Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are no words for me to describe the impact this book had on me when I read it.  I picked this book up reluctantly back in December of 2000.  It is quite the lengthy book but it wasn't the page count that intimidated me.  I wondered if the reading level was too high for me.  I can only say that I'm glad I read it when I wasn't too far removed when when I used to read at a college level.  Most of the books I read now are written at a sixth grade level or less, even if the content is for 21 and over.

For a voracious reader who can easily read a 400 page book in about 5 to 6 hours, this book was probably a weekend read for me.  So colour me surprised when it took me close to a month to finish this book.  Why did it take so long?  Because the material was just so heavy.  The concepts were intriguing.  The monologues were pieces of art.  The theories were presented in a way that made me feel as if the rug was pulled out from under me.  I felt so much for Dagny.  That was a point in my life where I felt I was Dagny in many ways.  Hank was a person I admired and represented a close friend of mine.  Perhaps this book meant so much more to me than any other book to date, because I could relate in every aspect.  Not only that, but the book called into question many of the concepts I lived by. 

While I don't agree with unions and no matter what Ms. Rand tries to push about unionized intellectuals, I will not succumb to that party of thought.  What I do find alluring is the place where all the people who actually DO work, disappear.  The place they disappear into is like the sci-fi show Eureka.  I remember when Eureka first came out and I thought, wow!  It is kind of like the place I imagined when reading Atlas Shrugged.

I realize people will debate and argue about socialism, capitalism and the ramifications of Ms. Rand's sometimes heavy handed theories.  I think that's good because an author like Ms. Rand would have liked the debate and people talking about her book.  From what I could tell, Ms. Rand was a complex person in real life with some very interesting relationships.

Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Dear Thorn Queen,



*******Warning Spoilers ***************
I'm aghast I waited so long to read your book.  It's amazing.  I liked this book better than the first.  Although, the first one was good.  I am truly puzzled why Kiyo was such a pussy.  Eugenia, you should never had been with him.  He basically has a baby mama.  WTF.  Leave him!  He's no good for you.  AND he won't defend you.  He doesn't understand your power nor is he strong enough for you.  He's pathetic.  He should be with the pussy Willow queen.


Eugenia, you are the STORM QUEEN.  Accept it.  So your father was cruel and evil, get over yourself.  you don't have to be.  I understand why you didn't like what Dorian did, but he is the better one for you.  He may have ulterior motives but it benefited you.  You were always missing a part of yourself.  Now you are whole, part of two different worlds.  He understands you AND he can protect his own.  This squeamishness from being ruthless is unbecoming and I tire of your whiny little confusions about being in two worlds.  You can do it.  If that pussy Kiyo could, so can you.  Learning control over your power is the only smart thing to do, otherwise you are just a loaded gun with no safety trigger in the hands of any person.  Suck it up and start behaving like a queen.  Kill that bitch of a queen who thought it was fine to have you raped multiple times a day for well over a week.  Kill them all.  Show them you shall be feared and you will not be treated with such lack of respect.  Make them fear you.


Roland is a disappointment.  Ignore him.  He can't accept you for who you are.  Remember, a true father of the heart will love a daughter as promising and just as you.  For him not to see how you are just, is his own blindness.  You don't need him.  You have outgrown him.


I loved watching you grow into the Queen you are becoming.  I can't wait to greet you again in the next chapter in your life.  Your powers are amazing and glorious.  I hope you also enjoy kinky BDSM sex with the delicious Dorian. 


I recommend this story to those who have been caught in between two worlds and try to fit in.  I recommend it to the women who want a book affirming that there is life after rape.  You don't need someone to save you; you can save yourself.  I recommend this to people who a heroine who can still kick ass even when she's down.

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I had been eagerly anticipating this book from Ms. Singh.  I was a bit apprehensive because I was afraid it was going to be a recycle of the other books.  Lately, many of the authors who write series, I can just swap out their book titles and character names and no one would know the difference.  In defense of these authors I cherish, it has to be difficult to bring something fresh each time, especially with building a world full of characters.  How does an author keep track?

I am happy to say, this is probably my favourite book for Ms. Singh.  This book felt more mature than her early books.  The pace was just right.  Nothing was glossed over.  For me, each scene was in the book to explain another scene or build up to an explanation or explosion.  There were no random sex scenes for the sake of putting sex in it.  Every little nugget revealed a back history or explained the changeling and psy world better. 

I've always liked Hawke.  He's just so hot.  I can understand his fears and Ms. Singh did a good job of showing why he's a bit messed up.  Sienna is one I've always been interested in too.  When she was a minor character, I kept wondering why she was such a threat.  Now she has her own story.  And wow does she pack a punch.  LOVE HER!  She's smart too.  I have to confess, I am biased where I love the smart people more.  The fact that she is also friends with other strong women is something I like about her too.  Her ties with her female cohorts to cause mischief just made me laugh.  Ms. Singh was so clear in her descriptions of their antics that I could see and hear the bar and dancing.

While Ms. Singh did follow the standard formula of hero or heroine struggles to be in a relationship, it works.  Her usage of this formula was delightful and I enjoyed this very romantic hunt and chase story.  I recommend this to people who love Alpha males.  I recommend it to people who love Alpha females.  Combine this with a happily ever after, it would be hard pressed for anyone not to enjoy this lovely story.

