Touring My Bookshelves: Update 1

Since we last talked about my bookshelves, I've done some rearranging of my house. I decided that was a good time to shake up my shelves since I had to take all the books off to move the shelf anyway! I'll split this up into two posts so it won't be crazy long because of all the pictures.

First up, my upstairs bookshelf:

This shelf is now mostly for the books I don't plan on reading in the immediate future. Of course I will want to read them eventually but I have a whole other shelf plus all the review books I need to get to before these!

Such a random selection of books - purchased, gifted, won. Plus my pretty bunny from my BFF and (almost) all of my LEGO figures (still no librarian...grrrr).

This is the hardcover shelf...plus a few paperbacks that just didn't fit on other shelves. Again, there's a mishmash of won, gifted, and purchased books on here. Plus more bunnies. And a giraffe my sister's friend made! Isn't it awesome?

This shelf is almost only books I got while doing my internship at Random House. Crazy! I think 8 of the 20 came from other sources.

Here you'll find non-fiction titles on the left (some I've read, some I haven't) and YA titles on the right (all unread). Plus my Nintendo DS, stress balls (er, stress food?), and some funny looking hedgehogs.

Other than the Beautiful Creatures set (which I won), I've read all of these books on this mess of a shelf. 

So there we have it! This is the shelf in my bedroom where I sort of shoved all the books I won't be reading soon. Sorry to any authors on this shelf! Eek. 

I'll share my living room shelf (where I'm keeping all the books I want to read asap) in a few days!

Happy reading :)

Event Recap: S.E.C.R.E.T Shared Lunch

I was so excited to be invited to the Random House of Canada lunch to celebrate L. Marie Adeline's new novel S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared (it was released on the 15th and my review is here). I liked S.E.C.R.E.T. and was looking forward to the second book so of course I wanted to attend the event! I got an early copy and read the book the weekend before the event. I ended up really liking it so I was doubly glad I had decided to go to this event!

The table set up with swag bags * Lunch menu * Tasty dessert

It was a small group but that made the lunch so much better. We were able to chat with everyone with ease. Along with the author, Lisa Gabriele, there was the crew from Random House (Cass and Lindsey from the Online Marketing department, publicist Adria, and editor Nita) and eight bloggers (including myself). It was so great to be surrounded by intelligent and entertaining women. We had quite the conversation that ranged from the books we were reading (of course) to Miley Cyrus (who else?) to social media (we're all a little addicted).

If you follow Lisa/L. Marie Adeline on social media, you have probably seen that there was a woman selling her own S.E.C.R.E.T. inspired bracelets on Etsy (this is her shop link as she's sold out of the bracelets). Lisa passed hers around and also had one to give away! Wanda was the lucky winner. Isn't the bracelet pretty?

We had some delicious food to go along with the excellent conversation. They wanted to give us something New Orleans inspired so we had jumbalaya, following soup or salad and followed by an incredibly tasty cake (see the pic above!). 

I'm so glad I made the trip into the city (for the second time in one week! Madness!) because the lunch was so much fun. It was great to see the ladies from Random House again and to see and meet fellow bloggers. And, of course, it was amazing to be able to meet and chat with author Lisa Gabriele. She's awesome! 

Have you read S.E.C.R.E.T. or S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared yet? If you haven't and want a new erotica series to read, check them out! I cannot wait for the third book!

Tales of the Unemployed Bookworm

Time to get a little personal. If you're a friend or family member or if you follow me on Twitter, you know I'm not working right now. And I'm kind of losing my mind.

Some background on how I got here: I graduated from university with a degree in communications just over four years ago, graduated from a one year college event management program just over three years ago, and have held two "real and grown up" jobs in non-profits since then. Last fall I decided to take some courses in publishing because, obviously, I love books. I then decided to apply to some internships because I felt like it was a now or never type situation. I was lucky enough to get hired as a publicity intern at Random House of Canada. You can read my full recap here but the short story is that it was a hell of an experience that left me exhausted (ridiculously long commute) but educated. Then I fell into my internship at Project Bookmark Canada (recaps here and here). I loved it there (combined my love of books and reading with my non-profit knowledge) but that too came to an end in June. It's now October and I've been doing nothing but job hunting, reading, blogging, and watching TV and movies since then. Yeah, I know it sounds great but it would be a hell of a lot better if I didn't have to worry about money!

