WIN Signed copy of Iced by Karen Marie Moning

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Honey Moon - Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Honey Moon by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Honey Jane Moon is a scrappy little know-it all—brave, smart, but ill-prepared to become the most famous child star in America, even though she's not quite as young as everyone believes. It won't take her long to drive the men in her life crazy. There's Eric Dillion, a smoldering bad boy and one of Hollywood's most gifted actors. And Dash Coogan, the last of the cowboy heroes, a man trapped on a screen too small to contain a legend. When Honey falls in love, she'll do it the only way she knows how—with all her heart.

4,5

Yazarın okuduğum 3. kitabı. Diğer kitaplardan birine 2,5 puan verip diğerini de yarım bıraktığım için bu kitaptan da pek umutlu değildim açıkçası. Ama benim önyargılarımın aksine çok çok beğendiğim bir kitap oldu. Olayın anlatımı ve karakterlerin yolculuğu bana biraz David Nicholls'ın One Day kitabını hatırlattı. Öncelikle şunu belirteyim; bu kitabı chick-lit değil women's fiction olarak değerlendirmekte fayda var. Chick-lit kitaplardan alışık olduğumuz hızlı gelişim, komik örgüler, sahte dramalar bu kitapta yok. Tam tersi konunun gelişimi oldukça ayrıntılı ve yavaş (okurken yavaş değil, korkmayın), karakterlerin değişimi ve belki de büyümesi aynı şekilde gerçekçi, kitapta yaratılan dramalar sahte değil ve bu kitapta pek de güldüğümü hatırlamıyorum.

Kitabın konusundan biraz bahsetmek gerekirse, kitaba ismini de veren baş karakter Honey Jane Moon'un çocukluktan yetişkinliğe geçişini izliyoruz kitapta. Romantik yönü ilk paragrafta kıyasladığım kitaba göre daha baskın tabii. Honey Jane 6 yaşında annesinin ölümüyle birlikte teyzesi ve eniştesinin sahibi olduğu lunaparkta yaşamaya başlıyor ve eniştesinin ölümüyle çok küçük yaşta orayı yönetimini devralıyor. Ailesini bir arada tutmaya çalışırken bir yandan da kuzeninin bir dizi için oyuncu seçmelerine gitmesini sağlıyor, ancak dizinin başrol oyuncusu Honey'nin rol için daha uygun olacağına karar veriyor ve Honey aslında 16 yaşında olmasına rağmen çocuk yıldız olarak ünleniyor. Buradan itibaren Honey'nin yeni girdiği bu ortamda ve elindeki yeni imkanlarla neler yaptığını görüyoruz. Bir yandan da dizide arkadaşını oynayan Eric Dillon ve babasını oynayan Dash Coogan için beslediği hayranlığı... Buradan sonrası bolca spoiler içerdiği için değinmeyeceğim ama küçük bir bilgi vereyim, şahsen beni okuduğum kitaplarda en çok iten şeylerden biri olan "aşk üçgeni" bu kitapta yok.

Kitabı çok övdüm ama biraz da beğenmediğim birkaç şeyden bahsedeyim.

Dash ve Honey'nin ilişkisi başta baba-kız ilişkisiyken önce arkadaşlığa sonra ise romantik bir ilişkiye dönüştü. Belki başta baba-kız ilişkisi kafamıza kakılmamış olsaydı görmezden gelebilirdim ama bu haliyle biraz rahatsız ediciydi. Honey 18 yaşındayken sette yaşanan pataklama olayına girmiyorum bile...

Ama genel olarak güzel anlatımı olan, romantizmden çok karaktere önem vermiş bir kitap. Türü sevenlere tavsiye ederim.

I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

Şaşkınlıklar içindeyim! Daha birkaç ay önce Pasaklı Tanrıça’yı yakılacaklar listeme almış, “böyle kitap olmaz olsun” demiştim ama I’ve Got Your Number’ın arc kopyası elime geçince şansımı denemeye karar verdim, iyi ki de kitabı bir kenara atmamışım.

