Stardust - Neil Gaiman

This is it! I can't believe I own a hard copy, limited edition, signed copy of one of my favourites stories ever! So exciting :)
I have watched the movie of course, and loved it. I have read a little (about 9 pages) of the book so far, and already love the writing style. I think I should look into some of his other books actually! He's a lovely writer, and his imagination and creativity is excessive - in a good way!

'Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria Forester - even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that stone barrier, Tristran learns, lies Faerie...and the most exhilarating adventure of a young man's life.'

City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare

I have finished this book! I actually really enjoyed it. I heard a lot of people say the series got boring by this stage, but I can say that I am still delighted with the books. They always end on such cliff hangers though! I would recommend having the next one before you finish the previous ;)
Usually I take a break between books in a series as to avoid getting uninterested or frustrated with the series. Plus I don't want to finish City of Lost Souls too early before the last one comes out - which is May next year.
I have decided to read the book my brother so generously bought me for Christmas this year :) Stardust. It's one of my all-time favourite stories, and I have never read the book! It's actually a super expensive copy. It's hardcover, limited edition (with a cover thingy), it looks vintage, and it is also signed! There's only a couple thousand copies world-wide, and I am lucky enough to own one!
So I am so excited to begin reading this one :)
If I finish it quick enough, I think I will read another short one between this series so there isn't too big of a gap between that and the last one in Cassandra's, The Mortal Instruments.

The Quote Book *cue dramatic music*

I have indeed found some more treasured words to put inside this quote book of mine.. These following words are ones I intend to use throughout my life now that I know they exist. I find them incredibly awesome. Words like this feel so good to say and seem to contain so much more meaning and thought behind the word itself. This makes me happy - being a lover of words.

EUNOIA: Beautiful thinking; a well mind.
TACENDA: Things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence.
EUTONY: The pleasantness of a word's sound.
PETRICHOR: The scent of rain on dry earth.
NUMINOUS: Describing an experience that makes you fearful yet fascinated, awed yet attracted - the powerful personal feeling of being overwhelmed and inspired.
KALOPSIA: The delusion of things being more beautiful than they are.
SELCOUTH: Unfamiliar, rare, strange, and yet marvelous.

These are some ridiculously amazing words. Use them!

Exploring my own writing

Yesterday, I began writing my own short story. I'm not sure where it's going at the moment because I just got a simple idea in my head and began writing. There was no real preparation or anything - so it will most likely be a bit of a dead-end. I have only written one chapter at the moment, but I like. The second chapter, I don't like so much. I think I need to dig deeper and get a better story line now that I have a basis for what I want it to be about. I need to create an event that will capture what I want to say. I may post snippets of this as I go along! You never know :) Let's see how this one goes. I used to write stories all the time, but honestly, they've always been similar to those I have read - because obviously that's where I have gotten my inspiration from. I get ideas in my brain constantly about different stories, but I never seem to be able to finish them, or keep myself hooked on it - it seems to get boring. Anyway, let's just push on and see what happens!
I wish I had a typewriter ;P The clanking of the keys and incredible hand work-out would be awesome!

City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare

Last night I began the fourth book in the amazing Mortal Instruments series and I can already tell I'm going to enjoy this one a lot! I have followed these characters for so long now I cannot imagine abandoning them and not knowing what happens in the end. The book begins suddenly, with talk of mystery, romance, adventure and the characters we have all grown to love. She has already drawn me in. There's no stopping me know ;).. Except for maybe a busy day about the town. But tonight, I will very much enjoy a quite evening in bed with a hot drink and my eyes intensely following the words Cassandra has kindly written for my enjoyment. 

Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

If one were to pick this book up believing it to be a sequel as I have done, they would find themselves disappointed. This is definitely a great adventure with Alice as the protagonist yet again, however, I find myself having exceedingly more and more trouble deciphering the sequel like qualities. Everything is completely different. I believed it was to be a story of an older Alice finding her way back to Wonderland after she had forgotten what it was like - As Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland portrays. Instead, I she's only seven, and the characters in the first book are entirely different. Such as the Queen. In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, she was made of cards - in this one she is a chess piece.
I believe I would have enjoyed this book much more if I didn't believe it was a sequel so much as just another adventure by Alice. Then again, it could also become much more clear as I read on. I am not so into this one as the other, that is for sure.

Also, another quote for my quote book!

'Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.' - Through the Looking Glass.
I do very much like this quote. However, I prefer Tim Burton's movie in the way it is portrayed; as her father had always said it, and now she says it. In this book, the Queen says it, the White Queen I believe. I have noticed in this book, that everyone is actually really rude and not lovable at all.

Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

Well.
This book is definitely not as intriguing as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And it is definitely more confusing. I am having a much harder time following what's actually going on. It may come clearer with time, but I much prefer the other.
There are still some very lovable character in this however, of course the Tweedles are involved in this story! You gotta love the Tweedles am I right!?
I will try to finish it in the next couple of days and marinate on how much I liked it. At the moment I am finding myself not enjoying it as much as I thought I was going to. But that could all change, I am not yet half way through!

Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

This is the poem that is first seen in the book, Through the Looking Glass. It is said that Lewis Carroll, or Charles Dodgson wrote many nonsensical and humorous poems throughout his mathematical lecturing career also.

Child of the pure unclouded brow

And dreaming eyes of wonder!

Though time be fleet, and I and thou

Are half a life asunder, 

Thy loving smile will surely hail

The love-gift of a fairy-tale

I have not seen thy sunny face, 

Nor heard thy silvery laughter; 

No thought of me shall find a place

In thy young life's hereafter - 

Enough that now thou wilt not fail

To listen to my fairy-tale

A tale begun in other days, 

When summer suns were glowing - 

A simple chime, that served to time

The rhythm of our rowing - 

Whose echoes live in memory yet, 

Though envious years would say 'forget'.

Come, hearken then, ere voice of dread, 

With bitter tidings laden, 

Shall summon to unwelcome bed

A melancholy maiden! 

We are but older children, dear, 

Who fret to find our bedtime near. 

Without, the frost, the blinding snow, 

The storm-wind's moody madness - 

Within, the firelight's ruddy glow

And childhood's nest of gladness. 

The magic words shall hold thee fast: 

Thou shalt not heed the raving blast. 

And though the shadow of a sigh 

May tremble through the story, 

For 'happy summer days' gone by, 

And vanish'd summer glory - 

I shall not touch with breath of bale

The pleasance of our fairy-tale

Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

I bought this book, Through the Looking Glass, basically straight after I had finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland :) I am very excited to read it because I enjoyed the first ever so much.
This design is quite different. As I bought it from a second hand book store called, The Known World, it is a very old children's version of the novel. It is hardcover and contains fifty black and white illustrations by John Tenniel (the same man who illustrated those of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland).
I do believe Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is based of this book. If I am not mistaken.

'Through the Looking-Glass is one of the world's most celebrated books for children, loved equally by adults for its humour, logic and inventive absurdity. Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Humpty-Dumpty, and the White Knight are only a few of the unforgettable characters.'

It seems to be a short book again, and shouldn't take long to complete. I just can't believe a story written by a mathematical professor way back in 1865 (and 1872 for Through the Looking-Glass) is still around ad loved by many today! It is astounding really. Books written so long ago that have remained in the hearts of millions shows just how incredible of a story, and a writer for that matter, it truly is.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - DONE

I completed this lovely tale while waiting for mother as she got her tattoo done.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is such a great book! It's quite short - my version was only 136 pages, and it is a rather easy read. It contains some fantastically detailed pictures and I found myself laughing all the time at the sarcastic and witty humour of the characters.
The book is actually very similar to that of the movie - the one with Whoppi Goldberg in it as the Cheshire Cat; I grew up with this movie in particular, not so much the original cartoon.
I really enjoyed this book a lot - so much so I went ahead and bought a copy of Through the Looking Glass so I could jump straight into the "sequel", which I do believe has some scenes from that movie mentioned above. And I do believe that Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is based partly on this particular adventure.
I would give this one 5/5 definitely. One of my favourite books!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - QUOTES and thoughts so far

It's been decided already. Twenty-four pages in and I know. This. Is one of my favourite books ever. I always knew I loved the story. Adventure and mystery and imagination have always been my thing. But this book is also absolutely hilarious! I appreciate the witty and sarcastic humour of both Alice, and Lewis the author. I am enjoying this book very much.
I have gotten a couple quotes out of it already.

'(Alice was)... Considering whether the pleasure of making a daisey-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies.'
This made me laugh. I seem to share much of the same thought pattern of this Alice, and I can see myself being in such a predicament myself.

'She generally gave herself good advice, though she seldom followed it.'
Who hasn't fallen victim to this one time or another. Such a truth.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

'On an ordinary summer's afternoon, Alice tumbles down a hole and an extraordinary adventure begins. In a strange world with even stranger characters, she meets a grinning cat and a rabbit with a pocket watch, joins a mad tea party and plays croquet with the Queen! Lost in this fantasy land, Alice finds herself growing more and more curious by the minute...'

I am excited to begin reading this one! Let the adventure in Wonderland begin!

