Quick Overview Of What I Read in April

Snuff
Author:  Chuck Palahniuk
Genre:  Fiction
Publisher:  Doubleday
Publication Date:  May 20th 2008
Rating:  3 Stars

From Goodreads:

Cassie Wright, porn priestess, intends to cap her legendary career by breaking the world record for serial fornication.  On camera.  With six hundred men.  Snuff unfolds from the perspectives of Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Mr. 500, who await their turn on camera in a very crowded green room.  This wild, lethally funny, and thoroughly researched novel brings the huge yet underacknowledged presence of pornography in contemporary life into the realm of literary fiction at last.  Who else but Chuck Palahniuk would dare do such a thing?  Who else could do it so well, so unflinchingly, and with such an incendiary (you might say) climax?

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My first Chuck Palahniuk book.  I discovered i'm not a fan of his writing, I kept on rereading sentences because they didn't roll off my tongue.  I thought I was reading the sentence wrong, it affected the flow for me. I did find it entertaining in a voyeurism way,  a waiting area full of men waiting to take there turn with porn star Cassie Wright is a place I'd find interesting if a fly.  I really loved the ending.



Wait For You
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher:  Self Published (ebook) William Morrow & Company (Paperback)
Publication Date:  First published February 25th 2012
Rating: 2 Stars

From Goodreads:


Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago- an event that forever changed her life.  All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe--please God--make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace.  The one things she didn't need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she's building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing...

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a  pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocable stolen from her.  She knows she needs to stay away from him, but  Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and the damn dimple that's just so...so lickable.  Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet...

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she's has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed.  When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar?  And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for....

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Wait For You is just a ehhh book for me.  I've felt like i've read this story before,  to be frank every darn new adult book basically has the same theme.  There is always a damaged female and a good looking man-whore and the plots follow the same formula.  It just irritated me after awhile, but I did get through with it.  Not recommended, unless you like this kind of story and can't get enough of it.


I also read and reviewed Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald Review
And I read  Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella.  I will be reviewing this one soon.

Musing Mondays 4/29

A weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Muse Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week...

• Describe one of your reading habits.

• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those books(s).

• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on?  Tell us about it!

• Do you have a bookish rant?  Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your fire up?  Share it with us!

• Tell us what you're reading right now - what you think of it, so far; why you chose it;  what you are (or, aren't) enjoying it.

• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books - let's hear it, then!

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The book I am most wanting right now, and actually have been for awhile is Everybody Was So Young by Amanda Vaill.  After reading the Paris Wife by Paula McLain, I was intrigued by Gerald and Sara Murphy and wanted to know more about them.  Really i'm just gaga over the 1920's and the literary scene in Paris.  Gerald and Sara came from money and were the center of the literary/artist scene in Paris. They threw so many parties and get-togethers, just imagine the stories these two could have told. I recently read Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald and again they were everywhere in the book.  I've had it in my Amazon shopping cart for awhile, it's not even expensive, I don't know why I haven't bought it yet.  

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It's All for Fun

For awhile now I've thought about shutting down Coffee, Books and Laundry, it just wasn't fun anymore for me.  I pressured myself into trying to write a review on every book I read, and well, some of those books I just didn't have much to say about them.  Then I just stopped writing reviews altogether. After a while I started to miss it, and decided that I wouldn't be so hard on myself.

What I've decided to do is write reviews on books that I have something to say about and books that are given to me for review.  Other books I read throughout the month will go in a monthly overview with a couple of sentences about what I thought of it.  Occasionally I will do a meme if I feel like it that day, nothing will be structured though.

This year my husband and I are doing a husband/wife book club.  Every month we pick a book we both will read and at the end of the month on a date night we discuss the book during dinner.  My husband really isn't a reader, but he really wanted to try this and so far is enjoying it.  On the sidebar is a list of books we've read so far.  I'm thinking about having a dual review on those.  I think it will be interesting to see both his and my thoughts on what we read that month.

My new mantra for this blog is "It's all for fun".

