Wicked Fun Reads

Where Angles Fall (The Great and Terrible #2)

2010-09-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

Not as strong and intriguing as Book #1 but still powerful.

The characters have now moved from the pre-existance to their mortal lives.

Evil is lurking and calamity is brewing. The stage is being set for the final showdown.

Luke and Ammon are twin brothers, raised by LDS parents. Their father is the top war administrator for the President. Sam is their foster brother. Raised in an ugly and abusive environment and taken in by the Brightons. He becomes a skilled warrior for the U.S. Army.

Elizbeth is born in Persia. Her mother dies from her birth and she is raised by a single father, struggling in the poor country to eek out a living and love his daughter.

The insight into Satan is creepy and very realistic.

My favorite quote...

"But deomcracies, with all their beauties, are also the most fragile of governments known to man. They are delicate and weak and dependent on good. And when the people turn to darkness, their democracies are doomed, for government cannot exceed the moral worth of the people it rules. And while the economic and moral prosperity that follows freedom can provide fertile ground for the truth, history has proven that prosperity will inevitably sprout the weeds of selfishness, pride, and decay.

When the people become physically comfortable, the truth is ignored. And when they become wealthy, the truth is despised."

Rating 4 I LOVED the first one. This one hardly compares but still good.
Rating Rating PG 13 violence having to do with war. Satan and his followers attempt to entice the living, kinda creepy.

Dead Until Dark

2010-09-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Sookie is a small town, southern, cocktail waitress. She proclaims she is afflicted by a 'disability'...mind reading. Sookie has been waiting for something to perk up her dull life. That's when Bill the vampire shows up and Sookie's life goes from dead to deadly.

I adore Bill the vampire. I can get into the mystery. I am not yet totally offended by the graphic nature. The sex was a little explicit. I am totally down with Sookie's 'disability'. But Heaven help her personality. What the heck does Bill want with her? It's okay that she is a little 'old fashion', naive, and unsophisticated....maybe it's the way she speaks. Something about her rubs me the wrong way. I guess I will have to learn to live with it because I plan on continuing the series, at least to the next book.

Rating 3.5 Obviously Sookie drives me to drinking but I did like the rest of the book.
Rating R Graphic violence, graphic sex, murder.

Magic Study

2010-09-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

Yelena has moved South, left her job as food taster, and her love, Valek. She meets her familly and learns about her magical abilities.

A definite drop in score for Magic Study. Even though I took issue with Poison Study for its simplistic writing style I still had a pretty serious book crush on it. I was leery of book #2 as I usually am.....and I was right.

I personally don't take change easily in my own life or when I come to know a character in a book. I was not excited that Yelena had to leave behind Ixia and travel South. The story ended up not being half bad. I just had to get used to it. But I did miss Valek with a heated passion.

Later things began getting sketchy. I appreciated that even though there was a rape in Poison, it was written with some dignity. But please......Snyder, don't make this a running theme. I don't want to hear about anymore brutality. STOP with the raping. Yelena went from a sharp awesome character to a nut job that forged ahead without thought. When Valek finally shows up later in the book.....after the magic and the characters have taken a nose dive...he is unrecognizeable. I don't know who he is any more. I am glad he loves Yelena...but he is a simpering sissy that says 'my love' all of the time. Once made my heart beat rather quickly....the successive times made vomit come up in my mouth a little bit.

I still think the writing style is very simple...like grade 5. Then Snyder throws in some sex and rape. Choose an audience!

After all of the complaints, I still liked the book and will continue the series to see if Valek ever mans up or Yelena gets control of her teen rebellion.

Rating 3 Not enough manly Valek and I don't like that Yelena doesn't think before acting. The friendships are endearing, including the horse.
Rating PG 13 More rape and brutality, sex.

Poison Study

2010-09-13T09:45:00.000-07:00

Up front I have to say that this isn't a clear 4 stars and I have a hard time pinpointing why. I loved the characters. I felt like the author had a great grip on who they were. Exploring the physical and psychological issues was accomplished very well. The fantasy was just enough but not so much that I lost interest (I can only delve so deep into fantasy lit.........shudder). The main character Yelena was extremely smart and strong. I loved her. The whole idea of the book was just smashing.

Here's the problem. Lots of times I felt like I would love to have my 10 year old daughter read this and then there would be a little swearing, eventually a rape (which was written not overly graphically). I believe the reason I kept thinking that it would be a great book for my girl was because it was written in such a rudimentary way. Maybe that sounds harsh. The writing was very simple but involved some adult themes. I questioned whether I was reading a book for 5th graders or young adults. It bothered me.

Still, I was charmed by the main idea (Yelena being saved from the gallows to become a food taster for the Commander and having to learn to identify poison.) This also included how not just the poison in the food but how we can be poisoned by lies, secrets, and abuse.

So there. I leave it at a 4 and hope that the writing for the next books becomes more intricate and developed.

Rating 4

Rating PG 13 language, rape, alluding to sex

Kiss Of Life (Generation Dead #2)

2010-07-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

*Spoilers......and overall uninteresting if you haven't read Generation Dead*
After Adam is killed by Pete, a zombie hater, he returns to life. Phoebe feels love and guilt that Adam died saving her. Since Adam is techincally still walking around, Pete was not convicted of murder. Phoebe spends a lot of time with Adam since she was told that love brings the undead back faster. Adam struggles with simple movement and speech. The rights of the undead are being tried. Groups are out to see the zombies returned to complete death or to do scientific research on them.

I could go on and on but the book really wasn't as good as the first one. I was excited to pick this book up to see what happened with the zombie love triangle between Phoebe and Adam and Tommy. I wish I had only checked it out from the library instead of purchasing it. It took forever for the book to go anywhere. Not until the very end is there very much action but it felt unfinished. I hate second books that are merely a bridge to book three.

I will definitely read the next book in the series, "Passing Strange", because it has one of the better characters, Karen, a zombie sometimes passing as human. By the end of the book we are unsure what has happened to her. I have the feeling that there will be loose ends even as the series wraps up. I also have suspicions about what will happen next and will be glad to have everything explained.

Rating 3 Meh.......
Rating PG 13 Death, zombies, murder, torture, language.

1001 Things You Didn't Know You Wanted To Know

2010-07-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

I love facts. I do. I love finding out little tidbits of information. This book was read during a party. If you know me at all......you know this is pretty probable. The book was laying about when picked up by another guest. She started in on all of the fact telling. It got to be a bad habit. By the end of the party we had read the whole book. It was like a sick compulsion to share every fact we read. When you read this book make sure there is at least one other person with you. You will be so compelled to tell someone what you just read that you will not be able to contain the urge. If you are alone I swear to you......you will be speaking aloud to thin air.

There were some things that we already knew (ex. A female gives only X chromosomes and it's up to the male to give an X or Y......determining the gender of the offspring. Please......if you are in any way sexually active....please, please tell me you know this.) There were some things that were too boring to mention. But most of them were interesting and fun.

Rating 4 Fun book to read with other people. Great introvert tool for conversing with the enemy (anyone else you don't know).
Rating PG 13 There is a section on sex, which my little party friend tried to skip........but I went right for it as soon as she let go of the book.

Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors #1)

2010-06-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

If you have ever needed external motivation to beef up your food storage......here it is. It heightened my naturally high anxiety level to 'frantic'. I plan to begin stock piling wood, asprin, batteries, fuel, canned fruit and veggies, and canned chicken, like nobody's business. And I am beginning to think that my vaulted ceiling was a mistake. It won't hold in enough heat when the ash comes. I'm getting ahead of myself.....

Teenager Miranda is your run of the mill girl. She worries about blog stalking her Olympic crush. She's a little shallow. She wants less homework and worries about her changing friendships. Then a once a life time meteor collision with the moon goes from block party atmosphere to apocalyptic. The moon is pushed closer to the Earth causing it's gravitation to spur one natural disaster after another. No longer is Miranda worried about which sport to play or the fact that she is growing apart from her childhood friends. Survival is at the forefront. Sacrifice, starvation, desolation, and death quickly take the place of free spirited American life. Miranda captures it all in journal entries.

This is a superb work of post-apocalyptic fiction. It is so believeable that you can't decide whether to keep reading or start hoarding. It is very simply written and a tad slow at the beginning. The simplicity makes it scarier on one hand. The sense of desperation and grueling day to day survival is vivid. And then sometimes I felt like the simplicity also took away. I didn't get the sense of urgency that I think would exist during a crisis. That took it down a point for me. Also, I am now realizing......hello! Where was your weapon stock pile? How were they going to defend their wood, asprin, and canned chicken for Pete's sake. That part is so unrealistic I can't believe I forgot it was one of the point deductors. And I just have to put in my 2 cents....I realize the author can write any old thing she wants and if I were to author a book I could splatter my opinions everywhere....but I didn't like the Conservative slamming, from President bashing (which granted I would do if the President in the book I wrote were a so Liberal he was suffocating) to making Christians look like Kool-Aid sipping nut jobs. I think I may have been more forgiving if this book wasn't aimed at a younger audience. Just my opinion.

Rating 4
Rating PG 13 Crisis situations, death, destruction, scarey situations, talk of promiscuity.

A Loving Heart (Dicken's Inn #3)

2010-06-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

*Spoilers*

The third installment of the Dicken's Inn saga picks up where the second left off. Chas is pregnant with their second child. Jackson has been baptized and they are looking forward to the time when they can be sealed in the temple.
We immediately find out that the baby Chas is carrying has a heart defect and may die at or before birth. Jackson's former FBI associate calls to see if he will accept a woman in protective custody (hiding from the mob) at the Dicken's Inn. Jackson's sister comes to stay with the family to help. Her son, a soldier in the war in the Middle East is injured and ends up moving in to the inn. And Jackson's old FBI team member finally comes for a visit to help with the woman they are harboring........he may never end up leaving.

I think this may have been the best book in this series so far. Jackson was all manly and cop like, which is a plus. I do appreciate the way that Stansfield's characters approach situations and handle themselves very graciously and very gospel oriented, but I don't find it at all realistic. This time Jackson seemed more human to me......especially when he whipped out his duty weapon. Aside from the totally obnoxious fact that the characters are usually independently wealthy and function together as a couple.........ALL day, EVERY day (Which I consider to be the biggest work of fiction in these books)...the book was much more palatable. It didn't have the emotional turmoil that many times harrows up these books. I am ready for this series to be over. I love Jackson and if he actually worked full time as an agent or a police officer he would probably be a much better character........but he runs an inn.....and is a little demasculinized by it.

Rating 3.5 More action. Jackson actually uses a weapon....which he stopped wearing when he retired......and I find absurd. The storyline containing the new baby was good and even though it was traumatic, it wasn't so mentally emotional that I felt like a dog going in cirlces after my tail.
Rating PG Shooting!!!!

A Great And Terrible Beauty

2010-06-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

A Great And Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Gemma is left at a Victorian England boarding school after she witnesses the death of her mother in a vision. She quickly realizes that she is an outsider in a place she used to long for. Transplanted from India into a group of hostile mean girls, in a society she once ached for but now regrets how her desires came about. Gemma is paired with Ann, another outcast. Her quick wit, snarkiness and eventually her powers to see beyond, cause the elite girls to see her as an asset. The girls form a secret society using Gemma's supernatural powers. They begin to realize the power they are capable of.....power to have anything they desire.

Beautiful title, lovely book cover, likeable and entertaining story. The drawback for me are the vision scenarios...I didn't get into them, or maybe I did. I didn't like the feeling of confusion, darkness, dreaminess. It didn't make sense to me or wasn't concrete enough for me to grasp. The lurking evil wasn't really explained well enough for it to feel as truly menacing as it should have been. I think the book was capable of being much scarier which would have given it the substance needed to make it a great book.

Rating 3.5
Rating PG 13 Murder, supernatural.....scarey elements, sensuality.

The Wedding Dress

2010-06-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Dress by Carrie Young

A compilation of short stories detailing life in the early 1900's on the plains of North Dakota. The fictional stories feel real. Some of them give the sense of ghost stories where you are just waiting for the creepy ending which never comes. The stories are sweet, engaging, and poignant. The characters are good, solid, moral people. Endings were not always happy but the morality always shined through.

Rating a good solid 3 Easy to pick up and read bit by bit or as a whole.
Rating G

Rumors A Luxe Novel

2010-06-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong to swoon over a cover of a book so much that you don't care what takes place inside? I would love to put on this blood red frosting and walk right into New York elite society 1899.

Spoilers if you haven't read The Luxe.

Elizabeth has gone to meet Will in a very underdescribed manner....out West. Diana is hot for Henry. Henry is hot for Di. The fact that Henry was engaged to Diana's dead sister is keeping them apart. Penelope is a hot mess as far as I am concerned. Her kitty claws are out and ready to capture Henry. Lina, the personal maid that Elizabeth fired is on the loose and vying for a place in a society she has envied her whole life.

I was completely caught up in The Luxe. This book was a severe disappointment. I quickly tire of the intrigue, gossip, backstabbing and jealousy. I just want the people in love to get together. The surprise ending was a nightmare.........a serious, serious nightmare which I don't understand. And it will lead me to pick up the next book as soon as I can.

Rating 3 I HATED the end of this book. It magnified how in need the rest of the book was.
Rating PG mature themes but not entirely dirty

Spirit Bound (A Vampire Academy Novel #5)

2010-06-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

If I haven't mentioned before.....I really hate the pictures on these books. The people are not that hot and they are too old.
Well, somehow I have submerged myself right into another love triangle. I fall for it every time but I am getting REALLY tired of it. Dimitri is still Strigoi and still alive after Rose failed to kill him. She has returned to the Academy in time to graduate and become a guardian. During this time she has promised Adrian to give a fair shot to a relationship with him. The whole cast of gradutates go to court to await their new stations in life.
Rose has hatched a plan to use Lissa's spirit magic to somehow change Dimitri from Strigoi back to dhampir. She needs information from the one person claiming to have already worked this magic. This includes breaking an enemy out of a secure Moroi prison.
There are lots of side stories. The book was entertaining as usual but by the time I reached the surprise ending and realized that this was NOT going to end the series I was.......perturbed to say the least. I don't know how much more I can take of Rose not being settled in a relationship. I want her to be with both Adrian and Dimitri......this seems to be a running theme in my life, er well, my literary life.
The side stories were good. The romance went up a notch. The mysterious ending left me intruguied but praying that the next book will put an end to it all. And finally, getting a little sick of the love triangle angle.

Rating 4 I will fully admit this is due to the emotion I felt over Dimitri, the gladness I felt over Rose and Adrian hooking up, and the intriguing ending.
Rating R Very strong language for teen fiction including multiple uses of the F word, sexual situations, smoking, alcohol consumption by teens, contraception.

The Luxe

2010-06-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

I have heard this series likened to Gossip Girl. Since I have no idea what that is I can't say one way or the other. I suspect it wasn't always a flattering comaprison though. Either way.......I have to admit up front that I liked this book. Originally I was attracted to the cover like a child to a chocolate bar. The dress is phenominal! I still put off picking it up and reading it for a very long time......but like anything pink and glittery, I will eventually sucumb.
Elizabeth Holland is at the top of the richie rich game in New York elite society 1899. She is in love with the stable boy. She is engaged to Henry Schoonmaker; rich, handsome, playboy. Liz's bestie, evil biddy wrapped in scarlet, Penelope Hayes.....wants her finely sharpened claws dug into Henry. Liz's little sis Diana is in love with the Henry that no one else sees. Not a one of them is going to get what they want.
I can admit this is a fluff piece. Yet I really connected with the heartfelt desire to have what you can't. I am not kidding, I even shed a tear......well a few. Yes, it was pool side and I do consider this light reading. But I did feel strongly about the girls.....the saner two....having to watch while what they wanted more than anything slipped from their fingers.

Rating 4.......I know, sort of fluffy for a 4 but I tell you, I'm in it for the desire.
Rating PG 13 Sneaking off to the stables and the green house, or one of the many kitchens in your mansion for a tryst gets you a PG 13. It wasn't salacious really or even well described but I wouldn't want my 10 year old to read this even though she is literate enough.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

2010-06-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

An Eclipse Novella

Meyer's Eclipse spin off novella was a sweet little bite to hold me over until the end of this month! I am glad that I read this on line at Meyer's website http://www.breetanner.com/ . It was a nice change from the Bella/Edward/Jacob intensity.
Bree was one of Victoria's newborn army, made to wipe out Bella. The story doesn't involve much of Bree's background which she has forgotten after being made a vampire. I was happy to see someone else's perspective but disappointed that I didn't really get the feeling of hunger and desperate desire that I thought would be driving Bree at her new stage. I guess if she had been so overtaken with blood lust there wouldn't have been much of a story or any conversation.
Even though I knew she would end up dying by the end I still felt bad. I had some connection with her and wished that she could have stayed with the Cullens.

Rating 3 Interesting but not the best. I felt like it was a bit of a ploy for more royalties........so I am glad that I read it online.
Rating PG Some gore.......vampire feeding.

My Horizontal Life

2010-06-06T22:28:00.000-07:00

My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler

I'm pretty sure that this is one of those things you shouldn't admit to liking. I thought it was a book I could keep under wraps and no one would be the wiser. Then my hubby found it.........and read it before I could.

Chelsea Handler has no shame when it comes to laying out what she can recall of her wild sex life. The antecdotes were funny and somewhat surprising what she wasn't willing to do.
The read, like many loose girls was cheap and easy. The language was foul. The alcohol was flowing. How she didn't spot the gay guy I attribute to Ecstacy blindness. I feel like I should soon take an oath to get back on the wagon of cleaner entertainment......right after I read Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang! Bang!

Rating 2.5 I can't rate it higher than 'Vodka' which was a better book. Still docking points for the blatant vulagrity and obvious alcohol and drug abuse......there can be too much of a good thing.
Rating R Sex, language, drugs, alcohol.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea

2010-06-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea

I shudder to admit that I read this. But it was still funny. Chelsea Handler of Chelsea Lately, a stand up comedian and unacknowledged alcoholic busts out short stories in this memoir. As you may know, I am not a fan of many a memoir. Ruined by 'Running With Scissors', I don't need to know the sick details of your putrid up bringing. She keeps the family parts pretty upbeat though. No molestation or reading your own fecal matter like tea leaves.
I am struggling between giving this book a 1 and an X rating for her obscene amounts of consumed alcohol, Ecstasy, and men.........and possibly a 3 and an R because I laughed pretty hard at parts. She and her father together are a crack up. Her dad reminds me of the dad on King of Queens.
This book is light reading and pretty funny but beware.......so, so foul which is not a surprise if you have ever heard of Chelsea Handler.

