My Thoughts: Something Wicked by Lesley Anne Cowan

So it would seem that I had another chunk of time off work and decided to spend it doing what I so love to do. Now, I talked about me reading a fairly dull novel in my last post and how it was making me not want to read it; however once I've started something I am afraid that I must finish it. So the other day I finished Something Wicked by Lesley Anne Cowan, and I have to say that I was not at all happy with this story. I felt like it was a huge waste of time.

I hate saying that a book was bad, because I know that a lot of effort goes into writing it, and that if I tried to write a book it would be garbage, so what do I know about what's good and what's bad? But this was a terrible story. It was dull and boring and the main character Melissa made me want to scream, she was annoying and I did not once pity her the way I think the author wanted me to. The overall plot had a lot of potential, but the content lacked any hope for Melissa, that maybe things would look up for her.

This book does fall into the young adult genre, and maybe this is what teenagers are wanting to read, but I don't know. It wasn't something I was interested in at that age.

I spent the night last night finishing up Kate Brallier's The Boundless Deep, which I rather enjoyed. It was kind of spooky, with a little romance and had a mystery that needed to be solved and that was also laced with a bit of humour. It was a lot of fun to read. Compared to what came before, it was a lovely treat. Brallier has another novel out called Seal Island that I wouldn't mind picking up and seeing what it's all about. Perhaps before the summer's out.

Now I move onto classics, lets see where that takes me.

Daggers, Leather and Vampire. What more could a girl need?

I've been on a reader's reading block for the past several days. I've read so many great books this month that I'm a little leery of reading something terrible (actually I am reading something terrible hence the reader's block). It's making me a little sad. In saying that though, I did pick up an old favorite.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by JR Ward.

"In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There also exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race." (www.jrward.com/bdb/index-books.html)

The only way I can think to describe the series without giving to much away. The first book was published in 2005 and there are a total of eight books and one compendium, with two more books that we know are for sure coming out. I love this series and it's hard for me to wait a year for a new one to be released (for the last little while, it's been one new book per year.)

I started to reread this series earlier in June, and I started with the third book Lover Awakened. Which is Zsadist's story, and although this isn't my favorite of the series it is the one that was the most hopeful, and had the most salvation I think. The brother's in the brotherhood are a sad bunch and needed a lot of work; and because this is a romance series it was up to their females to save them. Zsadist was pretty broken and it was sad: it made me really sad. He thought he was totally ruined and not worth a whole lot. Sigh.

I then moved onto Lover Revealed, the fourth installment and Butch's story. Butch the Brother's human companion and former member of the Caldwell PD also known as the human who fell in love with a female of the vampire race.

I am now reading Dark Lover, the very first book in this series and now as I read it, I find that I am missing all the character's of the stories to come. But meh, I am really enjoying reading the beginning and meeting my old friends again. ha.

I'll probably keep rereading the first couple books as I get bored with other things. I did go to the library the other night and took a few rather interesting novels that I am eager to start reading, I'm sure I'll be writing all about them at some point or another.

Happy Reading!

My Thoughts: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

When I was 17 I really needed to be saved; I needed someone to come into my life and take charge and help me out. I knew it, and I was okay with that, I did not in any way think that my life was just fine the way it was. Not so for Ruby the main character in Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key.
Ruby is a 17 year old kid who thinks that life with her mom is normal and that she doesn't need any one's help. So when her mom takes off and she goes to live with her older sister (whom she hasn't spoken to in 10 years) and her husband in their posh new home it's not exactly ideal for Ruby.
This was a sweet novel, with just the right amount of cheese. It was easy to read with no awkward bits, and no need for a box of tissue (although I did have to blink every once in a while). It was a nice break from the book I read which still keeps me up at night. This was the PERFECT summer read.
Dessen also wrote How to Deal which I liked as a movie and always thought would make a really great book, so I may read that some day. I really enjoyed this story and I am wondering if it would be a smart thing to go out and read all of her books (maybe this would be a 'to much of a good thing' scenario.) Who knows?

My Thoughts: Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult.

It's pretty late now; late for me anyhow, and I am sitting here listening to Liar by Never Ending White Lights. I find it interesting that my itunes has tuned into this song just as I finish reading Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult. A story all about lies and liars.

I wrote about this story briefly the other night because it was driving me mental. Picoult's stories do this to me every time. I start reading them and usually in the first 100 pages I have no trouble putting the book down when I need to do things like work, sleep, eat. But after that, forget it, I need to take vacation days to finish a story she's written.

Salem Falls is the 4Th book by Picoult that I've read. I save them for the summer because that's when I have the most time and no papers waiting to be written. This particular story was much like the ones I've read before. If you've read her before you know what I mean. I don't like "suspense novels", but I do enjoy suspenseful stories, if that makes sense. What I do enjoy in a book is people, and relationships and how they work with each other. I love human interaction and reading about it fictionally is just another person's idea of that.

Picoult does this every time, creates wonderfully intense characters and heart breaking relationships that seem doomed, relationships that should never work: but somehow do. In Salem Falls you get people falling in love for the first time and having that destroyed by some one's lie. Or is it a lie? You get the suspense of a court case (that's not boring at all, it's almost the best part) and you have secrets and lies with truth and twists.

With every one of her books I am never sure if I am going to like it, or if I remember her writing to be as good as it is. I don't know why. I get stressed out during the stories and need to finish them quickly that's for sure. But they are fabulous. I am going to take a mini break before I go into the next one. I need to get a life beyond the pages of her books.

I would most definitely suggest reading this one. It was well worth it.

The Summer I Started Writing.

I've had the last couple days off work and I've been reading like a mad woman. It's been the best couple days of my life. I've always said that my dream job would be if I could read all day and then write about what I have just read. I wouldn't want to review anything just respond to it. so voila, that is what I have decided to do. Read and write. It's perfect; except the part about getting paid, that's not happening. so this is where is starts.

I have finished reading 3 books in the last day and a half. Its pure insanity but boy was it wonderful.

I started reading Beth Harbison's Hope in a Jar, Friday evening and finished it yesterday afternoon around 1. I enjoyed the story but I found that the plot was all over the place and I wasn't really sure what the story was really supposed to be about. I loved Allie's character though, she was the one most could relate to and you really were rooting for her. I don't think I'd reread this one.

After I finished this book, instead of picking up Jennifer Weiner's novel Best friends Forever that I had bought at the same time as Hope in a Jar, I made a mad dash to the book store to get The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, it was a story I heard was very good and I was pretty curious about. I started this book at 3:00 yesterday and by 8:30 when I realized I was about done I made another mad dash to the book store to buy the sequel: It's Not Summer Without You.

The story that Han is captivating from the very beginning. I must tell you though, she writes for young adults and I am not a young adult, but I was lured into the world of 15 (almost 16) year old Belly, who is struggling with teenaged romance and secrets. Teenaged girls beware. These were two of the best books I had to privilege to read.

So now I fear I am putting down the Young Adult novels and attempting something a little more serious; Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult. I have read her before and she always makes me cry, so we'll see if she does it again.

Till Next time readers!