Coexist: A Book Review

Coexist by Julia Crane
Published: June 2011
Buy: Amazon or E-book
Format: E-book
Source: Smashwords

I grabbed this book off Smashwords thinking it sounded like a good idea, so I sad down and read it rather quickly. I wasn't blown away, but it was good and it kept my attention. The plot was a good idea, but I felt the execution was a little lacking as was the character development. There were also a couple of typos, but those could be over looked.

Coexist is the story of a young elf named Keegan. She is living, mostly, seamlessly in the human world biding her time until she turns 18 and can meet her chosen, her one true mate. Little does she know the war between the Light and the Dark is nipping at her heels, her chosen, Rourk, is secretly protecting her, and the war will change everything she ever thought to be true.

As short as that description is, I feel that it is an accurate summary of the events. This novel is less than two-hundred pages with not too much story to it. My initial reaction when finishing the book was excitement and annoyance, but with further thought and calming down from the action, I realized there wasn't much there. The main character, Keegan, was underdeveloped and I felt she was unlikable in her naivety and perfection. The secondary character, such a Keegan's friends, are picked up and dropped as they are needed. I dislike losing characters or character traits simply because it's no longer of use. I feel the story could use a lot more thought and planning.

That's not to say I didn't like the book. I did, while I was reading it. I really did like Thaddeus, Keegan's younger brother. He was interesting and a nice character. I feel he acted responsibly, but not unrealistically, given his age and role in the book and war. I also liked Richard, Keegan's father. And, of course, Keegan's chosen, Rourk. They were all much more developed and likable than Keegan herself. I would love to hear the story from Thaddeus's point of view.

Over all, I'm giving this book a three-star rating because it was decent enough to keep me interested and invested in the relationship between Keegan and Rourk, but I really was not impressed at all by the style or the character development. I probably will not choose to pick up the second book. In truth, I wouldn't have picked this one up were it not free. It's worth the read if you have the time or nothing else to read and you like fantasy novels, but do not expect anything extravagant or well thought out.

Have you read Coexist? What did you think? Think I'm being too critical? 

Do you think the standard for free/self-published e-books is much lower than for printed books? 

French Lessons: An Adult Book Review

“Sometimes we have to run away from ourselves in order to find ourselves.” 
― Ellen Sussman, French Lessons

“Why does naming a thing give it so much power?” 
― Ellen Sussman, French Lessons


“We don't need to talk. We need to love.” 
― Ellen Sussman, French Lessons

French Lessons by Ellen Sussman
Published: July 2011
Buy: Amazon or B&N
Format: Paperback
Source: Library

When I first saw this book on Goodreads, I thought it might be a decent read for my sorority book club. Then it didn't get chosen and I'd all but forgotten it. Then at the library, I saw it again, refreshed my memory and decided to bring it home. My hopes weren't too high, as I seldom like books like these (adult contemporary). I was so pleasantly surprised. This was one of those rare books that I sat down with, walked away from, and returned happily. I read this in just about two days. I wasn't trying to rush it, nor was I unable to put it down, I simply enjoyed reading it more than surfing the net or watching another TV show. Excellent job, Ms. Sussman. Hush now and tell everyone what the book is about!

This book is essentially broken into 5 parts. The first and last are short and show the relationships between three private french tutors working in Paris.

The second is about Nico, a tutor, and Josie, an American french teacher. Josie is in Paris nursing her broken heart. Perhaps, luckily she is paired with Nico the bleeding-hearted poet. 

The third is about Phillipe, a tutor and horrendous flirt, and Riley, a lonely expatriate mother living in Paris. Riley moved to Paris with her small beginnings of a family and has failed to fall in love with the city as she'd hoped. She hasn't even managed to learn the language after a full year!

The fourth is about Chantal, a beautiful Parisian tutor, and Jeremy, the American husband of a Hollywood actress. Jeremy is a man out of his comfort zone. He's a homebody and would prefer to stay in his home in California, but his wife drag him to Paris with her to shoot a film.

Each person involved will learn things about them selves they never would have guessed.

I adored this book. It was such a lovely story about personal growth and knowledge! It's also a story of love and heartbreak and family and happiness and sadness and... ALL THE EMOTIONS! It is certainly an adult novel that touches on some very mature content, and I loved it. After almost solely reading YA lit, it was a nice wake-up call into the real world of adult life that I've begun to dabble in. 

For the characters, I related most to Chantal. Maybe not all of her at the moment, but some of her now and some of her in the past. One quote in particular hooked me to her more than anything else. Jeremy asks her "What are you drawn to?" and she replies with an answer straight from my heart: "Language. Words. No, not teaching. Perhaps one day I'll write something." I just... too many emotions in those couple of lines to even express! I also really loved Josie's story and I love the relationship Nico and Josie develop. I liked Phillipe and Riley the least. I couldn't find myself even semi relating to either. I don't have a family to relate to Riley and I can't imagine being like Phillipe.