Rating 2.5 I did laugh, but her explicit language and extreme substance abuse, whether real or beefed up....got a little tiring. At some point it stops being funny.
Rating R Lots of sex, lots of language, lots of drugs and drinking.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

2010-05-31T14:16:00.000-07:00

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith

I tried........I delayed, and yet my weak will collapsed. I Bought Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I was wholly enchanted by the cover. Giddy with anticipation of zombie mayhem combined with the goodness of Austen love.....I delved into the depths of England overtaken with Satan's army. I don't care who you are, this is a good idea. If you feel now that you should stop, and possibly have my ability to be literate held behind lock and key with Federal Marshals at ready........well you are living on a nut farm and I do not wish to visit your parched and dry life there.

Austen alone is well worth the read for most women. But add puss, vomit, and brain craving zombies and you now have a book worth making room for in your purse. Tote this with you and read whenever possible. After headily trying to recall which bits of this novel were original.....I said, "To Hell with it." This is the way it was surely intended to be. Darcy is much more palatable when weilding weaponry. His standoffish and uptight behavior seem nearly manly and desireable when accompanied with musketry. And lo and behold, Miss Elizabeth Bennett you are now my hero. Able to slay the undead with out the blink of an eye. To use all manner of sword, dagger, gun and physical prowess to take on the stumbling zombies of the English countryside. And as Mr. Darcy is humble enough to profess his true feelings of love.......Elizabeth will hear none of his amore......she beats the holy tar out of him. Heaven help us all, this is how Pride and Prejudice was meant to be.
Here, the proper use of pus and vomit..."As dinner continued in this manner, Elizabeth's eye was continually drawn to Charlotte, who hovered over her plate, using a spoon to shovel goose meat and gravy in the general direction of her mouth, with limited success. As she did, one of the sores beneath her eye burst, sending a trickle of bloody pus down her cheek and into her mouith. Apparently, she found the added flavor agreeable, for it only increased the frequency of her spoonfuls. Elizabeth, however, could not help but vomit ever so slightly into her handkerchief."

Rating 4.5 Loved it! The only detraction was the original writing which can get wordy when you just want some vomit, zombie whoopin', and Darcy to finally make his move.
Rating PG Bloody zombie killing, zombies eating people, vomit, ninjas, and one point where Elizabeth returns the balls belonging to Darcy's weapon and there is sexual inuendo (which was funny:) ).

Not My Daughter

2010-05-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky

Three bright, college bound teens make a pact to become pregnant and have babies. News of the pact is quickly leaked by one of the friends. The community's anger and disappointment is soon turned on one of the mothers......also the principal of the highschool. The mother having been pregnant herself at seventeen but still making a successful life.

The story drew me in when I wondered, 'What the heck were they thinking?" And then......pft, what they were thinking was never really explained. The girls decided after a summer of babysitting that they, as mature 17 year old girls, could be better mothers than the ones they worked for. Also it seemed so fun to have something of your own. I would like to offer up that a kitten would have been a better choice.

The book had its points. The mothers did question their culpability in the situation, wondering if they had parented wrong. And as far as the book describes, they probably didn't, but it is a question asked by most parents. It was just a foolish pact between the girls. Once the gossip mill started there were some hard times. It described fairly well what it can be like in a small town where your business is everyone elses. The maturity of the girls seemed to be on target. They were ridiculous fools. And even though Delinsky showed this........I was still more than irked. The girls were idiots. They never had a good reason for doing something SO life changing. Beyond the passing mention of adoption or abortion, the options were never really given any creedence. The main teen Lily said more than once that she didn't want the father in the picture because she wanted the baby to be 'hers'. It made me so violently angry that I wanted to poke her in the eye. So self centered and immature I wanted the community to rip her to shreds. By the end.....probably the worst part........the whole package is tied up in a snappy little bow. The babies are all born healthy. All of the parents accept the babies and their daughters. The girls live at home and get taken care of by their parents. I'm not saying that that situation isn't probably true to life at times......I just didn't like it.

Rating 2 Okay, I wanted somewhere in the book to have better options or to show the struggle.....or to at least show someone with enough maturity to say 'hey what's best for the poor baby?'.
Rating PG 13 Teen pregnancy, subject of abortion, sex between an unmarried adult couple, teen sex

The Council of Dads

2010-05-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler

New York Times Best Selling Author Bruce Feiler is known for his books on walking. 'Walking the Bible' even being turned into a PBS documentary. His livelyhood having very much to do with walking. Then an astonishing blow. A cancerous tumor on his femur. Not only could he lose his leg, his ability to walk, his livelyhood, Bruce could lose his life. As the father of 3 year old twins he was heartbroken.

This book is Bruce's attempt at making a safety net if he should succumb to the cancer. He gathered men representing stages of his life and characteristics that he wanted his girls to know about him if he could not be with them. Fantastic idea.

I found myself interested more in the medical aspect of the book and his day to day life with his wife and children. The Council of Dads was a great idea and the men had wonderful ideas about what they would do and say for the girls. But somehow I found myself not wanting to have anything to do with the council. Bruce seemed like a great father. I resented the fact that he might die and leave his wife and daughters. I didn't want him to die and I didn't like that he was making any kind of arrangements should events turn in that direction. I'm not saying he shouldn't have because as a good father he was doing something awesome for his daughter's future. I just didn't want him to die and I refused to be party to his planning for a dim future......so there.

At one point he and his wife go to visit the place where he will someday be buried. I think this was the saddest part for me. He writes........."Tears were streaming down our cheeks, salt trickling into our mouths. The rain was matting our hair. My crutches tumbled to the ground. And in the darkened cathedral of a Bonaventure thundershower, we clung to each other, pressed our foreheads together, and kissed on the land where we would one day rest forever. "

Rating 4 Great writing, good idea, smart articulate men.
Rating G Clean but a grave situation.

The Dead-Tossed Waves

2010-05-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth)

Years have passed since Mary left the Forest of Hands and Teeth. She lives at the edge of the ocean, caring for the lighthouse and the beach. Her own daughter, Gabry, is not as daring and adventurous as Mary. Gabry wants nothing more than to be safe and stay in her small seaside town with her new love Catcher.

As many teens are prone to do, Gabry follows her friends outside of the barriers that keep the village safe from the Mudo. When a Breaker attacks the group of friends, turning many into the undead, Gabry flees to the safety inside of the barriers. Catcher is contaminated with a Mudo bite. The ones not 'turned' are captured by the Recruiters and locked up to await punishment for endangering the whole community.

Mary decides it is time to go back to the Forest and reclaim the past she left behind. Gabry, too afraid to follow her mother, stays behind. Gabry wonders why she can't be brave like her mother and adventerous like her friends. When she finds out Catcher is still alive and outside of the barriers, but contaminated with the virus that will turn him into an undead, Gabry tries to find the inner gumption to leave the community and brave the dangers outside of the barriers for the boy she always saw herself loving.

At the beginning of the book I felt a little like I wasn't reading a sequel. The unconsecrated are now called Mudo, meaning 'mute'. The fast Mudo are called Breakers. You turn Breaker if there are not enough Mudo around when you are infected. I didn't feel like these were covered very well. I felt like I walked into the middle of a conversation. Then the more I thought about it, I realized that this was many years after the first book and it took place in a society that knew more about the zombies.

I would have like to delve into the reason for the zombies and how the rest of the new civilization worked. I do however LOVE this author's writing style and the way she puts the words together. She uses very descriptive words in a way that I would not think to put them together, but then somehow you understand exactly what she was trying to evoke.

I am pretty sure that I marked a lot of quotes but now that I am looking at my markers I see that my kidlets have pulled most of them out:(

"His words cut into me, his desires and dreams mingling with my own, throwning at me everything I've lost. Everything that will never be mine."

Gabry's life strays completely from the narrow path she saw for herself in the future and she miraculously steps onto it with bravery that I don't know if I could muster.

Rating 4 Great, great writing style. I was still interested in the Mudo virus and the society that was built up after the Return, which I didn't get many answers to.
Rating PG No language or sexuality really. Just some sensual kissing and peril.

Courting Miss Lancaster

2010-05-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Courting Miss Lancaster by Sarah M. Eden

'Courting Miss Lancaster' is the sequel to 'Seeking Persephone'. I was given this book and read it without knowing there was a volume preceding it. I did not find that I needed the previous volume to understand this one.

Harry Windover has fallen for Athena Lancaster. Poor Harry can never be thought of as an eligible match for her though because he is nearly penniless. To make Harry's suffering even worse, Harry's best friend is Athena's guardian, and he asks Harry's assistance in finding Athena a suitable gentleman. Harry decides to show Athena what she doesn't want in a suitor. Gentlemen with alarming characteristics are introduced and quickly turned away. With every debacle, Athena needs Harry's comfort more. What she doesn't understand is that love isn't always like a lightening bolt, sometimes it grows quietly.

Clean, sweet romance! Even though there must be some...misunderstanding.....to wrench your heart and make you cringe in agony, it's not so bad that you start to hate the story. Fun, super fast read. I think I am convinced to find its predecessor and read it too.

Rating 3.5 Sweet, cute, fun, cuddly if necessary......just like you think it would be.
Rating G Pretty darn clean.

Recovering Charles

2010-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

Recovering Charles by Jason F. Wright

Wright is the author of 'Christmas Jars' and 'Wednesday Letters'. In 'Recovering Charles' Wright's main character, Luke Millward is a lost soul. He is a successful photographer that has little personal connection to anyone except his friend Jordan. Jordan and Luke met in college and have remained close, though Luke cannot bring himself to make Jordan his wife.
Hurricane Katrina hits the lower South. Luke discovers that his estranged, alcoholic father was lost in the fray. Luke has never come to terms with his father's desperate dive into alcholism. As a teen, Luke's mother died of a drug overdose. His father has never been able to reconcile himself and turned quickly to the soft sholder of alcohol. Charles (Charlie, Luke's father.) stopped contacting Luke at his request. He became a nomad, traveling for cards, liquor and his deep love of music. Charlie found his life again, in New Orleans playing jazz and getting clean.
Luke takes his time making the trek from New York to the hard hit South. He finds way more than he thought he would. Initially he agrees to go as a photographer. Through the eye of his lense he sees a nation ravaged by nature but saved by the amazing heart of humanity.
The story as a whole was meaty enough to enjoy. I was crushed by the aftermath of Katrina. The characters were very loveable.......except for Luke. I could never understand exactly when his heart turned from disgust with his father to love and regret. Luke was a mystery and not very well written as a main character. The end was rushed and left me to wonder what happened:(

Rating 3.5 There were salvageable parts; Katrina, the characters, Charlie's struggle through alcoholism and twelve step recovery.
Rating PG Lots of death and destruction.

Dramarama

2010-05-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Two teens from small town Ohio dream of making it big on stage. Demi is gay and black and determined to leave small town forever.....leave behind what small town expects him to be and what his parents grit their teeth and bear. Sadye (Sarah) can't wait to leave behind being a nobody, that nobody understands. So the two bestfriends audition for summer drama camp.

Once they make it to Wildewood Academy; one of them sees their dreams quickly coming to fruition while the other realizes that though their love for the arts makes their heart beat, they might not have what it takes to be the big star.

There's lots of love, laughter, singing, dancing, and a strain on true friendship. If you have not had much experience with musicals or theater, you may struggle with the references to the multitude of productions spoken about. At the end the author leaves a list of movies and a playlist that the characters like.

Rating 3 Loved the musical and theater parts. Sweet book about owning who you are and making it work. Worth a quick read.

Rating PG 13 Underage drinking, homosexuality, sexual references.

Impossible

2010-05-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

The song 'Scarborough Fair' takes the starring role as a curse. Lucy is a regular girl living with her foster parents. Her life takes a dramatic change; her crazy birthmother shows up just as Lucy is heading off to her first prom, a strange and enchanting man shows up for dinner at her parent's house, her long time neighbor/best friend Zach, moves into her house, and her prom date becomes posessed and rapes her.
Lucy realizes that the song 'Scarborough Fair' isn't just a song her looney mother sang because she was nuts. It is a curse, a riddle, and a warning. Lucy has to find a way to accomplish all of the tasks in the riddle, in order to break the curse put on all of the women in her family by an Elfin Knight. She only has a short amount of time to break the curse before she becomes crazy......as all of the women before her have.

Lucy was easily likeable. She is quiet and determined and makes the strange plot easy to believe. Lucy and Zach quickly fall in love despite their ages. Zach, along with Lucy's very supportive parents, help her unwind the riddle that will soon take her mind. I didn't really end up liking Soledad (Lucy's foster mother) very much. I think somehow I took her to be a liberal, granola......and she never sat well with me most of the time.

Rating 4 Loved Lucy and Zach together. I loved the magical quality and unique way that the song was turned into a curse. The characters where a great group that I became attached to.

Rating PG 13 Rape, teen pregnancy, information about abortion, evil magic used to cause a mental disorder and to coerce someone into being a sex slave.

Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons

2010-04-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

Exploring the Connection Between Mormons and Masons by Matthew B. Brown

Brown tidily lays out why LDS temples and temple ordinance work is not founded or copied from Freemasonry. The book, as non-fiction is informative, especially the footnotes, but not a wild and intense read. Much of the information you probably already knew if you are LDS. Also, because Brown did not want to leak or slander the sacred LDS ordinances or Freemason rituals, there was actually little he could say......which is probably why you picked the book up in the first place (to get all of the nitty gritty!).
Brown does a good job of laying out the facts in a timeline fashion so that they are easy to understand. And he proves his point well.....if you already agreed with the point he was making. However, if you are not LDS, you probably don't really care about what he has to say. He assumes that the reader will count revelation, visions, and other spiritual activity as a plausable way of gleening information. While I do.......not everyone does. So, you could be left saying.........'Well, the whole shebang could have just been lied about or made up."

Rating 3 It didn't rot. I was interested. I understand why this wasn't some 'Enquirer' expose...BUT it did leave you wondering why you really read it. The footnotes were probably some of the best parts.
Rating G

Shadowland

2010-04-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

Shadowland (Immortals #3) by Alyson Noel

*Spoiler in here, if you can really spoil this book.
Ever and Damen are unable to solidify their eternal bond because Ever added her blood to the elixer that saved Damen. Now, if their bodily fluids mix, their immortal souls willl perish and be sent to Shadowland. Ever wants more than anything to rectify the situation. Damen at first decides that this is all because of bad karma that he caused by being so self centered for 600 years.
Ever tries to persuade the elusive Roman to give her the information she needs. Roman in turn tells her she will have to pay the price (which Ever imagines is probably sex, but turns out to be saving her friend Haven from death by having to decide if Haven becomes immortal or dies). Damen decides to dress like he shops at Wal-mart and ride the bus in order to turn his karma around. Pointlessness.....upon pointlessness.
Ever gets a job at a psychic shop. The owner, Jude, turns out to be a major player in their immortal game. It seems that we now find Jude has followed Ever throughout her lives and that he may have also been her boyfriend/lover. Damen thinks that because he has persued Ever throughout time, that he has actually negated her agency to choose and now leaves her to spend time with Jude and decide once and for all whom she wants to be with. In the mean time, he cares for two twin witches that left Summerland in the last book, and have now lost their magik.
The whole book was like an after-thought/segue (and not a smooth one) to book #4.

Rating 3 I can connect with the whole I wish we weren't damned to hell if we touch each other......meh, okay, that's horrible. But the rest of the story was blah. Ever's friendships are dull and shallow. Ever and Damen can't do anything but wish they were together. The whole Jude ordeal may have been interesting if we were ever given anymore information than 'he followed her through every life'.
Rating PG........honestly I can't remember....they can't do more than kiss with a magic forcefield between them so it couldn't have gotten too bad.

The Sugar Queen

2010-04-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Josey Cirrini exists in a small town that holds it memories and judgements like iron fetters. Everyone remembers what a beast of a child she was. Everyone knows now that she lives with her harsh elderly mother and does nothing but care for her. Everyone knows she is plump and alone. Josey knows she loves sweets and Adam the mailman, and no one else can know. In a totally bizarre and magical twist, Josey opens her closet one day to find Della Lee......a local waitress. Della Lee refuses to leave the confines of the closet, saying only that she won't be there for long before she moves on. In her rough and caring way, Della Lee helps Josey open up to life. Soon she isn't going to her closet for sweets but to see Della Lee. Josey finds friendship and possibly LOVE?

This book didn't seem that interesting when I heard about it. It came with good recommendations and I did like the author's other book 'Garden Spells'. What do you know? I loved it. I read it lickedy split. The book was magical and a little mysterious. Josey was able to make a friend after years of being alone. Many times I don't like books that lend to a 'sisterly' theme because they tend to cut everyone else out of the picture. This book wasn't like that. The girls met and became a great support to each other right away. There were also some really great quotes in this book. Allen has a beautiful way with words.

----------

"It feels like he's taken your heart, doesn't it?....Like he's reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like he doesn't know, like he doesn't know he's holding your heart in his hand and you're dying from him."

"You'd be surprised how easy some things can be, things you never thought you'd do, when you take self-restpect out of the equation."

"Sometimes you weren't supposed to share pain. Sometimes it was best just to deal with it alone."

"She'd always known he didn't love her. But it was easier to bear when he didn't know she loved him. That way they were even. Now he knew he had all the power."

Rating PG domestic abuse, an affair, murder, ghosts
Rating 4.5 Only because I probably won't read it again soon, but I loved the magical qualities and Allen's descriptiveness.

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4)

2010-04-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) by Richelle Mead

Spoilers.........
Book #3 ends with Dimitri becoming Strigoi and Rose running off from the Academy to end his life.

