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Book Review: Sinner

Sinner Book Cover

Rating: 5 stars

found.
Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get Isabel Culpeper back. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn’t just want her. He needs her.

lost.
Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It’s not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes…but what’s the point? What is there to win?

sinner.
Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to save each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go.

After reading the rest of the books in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series, I was really excited to get started on reading this one. Not because I didn’t enjoy the rest of the books in the series, but I was looking forward to reading a story that focused just on Isabel and Cole.

And I wasn’t disappointed. Taking place after the events in Forever, Isabel and Cole are in Los Angeles. Isabel lives there because her parents made her and to escape her feelings for Cole. Cole has been to Los Angeles before, but is there this time with the goal of winning Isabel’s heart.

One of the reasons I enjoyed reading Sinner is their love story. It’s very apparent that Isabel and Cole are meant to be. Both of them are the same in the sense that they just don’t give a shit about others. They both don’t wear their hearts on their sleeves and let others see their real selves. But that’s one of the reasons why I love both of them, by themselves and together.

Another reason I enjoyed reading Sinner is getting to see the rock star life through Cole’s eyes. Having been to Los Angeles before in his band NARKOTIKA, he’s already familiar with the world around him. But he’s not the same as the last time he was there. He’s a changed man, doing the best he can to live his life the way he sees fit, despite society’s belief that he’s still the same as before. In Sinner, you see him struggle with putting on his fake persona in front of the crowd when all he needs to do is be himself. Cole struggles throughout Sinner with being himself and it’s very apparent when you juxtapose him with the rock star crowd verses being with Isabel.

But Cole is human and he’s bound to make mistakes. And he makes quite a few, despite doing the best he can to stay human for Isabel’s sake. And so does she. That’s why they are the perfect couple: both are chaos looking for their chance to heal and find peace in the crazy world around them. Both of them are sinners, looking for redemption from the one who loves them the most.

The one aspect to Sinner I wish was there was finding out more about what happened with Grace and Sam following Forever. I know this book’s main purpose was to focus on Isabel and Cole’s relationship. But I felt like Sam and Grace could’ve been more present too. Because I definitely wanted to know what was going on with them while all of this was going on and wanted to find out if a cure had been discovered. So while I enjoyed reading this story from Isabel and Cole’s perspective, I did wish we could’ve seen more of Sam and Grace in the story too.

However, Sinner is a well-crafted masterpiece. I enjoyed reading it because of the storytelling and seeing everything from Cole and Isabel’s eyes and am sad that the series is over.

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There’s Just Something About Walking

Walking Feet

Image can be found on The Glow.

There’s just something about walking that makes me feel good about myself. Every time I go for a walk, I feel pumped, ready to explore the world around me. I tell myself “this is fun, you need to keep this habit.” But I never do.

But I need to. Whenever I was in school at Columbia College, I took a blogging class the one semester. In the class, my professor asked us to blog about a topic that we were passionate about. At the time, I had discovered months before that I had really high cholesterol. I believed that there was something I needed to do about it. And that was how my old blog Healthy Body, Peace of Mind was born.

In Healthy Body, Peace of Mind, I talked about eating healthier so I could live a healthy lifestyle. And while I was blogging about heart health, I managed to do just that. I kept up with the food I was eating and spent time going to the gym at school. And I enjoyed it too.

But it didn’t last long. As soon as I was done with the blogging class, I tried to keep up with being healthier. I really did. But then, I fell into old habits again. I would go one day without going to the gym, which then turned into another until I just stopped going. And once going to the gym fell out, I started terrible old eating habits again. Things such as snacking whenever I didn’t feel like I’d eaten enough at the dining hall or drinking two or three cans of my favorite soda consecutively.

But as I went for a walk this morning, enjoying the cool breeze, a wonderful thought crossed my mind.

I need to kick these bad habits, get healthier again. Get back into the habit of eating healthier again. Because as long as I continue down the road I’ve been on, my high cholesterol isn’t going to go away.

The only way it’ll change is if I make it. So starting today, I plan on doing just that.

First by getting rid of all of my bad food habits. Need to stop snacking on unhealthy food whenever I feel hungry. I can do this by eating something healthier, such as apple sauce or drinking water. Drinking water can keep the feeling of hunger at bay because it keeps hydration levels optimal and can ward off deceiving hunger pains that are really signs of thirst, according to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Healthy Eating page.

Then, I need to keep track of what I’m eating. I can do this through keeping a food diary or using food apps on my phone where I can record what I’m eating throughout each day. I already have a Fitbit so I can use the Fitbit app on my phone to keep track of what all I’m eating throughout the day while keeping track of the amount of steps I walk each day. Keeping track of what I eat will ensure I stay on track and make sure I don’t indulge in any of my bad eating habits.