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Men in Black meets GQ and Stephen Hawkins - does this make you go, Huh?  I saw a blurb on this book and thought, maybe I'd like it.  I borrowed it from the library and to my shame, I left it languishing there for 2 months.  Last night, I forced myself to open the book and read a few pages just to see if I would like it.  I started at 10:30 PM.  At 3:30 AM, I finished the book and said, WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG?

This book contains campy names and just ridiculously hilarious scenarios.  Kitty Katt (roll eyes now) has been unaware of aliens and what her parents really do for a living.  What I love about Kitty is she has MAJOR cognitive skills.  She's a troubleshooter with the best of them. She thinks out of the box which I LOVE!  This is the kind of heroine I'd aspire to be.  Jeff and Christopher are both hot hot sexy aliens.  Both of them want Kitty.  I'm thinking, darn, this isn't an erotic novel.  This is Urban Fantasy so I'm not going to get a menage out of this.  Oh well.  The sexual tension in this book is just enough, not a forced token sex to keep readers interested.

The world Ms. Koch has built is fascinating and just fun.  It makes my inner geek girl squeal with delight.  I loved all the x-men and comic book references.  (I think Ms. Koch is a Marvel girl which is okay.  I just happen to be more of a DC girl. plltt!) 

Ms. Koch's writing style is great.  I really enjoyed it and her sense of humour is out of this world.  There were several scenes where she pulls of tongue in cheek humour in a great way.  This is probably one of my favourite new authors this year.  I am very impressed with this first book.  I recommend this to all my friends who like paranormal romances that have a bit more geekiness to it.

Undercover

Undercover by Lauren Dane

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Undercover is my one of my FAVOURITE books by Ms. Dane.  This book has it all - angst, kinky sex, two HOT alpha doms, a sexy sub and menage scenes that make me melt into a puddle.  I love this new world Ms. Dane created.  I love the sci-fi parts of it.  I really love Ash, Brandt and Sera.  The painful past which becomes a hard future together was pretty impressive.  I felt emotionally attached to each of the characters.  No one was perfect.  Each had flaws which were easily relatable.  With how hot Ash and Brandt are, I would fantasize being Sera.  The fact that they are covert operations in a sci-fi type world really stroked all the places that makes me go mmmm.  I can't wait to read the next book in this series.  LOVE IT!  I recommend this to any woman who enjoys romance with a happily ever after mixed in with a bit of scifi/fantasy and a sexual tension that will spike your temperature.



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A Perfect World: An Erotic Science Fiction Short Story by Kris Cook

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this short story.  I generally don't like male authors, but Mr. Cook cooked up a hot little story that I enjoyed greatly.  In this futuristic world, it's pretty harsh and it took me a bit to understand what was going on.  Once I understood about the longevity of humans, I really got into the story.  The menage was hot.  I liked it.  The flow of the story was also smooth and other than one minor grammar error, I thought it was very well done.  I enjoyed it enough that I'm going to be looking for more of Mr. Cook's stories.

The Rose of Shanhasson by Joely Sue Burkhart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I worship Ms. Burkhart.  She is an amazing writer.  Each time I read one of her books, I think, why didn't I read this book earlier?  I am so glad I purchased this book and enjoyed it thoroughly.  Shannari is a literally a warrior princess.  I love this strong yet prim and proper lead female character.  What I enjoy about Ms. Burkhart's writing style is that she doesn't explain her world or tell me how it works. She reveals the world like a rose opening from a bud into full bloom. 

Something that really spoke to me in this story was Gregar and Shannari's relationship.  I am reassured that I'm not an anomaly because of how Ms. Burkhart explained Gregar and Shannari's dark ties through dreams.  For years, Shannari and Gregar have been in each other's dreams.  Their dark side, known as shadow, has brought them to love each other deeply yet kill each other.  Sometimes he kills her; sometimes she kills him.  They recognize each other when they finally meet in real life.  The reason why this speaks to me is for years, I've had dreams of the same lover whom I've never seen.  In these dreams, I've been hunted by him, sometimes captured, tortured and killed.  Other times, I've hunted him and had to kill him.  Each time, my heart breaks in my dreams.  The very last time I dreamt of him, he did something different.  He let me go, instead of killing me.  Because he let me go, he was killed by his forces as a traitor.  I remember waking up crying from that dream.  In Ms. Burkhart's story, Gregar and Shannari's doomed love was so similar that my heart broke a bit for Shannari because I could guess the ending between the two.  For Ms. Burkhart to weave this into the story, I'm guessing she's had a similar experience.  Makes me feel not so lonely.

While I loved Shannari's and Gregar's relationship, I loved her relationship with Rhaekhar just as much, in a completely different way.  He is an alpha male with a wicked sense of humour.  He's also amazingly compassionate.  Ms. Burkhart's men are impossible to compete with, in real life.  There are no men who could possibly be like them.  They are everything a strong woman wants in a mate.  Her men make me yearn for things that I thought I'd long forgotten or repressed.

I recommend this book to those who enjoy strong lead characters who aren't afraid to hold themselves to higher standards.  This was truly a romance story which melted my heart.  The surprise menage a trois with the edge of danger makes me shiver.  Love it!