NPR Chooses The Best Of The Bestsellers...

I just came across this article in an NPR newsletter.  They have chosen summer books by authors they feel to be at the top of their game.  If I add any more books to my list of must read books this summer...summer will be gone before I know it and I will be reading summer beach books in the Fall...

America's Best Beach Towns...

I love these summer posts...I want to go to every single one of these amazing beach towns!!!

Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel

Clever… clever…uniquely clever…this book is such a surprise. Imagine being a vampire and wishing to be human. Imagine living on this earth for hundreds of years as a murdering killing machine. Imagine someone…another vampire…loving you so much that he will do anything for you even if that means making you human and dying himself. Thus, we have Rhode…I love these vampire names…and Lenah.

Their love shall never die until Lenah becomes human and Rhode dies because he cast a spell that made her human. Rhode and their lovely vampire life crumble away to dust…literally. Lenah then wears him in a vial on a chain around her neck…sort of like sparkly pixie dust. Enter Wickham School…the 21st century , human Lenah and a bevy of 16 year olds…yeehaw…the fun is about to begin.

What is fascinating about this book are the details about Lenah’s life when she was a vampire. This was hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years ago. We learn how she was made into a vampire who killed mercilessly and arranged around herself a mighty coven of vampire guys…one of whom was also the love of her life…Vicken. These episodes are not really flashbacks but rather prior life stories. Her room at Wickham School is surrounded with photos and momentos…chotchkies…if you will…of her life as a vampire. Although Lenah is totally human, she still retains a few vampire skills. These will eventually leave her but right now they are still there. There is one flaw…and it is a huge one…in this new life that Lenah is learning to love her coven…her gang…will come to find her…and this is where the real story begins.

This is also the most eventful and exciting part of Infinite Days. It is beautifully written and different from other books in this genre. It is quite interesting to see Lenah experience her new 16 year old life. She has never been in the sun, or really eaten; she can speak 25 languages and tests out into all AP courses and is left with tons of cash and a car that she does not know how to drive. Rhode has quite simply thought of everything. Almost…

Lenah has about 54 days of chilled out human living left until her coven will go to the ends of the earth to find her…this is where the fun begins…and this is why you must read this book…

One more thing…there has to be a sequel…seriously. It was similar to reading Shiver…when Linger was not around yet. I am emailing the author now just to make sure that she is busy writing.

Tuesday...I Am Taking The Day Off...

Getting to Cavalia and back in this horrible heat was draining, yesterday was hectic and today is my off day...I am relaxing and chillaxing...although I have already made a banana bread, fed all of the outside birds...including ducks...put Lucy in her kitty tent on the deck and sat with her for an hour, done all of the towel and sheet laundry, and tidied the entire house including all bathrooms...why did I ever quit my job...I did less when I worked...well...rather...I did less work within our home when I was teaching.  Oh well...plus yesterday was a trip to Trader Joe's for groceries and supplies...I am now reading all of my online catalogues...and I love this dresser from Anthropologie...I know...it looks unusual but very cool...I love stuff like this...I want it for my back hallway...as you walk in the door...perfect for odds and ends of things...keys, hats, gloves and more!!!

Cavalia...

Yesterday was a most wonderful day.   We had tickets to see Cavalia.  It was out of our norm...we love plays and concerts but this was a bit of a stretch for us...but it was wonderful.  It is a production where horses are the stars.   The most incredible thing is that the horses are not doing anything that a horse would normally do.  The horses are trained but in a very unusual way.   It was beautiful, breathtaking, heart wrenching, exciting, magical, mystical and haunting.   There was one breathtaking moment when the most beautiful horse just walked out to the center alone.  Then he was followed by another horse and another and another...until there were 8 massive beautiful horses playing and jumping and nipping and finally a lovely lady came out and they moved to her and kissed and pranced and then performed...it was delightful.   It is sort of a combination of beautiful music and acrobatics and horses...I know...sounds odd...but horses that were so beautiful people were in tears.   The end of the performance was the most memorable...two young rescued colts just walked into the arena alone...and just watched us as we filed out.  I will never forget Cavalia.