And lastly, I need to indulge in good eating and exercise habits and stick with them. I need to make sure I can keep up with doing a little bit of exercise each day, such as walking. Walking can lower your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as much as running, according to the American Heart Association. But also eat healthy food, such as fish so I don’t increase my chances of getting heart disease.

I say all of this now, knowing there’s a possibility of this happening all over again. But that doesn’t mean I can’t at least try the best I can to kick my bad habits to the curb and try again each time it does. As long as I don’t give up, that’s what really matters.

 

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Terrible Minds Flash Fiction Challenge: Seven Deadly Sins

Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s blog post on Terrible Minds, I’m going to write a fictional story about a man named Jack who embodies all seven of the deadly sins. I’ve never done one of these flash fiction challenges before so I’m really interested to see how this goes.

 

Hello, my name is Jack. And I am going to hell.

I know everyone has heard of the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. They are the sins that determine ones place in the deadly underground known as hell.

Unfortunately, I’ve been blessed with the unlucky curse to embody all seven.

Lust whispers in my ear at night whenever I get into bed, asking me if I’m really going to go another night without a pretty woman in my bed. I try the best I can to ignore this voice, but it never goes away. So at night, I’m out, enjoying the nightlife and looking for another woman to add to my notch belt.

Gluttony slaps me in the face every time I eat. It asks if I’m really done eating that last plate. Whispers, are you sure you don’t want any more? like a lost lover. So I always go back for more until I’m sick with disgust at what all I’ve just eaten. But I still go back anyway, knowing I’m going to regret it later.

Greed can be found in all of my latest purchases. I shop like a woman at the mall, buying all of the latest and greatest gadgets for men. Even things I don’t need I purchase, knowing I’m not going to use them but feeling the need to have them anyway. I know I don’t need the money anyway because I make plenty of it.

Sloth follows me around like a lost puppy every time I go into work. I hate my job, so I make myself look busy around my coworkers. But once their backs are turned, I go back to being unproductive. I spend my work hours doing nothing but stare at my computer screen, wishing the day was already over so I could continue with this unproductivity back in my lonely apartment. I hate work and I hate life so I don’t see the point in doing anything productive anyway.

Wrath buzzes around in my head like an angry bee every time I drink. I’m an alcoholic at heart. Alcohol is the only thing that can numb my mind until I can feel nothing at all. But it also makes me aggressively angry about everything. So I take my anger out the best way I can: smashing and destroying everything directly in my path. This normally means my precious possessions get destroyed in the process, but I make plenty of money anyway and objects can always be replaced.

Envy is my best friend. I feel it with every fiber of my being whenever I see other people laughing or having a good time. I have no interests or hobbies other than drinking, sleeping with beautiful women and buying expensive things with the extravagant money I have at my disposal. I have so much, yet own nothing worthwhile. And wish more than anything for something more. So I’m envious at other’s fortune in life.

Pride comes as a reminder that I do have a lot in life. Look at all of the things you own, it whispers quietly in my ear. And pride is right. I do have a lot of nice things in life. I mean, how many men can say they have the latest and greatest things life can afford? How many men can buy the best alcohol money can get you and buy as much of it as there’s available? How many men can have sex and eat as much as they want and still go back for more? Pride hits me whenever I’m at my lowest, reminding me of all of the nice things I own and saying that I’m lucky because not too many people have what I do. And pride is right. Pride is always right.

Hello, my name is Jack. And these are all of the reasons why I am going to hell.

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Book Review: Forever

Forever Book Cover

Rating: 4 stars

then.
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.

now.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.

forever.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment–a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

The third book and last book in the Mercy Falls series (minus Sinner, which is more of a standalone novel in the series that focuses on the characters of Cole and Isabel) Forever was everything I hoped it would be. It picks up where Linger left us, with Grace being a wolf and Sam missing her deeply.

What I enjoy about this novel in the series is continuing to see Sam and Grace’s love go on. Their relationship is such a lovely thing that every time I see them together, I’m filled with envy. And despite everything, their love for each other is still stronger than all of the obstacles in their way.

Another aspect of Forever I like is how the plot continues to thicken. The plot in Forever continues to develop, making the story an even more interesting read with each page turned. I found myself continuing to read because I wanted to know what happened and how things were going to end for the wolves. I found myself reading because I wanted to know what happened to everyone. I became invested in all of the character’s lives, which is something every good book should be doing for its readers.

