Song of the Sparrow

Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell

Written in verse, but reads like prose. Excellent teen book about Elaine, the Lady of Shallott. The story is different from the usual legends.

Book of Time

Book of Time by Guillaume Prevost

The book started very slow, but picked up okay and was getting really interesting when it ended. The main plot thoughout the book was never resolved and therefore this has to be the first of a series. I hate this - do not start and story and leave the main issue unresolved. Leave a few small cliff hangers, but not the main issue. Doubt I will read the next book.

Over Hexed

Over Hexed by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Not really my kind of book. Too romancy, but it was cute. Too much sex, but I skip those parts anyway. Story about the town hunk who falls in love with the girl who came to town to buy his boyhood dream home. A match making witch and wizard get involved along with the town dragon. I had to read it quick because I listed it in a virtual book box and it got picked. I don't think I'll add TBRs to those anymore, lol.

Lives of the Kings & Queens of England

Lives of the Kings & Queens of England edited by Antonia Fraser

Unabridged Audio - read by Wanda McCaddon - 9 CDs - 12 hrs 14 min

Series of essays written by various British historians about the royal family. Very interesting and informative, each chapter began with the monarch's childhood and the narrative progressed to their deaths (except the current queen of course). Going in my permanent collection.

The Red Thread

The Red Thread by Roderick Townley

Probably one of the best teen fictions I've read this year. Dana has lived several lifetimes and they are starting to mesh and leak out into the lifetime she is living now. A mystery needs to be solved so forgiveness can be given. How the author switches back and forth between lifetimes is very well done.

Enter Three Witches

Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney
Read by Charlotte Parry
Unabridged -- 7 CDs -- 7.5 hours

One of the best teen book I've listened to in a while. The reader's voice bothered me a little at times, but the story itself made up for any failings of the reader. Enter Three Witches is the story of Mary, daughter of the Thane of Cawdor. Mary lived with Lord and Lady Macbeth. After the Macbeths murdered King Duncan, Mary plays an important role in helping King Malcom regain the throne.

Tombs of Endearment

Pepper Martin #3 - Tombs of Endearment by Casey Daniels

This is probably my favorite of this series so far. Pepper is coming to terms with being able to see and talk to the dead. She also falls in love with her dead guy who helps her on her way to getting on with her real guy(s). I really look forward to #4.

Demon in My View

Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

WOW! What can I say - another awesome book by Atwater-Rhodes. She is a teen writing for teens and what puts her way ahead of a lot of other paranormal teen writers is that she is not afraid to let bad things happen in her books. They are dark, they are sometimes scarey, and sometimes people get killed or turned to paranormal creatures. This is the second book I've read by this author and I want MORE!!

This one was sent to me as a surprise by my dear friend Amberkatze from Austria.

Othila

Rune: Othila (oath-awe-law) #23 ; The god Vali and belonging to the god Tyr.

An amazing infant, Othila was said to have developed so quickly that he grew to his full height on the day after his birth. He is the son of Odin and Rind. He is known as the god of light because he hunted down and killed Hodur, the slayer of Baldur, afterwhich he took his seat in the hall of Gladsheim. He was one of the gods that survived the end of the world. In Christianity, he became Valentine because he was known for his archery and as the god of light.

Object: seat
Symbol: vegetation
Color: red

Meaning: inheritance, legacy, land, property
Reversed: an accident, damage, mechanical equipment failure

Got Fangs?

Got Fangs? by Katie Maxwell

Cute idea for a book. A girl who can know all about a person just by touching them has a mother who is a witch. After divorcing her father, the mother takes the girl to Europe and joins a gypsy traveling circus full of witches, vampires, demons, etc. But that is it. There is no real substance and no real story. I have book two of this series too, but probably am not going to read it.

