Crossed

Crossed
Ally Condie
367 pages
Publisher: Dutton
Source: library
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

In the second book in the Matched trilogy, we find Ky and Cassia where we left off.  Ky is at a work camp with his new buddy Vick and Cassia is also at a work camp with her new friend Indie.  When Cassia finds a way to "escape" she's determined to find Ky.

I liked the alternating perspectives of Ky and Cassia because it let me know what both were feeling at the same time.  Then, chapter nine and ten really drew me in.  I won't tell you what happened, but it was crazy!  I was at the edge of my mental seat mentally shouting!  I couldn't believe what happened.

This book was really great!  I did feel like this book was very different from Matched because everything was new - new places, new people, new situations, new everything.  But I loved situations the characters found themselves in and I thought on the whole it was a great second book.  I enjoyed reading about the canyons the most - it sounded like a really beautiful place, even if it was pretty desolate.

I'll admit, Ky's relationship with Cassia left me a little confused.  They weren't on the same page when it came to certain things, yet they were still supposed to be very in love.  I didn't get any sort of "we're in love" energy out of them.  I would have liked to have seen more sexual tension to solidify their relationship because I don't get why they're in love.

Four stars!  Crossed was a great follow up to Matched, but I felt like the middle dragged on a little bit.   I'm really excited to see how things work out in the next book!  If you haven't started this series yet, you really need to take a look.

Anya's Ghost

Anya's Ghost
Vera Brosgol
221 pages
Publisher: First Second
Source: library
★★☆☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Anya's Ghost is a graphic novel and I normally don't read graphic novels.  I think this was the second one I ever read, after the Twilight graphic novel, which I only read because I got it for a dollar at Borders and it was Twilight related.  Anyhoo, I saw a good review of this and it was at the library, so I just picked it up on a whim to read.  I read it in under two hours all while being distracted by the Friends marathon on Nick at Nite.

Anya is a Russian immigrant who is struggling with self-esteem issues and a lack of friends.  One day she accidentally falls into a big hole where she meets a ghost, who claims to have been murdered.  The ghost follows her out of the hole and starts following Anya around, but soon Anya discovers there's something else going on with this ghost...

I liked the plot twist where we learn who the ghost really is and I thought the book had some good morals about being different and getting through high school, though I didn't care for the glorification of smoking the book seemed to present.  Also, there was zero character development and I thought Anya's best friend was a boy until about halfway through the book.  Whoops.  This book did not cure me of my distaste for graphic novels.  I don't understand their appeal.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone
Laini Taylor
418 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown
Source: library
★★★☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Karou is a young artist student in Prauge, but between classes, spending time with her friends, and sketching, she runs some special errands.  She collects teeth for the devil with trades her wishes for the teeth.  That's why her hair is blue, she knows so many languages, and how she gains the ability to fly.  But what Karou doesn't know is that there's a war going on, a war that she's about to be drawn into all while learning about who she really is.

This book started out really interesting to me.  I was drawn in by Karou's seemingly normal life, which was enhanced with her work collecting teeth for a devil.  She was a normal girl doing abnormal things, definitely an intriguing plot point.  The plot was immediately and wholly unique to me, which I loved!  On top of that,  no one can dispute Laini Taylor is a great writer.  Her word choices and sentence structures are beautiful and her novel is a real work of art because of it.  She's a great world builder and you can tell by reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone that Taylor was passionately dedicated to her story.  I love that in a book and an author.

But if you'll take a peek up at my star rating, you'll notice I didn't love this book as much as others have.  I kind of feel guilty about that, though I know I shouldn't.  This book had one of my bookish pet peeves in it,  which greatly deteriorated my enjoyment - too many made up names and places.  With names like Zuzana, Kishmish, Akiva, Liraz - these kinds of names are easily confused in my mind because I've never seen them before and I can't immediately associate a gender with them.  This is why I generally avoid the fantasy genre.  Towards the end of the book there were so many characters to keep track of and I was trying to wrap my head around what Karou really was.  I found myself a bit confused at parts, just waiting to get back to the interactions Karou had with Akiva so I would know what was really going on.

But if you're cool with things like that, you'll definitely love this novel.  I'm in the minority with my rating; out of 4414 Goodreads ratings, only a little over 500 people gave it three stars or lower.  I know a lot of other readers have fallen in love with it and I definitely think it's worth taking a look at.

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren.

A small haul this week due in part to the holiday weekend and in part to my trying to avoid acquiring new books since I have 122 books on my shelves dying to be read.  (That's why I didn't go to the bookstore after work even though I really, really wanted to.)  But every once in awhile a library hold comes in!  Two great books this week...

FOR REVIEW:
Macmillan Children's sent Cinder by Marissa Meyer

FROM THE LIBRARY:
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Total TBR: 122 books

Crave

Crave
Melissa Darnell
420 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: NetGalley
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Here's the thing: Savannah and Tristan were really good friends in fourth grade, but since then The Clann, a group of witches who pretty much rule the town, has kept them apart.  But then, years later, Savannah learns something interesting about herself: she's part-vampire, part-witch, which is why she and her family were kicked out of The Clann when she was born.  Plot twist!  Savannah and Tristan are drawn to each other and fall in love, but their love is obviously completely forbidden by everyone around them.

I was really drawn into this book.  It had that little something special that I can't describe that good books have.  But what I can put into words is this: the characters were great, from Savannah and Tristan right through to Savannah's father and her mother and grandmother.  They were all unique with different perspectives.  The plot was super: who doesn't love a little forbidden romance?  I thought the way Tristan found a way for them to spend time together away from the watchful eye of the vampire community was cute and romantic.

