them. The invention of them. But in real life - not so much.
I heard about the Kindle, read all about it, and decided "yes, I must have that gadget... I must!" So, I got me one. I bought it off e-Bay. I was so excited and pleased with myself. I could hardly sleep while I was waiting for it to arrive. About a week later, it did. I was smitten. I was like a kid in a candy store (or like me in a bookstore)!
I couldn't put it down! I could search Amazon and have "books" delivered in a minute! A minute! I could have 1,500 "books" in my hand all at one time! What is not to love???
***SIGH***.... and here is where it all comes crashing down around me. I quickly learned that me no likey. :( I know, right? Totally devastated at this realization. I wanted to love this thing so badly! And I do! Just not for me. I wanted it to be for me. I wanted to be seen hanging around the airport waiting for my flight with my nifty little Kindle in my hands.
But after owning this... this... this thing... for a couple of months, I came hurdling back to Earth with these revelations:
Number 1 - I don't travel. I go nowhere. So the thought of me being seen in the airport with a Kindle in my hand and a Diet Coke in the other is not very realistic. The Diet Coke, maybe. But me in an airport is a ridiculous idea. I haven't been on a plane in 17 years since I went on my honeymoon. And quite honestly, after 9/11, yeah I'll admit it: "no thankyou". Now, I have been known to go on a cruise or two... but we leave from the NYC Port. And a cruise is typically like, a week long. I might bring 3 (tops) paperbacks with me. I know I'm not reading more than that. The intention is there. But let's face it - after sitting on the Lido and sipping margaritas all day, I'm taking a nap at some point in the day. Then, you have dinner, the shows, and some more margaritas, and before you know it, it's 2 o'clock in the morning, and by that time, I am not hitting my cabin and crackin' open a book! I'm hitting the bed and not looking back.
So, yes... the e-reader is good for people who travel - alot. I do not fit into that category.
Now for number 2:
Number 2 - which should really be #1 because, really - this is what it's all about: IT'S NOT A BOOK!!! I hate the fact that it is not a book! We all know - I love books! BOOKS! I love to feel them. I love the smell of a brand new one. I love the soft, worn covers of old ones. Perhaps most of all - I love the covers. I posted about them last week. When I am reading a book, I have been known to stop, put a bookmark in to keep my place, and close the book to look at the cover. I mean, I look at the cover! I stare at it for minutes at a time (I know - nerd alert!). I need to get a feel for what is inside that cover, and looking at the artwork, or picture, or whatever is on the outside of that book, helps me to escape all the more and really, really get lost.
With the Kindle, there was no cover. No picture. No artwork. No nothing. I didn't have that satisfaction of feeling the new pages. Getting a whiff of "new book" scent. Closing the book to gaze at what I was reading. I just didn't get that contented, satiated feel that I get when I finish a "physical" book, if you will. So the experience of reading a book just wasn't the same.
I tried and tried.... really, I did. Don't get me wrong - there are literally thousands and thousands of people who love their Kindles, and Nooks, and what-have-you. It's not about the brand of e-reader that I had. It's about the experience. I realized that having "the next big thing" doesn't mean that it will be the next big thing for me.
So for those people who do love their e-readers... hats off to you. I, for one, will keep my books. Their clutter, the never-ending piles of "TBR"s, the toppling over mountains of "already read, but definitely want to keep"s, the unseen surfaces of my living room endtables, or bedside nighttables. I don't apologize for it. I have learned first hand that for me, there is nothing like holding that physical book in my hands.
Now, my iPod on the other hand... don't even THINK about it!
