Bumped

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Okay, kind of a weird one. Bumped is set in 2035 and follows twin sisters Melody and Harmony. Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and brought up in two very different societies. Harmony was raised in Goodside, where religion is huge and preparing to be good wife's and mothers is the number one priority. Melody was raised in Otherside where a "virus" makes everyone over 18 infertile. I am not really sure what this virus is, why 18 is the magic number, etc. Anyways, in order to keep their population growing they pay teenagers to "bump", the girls carry the "pregg" and then give it up. Melody has scored a huge contract with a couple and is just waiting for them to find the perfect match. While Melody is waiting, Harmony shows up at her door and the two find that they actually have a lot in common.



I am just not sure about this book. It was okay, but it didn't really do a good job explaining things. And it took a long time to get the story going. I guess this is a series but I am not sure I will be following it.

Happy Reading!



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Night Road

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ahhhhhh........... It feels so good to read. I have had a way too long hiatus from reading. Having a new baby really puts a damper on some things. But it is all worth it, right?

Anyways, this book was so good! It felt so good to lose myself in this world. A world full of emotions. Infatuation, love, friendship, a mother's love, loss, hope, despair, and more. The author takes you into the mind of Jude - a mother of high school twins Mia and Zach, Lexi - a teenager who has a bad, lonely past, and Grace - a child just trying to figure out this sad, lonely world she is a part of.

Jude is an overprotective mother, who loves her kids so intensely. She watches as Lexi comes into their lives as Mia's best friend and as the love of Zach's life. Then tragedy strikes. How can Jude cope? She gets stuck in the gray of life and won't let her family - let alone herself move on. And then there is Grace. She just so desperately wants to feel love and happiness.

I have read a couple of Kristin Hannah's books and they don't disappoint. They are quick reads and full of emotion. I was crying so hard at a few points in the book. But it felt so good! Definitely try this book, just know that you might need to have some tissues nearby.

Happy Reading!



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I'm Back, Hopefully!

Wow, I definitely have missed reading! I have taken a little hiatus due to having my daughter a month ago (can't believe it has been that long!). Having two kids definitely puts a dent in my reading time. But I am getting used to it and hoping to get back into reading soon! Here are two books that I have read since my last post on here.Tiger's Quest is the second book in the series. This series is seriously good! The books are long, but it is a young adult book so it goes by super fast. I definitely recommend you looking up these books. Click here to see what I thought of the first book. This book continues to follow Kelsey and Ren, but we get to see a lot more of Kishan, Ren's brother who is also cursed. The third book just came out this month, so I can't wait to check that one out. Enjoy!
The other book was The Other Life. I don't have much to say about this one because honestly, I didn't really care for it. I got super bored and it took me a long time to finish it. I started it in June and would get so bored I would give up and go on to other books. It is about a woman who is able to see what her life would be if she made a different choice. For example, she often wonders how her life would be if she didn't marry her husband, so she is able to go to that life and see what would be different. Weird, I know. Anyways, I think it had potential, I guess it just wasn't for me.

Well, hopefully I will be able to get back to reading more regularly. I sure have missed it!

Look Again

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Okay, let me begin by saying this is a really good book. It is just I am pretty sure I have read it before. Within the first 20 pages I was having a deja-vu moment. The funny this is, is that I don't remember reading it. So weird! Anyways, I really enjoyed reading this book (for the second time???) even though I new what was going on/what was going to happen.



This book follows a reporter who 2 years ago adopted a little boy. On a typical day she finds herself taking a double take at a "Have You Seen Me" card. The boy on the card looks exactly like her son. With a little digging, she finds too many similarities and coincidences. The problem is, does she really want to know the truth? Is the truth putting her in danger? Well, you will have to read to find out.
Happy Reading!



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The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow! What a amazing book. Really, I definitely recommend it. It is so heart breaking but so good. Definitely not a uplifting book but it is written so well and from a interesting perspective.

