Midnight Book Girl

February 14: Top Ten Books That Broke Your Heart A Little

2012-02-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

The Broke and the Bookish host Top Ten Tuesdays and in honor of Anti-Valentine's Day, we're suppose to pick the books that left us heartbroken, so here's mine:

February 14: Top Ten Books That Broke Your Heart A Little

The Broke and the Bookish host Top Ten Tuesdays and in honor of Anti-Valentine's Day, we're suppose to pick the books that left us heartbroken, so here's mine:

Kate's broke-my-heart book montage

Kate's favorite books »

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1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott- I think Jo not ending up with Laurie was my first real book heartbreak. It still bothers me to this day (although having Gabriel Byrne play the Professor she does marry in the Winona Ryder movie version helped a little). And Beth's death was sad too, not just Jo and Laurie not getting married.

2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling- Just like Obi-Wan had to die for Luke to become a better Jedi, I guess Dumbledore had to die so that Harry would be able to defeat Voldemort. But it still sucks.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling- Okay, I was prepared for the death of my favorite characters, but to start of with Hedwig and to take Fred too? What the heck, J.K.?! I was willing to give up Tonks and Remus because at least they went together, but I'll always be shocked and heartbroken over Fred. Why not Percy? He was such a wanker!

4. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz- The end of this novel slays me, but I still love it. I listened to this on audio and had to pull over on the side of the road because I was crying so hard.

5. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin- do not, I repeat, do not get attached to the characters in this series!

6. The Green Mile by Stephen King- I think this book lead to my first sinus infection because I cried so much. I was a walking ad for Visine and Kleenex for a week after reading this book.

7. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis- the scene with Aslan going to the stone table to sacrifice himself still makes me weep, a dozen or more re-reads later.

8. One Day by David Nicholls- the end stabbed me through the heart, literally. I still haven't been able to watch the movie.

9. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins- I was really, really, really, super unprepared for the death of a particular character.

10. Chances by Jackie Collins- Okay, I know this is a weird pick for me, but back when I was a teen I read Jackie Collins instead of doing drugs or getting STDs. When Lucky loses her mom, and then years later Marco, it broke my heart. So yeah, there was lots of sex, violence and glorification of sex and mob violence, but it tugged a bit at the heartstrings. Maybe I should read a Nicholas Sparks novel...

I'm sure there will a dozen more books that I'll end up wishing I'd added to the list once I look at everyone else's link!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, hope Cupid's aim has improved!

Buy yourself some chocolate and curl up with some Mr. Darcy (or your favorite literary boyfriend).

Stolen Review

2012-02-10T21:32:00.000-05:00

Stolen: A letter to my captor
by Lucy Christopher
From Goodreads:

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

My Thoughts: Very interesting premise, and I liked how the Australian landscape acted like a character. The ending is satisfying without being neatly, and unrealistically, tied up. I was expecting more violence on the part of the kidnapper, but the creepiness of his history with Gemma was an unexpected bonus. And although I said the ending was fairly realistic, I found the character of Ty not to be. I found his treatment of Gemma too... old-fashioned? I find it hard to believe that someone who be mentally unfit enough to kidnap someone to make them love them, and someone who is physically capable of, erm, "relations", would be okay being friends. Saying that, I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if Christopher had written the story the way I thought it would go. I also like the butterfly on the cover, a bit of a nod to The Collector by John Fowles.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The Vanishing Game Review

2012-02-06T08:34:00.000-05:00

The Vanishing Game
by Kate Kae Myers
Expected Publication 2.14.2012
From Goodreads:

Jocelyn's twin brother Jack was the only family she had growing up in a world of foster homes-and now he's dead, and she has nothing. Then she gets a cryptic letter from "Jason December"-the code name her brother used to use when they were children at Seale House, a terrifying foster home that they believed had dark powers. Only one other person knows about Jason December: Noah, Jocelyn's childhood crush and their only real friend among the troubled children at Seale House.
But when Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for. Turns out the house's powers weren't just a figment of a childish imagination. And someone is following Jocelyn. Is Jack still alive? And if he is, what kind of trouble is he in? The answer is revealed in a shocking twist that turns this story on its head and will send readers straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light.

My Thoughts: Okay, I know it's still early February, but I'm officially claiming The Vanishing Game as my favorite read of this month! It's rare for a YA book to really shock me by it's ending, but Myers pulled it off brilliantly. There are clues along the way, but I was on the wrong trail most of the book.

Jocelyn is an amazing character- she's smart, a survivor, and brave enough to tackle the horrible ghosts of her childhood in order to find out what happened to her brother. The flashbacks showing Jocelyn and Jack's upbringing- from their crazy mom to their fellow foster kids in Seale House, are heartbreaking. But my favorite part of the book (besides the ending), was Jocelyn and Noah's relationship.

In a complete breath of fresh air, Jocelyn's relationship with Noah seems to build slow, even though now that I think about it the timing was probably over only a few days. But it feels like a slow build, and it creates some nice tension between the two of them. Jocelyn's girlhood crush on Noah is tempered by the fact that the last time she saw him he promised to kill her if he ever saw her again. And he does attack her when he first sees her, but in his defense he didn't recognize her and she was doing a creepy/stalker routine instead of just going up to him and saying hi. Noah is not a perfect young man, he doesn't sprout poetry at the drop of the hat and he doesn't sparkle or have fey blood, he felt like a real leading man and not just fantasy. There might not be a Jace or Edward in your future ladies, but there are Noah's in this world.

Another aspect that I really enjoyed was getting to see some of the other residents of Seale House in the present, especially Dixon and Beth. I honestly could have read an entire book based just on Jack, Jocelyn and Noah's years in Seale House. Although a lot of the creep factor of the house is explained at the end, I'm still curious about all the kids that might have passed under it's roof.

The book is also full of riddles and codes, which while I admit that I personally suck at them, it' great to see books aimed at girls showing girls enjoying math, and not just English and Art.

I officially moved yesterday, and I managed to read The Vanishing Game amidst much personal drama in my life. It was a wonderful escape from the endless packing, stress, and sore muscles from moving. That's a mark of a good book- one that's able to completely capture your mind.

The Vanishing Game gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of The Vanishing Game gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I like the double image of the house, and the differences are open to interpretation. I thought it fit the book pretty well.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this arc through Around the World Arc Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) Review

2012-02-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2)
By Lauren DeStefano
Expected Publication: 2.21.2012
From Goodreads:

Rhine and Gabriel have escaped the mansion. But danger is never far behind.

Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago―surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.

The Two are determined to get to Manhattan, to relative safety with Rhine's twin brother, Rowan. But the road there is long and perilous―and in a world where young woman only live to age twenty and young men die at twenty-five, time is precious. Worse still, they can't seem to elude Rhine's father-in-law, Vaughn, who is determined to bring Rhine back to the mansion… by any means necessary.

In this sequel to Lauren DeStefano's harrowing Wither, Rhine must decide if freedom is worth the price―now that she has more to lose than ever.

My Thoughts: I started reading Fever at the hospital, waiting for my Mom to improve (she since has), and finished the book on Friday the 13th, so setting and time were very appropriate. Fever picks up where Wither leaves off, with Rhine and Gabriel on the run, trying to make their to New York and Rhine's twin. Like most plans in a dystopian world, things do not go well.

Rhine and Gabe run afoul Madame, who runs what is basically a carnival/cat house. All seems bleak as Gabriel is kept drugged and Madame has big plans for Rhine, but the duo befriend Lilac and her young, malformed daughter Maddie. Because DeStefano isn't going to turn our beloved heroine into a prostitute, you can pretty much bank on Rhine escaping again. Wither was slow paced, but Fever's main theme is running, and Rhine does a lot of it. My favorite part of the book was that you're introduced to a wide variety of new characters, and old favorites pop up.

I had a problem with Gabriel in Wither, and the second installment does little to endear him to me. Rhine had a more complex and interesting relationship with Linden, and she has more heat with newcomer Silas than she does Gabriel. He just feels more like a comfortable best friend than a potential lover. Honestly, he bores me a bit. The most interesting thing about him is his withdrawal from "Angel's Blood" that the Madame hooks him on. But there were no awesome "Intervention" type rages here, sadly. Rhine keeps a little light of hope alive in my heart as she continues to wear Linden's ring on her finger. Am I the only one rooting for Linden?

The ending of Fever, while not shocking, definitely leaves you with Must Read Next Book feeling. The entire time I was reading this book, which was just two days, I kept hearing the soundtrack to Repo: The Genetic Opera! in my head. The cover of Wither, the first book, would have fit this book too- Rhine literally finds herself in a cage, but even after she escapes that, she's still in a different kind of cage constructed by Linden's father.

Fever gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of Fever gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I'm not sure I love it as much as Wither, but it's still gorgeous and very appropriate to the story.

Disclaimer: I received a temporary copy of Fever through Around the World ARC Tours in return for my honest opinion.

In Too Deep Review

2012-01-29T13:26:00.000-05:00

In Too Deep
by Amanda Grace
Expected Publication: 02.08.12
From Goodreads:

I never meant for anyone to get hurt. All I wanted to do that night was make a play for Carter Davis. His heartless rejection was mortifying, but people got the wrong idea when they saw me leaving his bedroom, crying. That’s how rumors of rape started.

Now girls at school are pouring out their sympathy to me. Guys too. But not everyone’s on my side. The school has become a war zone and the threats are getting scary. What began as poetic justice has morphed into something bigger-forcing me to make a terrible choice.

My Thoughts: There are two major story lines in this book- one is about a misunderstanding that morphs into a lie that spirals out of control, and the other one is a sweet love story between the boy and girl next door. Put together and you get a pretty powerful novel, although don't look for a tidy, happy ending here.

Sam is in love with next door neighbor and best friend Nick, but because Sam is extremely passive about her life, she decides to try to make him jealous instead of just telling him that she loves him. Which is how she ends up in Carter's bedroom, which leads to the imploding of her life.

Sam has a very strained relationship with her over protective law enforcement dad, so she's fairly unused to alcohol. By the time she get's to Carter's room, she's pretty trashed. Carter is a flirt, but it turns out he's not very nice, and when Sam comes stumbling out of his room crying, gossip girl Michelle assumes Sam's been raped. The weekend goes by without Sam realizing that the entire small town she lives in is discussing what happened at Carter's party. Nick finally makes the move on her, and for once Sam is feeling happy.

Monday brings Sam's happiness crashing down. Unaware that most people assume Carter raped her, Sam instead thinks he spread a rumor that he bagged her, or told everyone how he put her down. By the time she realizes what's really going on, she feels helpless to correct the lie. Soon even Nick believes that she's been raped, and afraid of losing him, Sam continues to keep quiet.

Is a rumor really that powerful? Is my rumor really that powerful?

The school is divided, those that support Carter (mostly the jocks he hangs out with) and those that easily believe Carter capable of sexual assault. Sam suddenly finds herself with new friends, Tracey- Carter's ex whom he dumped after she put out, Macy- who Carter dumped for not putting out, and Sam's old friend Veronica- who Carter spread rumors that she was a lesbian after she wouldn't date him. Even after admitting to the truth to the girls, they convince Sam to keep quiet, feeling that since school is almost over that Carter deserves to suffer a little. Sam's unsure, but having been passive her entire life, she keeps mum.

I really understood Sam, and while I don't think Carter deserved the stigma of sexual predator, it's easy to see how someone like Sam could quietly go along with the rumor. As she points out, she never actually told the lie, she just didn't correct it. Carter is a very unpleasant golden boy, used to getting his way, and he and his friends make Sam's life very uncomfortable. Sam is afraid to tell the truth, and she's afraid of what will happen if she doesn't tell the truth. She's very aware of the suffering Carter is going through, even if he's not the nicest person on the planet.

What In Too Deep really exposes is quick we as a society are to make judgements. It happens all the time, in the news, in the media, and in our own towns. It's not just that most of the school is quick to believe Carter raped Sam, it's also that some of his friends are quick to dismiss the possibility and threaten Sam. It really makes me want to go back and watch the movie Gossip. I honestly think this would make a great book club selection, but also a good book for teens to read along with their parents. Everything in this book worked well for me and I'd definitely recommend it.

In Too Deep gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of In Too Deep gets a Midnight Cover Rating of:

I think it fits the story well, and illustrates how alone and trapped Sam feels.

*I received a copy of In Too Deep through Around the World ARC Tours in exchange for my honest opinion.

Pandemonium (Delirium #2)

2012-01-27T23:05:00.000-05:00

Pandemonium (Delirium #2)
By Lauren Oliver
Expected Publication: 02.28.12
From Goodreads:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.
Lauren Oliver delivers an electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Delirium. This riveting, brilliant novel crackles with the fire of fierce defiance, forbidden romance, and the sparks of a revolution about to ignite.

My Thoughts: Pandemonium swings between the past (Lena escaping over the wall without Alex and finding sanctuary with over "invalids") and the present (Lena being all tough and working for the Resistance). Both in the past and present she is haunted by the memory of Alex, and the realization that Hana has had the cure. In Delirium, Lena had to wake up to the truth that the government hid, but in Pandemonium her struggle is physical as she strives to regain her strength. Without Alex, Lena is lost. She finds a new family of sorts in the wilds, and ends up working with the resistance.

Through this she meets Julian, poster child for the cure. Lena and Julian end up thrown together. He is as naive as she once was, and Lena finds herself in the role that Alex once took with her. Julian is hot and sweet, but Alex is never far from Lena's mind. With Alex dead, is Lena going to be able to move on?

Lots of new characters are introduced in Delirium, and they all add to Lena's story. There are so many wonderful moments and back stories, especially Blue's history. I challenge you not to tear up when you get to that part. The only part I had trouble with was how Lena ended up working in the resistance, the jump seemed skipped over. One minute she's living in the woods and struggling to survive, and the next she has a new idenity, a fake cure scar, and she's living in a new town.

I'm not sure I loved Pandemonium as much as I did Delirium, although the fault may lie more in the numerous dystopian novels I've read this past year than in Oliver's writing. Pandemonium was a great, compelling read. It would be an extreme understatement to say that I'm eager to get my hands on the third book. The ending of Pandemonium, while not completely unexpected (I gots skills), still leaves you suckerpunched. In a good way. Maybe. Still, it's a great dystopian series, and if you only make room on your shelves for one or two dystopian novels, than this series definitely rates a place.

Pandemonium gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Pandemonium gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I loved the subtleness of Delirium's cover, and this one doesn't really do much for me.

Across the Universe

2012-01-26T21:11:00.000-05:00

Across the Universe
by Beth Revis
From Goodreads:

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.

I was a fan of Beth Revis long before I finally read this book. I follow Revis on her blog and twitter accounts and I get the feeling that I'd be friends with her if she lived on my street. Perhaps that's why Across the Universe has lingered so long on my shelf. I was afraid that I wouldn't like it, the same way I would feel if my a friend handed me her manuscript. I know my friend can write, but I'm fearful of not loving it as much as I think I should.

Fortunately my fears, once again, proved groundless. I am not a huge science fiction fan, preferring the fantasy aspect of science fiction to the actual sciencey part of the genre. Now, like the Host by Stephenie Meyer, Revis doesn't try too hard to go over my head with the details about space travel. Maybe that will bother science fiction purists, but I think it makes for a great intro to sci-fi for the YA audience.