Rose has taken off to Siberia in hopes of tracking Dimitri back to his hometown. She promised to kill him if he ever became one of the undead. She meets up with Sydney, an alchemist. This is a new twist in the VA books. An alchemist is a human that is like your basic 'men in black'. They clean up after Strigoi have been killed. Syndey is able to lead Rose to Dimitri's family.
Rose quickly learns that Dimitri's mother and sisters have no idea of his death. She is obligated to come clean with the terrible events that she hasn't yet come to grips with. The family comes to love Rose and treat her like Dimitri's widow. They do not know that Rose has come to kill him.
Eventually Dimitri finds that Rose has come to hunt him down. He takes her to an estate in Siberia. She is held captive. Dimitri tries to convince her that he is the same but better as a Stigoi and that Rose she allow him to turn (he calls it awaken) her so that they can be together. During her captivity, Dimitri drinks from Rose and she becomes addicted to the vampire endorphins.
During her travels, Rose meets another bonded pair, like Lissa and herself. The woman is a spirit user and is able to help Rose learn more about Spirit and healing. As she is away from the academy, Lissa finds another friend in Avery, the new headmaster's daughter. The deeper their friendship grows, the stranger and more dangerous Lissa begins to act.
It all comes to a head, when Rose must decide to become Strigoi or die. She searches for some clue that Dimitri is still himself and still in love with her. When she realizes that this isn't true, she knows she must kill him and return to Lissa before Avery kills Lissa.

The more I read about Rose, the more I like her. She reminds me a little of myself. I'm not totally into the whole bondmate thing though. I still don't find myself really feeling for Lissa. I was more interested in the to kill or not to kill your soulmate issue. I guess I'm not really like Rose........she was able to descern if there was any real Dimitri left in the Strigoi Dimitri. I would have taken one look, seen the man I loved and probably did whatever he wanted. This book did contain more Rose/Dimitri and less Lissa, so even though there was no happy ending, it was a likeable book.

Rating 4 Love me some Dimitri.
Rating PG 13 Sensualality, swearing, danger, fighting, drug use (vampire endorphin), crack whores (blood whores but the same general idea)

A Far, Far Better Place

2010-03-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

A Far, Far Better Place by Anita Stansfield

Well you already know my opinion about having a police type in the book. Anita couldn't have chosen a better character. She did not however take my advice and make him normal.....meaning, living on the wages the state feels inclined to drizzle his way. Ah, but he is so manly no matter his independent wealth.

Former Agent Jackson Leeds and his wife Chas run a little B&B. Jackson and Chas are hap, hap, happy with their little inn and their little baby Charles. Ah, but Stansfield can't let a good thing carry on for long. Jackson's semi estranged mother dies. Jackson promises her as she lay dying, to forgive his abusive father (who is also dead). The anger and hurt that Jackson has always felt for his father bubbles to the surface as his mind and heart refuse to forgive the evil doings. His intense feelings merge with the PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) that he suffers from due to being kidnapped and tortured as an FBI agent. Jackson must find away to forgive his father so that his humble life with Chas can continue.

Sometimes I feel like Stansfield uses the same situations with new faces. I would have to admit that this book is a type of many of her other books. I did enjoy that she carefully illustrated being a strong, tolerant, loving and supportive spouse. Chas never even seemed like she wanted to bust a cap in Jackson even though I am sure he was hard to deal with. She also does a good job of weaving in gospel principles in a way that you can see how they would work in a regular person's life (regular except for the fact that Jackson is always at home to help with the baby and dishes......er getting way from myself). Besides PTSD, which I found interesting, Stansfield's story centered on forgiveness. How we all like to hold those grudges close to our hearts and cling on to them by digging in our fingernails! She was able to show more than one side of the damage, and by doing so, how forgiveness is really for the forgiver. Letting go of that rubble we pack around can be for us, not just the one we forgive.

Rating 3.5
Rating PG.....the kissing in the night, I am sure lead to sex between a married couple...but that was only insinuated.

The Graveyard Book

2010-03-28T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Macabre......ugh, I love that word. It says so many things. It smells sweet like dead leaves. To say I was stoked to read this book.....so beautiful with a headstone on the cover, is an understatement. Sadly, so sadly I ended up reading it in snippets. That is a horrible, horrible way to read anything except a text book. I like to devour my books. I digress.......I read it in snippets while I struggled everyday not to hate the school system and the State social workers while I sat behind my desk furtively feeding a child that came to school hungry. Sorry, I am flashing back and possibly sideways. I did not saturate myself in the book in a way that the book was due. So my take on it may not be very honest.

It turned out to be exceedingly witty and crafty. Bod's (short for Nobody) family was murdered when he was yet an infant. He was lucky enough to toddle from the house and into the nearest graveyard. This is where the little tyke ended up living out his childhood, protected and raised by ghosts. Could there be a better story? There were times I felt the chill of the graveyard. I was comforted by the ghostly relationships. There were thought provoking moments. I could clap!

Yet, I am not going to give this book a 5. If I per chance had read this in a better state of mind....or in one sitting, I may have felt more immersed and connected. This is possibly not Gaiman's fault....but this is the place where my opinion counts....so....

Rating 4
Rating PG I didn't find it terrifying. There was murder. I don't recall any sexual aspects (it has been at least a month since I read this book) and there were some scary-ish happenings since it was about ghosts and partially living beings.

Uglies

2010-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

In the future world that Tally lives in, everyone becomes pretty. At age sixteen all of the Uglies (genetically normal without help of cosmetic surgery) get their chance under the knife and ta da......Pretty. Science has determined what is attractive to the eye. Once you are gorgeous, you move to the Pretty side of town, where you basically party till you drop.
Tally's sixteenth birthday is upon her. Just as Tally is about to receive the surgery she has been dying for, when she meets Shay. Shay is another Ugly that teaches Tally there is another way than Pretty. Tally runs away from the only society that she ever knew existed. She enters a world where people are genuine. Tally learns that turning Pretty might be more than skin deep.......it could also alter who you are.

Loved the idea of this book. It did take me forever and a day to read because I've been tied up. I can't decide if it was the speed with which I read it or that it was actually just meh. It was a little lack luster for me. It could have been seriously meaty, but somehow I felt nothing for the characters. The traveling parts were boring. This book is a trilogy and if I get around to it I might read the next two. I wanted it to be awesome and it just wasn't.

Rating 3
Rating PG Very clean book considering the target audience is creamed with sex lately. I think there may have been a few kisses and a knock on the head.

Me Talk Pretty One Day

2010-02-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

The second book I've picked up by humorist David Sedaris, was funny and easy, but this time I didn't weep with hysterical ecstasy. I had a good time reading it like I would have a good time eating a cheeseburger. It was good........but not the best thing ever.
The funniest parts for me where when Sedaris is half heartedly learning French. His translations made me laugh outloud. Even giving this book a three.......I still wish that I were Sedaris funny enough to write wee vignettes about random parts of my dull life.

Rating 3
Rating PG 13 language, sexual content, homosexuality

Blue is for Nightmares

2010-02-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Stacey has been having nightmares of something horrible happening to her roomate, Drea. Even worse for Stacey is that the nightmares are accompanied by bed wetting. Stacey uses the spells handed down to her by her grandmother to help make the nightmares clearer. At the same time, Stacey is falling for Drea's old boyfriend.
The teens aattend a boarding school. There is very little adult interaction with the kids. The story was fun and fast to read, but lacked any depth. By the end, it really fell flat for me. I didn't think the reason for Drea being threatened, and for the nightmares, held a lot of water. There were no adults or authority figures to help or guide, which seemed a little off. Also I felt like some of the language was strong for the target audience.

Rating 3 Fun fluff
Rating PG 13 Language and sexual situatuions

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

2010-02-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

Hello.........I just laughed so hard I wept. I'm not kidding. When I first heard of this book.....and it came highly recommended.....it sounded less than 'meh'. I was uninspired by the title. But I figured my girl knew her stuff and so I read it anyway (even my librarian looked at me like my time would be better spent elsewhere).

There were some giggles as Sedaris described his family relationships and silly vignettes of childhood happenings. Then I get to the chapter 'Six to Eight Black Men'. My husband heard my hysterics from the other room. He asked me to read aloud what I thought was 'so funny'. I couldn't do it. I couldn't hold it together. I laughed until tears leaked down my face. Now I will grant you that I was under abnormal stress and the hour was late....but I stand by my opinion......David Sedaris is a riot. I am beyond slightly disappointed that he is gay because that leaves very little room for me to marry him, live in a foreign country, and laugh the rest of my life away.

Rating 4.5
Rating um I laughed so hard I don't remember anything else that happened.....I think there may have been swearing, oh yeah.......there was a masterbation scene and homosexual content......so erm...maybe R.

This Perfect Day

2010-02-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

This Perfect Day by Ira Levin

"Christ, Marx, Wood, and Wei
Led us to this perfect day."

In the spirit of George Orwell's 1984, 'This Perfect Day' gives us a glimpse of life in the future. There are human outposts on other planets. The cities of Earth are filled with parks, scanners, government appointed jobs and families, and bracelet wearing, drug numbed Members.

Everything is run by Uni....the unified government made up of a gigantic computer compound. Uni dictates your schooling, job, living arrangements, names (they've whittled it down to 4 for each sex) attached to numbers (namebers), the sex life of the Members, and freedom of movement throughout the continents. Big Brother is present in this instance........because the members are drugged monthly, or more often, with drugs that make them 'healthy'. The drugs cause the Members to rat each other out, be satisfied with once a week sex (which they call f ing), never question Uni, and lead productive lives void of feeling, and then kills them at the age of 62.

Chip begins to 'question' Uni when his grandfather draws attention to the fact that Uni 'appears' to be one thing, but in reality is something much more cold and sinister. It takes Chip years to even get near breaking away, or having an 'awakening' because every Member is plugged full of drugs that won't let them question the authority of Uni. And even if they did, all of the other Members would turn them in for being 'sick'.

After many years and life altering set backs, Chip feels that he has successfully escaped the life Uni had planned for him. In a creepy turn of events, he finds that all he has worked for, may in fact be just what Uni wanted him to do.

Fantastic read! This is one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed Levin's take on future government control. By the end it was feeling fragmented, which may have come from Chips break with being sedated....but it didn't seem to flow as well.
Rating 4.5
Rating R Sex, crude language.

Books Read

2010-01-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

8. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (5) 1/30/10
7. Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) by Richelle Mead (4) 1/27/10
6. Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead (4) 1/26/10
5. The Maze Runner (#1) by James Dashner (4.5) 1/22/10
4. Vampire Academy (#1) by Richelle Mead (3.5) 1/18/10
3. The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory (4) (reread) 1/13/10
2. Angel Falling Softly by Eugene Woodbury (3) 1/12/10
1. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (4) 1/7/10
123. The Prologue: The Brothers The Great and Terrible Vol. 1 by Chris Stewart (5) 12/29/09
122. The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball (5) 12/20/09
121. Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright (3) 12/12/09
120. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (4) 12/11/09
119. First Love Second Chances by Anita Stansfield (5) 12/2/09
118. First Love And Forever by Anita Stansfield (5) 12/1/09
117. The Best of Times by Anita Stansfield (3) 11/29/09
116. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (5) 11/28/09
115. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (4) 11/24/09
114. Unhallowed Ground by Heather Graham (4) 11/23/09
113. Under The Banner Of Heaven (4/2) by Jon Krakauer 11/21/09
112. The Giver by Lois Lowry (5) reread x3 11/15/09
111. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin (3.5) 11/15/09
110. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (2.5) 11/9/09
109. Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (4) 11/7/09
108. Fablehaven #3 Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull (4) 11/4/09
107. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (3) 11/1/09
106. Fax From Sarajevo by Joe Kubert (4.5) 10/28/09
105. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (4) 10/28/09
104. The Cloud Chamber by Joyce Maynard (3.5) 10/21/09
103.Beastly by Alex Flinn (2) 10/21/09
102.Crank by Ellen Hopkins (4.5) 10/18/09
101. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz (3) 10/16/09
100. Eve:A Novel Of The First Woman by Elissa Elliot (2.5) 10/14/09
99. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (4.5) 10/8/0
98. The Help by Katheryn Sockett (4) 10/4/09

97. Crashed (Skinned trilogy part 2) by Robin Wasserman (2.5) 9/27/09

96. Night World No. 1 by L.J. Smith (2.5) 9/23/09
95. The Silence of Snow (Jayson Wolfe #5) by Anita Stansfield (4) 9/20/09
94. Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson (4) 9/16/09
93. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (4.5) 9/15/09
92. Sprout by Dale Peck (3.5) 9/13/09
91. Slivers of Reality byCathlene Smith (3) 9/13/09
90. The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour (3) 9/11/09

89. Common Sense by Thomas Paine (5) 9/10/09
88. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (2.5) 9/5/09
87. City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments Book Three) by Cassandra Clare (5) 9/1/09
86. Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli (3.5) 9/3/09
85. City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments Book 2) by Cassandra Clare (5) 8/30/09
84. The October Country (short stories) by Ray Bradbury (3.5) 8/28/09
83. Kingdom Come The Final Victory by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (2.5) 8/28/09
82. The Dogs Of Bable by Carolyn Parkhurst (reread) (4) 8/24/09
81. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments Book One) by Cassandra Clare (5) 8/22/09
80. Skinned by Robin Wasserman (4) 8/19/09
79. The Templars by Barbara Frale (3) 8/19/09
78. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (5) 8/15/09
77. The Pact by Jodi Picoult (reread) (4.5) 8/8/09
76. Wings by Aprilynne Pike (5) 8/7/09
75. The Holy Secret by James Ferrell (4) 8/3/09
74. Eve and the Choice Made in Eden by Beverly Campbell (5) reread x2 7/27/09
73. Kissed by an Angel (trilogy) by Elizabeth Chandler (4) 7/26/09
72. Blue Moon (the immortals book 2) by Alyson Noel (3) 7/24/09
71. Standing For Something by Gordon B. Hinckley (reread) (5) 7/20/09
70. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (5) reread 7/15/09
69. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith (4) 7/13/09
68. Love's Enduring Promise by Janette Oke(3) 7/8/09
67. Genertaion Dead by Daniel Waters (4.5) 7/5/09
66. The Angel by Carla Neggers (3.5) 7/2/09
65. Evermore The Immortal Series by Alyson Noel (5) 6/29/09
64. The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (4) 6/28/09
63. The Shack by William P. Young (2) 6/26/09
62. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collings (5) 6/21/09
61. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (4.5) 6/15/09
60. The Hourglass Door by Liza Mangum (4.5) 6/12/09
59. Maybe Baby by Tenaya Darlington (4) 6/9/09
58. Spies, Lies and a Pair of Ties by Sheralyn Pratt (4) 6/8/09
57. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (4) 6/6/09
56. Shelter From The Storm #4 Jayson Wolfe series by Anita Stansfield (4) 5/28/09
55. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer reread x 3 (5) 5/27/09
54. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (4.5) 5/25/09
53. As Long As I Have You Vol. 5 of Children of the Promise by Dean Hughes (5) 5/25/09
52. Autumn Letters by Michael Frederick (3) 5/21/09
51. To A Child Love Is Spelled Time by Mac Anderson & Lance Wubbles (5) 5/19/09
50. Zlata's Diary by Zlata Filipovic (4.5) 5/18/09
49. My Immortal Highlander by Hannah Howell $ Lynsay Sands (3) 5/15/09
48. Ready or Not by Meg Cabot (3.5) 5/10/09
47. When We Meet Again Children of the Promise #4 by Dean Hughes (5) 5/9/09
46. Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes (3.5) 5/6/09
45. Love Comes Softly #1 by Janette Oke (3.5) 5/3/09
44. The Introvert Advantage How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olson Laney Psy.D. (5) 4/30/09
43. Far From Home Children of the Promise Vol. 3 by Dean Hughes (5) 4/29/09
42. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (5) (read twice) 4/22/09
41. In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger (4) 4/22/09
40. Shadow of the Giant #4 Shadow series by Orson Scott Card (4.5) 4/22/09
39. Since You Went Away by Dean Hughes Children of the Promise Vol. 2 (5) 4/10/09
38. So B. It by Sarah Weeks (4) 4/11/09
37. All American Girl by Meg Cabot (3.75) 4/7/09
36. Rumors of War Children of the Promise Vol. 1 by Dean Hughes (4.5) 4/2/09
35. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (4.5) 3/25/09
34. Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card (3.5) 3/24/09
33. Zion's Trail The Last Days Vol. 2 by Kenneth Tarr (4) 3/19/09
32. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (3.5) 3/17/09
31. The Gathering Storm by Kenneth Tarr (4) 3/13/09
30. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (5) 3/10/09
29. World Without End by Ken Follet (4) 3/6/09
28. Shadow of the Hegemon (Vol 2 of Shadow Series) by Orson Scott Card (4.5) 3/2/09
27. The Holy Man by Susan Trott (3.5) 2/26/09
26. The Brethren Annie's People Vol. 3 by Beverly Lewis (3) 2/24/09
25. So Much of Life Ahead Hearts of the Children Vol. 5 by Dean Hughes (4) 2/23/09
24. Take Me Home Hearts of the Children Vol 4 by Dean Hughes (4.5) 2/22/09
23. The Heart of the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (3.5) 2/21/09
22. A Good Woman by Danielle Steel (4) 2/19/09
21. Hunter's Heart by Julia Green (3) 2/18/09
Speak Softly. She Can Hear by Pam Lewis (0 stars) 2/16/09
20. How Many Roads Hearts of the Children Vol. 3 by Dean Hughes (4.5) 2/16/09
19. The Englisher (Annie's People part 2) by Beverly Lewis (3) 2/14/09
18. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card (4.5) 2/12/09
17. A Star in Winter by Anita Stansfield (reread x 3) (4) 2/9/09
16. Winds of Hope by Anita Stansfield (5) 2/8/09
15. Cannery Row by John Steibeck (3) 2/5/09
14. River Secrets (3rd Book of Bayern) by Shannon Hale (4) 2/2/09
13. Hearts of the Children Vol. 2 Troubled Waters by Dean Hughes (4.25) 1/31/09
12. Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier (2) 1/28/09
11. The Preacher's Daughter by Beverly Lewis (3) 1/28/09
10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer reread x4 (5) 1/26/09
9. Hearts of the Children Vol. 1 The Writing on the Wall by Dean Hughes (4) 1/24/09
8. Saints by Orson Scott Card (5) 1/20/09
7. Homebody by Orson Scott Card (3.5) 1/15/09
6. Rules by Cynthia Lord (4.5) 1/13/09
5. Austenland by Shannon Hale (4) 1/12/09
4. Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel (3) 1/9/09
3, Sarah by Orson Scott Card (4) 1/7/09
2. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (4.75) 1/4/09
1. Golden Grove by Francine Prose (3.5) 1/1/09
The Prince of the Pond by Donna Jo Napoli (3.5)
Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz (5)
Possession by A. S. Byatt (1.5)
A Distant Thunder by Anita Stansfield (4)
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (4.5)
The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck (4)
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (5)
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (4)
Breathe a Ghost Story by Cliff McNish (4)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (4)
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (5)
Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (4.75)
Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe (5)
The Tree of Knowledge by Henry James (2.5)
The Pupil by Henry James (3)
Animal Farm by George Orwell (4.5)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (4)
The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James (3.5)
Breaking Dawn............reread
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (3.5)
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (4)
Blind Side by Clair M. Poulson (4)
Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (2)
One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury (4)
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King (2)
The Little Prince by St. Exupery (1)
The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch (4)
Children of the Mind (Ender's Saga) by Orson Scott Card (3.5)
Life At These Speeds by Jeremy Jackson (4)
Fablehaven Rise Of The Evening Star by Brandon Mull (4)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (3.5)
Private Peaceful by Michael Maorpurgo (4)
The Sound of Rain by Anita Stansfield (4)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (4.5)
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus (4)
The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (5)
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (4)
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (4)
Lost Boys by Orson Scott Card (5)
Midnight Sun (Partial) by Stephenie Meyer (5)
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (5)
Zion's Trail The Last Days Vol. 2 by Kenneth Tarr (4) 3/19/09
Rumors of War Children of the Promise Vol. 1 by Dean Hughes (4.5) 4/2/09

