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It’s Monday! What are you reading? #Meme

August 31, 2009 By 2 Comments

on_mondays

J.Kay created a Meme for Mondays where you list the books you have recently completed this week, books you are currently reading, and books you hope to read this week.

The books I have read in the past week:

  1. A Circle of Souls
  2. Hot Gimmick (3in1) Vol. 1
  3. Blanket of White
  4. Four to Score
  5. Surviving High Society
  6. Fruits Basket Vol. 1

Man, I read a lot of books this week. Luckily most of them were easily reads and could red them in less than a day.  I would have to say my favorite of the six was Four to Score, but I guess that is no surprise? I also enjoyed Hot Gimmick as a close second, but it’s no award-winner (just mindless reading).

Books I am currently reading:

- Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. I was recommended this book by a friend because although I liked the IDEA behind the Twilight novels, I hated the way they were written (as if I was reading something a middle school student wrote) So far I am enjoying this. It definitely has a more adult punch to it, which I very much appreciate.

Books I plan on reading this week:

  1. The Two Marys
  2. High Five
  3. Ju-On
  4. The Red Album of Ashbury Park – Alex Austin

What are YOU reading?

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REVIEW: #17 Fruits Basket Vol. 1

August 30, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Book Cover

Book Cover

Title: Fruits Basket Vol. 1
Author: Natsuki Takaya
ISBN: 1591826039
Pages: 216

Synopsis: (Taken from back of book)

A family with an ancient curse… and the girl will change their lives forever.  Tohru Honda was an orphan with no place to go until the mysterious Sohma family offered her a place to call home. Now her ordinary high school life is turned upside down as she’s introduced to the Sohma’s world of magical curses and family secrets. Discover for yourself the Secret of the Zodiac, and find out why Fruits Basket has won the hearts of readers the world over!

Review:

I have been wanting to read Fruits Basket for a while now, as it has been recommended to me in the past. Being a well-known popular shojo manga, I figured I would just automatically love it (much like I did with Marmalade Boy and Love Hina).

Unfortunately I cannot say I am a huge fan. Initially it was a confusing read, jumping around from scene to scene and I had a rough time grasping onto the characters or storyline. It didn’t help that it would jump into author commentary. However, it did start to make sense and became a rather interesting read.

Tohru Honda is a young girl who had just lost her mother. Orphaned, she moves into her Grandfather’s house. Tohru finds herself on the street very soon after after he asks her to find another place to stay temporarily while his house is remodeled/repaired. Not wanting to burden anyone, Tohru decides it’s time for her to “grow up” and become accountable for herself. Instead, she lives in a tent in the woods. One day, Tohru wanders by a classmates home and they invite her in. Realizing she is feverish, they insist she come stay with them for a while while her Grandfather’s house is being remodeled.  Not everyone is happy by this arrangement. See – this family has an incredibly secretive life that not many people know about.

These boys are possessed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac and every time they are hugged by members of the opposite sex, they turn into their signs (a rat, cat, etc). Unfortunately, the cat is not truly considered a member of the Chinese Zodiac due to an old tale of deception so there is constant tension in the household as  Kyo (cat) is very jealous to not be truly accepted. Kyo has a temper to show!

Tohru, wanting to find a place to truly be accepted – moves in with this family and teaches them a little about themselves in the process. Fruits Basket was a quick and cute read although not my favorite manga. I may read Vol. 2 if I find it on sale or receive it as a gift, but I probably could live without.

★★★★★
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REVIEW: #16 Surviving High Society

August 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Surviving High Society Cover 080309

Title: Surviving High Society
Author: Elizabeth Marvin Mulholland
ISBN: B002KKCSQC
Pages: 96

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

As an adopted child into a rich CT family, I was given the best of everything…education, clothes, trips to Europe, golf and tennis lessons, two houses to live in and access to personalities like Kate Hepburn and Eleanor Roosevelt.

My adored adopted father died when I was 22 and was left to live with an adoptive mother who was alcoholic and insecure as well as being rich. She demanded more and obsessive control of me. She went to a local psych hospital and offered them $2 million dollars to have me hospitalized forever.

The book details how I avoided the deadly scheme the hospital cooked up to make sure they got the money.

