So, I am starting again at a new begining

Hey all,
It has been 4 long years since I have been able to blog. Just finished my first year in physician assistant graduate school (out of 2.5) and am looking to a little piece of heaven in book reviews and interviews again. Maybe even see if I can rope my besty to returning as well because she can read even faster.

I hope to start again. If anyone wants to also participate, would love even more input. Let me know what you guys think!!!

Hi There!

Hello!  I'm going to be joining in the book reviews, so I'm here to introduce myself.  I'm an avid reader, a teacher, and an aspiring writer.  Nevertheless, I'm picky about my books, so I'll try not to be too critical on here :) I'm reading a few things right now, but I'm always willing to try out something else.  Here's what I'm reading right now:

1. Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong - the final book of the Women of the Otherworld series

2. Time Untime by Sherrilyn Kenyon - the newest of the Dark-Hunter series

I have recently finished:

1. The Lady is a Vamp by Lynsay Sands - the newest of the Argeneau Vampire series

2. Under a Vampire Moon by Lynsay Sands - an Argeneau Vampire novel

There's a lot more on both my Kindle and my Nook, but I haven't started them yet.  I'll be sure to add those when I've started/finished them.

~Meg

A List For Now

So for now I am going to make a list of SERIES that I am loving and hope to review (with what I remember) and review new additions (goes and searches kindle - so many - gah and so many to read)

And these are only those I had on my kindle, there are others not so much in the kindle that I have missed - I know like Vampire Academy - but Kindle means more recent reads because I have only had it a bit over a year:

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy - Deborah Harkness (need to get the next and refresh myself)
Set In Stone - Jess Macallan  (can't wait for the next)
Fallen (I just read rapture recently - love) - Lauren Kate
Bound (there are really stand alone books by Cynthia Eden)
Accidentally Yours - Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Significance - Shelly Crane (can't wait for the next)
The Premonition Series - Amy A. Bartol  (can't wait for the next)
Blue Fire Saga - Scott Prussing (up to date so far in review)
Covenant - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Lux - Jennifer L. Armentrout
Celestra - Addison Moore (need to read the end of the most current book)
Existence - Abbi Gaines (I just found out the next book is available - I fail >.<)
The Fever Series - Karen Marie Moning
Collide - Shelly Crane (currently reading the first - paused due to class - grrrrrr)
Timber Wolves - Tammy Blackwell
Fall of Angels - Keary Taylor
Trylle Trilogy - Amanda Hocking

I have about ten books on my kindle I haven't had time to get to and a very - um - intense book called Atlas Shrugged that I am told I must read.

I also have a list of to read series - but for now you get what I have within the last year and ones I am continuing if not finished/hope to review and stop failing.

Get a head start on me XD and enjoy

I FAIL I KNOW :(

Okay, so I fail, I know. I have had no life with this dang summer night class and full time work during the day and weekend work. But this class ends soon, then August I have a break til the end of August, so you will get more, I promise.

Please don't hate me - I have so many reviews I cannot wait to write and put up here.

SOOOOOON I promise ... and not Jared Leto soon if you know what that even means XD

Thank you for being patient with my idiocracy XD

Look, a review O.O

I have decided this review will be about Breathless by Sean Prussing. For two reasons, that is. One is because I just finished last night and it is fresh in my mind. Two is because I have started the second book in the series and if I do not write this review now, it will turn into the other reviews I will write coming up of the past books I have read. Which will end up as a review of a mush of the books in the series thus far into one review (not including ones yet to come XD). To avoid reviewing in that manner from now on, when I finish a book I will try to review it before I read or get too far into the next book. I must warn you now, this is a book about vampires… for the most part that is (for those of you who like to shy away from them in general).

Just about all the supernatural, semi-romantic, fantasy books (and this one is young-adult most likely - you have been warned) I have read were written by a female author. It was fun to see that a male author can be just as good and even sometime better at the same genre. I really enjoyed Sean's writing and am excited to read more of it.