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (4.5) 3/26/09

Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card (3.5) 3/24/09

The Last Days (Zion's Trail Vol. 2) by Kenneth Tarr (4) 3/20/09

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (3.5) 3/19/09

The Gathering Storm by Kenneth Tarr (4) 3/15/09

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (5) 3/11/09

World Without End by Ken Follett (4) 3/8/09

Shadow of the Hegemon by Orson Scott Card (4.5) 3/3/09

The Holy Man by Susan Trott (3.5) 2/27/09

The Brethren (Annie's People #3) by Beverly Lewis (3) 2/25/09

So Much Of Life Ahead (Hearts of The Children #5) by Dean Hughes (4) 2/25/09

Take Me Home (Hearts of the Children #4) by Dean Hughes (4.5) 2/25/09

The Heart of the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (3.5) 2/22/09

A Good Woman by Danielle Steel (4) 2/19/09

Hunter's Heart by Julie Green (3) 2/29/09

Speak Softly She Can Hear by Pam Lewis (trash...unfinished) 2/17/09

How Many Roads? (Hearts of the Children 3) by Dean Hughes (4.5) 2/17/09

The Enlisher (Annie's People) by Beverly Lewis (3) 2/15/09

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card (4.5) 2/12/09

Winds of Hope (Jayson Wolfe series) by Anita Stansfield (5) 2/10/09

A Star in Winter by Anita Stansfield (4) 2/10/09

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck (3) 2/8/09

River Secrets (Books of Bayern) by Shannon Hale (4) 2/2/09

Troubled Waters (Hearts of the Children #2) by Dean Hughes (4.25) 2/1/09

Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier (2) 1/28/09

The Preacher's Daughter (Annie's People #1) by Beverly Lewis (3) 1/28/09

The Writing On The Wall (Heart's of the Children #1) by Dean Hughes (4) 1/24/09

Saints by Orson Scott Card (5) 1/21/09

Homebody by Orson Scott Card (3.5) 1/16/09

Rules by Cynthia Lord (4.5) 1/14/09

Austenland by Shannon Hale (4) 1/14/09

Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel (3) 1/10/09

Sarah by Orson Scott Card (4) 1/8/09

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (4.75) 1/6/09

Golden Grove by Francine Prose (3.5) 1/1/09

The Prince of the Pond by Donna Jo Napoli (3.5) 12/31/08

Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz (5) 12/30/08

Possession by A.S. Byatt (not finished) 12/28/08

A Distant Thunder (Jayson Wolfe series) by Anita Stansfield (4) 12/25/08

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (4.5) 12/23/09

The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck (4) 12/19/08

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (5) 12/18/08

Breathe a Ghost Story by Cliff McNish (4) 12/14/08

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (4) 12/12/08

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (4) 12/11/08

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (5) 12/6/08

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult (4.75) 12/4/09

Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe (5) 12/4/09

The Pupil by Henry James (3) 11/24/08

Animal Farm by George Orwell (4.5) 11/22/08

The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barows (4) 11/19/08

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (3.5) 11/18/08

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (3.5) 11/8/08

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (4) 11/8/08

Blind Side by Clare M. Poulson (4) 10/31/09

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (2) 10/27/09

One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury (4) 10/22/08

The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch (4) 10/12/08

Life At These Speeds by Jeremy Jackson (4) 10/8/08

Fablehaven Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull (4) 10/8/08

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (3.5) 10/1/08

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (4) 9/25/08

The Sound of Rain (Jayson Wolfe series #1) by Anita Stansfield (4) 9/24/08

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (4.5) 9/22/08

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus (4) 9/19/08

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey (5) 9/7/08

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (4) 9/5/08

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (4 ) 9/3/08

Lost Boys by Orson Scott Cardy ( 5) 9/2/08

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

2010-01-31T13:37:00.000-08:00

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Mary lives in the Forest of Hands and Teeth. She lives in a village within the confine of fences that keep her and her village safe from the Unconsecrated. The Unconsecrated have overtaken everything since the Return. Mary wonders if there is anything outside of the forest, if there is anyone left.
Mary's mother has tempted her with stories of the ocean and now she cannot rest. Nothing can satisfy her desire to see what is beyond the forest.......to make it to the salty ocean. Even the love of one boy, the exquisitely haunting desire for another, the mysterious threats of the Sisterhood, or the danger of becoming Unconsecrated herself, nothing is enough to stop her need to go beyond.

I finished this book very quickly, but I am still haunted by the acute pain left by Travis (Mary's love). Travis is betrothed to Cass, Mary's bestfriend. He is also the brother of Harry, Mary's betrothed. Although the book is about zombies that have come about by a virus at some point in the future, it still has the feeling of being in the past. Between the fear for their lives and the desire for something Mary can't have, the book was gripping, and tore at my heart.

Book quotes that I LOVE.....
Mary says....."Tonight my body pulses with awareness as I kneel by his bed, our fingers intertwined. We've been sharing each other's breath for what seems like weeks now even though it's only been a few moments. It's as if there is infinity between our lips and we will never actually touch. Like math, where dividing by half can last for eternity."

"Suddenly he doesn't feel like my friend but like something more and I have to force myself to remember that he is not mine to desire." (ugh.......so painful!)

"In the last few days I had already begun to imagine what Travis's and my children would look like, how their tiny hands would curl around my finger. I had already dreamed an entire life between Travis and me. And now that was the only life that we would ever lead together-the one in my dreams."

"It is not about surviving. It should be about love. When you know love.. that's what makes this life worth it. When you live with it every day. Wake up with it, hold on to it during the thunder and after a nightmare. When love is your refuge from the death that surrounds us all and when it fills you so tight that you can't express it."

Rating 5 This was a good book. It may not be super fantastic but it still left me feeling it after more than one day so.......I have to give it credit.
Rating PG It's totally clean despite the desire thick enough to cut with a knife. The zombies (Unconsecrated) are trying to kill everyone, so the threat is a little scary.

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3)

2010-01-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) by Richelle Mead

Book three gets even darker for Rose. She realizes that she might be taking some of the dark feelings that are conjured in Lissa when she uses magic. It is nearing graduation and Rose is sent out to do her field test. Instead of guarding Lissa, she ends up being Christian's guard (Lissa's social misfit boyfriend). Rose's anger begins to get the best of her. To make matters worse she starts seeing ghosts. Having made her first Strigoi kills have only made her closer to the world of the dead.
When a huge group of Strigoi attack the Academy, Rose is faced with losing what she has waited so long for (or at least it felt like it) ....Dimitri.
I loved this book just as much as book two. Rose has more depth and the psychological toll that it takes to put someone else's needs before your own.....always....is delved into. Her friendships with other characters and her mother, play a larger role this time around. And of course the romantic tension keeps building. Very bitter sweet.
Rating 4 Still not top notch lit. but I really did go for the wanting what you can't have aspect.
Rating R teen sex, alcoholism, violence, tense and scary.

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

2010-01-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2) by Richelle Mead

Rose and Dimitri come upon a Strigoi attack, the likes of which are never seen. The attack sets off book two in this series. Guardian are being brought in to reinforce the Academy over winter break. Rose's estranged mother Janine (a famous guardian) appears on campus in time to set Rose off, just as the whole vampire culture is being shaken. The Moroi are faced with deciding if they want to uphold tradition and let the guardians keep them safe, or should they learn to use their magic and help defend themselves?
Rose has little tolerance for what appears to be Janine's haughty ways and lack of maternal instinct. Rose also has to face the fact that she can't have Dimitri and she should start looking for love elsewhere. She begins seeing Mason, a close friend. Mason and a group of other friends decide not to wait for the Strigoi to come to them.....they run away from the posh resort in Idaho, where Moroi families have gathered for safety. Rose, of course, feels she must rescue them.
Rose seemed to come into her own in this book. I admit liking this book better than the first one. Rose's love life picked up, she became palatable, and the other characters rounded out better. It turned out to be very entertaining and I immediately picked up book #3.
Rating 4 Not serious high quality literature, but still fun.
Rating R Swearing, violence, alcoholism, sexual aspects.

The Maze Runner

2010-01-24T13:45:00.000-08:00

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Thomas wakes up in what seems to be a dark elevator. All he knows is that his name is Thomas. Every other important memory has been wiped. When 'the Box' finally opens Thomas is pulled out by a group of boys. They live in the Glade and are surrounded by the Maze. They hope someday to be able to escape if they can find their way through the Maze. The group is completely cut off from the rest of society with no recollection of their lives before the Glade. Each night the walls in the Maze move and doors close between the Maze and the Glade, protecting the boys from grotesque and hideous beasts.
Thomas is confused and getting hardly any information from the Gladers when the Box arrives again........this time containing a girl. The girl seems to be in a coma but they do learn from her that she will be the last Glader and that she is there to trigger the Ending.
The bright group of boys begin to realize that the Maze may be unsolvable.
This book seemed a bit like Hunger Games/Lord of the Flies......(the author states that he came up with the idea from two of his favorite books Enders Game and Lord of the Flies) but much more civilized. The book was creative and the main character developed enough despite not knowing anything about himself, that it was a fun and fast read. The Maze Runner is the first book in a trilogy. By the end, I couldn't even guess where the next book will go. So exciting!

Rating 4.5 Loved it.
Rating PG The beasts are gross and do leave carnage upon their attack. The boys have some of their own words which I guess could be considered swear words....but they aren't.

Vampire Academy

2010-01-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Rose is a dhampir. She is half human, half vampire. She is the guardian to Lissa, a Moroi or living vampire. Rose protects royal Lissa from the Strigoi or vampires that are dead and have no magic. Rose and Lissa have a psychic bond. They attend an academy hidden in the forests of Montana. The academy is for dhampir and Moroi.

Rose and Lissa begin the book as escapees from the academy. They are found by guardians and and forced to return. Rose is taken under the wing of Dimitri. He is a guardian in his early twenties that will also help protect Lissa and train Rose.

Rose and Lissa fled the academy when they realized Lissa had special powers that might endanger her. Upon their return, they work hard to make their way back into the 'crowd' yet still keep secret their psychic bond and the healing powers that will make Lissa a target.

Rose has a strong personality which is sometimes very immature (which I guess makes sense considering the book is written for teens). Sometimes I really liked that she didn't take any garbage and then sometimes it became old. Lissa didn't seem deeply developed as a character. It kind of felt like a void there......she just sort of.......existed. There was back story which if told would have made a stronger book. The setting and the author's version of vampirism made it worth reading as pleasant entertainment.

Rating 3.5

Rating R The book was very sexual for a teen audience, under age drinking, self mutilation, language.

The Queen's Fool

2010-01-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

By the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, comes this book, which takes place after Henry the VIII. His daughters......Mary from his first wife, Kathrine of Aragon, and Elizabeth from his sordid mistress and second wife, Anne Boleyn, are at battle over the crown and fighting over the religious tone the country should take.

The story is told through the fictional character of Hannah Greene. Hannah is a young Jewish girl, chased from her Spanish homeland when her mother was burned for being a Jew. Hannah and her father finally end their terrible flee from persecution, in London. Hannah's father is a book printer/seller. When it is discovered by Sir Robert Dudley (vying for position for religious freedom) that Hannah has the 'sight', Hannah is begged as Queen Mary's fool. She is pulled between the sad and stoic Queen Mary and her beautiful and dangerous half sister, Princess Elizabeth as they value Hannah's ability to see the future.
Hannah is living the dangerous life as one of 'The People' in hiding. She must not forget the old ways, while living the life of a Christian in a court where she could be slaughtered for her beliefs. Hannah is betrothed to Daniel Carpenter, another Jew. She must grow up and decide whether Daniel's faithful love and her heritage are more important than her girlish desire for Robert Dudley and her allegiance to a queen that is destined to fail miserably.

I loved the historical aspect, the religious themes, and the romance. The book does open with a rather descriptive sexual scene but really tames after that.

Rating 4
Rating PG 13 sexual scenes

Angel Falling Softly

2010-01-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

Angel Falling Softly by Eugene Woodbury

I have been trying to get my mitts on this for a very long time. I kept seeing scathing reviews and knew that if it were that controversial..........well I had to read it.

The low down is that Rachel is an LDS bishop's wife. Her young daughter Jennifer is dying of leukemia. A gorgeous young vampire named Milada moves into the ward. Rachel figures out what Milada is. She asks Milada help her save her child's life by infecting her with the virus that makes one a vampire.

While there was an awesome story in there... it derailed. Milada's high powered job which entailed buying out companies and shallow relationships between mother/daughter and wife/husband left me desperate for the meatier story that never fleshed out.
Now I do appreciate when an LDS author has the courage to write characters that aren't all unattainable, cheesy, do gooders. On the other hand if you are going to write as an LDS author and not just your general population author.....there have to be some things which you just leave out. I can take sex between married people, heck I could even deal with an affair, what I struggled with was the lesbian scenes......for sort of no purpose. There were some snippets of tantalizing writing which would have been great if they were delved into at all. Such as Rachel having to decide if she wanted to destine her daughter to Hell in order to save her life......which is what I think the book may have been about.
Rachel kinda seemed not to a have a dying daughter and to be living her religion for the sake of appearance. I'm pretty sure that isn't how she was supposed to be though.

The book felt like it wanted to be edgy and then slithered off the cliff by accident. Yet some how, I still liked what there was to like. Vampirism caused by a virus. The vampires could eat and be in the sun (although they sunburn severely when they are unprotected). The virus causes them to be albino like and their body ages only fractionally over a long time. Plus the author had a great grasp of when to put in scriptures and that part actually turned out pretty cool.

Rating 3 Meh.....I liked it but I know there was a better story in there that didn't get written.
Rating Ugh...probably R.....maaaaaaybe PG 13. Some swearing, lesbian hook up, talk of sex, alluding to sexual assault.

Her Fearful Summetry

2010-01-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

I've been courting more than one book at a time and it has really taken a toll on completing one book.

Her Fearful Symmetry is written by the author of The Time Traveler's Wife. I felt daunted knowing how much I LOVE her first book. However the two books are so different that I was able to stop comparing rather quickly.

Julia and Valentina are 20 year old American twins. Their lives are intertwined in an unnatural and somewhat perverse way. Sometimes it's like they are only a whole person when they are together.
Their mother (Edie) and aunt Elspeth) are also twins. As far as they can remember they have never met their mother's twin. Their contact with her begins upon her death. Elspeth leaves her London flat to the girls. Once they accept the stipulations set out by their dead aunt, deep secrets, bizarre desires, and twisted personal lives come flooding into the light.
Much of the book centers around London and Highgate cemetary which added a layer of gothic/romantic sadness.
I couldn't come to love Julia and Valentina, or Elspeth.......at times I disliked them for their deceit, desperate dependance, and sickening selfishness. My heart broke for Robert, Elspeth's left behind lover and for the quirky, charming upstairs neighbor (with extreme OCD) Martin.
On the other hand I loved the supernatural aspect, the cemetary, and finding out by the end that I didn't know what I thought I knew!

Rating 4 Didn't really love the characters but I did get into the story.
Rating PG13 sexual content, hauntings

The Brothers

2009-12-30T13:38:00.000-08:00

The Great and Terrible Vol. 1 Prologue: The Brothers by Chris Stewart

This book has been on my To Read list for a few years, but I was determined not to read it until the series was out.
The battle between good and evil, between Satan and Jehovah, has been engaged. Satan is in open rebellion and has drawn away billions of spirits. It is the pre-existance. It is a time of much learning and of great decision making.
Although the book is entirely fiction and much license obviously taken, there were some extremely thought provoking conversations. Honestly I was touched by the book. I cried for most of the read (which was quite short and easy) because I could identify with the struggle to push onward and strive to live beyond mediocracy....yet feel that you never will. It gave me a lot to think about.
Here are some spine tingling good quotes.........
     "To get what we want we must be subtle as snakes; ................. So go to your old friends and stand by their sides. Pretend you want to help them while whispering deceits in their ears. Only lie when you have to. Speak the truth when you can; for the truth, once it's twisted, is the most effective tool we have. Coat your lies with enough truth, and they will swallow it down."     -Lucifer

     "Now listen to me, people, for this is the key-evil can be twisted into virtue if you phrase it just right. Any vice is acceptable if you cloak it as an issue of freedom. Any immorality is worth fighting for if you tell them they are fighting for choice, if you wrap it in the mantle of privacy and freedom. So take their moral agency and turn it on them. But be patient...be patient...it takes time to turn the truth upside down."   -Lucifer

     As would happen on earth, the sad truth was that many of the Father's children were willing to stand and watch from the sides, interested but not committed, not willing to join hands with Satan, but also unwilling to dedicate themselves fully to the Son. Most would say the right things and go through the actions, but fewer were willing to make a commitment, and fewer still were willing to fight.