Kısa bir özet geçmek gerekirse; kitap ana karakter Poppy’nin nişan yüzüğünü kaybetmesiyle başlıyor ve bu talihsiz gece telefonunu çaldırmasıyla devam ediyor. Çöpte bulduğu bir şirket telefonunu sahiplenip, yüzüğünü arayan herkese yeni bulduğu numarayı verdiği için de en azından yüzüğü bulana kadar telefonu rehin alma kararı alıyor. Şirketin yöneticisi de gelen mailleri kendisine göndermesi şartıyla bu anlaşmayı kabul ediyor. Ancak Poppy mailleri sahibine yönlendirmek yerine, sahibinin ağzından cevaplar da yazmaya başlayınca olaylar karışıyor...

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Valancy lives a drab life with her overbearing mother and prying aunt. Then a shocking diagnosis from Dr. Trent prompts her to make a fresh start. For the first time, she does and says exactly what she feels. As she expands her limited horizons, Valancy undergoes a transformation, discovering a new world of love and happiness. One of Lucy Maud Montgomery's only novels intended for an adult audience, The Blue Castle is filled with humour and romance.

Valancy tutucu bir ailenin, yaşı günümüz şartlarında geçkin olmasa da, evde kalmış diye nitelendirilen, ailesinin sözünden çıkmamış, sadece odasında mavi bir kale hayal edip, o kalenin içinde yaşadığı anlarda kendisi olabilen kızı.  Doğa kitapları dışında kitap okuması bile yasak... Çalışmak, gezmek, eğlenmek söz konusu bile değil... Günün birinde kalbindeki ağrının onu bir yıl içinde öldüreceğini öğreniyor ve sonunda sadece kendisi için yaşamaya başlıyor. Önce söylemek isteyip de yuttuğu her şeyi söylemeye başlıyor, sonra iş bulup evden ayrılıyor, ailenin tüm söylediklerine kulağını tıkıyor ve yaşadıkları yerde katil olduğuna dair dedikodular dolaşan adamla evlenip golü atıyor.

Ben fanfiction okurken çok beğendiğim bir hikaye vardı, başında "The Blue Castle favori kitabım, bu hikayede de ordan esinlendim" yazıyordu. Çok kasvetli bir hikayeydi ama çok güzeldi, The Blue Castle da aklımda öyle yer etmişti ama kendimi kasvetli kitap modunda bulamadım bir türlü, dolayısıyla da bu kitabı erteledim durdum. Şimdi o fanfiction yazarına da buradan seslenmek istiyorum: O kadar yazmışsın bu kitaptan esinlendiğini, peki hikayenin aksine, bu kitabın komedi olduğunu niye yazmadın!? Okuyup ağlayayım diye başına oturdum, kikirdemekten yorgun düştüm. Nasıl bir esinlenme bu? Hikayeyi birebir kopyalamana rağmen, bu kitaptan o deli hikayeyi nasıl çıkarttın be kadın?

Alakasız insanlara saldırmamı bitirip biraz karakterlerden bahsedeyim; ben hiç haz etmem mıy mıy, kendi ayakları üzerinde duramayan (özellikle kadın) karakterlerden. Valancy de kitabın ortalarında açılmasına rağmen, başlangıçta aynı sevmediğim tipte bir karakterdi. Belki yaşadığı dönemden, belki ailedeki diğer insanlara daha çok sinir olduğum için, neden bilmiyorum ama hiç rhatsız etmedi beni. Aileye laf yetiştirdiği bölümlere bayıldım, kendi için yaşamaya karar verdiği andan itibaren de en sevdiğim kadın karakterler listeme girdi.

Aileyle ilgili de tek tek bahsetmeyeceğim ama genel olarak şunu söyleyeyim, hangi din için olduğu fark etmez, yobazlık kadar nefret ettiğim şey yok. Aileden kimseyi sevemedim dolayısıyla... 

