Friday, November 14, 2008

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer


Rating: 4

Pages: 544
Challenges: 1st in a Series, Stephenie Meyer mini-challenge

Synopsis (from bn.com)
About three things I was absolutely positive:
First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

“I’D NEVER GIVEN MUCH THOUGHT TO HOW I WOULD DIE– I’d had reason enough in the last few months –but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this. . . . Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of something else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something.”When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret. What Bella doesn’t realize is the closer she gets to him, the more she is putting herself and those around her at risk. And, it might be too late to turn back. . . .Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight will have readers riveted right until the very last page is turned.

Review
I am not sure if I rated this book as a 4 because I had high expectations. I liked this but I didn't think it was a you have to read this book. Maybe it's that I am not that into vampires. I am not sure I just didn't think it was fabulous. I am planning on getting some of the other books but I don't have to read them immediately.

Life's A Beach - Claire Cook


Rating: 3

Pages:

Challenges: None


Synopsis (from bn.com)

When Must Love Dogs was published, the Chicago Tribune called it "pitch-perfect" and the Washington Post declared, "Readers will hope that Claire Cook will be telling breezy summer stories from the South Shore of Massachusetts for seasons to come." Luckily for her legions of fans, Cook returns with another sparkling romantic comedy that's reminiscent of Must Love Dogs in all the right ways, but very much its own animal—about a relationship-challenged single woman, her quirky-to-put-it-mildly extended family, and the summer the shark movie came to town.


Life's a bit of a beach these days for Ginger Walsh, who's single at forty-one and living back home in the family FROG (Finished Room Over Garage). She's hoping for a more fulfilling life as a sea glass artist, but instead is babysitting her sister's kids and sharing overnights with Noah, her sexy artist boyfriend with commitment issues and a dog Ginger's cat isn't too crazy about. Geri, her BlackBerry-obsessed sister, is also nearly over the deep end about her pending fiftieth birthday (and might just drag Ginger with her). Toss in a dumpster-picking father, a Kama Sutra T-shirt-wearing mother, a movie crew come to town with a very cute gaffer, an on-again-off-again glassblower boyfriend, plus a couple of Red Hat Realtors, and hilarity ensues. The perfect summer read, Life's a Beach is a warm, witty, and wise look at what it takes to move forward at any stage in life.
Review
I thought this book was ok. I am not sure I would recommend it. I haven't read Must Love Dogs but liked the movie better than this book.

Comfort and Joy - Kristin Hannah



Rating: 3


Pages: 272


Challenges: None




Synopsis (from BN.com)


Joy Candellaro used to love Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she finds herself at loose ends. Recently divorced and estranged from her sister, she can't summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the rural Northwest.


Yet Joy's best-laid plans go terribly awry. The plane crashes deep in the darkness of a forest. Miraculously, Joy walks away from the wreckage as the plane explodes, obliterating all evidence of its passengers. Amid the towering trees, Joy makes a bold and desperate decision to leave her ordinary life behind and embark on an adventure . . . just for the holidays.


Daniel O'Shea has returned to the small town of Rain Valley, following the death of his ex-wife. Now he is a single father facing his son's first Christmas without a mother. Six-year-old Bobby isn't making it easy - the boy has closed himself off from the world, surrounding himself with imaginary friends.


When Joy and Bobby meet, they form an instant bond. Thrown together by fate, these wounded souls will be touched by the true spirit of Christmas and remember what it means to be a family.Then a dramatic turn of events shows Joy the price of starting over. On a magical Christmas Eve she will come face-to-face with a startling truth. Now she must decide: In a time of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, can she find the faith to reach for the love she has found . . . and the new life only she believes in?
Review
I thought this book was ok, but I struggled with some of the decisions that Joy made. Why she made them, etc.

Wildflowers - Robert Noonan



Rating: 3

Pages: 227

Challenges: 1st in a Series

Synopsis (from BN.com)

From 1854 to 1929, more than 200,000 homeless children left New York City on orphan trains to find new lives across the country. Some found loving homes; others experienced physical and mental abuse. Bridie's Daughter brings that world to life in this second novel in Robert Noonan's Orphan Train Trilogy.
Bridie's Daughter is an eye-opening tale that follows four teen-aged children who are filled with hope, concern and uncertainty, as they ride the rails to an unknown future. Once the train stops, however, it's a roll of the dice where they'll each end up.
Bridie McDonald, a wealthy spinster, finds in Catherine the daughter she has always wanted. Catherine learns to love Bridie and her new elegant home, but is concerned about Bridie's relationship with Jack, her mentally challenged handyman.
Though most of the citizens of Newberry, Illinois, befriend these children, some are not so welcoming, believing all the orphans from New York City are bastards and should be treated as such.