Half-Moon Investigations

Half-Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer

Unabridged Audiobook -- 6 CDs -- 7 hrs 17 min

Read by Sean Patrick Reilly

When this one first started, I did not think I would make it through the first CD. There is only so much graphic description I can stand of someone with an extremely runny nose. Why some adults think children are fasinated with this, I will never understand. Most kids I know are as grossed out by this sort of thing as I am. However, I did go ahead and listen and that part only lasted through about the first half of the first CD. The rest of the story of good. It is clever story about a 12 year old who wants to be a detective. He solves crimes around the school yard, who took this kid's lunchmoney, where someone left their books, etc. Then came the big case and not only does Half-Moon have to solve it, he has to clear himself as well as he was framed for the crime.

Poltergeist

Poltergeist by Kat Richardson

This is the second in the Greywalker series and I liked it as much, if not better than the first one. Harper Blaine has been able to enter the "grey" world since almost having died herself. The grey world is a world of echoes from past lives and times. The grey world exsists as overlapping and layered levels of our own world. In Poltergeist, Harper tracks down a killer who is using a ghost to help him carry out his crimes.

City of Bones

City of Bones: Mortal Instruments # 1 - by Cassandra Clare
Unabridged audio -- 12 CDs -- 14 hours
Read by Ari Graynor
Cover on my copy is different

I really enjoyed this story and look forward to listening to more in this series. 16 year old Clary finds out she is not really a mortal, that she is really decended from the shadow-hunters, warriors who try to rid the world of demons and other forsaken. I was warned against this book by a few people because the author tends to "borrow" quite heavily from other books. I did find a few instances where certain terms or ideas were familar to me from other books, but for the most part. I really liked the book and will listen to the others in this series.

Betwixt

Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith

Isn't that the most horrible book cover you've seen in a while?? However, hiding betwixt it's pages is a really incredible book. Three teens all hide secrets about themselves. Ondine paints images that come alive. Nix sees bright halos of fire around people who will soon die. Morgan morphs into small creatures of the woods.

I really liked this one. I picked it up to read the first two or three pages and wound up reading it straight through.

On the Prowl

On the Prowl

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs

I really liked this story. It was pretty predictable, but I still liked it.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks

When this one first started, I didn't think I would like it. Later on, I really got into the story and it is my favorite of the four.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance

This was a cute little story. More humorus than the other three.

Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny

I didn't like this one much.

Witchling

Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn

Everything I'd read about this one said it was really good. I agree, this was really a good book. The first in a series about three sisters, half human, half faery, all with different paranormal talents. The sisters are operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. This book focused on Camille, the witch. Because of her mixed blood, sometimes her spells don't work quite right.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Changling.

High Stakes

High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

After about the first 80 or so pages this one did not grab me. I thought it was silly and typical, so I am going to pass on this series. I have so many TBRs and so little time that I don't want to waste it on anything that does not interest me.

Wish House

The Wish House by Celia Rees

A good listen even thought it was fairly predictable. I would only give it to older teens because of sex, drugs, etc.

Richard and his family go to the same place every summer. He and a friend play in an abandoned house they call "Wish House". One summer, a family has moved in. Father, mother, son, daughter all free spirits, artists and lovers. Richard falls in love with the girl, Clio. As Richard becomes obsessed with her, he learns more and more about oddities of the family.

Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall by e. Lockhart (Teen)

Unabridged audio -- 4 CDs -- 4 hours -- read by Caitlin Greer

This had to be one of the most disgusting things I've listened to in a long time. The main character is a girl in a special arts school in NYC. The book started off fairly well, although the language at times was bad (trust me, it got a lot worse). She wishes she was a fly on the wall of the boy’s locker room so she could hear what goes on in there and the next day, she wakes up as a fly on the wall in the boy's locker room. Through all of almost 2 complete CDs of the 4, she proceeds to talk about seeing them all naked and about the size of their "gherkins". Geezzz give it a rest. I kept skipping to the next track hoping it would be finished. Also there was a lot of talk about the size of girls "biscuits". The basic story was good, but the voyeurism got to be too, too much. The girl started tossing the "f" word around constantly too.

Heart Shaped Box

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Audiobook -- Unabridged -- 9 CDs -- ll hours -- Narrated by Stephen Lang

Awesome. Reminisent of Stephen King at his best, his son Joe Hill has written an awesome ghost story.