Ve gelelim Valancy'nin evlendiği gizemli adam Barney'ye... Bir insanın başına en kötü ne gelebilir? İsmi Barney olabilir, evet bu da doğru ama asıl cevap şu olacaktı:

Kimseye bulaşmadan, kendi halinde yaşarken delinin biri gelip "ben bir sene içinde ölücem, hadi evlenelim" diyebilir. Barney de bunu kabul edebilir, kadının ailesiyle eğlenebilir, o ölecek kadına aşık olabilir, bunu da çaktırmayayım diye kendini yiyebilir.

Evet, bir Mr. Darcy değil belki ama çok çok yakınlarında benim için.

Kitabın yazımıyla ilgili de hiçbir şey söylemeyeceğim, zaten klasik bir eser. Sadece klasikleri İngilizce okumaktan çekinirim. Süslü anlatımları, ağdalı dili anlayamayıp kitabı mundar etmekten korkarım. Bu kitapta korktuğum başıma gelmediği için memnunum. Çok çok beğendiğim bir kitap oldu, yazarın yetişkinler için yazdığı az sayıda kitaptan biri olması üzücü.

İmkansızın Şarkısı - Haruki Murakami

İmkansızın Şarkısı by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bir yolculuk sırasında Beatles'ın "Norwegian Wood" adlı parçasını duyan kahramanımız 37 yaşındadır ve bu parça onu Tokyo'da geçirdiği üniversite yıllarına götürecektir. En yakın arkadaşının intihar edişi, geçen zamanın ardından onun kız arkadaşıyla yakınlaşması, araya giren zorunlu ayrılık ve yeni bir kız arkadaş. "İmkânsızın Şarkısı" yalın, çarpıcı ve sıcak bir aşk hikâyesini anlatıyor. Yazarı HARUKİ Murakami Japon edebiyatının aykırı, ama en çok okunan yazarı. Japon geleneklerinin dışında geliştirdiği üslubuyla adından çok söz ettiren Murakami'yi dünyaya tanıtan roman "İmkânsızın Şarkısı".

1968-1970 yılları arasında geçen olaylar, o günün toplumsal gerçeklerini de satırlara taşıyor. Ama romanın odağında bu toplumsal olaylar değil üçlü bir aşk var. Gençliğin rüzgârıyla hareketlenen "İmkânsızın Şarkısı"nı ölümle erken karşılaşan gençlerin hayatı yönlendiriyor. Hiçbir şeyin önem taşımadığı, amaçsızlığın ağır bastığı, özgür seksin kol gezdiği bir öğrenci hayatı... Ama diğer yanda da yoğun duygular var... İmkânsız aşklar, imkânsız şarkılar söyleten. Hemen hemen her Japon gencinin okuduğu roman anayurdu dışında da çok kişi tarafından sahipleniliyor.

UYARI: Kitapla ilgili hiçbir şey yok bu yorumda. Ben olsam hemen sıradakine geçerdim.


4,5

Pfff… Büyüyoruz filan ya, ne acayip… Etrafımızda bir sürü şey oluyor, dünya değişiyor, hayatımıza insanlar girip çıkıyor. Bazıları çıkmıyor tabii, yapışıp kalıyor. Kendi gitmediği gibi senin de uzaklaşmana izin vermiyor. Bazıları pek bir sorunlu oluyor, bazıları gamsız… Bazıları da sadece oluyor, öyle boş. Nedensiz. Amaaaan, hayat ne tuhaf vapurlar filan…

Ne de güzel demiş bi’tanem Tom “I don’t wanna grow up” diye. “Ben de! BEN DE!” diye haykırmak istiyorum. Tam öyle bir dönemde ve ruh halindeyim. İstemiyorum ya! “Zorla mı kardeşim?” diye bağırasım var ama faydası yok. Zorla işte… Öfff nerden buldum bu kitabı, kafama şapıyım. Hiç sırası değildi.

Bu kadar.


NOT: Bu kitaba “Sana puanım on, kanka” demeyi çok isterdim ama puanım 5 üzerinden 4,5. Çok kıymetli yarım puanımı da tamamen çevirmenin tercihi olarak gördüğüm bazı “bayık” diyaloglardan dolayı kırdım. Murakami’ye toz kondurmuyorum ve tüm sorumluluğu kafamda suçladığım, belki de masum çevirmene atıyorum. Böyle de önyargılı bir insanım, evet.