     "You can tempt me, desert me, or cause me great pain; you can create a dark world that may cause me to fear; you can rule your world with blood and terror, that's true.
     "But you can't win. And I know that. Weak as I am, with my imperfections and sins, even with all of my failings, I am stronger than you.
     "I will soon have a body. And I have my agency now. I will increase in my faith and knowledge and power. I am not perfect, but I will be, and there's nothing you can do! I will become like the Father if I follow the Son. You are powerless to stop me. You can threaten and tempt and whisper lies in my ear, but you can't stop me Satan; I see that so clearly now! I can stop myself, yes, but only if I follow you."
     -Ammon

     The evil hand stretched its cold fingers across the dry autumn land, bringing disappointment and frustration that angered people's souls. Though unseen, it was real, real as the heat of the sun, yet cold as ice water and brittle as bone. To some it brought darkness and a thirst for hate and revenge, jealousy and a lust for power and flesh. To others it brought a simple sense of unease--a sense that something wasn't right, something deep and unknowable, a sense of distress for the future, as if something was coming, a sense of awkward discomfort, as if the world had changed and would never step back. The blackness settled like a blanket, covering the earth like black snow, falling slowly and silently until it draped the whole land.

Rating 5 Excited for the rest of the series....
Rating PG War

The Miracle of Forgiveness

2009-12-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball

After all of these years, I have never read this book before. I finally found it at a library sale for fifty cents and decided to buy it. I started months ago and wasn't feeling it. But once I had one of those intense PMS days, where you see your life stretching out before you.........as you struggle up the down escalator of life...and I felt like since I was already down I could take a good kick in the teeth. (You know how sometimes you're down and you just want to really GET DOWN?) So I set out with my pen to mark up the book.
I can't say that I am behind every word uttered in the book. I've never been called a prude (well I take that back) so don't believe what I say......but I don't feel like I'm a sinner when I wear shorts. Also, I drove a car in my teen years and made it to adulthood fairly unscathed. I also have a much more tolerant view of homosexuality. That said, the actual doctrine of repentance was five star. There were some amazing quotes and my book is totally written all over.
In the beginning I will say that it seems harsh, but I like harsh. Don't hold back on me. I know Heavenly Father loves me despite the fact that I am a cold hearted, quick to anger, justice seeking, judgemental fool. And I had a lot of hope that if I can just be merciful to others, (if I can just.......be.......merciful.....) then I will also be given mercy.
My fave quote..."You can't flirt with sin and be repentant." ......er something like that. I guess I better stop batting my lashes then.
Grade 5
Grade PG 13 Frank discussion about homosexuality and sex.

Christmas Jars

2009-12-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright

By the same author as Wednesday Letters, comes Christmas Jars. Hope is found as an abandoned newborn. She and her mother make it through life with love for each other and grit. As Hope grows up she dreams of making it big writing for a newspaper. The Christmas that her mother dies, Hope's home is broken into. What could be a tragedy is quickly turned into a curiosity. Hope finds a Christmas Jar sitting outside of her house. Her curiosity is awakened and she smells a good story. Hope sets out to find where the Christmas Jar comes from, but finds a better story and a family.
I loved the Wednesday Letters by Wright and hoped to love this one too. The writing was simple and easy (very easy) to read. I wasn't completely drawn in but I do appreciate the message of the Christmas Jars. It would be a sweet little gift. It was also a nice way to begin feeling Christmas.
Rating 3
Rating G

Anansi Boys

2009-12-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Wow.....I don't know if I can even classify this book. There are ghosts, myth, magic and love but it's not overly ghosty, mythy, magical or lovey.
Fat Charlie Nancy is your run of the mill guy. He has a fiancee named Rosie and he works small stints at jobs in London. His life only gets strange after his estranged father dies. Fat Charlie then learns that he has a brother named Spider, he never knew existed, and that his father may have been some kind of African spider god.
Spider moves in and turns Fat Charlie's life on its ear. He quickly wins the love of Rosie, has Fat Charlie investigated by the police, adds a fantastical room onto Fat Charlie's flat, and eventually gets everyone nearly killed.
This was my first Neil Gaiman book although he has come highly recommended as an author. For any one previously enjoying Gaiman, I am sure this book won't dissappoint. He is a witty writer and uses great descriptors. Lots of fun and funny read.
Rating 4
Rating PG 13 peril, talk of sex, murder

First Love Second Chances

2009-12-06T14:41:00.000-08:00

First Love Second Chances by Anita Stansfield

Well it seems I wasn't quite finished with being sentimental.........and I took in the second book.
Clean, romantic, foreign, struggle with emotions and problems unique to the LDS culture. Sigh. I felt fulfilled.

This is the second book put out by Stansfield YEARS ago. Loved it maybe a hair less than the first one.

Hopefully I am now able to move on to other literature.
Rating 5
Rating PG

First Love and Forever

2009-12-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

First Love and Forever by Anita Stansfield

This was the first book I ever read by Stansfield and that is when I fell in love. After my last read of hers, I was feeling a little sentimental so I reread First Love and Forever.

Emily is in an unhappy marriage to the man that she felt compelled to choose after much prayer. Ryan was able to give her the one thing that the 'other' man couldn't, a temple marriage. The 'other' man is Michael Hamilton. A published Australian nonmember author that Emily met at BYU. And as far as I can tell besides being an nonmember Michael is nearly perfect. That aside, Ryan and Emily aren't making happy memories when, after ten years Michael comes back into the picture asking Emily to leave Ryan and marry him.
What will she do? Even though all works out in the end..........it is a painful process.
Stansfield at her best. This is probably my number one top pick out of all of her books....actually her first five were great.
So if you either haven't read this particular Stansfield or you just need to revisit the Hamiltons......it is a nice cozy, romantic escape.
Rating 5 I've read it at least half a dozen times. I love Michael Hamilton.....I will admit after this reading Emily started to wear on me........but then there was Michael.......
Rating PG Kissing, reference to marital sex.

The Best of Times

2009-12-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

The Best of Times by Anita Stansfield

Chas (short for Charles......but she's a girl) runs the Dickensian Inn while caring for her aged Granny. Tragedy has left her with only that. But you know Anita.......Chas isn't alone for long once the story opens.
Jackson is an FBI agent (finally getting warmer Anita) taking a break from the work that has consumed his life and may now ruin it.

Well after all of these years there is an armed man in one of these books! If he were only a semi normal police officer........e.g. poor, then she would have finally hit the nail on the head. But yet again, Jackson has saved all of his money and made great investments.
There was a lot of verbal banter. I would have to say that this book was one of those wordy books where I get tired of the characters talking to each other. It moved up a notch once Jackson had to go back to the FBI.
I loved Jackson. He was like an M&M.....tough shell and sweet inside. Chas was a good woman with great faith. She just did not do it for me this time.
I did like that this book had tolerance for non LDS people........most of the characters were not Church members. I also enjoyed that the various religious or nonreligious backgrounds were able to speak about values without wanting to kill each other (which would have made it more realistic).
It seemed like there was a lot of build up to the couple getting together and then ....meh, there they were.

This was a fast, soothing read. It is not one of my all time Stansfield faves.
Rating 3
Rating G So clean.......

The Book Thief

2009-11-29T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Liesel Meminger is 9 years old when her brother dies, she is given to foster parents, she thieves her first book, she is in Nazi Germany.

"It’s a small story really, about, among other things:

* A girl
* Some words
* An accordionist
* Some fanatical Germans
* A Jewish fist fighter
* And quite a lot of thievery"

I can never do this book justice. The writing was so descriptive it was like eating chocolate lava cake. Every page had something I wish I could commit to memory.
The book is narrated by Death. Death is fantastic. He is truly poetic.......and I loved him. The book was so lovely and destructive that I cried.
There are so many quotes I would rewrite half of the book if I put them all down here.........

"He does something to me, that boy. Every time. It's his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry."

"I could introduce myself properly, but it's not really necessary. You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables. It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away. At that moment, you will be lying there (I rarely find people standing up). You will be caked in your own body. There might be a discovery; a scream will dribble down the air. The only sound I'll hear after that will be my own breathing, and the sound of the smell, of my footsteps."

"- proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water."

"The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you."

"Somewhere, far down, there was an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it. He was afraid of what might come leaking out."

Rating 5 There were times when I felt a little anxious and the book felt long but the writing made up for it.

Rating PG 13 Lots of swearing, death, brutality......Nazi Germany.

Shiver

2009-11-26T14:57:00.000-08:00

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Grace meets 'her wolf' when at the age of eleven she is attacked by a wolf pack in her backyard. After being dragged into the woods, all she remembers is the unmistakable yellow eyes of 'her wolf'.
Years later, her parents' lives revolve around each other and Grace is left to her own devices. She waits yearly for the winter when she knows her wolf will be out in the woods watching her. It is fall and the wolves have attacked Jack, a classmate of Grace's. The men go out to cleanse the woods of the deadly animals. Grace finds Same bleeding from a bullet wound on the deck of her home. She instantly recognizes the eyes of the wolf she has loved for years.
Sam and Grace are inseparable from that moment on. Luckily her parents are mentally out to lunch and never notice that a teenage boy has moved into their daughter's room.
Sam knows that as a wolf ages, he or she will eventually stop changing into a human. He feels that this is his last season as a human. Sam and Grace have finally found each other and it seems that Sam's human life span may be over.
Very Twilightesque.........fantastic writing in comparison yet I didn't feel the fierce depth of emotion that I felt for Edward and Bella. Seems sadder and moves faster. The parents are idiots in this book. (Charlie is not an idiot......just a single father duped by a very quiet vampire. Plus Charlie is a cop and thus beyond reproach.)
Rating 4 Great writing yet something was missing in there.
Rating PG 13 Grace and Sam sleep in the same bed immediately which was fine with me but considering this is a teen novel......not so great. Grace and Sam eventually do more than sleep together......fulfilling for me of course but not too cool when its geared for teens. This part is alluded to and not graphic. Just another good book my daughter can't read until she is 21...:)

Unhallowed Ground

2009-11-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

Unhallowed Ground by Heather Graham

Sarah has recently returned to her home town and purchased the home she has coveted since her youth. The historic home is in one of the oldest cities in Florida, and is ripe with ghost lore and history. Sarah finds herself in the middle of a ghost story and possibly the target of a serial killer. The walls of her beloved home are filled with dead bodies from ages past. Her nights are haunted by a historical ghost that just happens to look like the handsome detective Caleb Anderson (yum). Her days are filled helping Caleb search historical records that some how seem connected to the disappearance of young women in present time.

I had a fun time with this book. It was a quick and easy read. The setting was fantastic and made me want to head down to Florida (which I have never wanted to do before). The historical aspect along with the thrill of the grisly and ghostly findings was the perfect mix. Not to mention the heated romance between Sarah and Caleb. Total sucker for a little cop love.

Rating 4 Certainly not top notch lit, but fun.
Rating R Things eventually heat up between Sarah and Caleb. Definitely R rated love. Danger, murder, ghosts, descriptions of dead bodies.

Under The Banner Of Heaven

2009-11-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

Under The Banner Of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

I found this little prize stuck in the back corner of my library. I picked it up under a misguided assumption that it was about polygamy. Honestly I was in it for the dirty details. Polygamy is something I can't wrap my brain around and I was interested in what this book might entail.

The book happens to center around the murder of a young woman and her baby. Her husband's brothers and himself begin straying from the path of mainstream religion and become beyond fundamentalist. When one of them receives a revelation that she and a group of others must be exterminated because they are in the way of the work, the young woman and baby end up with their heads nearly severed in small town America.

Krakauer, in order to illustrate his point about the violent faith of fundamentalist, deems it necessary to pull forth the ugly past of the current LDS church. His writing style is gripping. He is a truly skilled writer and his historical and nonfiction accounts are made palatable by his gift of writing. On the other hand, from the blurb on the front cover until the last page, you are inundated with ugly and terrifying facts (?) that make a mainstream religion seem like its VERY ugly stepsister, the fundamentalists. Although some say that the distinction is clear between the LDS church and the other fundamentalist groups, including various polygamous sects, it really wasn't. Krakauer delves back to the roots of the LDS church. It is understandable why he does this. But his back and forth style, from past to present and right to left, leaves the lines blurred, and a harmless, God loving community pegged as the murderers and rapists next door.

I did enjoy Krakauer's skilled writing ability. I wasn't scared off by what I read. I am however saddened that a service and faith oriented religion is even spoken of in the same breath with the other crack job, spin offs. And I am sure as I say that, that those people probably shouldn't be pigeon holed either. Also the LDS religion's faith in God was basically ignored and replaced with the worship of Joseph Smith. Not at all factual in that instance.

Rating 4 for skill 2 for sticking to what should have been the main idea. It would be like me wanting to bring to light what I consider to be misdeeds of Catholics and going so far back in history that I drag in the Jews and turn on the spotlight.
Rating R Murder, rape, incest, drug abuse, language.

The Giver

2009-11-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

The Giver by Lois Lowry

One of my all time faves! I just read this to my 9,7,4,and 2 year old. The kids couldn't get enough. We zipped through in a couple of days. This book spurred great discussion.

In a futuristic utopian society, Jonas knows nothing about suffering, hunger, anxiety, choice, color, or love. His path is laid out for him by the age of twelve. He has a family unit that he was assigned to. His job will be chosen for him. His food is provided by community workers. Everything is the same for everyone. Choice is made nonexistant so that a wrong choice can never be made.
When Jonas reaches his year of twelve, he is assigned the job he will train for and work in until he is taken to the House of the Old. Jonas becomes the new Receiver for the community. Memories from 'back and back and back' are given to Jonas by the aging Receiver turned Giver. Jonas will hold these memories as an honored Elder. He will abide the joy and suffering that the community will not be allowed or burdened to know.
Jonas begins to realize that his utopian community is clearly not as ideal as he once thought. In fact there is no choice, no emotion, no love.
One part that clearly struck me in this novel was the lack of color. Many times I have read the same description from those speaking about the oppression of communism.

Rating 5 Everyone should read this. Very 1984 but cleaner.
Rating PG Some inferences to sexual feelings that they call 'stirrings' and take pills to squelch. Also a shocking scene which I won't *spoil*.

Mao's Last Dancer

2009-11-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

Under the crushing poverty prevailing throughout China during Mao's communist reign, Li Cunxin's life began. He was one of seven boys born to peasant parents in a commune called Quingdao. With newspaper to cover the walls, tickets to purchase water, scant amounts of food, and no plumbing, Cunxin grew up in a very loving family. At eleven years old, communist leaders came to his school and chose him to begin training as a dancer. Ballet combined with other forms of dance were being used to promote Mao's communist agenda. Cunxin was taken from his family, which brought them great honor, and was basically tortured into becoming one of the worlds best ballet dancers.
The story follows Cunxin through childhood in his proverty stricken commune, through his rigorous and painful training, all of the way to America. Upon arriving on American soil, Cunxin came to find the truth he had always know, shattered. America was not the poorest country on Earth, covered with roving gun weilding mobs. In fact everyone was beyond gracious, there were freedoms he had never imagined, monetary income was staggering, and the availability of food was nearly fantastical.

The love alone that the family members had for one another during such oppression made the book worth reading. Historically and politically the information was made easy to read through Cunxin's fabulous narration. Though by the end I admit skimming at parts.

The book is now what appeared to be a breathtaking movie.

Rating 3.5
Rating PG - PG 13 Not the kind of violence I anticipated. Mostly very harsh treatment and living conditions. Sexual relationships in adulthood.

The Lace Reader

2009-11-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Towner has just returned to Salem, Mass. after fifteen years of estrangement from the place and her family. She left after the suicide of her twin and returned when her stepgrandmother went missing. Towner comes from a long line of lace readers, which is something like being a psychic.

The setting was beautiful. The theory had a lot going for it. The love interest a cop (yum). I don't think that Barry pulled it off though. It took many times of starting and at least 100 pages to get into the book. Not a whole lot of lace reading going on despite the title. Towner seemed many times like she was 50 instead of 32. By the end I was disappointed that I had finally come to feel for the character. I felt something like betrayal........the character was infact not the character I had come to know. I needed to reread the book, and not in a good way.

Rating 2.5 There were some good parts in there.

Rating PG 13 Sexual abuse (alluded to), alcohol and drug abuse, child/spousal abuse, suicide.

Let The Right One In

2009-11-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Right off I have to say that this book is not for the faint of heart. It was easily the most freakishly interesting vampire book I have read. I have to say it rivaled Anne Rice. I also have been cured of any desire I may ever have to visit Sweden.

Oskar is a young Swedish boy in the early 1980's. He is a picked on, wussy, mama's boy. I say that with the utmost respect for those kinds of boys. His father is an alky. His mother works and watches TV with him at night. Oskar tries to avoid the nut job bullies. It is a seriously depressing existance. It as like........IKEA in a cesspool.

Oskar keeps a scrapbook of serial killers/ murders in Sweden. He pretends in the woods near his apartment, that he is a killer. Most likely because he lacks true power in his real life. Then murders begin happening in the suburbs near where he lives. This, just as his new neighbors move in during the night.

Oskar meets the new girl one October evening while playing with his knock off Rubics Cube on the apartment playground. She is small, thin and reeks of death. But Oskar and Eli form a very committed friendship. Oskar finally finds the strength within himself to begin to stand up the the bullies. All it took was someone else to see his value.

There are many other story lines..........all wildly depressing, throughout the book. Another main one happens to be that of Eli's helper. He is a pedophile that kills (anyone.....not children) in order to bring her the blood she needs to survive.

Rating 4 Seriously written with great imagination. Probably hands down the best vampire book I've ever read. Also one of the most disturbing books I have ever read.

Rating R Pedophilia, murder, abuse, alcoholism, sexual context, drug use, theft.........really it just goes on. If Sweden is at all like this.........I hope to never go.