Happily I escaped, helped make the last years of my adoptive brother’s life easier, found my natural family and the love of my life to whom I have been married 22 years.

I include humerous accounts of how my husband and I sold my mother’s estate jewelry, legally, without owning it and how we managed to get out of a $8,000 business lease.

Long story short: I wasn’t supposed to survive but I did. And I’m happy!

Review:

Elizabeth was a product of a love-obsessed mother, hell-bent on capturing and keeping the man of her dreams. Selfish womanizing biological father, determined to erase any proof of his love affair with her mother-convinces her mother to put her up for adoption. Eager to do anything that he pleases and win over the man she so desperately loves, Elizabeth tasted her first bite of abandonment as a newborn.

Soon adopted into an affluent family (with too many connections to mention) Elizabeth is raised to rub elbows with all who is holy and famous. We are quick to discover behind this family facade lay secrets so disturbing and so heartbreaking, it’ll have you feeling thankful to have lived the life of less.

The door to my room closed. I whispered to my Dad, although he was downstairs and could not hear me: “Dad, I am not going to appear at the dinner table with this hairdo! Why didn’t you marry someone else and then adopt me?”

I stuck my head under the faucet and washed most of the goo down the bathroom sink. Then I rinsed my hair a second time. After I pulled the tangles out with the brush and dried my hair with the hair dryer, it was slightly frizzy, but it was flat on my head. I put cold water on my lip to stop the bleeding.

I walked into the dining room as Mother was excitedly saying, “Ed, she looks just like a princess! Just absolutely beautiful!” She turned, looked at me. and started to yell,“What have you done, you ungrateful child? After all that work to make you look like a princess!”

Both of her fists went up, pummeling the air in front of my face. Ignoring her, I slid into my chair. “Dad, it is my hair, you know. And I’m not a princess. I’m just me. Isn’t that enough?”

Chapter 2, “Becoming a Princess”.

After the death of her adoptive father, her adoptive mother (already eccentrically unstable) snaps and with (what feels to me) like anger and resentment, juggles Elizabeth from mental institution to mental institution. Having the money to do as she wants, Elizabeth mother convinces doctors to keep her locked up and drugged up – and Elizabeth has not the money to argue.

Surviving High Society is an eloquent inside look of the lives of the rich and famous. Elizabeth Marvin Hulholland speaks fluently, painting vibrant imagery with her words. One must take a mental note that this autobiographical tale does skip back and forth through out her life, which can be initially distracting. Although Mulholland does not follow the rules of order, the story is still intriguing and beautifully sculpted. The only thing that truly distracted me from loving this book was the continual name dropping. The mention of (insert famous person here), (there), and (here), made it hard to relate (and/or) believe the story in it’s entirety.

Sometimes I wanted to say “Mulholland – too much! I don’t care if your father worked with so and so. I don’t care if you shared a cookie with so and so’s granddaughter.” Many times through out the book, it just became too much. So many names dropped, that I could not possibly remember them all. If a character is not easily remembered once the book is closed then you are most likely okay with eliminating any mention of them.

Even so – the story is worth reading. Mulholland is a picturesque example of a “normal” girl in a not so “normal world” and her efforts to fit in, and then get out.

A quick and rather short read, Surviving High Society is served best while sitting in your favorite reading spot and sipping a pot of your favorite tea. Make sure the phone is near by because you’ll want to call your Mother and thank her for being – dare we say it… fan-lovin’-tastic.

★★★★★
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I already broke my "no more books" promise!

August 29, 2009 By 3 Comments

My husband and I happened to pass by this huge building titled “Half-off Books”. Could I go in .. and NOT get something when they were so abundant in books (and yes, they were half-off!) It’s like saying no to a delicious cookie. You just cannot resist the urge for a few bites.

MANGA – “Wish” Vol. 1 by Clamp

Synopsis: (Taken from back of book)

One moonlight night Shuichiro saved an angel stuck in a tree. The angel granted him a wish to repay his generosity. Shuichiro said, “I need no wish, I can get what I want on my own.” But they’d both soon learn some wishes can’t be fulfilled alone.