Ve Haruki... Son sözüm sana... bebeYim duyduğuma göre aslında "sürreal" takılıyormuşsun. Bu konuda ne düşüneceğimi bilmiyorum ama sana bağlanmaya çok hazırım. Lütfen beni hayal kırıklığına uğratma. Hadi kendine iyi bak. Öptüm.

Crazy for You (Life and Love on the Lam #2) by Juliet Rosetti

Crazy for You by Juliet Rosetti
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In the tradition of Janet Evanovich and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Juliet Rosetti ups the ante in her laugh-out-loud funny Escape Diaries series, as Mazie Maguire must use any means necessary to keep her main squeeze out of the slammer.

Once you escape from prison and ride off into the sunset with the gorgeous guy who helped you nail a killer, you live happily ever after, right? Well, not exactly—not if you’re Mazie Maguire, and the flow chart of your life looks like a pinball machine. Mazie has broken up with her guy, Ben Labeck, she can’t pay her rent, her car is infested with mice, and she’s working at a coffee shop where the dress code is teddies, thongs, and toe-cleavage heels. Now Ben is the chief suspect in a murder investigation, and Mazie’s tapping into her fugitive wiles to keep him out of jail. Strictly as friends, she vows. No kissing, no touching, no romance. But how is Mazie supposed to keep her thoughts platonic when her “buddy” is giving her erotic back rubs, and a make-believe-we’re-newlyweds charade puts her in the mood for a wedding night?

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from other Loveswept titles.

Mazie and Ben... Gaaah these two are cracking me up!

This book takes place 7 weeks after Mazie's big prison escape and 6 weeks after she and Ben's brake-up. Yeah, they had 5 passionate day and broke up. Now she works as a mystery shopper for a company. But her boss Rhonda (the Cougar) fire her because of her report and Mazie sees her with Ben -kissing- the same day. Yeah!

Anyway, same night Ben finds Rhonda dead and apparently he's the last person who saw her alive too, he becomes the main suspect of the murder. With this, Ben and Mazie once again trying to escape from the police. This time they have a Lieutenant behind their backs!

I loved the secondary characters in this book. Juju, Magenta, Dr. Dreamboat, Lieutenant Vincent Trumbull (okay I hated him a little) and of course Muffin! I like the way they involved with the story. The "real" murderer was easy to spot on but still I like the way the things turned out. Once again there was no unanswered questions at the end. So why I did gave it 3 stars? I really don't know.
Maybe I shouldn't read these books consecutively, I'm not sure about that but I know this book didn't grab me like The Escape Diaries. But I really enjoyed reading both Mrs. Rosetti's books. They're well written and I love the characters she creates. She's a great story teller and I know I will read everything she writes.


I received an e-galley from the publisher.

The Escape Diaries (Life and Love on the Lam #1) by Juliet Rosetti

The Escape Diaries (Life and Love on the Lam #1) by Juliet Rosetti
My Raiting: 4 of 5 stars

Introducing the hilarious new heroine, Mazie Maguire, in Juliet Rosetti’s irresistible debut novel that follows the outrageous adventure of a woman on the run.

Wrongly convicted of killing her philandering husband, Mazie Maguire is three years into her life sentence when fate intervenes—in the form of a tornado. Just like that, she’s on the other side of the fence, running through swamps and cornfields, big box stores and suburban subdivisions. Hoping to find out who really murdered her husband, Mazie must stay a few steps ahead of both the law and her mother-in-law, who would like nothing better than to personally administer Mazie the death penalty via lethal snickerdoodle. With the Feds in hot pursuit and the national media hyping her story, Mazie stumbles upon a vast political conspiracy and a man who might just be worth a conjugal visit—if she survives.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: The Devil’s Thief, Paradise Café, and The Perfect Catch.

I can't believe I never heard about this book before! This is a hidden treasure folks, come and read it!

