Saturday, December 31, 2011

Top 11 books of 2011

This was really hard to do. I noticed that a lot of people are doing Top 5 lists....there is no way that was going to happen. This was much easier to work with, but still a bit tough.

All of these books I READ in 2011, they weren't necessarily PUBLISHED in 2011. I am just going to post the pic and the summary underneath the pic that is from Goodreads. If you click on the pic you will be linked to my review of the book.

Also, these are no particular order. I believe that all of the books were rated 5* except for one that was given a 4*.



Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.
Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.
Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.
The sequel to Crank, this is the continuing story of Kristina and her descent back to hell. Told in verse, it's a harrowing and disturbing look at addiction and the damage that it inflicts.



In the latest hard-hitting YA novel by the New York Times bestselling author, 16-year-old identical twin girls must come to terms with their abusive father.

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old identical twins, the daughters of a district court judge father and politician mother running for Congress. Everything on the surface of their lives seems Norman Rockwell perfect, but underneath run deep and damaging secrets.

Kaeleigh is the good girl-her father's perfect flower, something she has tried so hard to be since she was nine and he started sexually abusing her. She cuts herself and vomits after every binge, desperate to feel something normal. Raeanne uses painkillers, drugs, alcohol, and sex to numb the pain of not being Daddy's favorite. Both girls must figure out how to become whole, but how can they when their world has been torn to shreds?

Writing in her characteristic narrative poetry style, Ellen Hopkins shows once again how well she knows today's teens and the issues that matter to them.



Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and The Tenth Circle, pens her most riveting book yet, with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy. Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show--destroying the closest of friendships and families. Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be


Paul is new to Gate, a school whose rich students make life miserable for anyone not like them. And Paul is definitely not like them. Then, one day something incredible happens. Charlie Good, a star student and athlete, invites Paul to join his elite inner circle. All Charlie wants is a few things in return-- small things that Paul does willingly. And then, one day, Charlie wants something big--really big.
Now Paul has to decide how far he'll go to be one of the gang.



In Wasted, Marya Hornbacher told the story of her painful struggle with bulimia and anorexia. In Madness: A Bipolar Life, she describes for the first time the lifelong mental disturbance that has been the root of her problems. This powerful memoir unfolds the story of a young woman unable to identify, much less cope with, her intense bipolar disorder. With moving specificity, she tells how her rapidly careening emotion ruined much of her childhood and adolescence, sending her to the short-lived solace of self-medication and compulsive behavior. Eventually, physicians were able to diagnose her condition as rapid cycling type 1 bipolar disorder, the most severe form of the illness



In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.
As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?



Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.



"Don’t worry, Anna. I’ll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."
"Promise me? Promise you won’t say anything?"
"Don’t worry.” I laughed. “It’s our secret, right?"


According to Anna’s best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there’s a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there’s something she hasn’t told Frankie–she’s already had her romance, and it was with Frankie’s older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

TWENTY BOY SUMMER explores what it truly means to love someone, what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every beautiful moment life has to offer.



A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

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

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows



"I smoked pot every day. I was seventeen and had been accepted at prestigious universities across the country and I figured a little partying was due me. I'd worked hard those last three and a half years. Sure I'd had some problems smoking weed and drinking too much when I was younger, but that was all behind me. I was smart. I was on the swim team. My writing had been published in Newsweek." Author Nic Sheff paid a staggering price for this swagger. Under the pull of alcohol, cocaine, Ecstasy, hallucinogenic mushrooms, crystal meth, and heroin, his life collapsed, plunging him into an abyss where swim medals and writing credentials dissolved into the next great fix. This stark account of his addiction and often-painful recovery possesses a force missing from most anti-drug diatribes.


We  all have questions about what heaven will be like. Randy Alcorn helps answer some of these questions by sharing his extensive research on the topic--all from a biblical perspective. His writing will surprise readers and stretch their thinking beyond anything they've imagined heaven to be like. And Heaven will help readers strive for eternity while they're living on earth.

(This one I did not review as I will probably never be actually be done with it. I do have to say though that would def get 5* from me and is so comprehensive and so easy to understand. I love Randy's writing)

Friday, December 30, 2011

Sonya Bookish Tag-Tagged by Chapter Chicks

I thought I would do this tag on my blog because I can't use my camera right now to put it on my channel.

I am actually rather excited that I was tagged by Stacy and Jessica over at Chapter Chicks. That are such sweet girls and I love watching their videos. If you don't know who they are you should click here and check out their videos...and if you like them, then subscribe....

So, I will be begin...

