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I registered a book at BookCrossing.com! http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11551602

3.5 About Time Stars! Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Author As usual with Cardeno C. we get a sweet story about love filled with tons of heart. In Places in time its like a modern day 'a Christmas carol' without being actually christmas. Ethan finds himself freshly dumped again, which causes him to go to where he always goes when he needs comfort. On his way to his best friend Jude's house, he encounters a bit of an escape of reality with him being brought back in time to find out what he keeps missing but was glaringly obvious. Even though Ethan's a bit vain and full of himself he didn't realize that he's always had love. It just wasn't the kind he thought he would have, but quickly realizes that it's the kind of love that he deeply needs. Jude has always loved Ethan but never knew how do truly show him, when it seemed Ethan only wanted to be friends. So when he's finally given the gift of something he's always wanted, at first he's a bit skeptical but once he dives in, he goes all the way in. This was such a cute friends to lovers / straight to gay story. It was quick, adorable, and sweet with a quick dose of steam.

Charles Bukowski's poetry is about as far from Dylan Thomas's as it can be, but some of it is spectacular.

Dark and often surreal poems from a young Belarusian.

Can't I rate it 3.5 stars!? I did not fine anything surprising in the plot. I found the ages and/or level of success of the main character hard to suspend disbelief. The scenes were appropriately steamy. Will continue and see if the plot gets more original as others have intimated in their reviews.

Not as "classic" as Coney Island but still sly, funny, heartfelt and better than at least 99% of what's been published this year.

I would consider this pretty close to chick-lit but that doesn't deminish the good voice. Easy read

Sally Lockhart is an indomitable character: an orphan girl in Victorian London, she is nevertheless determined to strike out on her own, live independently, and solve the mystery of her father's death. Along the way, she picks up a ragtag army and brings down a pretty nasty businessman. This one is worth revisiting!

That review just gives me chills! At first I was so sure that the second book wouldn't compare to the first, but dammmmnn was I wrong! This was surprisingly just as great as the first book! I think L.J. Smith deserves a round of applause, if she hasn't already ;) I think I was really liking this for 2 reasons only. 1: Nick and Cassie's relationship and how it develops 2: Faye.. FRICKING... Chamberlain! My favorite character in this whole book, wouldn't be Cassie, wouldn't be Diana, wouldn't even be the Henderson boys for their humor.. but Smith really made me love Faye Chamberlain! But one thing really bugged me: .. the cover ... :O is like.. DEFIANTLY not my favorite cover of any book I have ever read. But that's just me being picky hehe.

NO for black-eyed susan. NO for our library. I loved the concept of telling a story through letters, but this one just didn't do the trick. They were too many things I just couldn't buy into... ...a handful of students corresponding regularly to their substitute via letters ...a teacher who couldn't catch on the "BEEs" are a state assessment the school is preparing for ...a couple of middle schoolers so caught up in their feelings for one another that they would write to a teacher they don't know for advice ...a substitute teacher who could get away with doing *nothing* with her class for weeks on end, all approved by the county's department of education Oh well.

I'm not a fan of Pierce's "Circle" books, for all that I rabidly adore all things Alanna/Keladry/Numair. I did love Will of the Empress, so I thought I'd try Melting Stones. Not Tammy's strongest book, not by a long shot, but I wonder if I'd feel differently hearing the audio version, which was its original form. Read this if you're a Pierce fan, but don't let it be the first (or second, or third) Pierce book you read.

YESSSS

see full review @ Katie's Corner

I loved Hired. Loved Brooke. Loved Logan. Loved the length of the book, their love story, the sex scenes, the way they cared about each other. What I didn't love? It's my common issue with language. I have a hard time accepting American characters who use British English. If you can overlook that, you will love this book, as well. Brooke is a single gal who could use some cash to put herself through nursing school. Logan is a pro hockey player who's been suspended for his over-violent ice play. Logan's boss hires Brooke as a companion--non-sexual--to pseudo-babysit Logan for a few days at a luxury retreat in the Caribbean. Logan doesn't know he's under surveillance, but he's enchanted by the unassuming nature of the girl sharing his boss' villa. They strike up a tentative friendship, which quickly turns into a fiery passion. In her heart, Brooke knows she can't sleep with Logan, while taking money for being his companion, so she decides to refuse the cash. A hundred thousand dollars. Girl, she's crazy in lust/love. The two of them are such a cute couple. And it looks like it will end HEA-style, until Logan learns of the money Brooke had been offered. He calls her a whore, and walks out of her life. Heartbroken and destitute again, Brooke soldiers on as a waitress, sans Logan. Good thing he comes to his senses! I got this one b/c I loved Scored. I wasn't disappointed, though as I mentioned, the Brit-isms were a bit distracting.

Carrie's Run is a prequel to season one of Homeland. In 2006, CIA agent Carrie Matheson is in Beirut on a mission to make eyes on a contact known as Nightingale. However, it's an ambush that Carrie barely escapes. She soon discovers that there is a bit of consipracy that goes to one of the highest echelons of her government to create a civil war in the Middle East. Andrew Kaplan writes a decent spy story but it wasn't Homeland. For one thing, Carrie isn't that competent. In this novel, she's sort of a rain man savant super spy. It was not believable. Carrie's voice wasn't authentic. It could have been anyone. There was a lot of sex in this book. It came out of nowhere. It happened at a lot of impromptu times usually during an op. I hated how they did the Carrie-Estes "affair." On the show, Estes had a lot of hate for Carrie for ending his marriage. In Carrie's Run, he was understanding and admitted that his marriage was already over. Carrie's Run felt like an alternate universe Homeland. I'm pretty sure Carrie did not do any of this. Not the Carrie I've seen the past three seasons. The plus side is that it is a very quick read and I am kind of glad I didn't buy it.

Text: 5 stars Illustrations: 4 stars The rhyming text makes learning fun, but this is a solid science book introducing reptiles. Covers all the important characteristics as well as examples. The illustrations are cartoonish and add to the kid appeal of the book, but also provide excellent visual support for the text.

Fun read. Erlendur and Sigurdur Oli play only the tiniest of roles, not even being identified by name. A thriller rather than a mystery, but I enjoyed it.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! The graphics were wonderful!!!!! Love love love!!!!!!!!!!!!

3,5

Wow, what an absolutely amazing comic. If Brubaker ended Criminal because he decided he could never top this, I guess I can understand why. The pull of nostalgia, the character of the protagonist, and the beautiful interrelation of the two with the art make the volume sublime. Brubaker, noir, and the comic medium all at their best.

see full review @ Katie's Corner When I first was raking up this manga to read I was thinking, this might be a typical vampire story thingy. Though when you are talking about manga the word typical can only be addresses to one genre: Shoujo & Romance. I think I was looking for something similar to "Orange Marmelade" by Seok Woo, but they have absolutely nothing in common except the word supernatural in their genre section. From the very beginning it started fast, maybe even too fast, but I guess I just didn't read the summary, so I was missing out a lot of stuff. The author doesn't solely focus on one particular character, it might be even true to say that even though Tsukimiya is a main character, and she sometimes acts as a supporting one. New volume, new chapter and a new character and all of these new characters are so different that you are lost in them, but no matter how different they may seem, they all have something in common and that is: Greed for power or in other words ambition to become the next God. No, no, I didn't just make a mistake there. They realy want to become the next god. The story begins with a half angel Tsukiyama and Hinata seeking a pureblood demon to lift their curse. They do defeat the guy, but due to betrayals from Hinata and a really risky step from Tsukiyama both of them are still left with the curse. So, they now are seeking a book of prophecy and are really hoping, that it will have enough power to lift both of their curses. What I was really enjoying in this manga is that every character has his/her personal agenda. They do not care who they will align now or betray in the next moment. It's just like the saying: "means justify the end". However, there is a bit of romance, mainly between Tsukiyama and Hinata, however, it is always on edge. You never know what is going to happen next. No need to even guess, because the intrigue is so intense, it may drive you to jump pages to then go back because somehow everything got different just in the few pages that you missed. No matter what I say here, I won't be able to fully tell you what I think about it, why? First, I haven't finished it yet, and am desperately searching for next chapters in English. Second, if I started, I wouldn't have kept it all to myself and would have just spoilt the whole excitement this manga might bring you. I hope you try it out. 8 volumes are already in English and next two are being released in 2016. Or you can just go to online websites and read it there. Well if you know French you may get all ten volumes. Hope you'll get the same feelings as I got from reading it. XOXO Katie

Adelina, Adelina, how I missed you girl. I was excited for this one, the last book of one of my favourite YA fantasy trilogies and about one of my favourite female characters.It didn't live up to my expectations, hence having a lower rate than the other two had, but I can't say I didn't like it either. Find the full review on my blog. Blog . Instagram . Twitter . Tumblr .