Across the Universe is thought provoking YA novel- which is kind of funny because most of the YA I read in the late 80's and early 90's during the time I actually qualified as young adult were designed much more to entertain and not to make the reader think. The entire story takes place on a ship heading for a new planet- a new Earth. The ship is fueled as much with lies and secrets as it is anything else. Amy, our heroine, was meant to sleep her way across the universe, waking only when the ship arrives at the new planet, but someone awakens her early and life aboard the ship is as alien to Amy as Earth is to the ship's inhabitants.

The romance between Amy and Elder is subtle, and not the main focus of the book. When Amy is awoken early from hibernation, her memories of Earth feel like yesterday, and not 200 years ago. It makes sense that she'd be preoccupied with what's happening on board. It also makes sense that she wouldn't be quite ready for romance if she still has memories that feel like yesterday of the boy she left behind.

Elder is faced with many moral dilemmas and it was his character I most enjoyed reading about, if only because there is so much Amy's character was kept in the dark about. Side characters, especially the shadowy Orion, helped invest me in the goings on aboard Godspeed. I'm hoping to meet even more characters in the next book!

(Spoilerish)
I'm interested in Elder's struggles as Eldest. Will he become a leader who rules through fears and lies or will he continue to try to follow his heart? While Amy would probably say his path is clear, and that truth and honesty should rule the ship, I think that Elder realizes that leadership is not that easy. I think the most interesting aspect of the next book will be Elder's continuing awakening along with the rest of the people on board. Although Elder has Amy by his side, he's been "raised" by Eldest, so who knows how Elder will rule?

I can't wait to read A Million Suns. The only benefit to waiting as long to read Across the Universe as I did is that now I don't have to wait long for the second book! Across the Universe was part of my Mount TBR challenge and I'm glad that I finally got around to it! I don't read too much of this kind of genre (lately it seems I only read dystopian, which I still love, but it's nice to have a change of pace). I'm even thinking of going back and re-reading my Xanth novels by Piers Anthony, which were my first real introduction into sci-fi.

Across the Universe gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of Across the Universe gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I love the colors! And I love the image of figures, it's as if Elder is leaning down to kiss Amy as she lays sleeping in hibernation.

Confessions of a Neglectful Commenter

2012-01-24T22:47:00.001-05:00

I feel a bit bad. I've fallen WAY behind on my google reader, and I haven't been commenting on all of your lovely blogs. I apologize. Sometimes life just gets in the way, but I'm hoping that by the end of next month things will be back on track to Awesomeville.

A few weeks ago I went to visit my mom in Northern Virginia. She lives with my aunt and uncle, and they were going out of town and my aunt let me know that my mom wasn't really eating much and not able to go down the short flight of stairs to the kitchen anymore. For those of you that don't know, my mom has advanced COPD. Growing up in a coal mining town and then smoking for 50 years obviously leads to poor lung function.

We've been trying to get Mom to move down to our part of Virginia for years now (I grew up in NoVa, I love it, but the traffic and travel time up there and back is ridiculous. Plus, last time I checked we hadn't won the lottery, which would be the only way we could afford to live there). Mom being mom, she said no, and continued to smoke despite our pleas and the doctor's order to quit. "It's the only vice I indulge" is her motto. My response is that I'd be fine if she started drinking, as she has years to destroy her liver, and that since she's a widow, she's free to start sleeping around. Mom wasn't much amused.

But when I went up to see her, things were far worse than I could have guessed. Not only wasn't she eating, she wasn't smoking. She wasn't drinking COFFEE. Prior to last month, coffee made up 50% of the fluids in her body. And while Mom hasn't been a chunky monkey in years, her weight loss was particularly noticeable, especially when compared to the edema in her legs. Still, she said she was okay. Maybe, just maybe she'd move her doctor's appointment up.

She's a stubborn woman.

My amazing sister-in-law, Amy, and my brother Patrick came up on a Saturday, and Amy was able to convince Mom to go to the hospital... on Sunday. See, stubborn. And even then, she was so weak it took almost two hours to get her ready.

Mom had pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and just for fun, her hear was in afib. Her weight was under a hundred pounds. It was pretty scary. Thankfully, INOVA Mount Vernon is a wonderful hospital, and Mom fought hard, and now she's doing much better. She's out of the hospital and in physical rehabilitation. She still has a weak heart, and we'll have to watch her for CHF, but with enough exercise and conditioning she'll be much better off than she's been in a long time.

*On a side note, despite being almost 70, Mom never signed up for Medicare. *headdesk* She has great insurance through Blue Cross/Blue Shield Federal Employees (Thanks, Dad!), but they don't cover skilled nursing facilities. The great social workers at the hospital told us that in some cases Blue Cross will create a benefit to cover rehab, meaning they pay for it out of their pockets and that they won't get reimbursed by the government. Janis at Blue Cross approved Mom, and she's busy getting healthy again. I have nothing but praise for Blue Cross!!*

Mom's still having ups and downs, but more ups this week. And she's agreed to move in with the Hubs and me!!!

Now what all this means is that I've been busy. I've been running back and forth from NoVa to here, looking at houses (we currently live in a second floor apartment but stairs are not going be Mom's thing), and now that we found a home, I have to pack and move in a week or so. Plus I'm getting back to work.

Does this mean I won't be posting reviews or I won't have time to read? Hells no! The world didn't end, so of course I'm still reading. But it just means that I don't have time to scroll through my Google Reader and comment. So please, if you have a post or review in need of some comment love, something you think I might have missed (I did), then put a link in the comments and I promise to make it a priority.

Despite all the craziness, there have been so many blessings in the last two weeks. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family, and an amazing husband. I'm grateful to my friends, and fellow bloggers! Thanks for being patient. Hopefully I'll soon be posting even more reviews (the Hubs got me Dragon, that voice to text program, although it takes a lot to set it up. Ugh. Dragon, I'm lazy, aren't I just supposed to do the talking while you do the writing?) and commenting again. Thanks for being patient, even if you didn't know I wasn't around as much!

Drive Review

2012-01-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Drive
By James Sallis
From Goodreads:

Much later, as he sat with his back against an inside wall of a Motel 6 just north of Phoenix, watching the pool of blood lap toward him, Driver would wonder whether he had made a terrible mistake. Later still, of course, there’d be no doubt. But for now Driver is, as they say, in the moment. And the moment includes this blood lapping toward him, the pressure of dawn’s late light at windows and door, traffic sounds from the interstate nearby, the sound of someone weeping in the next room....”

Thus begins Drive by one of the nation’s most respected and honored authors. Set mostly in Arizona and L.A., the story is, according to Sallis, “about a guy who does stunt driving for movies by day and drives for criminals at night. In classic noir fashion, he is double-crossed and, though never before has he participated in the violence (I drive. That’s all.), he goes after the ones who double-crossed and tried to kill him.”

My Thoughts: A lot different from the movie, but in someways even better. Driver's quest for revenge is even more bloody and successful in the book. While characters like Shannon in the movie have a smaller role in the book, great side characters like Doc and Manny add flavor to the story. Plus, I was still able to picture Driver as Ryan Gosling, so the book was a total win. It does not have the sweet, subtle romance that the movie had, but you get Driver's back story which helps you understand why he is the way he is and how he's able to do what he needs to do in order to survive.

Seriously, even if the summary doesn't interest you even if my opinion doesn't sway you, buy the book just for the yummy Ryan Gosling cover.

Drive get's a Midnight Book Rating of:

The book cover gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

Because Ryan's so delicious!

And my attempt at a Ryan Gosling meme:

The Not So Sweet Valley Review

2012-01-21T19:10:00.000-05:00

Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 Years Later
by Francine Pascal
From Goodreads:

Ten years after graduating from Sweet Valley High, the Wakefield twins have had a falling-out of epic proportions. When Jessica commits a complete and utter betrayal, Elizabeth flees to New York to escape the pain and immerse herself in her lifelong dream of becoming a journalist.

Jessica remains in California, dealing with the fallout of her heart-wrenching choices. She has a career she loves and lots of old friends, but misses her sister, her oldest friend. With Jessica as her enemy, Sweet Valley is no longer the idyllic town of their youth.

Jessica longs for forgiveness, but Elizabeth can't forget her twin's duplicity. She decides the only way to heal her broken heart is to get revenge. Always the "good" twin, Elizabeth is now about to turn the tables...

My Thoughts: I was so excited about this book, I really was. Growing up, I read so many of the Sweet Valley High books, learned so many lessons from the twins and friend's mistakes, and fell in love with Sweet Valley. But I have to say this book disappointed me so much. Some characters were just completely ruined for me (really, Pascal, Winston Egbert grows up to be a jerk!), Elizabeth was whiny, Todd was bland as ever, and Jessica was no where near as sparkly as usual. Stephen and Cara, a couple I adored in the series, whole past was trashed, although I understand that Pascal wanted to make Sweet Valley a little more PC. I get that, but I wish the characters could have kept the personalities I once loved. The saving grace, for me at least, was Bruce Patman. I actually adored him in this book, although at times in the series I disliked him. Bruce in this book is the only character that appears to actually have matured, and it reminded me of his love for Regina. The writing is pretty sub-par so I'm not sure exactly who the intended target audience is supposed to be, most YA books are better written and I'm pretty sure that most people buying Sweet Valley Confidential are former 80's tweens like me. I just expected so much better. It just felt like Pascal was trying too hard to go all Gossip Girl on this, but even in the Gossip Girl books the characters are more likable. So can I recommend this book? Not really. But honestly, the bad reviews wouldn't have kept me from reading this book. And I will give Pascal credit for giving me a brief glimpse of Jeffrey French, who in my opinion was Eliabeth's best match and not that lame-ass Todd Wilkins and his "coffee colored eyes". Yeah, I'm bitter.

Sweet Valley Confidential: 10 Years Later gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Let's just hope they leave the Babysitter's Club alone!

Life Support Review

2012-01-18T08:10:00.000-05:00

Life Support
by Tess Gerritsen
First published in 1996
From Goodreads:

The overnight ER rotation at Springer Hospital is a calm one, which suits Dr. Toby Harper just fine. While Toby is fiercely proud of the stripes she earned as a resident in a big-city ER, she's come to appreciate the pace at Springer. But no hospital could have been prepared for the man Toby admits one quiet night. Delirious and in critical condition from a possible viral infection of the brain, he barely responds to treatment. And then he disappears without a trace. Under fire from the hospital administration for literally losing a patient, and fearful that she's missed a life-threatening diagnosis, Toby knows she must find the patient. Her hunt is intensified when a second delirious patient dies in the hospital's care. But even more chilling is the discovery that the infection can only be spread through direct tissue exchange.

My Thoughts: A few years ago I read my first Gerritsen novel- The Surgeon. I quickly devoured the Rizzoli and Isles books, while I collected her other stand alone books. Last year I finally read one- The Bone Garden, which turned out to be one of my favorite reads in 2011. As part of my resolve to read the many, many unread books I already own this year, I picked up Life Support.

I don't know if I picked the best time to read a medical thriller, as I read it while keeping watch over my mom in the hospital (she's doing much better and will be coming to live with us once she gains strength at a physical rehabilitation center). Fortunately the plot had more to do with Alzheimer's and genetic experimentation than the pneumonia and congestive heart failure that my mom was busy fighting.

Let me start with what I did like- Life Support gives a very real portrayal of Alzheimer's disease and what it's like for the family members and care takers. The science behind the genetic experiments, while disgusting and perhaps unrealistic, was thrilling and there were some great plot twists throughout the book. Some of the information in the book was a little outdated, but this is one of Gerritsen's earlier books, and the woman knows how to craft a plot.

Where the book failed to grab me was the main character. I never felt connected to Toby and didn't much like her, although towards the end I did feel bad for her plight even if I kind of blamed her for some of the trouble she found herself in. To be honest though, it took me a couple of books to warm up to Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles too. Probably because I don't have much in common with there tough, driven women, but Gerritsen creates great female characters- they may be successful, but they're hardly one dimensional and suffer from the same issues all women deal with, in this case Toby has pretty much put her life on hold in order to care for her ailing mom. Normally Tess Gerritsen book's get me so wrapped up in the plot that I soon find myself caring for characters that are hard to love (Rizzoli in The Surgeon is a particularly prickly pear).

Life Support was okay, but not great. It will not deter me from reading the rest of Tess Gerritsen's books- I tend to be pretty author loyal. This book was a fairly decent medical thriller, it just didn't grip me as tightly as her previous books have done.

Life Support gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover of Life Support (at least the edition I own) gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The cover's slightly pornographic looking and has little to do with the plot.

Prey Review

2012-01-17T07:22:00.000-05:00

Prey
by Lurlene McDaniel
From Goodreads:

A teacher is supposed to impart a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge. It’s a bit different with Ms. Lori Settles. All the kids are talking about how hot she is–and she is especially interested in Ryan Piccoli. When she starts giving Ryan extra attention, he’s feeling more than happy–at first. He’s used to being the class clown, but really he’s a loner. One day after school, the friendship with Lori Settles goes farther than he ever expected. She’s his teacher. She’s at least twice his age. Intimacy with a teacher is wrong, yet it feels so good in every way. Soon, Lori is making demands and Ryan begins to feel overwhelmed, but Ryan refuses to even admit anything is going on. Something immoral is going on and before too long the choices made will change lives forever.

My Thoughts: Really short read about a young boy who gets sexually involved with his teacher. Ryan's no Pacey from Dawson's Creek, and Lori is far more realistically portrayed as a predator than Pacey's teacher-lover. She likes her boys young, she's got a messed up history, and Ryan is much more a victim than he thinks. Ryan's friend Honey is your average teenager with a crush and she is by far the easiest person to deal with. I think the book could have been so much better had it explored some of the issues that it merely mentioned- in particular the double standard between adult men having sex with teen girls compared to adult women having sex with teen boys. There were things in the end that happened too quickly and easily, and most of the parents were portrayed as clueless when it came to their children's feelings and activities... but maybe that's more realistic than I'm giving credit to. Overall it was a fast paced book, and while there is lots of sex, most of it's "off screen" and not shown. Towards the end, more is learned about Ryan and Lori, but there's still much left unexplored. I thought the topic was interesting and completely relevant to today's society, I just wish it had been a little more fleshed out. Honestly, I picked up this book simply because it was so different from Lurlene McDaniel's teens with cancer books that I read as a teen.

Prey gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Dead To You Review

2012-01-14T21:38:00.000-05:00

Dead To You
by Lisa McMann
Expected Release: 2.7.2012
From Goodreads:

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

My Thoughts: You know, it’s refreshing to have a male protagonist in a YA novel- especially one that feels male. I’m always impressed with authors who have the ability to capture characters of the opposite sex and bring them to life. Ethan feels real, and it’s easy to empathize with his predicament of trying to get back to his “old life”. Everything from trying to connect with his family and dealing with school brought to life the very harsh truths of reunifications- often they are very hard. And it's not just Ethan who struggles to fit into his new life, his parents marriage is put through the ringer upon his return, and his siblings have to deal with accepting him as their older brother. Much family drama ensues!

Part of the reason I wanted to read this book, other than being a fan of McMann (I rhymed!), was because the premise reminded me of the old Lifetime movie I Know My First Name is Steven (which was a bit cheesey) and The Deep End of the Ocean (movie, not the book which I haven't read yet, but the movie is excellent and stars Jonathan Jackson, whom I truly adore), and since then I’ve had a strange obsession with tales of kidnapped kids. In 2011 I read You Are My Only and Jaycee Dugard’s autobiography, but it’s obviously a story line I can read about again and again. Time and again I’ve read books of kidnapped girls- Possession, The Collector, Living Dead Girl, etc. McMann choosing a male victim was a nice twist.