It's been a really hard road the past few months. I go from being angry to depressed to indifferent pretty much weekly (apologies to my boyfriend...I'm sure I'm not fun to live with). It's still not a great time to be looking for jobs which drives me crazy. I was in the same position FOUR years ago when I was applying for jobs straight out of university. I almost think it might have been easier...now I feel like I have a weird mix of too much experience for some things and not enough experience for others. I've been lucky, as people keep telling me, that I've had six interviews over the past three months. But...I've also had five rejections. (The last interview was just on the 11th.) And that hurts. Sure, my resume is getting through but why am I not getting chosen for the position? I've only had one real explanation of all the "thanks but no thanks" replies so I'm left to just guess. When I did get a call I wasn't really given enough time to ask why I wasn't chosen. And let's not even get into the number of jobs I haven't heard from. I've lost count of the places I've applied to. I couldn't even tell you the ones I still have a possibility of hearing from. I'm not sitting around waiting for something to fall into my lap. I'm searching every day and applying where I can.

Part of my problem is that I just don't know what I want to do with my life. I've never really known. I wasn't one of those kids who said "I want to be a 'insert job here' when I grow up!" Hell, I didn't even know what to choose for my major when I went away to school. So, here I am, at 26, still not knowing what I want to be when I grow up. The things I know: I love books, I like writing (but I don't want to write a novel), I could copy-edit but I don't think I'm good enough, I don't mind working for non-profits but I'd really like to stay away from the actual fundraising, I can plan events, I don't think I want to be a librarian (and don't want to go through a Masters program to discover I don't want that), I don't want to live in Toronto (where every single publishing job is in Canada), and I'm good at communications/marketing. So where does that get me? So far...nowhere.

I'm trying really hard to stay positive. I'm so lucky that family members are able to help me out financially and I've got my boyfriend, bunny, and a few friends at home (plus others elsewhere in the province) to keep me from going insane (though I'm sure I talk to Tonks more than necessary...but that's what pets are for, right?).

I'm happy that I've been able to make a huge dent in the books I want to read and have to read and I've been able to blog on a regular basis. I've also watched lots of TV shows and movies. I'm trying to enjoy this as much as I can because I know I'll miss my freedom once I do get a job. But it's still frustrating.

I know I probably rambled and overshared but I felt like this post needed to get out there. If you have any tips or suggestions, I'd love to hear them. I'm sure there's something out there that I haven't considered. Thanks for listening and putting up with me! Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to hunting for a job...

Update: Later on on the 16th, the day this was posted, I got an email telling me I didn't get the job I interviewed for on Friday. My feeling is the manager made the decision right away as he said he had a lot more interviews to do and we had a holiday weekend here. And, it was another email rejection (I've had three phone call rejections, two email, and one snail mail). Not only that, but it was a form one from head office so I actually had to look up which position it was - the one I had interviewed for or the one I hadn't heard from yet. Being completely honest: I didn't want this job. It was retail and I swore when I left almost 3 years ago that I'd never go back. Every time I thought about having to work there again I cringed and got depressed. Guess I don't have to worry about it now...

Review: S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared

I've been waiting to get my hands on a copy of S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared by L. Marie Adeline (aka Lisa Gabriele) ever since I read the last page of the first book in the series, S.E.C.R.E.T. Adeline left us with a hell of a cliffhanger - one that a lot of readers hated. I enjoyed the first book (you can read my review here) but I liked this second book so much more.

Here's the synopsis:

Still wounded from a recent heartbreak, Cassie Robichaud throws herself into service with S.E.C.R.E.T., the mysterious organization that changed her life last year by bringing her deepest sexual fantasies to life, one step at a time. Now, it’s Cassie’s turn to guide the group’s newest candidate, Dauphine Mason, recruiting men to execute a new set of fantasies. While it gets Cassie’s mind off Will, the man she truly loves, it also gives her the chance to help watch S.E.C.R.E.T. work its magic on someone new.
At thirty-one, Dauphine is the proprietor of a New Orleans vintage clothing store—the kind of buttoned-up career woman who has no idea how attractive she really is. In order to reignite her sexual flame and reawaken her dormant heart, she must leave behind her bitter past.
As both Cassie and Dauphine navigate the rocky path between their hearts and their passions, they discover what they truly want in life and in love. SECRET Shared is a liberating, passionate and sexually charged sequel to one of the hottest new series in erotica.

