Why LA? Pourqoi Paris? Book Review

Hello-Hello! I finally put this review on the world wide web after an unexpected leave of absence from book blogging. I prioritized reading and  book pictures. ^^

Below is a sneak peak of my Why LA? Pourqoi Paris? review. 

Enjoy!

Have you ever been to Paris or LA? I can proudly say that I have. Only to Paris… And by being in Paris, I mean that I spent a maximum of an hour or two there. The majority of that time, I was in a bus station taking a break – bathroom and gas tank refill. It was a beautiful dark station with amazing bathrooms. Yes, I had to pay 50¢ (euros) for the toilet. Besides the station, I had the chances to see La Seine, the river that crosses Paris, and a few random buildings from the bus window. Now, you understand why I need to go back there?

Speaking of which, this book was a great catalyst to remember my love for France and French culture. With the American culture, I am well acquainted already. Wink-Wink. And regardless of my previous knowledge about these amazing cities, Diane Ratican’s travel guide poked my interest in them again...

Melody Obsession of the Week Brought to You by Me, Presents Ellie Goulding Don’t Need Nobody

Hello-Hello! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted one of these. The same old excuse: I had to pull out from the closet my superhero cape because of reality. “You gotta do what you gotta do,” they say. “Who are they,” you ask. Let’s call it pop culture.

The good news is that I had time for reading books...

"Sanity, Where Have You Gone? I Fall from Grace, Here in the Dark..."

Hello-Hello, fall lovers! Or should I say, Halloween lovers?

I decided to participate in the October weekly meme, Spooky Quilling, created by Savannah from The Book Prophet. If you are interested doing this meme or checking her awesome blog, you just have to click the links above.

There are new prompts each week. I planning to do all the memes by November 1st since this moth turned out to be very eventful for me. 

I also tweaked the meme a bit and I planning to use song lyrics or titles for the blog post titles. Of course, I will also provide the YouTube links for those songs.

Prompt 1 for October 3rd was:

“For this prompt you have to write a spooky story about how the villain of a story – a story already in existence or of your own imagination – became the villain. This has to be 666 words (I know it’s hard but try and get it exact – you never know, it may bring you good luck).”

A villain is born

The night was dark and moonless. It was so cold that you were able to see your own breath leaving the body just like a soul. Steps. Steps on the frozen snow were screeching like someone was stepping on broken glass accepting his dark fate.

Melody Obsession of the Week, Brought to You by Me, Presents Photograph by Ed Sheeran

Hello-Hello! Today, I have another song for you. I am listening it for a while now.

Ed Sheeran is growing on me especially with this song - actually it started with the Shape of you (link to post) but moving on...

This song brings up past memories and love just like a good book that resonates with you does.

Apparently, fall is for memories. I often find myself thinking about good books I read and stayed with me. But, I also think about my past, people, events, and songs I listened during that particular year.  

In my opinion, Photograph is a good song to contemplate about stories - from books or real life - that left a mark on you. Every story change you in a way. So that is why it is important to contemplate and learn from the past.

Every last minute is in the past now. :P

I hope you are going to enjoy this song as much as I do; even though, it is on the slow side.

Without further ado...

Photograph - Ed Sheeran

Listen it on repeat!

Happy Music Madness!

PS

Until next time, feel free to check out my latest posts HERE:

The Guilty Reader Book Tag

The last Music Madness Pick 

The Guilty Reader Book Tag

Hello-Hello! It is time for another post, a book tag. I've been tagged by the wonderful blogger, Abi, from What Makes A Good Book. If you are curious what her answers were, just be kind and click on the link. ;)

The creator of this book tag is ReadLikeWildfire from YouTube. 

Let The Book Tag Begin...!

1. Have you ever re-gifted a book that you've been given?

I rarely receive actual physical books from people but the ones I did receive... No, I have not re-gifted any of them from what I remember. 

2. Have you ever said you've read a book when you haven't?

This goes into technicalities territory. I said that to books I was currently reading or books I did not finish reading. I've done this mostly for school books like most people in this world. ^^' Sorry, professors! Although, I did read some of the content and researched the heck out of that said book's content. Thank you, Google!

3. Have you ever borrowed a book and not returned it?

Guilty as charged. Hey, don't judge! It was around the time when I was a kid and I did not give a dime about books. Yes, I was a kid who did not like to read because it was too boring for my kid hyped brain. An exception to the rule were the W.i.t.c.h. comic books. 

