Review: Shade

Title Shade
By John B. Olson
Pages 416
Recommended by Me

First Sentence A tear ran down Melchi's cheek, losing itself in the curl of his wild beard.

Synopsis
Hailey is a grad student in San Francisco. One night a dark monster attacks her and she is rescued by a strange homeless man. Melchi has lived his life on the streets tracking a monster known as the Mulo. When the Mulo attacks a woman and he saves her, both their lives we'll be changed forever.

What it has going for it
Well, I really wanted to like this one. It sounded so good and it's a bit obscure so I was hoping I'd found a gem but no such luck. It was pretty action packed, however, with lots of things constantly going on. It jumps right into the story with out a lot of back story to weigh you down and had an interesting premise, which is always good. Um, yeah, I can't think of much else it had going for it.

What's lacking
I love when a book just jumps right into a story and doesn't do so much explaining that you feel like yelling, "yeah, OK, I get it!" And while this one jumped into the action right away it never got to that point where you understand what's going on from character's conversations or actions. Seriously, four hundred plus pages and it never really made sense. I had to drag myself kicking and screaming through the whole book and was left just staring at the last page with an angrily raised eyebrow. A reviewer on Goodreads described it saying, "like I was looking through a steamed up window all the time.  I  just wanted to wipe it clean so I could see better." Agreed! Oh well, at least I finished the dang thing!

Yea or nay?
I'm sure plenty of people will like it and do like it but I wouldn't recommend it.

Because It's Been Awhile

If you guessed this was going to be a soccer post, you guessed right. If you thought I was just going to gush about hot soccer players you're wrong.

After being promised a new episode of House last night, and then finding a boring NASCAR race on instead, I watched for ten minutes while making my dinner. So there I was wondering why on earth anyone would choose to watch this "sport" and was inspired to write this post.

Five Reasons I Watch Soccer (that have nothing to do with the hot guys)

1 A soccer game is 90 minutes long. An hour and a half. Yeah, OK, in knock out stages in some cups it must be played longer if the games tied, but even then, it has two 15 minute overtimes and then goes to penalties so it does end. And all around two hours. That's considerably shorter than most sports.

2 There are NO FREAKING time outs every five seconds! (I'm looking at you basketball and football) The clock starts and doesn't stop till the game is over.

3 Because there are no time outs, there are no stupid commercials. You get to sit down and watch your game and ONLY your game. 

4 Despite what people say about soccer being boring because they hardly score, it's not! Let's consider, shall we? What's more boring? Basketball, where they score so many times it's not even a novelty and hardly worth cheering about, or soccer, where they have to work incredibly hard and use some actual technique and skill to score? Seriously, people.

5 Alright, alright! I can't list five reasons to watch soccer without mentioning the hot guys! I really can't! Thank goodness for the workout regime that soccer enforces to create bodies like this.

Sergio Ramos

Sunday Salon

Welcome to the new Sunday Salon. A weekly update post about my boring life. ;)

Weather Small Talk: Sunny but cold! Stupid deceiving weather!

On The Idiot Box: Quite a few shows weren't on this week for some unknown reason. Grimm was on, though, and I really like this show, but if they don't throw us some real story instead of filler I'm going to give up.  Any one else watching this one and agree with me? 

Weekly Reads: I read and LOVED Partials by Dan Wells and I'm still trudging miserably through Shade by John B Olson. :( I wanted and still want to like it but it's just not that great. Don't ask why I'm so determined to finish it. Just stubborn I guess.

Crazy Kitty: It was VERY windy all day yesterday and there were lots of scary noises....for a cat anyway.  

This Week: I had a stupid sore throat for most of the week that has now settled into a lovely sinus infection. It's making my teeth feel like they're going to pop out of my mouth. So fun. 

Movie of the Week: I saw Chronicle and I think I enjoyed it but I was so motion sick from the way they filmed it that I'm not sure. 

Food Talk: I'm trying really hard to live on a self imposed budget and since it's the end of the month the budget is gone. So, I've been eating what I have around and it's getting very sad. 