Speaking of twists, that’s where this book lost me a little. The pace of the book, the tension kept me flipping pages, and while I knew there was something coming, the ending took me by surprise. It's either going to be and ending that you like, or one you hate, but it will make for excellent discussion! I personally liked the ending, even if it left me wanting more. It doesn't seem like McMann is going to continue Ethan's story, but I'd love to know what happens to him, Cami, and his adorable moppet of a sister. I recently spent a week with my 2 1/2 year old niece, the lovely Fiona Kathleen, and Ethan's little five year old sister "the replacement child" reminded me so much of my precocious name sake that I had to wonder if the author has met Fi.

Overall, Dead To You is as readable as McMann’s Wake trilogy. The subject of the book is dark, the main character is tormented, so this is not the book you want to read if you’re in the mood for a light and fluffy YA book.

Dead To You gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

And a new feature is my Midnight Book Cover Rating!

Dead To You gets a Midnight Book Cover Rating of:

I love the cover, even though it’s not apparent from the cover if the book is about a male or female character- not with those nice lashes! But hey, the cover’s at least gorgeous enough to flip to the back for the summary.

Disclaimer: I temporarily received a ARC copy of Dead To You through Around the World Blog Tours in return for my honest opinion.

A Slaying in the Suburbs Review

2012-01-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

A Slaying in the Suburbs
by Steve Miller and Andrea Billups
From Goodreads:

To their suburban Detroit neighbors, Stephen and Tara Grant were happy as could be. But their marriage, plagued by resentment and extramarital affairs, was held together only by their children. Until the night Stephen snapped, strangled and dismembered his wife, then disposed of her body piece by piece in the very park his children played in.

My Thoughts: I used to read quite a bit of true crime back in the day. I know, you're shocked. Now I mostly just read true crime when Ann Rule releases a new book (I love her!). A Slaying in the Suburbs is very interesting book based on a horrible crime. I was a little taken aback at the authors' obvious dislike for Alicia, Tara Grant's sister, and the blame they place on the victim of the crime, Tara Grant. I realize that not every murder victim is a saint, but I felt that the book was slightly skewed in Stephen Grant's favor and suspect that the reason behind this is that Alicia Grant and the rest of Tara's family weren't as willing to talk to Miller and Billup.The truly bizarre behavior displayed by Steve Grant during the weeks after murdering his wife was by far the most interesting parts of the book. I don't know that the trial was covered as thoroughly as if could have been, and the writing was a little uneven in places. At times it also felt like Miller and Billups had an ax to grind with Alicia Grant, and were overly critical of her, which made the book uncomfortable to read at times. Of course, the gruesome treatment of Tara Grant's remains was more than uncomfortable to read about, but at least her killer was caught and her family was able to see the murderer brought to trial. A Slaying in the Suburbs was actually a past book club read for me, and it made for an okay discussion. But I won't be picking up any more books by Steve Miller or Andrea Billups.

A Slaying in Suburbs gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Digit Review

2012-01-05T22:09:00.000-05:00

Digit: She's Got Your Number
by Annabel Monaghan
From Goodreads:

Farrah "Digit" Higgins may be going to MIT in the fall, but this L.A. high school genius has left her geek self behind in another school district so she can blend in with the popular crowd at Santa Monica High and actually enjoy her senior year. But when Farrah, the daughter of a UCLA math professor, unknowingly cracks a terrorist group's number sequence, her laid-back senior year gets a lot more interesting. Soon she is personally investigating the case, on the run from terrorists, and faking her own kidnapping-- all while trying to convince a young, hot FBI agent to take her seriously. So much for blending in . . .

My Thoughts: I immediately clicked with Digit. Oh, not over the whole math genius thing because I can barely add and subtract simple numbers (which might explain by checking account balance at any given time). I bonded, instead, with Digit over our shared love for bumper stickers.

I love bumper stickers- how I've managed to not rear end someone whilst trying to read their stickers is one of God's small miracles. I was instantly in awe, and jealous, of Digit's wallpaper of bumper stickers. I even understood her dilemma about not being about not being able to commit to putting one of her own car. I've only ever put one on a car I owned (IRL for Ireland, small, oval, and unobtrusive). Partly because it's hard to find a perfect bumper sticker, and partly because the Hubs is not a fan of bumper stickers. But for Christmas my sis in law, Amy, got me some truly awesome Zombie Family window stickers (me, the Hubs, our dog and two cats), which will be going on my new (not yet purchased and only new to me because we buy used) car.

Okay, I got way off track, so back to Digit. I liked her even though aren't exactly similar. I tend to hide my ignorance from my friends, while Digit hides her awesome math genius abilities from her popular friends. I don't particularly care for the way the author insinuates that popular kids can't be smart, but really it doesn't bother me too much. I was a theater, band manager, reading team nerd in school. I had just enough social status to avoid getting picked on (for the most part), but not enough status to garner any positive attention from the It crowd either. So, screw the popular kids. They're probably too busy going to parties and doing cool kid stuff to read this book (let alone this blog) anyways.

I read the ARC, so I can't guarantee these quotes, but here they are anyway:

I wasn't really in my comfort zone, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd talked about numbers with anyone but my dad. Talking about them with normal people always ended up being a little isolating. It's as if they hear me out and then slowly back away, like I was holding a gun instead of a pencil.

Was this guy too old to be cute? I mean cute in a nerdy-wasn't-cute-at-the-beginning-of-the-movie-but-was-super-hot-by-the-end sort of way?

The biggest fault with Digit is that the plot isn't particularly realistic, and Digit does some dumb teenager stuff (like keeping her cell phone? This from a girl who watches CSI?), but the fact that I like Digit and her sexy FBI man goes a long way in helping me to suspend my belief in order to accept the less than realistic set up (like John's uber spy CIA parents with a hidden house that supposedly even the government doesn't know exists...). I put up with it because it's fun and I really like the chemistry between John and Digit. Yes, he's 21 and she's 17 (18 in June!) but their extreme youth and intelligence cancels out the creep factor. Plus, when I was a kid I was a huge fan of 21 Jump Street, and I entertained fantasies of Johnny Depp's Officer Hanson going undercover at my junior high and falling madly in love with me. Sadly, the up and coming movie remake of 21 Jump Street looks more like the old Police Academy movies... again, off topic.

Overall it's a fun, cute read- like Clueless meets the FBI. It was a fun way to kick off my reading in 2012!

Digit: She's Got Your Number gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The expected release date in June 5th, making it a fun summer read. Hopefully they'll tweak the cover design a bit, as I am not loving this.

Disclaimer: I read this book as part of the Around the World ARC Tours, receiving a copy of the book to review honestly before passing it on. All opinion, snark, and wit is my own.

There Is No Dog Review

2012-01-02T21:10:00.000-05:00

There Is No Dog
by Meg Rosoff
From Goodreads:

Meet your unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boy living in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-suffering fifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazy and, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six days because he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa and America mixed up. And his beleagured assistant has his work cut out for him when God creates a near-apolcalyptic flood, having fallen asleep without turning the bath off. There is No Dog is a darkly funny novel from one of our most delightfully unpredictable writers.

My Thoughts: Bob is a teenage boy in love. He's also God. His being in love is a very bad thing for humans, because his usual detachment from the human world is gone and we are left with a very emotional teen going through the ups and downs of puppy love. Floods and famine commencing now.

"The transformation from needy teenager to weapon of mass destruction is nearly complete."

Lucy is the human that's caught God's attention, but she's got problems of her own with Luke, her boss, who seems to hate her. Lucy is immediately drawn to Bob, unaware that's he's God but overwhelmed by his otherness. Human lovers of Bob tend to do poorly- remember all those Greek myths? Yup, that was Bob doing all the chasing of fair Greek maidens and getting them into all sorts of trouble when he wasn't busy bringing plague to the lands when his love affairs don't work out.

Then there's Mr. B, God's long suffering assistant and the only that's really trying to solve all of our problems. Mr. B would make a wonderful God, but Bob's flighty mom, Mona, won our corner of the universe in a bet and gave it to her whiny brat of a son. Mr. B's planning a way out, but he's upset at the prospect of leaving his beloved whales behind, and distracted by the destruction Bob's crush is causing on earth.

My favorite characters in the book were Estelle and the Eck. There Is No Dog is pretty light in the character development, but Estelle's a strong young immortal, determined to save Eck from Bob and Mona's carelessness. The Eck is a penguin type creature who has been ill used by Bob- think of a spoiled child and a loyal, beaten dog. Estelle trying to figure out a way to get Eck out of a particularly awful dilemma- thanks to Mona and Bob, is easily my favorite part of the book.

There Is No Dog is not for everyone, it pokes fun at religion- the title is a bit of a giveaway so if you find that offensive then you probably want to skip the book. And although it's a YA book, Bob is the only teenage character. Lucy is 20 or 21, and everyone else is older than that. Because the book is about a horny teenage god, there's also some sexual scenes- mostly Bob's daydreams.

My biggest problem with the book is that it just tries a bit too hard to achieve a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy irreverence and it just doesn't hit the mark. It's full of snark and humor, but there's no real depth to the characters. I'm not a particular fan of teenagers, but I would give them more credit than Rosoff does to Bob- he has all the negative teenage boy characteristics, but doesn't seem to have upside to his personality. Teens, in my opinion, are a bit schizo, I don't find it realistic that Bob wouldn't have some good qualities.

But because I still enjoyed the book, There Is No Dog gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Disclaimer: I read this book as part of the Around The World ARC Tours, and briefly received a copy to read and give an honest review of before sending it on to the next blogger.

My Life According to the Books I've Read in 2011

2012-01-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

~~Stole~~ Borrowed this meme from Christine at The Happily Ever After...

Using only titles of books that you read this year (2011), complete the prompts below. Try not to repeat any book titles. Think creatively and have fun!

Describe yourself:
Vixen by Jillian Larkin

How do you feel:
Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Describe where you currently live:
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Your favorite form of transportation:
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Your best friend is:
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

You and your friends are:
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

What's the weather like:
Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

What is life to you:
Asylum by John Saul

Favorite time of day:
What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz

Your fear:
Something at the Window is Scratching by Roman Dirge

What is the best advice you have to give:
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson

Thought for the day:
Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper

How I would like to die:
Entwined by Heather Dixon

My soul's present condition:
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

Read Me Baby, One More Time in 2012

2012-01-01T01:39:00.001-05:00

I wasn't going to re-host this, because I honestly don't feel a did a great job last year, but it seems several of you really liked this challenge so who am I to deprive you of another fun year of re-reading your favorite books? Thanks to Lori for the awesome challenge button!!!

Any book you re-read from 01.01.2012 to 12.31.2012 counts as part of this challenge- and feel free to overlap with other challenges! At the end of each month I will put up a post where you can link any re-reading reviews you have written. You do not need a blog to participate, you can always comment on any of your re-reads here or on twitter, goodreads, etc. If you link a review, I promise to comment, and I'm encouraging all participants to comment on each other's re-reading reviews!

Here's the levels:

Trip Down Memory Lane: 1-3 re-reads

Reliving the Past: 4-8 re-reads

Back To The Future: 9-12 re-reads

Groundhog Day Reader: 13-20 re-reads

You've Got a Serious Problem and Really Need to Go Book Shopping: 21+ re-reads

Here's how to participate:

Blog a post about this challenge and link below in Mr. Linky. It can include any re-reads you are looking forward to in 2011.
Feel free to grab a button (mine was made by the awesomely wonderful Lori at Pure Imagination)
and put it in your sidebar.
Sign up using Inlinkz below with your blog post link.

Good luck and happy re-reading!!!

My Favorite Reads of 2012!

2011-12-31T07:44:00.000-05:00

I read 175 books this year (not counting the 2 books I'm hoping to finish up today), but here were 33 of my favorites. No doubt I left some good books out!

Kate's 2011-favorite-reads book montage

Kate's favorite books »

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What were some of your favorite reads in 2011? Did any of mine make it on your list?

Happy New Years!!! May the best book you read in 2011 be the worst book you read in 2012!

More 2012 Challenges!

2011-12-30T13:27:00.004-05:00

So, you know I can't resist a Reading Challenge... although I am pretty resistant at finishing them... Oh, well, 2012 will be a new year so you never know when they'll come up with a cure for procrastinator's like me!

Here's some more challenges I'm joining, you can find the complete list on my left hand side bar.

Read Your Name Challenge:

Basically all this challenge requires is for you to pick book titles (the first letter in each title) that spells out your name. Now obviously, Midnight Book Girl would be a ridiculous choice, so I'm going with KATE. It seems like a fun challenge, and one that's within my powers to actually finish!!

What's In A Name 5 Challenge:

I did this challenge in 2011 and actually finished it! I love the treasure hunt aspect to this challenge, and this year I'll have to read books who's titles refer to: topographical features, something you'd see in the sky, creepy crawly, type of house, something you'd carry in your pocket, purse or backpack, and something you'd find on a calender. This one can be a bit tricky, but it's 6 books in all and I'm hoping it will lead to some creative reading on my part!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge:

What I like about this challenge is that I have already decided that I have to do something about my crazy TBR shelves. Most of them are books I really, really want to read! It's insane to keep piling up books that I'm not reading. So no more of that! I'm going to focus on trying to get it under control so that I can enjoy shopping for new books without the guilt of those dying a slow death on my shelves. There's different levels for this challenge, but I'm choosing Mt. Ararat, which is 40 books. I hope to go higher, but I want to keep it realistic too. I read 175 books or so in 2011, there's no reason on earth that I can't get to 40 books off my own darn shelves in 2012! I plan on getting to 3-5 books on my tbr shelves a month, which would put me at 60 tbr books, but I don't want to push my luck.

Bucket List Reading Challenge:

I'm going big on this one, since it coincides with my Mount TBR challenge. I'm choosing to do the Semi level and here's the 13 books I plan on getting to:

1. Across the Universe

2. Bran Hambric and the Fairfield Curse

3. Anna and the French Kiss

4. Matched

5. Anna Dressed in Blood

6. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

7. Twenty Boy Summer

8. Drive

9. What My Best Friend Did

10. The Forest of Hands and Teeth

11. Feed

12. Uglies

13. The Screwtape Letters

Books You Can Read In A Day Challenge:

I'm going with Level 1 on this challenge, which is to read 15 books- not all at once, but separately, in one day. Here's a (partial) list of books I already have in mind:

1. Digit: She's Got Your Number by Annabelle Monaghan

2. Drive by James Sallis

3. Anna Dressed in Blood

4. Bewitching

5. Smokin' Seventeen

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

A-Z 2012 Challenge

I love this challenge and am so glad that Kim of Page After Page is hosting it. I had a huge problems with letters K and Y, but was able to pull out a win in 2011. Of course I got lucky with some of my letters, like Queen of the Dead, Zombies Vs. Unicorns, and XVI... so 2012 might be a bit more difficult!!

Reading Challenge Addict!

Feeling as addicted to reading challenges as I am? Then this is a great group to join! Plus it's a great way to learn of even MORE Reading Challenge!!