The Wizard of Oz (#2) - DONE

Today I completed The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
I gotta say, I do think I preferred the movie in most aspects of the story. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book, because I did, however I did find it almost lame in many parts - but this "lameness" did give me a good laugh, proving that the book was enjoyable for me to read.
Surprisingly, there really are very few similarities between the book and the original movie, and the chronological order of the events seemed different. Some events even surprised me! Such as Dorothy and the Lion actually becoming slaves of the Wicked Witch before she was defeated; The Wizard of Oz asking the gang to kill the Witch before he grants them their wishes; The Wicked Witch actually having very little power over the flying monkeys - which I had always thought were her sort of minions.
It is actually quite a bit more gruesome that I anticipated also. The Tin Man cut the head of a wild cat - which in turn gave him the ability to order around thousands of mice (nice!), he then continued to practice this act through cutting off the heads of forty wolves' heads (when the Witch sent them to destroy the gang when she found out they were after her), also in this same point in time, the Scarecrow twisted the necks of forty crows and killed them - can I be the first to say... Ew.
There seemed to be a whole added adventure at the end also when Dorothy gets left behind by the Wizard (when he rises up in the hot air balloon) that involves lands made of China and a small glass girl. These parts of the book I found interesting, because they reminded me of some part of the movie Oz, the Great and the Powerful.
This book is definitely a classic. However lame, disappointing (mainly talking about the munchkins and the NOT RED shoes here!), amusing, gruesome and all-together ridiculousness of the story, I found it very enjoyable, and it was indeed very well thought-out and planned.
I would give this one a 3/5 - however, I do think this depends greatly on whether you grew up with the book or the movie.. Being one who grew up with the movie, I found myself constantly comparing the book to my childhood memories the movie provided me. I did find the book enjoyable regardless :)

City of Glass - Cassandra Clare (#4) DONE

I completed the last couple of chapters and epilogue last night - well technically this morning, as it was past midnight. I wasn't actually planning on finishing it because the last few chapters were quite long and I didn't think I could stay awake, however, Cassandra didn't allow me to stop reading. I was so awake and focused on the story it was physically impossible for me to make myself wait to see what happened until the next morning.. I had to know!
I absolutely loved it! It may even be my favourite of this series so far. So much happened, and she has me laughing out loud, teary eyed and smiling like a goof throughout the whole book! She gets her readers so emotionally invested in her characters that we feel as though they are real, and it becomes a necessity to know what happens to them in their story.
It is a fantastic novel, and I cannot wait to see where the story goes for the next couple of books! It's going to be amazing!!
Definitely 5/5 for this one! I love her books, how she writes is more intriguing than any other.. She still hasn't taken over my love for Jane Austen, however, she is probably now my second favourite author and reading her books is an absolute pleasure and surprisingly emotional journey.

Alice in Wonderland

Finally! I am the proud owner of the infamous Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carol.
This is one of my favourite stories EVER! I have seen every movie and TV show made about Alice in Wonderland, and have loved them all. I even own an apparent "twist" of the book that involves zombies! Which I am of course excited to read.
Surprisingly, I have never actually read the original book, or Through the Looking Glass. I have always wanted to, but had never owned the book before. But now I do! I have a small 'Penguin Books' classic of the novel, and cannot wait to get reading!
Obviously, I am pretty excited about this one. I am going to tear it open as soon as I am finished City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. Which shouldn't be too long of a wait I hope.
It's quite a bit shorter than I first anticipated, only reaching 130 pages of text - with random pictures and not super small writing. It seems like it would be an easy read, and a somewhat quick book to get through with most readers. I am excited to join Alice in her Adventures in Wonderland ASAP!

City of Glass - Cassandra Clare (#3)

Oh my gosh! I KNEW IT!
That is all.

On account of me not being a horrible person, I will not ruin it for those of you who have not read this book, or gotten up to this point. Let's just say chapter 17 reveals my theory as being correct. Go me!

City of Glass - Cassandra Clare (#2)

PART THREE: The Way To Heaven
Warning: Does contain some spoilers that were revealed in the first book!

I am getting so close to the end of this book now. I was planning on having a break from this series and reading a book (not in a series) that was completely irrelevant. Currently, I am thinking I do not need a break haha! I am just hoping she doesn't end this book with something outrageous and make me want to go right ahead into the next one, because I'd hate to lose interest in the series because I bombarded my brain with only this series.
I am loving it! (here is the spoiler) Of course, many found the twist with the whole brother sister thing a bit star wars - and I tend to agree. However, I cannot let myself believe that this is the end. I don't believe for a second that the rumours are true. Something's up. And I think Sebastian is going to have much more to do with what's coming.
So if I am to take a break - what shall I read next? There is so many to choose from! I have a pile at least the height of me to read! - Granted I am short, but still, that's a lot of books!

First Quotes in the Quote Book!

'Book lovers never go to bed alone.'
I now have two of my favourite quotes in here from The City of Bones. Both of which I believe the incredible Simon said - the best friend of Clary.