Fablehaven Grip Of The Shadow Plague Book 3

2009-11-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

Fablehaven Grip Of The Shadow Plague Book 3 by Brandon Mull

In this Fablehaven, a dark plague begins to overtake the creatures of light within the preserve. Kendra, Seth and their family must find out where the plague originated in order to stop it before Fablehaven falls to the creatures of darkness. The family is also trying to find information about the Sphinx, once thought to be one of their greatest allies. He may actually be the head of their greatest foe, the Society of the Evening Star.

This book has treasure hunting, dragons, demons, fairies, centaurs, satyrs......a huge variety of mythical creatures and lots of adventure. I even shed more than one tear by the end........making this a pretty good book.

Rating 4 I read these to the kiddos. It seems to take us a long time. The kids really like them but I don't like them as much. They are a fun family read and my kids like to read them on their own. My baby even likes to have these read to him. Great gift books or books for kids that can read on their own.

Rating PG The family is in peril most of the time in this book. The dark plague could be considered scary. One member of the group that runs the preserve dies. That is where I cried.........so did my four year old.

This Lullaby

2009-11-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Remy is a bit caustic about love. Her father wrote her a lullaby that turned him into a one hit wonder. The lullaby was the only thing he ever gave her. Her mother is a romance novelist on her fifth marriage.
Remy just graduated from high school and this story is about the summer 'between' before she heads off to Stanford. She has always been the mother in the relationship with her mother. She has always taken care of everything. Remy has always protected herself from love by having a formula by which she picks up a guy and dumps him within a short amount of time. This summer she is ready to have another fling and then head off empty handed to college. Then she meets Dexter. He is a musician that eats in her car, doesn't tie his shoes, make his bed or even have food in the fridge. Dexter is quirky and a much freer spirit than Remy.

I picked this book up determined to hate it. I thought it was going to be like all of the other teen lit that I have seen lately. Way over sexualized and without a point. Well the book was meh. I did not like the constant drinking and smoking. The underage drinking did lead Remy into trouble which was only touched on. Remy was able to acknowledge that she was heading down a bad path because of the way she acted. She was also able to realize that she was wrong about many of the things that she thought. She was willing to change when she learned something about herself.

Rating 3 Not bad. I did like that the character was able to she her errors and change. I also liked that despite what I thought........there wasn't sex.
Rating PG 13 to R Potty potty potty mouth. Underage drinking, smoking and sex. (The sex is not explicit. It is indicated that the character has had many sexual relationships during high school.)

Fax From Sarajevo

2009-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Fax From Sarajevo by Joe Kubert

This is a graphic novel based on faxes received by the author from a family trapped in Sarajevo. During the 1990's Serbs moved into this area and many others and began killing families, women and children for money. The Serbs were determined to claim the land and leave nothing standing.

I wasn't sure I was going to like a graphic novel. I like to rip right through the book without giving my eyes a work out. I will admit though that the graphics really brought this book home. Also at the end of the book were pictures taken of the family and of the city during the time it was occupied.

I enjoyed getting a bit more in depth about the war. I also read the book Zlata's Diary which was written by a young girl during the war. Because she was young she wasn't able to give the same detail.

Rating 4.5 Great book. I really enjoyed reading something out of the ordinary.
Rating R War, rape, torture, terror.

The Lost Symbol

2009-10-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

I was entertained.........so shoot me. I didn't go into this book thinking that I was reading Chaucer, Shakespear, or even Hemmingway (whom I can't stand, yet other's love). I knew I was reading this to zone out and have a good time.

The main point of the book was the symbolism in Washington D.C. and it's relation to Freemasonry. Completely interesting and thought provoking. I wasn't looking for a scriptural experience so I don't necessarily take what he is saying as truthful even if he did investigate his facts. I did not enjoy his pot shots at religion through his character Robert Langdon. If you want to include various religions and your character doesn't believe them then great, but snide little comments by the author, shrouded as character are crappy.

I felt like I moved through the book slowly even though I was enjoying it. I especially liked the theories of Neonetics (mind over matter/faith/hope/belief studied scientifically).

Rating 4
Rating PG 13 Murder, dismemberment, mutilation, torture.

The Cloud Chamber

2009-10-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Cloud Chamber by Joyce Maynard

Nate Chance lives on a failing farm in Montana. It is 1966 and he is fourteen. The day that brings his family to its knees started early in the morning as usual. But by the time the school bus returns Nate and his little sister Junie, their lives have been torn at the seams. The police are in the drive way along with an ambulance. Nate's bloody father is being dragged from the fields.

Nate's dad tried to kill himself. The police can't find the gun and soon come back to the Chance farm to accuse Nate's mother of shooting her husband. Nate and Junie are ostricized at school. They are not told anything about their father. They are never taken to see him. Nate's mother is falling apart. The farm has to be auctioned off.

The only thing keeping Nate going is his little sister and a strange Bible Study girl at school. The two teens are partnered up for the science fair. Nate's dad always had big dreams and knew so many wonderful things. Nate decides that he and Naomi will build a cloud chamber just like his dad had always wanted to. The cloud chamber will show radiation from stars long ago exploded.

The story is sweet and unassuming. It illustrates the hard times many families go through and how they are still able to pull through even though things may never be the same.

Rating 3.5 The book was a hair depressing but still an okay read for tweens on up.
Rating PG Attemped suicide

Beastly

2009-10-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn

I love fairytale retellings! Beastly is a Beauty And The Beast from the viewpoint of the Beast.

Kyle is a rich fifteen year old attending a private school in NYC. His father anchors the news and his mother left them when Kyle was little.

Kyle is one of the biggest jerks I have ever read about. He has an entitled outlook on life. He cares only for appearance. Kyle decides to play a prank on a new girl at school because he thinks she is ugly and probably not rich. He asks her to homecoming. Then he stands her up. When he returns home after a night of partying and sex (at the age of fifteen) the girl/witch is waiting for him. The witch tells Kyle that she is going to make his outside match his inside and before he knows it, he is a beast. He is given two years to find a girl that will fall in love with him and kiss him despite his appearance.

This could have been a great book. It is based on one of my favorite fairytales. Instead it was teen smut. I don't care if anyone thinks that it should be normal for a CHILD in ninth grade to have various sex partners, shack ups, their own limo, alchohol and all name brand clothing. It isn't normal and shouldn't be portrayed that way.
The book would have been more credible had it contained characters that were at least in their twenties. What does a child know about true love, having a woman in his bed, etc.......... Uh, nothing.
Each section of the book was prefaced with a chat room session. It was lame. I can see that it may have appealed to a very young teen, but it will really date the book in about no time.

And if we are lucky...............they just might make this trash heap into a movie. I hope the screen writer does a better job than the author.

Rating 2 I will admit that even though this book should not be read by a young teen and therefore is really geared to NOBODY......I was still marginally entertained.
Rating R Teen sex.........young teen.

Crank

2009-10-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Hopkins writes the whole book in forms of poetry. I had only heard that the book was a best seller, but nothing else. When I first began to read I thought the poetry was only part of the opener. It looked genius! Then I turned the pages and found that every single one of them had more poetry...........I became skeptical and somewhat put out. I thought the prose would impede my reading. It took until about page 20 (which I made it to very quickly) to really get into the rythm. Thereafter I was hooked.

Kristina goes to meet her estranged father over summer break from high school. Up to this point she has been an A student. Kristina has had no boyfriends or even been kissed. By the time she returns to her mother and siblings three weeks later, Kristina is calling herself Bree, is hooked on meth, and well on her way to lots of sex on speed.

The intensity of the writing made me feel like I was an addict. It was very powerful. Kristina's spiral happened so fast that it was unbelievable.......well believable........but crazy.

Rating 4.5 Did I love it??? NO!!!! Was it an eye opener?? YES!! I hope the Monster never touches my life.
Rating R Rape, sex, drug abuse, addiction, alcohol, teen pregnancy, abortion.

Blue Bloods

2009-10-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

New York's elite society is made up of more than just rich, entitled, old money. The blue blood in this society is ancient and it is vampire. Schuyler is fifteen and learning that the marks beginning to show on her skin, her ability to contol minds, her mother in a coma, and her new dog, all tie to one big secret. She, along with most of the teens at Duchesne, an elite private school, are young vampires.
Not long after Schuyler makes this discovery, she is also hit with the realization that something out there is preying on her kind. Her ancestry makes her one of the only people able to find the powerful being and put the killing to an end.

Great mix of history, lore, and heavenly beings. I had a good time with this story. I especially liked the twist they put on vampirism and the use of the Roanoke Island mystery. HOWEVER, this is a book aimed at the youth and I was not at all happy with ninth graders acting like they were twenty somethings.

Rating 3
Rating R sex, drugs, alcohol, murders, sensuality

Eve A Novel Of The First Woman

2009-10-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

Eve A Novel Of The First Woman by Elissa Elliott

Elliot takes poetic license as she delves into the mysterious lives of Adam and Eve. The story is told by Eve and her daughters; Naava, Aya, and Dara. Eve tells about the Garden, her relationship with Adam and her children and the undoing of Cain. Naava is a self centered beauty. Aya is the caregiver. Dara is young, sweet, easily swayed and somewhat overlooked.

Elliot had some great nuggets of wisdom interspersed with eh. I didn't really like any of the characters except maybe Aya. By the end I finally came to appreciate the Eve that the author set out in the book. At the end, Elliot did make note of the obvious reasons she had to use such depths of literary license. Also she explained where her ideas came from. I appreciated that.

Rating 2.5 The book didn't do it for me. I think it had great potential and I am really rating it poorly because Eve didn't fit the mold I had for her, which really isn't the author's fault.

Rating R murder, incest, sex,

The Glass Castle

2009-10-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Normally I try to steer clear of memoirs. In other instances the people tend to be overly self centered and twisted. I assume that is part of the reason they would have a story to tell. But I kept having this book come up repeatedly in conversations, so I decided it was time to pick up and give it a try.
Jeannette Walls began her life as the second child of an alcoholic father and a mother so free spirited she basically gave birth and let the children fend for themselves.
The family was on the move, or doing the 'skedaddle' for years before setttling in the poor mining town of Welch, West Virginia. The children seemed to be in mortal danger from the moment of their existance. Much of the time they were not supplied with food or clothing. Their shelter was beyond questionable. Yet the children survived and pulled themselves from the dregs that surrounded them and became from what I can tell, bright, capable, and even successful people.
At times Rex (their father) had great depths of widsom and charisma and then he would do something so astoundingly wretched to his family I wanted to reach through the pages and smack him. Rose Mary (mother) did less than zero to protect her children from the ravageous that alcoholism brought upon the family. As a mother this was harder for me to stomach than the baseless acts of the father.
All in all Jeanette somehow found something within herself that in most of us would have suffocated and died. She and her siblings did well in school, took care of each other and their parents, and eventually made their way to New York City.
The clarity and hope that veined throughout the book made it palatable when it shouldn't have been.

Rating 4.5 Only because I don't think I could read it again.
Rating R Alcoholism, child abuse, sexual content, language (The father had a colorful mouth......which I have to say I appreciated most of the time.).

The Help

2009-10-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Stockett's first book is written about the changing of race tides during the 1960's, in the hot bed of Jackson Mississippi. The focus is on three strong women. Normally I would not enjoy a book based on women because they tend to destroy others to get their strength. I did however love this book. These women put aside their own safety to bring about change in a nonviolent manner. I loved each character as I learned about their lives, their struggle, their anger, their pain, their love and their relationships with the white women they worked for.

Aibileen is a black maid that has been raising white children for her whole career. What pains her is that she loves them and they grow up to be like their mothers, not liking her for the color of her skin.

Skeeter is a young white woman with the deep desire to become a writer. She has gone to college and returned to Jackson. She is living with her parents and trying to fit into Jackson society. She begins to really see the way that the 'help' are treated when her one time dear friend wants to pass an initiative to make sure the 'help' have their own bathrooms outside of the houses they serve in. Skeeter realizes she may have a story to tell.

Minny is another black maid. Minny has a mouth. She has been fired from many jobs and her last one for a 'Terrible, Awful' thing. She was blessed enough to land a job working for Miss Celia. Miss Celia landed one of Jackson's elite men even though she is what the society girls consider tacky and white trash.

Skeeter first convinces Aibileen to help her with her secret book project. Aibileen then convinces Minny and finally many more black maids to tell their stories.....the bad and the good. The book takes off like never expected. The time is just after the murder of Medgar Evers and just near the march on Washington. Bit by bit the times are changing but the women realize they may have endangered their own lives and the lives of their families.

This was a great book to emotionally connect with a time that I am glad I never had to be a part of.

Rating 4
Rating PG 13 Race violence, murder, domestic violence, critical issues, graphic miscarriage, alcoholism.

Crashed

2009-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Crashed (Skinned trilogy #2) by Robin Wasserman

In the follow up to Skinned, Lia Kahn has left the home of her former family and is living in a compound/mansion with other mechs. Rights of the mechs' are in question as the Brotherhood become more vocal about how dangerous this new breed of people may be. When Lia's former friend Auden begins speaking out for the Brotherhood against the mechs, Lia is devastated.

Even though she has had no contact with her family in months, when things get tough, they pull through for her.

While living in the compound and trying to figure out or forget what she has become, Lia finally lets someone get close to her. She gets to know Riley.

Although I love the 'idea' of these books, I felt like this one was pretty flat. It took about three hundred pages to feel like I had finally reached the heart of the book. Before that there was too much emotional turmoil........you know the kind.........where you just keep rehashing something you can't seem to get over.

I was glad to see Lia finally have a friend. She felt much more angry in this book and I wasn't going for it.

I did however like learning more about the society after the big wars, and how the caste system had placed people in cities, corp-towns or rich suburbs.

Rating 2.5 I did like the book. It just took a lot of time to cover little ground.

Rating R For language, sex, some homosexuality, drug use (even though it was more like a download, you still understood that it was drug use).

Night World Vol. 1

2009-09-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Night World Vol. 1 by L.J. Smith

This book contains three books; Secret Vampire, Daughters of Darkness, and Spellbinder.

Secret Vampire has a good premise; Poppy finds out that she is dying of pancreatic cancer and doesn't have long to live. She has a male best friend, James, that she has always had feelings for, feelings he has never returned. Now that she is dying she finds the reason he has been so aloof is because he is a vampire and member of the Night World. A world that she is never supposed to know about. James decides to turn Poppy into a vampire even though it is against the law of the Night World. He and Poppy are soul mates and they decide to chance the wrath of the Night World rather than be apart.

Daughters of Darkness
Three vampire sisters, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade, run away from their vampire hometown. They move to a small town on the west coast where they can live without having their lives run by the elder vampires. This is where Jade and her brother Ash meet their soul mates. Unfortunately, their soul mates are human.

Spellbinder
Thea is a teenage witch. She has just moved to Las Vegas with her cousin/sister Blaise to live with their grandmother. Grandmother is an old Crone, one of the witch leaders. The two girls have moved from place to place because of Blaise's misuse of magic with human boys. Now Thea falls head over heels for a human boy. She thinks they are soulmates. Blaise wants to kill him in order to save Thea from being discovered and killed by the Night World for breaking the law.

The books were teen entertainment. The first book probably had the best idea behind it. After that it was kind of like watching daytime soaps.

Rating 2.5 I didn't hate it. I was far from loving it. Not intense enough.
Rating PG Killing, murder

The Silence of Snow

2009-09-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Silence of Snow (Jayson Wolfe series #5) by Anita Stansfield

Jayson is just ready to release a new album. Times should be wonderful but he is about to learn the lesson of opposition. Tabloid rumors, rumors in his own ward, and illness bring him to another breaking point.

As always Stansfield has great core subjects. I was pleased that she chose to broach opposition. Jayson and his family come through clearly and without so much emotional turmoil that you can't understand what is happening anymore. This book also delved into dealing with chronic illness. Jayson began suffering debilitating migraines and a family member was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

The Celiac Disease part was great. I was happy that she showed what a rigid, life/world changing disease this is and how little it is acknowledged by food companies.

The book was sweet, clean, fun and fast. She dropped most of her 'words' that I always look for. She picked up a few others....'glorious', and 'joyous'. Kind of funny.

I want to hear the music created by this character........I may also want to marry him. Mostly because he works from home.........

Rating 4
Rating PG The family talks to their teen about chastity. The ex-wife is abusing drugs.

Psych Major Syndrome

2009-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

I won this sweet little puppy with the gorgeous cover, over at Bloggin' 'Bout Books. The cover alone seemed so fresh I couldn't wait to dig in. Plus for you Meg Cabot lovers, her recommendation is on the back of the book.

Leigh is in her first year at a bitty little liberal arts college in California. She comes from a nutty, psychic B&B in Arizona where her dad wears and eye patch and her mother takes aura pictures. Leigh is majoring in Psychology. As she wades her way through Psych 101 Leigh begins to self examine. She is pressing herself to keep the relationship going with Andrew, her high school boyfriend. He attends the same college. Leigh wants to prove that they can stay together despite everyone else assuming that they will break up.

She rooms with unconventional artsy Ami. Despite being polar opposites they become close friends immediately.

Leigh is also trying to prove herself in a highly focused educational arena. She signs up for a mentoring program in a local middle school and finds herself in over her head from day one.

Ami doesn't think that Andrew is the right guy for Leigh. Andrew's roommate Nathan seems to feel the same way. Whenever Leigh is around he acts mean and aloof.

As a former Psych major (this was after elementary ed, pre-med, nursing, and special ed........) I was laughing out loud at times. I loved that the author incorporated real psychology terms at the beginning of each chapter. Leigh was a sweet and innocent main character. I loved this most of the time........except when it was glaringly obvious that Andrew was a freaking idiot and she still couldn't give him a swift kick. The wrap up ending was predictable, which I don't really mind. I would have liked a little more......uh, romance......by then though.

Rating 4

Rating PG 13 During mentoring the teens talk about premarital sex, abortion, and contraceptives. The near sex scene never became intense or graphic.

Catching Fire

2009-09-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The spanking new book following the fabulous Hunger Games!

Katniss and Peeta have outwitted the Capitol and returned triumphant from the Hunger Games. But the Capitol didn't take their embarrassment lying down. They have now devised a way to get back at Katniss, especially since her bold move at the games created revolt in many of the districts. In an unprecedented move............Katniss and Peeta are put back into the Hunger Games.