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
Author:  Therese Anne Fowler
Genre:  Fiction
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Publication Date:  March 26th 2013
Rating:  4 stars


I knew I would love this book, if only because of the era 1920's and that it's about Zelda and her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Both fascinate me, mostly because of all the stories I've read about how wonderfully fun and damaged they were with their love for each other.  Most of us have heard of the crazy antics of Zelda, and many people believe she was F. Scott Fitzgerald's downfall, I always chose to think otherwise.  I tend to romanticize their relationship, two eccentric people in love with each other to the brink of insanity and in Zelda's case, to insanity.  Z is a book that I had to read.

I enjoyed Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, it's a fictional account of how life was for Zelda, being inside her brain while being in the midst of the writers and artist of their time is really a fascinating read, especially to fans of literature, and Fitzgerald, in particular.  The egos, competition, and pompousness of these creative types and how it shaped her marriage to Fitzgerald really pulls you in and keeps you reading, so many personalities looking for attention. It seemed beautiful, yet ugly all at the same time.  It's definitely different than most accounts of their love, we mostly hear how Zelda ruined Scott, or how she craved attention and most of the time did outlandish things to demand it, but with Z we get a different perspective of how Zelda was.  I am able to visualize a different Zelda, and one much more whole.  We all have different sides of us, she must have had too.

Z takes us many places, we travel mentally to all the places the Fitzgerald's roamed to.  At times it seemed exhausting to adjust to another location.  I can't imagine the toll it took on the famous couple.  The descriptions of the places are just the right amount for someone who doesn't like too much filler, but seeks to visualize the setting.  Alabama, New York, Paris, and California are just some places we travel to as readers.  The flow of the location changes and Zelda's story are well paced and the writing is good.  Honestly, I am not one that dissects writing and the usage of words, and sentence structure, etc.  I either like a book or don't.  And I really liked Z.

My one problem with Z is one that bothered a few readers, the use of made up letters from Zelda to Scott.  I agree with other reviewers, why make up letters when there is so many preserved and published real ones.  I understand that the book is fiction but it takes something away from the story.  Simply, why?

I do recommend Z:  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, especially to fans of the 1920's and/or readers who like a tale of marriage gone bad.

Musing Mondays 4/22

 

A weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Muse Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week...

• Describe one of your reading habits.

• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).

• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on?  Tell us about it!

• Tell us what you're reading right now - what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are(or, aren't) enjoying it.

• Do you have a bookish rant?  Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your fire up? Share it with us!

• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books - let's hear it, then!

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

I'm currently reading The Dinner by Herman Koch.

I'm on page 62, right now i'm getting to know the characters.  Plot wise it has not moved forward, but i'm hoping with so much insight into the characters, I will be me more invested in the story. I knew from the get go that this was not a plot driven novel, and for me character driven novels are what my Favorites list consist most of.  When I start to emotionally connect with a character, that's it, its' a wrap, i'm in love with the book. Where i'm at in The Dinner i'm still learning about the characters and their quirks.  It still hasn't sucked me in.

Quick Overview of What I Read in March (7 Books)

Book 1
On Writing:  A Memoir of the Craft
Author:  Stephen King
Publisher:  Pocket Books
Publication Date:  June 25th 2002
Rating: 5 stars

From Goodreads:

Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have.  King's advance is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near fatal accident in 1999 and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery.

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Great writing pointers.  Clarifies the writing experience with chapters on language and grammar, as well as editing.  The memoir part keeps your interest.  Very much enjoyed it, and a quick read.

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Book 2
The Dry Grass of August
Author:  Anna Jean Mayhew
Publisher:  Kensington Books
Publication Date:  2011
Rating:  4 Stars

From Goodreads:

In a personal, powerful debut, Mayhew explodes the explosive tensions of the South in the mid-1950's through the prism of a young girl's friendship with her black maid and the currents of violence, infidelity, and corruption that run beneath the police surface of her family's life.