Now, I want to rectify my kid mistakes as much as possible. :D

4. Have you ever read a series out of order?

I guess so. It mostly happened with [romance] books that were part of huge series but each book could be read as a standalone.

5. Have you ever spoiled a book for anyone?

Yes. I know. I know. I know. Fire and damnation. "Shame! Shame! Shame!" "Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!"

It was one time by mistake when I was talking with my desk-mate about Anna Karenina's ending and someone,who was not done with the book, overheard us. And other times, I spoiled books for my friend(s) who wanted to know the ending. Yes, I ask for permission! So... In your face, judgmental readers! 

But, please, ask for permission to spoil books. And, hey, mistakes happens. 

Most of the things I spoiled were for myself. I spoiled books, movies, and TV shows to myself...

6. Have you ever doggy eared a book?
Yes. I did that a lot when I was younger or when books did not want to cooperate. Do you know how hard it is to read a book that does not want to stay open? Very. Even dangerous, I can say.  It is like playing with one of those bear traps. When you least expect it, CLAP! Your hand and face are injured. You see dancing stars. Plus, the page number is lost. And then you cry, not because of the pain, but because you did not remember what chapter you were reading. Then, you cry some more while trying to find the last sentence read. Sadly, you end up rereading a good junk of the chapter (or even the book) you were at and cry of frustration. Oh! And that is nothing compared to the time when it happens to read a spoiler while searching for your spot then you scream. The book screams. Your mom screams at you asking why you are screaming. Then your pet screams in terror. Then the Earth screams together with the entire universe and so on and so forth... Lastly, you ask the universe what you did to deserve such destiny.
I am telling ya! It's a whole drama.

7. Have you ever told someone you do not own a book when you do?
  No, I do not think so. Rarely happens for someone to ask if I own a book and if she/he can borrow it. But when it does happen... I try to suggest other options like the library and OverDrive or to insist on the part where "You should take care of my baby book or else..." >]

8. Have you ever told someone you haven't read a book when you have?
 Yes, in the past when I thought that some books I read are going to make people judge me. Little did I know, people judged me anyway.

9. Have you ever skipped a chapter or a section of a book?
Yes. Mostly school books when only some sections were required to read. Or, I either scan and skipped some sections/chapters in favor of their summaries on the internet. I am usually not a big fan of classic/old works (except some ancient writings). Plus, as a busy student like myself you have to give something up if you want to be able to have all your homework done. [Sorry, professor(s)!

10. Have you ever bad mouthed a book you actually like?
Yes, just because I like a book that does not mean I have to loose my critical eye. [wink]

Tags:
Savannah from The Book Prophet
Joan from Books & Fitness & Lifestyle 
Carmen from Carmen's Reading Corner
And if i did not tag you and you want to do this tag, consider yourself tagged

PS

Until next time, feel free to check out my latest posts:

Melody Obsession - Fetish by Selena Gomez

The Diabolic - Book Review 

See you in my next post!

Melody Obsession of the Week, Brought to You by Me, Presents Fetish by Selena Gomez

Hello-Hello, fellow readers! Fall is here. The weather is chilly and the leaves are changing colors, green for read, yellow or orange. 

After my break from books and blogging, I started to debate what my new song pick is going to be for Music Madness - aka Melody Obsession of the Week. If you read my previous posts regarding this section of my blog, you probably know that I like to give a meaning and a reason to the song I choose. Usually. So, after days of debating on songs I encountered during my leave of absence, I decided on Fetish by Selena Gomez. 

I am well aware of its innuendos and the sexy meaning behind the lyrics. However, one day when I was listening to the song next to my pile of book, it hit me. Its lyrics perfectly describe a reader's - or at least my - relationship with books. 

No matter how long our reading slump or break from books is, we still find our way back to them, to reading. We crave the stories they contain within their covers. We want to go on adventures with the fellow characters, be the heroes, fight the villains or just be a reader. The smell of paper from a brand new book is the most sexy perfume we have ever desired. We love the art on the covers, dust jackets, and pages. And if the story of a book is THAT good, we obsessed over it. We devour its words over and over again through sleepless nights and even decades later. Just like a certain book friend of mine  who read a certain series at least 17 times. (Heck, even I got convinced to read that series again. Good job, my friend! Your passion for those books really inspired me. ^^)

So, you see, our relationship with books it is a bit sexual. We obsess. We crave. We want more. We want so much more from our beloved books that we even start writing our own stories. Books have a huge impact on their readers. They change us because we learn and gain knowledge from them. We, the readers, become imprinted by the books we read because their stories stay with us for the rest of our lives.

