Dark Days

It is a gloomy day today. Oddly enough I really love this type of day but I have been afraid to say so for years. The sun is behind the clouds and I don't have a headache for once. I also love those clear fall evening when you can see the moon through the leafless trees. I while I love spring too with all its life I still prefer the beauty of the colder months while life is hibernating. Most things don't really die, the leaves come back the grass turns green again and all is well.

I have been thinking a lot about this lately, I have been rather irritated by fellow Christians lately. Not my close friends just some people out there who think you need to be all "happy" all the time to be a good Christian. Not so much content, but like visibly joy filled even when life sucks. Some people act like I can't have faith because of the books I read. They believe they are satanic because vampires and werewolves are satanic. Now if you want to attack these books there are plenty of other things to attack but I really don't think satanists invented vampires and werewolves. I also don't think they are realistic (they are fiction) and I am not going to turn into a satanist because i have read them.

How does this tie into my outlook on life, well I like dark things and always have. I love the whole Gothic look and I tend to like the way my dark red roses look in more in the fall when they turn black than I do mid summer when they are a crimson color. I have often been told that the color I like is evil. The parts of life that I enjoy are of the Devil. I just don't buy it; the Bible I read must be missing some parts or I'm interpreting it wrong. Maybe I am, if that is the case then there is no place for me in the Heaven these people believe in and I really don't want a space there. I am going to go on believing that God just created me a little different. God also created the seasons as well as life and death and black and white. If I don't make it to Heaven because my faith is flawed then I suppose that is what was meant to be. Maybe I should write something creative about this stuff.


I do not have any classes until Monday and that is my only day of classes next week.
I am looking forward to getting a lot of reading done after I finish classes. For the next three weeks I will be working my but off to get all the projects I have to do finished. I started the Curse the Dawn but I think I will have to start that over. I am going to work on one of the Audio books this weekend as I clean and drive around to run errands. I think I will start with Tempted the latest House of Night novel by P.C. and Kristin Cast.

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Changing My Plans

I only had one day of classes this week but I didn't get any extra curricular reading done. I had to spend about 6 hours over two days to get some work done on my brakes. It was all good because the if I had waited another month the parts would not have been under warranty. I also got free lunch on Friday while I was waiting on my vehicle. While I was there sat and learned some of the new things that have been implemented in my old job. Since I will be going back at least on a part time basis for awhile it was good to learn.

I did get a bunch of homework and house work done and still have a bunch of house work I have been putting off. Yesterday I spent a lot of time cleaning things out and making a bigger mess. I am not sure how things like drawers full of odd things happen but what I really can't understand why I always have so much paper to go through.

Well I did listen to a book called QBQ by John G Miller, I will write something up on it I also got a book by Debra Norville about respect and I found it rather boring so I quit listening to it.

Also I have decided to take a break from school right now and see if I can learn to be a better writer at home. I am going to set goals and write articles and read books on writing. I will finish this semester and go back to work full time for a few months, while my replacement is on leave and then part time when she comes back. I will be spending my days off studying on my own and looking for freelance jobs. I already have a Bachelors degree so I am sure I can do this if I put in some long hours of study and work. I want to write for a living but I wouldn't mind working part time for a long time at the Automotive shop.

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Reading the 4th Cassandra Palmer Book

I am reading Curse the Dawn by Karen Chance. I only have one day of classes this week so I should be able to finish the book. I also listened to one of the stories in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding. It was a fun story but I think I will have to break it up into a few short story reviews at a time. This is my first book of this nature and I am not sure how to review it.

I love the Cassandra Palmer novels and I hope this one is as good as the last. I didn't see anymore on Amazon either. I went through my books on Friday and organized them so I could read what I have (30 books) in some sort of orderly fashion. I will start by finishing the books in that I have in a series. I will not start a new series until those are done unless I choose a new series from audible. I have found that I have a hard copy of some of the books that I had wanted to get on audible. That would just be a waste of money so I have decided against that. I already have Witchling on audio and in book same with one of the books in the Hallows series. So I am thinking my next two credits will be Tempted the latest House of Night book and the second book in the Alpha and Omega Series by Patricia Briggs but I can decide on that later.

I will have a full month off of school after December 11th with almost nothing to worry about. I am sure I can snuff out at least four or five more books in that time. I am also taking the summer off for sure. I will work part time and have nothing else major to do but read and clean the house.

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From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris

I missed reading dark novels for fun so much I spent all day yesterday reading. It was chilly outside so I sat in my heated recliner most of the day enjoying the 8th Southern Vampire Mystery or what is now called the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I was not disappointed the time kept slipping away and before I knew it I had read for over 8 hours. I had some distractions and appointments but overall I was just captivated by the book and couldn't put it down.

Warning this review will contain spoilers for those of you who have not read the previous 7 books, I will try not to give away too much of this book but look for my other Charlaine Harris Reviews.

This book was never boring and considering it had been a long while since I had read the last one I was a little worried I may have forgotten too much. Harris does a nice job of helping you remember with small clues added throughout the book. It was nice because in some books they spend a great deal of their words rehashing everything that happened in the last books and I find that boring.

In this book Sookie is having a little trouble coming to terms with some of the major changes she is experiencing in her character. She is loosing sensitivity for the loss of life, especially those who are trying to kill her. She realizes that she is becoming a different person and that she is stuck in a world unknown to humans and can't live a normal life.

As usual Sookie is in danger almost all the way through this book. This was another book with a lot of small plots that didn't tie together for an over all theme. This book never made them seem like they should it was just another strange week in the life of Sookie Stackhouse. She had to intervene in a werewolf war, vampire take over, her crazy brothers marriage and a few other supernatural affairs.