What type of genre do you prefer? Lately it has been YA, although I do love reading biographies/memoirs also

What are some must have books for your library? Memoirs...I would rather own non-fiction than fiction

What is the most expense book on your shelf? Well, I have never paid more then $10 for a book, even though a lot of my books were a lot more then that originally

What book do you covet the most? Heaven by Randy Alcorn and Columbine by Dave Cullen

Who is your favorite author? (you can pick up to three) I actually don't have a favorite YA author, but I love Jonathan Kellerman, Robin Cook and Lisa Gardner

How much do you spend in books? I used to spend way to much when I was working, but now that I am not I don't buy books...maybe $5-$10/mo....all my books now come from the library

What is your favorite book store? Amazon or Half Price Books

What do you think about the current trend in young adult books? I don't think much about it...sorry

What series do you wish had more books to it? I am not a series person, but if I had to pick one I would pick The escape from furnace series by Alexander Gordon Smith

What are your go to books that you have in your library? My memoirs

What book is currently in your bag? Well, I don't books usually out with me (I get distracted easily and I get motion sickness) but I am currently reading Mercy by Sarah L. Thomson

What is the most prized book in your collection? That would be Heaven by Randy Alcorn

What are some non fiction that you have on your shelf? Heaven by Randy Alcorn, Columbine by Dave Cullen, tons of true crime and memoirs....

My thoughts on 'RECOVERY ROAD' by Blake Nelson

Recovery RoadRecovery Road by Blake Nelson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Let me just say that I cannot wait until the kids go back to school and my hubby goes back to work. My whole schedule/routine is so messed up. I have hardly read at all these two weeks.

Well, this book had very, very short chapters-which I did a video about (short chapters) over on my youtube channel not too long ago...I rather enjoyed them, which I usually do. The book was also divided into quite a few parts.

The story is about a girl named Maddie who is on her way to rehab when the book begins. It basically follows her throughout her stay there and her life for the first year and some months afterwards.

A lot of stuff happens to her and she is dealt a lot but she handles it all in a very mature way. It was actually refreshing to read about someone who turns their life around like she did. I know, I like the whole contemporary, addicting, angsty type books, but this just showed that it can be done. That you can turn your life around. That it is what is inside of you that really matters.

Despite everything that is falling around beside Maddie she still manages to stay true to herself.

I would recommend this book to other young adults out there because I really think it is a great book with a positive message. People make mistakes and shit happens but the only one you can count on is you and you can do it if you just believe in yourself, work hard and stay focused.

I kept waiting for something bad to happen to Maddie. I kept waiting for her to relapse, but it didn't. Maddie changed, for the better, and transformed before my eyes into a wonderful, responsible and mature young lady.



View all my reviews

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Library Haul

I decided to put my library haul on here because Mia left my charger to my camera at her friends aunts...I just ordered a new one today....

Anyway, this is the books I got from my last two visits...

















The order that they are listed on here is also the order in which I will read them. I always read my books (when I get abunch at one time like this) from the book with the least amount of pages to the one with the most amount of pages.

Right now I am still reading Recovery Road by Blake Nelson which is pretty good, but with the kids off of school for the holidays I have not been getting as much reading done as I usually do. They go back on Tuesday so I plan to pick it back up again then. 
















Tuesday, December 27, 2011

My thoughts on 'MY BEATING TEENAGE HEART' by C.K. Kelly Martin

My Beating Teenage HeartMy Beating Teenage Heart by C.K. Kelly Martin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This one took me longer then usual to read because of the holidays...

What a sad, sad story. Seriously...the whole thing was so sad to me. I didn't see anything uplifting through the whole thing. So be prepared. If you like contemporary, if you like sad things...and if you don't...just be prepared to cry and to be sad.

The story is from two characters view points; Ashlyn and Breckon. Ashlyn is dead and is looking over Breckon, who is going through a horrible time. You don't know why Ashlyn was put to look over Breckon until the very end. But it is diffulcult because Ashlyn cannot do anything to change things and try as she might to reach out to him he just doesn't notice. Very frustrating.

So you are following Breckon around in his everyday life, watching him go through all of these emotions. Sad, anger, helplessness, guilt, agony, etc. And he never comes out of that the whole story.

At the same time you learn bits and pieces about Ashlyn at the same time as she is recalling them.

At the very end is were everything comes together.

I really liked the alternating narratives of the story and I loved the writing. The characters were great and even the story was really good. I only wish that there wasn't so much heartache throughout the whole book.



View all my reviews

Sunday, December 25, 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Sorry for the late post....but I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays if you do not celebrate Christmas. I hope that everyone had a great time visiting with family and friends.

Unfortunately I ended up staying home because my bursitis was acting up really bad, despite the pills I took for it.

Tomorrow I get to venture out to take my daughter to Sally Beauty Supply. Hopefully they will not be a madhouse.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

My thoughts on 'Eve' by Anna Carey

Eve (The Eve Trilogy, #1)Eve by Anna Carey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another great dystopian novel! I have heard nothing but great things on this book and now I know why.

This book had something going for it from the first page. I did not get bored one time while reading this story.

Eve, who is the main character, lives at a boarding school, per se. During this time all girls, starting at age 5, go to stay at school until the day they graduate from high school. Everything sounds great until you hear what they are taught.

The day before graduating, Eve, who is the valedictorian learns a horrible secret and runs away. But is being outside of the walls of the school any easier?

