Coffee, Books and Laundry

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Recommendations for Chick Lit

2012-01-17T09:01:00.000-06:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish

This week's Top Ten is :

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read Chick Lit.

1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Men I've Dated by Shane Bolks

2. A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess

3. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

4. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

5. Sophie Katz Series by Kyra Davis

There are 5 books in this series

6. Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell

7. Notes From the Backseat by Jody Gehrman

8. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

9. Queen of Babble Trilogy by Meg Cabot

10. Accidental It Girl by Libby Street

I also have to add anything by Melissa Nathan.

Sundowners by Lesley Lokko

2012-01-13T16:32:00.000-06:00

Sundowners

Author: Lesley Lokko

Publisher: Orion Mass Market Paperback

Publication Date: October 7th 2004

From Goodreads:

Take Four friends...Rianne: beautiful, wealthy and thoroughly spoilt, she has the world at her feet but is about to risk everything. Gabrielle: intelligent, loyal and always worrying about everyone else, now it's time for her to start looking after No. 1. Nathalie: petite, pretty and with a shrewd eye for business, she uses her work to help her forget the one man she can't have. Charmaine: flirty and outrageous, she knows all about the good life. She just needs someone to pay for it...Then a chance encounter changes everything- and for Rianne and her friends, nothing is going to be the same...

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I've had Sundowners in my TBR for years now and with my commitment to read my oldest books I decided on this chunkster. At 656 pages Sundowners is an epic read that covers 20 years of the lives of 4 girls from their time in a all girl's boarding school to the start of their careers and adult lives.

Sundowners reminded me a lot of Judith Michael's books or even Judith Krantz. Author Lesley Lokko grabs you from the start, now for me the start grabbed me but in all the wrong ways. I detested Rianne from the start up until about 100 pages in. Then I started to see changes in her that made the next 500 and something pages a crazy ride. Her story still was my least favorite though. I enjoyed reading about Gabrielle's life the most. But they were all interesting. I was rooting for all of them.

There is a little bit of everything in Sundowners..politics, love, betrayal and exotic locations. The politics was really interesting, it was having to do with South Africa, Nelson Mandela and so much more. It's very hard to explain it, but it's definitely exciting.

Sundowners is a throwback to women's fiction of the past. It's a glorious ride.

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

2012-01-11T11:34:00.000-06:00

Attachments

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Publisher: Dutton Adult

Publication Date: April 14th 2011

From Goodreads:

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can't seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period.

When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he'd be sifting through other people's inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can't quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can't help but be entertained and captivated by their stories.

But by the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you." After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it's time to muster the courage to follow his heart...even if he can't see exactly where it's leading him.

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Wow! What an awesome book. Attachments has a little bit of everything that makes a great women's read. The characters, the relationships, the wittiness and of course the story itself...I could kiss it.

Attachments is told mostly/really from the perspective of Lincoln, our ever laid back yet tense male protagonist. We know of Beth and Jennifer only through their emails. Back to my book character crush Lincoln, he is perfect...for me. He's a little depressing and pessimistic. He's a tad bit of a loner, not really ambitious but aware of his lack of it. Wants some purpose but needs someone to point him in the right direction. The ending of his relationship to what he thinks is his one true love darkens him. Slowly though he rises up from the ashes and starts living his life. The fact that he falls for Beth through emails before he even knows what she looks like makes me like him even more. Beth and Jennifer have a great rapport with each other. They tell each other everything and you do get a sense of their personalities through their emails. Beth is witty, fun and sarcastic. Jennifer is equally just as witty.

To me attachments is more a story about Lincoln then Beth and Jennifer. We are along for the ride as Lincoln tries to discover what he wants in life. We ride out this funk he's in at the same time admiring his uncomfortable yet liberating choices he's making. And through the emails we find out about Beth and her emotionally closed off boyfriend and the back and forth decision of whether to be a mom with Jennifer.

Everything was just done right in Attachments. I loved it!!

Things I Know About Love by Kate Le Vann

2012-01-09T03:00:00.000-06:00

Things I Know About Love

Author: Kate Le Van

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Publication Date: December 10th 2010

From Goodreads:

Livia Stowe has never been lucky in love. While her friends were going to parties and dances and on dates, Livia was being shuffled in and out of hospitals, making her dating life difficult.

But this summer is going to be different. Cancer-free for over a year, Livia's boarding a plane to visit her brother as he studies abroad at Princeton University. She's determined to make the most of her trip, recording every moment of it in her private blog. Maybe she'll even have a fling with a cute college boy!

America is bright, exciting, and filled with romantic possibilities. And then Livia meets Adam, and her plans for summer fun become so much more. Entranced by the magical New York City that he shows her, Livia is smitten, but is she really ready to risk her heart again?

---------------

Things I Know About Love is a really short read with 160 pages but in those pages you really get to know Livia and love her. Her romance with Adam is sweet and full of youthful romance. I was reminded of the feeling you get when you meet someone for the first time you really like. How you don't want to interpret signs. Just the fact that everything HAS to be a sign. It was all done very cute, but then you know there is this awful lingering thing in the distance. Livia's illness is always there in back of her mind, but she doesn't want it to affect her new found happiness with Adam. We also get to see things from Adam's point of view. There isn't a lot of it but enough to know what he's feeling about Livia.

I was touched by Livia's story of first love.

Weekly Recap and Upcoming Week

2012-01-08T13:54:00.000-06:00

This week I read 5 books and wrote a review for all but one. One of my resolutions was to write my reviews as soon as I finish a book. So far so good.

I have one review left to write for this week for Things I Know About Love by Kate Le Vann.

I also wanted to read out of my comfort level this year. 4 out of the 5 books I read I probably would not have picked up before.

My favorite read this week is Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake.

I'm currently reading Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. I'm not too far in, but so far it's good. This upcoming week I hope to read at least 3 books.

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School starts back up for my kids Tuesday. Thank God!! I am so ready to get back to a regular routine. Yesterday I was feeling antsy, I think my ADD was kicking up in full gear. I read for about 30 minutes only yesterday, watched absolutely no TV, instead I invited some friends over and had a ping pong tournament in my backyard. I was on ping pong fire. I kicked some major butt!

Hope everyone has a great upcoming week.

Just a little story about FIREWORKS.

2012-01-07T14:11:00.001-06:00

My New Year started with a bang, hundreds of them to exact. There were so many fireworks going off all night. One decided to go rogue and set it's eyes on me or my chest to be exact.

<---This is what my chest looked like 5 minutes past midnight. It hurt like hell and I was cussing up a storm. And before anyone says I shouldn't have been close to it, I wasn't close to it. I'm an adult and I know better. The pain has subsided but now I'm worried about scarring. Are my cleavage showing days over? By 12: 30 I was at home laying down with burn medicine all over my chest. But not before someone put butter on it at the party I was at, then was told by numerous people butter is just an old wise tale and not to be put on a burn. So then I got lathered with mustard and smelled like a hot dog. :P What a way to start the New Year.

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff, Alex Tresniowski

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

Publisher: Howard Books

Publication Date: November 1st 2011

Non-Fiction

An Invisible Thread is about an incredible friendship between a 11 yr. old boy living off the streets of New York and a thirty something business women. Laura Schroff walked right pass Maurice when he asked for some spare change, for some reason after passing him up Laura stopped and turned back. She offered to take him to McDonald's. From there grew a friendship that would change both their lives for the better.

An Invisible Thread is such an inspirational read. How many times have we ignored the homeless asking for change? Have we become so jaded that it doesn't even pull on our heartstrings to see someone going through hard times? I love that Ms. Schroff stopped and considered that she was ignoring a child obviously hungry. She gained so much from her friendship with Maurice. Maurice's story is heartbreaking to read, especially knowing that it is the story of many children out there today looking for someone to care.

In An Invisible Thread we follow both Maurice's and Laura's individual lives and their deep friendship. We also get insight to their pasts. I truly loved this book.

The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Fates Will Find Their Way

Author: Hannah Pittard

Publisher: Ecco

Publication Date: February 1st 2011

From Goodreads:

Sixteen year old Nora Lindell is missing. And the neighborhood boys she's left behind are caught forever in the heady current of her absence.

As the days and years pile up, the mystery of her disappearance grows kaleidoscopically. A collection of rumors, divergent suspicions, and tantalizing what ifs, Nora Lindell's story is a shadowy projection of teenage lust, friendship, reverence, and regret, captured magically in the disembodied plural voice of the boys who still long for her.

Told in haunting, percussive prose, Hannah Pittard's beautifully crafted novel tracks the emotional progress of the sister Nora left behind, the other families in their leafy suburban enclave, and the individual fates of boys in her thrall. Far more eager to imagine Nora's fate than to scrutinize their own, the boys sleepwalk into a adulthood of jobs, marriages, families, homes, and daughters of their own, all the while pining for a girl - and a life - that no longer exists, except in the imagination.

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The Fates Will Find Their Way reminds me a lot of The Virgin Suicides. The story is told from the perspective of the neighborhood boys that circulated around Nora Lindell. She disappears on Halloween when she is sixteen and takes on this grandiose persona. We follow the boys through young teenagers to mid life as they fantasize and wonder what happen to Nora.

What I found so wonderful about The Fates Will Find Their Way is the writing. The prose is beautiful and eerie. It is a depressing read but it works. It's as it was meant to be. I thought Ms. Pittard did a flawless job writing a man's point of view. I understood these group of guys and also understood their need to fantasize about where Nora could be. It became part of who they were. In later years it bonded them, these married group of men still drinking together and speculating.

If you do decide to read The Fates Will Find Their Way keep in mind this isn't a mystery so don't expect answers. The story is not about Nora but about the boys that could never let her go.

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-06:00

The Descendants

Author: Kaui Hart Hemmings

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: May 15th 2007

From Goodreads:

Mathew King was once considered on of the most fortunate men in Hawaii. His missionary ancestors were financially and culturally progressive - one even married a Hawaiian princess, making Matt a royal descendant and one of the state's largest landowners..

Now his luck has changed. His two daughters are out of control: Ten year old Scottie is a smart - ass with a desperate need for attention, and seventeen year old Alex, a former model, is a recovering drug addict. Matt's charismatic, thrill- seeking,high-maintenance wife, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat - racing accident and will soon be taken off life support. The Kings can hardly picture life without her, but as they come to terms wit this tragedy, their sadness is mixed with a sense of freedom that shames them - and spurs them into surprising actions.

Before honoring Joanie's living will, Matt must gather her friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation made worse by the sudden discovery there is one person who hasn't been told: the man whom Joanie had been having an affair, quite possibly the one man she ever truly loved. Forced to examine what he owes not only the living but to the dead, Matt takes to the road with his daughters to find his wife's lover, a memorable journey that leads to both painful revelations and unforeseen humor and growth.

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I was very disappointed with The Descendants. I expected more character insight, instead getting bratty kids and a MC that somehow comes off spineless instead of capable.

Though I did dislike The Descendants I still found some parts quite engaging and heartfelt. The struggles Matt faces when he finds out his wife was having a affair is raw and emotional. How can he get mad at his wife if she is dying? How does he manage to do what's right for his children and wife after feeling so betrayed by her? Ultimately the MC's struggle with his emotions is what kept me reading till the end. I wanted to know if he came out okay in the end.

The story was told almost in a passive way. Very slowly and kind of 'whatever' at moments. Am I suppose to not like Joanie or am I suppose to understand her and at the end, like her. Because I just didn't plain like her, yet the writing I felt kept nudging me to try to understand her and sympathize, I just couldn't. As for the daughters they were a hand full and so irritating that I almost DNF'd it. If they didn't start showing some growing up I probably would have chucked it.

The Descendants have some great beautiful written parts but as a whole it didn't do it for me.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

2012-01-03T12:43:00.000-06:00

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake

Author: Sarah MacLean

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

From Goodreads:

Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried - and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she's vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she's been missing.

But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss - to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston - Charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.

If she's not careful, she'll break the most important rule of all - the one that says that pleasure- seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love.

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I really have to love a historical romance book to finish it. The ideal sounds so appealing, to get lost in the romance. But when I pick one up it rarely peaks my interest, and I throw it aside for another book. But occasionally I hit the jackpot, one that is so deliciously funny and romantic like Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake.