The one aspect of Forever I couldn’t get around was all of the loose ends in the story and how fast Stiefvater moved the novel along. I felt while reading this that there were still so many questions I had left about what was going to happen to the characters. For example, I was hoping that there was going to be a definite cure by the end of the story that they figured out. Instead, there’s nothing definite about the cure at all. I also just didn’t feel like we were given much of an ending for Sam and Grace either. We are told what they are going to do, but there’s no definite guarantee for any of the characters that everything is going to be alright. And then, there’s the pacing of Forever. I felt as if this book moved too fast. I felt as if the writing was rushed with certain events happening and no explanation given.

And while I do enjoy Forever like I do the rest of the books in this series, it isn’t necessarily my favorite book in the series. But overall, I enjoyed Forever and can’t wait to read Sinner next.

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Writing Prompt: “Happiness is Not the Absence of Problems” Quote

Tumblr- Inspire

I feel as if I can both agree and disagree with this quote. I feel like happiness can come from dealing with your life’s problems. But at the same time, I also think happiness is more than that.

I feel like happiness is your ability to deal with your problems. If you have issues in your life that need to be taken care of, dealing with them can make your life so much easier. It puts a weight off your chest that allows you to continue with your life. It makes life less stressful so that you have one less thing to worry about.

But I also think happiness is more than that. Happiness is what you make of it. It’s what you make of your life and the opportunities you’re given. If you aren’t happy, it’s because you aren’t thankful for the chances you currently have in your life. But also can be because your life situation isn’t the most ideal and are struggling to get through every day.

Happiness is what you make of it. You can only be happy whenever you look at life with an open mind and be thankful for what you have.

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Writing Prompt: What Do You Like About Rainy Weather?

Rain-Falling-Desktop-Backgrounds

Wow. What a perfect day to get this writing prompt on.

Anyway, what I like about rainy weather is that it sounds peaceful. The pelting of the rain against the ground sounds dreamy and makes me often want to run and play until I’m soaking wet. But I ignore the temptation because I don’t want to get soaking wet or sick.

Rainy weather is also enjoyable because it allows me to stay inside. I can enjoy the weather without having to go into it, but it also allows me the less opportunity to deal with people and just be indoors whenever it rains. I like that because I can then watch the rain, sit on the couch and enjoy a wonderful book of my own choosing. I don’t have to worry about what’s going on outside because I already know.

I enjoy rainy weather because it soaks up the ground. It breathes and helps nature grow. But at the same time, you can feel the water soothing your skin with it moisture. It brings comfort to you in ways the warm sun can’t. But it can also revive and heal you whenever you drink it because it relieves your throat in ways other liquids can’t.

But rainy weather can also be a bitch sometimes. It can cause storms and chaos everywhere it goes, depending on the downpour of rain. And flooding whenever it suits its purpose. It can make you drowsy, make you want to sleep at times most inconvenient for you.

But I still like it anyway because it’s a beautiful part of nature that I embrace.

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Book Review: Linger

Linger Book Cover

Rating: 5 stars

the longing.

Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.

the loss.

Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being a human.

the linger.

For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life a constant struggle between two forces–wolf and human–with love baring its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?

Like Shiver, I’ve also read this second book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. However, my memory of this book is very limited from my last reading because I don’t remember a lot of the events unfolding, just the characters.

But like Shiver, I couldn’t put Linger down. Every page I read of this weaving tale had me engrossed in these character’s lives, wanting to find out what happened next.

Linger picks up exactly where Shiver left off. After discovering that there is a cure to turning into a wolf, Sam and Grace live their lives happily together. Until a new wolf enters into the story and things begin to change.

One of the aspects to Linger I like is the added point of views of Isabel and Cole. No longer is this series only told from Sam and Grace’s side, but you also get more details of what’s going on from other characters who play an important role in the story. I like seeing more character’s perspective because I feel like it continues to enrich the story, adding more pieces to the puzzle that is beginning to form.

I also love reading Linger because I love seeing Sam and Grace’s relationship continuing to blossom. Now that Sam and Grace don’t have to worry about Sam turning wolf, they can enjoy their lives and plan for their future. And the reader feels happy for them because you get to see how happy they both are to have each other in their lives. To be able to continue their relationship and not have to worry about any of them becoming a wolf. Or so, you think.

I love Linger because I enjoy reading the author’s story. The way Stiefvater writes this story continues to engross me as a reader, wanting to know what’s going to happen next. The words written are so beautiful that I had a hard time putting Linger down, wanting to find out what happens next to Sam, Grace, Isabel and Cole.

Another aspect to Linger that I didn’t notice quite so much in Shiver that I enjoy is character development. Throughout this book, I felt like all of the characters went through their own transformations. Isabel and Cole become more caring towards those around them and Grace gets more sensitive to feeling, even having the courage to stand up to her parent’s bad parenting.