The book follows Leisel when at 9 years old she is taken to a foster family, the Hubermanns. Oh, and it is set in Germany in the 1930s. On the way to her new home she finds a book in the snow and takes it. That is the beginning of her becoming the book thief. The Hubermanns live in a poor area and are already struggling to make ends meet. As Hitler becomes more powerful, life becomes more and more hungry for Leisel, her family, and her friends. But all Leisel cared about was books, and whenever the opportunity came about, she would steal a book. Leisel loved words, and lived in words. In this book we get to see Leisel become strong, brave, have relationships, experience grief, death and survival. Oh, and the narrator .... is death. Good, right?

Happy Reading!



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One Day

One Day by David Nicholls

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Well, this book was pretty good. It was my choice for book club this month and I picked this since I had heard great things about it and knew there was a movie coming out. I wish I would have read it before I picked it though. It was a good book, but not a great one - in my opinion. I was in the mood for a great love story, that was a quick, fun read. This is a love story, but it isn't one where you are just so sucked in you can't put it down. Does that make sense? Anyways....



The book follows Dexter and Emma. Each chapter is the same day, just the next year. We meet them right after their graduation from college. Dexter is getting ready to travel the world, Emma is more realistic and is trying to find a job and get on with her life. From the start we know that Emma has real, deep feelings for Dexter. Dexter on the other hand, is immature and selfish. He is living in the moment, from girl to girl, adventure to adventure. Each year/chapter we find Emma and Dexter in different jobs, relationships, and different variations of their own relationship with each other. I really enjoyed Emma's character. She seemed very real to me. Dexter on the other hand annoyed me. Through the years he settles down and becomes more "normal" but until then I just did not care for him.



If you like love stories, definitely check this out, just don't expect it to be the best thing ever. I am going to watch the movie, and am really excited. I just will probably wait till out it is out in DVD.

Happy Reading!



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Supernaturally

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is probably more like a 3.5 than a 3. I liked this book, just not as much as the first one in the series, Paranormalcy. Supernaturally just jumped right in to the story, which is good but I had a hard time remembering some things and wished there was a brief recap to get me up to speed. I have to say I am still excited to read the next one and hope it answers a lot of my questions. Unfortunately it doesn't come out till 2012.



We find Evie finally in the "normal" life she has always wanted. But is it really what she wanted? And is it really that normal? She still is madly in love with Lend, but that is all that is really going for her. Soon she is sucked back into working for IPCA and more and more weird things are happening to her. This book follows Evie on her journey to understand more about herself, where she came from, and why such weird events are happening to her. Definitely a good series to follow, so check them out!

Happy Reading!



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Slowing Down a Little

I am not really sure if anyone reads this blog. I mostly do it for myself to keep track of what I have read. It is kind of my own virtual library since I get most of my books from the county library. Anyways.... I haven't been reading as much as I would like lately. Since I will be having my baby sometime in the next 5 weeks I have been really tired. I will pick up a book while my little boy is napping and next thing I know I am fast asleep. So sorry if I don't post very much for a little while. I have a big list of books I want to read so hopefully I don't slow down too much. Here is a list of books I am getting ready and excited to read:

Supernatural (the sequel to Paranormalcy)
One Day
The Book Thief
Look Again
Bossypants
Night Road
and many, many more!

What are you reading?

A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was really good, just really long! It is 584 pages and jam packed with tons of stuff going on. I really loved the story, but I feel like the author could have made it a little less complicated and left some of the stuff out. What makes this book a little different from the other supernatural/vampire books is that the main characters are 30 something year olds. No teenagers! So that was a little refreshing. I don't think this is a young adult book, but it probably could be because there is no swearing and while there is talk of sex, there is very little descriptive sex scenes. Anyways, here is a little of what the book is about....