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Resembles the Help in some ways with the racial tensions of the 50's.  But mostly a coming of age story of an 12 yr. old upper middleclass white girl who on a road trip starts to really see the racial divide as she travels with her family and their black maid.  A tearjerker and a very well written novel.
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Pivot Point
Author:  Kasie West
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Publication Date:  February 12th 2013
Ratings:  4 Stars

From Goodreads:

Addison Coleman's life is one big "What if?"  As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes.  It's the ultimate insurance plan against disaster.  Or so she thought.  When Addie's parents ambush her the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with her-her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the "Norms," or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known.  Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy.  One Search six weeks into the future proves it's not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute sensitive artist who understands her.  In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school-but she never wanted to be a quarterback's girlfriend.  When Addie's father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she's unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear.  With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she's willing to live through....and who she can't live without.



Very interesting concept, and executed almost perfectly.  Just a few flaws, basically some answers I wish were answered.  I liked Addison which made for an easy read.  Looking forward to book 2.

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Forgotten
Author:  Catherine McKenzie
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Publication Date:  May 1st 2012
Rating:  2.5 Stars

From Goodreads:

Emma Tupper, a young lawyer with a bright future, sets out on a journey after her mother's death:  to Africa, a place her mother always wanted to visit.  But her mother's dying gift has unexpected consequences.  Emma falls ill during the trip and is just recovering when a massive earthquake hits, turning her one0month vacation into a six-month ordeal.

When Emma returns home, she's shocked to find that her friends and colleagues believed she was dead, that her apartment has been rented to a stranger and that her life has gone on without her.  Can Emma pick up where she left off?  Should she?  As Emma struggles to recreate her old life, everyone around her thinks she should change - her job, her relationships, and even herself.  But does she really want to sacrifice everything she's working so hard to gain?

I had high expectations for Forgotten, but it just didn't work out for me.  It seems pretty crazy to come home and everything that is your life is wiped away, for me Emma's reactions and emotions just didn't seem all that realistic to me.  It was very much "touching the surface" for me.  The romance part of it seemed very rushed and even boring.  Not recommended.

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The First Last Kiss
Author:  Ali Harris
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster
Date Published:  January 17th 2013
Rating: 2.5 Stars

From Goodreads:

This is the story of a love affair, of Ryan and Molly and how they fell in love and were torn apart.  The first time Molly kissed Ryan, she knew they'd be together forever.  Six years and thousands of kisses later she's married to the man she loves.  But today, when Ryan kissed her, Molly realizes how many of them she wasted because the future holds something which neither of them could have ever predicted...


The First Last Kiss is not a memorable read.  I don't remember much about it other than I really didn't care for Molly, though Ryan I did like.  At almost 500 pages it just didn't hold my interest all that well.

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Don't You Forget About Me
Author:  Alexandra Potter
Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date:  July 19th 2012
Rating: 2 Stars

From Goodreads:


After a bad break up, doesn't every girl want the same things? 

*For her ex-boyfriend to stay single forever...
*Or maybe emigrate, to a remote, uninhabited island
*Better still, that she'd never met him the first place!

But what if one of those wished came true?

Tess is heartbroken when Seb breaks up with her and can't help blaming herself.  If only she'd done things differently.  If only she could make right all her regrets...But she can't.  She has to forget about him.  Drunk and upset on New Year's Eve she wished she'd never met him.

But when she wakes up to discover this dream has come true, she realizes she has a chance.  To do it all over again.  And to get it right this time....

This one is definitely a miss for me.  Both Tess and Seb are assholes.  Very hard to enjoy a book when you don't like the main characters.  Really not much to say, just didn't care for it.

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OCD, The Dude, and Me
Author:  Lauren Roedy Vaughn
Publisher:  Dial
Publication Date:  March 21st 2013
Rating:  3 Stars

From Goodreads:

With frizzy orange hair, a plus sized body, sarcastic demeanor, and "unique learning profile," Danielle Levine doesn't fit in even at her alternative high school.  While navigating her doomed social life, she writes scathing, self-aware, and sometimes downright raunchy essays for English class.  As a result of her unfiltered writing style, she is forced to see the school psychologist and enroll in a "social skills" class.  But when she meets Daniel, another social misfit who is obsessed with the cult classic film The Big Lebowski, Danielle's resolve to keep everyone at arm's length starts to crumble.


I enjoyed OCD, The Dude, and Me.  I liked Danielle and find her essays funny.  She's smart and sassy...love that. I find the whole book interesting.

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