Anything Scottish is a win for me. :)

This was a great book y'all. It had so many layers and the character development was truly great. It's about a young girl who has a club foot and her younger brother who use the opportunity provided to Londoner children during WWII to escape an abusive mother to go live in the country with a person willing to take them in. The only thing is their woman isn't so willing. She admits to not wanting kids and not being all that nice but her actions show more kindness and mothering than the children have ever seen. It isn't all blossoms and butterflies, like any relationship there are snags and tears but how you see these characters grow is amazing. Dealing with abuse, fear, miscommunication, denial of help, negative self talk, and ignorance are what makes this book an excellent forum of which to discuss these heavy topics.

I don't know what happened !!!! I normally love biker books, and this book just didn't interest me.

2 stars for Lilly and Leonard, although clearly either fabricated/immensely exaggerated characters. I'm glad this was changed from a memoir to semi-fiction/loosely a true story. I understand the idea, but thinking of it all being factual made it harder to read. When I thought of it as just a story somewhat based on true events, it was a little better. I will probably never pick up a Frey novel again in my life, but I'm glad that I have sufficed the curiosity.

A tug boat takes you through his day, tugging three different ships back to the docks. Great for a boat preschool storytime.

This series is very much like a three course meal. The first two books were the starter that got you into it, ok but leaving you wanting more. The Iron Queen is the main course, you've finished and you're satisfied, but there is something missing. The Iron Knight is the delicious pudding, that you know you really shouldn't eat (in the same way that Julie Kagawa never really wanted to write it) but you do. But by heck do you enjoy it. At the end you're a little satiated but you almost always want a little bit more. Brilliant characters, I even lightened up to Grim towards the end. This last book was wonderful story telling - it reminded me of Harry Potter the Philospher's Stone meeting the Angel episode when Angel tries to save Darla and the Buffy episode when Spike goes through his trials and gets back his soul. Very clever, very philosophical and just caught the essence of human, and fey ;-), life's so perfectly. I read the whole series in 5 days, with The Indigo Spell inbetween. If that doesn't tell you how much I loved this series you'll never know.

This book meanders pleasantly through the first 2/3 its page span but it devolves into idiocy as it progresses. There is very little plot action/progression beyond the initial set up (twins inherit dead aunt Elspeth's apartment under mysterious circumstances, said dead aunt is a ghost haunting the place) and the twin protagonists Julia and Valentina are flat, vacuous creations but the supporting characters are interesting (Martin, a man struggling with OCD and the dissolution of his marriage, his long suffering estranged wife Marijke, grief stricken doctoral candidate and Highgate cemetery tour guide Robert) and the writing is good and the whole thing kind of ambles along with a certain degree of charm even if it isn't great. Lots of neat info about Highgate cemetery too. However, once the plot finally kicks into gear the story flies off the rails and the book just becomes asinine. There is an improbable, chemistry free romance between Valentina and Robert which Elspeth is forced to witness. This is the first sign of trouble, before things really go bad. The book totally falls to shambles though once Valentina hatches the brilliant plan to get Elspeth to kill her by removing her soul, stage a funeral and convince everyone she is dead, then come back from the dead by having Elspeth stick her soul back into her body to run away from her sister. Of course, since Valentina has been told Elspeth lacks empathy and Valentina is dating Elspeth's former lover, and Elspeth has already killed a kitten and failed to reincarnate it in the way Valentina wants to be reincarnated, obviously nothing will go wrong with Valentina's incredibly brilliant plan right ::eye roll:: In both conception and execution this plot is totally ridiculous Yes, this is the only solution a character ostensibly defined by her passivity and timidity can think of to resolve a sibling dispute. And of course all the relevant people (including strangers such as a medical examiner) cooperate fully. It is so silly and contrived. There is also some balderdash third act revelation about how Elspeth and her twin Edie switched identifies in the 1980's, which "Edie's" husband Jack figured out but played along with anyway In addition to the sheer ludicrousness of this development Edie and Jack are total nonentities as characters, undercutting any impact this plot turn may have had. I am not totally sorry I read this because as I mentioned it had a few good qualities but the main plot is a total disaster.

oh my gosh what the heck happened? so in the cover of the book, The New York Times says " Brilliant and hugely ambitious.... It's the kind of book that can be LIFE CHANGING" i made a shelf just for this book labelled as "life-changing" because honestly, it was really life changing. 550 pages of words from the mouth of death written by 14 year old liesel meminger was worth it. i'm proud to read liesel's story, because honestly, she had a better adeventure than me. so what i understood from the book: hitler's time, nazi germany. liesel writes down her life called the book thief because she has stolen books, her first stealing after her mother and her buried her brother. liesel's mom abandoned her, and she now lives with a man who plays the accordion and a woman who swears a lot. she begins to have a close relationship with a boy whose hair is the color of lemons, and a jew who is hiding under the basement. liesel's story is narrated by death. it is split into ten parts and the titles come from the book titles she read/stolen. i love all of the characters. you cannot hate anyone in the book. i love the figures of speech. i love that there was a different story to tell in each chapter/part. i loved the ending, the sad, sad ending. what else can i say? the book was life-changing in different ways. i guess it's kind of embarrassing to answer why because well... anyways, this book is perfection. this needs to be a movie, i ll cry rivers.

Para quando o proximo?! Helen Grace rules! :)

Kirja, jonka lukemisen aloittamiseen meni kauan, mutta sain kuin sainkin aloitettua. Aloittamisen jalkeen lukeminen sujui nopeasti, kun kirja tempasi mukaansa. Raaka, mutta hyva kirja, jonka juoni on uskomattoman monimutkainen ja todella ennalta-arvaamaton kokonaisuudessaan. Henkiloita ja tapahtumia on niin paljon, etta vaatii aivotyota jotta saisi pidettya juonen langat ymmarrettavissa. Hyva kirja, ei paasta lukijaansa liian helpolla.

"When you live without someone for as long as I have, love becomes this abstract concept, something you attach to a memory. And when memories are that old, they feel like dreams, and you wonder if any of it was real, or if your mind created it all." Well, then. Everything has finally come full-circle. I'm not gonna lie - this book sort of felt like a regurgitation of the first two but the thing is... I didn't fucking care. I love this world - I loved reading through Serenity - not so much The King. It humanized him a little too much for me. But Serenity? She made it all worth it. 5 stars, thanks to Laura Thalassa for giving me one of my all-time favourite reads. P.S I find the name evolution quite ironic - Serenity Free-man to Serenity Lazuli. Actually, being Serenity Lazuli was probably the free-est she ever felt - I remember in the first book that she had no control over her life and the general said so but in come circa in the third book, she had more choices than she's ever had. Review for the first The Queen of All that Dies book.

I ended up googling everything in this book. Dugout house? How does that work? What about bugs? Moisture? I ended up with a picture of a hobbit house with a michigan basement interior in my head. I'm certain I wouldn't want to live in one. For that matter, I don't think I realized that Minnesota was prairie. So then I ended up looking at wilderness photos of prairies and 1870's prairie houses. And clothes. Pa's bear coat at the end...wtf was that? How could a little fur muff and cloak possibly be warm enough for a northern winter? Then the grasshoppers. That whole part of the book is chilling. Of course it led to me reading lengthy studies about the locusts swarms of 1874 and 1875. Soooo creepy and yucky. Laura's descriptions of the sound of their eating and the way they got into absolutely everything, it made my skin crawl. My other thoughts on this book are about Pa. He seems like a very nice man who loves his family, but my god does he make some bad choices. Most of the trouble they have in this book is his fault. No, he didn't bring swarms of locusts...but he puts them into debt leading up to the grasshoppers. He didn't know squat about the area or the weather or anything, but he made the rash choices to spend money they didn't have. Repeatedly. And that last bit, with the snowstorm. That's the second time he was caught in town during a storm. He didn't NEED to go that day and Ma didn't want him to. He knew how fast storms came up in that area and he also chose to not stay in town like he promised he would. What would they have done if he HAD died in that blizzard? The whole thing was crazy and irresponsible. This was a good book. It made me curious about lots of things. I love google. :)

There is a book thief in town snatching all the bedtime books just as families are settling in for their nightly reads. Who would do such a dastardly deed? One brave little bunny sets out to solve the mystery and return the books back to their rightful owners. The Snatchabook is my new favorite read aloud book. You just know when something magic appears in your hands in the form of a children's book. My head is spinning with ideas to use along with this precious story that reminds me a bit of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Snatchabook would be a great read aloud choice for a Family Reading Night event.