Diana is a historian whose family history is extensive and well known. She is part of the Bishop family who are a long line of powerful witches. Diana however has tried to forget and ignore the fact that she is witch. That is until while in the library doing work she comes across a bewitched manuscript. She sends the book back, trying to fight her urge to use magic to figure out this manuscript and that is when her life changes. Next thing she knows she is running into more witches, daemons, and vampires everywhere. She meets Matthew, a mysterious vampire. Together they try to understand and find the importance of this manuscript, they fall in love, fight off other creatures and try to bring Diana's witch out after being ignored and hidden deep inside her. There is a lot more going on too, but this gives you a taste.

A Discovery of Witches is the first in the All Souls Trilogy. The next book comes out summer of 2012.

Happy Reading!



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The White Devil

The White Devil by Justin Evans

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I would probably put this at a 3.5. I really enjoyed this book, and once I was in 80 pages I found it hard to put it down. This is a different type of book for me to read. I really enjoy murder mystery type books, but I tend to stay away from ghost stories. I freak myself out way too easily and am way too scared to watch scary movies so why would I read a scary story? This novel had a good balance between the ghost/scary story and a romance/murder mystery. This made it much more manageable for me.

The book follows Andrew, a senior in high school who has somewhat of a bad reputation. He has been kicked out of his previous schools in America so as a last stitch effort his dad sends him to a prestigious, all boy British boarding school. Not long after he arrives strange things begin to happen. Including Andrew finding his only friend dead. The freaky thing, he saw the murderer. BUT........ he is pretty sure the murderer was dead also. Andrew finds himself tangled up in the history of a fellow student, Lord Byron's, life that took place in the early 1800s.

I do have to say there is some language in this book, not too much though. There also is a sex scene or two, but I thought they weren't' too wordy or descriptive. The one thing that might make people uncomfortable is some of the references to homosexuality. This is a all boy school and supposedly in the 1800's (Lord Byron's days) it was not uncommon for some of the boys to experiment. Lord Byron just "experimented" a little more seriously than some of the others. So just a little heads up if you are planning to read. I would recommend this book if you are up to it!

Happy Reading!



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The Fates Will Find Their Way

The Fates Will Find Their Way: A Novel by Hannah Pittard

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Okay, I did not care for this book. I thought it would be somewhat interesting, but that was not the case. I actually found myself skimming most of it just so I could get it over and done.

It is about a teenage girls disappearance and how her male classmates cannot get over it. The narrator is a one of these classmates and the whole book is about him and his friends and the fantasies they have come up with pertaining to her disappearance. They are still obsessed and talking about her when they are adults and have wives and children of their own. I guess I just did not get this book. I didn't really see the point and I found it to be really odd.

Happy Reading!



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Against Medical Advice

Against Medical Advice: A True Story by James Patterson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Okay so I guess I am on a medical kick right now. I actually picked this up at the library without really knowing what it was about. I just know I like James Patterson and was in a mood for that type of a book. Well, this wasn't his typical book. It definitely is not a murder/mystery, detective like book. But it still was really good!

James Patterson partnered with Hal Friedman for this book. Hal's son, Cory, has been suffering from Tourette's, OCD, and severe anxiety for 13 years. Hal decided he wanted to tell Cory's story and the difficulties that he and his family have had to face. This is a true story and is told in the son's voice. I can't even imagine the things he went through. Not being able to control your body, what you do or say. I just felt for this little 5 year old boy when he felt the need to spit in his sisters and then father's face. He felt so bad and didn't want to do it, but he had to. His parents had so much patience and faith in Cory. And I can't believe how many medicines and treatments he went through.

Anyways, this is a really good book. And a pretty fast read. The chapters are super short (I love this about James Patterson), and the story is really interesting.

Happy Reading!



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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


If I could I would probably rate this a 4.5. This was such a fascinating book! I never really new about HeLa cells, never really given medical research much thought. This book tells the story of Henrietta, a woman whose cells taken without her knowledge have made some important and life changing advances in medicine. She has been dead for more than sixty years, yet her cells are still alive. They were vital in research for the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization, and cloning, and has helped us learn more about cancer, virus's, and much much more. I really enjoyed how this book was written because I tend to get bored with books that just list facts after facts. But the author has tied in the interesting story of Henrietta, her family, and politics surrounding her cells. I definitely learned a ton reading this book and am very glad I know about this now. I think it brings up a lot of issues that thankfully the medical field have realized and have taken steps to fix and address. I would definitely recommend this book! If you are interested in history, racial issues, the medical field, research, or anything really, you will enjoy this book.