Soccer Sightings: My boys played today and won. (yay!) but for some reason they played at 4:00 PM which is 8:00 AM my time! Come on! It's the weekend! Of course I still got up to support them...shhh, no need to mention I would have been up anyway for early church. Anywho, I think the only reason they scored was because of pure luck. Check it out. It's only 10 seconds in so you don't have to watch the whole thing...unless, like me, you like to watch them celebrate. 

Music Discoveries: Again nothing "new" so I'll share some boring song you probably don't care to listen to. This one is rather weird but I've liked it since I first heard it years ago. If you like it let me know because I've yet to meet anyone that does. 

Plans For The Week: Wednesday night I'm going to Barnes and Noble to purchase my very own copy of Partials because the author will be there! Yay, another signed book. Did you know that will make this 32 books I have signed?

Review: Partials

Title Partials (Partials 1)
By Dan Wells
Pages 472
Recommended by Me

First sentence Newborn #485GA18M died on June 30, 2076, at 6:07 in the morning.


Synopsis
I'm going to do something a little different. I HATE book trailers. I could tell you why but it would take too long. However, the book trailer to this book is so freaking awesome I thought I'd use it for the synopsis. Enjoy!

What it has going for it
 I've been so excited for this one and when the awesome Emily let me borrow her ARC I was ecstatic!  I enjoyed Dan Wells' John Cleaver series and I love his writing so you can imagine how high those hopes were.  Because of those high hopes I was also afraid I might be disappointed. Well, I needn't have bothered. I LOVED it!  It was action packed and had me turning pages as fast as I could and holding my breath. I had to keep making myself slow down and concentrate so I wouldn't miss anything. There were lots of twists, some that took me totally by surprise and others I saw coming but not till the perfect moment, like right before the characters.  I love that! Oh, and I totally fell in love with Samm and I can't wait for more of him.

What's lacking
Sigh! I could be wrong, and I REALLY hope I am, but I don't think very many people are going to like this one. See, most people like character driven novels over plot driven ones. Not me, though. I mean, It's important that I like at least one character but the plot is much more important to me. I love when an author can come up with an amazing story that astounds and entertains me and doesn't waste precious time talking about a character's "feelings". Not that this one doesn't have amazing characters (did you hear me mention my new found love for Samm?) but there's hardly any romance or character drama. At least in  my opinion there wasn't. There's also a lot of talk about science that I found fascinating but I can see how it might bore other people.  

Yea or Nay?
Of course I still hope you give it a try, but if you're expecting another romance with a meager plot you might be disappointed.

Finally!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Squeeeee!!!!!!!!!! Whoohoo!!!!!!
I've waited and waited and it's finally coming out!!!! If you could have seen the happy dance that ensued when I saw this...well, let's just say it freaked my cat out.

Life After TV

It seems, lately, I've seen a few people commenting on their blogs that they didn't have a TV when they were growing up. I didn't have a TV while I was growing up either. So, then, of course, I started wondering if not having a TV in the home creates better readers. Cause you know me, I over analyse everything. ;)

I'm not saying I didn't watch TV as a kid. I would spend huge amounts of time at my friends house just so I COULD watch TV. And when I was about 17-18 I bought a TV and began watching even more ridiculous amounts of it. I still watch anywhere from 9-18 hours a week. Eeek! Scary.

The funny thing is, yes, I watch more TV as an adult then I did as a kid, because of availability, but I also read more as an adult too. So, I'm not sure NOT having a TV made a difference with me, but since I didn't have a TV how can I really know? "They" have done research and found that kids who watch TV have shorter attention spans so who knows.

So, I present the question to you. Did you have a TV as a kid? Did it effect your reading as a kid or, now, as an adult? And either way, do you have a opinion about whether TV watching affects our reading ability?