Eve is a tough girl even though she doesn't know everything and a lot of the stuff she thinks she knows is twisted or just plain wrong. But she stays strong and keeps on the path she was set on when she left school (with some detours)

There are other characters in this story that I liked, such as Caleb, who is the love interest and Arden, who is another girl who ran away from school. Caleb surprises both Eve and Arden and teaches them some things. Arden tries to act like a tough girl who doesn't need anyone, but Eve slowly wears on her.

I was frustrated by some things in this book, but not enough to make me give the book lower then 4 stars. I was really rooting for Eve, but it seemed as if she just kept getting the short end of the stick too many times.

The ending made me sad, but I know there is going to be 2 more books so I will be OK.... :)



View all my reviews

Thursday, December 22, 2011

My thoughts on 'ALL GOOD CHILDREN' by Catherine Austin

All Good ChildrenAll Good Children by Catherine Austen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I loved this book! From the minute I picked it up I just wanted to keep reading.



This is a dystopian novel about a family that lives in a well to do community. But with living in a well to do community comes with a price and that price is the 'vaccinations' the schools start giving to the students...but for what, do you ask?



Well, you tell me...Soon after getting these vaccines the students lose all emotion and personality. All of a sudden they are well behaved and say exactly the right thing. But is this really a good thing?



Max, the main character, and his younger sister Ally happened to be gone the first week that the schools began giving these vaccinations, and since they started at the younger grades, Ally ended up missing it. But immediately upon returning they noticed a change in the kids at the school. They were not exactly sure what it was but the more days that past, Max became even more suspicious.



I found this book so good! I could connect with the characters...esp Max, because he reminded me of my son, Gage (except for the troublemaking). I loved watching how the kids were being transformed and how Max was trying to prevent that from happening to him and his sister.



Unfortunately everything does not go as planned in Max's life and things start to get even more intense.



This story reminded me loosely of a Dean Koontz novel and I love Dean Koontz!



If you haven't read this or added it to your wish list/TBR list I suggest that you do now!



View all my reviews

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

What is the name of that book??

I got an email from my library about the new books that were coming in and as I was scrolling through them I came across a book that had the authors name really big and then the title. Wait a minute, shouldn't the title be the more prominent thing on the cover? Well, besides for the artwork at times...

So that led me to go to Amazon and search for other books like that...I don't know about you, but even though I do care who the author is at times, I really would rather know what the title of the book is. Anyway, here are some books where I found the authors name to be overshadowing the title:




WDYT-Do your moods affect what you think about a book?

I have been doing these 'What do you think?' videos on YouTube for a little while now and so I thought I would bring them over to my blog. In fact, I think that I have some in my earlier posts. I hope you enjoy these.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

HUNTED by Cheryl Rainfield is on sale TODAY! and there's a GIVEAWAY!

Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield is on sale! If you haven't you should add this to your wish list, or better yet, go over to amazon and buy it right now!


 
If you are not familiar with this book here is a synopsis:

Caitlyn, 15, a Paranormal, is on the run with her mom, trying to stay one step ahead of the ParaTroopers who would enslave her just like anyone who has powerful psychic abilities. Attempting to have somewhat of a normal life, Caitlyn and her mom hide in plain sight, living in a seedy hotel in a big city, where Caitlyn hopes to blend in by enrolling at the local high school. She secretly fights back against government oppression by blogging about equal rights for all Paras, protecting herself by signing them Teen Para. When she discovers her long ago kidnapped brother Daniel at school she s elated, but is saddened to find he s controlled by the government ParaTroopers as a Para-slave. As Para Cleansing Day nears, increasing numbers of Paras are turned in to the authorities and things grow tenser and more dangerous, especially at school. When a group robs a bank and threatens Normals, the shadow of guilt is cast on Teen Para. A killer, the Para Reaper, secretly goes hunting for Paras to drain the life out of them. Despite everything, Caitlyn befriends a Normal girl, Rachel, who is a Para sympathizer, and falls for a cute classmate, Alex, also a Normal, who always makes her feel so good whenever he s around. But it s not safe for Paras to date Normals, and it would put Caitlyn in grave danger of being discovered. When ParaTroopers crack down at school after several Paras are discovered, Caitlyn finds herself under increasing scrutiny. Fearing for Caitlyn, her mom is anxious to pack up and bolt, but Caitlyn s growing attachments make her reluctant to leave. Will she evade capture, or will she be caught and turned into a Para Slave? And just who is trying to frame her? A tautly written, suspenseful thrill ride, Hunted will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

And if you want more, check out the trailer:

 



If you are not familiar with Cheryl Rainfield I can say first hand that she is a very sweet, intelligent, strong and dedicated woman. She has been sexually abused herself and been through much worse, but she has risen from that and now reaches out to others through her writing. Her last novel, Scars, was such an intense, deep and emotional book. I did a review on my blog just a few days ago and I absolutely loved it!

Cheryl is also doing a giveaway in honor of the release of her new book Hunted. If you use the hashtag HUNTED on Twitter tomorrow you can win a prize. Also, if you enter this giveaway here on her blog you have a chance to win other prizes.