Wow. The book took turns that were surprising. I really didn't see what Collins had coming in Catching Fire. It did seem to start out slow and didn't really get to the MAIN point for quite some time.

I am still rooting for Peeta and I can't wait for the next book. I hate reading a good series bit by bit.

Rating 4.5 Didn't hold the same shocking thrill for me that book 1 did.

Rating PG Not quite as gory as the previous book. There is killing but it wasn't as violent.

2009-09-15T16:10:00.000-07:00

Sprout by Dale Peck

Sprout is a teen in small town Kansas. His mother is dead. His dad is an alcoholic. He dyes his hair green. He is gay.

Sprout's life begins really changing when one teacher sees his writing potential. She spends a summer coaching him to enter a writing contest. She learns a lot about Sprout. She also falls in love with his quirky alcoholic father. Sprout realizes through his writing that he wants to delve deeper into his sexuality. He has been having a relationship for four years with a boy known to everyone else as a heterosexual and as Sprout's enemy. Then a new boy (Ty) shows up at school. Sprout realizes he wants a boyfriend. He and Ty have a harrowing relationship based on many of their past personal issues.

This book was sweet, random, quirky, sarcastic and eye opening. Sprout broke my little heart in two. I completely fell for him and his struggles.

Rating 3.5 Smart, sweet book. Dopey use of things like BTW. I know.....fits the whole teen thing but still dorky.
Rating R sex, gay sex, swearing, child abuse, alcoholism, death

Slivers of Reality

2009-09-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Slivers of Reality

First of this book was wacked. I picked up the book when I saw our public library was having an author signing. I easily sped through the book because I was in bed with a fever. This may not have been the best time to read about a psychotic episode. I began to feel just as freaked out as the main character.

John has suffered a hailstorm of life altering events, all at once. His ill father becomes so sick that the family must decide whether or not to take him off of life support. John's first son Josh is found in the basement in the middle of a heroin reaction. John has had two bad marriages and most of his family relationships are on the rocks. He also has a lot of anger.
Once John and his live in girlfriend Kate decide that they will have to let John's father die, they begin to believe that they are receiving messages from his disembodied spirit. While this seems plausible, John delves even deeper and begins a sever but acute mental breakdown. John thinks that as his father breathes his last breath, he transfers his Power to John. With grandiose and paranoid thoughts John is unable to sleep for days. He finally ends up in UNNI under sedation.

At times I didn't think that John would ever recover. His girlfriend Kate did not have a breakdown but fed into his psychosis at the beginning by encouraging his thoughts and behavior. Wildly strange! I did however feel for the character despite the strangeness.

Super weird book that I don't recommend reading while you are sick. I am wildly curious how the author ever came up with this idea.......eep. John's father was LDS so this religion was brought up at times in the book. No biggie really except there were parts that didn't seem to really carry through. At one point John sort of says he is Joe Smith (I take this to mean Joseph). Also John was given a blessing by his father's bishop. The blessing was called an LDS blessing, which I have never heard spoken of that way before.

Rating 3 I felt for John. I was taken in by the whole story although it did take some time. At first I was put off by John seeming very angry. Which he has every right to be, it just took some getting used to.
Rating R Language, mental breakdown, drug use, scary.

The Lonesome Gods

2009-09-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour

Well who'd a thunk I would be reading a Louis L'Amour book? This is another book on a list of books that I am determined to undertake.

I really liked finding out what the title meant. Young Johannes is traveling west with his dying father. They are headed across the desert to California where Johannes estranged grandfather lives. Hannes father hopes that once he dies and is out of the picture that the grandfather will be able to overcome his hatred for him and take Hannes in. Johannes and his father leave the wagon and other travelers as they are informed that Don Isidro (the Spanish grandfather) still seeks both of their lives. They live in an what they believe to be an abandoned Native American house in the desert. Johannes learns that the lonesome gods are the gods that have been long forgotten and are no longer worshipped by anyone.
Johanness grows up with the Indians and stays in the house in the desert after Don Isidro has his father murdered. Years later he is invited to live in California with Miss Nesslerode, another traveler from the wagon that he abandoned as a very young child.
Johannes is bright and moral. The tale weaves a good lesson about standards, education, and ingenuity. Also a great deal is spoken of about desert survival and Native American folk lore.

It surely wasn't the best read I have ever picked up yet it was a good red blooded, meat and potatoes kind of book. A great read for a young boy.

Rating 3
Rating PG murder

Common Sense

2009-09-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

In 1776 Thomas Paine published his pamphlet 'Common Sense'. It was an informative and well written argument for Independence from Great Britain.

This was a short read. His opening paragraph was so true it was poetic. I am going to include some quotes.

"Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher."

"Time makes more converts than reason."

"The present state of America is truly alarming to every man who is capable of reflexion. Without law, without government, without any other mode of power then what is founded on, and granted by courtesy. Held together by an unexampled concurrence of sentiment, which, is nevertheless subject to change, and which every secret enemy is endeavoring to dissolve. Our present condition, is, Legislation without law; wisdom without a plan; constitution without a name; and what is strangely astonishing; perfect Independence contending for dependence."

"When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary."

He may accomplish by craft and subtlety, in the long run,, what he cannot do by force and violence in the short one."

Rating 5 for content. Very inspiring and informative.
Rating G

The Bell Jar

2009-09-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

The Bell Jar

Although the book falls under work of fiction, I believe it is supposed to be semi-autobiographical. Esther is a young woman with what seems to be a bright future. She is able to travel from her home around Boston to New York for an internship that she won. While there she rooms in a hotel with ten other girls. She becomes more anxious and depressed and finds herself without any real goals. As her time in New York ends and she returns to her home in Boston she finds that she has not won a scholarship for her next years of school and is at loose ends.
She spirals into a queer depression. Finally after some half hearted suicide attempts, she buries herself under the crawl space of her house and swallows a bottle of pills. Once found, she is taken to a mental hospital. We are given intermittent glimpses of her past and future throughout the book. By the end Esther has lived through the suicide of a close friend and seems to have turned a corner in her own depression. She enters a room to take her concluding interview, the one that determines if she will be released from the hospital. Although book leaves it at that, there is a point previous where she mentions her baby. This leads me to believe that she is eventually released.

This book was on a list of books that I was determined to read. Knowing that this book is haled by many made me consider the distinct possibility that I would not like it. I was mostly right. I found the imagery and writing lovely. And I am sure if you have ever been very depressed you will be able to identify with the strange thoughts and feelings of hopelessness. What I didn't like was the thought that many young people may identify because of the popularity of the book. I felt like Esther had many more choices than she let on. And girls presently have multitudes of choices if they are willing to put forth the effort. I assume that Esther/Plath had a serious illness which I do not want to downplay. I don't think that they necessarily suffered from something that they could just think themselves happy out of. The book was just royally depressing and Esther didn't take enough responsibility for her situation.

Rating 2.5 I feel like a bit of a fence sitter here. I loved the imagery conjured by the writing. Some of the words were so lovely. I don't like that this book and many other 'memoirs' are so popular. There are somethings I would rather not know.
Also sometimes I was confused......not enough information was given to clear the muddy water.
Rating PG 13 Sex, suicide, drug use, shock therapy.

The Time Taveler's Wife

2009-09-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audry Niffenegger

Okay..........eep! This really isn't a book review per say. I just saw the movie based on the book. In general I do not condone book to movie. They are almost always ruined with poor casting or creative license. However, I loved this movie almost as much as I loved the book. The movie concentrated more on Clare and Henry and not as much on their surrounding family and friends (whom I didn't like anyway). Also the movie took out all of the parts of the book that made it rated R. Can you believe the movie was cleaner??? In the book Clare was a trash mouth, which just made me cringe. I still fell completely in love with Clare and Henry........and especially Henry. I cried my eyes out from beginning to end.....probably because I already knew the story. So, if you are ever going to see a book to movie......this is the one.

Book Rating 5 So emotional and unique. It is one of my top faves ever.
Book Rating R This is the part that makes me hesitate recommending it to anyone I know. Clare truly has the mouth of a convict, not a woman. I'm sure there are other parts also but it's been about a year since rereading it and I only remember Clare.

City of Glass (The Mortal Instruments Book Three)

2009-09-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

In the conclusion of The Mortal Instruments series, Valentine is ready to take down the wards protecting the shadow hunter city of Alicante. Then he will allow it to be run over by demons in order to force the shadow hunter Clave to agree to his wishes. Valentine wants to create new shadow hunters and destroy the old ones. For this he needs the three mortal instruments.
Jace goes to Alicante with his family to the meeting of he Clave. The Clave has convened to determine how to fight Valentine.
Clary sneaks into the secret city with Luke. She is there to find the warlock that can help her wake her mother from the magically induced coma.
All Hell breaks loose literally and many are wounded and killed as Valentines demon army comes to destroy the city and its inhabitants.
Jace and Clary are able to uncover the secrets that will undo Valentine.

I am still loving this series. Also.....I am so proud of myself!! I actually figured out the twist before it was revealed. My distrust proved to be true. I am so happy. Even though the book ended in a way that I was truly pleased with, I felt like the character romance that I was rooting for had fizzled by the end. Lots of drama leading up to ..........eh okay. It left me wanting.

Rating 5 Yes I had a problem with the ending for Jace and Clary. However I do like that the rest of the events were wrapped up in a way that didn't go ON and ON and ON. Concise is nice. Still super funny and truly entertaining.
Rating PG 13 Death, destruction, demons, language, some heated romance.

Star Girl

2009-09-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Star Girl by Jerry Spinelli

An out of the ordinary read! Stargirl arrives at Mica High after being home schooled her whole life. She has changed her name several times when the old one 'wears out'. She dresses like a pioneer. Stargirl decorates her desk with a cloth and flower everyday. She hands out treats to her homeroom each holiday and she sings 'Happy Birthday' to the students during lunch, while strumming her ukulele. Despite not fitting the mold, Stargirl worms her way into the hearts of most of the student body of Mica High.

Leo is your run of the mill eleventh grader. He does what all of the other students at Mica do. The only things out of the ordinary about Leo is that he collects porcupine ties and he started a high school talk show with his friend Kevin, called, 'The Hot Seat'.

Stargirl loves Leo. He is fascinated by her. She shows him what it is like to be different and to just let go of everyone's expectations and do what you enjoy. She loves thinking of others and devises ways to cheer up random people anonymously.

Stargirl's popularity takes a nose dive when the high school basketball team loses a game after their first winning streak in years. The student body turns against her. She was asked to be a cheerleader after her antics make school sports cool again. But once she cheers for the other teams and helps an injured opponent, the students admiration turns sour. Stargirl is shunned. Her shunning spreads to Leo once they become a couple.

Stargirl reverts to her old name, Susan, and tries to conform. She hopes that the other kids will look at her again instead of pretending she doesn't exist. Leo and Kevin put her on 'The Hot Seat'. Things turn bad as the students asking the questions on the show, let their disdain for Stargirl be known.

Once Susan finds she can't return to her former popularity she reverts to Stargirl and all of her wild ways.

The question of whether you can be different from the whole and still accepted, was answered in a startling way. I hate to say that I was uncomfortable with Stargirl.......but I was. I think I was embarrassed for her because she wasn't embarrassed for herself. Even when Leo became close to her and we were able to learn more about her point of view, she still didn't seem real. Actually she seemed like she wasn't living in reality. By the end she broke my heart and I was finally cheering for her silently and wondering why they could like her once and not again. She did have

some good ideas about serving others. Leo made me want to strangle him, probably because he didn't dare to go against the grain.........and I wouldn't have either at that age.

Rating 3.5 I wasn't as enchanted as I wanted to be. It was still a great book that I would recommend to anyone above the age of 9.

Rating G

City Of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments Book Two)

2009-08-31T20:30:00.001-07:00

City of Ashes Mortal Instruments Book Two by Cassandra Clare

Clary's mother is still in a magical coma. Luke her Shadowhunter/werewolf father by association is looking after her. Her bio dad, the evil Valentine is on the loose and looking to make a demonic army. Simon, her best friend is still crushing on her and is now in mortal peril by association. Jace and Clary have a twisted and fascinating connection that I can't get over.

I wasn't sure Book Two was going to live up to Book One. Many times book two (movie two) is a vehicle to get to book three, but in this case I think this book held its own. The relationships between Clary and Jace, and Clary and Simon are killing me. There are twists that I didn't see coming. And I still feel like the author has lots of surprises to come. I am wildly suspicious about one turn of events and spend much of my reading time looking for clues to prove my suspicions correct. As soon as I finished this book I picked up the next one. I don't think I want them to be over.

The biting humor is fantastic!

Rating 5 I may have liked this book even more than book one.

Rating PG 13 Demonic violence, sexuality, homosexuality, inference of incestuous relationships. This all sounds pretty severe when I put it down like that........but I don't think it's that terrible. On the other hand I have a high tolerance and tend to downplay things that other people (people with higher standards) get upset over.

The October Country

2009-08-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

The October Country by Ray Bradbury

OCTOBER COUNTRY ...that country where it is always turning late in the year. That country where the hills are fog and the rivers are mist; where noons go quickly, dusks and twilights linger, and midnights stay. That country composed in the main of cellars, sub-cellars, coal bins, closets, attics, and pantries faced away from the sun. That country whose people are autumn people, thinking only autumn thoughts. Whose people passing at night on the empty walks sound like rain...

Oooh it just sounds so......October! I love October and this book just gave me a jump start on autumn. Bradbury's style of horror is so subtle that you don't get the full blow until the story wraps up.

This is a book of short stories. My favorites were.......The Jar, The Lake, The Scythe, and The Man Upstairs. Some of the other stories were just weird and Bradbury's style did take some getting used to. Probably because I have immersed myself in shallow teen reads lately.

Rating 3.5 Some great stories mixed with some less great. I have a hard time ending one story and entering right into another one. Maybe I should be putting the book down between stories.

Rating PG I don't think the stories were that horrifying.

Kingdom Come The Final Victory

2009-08-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Kingdom come The Final Victory by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

This is the final book in the 'Left Behind' series. Christ has returned to earth to reign and Satan is bound for a thousand years. Naturals (the people that lived through the return of Christ and those born after His coming) and glorified beings (the ones martyred or raptured) exist together. Apparently their only reason for existence is to worship. The naturals that were born after Christ's appearance have 100 years to become believers or they die on their hundredth birthday. There are many who do not worship Christ as their Savior. They begin an uprising to build the greatest army the world has ever seen in order to stand as the army of Satan when he is again loosed on the earth.

The concept was an interesting idea it just sort of fell flat for me. At times I skimmed when I was tired or disturbed by their interpretation of scripture. Basically everyone lived for a thousand years and then Satan was loosed. There was no battle. The earth was renewed. The end.

Rating 2.5 Meh.....it was okay. I'm glad I finished the series. The first book, 'Left Behind' was a book that I disagree with doctrinally but I did find entertaining enough. I give it a 4 for entertainment. I read all of the ones after that because I wanted to read the series, but I didn't enjoy them as much.

Rating G

The Dogs Of Babel

2009-08-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

The Dogs Of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst

Linguistics professor Paul Iverson returns home one day to find his wife Lexy has died by falling from their apple tree. Their dog Lorelei was the only witness to the tragic accident.

Paul decides he must know what happened to Lexy. He takes leave from his teaching position and tries to teach Lorelei to speak, in hopes that she can then tell him what happened.

The story rotates through chapters of coming to know Lexy through Paul's memories and Paul's desperate attempts at dog linguistics. The idea is fresh and interesting. The story wrenched my heart. Lexy was quirky and off balanced. Paul, normally black and white, deviates in order to do what he can for the love that has overtaken his life and then disappeared.

Rating 4 Sweet and sad

Rating PG13 language and nongraphic sex

City of Bones The Mortal Instruments Book One

2009-08-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Fifteen year old Clary takes her best friend Simon to an all ages club in New York City. That is the night she finds out she can see demons, downworlders, and demon slayers.
It's no coincidence that Clary is able to see the slaying of a demon that night. She can also see a group of teenage demon slayers. Within days Clary finds out that these people have more to do with her life than any of the ordinary things she was part of before. Clary's mother Jocelyn is attacked and kidnapped in their brownstone home. Jace, one of the demon slayers finds Clary just as she is being attacked by and killing a Ravener.
Jace and Clary form an immediate and intense bond. Simon and Jace both have feelings for Clary. These feelings and the fact that Clary's mother may have been a shadowhunter before Clary's birth, have Clary's life doing a 180 that ends in a twisted sick manner.
The City of Bones is dark and super funny. One thing that is always missing from Twilight (the funny!!!). The teens are sharp and witty. The love and danger intense. I am excited to pick up City of Ashes (the next book in The Mortal Instruments series.)
Rating 5
Rating PG to PG13 some language and sexual tension, homosexuality

Skinned

2009-08-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Lia Kahn lives in the not so distant future. After the wars and natural disasters, only the poor live in cities. Only the poor have babies that are not genetic masterpieces.
Lia's father has high credit. She does not live in a city. She is rich and popular. Whatever Lia does or likes is the next hot thing.
Lia takes her sister's place in the family car with the destination coordinates already places in the GPS. Cars are rarely 'driven' by a live driver. In an out of the ordinary, bizarre fluke, Lia is in a car wreck. Her body badly burned and limbs ultimately lost, her family chooses to turn her into a 'mech'. Her brain is scanned and put into a mechanical body, made to look and feel as close to human as possible. Lia has to learn to speak and move all over again. Once she has control of her new body, Lia is taken home.
Even though Lia feels like Lia most of society sees her as a non-living machine. Lia tries to find her place in a world she didn't choose to become a part of. Befriended by Auden, a boy that she would never have been friends with before the accident, Lia tries to find out if she still belongs with the humans or if only the mechs understand her now.
The friendship between human boy and mech leads to disaster and Lia is faced with the fact that she is indestructible and this could prove dangerous to any humans she is around.

A fun futuristic book with a great look at the expanding bounds of technology. There were times when the relationships didn't seem deeply investigated enough. I also felt like the book ended in a sigh instead of a bang.

Rating 4
Rating R Excessive use of profanity. Sexual content but not sexually graphic. Teen sex. Lesbianism.