Read Me Baby Wrap Up

2011-12-29T08:59:00.000-05:00

It's almost time to bid adieu to 2011 and to wrap up the Read Me Baby, 1 More Time Challenge! Fortunately the best thing about re-reading books is that it's never truly goodbye. So how'd you do this year? Would you be surprised to know that I didn't do that much re-reading myself? 2011 was my year to let go and to challenge myself to read more, so I just didn't have time to curl up with all my old favorites, although I always find time for old literary friends. I'm sorry I didn't do a bang up job at hosting my first challenge, but I've learned from my mistakes... I hope!!

Comment below and tell me how you did, or link a post! And if you didn't participate, just let me know what books you're hoping to re-read in 2012. I'm looking forward to some Harry Potter re-reads and The Night Circus- loved that book and I really want to spend some more time with it!

So even though I was a pretty dismal host of this year's Read Me Baby 1 More Time Challenge, I will be hosting again in 2012... but with some changes. There will be a place to link up any reviews of books you've re-read every month (I will master the art of Mr. Linky!) and I'm going to encourage lots of comments on these reviews from all of us participating. That's going to be a big part of 2012 and blogging for me- community. Lori is busy designing a new challenge button for us, so I should have the new Challenge post up by Tuesday. Lori designed my challenge button last year and then this past May she turned my blog into something magical (seriously, check out her designs if you're thinking of a makeover, she's ah-mazing!).

The Peach Keeper

2011-12-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

The Peach Keeper
by Sarah Addison Allen
From Goodreads:

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.

For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.

My Thoughts: Loved this book! The only thing that would have made this book better is if there had been more detail from Georgie and Agatha's time, and a little more Devlin, but still it's a fantastic, up all night read! Allen's books are truly magical, she does, after all, write "magical realism". While I personally like The Girl Who Chased the Moon, I know other readers didn't feel it measured up to Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen. The Peach Keeper is closer to the first two books than TGWCtM. I have loved Sarah Addison Allen's writing from her very first novel, and now that she has four books under her belt I can officially claim her as one of my favorite all time writers. When I give books as gifts, she is one of the authors I love to introduce people to. So... how long until her next book?

Another reason to love this book- Willa's assistant, Rachel, and her ability to tell things about people through their coffee orders.

The Peach Keeper gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:31:00.001-05:00

Hope you all got all the bookish presents you wanted (not needed, since we all have more books in our tbr pile than we can ever get to) and wishing you a great ending to 2011.

Christmas has been a little sad for us this year, since we lost our cat, Joey, on Monday. She, yes Joey was a girl- named after Joey Ramone, was with us for over 8 wonderful years and we will miss her!

On a happier note, I made our Christmas tree out of books! I still need to add lights, but this thing is staying up forever! It's a little sad that taking all these books off my shelves barely made a difference...

(presents and fake snow were added digitally)

Unraveling Isobel Review

2011-12-21T20:37:00.001-05:00

Unraveling Isobel
By Eileen Cook
From Goodreads:

"Thrilling and creepy, super sexy, and so very hilarious." --Lisa McMann, bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.

Isobel’s life is falling apart. Her mom just married some guy she met on the internet only three months before, and is moving them to his sprawling, gothic mansion off the coast of nowhere. Goodbye, best friend. Goodbye, social life. Hello, icky new stepfather, crunchy granola town, and unbelievably good-looking, officially off-limits stepbrother.
But on her first night in her new home, Isobel starts to fear that it isn’t only her life that’s unraveling—her sanity might be giving way too. Because either Isobel is losing her mind, just like her artist father did before her, or she’s seeing ghosts. Either way, Isobel’s fast on her way to being the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

My Thoughts: Unraveling Isobel features some of my favorite YA topics- ghosts and hot stepbrothers. Mental illness also makes an appearance, but unlike the recent Life is but a Dream, this book features the more common plot tool of "is the heroine crazy or haunted?". For me this was the only draw back of the book as mental illness has a huge stigma in our society and for most of the book Isobel's mom, and Isobel to a point, treat the threat of schizophrenia as if it's the bubonic plague. The author does a good job of making up for it at the end, which I thought was sorely needed. Yes, schizophrenia is bad, but it's a mental illness that can be treated, like high cholesterol or diabetes.

Okay, getting back to what I loved about this book, because I realize that the above paragraph might make you think I didn't like the book, but I really, really did! This is my first Cook book (sorry :), but I loved her writing style. It was snarky and funny. Isobel was an infinitely relate-able character. It's easy to be on Isobel's side in the beginning of the book when she's forced to move her senior year because her mom has decided to marry a man she recently met on the internet. Especially when the new stepfather's name is Richard, aka Dick, Wickham (for all you Pride & Prejudice fans out there you know that can't be good). And now Isobel is stuck living in a huge house, sorry- estate, called Morrigan (again a omnious name for any King Arthur fan out there) on a tiny island.

The upside is that house and stepdad come with a cute, hunky stepbrother. And even though Isobel is forced to utilize the town library in order to get dirt on Morrigan, she's aided by a likeable librarian. It's a bit nice to see some research done old school style and not just on Google. Isobel is determined to discover if she's going crazy or being haunted by Dick's dead daughter- because his wife and daughter died under tragic circumstances just the year before.

You'd think having a creepy new stepdad, a possible haunted house and a questionable crush on your stepbrother (because while it's not incest you have to admit it's a bit weird, since they have to live with each other) would be enough for Isobel to contend with. But the house and new family come with more secrets and for some reason the resident head Mean Girl wants to mold Isobel into a happy little Stepford bff.

So back to what didn't work for me- Isobel's mom. The woman is self-absorbed and ridiculous. Her behavior seems a bit out there to me, but that said there are plenty of self-absorbed and selfish parents in the world. The other problem I had was small, and a bit spoilerish, but I would think that if I was a psychiatrist working out of my home I'd make darn sure that the heating vent in my office didn't allow my teenage daughter to spy on my private conversations with clients. Just saying...

Although I knew from the beginning that Isobel wasn't going all Girl, Interrupted on us, Cook delivers a good twist at the end. It's not that it was a surprise per say, but the details were unexpected. But honestly it wouldn't have mattered even in the ending had been predictable since I really enjoyed the characters so much.

Good ghost stories are hard to come by, but Unraveling Isobel is proof that they are out there. I feel comfortable recommending this read, although for those of you that have a low tolerance for cursing in YA books you should know that there is some in this book. I don't know that it needed it, but it's pretty realistic considering teens in real life swear. Except for the Duggar teens and of course the perfect angel you have raised (or will raise in the future). ;) The sexuality is pretty tame, yet still a tad steamy since we are dealing with the topic of hot stepbrother. Trust me, Glee is more explicit.

Unraveling Isobel gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

It's not quite a Midnight Read, but it'll keep you up and turning the pages nevertheless. And while I love the cover, I probably would have gone a bit darker since it seems a little light for the story contained inside. I also rated it slightly higher here than on Goodreads but that's only because Goodreads doesn't allow the half star, which I find to be very necessary in ratings!

***I read Unraveling Isobel as part of the Around The World Arc Tours, but all opinions, snark and wit are my own. I was not given anything to sway my opinion and passed the book on to the next tour member on the list.

Expected Book Release Date: 01/03/2012

Juliet Review

2011-12-16T09:02:00.000-05:00

Juliet
by Anne Fortier
From Goodreads:

Twenty-five-year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved Aunt Rose. But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister. The only thing Julie receives is a key—one carried by her mother on the day she herself died—to a safety-deposit box in Siena, Italy.

This key sends Julie on a journey that will change her life forever—a journey into the troubled past of her ancestor Giulietta Tolomei. In 1340, still reeling from the slaughter of her parents, Giulietta was smuggled into Siena, where she met a young man named Romeo. Their ill-fated love turned medieval Siena upside-down and went on to inspire generations of poets and artists, the story reaching its pinnacle in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

But six centuries have a way of catching up to the present, and Julie gradually begins to discover that here, in this ancient city, the past and present are hard to tell apart. The deeper she delves into the history of Romeo and Giulietta, and the closer she gets to the treasure they allegedly left behind, the greater the danger surrounding her—superstitions, ancient hostilities, and personal vendettas. As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in the unforgettable blood feud, she begins to fear that the notorious curse—“A plague on both your houses!”—is still at work, and that she is destined to be its next target. Only someone like Romeo, it seems, could save her from this dreaded fate, but his story ended long ago. Or did it?

From Anne Fortier comes a sweeping, beautifully written novel of intrigue and identity, of love and legacy, as a young woman discovers that her own fate is irrevocably tied—for better or worse—to literature’s greatest star-crossed lovers.

My Thoughts: I really loved this book, but then I've been a fan of the Romeo and Juliet since high school. This was a great, mysterious and intriguing look at the origins of the play, and the love that inspired it. I don't know if this book is for everyone, but if you liked The Historian or Discovery of Witches, then you'll probably like this book. And if you don't already have your passport up to date, then you'll want to get it before you pick up Juliet, as Siena, Italy is described in great detail. Just don't go with any anti-war protestors like Julie did on her first visit!

Juliet gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

What The Night Knows

2011-12-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

What the Night Knows
by Dean Koontz
From Goodreads:

In the late summer of a long ago year, a killer arrived in a small city. His name was Alton Turner Blackwood, and in the space of a few months he brutally murdered four families. His savage spree ended only when he himself was killed by the last survivor of the last family, a fourteen-year-old boy.

Half a continent away and two decades later, someone is murdering families again, recreating in detail Blackwood’s crimes. Homicide detective John Calvino is certain that his own family—his wife and three children—will be targets in the fourth crime, just as his parents and sisters were victims on that distant night when he was fourteen and killed their slayer.

As a detective, John is a man of reason who deals in cold facts. But an extraordinary experience convinces him that sometimes death is not a one-way journey, that sometimes the dead return.

Here is ghost story like no other you have read. In the Calvinos, Dean Koontz brings to life a family that might be your own, in a war for their survival against an adversary more malevolent than any he has yet created, with their own home the battleground. Of all his acclaimed novels, none exceeds What the Night Knows in power, in chilling suspense, and in sheer mesmerizing storytelling.

My Thoughts: A little darker than some of his more recent books, What the Night Knows is still full of what Koontz does best- precocious kids and magical dogs, although the dog's part is small. What the Night Knows is about John, who lost his entire family to a serial killer. Before 14 year old John kills Alton Turner Blackwood, the killer makes a promise to return some day when John has kids. Flash forward 20 years, and John is meeting with Billy, a 14 year old with choir boy looks who just blew away his entire family, his crimes and words echoing Alton Turner Blackwood. Now John, his wife and his 3 adorable moppets, sorry, children, are in danger, as are other innocent families.

There were lots of things I liked about this book, but they are also things that might turn people off of it. First the kids, they are all pretty perfect and speak like tiny adults, it's not very realistic buy hey, they are home schooled. Like most Koontz books, this is about a struggle against good and evil, and it is clear what side Koontz is rooting for, and although this book is about a truly heinous serial killer there is still an underlying faith. There are also lots of extra characters, most are not the cute, harmless friends and neighbors one sees in other Koontz books, as these are people who walk the darker side of the streets, but the reader is given a glimpse into their minds, and they are known.

Koontz's writing full on Odd Thomas, and I think it would almost be better to listen to the audio version of this book. There are whole passages that would come alive if read out loud, but otherwise feels a bit cumbersome at times as you're reading. And although you get to read Alton Turner Brown's journal, I still don't know why he picked whole families to kill, or why no one in the Calvino house talks of the haunted feeling the house acquires upon Blackwood's return.

Overall it was a Koontz win for me. It is very violent, maybe more violent than I've come to expect from Koontz, but he stays away from Richard Laymon territory. There's always hope in Dean Koontz books, yes there will be death and despair, but there's still the hope that good can defeat evil.

What the Night Knows gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

It's Challenge Time!

2011-12-11T13:51:00.002-05:00

That's right, readers, it's Challenge Time! And yes, I am doing the hammer dance as I type this up.

So 2011 went better for me than 2010 as far as challenges go. I actually completed several, crashed and burned on a few, and made a poor attempt to host my own challenge (which I will be wrapping up soon, so for those participating in the Read Me Baby, 1 More Time challenge, I have not forgotten you!). I doubt I'll be hosting any challenges this year, although I thought about doing the Re-read challenge again but the truth is that I've had less and less time to re-read books since finding a billion new books to read through all of your blogs. So what challenges will I be doing in 2012? Here's what I'm starting with:

1. The 15,000 Page Challenge hosted by my friend, Courtney, at Abducted By Books.

Requirements:

The challenge is to read 15,000 pages in 2012!

Basically, in the year 2011 a lot of my reading centered around reading graphic novels and listening to audio books. So when I was thinking about how I wanted to challenge myself in 2012, I decided to challenge myself on how many pages I read.

It will break down like this...

read 41 pages a day
read 100 books of 150 pages
read 75 books of 200 pages
read 50 books of 300 pages
read 30 books of 500 pages
read 15 books of 1000 pages

Do you see how easy this will be?

THE RULES:

1. You have to actually read the pages, i.e. no audio books but I will include e-books since you are actually reading the words. Just look up the book on goodreads or amazon to get a page count number and I trust you to be fair.
2. Graphic Novels are not including because a majority of this genre is centered around the graphics and not the text.
3. You can only include the pages you read between January 1st, 2012 and December 31st, 2012.
4. You can only include the pages you actually read, so if the book has appendixes but you choose not to read them, don't include them in your final tally.

Chances of Success For Yours Truly: High

2. 2012 YA Contemporary Challenge hosted by Reading Angel and Katie's Book Blog.

Requirements:

There are different levels that you can choose to challenge yourself in:
Level 1: 5+ books
Level 2: 10+ books
Level 3: 15+ books
Rules:
You can read any contemporary YA novel that is published between January 1, 2012and December 30, 2012 but you must read them in 2012! (All formats accepted: paperback, ARC, e-book)

I'm going for Level 2 for now. I do a lot of ARC tours now so that will help, especially as I'm really trying not to buy any books that aren't absolute must haves.

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
3. Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel
4. Dead To You by Lisa McMann
5. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

I will add links to the titles as I read and review them for this challenge.

Chances of Success For Yours Truly: Fairly High

More to Come!

Blood and Chocolate Review

2011-12-10T21:45:00.000-05:00

Blood and Chocolate Review
By Annette Curtis Klause
From Goodreads:

Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?
Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.
Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate?

My Thoughts: I've been meaning to read this book for years, and I actually saw the movie when it came out, although the plot in the book is fairly different from what I remember about the movie. I liked Vivian as a character- she's not insecure, she's not whimpy, and she's not a victim waiting for the right boy to save her like so many other heroines of YA. The struggles Vivian faced were handled well, and her pack dynamic was very interesting. Normally I don't particularly care for werewolves, but this past year I seem to be enjoying them more and more (the Shiver series, the Lonely Werewolf books). Vivian's mom is a piece of work, though, and the romance with Aiden definitely does not follow YA teen formula. All this works for me. Plus for a 1990's YA book, there's lots of smexy smex going on, which is a bit surprising. Of course, the 1990's books I was reading as teen were the early 90's and dominated by R.L. Stine (no sex), Christopher Pike (some sex but all older teens) and L.J. Smith (hinted sex, but all off screen and just the "bad girls"). By the time Blood and Chocolate came out I was already in college (and I use "in college" loosely, as I was there, but not really there, as in "not really in class". Which might be why I have a book blog instead of owning a book store- education, people! Take it seriously!) So, back to the book, it was good. I liked it, even though I have as much in common with Vivian as I do a supermodel (which is NOTHING, not even the same species).