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Fruits Basket Vol. 1 – Natsuki Takaya

Synopsis: (Taken from back of book)

A family with an ancient curse… and the girl will change their lives forever.  Tohru Honda was an orphan with no place to go until the mysterious Sohma family offered her a place to call home. Now her ordinary high school life is turned upside down as she’s introduced to the Sohma’s world of magical curses and family secrets. Discover for yourself the Secret of the Zodiac, and find out why Fruits Basket has won the hearts of readers the world over!

… and the last book I got was “Visions of Sugar Plums” by Janet Evanvich but I purposely don’t read the back covers until I get to that book. For some reason, on this series, I like the surprise. :)

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REVIEW: #15 Four to Score

August 29, 2009 By 1 Comment
Book COver

Book COver

Name: Four to Score
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN: 0312966970
Pages: 338

Synopsis: (Taken from Evanovich.com)

Working for her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, Stephanie is hot on the trail of revenge-seeking waitress Maxine Nowicki, whose crimes include bail jumping, theft, and extortion. Someone is terrifying Maxine’s friends, and those who have seen her are turning up dead. Also on the hunt for Maxine is Joyce Barnhardt, Stephanie’s archenemy and rival bounty hunter. Stephanie’s attitude never wavers – even when aided by Grandma Mazur, ex-hooker and wannabe bounty hunter Lula, and transvestite rock musician Sally Sweet – and even when Stephanie makes an enemy whose deadly tactics escalate from threatening messages to firebombs. All of this pales in comparison, though, with an even greater danger Stephanie faces, when, homeless and broke, she and her hamster Rex move in with vice cop Joe Morelli.

Review:

Having Stephanie Plum’s apartment firebombed has never made me more happy. Because of her lack of living space, she is forced to temporarily seek shelter with Joe Morelli (who, at this point in time – is a favorite of mine). Yes!

Unfortunately, living with a tough cop doesn’t give Stephanie the ultimate protection from those who wish to do her in. Countless nasty death threats and death attempts, Stephanie is still shaking in her boots. The task at hand seems easy for Stephanie at first – bring Maxine in. After all, Maxine was ONLY accused of taking off with her boyfriend’s car. What could be so dangerous about that?

I will not tell you what – but something happens in this book that had me creating “La-dee-dah – YAY!” comments on my facebook (only confusing my friends, I am sure). For those who have read Stephanie Plum 1-3.. You’re in for a great surprise! (Can I still give another “Whoop-deeee dooop!!!”?) Ah, well you’ve probably guessed by now. Either way, it’s a must read for all Stephanie Plum fans.

On top of that, arch enemy Joyce is pretty active in this novel with Evanovich doing a great job of making me want to rip every single red strand of hair out of Joyce’s obnoxious head. (Breathe, Allison.  She’s fictional).

My gripes are low on this one. I only felt that it wasn’t as scary/thrilling as her others have been. The villains were rather on the tame side this time around. Still – a fabulous, entertaining read. Evanovich definitely does it again.

★★★★★
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REVIEW: #14 Blanket of White

August 26, 2009 By 3 Comments
blanketofwhite
Title: Blanket of White
Author: Amy Grech
ISBN: B002LLNG52
Pages: 119

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

Blanket of White True love knows no bounds.

Crosshairs A young boy learns the perils of hunting fare game firsthand.

Prevention Murderous twins help their dear mother into and out of trouble.

Perishables A nuclear fallout survivor finds sustenance in an unlikely place.

Plus two more never before published storied by Amy Grech. A total of fourteen dark tales in all!

Review:

I absolutely love stories that are disturbing; disturbing to the point of closing the book and saying “What the hell?” “Blanket of White” is of no exception, providing readers with the very feeling and wondering, “What just happened here?” Morbid, depressing, and sometimes just plain sick – “Blanket of White” is a collection of short stories to creep you out.

The very first story I read was about a small girl with debilitating cerebral palsy, in constant pain, asks her father for her only wish – to help her pass on. This story is pulls at the heart strings, having a young child myself, and the pain I imagine the parents must have to go through making this sort of heavy decision. Do they hold on to her, because they can’t quite let go? Or do they love her enough to want what is best for her — a life without pain and suffering? Do they give her what she REALLY wants (a mercy killing?)

“Blanket of White” is full of stories that will have you catching glimpses at the illness of man, the decisions made under pressure and seeing the mind snap– and blood. Lots and lots of blood.