'I'd like to report a public nuisance. Well, he's a nuisance in private too.'
- This actually made me laugh out loud as I was reading it. I received some strange looks by some unsuspecting individuals going about their business. This is a quote that I will strive to use in everyday life :P

'Half of your attention is better than all of anyone else's.'
- This is a rather sweet thing to say really. I kind of melt when I read it and imagine someone saying it to me. Man this is getting all sentimental and deep! Time to depart before this becomes all mushy and emotional!

Book Lovers Never Go To Bed Alone

With the amazingness that is Typo, comes adorable notebooks that one cannot help but buy - despite having no use for it, and already owning about a million at home!

Mother purchased me a great one! It's brown cardboard exterior make it look vintage, with an intriguing purple and white pattern on the edges of the pages (so you can see it when the book is closed). It has no lines, and on the front has this quote; 

'Book lovers never go to bed alone.' 

Haha I love this, because it's so true! I never go to bed without a book! 

So, with this book, I thought a great idea would be to write down some quotes that I come across while reading these books. That way I can always refer back to them :)
I believe one can and does learn a lot from books, whether they intend to or not. Writing down quotes or passages that personally mean something to you can be a great thing to reference back to when you need some encouragement or are looking for a good Facebook status :P 

Whenever I come across a good one and write it down in the book, I will make sure I post it on here too so you can enjoy its wisdom ;P

City of Glass - Cassandra Clare (#1)

This is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far, and am loving all the twists and turns she surprises me with in her books. There are another two in this series, and I believe one more after that which hasn't been completed yet. I am hoping that the momentum stays strong with this series.
There are some moments, as in all books, that aggravate me - however, all in all I love this whole adventure and her writing style. It's simple, and yet some interesting words have been thrown in that I keep a note of remembering.
Her characters in this book are as lovable as ever, and I must admit I have fallen victim of the inevitable book crush on Jace. However, not as love-struck (if you will) as with Will Herondale in the prequel series, The Infernal Devices.
I must admit, her prequel series was much more my style, as it was set in 1800s London - and I can't help but fall in love with such a writing style. I definitely recommend reading both series! Honestly, it probably doesn't matter which one you read first. I read the prequels first, and so I was already familiar with some of the characters mentioned in The Mortal Instruments. It's entirely up to you as they aren't really connected by any means other than a few characters and family lines.
I am loving this book so far, and have quickly found myself over half way through it. It is an addictive read, again, not so much so at the Infernal Devices, however, addictive just the same :)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (#1)

I haven't gotten tremendously far in this book yet, however, I can already say, I prefer the movie. I have never read this book before now (even though I am 18), and rather grew up with watching the movie. There are so many dissimilarities between the book and the movie!
I don't think I would have to warn you of spoiler for such a story, everyone knows this one :)
First of all, my main disappointment so far is that of Dorothy's shoes. They are silver! Not red, but silver! Those notorious, amazing, red ruby slippers that we ALL know as Dorothy's footwear in the land of Oz are not an original aspect of the story! Disappointment. *Shakes head*
Another frustrating thing I found was the munchkins, and their.. Lack of shortness. In the book, the munchkins really are not that short, they are 5 ft, the same height as Dorothy. They're supposed to be small, and that's all I can say.
The Tin man, and his story of how he becomes tin is entirely different and all together, somewhat ridiculous in the book. He is put under a curse by the witch by a munchkin (who he is in love with) 's relative who wants to prevent the marriage and he somehow manages to chop off each limb, his head, and then his torso in half - and yet somehow remains the same man (even though he has none of his original body parts) and can function semi-normally. Now, I understand Oz is a magical land and anything can happen etc etc. But really?
The Scarecrow is not so much a charming daft individual as he is annoying so far. And Dorothy has said or thought several things that went against what I believed her personality would be.
I believe I am more passionately agitated about this particular story as it seems to be "messing with" my childhood memories of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - the musical with Judy Garland and the red shoes and the charming Scarecrow who was hilarious and the Tin man who you couldn't help but love. Toto, thankfully, has remained entirely the same this whole time :)
Tune in next time for anther documentation of my thoughts!
For updates on where I am up to with these books, you can follow me on my Goodreads account, by searching Tamika Borschman :)

Book, books and more books!

Hey there fellow book lovers! I am here to share with you about books that I am currently reading, would like to read, have read :) All things books shall be here at your disposal!
I am the type of person who just adores books, reading them, looking through them, smelling them.. (I know, it's weird) - but there is something about books that one cannot get anywhere else. It's not the same reading such adventures on electronic devices.. Reading a real book just comes with its own story, it's own personality and it's own sensations and feelings that it gives to the reader.
Now, for reference, I love a lot of different kinds of books and stories. I don't stick to one genre, I like to explore. I like the classics, I like the newbies, I like the stereotypical girl obsession book with vampires and the like, I enjoy fictional and non-fictional books, children and adult. I can't say there's one that's not my type ;P
Time to read!
Enjoy.