Have you read this book, what did you think?

Happy Reading!



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The Reader

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to say this was a interesting story. I really liked how the story was told and the confusion of emotions the characters experienced.

The book is set in post WW2 Germany. 15 year old Micheal is on his way home when he falls extremely ill. Hanna, a woman twice his age, comes to his rescue. Once Micheal is well he goes back to Hanna's home to thank her. What follows is a passionate, odd and sexual relationship between the two. Then Hanna disappears. Fast forward to Micheal in law school following a case. He then sees Hanna who is on trial for a hideous crime. Hanna does not defend herself and Micheal is not sure what to do or think.

I just saw that this book was made into a movie in 2008, so I will have to check that out too.

Happy Reading



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City of Bones

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Wow! This was a really good book! It is a series (the first book in the Mortal Instruments series), and I am so excited to keep reading and find out how everything turns out.

Anyways, the book follows Clary, an average 15 year-old, at least that is what she thought until her whole world was turned upside down. One night she finds herself seeing people, and creatures, that no one else can. The next night her mother is kidnapped and she is attacked by a demon. Clary finds herself teaming up with a group of teenagers who call themselves shadowhunters. They explain to Clary that they hunt down and kill all different types of demons. The shadowhunters are extremely curious of how Clary all of the sudden as the "sight" (ability to see the demons, shadowhunters, vampires, etc.). The book follows Clary on this amazingly weird adventure to find her mom, and understand more of her past.

So I am definitely going to keep reading this series. And the best part is that there area 3 other books already out, so no waiting!!!!



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Dining with Joy

Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Meet Joy, a cooking show host who can't cook. I know, what is that about. Her father was a amazing cook and died suddenly after just getting the show popular. Joy takes it over to make her dad happy. She tries to bring a new fresh and comedic way to the cooking show. It works for awhile, but her secret is eating away at her. Here she is, almost 30 and living a lie. She has no husband ( or prospects), no children, and no passion. Enter Luke, a handsome chef who is hired on to co-host the 4th season of the show. The rest of the book is about romance, life, passion, struggles, fears, lies and of course, yummy food. I really enjoyed this book. It was almost like I was watching a chick flick (which I love)!



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Breathless

Katie Kitrell is a sixteen year old girl who is having to deal with some tough family problems. After she is shipped off to boarding school she chooses to keep her families drama a secret.
In doing so she lets it slip that he brother died recently,
when in fact that is not true.
Her older brother has some difficult psychological issues,
her mother has a drinking problem,
and her dad is a workaholic.
Katie doesn't know how to deal with all of this so at her boarding school
so she decided to ignore them and try to live a different life.
Luckily she fits in pretty well,
especially since she is a amazing swimmer.
She feels most alive in the water and thrives on the swim team.
But the pressure of her family and swimming is getting to her
and she is making some wrong choices.
Will her secret come out, how will her friends react?
I really enjoyed this book!
Katie deals with and gets into some difficult stuff
and I enjoyed getting to know her and the other characters in the book.
I would definitely recommend this one.

Happy Reading

The Good Thief

Ren is a twelve year old orphan who is missing his left hand.
He doesn't remember how he lost it or who his parents are.
Ren wants a family badly, and has been desperately trying to figure out his past.
One day a man named Benjamin appears at the orphanage.
He claims to be Ren's brother and persuades the monks at the orphanage to release Ren.
Is Benjamin really Ren's brother?
The book follows Ren on his adventure to find out what his true past is.

I really enjoyed this book!
It was a little different from what I normally read,
which is what made it so fun.
I like how Hannah Tinti put together this book
and look forward to reading more of her work.

