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Wednesday, March 26, 2008
4:19 PM
I've just returned from participating in that age-old tried and true female ritual...retail therapy. The Megan version of retail therapy, however, is the purchasing of vast amounts of books I probably won't ever have time to read. Nevertheless, an afternoon passed in Books-a-Million is a happy afternoon. The poor cashier, however, was not so happy - he looked like his puppy just got hit by a car. I was about to ask what was wrong when he burst out unprompted with "Ohgodihopeyoucanpaywithcashbecausemybossisgoingtokillme butwecan'ttakecreditcardsandcanyoupaywithcashohgodit'sgoingtobemyassontheline," to which I intelligently replied, "Huh?" It turned out their computer system was down and this poor guy was having to turn away customer after customer who couldn't pay with cash. He looked ready to burst into tears at any minute. As luck would have it, I actually had cash on me. For once. He looked like he wanted to give me a hug when I told him I could pay. Poor guy...I hope the computer system starts working for him.
Anyway, an afternoon of book buying was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits. There is a little bit of roommate drama at present, and Dr. D didn't return my phone call asking if I could shadow her today and/or tomorrow. Add in a little PSM depression and you've got one very grumpy Megan. It doesn't help that I am absolutely convinced that I am gaining instead of losing weight, despite my gym-going efforts. Could be my imagination, but probably not considering the fact that I sit at a desk all day.
Anyway, last week I shadowed Dr. D for two days at the Arabian Nights dinner show and Disney's Tri-Circle D Ranch. It was an absolute blast, and sooooo refreshing to be back in a barn! Dr. D was an extremely patient and helpful teacher, and she let me do so much. I dewormed, gave shots, and practiced handling horses of all sizes. I wrangled goats, was chased by a pissed of Arabian stallion, stepped on by a Percheron, and licked by a Paint horse. I loved every minute of it. Could equine medicine be in my future? Hm, could be!
I'm still loving zoo medicine. Yesterday was Chutzpa's annual exam, a 14 year old lioness. DAK is trying to build up hype for their 10 year anniversary this coming April, so they invited all the media out to cover the lion's check-up. The hospital was an absolute madhouse because of all the media there, and I also wasn't particularly pleased to arrive at work and find half the parking lot blocked off for them. Oh well. At least I got to pet Chutzpa (and get my picture taken with her). She is such a gorgeous, gorgeous girl. Such a stunning animal! Now I really miss my kitties...
Our (DAK's) raccoons are really sick right now. Like on death's door sick. All of the animals receive enrichment food items to keep them interested in eating, and it's possible that last Wednesday's meat bone treat made everyone sick. Bennet and Zorro are especially ill, and one of the quarantine kids is not doing so hot either. Hopefully the vets will figure out what's wrong soon so these guys can start on the path to recovery!
Gosh I hate my days off. All I can think about is what's going on at work! I think I've forgotten how to relax...if I ever knew how to relax in the first place. I think I'll do a bit of reading now, seeing as I have a plethora of material to choose from. It's almost dinner time too. Yeah, book + food = goooooood. Now if only my cats were here to warm my lap. Le'sigh.Labels: books, disney, vet med
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Monday, December 31, 2007
4:57 PM
One of my New Year's resolutions is to start keeping track of the books I read. I'm more into the typed word than the written word, so while those book journals you can buy at book stores are nice I think I'd rather just use my blog. I've also signed up as an Amazon Associate, so I make a little money every time someone buys a book by clicking on the link in my review. Just another way for this poor college student to support herselr...
So without further ado, here is my first blog book review!
Book Description: Kitty's radio show is as popular as ever and she has a boyfriend who actually seems to understand her. Can she finally settle down to a normal life? Not if this is just the calm before the storm. When her mother falls ill, Kitty rushes back to Denver--and right back to the abusive pack of werewolves she escaped a year ago. To make matters worse, a war is brewing between the city's two oldest vampires, threatening the whole supernatural community. Though she wants to stay neutral, Kitty is again drawn into a world of politics and violence. To protect her family, her lover, and herself, she'll have to choose sides. And maybe become what she hates--a killer.