Okay, let's get started. Mazie is in prison because she killed her husband. There is a video tape which shows the murder and there is her nightgown with her husband's blood all over it. But in fact she's innocent. When a tornado hits the city she escapes from the prison and she's determined to find her husband's real murderer. But the road has too many curves. Her pictures are everywhere, there is a award for any information about her and she has a revenge seeking mother-in-law and a US Marshall behind her neck...

I really loved Mazie! She was so sweet, clumsy and a little lost and clueless sometimes but she's brave. She was a loveable character and this is one of the most important things when I'm reading a book. I loved her relationship with Ben too. I really enjoyed her and Ben's little adventures and wished there was more of them. Overall the story was good too. There's no unanswered questions left at the end and I liked the way things resolved.

I have no idea what else to say about this book, I was expecting a enjoying read but I wasn't expecting this funny, suspenseful story with these witty characters. I was expecting something dull and this book has surprised me. Definitely recommended!

Guest Reviewer *Purplegipsy*: Iced by Karen Marie Moning

Iced (Dani O'Malley Trilogy #1) by Karen Marie Moning
Purplegipsy's raiting: 4 of 5 stars

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

........SPOILERS SPOILERS........


What the feck happened to Jo and Christian? Because of this parts, this is not a five star book especially part of Jo where is your backbone girl, did she under kind of spell or something? I didn't like the idea of Jo and Ryo. This is irritating I'm really sad and sick to my stomach for Jo. I get it Jo-Ryo, Fio-Barrons stuff going on but Jo was different. I imagine her story much more different not some silly-sappy-girl-in love-big-bad-handsome-boy story. She is not a doormat but she is act like a doormat!! This part is disappointing and frustrating and bad just so bad that boink scene in office gawdd just awfull. I am going to pretend thats really not happened like JZB sex scene -this is not happening I'm not reading it-

Christian you lunatic, I know you becoming prince fecked up your head but what the hell is all about wedding, bride, love, obssesion toward of dani when this happened? This was really weird I hope Christian change in a good way. btw I love Dancer. That was a suprise but good suprise. I imagine much more different type but I love this type to and I'm pretty sure Dani and Dancer is going to hook up, hope Ryo doesn't kill Dancer because of this ;) Kat, other sidhes and Cruce part is not so good too.

Guest Reviewer *Sabrina*: The Rancher's Virgin Acquisition by Lynda Chance

The Rancher's Virgin Acquisition by Lynda Chance 
Sabrina's Raiting: 1 of 5 stars

When the stagecoach that is carrying Emma Martin to her new job in Denver is attacked and robbed in the wilds of Colorado, she is the only survivor. Alone and terrified, she is rescued by Luke Butler, a rancher who knows only one way. His way.

When Luke Butler finds Emma Martin, he has no other choice but to bring her back to his ranch. Soon, his life is turned upside down by a female who doesn’t know how to mind and who doesn’t know how to stay put.

The battle that follows is a clash of wills, a test of tempers, and a lesson in love.

At some point I wonder why do I read these books. I guess I could say that I'm a romantic, and I like to read on occasion small little stories with happy ever afters. Sometimes you get what you want, and like the song, sometimes you just don't.

This was the case here.

Let me just start with the name "The Rancher's Virgin Acquisition". Two things should have ringed an alarm here: the virgin part, I don't know why it has to be mentioned in the title, it's a little weird. You never read something like "The Rancher's Promiscuous Acquisition", right? I don't know why they do this.
And secondly, the word "Acquisition". Yep, we're talking about a person, pretty obvious a girl is no ones acquisition. But I thought "nah, it must be representing a metaphor or something", but then you start reading the book and it all just makes sense.

Nothing really new here, Luke is an abusive prick who needs an ass kicking. All the time he's trying to force the heroine to do his will, and the heroine is just pitiful, you feel sorry for her and annoyed at some point.