Well, I Suck At Tag

Apparently I'm a slow runner and all my childhood years of playing tag didn't pay off cause...I'm it! ;)
I won't be tagging anyone else, (call me a party pooper) but I will answer the questions Dana tagged me with because, let's face it, I love talking about myself. ;)

What's your favourite holiday? Probably the 4th of July. I like the pool party my family has and the food! 
What gave you nightmares as a kid? Not much but I was terrified of E.T
Which book character's life would you like to steal for your own? I'm afraid book characters have more problems than I do and I'm not sure I'd want their lives. 
Who's your favorite artist? John William Waterhouse

Coffee or Tea? (or something else all together) Hot chocolate all the way.
What's your pet peeve? So many! I really hate when people with wet hands flick water on me and think it's funny. 
What is your idea of comfort food? Hot soup when I have a cold. I'm not much of an emotional eater. If I'm stressed I tend not to eat. 
You are stranded on a desert isle - what one thing is with you? A hot guy, of course! Preferably one of my soccer boys. ;) 

Sweet snacks or salty? As long as it's not both at the same time I'm good with either. 
When you were a child, what was your favorite piece of playground equipment? The Merry-go-Round. Too bad they don't have those anymore. :( 
What's your favorite smell? Purple leaf plum trees when they're blooming

Sunday Salon

Welcome to the new Sunday Salon. A weekly update post about my boring life. ;)

Weather Small Talk: Hmmm, a pretty mild week again and then it snowed this morning. What's with it snowing on SUNday?

On The Idiot Box: Well, as I mentioned Dr. Chase seems to be safe on House but maybe the show is being canceled after this season??? Anyone know? I'm enjoying New Girl and The Big Bang Theory the most these days. Maybe because my attention span isn't lasting an hour for my other shows. BTB the scene on this week's TBBT with Sheldon and Kripke playing basketball had me laughing so hard! 

Weekly Reads: I finished Atonement but that's all. These adult books take longer to read!  I might have to carry on into March. I'm still working on Shade by John B. Olson but it's not holding my attention too well, and I got  the chance to borrow Partials by Dan Wells from Emily and even though it's YA and I'm doing my adults only month, I'm going to HAVE to read it. I'm so excited!  

Crazy Kitty: Whenever she gets the notion to actually get off her butt and play, it's hilarious to watch her try to skid around corners on a tile floor. :) 

This Week: Was a crazy weird week for me and I'm not so sure in a good way. I'm discovering I'm a creature of habit and I hate when things change...even though I keep telling myself I want them to. 

Movie of the Week: I finally saw Thor and liked it but I hate movies where the bad guy is someone you feel bad for! I don't want them to lose!!! 

Food Talk: Yeah, the crazy weird week I had has made me so sick to my stomach I'm not eating much and when I do it's like it has no taste. Not fun! 

Soccer Sightings: Hmmm. Do you think he's going for a super sexy look or pondering if he looks good in turquoise?

Music Discoveries: Nothing new this week so maybe I can share an old favorite? Do you really care? No? Too bad! ;) 

Plans For The Week: Oh dear! I really hope this week just calms the heck down and I can take some time to think and figure out some things. 

Review: Atonement

Title Atonement
By Ian McEwan
Pages 351
Recommended by Book club

First sentence (way to freaking long to type out!!!!)

Synopsis
Briony witnesses a flirtation between her older sister Cecilia and the son of a servant, Robbie Turner. Not understanding, she commits a crime that changes each of their lives forever.

What it has going for it
LOL! Oh dear! I've never had the experience I had while reading this book...ever! I saw the movie way back when it came out and HATED it. So, when my book club decided to read it, it was with great trepidation that I decided I was going to try it despite my prejudices. Then, when I actually got the book, I kept warily eyeing it across the room and finally had to pick it up or risk not finishing it in time for book club. Then came the process of reading it. I won't bore you with too many details but, besides some fairly good writing and imagery, it was painful! I didn't like ONE SINGLE character and when you can't have at least one character to root for, it's hard to like a book. Plus, the movie was very similar, it was like reliving those horrid two hours all over again. And then...I got to the last few pages. (whoohoo! Almost finished) And then I got to the last, very last , paragraph...and went, "OH!!! I get it! Huh?" LOL! See why I'm laughing? So, no, I didn't love the book, all of the sudden, but I understood it. I finally get it!