On Sale until March 17: $.99 ONLY!! Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/lurmuz8 ----------------------------------- 4.5 'Well Deserved' Stars So I just decided to dive in to give you a better idea about Zack Love's, Sex in the Title, instead of giving you some run-on about my thought. The thoughts will come later but for now, just enjoy the cast. Ladies, let me introduce to you Evan (aka my favorite man in the book): "...a charming and good-looking man. He [has] a full head of thick, black hair; blue eyes; an athletic, six-foot-one build; smooth, dark eyebrows; and facial features suggestive of his French-Italian ancestry." Uhm, yeah I think it's quite obvious why he's my favorite, no? *grin* Unfortunately, Evan wasn't blessed with luck; his luck ran out, pretty fast actually and karma has quite some fun with him. It wasn't enough that he got basically dumped twice via email, humiliated himself in a club later - no, no karma wasn't done and put one on top when he found himself half naked with bite marks around his best friend lying on NYC sidewalk. Yeah poor Evan, life is a bit tough for him BUT it'll get better, especially with his friend's support. He cracked me up many times and I enjoyed his lil tale finding his bliss in life. I think I've a weak spot for handsome geeks like him ;) On to next one, Trevor. Ladies, he's literally a tower and what fine sight to look at: "At six feet seven inches, Trevor was a human skyscraper. [His] dark African complexion, handsome physiognomy, English accent (<- I love British accents!!), and immense stature gave him an almost mesmerizing presence." Yeah that's Trevor and oh boy did I feel for him. He encounters some life-changing events in this book, which made him flee for 8 months to a ashram, cleaning his body and mind. His humor was delightful and I could see why women & man were swooning over him- he screams charisma. So now to one smart, geeky and somewhat quirky Sammy aka Heeb, with one of the weirdest turn-me-off fetishes ever lol: "At a mere five-eight, he's the shortest, chubbiest, and baldest in the group....but also the funniest in the gang. In his unpredictable dating adventures, Heeb will try just about anything to get a date with a woman." Yeah so Heeb isn't really blessed in the whole physical attraction section but he's a great guy and I liked his witty remarks and sense of humor. But damn, his fetish made me gag; no kidding. I had to reread certain scenes twice to make sure I've read it correctly, which gave me the chills. Other than his strange taste in things that turn him on he dated some serious nuts in this book. After one dramatic and traumatically incident (all I say is cat-lady!!) he and Evan met...in a hospital. But read for yourself how it came to it. Two more to go...Let me introduce Yi Wang (aka Narc): "At six-foot-three, Narc struggled with the temptation to pursue the unconventional careers linked to his two recurring fantasies: trying out for the NBA and becoming a porn star." Yeah you heard correct, Narc was pretty intrigued of becoming a porn star. He doesn't represent the typical stereotype cliches of Asian men *coughs, not at all*. He's a successful lawyer, fluent in English, ghetto, and Cantonese, and very much fed-up with his job. To get out of his current state of unhappiness he pulls some serious funny sh!t at work which leads that his dream come true ... but which dream you want to know?? Well, read for yourself *grin. Last handsome man in the group is Carlos aka the Latin Adonis. I swear, all the good ones are taken and/or married. Anyhow, he's definitely a looker, a hot one to be clear: "The six-foot-one Mexican-American dresses with impeccable style, maintains a great physic, and easily charms with a his silver tongue. But he's still a virgin...." Yeah you've read correctly, he's an Adonis version of a virgin and quite picky when it comes to women. The woman he loses his virginity to must pass his 5 criteria, which are pretty damn tough to fulfill, but, he didn't count to cross paths so soon with Carolina, a bombshell of woman. I loved these two, and yeah they were meant for each other -you'll enjoy their story. So now you got a quick run-down on the Sex in the Title cast and can quite tell it'll be a funny read, learning about those 5 guys and their adventures in NYC. Before you start this book make sure you do realize that Zack didn't write it in the style you're quite familiar, which is your typical NA/YA Romance etc. books format -isn't a bad thing, it's just a change. He spotlights each character in the beginning of the books, getting to know them until they all unite. Some would say he jumps back and forth, or doesn't do smooth transitions but I think he did it in a smart way. Because when you wanted to read and find out how the story continues, for example why Evan is lying passed-out and half naked on the sidewalk, he introduces Carlos and Sammy. So yeah it was smart and I liked it. It's always good to start a book without any assumptions and I'm glad I started without them this time, too. His book has a unique charm; it is funny and quite philosophical. It made me think and reflect. If you have read his book and didn't miss it, Zack himself explains what to expect in his book: "Sometimes it's very high brow with complex thoughts and sophisticated vocabulary, and other times there's a lot of simple dialogue." So now you know what to expect when reading it, it's a great mix of everything. I'll definitely read more of his books, as I mentioned already in my previous review, his writing style is refreshing. "Being in love can change almost anything: from your expectations and limitations to your vey life plans. It's a completely unpredictable force. And how it operates within any particular relationship is a total mystery to anyone outside of that..." ~my favorite quote in the book! ___________________________________ Side note: For the very first time my name was used in a book, yep I was quite thrilled lol. Reading more I found out I was a former swimsuit model and pretty sexy... yeah then Zack burst my bubble, because I ended up as an escort lady LOL -thanks for that haha

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Four stories in one book - pretty cute, but kind of wordy for a picture book.

Evanovich has found another winning combination of straight-laced FBI agent teamed up, reluctantly, with suave, scam genius hero. Snappy dialogue and great chemistry make this a fun read. Read the first two in a week and can't wait for Book 3.

A luscious, emotional and poignant story of love, loss and finding a place to call home.

To say that I'm a fan of Teresa Gabelman is putting it mildly - Sid is another amazing book in this series - Sid is in charge of finding the missing half-breed girls when he meets Lana. Sid has definitely met his match with her - they are a perfect match together. This book is full of laughs - moments where you will cry - moments where you will say "no freaken' way" because of a twist that Teresa's puts in the book. The chemistry between Sid and Lana is everything that you will want in a sexy vampire book. Teresa has definitely done it again - can't wait for the next book cause you know it is gonna be just as good as this one if not better. Thank you Teresa for another wonderful book - would definitely recommend this as a must read to everyone.

Every time I read Howl, I'm reminded of how amazing Ginsburg is. My next tattoo will read "the greatest minds of my generation..."

Du tres tres bon ! Meme si le revirement d'Archer est un peu rapide, c'est une tres bonne lecture. Decidement Valiant est une valeur sure, je n'ai pour le moment jamais ete decue par ce que j'ai lu d'eux... j'hesite meme a tenter des titres qui m'interessent de prime abord moins comme Bloodshot, en esperant etre agreablement surprise.

Lovely story that touches your heart. This is a beautifully written story of loss, love and letting go of the past. Holly has lost her boyfriend Adam in a tragic mountainside accident. She is attending college but not really living life at all. Her best friend Jenna fully supports her emotionally but wants her to get back to living life. Holly begins a friendship with the hunky Carter and slowly begins to feel emotions she has thought were buried away, never to surface again. Fall From Love is what I call a "slow burn" story - the author really takes her time in building her characters' connection to each other and in developing their relationship. You really feel connected to Holly and Carter and feel their yearning and their pain. Carter blames himself for Adam's accident and hides his involvement in the tragic events from Holly, even as she is falling in love with him. The emotional storyline is lightened up a little by the presence of Jenna and her boyfriend Josh, who also happens to be Carter's roommate. The author also delivers a very satisfying conclusion to a wonderfully developed story. Fall From Love is an extremely engrossing book, and I look forward to reading more from this author! (Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review)

One of the greatest Croatian writers: a realistic, objective, courageous, quite accurate in predicting future events.

This anthology is very difficult to rate as gothic classics that are given as a bonus outshine greatly the main offering of JR Rain's stories. While Samantha Moon's story is short, dramatic and entertaining, the two other new stories are really nothing to say good about, not scary enough, not funny enough, a bit embarrassing.

