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.

*****************

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.

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

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.

***********************

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.
--------------------------------------


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.

**********************************

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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