Breathless is the first book in the Blue Fire Saga. There are currently three books in the series and I have not read hints of further books, but I also have yet to read the third book and find where it leaves off. Breathless centers mostly around Leesa. She grew up around her mother whom had claimed to have been attacked by a one-fanged vampire while pregnant with Leesa and has since been progressively acting stranger and stranger. When her brother, Bradley, goes missing from college, Leesa decides to move to Connecticut, the place her mother went was supposedly attacked and her brother went missing from, to go to college and search for her Bradley. In her time there, she meets Rave, who she feels drawn to, ends up dating, but will not kiss her. Throughout the book, Leesa learns what is happening around her, a secret about Rave that she must decide whether she can accept the dangers of, and whether or not she will make the ultimate sacrifice to save her brother.

I quite enjoyed this book. It was a bit shorter than the books I have been reading. Although it is short, which may be a downside for many readers, the story really wraps itself up nicely. The book is written in third person omniscient perspective. I have not read a book in this perspective in a while and it was quite refreshing. Although it focuses mainly around the main characters point of view, you also get the view from Rave and other characters Leesa comes across that are important to the story. I enjoyed knowing the minds of many characters and feeling like I had secret information. There are the occasional misspelling or grammar issues that you find in self-published work, but I find that always makes me feel more connected to the author. The author is very descriptive about the setting of the story. I appreciated it to a point, but when the description went on for more than I page, I found myself skimming the rest of it. When a description drags on, it seems to start to take away from the story.

This story took a unique take on those who hunt the vampires. I will not give more detail than that for fear of spoilers, but thus far I have had fun with the new idea and am intrigued to read further. This book also leaves on a good note, but a note where you definitely want to continue. I really like books that don’t have such a horrible cliff hanger that you want to scream at the author for having to wait so long for the next book, but also leave enough out that you look forward to the next book.

Overall I give Breathless 4 stars and look forward to continuing the next book in the series, Deathless.

Yes, I fail! >.< I fail for not updating. I am sorry about that. It has been a bit rough with funerals, a road trip to Prince Edward Island for one of said funerals (driving 20 hours straight and to turn around within 24 hours and do it again royally sucks), among work and other such things. I have been reading so many books and need to go back and review them (some them may be reviewed as series or part of series because my brain likes to mush books in series into one).

I promise to try to get a least one review done this week and hopefully post another past interview. If not, you may feel free to yell angry things at me... or at least type angry things in bold print. Series I have recently read which I am in love with and cannot wait for the next (and will be reviewing slowly but surely) include the Premonition Series by Amy Bartol, the Significance Series by Shelly Crane, the Half Blood and Lux Series by Jennifer L Armentrout, the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning (which was read a bit longer ago), and Existance by Abbi Gaines among others. I can tell your right now that each of these are going to be at least four stars and I cannot wait for more. These are also just the more recent books, I shall hunt back in my mind for other loves XD.

My current read is Breathless by Scott Prussing, and I am quite enjoying it. I have found myself drawn to the self-publishers and cannot wait to review them. Please be patient with me. I work full time at an Insurance Broker as an Administrative Assistant, work at an outdoor concert venue on weekends and will be starting a summer class (Anatomy and Physiology) so I can eventually go back for a masters.

Not sure if anyone reads this as of yet, but if so, there are so things to come. Feel free to yell at me for delays XD

Later Gators XD

On April 24th, 2010 I had the pleasure of interviewing the Neon Trees when they were touring with 30 Seconds to Mars in Philly. The concert was quite amazing. It was one of their beginning tours, and for where they were, they were and are such a great live band. At this point, the Neon Trees were still growing in popularity and had yet to become as known as they are today. Below is the amazing interview I had with them. It was so much fun and a time I will never forget. Hope you enjoy it. :)

Neon Trees Transcription

SAMANTHA: So how is the tour going so far?

BRANDEN: It’s awesome!

SAMANTHA: It’s awesome?