Let me just quote, because I just wouldn't be able to make this up:

"He slowly released her hair, and moved his hands to grip
her forearms in a tight hold. His face was within inches of
hers and she was so close to him she could see his nostrils
flaring.
"You better listen and you better listen good. This is my
ranch. When you're on my ranch, you do as I say. No
questions asked, no explanation given. I don't have to
explain shit to you, or anybody else, got that?" He spoke
viciously, and she felt tormented that he had this much
anger for her.
She nodded her head, ready to agree with whatever he
said to end this lesson in male dominance.
But he wasn't finished and continued berating her. "I'm not
just trying to be a mean son of a bitch, Emma. I don't have
to try. I am a mean son of a bitch. You need to get it through
that thick head of yours that this ranch is thousands and
thousands of acres of rough terrain. There's no law out here
except for me and my gun, and there's danger al around
you(...)"

Ok. Considering the fact that he clearly has issues, this is a terrible pairing because the only possibility anything could work with this guy is a woman that puts him in his place, constantly. And even then why would anyone want this guy as a protagonist of anything?

This was just awful, I don't know in what other way to say this, that so many other's have been saying for a long time: abusive men are not attractive.

 

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars, lords and honest men. All will play the Game of Thrones

Summers span decades.Winter can last a lifetime.And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.It will stretch from the south where heat breeds plot,lusts and intrigues to the vast frozen north,where a 700-foot wall of ice protects the kingdom from the dark forces that lie beyond. The Game of Thrones. You win,or you die.

Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire begins the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age.

I decided to read this book because of HBO series. I am not a fantasy reader but I liked it!

The plot kept me guessing till the end. Usually I don't like multiple POVs. But it didn't bother me in this book. Characters are so rich and it was good to see their points. Every character has flaws, no one is completely bad or good. It makes characters real. And I liked the way the author shows that the good guys are not always wining. The only thing made me dissapoint by this book is I've waited for somethings to be resolved and it didn't happened.

And a quick warning for whoever is thinking of reading this book: the author have no mercy. Don't even like anyone in this book!

Turkish review:

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Yolda (Orijinal Rulo) by Jack Kerouac

Yolda by Jack Kerouac
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

YOLDA, orijinal rulo haliyle Türkçe’de… Jack Kerouac’ın YOLDA’sı ilk olarak 1957 yılında Viking yayınevi tarafından basıldı. Kerouac’ın okurların gözünde artık efsaneleşmiş olan hikayeye göre, yaklaşık üç yıl boyunca aldığı notlar ve yaşadıklarına dayanarak, üç haftalık bir oturumda daktiloda, kendi hazırladığı uzun, tek bir ruloya yazdığı romanı, yazarın ve editörün büyük uğraşları, tekrar tekrar elden geçirmeleri ve çıkarmalar yapmaları sonucunda basıldı. Kısa sürede bir kült eser haline gelmiş ve bütün dünyada efsaneleşmiş olsada, bu basılan Yolda, “uslanmış” bir Yolda idi. Kitabın basılışının 50. yılı anısına ve kitapta geçen kişilerin gerçek adlarının kullanılmasının artık sorun olmaktan çıkmasıyla, ilk kez orijinal rulo olduğu haliyle basıldı. Biz de kısa sürede, titiz bir çalışmayla bu eseri Türkçe’de yayımlıyoruz…

Bir süredir bu kitap hakkında bir şeyler yazmak için kafamı toparlamaya çalışıyorum. Sonunda o gün geldi galiba...

Kitabı kabaca özetlemek gerekirse, kitap yazarımızın arkadaşlarıyla, ülkenin bir ucundan diğer ucuna yaptığı yolculuklar üzerine.

İlk olarak şunu belirtmeliyim ki, bu kitap kesinlikle beklediğim gibi değildi. Overrated bir hipster kitabı bekliyordum. Hipster kısmı tuttu ama kesinlikle overrated olduğunu söyleyemem. Biraz kıyaslama yapma fırsatı bulduğum için belirteyim, benim de okuduğum orijinal rulo versiyonun romanlaştırılmış halinden tek farkı isimler değil. Uyuşturucu kullanımı ve cinsel deneyimler rulo versiyonunda daha ayrıntılı ve çok yer bulmuş.

