Thursday, January 12, 2012

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare


Cassie Clare struck gold with her series The Mortal Instruments. And to be perfectly honest, I never quite understood why. They're not bad or anything, but at the same time they're not... well, not exactly high quality. Jace is flat out creepy as a male "lead," and I can't figure out why anyone would find a butt head (using nice words, people!) of such epic proportions attractive. I guess that illustrates part of what is wrong with society these days. A guy can be a total jerk, and girls still want to date him. Sigh.

Anyway, I digress. So with this success, Clare decided to head back in time with a new series, The Infernal Devices. I can't lie--last year I was pretty excited to read Clockwork Angel. It turned out I wasn't disappointed, and I had a blast reading it. So when the second book in the series, Clockwork Prince, came out in December, even though I was trying to not buy for myself, I couldn't resist snatching it off the shelves.

In Clockwork Prince, the same characters are revisited not long after the events in the first book end. Tessa is back, falling deeper into that we-all-saw-it-coming love triangle between Will, the brooding dark-haired hottie, and Jem, the sweet and considerate boy with a terminal illness (but don't worry--he's hot too). The Magister is still at work with his evil schemes, and naturally chaos ensues as the Shadowhunters try to get to the bottom of his sinister plot and save the world... or at least Great Britain.

I'm sorry to say that this book disappointed me slightly. There was a revelation about Will's past, and it bothered me because it really seemed to take away from his personality. It felt forced and fake, and now at the end of book two I'm not any closer to figuring out who the REAL Will is. I want to know. Meanwhile, Tessa was just... there. Not much of a voice or personality, and for that reason it makes it difficult for me to believe that Will has a thing for her. I can kind of believe Jem might have a thing, but even that's a stretch. It's sad to me. I love young adult characters with a voice. For instance, Sophie Mercer in the Hex Hall series is a voice that I would recognize anywhere. Same with Evie in the Paranormalcy series. Love those girls.

Nevertheless, I have to admit I loved reading this book anyway. The time period is wonderful, I do enjoy the intrigue and mystery behind the plot, and the characters are still fun, though a bit shallow. I highly recommend this series if you're into the Young Adult genre and want a little nonsensical fun.

The third installment of this series, Clockwork Princess, is scheduled to be released November, 2012.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Pinterest...ing!

I will be the first to admit: I am a Pinterest addict. It has become one of my several go-to sites. I love finding new clothing, shoes, decor ideas, "I wish" homes, recipes, craft ideas (some of which I have attempted, with varying levels of success!), and more.

All in all, I consider myself a Pinterest success story: Mainly because I HAVE tried several recipes I pinned, done a few craft projects, and I even bought a pair of boots I pinned! I mean really, how many people can say that? Granted, they weren't Louboutins or anything, but still the fact remains: I purchased something I first saw on Pinterest. Go me.

So in honor of this, I thought I would share a few of my all-time favorite pins so far.


First, I figure I should start with the boots I actually bought: Lucky Brand Hibiscus. I love riding boots, but let's face it: I'm no good at being a girl. So those spit-shined boots? Not good. I need something that looks worn in, something that if I scuff or scratch it won't be the end of the world. These fit the bill, and they're just so much fun! They come in gray too... oh, if only I could afford both colors!



This next one isn't a "fun" photo by any means, but it's something that pops into my head every time I buy lettuce or make a salad at home. I hate how lettuce gets ick so fast, and this is such an amazing solution to that. I really need to get on this, pronto! And for the original blog post this came from, click here. Definitely worth checking out, I promise.



As an occasional runner, the following speaks volumes... of truth:



As a Disney fan whose inner child never grew up, I feel I have the right to say, "Preach, Walt!"
"I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us."



If I could ever get the red dog to sit still long enough, I would love to make this photo a reality with my two boys! What a great Christmas card it would make!



Hello, Gorgeous! I would love a kitchen (and a view!) like this!



Jackie O. was an amazing woman... and a wonderful equestrian! Love it!



Want to see what else I have pinned? Feel free to follow my boards at http://www.pinterest.com/heymckate

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

New Year, New Name, New Start!

After nearly a year of dormancy, I decided that 2012 is the year I kick-start this blog. However, upon looking back I realized that no longer did it fully encompass me and everything I am. So now I'm happy to share that it's the same blog, but with a new name.

My two biggest timesucks hobbies are horses and books, thus the new name. Do those two things 100% define me? Absolutely not. But they're two large parts of me, and I can tell you right now that those two topics will probably account for at least 75% of my blog posts from here on out. Chances are about 20% of the rest will reference my dogs in some form or fashion, with the remaining 5% dedicated to... stuff. Or something. My husband, perhaps?

Since this is a new start in many ways, I figure now would be a great time to reintroduce myself.

I'm Katie-Kate-Katherine (pick one). I'm quickly crawling my way to 30 (ugh), married to an amazing guy, and live in Oklahoma with our two dogs. My favorite books are Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (as if I had to tell you that) and Eve's Daughters by Lynn Austin. I love history, have a weird fascination with ocean liners and cruise ships, am pretty good at distinguishing models of commercial airplanes (it's getting harder now than it was 15 years ago!), love to travel, am an Oklahoma Sooner football fan, I love fun shoes but don't have the budget for it, and I have a dream of someday writing a novel that gets (gasp!) published.

My resume includes a variety of retail work, food service (yuck), radio production, concert public relations, film promotion and publicity, corporate communications (big yuck), riding lesson instruction, and social media. Some of those I have clearly enjoyed more than others, but I cherish the learning experiences each has brought.

Oh, and Wikipedia is like my website BFF.

So since I clearly need a photo in this post... here are two! Presenting, my dogs (and yes, I chose these photos so you can also see their personalities):