Aging rock star, Judas Coyne, buys a ghost from the internet. The dead man's suit arrives in a heart shaped box. The ghost has business with Jude. He claims his step-daughter, Anna, killed herself because of him. He says he is going to kill Jude and everyone who helps him.

Winter Moon

Winter Moon by three fantasy authors. I really liked all three of these stories. The Lackey and Lee stories are the fantasy I like best. Murphy's paranormal shaman is going to soon be a favorite.

Moontide by Mercedes Lackey
A story from the 500 Kingdoms. Moira na Ferson, Grey Lady and heir to Highclere returns home to find her father is not exactly being loyal to the king.

Heart of the Moon by Tanith Lee

Lee at her best. Clirando, a warrior maiden,is exiled to spend a week on the Moon Isle during the time of the seven full moons. There she is forced to face her own fears and to do penance for the ghosts that haunt her.

Banshee Cries by CE Murphy

Joanne Walker, shaman and Seattle police officer, gets help from her dead mother to track down a serial killer.

Monsters of Templeton

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

I was sent this book by Barnes & Nobles as part of their "First Look" program. It is an Advance Readers Copy and the book is scheduled to be released February 2008.

Willie Upton is one of the last decedents of the original founders of her hometown, Templeton. She hasn't been home in years, but she returns, pregnant and scared that she is in much deeper trouble for trying to run over her lovers wife with a small plane.

She has always thought herself the child of her hippie mother's years in a commune and that her father was one of the three male members of the group. Soon after Willie's return to Templeton, her mother confesses that Willie's father is actually a local man. However Willie's mother refuses to tell Willie the name of her father, only that he is someone Willie knows and that he is most likely also descended from the town's founding fathers.

I really liked the book and am happy that I was selected to read and discuss the book with it's author.

This review can also be found on The Smoke Lives The BookMooch TBR Club Blog:http://bookmoochtbrclub.blogspot.com/2007/10/monsters-of-templeton-by-lauren-groff.html

Chaos King

The Chaos King by Laura Ruby (Unabridged Audio - 7 CDs)

This was a slow starter, but finally got interesting. It wasn't my favorite teen audio, but it wasn't bad. I really think it was for a younger audience, probably 4-8 grade.

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Very good story about a country girl from Iowa who goes to live with her aunt, uncle & cousins in NYC. They think she is fleeing Iowa to get away from a stalker x-boyfriend. She's really trying to escape a love spell she cast that has gone awry. Really liked this one a lot!

Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber

Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber

Very fast, very short book. I liked the ending of this one much better than the last, so I probably will continue on with the series. In search of her vampire boyfriend, Alexander, who has disappeared, Raven meets Jagger, Alexander's sworn enemy. Jagger is determined to change Raven into a vampire on cemetary ground so she will be his for eternity.

Vampire Kisses

Vampire Kisses, Book 1 of the Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber

I liked this book almost from the first page. The ending, not so much. The series is about a girl named Raven who has wanted to be a vampire since she was a little girl. The story was good up until the last chapter and then I thought it got a little silly. I have the second book in the series and will read it next, but not sure if I will continue with the rest of the series.

Enchanted Inc

Enchanted Inc by Shanna Swendson

I thought at first I'd hate this book because she kept referring to her hick ways in the city and being from Hicksville and growing up on a farm, etc. All the things that people from outside of Texas think Texans are like. Then I find out the author is from Texas. I still very much dislike her exaggerating the typical sterotyped Texan, but I soon forgot about that as I got into the story. I really liked it and would like to read more in this series!

Ace of Cups

Ace of Cups: Minor Arcana

Description: Hand emerging from a cloud holds a single golden cup. Five rivulets of water flow from the cup into a lake of lily pads. A dove flies into the cup with an offering of a host wafer.

My thoughts: Water is the symbol of emotion. The five rivulets of water indicate the five senses. The dove is peace. This card offers happiness. The potiential is there, the seeker only has to accept it.

Traditional meaning: A true heart. Joy, happiness, contentment.

Reversed: A false heart. Instability

Ten of Cups

Card: Ten of Cups, Minor Arcana

Description: A family stands under a rainbow of ten cups rejoying.