Callie is not the most beautiful girl in London, not by a long shot but that doesn't mean she doesn't want it all, especially love. At 28 she's already considered a spinster with an impeccable reputation. But what is this great reputation getting her? She's bored and resigned to the fact that she won't ever be more than a spinster. Since she can't have the whole works..love, marriage and children she will settle for adventure. She creates a list of things she always wanted to do and sets upon making them happen. First on the list is to kiss passionately. And she has chosen none other than her decade long crush Gabriel St. John, the Marquis of Ralston. He once made her feel beautiful when she was younger and she hasn't been able to keep him off her mind since.

What I liked so much about Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is how fearless Callie becomes. She seeks out adventure and boy does she get it. She's a lady in public and rule breaker by night. I laughed so many times. She definitely has some crazy things on her list. Gabriel is a great character. He's gorgeous with dark black hair and blue eyes, and is devilishly bad. There is quite a bit of naughty parts but not overly done. It was hot though. I'm not a fan of overly sexual books and this one was fine for me. Callie and Gabriel have chemistry. They are smoking hot together. What's not to love..the wallflower gets the guy.

Looking forward to reading more of Sarah MacLean's books. I've already have the next two books in the Love by Numbers series.

2011 Books Read

2012-01-03T02:42:00.000-06:00

A-
Await Your Reply- Dan Chaon
Audrey, Wait - Robin Benway
Anna and the French Kiss- Stephanie Perkins
American Gangbang- Sam Benjamin
A Girl Like You- Gemma Burgess
B-
Before I fall- Lauren Oliver
Beauty- Robin McKinley
Beneath a Starlet Sky- Amanda Goldberg & Ruthanna Hopper
Best Intentions- Emily Listfield
But I Love Him- Amanda Grace
The Book of Lies- Mary Horlock
Beautiful Dead- Yvonne Woon
Before Ever After- Samantha Sotto
Babe in Boyland- Jody Gerhman

C-
City of Fallen Angels- Cassandra Clare

A Catered Affair- Sue Margolis
Craving Perfect- Liz Fichera
The Confession- John Grisham

D-
Dairy Queen-Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Deception - Lee Nichols
Die For Me- Amy Plum
Don't Breath A Word- Jennifer McMahon
Delirium- Lauren Oliver
Divergent- Veronica Roth
Demonglass- Rachel Hawkins
Dark Parties- Sara Grant
Dead Beautiful- Yvonne Woon
Ditched- Robin Mellom
E-
Epic Fail- Claire LeZebnik
Exposed- Kimberly Marcus

F-
From Nottinghill With Love Actually- Ali McNamara
Firefly Lane- Kristin Hannah
Forbidden- Tabitha Suzuma
Fragile- Lisa Unger
Flawless- Lara Chapman
From This Moment On- Shania Twain
The Future of Us- Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

G-
Going Too Far- Jennifer Echols
The Girl Who Would Speak to the Dead- Paul Elwork
Give Up the Ghost- Megan Crewe
Groundswell= Katie Lee
Graffiti Moon- Cath Crowley

H-
The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
Hex Hall- Rachel Hawkins
Handling the Undead- John Ajvide Lindqvist
He's So Worth It- Kieran Scott

I-
In the Woods- Tana French
It's Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini
If I Stay - Gayle Forman
Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz
I am Ozzy- Ozzy Osbourne
I am Number Four- Pitticus Lore
I Heart New York- Lindsey Kelks

J-
John Belushi is Dead- Kathy Charles
Just Friends With Benefits- Meredith Schorr
Jellicoe Road- Melina Marchetta

K-

L-
Love at First Click- Elizabeth Chandler
The Last Little Blue Envelope- Maureen Johnson
The Lipstick Laws- Amy Holder
The Lonely Hearts Club- Elizabeth Eulberg
Little Woman and Me- Lauren Baratz Logsted
Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins
The Last Letter from Your Lover- Jojo Moyes
The Lover's Dictionary- David Levithan
M-
My Husband's Affair- Anne Brecht
My Fair Lazy- Jen Lancaster
The Midwife's Confession- Diane Chamberlain
The Magnolia League- Katie Crouch
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children- Ransom Riggs
My Name is Memory- Ann Brashares

N-
The Nobodies Album- Carolyn Parkhurst

O-
One Day - David Nicholls
The Off Season- Catherine Gilbert Murdock

P-
Prom and Prejudice- Elizabeth Eulberg
Playing Dirty- Susan Anderson
The Peach Keeper- Sarah Addison Allen
The Power of Six- Pittacus Lore
Pretty Face- Mary Hogan
Prince of Thieves- Chuck Hogan
The Paris Wife- Paula McLain
Q-

R-
The Romantics- Galt Niederhoffer
Revolution- Jennifer Donnelly
Real Live Boyfriends- E. Lockhart
The Raising- Laura Kasischke
Rules of Civility- Amor Towles

S-
Still Missing- Chevy Stevens
Stay - Deb Caletti
Something Like Fate - Susane Colasanti
Summer and the City- Candace Bushnell
Sometimes it Happens- Lauren Barnholdt
Sharks & Boys- Kristen Tracy
Summer in the City- Elizabeth Chandler
Summer of the Geek- Piper Banks
Shut Out- Kody Keplinger
She's So Dead to Us- Kieran Scott
The Sweet Gum Tree- Katherine Allred
A Stolen Life- Jaycee Dugard

T-
These Hidden Things- Heather Gudenkauf
Take A Chance on Me- Jill Mansell
The Tea Rose- Jennifer Donnelly
The Things We Cherished- Pam Jenoff
Tainted- Brooke Morgan
Troy High- Shanna Norris

U-
Unearthly- Cynthia Hand
Unbroken- Laura Hillenbrand

V-
The Vespertine - Saundra Mitchell

W-
Wish You Were Dead- Todd Strasser
Wish - Alexandra Bullen
Where She Went- Gayle Forman
What Alice Forgot- Liane Moriarty

X-

Y-
You Wish- Mandy Hubbard
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me- Sarra Manning

Z-

2012 Reads

2012-01-01T11:54:00.000-06:00

A
An Invisible Thread- Laura Schroff
Attachments- Rainbow Rowell

B

C

D
The Descendants - Kaui Hart Hemmings

E

F
The Fates Will Find Their Way- Hannah Pittard

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake- Sarah Maclean

O

P

Q

R

S
Sundowners- Lesley Lokko

T
Things I Know About Love- Kate Le Vann

U

V

W

X

Z

2011 Favorite Reads

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

Not necessarily published in 2011.

My 5 star reads this year.

1. One Day by David Nicholls

My favorite favorite book of 2011.

2. The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Loved the determination of the MC.

3. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Great YA contemporary.

4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Inspirational and heartbreaking.

5. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Just as good as everyone says.

6. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

Great chick lit.

7. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Loved that setting, and characters.

8. A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess

Witty and fun. The best chick lit book I've read in awhile.

9. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Genius concept, and it worked fabulously.

Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom

2011-12-30T02:04:00.001-06:00

Ditched

Author: Robin Mellom

Publisher: Disney- Hyperion

Expected Publication: January 10th 2012

From Goodreads:

High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.

Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first.

Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.

And then ditched her.

Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-eleven, Justina must piece together - stain by stain on her thrift- store dress - exactly how she ended up dateless. A three- legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with demolition derby- ready Cadillac. And there was the incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...

But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.

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When I first read the description of Ditched, I was reminded of the 80's film starring Keanu Reeves, Before Last Night. Keanu Reeves sold his prom date to a pimp, and that sure didn't happen in Ditched, but the premise is the same..they both lose their prom dates, and can't remember a darn thing.

I really liked Ditched but there are some serious flaws in it that made it not up to par to, I don't know, lets say Before Last Night. Why couldn't I like Justina a little bit more? I think it would have a made a huge difference with my feelings about Ditched. The fact that she's a kissing bandit (scandalous *rolls eyes*) is ridiculous. High school kids make out, it's a fact. Annoying how she replayed how she got this so called reputation. Yeah, Justina is considered not quite but sorta easy cause she likes to kiss. Not have sex, not give fellatio but the good ol' nasty deed of kissing. She was comical at times but mostly annoying. Ian, is hardly around really. We get to know him through Justina. I liked him wish I knew him a little better but that's alright. My favorite though were the stoner kids that Justina finds herself with that night after getting 'ditched'.

The best part of Ditched is the shenanigans the stoners and Justina get into. I think she owes them a dime bag for making her night memorable. Without them Ditched would have been boring for me. The conclusion was perfect for me. I love how teenagers blow things way out of proportion. That's what Justina did but it's perfect. It fits her and the dramatics of being a teenager.

Some parts were funny, some were annoying. But all in all it was decently good.. I won't wibble wobble with my recommendation for Before Last Night though. Watch it, and if you end up not liking it at least you got Keanu for an hour and 31 minutes. Win/win situation.

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

2011-12-29T15:03:00.004-06:00

The Lover's Dictionary

Author: David Levithan

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Publication Date: January 4th 2011

From Goodreads:

How does one talk about love? Do we even have the right words to describe something that can be both utterly mundane and completely transcendent, pulling us out of our everyday lives and making us feel a part of something greater than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary has consrtucted the story of his relationship as a dictionary. Through these short entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of being with in a couple, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait in our time.

----------------------

I thought I would have some trouble with how it was written. I mean I really don't care for verse books, and this is similiar in that we get crumbs a long the way and in the end the crumbs add up to a whole slice. Honestly, I loved it. Seriously. Something about it was so honest and real, and jeez I can see the relation to me.

One of my favorites

abyss, n.

There are times when I doubt everything. When I regret everything you've taken from me, everything I've given you, and the waste of all the time I've spent on us.

A very quick awesome read. At this moment I'm in awe of David Levithan. I plan to buy my friends a copy for Valentines Day.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

2011-12-29T13:09:00.000-06:00

What Alice Forgot

Author: Liane Moriarty

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: June 1st 2010, Paperback

From Goodreads:

Remember the women you used to be...

Alice is twenty-nine. She is whimsical, optimistic and adores sleep, chocolate, her ramshackle new house and her wonderful husband Nick. What's more, she's looking forward to the birth of the 'Sultana' - her first baby.

But now Alice has slipped and hit her head in her step aerobics class and everyone's telling her she's misplaced the last ten years of her life.

In fact, it would seem that Alice is actually thirty nine and now she loves schedules, expensive lingerie, caffeine and manicures. She has three children and the honeymoon is well and truly over for her and Nick. In fact, he looks at her like she's his worst enemy. What's more, her beloved sister Elisabeth isn't speaking to her either. And who is 'Gina' everyone is so carefully trying not to mention?

Alice isn't sure that she likes life ten years on. Every photo is another memory she doesn't have and nothing makes sense. Just how much can happen in a decade? Has she really lost her lovely husband for ever.

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What Alice Forgot is a book that makes you think, and reflect back on your life. Anyway I found myself doing that while reading What Alice Forgot. There is so much truth to the journey Alice takes after she loses her memory of the last 10 years.

How many times have we looked back at our younger selves and think how much more free and true to ourselves we were. I know I was. I know that I was Melissa, not just a mother and a wife. Through time and responsibities I've changed so much, some for the better and some for the worse. I loved how Alice couldn't figure out how she became this person that is so not like her. A decade is a lot of living and I can see how time changes people as their situations change. Ah..times are always a changin.

I'm not sure if this is marketed as a chick lit, it certainly isn't to me. There are hints of it but I think it is so much more than fluff. Anything that can make you think so much about your life is a good read. Ms. Moriarty is excellent in showing Alice's confusion, as well as the people around her who didn't know what to do with this new (though old) Alice. They were perplexed especially Nick. Nick, what a real character. He is so much fun, and witty in flashbacks of the younger less jaded him. As you are reading the present, you think what the hell happened to him?

Also wanted to point out that though the bulk of the book is about Alice, we also get two other small story lines. All done very well. My interest never waned. Not once.

What Alice Forgot is flawlessly done. I truly enjoyed it.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2011-12-28T14:09:00.000-06:00

The Future of Us

Author: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: November 21st 2011

From Goodreads:

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long- at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets free AOL CD in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right- and wrong- in the present.

---------------

This was a straight up trip to read for me, I graduated 1997, so the references were WOW. It's hard to believe that during my days, beepers were the rage and cell phones were really big, seriously. As a senior I had only seen one cell phone, it belonged to my friends older sister who worked for a newspaper. It had a huge carrying case..lol. Anyways, I loved the whole idea of The Future of Us, but I didn't LOVE it.