So check out Hunted or Scars or both-you won't be disappointed!

(as of this posting Amazon is sold out of Hunted)

My thoughts on "FORGOTTEN" by Cat Patrick


MY THOUGHTS

Sometimes, or rather a lot of the times, I hate giving ratings. This would be one of those times.

I read this book in one evening, which means that the writing was good and the story flowed for me, but the story didn't pick up until about pg. 200 or rather, I think it was actually closer to pg. 250. Which, since the book was only 288pgs meant that there wasn't room for too much to actually happen.

The story is about a girl named London, who is a junior in HS and who has a rare memory problem. She cannot remember her past, as recently as the day/night before, but she can 'remember' the future. Because of this she has to leave notes for herself every evening before she goes to sleep so that when she wakes up she can read about the day before and the day before that, etc.

This sounded so intriguing and it was, but nothing happened in this book until well after pg. 200. This, to me, was a love story. Which was great and I enjoyed that about the book. The love interest, Luke, was good looking and he treated London so well, but I guess I was just expecting some excitement in the book because of the rare memory problem London has.

When stuff started to really happen at the end it got my pulse going...Finally, some excitement! But with less then 50pg left it couldn't fully develop and had to be short lived. Now this would have been fine if there was going to be a sequel, but I checked and I didn't see a sequel. In fact the next book is something completely different.

I wish this book would have delved more into why she was having this problem and why later on she was all of sudden starting to remember certain things. Which is another thing...why was she able to remember certain people at school, but not others?

Even if there was going to be a sequel I think that a lot of this book could have been thinned out.         

Monday, December 19, 2011

My thoughts on "INVINCIBLE SUMMER" by Hannah Moskowitz


MY THOUGHTS

I do not have a lot to say on this book, but I still wanted to update you guys and say something.

I am not big on 'coming of age' stories, and this is what this book was about. It took place at the families beach house over 4 summers. It was from a males perspective which was nice, but there just wasn't enough angst, turmoil, upheaval, excitement in this book for me. Yes, something tragic happens but there wasn't enough time spent on that incident for me to really feel for it.

It wasn't a bad book by any means, but it just didn't do anything for me. I know this book has gotten a lot of great reviews, and I have read Hannah's book, "Break", which was completely different from this one and which I loved.

Happy a Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

My thoughts on "SCARS" by Cheryl Rainfield


MY THOUGHTS


 
What an intense book! This book had three major things going on in it and I felt for the main character, Kendra, immediately.

The story is about a 15yo girl named Kendra, who is in therapy because she was sexually assaulted. You do not find out when this started until the end of the book, so I was a little confused on that and what finally brought her into therapy until the end of the story.

Kendra isn't sure who raped her-she blocked that out-but she is starting to really have flashbacks and understandably, she is scared. She doesn't think she wants to remember who it was. And the person who molested her doesn't want her to remember either. Through the story he finds a way to let her know that he is still very close by.

Because of all of this, Kendra has been cutting herself. She has kept this hidden from her therapist and her parents so nobody knows that she is doing this.

I can tell you since we brought up her parents, that I do not like them in the least. I was so upset by the way they handled her abuse. Her mother was horrible. Literally treating it like it was a small thing and Kendra should just get over it! It made me so furious....

There is another major thing that is in this book also, but I don't want to say anything about that. Well, I can say that it helped Kendra a lot when it came to dealing with this horrible thing she was going through. Her mother though doesn't think so and makes sure that Kendra knows how she feels.

The whole relationship that she has with her parents is just so off. It just doesn't seem right to me. Once again, until I got to the end of the book and then it seemed to make a little more sense. Maybe because I grew up with a mother similar to Kendras. So her reasons for treating Kendra the way she did made sense to me.

This is definetly a deep book, so if you like those type of stories, I recommend picking this one up!


Saturday, December 17, 2011

PROJECT FOR AWESOME 2011-Books for Kids

This is the first year I have heard of Project for Awesome and I knew right away that I wanted to participate. If you are not familiar with Project for Awesome, it is where youtubers get together to promote charities. This happens once a year over a 2 day period. There are different ways you can contribute so go to the link and check it out!

Mia, her friend Tea, my nephew Lucas and myself put a video together to spotlight "Books for Kids". It is a charity started by Farrah and Britney from I eat Words. They started this charity at the beginning of this year and raised $500 that first time. What they do is is supply new books to children in the hospital. There are two hospitals that they do this for, The Phoenix Children's Hospital and The Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas.

I believe this is a wonderful cause. Imagine these children in the hospital. That has to be a scary place for them, but if they can have a book to read to take them away from there and away from that moment, what better thing can there be. Plus they get to keep those books and bring them home with them.

Even if you can't donate, if you can still visit I eat Words site and visit You Tube today and tomorrow and watch the videos that were made for Project for Awesome, you will help make a difference. For every comment made on these videos a penny will be donated. They may not seem like a lot, but believe me, that adds up.