Matched

I have to say, even though this was entertaining and a pretty quick read,
I didn't love it.
Maybe I am reading too many young adult books or something
but I just found this book to be very similar to other books I have read.
I did enjoy the characters and really felt for the main character, Cassia.
This book is set in a society where the government (or "officials") control everything.
What you eat, where you work,
when you have kids and how many,
when you die, and of course, who you marry.
It all starts when Cassia turns 17 and is off to her matching ceremony
where she will find out who the society has decided is the perfect match for her.
She is thrilled to find out it is her best friend, Xander,
but then something strange happens.
When she pops in the micro-card that has all the information about her "match"
and what rules are now in place,
the face of a different boy,
Ky,
who is also her friend, pops up.
The officials try to reassure her that it was all a mistake and that Xander is in fact her match.
But the society rarely makes mistakes.
Now Cassia is starting to doubt the society
and everything she has known,
and is beginning to fall in love with Ky.
Cassia has to decide if she wants to continue following the rules
with no question and stay with Xander.
Or break all rules and expectations,
go against everything she has been taught and told to do
so she can be with Ky.
It is a pretty good book, and definitely a easy and quick read.
I have just read other books like Delirium, Hunger Games, etc., that I like better.
This is a series but I am not sure if it will be one I keep up on.

The Paris Wife

This was my book club book this month.
I thought it was pretty good. Not my favorite though.
The book follows Hadley Richardson as she becomes Ernest Hemingway's first wife.
It was set in the early 1900s, first in Chicago and then follows them to Paris.
I really enjoyed the first half of the novel.
The courtship of the two characters and seeing them fall madly in love.
The second half was still enjoyable but seemed a little slow.
I so felt for Hadley while she was desperately trying to find her role in Ernest's life.
Ernest seemed like such a complex and moody individual
and Hadley was so patient and seemed to always try to put him first.
But their life was very fast paced and somewhat racy,
which was difficult for Hadley once they had a child.
So in all, I liked this book,
I just found it somewhat slow in some places.

Hotel on t he Corner of Bitter and Sweet

This was our book club book this month.
I would have to say it wasn't my favorite, but I did enjoy reading it.
It is set in the 1980's and follows a Chinese-American man who
finds something that reminds him of his past.
This starts the flashbacks back to his childhood, the 1940's.
His childhood was difficult.
He was mistaken for a Japanese boy throughout his childhood,
who given the time period, were unfortunately passionately disliked.
He finds a friend, who happens to be a Japanese-American girl,
and they quickly bond.
Unfortunately his tumultuous relationship with his father and this new friend
being shipped away to a internment camp got in the way of this relationship.
In the present, his wife recently died from cancer
and he and his son are growing farther and farther apart.
This novel is more than a love story.
It is a story about heartbreak, loss, life, and love.
I would recommend this book,
but I did find it somewhat slow.

Happy Reading!

Don't Blink

I really enjoy James Patterson and I haven't read his books in a while.
I got hooked on his Alex Cross series for awhile
but then I took a little break from murder mystery type books.
This book was really good!
A typical James Patterson book.
It is set in New York City right as a very gruesome and very public murder unfolds.
Nick, a journalist, finds himself wrapped up in the middle of everything
after being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nick is in for a very eventful couple of days.
He encounters close call after close call as he tries to figure out what is going on
and why he is in the middle of all this.
I definitely recommend this book if you are into these sort of books.
I read this book in about 3 days so it is a pretty fast read.

Happy Reading!

A Goal Change

Earlier this year I made a goal to read 100 books this year.
A little difficult, but I thought I could maybe do it.
Then I got pregnant and super sick.
I didn't read a book for about 2 months straight (it made me nauseous for some reason).
So I am somewhat behind,
and with me having a newborn before the end of the year,
that might put a damper in my reading again.
So I changed my goal to 75 books.
Still a little steep
so don't be surprised if I change it again.

On another note, a couple weeks ago I was looking at some new releases and came across this.