Over all, this book is definitely a 5 star book! Perhaps it's the Linguist or the French major in me, or perhaps it's the realist and the romantic, whatever it is, this book struck a chord and I'm so glad I read it. If you like thought provoking adult novels, this one may just be to your liking. If you like travel literature that ends with the characters learning about themselves, you will most likely love this. I find it difficult to recommend this to a "type" of person because it's such a great book. I want to just recommend it to everyone, but it may not be your forte. It's still a wonderful book and if it begins to interest you at all, I highly highly recommend it!

Have you read French Lessons? What did you think about it? Which character did you connect with or like most?

A Friday of Fun: A Wrap Up Post

This week I've been fairly busying getting everything settled back in after my extended vacation, so I've been a bit absent around these parts. Despite the chaos and the fun, I managed to get you guys a couple of posts.

On Monday we had yet another book review. This week I reviewed Douglas Adam's The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with a sad 2 duck rating.

And on Wednesday I introduced a new feature called Pinning Sweetly. This feature is simply for me to show off a few of the lovely and/or useful things I find on Pinterest.

Also on the blog I've rearranged the sidebar a bit. I joined a group of bloggers who are all active in or are alumni of female Greek organizations called Being Greek and added the cute button to the right. I found it really interesting to see what some of my sorority sisters from around the country were blogging about and added my own blog to the list.

I also added my twitter feed to the sidebar. I'm usually very active on twitter and it's a great way to keep up with what my friends are doing. Follow me if you'd like to keep up with my day to day life!

Outside of the internet, I've had a pretty great week. On Wednesday night, my sister Marilyn, came over for a night of crafting for our future littles. It was so great to see her and to share supplies and ideas with a fellow crafter and sister!

Then last night, I had Marilyn and our friend Jacob over for a night of Dr. Who. We watched the first several episodes of the 2005 season. As unpopular as this statement may be, I do not yet find myself obsessed or even loving Dr. Who just yet. Perhaps with the next Doctor (the most popular Doctor), I'll develop a love like most of my friends to. No matter my opinions of the show, I had a great time laughing and slaughtering the English language with my sister and fellow English major. It was a great night!

Finally, today I finished the book Choker by Elizabeth Woods. I don't want to say too much, as I will be reviewing the book soon, but it was a wonderfully surprising book! I also typed up my review of The Espressologist by Kristina Springer. That review will be up 8am Monday.

I'm so happy with my week. I felt very productive and it was quite nice. Now I'm off to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions from the past two weeks and to play around online.

How was your week? Did you read anything interesting, make any interesting crafts, or do anything fun?

The Princess Diaries: A Book Review

Surely, we've all seen the two Disney Princess Diaries movies starring Anne Hathaway, yes? I love these movies, and pretty much anything starring Anne Hathaway, so at my best friend's insisting, I decided to read the first book in the series by Meg Cabot. Man, was I in for a surprise? My best friend had told me that the movies and books were different, but I hadn't foreseen another Ella Enchanted (yes, another Anne Hathaway movie) style adaption, that is to say that the books and movies happen to have the same name and a few similarities.
As much as I love the movies, I also loved this book.

As always, I'll begin with a kind of "who-would-love-this" section. This book is really, obviously, aimed for the teenage, female population, as most of Meg Cabot's YA books are. Honestly, I think anyone who likes the books about the life of off-beat girls would enjoy this one. I would, personally, classify this as a YA Chick-Lit book. Despite the fact that I mostly dislike Chick-Lit, I love YA and really enjoyed this book. I really like the character of Tina (removed from the movie) and I hope to see much more of her throughout the rest of the series. I also really liked Grandmere, even though she's kinda horrible. One character I really dislike, not as a character but as a person, is Lily. I kind of like that the character exists, but I dislike her as a person.

If you didn't already know this, Meg Cabot's The Princess Diaries is a book about a young girl named Mia. It is her diary as she goes through her life of mediocrity. She goes to a private school in New York (Not San Francisco), has a cat names Louis, a best friend named Lily, and a mom who is dating her teacher. She also has a dad who is a diplomat in a small principality called Genovia. Here's the kicker, not too far into the book Mia's dad find out that he will have no more children and he now has to tell Mia she will inherit the throne of Genova, because by diplomat he means Prince. The rest of the book follows Mia's understanding and experiences as she discovers her heritage, the world discovers her secret, friends betray her, and her Grandmere tortures her with "Princess Lessons."

As I said before, I really enjoyed this book. I liked coming into it having seen the movie and knowing the story, then having everything I thought I knew turned on its head. I like Mia's outlook on things and her writing is certainly, I think, true to a 15 year old's journal. I really enjoyed reading it and thinking back to being 15, thought I'm not a princess, and remembering the horrors of being 15 and imaging placing being a princess on top of that! I also really liked how she reacted to the news in the book verses in the movie. It's hard to explain without spoiling the differences, but if you've read it, you know what I'm talking about.

Have you read The Princess Diaries? Did you enjoy it? What did you think of the movie?

Library Haul: The First

My very first video, library haul! Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite things to read in the summer?