See full review for Windfall at: https://toomanybooksnotenoughshelves.... So Windfall has been on and off my radar now for the last few months. When I first heard about it, I didn't think I was going to like it. Girl who's in love with her male best friend? Where have I heard that story before? But when I found out that it was a novel by Jennifer E. Smith (it's the cover art that threw me, not the normal design for her books) I changed my mind a few more times. It wasn't until I saw it pop up under the new releases tab on the digital library that I finally caved and put a hold on it. And to tell you the truth I'm not really sure how I feel about it.

Meh. This book took me a while to finish. I was not engaged with these characters anymore. I wanted to see how it ended...pretty good ending. There was too much focus on side characters who I didn't care about. This series as a whole would not be one I would read again. "Vampire Academy" still takes the cake for me. Each of those books got better & better. This series was best at books 3 & 4. Stretching it to 6 books was a reach for me.

A few months ago, I would not ever have considered reading another vampire series - it just wasn't a genre that I was much interested in. Recently I have found myself getting a hold of more paranormal type books, and this series started to intrigue me. I will admit, it took me several tries (3) before I made it past the first few chapters. If I read too many books too quickly, I get invested in certain characters and it's hard for me to keep the details straight in new books that I start, which is what happened when I began reading this one. I gave myself a day or so break, tried again, and it worked! After I got all of the characters and dhampir vs moroi vs everything else settled in my head, I found this to be an enjoyable read. It didn't completely pick up for me until the end, but I did not ever really get bored reading the rest - I really like reading about boarding school situations, and was having fun learning about how their world works. One thing I couldn't figure out was who was depicted on the front cover. Actually, if this book (and the rest of the series) hadn't been blogged about and featured on other book websites, I would probably not have picked it up because of the cover. Book Cover: 2/5 Book Title: 4/5 Plot: 7/10 Characters: 7/10 Writing: 8/10 Ending: 9/10 Overall: 37/50

I cried while reading this. I think it's safe to say that this is my favorite volume of this run so far. Certain things are different, but the themes of this volume reflect the state of the US perfectly. Civil War II is Team Captain Marvel vs. Team Iron Man. Carol believes Ulysses, an Inhuman that can predict the probability of a crime happening, is the solution to stopping crime by stopping it before it happens. Tony believes it's wrong to lock people up for crimes they haven't even committed yet. Kamala is unfortunately stuck in the middle. She sees both Carol and Tony as her mentors, and while she sees the benefits of Carol's predictive crime methods, she ultimately realizes life is more complicated than that when people are involved. This volume raises important questions. Is Ulysses and his predictive abilities similar to profiling, a practice used by law enforcement that more often than not, targets certain groups of people because they fall under a certain demographic? Is it ok to detain people before they've even committed an actual crime, merely because there's a high possibility they will commit a crime? These are the questions and dilemmas Kamala is faced with while her personal life and superhero life clash once again. Paralleling this were the pages that detailed the Khan family's journey over several generations, from Mumbai to Karachi, and then finally New Jersey. As a dual citizen, sometimes Kamala doesn't really feel like she belongs in either America or Pakistan. Although I was not born in Malaysia like Kamala, I do feel very much like I'm a part of two worlds. I'm not quite American enough because of my ethnicity, but I also feel inadequate around my family members with my accented Cantonese. It's tough, feeling like you don't quite belong wherever you go. This is one of the main reasons I resonate with Kamala so much, because I see myself in her (even though we do come from different cultures). I also appreciated the little reveal about Zoe. It didn't feel gimmicky at all, but was a very natural transition and I'm very eager to see where it leads. I love this volume. I love Kamala. I love Wilson's poignant and timely writing, the perfect balance between heart and humor. I love the art. Everything about this series is perfect, and I can't wait to see what's next for one of my favorite superheroes. Peter Parker may have my heart, but I think Kamala Khan has my soul. (Sam Alexander is somewhere in there.)

This book is one of those giant books which did discourage me slightly from finishing the series. Not that I did not enjoy it, but I must admit this book starts off slow and in the beginning it is a bit difficult to figure out the direction all the different plots are taking. However the author kept dropping tiny hints as he always does before the beginning of every chapter, which keep the reader interested in discovering more, as if uncovering yet another piece of the jigsaw puzzle of the mythology behind the trilogy. Sanderson really knows how to tie all loose ends perfectly.

H.D. masterfully reinvents dense, poetic verse. The lines have a regenerative quality which combine life and death, echoing similar characteristics of T.S. Eliot's poetry. Between H.D.'s focus on the spiritual and physical, the circle of life, quite simply, reveals itself in the recreation of old things into new and the everlasting similarities which the new maintains from the old. H.D.'s poetry and the readers' notes by Aliki Barnstone in this text give me insight into the creative process and the function of a single poem. This text says to me, "Create, but Destroy."

Absolutely gorgeous. Listened to it as an audiobook and it was read by the man himself. I believe this added even more to the experience.

The Death of Oracle (7-10). This is a much more sensical arc than the ones in the previous book. It's a really nice confrontation between Oracle & the Calculator that closes off plots many issues old and also a big status quo change that really makes sense [7/10]. Which Reason Knows Not Of (11). This Huntress/Catman teamup is great for its characterization of both of them and for its emotional ending [8/10]. Hostile Takeover (12-13). Unfortunately, Simone's finale for Birds of Prey is lack-luster. It's somewhat incoherent and continues plots from Secret Six rather than anything of its own. Worst, the ending is really a non-ending. Still, parts of the caper are fun [6/10]. War and Remembrance (14-15). The final story is even worse (and not by Simone!). It's actually got some nice background on Canary and Phantom Woman as legacy heroes, but the foreground story has little depth [4/10]. This volume would have been better if it'd just ended after the death of Oracle ..

See full review for Carnival of Souls at: https://toomanybooksnotenoughshelves.... As usual, Marr writes really odd books. I don't think I've read one yet by her that wasn't a little bit out there. That being said, this book is extremely odd. I always felt that I was skipping pages or something as I read Carnival of Souls. It was almost like there was a lot of action happening in the background that we the reader didn't get to see. It really confused the hell out of me, and made this story extremely disjointed.

4.5 Oh lord, what an emotional rollercoaster this volume turned out to be. I'll admit I was in a puddle of tears finishing this, and I did not expect this series to be so emotional. This volume really got things back on track from all the subplots of the previous two volumes. Now this didn't have any epic or table turning climax. If anything the answers to all of our questions since the first issue have were a bit anticlimactic. But this series starts with its emphasis in its great premise and it ends by focusing on these characters and their lives in this forever changed world. The series' denouement may lack satisfying action, but it is extremely poignant and emotionally resonant. I found myself screaming at the pages in shock and turning away from them in pure heartbreak. I will say that poor Yorick has become by far one of my favorite and one of the most empathetic characters I have come across in comics and literature as a whole. I have come to feel his every joy and despair across this series. While there are some hiccups along the way, this series as a whole is fantastically original and incredibly well developed. It will take you by surprise with its incredibly sense of humor, suspense, and character.

very good book

as I recall this book was exciting, riveting and I cried.

This is by no means a perfect book; more psychoanalytic and biographical than historical criticism (so if these aren't your game, you may want to avoid this), so some of the arguments tend to falter on a foundational level at times. George is an engaging writer, and she certainly knows her Sexton, so there are fascinating points to mine here. I particularly like her repositioning of Sexton as Oedipus the truth-seeker rather than Oedipus the ill-fated; also, her discussion of Narcissus and confessional poetry. These are both contentions I think a critic like Jo Gill handles a bit better in some recent articles on Sexton, which are better historicized. George does have a really fabulous chapter on Sexton and feces; which, as odd as it might sound, works well--particularly in George's argument about creative fecundity and Sexton's blurring of the lines between the sacred and profane (she also brings in Douglas's "Purity and Danger" at this point). Her analysis of "The Death Baby" in the final chapter is stunning. Also fairly readable for psychoanalytic criticism...George is pretty much a bigwig in Sexton crit, so if you're into Sexton, you should at least give this book a once-over.