I know what you are probably thinking,
but the former cheerleader in me thought I should read it.
It was fine, pretty much what you would expect.
A good read for teens!

Do you have any suggestions for me?
Do you have a reading goal this year?

Happy Reading!!

Books about Love

This week I read two books that are about love.

Even though they were about love, they were SO different from each other.
One about love and the triumphs and failures that come with it.
The other banning love and calling it a disease that needs a mandatory cure.

The first book is The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan.


The title pretty much tells you what it is about.
The author takes you through a relationship by filling you in on small, intimate stories
in the form of a dictionary.
It is a very cute, interesting, moving and unique way of writing about love.
The book is also a very quick read and would make a great coffee table book!

The next book I read was Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

This book was fantastic!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.
It reminded me a little of The Giver and Hunger Games (not the violence, but how the government tries to control everything).
Anyways, Lauren Oliver takes you into a world where Love is thought of as a horrendous disease.
A disease that can kill whether you have it or not.
Once you turn 18 you have to be cured. After that you are matched with a partner and pretty much go on with your life with no feeling, no emotion.
The story follows a young girl who is scheduled to be "cured"in 95 days.
It follows her journey of believing wholeheartedly in the system set up by the government
to uncovering truth after truth that could shake everything she ever knew.
This is a series, but I am not sure when the next book comes out.
I sure can't wait to read them though!
I have also read Before I Fall by the same author and really enjoyed that as well.
You can see what I thought about it here.

Any suggestions???

Happy Reading!

Water for Elephants

So I am pretty sure everyone has already read this book
so I am not going to say much about it.
So many people loved this book and told me it was a "must read!"
Well, I have to say I like it a lot too.
I was a little let down just because people talked it up so much
but for the most part I really enjoyed it.
It is a great love story!
I loved feeling like I was part of the circus and going through the hardships on the train.
And I am very excited to see the movie.
I most likely won't see it till it comes out on video, but that is okay.
If you haven't read this, you definitely should!

Happy Reading!

Damage

Ro Curtlee, the son of very wealthy and powerful parents has just been let out of jail.
He has served 10 years for raping multiple women and murdering one.
His parents finally succeeded in getting him out on bail waiting on a retrial.
Once Ro is out, people important in getting him in jail wind up dead.
Abe Glistky (the head of homicide) is trying everything he can to get Ro back behind bars.
Unfortunately there is no hard evidence incriminating Ro.
Will they be able to get Ro back in prison where he belongs?
Did Ro even commit these murders?
This is the first time I have read one of John Lescroart's books.
I found this book entertaining but I would probably rate it somewhere in the middle of the pack.
I found some parts of the book a little wordy and boring,
but mostly it was a good read.

Happy Reading!

Tiger's Curse

Oh man, now I am stuck on another series.
I think I have a love hate relationship with series.
I love them because I always want to know what happens next,
but I hate them because I hate waiting!
Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck, is a great young adult romance/adventure book.
It is a great break from the vampire books and yet very similar to them also.
Tiger's curse is about a girl who just graduated from high school.
She happens upon a job at a passing through circus.
She basically does all the grunt work which also includes feeding the tiger.
Immediately she notices the tigers amazing eyes and the fact that she is not afraid of him.
The story follows this girl and the tiger as they make their way to India to break a 300 year old curse. They encounter lots of obstacles along the way and definitely keeps you captivated while reading. I had a hard time putting this book down, but
to be completely honest there are some wordy parts that I got bored with and skimmed through.
I would definitely recommend this book!
Oh and the the second book in the series comes out in June
and the third (and final?) will be out in November.

Happy Reading!

Stephanie Plum Series

About a year ago I stumbled across the Stephanie Plum Series
I actually heard about it on the View.
I guess the first book is being made into a movie
and Sherri Shepherd is going to be one of the characters
so she was talking about it.
(she will play Lulu - an ex hooker- for those of you who are curious).
Oh, and the movie comes out in January.
Anyways.....

back to the books.....