The one thing that bothers me with this book though is the pacing of the story. While I did enjoy reading Linger, I felt some of the pacing was slow. For example, the problems with Grace happened at the beginning of the story and I knew exactly what was wrong with her as soon as it started. But none of the characters acted like anything was seriously wrong with her until it was too late and nothing could be done but the unthinkable. And then once that happened, the rest of the plot unfolded.

Overall though, I enjoyed reading Linger too and can’t wait to read the third book in this series, Forever for the first time and find out what happens next to Grace, Sam, Cole and Isabel.

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Book Review: Shiver

Shiver Book Cover

Rating: 5 stars

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

I’ve read Shiver once before. In high school, I read this novel because a friend of mine had told me about it. However, since it’s been a really long time since then, I feel as if reading Shiver again is like reading it for the very first time.

But like the first time I read Shiver, I still find this book an enjoyable read. One of the reasons I love this novel is because wolves are my favorite animal. They fascinate me because I believe they are very misunderstood animals and find them to be very beautiful in nature. And the main character Grace feels the same way, despite the wolf attack she experienced. Having this love of wolves makes reading Shiver an even more enjoyable experience for me.

I also enjoy reading Shiver because the romance between Grace and Sam moves me. I find myself reading about their relationship and seeing how much they love each other. Seeing how they are willing to risk every aspect of their lives to be together. Even if it means facing death. Their love story touches me completely and I can never get enough of it.

Shiver is an amazing read because Stiefvater knows how use words to create a compelling narrative. Like the first time I read this book, I went through this book quickly, wanting to know what was going to happen next to Grace and Sam as they try and find a way for Sam to stay human forever. She also made me emotional because their story ends on a cliffhanger, making the reader wonder what’s going to happen in the next book in the series Linger, which I’ve also read.

The shifting perspectives between Sam and Grace just adds to their narrative. The reader gets the full story of what’s happening from Sam and Grace’s point of view throughout the novel, getting an insight into the mind of a wolf.

I also like this series in general because I feel like Stiefvater gives the reader a reasonable explanation as to why Sam and the others change into wolves. Instead of being a story about werewolves who can change whenever, Sam doesn’t have complete control over his ability to become a wolf. He can only become a wolf when his body temperature is cold for a certain period of time. So when it’s wintertime, Sam is a wolf. However during the summers, Sam usually becomes human again.

But the catch is that they only have a certain amount of years where they can go from being a wolf to human until they become wolves completely and can’t change back. And that’s another reason why Shiver pulls at the reader’s heartstrings until they become emotionally invested in the character’s situation. With Sam and Grace, it’s supposed to be Sam’s last year being human. But this is the first time Sam and Grace have fully interacted with each other. Years ago, Grace had been attacked in her backyard by a pack of wolves, the pack Sam himself is in. But she was saved by Sam. Since then, they’ve both been drawn to each other, watching each other but not daring to get close until the events in Shiver unfold.

The only aspect of Shiver I don’t particular like is Grace’s parents. Both her mother and father are the most absent-minded parents I’ve ever read in a novel. Their relationship with their daughter is very limited. Throughout the book, you feel as if she doesn’t have parents because both of them are rarely around and when they are, their interaction with Grace is small. To the point where Grace basically fends for herself at home because her parents are always out of the house, barely paying any attention to Grace, even when she’s at home. And while I do know some people do have parents like that, it still bothers me because I feel like they don’t care about Grace and what she’s doing.

However, Shiver is such a beautifully crafted story that I can look past it. If you ever get the chance to read this book, please do. Especially if you are a wolf lover like me and enjoy young adult literature as much as I do. I can’t praise this book enough and can’t wait to read the second book in the series Linger again.

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Writing Prompt: Music

Music Life

When it comes to music, I listen to all sorts of types. From pop to rock and roll, music is an important part of my life. Music is what I listen to whenever I’m sad, need something to distract me from my thoughts, and need something to listen to whenever the silence in the world gets to me.

Music is an important part of my life. While I don’t play any instruments (though I used to whenever I was in middle school), I listen to music a lot.

Music is relatable. Whenever I listen to a song I’ve never heard before, I pay attention to what I’m hearing. Lyrics play an important part in whether I’ll enjoy a song or not. If the song doesn’t have lyrics I can relate to, I won’t listen to it. The same can be said if the song’s rhythm just doesn’t click with me.

I like listening to music I can relate to. Not because it makes me emotional but because I can understand the songwriter more and feel more of a connection to the music. Of course, there are some exceptions to this rule. Like whenever I listen to classical music or any songs without lyrics, I look for music that pleases my ear. Songs that have a nice melody and that I can listen to that bring me peace of mind.

But my interest in music is an eclectic mix of songs. I like listening to rock and roll but also enjoy classical music, pop, indie, and sometimes even rap too.

My interest in music is a mixture because there are a lot of songs I like. But also because I love listening to music whenever I get the chance.

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