I like the set up of If I stay. The tragic accident comes early, and then we're with Mia as she watches herself in the hospital the whole time and as she remembers a time before. I like the inner turmoil she goes through - watching her extended family visit her, her best friend Kim, her boyfriend Adam, while she tries to decide if she should stay. It really makes you believe those who are not conscious really are aware of what is happening around them. This story does that well without making it unbelievable. My big issue was I found myself skimming this a bit. NEVER a great sign for a story or the skill of its writer if I think I can skip paragraphs and still know exactly what is going on. That is definitely possible in this book. It's all a bit too mushy and overblown for me. I appreciate true emotion in a story but I don't need it spoon fed to me. I feel like YA writers have a tough time hovering over this line. For me Gayle definitely crossed it (even more so in Where She Went). For me, Adam and Kim were the most interesting pieces of Mia's story and their relationship with Mia and subsequently with each other felt real.Their reactions to the accident were meaningful. I also loved the way Mia's grandparents reacted to her status - well characterized. It was enough to get me to the next book Where She Went. I did not like that one much - head to my review to read why!

The story was painful to follow at first but it gradually gets better. The only reason I didn't put down the book was the influence Robin Hobb's previous books have on me. Luckily, it's not a disappointment. It gets interesting too! If you can stand the painful early chapters, then do give this series a try. Despite the 3-star, I'm glad I owned my copy. It was worth the money. :)

My favorite collection of winter poems. Before we read the poems "What I love about winter" and "What I hate about winter", I have students think of things that they associate with winter and sort these into two lists: good things and bad things.

As much as I enjoyed this book, it really wasn't anything special. If I had to pick one word to describe it, it would be meh. Nothing about it was bad it was just a little overly predictable. Lucie Miller is a disorganized yet extremely competent PT. She fades into the background easily and is perfectly content to go unnoticed. Sort of. That isn't really made clear. It seems like she does it on purpose yet is unhappy that no one seems to notice her. I don't know, I digress. Despite her gift for blending in with the wallpaper, she really wants the handsome doctor she works with to notice her. She spends enough time with him and gets along well enough that she doesn't quite understand why he hasn't picked up on the fact that she lurrrvs him. Right when she thinks he's coming around, it turns out he is asking about her best friend Vanessa and whether she is single or not. She gives him her BFF's number and when he leaves, is crushed. In walks her next patient, who happens to be her brother's best friend Reid. He's an incredibly successful MMA fighter that tore his rotator cuff. His current PT is unavailable so he was sent to her. They eventually recognize each other and Lucie remembers what a crush she had on him when she was younger etc...Long story short, they trade their skills with one another. She will work extra hard on his shoulder to get him ready much faster than is normal or even recommended, and he will teach her how to be noticed by the doctor and hook him as a husband so they can live in the suburbs with a white picket fence, three children, and a golden retriever, or whatever. He gives her a weird makeover including highlights in her hair, eyebrow plucking, and a new wardrobe and now she's a stunner. Somewhere in there, they decide to start sleeping together and things get emotionally sticky. The whole makeover thing was weird for me. Especially considering it was a man making her over to catch a man. I was disappointed it wasn't handled better. It would be one thing if he asked her what she'd always wanted to do with her hair but never had the guts to try or what clothes she's always been curious about but thought she couldn't carry off. Instead, he rifled through her closet and was like "dayum, this stuff is ugly. We need to shop." I also was a little confused as to what made her decide to stick to the background of life. She was married briefly in college and it was a giant shit-show. She got caught up in the maelstrom of first love and threw caution to the wind which ended with her getting cheated on repeatedly. I understand that this made her super careful about relationships but I felt like as a character, she and her motivations were undeveloped. What was she like before she got married? Did she always dress frumpy? Or was that a weird response to her failed quicky of a marriage? She wasn't unhappy or particularly critical of her body yet wore very conservative clothing and was a little uncomfortable showing skin. It really wasn't explained why. Did it have more to do with what people would think of her than the actual showing of skin? Whatever the reason, he convinces her of the benefits of showing more of her body and feeling sexy. I was stuck wondering whether she'd always dressed conservatively or if her flaky douche of a husband somehow cause a change in her dressing habits. I just didn't understand her. When did she stop caring about her hair? While in college? After the divorce? Always? Reid was great. No complaints there. Kind. Good looking. Ambitious. An MMA fighter who also loved art. Was actually a very talented artist. He was definitely the most developed character in the book. Being in his head was fun. Overall a cute book if you want something to pass a few hours but not really something that is going on my re-read shelf.

Blue is the warmest color is a coming out story in simple monochrome, which I think really fits the introspective story. Again, the art is truly beautiful, and underlines the truly beautiful love story contained in this short book. A story about acceptance, growth, and the problems of being a homosexual teenager in 90s France. It isn't ground-breaking, but it is really well done, with equal amounts of tragedy and hope. My only quibble with this is that it is too short, and it felt a bit rushed, but I definitely recommend it.

i liked the first two parts. not so much with the third.

Awesome introduction to the history of philosophy in the form of a novel!

The premise here isn't *exactly* new - some schmo gets fancy superpowers and doesn't quite understand how to use them - but it was enough fun that I want to see where it goes from here.

I wholeheartedly agree with the people who couldn't stand Kelsey in this one. Just choose Ren already! The back & forth decision-making drove me nuts. I liked all the realms of the dragons, but this book should've been abridged. I will read the next one in hopes of a happy ending for our trio.

This is the second in the trilogy of the Undercover Brothers, Frank and Joe, investigating a saboteur in the extreme sports theme park. In the first book, they caught the culprit, but bad things continue to happen in this one and it seems there is another. This is filled with chase scenes, impressive skateboard tricks, and mysterious happenings. This mystery will capture the attention of the hard to please boys and girls who enjoy action and skateboarding. It kept me entertained and I am not the target age, to say the least. :)

4 Graham loving stars!! Source: eARC for Honest Review Courtesy of Berkley | Penguin Group This book was my driving force to finish this series, because Graham stole my heart from Below the Belt and I KNEW he was going to be a total sweetheart. What can't you love about Graham Sweeney? He's sexy, smart, generous, considerate, loyal and sweet. "What's with the clothes? Denim and snuggling do not mix?" The minute Graham laid eyes on the sexy yoga instructor he knew he was a goner. What held him back at first was the fact that Kara came with a son, and he wasn't sure he wanted it all, but the more he got to know her son the more he wanted the whole package. Kara's best friend's with Marianne, and due to that friendship she got the opportunity to teach the boxers Yoga and Pilates to help with their training. Kara has her struggles, with the enormous challenge of having a child with MANY allergies and an ex from hell. However, even though I read and understood her hardship I didn't really get the reason why it held her back so much in regards to relationships, as it could have been easy enough to work around. "Thank me by giving that man a chance. Don't take the orgasm and run." Graham knows Kara & her son Zach are it for him. He just knows he has to be patient if he wants forever, because Kara has thick walls around her and her son. Kara tries extra hard to keep Graham at bay but his sweet & sexy ways make it hard to refuse causing her to fall just as fast. Even though she falls doesn't mean she's over her past nor her personal restraints or demons. "That's a close second to my real favor. Lean on Graham. Don't just tell him about the big picture. Ask for his advice on this situation. Don't say you don't want to dump on him. Or burden him. Just do it." (Great Advice and thankfully a heroine listened to it) Thankfully Kara and Graham have great friends who are rooting for them which helps ease their burden so they can make their relationship a go. But what would a romance story be without drama? Thankfully it wasn't too much for these two, but too much pride and the continuing vandalism. Kara grounds Graham and he will do whatever it takes to finally convince her that he's in it for the long haul. "I didn't tell you so you could hopping off to see her like an antelope frolicking in the meadow. I told you so you'd have something out there to ground you." I absolutely loved Graham and wish all men were like him in real life . . . bud sadly this is fiction and not real life, so we can only dream. In the end I ended up quite liking the series as a whole, but what made it work was the banter and interrelationships between all the characters throughout the series.

*3.5 stars* Second-chance summer was a very good summer read. I read this on vacation and it fit the whole scene of things. I thought it very funny though that they vacationed in Pennsylvania in the Poconos. There were a lot of ups and downs throughout the book and Taylor,at times, started to bother me with her bad decisions when it came to Henry. Henry was just the sweetest thing, poor guy....he really had some patience with Taylor. The second part of the book really had me in tears at times. I really can't see how anybody could read that and not be. It was very emotional and beautiful all at the same time. My heart hurt for the Edward's family and what they had to go thru. It truly made me appreciate my loved ones even more, especially my dad!