Kitapta “paragraf” ya da “bölüm” gibi şeyler yok. Kitabı elinize aldığınız andan itibaren dümdüz bir yazı okumaya başlıyorsunuz. Kitabı okumaya ara vermek için “bölüm sonu” bekleyen biri olarak buna alışmak biraz zaman aldı. Orijinalliğin bozulmaması adına imla hatalarına çok da dokunulmamış, benim gibi “Grammar Nazi” tipler için bu da bir eksi olabilir. Ayrıca konu ve anlatım çok ilgi çekici türden değil, eğer beat kuşağına biraz olsun ilgi duymuyorsanız muhtemelen bu kitaptan nefret edeceksiniz. Ortası yok.

Ama başka söyleyeceğim olumsuz bir şey de yok. İlk birkaç sayfadan itibaren kitabın sonuna kadar en çok düşündüğüm şey “keşke ben de…” oldu. Önünüzden muhteşem, gerçekten yaşanmış bir hayat geçiyor ve tek yapabildiğiniz seyirci olmak. O insanların neler yapabildiğini bilmek ama kendi rutin hayatınıza devam etmek, nerde yanlış yapıyorum diye düşünmek ama yine devam etmek… Bu açıdan sinir bozucu bir kitap olarak da değerlendirebilirim herhalde.

Blogtour: Getting to Know My Characters by Traci L. Slatton

            I usually start a novel with an oceanic burst of inspiration. I have an idea—maybe a visual image, maybe a conversation, maybe a scene—and I plunge headlong into the story. That’s fun! It’s like the beginning of a romantic relationship: all heady enthusiasm, dewy dreams, and passionate attraction.

            But shortly thereafter, by chapter 2, the hard work starts. A huge part of the structuring of a novel comes out of character development. In fact, plot and character are inextricable. So after leaping into a novel, I sit down and think through each character in minute detail.

            Among the many ways I have earned money, and there have been a lot of them (ask me about picking lobster bodies for a month after my freshman year of college), is astrology. I studied with an astrologer who was famous for her work on dreamy Neptune. I took courses and read books, and after being tested and certified by the NCGR, the National Council for Geocosmic Research, I took clients and read horoscopes.

            It was not a lengthy career. There were other, more compelling professions for me. However, I retained a way to view and build character. So after the first chapter or two of a new novel, I cast charts for each of my main characters. These are not real charts in the sense that they arise out of a specific day and time. They are invented charts. And they are more like shorthand than like actual horoscopes.

            For example, Luca Bastardo in IMMORTAL has a hell of a Venus-Pluto square. It gives him extreme beauty, and it causes him pain, loss, and a profound appreciation of love. This may not be the most precise definition of the aspect according to real, practicing astrologers, but it means something precise—and useful—to me.

            Arthur in FALLEN has Sagittarius rising with Jupiter in Aries, while Emma is Aries rising, with a loaded sixth house. So Emma’s crowded sixth house makes her a healer, and gives her a  practical frame of mind. I’ve played with her Mars, as Mars is her ruling planet. Currently I think it’s in Sag, which gives her that strong attraction to Arthur.

            Brian Tennyson in THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE is a Gemini-Cancer blend. He has the persistence to stick with a mate that Cancer can display and also the inventiveness of a Gemini. Tessa Barnum, his long-lost love, has a strong Neptune, which gives her artistic talent.

            It’s easy to see how my familiarity with astrology lends me an extra tool for creating characters….

 Traci L. Slatton

 

 Traci L. Slatton is a graduate of Yale and Columbia. She lives in Manhattan, and her love for Renaissance Italy inspired her historical novel Immortal [Bantam Dell], which is currently in film pre-production and reached bestseller status in Italy, Russia, and Brazil. Also the author of novels The Botticelli Affair, Fallen, and Cold Light, Slatton has published The Art of Life, a photo essay about figurative sculpture; Dancing in the Tabernacle, a book of poetry; and Piercing Time & Space, a non-fiction title on science and spirituality. Her romantic comedy novella The Love of My (Other) Life addresses the question: What worlds would you move to be with your soulmate? Her forthcoming novel, The Mission, is a meaty historical saga set during World War II. 