This book was more about Sookie and her relationships.Quin was missing for more than half the book so she had a lot of time to think about things. She started to realize she wanted a man who could protect her and who put her first. I think I enjoyed this book so much because Sookie did a lot of self evaluation in this book. You saw more of her relationships with Amelia her roommate and with Sam her boss. You saw how truly loathsome her brother is. You get a back stage pass as Sookie decides who her friends and family are and who they are not. On top of that you get to see a lion bite off the head of a crazy werewolf and a vampire mowed down with a car and decapitated.

If you didn't get enough drama with that you also get to meet a distant relative of Sookie's who explains her fairy blood. Claudine and her brother show up a few times too. All of Eric's memory return resulting in him acting differently around Sookie and she kind of likes it. Sam is super affectionate toward Sookie and Bill is still trying to win Sookie back.

I am usually big on Eric for Sookie but in this book I was so pretty sure I wanted them all to win except Quin but I have never cared for his character. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars it was a great book but some people will have issues with there not being a great big plot with twists and turns up until the very end.

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Should Have Some Time to Read Some Dark Novels

I have loads of home work but I have quite a bit of time off. From now through next week I have only one day of school. If I organize my time wisely I should be able to get a book read or listened to. I might be able to read one and listen to one if I pick short ones.

I am compiling a list of books to download from audible. I was going to do one nonfiction book and one fiction book to keep variety but I have changed my mind. I read enough nonfiction in school these days. I have a subscription at audible and I get two credits for 23 dollars a month. I still prefer to read but I have been able to listen to good books and accomplish much of my housework as well as run errands and walk the dog.

I didn't finish Moby Dick but I did get about two thirds of the way through, since I have all weekend to finish it I will most likely take Thursday off to work on other homework. This was not one of those books I should have procrastinated on reading. It is a difficult and sometimes very dull read. I have to say thought sometimes I just love reading or listening to it other times I can't focus on it at all. If this is a pattern in Melville's writing I will not be reading much more of his work.

I plan to get the latest House of Night book as soon as I get my next audible credits which should be in the middle of this month. If this one is as bad as the last one it will be my last in this series. I will have one more credit and I am debating on one of the Southern Vampire mysteries, I have read seven of them and I own book eight so I might read that. The other two are the third book in the Hallows series by Kim Harrison and the second book in the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs.

I really want to read more dark novels but with all the reading I have to do for school I am not motivated to read in my spare time. I only have six more class days over the next four weeks so I should be able to get at least a few good books in. I won't promise you anything other than I will try to have at least one dark novel review posted this month.

Now December is another story! I have no classes after December 9th and everything is due by the 11 then I don't have class for a month. I will only have two classes next semester and I will be going back to work but not until March. I should have a lot of reading time, now that I have my heated lazy-boy chair, I can stock up on hot chocolate and read for hours. I am really excited about the whole month to do just that. That is probably the sign that I am truly a nerd but who cares I love to loose myself in a book.

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Moby Dick

I have until 11:00 tomorrow to finish this book. I am a third of the way through it. I had to take a break. I actually have liked parts of the book a lot which is very surprising to me. I found the the first few pages hard to get past even when reading while listening to an audio version. I do this when the book is hard for me to read or listen to. I soon found that I was able to listen and get other things done. Ishmael is an interesting character but his ability to make friends with the savage, Queequeg was something i thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the reasoning he goes through to justify a good Christian man associating with a pagan.

The problem I am having is that there are sections that are boring and seem rather hard to absorb. I am sure we will talk about them in class where I will get a better understanding of some of it.I think this will prove to be a great novel but it could do without entire chapters. I am sure they are important in some way to the story but if they are so boring that you can barely stay awake while reading them were they worth the words.

So far in this class American Romanticism we have read a lot of stuff that I really didn't like. My professor is in love with Walden but I found it boring and thought Thoreau sounded like an ass half the time. I can't say he didn't have some profound ideas but I didn't enjoy reading them. My professore seems to think that people only get bored reading it if they need to be challenged to live a better life. Personally I think even Thoreau would disagree with him, as much of this book was about thinking for yourself.

I have enjoyed very little in this class but I have liked everything by Nathaniel Hawthorne and I think I will like Moby Dick over all.

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Book Review -- Though None Go with Me by Jerry B. Jenkins

I was looking for an inspirational and uplifting book when I recognized this authors name. I read many of the books in the Left Behind series. I loved them when I was a teenager. So I thought I would give it a try.

This is a dark novel but not the kind I normally read. There is not one moment of anything uplifting in this book. It is so depressing I wanted to quit listening to it. I am glad it was one of my Audible credits. I cried a lot and it left me with a completely hopeless feeling. If you like that then this is the book for your. I hated it so much I can't even give it one star.

It is about a woman who commits herself fully to God. When she does every bad thing that could happen to her happens. Her life is pure misery and she is supposed to be a shining example of faith. She is also supposed to be happy that she has touched so many lives but lost everything. I thought it would be a story like that of Job who lost everything but because of his faith was blessed. This woman was never blessed. She had a few good years with a good man but that was it for her.
I don't think I serve the same God written about in this book. If I do I would seriously rather kill myself than live through all this woman had to endure. Maybe I am just weak but I would take that over giving the God in this book my life and not having any reward this side of Heaven. I actually think if I were not a Christian and I picked this book up and read it cover to cover I would not have chose to become a Christian.
I really don't know what else to write about this book except don't waste your time unless you enjoy being depressed every moment you read the book. I even felt depressed when I would take a break.

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