3.5. As much as I enjoyed reading this (and I flew through most of it over a single afternoon) I can't quite give it four stars. There were a few elements to the story that took it down a few pegs. On the positive side, this is a well paced mystery novel that had me hooked from the first chapter. It was very much the right book at the right time for me because there's something about YA mystery novels like this that I'm really loving at the moment. It is overall a really entertaining novel that I'm glad I picked up, and I would recommend. On the negative side: although I didn't see the twist at the end coming, it didn't exactly blow me away either. It felt over-dramatic and I wasn't completely sold with the climax to the story. This was a four star read for me up until the last third of the book and then it went downhill a bit too quick. Still, this was an enjoyable read and I'm glad I picked it up. The fact that I read most of it in a single day says a lot.

This Matheson wasn't nearly as good as I Am Legend, but it was an all right haunted house tale. Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is a ton better if you're in the mood for a good haunting. Hell House is all right, but Matheson takes much too long figuring out the "riddle" (revealing the gag), and by the time he does, I really didn't care that much. Also, because of the nature of this particular haunting--a perverted guy turns his ridiculously opulent estate into a den of sexual iniquity--many of the poltergeists are depraved and creepily sexual, and not in a fun way. Readers, you can do better.

UNMARKED is the second book in this series about spirit-hunting teens who are trying to protect Earth from the demon Andras. In book one, UNBREAKABLE, they were right on the cusp of killing Andras--when, unfortunately, they set it free. Yeah. And he's been wreaking havoc and killing people for the last several weeks. Okay, so, where UNBREAKABLE left off, the MC, Kennedy had been injured in her escape from the scene when Andras came through to the earthly plane. She and four other teens--Jared, Lukas, Alara and Priest--had banded together because each believed the other part of a mystical Legion of the Black Dove sect. Jared and Lukas are twin brothers who sought the other members out based on documents their father had left behind. Turns out, assembling those documents had actually led Andras to each Legion member, and killed them, which is how Jared and Lukas lost their father and uncle, and Alara lost her grandma, and Priest lost his grandfather, and Kennedy lost her mother--all in one single night. The listing of their names...and it's Jared's biggest secret shame--he wrote the list. Kennedy, for her part is despondent. She thought she'd become a Legion member when she exorcised her first ghost, but that didn't happen--unlike all the other Legion members, Kennedy didn't receive her Mark, an insignia handed down to the next Chosen in a family. Unmarked, she recognizes her folly--she was never meant to join them, and she feels utterly alone now that her mother is dead. Her father disappeared years ago, and her aunt has just dumped her into a reform school. Haunted by news reports of atrocities no one can explain and gruesome nightmares, both courtesy of Andras, Kennedy recognizes that each day a girl who closely resembles her goes missing. Is Andras hunting her? It seems so, which is why she runs the second Jared and the rest of the Legion turn up at her school. Safety in numbers even if she isn't one of them. But their news, of her missing, distant aunt, gets her back on board. The hunt is on for the fifth Legion member, and now it's about fixing the mess she made. Of course, this ghost/demon story is fraught with death and destruction. Kennedy's poised to lose the only people she can trust, and gain some very unsettling allies when the Illuminati come to call. Andras is on the prowl, and it's clear he wants to possess Kennedy. She's got some skills in the demon wrangling arena, thanks to her training in UNBREAKABLE, but Andras is too powerful for her. Plus, nobody told her he could jump from person to person like a vengeful louse. No, possession seems a breath away, when Andras targets the one person left whom Kennedy loves in this world. The revelation of Jared's mistake sends shock waves through the Legion, just as they need to gather closer--to save one of their own, but Kennedy is determined to fix all her mistakes, and she's got the brains to get the job done right. Well, I assume so. Because it looks like the final resolution is gonna happen NEXT BOOK. Stay tuned, peeps! As far the book goes, it was an interesting read. It gets a bit explain-y, trying to link all the moving parts together. Turns out Kennedy's mom wasn't such a great gal, and her dad left for (albeit crappy) reasons connected to Legion and the Illuminati--organizations which have for centuries been diametrically opposed as this book purports. It felt a bit deus ex machina when the Illuminati swept in to clean up the Andras mess, but there was still lots of time in the story. Time to go on and explain. In the end, we're left with a demon in chains, another on the loose, with Legion members splitting and Illuminati men hunting. Oh, and a reconnection of the parental-kind in the offing. It fell a bit flat for me. I supposed I should have felt tense, but all throughout I knew this story wouldn't end here, so the urgency wasn't as strong as I would have liked. It's still a good read. And safe for kids because, instead of kissing and sex, there's killing and horror. It is a perfect Halloween read, however. And, I'm sure I'll get book 3 when it comes out. I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Oh what a fun read this was. I could hardly put this one down. I love cozy mysteries and this one was a goodie. I loved the characters and the opening chapter was so much fun it made me laugh so hard that right away I knew this would be a blast to read. No spoilers here, but If you are a lover of cozy mysteries you will love this one !

This review was written for Joyfully Jay Reviews and can be accessed here: http://joyfullyjay.com/2017/09/review... Jury of One is the second book in a series, and reads fine as a standalone. It is also a mystery, with a faint hint of romance. Inspector Robin Bright and his partner, teacher Adam Matthews, met nearly a year ago when Robin investigated a murder at the school where Adam teaches. Their attraction was initially tempered by suspicion, but that's all water under the bridge. They've been together just long enough to have moved in together, but Robin still has yet to let out his flat, and they both work a lot. Thus, building their new relationship has been difficult. challenge month 2017 copyRobin being assigned a new murder investigation in a neighboring town makes life more difficult. Abbotson has plenty of constables, but the detecting force is out for the Abbotson Slasher, a scrote who's stabbed three women over the past few months on the night of the new moon. So, when a male ex-spy is murdered on the night of the next expected slashing, Robin and his sergeant are called in to work that case. The thing is, the witnesses are odd, and one turns up on Robin's doorstep. He'd been a witness in a case on which Adam had served as a juror more than a decade ago, and he's currently openly flirting with both Adam and Robin. The deeper Robin digs, the more likely it seems that some members of the police force are mixed in shady dealings. Robin and his team are good rozzers, and find the bad guys despite the red herrings, but it doesn't mean that all's well, because Adam's at risk; he knows some of the players in this case quite well, which, yeah, gets him into deep trouble by the end. I picked this one for TBR Pile Week for Reading Challenge Month because it's been out over a year and I have enjoyed some of the historical mysteries I've read from Charlie Cochrane. This is a contemporary mystery, and it was well-paced and well-plotted. There are lots of diversions distancing us from the culprits and Robin and his investigators are diligent in their duty. As a mystery, it works nicely. The romance/love between Robin and Adam is present, but I'd characterize it mostly as longing. They long to be near one another. They are mostly comfortable, and they do not burn up the sheets on the page. They spend long evenings apart and are sometimes too knackered to get it on when they manage to have a night in together. And, it's always fade-to-black when they do have the energy. I'd highly recommend this series to readers who love both mysteries and British colloquial English as the language could be frustrating to people who haven't developed an ear for the vernacular. (Note: I've used some of the fun Brit-y vocab I picked up from the book in this review.) I'm a little sorry I didn't read the first book, because I would have liked to see Robin and Adam connect. The story wasn't hard to follow, having not read the first book, though. One other note: Robin and Adam are dog daddies to Campbell, a protective Newfoundland who is quite heroic in both stories. It's fun how much they love him. A review copy was provided by NetGalley.

"O heart, small urn of porphyry, agate or cornelian, how imperceptibly the grain fell between a heart-beat of pleasure and a heart-beat of pain; I do not know how it came nor how long it had lain there, nor can I say how it escaped tempest of passion and malice, nor why it was not washed away in flood of sorrow, or dried up in the bleak drought of bitter thought." If this passage doesn't grab you, you're probably not going to be drawn in otherwise. Very surreal; crystalline images; very strange spiritualism at moments (some over the top, yes). But moments of astonishing honesty, deep-cut affect. Read this in undergrad & was too banal to even try to "get" this, but it's just wonderful.

Shannon Hale does Rapunzel in the Old West; Shannon Hale - need I say more? But I'm not a huge fan of the graphic novel style, which is why the rating is lower

I was surprised by how much I loved this little book. I borrowed it from the library and didn't log on to the website, didn't collect the cards. Didn't matter. I love Dan and Amy. The story is great, the characters are multidimensional and the reader gets a little history lesson in each book. Fantastic!