My thoughts on "SEX, DRUGS AND COCOA PUFFS" by Chuck Klosterman


MY THOUGHTS

This book was abunch of essays by the author. He basically dissected abunch of different things, such as, Saved by the Bell, serial killers, internet pornography, cover bands, etc.

I would have liked this book a lot better, if not for the fact that I didn't care for Chuck's attitude on a lot of stuff. I found him to be rude and shallow to start. Or maybe I thought these things about him because I just don't 'get it'. But, just because of that doesn't mean that I didn't particulary dislike him.

He had a lot of interesting things to say, which some of the things I understood where he was coming from and agreed, and others I couldn't understand or completely disagreed. Which was OK, because these were all what he thought.

He does have facts to back up some of what he says and there are footnotes and an index at the end of the book.

I really did enjoying reading the different essays though on the different subjects he wrote about. I find this format an interesting read and I will be looking forward to reading more books like this.        

Friday, December 16, 2011

FOLLOW FRIDAY


This is a weekly meme hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkie. This is my first time participating because I just came across this. Or at least I think I did. lol...

If you would like the rules to this meme or if you would like to participate in it then click on the picture above and it will take you to the site.

Q: When you’ve read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)

Well, I tried keeping all the books that I read but I was running out of space and I don't like my books to be boxed up-I believe their covers represent art and I like to display them. But...I started selling off a bunch of my books over the past spring/summer. Even if I like a book I will get rid of it, because I know I will not re-read it, unless it is a non-fiction book (those I will keep usually). I do pass on books too if it was a really good book and I think someone else will enjoy it. Well, even if I didn't, but I know someone else will.  I will also donate books to my library. It really depends.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

My thoughts on 'FALL FOR ANYTHING' by Courtney Summers


MY THOUGHTS
A story about a girl, Eddie, who has recently lost her father to a suicide. A story about her best friend, Milo, who is trying to work out his feelings about Eddie. A story about a boy named, Culler, who was a student of Eddies father, who is trying to understand why his mentor killed himself. All of these stories collide to create one deep and intense story.

Eddie's father was a well-known photographer before she was born. He still took photos, but it was different for him now. One day before this story begins, he commits suicide with barely a note explaining why.

Eddie's mother is devastated and can barely get out of bed. Eddie is also devastated, but she has the force of wanting to know 'why' pushing her along. While she at the place where he killed himself one day she runs into Culler, who tells Eddie that he was her fathers student. Culler also has been coming to this place searching for answers. And this is where the connection between them is formed.

Milo, is Eddie's best friend, and he is also the one who found Eddie after she found her father. Milo and her relationship is complicated. They have been friends since the 2nd grade and they are now 17. They have to figure out what their relationship between each other really means, but with the death of Eddie's father it makes everything all the more complicated.

Eddie is so confused and lost this whole time. While wanting to know why her father did what he did, she is trying to figure out who she is now also. Eddie ends up making some poor decisions and going on a road trip with Cullen searching for answers that she may not even find.

This is a very deep book in terms of what Eddie is going through. You go along with her on this trip and experience everything she is feeling right along with her.

The characters were so well written and the story was so good. It was such an intense read. There was so much going on in this story and Courtney Summers captured Eddie's grief and confusion perfectly. The other characters had depth to them also, which was a plus.         

My thoughts on "TIGHTER" by Adele Griffen


MY THOUGHTS

I wish there were 1/2 stars because I would give this a 3.5*.

I am glad that I tried another of Adele's books, after not caring for "The Julian Game". This book I truly enjoyed and finished in only a matter of hours.

The story is about a girl named Jamie, who is having problems back home, such as depression and addiction to pills. She hurt herself in track, I believe it was, and was prescribed pills for that. She just continued using them to help with her depression, and when they seemed to not help like they used to she resorted to sneaking her parents medications. Her parents are righfully worried about her and are trying to get her out of this funk (they are not aware of her addiction with pills). So one evening while her mother is out at a dinner, she finds Jamie a job as an au pair at an old friends home, looking after his 11yo daughter.

Jamie isn't too eager for this at first, but once she gets there she tries to enjoy herself. But right away, she learns about the au pair, Jessie, from last year, and that the girl is now dead. A fact that was clearly not told to Jamie. Jamie is suspect about this omission and starts to do a little investigating of her own about what happened to Jessie.

While this is going on Jamie is watching Isa (the 11yo girl) and dealing with the snarky attitude of Isa's brother, Milo, who wasn't even supposed to be there and who Jamie hadn't even heard of. Along with Milo, she is also having to deal with Peter, the boyfriend of Jessie, who died with her that night last night. Yes, Jamie can communicate with Peter. She tries to chalk this up to all the pills she has been taking and she does start to get a little freaked out about it when it doesn't stop.

This all comes to a head one night and things take a mean and unexpected twist. How I love twists, especially twists like these.

This was a good ghost story, with good characters and a good storyline. It wasn't too spooky which was OK, although it would have been great if it were more spooky. I wasn't expecting the ending and I think you will be suprised by it too.         