My thoughts: goals achived, happiness, content, fulfillment, a time for rejoying

Traditional meaning: Contentment, perfection of human love and friendship
Reversed: false heart, indignation, violence

First Look - Barnes & Noble

As if I didn't already have small mountain range of TBRs -- I was lucky enough to sign up in time to be a "First Look" reader over on the Barnes & Noble's Book Club website. I got a free advanced readers copy of "The Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Groff in the mail today!

Annotation - From back of book
One dark summer dawn, at the exact moment that an enormous monster dies in Lake Glimmerglass, twenty-eight-year-old Willie (nee Wilhemina) Upton returns to her hometown of Templeton, NY in disgrace. She expects to be able to hide in the place that has been home to her family for generations, but Willie then learns that the story her mom, Vi, had always told her about her father has all been a lie. He wasn't the one-night stand Vi had led her to imagine, but someone else entirely. Someone from this very town.

As Willie digs for the truth about her lineage, voices from the town's past — both sinister and disturbing — rise up around her to tell their sides of the story. In the end, dark secrets come to light, past and present blur, old mysteries are finally put to rest, and the surprising truth about more than one monster is revealed.

My Harry Potter AlterEgo

You scored as Severus Snape, Well you're a tricky one aren't you? Nobody quite has you figured out and you'd probably prefer it stayed that way. That said you are a formidable force by anyone's reckoning, but there is certainly more to you than a frosty exterior and a bitter temper. Severus Snape 85% Harry Potter 80% Ginny Weasley 75% Remus Lupin 75% Hermione Granger 70% Sirius Black 65% Ron Weasley 65% Albus Dumbledore 65% Draco Malfoy 60% Lord Voldemort 40% Your Harry Potter Alter Ego Is...? created with QuizFarm.com

ROFL

I'm a Vampire!

You scored as Vampire, your a Vampire. A blood thirsty creature of the night and you probably hate mortals. The suns burns you get are a bit more severe then those mortals and those holy items dont much help things either. Vampire 75% Angel 70% fairy 65% ghost 60% centuar 60% werewolf 60% Zombie 40% mermaid 30% another mythical creature quiz created with QuizFarm.com

Raido

Rune: Raido (rye-though) #5: The god Thor belonging to the goddess Freya.

Thor was the son of Odin and Jord. He is the patron god of farmers and peasants. His mighty hammer Mjollnir represented the power of regeneration and ferility on earth. He was said to have a fiery temper and a soft heart. He was the god of peasants and the working class and was probably more widely worshipped than Odin.

Symbol: Hammer
Animal: Goat
Tree: Oak
Color: Blue

Meaning: A journey, travel.
Reversed: Obstructed plans or a lack of direction.

Wunjo

Rune: Wunjo (woon-yo) #8. The Valkyries belonging to the goddess Freya.

The Valkyries rode onto the battlefield and selected the bravest of the warriors that had been slain. In some stories they rode white winged steeds, in others they rode packs of wild, vicious wolves. They carried the heroes to an afterlife in the halls of Valhalla. Odin presided over Valhalla and the slain heroes were given mead poured into drinkhorns and served by the thirteen Valkyries. The Valkyries were said to be the most beautiful of women. When not eating and drinking and being served by the lovely maidens, the heroes would spend their time in mock battles, training for the final conflict of Ragnarok.

Object: The Drinkhorn
Color: Indigo

Meaning: joy, comfort, bliss, devotion and yearning
Reversed: Be wary in business matters. Impatience and uncertainly. Guard against strong impulses.

The Society of S by Susan Hubbard

Arielle Montero never knew her mother. She disappeared shortly after Ari was born and never returned to the house in New York. Ari is home schooled and rarely ever is allowed to leave her house. Shortly after she makes friends with the housekeepers daughter, she begins to notice how different she is from others and how different is her household. Her face is always blurred in pictures and in one taken of her father, he doesn't show up at all. She begins to suspect her father is a vampire. After her best friend, Kathleen, is savagely murdered, she demands that her father tell her why they are different and where is her mother. He doesn't know where her mother is and yes, he is a vampire. Is Ari a vampire also? What happens when a mortal and a vampire have a child together?