I liked how Adeline wrote this book (apart from the prologue...I didn't like that. Then again, I'm not a fan of prologues in general). The chapters alternated perspectives - one chapter was Cassie, the next, Dauphine - and that worked for a few reasons. It allowed us a fresh perspective into the world of S.E.C.R.E.T. What does Dauphine think of these women and what kind of fantasies will she have? I think the two perspectives allowed us to see how far Cassie had come since the start of the her S.E.C.R.E.T. journey by comparing her to Dauphine and how she was doing. It also kept things a little more exciting because there was just plain more going on. Having two stories happening at the same time allowed us a wider view into S.E.C.R.E.T. Which leads me to my next point...

Seeing more of the inner workings of the organization was great and I think that added layer is part of what helped me enjoy this book more. We got to read about how the S.E.C.R.E.T. men are recruited and trained (and hoo boy, that training session was HOT) as well as how the organization is funded and legally run. 

I liked Cassie so much more in this book. Seeing her (continuing) growth was great and she was a really fun and interesting character to read about. She's still a little timid but she's much more alive than she was when we first met her. Dauphine was also a lot of fun. I loved that she owned a vintage clothing store and how her S.E.C.R.E.T. journey also helped her professionally. 

I loved reading SECRET Shared. L. Marie Adeline has once again succeeded in writing an intriguing story with erotic elements woven in. There's another doozy cliffhanger (why, Lisa, whyyyyy???) so I'm once again anxiously awaiting the next instalment in the series - SECRET Revealed - which is supposed to be released next year. If you're looking for a new erotic series to read - check this one out!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Random House of Canada, in exchange for an honest review.*

Event Recap: Rainbow Rowell Signing

Just over a week ago I read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Long review short: I adored it (you can read my full review here). I immediately texted my friend Natalie, of Browsing Bookshelves, to tell her I had finished it as she had read it the week before. Once we shared our mutual love for the book, she let me know she was planning on heading to the signing in Toronto the following Monday and asked if would I like to go with her. I immediately said yes! We had both read the book from the library but loved it so much that we each bought a copy of it to bring to the signing.

I was already excited for the signing, who wouldn't be? I knew we were lucky because this was the only Canadian stop Rainbow was making. To make things even more exciting, fellow blogger Nicole, of Nicole About Town, invited us to meet up with her and the Raincoast publicist who was in Toronto to escort Rainbow. Fun! Crystal was fabulous and told us all about some new and upcoming YA books. I marked quite a few of them to look into later!

Because of our need to eat some supper and stop at David's Tea (Natalie and I don't have one where we live so we had to go hehe), we ended up being too late to get chairs. Drat! We were still pretty early though so we snuck in between the chairs and the shelves and sat ourselves down to wait.

Rainbow reading from Fangirl

After Rainbow was introduced, she told us a little bit about her book (which I think everyone there had read, judging from the applause and cheers) and then proceeded to do a reading. I loved that she explained things along the way. For example, her husband says that Fangirl is eyebrow erotica as Levi's eyebrows are often mentioned! After the reading she answered several questions and it was so interesting to learn about her books and her process. I wish I could expand more but I'm writing this almost a week later (I intended to get it done right away...sigh) and I can't recall specifics. Sorry! Basically, Rainbow is a fabulous author and person. She writes real characters and relateable scenarios that you can't help but love.

Ahhh, I can't believe I got to meet her. I smile every time I see this picture! I bought a copy of Attachments at the store because I've been meaning to read it for ages (it's her adult novel...why haven't I read it yet? Silliness!). I can't wait to dive into it! Rainbow was pretty impressed when she found out Natalie and I had travelled so far to see her (hence the inscription in Fangirl, below). I say it was totally worth it!

Whee!!!

Have you read any of Rainbow Rowell's books? What did you think of them?

Review: Longbourn

It's not often that I'll allow myself to have (ridiculously) high expectations of a novel. When you start to expect something out of this world amazing you start to set yourself up for disappointment. I think I set the bar too high for the newly released Longbourn. I expected too much from it. Jo Baker's novel was well researched and well written but I found myself feeling only so-so about it as I read it. I enjoyed it as a whole but trying to put my finger on what it was that let me down has been a frustrating process.

