The Eyre Affair
by: Jasper Fforde

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
by: Susanna Clarke

Published: 2004

# of pages: 1,006

Quote: "'Soldiers, I am sorry to say, steal everything.' He thought for a moment and then added, 'Or at least ours do.'" -Lord Liverpool p. 366



I loved this book! After reading the first few pages I thought it would be a drag, or at least somewhat of a struggle to continue picking up to read. The footnotes threw me off, I thought the book was going to be like a boring textbook. It did take me awhile to finish, but not because I wanted to put the book down! It is long, but it didn't help that other things kept coming up that forced me to put the book away.

I think that Clarke did a brilliant job writing this book. It's witty, humorous, clever... I could go on and on. I loved the fact that she mixed history, fantasy, and fairytales together. It was a little confusing at first because I wasn't sure if this was a historical fiction or a fantasy and was somewhat baffled when I read about famous historical figures and magicians in the same paragraph, but I soon figured out that it is a mixture of both of these genres.

The story follows two magicians in England during the early 1800s. Once, magicians were everywhere and magic was strong in England, but it fizzled out until it was almost extinct except for a few "magicians" who studied the history of magic, but couldn't actually perform any. That is until Mr Norrell appears. He is very protective of his magical abilities and so it is a surprise when he allows Jonathan Strange to be his student. The two magicians do amazing things with magic, but their opinions about it widely differ and they start to drift apart. The story follows the magicians and their separate (and joined) quests to bring magic back to England.

I recommend this book to teens and adults who enjoy fantasy and historical fiction. It will probably help you enjoy this book more if you know the basics about the poet Byron's life (he is mentioned several times and I found her interpretation of his life very entertaining since I studied him in college) and some of the basics about the Napoleonic Wars. However, even if you don't know a lot about historical figures and events, you will still enjoy this.

I also saw on IMDB that they are going to be making a movie based off the novel! It doesn't say when it will be finished, but that's something to look forward to.

I've added the followers application on my sidebar just to let everyone know!

Daylight by: Elizabeth Knox

Published: 2003

# of pages: 368


I like the idea of vampire stories, but I don't like most vampire books. With the exception of the Twilight sage, Sunshine by Robin McKinley, and Dracula, I have yet to read a vampire book that I really like. Unfortunately Daylight has joined the ranks of bad vampire books.

The story is about a man named Bad, a caver and policeman, who is caught up in a complicated web of relationships after he helps retrieve a body from the ocean that is floating below a cliff. All of the characters in this book are related in some way. It's actually neat how Knox ties them all together. I was fascinated by the characters of Father Daniel Octave, Ila, and Martine. Other than that, I didn't like many of the other characters. I think my favorite character was Martine even though she doesn't play a big part in the book. She was a good person and didn't fall into the disgusting habits that her friends were engaged in. That's another reason I liked Ila, he was trying to follow Martine's example. I did not like Dawn whatsoever. She had no self control and I felt like she was really selfish.

The entire story is very vague and there isn't much dialogue. Knox narrates the dialogue. I personally don't like this method of writing. I like to hear things "firsthand" and decide for myself if a character is angry, sarcastic, mysterious, etc. I don't like being told all of that without any evidence. I'm not sure if I'm making myself clear, but I felt like it was hard to really get into the story and understand the characters because they don't have much of a personality, mainly because the reader doesn't "see" them speaking much.

However, I did like the idea of the story. I only wish it had been told a little better. I almost gave this 3 stars because I liked the way vampires and saints were placed side by side, but the narration and vague timeline gave the book an uncomfortable feel which outweighed the story's potential. Overall, I only recommend this book to vampire lovers and people who don't mind bad language and sex scenes. Also, I think people who appreciate and enjoy unconventional writing styles would also appreciate this book.

The 5-Minute Face by: Carmindy

Published: 2007

# of pages: 208


I feel so silly for reviewing a makeup book of all things! Ya'll will think I'm so girly, but the truth is I'm actually not. And that's why I need help...from Carmindy. Some of you may recognize her name from the TV show "What Not to Wear." She is always demonstrating her 5 minute face on the show and when I did a search for it online to find out more details I was happy to come across this book.

This is a great book for those who enjoy the beautification process and for those who don't. I hardly ever wear makeup, but one reason is because I used to feel like I didn't know how to put it on correctly. When I wore it I was constantly wondering if I looked ridiculous or if other people could see that I didn't know what I was doing. This book simplifies things and you can pick and choose what you want to do. She has a product guide for different skin types, she recommends colors for different shades of skin, and then gives a guide on what types of makeup to wear for different age groups. All of this complements her 5 minute face plan.

I still don't wear a whole lot of makeup unless it's a special occasion, but now I feel more confident when I do wear it. Also, I discovered an awesome product called mattifying gel that I love. So I just wanted to recommend this book because there may very well be women like me out there who could use some help. And who knows, you just may discover the perfect product that will make your life easier.

I'm hoping to have a new layout soon! It's taking me awhile to figure out how to load the layout that I want, so I made a new blog just to experiment. But hopefully you will be seeing a new look sometime in the near future!

Breaking Dawn by: Stephenie Meyer