I actually kind of like this series.
It is kind of a fun, light hearted, easy to read murder mystery.
Stephanie Plum is a new, and not very good, bounty hunter.
In every book (at least so far)
she finds herself in dangerous and awkward situations.
The book is set in Jersey,
so the language and way of life is very different and often humorous.
There is of course somewhat of a love story too
which I actually really like.
As for the forth book in this series.

I have to admit it wasn't my favorite.
I liked that finally Stephanie seemed to be making progress with her "crush"
and the murder mystery story was pretty good.
But,
I did not care for how much language this book had.
I don't really remember there being that much swearing in the previous books,
but this one it was a little out of hand.
Most of the language came from one character
- a transvestite musician named Sally-
whose debut was in this book and I am pretty sure he will not be in the others???
So other than the constant, annoying, and mostly unnecessary, swearing,
the book was pretty good.
Not my favorite of the series so far
but I am definitely going to keep reading more of this 17 book series.
One more word of advice though,
the story lines are very similar so I stretch out the time between each book.
I think otherwise you will get sick of the books really fast.

Happy Reading!!!

I Back! Hopefully....

Wow!
It has been too long since I have posted anything.
Actually, it has been too long since I have read anything.
I haven't been feeling awesome lately
and unfortunately,
reading would make it worse.
It was awful!
But I think I am getting back on track.
I finally read a book,
it only took me two months.
Although,
the fact that this book wasn't the best could be also be a factor in why it took me so long.
The book is called
The Memory Keepers Daughter
by Kim Edwards
I found this book to be okay,
but a little depressing.
It starts in the 1960's with a doctor and his wife about to have their first baby.
Little do they know that they are actually having twins.
Unfortunately they are in the middle of a blizzard
and so it is a little difficult to get to the hospital.
The husband delivers the first baby,
a boy,
and then discovers that they are not quite done.
Their little girl is born shortly after
but
it doesn't take long for the doctor to see that she has downs syndrome.
His wife is totally out of it,
so in a panic he hands the little girl to his nurse and tells her to take her to a institution.
He tells his wife the baby died,
and there is the beginning of the story.
It was somewhat interesting,
but like I said before,
depressing and a little slow.

Well, I am glad to be back!

Any suggestions?

Happy Reading!

Vampire Academy

If you like books about vampires and such
then you definitely need to read the Vampire Academy Series.
I just finished the 6th and last book in the series, Last Sacrifice.

They seriously are AMAZING!
I devoured each book and was always left wanting more.
Even this last book I was bummed it was over,
but pleased with how it wrapped everything up.
Richelle Mead does a great job captivating the reader
and keeping them hooked long after they are done reading.
The books are about Rose and Lissa,
two best friends who are attending the Vampire Academy together.
It follows them through adventure, drama, politics, love, heartbreak and death.
There are four types of characters in these books:
Moroi - the good (and royal) vampires who are living
Dhampirs - guardians of the Moroi
Stripoi - the bad vampires who are evil and undead
and Humans.
Rose is a dhampir with the goal of protecting Lissa who is a Moroi princess.
It may sound complicated, but it really isn't.
I definitely suggest you give these books a try.
I would even say these are better than the Twilight books.....

Any suggestions????

Happy Reading!

Heat vs. Castle

I just finished the second Heat book from the TV series Castle.
I honestly didn't love the first one,
and I feel similar with this one.
Don't get me wrong,
it is a decent read.
But I LOVE the show Castle!
I had high expectations for these books
but I found myself just wishing I was watching the story
rather than reading it.
Which doesn't happen all that often.
Anyways, if you are curious give it a try.
Or....
you could just watch the show on TV.
It is super good!

Happy Reading!

Just Okay...

I just got done with my first ebook on my Nook.
It was actually pretty cool!
Like I said in my previous post,
I LOVE holding books and was a little skeptical about my Nook,
but.....
now I am a believer.
It was easy to tote around,
easy to use,
and just kind of fun!