This is an amazing book. I did not expect to be this good!

A copy of this review can also be found :
http://bookmoochtbrclub.blogspot.com/2007/09/society-of-s-by-susan-hubbard.html

Seven Deadly Sins

Find out which of the 7 deadly sins is your downfall:
http://www.4degreez.com/misc/seven_deadly_sins.html

Mine was sloth, which is probably true. I do as little as possible most of the time.

Tagged!!

Oh dear! I've been tagged by Amberkatze. This next paragraph is from her blog about tagging. Guess these are the offical rules.

Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird, random things, facts, habits, or goals about yourself. At the end choose 10 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. Don't forget to leave them a comment (you're it) and to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you. Since you can't tag me back, let me know when you've posted your blog so I can see your answers.

1. I have lived in Texas my whole life and cannot imagine living anywhere else. I love it here, especially the heat and Tex-Mex cooking. Even though I have lived here all my life, I have not owned a cowboy hat or boots since around age 5.

2. I love country music and going to concerts. This is something I inherited from my dad (even though he never went to many live shows) My father loved music and on Saturdays nights when I was growing up, he would turn the television on to channel 11 and from around 6:00 to 10:00, we would watch one country music show after another. (Those were the days of one TV households)

3. I love cats. I have 7 right now, 2 I inherited from my mom, 3 brought home as strays by my children and 2 the orginial two that I was responsible for bringing into the house. Of course as my children move out, they have not taken their strays with them (indeed one is my little shadow and he would probably morn my loss if my son were to take him now). They are all getting pretty geriatric. Occassionally my daughter brings her kitten home for me to kittensit and he drives them all crazy chasing them around and wanting to play.

4. I have been married for 30 years and I have 5 children -- 3 boys, 2 girls. I have two in-law children (one of each), and one grandbaby boy who just turned one in July. My children were born boy, girl, boy, girl, boy and I've always regretted not going ahead and having one more. Surely it would have been another girl.

5. I decided the first time I went to storytime at the downtown Dallas library (probably at around age 6), that I wanted to be a librarian when I grew up. I always pictured myself at a public library doing storytime. I'm not quite sure how I wound up as a university medical school reference librarian. Do you think the med students would like to hear me read "Charlotte's Web" sometime?

6. I love to travel. My parents always took one to two week long vacations every summer. One summer we drove to Tennessee, another all the way to Montana, but most of the time, we went to Colorado. My dad loved Colorado. One summer, we were in Missouri and he got bored and we drove accross Kansas to get to Colorado. One summer, as we were backing out of the driveway headed for Galveston and the Texas coast, he decided we'd go to Colorado instead. One thing about our trips, if you didn't leave home with it, you didn't buy it, you did without. We have pictures of me playing in the snow dressed for the beach in shorts and flip-flops.

7. My dream is to someday travel to England and Wales. I have always regretted not being more adventurous when I was younger and just going. Now, I send my children to Europe between their junior and senior year of college, but still have not gone myself. Perhaps when the youngest graduates, I'll finally make it. I've always been fascinated by the British monarchy and there are so many historical sites and museums there that I want to see.

8. When I was in high school, my mother bought me a set of tarot cards. I still have the deck and have since bought several more. I packed them away when the kids were little and have just recently picked them back up again. I was online one day and noticed the "Barnes & Nobles University". They were offering a class in tarot and I signed up for it. I LOVED BNU. Every month I would look forward to seeing what would be offered the next month and signed up for at least 2 each time. I was so upset when they discontinued it. I can't stand the way they have it now. They aren't really classes anymore, it's just a big message board. I very rarely ever go over there.

9. I bought a set of rune stones a few months ago and have enjoyed studying about them. I have always loved Greek, Roman & Egyptian mythology. The Norse myths were new to me and I've learned so much from reading about them while I study the runes.

10. Last one -- geez it was hard coming up with 10 things and I'm not sure I know 10 people with blogs. I have been fascinated by computers since the first time my husband & I bought one (an old dos prompt with amber print). I like MSN groups and it is still my preferred way of storing things, pictures, stories, lists, etc. I recently started this blog and I like it ok, but still prefer my groups. There is a lot more freedom to choose how they look and what I can do with them. Other people do all kinds of things with blogs, but I'm not that good with them yet. The groups are more like mini-websites.