My husband and I listened to this book on a road trip and were both gravely disappointed. Apart from the superfluous foul language, the story is dull and unimaginative. Grossman borrows frameworks from the Harry Potter and Narnia books but fails in creating an "edgy" HP, an objective I perceived in the plot. The characters are unlikeable and self-pitying. Grossman tries to fit so much into one book that there's no real cohesion to the story. Perhaps it would have been a little better if the author had focused on just one of the many stories he tries to weave together. Regardless, this book was tedious, at times offensive, and hardly qualifies as mediocre.

3.5 Stars This book was really interesting. I liked the way the author incorporated concepts of psychology and physics into the story (even though some of them, like hypnosis, actually weren't accurate it was still cool) and the plot itself was really neat. Besides the plot, the other thing I liked best were Natalie's relationships with her family and Megan. I didn't really buy her relationship with Beau being as all-encompassing and important as it was, but maybe that's just me. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. The last 50 or so pages blew my mind and the book as a whole will definitely stick with me!

The Dark Gods (8-13). The finale to this initial plot line isn't quite as strong as the setup, because there's a lot more fighting. Still, this has some interesting scenes with Olsen and it nicely draws together most of the plot elements from the first 12 issues of the comic. The coda in #13 also offers interesting directions forward [6+/10]. Heroes Reborn Annual. The less remembered about Heroes Reborn the better! Nonetheless, this is a good story of Thor and love lost, despite the Heroes Reborn tie-in [7/10].

Finally!! I can now say that I've read Wuthering Heights!! Yipee!! However, I didn't like it!! Kind of a crazy read...maybe that's what people love about it...

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. Do no evil. This is the mantra of the Four Monkey Killer who has been terrorizing Chicago for five years. Seven young women have been kidnapped, mutilated and murdered. Grizzly packages containing body parts were mailed to their families. And in each case, the innocent victim has been chosen for a reason. Someone who loves them is not innocent. The police have made the connection. While they haven't been able to save the victims, the guilty parties have been exposed. But the case has taken another bizarre turn. A man carrying a carefully wrapped box steps in front of a bus and dies. The box contains an ear. That means that there is a kidnapped girl who is probably still alive. Detective Sam Porter is determined to identify the killer and save the victim. But time is running out. The narration changes between the detective, the girl and the diary of 4MK. The last one gives insight into how a serial killer might be created. I lost sleep finishing this book but I certainly was never bored. The violence is quite graphic and might be too much for some readers. However, if you have a strong stomach, this is a gripping read.

I'm impressed Vince Teves!!! This is the first Filipino-made book that I've read. And I say, it's awesome.

One of my favorite books read in a Writing class, Hejininan challenges self and identity almost putting the characters on stage. Everyone in this book is unsure of the truth and everyone becomes someone else repeatedly. Writing this now, I think I will give it another read!

I loved this book. It was perfectly written and executed. An interesting look at the Revolutionary War through the eyes of a 12 year old slave.

Took a while to get into, but good once it started moving along. Ending not wholly unexpected.

This is a book for men and young men. I'm not saying women and young women cannot eaveadrop on the conversation and enjoy it, but the topic, and especially the way it is written are firmly rooted in the male world. Basically, the book presents an introverted accounting of a single battle in the Civil War. This is the young man, Henry Flemings, first battle and he is nervous about how he will aquit himself and what his performance will illuminate about himself to himself and others. Very predictably for an account written by an adolescent, the narrative fluctuates from narcissistic absorption to self-deprecating criticism. I found the book painful to read. In essence we all see our world and it's happenings from the perspective of self at the center. This was convicting to me. Sure, Fleming is immature, but reading this shows me while I'm not as young as he is, I still have a long way to go. I also found the book to be plodding (as battles often are). Some readers will be put off by the high vocabulary level and descriptive writing form of Crane's time, but I didn't mind this. There is some graphic content here that will be difficult for more sensitive readers to handle. Battles and death in it's many forms are vividly portrayed. I was particularly intrigued by Crane's use of color to set/ change a scene, give symbolism and vibrance to an account. All that said, I couldn't give more stars because in the end, I just didn't like Henry Flemming. Even the moment of redemption which comes at the end was not satisfying to me... I found him to be painfully realistic, but not inspiring. But perhaps this is merely the inadequate perspective of a women looking into the male world...

As a "Mad Men" fanatic, I really enjoyed these poems. Instead of predictable, literal re-uses of the characters, Umansky channels the spirit of the show, all that glamour and unfulfilled yearning and TV background chatter. The choppy, surreal style reminds me of the collage of images in the "Mad Men" title credits.

Great story about the founding of Microsoft from it's cofounder Paul Allen. I've read a few books about Microsofts history before (such as Gates), but it was fascinating to hear it from the horses mouth. What stuck out for me was that Paul and Bill were on the cutting edge of software ever since they first saw a computer as teenagers. Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers mentioned the fact that having access to a computer at that time was a huge advantage, and Paul's story confirms that. The world only changes massively so many times, and the age of computing has certainly been one of them - and Paul and Bill were in the right place, at the right time, and with the right drive to succeed. What was impressive was how Paul and Bill executed like crazy. They had the edge, and they worked really hard, long hours to keep it. It was sad that Paul burned out so early - but also understandable given that Bill had such a strong personality. Paul prides himself on being a forward thinker. He gives multiple stories of always following the latest technology and trying to look forward and think about what is coming next. Indeed, it's that trait that led to Microsoft being formed as they were certainly at the forefront of the software revolution. In one part of the book Paul even predicts that Mobile is the next big platform and that the PC is dying. I've always worked at startups, which tend to innovate more than they follow. So it was interesting to hear Allen talking about how Microsoft's strategy went from being on the cutting edge of technology in it's infancy to being a 400 pound gorilla that used a approach of copying innovative products and using it's cash reserves and muscle to out-execute on an idea. I suppose this is what a big company has to do - but it's a hard position to win from. An Microsoft really hasn't had a lot of wins lately. They haven't innovated enough on Hotmail. Bing is nice but not better than Google in any significant ways. And even the high and mighty Internet Explorer is really losing ground to Chrome/Firefox/Safari. Paul is right - you have to look to what is ahead. Since Microsoft, Paul has certainly stayed busy: owning sports teams, investing in lots of different companies, building a space program, and touring around on his 400 foot yacht. Most of his investments have been in the vein of improving technology and trying to predict the next big things, especially in his particular interests. I think his brain mapping project and the Digital Aristotle projects stand out - they sound really interesting and important. The appendix lists a few of the current challenges issues with getting a computer to understand human language, which was fascinating. Allen even alludes to the oft-mentioned Singularity, but says that he doesn't think it will occur in our lifetimes, as despite Moore's law advancing computing power fast enough, we are lightyears away with AI. Some useful tidbits: - p65 Even Bill Gates wasn't the best at Math in college at Harvard. There are all kinds of smarts! - Lesson: decentralize or don't distract the ceo: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show/... - It was interesting that Allen said that his biggest mistakes were not finding the right people to help him execute his visions. It's all about people. Update: my interview with Paul Allen is now live!

This was a fun, quick read with lots of Jane Austen and her books in it. The love interests were cute, their relationships moved very fast but it was fun to read about it! I have only read Pride and Prejudice, so I was only familiar with those references. Any die hard Jane Austen fans would absolutely love this. I will be reading the next book to see how everything plays out with the couples. :)

weird, not as easy to follow, possibly due to the use of the Key.

adamiant`a sardap`is t`avgadasavali c`ota aradamajerebeli iqo. samagierod, chianchvelebis t`avgadasavalshi ar shemparvia echvi :) shesanishnavi istoria, romelic` z'alian hgavs horors, kriminalsa da detek`tivs, sabolood ki sai-p`ai zhanrad ikvreba.

Catullus will always and forever be my favorite Roman poet. The fact that I can say, "To quote Catullus: Suck my dick," will never get old.

A continuation of the BPRD after the climactic showdown. A nice restart around a cool classic Mignola story.

