Unearthly: Book Review

I picked up this book because one of the books in the series was in Sarah's top ten books that she wants to read next year. So, I thought, hey, I oughta see what those books are all about.

Description from Goodreads:
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.
Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.


Review:
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the main character, which doesn't usually happen with YA books because YA authors seem to think main character girls need to be needy and weak and whiny and lame and dependent. But, the main character in this book, Clara, is strong and independent and interesting and actually likeable.

The idea of being part angel is not a new thing; I've read a few books that pose this idea. But, I liked the author's take on angels. Just like I read a lot of different vampire books even though I have read the concept before. One thing that I thought was interesting that I haven't seen before is the author had all the characters who have angel blood have wings. Every other demi angel book I have read, the character has supernatural powers, but no wings.

This author knows how to write romance. I loved how she described Clara's first kiss. She describes all the little things in the moment leading up to the kiss and all the emotions running through Clara so well that I feel like I'm there in the moment with her.

The author is just so good at describing things without getting too wordy that the book is a fast read. Which I love. I hate when a book drags and it takes me forever to finish just because I have reached a boring part in the book. This book didn't have any boring parts.

The only thing that I slightly didn't like was that the book was cliffhangery. Things were left unfinished. But, I suppose that just means that I need to read the next book. Which I definitely will. I love reading books that are easy to read and make me feel, but don't make me think too much.

Rating: 4 stars

Hana: Book Review

I read Hana as an eBook that I checked out from the library. Can I just say how much I love that I can check out eBooks? It is awesome. Hana is a companion chapter to the Delirium book; you know, that book that depicts love as a disease. I recommend reading Delirium before you read this one... or this one won't make any sense at all.

Hana by Lauren Oliver

Goodreads Description:
The summer before they're supposed to be cured of the ability to love, best friends Lena and Hana begin to drift apart. While Lena shies away from underground music and parties with boys, Hana jumps at her last chance to experience the forbidden. For her, the summer is full of wild music, dancing—and even her first kiss.

Review:  I thought that this was an interesting chapter in the Delirium story. Getting to see Hana's side of the story and figuring out a bit of her back story was satisfying. Originally, I wondered why Hana had that bit of rebellion in her and what motivated her to go to the secret parties in the first place. So, it was great to see her point of view.

It was an easy read, just as easy as Delirium. I would kinda like to see the end of Hana's story. Does she marry the mayor's son? Do Hana and Lena ever reunite? I hope that we see more of Hana in the final book in the series. If we don't... then what was the point of this book? 

Rating: 4 stars

Reading to My Kids

I love reading. I have loved reading since a young age when my Dad used to read to me. He read me Charlotte's Web when I was five, that is the first book I remember him reading to me. After Charlotte, he read more books to me. I always loved when my Dad read to me because he would make up voices for all the characters and would make them come alive for me, even when the book had no pictures. My favorite picture book he read to me was, "There's a Monster at the End of this Book." He always did the best Grover voice.

So, I always knew that I would read to my kids, and I secretly hoped that they would love books as much as I do. So, when Nicole was a baby, I tried to read to her often and take her to story time at the library and buy her books. Nicole really did take to books quite quickly.

She loves going to the library and picking out books and then taking them home to read. She will have me read the same books again and again and again.

At first, Dan was not interested in reading. He would sit for a couple of seconds while I was reading books and then he would go wild and start running around. But then, he started getting older and was able to say words and he started becoming more interested in books.

He has this one book. The book of 100 words, that has flaps in it that reveal words associated with a picture. He loves this book. Every time I get home from work, he brings this book to me to read. This was his gateway book. Now, he wants to read books every time he sees one lying on the ground. He is not that interested in paper books, but he loves board books. Dan even loves to bring a couple of books in his crib with him at night. A little light reading at bedtime.

I will continue to read to my children and hopefully, in not too long, they will be able to read for themselves. But, even when they begin to read for themselves, I will still read to them. Some of my fondest memories of my Dad were when he was reading me Harry Potter, Shel Sylverstein, or Judy Bloom books (the Judy Bloom books were hilarious to listen to him read). He would take us to used bookstores and buy us books and then read them with us and I want my kids to have those types of experiences too.

For now, it is board and picture books, but in the not too distant future, I will start Nicole on chapter books.

Shark vs. Train

I got this clever picture book from the library and the book was totally hashed; ripped pages all over the place, but it was still a fun read.

Description (from Goodreads): If you think Superman vs. Batman would be an exciting matchup, wait until you see Shark vs. Train. In this hilarious and wacky picture book, Shark and Train egg each other on for one competition after another, including burping, bowling, Ping Pong, piano playing, pie eating, and many more! Who do YOU think will win, Shark or Train?