I did have a few personal gripes about the story, however. For one, there were entirely too many stories in an unstructured order. Each story is so incredibly short, you are just getting “into” one before having to get “into” another. Little time is given to get to know the characters, bond to them, so that their madness is truly contagious. I felt that the thrills would be much more effective if the entire collection of stories were limited to about 5 short stories, on average about 35-50 pages each. This would give the reader the proper time to adjust to the book’s inner voice, get to know the characters, bond to the characters – and then be disturbed by them. (Which is what the author is going for, I imagine.)

I also feel that it is incredibly important that each character has their own distinctive voice. In regards to a “voice” in novels, I am simply saying that it must be obvious to me that this person, this character, is a well developed person with a history, a personality, and a way of speaking. When all characters have the same “voice”, it creates a detachment from the reader and the character. In order to truly pull a reader in, your character(s) have to be uniquely believable.

★★★★★
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REVIEW: #13 Hot Gimmick (3in1) vol.1

August 26, 2009 By 1 Comment
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Title: Hot Gimmick (3in1) Vol. 1
Author: Miki Aihara
ISBN: 1421523485
Pages: 552

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon)

In company-owned rabbit-hutch apartments live tenants who can’t afford to live anywhere else, and the apartment complex in which high-school girl Hatsumi Narita lives is ruled over by the rumor mongering, self-righteous Mrs. Tachibana. Get on Tachibana’s bad side, and life becomes hell. When Hatsumi has to buy a pregnancy test because her popular sister Akane is late, Mrs. Tachibana’s son, Ryoki, who used to bully Hatsumi as a kid, promises not to tell the world about Hatsumi’s secret, only if she becomes his slave. Suddenly Azusa, Hatsumi’s protector in their youth, reappears to save her again! He’s moving back into the neighborhood! Despite the budding romance between Hatsumi and Azusa, Ryoki has control over her through the secret that could ruin the lives of everyone in Hatsumi’s family, and he hasn’t forgotten who his slave is!

Hatsumi is a sensible and mild-mannered young girl, but she suddenly finds herself in a swirl of drama that threatens to drive her totally crazy. Her younger sister is a shameless flirt and might be pregnant. [Oh no!] An old friend is back in town and is now a famous (and hot) fashion model.[Swoon...]Her neighbor is a bully and is blackmailing her to be his love slave. [Hate him!!]And this is just the beginning! Miki Aihara turned the manga world upside down with her salacious, outrageous, and funny hit series. If you think being a teenager in America is hard, wait until you read Hot Gimmick. These Tokyo boys and girls are really messed up!

Review:

I felt sorry for Hatsumi (the female protagonist) of this manga series. She is passionate, although she has the inability to fully stand up for herself.  Enter Ryoki. Ryoki can easily be classified as a complete “A-hole” to the extreme, borderline violent. Living in the same housing complex, they have known each other since they were children where (even at an early age) he would call her “Stupid” and push her down. He’s a bully to the extreme. While Hatsumi’s underage middle-school little sister thinks she may be pregnant, she encourages Hatsumi to go get a pregnancy test for her. Ryoki stumbles into Hatsumi and discovers this little secret and dictates Hatsumi to be his “Slave” otherwise he would tell his mother, the “Queen of all landlords” which could possibly do major damage to her father’s job and their housing situation.

While reading “Hot Gimmick” I can honestly say I hated this Ryoki character. He was savagely mean to her, tearing her down, and calling her names. He even insisted on taking her “Cherry” as practice for him. Along comes old childhood friend, turned fashion super model Azusa. Like he did during their younger years together – he comes to her rescue and makes all the girls jealous of Hatsumi by calling her his girlfriend. But – can this man be as  genuine as he seems  or does he have other tricks in store?

I found Hot Gimmick to be incredibly dramatic with deep subjects including first crushes, love, teen pregnancy, blackmail, and even rape. Like most Japanese manga, there is a definite sense of perversion – but I have found Hot Gimmick to be a tad different as there is a sense of realism as well.  As this is the first three books in the series (put together into a volume), I have no idea what is in store for Hatsumi and her disastrous relationships all around. I sure do hope that she gathers up the courage and finds true romance and happiness for herself.