3.5 Evil is not born it's made stars Source: Kindle (Wanted to support the cause as all April proceeds go to charity) Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance Standalone My Layers of Her Review . . . There is just something sweet about Prescott Lane's heartfelt stories. In Layers of Her, we get Stone Delhomme an ex-MMA fighter now gym owner and father after living the MMA lifestyle of easy woman. Then there is Campbell Mae a meek but strong woman who feels like she's too broken but in reality she's just bent. ~ The layers of her build a damn good woman.~ There is something about Campbell that intrigues Stone but he has too much on the line with his daughter. Campbell is in a dark place but trying to fight it. She's tries to fight the attraction to Stone but can't. Even though Stone should be focusing on everything but Campbell, he can't help it. Once they give in to each other their relationship escalates quickly. Things start rocky between these two because Campbell has quite the past, but Stone is determined to make her see the light. "I know it's scary, but stop fighting the pain. That's the only way to win. Pain gets a bad rap, but it has a purpose. It lets you know when something is wrong. . . " Even though things escalated fast it was written in away that it didn't feel unbelievable. I loved the idea of the book so much more than the actual story though. Sadly that could have just been my current mood or it was the fact that I was so frustrated with Campbell and the fact that she's never even thought about therapy and she works in the medical profession. I know in reality a lot of people who work in that realm often don't seek help, as they feel they don't need it but reading it from the outside in, I just wanted to drag her to the nearest psychologist so she would stop assuming and finally stop with her double standard thought processing. Even though Campbell's decisions at times drove me crazy I did really like her, Stone and Tate together. However, lets talk about Jade, Stone's sister. I got her tough on the outside persona but they way she came across did NOT win me over. Thankfully she was a smaller part of this book. Sure there were some characters that didn't win me over but the actual story was a good one and a topic that is hard to talk about, but should be so more people like Campbell have better outlets on how to deal with the harsh reality. As always Prescott has delivered another heartfelt story that deserves to be read, and especially buy it before April is over because proceeds go to charity.

Sebastian wants to be apprenticed to his tattoo artist brother, Hugo, when a whole lot of weirdness steps into his life. Sebastian finds out that his brother is a part of the Corsi gypsy clan, and he's made an honorary member. This is around the time the Romany clan and their performing circus comes back into town with the alluring Josephine, who Sebastian feels a strange urge to protect. This is a story that was, for me personally, was a bizarre read. This isn't because the book was bad, but because it did several things that ultimately make it difficult for me to judge a book (more on those below). By about ~25% of the way through a book, I ask myself what I'd rate the book. At about ~2/3 of the way through the book, I check back in and ask myself if that rating still holds. For most books, it does, and to me, the ending is usually inconsequential if the set-up works. (An ending has to be horrendous for me to rage-quit a book.) However, I knew whether I loved this book or found it 'meh' would hang solely on the ending. I vacillated between finding this book tedious and being unable to put it down within the same freaking chapter. The voice of Sebastian is engaging. Sebastian's personality isn't particularly original in YA, but it kept me hooked. The 'I-want-a-normal-life' plot works because it's obvious this story is careening into crazy, and the horror of Sebastian's transformation drives this aspect of the story. I felt bad for Sebastian for 100% of this story, but some people might find aspects of his self-depreciating personality grating. The secretive element of the gypsy clans are played up early in the novel, and that slows it down. However, I didn't want to stop reading this piece because I hoped those secrets would pay off. The risk of using secrets is that they can make/break an ending. I'm not sure all of these secrets paid off, specifically in the case of Josephine and her past, but the ending didn't end up relying on the gypsy clan secrets to make it work. This was a massive relief for me because the 'we can't talk about this now' moments early on made me wary that there was going to be a half-baked plot drop at the end. There's not! It's more of a straight-forward action climax with a surprise, low-key coda ending, which paid off the main, emotional plot elements well, ignoring the vaguely defined gypsy mysteries that could've bogged down this ending. This story reminded me of Horns, but in a good way, in that it kept the focus on Sebastian and his struggles. Josephine is underdeveloped as a love interest, but this doesn't destroy the story because it's apparent that this relationship is designed to be unrequited and one-sided. This means that Sebastian's longing for Josephine doesn't rely on her being developed or returning his affections. Most of Sebastian's friends didn't get a lot of novel time, but Katie stood out as a solid choice for a best-friend. Katie didn't feel like a stereotype. None of these characters did, which is refreshing in YA, and this novel never descends into high school cliche verses high school cliche. Didn't particularly care for the gargoyle characters. They could've been fleshed out more. They seemed out of place, which was weird, considering the rest of the cast felt like they fit into the story well. They're basically there to serve as mooks at the end, but being that this is the first book in a trilogy, I'm sure their leader, Augustine, is going to play a major part in the next part(s) of this series. Full review at Throw This book at Me

*excuse my excessive use of the F-word in this review/rant/drabbleofthoughts* 3.5 stars. Okay. This book was a pretty solid 4 stars until the ending. I mean, if you read this book for what it is, you'll really enjoy it. What it is is a nice, easy, mindless, chick-lit book. It's a fast, easy read full of fluff and light teenage angst. So, I accepted that fact and I really enjoyed the book. The writing made me chuckle sometimes out loud but there were also times where I thought it was pretty cheesy (even for a chick-lit) and wondered if a guy really acted that way or would say that. Usually books with characters like these just annoy the crap out of me but somehow when Lauren Barnholdt writes them it's okay. Now, let's move on to the ending/my rant. Seriously, this book went from a solid 4 stars to 3/3.5 stars. I mean, I'd give the ending itself 2 stars. Obviously I said not to expect much from this book but I seriously expected more than what it is. Let me explain. Jace and Peyton hook up for one day but it's this crazy, out of this world, amazing day. Then they talk and whatnot. Then one day, Jace stops talking to her, and therefore, breaks up with her (even though they technically weren't even dating). And it's like Jace and Peyton still aren't over each other *cue eye roll* and somehow they end up on this sorta, kinda road trip together. Oh, and you find out they broke up because of this "secret" that Peyton kept from Jace...prepare for the ranting (It will most definitely contain spoilers so...) It turns out the "secret" that Peyton kept from Jace was that her parents were getting a divorce. What. The. Actual. Fuck. Okay, here's where I have a problem with this book. I was willing to overlook the fact that Peyton and Jace are unrealistically obsessed with each other after one day but I will not overlook this. Like, SERIOUSLY? THAT'S WHY HE WAS PISSED OFF AT HER? Are you fucking kidding me? Well, first off Jace, considering you guys only went on one date, it's no fucking wonder she didn't tell you that her parents were getting a divorce . She barely fucking knows you. She didn't even tell ANYONE yet, not even her best friend, or close family members, and you fucking expect her to tell you something that personal?! It obviously must devastate her. Why the fuck would you feel like she was obligated to tell you? It wasn't even a secret in a sense. It was her not ready to fucking share everything with you. That's so fucking stupid. If that was me I'd tell the guy to fuck off. Not like I owe it to him to tell him something that's personal and none of his business, especially if I've only known him for a few months. Also, Peyton was just so stupid. Why the fuck she didn't tell her dad, or anyone, that her mom stole her identity is beyond me. Yeah, I get it. that sucks. It was out of nowhere and how the hell do you confront a parent? But seriously, your dad is a fucking option! HELLO?! I mean, yeah, take some time to digest it but completely doing nothing about it and "running away" is just ridiculous. How old is she again? And Jordan giving that advice to Jace? Do teenage guys even think like that? And Jace and Peyton's povs sounded really similar. There are plenty more things to complain about but I think it'll just take all day. I gave Two-Way Street (a similar book by the same author) 5 stars because I read it years ago when I was much younger and my tastes were not yet as mature and refined as they are now (pfft hahahahahaha. yeah right. like I can actually use the words mature and refined to describe myself. Probably more accurate to say I've slightly matured from pre-teen to young adult teen and therefore, now enjoy deeper reads.I still enjoy chick-lit every now and then though.), and the book was easy to read (I started and finished it on a Saturday morning) but I'm pretty sure if I re-read it now the rating would go down. Still, if you read the book for what it is and aren't expecting anything above superficiality then you'll be able to enjoy the book. Plus there were a lot of things that didn't have closure. Also, why the heck even have B.J. in the book? And that scene with Jace's mom. Talk about cheesy and unrealistic. Also the cameos with Courtney and Jordan seemed to be there just so they would have a cameo in the book. Lame.

This is the fourth book from Elly Griffiths and very enjoyable, we have Ruth with her young baby Kate Catbad is here as is Nelson. When the curator of the local museum is found dead beside the coffin of an ancient bishop just before its about to be opened Nelson and his colleagues are on the trail of the killer, set among the racing fraternity and there is also a plot involving the repatriation of ancient bones to Australia as they are aboriginal. lots of plot twists and turns and you will never guess who the killer is great read as always from Elly so glad I found her books. Will say no more as it will give away too much about the story.