Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
To be quite honest I had never heard of this book until I saw the trailer linked from Twitter in reference to the moving coming out next month. After watching the trailer I said to myself “wow that had to have been a book first”, a little tiny search on Yahoo brought up a plethora of results and I am happy to say that Sebold’s book is the second I purchased on my Sony Pocket Reader. I tore through this book in a day, staying up into the night to finish it. It brought me out of my funk of not reading after having the baby and put me back on track. I am so happy to have read the book before watching the movie.
The story follows fourteen year old Susie Salmon from her after life as she deals with her rape and brutal murder. She resents being killed and wishes her murder to be brought to justice. She also wishes to relive her first kiss and have many more, she wishes of course to have grown up. We watch her family crumble under the pressure of having a child murdered, her school friends grow up without her. How everything evolves except for Susie who is stuck just watching waiting for her murder to be captured.
This is a lovely story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and will also make sure you lose some sleep due to the fact you cannot put the book down. Don’t watch the film without buying a copy first!
Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Thirteen Reasons Why follows Clay who is listening to outdated tapes from a suicide victim he went to school with. The girl Hannah who made these tapes sent the box to the first person who she wanted to listen and then committed suicide. I really wanted to like this book because so many reviews and people I spoke with did but I couldn’t help the fact that I couldn’t stand any of the characters. Clay for being too wussy to talk to Hannah, and Hannah for blaming everyone else for her problems. Things that shouldn’t have happened and that were not great in her life, but also things she set herself up for, even on purpose towards the end. The book never said how Hannah ended her life but there was a lot of speculation. A lot of girls deal with worse things than Hannah in high school and live productive normal lives, I guess I just expected if this girl was going to end her life and be dramatic by sending tapes to everyone on the list that something life changing might have happened. I am the first to love the books that deal with tough issues for teens. Wintergirls from Laurie Halse Anderson is one of my favorite reads of the year. She however makes the situation grave enough so that these are extreme cases. This book gives the air of “Oh so that was a tough year in school it sucked, kill yourself and do something really cool while you do that!” Hannah blames her counselor for not running after her, why did she leave if she truly wanted help? I found Hannah’s reasoning annoying and her reasons not good enough. This being said, the writing style is amazing and I love the different fonts for when Hannah is talking and Clay is talking or thinking. If you like Wintergirls or Speak then you may want to pick this up.
Pitch Black: Are you a lover, fighter or a biter?
Harper Teen Publishing has this really cool site Pitch Black for their paranormal YA books. Most of you have probably seen it before but it has been revamped and updated with more titles. You can take quizzes on your favorite novels and find out how easily a vamp can sink his teeth into you… for me I am an idiot loner who doesn’t pay attention… aka vamp bait!
So check it out and let me know if you are more clever than I am, or if you are vamp bait also!
Review: Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
I have read two previous works from author Sarah Dunant(@sarahdunant), and have been a fan of her style of writing and historical fiction for quite a while. Dunant is able to capture your interest from early in the book, make you fall in love with the characters and provide a history of a time or event while keeping the story interesting. Dunant also uses her platform (or at least I feel so) to show us the history of women in different lifestyles and professions, you always come away with a feeling of happiness the world for women has evolved as much as it has. Flowery language, and brilliant descriptions capture and transport you to an ancient time where you can actually smell the bread baking.
Sacred Hearts follows a choir nun Sister Zuana, and a novice Sister Serefina through the reformations of the church in the 1600′s, first loves, and realizations of what life really means when you are cloistered behind abbey walls. Zuana was raised outside the abbey by a physician father who taught his daughter much of his own alchemy. Having a daughter educated in medicine however did Zuana no favors, when her father passed she was forced to either marry or become a nun. Zuana grapples with her sin of placing her father in her thoughts and prayers more than the holy father himself. Serafina a novice in love struggles with anorexia by holy proxy, being locked in a convent unwillingly, and finding her true place in life. Events in the convent are constantly disruptive as the novice finds her place and learns consequence. This novel transports you to Italy in an amazing time for the church and women. The ending of the book is absolutely perfect. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read and enjoyed Dunant’s previous works, if you like Historical Fiction, if you are interested in women’s hardships in ancient times, or if you just feel the need to read a beautiful story of love and life.
