An Update of such

If you read my blog on a daily basis you might have noticed that I did not post much this past week. Mostly because I didn't have the energy and nothing of importance was needed for the blog. I'm so sorry that I was unable to post a playlist today, but I hope there will be one next week.

As for my absence I've been reading constantly for reviews and a book tour is coming soon to Read'n'Write.  I find that posting every week day is quite difficult and that I will try to achieve that goal, but is not promising anything. 

In the sidebar to your right is a Media section where I added another place where you can communicate with me. It's called Formspring. There you can ask me any questions you want. e.i. book reviews, books I'm currently reading. Anything, but please let's don't be gross. My username is Clarareads if you wanted to look it up instead. Also please follow me on twitter:) I love to chat with you guys so if you have a twitter please tweet me. 

Since I've started so many books this past week, I see many reviews in the future and hope you check them out in the next week or two. If you haven't yest please follow. :) Thanks for everything and comment on anything you like. 

Review: Flying Lessons by Natalie Cooper

This is my very first short story review and I'm very excited and worried at the same time because this is a first and I'm afraid the review might be too short. Though, I love challenging myself, you have to fall before you can fly.:)

Natalie Cooper's writing is nothing spectacular I have to say, but she made me care about a character in only nine pages. That takes some skill, right? Her writing didn't include any showing off vocabulary that sometimes I love in authors, but I'm glad she didn't. She made the story easy to follow and made you want to know what was going to happen. Cooper didn't go out and say what was happening which I like. The one quote that I really loved that she wrote in Flying Lessons was," I was alone, like a single sailor looking out onto a vast ocean. Except my sea was not one of waves, but made up of people-each one staring at me, waiting for me to speak." I'm not sure why I love that quote but I do, and I feel like that sometimes when I have to give speeches in class. I feel like Natalie Cooper writes in a very personal place with outstanding details that many can relate to.

I love the characters, especially Mom Mom. I don't know. Maybe it's her personality. Maybe it's the feeling you get that you're grandmother is just like her. Maybe it's the specialty that made my eyes prick near the end.

Review: Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Novel: Website Goodreads
Author: Website Goodreads Twitter

Ah, this was the book that made me unable to post every week day in June. This is the book that kept me up later than midnight reading and imagining. This is the story that's breaking my heart because I'm unable to know what happens next. This is the novel that made me understand Edgar Allan Poe. This is the novel that made me believe that anything Kelly Creagh writes is magical. This is the novel that made me think "Why can't I write something this complex and extravagant?" This is a review that might take decades for me to perfect it.

This review may contain SPOILERS!!


Kelly Creagh is now on my top favorite author list because of this book. I don't know how long she spent writing this novel, but all the detail and connections that she made through the book astounded me to no end.   I had the rush of feeling unsure constantly and my heart was pumping fast, close to the speed when I first read Divergent. Kelly Creagh wrote just enough romance, just enough mystery, just enough paranormalcy, just enough everything, but the fact that she had to end it and continue the story to the second installment.

Characters I loved: almost all. I loved Reynold, Danny, Gwen, even Brad believe it or not, and absolutely fell in love with Varen. Isobel, the female protagonist in the novel, though confused me, cause laughter in my heart, and scared everything out of me is not my favorite because I'm afraid to say which one is. Reynold is close to being my favorite character because the way he holds him and the way he plans everything out just... leaves me speechless at times. I loved how I followed along with Isobel and didn't feel like I knew what was happening because I felt what she felt. It was a magical experience.

Then there are the side characters I guess you can say, Gwen being the comedic relief in my mind should be given a bigger applause for her role. Then there's Pinfeather who is not the main antagonist but can be the most scary and wonderfully charming "evil" character I've ever read. As the cheerleaders may annoy me at the beginning I decided that they will hopefully play a bigger part in the future and I really hope that Isobel will somehow use her cheer leading flips and such to help progress herself in the other world in future sequels. I even found the owner of the Nobit Nook an interesting character that I cross my fingers will have some back story told in the sequel.