Blood and Chocolate gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The Last Little Blue Envelope Review (in which I give much love to Maureen Johnson)

2011-12-08T07:39:00.000-05:00

The Last Little Blue Envelope
by Maureen Johnson
From Goodreads:

Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.
Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

My Thoughts: There are few sequels that are better than the original novels, but it seems that every Maureen Johnson book I read is suddenly my all time favorite! Maureen is an amazingly funny writer, I was underlining quotes like crazy- the one dig at Nicolas Sparks was a particular favorite. New characters Ellis and Oliver were wonderful additions. Ginny really matured as a character and was far less passive this time around. Her European adventures from the first book have given her some confidence, and I went from liking the first book to loving the second book. I always know I'm going to laugh when I pick up one of Johnson's books, and that's a great thing to be able to depend upon.

I hope for further adventures starring Ginny, and I now realize that I must read all of Johnson's books. I follow her on twitter (she's hilarious) and the same wit and silliness are evident in her writing. The Last Little Blue Envelope was a fantastic up-all-night kind of read, and just like Aunt Peg's letter, I don't want an ending!

The Last Little Blue Envelope gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

You, and by you I mean all of you reading this, all of you not reading this, and all of you who actively block me from your lives, need Maureen Johnson in your life. If I could kidnap her, clone her and give her as a Christmas gift I would. But until the technology catches up with my diabolical mind, I'll just have to settle with telling you that you must read her books. You must. Right now. Okay, maybe after a few minutes if you need to grab a bite to eat or check her out on twitter.

11/22/63 Review

2011-12-05T10:03:00.000-05:00

11/22/63
By Stephen King
From Goodreads:

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Stephen King's heart-stoppingly dramatic new novel is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination-a thousand page tour de force.

Following his massively successful novel Under the Dome, King sweeps readers back in time to another moment-a real life moment-when everything went wrong: the JFK assassination. And he introduces readers to a character who has the power to change the course of history.

Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students-a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake's friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane-and insanely possible-mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake's life-a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time.

A tribute to a simpler era and a devastating exercise in escalating suspense, 11/22/63 is Stephen King at his epic best.

My Thoughts: Is there any topic, any era that Stephen King can't bring to life? I don't think so either. I loved how he brought the late 50's and early 60's to life- yes, certain aspects of life back then were simpler, but King also reminds us that 10 cent gallons of milk come with racism, sexism and choking cigarette smoke. Sure you could leave your doors unlock, but you also stayed with your husband after he beat you. Yes, you could pick up hitchhikers without getting your throat slashed, but it was best not to be caught talking about equal rights for women. I recently watched a 1964 movie called "Kisses For My President" about the first female president having to handle her husband's pride while also trying to be the leader of the free world. Then she gets pregnant and, of course, steps down as president, and her husband tells her "You know, darling, it took 40 million women to get you in the White House but only one man to get you out." It's supposed to be a chuckle moment, and indeed the wife, former Madame President, just smiles instead of decking him. Because that's how it was in the Land of Ago- as Stephen King calls it. Of course a communist would have had a better chance of getting elected as President in 1964 than a woman, but the movie is a comedy.

Back to the book: I am astounded by the thought and research this book required of King and his helpers. He first came up with the idea in the 70's but I'm glad he waited. The idea that changing one big act in the past could change the course of our future is thrilling. Because while I don't buy into the whole Kennedy fairytale, I do think his assassination ended whatever innocence our country still had back then. And the idea that if Kennedy hadn't died then maybe Martin Luther King, Jr and Bobby Kennedy would have lived too, that maybe John Lennon would have been somewhere else, that Vietnam wouldn't have happened... life is based on so many chances and decisions that it just boggles the mind.

But in King's time travel tale, the past isn't that easy to change, because it doesn't want to be changed. It's not as simple as walking up to Lee Harvey Oswald and slipping some arsenic in his soda. And the main character, Jake, wants to make sure that Oswald really is the killer. I have always believed that he was the lone shooter, but there have been so many conspiracy theories it's hard not to have some doubts. Would you want to go back in time to shoot a man that might not even be guilty and still have Kennedy assassinated by some shadowy group? And if you are able to change the past, what kind of future are you going back to?

11/22/63 is a brilliant novel, it's not quite The Stand or It for me, but it's still a thrilling read. I am thankful to whatever muse is wielding the whip to keep King writing, because I don't know if I want to live in a world that isn't graced with his imagination.

I often say that I'd love to live inside Stephen King's mind, but that's not exactly true. I just want to be able to visit once and awhile. Although there's lots to like about 11/22/63, the best part of me was seeing Bev and Richie from It. They make a quick cameo as Jake heads to 1958's Derry to stop a brutal murder. I've been blessed with amazing friends, but part of me will always feel a part of the Loser's Club with Stuttering Bill, Bev, Beep-beep Richie, Stan, Ben, Mike and Eddie ("This is battery acid, you slime!"). I wish there was a Stephen King amusement park, where you could explore the sewers of Derry, take the Cujo car ride, a dance at Carrie's prom- just be sure to leave before she's crowned Prom Queen! Seriously, how is this not already in production?

Quotes:

“I had been hobbled, perhaps even crippled by a pervasive internet society I had come to depend on and take for granted... hit enter and let Google, that twenty-first century Big Brother, take care of the rest.

In the Derry of 1958, the most up-to-date computers were the size of small housing developments, and the local paper was no help. What did that leave? I remembered a sociology prof I’d had in college - a sarcastic old bastard - who used to say, When all else fails, give up and go to the library.”

“On that gray street, with the smell of industrial smokes in the air and the afternoon bleeding away to evening, downtown Derry looked only marginally more charming than a dead hooker in a church pew.”

“Like all sweet dreams, it will be brief, but brevity makes sweetness, doesn't it?”

“The past is obdurate.”

11/22/63 gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Because, really, if King can't give me a Midnight Read than who can? Happy readings!

Life Is But A Dream Review

2011-11-30T22:06:00.000-05:00

Life is but a Dream
by Brian James
From Goodreads:

Sabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced it's the world that's crazy, not the two of them. They are meant to be together; they are special. But when Alec starts to convince Sabrina that her treatment will wipe out everything that makes her creative, she worries that she'll lose hold of her dreams and herself. Should she listen to her doctor? Her decision may have fatal consequences.

My Thoughts: I was really surprised when I learned that the author of this book had also written Zombie Blondes, and I enjoyed both books although they are very different.

Life is but a Dream deals with mental illness. Unlike The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and various other YA where the heroine's mental illness is really some ability to see the dead, see fairies or some other variety of psychic powers, Life is but a Dream is about schizophrenia. Sabrina is a teenager who has recently been committed to a mental health hospital, and the story takes place in both the present and the past.

I wasn't so sure I was going to like this book, we kind of got off to a bad start. At first the writing style, with all the dialogue in italics instead of proper quotation, got on my nerves. But the more I got into the story the more I realized that it all kind of fit. It gave a sense of unreality to the dialogue, which fit Sabrina's state of mind.

My favorite part of the book is how the author explains Sabrina's schizophrenia, because I've never understood before why someone with that diagnosis would ever want to go off their meds. I really sympathized with Sabrina wanting back some of the beauty that her illness provided, and understood that, as the medication was working, how she could rationalize that she could get the good back without the bad.

In the hospital Sabrina meets Alec, who is there because it was one way for his rich daddy to get him out of some trouble with his school. There's an immediate attraction and Sabrina thinks she's met someone that really understands her. Alec is the one that encourages her to go off her meds, but only because he can't comprehend the magnitude of her illness. Along with Alec, and Sabrina herself, we watch as she spirals out of control.

This is not a pretty book, there is no magical cure for schizophrenia although it can be managed with medication. It is a profound look at the realities of mental illness and it's hard not to feel for Sabrina. She's so lost and confused, unable to understand why it was cute for her to believe in fairies when she was a child, but how it just makes people uncomfortable now that she's a teen, how the pictures she used to share with people no longer make them smile but instead make them look at her with fear. How she goes from special good to special bad. Brian James does a fantastic job getting inside Sabrina's mind, so much so that I could understand why she did some of the things she did. Honestly, it's a little terrifying to realize how easy it was to see things from Sabrina's point of view.

I realize that I've been going on and on about how realistic Sabrina's battle with schizophrenia was, but while I'm familiar with bi-polar and borderline personality order, depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment, I've never known anyone that is living with schizophrenia. I'd really like to know if it's a fair portrayal, but even if it's not, James doesn't exploit the illness so much as he shows how common it can be.

I've said the book isn't pretty, and it's not. It made me cry a little, it made my heart hurt for people like Sabrina that might not have family to take care of them, but it's a good book. Just no puppies and rainbows here.

Life is but a Dream gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

*I read this book through Around The World ARC tours, but all opinions, snark and wit are my own and were not influenced by receiving (briefly at least since it's a tour and the point is to send it on to the next blogger) a copy of the book.

Dirty Secret Review

2011-11-30T16:55:00.000-05:00

Dirty Secret: A Daughter Comes Clean About Her Mother's Compulsive Hoarding
by Jessie Sholl
From Goodreads:

To be the child of a compulsive hoarder is to live in a permanent state of unease. Because if my mother is one of those crazy junk-house people, then what does that make me?When her divorced mother was diagnosed with cancer, New York City writer Jessie Sholl returned to her hometown of Minneapolis to help her prepare for her upcoming surgery and get her affairs in order. While a daunting task for any adult dealing with an aging parent, it’s compounded for Sholl by one lifelong, complex, and confounding truth: her mother is a compulsive hoarder. Dirty Secret is a daughter’s powerful memoir of confronting her mother’s disorder, of searching for the normalcy that was never hers as a child, and, finally, cleaning out the clutter of her mother’s home in the hopes of salvaging the true heart of their relationship—before it’s too late.
Growing up, young Jessie knew her mother wasn’t like other mothers: chronically disorganized, she might forgo picking Jessie up from kindergarten to spend the afternoon thrift store shopping. Now, tracing the downward spiral in her mother’s hoarding behavior to the death of a long-time boyfriend, she bravely wades into a pathological sea of stuff: broken appliances, moldy cowboy boots, twenty identical pairs of graying bargain-bin sneakers, abandoned arts and crafts, newspapers, magazines, a dresser drawer crammed with discarded eyeglasses, shovelfuls of junk mail . . . the things that become a hoarder’s “treasures.” With candor, wit, and not a drop of sentimentality, Jessie Sholl explores the many personal and psychological ramifications of hoarding while telling an unforgettable mother-daughter tale.

My Thoughts: I was really excited to read this book, because while I enjoy the show Hoarders, fitting a whole lifetime of hoarding and its affect on a family can't really be done in an hour. The parts of the book where Sholl talks about her mother, their relationship, and the condition her mom's house and mind are by far the best parts. Not so much author's various health struggles and her need to call her Mom and Dad "my mom" and "my dad" all the time (it might not sound annoying, but trust me, if you read the book you will understand). Her anger at "Mean Lesbian Neighbor" and the unfortunate renter that sublets the author's NY apartment make it difficult to feel empathy for Sholl. At times she is a champion for hoarders, bringing attention to a problem that seems to be growing in our world and the mental illness behind it. But despite knowing her mom's history and current mental status, Sholl is often sharp tongued and impatient with her. Of course, I imagine it's a lot easier to have patience with a hoarder you don't know than the one that plants rubber snakes everywhere to freak you out and gives you scabies that just won't go away. I admire Sholl for her honesty, hoarding isn't a mental illness that you can just take a little blue pill for and the author gives lots of information on hoarding behavior. I just wanted more about her mother's illness and struggle and less about repetitive motion strain and troubles with renters. Although I found the hoarding issues interesting, I didn't particularly like Sholl herself, which took away some of my enjoyment of this book.

Dirty Secret gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Review

2011-11-27T11:27:00.000-05:00

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
By Michelle Hodkin
From Goodreads:

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.
There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.

My Thoughts: This book caught my attention from the very first sentence. It was easy to connect with Mara (or whatever her name really is) from the start. In the beginning Mara is just your average teenager, afraid of losing her best friend to the new girl in town, crushing on new girl's brother, and doing her best to go along with what her friends want her to do. Then new girl, Claire, pulls out the ouija board, so you know that some crazy Captain Howdy poo is about to go down.

Okay, raise your hand and give yourself a point if you got the Exorcist reference.

Anyway the spooky spirits running the board let Mara's bff know that Mara will be responsible for her death. Cut to some months later and Mara is the only survivor of some accident that killed her best friend, third wheel Claire and Mara's boyfriend- Claire's brother. Mara starts off with no memory of the accident.

Mara's family moves to Florida in hopes of a new start, and a last ditched attempt to keep Mara out of the nut house since she's been seeing things and having freak outs since the accident. Just a quick word on the Dyer family- they were one of my favorite parts of the book. Not the parents so much, but Mara's older and younger brothers are pretty awesome. Daniel, despite being on the fast track to Ivy League, does his best to look out for Mara and to help run interference with Mama Bear Dyer, and her little brother is pretty cool, and both brothers take an immediate liking to Noah (more on him later). Overall the Dyer family is pretty normal, although a bit more closer and loving than you see in most YA books.

So, Mara is either being haunted by the ghosts of her friends, seeing visions of death, killing people with her mind, or losing her mind. Or perhaps all of these things at once. We don't know as the reader, and Mara certainly doesn't know. She's busy trying to keep her mom from putting her in a mental hospital. Frankly, if I were going through what Mara goes through, I'd welcome a stay somewhere nice, clean and quiet. Think of all the reading I could get done in a mental health facility! Weirdly, Mara does not seem to think of that, but it could be because she's all artsy, and not much of a book worm. The point is, Mara has a lot on her plate, but then dishy Noah shows up and complicates some already complicated shiz.

Noah, sigh. Noah is British and attractive (I guess, in that underfed emo way that seems so popular in YA- please, teen girls like muscles too- Team Jacob, remember? Although, I'm Team Edward, the sparkly one was much more muscled in the books and didn't need spray on abs like a certain actor I could name but won't), and comes complete with a bad boy reputation. But of course, there's more to Noah than the rumors, and there's something about Mara that attracts him despite the fact that he usually goes through girls like so many dirty gym socks. Just joking, everyone knows boys just re-use the same smelly socks over and over again until they disintegrate.

Once Noah is in her orbit, Mara's world goes from slightly nuts to crazy town. And it turns out that Noah might know more about what's going on with Mara than she does. And that is why this book is so long. I read this book as part of an ARC tour and I was literally reading the last 20 pages outside the post office, slurping down my Starbucks. There is a lot going on in this book, and it should be no surprise to you that there's more books to come. Some of the questions raised in the beginning of the book are partially answered, but there's still a lot of What? What! questions left at the end. Normally this frustrates me. Every chapter seemed to bring new crazy questions to table. There are a lot of plots- the mean queen at school who lusts after Noah and targets Mara and her one new friend at school, Mr. Dyer's murder case, the mysterious deaths of people who just coincidentally got Mara angry, the fact that she keeps seeing her dead friends in mirrors and just around town (seriously what is it about mirrors and horror stories? Why are they so scary? I don't know, but I can't look in the bathroom mirror until the lights are on), mysterious Noah, and the possibility that Mara is losing her mind, all of this and more in just the first book! It's enough to drive me crazy!