★★★★★
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REVIEW: #12 A Circle of Souls

August 25, 2009 By 3 Comments

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Title: A Circle of Souls
Author: Preetham Grandhi
ISBN: 1599552353
Pages: 339

Synopsis: (Taken from back of book)

The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town’s top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury’s hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hasting’s devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya’s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.

The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgement, Leia explores the clues in Naya’s crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events.

Vocabulary:

  • slaaf – DUTCH – “Slave” (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slaaf)
  • Anansi – WEST AFRICAN/CARIBBEAN – “Trickster” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anansi)

Review:

I found “A Circle of Souls” to be a quick and enjoyable read. The novels brings readers right to the point without diddle dallying around useless information and meaningless characters. From the very first chapter you are thrown directly into the middle of a paranormal murder mystery involving a character who calls himself a “Slaaf” and his dedication to performing murderous rituals to ward off the evil “Anansi” just for a few minutes of peace. But this time – a young girl named Janet, arrives in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Brutally murdered and seperated limb by limb, little Janet decides to reach out from the beyond in efforts to bring her murderer to justice. But who will listen?

At the same time, a little girl named Naya (whose biological Indian heritage becomes of importance during this novel) is plagued by perplexing dreams that cause Naya to act them out unknowingly, placing her in dangerous situations. After Naya almost throws herself over a balcony during one of her dream episodes, desperate and worried adoptive parents bring Naya to a mental hospital to rule out a form of psychosis. Working closely with a psychiatrist named Peter, the two come together to help help Naya work through her dreams, somehow connecting them to the murders at Elephant Rock. But how can a little girl who has never been to Elephant Rock know so much about it?

I found “A Circle of Souls” to be a fitting Young Adult novel (although not categorized as one), as the sentence structure was too simple to be a thoroughly fantastic read for adult readers. I also found the characters to all lack separate personalities. They were all too “nice” to the point of it feeling unrealistic and fake. Interactions were very scripted and I felt I couldn’t properly bond to any of the characters because they were all in the same. I think with more intricate sentence structure and distinctive personalities, this novel would be an absolute thrill to read for all ages.

Even with said issues, I enjoyed “A Circle of Souls” for it’s storyline as Grandhi introduces us to many different cultures and folklore. “A Circle of Souls” will be an ideal paranormal murder mystery for young adults wanting to work their way into literature with adult topics.

★★★★★
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It’s Monday! What are you reading?

August 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

on_mondays

J.Kay created a Meme for Mondays where you list the books you have recently completed this week, books you are currently reading, and books you hope to read this week.

The books I have read in the past week:

  1. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
  2. EyeLeash by Jess C. Scott
  3. Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

Books I am currently reading:

- A Circle of Souls :)

Books I plan on reading this week:

- Hot Gimmick Vol. 1

- Anatomy & Physiology for Dummies

- A Blanket of White

What are YOU reading?

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WINNER: Jerry Spinelli Giveaway

August 22, 2009 By 4 Comments
Book Cover

Book Cover

The winner of the Jerry Spinelli: Stargirl giveaway is Alyce, selected at random. Congratulations, Alyce! I will be contacting you to find out where to send your prize book! Thank you to everyone who entered the first Well-Read Reviews giveaway! There will be many more to come!

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What is my daughter saying?

August 20, 2009 By 2 Comments

PICTURE REMOVED.

.. when she goes into my bookcase, steals one of my unread books, and runs off squealing and laughing? Is she trying to tell me not to read so much.. or is she trying to see what this “reading thing” is all about?

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I need to stop buying books! (Really)

August 20, 2009 By 5 Comments

This is the LAST set of books I am buying for a while. No more buying books until all the books I have purchased are done! (Well – mostly). The only Janet Evanovich book I am ISO is “Visions of Sugar Plums“. Also – would appreciate if you not tell my husband. He cut me off a LONG time ago. :)

Books:
To the Nines – Janet Evanovich (hardcover) for $5.97

Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
Synopsis: (Taken from inside of book)
A dazzling triumph from the best-selling author of “The Virgin Suicides” – the astonishing tale of a gene that passes down through three generations of a Greek American family and flowers in the body of a teenage girl.

In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls’ school in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking strawberry blond classmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them – a long with Callie’s failure to develop – leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all.