The Templars

2009-08-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

The Templars The Secret History Revealed by Barbara Frale

In recent years the mystique surrounding the templars has become popular thanks to author Dan Brown. The Templars is not another fictitious book. Frale is well educated in templar, papacy and crusade history. She works in the Vatican archives. Frale was able to use old and forgotten documents to put together this insightful book.

She explains how and why the templars were formed, to whom they answered, how long they supposedly lasted, their secret rituals, and how they finally came to an end.

The book read like a text book. The information was good and considering this was non fiction it did get dry. I had a hard time following the people and the time. She jumped around on the timeline because her layout was more topic based. Also at times I felt like a needed a diagram to figure out where the people belonged. I am not entirely familiar with far reaching Catholic history so I spent some time confused over what seemed like quick change of papacy and other leaders.

By the time I reached around pg. 150 I was able to keep it all straight but I think that is because the book stayed to mostly one time period and there were fewer historical players.

Rating 3 for the information but I would have to rate it lower for the confusion.

Rating PG Rituals include homosexuality and hazing.

To Kill A Mockingbird

2009-08-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

It has been ages since I read this book. It was definitely time to pick it up again. I remember liking it but I loved it so much more this time.

Scout and Jem live in Maycomb (a small southern town) in the early 1930's. They are being raised by their father Atticus and their black help Calpurnia. Atticus is a lawyer.
Scout and Jem meet Dill. A boy that moves to Maycomb every summer. They quickly become friends. They spend much of their time fixated on Boo Radley, the mysterious neighbor that never leaves his house and has become legend in their minds. The children make up skits about him, dare each other to enter his yard or peek through his windows. Once in awhile they find small gifts in a hollow tree, which they think are from Boo Radley.
As the years slip away, Scout and Jem are faced with the wrath of the small town as Atticus defends a black man accused of raping a white girl. Jem is turning into a young man and he always looks to Atticus as an example. Atticus tells Jem that defending this man is something he must do in order to live with himself.
As the trial approaches the children are accosted by one time friends and neighbors. Atticus is always wise and forgiving. He makes sure that Jem and Scout do not fight to defend him and do not speak unkindly to their accusers.
The trial plays out with Jem and Scout hiding in the balcony of the courtroom. Jem has a mind for law just like Atticus. He is convinced that the evidence proves Tom (the defendant) innocent of his charges. The jury returns a guilty verdict anyway.......despite everyone seeming to know that Tom is not guilty. Jem is bewildered and crushed. He cannot understand why the people of the town would let the accusation stand.
The father of the alleged rape victim is livid with Atticus for shaming him in court. He threatens to take revenge. Atticus however does not believe his threats will ever come to fruition once the anger ebbs away.
But Mr. Ewell bides his time and attacks Atticus' children on their way home from the Halloween pageant. In a wild turn of events their lives are saved by their legendary neighbor Boo Radley. Making their wildest dreams come true.

I cannot describe the emotions evoked by this book. I can see why it is so popular. As I read, I couldn't make myself understand how anyone could ever believe the things people used to believe about race. This book is so applicable even today, whether it is about race, religion or gender.

Rating 5
Rating PG Despite the accusation of rape it was never graphically described. I would probably read this to my nine year old or let her read it herself. Hard lessons must be learned. Well worth the read.

The Pact (a love story)

2009-08-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

The Pact (a love story) by Jodi Picoult

This is my second time through this book but I really love Jodi Picoult's way of taking twists and turns and tackling timely and touchy issues.

Chris and Em grew up in each other's pockets. Both families always expected them to eventually fall in love and get married. Their last year of high school begins and their futures seem right on track. They have been in a relationship since their early teens. They each have a bright future with their individual talents. To all eyes looking in, they seem like the perfect couple with more maturity than everyone else their age.

Then in the middle of the night their parents are awakened with a phone call sending them screaming to the local hospital. Chris is injured and Em has been killed by gun shot. What seems to be a random act of violence or an accident becomes what one family believes to be a murder and the other a suicide pact gone awry. The families of Chris and Em have been like family to each other. Now with one child dead and the other alive the neighbor's relationships are ripped to shreds.

We learn about Emily through those left behind......everyone of them telling the story of the person they thought they knew. All leading up to the terrible truth about how and why Em died.

Picoult again makes me ache for her characters. Even though this story is tragic I still feel like it was a love story. I feel for the parents and most certainly for Chris. How will they ever move beyond this pivotal moment that spun their lives in a direction they never saw coming?

Rating 4.5 A shocking emotional roller coaster. Loved it, but didn't feel as much for the parents as I did for Chris. I know I shouldn't be judging them because who knows what I will really know about my kids when they get older? But at some points in the book I really disliked the mothers, especially Em's.

Rating R Teen sex, sex, sexual abuse (which leaves me shuddering and forcing my kids to avoid public restrooms to this day), and suicide/gun violence.

Wings

2009-08-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Laurel Sewell is fifteen and just beginning high school. For years she has lived in a small cabin at the edge of the woods with her parents. Laurel was home schooled there. Times are changing for Laurel and far more than she first suspects. Her family has now moved to a larger town where her father runs a book store and Laurel is entering public school.

Despite feeling out of place Laurel makes friends with Chelsea and David. David seems to be interested past the point of friendship and Laurel may be also. Just as she should be finding first love and well on her way through puberty, Laurel discovers the reason she has always felt different. She is a faerie. As her only close friend, David is the one she turns to. David and Laurel search for scientific proof of the amazing turn of events.

At the same time Laurel's mother is about to sell the family land that Laurel was raised on. When the new buyer comes to make an offer, Laurel has the sick feeling that he is not a good man. While helping her parents prepare their cabin and land for sale, Laurel takes off into the woods. As she sits playing her mother's guitar, Laurel is approached by a striking young man with the features of a model and oddly colored hair. His name is Tamani and he is able to answer all of the questions Laurel has about herself.

Laurel is quickly stuck between a sweet and tender relationship with David, a human boy, and a soul shaking, breath taking love with the faerie Tamani. Her feelings for both are mixed as they help her defeat the trolls that are ready to take over her family land. The land that she has learned possesses the gate to her old faerie world.

Wings is the first in a four book series and is also being made into a Disney movie. With the wave of fantasy literature now hitting the YA market, Wings is as fresh as the blossom on a faerie.

The love between Laurel and each boy is compelling. I want her to be able to have both! The faerie side of the story is bright and interesting, much less dark than recent YA books I have read.

Rating 5 Fresh take on fantasy/young love.

Rating PG Trolls come to a violent end. The romantic parts are clean.

The Holy Secret

2009-08-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

The Holy Secret by James Ferrell

By the author of 'The Peacegiver' (rating 5) comes the next instructive parable. I hate to lay it out there like this.......but it wasn't quite as good. Basically the book is a conversation between two adult men about learning to love things that are holy including the temple and the scriptures. A younger family man comes to an elderly ward member looking for answers after hearing him speak in sacrament meeting. He comes to realize during the talk that he doesn't love the temple or the scriptures. He wants to learn how.
It felt to me like the book began strong. It had a good break down of how to go through the scriptures asking questions in order to participate or have a conversation with the scriptures....thus gleaning more than merely buzzing through them just to gain another tally mark. The elderly man spoke about finding similitude's of Christ in other scripture stories. This is something I may have EVENTUALLY come up with, but I liked having it pointed out. I suspect for those of you who were either active as youth or didn't skip institute to make out with your boyfriend may have known these things already. So this book could be a great reminder.
Another aspect of the book that may have been one of the best parts, was the break down of the sacrament prayers. I took notes.
By the end, when we were getting to the temple parts......which is what I was truly interested in, it began to fade a little for me. I am on board with the vicarious work thing so I guess this part was just reminder for me. But who doesn't need a refresher? And then it ended......and I mean abruptly.
Rating 4 Some great info. made easy to read. Some of it was just refresher. Not up to par with Ferrell's first book.
Rating G

Eve And The Choice Made In Eden

2009-07-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

Eve And The Choice Made In Eden by Beverly Campbell

This was not my first reading of this book so I may be more critical this time. There was nothing wrong with the book first off. I am just not a go get em' feminista. I have never thought that one gender was any more important than the other. I do believe that each gender has some unique and specific roles better played by them. I do not want to be a man. I have never thought Adam and Eve made a mistake. I have never thought it was all Eve's fault (although I have had a poorly educated religious leader tell a group of young women that......boo hiss! I promptly corrected his male chauvinist attitude.).

The back cover states, "Understanding what happened in the Garden can change your life." I guess that is possible if you have any misconceived notions such as the ones stated above. Considering that I don't.........my life is still the same.

The book does try to pump up Eve which I don't have a problem with. She certainly rocked or she wouldn't have been Eve. I would only hate for anyone to read and feel superior. Adam and Eve were equal in intelligence and power. They were just different.....which is why it is so great. I feel like hopefully Campbell put this across.

I do however LOVE that Campbell explains through doctrine the difference between sin and transgression AND the fact that there was transgression in the Garden......not sin. She also hits on mercy vs. justice which is a topic I always enjoy. And the information also covers the thought that Adam and Eve probably had a trying time contemplating what to do. This may have taken years, not like one afternoon. The author also delves into the difference in ways that men and women assess morality, decision making and risk taking. To round it all out she makes us aware that this was all part of the Plan and not a mistake or whim. Adam and Eve had to use their own agency to leave the Garden and the presence of God. God made a Plan whereby this would take place and then there would be a way already in the works to be able to return. Campbell also puts forth the thought that although Satan tried to thwart the Plan, he really just helped the right thing to happen.

In all I really enjoyed the book especially the points with doctrine to uphold it. My life wasn't changed because I already believed I am divine in my own right......and that women are just as great as men. I do like that this may strike a chord with those thinking that women of our faith submit like a beaten puppy. Not so. We make our own choices and only follow men of faith.

Rating 5 I give it a five because I feel like this is something you could read every few years. Mostly my favorite parts were the ones about the difference between transgression and sin. This is something I like to keep straight in my mind and I need to brush up on the specifics.

Rating G

Kissed by an Angel

2009-07-26T12:05:00.000-07:00

Kissed by an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

This book is actually a trilogy..Kissed by an Angel, The Power of Love and Soulmates. I would really classify this as a three part story, not really three separate books.

Ivy and Tristan are teen sweethearts. After a short but intense romance Tristan and Ivy are in a fatal car wreck. Tristan dies and becomes an angel. Ivy lives on but suffers the loss of Tristan. Before Tristan's death Ivy had a strong belief in angels.....Tristan did not. Now Ivy no longer believes. If angels exist they would have saved Tristan. Tristan now must fight against Ivy's disbelief in order to make contact with her and assure her of his undying love.
As Tristan tries to work through those around Ivy to make her aware that he still exists, he finds that his death was not an accident. Ivy was the original target and now her life is in danger.
Tristan gets help from a sassy angel named Lacey. Together they finally break through Ivy's disbelief and help her to see the peril all around her.

The opening scenes of the book did not inspire me. I quickly concluded that the characters were shallow and unlikeable horny teens.......completely without depth. I pressed on. I wish the author had begun somewhere else and skipped the whole first chapter. Eventually I came empathize with the characters.......I even shed more than one tear. I ended up really liking the book but the flaws seemed to intensify because of the opening scene. At times I felt like the editor may have been smashed. Places and conversations seemed choppy. Ivy's 8-9 year old brother seemed more like he was 5. All of the parents were disgusting idiots. And I am not sure that the whole 'mystery' held much water once it was resolved.

However.......you know my penchant for soulmate love. I had to push on. Once the characters began to develop I really liked what I was reading. They were definitely 'characters' but I guess they have to be in order to keep you entertained for nearly 700 pages. Gregory ......rich and insane step-brother. Ivy.... sweet, intelligent victim of circumstance. Eric....high as a kite. Beth....semi psychic, bleeding heart wanna be authoress. Suzanne......shallow stunning beauty with an ugly name. Will.......mysterious and underplayed boy next door. Tristan......the perfect boyfriend, full of undying love. Lacey.....spunky, flaky actress turned angel looking for a mission. At one point I felt like it was being narrated by the narrator of Arrested Development....why I don't know but it pushed me over the edge and then I really liked it! Put it all together and it wraps up in a fairly nice bow.

Rating 4 Once the characters develop there is enough investment in them to get you through to the end. Plus you know.....you can't go wrong with a soulmate.
Rating PG Even though the opening scene (which was a mistake) seemed to be the end of a dirty teen scene.....it never became explicit. And the stepbrother thing was weird but not graphic.

Blue Moon

2009-07-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

Blue Moon (#2 the immortals) by Alyson Noel

I was like what?......and then I was like huh?.........

Ever and Damen are now immortal together. Damen has waited hundreds of years to have a relationship with Ever. It looks like he will have to keep waiting. Not long after the book begins, Roman comes on scene. Everyone in Ever's high school seems to like him except Ever. Roman gives her the creeps. For all of her psychic powers she can't seem to get a true read on him. And then just when Ever decides to give in to Damen and go all of the way (this was an irritating part.....it seemed one sided which I didn't like) Damen up and leaves her and begins acting strange. I could go on and on about what happened but since I was semi bored and a little confused........I won't.

Roman is there to ruin everything and Ever has to save the life that she and Damen have waited so long for. The answers lie in Summerland where Ever jumps in and out of.

I really loved Evermore (book 1) despite the fact it did seem Twilightish. I still felt it was unique enough to hold its own. Blue Moon however.........although unique....did not do anything for me. What I liked about the first book was the relationship between Ever and Damen and I was excited for that to progress. It died in the water in the second book. Roman was not a clear character to me. He and his purpose even when sort of explained still seemed ambiguous. Summerland just rots my mind. It seemed like every character changed so much that I wasn't even reading about the same people. I am truly sorry that I spent money on this book.

Rating 3

Rating PG 13 Some make out.......but more for the pressure to give in to sex. I disliked that the relationship seemed one sided on this one subject.

Standing For Something

2009-07-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley

This is not a first time read for me. If this book were ever timely when first published, is now extremely timely. President Hinckley lays out the road less traveled. A road that he professes can save humanity if we will all begin the journey in our own lives and homes. Only can we change the world if we start with ourselves.
Although written by the former President of the LDS church, the book is one that should hold great value for all Judeo/Christian sects. Hinckley simply lays out ten virtues that he believes should be our ground work. These virtues may seem to many of us, now lay by the way side in modern society. The ten virtues are love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness and mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism, and finally faith. He goes on to talk of the guardians of these virtues which are marriage and the family. Hinckley has it right when he says that 'we can save our nation by saving our homes'.
Standing for Something is uplifting although it speaks of serious topics and brings to mind our duty to make life better in a time where virtue and morality seem to be quickly fading from our forethought's.
I would recommend this book to anyone whether LDS or not. I didn't feel like any religious sect was at the forefront, only basic Christian principles.
Rating 5 I spent a lot of time underlining thoughts since this was not my first reading.
Rating G

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time

2009-07-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Christopher is a fifteen year old British boy with autism. Wandering the neighborhood in the middle of the night.....as he is prone to do, he finds the neighbor's dog stabbed with a garden fork. Christopher likes dogs and not people because you can always tell what a dog means, but people have confusing faces. So Christopher decides he must find the dog's killer.
Christopher lives with his father and attends a special school during the day. His mother has recently died of a heart attack. Father begs him not to pursue 'other people's business' and leave the dog mystery alone. But once Christopher mentally latches onto something he can't let go.
Christopher proceeds with his detecting. Life altering events come from his perseverance. He finds that he is capable of more than he thought possible.
I found Christopher's dry and straight forward wit hilarious. I so enjoyed this book. Christopher seemed real and refreshing from the self absorbed characters that are recently popular. He does complicated math problems to calm down and help him focus...which he writes in the book. He loves red food and will dye his food if it is a color that he won't eat. He hates the colors brown and yellow and he gives his reasons, which are pretty good.
I was a bit freaked when he gave a list of his behavior problems.........and I didn't think they were a problem!
A. Not talking for a long time.
B. Not eating or drinking anything for a long time.
C. Not liking being touched.
D. Screaming when I am angry or confused.
E. Not liking being in really small places with other people.
F. Smashing things when I am angry or confused.
G. Groaning (he does this when he has sensation overload)
H. Not liking yellow things or brown things and refusing to touch yellow things or brown things.
I. Refusing to use my toothbrush if anyone else has touched it.
J. Not eating food if different sorts of food are touching each other.
K. Not noticing that people are angry with me.
L. Not smiling.
M. Saying things that other people think are rude.
My only complaints were the use of the word poo, which is a word that is stricken from the vocabulary in our house. It is a sick and nasty word and even worse when used by an adult. Yuck! Also the F word was pervasive throughout the book. Not cool.

Rating 5 I own this book and have read it more than once. I like it just as much every time.
Rating R There were enough F words to warrant this rating. Nothing else is too bad. For this reason I can't really recommend this as a book to read if you are very sensitive or posses a better moral high ground than I do.

I Capture The Castle

2009-07-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Cassandra is seventeen and living in a run down castle. Her once famous father leased the castle with the money from his one and only published book. Her lovely sister Rose is moody and depressed with no positive outlook for marriage. Her witty and bright little brother Thomas is still in school. Stephen is the maid's son, left with the family after her death. Stephen deeply loves Cassandra.....she does not return the love. Cassandra's stepmother Topaz is eccentric and breathtaking. And her father, suffering from writer's block is holed up in a bitterly cold room doing crosswords.

The new owners of the castle turn up. Simon and Neil Cotton and their mother. All American, they soon fall in love with the English countryside and Cassandra's famous father. Rose hopes this is her chance to change the family's financial situation. She immediately tries to capture the heart of Simon. The Cotton family is wealthy and friendly. They seem a perfect match for the monetarily and socially challenged Mortmain family.

Cassandra desires herself to be a writer. The book is her journal. From first glance of the Cotton boys until the bitter and surprising end of the Mortmain's relationship with them....Cassandra details it all in sweet with sweet and witty writing.

Rating 4 I loved the writing style and how Cassandra would build up to what she felt was an exciting turn of events. She was also very introspective and truthful about herself.
Rating G Clean.....although I thing the English use of 'making love' really meant something much less drastic.