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Bully by Penelope Douglas

Bully by Penelope Douglas
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My name is Tate. He doesn't call me that, though. He would never refer to me so informally, if he referred to me at all.

We're neighbors, and once, we were best friends. But then, one summer, he turned on me and has made it his mission to screw up my life at every opportunity. I've been humiliated, shut out, and gossiped about all through high school. His pranks and rumors got more sadistic as time wore on, and I made myself sick trying to hide from him. I worried about what was around every corner and behind every door.

So I left.

I spent a year studying abroad and bathed in the freedom of life without Jared. Now I'm back to finish up high school and get the hell out of here forever. I'm hoping that after a year of breathing room, he's moved on and forgotten all about me.

But even if he hasn't changed, I have. I'm not interested in avoiding him or turning the other cheek anymore. We're going to go head to head, because neither of us wants to back down.

Kitabın ilk yarısını şahane kurgulayıp ikinci yarısında batırmayı nasıl başarıyorlar bilmiyorum ama bu yazarı da tebrik etmek lazım. Muazzam bir iş çıkartmış. Verdiğim 2* sadece ve sadece kitabın ilk yarısının hatrına, normalde tek yıldızı bile hak etmiyor.

Blogtour: He Belongs to Me by Theresa Rizzo

He Belongs to Me is a love story . . . a tale of betrayal and deception and of a young mother's determination to recover what belongs to her.

Forced to leave her baby and tricked into relinquishing her parental rights, four years later Catherine Boyd is back and she'll do anything to regain custody of her son--even reconcile with the husband falsely accused of killing their son's twin.

All in the name of love for a little boy, generations of pain and tragedy are exposed in a courtroom drama.

Every week? He’d written her every week? Her anger evaporated. He hadn’t forgotten them. All those nights she’d lain awake in their king-size bed fretting that he was partying with pretty sorority girls, he’d actually been working two jobs and writing her.

She’d saved every letter from Thomas, sometimes crying out of loneliness, wishing desperately that things were different. She’d read his letters over and over again until the paper grew soft from her handling. Even after all the terrible things she’d said to him, Thomas hadn’t given up on them—at least not right away.

“I didn’t return anything,” she said. Not that it really mattered anymore. Their love was a thing of the past and her parents had their son. But still, Thomas hadn’t forgotten her. They stood quietly, each swamped in memories, trying to assimilate this new information and see what it meant to them now.

“Why California?” His eyes narrowed. “The Catherine I knew would never have given up her son for an Ivy League education. What did they do to you?”

“Stanford’s not Ivy League,” she muttered to buy time. “They didn’t do anything. I was alone and confused. And my father insisted I needed the prestige of a Stanford degree.”

“Drew was only a baby. He needed his mother,” Thomas declared flatly.

“And his father.”

Thomas’s eyes narrowed. “Not according to you.”

Catherine sighed, annoyed that her quick temper had gotten ahead of her brain. “Well, maybe I was wrong, but I made the best decision I could at the time and I’d do it again.” She paused to regroup. “Look, I’m sorry. You have every right to be upset, but that doesn’t change anything. I signed a contract giving my parents custodial rights, but you didn’t. To get Drew back, we need to live together and approach my parents as a happily reconciled couple. And if they won’t sign him back over to us, then we’ll have to sue them for custody.”

Body taut, Thomas scowled. “You seem to have it all worked out.”

“I know this would be a disruption in your life, but my attorney assured me it’s the best way.”

“A disruption?” He snorted. “That’s the understatement of the century. What if I don’t want a family and wife?”

Although they had been apart for many years, the question still hurt. “You already have us. We just haven’t been here.”

“Exactly. Which is the way you wanted it.”

Theresa Rizzo is an award-winning author who writes emotional stories that explore the complexity of relationships and families through real-life trials. Born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, she now lives outside of Boulder, Colorado with her husband of thirty years. Learn more about Theresa at www.theresarizzo.com. Follow Theresa on Twitter (@Theresa_rizzo) or Facebook.