BRANDEN: Yea! It’s, you know, it’s been epic because we’re playing for some of the biggest crowds that we’ve ever played for and by the time we go on that…there’s already a packed house. I think that 30 Seconds to Mars and Mutemath have such dedicated fans that they—once the doors are open that place is packed. So even though we’re not—we don’t open every night, some nights Street Drum Corps will open the show but um, even the nights when we’re the opener that it’s just full energy and stuff. And everyone’s just so great, there’s so many great people all the way from, you know, the artist down to the production crew and the techs, everybody’s been awesome.

SAMANTHA: Very cool, I’ve always been interested in tour managing, but I have no idea how to get into that. But, um, it’s very cool, I’m glad you’re having such a good time. Are you opening tonight’s show?

BRANDEN: Ah, no, Street Drum Corps is tonight.

SAMANTHA: Okay. But you’re still playing anyway?

BRANDEN: Oh yea, yea, no, yea we’re here!

SAMANTHA: So how do you feel about touring with Street Drum Corps, Mutemath, and 30 Seconds to Mars?

BRANDEN: Oh I think it’s great, you know that each of the bands has a little something different to offer, but it all goes together really well. I think that it’s the full bill that really compliments itself and yea I can see everyone’s pleasant.

SAMANTHA: It’s great. Have you become a family?

BRANDEN: Ah, well, I don’t think we hang out that much, you know, but we’re not ignoring each other, so that’s good. You know, cause everyone has their things going on, you know, it’s like everyone has their own schedules. Ah, but, you know, when we are, you know, in the same areas and stuff like that, you know, the bands aren’t avoiding each other which does happen on tours, you know, you kind of, you know, don’t really gel with people. Maybe there’s not always just a big negative   like there’s a fight or something but I don’t know, you just don’t always connect. I think everyone’s connecting.

SAMANTHA: That’s great!

BRANDEN: You know, when they can.

SAMANTHA: When they have the time; busy. Do you have any rituals before going on stage?

BRANDEN: Um, yea we do a, we actually do a big band chant that is actually the bridge from our song, “Love and Affection.” We actually sing that as a band. So..here’s Tyler, we should get Tyler in on the interview.

SAMANTHA: Yea! Do you want to join?

TYLER: Yea, I’m here so--hello.

SAMANTHA: Cool.

BRANDEN: Yea, everyone say hello to Tyler!

TYLER: Is this via satellite?

SAMANTHA: Haha, yea it’s via satellite.

BRANDEN: So she just asked about what the, ah, if we had any pre-show rituals so I told her about the band chant.

TYLER: Yea, did you say where it’s from?

BRANDEN: Yea, yea, “Love and Affection.”

TYLER: Yea, it’s been kind of like “We are the Champions”-esq feel to it so

SAMANTHA: That’s a lot of fun. What is your favorite song to play live?

BRANDEN: Um, my favorite song right now to play—see recently we’ve been throwing “Farther Down” into the set and that song is actually a bonus track on iTunes. If someone buys the record on iTunes, they get that song so we throw it in here or there when we have time. Um, I also say that “1983” and “Your Surrender” are big favorites.

TYLER: (?) is my favorite tune.

SAMANTHA: Do you have a favorite tour story so far?

BRANDEN: Um, well just before pulling up to this venue we hit a bump in the road and our trailer disconnected from the van, and almost crashed into the back of the van.

TYLER: That’s your favorite tour story?!

BRANDEN: Haha! I mean that is like as—I mean as far as, you know, some of the rigors of the road. ‘Cause then I was thinking, oh man, what if our trailor’s jacked and that, you know, we’re stuck trying to get it fixed or whatever. But as far as like, you know, fun stuff goes; really I think it’s, you know, it’s the stage time. Nothing beats it, because really, it’s the purpose of why we’re here. So it’s that and of course, you know, seeing like all new turf.