Unfortunately,
I wasn't totally please with the book I read.
I definitely thought it had a ton of potential.
I just felt like it didn't really go anywhere.
I guess I was looking for more of a love story which left me disappointed.
The Beautiful Between is Connely's high school story.
She looks at high school as a fairy tale:
A prince
at least one princess
balls,
etc.
Connely was raised by her mom, and never really asked questions about her dad.
She knew he died when she was little, and she left it at that.
Then the high school prince, Jeremy, starts talking to her.
While their friendship grows,
her curiosity grows also.
She starts digging into her past to better understand what truly happened to her father.
Jeremy also has a tragic story that is playing out in the present
so their friendship is based on support and understanding.

This definitely isn't a book I would read again,
and it isn't really one I would recommend.
Let me know if you have read this and thought differently.

Any suggestions????
Let me know...

Happy Reading!

My new gadget

For Christmas this year my parents gave me this

Yep, a Nook!

Now, to be honest
I didn't ever really want one of these.
Actually, I had no idea my parents were giving me one
and so a couple days before Christmas
I started bashing them in front of my family.
Oops...
I love holding my books,
turning the pages,
smelling the book (I know, I am weird)
and all that fun stuff.
But....
since I have one now,
I have to say that I really like it.
It is super handy! It's really light, can hold A LOT of books.
And, since I am super cheap right now
I am getting the free ebooks from Barnes and Noble, the library and other sites.
So it is pretty cool!
And now I can post what ebooks I have read too!
Thanks mom and dad!

Here are some books I will be talking about soon:
Damage
A Visit From the Goon Squad
Last Sacrifice
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Evermore
Glover's Mistake
Four to Score
Memory Keeper's Daughter

Any suggestions????

Library Books!

Man, I Love the library!

I love leaving with a stack of books
and then feeling extremely accomplished when I have read them all!
Here are some of my library books...

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova was a very informative and interesting read.
It is about an extremely busy working mom of 3
who juggles way too much. Sarah has a important and time consuming job,
3 busy kids, one of which was recently diagnosed with ADHD,
a husband whose hanging onto his job by a thread,
and a difficult relationship with her mom.
One morning while driving to work Sarah reaches for her phone
and swerves off the road.
Luckily no one else was hurt but Sarah ends up with a traumatic brain injury.
In a blink of an eye, Sarah goes from over scheduled and overworked
to held up in a hospital trying to figure out this new world with no Left.
Sarah only sees and acknowledges things on her right side.
It was really interesting learning about this injury and the rehab
that goes with it. Sarah literally has to figure out how to navigate this new world
with everything she does.

The MockingBirds by Daisy Whitney was also very interesting.
This book is more aimed for young adults and is a extremely fast read.
Themis Academy is a prestigious boarding school
with a great reputation.
Well, on the outside it has a great reputation.
The administration, however, tends to turn a blind eye on anything that can disagree with that.
So when Alex is date rapped, she can either stay silent
or
enlist in the super secret Mockingbirds.
A group set up to set rules and make sure the students abide by them.
I would definitely recommend this good and easy read!

The last book is The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg.
To be honest, I did not care for this book.
I didn't read carefully the description of this book
and only knew that it was about a high school reunion.
I did not realize that it was about a 40 year high school reunion.
It actually wasn't a bad read
except for the fact that I couldn't really relate to any of the characters.
I love to put myself in the books I read
and it didn't really work with this one.
I did find some truths to this book
and I did enjoy the fact that
everyone
(the nerds, the popular crowd, the wannabe's, etc.)
changes after high school.

Have any book suggestions for me?
Please let me know!

Welcome!

So I decided to start this blog so I can write my thoughts on the books I read.
I love reading,
but lately I have had a hard time remembering what each book is about.
So, hopefully this will help me
and ...
(if anyone reads this blog)
it will give others some book ideas.
If there are any suggestions on what I should read,
please let me know by leaving a comment.
Thanks!
Happy Reading!!!