And finally, without further ado...

Selena Gomez - Fetish 

  

Listen it on repeat!

Happy Music Madness!  

And, let me know in the comments section if you have a similar "relationship" with your books. Also, what do you think about this week's song?

PS 

Until next time feel free to check out my latest posts The Diabolic Book Review -->HERE<-- and "I am back, readers!" Random Post -->HERE<--.  

"I am back, readers!" - A Random Post

So... I am Back!

A lot had happened and a lot had changed even the seasons. Fall is here and winter is about to come. New books are being published nearly every day like the falling red autumn leaves. TV shows come and go wounding our hearts  - and by hearts I mean brains - with sorrow, joy, and awe. Amazing music popping up everywhere. People meet and people part via internet or real life. We connect, reconnect, and sometimes disconnect with the humans around us in need for all different forms of love. The most basic and common type is... Friendship. Present, old, new or forgotten we all seek one for the good words and feelings it provides just like a book.

I CAN FINALLY READ BOOKS AGAIN!!!

Watch TV Shows

And Movies

Make future plans

Write the blog posts I planned for 

Write my stories

Take photographs

Learn new languages

Offer and spread love all around me

Especially my Love for Books

And most importantly, take care of myself

Be the hero of my life and move forward   

You know, the usual. ^_^

Anyway, I missed blogging and all the things it brought into my life. It feels so good to be back on my "private" piece of the world wide web. In the future, I might have some news regarding my blog but until then... Shhh! You did not read anything.

Summer is almost gone in the Northern hemisphere and the nature took its time to remind us how much we depend on things. Humans. Earth. Nature. Sun. And Universe. After a beautiful solar eclipse, we had chaotic floods. Thus, I am sending to all the affected people my warm and positive thoughts. When things get harder, you fight because there is only one path to follow, forward.

And for those of you who got the chance to get cozy with books lately, let me know what adventures you've been through. Music, movies, and TV shows included or life events even ;).

I. AM. BACK.

PS

 Until next time, feel free to check out my other posts: Mini Book Review --> HerE <-- and Summer Book Tag --> HerE <--.

A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran Book Five in the Rules for the Reckless Series

Book Synopsis

A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL...
Trapped in the countryside, facing an unwanted marriage and the theft of her fortune, Jane Mason is done behaving nicely. To win her freedom, she’ll strike a deal with the most dangerous man she knows—a rising star in politics, whose dark good looks mask an even darker heart.
...NEVER GOES TO PLAN.
The bitter past has taught Crispin Burke to trust no one. He’ll gladly help a lovely young heiress, provided she pays a price. Yet when a single mistake shatters his life, it is Jane who holds the key to his salvation. And in a world that no longer makes sense, Crispin slowly realizes that she may be the only thing worth fighting for... A Lady's Code of Misconduct - Goodreads

 

 

 

My Opinion

4.5/5 stars.

Love. Politics. History. Conspiracies. Conflicting morals. Deceit. Redemption. And hot-bad-boy guy with a secretly good heart... and a hot-good-of-heart girl with lots of brains and a rebellious spirit. There are lots of "and's" in my last sentence... I know.

Something I was not expecting in this story was the politics driven plot intertwined with a love story. Although, the surprising part is. That. I. Freaking. Loved. It. I was expecting to get bored and forced myself to finish the book. That was so not the case. It was exactly what I needed: A good romance story which is not too focused on the romance part. Oxymoron right there. 

The beginning is what hooked me up in the first place.  Not too fast and not too slow. Our beloved characters were in positions where they will do anything to get what they desire. This leads to an unlikely alliance to form between the desire of freedom and power which sparks the chances of a new beginning for our protagonists.

Jane and Crispin go through a fantastic character development. They realize that people are not completely good or evil. You just have to choose which side to use more but most importantly how to find a balance between the two. Speaking of character growth. I was not a big fan of acknowledging someone as being two persons in the same time. It was like the author was trying to say Crispin had a split personality... I understood where she was going with it... But it still felt a bit cringe worthy at times.

What I admired the most in this story was the sense of a real partnership between the main characters. And believe it or not is quite rare these days. It was not about sexual lust and how it can lead to a good relationship in the end... It was so much more than that. It was... How do you say it? Complicated. Yes. Complicated.