What's lacking
I've already discussed a few things but I'll point out the things that bothered me the most. The writing was lovely but bordered on overly flowery...of course, now I understand why but it still got tiresome. I noticed a great deal of "telling", as well, and that was a bit of a disappointment; I'd heard Ian McEwan was an amazing writer. The whole fifty pages with Robbie at war just plain bored me to tears. I guess that makes me sound insensitive but that's just how I felt.

Yea or Nay?
Um, well, if you can trudge your way through it to see the whole picture it's kinda worth it, actually.

Following/Commenting Quandary

Well, this is probably going to be one heck of an awkward post but I'm really fretting about a few things and would love your wisdomous insight.

1 Anyone else have those people whose blog you follow and religiously read and comment on nearly every day and, yet, they NEVER come by your blog and comment, let alone read it?  It would be nice if these people would acknowledge the fact that I comment on their blogs all the time and return the favor once and awhile, but here's my real question. Since they don't, should I follow these people who don't bother to "follow" me back? Hmmm, such a conundrum. I don't want to be rude and unfollow them but I don't really feel like spending my precious time reading and commenting anymore. Especially since there's thousands of book blogs out there I could be reading instead and THEY might actually return the favor. So, what do I do? What say you?  By the by, if you feel like I do this to you guys please, seriously, let me know. I really do try to make an effort and read and comment on my loyal reader's blogs. If I don't, I'm sorry. :(Again, let me know and I'll rectify it.

2 Speaking of thousands of book blogs, how on earth do you guys manage to keep up with your reading of all of them? I struggle with this as I'm sure most of you do. To be honest, I only usually read the ones on my sidebar not EVERYONE I'm following. I'd like to but it's impossible! I've noticed that sometimes if I comment on someones blog THEN they'll come read and comment on mine. Is that how you guys do it? Or do you just read the posts that look interesting? Or do you have favorites you check out everyday no matter what? Ahhh! See my problem. How to keep up?! I would love to be able to read and comment on every single blog I follow and then some, but how?

Well, I could go on and on with my questions but I'll give it a rest for the day. ;) I'd love your advice, though.

(added after reading a few comments and realizing I've been slightly misunderstood. I should have said this better)   I like the "relationship" that forms between the bloggers who comment on my blog and whose blogs I comment on. When it's one sided it's not so very fun...you know? So, this isn't about comments for the sake of comments but more about a one sided relationship. Does that make anymore sense???

TBR Tuesday # 4

It's time for another TBR Tuesday! If you'd like to ponder on all those books on your shelf just waiting for their turn to be read, and highlight one, just head on over to Dana's blog and link up!

A disease of unparalleled destructive force has sprung up almost simultaneously in every corner of the globe, all but destroying the human race. One survivor, strangely immune to the effects of the epidemic, ventures forward to experience a world without man. What he ultimately discovers will prove far more astonishing than anything he'd either dreaded or hoped for. (From Goodreads)

Now, come on! I know you think this sounds awesome! And this one was written before the post apocalyptic craze.  Once again, I need to get to this one...some day.

Most Boring Post Ever

1 It looks like Dr Chase is safe on House MD. YAY!!!! K, I'm pathetic, I know.

2 ?Unlike Suey, who did an awesome recap you can check out, I won't be doing a recap post of LTUE. But I will have posts discussing different things I found interesting...just so you know. ;)

3 I'm sorta organizing my blog and, if you haven't noticed, I have a few new tabs at the top of my blog. Feel free to make my mind numbing work validated. ;)

See? Told you it was one heck of a boring post. Mwa ha ha!

Sunday Salon

Welcome to the new Sunday Salon. A weekly update post about my boring life. ;)

Weather Small Talk: I woke up this morning to snow. :( Still snowing now. Sigh!

On The Idiot Box: I feel like I missed quite a bit because I was at LTUE the last three days but I did watch House on Monday and am irritated that they "might" me getting rid of Dr. Chase (Jesse Spencer) Can you blame me?! 