Review

I really liked this story, but I wished it went into more detail. It was fast moving and a lot happened, but the author didn't explore in depth reasoning of decisions. So if you want a good story and a quick read but aren't expecting a lot of in depth knowledge of the why people are making decisions.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett




Rate: 3 Don’t bet on this one…wait for the movie


Pages: 120

Challenges: Novella Challenge - but it's over :(


Synopsis (from BN.com)

When her corgis stray into a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace, the Queen feels duty-bound to borrow a book. Discovering the joy of reading widely (from J. R. Ackerley, Jean Genet, and Ivy Compton-Burnett to the classics) and intelligently, she finds that her view of the world changes dramatically. Abetted in her newfound obsession by Norman, a young man from the royal kitchens, the Queen comes to question the prescribed order of the world and loses patience with the routines of her role as monarch. Her new passion for reading initially alarms the palace staff and soon leads to surprising and very funny consequences for the country at large.

Review
I thought this book started out really good and really interesting, but my interest in it wained towards the end. I would recommend other Novella's over this one.

Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen


Rating: 5 Better than a new Derby Hat and the winning horse
Pages: 320
Challenges: None
Synopsis (from BN.com)
In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.…The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants—from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys—except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down—along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they mustdeal with their common legacy—if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom—or with each other. Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own….
Review
This is my second book by Sarah Addison Allen and I liked this one much more than Sugar Queen. It kept me wanting more and more. I recommend it!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

September Bookworm Carnival

Theme: Authors New To Me

Thanks for the great turn out. Sorry this has taken me a little time to get put up. Murphy's Law struck me and the last 2 weeks of work have been the busiest for me all year. Plus the baby is exhausting me!! So please accept my apologies for getting this posted so late!

Here are some interesting authors that are new to bloggers. What are your thoughts on these authors? Stop by their blog and leave them a post!

Blog: Out of the Blue
Reviews:
Coraline
The Triumph of Deborah - this is a biblical fiction book

Blog: Things Mean A Lot
Review: Anatomy of a Boyfriend

Blog: Bobbi's Book Nook
Reviews:
EVERNIGHT by Clauida Gray - this is the first book in a new series about vampires.

The Outsider by Ann Gabhart - this is a Kentucky author who lives near Bobbi and conicidentally near me too! This book is about the Shakers of Harrodsburg, KY.

Are You there Vodka, It's me Chelsa ARE YOU THERE VODKA, IT'S ME CHELSA by Chelsa Handler - hilarious memoir written in short story form.

The MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY and THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PERILOUS JOURNEY by Trenton Lee Staurt - a new series of books about a secret society for children. I have one book review posted; the other will follow.

Blog: Blue Stocking

Review: Interview with Scott Savage - this one is a pod cast!

Blog: 30+...A Lifetime of Books
Review: Books That Changed My Life - Essays from 71 Authors

Blog: Bookworms and Tea Lovers
Review: Finding new authors - Samantha did a post on how she is introduced to new authors.

Blog: Literary Escapism
Reviews:
Quondam by J. Gibson - (Fantasy)
Tiger Eye by M. Liu - (Paranormal Romance)
Night Huntress series by J. Frost - (Urban Fantasy)
Nightwalker by J. Drake - (Urban Fantasy)
The Accidental Demon Slayer by A. Fox -(Paranormal Romance)
When He Was Bad (Anthology) - (Paranormal Romance)
Through the Veil by S. Walker -(Fantasy)

Blog: The Blue Stocking Society
Review: Book Blog Side Effect

Blog: Becky's Book Reviews
Review: Simon Holt's The Devouring

Blog: Adventures in Reading
Review: A Handbook to Luck by Cristina GarcĂ­a

Blog: Pick of the Literate
Review: The Disappeared by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Blog: ReadingDerby
Reviews:
Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Life As We Knew It by Susan BethPfeffer
Monsters of Templeton by Laura Groff
Five Fortunes by Beth Gutcheon
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

This carnival got a great response!! Thanks to all who participated!!