Of course, most people might get turned off by the plot focused on politics which is understandable if you are not a big politics fan - like myself, I could say. However, you might also surprisingly find yourself enjoying the book just... like myself. :D

All in all, I could proudly say that this was my cuppa tea. One of my all time favorites - romance section - I dare to say.

This is my sole opinion. ^_^

I would like to say thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.    

Genre/Category: Adult, Historical Romance, Fiction, Politics, Mystery

Language: none to mild, maybe none

Sexual Content: well... heavy but within reason

Violence: moderate 

Drugs and Alcohol: mild to moderate 

P.S.

I would like to read your thoughts, feelings, and opinions about this book and if you want to read my last book review you can click --> HERE <-- or you can check my previous song pick post --> HERE <--.

See ya in my next post!

Hair and Eye Color - Two Decades of Frustration Due to Society

Hello-Hello! I am here to write another random post because all my life (so far) I felt a lot of pressure from the phrase "blond/e with blue eyes" from people around me, mass media and, finally, books. When I was little, I always had a grudge against "blonds with blue eyes" even though they did not do anything to hurt me. I was just sick and tired about this over glorification of these recessive traits. "Blond/e with blue eyes" were represented as the holly grail of looks in the society I lived my first years of my life. In my child's mind, it was not fair - pun intended - because the majority of people I saw, including myself, did not possess such looks... And on top of that, they were beautiful despite having dark hair (shades of black/brown) and dark eyes or green. 

I was even more puzzled when people will go to hell and back to dye their hair yellow - ups - blond.

This so called grudge of mine - although, it was more of a frustration really - did not take long.

"Why," you ask.

Because of (and Thank God for that): 

•  my mother and her side of the family. We all - most of us - have dark complexions (hair and eye and sometimes skin too) and did not glorified these traits;
•  my brain, which kind of blends in with my home education or brain development ignorance, who - who or which... Ok, grey area... no intentional pun intended pun... and now I am just playing with words... - discarded the looks and analyzed a person as a whole, body and personality;
• a Romanian tradition, which consists of cutting sections of a toddler's hair and keeping it for the rest of ones life, I discovered I was once too a blonde just like in those epic description in the books;
• last but not least, my childhood friends and some family members who possessed both or just one of these two traits and were normal nice human beings.

All of these made me realize that it was not the blond girl's or blue-eyed boy's fault for being considered standards of beauty. They were victims - even though they got the better end of the stick, kidding - of pop culture just like myself. They were not to blame. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. And pop culture is to blame. It pushes innocents like my child self into a negative zone of hatred and discrimination.

Oh! I forgot to tell you. It hurt even more when people would bring religion into play and say that even angels were/are "blond with blue eyes." If you live in a religious country/community you can understand how this affected a child. "Oh, look! Even the All Mighty prefers blonds with blue eyes! Not cool! Not cool!" I was feeling inferior for a moment then

 

 

I am glad I was able to overcome this society induced aversion against "blond/e with blue eyes." People are more than just looks. From my own experiences, I learned to accept, like, and love the humans in my life regardless of looks.

Even though I did not have the urge to make the face below and stick my tongue out anymore, I still have metaphorical scars in a good and bad ways.

 

 

Because of this:

I decided to never - as in longer than a 24 hour period - dye my hair unless I have grey/white hair and I want to have my natural hair color again. From time to time I still find myself thinking, "Why are people changing their hair color? What's wrong with natural?" And weirdly, I get this immediate negative feeling while reading a book when is revealed that the main character is either blond/e or blond/e with blue eyes. And it gets even worse when the author keeps rubbing it in my face. It is an involuntary reaction which makes me roll my eyes and reimagine that character the WAY I want.

The reverse happens when rarely - in my opinion, I did not read all the books in the universe - I found a book with a protagonist - especially female - who has dark eyes and brown hair. That explains why I loved Twilight so much!

We need more representation in this world. Stereotypes have a bad influence on innocents' minds especially during development. Saying that one thing is beautiful than another one... Not helping. I am sure that my "blond/e with blue eye" example is not the only one causing the similar problems.

In case it was not clear, I have nothing against blond hair and blue eyes. I, myself - I feel the need to emphasize ME - though of a couple of blond/e with blue eyes people attractive. And if it happens to posses one or both of these traits my dear reader, do not feel guilty or insulted. That was not my intention. Now, I find it ridiculous to ever have a grudge against a few alleles. :D

Remember, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!