But it didn't, possibly because I really enjoyed the story and the characters. The writing was pretty good, although because I read the ARC I did notice a few mistakes which I'm sure are worked out in the official release. I want to know more about Mara Dyer and, yes, even the cliched anti-hero, Noah (who besides the sexy British accent and slut puppy reputation is also extremely wealthy. Feel free to roll your eyes and fall in love with him anyway, because he's secretly sweet and a good foil to Mara). I was expecting a more complete first novel, because I really thought it was a stand alone book. I really have to stop assuming that, especially in YA books. But while some YA series feel like just one simple idea painfully stretched over three or more books, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is bursting with plot that will easily fill up more books. It reminds me of why I like series in the first place- more time to spend with the characters.

I realize this review is a bit all over the place, but there is a lot to take in, and it's not just the simple "girl survives accident, girl thinks she's crazy, girl meets good bad-boy" story. The ending leaves you with quite a cliff hanger, and it'd definitely going to make you want to keep reading. Here's hoping Michelle Hodkin's a fast writer!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

It's not perfect, but it's a page turner despite it's hefty size!

*I read this book through Around The World ARC tours, but all opinions, snark and wit are my own and were not influenced by receiving (briefly at least since it's a tour and the point is to send it on to the next blogger) a copy of the book.

The Name of the Star Review

2011-11-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

The Name of the Star
by Maureen Johnson
From Goodreads:

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

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

My Thoughts: I am a fan of Maureen Johnson. She is hilarious, seriously if you aren't following on twitter then you simply must! I shamefully haven't read that many of her books (Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett and The Last Little Blue Envelope), but I love her writing style, especially her most recent works. Johnson has an amazing sense of humor.

So I have to admit that while I love anything to do with Jack the Ripper, I was a bit weary of my sunshine laughter girl going too dark. Sometimes authors can switch up genres, and sometimes the reader is just left shaking their heads (Remember when Garth Brooks tried have the alter ego pop star personality of Chris Gaines? Sadly, many of you are probably too young for this reference, but it was weird. Really, really, creepy weird. Okay, so maybe I did buy one of the Chris Gaines singles, but I also rocked out to C&C Music Factory as a teen so what did I know?).

I shouldn't have been worried. Yes, The Name of the Star deals with a killer re-creating the infamous murders of Jack the Ripper, yes the main heroine finds herself caught up in the mystery, but there's still the humor and wonderful characters I've come to expect from Maureen Johnson.

Rory is an American in London, which makes for many humorous fish out of water moments, studying abroad. Unfortunately just as she arrives in the UK, the new Ripper murder begins. Rory soon becomes entangled in the investigation and learns that there is much more to the world than she thought, but there's still papers to write, parents to reassure and roommates to deal with.

I was so sad when I came to the end of the book! I hope Maureen Johnson is busy working her witty little butt off on the sequel because I want more. It makes for both a good read and a good listen (as I listened to it on audio and then read it), creepy but humorous. There's danger, hauntings, team sports (which might be the scariest part of the book), a 21 Jump Street feel to the plot, quirky characters, normal characters, boring, prissy characters, and a tiny bit of romance (although it's not the focus of the story, everyone- take a deep breathe of relief with me!). The Name of the Star is just brilliant. I am so twitter stalking Maureen Johnson that much more now. ;) If you're thinking, this book's not for me, it is. Unless your some kind of villain out of a Care Bear movie, but then I'll just turn the Care Bear Stare on you and pow! The Name of the Star is now your kind of book. Honestly, one of my favorite reads of this year!

The Name of the Star gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Disclaimer: I did receive a copy of the book through the Around the World ARC Tours, but I purchased my own copy of the audio book before then and all opinions, snark and witty commentary are my own and not influenced in any way. ;)

Truth (XVI #2) Review

2011-11-17T07:20:00.002-05:00

Truth (XVI #2)
by Julia Karr
From Goodreads:

Nina Oberon’s life has changed enormously in the last few months. When her mother was killed, Nina discovered the truth about her father, the leader of the Resistance. And now she sports the same Governing Council–ordered tattoo of XVI on her wrist that all sixteen-year-old girls have. The one that announces to the world that she is easy prey to predators. But Nina won’t be anyone’s stereotype. And when she joins an organization of girls working within the Resistance, she knows that they can put an end to one of the most terrifying secret programs the GC has ever conceived. Because the truth always comes out...and the consequences can be deadly.

My Thoughts: These books have gotten me into the habit of saying things are ultra. It's like the whole "epic" and "fail" trend of a few years ago- which I still use all the time because I, myself, am epically unfail. Truth is the follow up to XVI and yours truly got to read it before it gets released. I know, it's pretty ultra.

Okay, now that I sound more like a empty headed "sexteen" then a 34 year old woman (is it weird that I sometimes forget my age? I totally told someone I was 36 the other day, and I have no idea why in the world I would add numbers to my already bloated age number, but I did), lets discuss Truth.

Nina and friends are back in Truth, and now our heroine is tagged as a sixteen year old and while the threat of having to become a sex slave or worse in the FeLs program, and her creepy wannabe stepfather, are no longer hanging over her head, you'd think things would be looking up for Nina. Uh, no. Because this is dystopia, so shiz is going down.

Forces are coming together to take Nina and little sis, Dee, away from their grandparents, another boy is complicating her relationship with Sal, and Nina is determined to put her life at risk for the Resistance. Now I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that while I am normally not a fan of the whole YA love triangle plot that's so overused, this one works for me. Usually I'm loyal to boy #1, in this case Sal, but honestly it's not very realistic that the very first boy you ever date is the One (even if I personally married my first and only love). I kind of think Nina and boy #2 are a better fit. Oh, the horrors! Now I'm fully invested in the outcome of Nina's love life- go boy #2! I'm purposely not mentioning Boy #2's name because I don't want to spoil it for you, but his name is a heck of a lot better than "Sal".

A quick history into my obsession with Boy #1s- Dawson vs. Pacey in Dawson's Creek, Angel vs. Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Edward vs. Jacob in Twilight series, Gale vs. Peeta in the Hunger Games series, Morelli vs. Ranger in the Plum series. As you see, I had my heart broken a few times with these triangles. Some worse than others (I do feel Hunger Games ended the way it was supposed to and I have made peace with Dawson and Joey not walking down the aisle... mostly).

Boy #2's- Hmm, this one is a bit harder and other than this series I can only think of a few times that the late comer to the love triangle has won my heart- Noel in Felicity (and of course she picks Ben, Boy #1) and Eric in the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I really dislike vampire Bill, and I adore Eric. But you know what, I'm thinking of placing money on a Sam and Sookie ending... just saying.

The XVI series is doing dystopia the right way, yes things are pretty bleak, but there is always a little hope to be dangled in front of our faces to keep us reading (unlike The Knife of Never Letting Go which was all just dark, darker, kick a puppy darkest). I actually like the characters, I'm cheering them on, and I'm sad when things don't work out the way I wanted them too.

And I really want to see the author's vision of Nina's tattoo (and there's a cool scene in the book when Nina shows her Grams her new wrist tattoo that she got around her XVI tat, and the grandmother loves it! It reminds me of how un-ultra my mom feels about her kids and grand kids and our various tats). I'm hoping once the book comes out lots of fans with actual artistic ability will flood Deviant Art with their take on Nina's tattoo. Plus the ending, while tying up lots of loose endings leaves some major questions that you are going to want the answers to!

To summarize: Read XVI, then read Truth, then agree with me about Boy #2. Or disagree with me, but know in your heart that I am right.

Truth gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

*Participated in the Around the World Arc tour for this book

Midnight Book Club

2011-11-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

The Midnight Book Club, because you can't ever be in too many book clubs!

I've always, in my heart, been a Midnight Book Girl. Back in 2008 when I was still living in Oklahoma, my friend, Court of Abducted By Books (she has an awesome new blog design that you have got to check out, it is gorgeous!), convinced me to start a book club with her. It was just the two of us, but we were having fun. Then I moved to Virginia and we were both a little sad about the demise of our two person book club.

But it wasn't the end, we took our book club online and convinced a few friends to occasionally join in. Eventually it fizzled because we weren't able to bring in new online book club members and I hadn't yet become a member of our book blogging community. I was in a new city with a job where I just wasn't meeting any potential friends, so in February of 2010 I started a book club on a site called MeetUp.com. Technically there's over 70 members in my book club, but usually our meet ups are of 10 people or less (sometimes a lot less). Right now we have a great group and we might just stop using the meet up forums.

So I thought about using the website I had created for Court and I, conveniently both book clubs have the same name. Yesterday I spent some time updating it a bit. Then I thought, why not open it to all book loving internet addicted readers? The site looks a bit rough- does anyone design for heaven forums?, but it works. I'd love if ya'll would stop by and join. This month's book is Like Water for Chocolate, and our book club meets up on Nov. 19th, so we could have a board discussion anytime after that.

I was thinking of have 2 official books a month- one for my real life book club and one for the internet readers. In my book club we tend to avoid new releases since several members rely on the library to get their copies and getting popular new releases is pretty difficult. But like me, so many of you read new releases and ARC's all the time. Plus there's places to discuss our favorite books and past selections.

So, if you're interested, please say you're interested it'll be so much more fun with lots of us involved, check out the site. Your log in name can be anything, and I can always change it if you hate it later on. I'm hoping to bring Court back in the fold, maybe even include her real life book club's monthly selections too.

Go Here to Join!

Abandon Review

2011-11-12T11:18:00.000-05:00

Abandon
by Meg Cabot
From Goodreads:

Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.

But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.

Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.

But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.

My Thoughts: I love Meg Cabot but I've really only read her adult novels. And I'm a huge fan of the Heather Wells series- she's one of my favorite literary characters.

Abandon is full of Greek mythology, which I truly love. I had a little trouble connecting to Pierce, the main character, as she seems to make a lot of hasty and thoughtless decisions. I'm not quite sure why a death deity that's been around for centuries would fall in love with a 15yr old girl, who's only claim to goodness is rescuing birds. But then again, instant true love is pretty common in YA romance, so I'll go with it in this series too.

A lot of the first book is merely uncovering what happened to Pierce two years ago, and setting up the mythology for the series. You will be left with a lot of unanswered questions, but that's not always a bad thing. I do want to know how Coffin Night turns out, what's up with Alex and Kayla, and I want to know more about the furies. It just felt a little incomplete, just a piece of the whole rather than a true first book in a series. There are so many things that are set up, and very, very few plot lines resolved. I prefer my first books to be a bit more independent. Cliffhangers, I can deal with, but not when almost the entire book is full of them.

Overall I like the series enough to continue with it, but I'm still waiting for my next Heather Wells book (please, I beg of you, Meg Cabot, more Heather Wells)!

Abandon gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Tris & Izzie Review

2011-11-08T18:20:00.000-05:00

Tris & Izzie
by Mette Ivie Harrison
From Goodreads:

“I don’t want him to love me because of a potion,” she said.

Izzie loves Mark, and why shouldn’t she? As the captain of the basketball team, he is kind and loving and he’s everything she’s ever wanted in a boyfriend. Her BFF loves . . . somebody, but she won’t say who. So when a hot new guy, Tristan, shows up at school, who better for Izzie to fix up her friend[LL1] with? And what better way to do it than with a love philtre?

But even the best of magic has a way of going awry—and Izzie finds she’s accidentally fallen in love with Tristan herself. And that’s a problem. First of all, there’s Mark. Second, Tristan comes with baggage—like the supernatural creatures that keep attacking whenever he’s with Izzie, and the fact that he comes from the place where Izzie’s father was killed, years ago, by an enormous, evil serpent that’s still around—and it knows Izzie is out there.

Like Mettie Ivie Harrison’s The Princess and the Hound, praised by Orson Scott Card as “powerful, surprising, moving, and deep—a classic,” Tris and Izzie rings the changes on a timeless legend, this time in a contemporary high school setting.

My Thoughts: You know what would be really cool? If publishers would allow you to buy posters of book art with the purchase of a YA novel. Because then this book would be worth spending my money on.

I hate to give negative reviews, which has been easier now that I'm no longer forcing myself to finish books that I'm not enjoying. But I signed up for an ARC tour of Tris & Izzie, so I'm just going to be honest, and I honestly did not like this book.

Expect some spoilers, because I have to discuss the plot in order to explain all the reasons this book let me down.

Despite the lovely cover, despite the author's cool sounding first name, despite the mythology behind the main characters, this book fails on so many levels. Izzie (Isolde) is the most selfish, arrogant, annoying main character I've come across in YA literature- and I freely admit to having read the Gossip Girl series. All the other characters who are not named Izzie are shallow and one dimensional. Branna has to be the worst friend in history, with mood swings rivaling Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Mark, the "perfect" boyfriend is boring and flaky, and Tristan, although hot, is so undeveloped and stiff that only his cool sword and homeless teen vagabond status made an impression on me.

But you're probably wondering what the story's about. After all, it's based on a great love story. How bad could it be?

Brace yourselves, because it's bad. Or ridiculous, I'm still working it out.

Izzie lives the typical teenager life, you know, popular, dating the best looking boy in school, loyal best friend, clear skin. But her mom's a witch. Who makes potions. So when Branna, her bff, starts acting all moody, Izzie decides that the best thing for her friend is to give her a love potion to tie her FOREVER to new boy Tristan. A love potion so strong that the only cure is death. And maybe not even then. This is what Izzie chooses to give to her best friend just to get her out of the doldrums. Because, God knows if you haven't found true love by sixteen, then you might as well hang up the old spinster cat lady sign on your door.

Okay...

So Izzie gives a love potion to Tristan, and I won't even tell you how impossible and ridiculous the scene is, and Tristan drinks it because he is already under Izzie's spell even though she's a complete wench to him (which begs the question why she'd want to hook her bff up with a boy she can't stand). But of course Branna won't drink it and in order to stop her perfect Big Man On Campus boyfriend, Mark, from drinking it, Izzie downs it herself. Instead of, I don't know, pouring it out. Which was a mistake on the author's part because boy on boy love could have been the saving grace of this novel.

Then much magical and further ridiculous things occur. Izzie suddenly not only lurves Tristan, but she hates him too. And she hates Mark touching her and pretty much beats him like those poor animals you see on the Humane Society commercials *cue Sarah McLachlan music*. She literally smacks the boy... but of course, and this is spoilerish, he PUNCHES her in the face later on. Now, Izzie is annoying, she is a bad person, but I'm kind of not okay with boys punching girls in the face, ever.

And what about bff Branna? I can't even tell you how toxic their supposed friendship is. Her character goes through more changes than Sarah Jessica Parker goes through wardrobe changes in a Sex in the City movie. Nothing she does makes sense. She's loyal to Izzie, no she's not, yes she is, no she's really not, then she's risking her life for her. The girl needs some heavy medication. And Izzie doesn't find it at all curious why her best friend won't admit who she has a crush on, doesn't even really spend all that much time trying to pry the information out of Branna. Izzie just decides to make her friend fall in love, a love so strong that you can die from it, with someone of Izzie's choosing. I actually have to say maybe Branna's behavior makes more sense in that light- you know, what kind of girl who wasn't completely insane could stand to be friends with Izzie?

And Izzie's mom? I'll just say her mom isn't very forthcoming. Oh, yeah, you're dad didn't actually die from an illness, it was a giant snake. Who wants to eat you. Because he eats magical virgins. Which is the best reason against abstinence I have ever read. Wait, the giant snake won't eat me if I have sex? Off to Planned Parenthood for some birth control! This strangely does not occur to any of the teens in the town Tristan is from, because they are obviously hormone free teens much like "Tris" himself.