SAMANTHA: Do you have a favorite tour story? (to Tyler)

TYLER: Yea, um I—I dyed my hair. Well, I dyed it blonde and then came out on tour and Jared Leto had dyed his hair blonde ‘cause he knew I had black hair. We both have Mohawks right now. And we were like, what are we gonna do? So he dyed his pink. But then in Toronto I went to go darken my hair but it had like a purple in it and it actually, as we were playing, looked pink. So for five minutes I was like, “Shit man.” That was scary, cause Jared Leto scares me.

SAMANTHA: Haha! Really?!

TYLER: I don’t know he’s um fantastic; he just has this interesting presence. And so, I didn’t want to be kicked off the tour so now I’ve dyed it back to a more normal tone of actual hair. But that was kind of scary. It was fun.

SAMANTHA: You have dyed your hair more times than I have.

TYLER: I liked being in New York too, that was fun.

SAMANTHA: New York?

TYLER: A lot of fun.

SAMANTHA: New York is a lot of fun.

TYLER: A lot, a lot of fun.

SAMANTHA: Do you have any items that are mandatory for you take on the road with you?

BRANDEN: Um, my scarf. My scarf that I take everywhere that I got from my wife and she got from the gypsy village in Bulgaria.

SAMANTHA: Really? That’s really cool.

BRANDEN: So that goes everywhere with me. Um, And sunglasses, you know, I mean obviously you have all your different clothes but for me, I think the most important thing are the sunglasses and good pair of headphones, iPod and..

SAMANTHA: You’re set?

BRANDEN: Set.

SAMANTHA: Good to go?

BRANDEN: If for some reason they said all you can wear or biker shorts and a tank top, you know, as long as I had my shades…no, actually I wouldn’t like that. Yea now I’m thinking about that, I wouldn’t look so hot.

SAMANTHA: (Laughter)

BRANDEN: Couldn’t hide behind sunglasses.

SAMANTHA: Or you could pretend everybody else is naked.

BRANDEN: Yea, totally. Which, you know, also on the road there have been a variety of people that have tried to offer that to us. That’s been…that’s crazy as well.

SAMANTHA: Wow.

BRANDEN: But luckily, you know, we’re um—we’re civilized people and we don’t look to hook up with people on the road or, you know, anything like that. So, like, thanks but no thanks, you know. Share your STDs with someone else.

SAMANTHA: Eww, that doesn’t sound very pleasant.

BRANDEN: Yea. But like I said, still flattering.

SAMANTHA: Flattering yes, definitely.

SAMANTHA: Do you have anything that you must bring with you? (To Tyler)

TYLER: A couple bottles of freeze hairspray. Enough said.

SAMANTHA: Perfect.

SAMANTHA: What is the biggest challenge about the creative writing process?

BRANDEN: Um, I’d say with that—with the writing, you know, getting everyone on the same page as far as, like, division of a song and, you know, early on someone may not see it the same way as you do. Um, I think that we’ve learned that others sometimes catch on as well. Tyler and I spend a lot of time writing together and so sometimes we may have already worked on something so many times that we’ve heard it enough. And also to see it morph a little bit so then you take it to the rest of the band and they’re like oh this is um…you know, whoever wants to get their stamp on it or something and get their perspective of the song. So I think a challenge would be, you know, getting people warmed up to new things. But then we’ve seen in the past it all of the sudden becomes someone else’s favorite song. So I don’t think is something, like, really to worry about anymore so I’d say to some that up, you know, getting everyone to agree.

SAMANTHA: Okay. What is the hardest thing about the record business right now?

BRANDEN: Um, me, I’m the hardest.

TYLER: No! It was like, “Here you go, that’s the question.”

BRANDEN: This, um, you know, there’s so many things with it. I don’t think that it’s, you know, everyone thinks that it’s, you know, full of turmoil right now and it’s going down the drain but the good thing about all the rules changing is that if gives people the opportunity to re-write the book. You know cause before it was just the—you know, a certain group of people running it between the executives and the radio, and even MTV as well. But now, while I think those things do play an effective part that it’s not as influential as it used to be because of the way formatting has changed. But yea, I say finding the way to um, rewrite the rules and to see what works and how to distribute music out there, you know?

SAMANTHA: Definitely. How did the name Neon Trees arise?