Emma and Josh aren't real likable characters, IMO. Emma is obsessed with getting the details of her life perfect, and is constantly changing things up to see if she can spruce up her life 15 years into the future. And this is all going by snippets she posts on Facebook 15 years later. She reads these one line statuses and decides she must be miserable. Whatever! Josh on the other hand is loving what Facebook says is his future. He's married to a beautiful girl he goes to High School with, who he thinks would never give him the time of day in current 1996. He vacations in exotic places, and seems to live the LIFE. Except when he starts hanging out with his future wife, he's not really feeling the connection. Will he eventually feel a love spark.

Somehow through Facebook they recognize what they mean to each other and how it's better not to be consumed with life 15 years into the future. It gets all wrapped up in a nice little bow for you. I feel like they hit the surface only with The Future of Us. The possibilities were endless, somehow they dropped the ball for me.

the Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am Reviews

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

These will be so short that as soon as you begin, it'll be over. ;) I have some catching up to do.

Flawless - 4 Stars

I'm a sucker for romances like this....the he/she's out of my league kind. A great YA remake of Cyrano de Bergerac. Recommended

American Gangbang- 3 Stars

A memoir about an ivy league grad entangling himself with the Adult Entertainment business in California. Very interesting read about the unglamour of the porn business, no matter how hard you want to change the industry, it ends up changing you. If you are curious about the trivial and actual coming together of a porn, this will interest you.

Last Letter from your Lover- 2.5 Stars

Interesting enough to finish, but it did have some flaws. At times the story slowed down, and got boggled down with insights that I cared nothing about. I preferred the past love story, then the mess of the currents characters. I would check your local library then spend the cash.

My Name is Memory- 2 Stars

Some parts were good, some weren't. A lot of WTF moments for me in this one. I guess it was just okay. Surprisingly, the characters didn't do it for me. I felt I should have cared a lot more about them since I've been with them since the beginning and how many deaths. Again save your money.

A Stolen Life- 3 Stars

The writing was awful but she never claims to know how to write a book. She tells readers from the beginning that everything will be jumbled up and confusing at times. I gave it 3 stars because I feel her story needs to be told in her words, and that is exactly what you get. Don't expect a lot of answers.

Pretty Face- 1 Star

Blah! I love the idea of a young girl learning to love everything about herself, but this was a major fail for me. The MC really worked my nerves. There was nothing empowering about her or her journey. Was there even a journey?

You Wish- 3 Stars

I can't remember a darn thing about this one but the gumballs, and pink pony. Both great as kids but as a 15 year old I would think I would have preferred lipsticks and Corey Haim (RIP), and as an adult, chocolate and Ryan Gosling. Definitely not memorable, but with a 3 star rating I gave it I obviously enjoyed it.

The Confession- 4 Stars

What can I say, I really really love John Grisham. His writing is so simple. I love it. The story he weaves draw me in, his endings aren't always what you want but that's okay. If you like John Grisham then definitely read it.

She's So Dead to Us- 4 Stars

I loved She's So Dead to Us. The MC whines a little bit too much, but the story is really great. A very quick read.

He's So Not Worth It- 4 Stars

I liked this one a little bit less than the first. Why? The MC is annoying, so many things could have been resolved if people just talked. Still good though. I'm really enjoying this series.

A Girl Like You by Gemma Burgess

2011-12-24T10:44:00.000-06:00

A Girl Like You

Author: Gemma Burgess

Publisher: Avon

Publication Date: January 6th 2011

From Goodreads:

"I've discovered the secret to successful singledom. I'm acting like a man. And it's working."

After breaking up with her boyfriend of, well, forever, Abigail Wood must learn how to be single from scratch. Her dating skills are abysmal, and she ricochets from disaster to disaster - until Robert, one of London's most notorious lotharios, agrees to coach her. With his advice, she learns to navigate the bastard-infested waters of the bar scene, and practices the art of being bulletproof. The new Abigail is cocky, calm, composed..but what happens when she meets her match?

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I loved, I mean LOVED A Girl Like You. I was a huge fan of chick lit a couple of years ago, but since been bored with it. Occasionally I will read one here or there and I am so glad I do because I get to find gems like these.

I loved the dialogue, so witty. I laughed so much while reading A Girl Like You. I adore Gemma Burgess's writing, her sense of humor is off the chart. It was predictable but told in a more exciting way for me. No insta-love here, it's all done nice and slow. I read this in one afternoon, and that is hard for me to do now, unless it's freaking awesome.

Abigail and Robert's group of friends are the best. A fun group of people, what's not to like.

Read it, seriously. Definitely one of my favorites this year.

Likes/Dislikes Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

2011-12-21T15:20:00.000-06:00

Graffiti Moon

Author: Cath Crowley

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: February 14th 2012

From Goodreads:

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere-spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night-and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with ED, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tell hers he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

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Likes:

Shadow is a great complex character.

Ed and Shadow being the same person...awesome.

Halfway point the story picks up to something kind of fabulous.

Love that Shadow is a graffiti artist and his best friend is a poet.

There is some good honest deep moments about life and shifting into adult hood for the characters.

Dislikes:

The ending was lackluster.

Lucy is seriously boring.

The first half is tedious.

In Summary:

I don't understand all the gushing, really. Graffiti Moon is a decent good read. It doesn't warrant screaming off mountain tops for me.

Before Ever After by Samantha Sotto

2011-12-15T09:11:00.003-06:00

Before Ever After

Author: Samantha Sotto

Publisher: Crown

Publication Date: August 2nd 2011

From Goodreads:

Three years after her husband Max's death, Shelley feels no more adjusted to being a widow than she did that first terrible day. That is, until the doorbell rings. Standing on her front step is a young man who looks so much like Max; same smile, same eyes, same age, same adorable bump in his nose; he could be Max's long-lost relation. He introduces himself as Paolo, an Italian editor of American coffee table books, and shows Shelley some childhood photos. Paolo tells her that the man in the photos, the bearded man who Paolo says is his grandfather though he never seems to age, is Max. Her Max. And he is alive and well.

As outrageous as Paolo's claims seem; how could her husband be alive? And if he is, why hasn't he looked her up? Shelley desperately wants to know the truth. She and Paolo jet across the globe to track Max down; if it is really Max and along the way, Shelley recounts the European package tour where they had met. As she relives Max's stories of bloody boathouses, Shelley begins to piece together the story of who her husband was and what these new revelations mean for her "happily every after." And as she and Paolo get closer to the truth, Shelley discovers that not all stories end where they are supposed to.

---------------

I started Before Ever After not sure if I was going to like it, just reading the description I knew that this could go either way. Sadly, it didn't work out so great with me and Before Ever After.

If I had to scale it in a 1 through five, I would give it a 2. Those two points given for Max's stories during the tour, and the background characters. Most of Max's stories on the tours were heartwarming and interesting. I loved the offbeat places Max took them and then told a great story about. These parts are the reason I was able to finish it. Then Shelley and Max are surrounded by an awesome group of characters on the tour. I loved them. They were far more interesting then Max and Shelley. We get them through Shelley's eyes as she goes back to the tour and tells Paolo how her and Max met. They were just fun and for me, the characters I wanted to know about. And those are the reasons Before Ever After got 2 stars from me.

I'm just going to get straight to the point about why I didn't like Before Ever After. Shelley is a very annoying character. I hated being in her head about everything with the exception of when she was talking about her tour mates. I also wasn't pulled in by Max's and Shelley's romance. I felt like I was being told they are so in love. Paolo is a throw away character, why couldn't Shelley have saw Max on the internet. I saw no point in him.

Before Ever After just really didn't do it for me.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

2011-12-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Paris Wife

Author: Paula McLain

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publication Date: February 22nd 2011

Fiction novel told in the point of view of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley Richardson about their life in Paris in the 1920's. From what I have read Ms. Mclain really did her research, so though this is fiction she kept everything as accurate as she could.

I was mesmerized with the company they kept and how fascinating the conversation must have been. The glimpses of the salon "get togethers" had me wishing I was sitting there with them.
Hadley was definitely a outsider in a way because she was not an artist, but she seemed the only real person among a bunch on egos. I cared for her deeply while reading The Paris Wife.
Paula McLain did a fabulous job describing the settings, and she didn't have to use so much detail. I love that.
Not a fan of Ernest Hemingway, though I've only read The Old Man and the Sea, it bored me to tears that I could never ever pick up another one of his books. How does this pertain to The Paris Wife, it doesn't but I want to make clear that any man that could write such drivel must be a pompous ass. So Hadley won out in the end, in my opinion.
Though she was only his wife for 6 years I would say she did get the best of him, and the best of times. Can you imagine sipping cocktails with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, or more like chugging alcohol, which is how Scott and Zelda rolled.

I really enjoyed The Paris Wife. I thought it was well written, and never boring. I always found "the lost generation" interesting. So many personalities trying to best each other..how it must of been exhausting yet invigorating.

Book Review: Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Babe in Boyland

Author: Jody Gehrman

Publisher: Dial

Publication Date: February 17th 2011

From Goodreads:

When high school junior Natalie- or Dr. Aphrodite, as she calls herself when writing the relationship column for her school paper - is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, she decides to investigate what guys really think and want. But the guys in her class won't give her a straight or serious answers. The only solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all boy boarding school in town. There she learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected- especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

------------------------

The Plot:

One of my favorite movies is She's the Man starring Amanda Bynes, Babe in Boyland reminded me of the movie. Yeah, some situations are so far-fetched that they could possibly bother some, but it's all fun. Babe in Boyland is just reading entertainment, it's not thought provoking or suppose to move you in any way. I laughed reading the numerous situations Natalie got herself into, also cringed but in a good way during some parts. Being a guy would be hard..seriously.

The Characters:

Natalie is a normal girl who hasn't found love but feels she knows the basics of romance and love that she could be Dr. Aphrodite, her high school's under cover love advice guru. I really enjoyed Natalie, she is down to earth and approachable. Her relationship with her friends are great, and I loved the sections that only involved Natalie and her two best friends conversing. The main protagonist's crush is perfect. Emilio is everything you would want in a guy as a teenager. He's good looking, hard working and compassionate. I am totally digging him.

The Setting:

Most of Babe in Boyland takes place around both Natalie's High School and the all boy's school, Underwood Academy, she attends posing as a guy. Interesting reading about the social circles at Underwood Academy. I figured girls are way cattier than boys, but maybe we aren't so different in those matters.

Final Thoughts:

I would recommend reading Babe in Boyland if you are looking for a fluff read, and especially if you love the movie She's the Man.

Who the hell is that?

2011-12-08T12:44:00.001-06:00

As this year closes I've been reflecting on this year's blogging and well, I feel like I spent most of 2011 burned out of it all. I was definitely less driven, and my reviews took a beating because of it. I would sit down to write a review, and would be stumped on what to write. The only thing coming to mind would be either "It's great, read it" or "it's bad, save your money". Slowly I got behind on reviews and couldn't muster enough care to deal with it. I know that I don't want to stop, but I also know changes have to be made. First thing that came to mind was the review. I decided that i'm going to write a review however best I can get forth what I'm trying to say. One day it may be bullets with random thoughts of why I loved something or didn't(already have that done, posting tomorrow), the next review could be a three paragraph formal review. Just whatever..

I think I might have stifled myself into what I thought a book blogger should be than who's truly me. I look back at some of my reviews and i'm stunned of how little of me I actually see. WTF! No one but my immediate family and 2 friends (that don't read and care) know about my blog, and none of them read it. I think if some read it they wouldn't believe it is my blog. A little about myself and my quirkiness: I cuss like a sailor. I dress fashionably but conservatively (my husbands calls it a classy look). Imagine a conservatively dressed women cussing like a sailor..that's me. I also ramble shamelessly and have been known to do random dancing in odd occasions. I am also a master bullshitter. I can bullshit with the best of them. On the other hand I'm moody, and I hate order. Tell me to turn left and I will turn right, just because. I totally feel like I am censoring myself and that is something I never do, but for some reason I do here.

I'm truly hoping 2012 is a better blogging year for me. I'm predicting it will be. I hope this doesn't bother anyone, but if it does O fucking well. Can't please everyone.