Weekly Reads: I'm reading Atonement by Ian McEwan for book club and am not enjoying it too well. It's a little slow and who can really like a book that's described as, "A beautiful and majestic panorama."? ;) I'm also reading Shade by John B. Olson and it's a little confusing but at least a LOT more stuff is actually happening. 

Crazy Kitty: I'm quite sure she missed me quite desperately while I was gone most of the week. 

This Week: LTUE took over the last half of the week. It's a writers conference, for those of you who don't know, and it was a blast! A hard chairs, buns aching blast! I took lots of notes and have some fun post ideas and a little more desire to get back to writing. 

Movie of the Week: No movies this week but I want to see The Vow that just came out and a few others. If I could just find the time. 

Food Talk: Going to LTUE wreaked a tiny bit of havock on my diet. I got to eat hamburgers, fries, tater tots, brownies, and white bread. Eeek! Back to the diet for me.  

Soccer Sightings: Actually my team is playing now so I don't have much to report. They are a goal down, though. Come on guys! Oh, they got a penalty now it's a tie at the half! 

Music Discoveries: We Are Young by Fun. I never know if I should show these crazy music videos as they might offend some people but this one does have some cool slow motion stuff that's fun. 

Plans For The Week: I need to focus and read like crazy in order to finish Atonement for book club on Thursday. 

Tagged by Jenni

I've been tagged by Jenni Elyse! I've never been tagged before so bear with me as I try to figure this out. Yay for getting to know me and others better, right?! 

Rules
1 You must post the rules.
2 Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the  people you’ve tagged.
3 Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
4 Let them know you’ve tagged them!

Questions from Jenni and my answers

1  What is your favorite book of all time? Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Moves me every time.
2  Who is your favorite author? Mary Shelley, Markus Zusak and Kate Griffin. Lots of others too.
3  Who is your favorite literary character of all time? Ugh, way too many to count. Matthew Swift, (of course) cause he cracks me up and is just so dang cool. Cassel, cause he tries so hard to do the right thing and is loyal. Antsy, cause I'd love to meet a kid as awesome as he is in real life. Strong Hand, cause, just...wow!  Sean, because he has a life outside of the girl he loves. Cameron Wolfe, cause he tears at my heart strings. Ed Kennedy cause he's a little lost and aren't we all?
4  When did you start blogging? April of 2011. It's almost my blogoversary!
5  Why did you start blogging? Good ol' peer preasure. Suey was always harassing encouraging me. ;) Either way I'm glad cause I sure have fun.
6  If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Spain...Madrid Spain...Real Madrid...Soccer....Hot guys who might take their shirt off...Need I say more? ;)
7  If money were not an issue, what would you buy yourself at this very instant? A washer and dryer. I'm getting awfully sick of doing laundry at my moms.
8  Who is your favorite actor? Argh! I can't narrow it down to one. I like John Cusack, cause he amuses me. James Marsden, cause he's funny and cute. Damian Lewis, cause there's just something intriguing about him. Ethan Hawke, cause he can actually act. Kate Beckinsale, Cause she's the only female actress I can stand. James McAvoy, cause you can't help but root for him. Johnathan Ryhs Meyers, cause he has that adorable Irish accent and those soulful eyes. Many, many more.
9  What is your favorite movie? Grosse Point Blank. I'm all about dark comedies and this one cracks me up. I have tons of other favorites too but, yeah.
10 Who is your favorite musician/band? I don't have one. I'll find a song from some band and adore it but that doesn't mean I like everything of theirs so I can't say I have a favorite.
11 What is your favorite song? Nessun Dorma. Sigh! 

My Questions For The People I've Tagged
1 What is something you dread?
2 What is your favorite food?
3 What kind of car was your first car?
4 Picture taker or camera hog?
5 Do you have any pets?
6 What would you do if you got to meet your movie star crush?
7 What would you do if you met your literary crush?
8 Socks on or off when you sleep?
9 What book(s) have you been mad enough to throw across the room?
10 What book(s) have you hugged to your chest in love?
11 What was the name of a childhood stuffed animal?