The explanation for this shocking state of affairs is a rare genetic mutation – and a guilty secret – that have followed Callie’s grandparents from the crumbling Ottoman Empire to Prohibition-era Detroit and beyond, outlasting the glory days of the Motor City, the race riots of 1967, and the family’s second migration, into the foreign country known as suburbia. Thanks to the gene, Callie is part girl, part boy. And even though the gene’s epic travels have ended, her own odyssey has only begun.

Spanning eight decades – and one unusually awkward adolescence – Jeffery Eugenides’ long-awaited second novel is a grand, utterly original fable of crossed bloodlines, the intricacies of gender, and the deep, untidy promptings of desire. It marks the fufilment of a huge talent from a writer singled out by both Granta and the New Yorker as one of AMerica’s best young novelists.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Synopsis: (Taken from back of book)
Colleen McCullough’s sweeping saga of dreams, struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback has enthralled readers the world over. This is the chronicle of three generations of Clearys, ranchers carving lives from a beautiful hard land while contending with the bitterness, frailty, and secrets that penetrate their family. Most of all, it is the story of only daughter Megie and her lifelong relationship with the haunted priest Father Ralph de Bricassart – an intense joining of two hearts and souls that dangerously oversteps sacred boundries of ethics and dogama.

A poignant love story, a powerful epic of struggle and sacrifice, a celebration of individuality and spirit, Colleen McCullough’s acclaimed masterwork remains a monumental literary achievement – a landmark novel to be cherished and read again and again.

—

These were just must-reads that I had to have! No more though – for a while! Really.

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REVIEW: #11 – Three to Get Deadly

August 19, 2009 By 4 Comments
Book Cover

Book Cover

Title: Three to get Deadly
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN: 0312966091
Pages: 396
★★★★★

Synopsis: (Taken from Evanovich.com)

Stephanie Plum, the brassy babe in the powder blue Buick, is back, and she’s having a bad hair day – for the whole month of January.

She’s been given the unpopular task of finding Mo Bedemeir, Trenton’s most beloved citizen, arrested for carrying concealed, gone no-show for his court appearance.

And to make matters worse, she’s got Lula, a former hooker turned file clerk–now a wannabe bounty hunter–at her side, sticking like glue. Lula’s big and blonde and black, and itching to get the chance to lock up a crook in the trunk of her car.

Morelli, the New Jersey vice cop with the slow-burning smile that undermines a girl’s strongest resolve is being polite. So what does that mean? Has he found a new love? Or is he manipulating Steph, using her in his police investigation, counting on her unmanageable curiosity and competitive Jersey attitude?

Once again, the entire One for the Money crew is in action, including Ranger and Grandma Mazur, searching for Mo, tripping down a trail littered with drug dealers, leading Stephanie to suspect Mo has traded his ice-cream scoop for a vigilante gun.

Cursed with a disastrous new hair color and an increasing sense that it’s really time to get a new job, Stephanie spirals and tumbles through Three to Get Deadly with all the wisecracks and pace her fans have come to expect.

Review:

Evanovich spins another thrilling tale starring bad-luck prone bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. What begins as a seemingly easy recovery turns into something much more devious. While attempting to recover “The Burg’s” favorite ice cream man, “Uncle Mo” – Stephanie’s life is in much more danger (than usual). Being shot at, stalked, and having your life threatened is all in a day’s work – right?

The third installment to the Stephanie Plum series only makes me want to push Janet Evanovich in making this an actual television on HBO or (at least Fox).  This book was a nice mixture of humor, sexuality,  mystery, and murder. Who could ask for more?

The only thing this novel lacked was a sufficient enough amount of swoon-worthy vice cop, Joe Morelli (who I have come to have a literature crush on).  He’s right up there with Jamie Fraiser from “Outlander”. Oh yeah. (I think it’s safe to assume that all Evanovich readers feel the same way). More Morelli, please! (Where is a t-shirt when you need one?)

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I love books in the mail!

August 18, 2009 By 5 Comments

I absolutely love and adore getting the mail. Maybe it’s silly – but it’s an Amelie (little pleasure) of mine. Opening up the mailbox to find a package is always a happy experience for yours truly. Today I received an ARC copy of “Circle of Souls” by Preetham Grandhi. It was signed, which is always a bonus for readers!