Book Review: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

2011-12-05T10:13:00.000-06:00

Rules of Civility

Author: Amor Towles

Publisher: Viking Adult

Publication Date: July 21st 2011

From Goodreads:

Set in New York City in 1938, Rules of Civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twenty five year old named Katey Kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, Katey embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York Society in search of a brighter future.

The Story opens on New Year's Eve in a Greenwich Village jazz bar, where Katey and her boardinghouse roommate Eve happen to meet Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a ready smile. This chance encounter and its startling consequences cast Katey off her current course, but end up providing her unexpected access to the rarified offices of Conde Nast and a glittering new social circle. Befriended in turn by a shy, principled multimillionaire, an Upper East Side ne'er-do-well, and a single minded widow who is ahead of her times, katey has the chance to experience first hand the poise secured by wealth and station, but also the aspirations, envy, disloyalty, and desires that reside just below the surface. Even as she waits for circumstances to bring Tinker back into her orbit, she will learn how individual choices become the means by which life crystallizes loss.

----------------

We are close to the New Year and I have been going back through this year's reading and thinking of what will be my top 5 reads, without a doubt in my mind Rules of Civility will be in that top 5. I loved everything about this novel.

The setting is awesome. I've always wondered about the 30's, something always peaked my interest and I have been known to give that decade as the decade I would go back to if given a choice (that is a drunken night with friends talking question..I also once said the 20's and has said the 60's numerous of times). I loved the out of place, hole in the wall Jazz Bars that the characters went to. The whole vibe was great. It is New York circa late 1930's.....picture it. With the time setting 1938, during the Great Depression we know there were two distinct classes. People who lost everything, and people who didn't. Towles dives deep into the two classes and we see blind ambition, manipulation, and so much more. I was able to see the how each class thought and what motivated them to do the things they did. Totally opposites but yet kind of the same. The characters and their journey fit together like hand and glove. The characters are so fleshed out. I loved them, I wanted to be them, seriously I just wanted a part of it. Definitely a must read!

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me by Sarra Manning

2011-12-02T12:00:00.000-06:00

You don't Have to Say You Love Me

Author: Sarra Manning

Publisher: Corgi Books

Publication Date: February 3rd 2011

From Goodreads:

Sweet, bookish Neve Slater always plays by the rules. And the number one rule is that good-natured fat girls like her don't get guys like gorgeous, handsome William, heir to Neve's heart since university. But William's been in LA for three years, and Neve's been slimming down re-inventing herself so that when he returns, he'll fall head over heels in love with the new, improved her.

So she's not that interested in other men. Until her sister Celia points out that if Neve wants William to think she's an experienced love-goddess and not the fumbling, awkward girl he left behind, then she'd better get some, well, experience.

What Neve needs is someone to show her the ropes, someone like Celia's colleague Max. Wicked, shallow, sexy Max. And since he's such a man-slut and so not Neve's type, she certainly won't fall for him. Because William is the man for her..right?

Somewhere between losing weight and losing her inhibitions, Neve's lost her heart- but to who?

------------------------

I loved this book so much! It made me smile, and made me laugh. Neve still considers herself overweight despite losing a vast amount of weight. Her confidence is low, her self esteem is lower, and all she wants is William to love her. Because she was overweight she never dated or flirted and feels to be able to have a perfect relationship with William she needs to have a "pancake relationship." A "pancake relationship" is just a practice relationship, you know the first pancake you make is always the throw away pancake. It's the practice run to see if the griddle is hot enough. I loved the analogy writer Sarra Manning came up with. In comes Max the player who likes to play. I really loved his character. He was playful, fun and cheeky. Neve's and Max's pancake relationship is da bomb.

I wish this would be made into a movie..a romantic comedy.

Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton

Publication Date: September 29th 2011

From Goodreads:

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion..she believes in costume. the more expressive the outfit-more sparkly, more fun, more wild- the better. but even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket- a gifted inventor- steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

--------------------------

Lola and the Boy Next Door is a solid 3 for me. In know way was it better than Anna, but of course that is my opinion. Things just didn't come together so perfectly for me.

Lola is unique and I love that about her, but I also think she's immature and melodramatic. First, Lola and Cricket have some past that hurt Lola, so when he moves back it's *gasp* hard for Lola. When I found out what happened between them both I was like "Seriously". Such hoopla for nothing, and that it affected her so much made me think she's childish. It seems like I don't like her but I do like Lola, she just got on my nerves a little. It's hard reading Lola without comparing it to Anna. I loved Anna. I just liked Lola. Now Cricket did absolutely nothing for me. He was nice, and caring. I wanted to get charmed by him just like I was charmed by Etienne, but Cricket doesn't have as much personality. Cricket was boring. I totally enjoyed Lola's two dads, and best friend. Great characters that brought something to Lola and the Boy Next door. I was also very happy to see so much of Anna and Etienne in Lola. Did I say I love them?!!

Lola and the Boy Next Door had it's good parts as well as it's okay parts. It took me 4 days to read it, and I read Anna and the French Kiss in 1 day. I will read the next companion book because I'm a Stephanie Perkins fan and will always be. Come on, Etienne was spun in her head and for that I bow down.

Book Review: Exposed by Kimberly Marcus

2011-11-29T12:38:00.001-06:00

Exposed

Author: Kimberly Marcus

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Date Published: February 22nd 2011

From Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Liz is Photogirl—sharp, focused and confident in what she sees through her camera lens. Confident that she and Kate will be best friends forever.

But everything changes in one blurry night. Suddenly, Kate is avoiding her, and people are looking the other way when she passes in the halls. As the aftershocks from a startling accusation rip through Liz's world, everything she thought she knew about photography, family, friendship and herself shifts out of focus. What happens when the picture you see no longer makes sense? What do you do when you may lose everything you love most? Told in stunning, searingly raw free verse, Exposed is Kimberly Marcus's gut-wrenching, riveting debut and will appeal to fans of Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson and Virginia Euwer Wolff.

------------------------------

I don't know if I've ever mentioned that I am not a fan of verse novels. I went ahead and gave Exposed a try, and was left disappointed by it.

Who is Liz? I don't really think I was able to get a grasp of who she was. I know she loves taking photos, and she's heartbroken about what is going on around her, but I just couldn't get a sense of her. I mostly blame myself for feeling that I am not getting enough content with verse. Snippets into someone's life just isn't enough for me.

Everything happens and ends so quickly. Exposed is about a very serious matter, and dealt with in a very mature and realistic way..but darn if I could just let go of my hate for verse. I felt like I read a rough draft of a what could be a freaking awesome YA novel.

This isn't quite the review I wanted to give. Obviously, I can't get around the way it was written and I'm finding it very hard to try to put that aside and just give an honest opinion on the written words.

To sum it up, I thought Exposed was lacking depth.

The Sweet Gum Tree by Katherine Allred

2011-11-20T19:56:00.001-06:00

The Sweet Gum Tree

Author: Katherine Allred

Publisher: Cerridwen Press

Date published: December 1st 2005

From Goodreads:

Sweet, tea corn bread, and soup beans-everyday fare for eight year old Alix French, the precocious darling of a respected southern family. But nothing was ordinary about t he day she met ten year old Nick Anderson, a boy from the wrong side of town. Armed with only a tin of bee balm and steely determination, Alix treats the raw evidence of a recent beating that mars his back, an act that changes both of their lives forever.

Through childhood disasters and teenage woes they cling together as friendship turns to love. The future looks rosy until the fateful night Frank Anderson, Nick's abusive father, is shot to death in his filty trailer.

Suddenly, Nick is gone leaving Alix alone, confused and pregnant. For the next fifteen years she wrestles wit the pain of Nick's Abandonment, a bad marriage, her family and friends. But finally, she;s starting to get her life back together. Her divorce is almost final, her business is booming, and she's content if not happy- until the day she looks up sees Nick standing across the counter, He's back...and he's not alone.

Once again Alix is plunged into turmoil and pain as Nick tries to win her love, something she resists with all her strength. Only one thing might break the protective wall she's built around her emotions- the truth about Frank Anderson's death. But when the truth comes out and those walls crumble, neither Alix nor Nick is prepared for the emotional explosion that could destroy as well as heal.

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I'm not going to do a quick synopsis because there is a awesome one above. Going to go straight the business of The Sweet Gum Tree. I first heard about this book through PBS. A member was raving about how awesome it was, so I made a quick note of the title, and later looked up the title on Goodreads. There was more raving on Goodreads with a 4 point something rating. I then put it on my Wl and forgot all about until it came in the mail. The cover leaves a lot to be desired, and I was sure that I was sent this by mistake. Yeah, I had completely forgot about this book and that I had put it on my WL. Disturbed by the cover I decided I would put my trepidation aside and immediately start it. Now I am not completely in love with this novel like some people, but I sure do have a crush on it. Is it full of melodrama?...um yeah. Is it full of sappy southerness(that isn't a word, is it)?...um yeah? But is it awesome nerdy great?...um HELL YEAH!

I loved the characters in The Sweet Gum Tree. Alix and Nick are perfect together. They are opposites. He's from the wrong side of the tracks, and she's apple pie. Technically they shouldn't work, but the fact that they do is what makes them so appealing. I was crushing on Nick. He was all hard, and tough yet vulnerable and a book lover. Yep, good ole Nick was a sensitive bad boy who loves to read. Alix at first grated on my nerves, but just at first. I was starting to get that "This girl is perfect" vibe which I can't stand. Nobody is perfect, so I can't stand a perfect character. Not realistic to me. She became human after a couple of chapters.

The story was soap opera-ish and like I said above, melodramatic. I was taken for a ride, a love ride. There's a lot of mistakes, a lot misunderstandings that could have been avoided but what's life without a little drama. :) Oh, and you well shed a tear or two.

Catching Up With Some Mini Reviews

2011-11-20T13:41:00.001-06:00

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

I really really loved Lindqvist's debut novel Let The Right One In. I was super excited to find Handling the Undead in my mailbox, and immediately started it. Sorry to say I was disappointed with Handling the Undead. A book about the dead coming back sounds interesting, but it was actually very dull. The beginning was solid, and I thought I was going to enjoy it, but then it just got weighed down by details, and nothing much was happening. It was much more about what that meant for the family of the dead that just came back.

My goodreads rating: 2 stars

I gave it 1 star for the great beginning pages, and 1 star for the mere fact that I actually gagged while reading about the decomposed bodies.

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Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan

If you've seen The Town, well this is the book it's based on. I love the movie, naturally I wanted to read it to compare the differences. Prince of Thieves was a great read, but I preferred the movie. There is some differences, most of them came at the end. I liked the end of the movie better...way better. The character Jem is seriously a bomb waiting to go off. We get that sense in the movie, but boy is he even creepier in the book. Flat out psychopath, seriously. I also don't understand the appeal of the female lead, Claire. She seemed weak in the movie, but even more so in the book. I really enjoyed it. There is action, and the characters are so detailed. Charlestown is also very much a main character in Prince of Thieves. It all worked out into a fleshed out solid read.

My Goodreads rating: 4 Stars

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Top Ten Tuesday

2011-11-15T14:13:00.001-06:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten is

Top Ten Books That Have Been On My Shelf for the Longest but I've Never Read

1. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

2. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

4. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

5. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta

6. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

7. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

8. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

9. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsey

10. Saffron Skies by Lesley Lokko

Any of these you recommend that I move right up to the top of my to read list?

Book Review: From This Moment On by Shania Twain

2011-11-13T15:26:00.001-06:00

From This Moment On

Author: Shania Twain

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Date Published: May 3rd 2011

From Goodreads:

When she was eight, Shania Twain was singing in smoky Canadian bars, doing her part to help with her family's severely strained finances. By the time she was ten, the girl born as Eileen Regina Edwards was writing songs and performing in after-hour shifts while most other children her age were dreaming of sugar plum fairies. From these gritty beginnings, the renamed Twain became a living music legend, winning five Grammy Awards and selling 75 million albums. At times heartbreaking, this memoir describes Shania's rocky road from her hardscrabble youth to her present fame. From This Moment On covers events including the tragic car crash, the traumatic breakup of her first marriage, and her first experiences in Nashville.

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I’m a huge fan of Shania Twain and her music. Over the summer I watched a reality show onthe O channel chronicling her life and inspirational story, and I had a newfound respect for her as a person not just a singer.