The People I've Tagged
Jessica at Thoughts At One In The Morning
Lan at The Write Obsession
Samantha at Caught In The Pages
Liz at Small Blonde Hippy
L.L at The Story Girl
Natalie at Browsing Bookshelves
Trisha at Eclectic/Eccentric
Rebecca at Bending The Spine
Roxy at Keeping Up With Roxy's Books
Chrissie at Once Upon A Series
Ariel at Must Love Books

Review: Midnight in Austenland

Title Midnight in Austenland
By Shannon Hale
Pages288
Recommended by Me


First sentence No one who knew Charlotte Constance Kinder since her youth would suppose her born to be a heroine.

Synopsis
When Charlotte's husband leaves her for another woman she decides to take a break. And what better place than a estate in England that offers a full on Austen-esque experience.

What it has going for it
I adore Shannon Hale's writing. She's so witty and clever and I'm always smiling as I read her books. This one was no exception and I loved getting to know Charlotte and watch her journey. What girl wouldn't want to go to Pembrook Park and be wooed by handsome gentlemen in austen-esque style? I love the idea of a place like this and it's one of my favorites to read about. This one wasn't just a rehashing of the first book, as I was worried it might be, but had a completely different MC that was just as endearing and fun to read about. With a fun mystery and dashing gentlemen I had a lot of fun.

What's lacking
I can't say what specifically bothered me without giving things away so I won't but "it" kinda weirded me out. The ending was a little too neat and tidy and I had a hard time getting into the mystery.

Yea or Nay?
Yes, especially to fans of the first book...or, of course, anything Austen.

Sunday Salon

Welcome to the new Sunday Salon. A weekly update post about my boring life. ;)

Weather Small Talk: Mildest winter EVER! I'm loving it!

On The Idiot Box: Besides The Vampire Diaries, I'm not totally engrossed with anything lately. Oh, I keep religiously watching my shows but I'm a little bored with things. :( I did rent the first season of the BBC's Being Human and watched it. Very....interesting/weird. 

Weekly Reads: Ugh, I'm not off to a great start with my adult books only month. I've started Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale and I'm liking it, but I'm too distracted to really get into it. 

Crazy Kitty: She insists on knocking all her toy balls all over my bedroom floor but once she's done she doesn't play with them. Maybe she just likes the way they look spread across the floor. They are colorful. 

This Week: Was boring! I exercised all week like a good little girl, though, and lost two more pounds. 

Movie of the Week: I finally watched Water For Elephants and for some reason thought it was going to be a horribly sad ending...WTH?! I know I should be glad it ended well, but I'm still so confused. 

Food Talk: :( I keep eating the same 6 meals over and over. They all taste fine and I'm not bored with them but I should probably come up with something new. Monotony kills! 

Soccer Sightings: Um, so I'm watching my game yesterday and couldn't help but notice how cold it looked. The wind was blowing and every player was wearing long sleeved shirts...all but Arbeloa, that is. Why would the undead need to keep warm?  Mwaa ha ha! 

Music Discoveries: Well, to be fair I only like the music, no singing. I just don't like rap. No Church in the Wild. 

Plans For The Week: Lot's of bookish things, I think. Rebecca Stead author of When You Reach me is coming to our local library and LTUE is this weekend. I've never been before but I think I'm going to some of it. 

And The Moral Of The Story Is...

You know how I'm slightly, just slightly picky about books? (I'll just wait for the laughter dies down before I continue, shall I?) Done? Alrighty then. Back to my point. See, when I was young, every time I read something, whether it was a article in a magazine, picture book, or full on novel, my mom would ask me what it was about and then ask me what the moral was; what was the author trying to get across. So, my whole life, no matter what I read, I was always looking for that hidden message or moral.