My Rating: ****/5
Have you read any of Carrie Vaughn's books? I stumbled upon this delightful author one lazy day at Barnes & Noble while browsing through the new paperback releases section, and I haven't looked back since. "Kitty and the Silver Bullet" is the 4th book in Miss Vaughn's "Kitty Norville" series, a preternatural mystery series that focuses on the life of a werewolf named Kitty (haha...how can you not love it? A wereWOLF named Kitty? Classic!). The novels can stand alone okay on their own, since Miss Vaughn is careful to remind her readers of the story thus far, but I do recommend you pick up the first three in the series as they are well worth the read!
"Kitty and the Midnight Hour" (the first book) introduces us to Kitty, a young DJ for a local radio station (and real life werewolf) who inadvertantly starts a radio talk show for vampires, werecreatures, and other things that go bump in the night. Of course this causes all sorts of trouble, as Kitty's show also unveils the existance of such creatures to the unknowing humans who live among them. As a result her abusive pack kicks her out and exiles her from Denver. Well, what's a werewolf to do without a pack? Go to Washington D.C., of course. In "Kitty Goes to Washington" (the second book) Kitty is called upon to testify before the Supreme Court concerning the newly ousted preternatural creatures. "Kitty Takes a Holiday" (the third book) finds Kitty retreating to a cabin in the woods for a very much needed vacation (think Walden). Of course trouble finds her, and she winds up in the middle of a murder mystery and potential romance...
And so we come to "Kitty and the Silver Bullet". Kitty's mother is very sick, and so she must return to Denver from where she had previously been exiled by her old abusive pack. Kitty is more than a little nervous about returning, seeing as her old pack leaders Carl and Meg promised to kill her should she ever return. But Kitty has little choice in the matter, and hopes that by keeping a low profile her old pack will miss her return. Of course these things never go as planned. A vampire newly arrived to Denver decides to shake things up a bit by revealing Kitty's presence to Meg and Carl, and so the fight for her life begins. What's more, Kitty's vampire acquaintance Rick wants her support in his bid for master vampire of the city. The only catch is that she has to take over the Denver pack, probably by killing Meg and Carl. Too bad Kitty doesn't want to be an alpha wolf, nor does she think she has it in her to kill...even if it's the two people who have horribly abused her in the past.
To make matters even more complicated, Kitty is extremely confused about her feelings for her lover, Ben. Is their's a match of convenience, or does she truly love him? It doesn't help that she's still not sure how she feels about Ben's cousin Cormac, who is currently serving time in jail for killing in Kitty's defense...
Between her old pack trying to kill her, two master vampires warring over the city of Denver, a Broadway-singing vampire with VERY questionable political motives, her ill mother, and her complicated relationship with her lover, there is plenty on Kitty's plate.
This one hooked me from the very beginning - I started reading at around 2pm yesterday and finished around 11:30pm last night. Miss Vaughn is a master at pacing; the plot never slows down and keeps you reading to find out what happens next. I was especially touched by Miss Vaughn's portrayal of Kitty's emotions during her mother's illness. Kitty's mom has stage II breast cancer, so of course this was especially interesting to me since I went through the same thing as Kitty with my mom's illness several years ago. This was also the first book in the series that featured vampires. I really like how the vampires are described in this series - they're a lot more frightening and unpredictable than in other preternatural books I've read! I also couldn't help but develop a crush on Rick...but hey, I've always been a sucker for vampires. ;)
All in all, this was my favorite book of the series thus far. It had lots of action and mystery with just a touch of romance, resulting in a well balanced book with excellent pacing and an engaging storyline. I'm looking forward to the next Kitty adventure! Carrie Vaughn's writing just keeps getting better!Labels: books
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