From This Moment On is Shania’s story in her own words, andthough sometimes she randomly goes off course she is honest in telling us herchildhood and heartbreak over her husband’s infidelity and best friendsbetrayal. If you don’t know her husbandhad an affair with her best friend, and I believe they are still togethernow. She is now happily married to herbest friend’s ex-husband. It’s slightlyJerry Springer, but this is how the cards laid out for her and she rolled withthe punches.

I was amazed at how much she has been through. She had a rough childhood, and then tookresponsibility for her sister and brothers after her parents were killed in acar accident. She also talks about hersinging career, and the process her and Mutt had in making her hugelycommercial hit album Come On Over.

From This Moment On is a really great honest memoir. If you are a fan of Shania Twain or just afan of somebody making it through all odds, you will enjoy this book.

Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-11-06T18:40:00.003-06:00

Miss Peregrine's Home for Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Publisher: Quirk Publishing

Date Publishing: June 7th 2011

From Goodreads:

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

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Before I started Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar ChildrenI went thru the book looking at all the photos which pumped me even more. I couldn’t wait to get started so I can linkthe photos to the story. I’m surprised howmuch the pictures turned Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children from agreat read to an awesome one.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a peculiar story. I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to cometogether and make sense in the beginning and half way thru I sort of just letgo of trying to figure it out and just rode the wave. I loved the peculiar children. I wanted to learn everything about them, andwished I had known them even more by the end of the novel. I wanted their back stories, I wanted know howthey came to be at the orphanage. Iwished the story was longer.

Main character Jacob is on this adventure that hisgrandfather sent him on. In thebeginning it doesn’t so much feel like an adventure though. Seriously, Jacob is traumatized after findinghis grandfather dead in the woods in back of his house, and sees a scarymonster like thing in the woods. Afterhearing for years his grandfather’s stories of the orphanage he lived in withall the peculiar children he needed to find out if his father was telling thetruth after all.

Ransom Riggs is brilliant in his storytelling. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Childrenis a great book, I recommend you read it.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books to Read During Halloween

2011-10-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish.

This weeks top ten is

This Week's Reads

2011-10-24T13:52:00.004-05:00

I'm hoping to get some reading done, and knock them out the way I use to be able to do. This week I plan to read:

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Handling the Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Three by Ted Dekker

What are you reading?

Book Review: The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

2011-10-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

The Power of Six

Author: Pittacus Lore

Publisher: HarperCollins

Date Published: August 23rd 2011

From Goodreads:

I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me . . . he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together? They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed. I am Number Seven. One of six still alive. And I'm ready to fight.

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I really really loved The Power of Six. We find out about number seven, Marina. The Power of Six changes points of views from Marina and John, number four. Along for the ride are number Six and Sam.

I thought it was great how Sam has a bigger role in The Power of Six. We get a bigger picture of why he's a character, and how important his role is in the war with the Mogadorians. The girl power in this sequel is freaking awesome. I love kick ass female characters.

I didn't like that in the beginning number four couldn't stop thinking about Sara, but that didn't last too long. I didn't like her in I am Number Four, so I was ecstatic that she wasn't really a factor in The Power of Six.

It definitely ends in somewhat of a cliffhanger which totally sucks. I can't wait to read the next book.

Book Review: Just Friends with Benefits by Meredith Schorr

2011-10-11T16:55:00.003-05:00

Just Friends with Benefits

Author: Meredith Schorr

Publisher: Wings ePress

Date Published: 2010

From Goodreads:

When a friend urges Stephanie Cohen not to put all her eggs in one bastard, the advice falls on deaf ears. Stephanie's college crush on Craig Hille has been awakened 13 years later as if soaked in a can of Red Bull and she is determined not to let the guy who got away once, get away twice.

Stephanie, a 32-year-old paralegal from Washington, D.C., is a 70's and 80's television trivia buff who can recite the starting lineup of the New York Yankees and go beer for beer with the guys. And despite her failure to get married and pro-create prior to entering her thirties, she has so far managed to keep her overbearing mother from sticking her head in the oven. Just Friends with Benefits is the humorous story of Stephanie's pursuit of love, her adventures in friendship, and her journey to discover what really matters.

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I received Just Friends with Benefits from a kind book blogger who read my comment I left on her review about wanting to read it. I wish I still had our email exchanges so I can remember who it was...but if you read this THANK YOU! As soon as it came in the mail I started it and really fell in love with these close knit circle of friends that breathe life into Just Friends with Benefits.

The Breakdown:

Characters- There is a little bit of everything in the group. There is the clown, the married couple, the cute conservative quiet one, the crazy wild one, and the laid back looking for love one. They all really complimented each other, and made the interactions between them all the better. Stephanie, the main character is the looking for love character, and though at times she could be really stupid about all things about love, and plenty of times you want to scream at her to get with it, you really do like her. She's real, and basically makes a lot of "WTH" decisions but don't we all, especially when it comes to the opposite sex.

The What-What- Basically from the description we know that Stephanie is ready to put herself out there when it comes to her college crush, Craig, who happens to be the ultra conservative quiet one of the group. She wants him, and she's going to try to get him, some stuff happens (gonna have to read it), and you have some a-ha moments and everything comes together, but not in your stereotypical way.

Overall- It really is a fun book, some minor flaws but nothing major. The one annoying fault is the damn cover.

Really? Reallly?

Book Review: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

2011-10-07T11:15:00.001-05:00

Jellicoe Road

Author: Melina Marchetta

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Date Published: March 9th 2010

From Goodreads:

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.

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Jellicoe Road is one of those books that I had high expectations of because of all of the praise it has been getting from book bloggers. I went into thinking this better rock my world, and it did.

I loved the way the boarding school had territory wars with the Townies, and Cadets. Everything in Jellicoe Road circled around the war, and as secrets starting unraveling I grew more and more into it. Though everything circles around the wars, Jellicoe Road isn't about the wars. It's about family, life, secrets and painful decisions. I really enjoyed how Melina Marchetta let everything unravel, the flow of the story, and the words she chose were perfect. The description describes it as lyrical, and it totally is.

The characters were great. I especially loved the chemistry between Taylor and Jonah. It wasn't unbelievable and Jonah is awesome! For reals!!!

Seriously, if you have this sitting on your shelves and have not read it, read it. If you don't have a copy, go buy one.

Randomness

2011-10-03T10:46:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I feel so out of the loop with this whole book blogging thing. As I skim through my google reader I see that it's Book Ban Week, it's Netgalley month, or I don't know, Blond haired authors Week, and I wonder is there a calendar for book bloggers that says what week or day it is for book lovers or did some random book blogger just get up one morning and announced that it is "you fill it in" week.

I look at my blog with just reviews, and yes sometimes I get lazy and behind and I'll do a mini review that consist of max three sentences, but anyways I basically just do reviews, and think to myself is that good enough. The answer for me is YES, because in the end this is something for me. I only have to meet my expectations, and I'll admit they are not set high for blogging. If I am enjoying it and having fun then I am doing it right and my way. Don't get me wrong I love that I have followers, but I don't have many like some bloggers and I am okay with that. I don't go around introducing myself to new people and say " I book blog and have 1,000,000 (does anyone have that many?) followers". BUT I do love my followers! Thank you for finding something that is worth following Coffee, Books and Laundry!!!!

Lately my blogging has took a backseat to my weight loss journey I am on. 23 lbs lost so far. Can I get a HELL YEAH!!!! Almost there to my high school weight. My reading has took a nose dive, and I will make plans to take a day and just read, but it never happens. Yesterday my plan was to read, but instead I took a nap, watched Transformers and surfed the internet. I need a book that is going to rock my world. My husband says you just need that one book. Yep, I just need that one book that will remind me why I love reading so freaking much. Any suggestions? Last book that I loved was "One Day", just to give you an idea.

Okay, I've taken enough of your time. Please excuse any spelling and punctuation mistakes, I just typed without a care in the world....boy does it feel good, not going to proofread just going to hit the publish button.

That's how I roll these days!!!!

Book Review: Groundswell by Katie Lee

2011-09-27T10:14:00.003-05:00

Groundswell

Author: Katie Lee

Publisher: Gallery

Date Published: June 21st 2011

Emma Guthrie, a newbie to the Hollywood world lands a job as a PA for a blockbuster movie. Her life changes drastically when she meets blockbuster movie heartthrob Garrett Walker. She is swept off her feet, and soon becomes Mrs. Walker, and her life changes in a instant. She comes to her own writing a screenplay based on her life, and soars up there right along with her husband. During a huge media event she finds out her husband is cheating on her. Hounded by the press Emma takes off to Mexico for some space, and comes to some revelations about herself and her marriage.

Groundswell is a fast read at 256 pages, though it's one of those books that I think needed more pages to make the story feel complete. It was very rushed especially when Emma escapes to Mexico. She just realizes things about herself and stuff out of the blue it seems. We don't see how she came to those conclusions, she just tells us she did. I hope i'm making sense.

Groundswell had the typical characters, the innocent bright eyed young girl, the suave charismatic heartthrob, and the conniving man stealing jealous bitch. I really wish author Katie Lee would have brought something new to this type of novel. I've read numerous books dealing with infidelity with the women coming out of the mess stronger, and better but I was hoping for more.

Mini Reviews

2011-09-21T17:47:00.001-05:00

Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

Give Up the Ghost is about ghosts (shocking). Cass can see and talk to ghost, she prefers her ghosts than her peers. A classmate, Tim asks for her help, during the time spent with Tim she learns more about him and a whole lot about herself. I thought it was a okay read, really nothing OMG about it.

Rated: 3 out of 5

Epic Fail by Claire Lazebnik

I was surprised that Epic Fail is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Totally wasn't expecting that. Derek Edward, the son of Hollywood's IT couple and Elise, daughter of the high school principal have misunderstandings, and there is a ton mixed signals going on. Cute quick read.

Rated: 3 out of 5

Book Review: I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk

2011-09-13T13:05:00.000-05:00

I Heart New York

Author: Lindsey Kelk

Publisher: Harper

Date Published: June 5th 2009

Let me get the so called crap out of the way first. I Heart New York is predictable, things fallinto place perfectly for our heroine (blah) which brings me to my last gripe,it’s unrealistic.

Okay now on to why I liked it regardless of the things I mentioned above. The truth sometimes your just in the mood fora cliché chicklit that makes you sigh and wish that life worked that way. It’s escapism, and one of the reasons why Ilove reading.

Our main protagonist Angela catches her fiancé cheating on herwith a tramp, and on a whim hops on a plane to New York. Mind you she knows no one in NYC, but whatthe hell I’m game I’ll go along for the ride, which I did, smiling all theway. While in NYC she befriends JennyLopez (I’m still, I’m still jenny from the block..) who works at the hotelAngela is staying at. Jenny becomes hersavior, and helps her with shelter, food, and some much needed advice. Angela goes from 0 to 60 in her dating life,again not realistic who find their partner cheating and immediatelyjumps back in the game finding not one but two great guys quickly..very quickly. Gotta love fiction.

I enjoyed I Heart New York because it’s miles away from whatreal life is especially after a break up. I enjoyed Angela and even Jenny (from the block). If you are into realism then you probably won’tlike I Heart New York, if you are just in the mood for a feel good story then IHeart New York will work.

Book Review: Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

2011-09-10T18:50:00.003-05:00

Little Women and Me

Author: Lauren Baratz- Logsted

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Expected Publication Date: November 8th 2011

From Goodreads:

Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justice to the March sisters. (Kill off Beth? Have cute Laurie wind up with Amy instead of Jo? What was Louisa May Alcott thinking?!) But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the world of the book, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be easy. And after being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, it may be Emily-not the four March sisters-who undergoes the most surprising change of all. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's winning confection will appeal to fans of Little Women as well as anyone who enjoys a modern twist on an old favorite.

I have never read Little Women, but I had seen the movie. I had some complaints with the movie and how things ended not so with Little Women and Me. The ending was satisfying, but it was just okay for me.

The beginning of Little Women and Me is a little too slow for me. I put it down several times but once I got past the slow start it picked up, just not enough, and though I did like the ending I am not a huge fan of the book. I just wasn't feeling Emily. Something about her was annoying, and to be honest I really didn't love any of the characters. Some were alright, and others I downright didn't like at all.

If you are a fan of Little Women I think you would enjoy Little Women and Me, if not you might find it a bit tedious.