I think I will have to do more research on finding 10 people with blogs. I could only think of one person while I was sitting here that wasn't on Amberkatze's list, lol. I will do that part of this exercise though and report back when the list is complete.

Season of the Witch by Natasha Mostert

A young man is missing and an old friend of Gabriel Blackstone calls in a favor. “Frankie” Whittington asks Gabriel to help her husband find his missing son, Robbie. Gabriel has a talent few others have, remote vision. He can enter someone’s mind, see what they see, hear what they hear, and experience what they experience. Using his talent, he discovers that the young man is dead and has most likely been killed by one of two very extraordinary sisters, Morrighan and Minnaloushe Monk. Hacking into their computer, he reads a diary. He also discovers that one of the sisters has his same ability, only she is much stronger. He falls in love with the writer of the diary. He fears the sister with remote vision. Which sister is which?

This was a really good book. I was almost not able to put it down once I started reading it.

This review can also be found at:
http://bookmoochtbrclub.blogspot.com/2007/09/season-of-witch-by-natasha-mostert.html

What Kind of Witch Are You?

What kind of witch are you?

,
You are a Light Witch! You are more powerful than witches of the Four Material Elements, but at first glance, its hard to tell. Ever calm and innocent, your soul shines bright and pure, and even the humans can see it. Though many may mistake you as a goody goody, you know otherwise. You fight to maintain the balance of nature, that above all else. Honor and duty are your driving force, and if that means you have to kill a thousand men, well... looks like you'll be leaving a lot of lonely women in your wake.Common Powers: Telekinesis- the ability to move objects with ones mind Invisibility- the ability to be unseenTelepathy- the ability to read thoughts, and plant them.Premonition- the ability to see the past or future.Light weaving- the ability to conjure and control light creatures, objects, and spells that nothing can destroy or kill but the user.
Take this quiz!








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August Reads

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov
Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFreeless by Ahmet Zappa
I Went to Vassar for This? by Naomi Neale
Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones
Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Just One Look by Harlan Coben
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
The Trouble with Magic by Madelyn Alt
48 Shades of Brown by Nick Earls
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Midnighters #1 The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
Midnighters #2 Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld
Midnighters #3 Blue Noon by Scott Westerfeld
The Manny Files by Christian Burch
The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
Stuck in the 70's by DL Garfinkle
Keturah & Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris
The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper
12 Sharp by Janet Evanovich

Ansuz

Rune: Ansuz #4 (awn-sooze) The god Odin belonging to the goddess Freya

Odin, the All-Father was the most revered and most powerful leader of the gods. Warriors went into battle knowing that should he be slain, he would go to the halls of Vaihalla in the company of Odin. To be blessed by Odin was the highest honor for both men and gods. His throne was callled Hidskialf and was the highest vantage point in Asgard. His companions were the ravens Huginn & Muninn and the two wolves, Geri and Freki.

Object: Spear
Animal: Wolf
Color: Purple
Tree: Ash

Meaning: A gift, visit or advice from an older person. Learning & wisdom.
Reversed: duplicity, interference by an older person.

Hanged Man

Card: The Hanged Man #12, the Major Arcana

Description: A young man hangs upside down from one foot on a cross. A golden halo surrounds his head. His mood seems jaunty rather than gruesome.

My thoughts: A time of waiting, reflection.

Traditional Meaning: Pausing to reflect, soul searching and prophecy.
Reversed: Lack of Spirituality, selfishness, self-centered.

Queen of Cups

Card: Queen of Cups, Minor Arcana

Description: The queen sits on a throne on the shore by the ocean. She holds in her hand a large golden cup.

My thoughts: Cups traditional element is water. Water is elusive, always moving, never constant, therefore, cups are the symbol of emotion and relationships. The queen is gazing sedately at the cup. She seems to be a woman who is content and loving. However, she can be a lioness if any threatens her or her family.

