[Books I've read] Cornerstone Cafe by K.A Pray

Something that I have always wanted to do was keep track of what I read and give you my thoughts about the books that I've read. I've somewhat done that on an old Livejournal account, but has since been abandoned. I think writing them as I read them rather than trying to remember what I read years and years ago, will make this blog more successful.

So I had the honor of reading a book that was written by one of my friends and I have to say I am fairly impressed. This is not the first time that I have read a book by a friend and I remember how hard it was to not be biased since you know the author. I didn't buy it, but rather it was the first book that I "rented" from my Amazon Prime account. I'll support her definitely, maybe once I get a higher paying job that is!! The book that I read was Cornerstone Cafe by K.A Pray.

Overall, I think the story was well thought out and obviously planned since it had many elements in a somewhat diverse world. It starts off with that damn cat whose name is... Cat. I actually like that the cat's name was actually Cat, but the novel revolves around a young teen named Asher, Ash for short, who runs away from home and lands herself in San Francisco. After finding a job at the Cornerstone Cafe, she experiences things no teenager should, and stumbles upon a paranormal secret that the world's been hiding for decades. I don't want to give away too much because I really do think it is worth a read and I don't want to spoil it!

The only cons I have for the novel are just major editing issues. There aren't as many as I was expecting, and a lot of them are minuscule (writing "off" instead of "of" - or lack of commas), but they still need to be addressed. One thing that I loved and disliked about the novel was the romance between three of the characters. It felt a little like Twilight to me with the whole love triangle going on, but I LOVED the character of the angel... whose name escapes me... but, him! The way I imagined him was absolutely adorable. Another complaint was the character of Asher, I feel like at times she was overwhelmingly... bitchy even at times she shouldn't be. But that's her character I guess! But Still, with some work and a little love, I think a Literary Agent somewhere out there would definitely keep this under their belt. Awesome work Kachi, I look forward to the sequel!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Recommend? Yes.

Thanks for reading!
Matthew

Introductory post

I find the fact that I was once addicted to blogging so interesting, especially since it was almost 3 years ago since I last did one. Anyway...

Happy New Year everybody! I have a great feeling about 2013 and I have a whole lot in store for myself as well as friends and family! Starting with my novel, the one I've been writing since middle school. This novel has gone through several different titles and several different plots, but eight years later and with some more experience under my belt, I think I am finally happy with what will be the end result. In middle school I called it... "Ravens Eye". Then it evolved once I hit High School and I started calling it "The Temple of violet Ash", once again changing it towards the end of High School to "The Zenrai Legacy" with book one being called "Hydrangea". Then I abandoned it completely to start several other novels, which I also have not finished.

BUT, in 2011 I got the idea for another novel that I have been infatuated with since and I actually combined the first novel with this one and called it "The Song of Asiron". In 2013 I have finally decided on a name that I may (or may not...) stick with and am very happy with it and the plot. "Serenade".

The novel has, of course, some gay themes in it but mainly explores the relationship of a young boy and his father, the relationship between two lovers, and the relationship with a large horse named Atlas. I'll type up a full summary when I have more time/details, but for now I am so happy with the result. I plan on the first draft being done by Fall of this year at which point I will find some people to help me edit. 

Another thing I have in store for 2013 is to move up in my job. I don't really want to leave my job, because I adore most of the people I work with, but moving up is a goal I will have for this year. I currently work for Philosophy, which is a skin care brand where we believe clear skin is the best cosmetic! I've truly fallen in love with the product and have seen it work for so many different people (myself included). We'll see where life takes me!

Last thing I want to say is that my best friend Lindsay is moving! Well... traveling abroad for 7 months, but still, that's a long time! She's headed to Berlin in Germany to live with a host family while she studies, it's an amazing opportunity and I can't wait for her to come back!

I'll post later when I think of something to write!

Matthew