Going Through a Major Book Slump

2011-09-03T09:38:00.000-05:00

I haven't been reading much at all, infact I pretty much haven't picked up a book in a couple of weeks. What!? For awhile there I was trying to get into a book, any book. I would randomly pick up a book and start and if it wasn't working for me I would put it down and pick up another one, until I wasn't picking up any of them. I have so many books and I am still buying them, so my piles are going up and up!

Major slump!

I can't remember feeling this way since I was in high school. I have some reviews to write and post, hopefully I will get some done today, then I might if I feel like it pick up The Confession by John Grisham. Hope good ole' John will get me out of this slump.

Epic Book Contest out in the Blogosphere

2011-08-22T12:53:00.002-05:00

Missy's Reads and Reviews is having a awesome 1000 follower giveaway. There is 5 themed prize packages plus a bonus package. Awesome, right?

If you are interest, and why wouldn't you be, click on the link.

Contest

Book Review: Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

2011-08-21T22:34:00.003-05:00

Shut Out

Author: Kody Keplinger

Publisher: Poppy

Date Published: September 5th 2011

I am huge fan of Kody Keplinger's debut novel The Duff, so obviously I was dying to read Shut Out. Shut Out is not as great as The Duff but it is still a good read.

Just like her debut, Shut Out is a young adult read that is cutting edge with all the sex talk and language. Beware of that if you are not a fan of edgy ya books. It doesn't bother me a bit, but I know for some it does.

In Shut Out the girls shut out the boys from sexual acts and everything in between until they can resolve their feud. The feud is between the soccer players and football players. I guess the girls are getting them where it hurts. Main protagonist Lissa is fed up with her boyfriend, quarterback Randy putting the feud before her, and decides enough is enough. She gathers all the girlfriends of the football players and soccer players and proposes the sex shut out. What she didn't plan on was Cash (soccer player) leading the boys in this shut out, or that she would find herself attractive to him.

I liked Cash and Lissa. Cash was a little mysterious to me, and I enjoyed finding out more about him. At times Lissa did grate on my nerves, but I will chalk it up to our age difference..lol! It was predictable, but still enjoyable.

Mini Reviews: Dead Beautiful & Troy High

2011-08-17T18:37:00.000-05:00

Things have been pretty hectic around here lately with all the getting back to school list of things that need to be done. My youngest is in Kindergarten now and so I have all three going all day, which means empty house. I will be resuming my substituting gig, and if it's anything like last school year I should be busy quite a bit.

This summer has been a really lazy time for me with practically everything. I slacked off on blogging some and now have a pile of reviews needed, on top of that I stopped the working out and gained 15 pds this summer...BLAH! But I dropped the nasty habits and now down 11 pds of those 15 and decided why not go for 20 pds.

Mini reviews are my way of solving my slacking off.

Dead Beautiful

Author: Yvonne Woon

Series: Book 1 of Dead Beautiful series

Publisher: Hyperion Book

Date Published: September 21st 2010

Renee finds her parents in the woods dead, then gets sent to Gottfried Academy by her grandfather. The weirdness at the academy is rampant, and slowly Renee comes to realize there is more to Gottfried than meets the eye.

Dead Beautiful has the handsome cute but elusive guy who of course Renee is attractive to, Dante. After a while some of these YA books start overlapping in my memory because the formula is basically the same, but I did enjoy Dead Beautiful. In the beginning I wasn't so sure about it, but it grew on me. I will continue this series to see where it goes, and because I loved the ending of this book I need to read the next.

My goodreads rating: 3

Troy High

Author: Shana Norris

Publisher: Amulet Books

Date released: August 1st 2009

I've seen the movie Troy, so basically know how the story goes ( I have tried to read Illiad, but you know how that goes). My small town I grew up in has a huge rivalry with the town next to us, and it's been around for decades. I know all about pranks and riding to the next town to taunt before the big football game and I enjoyed Troy High more because of my experience in High School with it.

Troy High is a good book with a lot of pranks and arguing. Cassie is a Trojan and her best friend/crush is a Spartan and that starts to cause problems when Cassie's older football player brothers and her crush's (can't remember his name) older brother go at each other when the beautiful Elena (i.e. Helen) goes from the Spartan (crush's brother) to the Cassie's brother the Trojan.

Very quick cute read.

Goodreads rating: 3

Book Review: The Raising by Laura Kasischke

2011-08-15T15:40:00.000-05:00

The Raising

Author: Laura Kasischke

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Date Published: March 15th 2011 (PB)

From Goodreads:

Last year Godwin Honors Hall was draped in black. The university was mourning the loss of one of its own: Nicole Werner, a blond, beautiful, straight-A sorority sister tragically killed in a car accident that left her boyfriend, who was driving, remarkably—some say suspiciously—unscathed.

Although a year has passed, as winter begins and the nights darken, obsession with Nicole and her death reignites: She was so pretty. So sweet-tempered. So innocent. Too young to die. Unless she didn’t. Because rumor has it that she’s back.

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We all go into books expecting the best or we wouldn't pick them up, but darn it really sucks when all those high hopes disappear on the last 50 pages of a 496 page book. The Raising dragged here and there but overall I was enjoying it, until the story went nowhere.

The Raising is a dark book about peoples ugly manipulative side told in a weird gothic way. The story takes place at a college with quite a bit of players. Some characters I wondered why they had so much dedicated to them since to me they did nothing for the movement of the plot, hence the dragging I mentioned.

The whole of the book is really about Nicole Werner, and still after almost 500 pages of people talking about her and so on I still don't have any idea who she really was. There were a lot of faces to her, but which one was truly her I have no idea. In the end I was just frustrated with The Raising.

The one bright spot was the history lesson I learned about the cultural differences and rituals done for the dead. Really cool to know why we do certain things when people die and how these things started and why.

Basically to sum it up I did not like The Raising, nor can I recommend it.

Book Review: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

2011-08-07T21:43:00.000-05:00

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Author: Laura Hillenbrand

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Date Published: November 16th 2010

From Goodreads:

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown. Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

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Unbroken is a very hard book to review because I feel like I cannot give it it's proper praise. Before I write my review I need to make clear that Unbroken is brilliantly done, and touched me. With that being said, Unbroken is my favorite book of 2011 so far, and I really can't see another outdoing it. I feel that strongly about it.

Laura Hillenbrand is a wonderful writer. Seriously, she's freaking awesome! She is a must buy author for me now because I trust that she will hit it out of the ballpark. You can tell how much research and interviewing went into writing Unbroken. The details help picture everything, and by details I mean everything has a purpose. So she did her research now she has to put it all together to tell the story, and WOW did she. It all fits perfectly together. I can't really say enough about her writing and research.

By now I am sure you realize Unbroken is a true story, but did you know that it is riveting? It invokes so many emotions as you turn pages. I cried, laughed, smiled and felt elation while reading this great true story. The goose bumps were galore. The POW's during World War II went through so much, it's heartbreaking. It was horrible to read about, and the fact that some of these men made it through says a lot about the human spirit, and how much we can endure with just the will to survive. It's a powerful read.

Unbroken is a must read, you will not be disappointed. It's more than a story, it's history. These men went through so much, their courage and heart is inspiring. Who doesn't want to be inspired?

Book Review: Dark Parties by Sara Grant

2011-08-06T10:46:00.002-05:00

Dark Parties

Author: Sara Grant

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Date Published: August 3rd 2011

From Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.

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Dark Parties is a dystopian fiction about living in a world that is "protected" by the government and sealed in a dome. The government is protecting this dome from the evilness lurking outside the dome.

I liked the whole dome idea. I thought it was a great concept, kind of reminded me of that Simpson's movie where Springfield gets sealed in a dome, except here there ain't no happy faces and laughs. Like most dystopian books there is a group of rebels, and the main protagonist Neva is smack dab middle of a group of teenagers that rage against the powers that be. Neva has a journal containing all the stories her grandmother would tell her of the world before the dome, it also contains a list of "the missing". When rebels get caught they disappear never to be seen again. Neva's grandma is on the missing list which incites her to rebel even more.

Some things I really liked about Dark Parties, like learning more about the government and how it rules the people, but I could not stand Neva. Yeah, I hated the main character, and that sucks. It totally ruined the story for me when I couldn't muster up any good qualities in Neva. Let's see if I can come up with some good attributes. Neva is brave....hmm that's it, she is also selfish, cold, not at all too bright, did I mention selfish. Why Neva Why? Why screw your best friend over, yeah you come through at the end for her, but seriously you are an awful best friend.

Dark Parties has just interesting enough to continue on reading even when you want to throw it across the room. It's not the plot that sucks it's the main character, that being said I did read it in one day.

If you read it what did you think about Neva?

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

2011-08-05T12:35:00.009-05:00

Anna and the French Kiss

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Publisher: Dutton

Date Published: December 2nd 2010

From Goodreads:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris - until she meets Etienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

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Well, Anna and the French Kiss deserves all the praise it has been getting from bloggers/readers. Believe the hype.

Everything about Anna and the French Kiss is awesome. Never have I read a perfect YA contemporary. The characters were great, the setting was fabulous, and the romance was perfect.

Anna and her knew french friends are a group I totally would want to hang out in back when I was younger. They are a close knit fun group plus they are so realistic. Kudos to Ms. Perkins for making them real. Anna wasn't the perfect protagonist, but that is what makes her special. She's normal, and approachable, and Etienne is a perfect crush worthy romantic lead.

I really loved Anna and the French Kiss. Can't wait to read Lola and the Boy Next Door.

Mini Book Review: A Catered Affair by Sue Margolis

2011-08-02T10:35:00.000-05:00

A Catered Affair

Author: Sue Margolis

Publisher: NAL Trade

Publication Date: August 2nd 2011

From Goodreads:

When Tallulah gets jilted at the altar, she gets very drunk and starts making passes at the male wedding guests. She even propositions the caterer. But in the next few weeks, reality comes crashing down around her. Her difficult mother becomes more impossible than ever. Her lesbian sister starts trying to have a baby. Nana Ida gets busy matchmaking. What Tallulah is about to discover is that happiness doesn't always come in the form of the perfect doctor- and that sometimes real love doesn't require a catered affair.

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A Catered Affair is more character driven then plot driven, and that's great when you like the characters, which I did. We get to know Tallulah in the beginning while she is planning her wedding to her fiance. When she gets jilted she takes the time to evaluate her life, and herself. Tallulah changes as the book progress for the better.

I just fell into the life of Tallulah, her renewed independence and new relationships. A Catered Affair put a smile on my face.

Book Reviews: Hex Hall and Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

2011-07-29T11:52:00.000-05:00

Hex Hall

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Hyperion Book

Date Published: March 2nd 2010

Series: 1st bk in Hex Hall series

From Goodreads:

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

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I've had Hex Hall on my WL on PBS for ever, so I was pretty excited when it was loaned to me on my kindle. I zipped right through it, there was some predictability but I still enjoyed it.

Most of the YA books out right now all have the same formula, and Hex Hall does not waver from what is obviously working considering YA is hugely popular right now. It was a good story with the witches, werewolves and the such all intermingling in a private school, but this formula is starting to grate on me a bit. Sophie's love interest is dating the most beautiful witch at Hex Hall who hates Sophie but he always seems to be there to help her out (hmm..sound familiar), and they are drawn to each other even if it seems like they don't get along, which actually kinda is like when in grade school a boy pulls your pony tail to show he likes you. So the romance was not doing anything for me. Though I did love the slight WTF moment when we discover something about loverboy. It made their romance get a little more interesting to me. He always did "seem fishy" to me.

Hex Hall lacks in some ways, but hits a slam dunk in others. Too me the good outweighed the bad.

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*Possible Spoilers*

Demonglass

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: Hyperion Books

Date Published: March 1st 2011

Series: 2nd bk in the Hex Hall Series

From Goodreads:

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth. Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

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I enjoyed Demonglass way more than Hex Hall. If you read my review above you know that I had a problem with the romance in Hex Hall. In Hex Hall we learn something major about Sophie's love interest, and I thought it made for a better relationship dynamic in Demonglass. It made for more action and movement in the story.

In Demonglass we learn more about what Sophie is and how big of a deal it is. We learn more on the background of Hex Hall and how it came to be. All together a lot more interesting.

Demonglass left readers with a cliffhanger. Yeah, and a doobie of one to boot. Demonglass solidified my want to finish off the series.