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

My thoughts on "AMERICAN IDOL" by S.C. Hayden


MY THOUGHTS


I really enjoyed this book, but unfortunately I do not know how to review it. I have been thinking about it as I was reading the book and of course more so, when I finished, but I just am not sure so I am just going to do the best I can.

The book is about a group of friends who want to get rich quick. They are sitting in a bar one evening talking about God and such...more like pointing out discrepancies and the like when they decide, hey, why not creat Idols for people to worship like they used to do hundreds of years ago.

And off goes the story. The story is told through a narrator, but it covers a handful of different people. Even though there are numerous "main characters", if you will, the story is not confusing in the least. In fact it is very easy to follow and the writing flows rather nicely.

This story is filled with all sorts of religious matter, from Bible scripture to stuff from The Nobel Koran and Nietzsche, The Gay Science. There are several references to pop culture and paragraphs of Bible stories. But even with all of this, it is not in any way preachy. This all fits into the story that is being told.

This story definetly goes against what many of us believe and because of this it may cause some people to become angry with the book or even to yell occasionally. But remember it is only a work of fiction. Or so we hope.

There is some mystery wrapped in this book also, which I will be honest to say that I did not quite figure out. There is a driver license that is floating around throughout the story, which has some purpose, because it is keeps getting mentioned, and there is the number 444, that is everywhere in the book...which "In the Bible, the number 444 deals with both the number four and the number three. The number four refers to creation, while the number three refers to the Trinity..." (Neil King)

There is also swearing, sex and damn near war in this book. A book for adults most definetely. And even though I am not one who cares to read books that ladled with sex, this one was not like this in the least. There was a purpose for the sex.

The characters were well written and the storyline was great. I was excited to read this book and I wasn't disappointed.

I do recommend this book.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

My thoughts on "EMILY" by Emily Smucker


MY THOUGHTS

This book is very hard for me to rate or review.

It is a true story based off of the blog posts of Emily Smucker.

When Emily is going into her senior year of HS she becomes sick. A sickness that she just can't seem to shake. At one point she becomes so weak that she starts to use a cane.

The cane doesn't last but she still becomes exhausted easily and no matter how many tests she gets done the drs can't seem to figure out what is wrong with her.

Finally, about year after she first became sick, she finds out she is allergic to some things, one of which is a major thing.

The thing that I was disappointed about in this book is that there was no description of 'how' Emily was feeling sick. What were her sympthoms?

This was a very quick and easy read.        

Monday, December 12, 2011

My thoughts on "DAMAGED" by Cathy Glass


 
MY THOUGHTS

I am not sure of any other way to rate this book. (I gave it 5*)

This book is about a girl named, Jodi, who enters the foster care system at the age of 7. Within 4mo she has already been through 5 foster homes. There is little hope for her, until Cathy steps up and agrees to take Jodi in.

When Jodi first enters Cathy's home she is very violent and rude. In fact, over the year that she is with Cathy that never completely goes away and as time goes on we start to see other disturbing behaviours from Jodi.

We will also start to learn and start to understand why Jodi is acting the way that she does. The reason(s) are so horrible that I had to stop reading and just take some time to digest what I just read. There were some parts that I had to literally re-read to see if I read it correctly. I couldn't believe the things that this child endured. The horrors she went through.

Remember that this is a true story, so if you are overly sensitive or are weak at heart you may not want to read this book. This book will make you cry, it will make you very angry, it will make you sick to your stomach. But, you will also read about the amazing heart one foster mother had. The patience, the love, the toughness that she had and that she gave this little girl. Jodi was passed from one foster home to another because nobody could handle her. Cathy Glass was determined to help her and she seen it through to the end. Even though there were times she wanted to throw in the towel, when she was frustrated at her situation and at social services, she was overly exhausted and running on empty, she still found just a little bit more inside her to keep going.

So besides for the hurt you will feel from reading this book, you will also know that there are still angels out there.         

My thoughts on "SHADOW HILLS" by Anastasia Hopkus


MY THOUGHTS

This book was real written and the characters were greatly developed.

The story is about a girl named Phe (fee) who ends up attending a boarding school as one of her sisters last wishes. Her sister who had passed away a year previous had an interest to attend this school and so Phe decided to go there for her.

But that wasn't the only reason, cause that would be a bit weird, right? No, Phe was also plagued by these nightmares that were practically the same everytime and that occured at the same time every night. Her sister also was having these nightmares, but Phe didn't know about it until after she was gone and Phe had found and read her journal.

After Phe arrived at this school, strange things started happening to her and around her. Phe learns that she isn't who she thought she was and she has to figure out who that is. She also meets a very handsome and sweet boy (but, of course) who has some strange things surrounding him too.

Admist all of these strange happenings there is also danger and mystery.

I am looking forward to the next book to see what next is going to happen to Phe.        