Review: This book is just so clever. Each page has Shark and Train competing in a different and silly competition. It is entertaining for me to read, but Nicole and Dan love it too. Nicole loves that Shark, Train, and Caboose each have speech bubbles on each page. She loves when I do a Shark and Train voice. I think that she is more entertained with Shark and Train's comments then she is with the clever competitions themselves. Dan loves it because he can knows the sound effects for the both the Shark (Rar!) and Train (Choo Choo). He just loves to make the noises for each. 

So, I recommend this book for boys, girls, and parents. It is clever all around. 

Passion: Book Review

I read Lauren Kate's first book in this series, "Fallen," and I was not very impressed with it. The mystery of the fallen angels was annoying to me, not mysterious and the love story seemed rushed and completely awkward. I know that characters fall in love in books upon first meeting, inexplicably, but this book made the love seem childish and naive.

But, despite the fact that I wasn't in love with the first book, I got the second book on CD to listen to in my car on the way to work. I figured that even though I didn't want to give the book my spare time, I could give it time that I was already wasting driving around. And the second book was a lot better than the first book. The second book had the time to develop the characters a little more, give motive to the main character, Luce, and to actually make me like some of the fallen angels.

So, that brings us to the third book, Passion. I also listened to this book while in my car.

Passion by Lauren Kate

Description: Luce is lost in time as she travels to her past lives. Luce is determined to find out why she loves Daniel, and why Daniel loves her. So, she has traveled back in time to see their past lives together and see her untimely death again and again. Every time Luce gets close to Daniel, in any of her lives, she dies a fiery death. Luce wants to discover why she and Daniel are cursed to fall in love in every life and why she dies in every life. And she will continue to travel back in time to the very beginning, their first life together and the time when the angels first fell.

Review: Is it just me, or is Lauren Kate's writing getting better the more books that she writes? I didn't really like the first book in this series, kinda liked the second, and actually enjoyed the third. Either she is getting better at writing or the actor on the CD is getting better at reading it.

It is a strange addition to the series as it takes Luce back in time to visit her past lives all the way back to the fall of the angels. At first, I didn't think that this book was going to work as it contained like 10 different vignettes of Luce's past lives and I had to be introduced to a new life multiple times. Luce would travel to an old life, the past Luce was introduced, the past Daniel was introduced, then just when I get a handle on the past life, the past Luce dies and then it starts all over again. But, Kate really handled it quite well. She was able to describe each past life well enough that I cared about the characters before she killed them.

Additionally, this book answers a lot of the questions that have been looming for Luce, and for me the reader, through these last few books. I like a mystery as much as the next person, but it is a little tortuous to make a reader wade through 3 books to get answers.


Now, the book ends in kind of a cliff hanger so I suppose that I will just have to check out the next book and see if Lauren Kate keeps it going.

Rating: 3 stars

Grave Mercy: Book Review

I read this book because I thought it had a cool cover and a cool premise.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Description: Ismae is the result of an affair between her mother and Death. Ismae, despised by her mortal father, is put into an abusive arranged marriage, but then saved by a convent of nuns who are also daughters of Death. The nuns train her to be an assassin who serves the purposes of saint Mortain (Death). Now, she is a hand maiden of Death, killing those who threaten Death's plans for the throne.

Review: Sounds like a great thesis right? Handmaiden of death; awesome. Except, this book was hard to get through. The first part of the book seemed intriguing when Ismae got to the convent and I found out she was going to be trained to kill and poison. And then, the author skipped over what could have been one of the most interesting parts of the story, assassin school and jumped right to post training. Ismae has a conflicting personality and her motives are not always clear. She thinks one thing, but does another and it is confusing. Additionally, many of the characters that are presented are not fully developed so it was hard to care about any of the characters because they just don't get enough scene time. The whole thing seemed rushed, as if the author was trying to get this giant plot line into one book when it really should have been split into three books. It felt like I was cheated out of important scenes and character development because it was forced into one book. It was a good idea, but poorly executed.

Rating: 2 Stars

Dusty Book Challenge

Jessica at Books: A True Story is hosting the 2013 Dusty Bookshelf Challenge. I've never done a book challenge before, but this seemed like one that I could get on board with. It is a challenge to read books that have been living on your book shelf, collecting dust. Earlier this year, I actually cleaned out my bookshelf because I had collected so many books over the years (a lot of them from college) and I knew that I would never read some of those books again. So, I gave away like 30 books at my neighborhood swap. But, even after my book purge, I still have quite a few books on my shelf that either I haven't read yet or haven't read in years. In my opinion, there is no reason to own a book unless you intend to read it multiple times. It is like a movie. Why buy a movie if you are only going to watch it once?

I am going to try and read a Pixie Dust level of dust off my shelf, which is equivalent to 1-5 books. Here are the books that I'm hoping to read off my existing shelf.