I’m currently reading “Three to Get Deadly” – so I can’t focus on more than one book at a time (but I do try on occasion, as of recently) but I am going to push back my “Dead Until Dark” novel until after I read “A Circle of Souls“. So – once “Three to Get Deadly” is finished, I am going to read this new book in my hands. I did manage to skim through it and I do like the formatting of the book, which makes it look like an easy read. I always find the text of a book is crucial in capturing the attention of a reader.The chapters are only a few pages in length (another bonus!)

Anyway – just got this book in the mail so I had to share my excitement. :mrgreen:

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Book Selection for the Japanese Lit Challenge

August 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I have selected three books for the Japanese Literature Challenge. I chose one manga from a series I have been wanting to try, but also selected two authors of novels that I have wanted to try. Usually I would be all for reading manga (because I am such a g33k like that) – but since this IS a challenge, I wanted to go for something new (hence the novels). I have tried looking for them in stores but only appear to be available online. I just ordered them from Amazon a few minutes ago so hopefully I will get them sometime in the next week or so!

MANGA: Hot Gimmick - Volume 1 by Miki Aihara (ISBN: 1421523485) 552 pages.

Synopsis: (Taken from inside cover)

Unlike most shojo, Hot Gimmick isn’t all sweet boys and rose petals. It’s much more real and complex and sometimes even chilling! The artwork is top-notch, the drama is high-tension, and I couldn’t help but keep on rooting for the hapless heroine, Hatsumi, as she deals with real-life problems: family ties, blackmail, awkward first kisses, and a very disapproving landlady. What’s not to love? – Tania del Rio, writer/artist of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

(From Amazon):  In company-owned rabbit-hutch apartments live tenants who can’t afford to live anywhere else, and the apartment complex in which high-school girl Hatsumi Narita lives is ruled over by the rumor mongering, self-righteous Mrs. Tachibana. Get on Tachibana’s bad side, and life becomes hell. When Hatsumi has to buy a pregnancy test because her popular sister Akane is late, Mrs. Tachibana’s son, Ryoki, who used to bully Hatsumi as a kid, promises not to tell the world about Hatsumi’s secret, only if she becomes his slave. Suddenly Azusa, Hatsumi’s protector in their youth, reappears to save her again! He’s moving back into the neighborhood! Despite the budding romance between Hatsumi and Azusa, Ryoki has control over her through the secret that could ruin the lives of everyone in Hatsumi’s family, and he hasn’t forgotten who his slave is!Hatsumi is a sensible and mild-mannered young girl, but she suddenly finds herself in a swirl of drama that threatens to drive her totally crazy. Her younger sister is a shameless flirt and might be pregnant. [Oh no!] An old friend is back in town and is now a famous (and hot) fashion model.[Swoon...]Her neighbor is a bully and is blackmailing her to be his love slave. [Hate him!!]And this is just the beginning! Miki Aihara turned the manga world upside down with her salacious, outrageous, and funny hit series. If you think being a teenager in America is hard, wait until you read Hot Gimmick. These Tokyo boys and girls are really messed up!

Why I selected this:

In highschool, I used to make fun of people who liked anime/manga. Not so much out loud – but (if we’re being honest here) I thought it was geeky. Then I stumbled upon an online manga called “MegaTokyo” and fell in love with the visual style of more girl-friendly manga. I then ventured into anime (Love Hina  & Marmalade boy) and have eventually tried other shojo mangas on the market. I find Japanese humor to be rather blunt and funny with a mixture of perverted innocence.. and I loved it. I have heard great things about “Hot Gimmick” but haven’t tried it yet. While passing through the manga section at Borders, I saw that they had a volume (books 1-3) – and I couldn’t help but pick it up! Now is a good time to try new things!

Ju-On by Kei Ohishi (ISBN: 159582071X) 276 pages

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon)

In Japan, ju-on is a deadly curse that takes on a life of its own. Always seeking new victims, it’s a grudge that doesn’t stop-it can’t be stopped. Anyone unfortunate enough to meet up with a ghost killed by the grudge is then killed-and so it spreads. When a senior citizen outreach volunteer goes to work in a house in a quiet residential area, she soon starts to hear odd noises. As the strange events get more and more ominous, she discovers that some acts of violence can attach themselves to a house and that some evils can reach out and touch you-even after death. Few stories have influenced modern horror as much as Ju-on. The Japanese films set a new standard for horror filmmaking and storytelling with their blend of slow-burning terror and nightmarish imagery. The novel is just as chilling-and just as unforgettable.