Review: Enchanted Inc Series by Shanna Swendson
I won all four of these books from a contest at I Heart Monster, a great book blog I frequently read for recommendations on what to read next. I started with the set immediately and in order and I was fascinated by the story line. I being a southerner myself instantly connected with the main character Katie Chandler, and the small town girl in the big intimidating city story line. I have hopes that Swendson’s publisher will pick up at least one more book for a nice finish to the story, there are a lot of unanswered question about other characters and the general plot. I struggled between giving these books 3 or 4 stars. In the end my decision was based on the fact I believe the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out. Through the books you receive the same information about the same people, when I feel there was chances to enhance the perception and personality. I also thought at times the books took a long time to get going and all the excitement was pushed into the final chapters. That being said I gobbled all four books down in a week and was hungry for more. The books are a simple read, very fun, and I loved the mix of craziness. My favorite character from the series was the A.D.D. bad guy. Idris while not a mastermind criminal was a pretty nasty fellow, however easily distractable by something shiny.
Book One: Enchanted Inc
From Publishers Weekly
In her first mainstream novel, romance writer Swendson puts a Harry Potter–inspired twist on the standard tale of a smalltown girl in the big city, with lively if saccharine sweet results. Fish-out-of-water Katie Chandler suffers in her thankless job as assistant to marketing manager “Evil Mimi,” worrying that maybe she just can’t hack it in New York City. Will her colleagues ever consider her anything but a hick? For a girl from Texas, the Big Apple is stranger than a foreign country, but she discovers that the weird things she notices are signs of real magic afoot. Her “small-town honesty and common sense” soon land her a new job at Magic, Spells, and Illusion Inc., which traffics in benevolent sorcery. “You… are of the rare breed who can neither do magic nor be influenced by magic. You see the world as it is,” an MSI executive explains. With her clear-sightedness—plus business acumen gained working for her family’s feed-and-seed store—Katie will play a pivotal role in MSI’s magical battle against a malevolent competitor. From sanitized descriptions of New York City life to hunky wizards and fairies on the subway, this book is pure and innocent fantasy, suitable for preteens or readers hungry for a cotton candy read.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Two: Once Upon Stilettos
From Booklist
The winning follow-up to Enchanted, Inc. (2005) finds Katie Chandler, a young woman immune to magic, working at the epicenter of New York City’s magic community as Merlin’s personal assistant. When Owen Palmer, the sexy wizard Katie’s been secretly swooning over, reports that a spy has been in his office, Merlin puts Katie on the case to discover the identity of the traitor. It’s no small task, and Katie is distracted by the arrival of her parents, who have flown up from Texas to see how their daughter is faring in the big city. Katie is upset to learn that her mother is also immune to magic, and can see all the strange goings-on in the Big Apple. To make matters worse, Katie is shocked to find that she’s losing her own magical immunity, which she fears will jeopardize her position and hamper her ability to identify the spy. Swendson’s smart, snappy novel will delight fans that loved the first installment, and win over new readers, too.
Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Three: Damsel Under Stress:
From Booklist
The third entry in Swendson’s charming series, which began with Enchanted, Inc. (2005), finds Kate Chandler, whose immunity to magic makes her a valuable employee at the magic company where she works as Merlin’s assistant, finally about to go on a date with her crush, handsome but bashful wizard Owen Palmer. While Kate waits for Owen to join her at a coffee shop, she encounters Ethelinda, a sloppy fairy claiming to be her fairy godmother, who unfortunately proves to be more hindrance than help. Matters become further complicated when Kate learns that Ari, a fairy who betrayed the company by helping their biggest rival, the wizard Idris, has escaped custody. Swendson blends chick lit and magic effortlessly, making the reader equally invested in the magical skulduggery and Kate’s burgeoning romance with Owen, which includes a trip home to meet his icy foster parents. The novel culminates in an exciting ending guaranteed to leave readers thirsting for another chapter in this whimsical, clever series.
Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Four: Don’t Hex With Texas
From Booklist
As Swendson continues her exciting Enchanted Inc. series, magic-immune Katie Chandler is back in her hometown of Cobb, Texas. Katie has left New York City and her beloved job at Magic, Spells, and Illusions Inc. to protect Owen Palmer, the handsome wizard she is crazy about. Working with her hapless siblings at her parents’ store doesn’t exactly make up for the excitement she is missing out on in New York until strange goings-on start happening in Cobb, leading Katie to wonder if the magic has followed her home. When she discovers her old nemesis, Phelan Idris, has concocted a plan to train wizards over the Internet in the hopes of building an army, Katie contacts MSI. She is surprised when Owen himself shows up, and is relieved to find the chemistry between them is hot and heavy. But when the pair learns Idris is in town and planning a deadly endgame, they fear their enemy may prevail this time around. Another page-turning installment in one of the best romantic-fantasy series being written today.
Kristine Huntley