Traditional meaning: Sensitivity and loving. Deep caring.
Reversed: Emotional access. A distinguished person who is not to be trusted.

Thurisaz

Rune: Thurisaz (thoor-ee-saws) #3 The god Loki and belonging to the goddess Freya

Loki was known as the Prince of Lies and Sly One because he delighted in causing trouble. He was one of the gods who lived in Asgard. He was the trickster who shape-shifted. He used his magical ability for personal gain. He eventually became malevolent and was destined to be responsible for triggering Ragnarok, the final conflict that resulted in the destruction of the world.

Object: Knife
Animal: Snake
Tree: Blackthorn
Color: Purple

Meaning: Mischief making, unrealiability.
Reversed: A hasty decision that causes anxiety and regret.

Eight of Pentacles

Card: Eight of Pentacles, Minor Arcana

Description: Man sits working, chiseling a pentacle onto a disk. Another lies on the floor and six others hand from a column. Not all the pentacles chiseled in are symmetrical.

My thoughts: Hard work will bring success.

Traditional Meaning: This is the apprentice card. It is a card of starting over, new beginnings. A time of learning, making mistakes, beginning anew.
Reversed: Dread of work, poor performance at work, doubt in abilities.

Two of Swords

Card: Two of Swords, Minor Arcana

Description: Woman sits beside a choppy sea in the evening. Her back is to the ocean. She is dressed in a long white robe and she is blindfolded. She holds in her hands a pair of crossed swords.

My thoughts: A decision has been made and the one who made it is blind to any other suggestion.

Traditional meaning: A clash of ideas with the questioner caught in the middle.
Reversed: falsehood, duplicity, disloyality

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski is ninety, or maybe he is ninety-three, he can’t remember for sure. What he does remember in vivid detail is his life the year after his parents died and he missed his final exam in veterinary medicine at Cornell. He walked out of town, leaving everything behind him and jumped the first train that passed by. This one just happened to belong to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. His life in the circus was hard work, little or no pay, and a political structure that rivals any college campus. He falls in love with Marlena, who is married to the abusive animal trainer. He also falls in love with Rosie the elephant whounderstands Polish and is often the target of Marlena’s husband’s torturous abuse. This is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. I did not like the ending, but what I mean by ending is the very last paragraph. I did not like the very last paragraph. It made no sense, but the rest of the book was awesome! I listened to the unabridged audiobook. It was 11 ½ hours on 10 CDs. It was read by David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones.

This review may also be found at:
http://bookmoochtbrclub.blogspot.com/2007/08/water-for-elephants-by-sara-gruen.html

Mannaz

Rune: Mannaz (mawn-nawz) #20 The All-Father and belonging to the god Tyr.

Man is represented in runes because he has gained supremacy over the other creatures by his power of reason.

Object: Man
Animal: Hawk
Color: Orange

Meaning: Man-woman-human being. Reflection, self, humaniarian attitude.
Reversed: Selfish, egotistical. Be warned of an enemy.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

The dead all lived together in one city. They stayed as long as one person left living remembered them. Luka was one of the dead. He printed a newspaper and passed it out among the other dead that grouped together at the coffee shop. Soon, there are less and less dead. More and more were going to that "other place", the place you went when no one living remembers you. A virus has spread and was killing off millions of people. It was a rapid virus, people died within the day the symptoms started. Fewer people were remembered and more and more were going to the other place. Laura Byrd was alone and trapped in Antarctica. She had been working on an exploration team for Coca Cola. The radio had broken. Her two team mates had taken one of the sledges to see if they could make it to the main camp. They had been gone three weeks, far longer than it should have taken them to get there and back. The cabin’s heating was failing. It was getting colder. She finally takes the remaining sledge and makes it to the camp only to find it deserted and twenty burial mounds in back. Where had her team mates gone? What had happened to the team that was stationed here? Back in the city, more and more people were disappearing. How long before they all disappear?

I really liked this book. It was very well written and all the elements of the story tied together in surprising ways.

This book review can also be found at:
http://bookmoochtbrclub.blogspot.com/2007/08/brief-history-of-dead-by-kevin.html