1.  I, Robot by Isaac Asomov. I have had this book since I was 17 and still haven't read it, so it has been sitting on my shelf for 11 years now; it is time.

2.  Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan. I've read this book before, but I need to read it again to get caught up and ready for the release of the final book in the series.

3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. A friend gave me the complete works of Jane Austin 4 years ago and I have not yet finished a single book in it, though I have started it many times. It is finally time to read this thing.

I'm going to start with this short list and then hopefully, if I am able to read these three, then I can try and read more off my shelf.

If you want to join the challenge, you can sign up for it by posting a blog post, posting a comment on the original post at Books: A True Story, or joining the Goodreads group.

LMNO Peas: Book Review

LMNO Peas by Keith Baker

Description: This picture book follows these Alphabet Peas that do all sorts of things. It is an alphabet book depicting the peas in occupations for each letter of the alphabet.

Review: This book is so cute! I love seeing the little peas doing all sorts of occupations and activities. My one year old boy loves this book too. When he sees it, he brings it to me and attempts to sing the ABCs. But since he can't actually make all the sounds to say the letters, it is more like the ABCs comprised completely of vowel sounds. My three year old loves this book to. She loves to repeat every page after I read it.

Rating: Recommend! I'm not going to give star ratings to children's books because the way I figure it, I either recommend a children's book or I don't. So this is one I recommend to read to young children... 5 and under.

Becky's Top Ten for 2013

As the year is coming to a close, I can only think of the many books that I am super excited to read about next year.  Almost all of these are books in series that I have already started and I am excited to see the next installment in the series.

Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

This is the third book in the Bloodlines series, which is a spin-off series of Vampire Academy. What will happen next with Sydney the alchemist?

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

This is the third book in the Infernal Devices series, which is a spin-off series of the Mortal Instrument series. Will Tessa choose Will or Jem? Hopefully, this book will tell.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

This is the third book in the Delirium series. You know, the series where love is a disease? Sarah doesn't care for these books, but I like them. I'm excited to see what happens next.

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

This is the third book in the Heist Society series. One of the few non-fantasy books that I read. These books follow Kat, the art thief.

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

This is the 14th, and final book in the Wheel of Time series. I have been following this series since I was 15 years old and it is finally ending. I am excited and sad that this series, one of the first that made me love fantasy, is coming to a close.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

This is the second book in the Shatter Me series. The first book was so exciting. The writing was unlike anything that I have read before. I'm excited to see what this new author has to offer.

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

This is the second book in the Everneath series. I like the idea of this book and I hope the second book is not disappointing.

Sever by Lauren Destefano

This is the third book in the Chemical Garden series. I really liked the first book, the second book was just okay, so I'm hoping that the third book makes a comeback.

The Elite by Kiera Cass

This is the second book in The Selection series. I loved the first book, devoured it. I sincerely hope the second book is equally awesome.

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

This is the first book in the Age of X series. I don't know much about the series, but I love Richelle Mead, so I'm willing to read what she writes and hopefully it won't disappoint.

The Hobbit: Book Review

With the upcoming Hobbit movie coming out, I decided to reread The Hobbit in preparation for the film. I hadn't read the book since high school and remembered very little of it as it had been over 10 years since my last read.

Description: The Hobbit follows Bilbo Baggins in his youth (60 years). Bilbo is living comfortably in his hobbit hole in Hobbiton when he is approached by Gandalf the wizard and 12 dwarves to be the burglar addition in a great adventure. The dwarves seek to regain a treasure stolen from their fathers by the great dragon Smaug. Bilbo embraces his Tookish side and goes on the adventure with the dwarves and discovers a side to himself the he never knew that he had.

Review: I had forgotten how much I love Tolkien's writing. His writing has a playfulness, a beauty, and a depth that you just don't see in most authors. His descriptions of Middle Earth are lush and his development of characters is always enjoyable. I don't know how he takes a cast of 14 and makes each of them lovable, but he is just masterful at it.

The Hobbit is not that long a book, but Bilbo seems to go on 12 different adventures in the book and it spans a whole year. How does Tolkien do it? How does he fit so much into so few pages? Now that I have reread the book, I know how they are going to split it into three movies. There is so much in this little book, there is no way they could fit it into one movie.

Normally, I don't like a book unless there is some sort of love story in the book, but Tolkien is the exception. He writes about comradery and friendship in a way that I don't miss the romance of the books. I'm not even sure if the book had a female in it at all, and I just didn't miss it.

I loved this book, it reminded me of why I love fantasy books and I can't wait for the movie. I'm going to an advanced screening of the movie the day before it comes out and I will review it in comparison to the book when it comes out.

Rating: 5 stars (can I give Tolkien anything less?)