Sunday, December 11, 2011

My thoughts on "DIE FOR ME" by Amy Plum


MY THOUGHTS

I am sorry but this story reminded me way too much of Twilight. Don't get me wrong, I like Twilight, but I felt as if this just borrowed too much from that and it just wasn't original.

The main character, Katya-a human, has a relationship with a non-human, Vincent. Now, what Vincent is, a Reverant, I thought was interesting because he isn't like the typical ones you read about, but the whole falling in love with each other & being determined to make it work regardless is typical Twilight.

Katya, or Katie, as she is called more often in the story, is the only 'human' allowed into Vincents home with the rest of his 'family'.

I don't know, I just felt like everything that happened was just like Twilight. Especially the two main characters. Katie, moving to Paris from New York after her parents passed away, so she doesn't hang out with anyone and is withdrawn until she meets Vincent. Then when she finds out what he is she isn't afraid of him...Vincent has to be with her and can do nothing but think of her all of the time. He dotes on her exactly like Edward did on Bella.

Then you have Charlotte, who lives in the house also, and is also a Reverant, reminded of Alice so much and Ambrose, another Reverant who lives there, reminded me of Emmett. Too many similarities for me throughout this story.

Most of the story was of the two of them being together and lovey, dovey. The end was were you had your action scene and that was interesting.

I think I would have liked this story more if it was a little more original.

Friday, December 9, 2011

My thoughts on "5 FLAVORS OF DUMB" by Antony John



MY THOUGHTS

When I first started this book I knew I would like it, but I wasn't sure how much, but then when I had reached about pg 150 I started doubting that because nothing much was going on for me to really stay interested. I almost stopped reading it, but decided to keep going since it wasn't bad, just boring. And, I am glad that I did.

The story is about a girl named Piper, who is deaf and a rock band called 'Dumb'.

The first part of the story is about how Piper ends up becoming the manager for the band even though she cannot hear. Her job is to find paying gigs for Dumb within a month, or she is no longer their manager. Piper didn't ask for this job, it kind of just fell into her lap, but now that she has it she is determined to see it through.

I felt the first half was a little boring because it is all about the band practicing and how horrible they are. There really wasn't awhole lot going on. But it seemed that as soon as I posted my update that said exactly that, things turned around.

What caught my eye first is how the author included Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix in this story. I have always liked classic rock, grunge, alternative, or whatever it is called nowadays, so I found the information included pretty interesting and I wanted to read more.

Even though there was only a little bit of this in the story, the story started to gain some substance and I got to get to know the characters more intimately. All of the characters had their own individual personalities and I felt like I could feel what each was going through. That always helps to make a book good. When you feel for the characters. As the story progressed you seen how each character developed more and more.

There is a lot more going on in this book then just a band trying to land some gigs. You have teens getting to know who they really are, friendships, understanding, forgiveness, tolerance and so much more.

I also really liked that Pipers family played a big role in this story also. It is always refreshing to read a book where parents are present.

Pipers father had a hard time communicating with his daughter because of her deafness (she didn't start losing her hearing until she was 6), but as the story goes on you see their relationship start to get stronger. That was an important part of the story for me.

I have heard mixed reviews on this book and I am very happy that stuck with it because I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.         

My thoughts on "MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN" by Ransom Riggs


(clicking on cover will take you to Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS


What an original story and a unique book!

First, let me just say that the construction of the book was so unique....I loved it...I was surprised by how heavy the book was, but I was told that it is because of the type of paper that was used. Then there are pictures throughout the book. The pictures are shown the same time that the main character, Jacob, sees them.

The pictures are pretty creepy, which is the purpose of them--or 'peculiar', as the story states. What I really liked about the pictures besides for the creepiness of them is that they are geniune pictures. Ransom Riggs gathered them from 10 different collectors who bought them from flea markets, estate sales, etc.

I have never read a story like this before and by the way it ended I believe that there will be another book, which I cannot wait for.

Jacobs grandfather tells Jacob stories about peculiar children that he grew up with when he was younger and also about different monsters. He tells Jacob these stories when Jacob is younger and at first Jacob believes him, but of course as he grows up he realizes that there is no way that these stories can be true. Until the day that his grandfather dies, and Jacob finds him in the woods and sees a monster for himself. Or so he believes.

And then the nightmares begin. This all leads to Jacob needing to see a psychiatrist and eventually needing to go to the island where his grandfather grew up so he could see for himself that there are no such things as monsters or the 'peculiar' children that his grandfather always told him about.

Or is there?

The writing of this story was so well done-I could visualize everything as I was reading it and kept thinking of what an amazing and exciting movie this would make.

The characters are brillant! I loved all the peculiar children and Miss Peregrine.

And then the time travel....what a great idea for this book.

I could go on and on but I don't want to give much more away. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it. It is like nothing you have read before. It is full of creepiness, suspense, action, intrigue and the pictures just really add to the whole feel of this story.

Standing ovation to Ransom Riggs for this book....

Thursday, December 8, 2011

My thoughts on "EVERY YOU, EVERY ME" by David Levithan

First, I need to say that I am sorry if you don't like my review. I know everyone seems to love David Levithan, as well as John Green....but there books  for me just seem to fall short. Usually at the end.