BRANDEN: Oh, Tyler came up with that name in high school with some friends. He used to go to a restaurant in Southern California and there were literally some neon palm trees on the wall. And he said “Oh that would be a fun name for a band someday, you know, the neon palm trees.” And then from that—

TYLER: Sounded good then, kinda cool.

SAMANTHA: I like the name!

BRANDEN: And then from that, you know, then later when him and Chris officially started the band, a couple years after high school they said let’s just call it neon trees. Um, but later when I found out the story a couple years ago, I remembered my dad who lives in Las Vegas, and that’s where I grew up, he is a sign electrician. He built signs and does neon work and he—I remember him being commission to go to Southern California to install neon palm trees on all these different restaurants and he’s the one that built and installed the very lights, you know, a decade before Tyler even saw it.

TYLER: Pretty crazy right?

SAMANTHA: That is very crazy!

TYLER: It’s written in the stars. So every time we get in a fight and say, “I’m gonna quit the band dude!” We remember, we are meant to be together.

TYLER: Yea, exactly, all because of Steve; that’s my dad.

SAMANTHA: That’s great. That’s a great story. What song are you most excited for on your album “Habits.” What song excites you the most?

BRANDEN: All of them!

SAMANTHA: All of them?

BRANDEN: You know, that’s like saying, who’s your favorite child, you know?

TYLER: We’re really proud that we were able to write an album that we feel there’s no filler; that there’s solid tracks throughout. We’re not ashamed of that, I’m saying that we’re really proud of it.

SAMANTHA: Definitely.

BRANDEN: But right now we are, you know, bands do put out singles and we’re proud that our single “Animal” which is our first single off the record is doing well and people are excited about it and there’s so much love and appreciation for it.

SAMANTHA: Definitely. Do you have any plans for a music video?

BRANDEN: For “Animal”?

SAMANTHA: For any of them.

TYLER: We have five music videos out.

BRANDEN: Eventually, once we choose the next single, then we will.

SAMANTHA: That’s a lot of them.That’s a lot of music videos to have out already.

BRANDEN: Yea well we did, um, we did a couple viral videos just put online and then we did an official—we did “Calling My Name”, yea “Satisfied”, yea. So we did four viral videos that you can find out that and then an official video for “Animal.” So right now I think we’re, you know, we’re set in the video world but we do make a lot of our own, like, how Tyler had the flip cam. You know, he makes little webisodes, as we call them, for our Trees TV.

SAMANTHA: Oh, la, la

BRANDEN: Yea, it’s pretty rad.

SAMANTHA: Definitely I want to get one of those! I’m seeing them everywhere now I’m just like, I want one!

TYLER: Yea, you should get one.

SAMANTHA: Besides the tour do you have anything else exciting coming up for the band?

BRANDEN: Yea, well we’re playing along with Palooza. We’re excited for that because I mean that’s a huge festival that we all have read about. Elaine, did you ever go to Lalapalooza?

ELAINE (Neon Trees Drummer): Yea, I did.

BRANDEN: Just through the fence.

ELAINE: No!

BRANDEN: You went inside once.

ELAINE: Not in Chicago, it’s when it was still touring around, but I was in Chicago, does that make sense?

BRANDEN: Yea, yea yea. So it’s just something that a lot of our favorite bands played there. We’re excited for that. Then we’ll just do more touring, you know, we’ve got other tours in the works that we’ll announce when they’re confirmed.

SAMANTHA: Cool. What is the greatest prank you have pulled on another band member?

BRANDEN: Oh, Tyler and I do it to each other all the time.

SAMANTHA: Well what’s the greatest?

BRANDEN: We basically just hide and scare the crap out of each other.

TYLER: We’re basically like older and younger brothers and we totally just treat each other like that.

BRANDEN: Basically he was hiding in the closet in one of the hotels we were staying in and—

TYLER: For like a half hour.

BRANDEN: For a  half hour! And I went in there to get my swimsuit—

TYLER: I really wanted to get it ingrained into his psyche that I was not anywhere near him. To really, like, play with him.