What makes the legend of Tristan and Isolde so compelling is that the two of them fall in love, and through circumstances beyond their control, aren't allowed to be together. In the legend the character of Mark is a father figure to Tristan, who fights valiantly for him, and Isolde is the woman who is betrothed to him. But she and Tristan fall in love before they discover their connection. It's all angsty and tragic, and nobody really wins because they all have love for each other. (Not unlike Guinevere and Sir Lancelot, which I guess should have been a clue that I wouldn't care for Izzie since I always though Guinevere was a selfish rhymes with witch).

You will find none of this in the book, although the love potion plot does appear in some of the legends (because back in the day it was used as an excuse for Tristan and Isolde to sleep around behind King Mark's back- the potion was controlling them! They had no choice but to give into their passion!)

Super-Spoilersh, but chances are you're not going to read the book anyway, so why not take a chance?:

So there's two headed dogs, giants, magical towns, and a bunch of other stuff thrown into the story (actually, I would not be surprised if this was a NaNoWriMo novel, but the fact that not enough characters are killed off makes me doubt that this was all done just for word count). One character, Mel, appears to have no real purpose, and is written off at the end as an after thought. Oh, Mel? That somewhat evil and slimy character from the beginning of the book? Uh, he's gone.

Even the romance is hard to believe, and this is coming from someone who bought Bella and Edward's super-fast insta-love (hook, line and sinker. Well played, Stephenie Meyers). Tristan loves Izzie even before swallowing the potion, Branna loves Mark because... I don't know, because he's tall? And Izzie and Tristan didn't really drink a love potion (which her mom knows, and yet says nothing, which really defies reason), so the romance supposedly driving this story is based on nothing. Tristan doesn't even have a cool car or sparkle in the sun.

I guess the best thing I can say about this book, other than the lovely cover, is that it was a fast read. I honestly don't know anyone that I could recommend this book to, younger readers who could maybe forgive the weak plot and characters probably shouldn't be reading books in which teens go around hitting, smacking and punching each other without real world consequences.

I will say this in support of the author- she wrote a book. She didn't just sit on her butt complaining about other people's work, she actually finished a manuscript and got it published (and not a self-publishing program on Amazon or the kind where you have to pay someone to print it). It might not be very good- in my opinion- but I have to give her credit for trying. This just was not the book for me.

Tris & Izzie gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Although, as my friend Susan pointed out, I kind of feel like this book owes me my time back...

Epic Write-A-Thon

2011-11-05T08:00:00.002-04:00

Today I'm taking part in Fake Steph's Epic Write-A-Thon!

It's 24 hours of writing, and it's a great way to jump start my NaNoWriMo novel, since I'm already behind word count.

I will not be writing all 24 hours of the Write-A-Thon, I've still got sinusitis, so I'm going to bed at some point. But I am going for a word count.

As of now (a few minutes before Write-A-Thon begins) my word count is: 3198

I'm hoping for at least an additional 10,000 words today. I'll be updating this post throughout today in order not to flood your Google Reader with my pathetic attempts at playing Stephen King for the day.

Let's make this happen!

Hours 1-3- went pretty well, I'm now at 6461 for word count, hours 1 and 3 being the best (2 was dedicated to eating breakfast and seeing the Hubs off to work).

It's now Hour 4, but I think I'm going to take a break to shower and walk to the post office. I'm trying not get off my butt every once in awhile.

You Are My Only

2011-11-01T21:46:00.000-04:00

You Are My Only
by Beth Kephart
From Goodreads:

Emmy Rane is married at nineteen, a mother by twenty. Trapped in a life with a husband she no longer loves, Baby is her only joy. Then one sunny day in September, Emmy takes a few fateful steps away from her baby and returns to find her missing. All that is left behind is a yellow sock.Fourteen years later, Sophie, a homeschooled, reclusive teenage girl is forced to move frequently and abruptly from place to place, perpetually running from what her mother calls the "No Good." One afternoon, Sophie breaks the rules, ventures out, and meets Joey and his two aunts. It is this loving family that gives Sophie the courage to look into her past. What she discovers changes her world forever. . . .
The riveting stories of Emmy and Sophie—alternating narratives of loss, imprisonment, and freedom regained—escalate with breathless suspense toward an unforgettable climax.

My Thoughts: I read this book as part of an ARC tour, and to be honest I don't know that I would have finished it if I didn't feel that I should stick with it for the sake of the tour. The storyline really appealed to me- a baby stolen, a young mother left to wonder what happens intertwined with the story of the now teenage daughter. But the writing of the book didn't flow for me, the language, the voice, didn't draw me in. The two main characters were not the main interest for me, instead it was Joey and his aunts- that part I really loved. I loved these two women, raising this boy and helping to awaken Sophie, who is not unlike Rapunzel, locked in the tower- an image the author does use. I liked that they were Joey's aunts not because they were sisters but because they were life partners, and that it's not a big issue, it's just a fact.

The weakest part of the book for me was Emmy's story. Her story started off good, and I thought the set up for Baby/Sophie's kidnapping was very realisitc. It just fell flat after that, and while I appreciate the fact that she loses her mind when Baby/Sophie is taken, you never see her really come back. And although I liked the glimpse of Emmy's own personal Girl, Interrupted experience, I really wanted to see how Emmy had fared during the years. The Emmy at the end of the story is still a question mark.

Am I glad I stuck with the book? Yes, I am. I think Kephart had a good idea, there were elements to her story that I really liked- for instance the back story of the woman Sophie thinks is her mother. Aunt Helen and Aunt Cloris- their love, their house, their support makes this story. I am so glad that was introduced to them. I loved how much they loved literature- clearly a trait shared by the author.

You Are My Only is technically meant to be a YA book, but it really works as an adult novel as well. It wasn't a book I loved, or even liked, right away, but it's a story that sticks with you. And honestly, now that's it's been over a week since I read it I'm actually feeling more fond of it and usually I have the opposite reaction for a book that I just found okay.

You Are My Only gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

I haven't read anything else by Kephart, but I am interested enough to consider reading more of her work. Any recommendations out there?

Happy Halloween and NaNoWriMo!

2011-10-31T10:36:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

I'm still sick- my cold turned into sinusitis but at least now I'm on some antibiotics so I hope to feel better soon. Today's Halloween, so I'll spend tonight watching scary movies and munching on chocolate (diet is back on Tuesday morning!).

And now for something completely Crazy:

find it here

Last night I dragged my sick butt (I originally typed sick little butt, but who am I kidding?) to the NaNoWriMo Kick Off Party at Capital Ale House. This year the turn out was good, but not as big as the past two years that I've been going. Also I was not my usual social butterfly self, but I did get one of the comfortable chairs and chatted the night away with book club/NaNoWriMo buddy, Susan. Good times and good beer- even though I was very careful not to drink much because of my meds.

So National Novel Writing Month kicks off November 1st, and for those of you that don't know it's basically a month of intense writing in order to churn out a novel, or to write at least 50 THOUSAND words in 30 days. I "won" the challenge in 2009, but never finished the novel, and then I failed in 2010. This year I'm trying something different- I'll be writing a collection of short stories that will be connected somewhat loosely. I am determined to finish this year!

So determined in fact that I'm doing Fake Steph's Epic Write-A-Thon- 24 hours of writing on November 5th! Now, straight up, there is no way I can write for 24 hours, but I'm going to really immerse myself in writing and shoot for at least 10k word count in one day since I know that there may be days that I can't meet my daily word count (personal goal will be 2000 words a day, but it's always easy to be optimistic in the beginning). It's really important to get a head start in the beginning because it just gets harder once you start losing enthusiasm for the project and just start introducing new characters for the sole purpose of killing off and plumping up your word count.

Despite being sick and Saturday being rainy and hella cold, I was able to help my niece and a few of her girl scout friends get zombie-fied for the Zombie Walk. I wasn't able to actually do the walk, because it got pushed back to 4:30pm and I had a book club meeting to go to, but I did get dressed up and went to the pre-walk meet up in Byrd Park. Here's a pic of my sister-in-law and our zombie girl scout troop:

Have a wonderful Halloween and let me know if you're doing NaNoWriMo this year! Add me as a buddy if you are- I'm Rigby9091 on there!

Not Much of a Wrap Up Post

2011-10-25T10:33:00.000-04:00

So volunteering at the Kinder Corner at my local Octoberfest the night before a 24 Readathon turned out to be a bad idea. I just assumed that I was too old to stay up almost 24 hours straight, so Sunday was a bit of a wash for me, and I stayed in bed most of the day telling myself that my allergies were just bad. Then Monday I could no longer tell myself it was allergies. I have a cold. A bad one, or I'm just being a baby, it's hard to tell. I even called in today, which I rarely do since I prefer to get paid if I'm not feeling well. So now I have today and tomorrow off and hopefully I can be good for tomorrow night's Zombie Walk Make-Up Workshop. Although if I'm still sick come Saturday's Zombie Walk I won't need any make-up, I already look, walk and feel like the living dead...

Anyway, I had planned an official wrap up post for Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. I was going to brag on the organizers, the cheerleaders, the readers and all the awesome bloggers who participated in my Book Sentence Challenge. But really, all I want to do now is curl up on the couch and wait to feel better or just die already. So thank you, to everyone, for making the Readathon so much fun! And most importantly:

Readathon would not exist if it weren't for Dewey, and her memory will live on forever through the blogger's lives that she touched.

I would type more but my head hurts and I'm tired. I just wanted to get online while I still had some energy but it is gone. I am sure I will feel better tomorrow, I just need to take it easy today.

Readathon Hours 16-24

2011-10-22T23:21:00.008-04:00

We are in the home strech!

It's hard to believe I'm still awake, although I may nap soon in order to be fresh for my time of Cheerathon!

Books/Pages Read: None
Challenges Done: None
Blogs Visited: None
Snacks Consumed: Tried to take a quick nap, so snoozed whilst the Hubs brewed me some coffee!

Books/Pages Read: 51 pages of The Lover's Dictionary

Challenges Done: Re-read Challenge:
Weirdly enough, I'm not re-reading any books this go around (except maybe Scary Stories 3, because I can't remember if I read that before). So what are my favorite Re-Reads?

(in no particular order)
The Final Friends series by Christopher Pike
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The India Fan by Victoria Holt
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
It, The Stand, Eyes of the Dragon and most Stephen Kings novels but those 3 the most
The Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro
The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

...and probably a million more. I used to be the queen of re-reads, but since blogging the world of books has opened wide and I no longer have to re-read because I'm bored or in a reading rut because my tbr piles are so full of undiscovered wonders. But some books, the ones on my list, will always call me back to them. I can remember the first, second, ninth time I read them, they are connected to moments and memories of my life. Books are familiar friends, the ones that makes us laugh or cry, the ones that hold us, the ones that like to yank the rug from beneath our feat, and the ones that call us home.

Blogs Visited: None
Snacks Consumed: Just coffee

Now it's time to get my Cheer On!!!

Books/Pages Read: None, it turns out I can' really listen to audio books an cheer... at least I can't cheer properly and I owe it to the readathon participants to read their posts and not just copy and paste a cheer (well, I am copy and pasting cheers, but I'm prefacing them by a real comment, such as Wow, that cat is fluffy, or I don't think you should have eaten that!)
Challenges Done: None because I suck and I'm not doing this for charity... I should really do that next time because I'm feeling pretty shallow right now. Of course I'm really only deep in the Jack Handy's Deep Thoughts kind of way, which is actually shallow too....
Blogs Visited: A bunch of blogs for bloggers who names start with M!

Snacks Consumed: Käsekuchen, which is some awesome form of German cheesecake I picked up last night at Octoberfest. And coffee!

Books/Pages Read: Still Cheering!
Challenges Done: Still Cheering!
Blogs Visited: Still on the M's, but I'm finally done with the Michelle's so it should go faster!
Snacks Consumed: the rest my slice of german cheesecake and the rest of my cup of coffee and some water

Books/Pages Read: None, Spent the hour cheering!
Challenges Done: Coming up with witty rhymes to keep the readathon fun times!
Blogs Visited: Finished the M's and breezed through the N, O, P's!!
Snacks Consumed: Just some water, all my snacking is giving me acid reflux! Time to take a quick nap so I can be back on the readathon attack!

Books/Pages Read: 72 pages of The Lover's Dictionary (finished)
Challenges Done: None
Blogs Visited: None
Snacks Consumed: An allergy pill (allegedly non-drowsy). I probably could have stayed awake, but thought I'd be better if I took a half hour nap and woke up at 5am...

Books/Pages Read: But
Challenges Done: I
Blogs Visited: Slept
Snacks Consumed: Though the 5am hour....

Books/Pages Read: Waking
Challenges Done: Just
Blogs Visited: Minutes
Snacks Consumed: before 7am (so most of 6am, asleep!)

Books/Pages Read: 90 pages of Scary Godmother

Challenges Done: End of Event Meme:
Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 22 and 23, in which I slept!
Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? The Lover's Dictionary was fantastic! And I really enjoyed both the second volume of the Twilight graphic novel and Shel Silverstein poetry (I read Every Thing On It, but all his books would be good).
Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Other than sending cheerleaders to my house to keep me awake in the wee hours? Nope, Readathon is perfect!
What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I really thought the Cheerleading was well organized, and all the Readathon hosts were right on time.
How many books did you read? I think I finished 6, but read a bit out of 3 others. My pile has scattered, so I will check it out later.
What were the names of the books you read? I will fill this out when I am less sleepy.
Which book did you enjoy most? Toss up between Every Thing On It (which made me laugh and read things out loud to my Hubs) and The Lover's Dictionary (not all the parts made me laugh, but I did want to read so much of it out loud!)
Which did you enjoy least? I guess Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? I was expecting a bit more from it.
If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? Just prepare cheers ahead and try really hard to leave a personal comment before cheering, so that you're not just copying and pasting as you blog hop.
How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I live for Readathon, so yes I will participate, even if you ban me. I will definitely be a cheerleader and reader next time, and maybe a challenge host again.

And the Posterity Library Challenge over at Roof Beam Reader (quite the clever challenge!)
And Fancy Terrible's Get Up Offa That Thang- perfect early morning wake-up challenge!
Blogs Visited: None, but I will try to visit a bunch when I wake up!
Snacks Consumed: Nuts, coffee is busy warming up~, half of a very large cup!

Readathon Hours 10-15

2011-10-22T17:21:00.007-04:00

And the Readathon goes on! My little nap refreshed me and my headache is gone! May take another nap later since I'm signed up to cheer during hours 18-21, but that's okay. I'd rather nap a few times then crash and burn, falling asleep and miss the entire evening!

So how's everyone doing? How's the reading , and more importantly, the snacking going?

My youngest niece (and the one named after me!) enjoying a donut. Sadly, I was not invited to this little trip to Krispy Kreme, but I wants me a pumpkin donut! Oh, Krispy Kreme, you are to donuts what household chemicals are to meth- highly addictive and dangerous to my health!