Why I selected this:

The Japanese horror film, “Ju-On” and the American horror film, “The Grudge” was based on this novel. Nothing is scarier than Japanese horror films – and so, I wanted to give this novel a try. I wanted to see if it would tell me more about the characters that we may have missed seeing the films.

Ring by Koji Suzuki (ISBN: 1932234411) 288 pages

Why I selected this novel:

Since there was no proper synopsis of the novel via amazon, I figured I would just jump into why I selected this novel. This book is what “Ringu” the Japanese horror movie and “The Ring” in America was based after. I saw “The Ring” in college and felt deeply disturbed afterwards. While at work, I received a phone call, “Seven days…” (Click) which chilled me to the very bone. Thinking it was my roommate (who had suggested the movie) I called her up and yelled at her for spooking me out. Very groggy, she insisted it wasn’t her. I then hear snickering at a cubicle next to me, realizing it was my co-workers. (haha!) What jokesters. To this day, my college roomate and I still joke about this.

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REVIEW: #10 EyeLeash

August 18, 2009 By 1 Comment
Book Cover

Book Cover

Title: EyeLeash
Author: Jessica C. Scott
ISBN: 1448615984
Pages: 260(pdf)
★★★★★

Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)

Jade Ashton is a sassy virgin. In her private blog, she vents about “fitting in” a world where superficiality reigns supreme. Suddenly all logic flies out the window when she meets Novan: the former geek, who’s morphed into a delicious songwriter-musician. They decide to be “friends-with-benefits”. But it’s Novan, with his poems and riddling passages on his own blog–which *isn’t private*–that backs out. EyeLeash captures self-discovery in the 2000s, and showcases the colorful, intricate drama in two youths’ relentless search for themselves–and what’s really in their hearts.

Review:

I will admit that this review is not an easy one to write, particularly since many will perceive it to not be in the “positive review” category.. but I feel the need to be honest. I am going to start with saying that the idea behind the novel is delightful – an inside look into the world of a teenager and her budding sexuality. The way Jade thinks is spot on with teenagers in today’s world  – sporadic ramblings, and honest, intimate details of her life shared.

There were some portions of the novel in which I genuinely laughed at the imagery – this young teenager practicing sex moves alone in her room. I thought – well, I am sure a lot of teenagers can relate! EyeLeash has the potential to be the “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret” of our new day. I remember reading “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret” as a young teenager, feeling almost embarrassed but relieved to read about the life of another teenager, going through what most teenagers go through and thinking, “Wow! It’s in a book!” The shock value is there.

However – the novel falls flat on many accounts. I could understand that the novel is supposed to be someone’s blog, a young person’s blog – but I think it was unsafe to assume that all blogs (particularly those of a teenagers) cannot be eloquently written.  At times, particularly in copy-and-paste dialogue from Jade’s chat(s) with friends – many sentences lacked proper grammar and punctuation. It was as if I was reading text messages of the uneducated. I know many teenagers write like this, nowadays, but I never did – and I have a hard time relating to this new way of writing. I also felt, due to the demographics of the targeted readers, that it portrayed the wrong idea to young pre-teens and teenagers that this was an acceptable method of writing.

I feel it’s important that a reader not only can relate to a character (through experiences) but there has to be some sort of edge that causes the reader to respect and/or strive to be like the character in some way. I just couldn’t do it. Could I relate to being a sexually frustrated teenager – sure, we all were at some point. But the way the protagonist wrote – and being an avid reader, I couldn’t get beyond the typos, formatting issues, and lingo. I also couldn’t gauge the background information of this character.  I think without understanding who this character is and where she is from, it’s hard to fully fall into this teenager’s life. It just did not scream, “A well-written masterpiece of today”.

I rated this novel 1.5 stars because I feel the potential is there. Like I previously mentioned, the shock value is apparent. Teenagers will love to read about the life of an average teenager and devlishly love reading about crushes, first dates, and first sexual experiences. The concept, the idea, the topic – is wonderful. But, the rest of the book needs work.

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