Released Today

2011-07-26T01:43:00.002-05:00

Playing Dirty by Susan Anderson

Publisher: HQN Books

Book 3 in the Sisterhood Diaries Trilogy

My review

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love Lies Bleeding by Jess McConkey

Publisher: Avon A

I'm currently reading this right now, but I can say that I am liking it very much so far.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Publisher: Philomel

Series: Book 2 in the Nightshade series

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing

Series: Book 1 in the Wildefire Series

Book Review: Craving Perfect by Liz Fichera

2011-07-24T12:27:00.001-05:00

Craving Perfect

Author: Liz Fichera

Publisher: Carina Press

Expected Published Date: July 25th 2011

From Goodreads:

Grace Mills craves being perfect almost as much as she craves raspberry scones. In fact, her life would be perfect if only she could lose ten more pounds, if only the pastry café she co-owns with her sister would turn a profit, if only the hottest guy at the gym would look her way...

And then "if only" comes true. Grace is suddenly straddling two lives: an alternate reality where she's a size two, weathergirl celebrity and being chased by the hot guy. Only Mr. Gorgeous isn't very nice.

In her other life, she's starting to realize her sister is less than happy running the family café, and hunky Carlos, the gym's janitor, seems to have a secret crush on her. Maybe there's more to him than meets the eye...

Grace is living two lives and it's beginning to cost her. Is there a way to pick one...that's perfect?

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Craving Perfect is the perfect fun beach read. I enjoyed it, though the whole time traveling/warped alternatelife thing made no sense. Amazing how

writingand story is great that you throw out and ignore the obvious.

Grace is warped into her alternative life where she is Callie,a news anchor who happens to be dating her secret hunky crush. She becomes Callie while exercising at a fastspeed on a treadmill at her gym. Yeah,that’s where the question marks start coming up. We get no explanation how thishappens, but I just went along because I liked where Liz Fichera was takingme. In her real life as Grace she hasgotten the attention of Carlos, the janitor at her gym. He seems like such a genuine lovable nicecharacter, though he might be a little to romantic considering he said I Loveyou too quickly for my liking. A bitunrealistic, especially these days when being a commitment-phobe is ordinary andexpected. So not 2011, if you know whatI mean. I really enjoyed the lessonsGrace learns during these time warps. Her mind is opened to so much, and she sees things clearly when in Callie’sshoes.

Craving Perfect left a smile on my face, and we get tworecipes to boot. My husbands the cookaround here and coincidentally I was asking him to try making sopapillas andyep, you guessed it one of those recipes was for sopapillas.

Mini Review: I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

2011-07-22T02:01:00.001-05:00

I am Number Four

Author: Pittacus Lore

Publisher: HarperCollins

Date Published: August 3rd 2010

From Goodreads:

In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

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I am Number Four belongs with the select few that have been great enough to capture my attention that I do nothing else but read until the last page. Yep, I finished this in one day and was jealous of those already reading or had read The Power of Six, the sequel. I love the relationships in this book with the exception of Four and Sarah. I thought they were just okay, nothing sizzlin there for me. Now Four and Henri's was endearing and captured my attention. The plot line is interesting and entertaining, and action is kick ass. A definite must read!

Book Review: Fragile by Lisa Unger

2011-07-18T16:07:00.000-05:00

Fragile

Author: Lisa Unger

Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

Date Published: August 3rd 2010

From Goodreads:

Everybody knows everybody in The Hollows, a quaint, charming town outside of New York City. It’s a place where neighbors keep an eye on one another’s kids, where people say hello in the grocery store, and where high school cliques and antics are never quite forgotten. As a child, Maggie found living under the microscope of small-town life stifling. But as a wife and mother, she has happily returned to The Hollows’s insular embrace. As a psychologist, her knowledge of family histories provides powerful insights into her patients’ lives. So when the girlfriend of her teenage son, Rick, disappears, Maggie’s intuitive gift proves useful to the case—and also dangerous.

Eerie parallels soon emerge between Charlene’s disappearance and the abduction of another local girl that shook the community years ago when Maggie was a teenager. The investigation has her husband, Jones, the lead detective on the case, acting strangely. Rick, already a brooding teenager, becomes even more withdrawn. In a town where the past is always present, nobody is above suspicion, not even a son in the eyes of his father.

“I know how a moment can spiral out of control,” Jones says to a shocked Maggie as he searches Rick’s room for incriminating evidence. “How the consequences of one careless action can cost you everything.”

As she tries to reassure him that Rick embodies his father in all of the important ways, Maggie realizes this might be exactly what Jones fears most. Determined to uncover the truth, Maggie pursues her own leads into Charlene’s disappearance and exposes a long-buried town secret—one that could destroy everything she holds dear. This thrilling novel about one community’s intricate yet fragile bonds will leave readers asking, How well do I know the people I love? and How far would I go to protect them?

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Fragile is my first Lisa Unger book but it certainly won't be my last. Not the perfect thriller/mystery, yet it was entertaining.

What didn't make it perfect in my opinion:

1. Too many different voices throughout. It slowed down the pace, and I couldn't connect with all of them, so I wasn't interested in reading a chapter from some.

2. The aduction from long ago is more entertaining than what's currently going on with the disappearance of Charlene. I preferred discovering what happened years ago.

Aside from those two things I thought Maggie was a great character as well as her son, Rick. I liked that Rick fits the stereotypical teenage rebellion, but Ms. Unger could somehow show the true Rick. I along with Maggie quickly jumped to think Rick had nothing to do with his girlfriends disappearance (to find out if he did your just gonna have to read the book ;)).

As I mention above the pace would slow down because of all the characters being introduced, but it was still a quick read at a little over 300 pages. I'm glad that there wasn't much filler in between the meat of the story.

Fragile is a entertaining read. I now have a back log of Lisa Unger books to get through. :)

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

2011-07-15T18:03:00.000-05:00

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books,

an imprint of HarperCollins

Date Published: May 3rd 2011

From Goodreads:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

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I knew I wanted to read Divergent as soon as the reviews started coming out. I was reading reviews with "Best book ever", "Wow", and bloggers were even comparing it to The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games, really? Now it ain't no Hunger Games in my opinion, but it's still pretty darn good.

In Divergent there are five factions that at the age of 16 you must choose from Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. Beatrice (Tris), our main protagonist who was born into Abnegation decides to leave her family and chooses Dauntless. This is where all the action happens, and there is definitely action. The plot moves up and down with some non stop action to a way slower pace. At times it was kind of hard to take the shift, and when the action would slow down I would find myself putting it down for awhile. It didn't take long to pick it back up though because I thought the story was good. I wanted to know what the heck was going on in Dauntless. How exciting for author Veronica Roth to have hit a homerun on her debut novel.

My only real dislike in Divergent is kind of a biggie. I really wasn't feeling the romance between Four and Tris. I liked Four but there was no chemistry between him and well anyone in my opinion. He was a very closed off character, and the couple of times Roth wanted to show his softer side I feel it didn't come off real. I can't wait to read the next books, but it's because of the action and to find out what happens between the fractions not because of the romance, though I would have liked some that felt genuine.

Divergent is worth the read, and I hardly doubt anyone will close the book thinking it sucked. This is a book you can feel comfortable spending your money on.

Once Upon a Readathon Update: Day 2

2011-07-12T23:33:00.003-05:00

Day 2:

Today I started and finished Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon.

Up next I will be reading Such a Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb.

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Readathon Challenge hosted by The Bookish Type:

Pick any book from your readathon pile and write a fake synopsis based solely on the cover. The synopsis does not have to be related to the actual book at all, just the pretty, pretty cover.

In the wood behind Becky's house is a beautiful pond that holds magical powers. Becky always thought of herself as pretty and well dressed with her collared shirts and sweater vests but when she looks into the pond and see's a image of her in a beautiful dress and looking gorgeous she realizes she's doing it all wrong. Can this mysterious magical pond help Becky be the best her and snag the guy she has had a crush on for years or is she destined to be plain boring Becky who will die a spinster with 20 cats.

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I know it's lame but i'm tired and this was the best I could do.

Released Today

2011-07-12T02:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes It Happens

My review

The Things We Cherished

My review

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon Update: Day 1

2011-07-11T21:13:00.001-05:00

Hey Read-a-Thon peeps!

Today I fully participated in the Read-a-Thon. I started at 1 AM and read until I finished Hex Hall, then woke up and started Demonglass, which I just finished.

I have not read one book I picked out for the read-a-thon. I always do that, why do I even choose books when I end up reading whatever.

Recap:

Books Read Day 1:

Hex Hall- Rachel Hawkins

Demonglass- Rachel Hawkins

Will be Starting:

Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon

How is everyone else doing out there?

Mini Book Review: Summer of the Geek by Piper Banks

2011-07-11T11:19:00.002-05:00

Summer of the Geek

Author: Piper Banks

Publisher: NAL Trade

Date Published: May 4th 2010

Series: Geek High, # 3

From Goodreads:

Miranda Bloom has scored an adorable, lacrosse-playing boyfriend, Dex McConnell, and an awesomely easy summer job looking after a ten year old mini-genius, Amelia. This summer is going to be sweet...

Then reality puts the brakes on everything. Though Dex and Miranda are official, she feels like he's keeping secrets-secrets that may have to do with his fashion model ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Amelia is harder to figure out than advanced trigonometry. How can they bond if all she does is practice the piano? Plus Miranda's mom just invited her to live in London with her. Living across the pond would be great, but can she really leave Geek High and Dex?

Looks like Miranda has a secret of her own...

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Another good solid addition to the Geek High series. Summer of the Geek doesn't only focus on Miranda and Dex's relationship, there's also a 10 year old piano prodigy and fellow genius Amelia that Miranda baby sits. I think Miranda and Dex take a back table to Amelia and her situation. I don't know if I was really feeling it, because I wanted more Dex.

Not a standout but good. Seemed somewhat like a filler book. Next Geek High book , Revenge of the Geek seems more promising.

Why the hell not? ~~ Once Upon a Read-a-Thon

2011-07-10T12:29:00.001-05:00

I decided to join in on the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon being hosted by Lori at Pure Imagination, Candace at Candace's Book Blog, and Angela at Reading Angel.

I don't have any plans this week, and to be honest I could use the relaxation. Three days of nothing but reading sounds fabulous.

Here are the books I am hoping to read:

Clean by Amy Reed

Craving Perfect by Liz Fichera

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

Countdown to Love by Julie Ford

Firespell by Chloe Neill

We'll see how many of these I can read or if I end up changing my mind and reading different books.

Have you joined in? What's on your reading list?

Book Review: The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock

2011-07-08T12:02:00.000-05:00

The Book of Lies

Author: Mary Horlock

Publisher: HarperCollins

Expected Publication: July 19th 2011

From Goodreads:

Life on the tiny island of Guernsey has just become a whole lot harder for fifteen-year-old Cat Rozier. She’s gone from model pupil to murderer, but she swears it’s not her fault. Apparently it’s all the fault of history.

A new arrival at Cat’s high school in 1984, the beautiful and instantly popular Nicolette inexplicably takes Cat under her wing. The two become inseparable—going to parties together, checking out boys, and drinking whatever liquor they can shoplift. But a perceived betrayal sends them spinning apart, and Nic responds with cruel, over-the-top retribution.

Cat’s recently deceased father, Emile, dedicated his adult life to uncovering the truth about the Nazi occupation of Guernsey—from Churchill’s abandonment of the island to the stories of those who resisted—in hopes of repairing the reputation of his older brother, Charlie. Through Emile’s letters and Charlie’s words—recorded on tapes before his own death— a “confession” takes shape, revealing the secrets deeply woven into the fabric of the island . . . and into the Rozier family story.

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I'm not a fan of writing negative reviews but The Book of Lies is what it is. After finishing The Book of Lies I've decided never to read a book that takes place in Guernsey again. I was beaten over the head throughout this book about how gossipy and small Guernsey is. How everyone knows everyone and is in every one's business. It got tiresome quickly. Guernsey, Guernsey, Guernsey! To add a positive I can say with extreme honesty that the author did major research on Guernsey, its history and present. She knows Guernsey.