Books/Pages Read: 78 pgs of Twilight Graphic Novel Vol. 2 (finished!) and it was GORGEOUS!
Challenges Done: My Perfect Anthology by Reading Romances. Here's my (completely self-absorbed) answer:

Okay my Anthology would be called Stories for a Midnight Book Girl and it would feature stories by my favorite authors and feature me in every story! Narcissistic? Why, certainly! :)
Authors: Stephen King, Joe Hill, Maeve Binchy, Christopher Pike, Sarah Addison Allen, Dean Koontz, Laurie Notaro, Meg Cabot, Maureen Johnson, Edgar Allan Poe (you didn't specify the authors had to still be alive!), Lauren Oliver, Frank Millar, Kristin Cashore, and Dan Wells. It would come with a bonus cd featuring songs about me by bands like Coldplay, U2, Snow Patrol, Metric, The Bangles, The Beatles, Rufus Wainwright, Ryan Star, and Toad the Wet Sprocket.

I know, I need professional help. Hopefully that'll be a prize I can win later on in Readathon!

Blogs Visited: Reading Romances
Basket Case Space
Snacks Devoured: This little piggy is full for now, but I hear pizza calling my name! *Kaaaate, Kaaaaate, eat me, Kaaaaatieeeee* Oh, shut up pizza, I will come cook you in a minute! Food can be so demanding at times!

Books/Pages Read: 76 pages of Every Thing On It, reading the super funny poems out loud to The Hubs.
Challenges Done: Book Trailer Challenge hosted by Quirky Girl Reads
The Book Trailer I choose: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhl7lbRNxoM
Blogs Visited: Books I Done Read
Snacks Devoured: The Hubs says Pizza Time!! So cheese pizza and red wine (and more water- my poor, poor bladder!)

Time to close my challenge and pick one random winner and one spooky sentence winner! A huge thanks to all that participated- your creativity AMAZES me! ;)

Books/Pages Read: None, I spent over an hour looking at awesome book sentences though!
Challenges Done: Picked the winners for my own challenge!
Blogs Visited: Over 60! Wow, people, wow! Here's some (and I am too lazy to link all these):
The Avid Reader's Musings
http://avidreader25.blogspot.com/
Books and Things
http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.com/
Cerebral Girl
http://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com/
Haunted Orchid
http://hauntedorchid.blogspot.com/
Sherry Ann's Book Blog
http://blogbysherryann.blogspot.com/
Raist24
http://raist24.blogspot.com/
Bøker og sånt.... (oh, that's right, throwing a little foreign language your way!)
http://askine09.blogspot.com/
Jane's Book Blog
http://janeharfeld.blogspot.com/
Northern Stories
http://northern-stories.blogspot.com/

Snacks Devoured: More pizza, finished my glass of wine, some water and bite sized Kit Kat bar.

Books/Pages Read: 104 pages of Every Thing On It
Challenges Done: None
Blogs Visited: None
Snacks Devoured: Just water this hour, although I think it's time to pop some caramel corn!

Books/Pages Read: 15 pages of Every Thing On It (done, and it was good!) 17 pages of Ghost Poems

Ghoulies And Ghosties

From ghoulies and ghosties,
Long-leggity beasties,
And things that go BUMP in the night,
Good Lord deliver us.
Anonymous

Challenges Done: Not a single one this hour (it never posted!)
Blogs Visited: Sorry walked the dog, made some pain-in-the-ass caramel popcorn, and texted with my niece who WON"T STOP texting me.
Snacks Devoured: The pain in the ass caramel popcorn (it is yummy though!) and even more water. Giving that bladder quite a work out today!

Books/Pages Read: 12 pages of Ghost Poems (finished) and 86 pages of The Lover's Dictionary
Challenges Done: Feed Me, Seymour and the Friendship Challenge (where I once again prove my loyalty to Stephen King- that crazy Annie Wilkes ain't got nothing on me!)
Blogs Visited: None, trying to get some reading in before I have to cheer in a couple of hours!
Snacks Devoured: Um... this hour? Hmm, maybe a mini Baby Ruth and more water. May need to snack on some sleep for a few minutes soon, but The Lover's Dictionary is sooooo good!

Book Sentence Challenge

2011-10-22T15:49:00.001-04:00

It's still early in our 24 Hour Readathon, but you've earned a fun break. And I've got the perfect challenge to keep those creative minds of yours churning.

It's time for the Book Sentence Challenge!!

The five sharp teeth bite the it girl.

This is a simple challenge, using the books you have in your home (sorry, e-books do not count during this challenge) make a complete sentence out of the book titles. Take a picture and either upload to your blog, facebook, or twitter account. You must use at least 3 books and use ONLY the titles. It doesn't have to make perfect sense, but in order to make it fun and challenging you can't add words.

Now for prizes:

One random winner will win a $15 Amazon gift card which will be emailed to you.

And because I love Halloween, I will personally pick a book sentence that I consider the "spookiest" to receive a copy of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

This challenge is open to everyone and will last 3 hours.

This is my second time hosting this challenge, but in the past I've been a participant. This was my first attempt on my very first Readathon way back in Oct of 2009:

When she was bad, Scarlett burned Whitethorn Woods.

Good luck, can't wait to see your results! Simply comment with your link below.

Readathon Hours 5-9

2011-10-22T12:24:00.005-04:00

Readthon is going good- and in Hour 4 I managed to mostly stay off the computer, yay me! Hour 5 doesn't look so promising though, as I'm getting hungry so lunch will have to be gotten. Many thanks to my lovely husband, Aaron, for making the Starbucks run! Happily sipping my Salted Caramel Mocha.

Be sure to stop by hear at Hour 9 for my Readathon Mini-Challenge!

Books/pages read: 24 minutes of the audio book for The Night Circus (read by the incomparable Jim Dale!)
Challenges done: None, fixed lunch instead
Blogs visited: My friend Kimberly, who just started blogging TODAY in order to get the most out of readathon, The Bookie. Give her some follow love!
Food eaten: Home made bacon cheeseburger, water and the last of my Salted Caramel Mocha (sad face).

Books/pages read: listened to 10 minutes of The Night Circus audio book, just started Breathe, 8 pages in!
Challenges done: Top 5 Mini-Challenge hosted by Lisa's World of Books:

Top 5 books I'm looking forward to:

Of course I'm looking forward to King's new book, I'm a Midnight girl!

I feel like it's been forever since Delirium, and I needs more!

I really looked Graceling, and loved Fire, so I am definitely looking forward to this one!

Despite the fact that The Passage took forever to read, I really want to read the sequel!

What can I say? I have a thing for serial killers (fictional ones, not real ones!)

Blogs visited: No new blogs this hour.
Food eaten: Coffee, water and a Lubecker Tart that I got at last night's Octoberfest:

Books/pages read: Listed to 34 minutes of The Night Circus audio book
Challenges done: I'd Rather Be At The Beach's A.K.A Challenge (which is fun, go do it!)
Blogs visited: I'd Rather Be At The Beach
Ballet Book Worm
Into The Hall of Books

Food eaten: Just water

Books/pages read: Have a huge headache, so I took a quick nap!
Challenges done: None, because I was napping, but I woke up so I can post mine for Hour 9!
Blogs visited: In The Next Room
The Joy of Booking
Food eaten: Munching on some Energy Mix from Planter's NUT-rition line. Drinking water.

Books/pages read: 162 pages of Twilight Graphic Novel Vol. 2.
Challenges done: Hosting the Book Sentence Challenge now!
Blogs visited: The Story Girl
Ramblings
KiwiRia

Food eaten: a mini Twix bar and more water. I need one of those portable toilets for the next readathon!

Readathon Hours 1-4

2011-10-22T07:23:00.008-04:00

It's finally here! Readathon has begun! I'll be posting about every four hours, and just editing the posts as I go so that I don't completely overwhelm your Google Reader.

Hour 1, Things I Done:

Books/pages read: 19 pages of Bad Girls Don't Die (finished), 49 pages of Who Killed Mr. Chippendale?
Challenges done: Just the introduction meme
Blogs visited: Abducted By Books
Food eaten: Way too many mini-quiches and cups of cofee

1)Where are you reading from today? Richmond, VA!
2)Three random facts about me… I collect Halloween mugs, my middle name is Lorene but it's pronounced Lorena, and despite being a Washington Redskins fan and being raised to hate the Dallas Cowboys, I love and watch the Dallas Cheerleader's Making the Team show on CMT.
3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? about 20
4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)? Nope!
5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? Stay connected through Twitter and TURN OFF WORD VERIFICATION! Cheer even if you aren't an official cheerleader!

Hour 2, Here's What I Did, How 'Bout You?:

Books/pages read: 39 pages of Who Killed Mr. Chippendale- almost done!
Challenges done: Character Challenge

Character- the Black Cat from The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe

Blogs visited: Amused, Bemused and Confused
At Home With Books
Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog
The Brain Lair
Recreational Reading
Must Read Faster
Naked Without Books
Food eaten: Sadly, not a damn thing. Didn't move from my spot even to do the Character Challenge. ;)

Hour 3, Stuff Done By Me:

Books/pages read: 10 pgs in Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? (finished) 7 pages in The Turn of the Screw (put aside for now, it's a little to slow of a read for Readathon, but I will finish it this month!) 26 pages in Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones.
Challenges done: One Librarian's Book Reviews Book Puzzles:

Half-Minute Horrors (which is on my Readathon Tbr pile!)

Blogs visited: One Librarian's Book Reviews
101 Things in 1001 Days
Fake Steph
Lisa's World of Books
Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy
Food eaten: Cherry Orchard yogurt, water

Hour 4, My Readathon Chore:

Books/pages read: 81 pages in Scary Stories 3 (finished!)
Challenges done: The Avid Reader's Musings- State Setttings Challenge
Blogs visited: The Avid Reader's Musings
Food eaten: 1 mini Baby Ruth, water, 1 mini Kit Kat, Salted Carmel Mocha (thanks Hubs!)

Readathon Snacks- YUMMY!

2011-10-21T16:27:00.000-04:00

Readathon Snacks!

(yup, that's some eye popping bowl o'candy!)

Got Readathon Snacks?

You're reading all day and all of the night
And Sunday morning you'll surely look a fright
But just look at those books, a magnificent sight,
If Dewey's 24 Readthon is wrong, I don't want to be right!

Got Readathon Snacks?

Pre-Readathon Fun!

2011-10-21T09:01:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow's the big day!!! I am so super excited about Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon that it's a bit ridiculous. And I'm okay with that, having embraced my spastic inner nerd long ago. I'll be off to shop for Readathon snacks this morning, so expect another post soon.

Saw this on Facebook and it cracked me up:

Now I'm a fan of Twilight, and even though I'd already read the Harry Potter books, Twilight was the book that finally made me feel that it was okay for me to read YA even though my own young adult days are gone. So I'm not Twilight bashing, but that said, this quote is totally true. Twilight is literary candy, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Last night the Hubs took me to see Paranormal Activity 3 and it was super creepy and I screamed lots and once again wondered why the hell I keep insisting on going to see movies that I know will scare the crap out of me. But ignoring my mental issues for a moment, we got to see the trailer for Daniel Radcliffe's new horror movie The Woman in Black:

Bet you wish you hadn't tossed that Elder wand, eh Daniel?

And I have to say, he's actually looking pretty handsome here, it actually took a few moments for me to recognize him.

Tonight I'm off to an Octoberfest where I get to volunteer with the kid's soccer corner and turn down all that free beer that will be flowing from the free beer steins in order to be all sober and non hung over for tomorrow's Readathon. Oh, the sacrifices to fun (and most often, dignity) that my inner nerd requires! But I'm not only reading and obsessively twittering tomorrow, I'm cheering AND hosting a mini-challenge at Hour 9 and honestly my mini-challenge will be AWESOME.

Okay, now that I've started to go all caps on this blog, it's probably best to end this before I hit the caps lock for good.

Snacks to be posted later!

And I want to see your Readathon piles and snacks, and twitter names so that if I don't already follow you I can for tomorrow's big event! If you don't have Twitter or you never use it, trust me, Readathom is so much more fun with Twitter. Just save the search for #readathon and we'll all be connected and my inner nerd will totally recognize your inner nerd.

Fury Review

2011-10-19T16:00:00.000-04:00

Fury
by Elizabeth Miles
From Goodreads:

It’s winter break in Ascension, Maine. The snow is falling and everything looks pristine and peaceful. But not all is as it seems...
Between cozy traditions and parties with her friends, Emily loves the holidays. And this year’s even better--the guy she’s been into for months is finally noticing her. But Em knows if she starts things with him, there’s no turning back. Because his girlfriend is Em’s best friend.
On the other side of town, Chase is having problems of his own. The stress of his home life is starting to take its toll, and his social life is unraveling. But that’s nothing compared to what’s really haunting him. Chase has done something cruel...something the perfect guy he pretends to be would never do. And it’s only a matter of time before he’s exposed.
In Ascension, mistakes can be deadly. And three girls—three beautiful, mysterious girls—are here to choose who will pay.
Em and Chase have been chosen.

My Thoughts: I love anything to do with Greek mythology, and I think the idea behind Fury is brilliant. Do you believe in karma? It seems true sometimes, but it also seems that people can do awful things and never really pay the way we think they deserve to. The book focuses on Chase and Em, two deeply flawed teens. Chase is ashamed of his poor background and has done some awful things in his quest to gain the upperhand, and Em is struggling with her feelings for her best friend's boyfriend and ignoring her own person Duckie from Pretty in Pink. The plot is what kept me interested, because I found both Chase and Em frustrating, Em in particular. Although she doesn't think her "crime" was that bad, it works like that sometimes- some people suffer more than others. The tag line of the book is is "Sometimes sorry isn't enough." Feeling awful about your actions doesn't always make up for the hurt you've inflicted.

The story starts with a bang, or a splash I guess, when Sasha, a classmate of Chase and Em's tries to fling herself of Piss Pass- so named because patrons of a nearby bar often stumble outside for a cigarette and end up peeing over the overpass. I don't know why, but I kind of dug that detail. Sometimes it's the little things that make this reader happy.

Sasha grew up with Chase but left him behind when she rose out of poverty. While Chase found his own way up the high school popularity ladder, Sasha began slipping until her only friend was goth girl, Drea. Em wasn't really friends with Sasha, but news of her attempted suicide upset her. Because she was part of the crowd that shunned and made fun of Sasha:

"And she felt guilty caring this much, only after the fact."

It's so hard to see our actions in proper focus at the time they're happening, it's often only in hindsight that we realize how much we made an impact on someone else. Em feels a bit like a hypocrite, choosing to care about the picked on Sasha, when she'd been part of the problem. It's a reminder of the time we live in, and the awful bullying kids have to put up with in the age of cell phones and computers, and we learn later of Sasha's pain before her death.

So what do the Furies, and for the record there are three of them, have to do with the storyline? Well, it turns out Em and Chase caught the eye of unholy judges. Furies demand their own kind of justice, and it's time to pay!

Fury is part of a series, and it definitely left you prepared for the next book. You get a glimpse of the larger picture, and side characters like Drea are likely to play a bigger role as the series continues. I'll be honest, I'm a bit weak on my Furies mythology, but I like what Elizabeth Miles has created. I wouldn't mind seeing Furies become the new zombies (which are just the new vampires).

Fury does have some dark undertones, topics like suicide, teenage drinking, sex, and depression are featured, but I think Miles handles it in a way that doesn't glorify any of it (not that depression or suicide can really be glorified, but drinking and sex certainly can). Basically, what you do has consequences, and if karma doesn't punish you, then the Furies certainly will. Pretty sure that red flower I got the other day is a bad sign that they're after me now...

Fury gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

*I read this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, but all opinions, snark and wit are my own, I received no financial compensation for reading this book, and since it's a tour I don't even get to keep the book.