Fast forward to being an adult and attending a book club wherein we read A Wizard of Earthsea. I read it and saw all this deep meaning therein. Then, at book club, we watched an interview with the author, Ursula K Le Guin. And she informed a group of students that people were always asking her what message she was trying  to get across in AWOE. To my surprise she informed the students that she wasn't trying to say anything, she was just telling a story. She may have gone on to say something about the message being different for everyone but the thing that stood out to me was that she didn't write the book with a moral.

Well, that just blew me away! I'm not sure I even believe her. Whether she had some great message or not, don't you think some of her beliefs and opinions came through in the book? I certainly do but that's just me. I can't just read a book for the story. There needs to be some sort of point to it; some reason I just spent hours reading it. Even a light fluffy book usually has some little message in it. Or maybe the character just grows up a little, or learns something new about themselves or the world around them. But, again, that's just me I'm guessing. I'm also guessing that's why some books irritate me. Either they're without a moral or I don't like the moral. So sue me! ;)

So, what about you? Do you look for meaning or morals in books or read them just for the story?  And if you do read them just for the story please tell me why. Don't you want to learn something, even a tiny little something from that many pages and that much time? Because, yes, books are for escapism but aren't they better when you feel like you learned something or witnessed some growth that may or may not apply to you? Don't some of the books we love the most become favorites because we related to a character or situation so deeply?

Help me out here people. What kind of reader are you? And please, expound. ;)

January Wrapup

Another month has come and gone and a new year has begun. In January I managed to read 9 books. Whoohoo! Shush! That's good for me. Anywho, here's what I read a what I thought.

Inheritance (Inheritance 4) by Christopher Paolini
Little bit of a slow start but then, wow! Great ending to a great series.

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick 1) By Sherrilyn Kenyon
Gee, I wonder how much crap can be going on at once?!

Don't Stop Now by Julie Halpern
Fun little road trip book with an honest ending.

Jessica's Guide To Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Amusing little story with an ending just a little too rushed.

Looking For Alaska by John Green
Reads more like a self analysis exercise. Ugh!

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith
A sweet, fun story.

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles 1)  by Marissa Meyer
An amazing twist on the classic fairy tale. Thoroughly awesome!

Everneath (Everneath 1) by Brodi Ashton
A unique exciting story but slightly disappointing characters.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles  1) By Mary E. Pearson
An engrossing, thought provoking story littered with symbolism.

I'm actually impressed with how many I liked this month! Pretty sad that usually I read so many that are duds for me. My favorites of the month were Inheritance and Cinder. Least favorites and only ones I didn't like were Infinity and Looking For Alaska. Not too shabby, huh?

Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Title The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Jenna Fox Chronicles 1)
By  Mary E. Pearson
Pages 266
Recommended by Me


First sentence I used to be someone.


Synopsis
When Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma she's told she was in an accident. As she struggles to regain her memories she finds out more than she wanted to know about the accident and how far her parents were willing to go for their adoration of her.

What it has going for it
One word: Engrossed! I was so freaking engrossed the whole time I read this book; it only took two sittings. The writing style was perfect for the story, with short simple sentences. I was fascinated with the depth of the book. See, in my opinion, this wasn't a story, not really, but rather a treasure trove of symbolism. There's so many ideas and questions and discussions on ethics to be had. It's a book that deserves not only to be read but pondered and discussed. You can't NOT discuss this book. I even bought it for my sister so she could read and discuss with me! I'm still reeling with the thoughts and feeling this one provoked.

What's lacking
And now you're going to laugh at me. I'm not a huge fan of symbolism; I think it's too flashy and pretentious. Just tell me what you mean! I did think it worked very well for this story, though, so I'm not really complaining about that. The only thing that bothered me was I'm still not sure I ACTUALLY liked the book. Oh, it had me thinking and pondering but did I like where the characters ended up? Did I like what was concluded and not concluded in the end? I don't know! See why I'm frustrated? That's what I hate about symbolism, it messes with your head! I'll read the second book, but I think it's going to be more of an actual story and less of this deep all consuming symbolism. Whether that's a good thing or not, I'm just not sure.

Yea or nay?
Yes, if for nothing else then to open your mind to all the ideas and questions this book presents. And it was engrossing, after all. ;)