Here's the synopsis:

Pride and Prejudice was only half the story.If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them.
In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice, the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended. 
Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s classic—into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily particulars faced by the lower classes in Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars—and, in doing so, creates a vivid, fascinating, fully realized world that is wholly her own. 

I do think Pride and Prejudice fans would enjoy this. It's important to note, however, that the Bennets and friends are not the focus of the story. At least, not in the way that a lot of people might want or expect. The novel isn't set up like Downton Abbey where you see both upstairs and downstairs equally. You only see the upstairs when the servants are there. Everything is seen through their eyes - and I liked that. We didn't need anything more because we (at least the people who have read Pride and Prejudice) already know the upstairs story. This allows us to fill in some blanks. I liked that we got to see how the servants would have interpreted the goings on at Longbourn. Did you ever think about how their lives would be changed once Mr. Bennet died and Mr. Collins took over? I never did. This novel makes you realize how dependant the servants are on their masters. I liked knowing what was happening inside while James was waiting outside Netherfield in the carriage or upstairs when Lady Catherine de Bourgh sweeps into Longbourn. These parts of the novel, the adding to Pride and Prejudice, were nice to read about - if slow in the beginning.

I had some trouble determining exactly how much time was passing, especially near the end of the book. It was easy when the servants' story was running parallel to the story we know so well from Pride and Prejudice but once it went beyond the end of that novel I was quickly confused. I want to give examples to show why it was confusing but that would give away the end of the story! It's really not a huge deal but it distracted me a bit from the conclusion and bothered me enough that it warrants a mention.

I liked Sarah, the maid who serves as the heroine in this story. I was invested in her life and wanted only the best for her. There were other little stories that captured my interest as well but were slow to get really moving. We don't know exactly what James' story is, nor do we know why Mrs. Hill seems agitated (though I correctly guessed the reason). Even though I was glad to find out exactly what had happened to James, I wish there had not been 40+ pages devoted to explaining it. The history of it was mildly interesting but I didn't feel like it did anything for the story as a whole. The Mrs. Hill storyline contained a big shocker that Austen fans will probably really dislike because it paints a beloved Pride and Prejudice character in a less than favourable light.

Overall, I liked Longbourn. I didn't love it as I expected to and that probably coloured my review. I think if you go into reading Jo Baker's novel expecting a good story with an interesting and new take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice you'll probably quite enjoy it. There may be things that irk you, as they did for me, but it is a good story. I just think it could have been a little better. For those of you who have read this one already, what did you think of it? I'd love to hear what you thought!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Random House of Canada, in exchange for an honest review.*

Top Ten Tuesday: The End of a Series

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's a sad time, finishing a series. You've invested so much time in the books, characters, and author. You hope and wish that the author will end it the way you want it to. They don't always listen (the nerve, eh?) but, for the most part, I've found that I've been satisfied with the way series I've read have ended but there have been a couple where I've been WTF? This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about that...the best and worst series enders. What do you think? What series wrapped up perfectly and what ones left you wanting more or feeling frustrated? I realized a couple of things while doing this list. I haven't read a ton of series (especially not recently) and there are also quite a few that I'm waiting on the final book. That would be why it's not a full Top Ten! Links lead to my reviews or Goodreads.

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating this week!

The "What the hell was the author thinking?" Series

Delirium - Lauren Oliver
When I finished Requiem I literally had to flip backwards to make sure I didn't miss something. I couldn't believe that's how it ended. I'm all for leaving things a little open ended but this one frustrated me.

Fifty Shades - E.L. James
I don't even want to say why I didn't like the ending because I know it makes me seem like a bad person. So...next!

This one might be controversial...but...Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
I added this one PURELY because I didn't think the epilogue was necessary. Prior to that I thought the ending completely fit.

The "Yay, this ended perfectly!" Series

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares
I'm not talking about Forever in Blue, I'm talking about Sisterhood Everlasting. Yes, it ripped my heart out but I am so glad Brashares gave us a glimpse into the girls' adult lives. I thought it was the perfect wrap up to one of my favourite series.

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
I hated when it ended but I was happy with the way things ended. Just wish a few more characters could have stayed alive...

Jessica Darling -  Megan McCafferty
Admittedly, I can't totally recall how this series ended. (It desperately requires a reread!) But I don't remember being upset with how McCafferty finished the series.