A Whole Bunch of Reviews!!!

I am behind in my reviews which is fairly typical for this time of year.  I looked at the past history and August is when the downward spiral begins.  In order to at least say something about each of the books I’ve read this year, I thought I’d do a quick post which includes short and simple reviews of a few books.  

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

This is a very sweet little story about a young girl, Zoe, with a desire to play the piano.  Not only does she want to play the piano, she wants to be a maestro!  So her dad buys her an organ.  She embraces her new instrument with as much enthusiasm as she can as she and her teacher prepare for her to perform in a competition.  The story is about how a family that doesn’t quite fit the ideal, is actually pretty perfect in their own way.  It’s very good and I highly recommend it.

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Found is the first book in a series by Ms. Haddix and I was a bit disappointed that more of the story wasn’t resolved before the book ended.  I haven’t read the second book yet and I feel as if I still haven’t finished the book.  The story revolves around two friends who discover that they were both adopted and there is a big mystery surrounding where they came from.  I didn’t love the book and really can’t recommend it unless you plan to read the series.  

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

This is the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.  It’s a nice addition to the series and moves quickly.  Bill is missing and Sookie enlists the help of a werewolf, Alcide, to help her find him.  I love Alcide.  Honestly, I can’t remember all of the details but I remember the end and that Sookie stood up for herself.  Good for her. 

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Well, I read it.  All of it.  That’s about all I can say about this book.  At least it was a very fast read.  The book was silly, the characters were a bit manic, and the plot had holes.  I didn’t like it at all and don’t plan to continue the series unless the book falls in my lap and I have nothing better to do.

Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich

Metro Girl is a fun, quick read that I really did enjoy.   Metro Girl introduces us to Alex “Barney” Barnaby, the daughter of a mechanic who knows her way around an engine.  She heads to Miami when her brother disappears and she’s determined to find him.  During her search, she meets Sam Hooker, a NASCAR driver who sets his sights on Alex.  The two get mixed up with interesting characters and head off into dangerous situations on their search.  If you are familiar with Janet Evanovich’s writing, you’ll recognize the formula in the Metro Girl books, but they are fun and worth a read if you are looking for something quick and entertaining.

The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich

The Grand Finale is a quirky, fun little piece of fluff.  Berry owns a pizza shop and hired three homeless ladies as delivery people.  The only problem is that they weren’t really cut out for deliveries, meaning Berry had to do it herself.  While out on a delivery, she climbs a tree to help a cat and of course falls out of the tree after getting a good look at a half naked man.  The man she was supposed to be delivering pizza for.  Jake falls hard for Berry and her trio of old ladies.   They form an odd little family with a very sweet happy ever after.  This is definitely a light read and there isn’t a whole lot of substance but sometimes it’s nice to not think so much. 

Quick Reviews!

I get distracted easily.  I get very excited about something - like this blog - and am pretty faithful for a while but then something shiny passes by and I'm distracted.  Sooooo, to make a really long story short, I missed a few reviews and I'm not terribly motivated to go back in time for a few reviews.  I've decided to write a few quickies so that I don't feel the guilt and can move on to bigger and better things.  And more recent reads that are more fresh in my memory!  My mind ain't what it used to be. 

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is a fun, action packed children's novel.  I enjoyed it enough to buy the next few books in the series but not enough that I've already read them!  I wanted Percy Jackson to be more like Harry Potter but he isn't.  The books were very informational with regard to the Greek legends of Gods and Titans.  I found myself googling a few things just to get them straight in my head.  The premise is good and I do look forward to reading more.  Just not yet.

Hot Six by Janet Evanovich is the sixth book in the Stephanie Plum series.  I enjoyed this one a lot.  The characters are so wonderful and it's like an old friend when I pick up a book.  I admit that the plots get a little jumbled in my memory but each is unique.  This is definitely a series I will continue to read and enjoy!

 

Going Overboard, by Christina Skye is a fun romance.  There isn't anything wonderful about it, it's pretty standard boy meets girl fare.  I read it fairly quickly and even though the timeline was a little wacky for me, it was still worth finishing.  The end read like bad fan-fiction (triplets?  Really?) and that soured it a bit.  Not bad, not good, just okay for a beach read.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman is one of the most unique books I've ever read. As a child I was terrified of cemeteries and frankly, I'm not fond of them as an adult either. Imagine growing up in a graveyard, raised by ghosts. The story begins with a baby wandering (crawling) into a graveyard, not knowing that he was being pursued by a murderer. A kindly ghost couple vows to protect and raise the baby, and a resident vampire agrees to provide for him. The baby, now named Nobody, lives and learns surrounded by his ghostly family and friends.

The complete normalcy of Bod's life struck me. He wasn't afraid of graveyards or ghosts because it was all he knew. He found peace amongst the dead. There are many stories of orphans being raised by horrible monsters - usually human. Bod's family were dead but yet they loved him and cared for him. Go figure. It was a fresh perspective on the story.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was beautifully written and I confess to crying at the end. It's a Newbery Award Winner and deserves that award. I don't know if I would have been okay with reading it as a very sensitive child but as an adult it was no problem. It's perfectly acceptable for children to read but I think it would be great to read to a child just in case as it is a little on the dark side of things.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

A Great and Terrible Beauty is an intriguing book. I'm going to have a hard time reviewing it because I don't feel that it is over yet. It's the first book in a trilogy and so much was left open. That being said, I enjoyed it a lot.

The story begins in India where we are introduced to Gemma and her mother on Gemma's sixteenth birthday. A tragedy occurs that we only begin to understand much later in the book. Next thing the reader knows, Gemma is in London on her way to a finishing school. Gemma immediately falls victim to the popular girls and their pranks. Through a series of blackmail and secrets, the popular girls become her friends. They soon discover a dark past to the school and enter into the Realms, another dimension of sort, where Gemma can be with her mother and all their wishes come true.

Gemma is torn between visiting the Realms and staying in reality. As her friends fall deeper into the magic, she tries to pull away. Eventually they learn more about what they are doing and why. This opens the door to the second and third book, which I look forward to reading.

While this is a "young adult" book, it should appeal to any age reader who enjoys a little fantasy mixed in with their reality. I'm far from being a young adult and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ms. Bray writes with an open, easy style that is easy to get swept along in. The fact that Gemma is quite snarky and sarcastic only makes me like her more!