The Book of Lies has two protagonist, one is a teenage girl, Cat, living in Guernsey circa the 80's the other is her uncle Charlie who speaks through letters written to his younger brother Emile during the occupation, who happens to be Cat's dad. Through most of the book I couldn't find the link between Cat and her uncle, and kept wondering why we were getting both their stories. In the end the link wasn't all that big of a deal anyways, in my opinion. With the letters we are reading from Charlie to Emile there are so many french phrases that slow down the pace if you can't read french. I took Spanish in school so I would find myself getting frustrated. Story is plain slow, and it doesn't grow on you.

As for the characters, Cat is a sociopath and Charlie is a troublemaker who caused many of problems during the war for his family. Someone else was to blame for the biggest thing that happen to his family during the occupation. It is this big revelation that didn't have that huge impact the author was going for, I think. I enjoyed the side players more in The Book of Lies.

I didn't like The Book of Lies, it wasn't the writing, it was the characters and the story line. There is an audience for it, it's just not me.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Always Something There To Remind Me by Beth Harbison

2011-07-06T05:35:00.000-05:00

Always Something There to Remind Me

Author: Beth Harbison

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Expected Publication: July 19th 2011

From Amazon:

Can you ever really know if love is true? And if it is, should you stop at anything to get it?

Two decades ago, Erin Edwards was sure she’d already found the love of her life: Nate Lawson. Her first love. The one with whom she shared everything--dreams of the future, of children, plans for forever. The one she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Until one terrible night when Erin made a mistake Nate could not forgive and left her to mourn the relationship she could never forget or get over.

Today, Erin is contentedly involved with a phenomenal guy, maneuvering a successful and exciting career, and raising a great daughter all on her own. So why would the name “Nate Lawson” be the first thing to enter her mind when her boyfriend asks her to marry him?

In the wake of the proposal, Erin finds herself coming unraveled over the past, and the love she never forgot. The more she tries to ignore it and move on, the more it haunts her.

Always Something There to Remind Me is a story that will resonate with any woman who has ever thought of that one first love and wondered, “Where is he?” and “What if…?” Filled with Beth Harbison’s trademark nostalgia humor and heart, it will transport you, and inspire you to believe in the power of first love.

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Definitely waiting on this one. I love Beth Harbison!

Book Review: Playing Dirty by Susan Anderson

2011-07-05T05:08:00.009-05:00

Playing Dirty

Author: Susan Anderson

Publisher: HQN Books

Expected Publication: July 26th 2011

From Goodreads:

When old enemies are thrown together, all bets are off…

Way back in high school, golden boy Cade Gallari publicly revealed he'd slept with "fat girl" Ava Spencer to win a bet. Now a decade older and a head turner with her own concierge business, Ava isn't the gullible dreamer she once was— and she plans to prove it when Cade, hotter than ever, breezes back into town with an offer she can't refuse.

A documentary film producer, Cade is shooting a movie about the mysterious mansion Ava inherited. And he wants her as his personal concierge. She's certainly professional enough to be at his beck and call without giving him everything he wants. Like another shot at having her in his bed. But Ava doesn't count on Cade's determination. Because he's never gotten over her— and he's not above playing dirty to score a second chance at a red–hot future…

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Everything about the synopsis of Playing Dirty sounded like a bucket of fun. I did enjoy Playing Dirty, but some things didn't work for me.

The biggest thing in a romance are the characters. Is there something about their interactions that make you giddy? Giddiness is a huge sign of an author hitting it right on the dot in the romance genre for me. In Playing Dirty some of Cade and Ava's flirtations left me uncomfortable. I just wasn't feeling the vibe between them so much. I thought as much as Ava would talk about how much Cade has hurt and humiliated her she actually got over it pretty quickly. Cade was a alright love interest but I guess I was expecting more. Maybe a reformed bad boy? He actually comes across as a puppy dog. Some people like puppy dogs though, so that's all preference. Ava talked a lot of crap, but did not back it up. She was kind of weak when it came to Cade, though she did not do much chasing. That was all Cade.

The element of danger in Playing Dirty also didn't fit in the story well. It seemed added in. There is a guy looking for lost jewels, it was distracting, and when the author would jump back to that part I would be "O'yeah" forgot about the bad guy. My favorite was the interaction between Ava and her two best friends. I liked them and their bond with each other. I actually haven't read the two previous books that pertained to Ava's best friends but I will be on the lookout for them.

Though there were problems for me with Playing Dirty I think people who have followed this series will probably enjoy it more.

On My Wishlist

2011-07-02T05:15:00.001-05:00

On My Wishlist is hosted by Book Chick City.

What's on my Wishlist this week?

Love Lies Bleeding by Jess McConkey

Published by Avon A

Expected Published Date: July 26th 2011

From Goodreads:

In the vein of Jennifer McMahon’s Promise Not to Tell and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold comes Love Lies Bleeding, a haunting story about the lengths to which people will go to keep their pasts buried. Jess McConkey (aka award-winning author Shirley Damsgaard) enthralls with her ingenious blending of family drama and gripping mystery. Suspenseful and absolutely chilling, Love Lies Bleeding grabs hold of the reader from page one, as a young woman whose golden life is shattered by unexpected violence is sent to a small, secluded lake town in Northern Minnesota to recover—and soon suspects the town’s eccentric residents are hiding more than one truly frightening secret.

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The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

Published by Shaye Areheart Books

Published on January 5th 2011

From Goodreads:

The Red Garden introduces us to the luminous and haunting world of Blackwell, Massachusetts. Hoffman offers a transforming glimpse of small-town America, presenting us with some three hundred years of passion, dark secrets, loyalty, and redemption in a web of tales.

From the town’s founder, a brave young woman from England who has no fear of blizzards or bears, to the young man who runs away to New York City, the characters in The Red Garden are extraordinary and vivid: a young wounded Civil War soldier who is saved by a neighbor, a woman who meets a fiercely human historical character, a poet who falls in love with a blind man, a mysterious traveler who comes to town in the year when summer never arrives. At the center of everyone’s life is a garden where only red plants can grow, and where the truth can be found by those who dare to look. The Red Garden is as unforgettable as it is moving.

What's on your wishlist?

Book Review: Tainted by Brooke Morgan

2011-07-01T05:00:00.002-05:00

Tainted

Author: Brooke Morgan

Publisher: Avon/Doubleday

Publication Date: December 1st 2009

From Goodreads:

It begins like a flat-footed love story: Young single mother Holly Barrett is swept away by a Superman-handsome Brit she meets on a bus. A whirlwind romance ensues, and even Barrett's 5-year-old daughter is charmed. Mom recklessly allows the enigmatic dreamboat stranger, Jack Dane, to move into her coastal New England house. But when love goes bad-- and you just know it will -- this sneak-up-on-you page-turner packs a suspensful wallop that will chill your soul. Morgan, a Bostonian now living in London, smartly roots her debut in a disturbing crime that begs the question: How well do we ever know a lover's secrets? Haunting.

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Tainted is a smorgasbord of genres because it had a little of everything. It was suspenseful, scary, romantic and a thriller. In the end it might have wanted to be too much.

In the first half of Tainted I was really on board. I was liking and understanding the main character, Holly. I liked her grandpa, her friends, and daughter. I was even liking the her daughters daddy, though in the beginning I thought he was a ass. I was feeling trepidatious about Jack, but from reading the back cover I knew not to be fooled by him. As I was saying I was into Tainted, and I was letting that sucker down for anything, UNTIL Holly started losing all common sense, and everybody was getting fooled. Almost like the author got lost with the storyline and then just did whatever to get it back even losing all characteristics she gave her characters in the first half. She tried to fit so much that it just didn't feel right. The ending was alright, but I felt this could have been executed better.

Check it out from your library if you feel the need/want to read Tainted.

Throwback Thursday: Heaven by V.C. Andrews

2011-06-30T05:00:00.002-05:00

Throwback Thursday is weekly meme hosted by Jenny from Take Me Away.

Heaven

Author: V.C. Andrews

Publisher: Pocket

Publish Date: November 1st 1990

From Goodreads:

Heaven Leigh Casteel was the prettiest, smartest girl in the backwoods, despite her ragged clothes and dirty face...despite a father meaner than ten vipers...despite her weary stepmother, who worked her like a mule. For her brother Tom and the little ones, Heaven clung to her pride and her hopes. Someday they'd get away and show the world that they were decent, fine and talented — worthy of love and respect.

Then Heaven's stepmother ran off, and her wicked, greedy father had a scheme — a vicious scheme that threatened to destroy the precious dream of Heaven and the children forever!

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I read Heaven and the whole Casteel series when I was still in High School. V.C. Andrew books were my stay up all night to read books back then. I loved the turns, twists, and straight up craziness of the world she created.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

2011-06-29T05:19:00.004-05:00

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine.

The Name of the Star

Author: Maureen Johnson

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Expected Publication: September 29th 2011

From Goodreads:

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon "Rippermania" takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

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Does that not seem awesome! I'm loving the cover too. I want to read this with something fierce.

Released Today: Shark & Boys and Forbidden

2011-06-28T05:00:00.001-05:00

Sharks & Boys

My Review

Forbidden

My Review

Book Review: Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

2011-06-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

Sometimes It Happens

Author: Lauren Barnholdt

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Expected Publication: July 12th 2011

From Goodreads:

On the last day of her junior year, Hannah's boyfriend Sebastian dumped her. Facing a summer of loneliness, Hannah turns to her best friend Ava for comfort. Ava does what BFFs do: she stays by Hannah's side...until it's time for Ava to head up to Maine for the summer. Also left behind is Ava's boyfriend, Noah, who's such a great guy he gets Hannah a job at the diner he waits tables at. Slowly, Hannah comes out of her funk thanks to Noah's good conversation and their fun times at the diner. But things get complicated when their friendship turns into attraction--and one night, into a passionate kiss.

The novel opens on the first day of senior year; the day Hannah is going to see Ava, Sebastian, and Noah all in one place. Over the course of the day secrets and betrayals are revealed, and alliances are broken and reformed. In the end, everyone is paired up once again, but not the way you might think...

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I know me, and I would swear that I hate books about betrayal and infidelity. Cheating is so not cool! So why o'why do I love Sometimes It Happens?

I really liked Hannah despite the fact that she did a messed up thing. Hannah is just a regular girl not a b*tch so why the hell did she do what she did? This is one of the reasons why I loved this book, I think she showed what being real really is. Sometimes good people do shitty things. Sometimes you can't help who you fall for. Sometimes the consequences aren't enough for you to do the right thing especially when it comes to the heart. Ava, Hannah's best friend is what I would call a High School friend. A friend you will have in high school that won't carry on into adult life. I say that because she comes off very fake and "me,me". Noah, what do I say about him..maybe that I really liked him. He cheated, but I still like him that says a lot about Ms. Barnholdt's writing. He is a very likable character. I was loving Hannah and Noah.

Back to Lauren Barnholdt's writing, I love how she writes. It's so authentic, and hits at the real crap that happens when you are a teen. All the angst..I miss teenage angst. I loved the pacing, characters, and story.

Can you tell that I really liked Sometimes It Happens? If you have a ARC read it, if you don't, pre-order.

Mini Reviews and a DNF

2011-06-24T02:57:00.000-05:00

Mini Reviews

The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead by Paul Elwork

The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead is about lies, and deceiving. Characters were good, but the pacing was slow. It took me awhile to finish because I was constantly putting it down. There were far more slow parts than engrossing.

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Going Too Far was almost a DNF for me but I kept on. What really didn't work for me were the characters. I can't stand goody two shoes characters, or I-make-stupid-decision-because-I'm-a-rebel characters. I really could not stand the main protagonist. I spent most of my time rolling my eyes. I'm in the minority here because it has a really high rating on Goodreads.

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

What happens when your fed up with the opposite sex, in The Lonely Hearts Club you swear off boys and start a club. I enjoyed this book, predictable but cute. I found myself smiling while reading it, but I did think find it hard to believe a bit. I can't see a club like this getting as much attention as it did in high school. Easy fluffy read.

Summer in the City by Elizabeth Chandler

Summer in the City is another predictable cute story. I liked the characters especially Jamie. She was athletic, and tired of being just one of the guys. I liked the relationships. Nothing spectacular, but a good book.

and a DNF

Crusade by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie

Story wise I have no idea if Crusade is a great or even good book. I couldn't get that far. So what was it about Crusade that made it a DNF? The characters. I immediately disliked them all. I found Antonio cheesy and Jenn annoying. As for the others they also grated on my nerves. I might be missing something spectacular but I just don't care.