BRANDEN: And so, yea that was a really good one, where I basically sounded like Seth Rogen, “Shit man! What the fuck are you doing?!” But there was another time where—a good one is where he is—we’re all waiting in the van and he’s inside the convenient store and I’ll just hide behind a stack of oil cans or something and he’ll come out the store with his drink or snack or something and go into the van and I’ll just pop out of nowhere.

TYLER: We’ve been doing that for like a solid year.

BRANDEN: And it never gets old.

TYLER: Never gets old.

SAMANTHA: Always keeping an eye on each other.

SAMANTHA: If you weren’t a professional musician, what would you see yourself doing?

BRANDEN: I’d probably be dead.

SAMANTHA: Dead?

BRANDEN: Yea, you’d have to kill me to not play. No, I’ve tried doing other things, you know?

TYLER: You’ve tried dying?

BRANDEN: I’ve tried dying.

SAMANTHA: (laughter) That would be horrible!

BRANDEN: Did you talk to my therapist?!

SAMANTHA: Oh dear.

BRANDEN: It’s um, if I wasn’t I’d be, um, I would do graphic design.

SAMANTHA: Really? That’s cool.

BRANDEN: Yea, I love graphic communications.

SAMANTHA: Very cool.             

BRANDEN: Yea, Tyler would be a Chef in France somewhere.

SAMANTHA: Very cool. What other artist do you listen to?

TYLER: We listened to, um, the New National record today. It was fantastic. I listen to a lot of music that doesn’t represent the music we make. I think that’s important too cause, like, it makes you a better song writer.

BRANDEN: And I like it too when people find out, ‘cause we’re such a contemporary pop/rock band, some people may think that that’s all you know. And it’s like, well that’s what we’re good at writing and what we’re good at playing and doing, you know, we have so much fun with it. I love people like Miles Davis or John Coletrain um, you know, the band loves stuff like Billy Ocean, some Bruce Springsteen andLed Zeplin, um so you know, it’s just a whole variety of stuff. As far as ,like, newer or contemporary stuff, the (?) to Pink, you know, bands like that. We dig ‘em.

SAMANTHA: If you could name a cologne what would you name it?

BRANDEN: If I could name a cologne?

SAMANTHA: If you could name a cologne what would you name it?

BRANDEN: Swussy!

SAMANTHA: Swussy?

(laughter)

ELAINE: You have to give me credit for that!

BRANDEN: Yea, Elaine’s fragrance would be that.

(laughter)

BRANDEN: Is this going to be printed in a mazagine?

SAMANTHA: Haha, a mazagine.

BRANDEN: What would be—What would I wanna be called?

TYLER: Swalls!

BRANDEN: Mach 3 or something

SAMANTHA: That’s a razor! I actually use that!

BRANDEN: Id, I’d call it Firefox. Just kidding.

(laughter)

BRANDEN: Safari. Yea, I’d have to say Swalls. Do you know what that is?

TYLER: Available at Walgreens.

SAMANTHA: No.

BRANDEN: Say there’s a guy that rides a bicycle a lot and would probably, you know, get sweaty.

TYLER: This is getting graphic.

SAMANTHA: Oh, I know where this is going.

BRANDEN: You’ve heard of Swass, right?

TYLER: It’s sweaty—

SAMANTHA: Ass.

BRANDEN: So sweaty balls!

SAMANTHA: Sweaty balls. (laughter) I’m gonna have to ask my brothers if they’ve heard of that.

BRANDEN: Oh yea, the new fragrance by Branden Michael.

SAMANTHA: Sexy.

BRANDEN: It would be Sexy Swalls.

SAMANTHA: Sexy swalls, okay!

BRANDEN: With two Z’s on the end!

TYLER: Swallzzzzzz.

SAMANTHA: Swallzzzzzz?

BRANDEN: And two dots over the A.

SAMANTHA: Oh okay, make it fancy.

BRANDEN: That would be Euro.