Something very stereotypical caught me off guard on how much Kelly Creagh was going to dial up the goth and cheerleader stereotype. I was glad that Isobel discovered the social status and broke away from it in the novel and slowly showing her strength building up from not much to this heroic superhero.The goths and the "popular" were a very strange concept that Isobel and Varen would get together in my point of view. To me they just come from totally different backgrounds and interests that I don't fully understand their relationship to each other. I was hoping for a meaning for this nearing the end.

Even though I have more thoughts on this novel I want to keep it as short and only needed info as possible. I give Kelly Creagh's Edgar Allan Poe inspired young adult novel, Nevermore a head nod, thumbs up, and smiling like there's no tomorrow. (5 out of 5)

Metric Synthetica

I know this is an extremely late post, but I wanted to post something up today. This post does not count as part of the posting every week day in June. ;(

Since I didn't get to write a post last night or the night before I wanted to explain why and a part of it that influenced my decisions. Over the weekend I was reading Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (will have a review up tomorrow) I got sucked in and I expect this a lot when I start a new book over the weekend. So, I've decided that there is no guarantee that I will post on a Monday, but maybe posts like this will happen.

This post is about music I play while I read. That might sound off and strange, but I do. I always listen to music. That's how I find new songs for the Friday playlists and that's how I go on living because I'm one of those people who would die if they didn't hear a tune a day. While I was reading Nevermore I was listening to Metric's new album Synthetica. That has to be one of my favorite albums at the moment, probably because the songs are drilled into my mind because I've been having it on repeat the last two days.

Playlist: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

So I had a better timeish finding songs for the second installment in the series, but there is still not as much as other playlists I've done. I hope you like this playlist and please leave a comment for a song you think I should add.

Here's the link:


Simple Song by Better Than Ezra
For Will's overcoming his faults

Breathless by Better Than Ezra
I imagined what Tessa would say to Will if she could

Tightrope by Walk The Moon
"Easy now with my heart" I think Tessa should take that advice w/ Jem & Will :)

Lost Kitten by Metric
Tessa:" I can't say no" to Jem

Jessica by Regina Spektor
"Jessica, wake up" should be for Will when he got high

Portions For Foxes by Rilo Kiley (covered by Cara Salimando)
There's a probability that they are all doomed;)

Here's to Goodbye by Cara Salimando
"Kill the lights because it's all over"

Playlist: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

So this was pretty tough for me to find music/ songs that fit this story, and as a result I have less songs in the playlist than usual. This time I only have six;(. Sorry but I tried my best and I hope you like it. Leave a comment below if you have a song that you think I should add. :)

Here's the link to the playlist:

Candles by Daughter
"Just the young heart confusing my heart"

Forget and Not Slow Down by Relient K
"Is it time I befriended all the ghosts of all the things that haunt me most"

Son Of A Gun by Motion City Soundtrack
If Clockwork Angel was narrated by Will

Do Better by Say Anything
To Jem: "You can be the greatest man in the world"

Rain City by Lucy Schwartz
"This city's always raining"

Arrows by Cara Salimando
"We're not falling in love"

Review: Faelorehn by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

So I just finished this book last night and it took me a while I have to say. I think I started it back in the beginning of June and worked my way slowly till last night. Oh, I don't really know how to start with this so I'm going to start with the author, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson.

Miss. Johnson I have to say that you have very strange interest in Irish folktales, but we all love what we do, and I guess writing something like this or any fiction takes some craziness to a degree. Her writing style wasn't anything too abstract or difficult, it wasn't like something that Cassandra Clare would write, but it was on the better side of authors I've read. I felt that the pacing was done well, I got very tired of reading mundane things at the beginning of the novel, because even though it shows who Meghan is, I feel like it was just too dull for my taste. Maybe it was just me, but I had trouble pronouncing all the Old Irish names in my head. It took awhile to just deal with all of the names, but I just learned to memorize the way the letters were organized and not how I'd speak it.