(from Goodreads)

In this high school-set psychological tale, a tormented teen named Evan starts to discover a series of unnerving photographs—some of which feature him. Someone is stalking him . . . messing with him . . . threatening him. Worse, ever since his best friend Ariel has been gone, he's been unable to sleep, spending night after night torturing himself for his role in her absence. And as crazy as it sounds, Evan's starting to believe it's Ariel that's behind all of this, punishing him. But the more Evan starts to unravel the mystery, the more his paranoia and insomnia amplify, and the more he starts to unravel himself. Creatively told with black-and-white photos interspersed between the text so the reader can see the photos that are so unnerving to Evan, Every You, Every Me is a one-of-a-kind departure from a one-of-a-kind author.

MY THOUGHTS

OK, so this book wasn't horrible....I know MANY people who Love David Levithan so I know his writing is nowhere near bad....but it just isn't for me.

This book was very interesting with the photos that were included and with the way the story was written also. There were a lot of very short chapters and then with the pictures, it made for a quick read.

I caught on pretty quickly what was going on and I thought the whole "I know what you did" thing was great....until, the "I know what you did" thing really wasn't a big deal at all.

Then towards the end I thought there was going to be a cool psychological twist, but that didn't happen either.

I was disappointed with the ending immensly. By the way the story is written you can tell that the main character is having some deep issues dealing with the loss of his best friend. This is why I thought there was going to be a psychological twist to it.

I don't know. Just wasn't exciting. I felt like I got led on to only be let down at the very end.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

My thoughts on "PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ" by A.S. King


(from Goodreads)

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.

So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.


MY THOUGHTS

I enjoyed this book a lot. I think that A.S. King did a great job developing her characters and the story itself was very good.

I love contemporary stories already so I was already leaning towards liking this one.

When the story begins all you know is that Charlie is dead and that something happened between Vera and him...and as the story goes on you learn what happened along with other new stuff.

This story gets into Vera's head and you learn what she has gone through and what she is currently going through. She is a pretty tough girl, I think. Her mother left when she was 12 (I believe) and she is being raised by only by her father, who is a little over protective. Her father chooses to ignore the bad and this has affected Vera in some ways.

Vera has a lot to carry on her shoulders and she has no friends. In addition to having no friends she has a few people that give her a hard time all of the time.

Vera is trying to figure out her life and it is very difficult for her with everything that is going on. She still hasn't faced Charlies death and she has begun drinking.

Her father tries to be there for her, but he doesn't know what to do. I like that the story showed their differences and difficulties, but it also showed how they worked together to fix it.

Even though this story deals with death, distrust, betrayal and forgiveness, it isn't a very deep read like say, one of Ellen Hopkins. A.S. King did a great job with this story.         

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

My thoughts on "Dark Inside" by Jeyn Roberts


(from Goodreads)

Four teenagers on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found. THE DARK INSIDE is a stunning, cinematic thriller: 28 DAYS LATER meets THE ROAD.

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…. Now it’s our turn.

Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even worse is happening. An ancient evil has been unleashed, hooking on to weakness, turning the unwary into hunters, killers, crazies.

Mason: His mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground. Everyone he knows is killed.

Aries: A school bus, an aftershock and a crash. Pulled out of the wreckage by a mysterious stranger, she’s about to discover a world changed forever.

Clementine: An emergency meeting at the town hall that descends into murderous chaos. Outside the rest of their community encircle with weapons. How can those you trust turn into savage strangers?

Michael: A brutal road rage incident. When the police arrive on the scene they gun down the guilty and turn on the by-standing crowd. Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad?
MY THOUGHTS

** spoiler alert ** Im torn on this book. I really wanted to like it, and part of me does, but then part of me doesn't.

I liked the action and the characters in this book, but I felt as if there wasnt an answer for what was going on in the story.

It starts off with a huge earthquake and then people all of a sudden are trying to kill everyone else. Almost like they were zombies, but they are not. The kids in the story call them 'baggers', but that is just a name they made up themselves. I don't think it ever clarified what exactly these people are or why they want to kill others.

The story is written in the different characters viewpoints. So the chapters are alternating....along with a chapter from someone named 'Nothing'-who I didn't really figure out who that was.

When the story begins the characters in this book do not know each other and so we are following them around in the different things they are doing and encountering, but as the story goes on, more of them end up getting together and by the the end of the story, they are all together.

I pretty much figured out all of the characters, except for one of them that doesn't stay with the group. He keeps insisting that he has to go, but then ends up back with them again for certain periods.

I really wish I knew what the point of these 'baggers' was and that the plot was a little more explained. It sounded as if the 'baggers' were killing people because people messed up the earth so they are now cleaning up the earth, but it was only mentioned in one part I believe and not emphasized. Besides, I don't think that makes too much sense. Supposedly these 'baggers' also hear voices, but from where? Nothing is clarified in this story.

Take Care-