I really loved Savannah - her character was definitely realistic, aside from her supernatural abilities.  She was a high-school girl who just wanted to fit in, had some great friends who missed her when she started hanging out with her new boyfriend; she had extracurricular actives, the whole she-bang.  She was just a lovable, well-rounded character and I'm looking forward to see how she deals with her new life plot-twist in the next book in the series.

Now, I know every book gets compared to Twilight these days, but I really think if you loved the Twilight series, you're also going to love Craved.  Check it out!  Harlequin Teen has another hit on their hands.

Birthmarked

Birthmarked
Caragh O'Brien
361 pages
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Source: library
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

I'd never heard of this series before last week, when I read a blurb about Prized, the sequel to Birthmarked.  Prized sounded so good I just had to read Birthmarked and happily for me, the library had Birthmarked all checked-in and ready for me.

Birthmarked follows the journey of Gaia Stone, a midwife who learned her trade from her mother "outside the wall."  In this dystopian society, those with any kind of deformity are not allowed inside the wall, where there is supposedly a perfected population.  But to keep up genetic diversity, the first three newborns in each districts are given up for those inside.  When Gaia's parents are arrested, she sneaks inside the wall to find them, but instead finds herself caught and commanded to figure out her father's code... a code that could affect the future of all those inside the wall.

This book was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I hit about fifty pages in or so it really picked up.  This was a fast paced book and I was really rooting for Gaia the whole time.  It was great that in a world where snitching seemed to be the norm, there were even people inside the wall who wanted Gaia to succeed.  The plot had lots of twists and turns that I really enjoyed, it kept the book fresh, and the ending was... well, crazy!  I can't wait to read Prized and see what happens next to Gaia.

A note about the code: the code Gaia needs to solve is actually in the book.  I found myself looking at it, trying to solve it myself and I was delighted to solve it a few pages before Gaia did.  That's the first time I've ever been able to do that.

The only thing about this book was that i would have liked to have seen even more of a relationship play out between Gaia and Leon.  I'm hoping to see more of that in the next book.

A must-read for you dystopian lovers out there!  Particularly those of you who prefer a dystopian heroine who does not rely on her love interest to survive.  Gaia is a strong female lead all by herself.

Cheesy Romance Monday (4)

Welcome to this week's Cheesy Romance Monday wherein I review a romance novel that might have otherwise not been featured on my blog.  Up this week:

Holiday Hideout

Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, Julie Kenner

Subgenre: Contemporary

Goodreads link

Holiday Hideout is a collection of three short stories that take place over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.  All three stories are connected in that they all take place in the same cabin, owned by Jillian and her husband who believe the cabin has magical powers to make people fall in love.  To test the theory, they rent the cabin out to collect as many date points as they can to prove their theory.  I loved that all the stories were linked like that!

My favorite story was definitely the first, "The Thanksgiving Fix."  I think I liked it in part because not too many books take place during Thanksgiving, but mostly I liked it because it was a really good story.  Beth books the cabin to be alone for Thanksgiving, wanting to avoid her family's "Why aren't you married yet?" questions.  When Jillian sends the local handyman over to make sure the plumbing is working properly, they really hit it off.  The story was both cute and sexy, a great balance. 

These stories were great for this time of year and all of them were sexy and steamy.  Definitely a romance must-read for this holiday season.  Check it out!

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FOR REVIEW:

Harlequin sent Crave by Melissa Darnell

Harlequin also sent Holiday Hideout by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, and Julie Kenner 

The author sent Venture Untamed by R.H. Russell

WON:

We All Wore Stars by Theo Coster

Crops and Robbers by Paige Shelton

Bewitching by Alex Flinn

FROM THE LIBRARY (a couple great holds came in for me!):

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Crossed by Ally Condie

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I told you I was going to pick this up!)

SWAPPED FOR:

The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman

Current TBR: 122

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Amiee Bender
297 pages
Publisher: Doubleday
Source: library
★★★☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

When Rose is a child she discovers she can taste emotions in her food.  When her mother cooks her a birthday cake, she can feel her mother's sadness and depression in every bite.  Mass produced junk food tastes metallic, like a factory.  Her best friend's lunch sandwiches taste like the love her best friend's mother has when making them.

This was one of the strangest books I've read all year.  You might think that's because Rose has the ability to taste the emotion of the cook in the food she eats, but that wasn't what struck me as the strangest part of the book.  I really enjoyed that aspect of the novel, actually.  I loved reading about Rose dealing with her newfound ability, how she dealt with it at school, and her trips to the nurse and emergency room because of it.  No, what I thought was really strange was the direction the novel had in the second half, where it focused more on Rose's brother, Joseph.  I could tell you about that, but that would totally ruin the book.  I couldn't figure out what was up with Joseph until the very last chapter.

Stupefied.  I think that's a good word for my feelings when I found out about Joseph.

The premise was good, but I would have liked more background information.  At the end there was a hint of how Rose got her ability but that was never fully explored.  I think that would have made for a much more interesting plot over her brother's, er... ability.  That kind of background probably would have helped explain his "ability" better and made the book much less confusing.

The Wilder Life

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie
Wedny McClure
331 pages
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Source: Borders sale
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Wendy McClure loved the Little House books when she was a child and when she rediscovered them as an adult it awakened something in her.  Soon she was traveling with her husband to every Little House landmark, museum, and homestead she could find in the mid-West.  The Wilder Life chronicles her travels and her desires experience Laura.

So when I was a kid I did the obligatory reading of the Little House books and I really enjoyed them.  But recently, as an adult, I've found myself wanting to read them again for inexplicable reasons and this memoir only made me want to read them even more!  I'm not kidding when I say the next time I go to the library (tomorrow?) I might have to take a look to see if there are any copies of Little House in the Big Woods available.

Ms. McClure did a great job with this book.  The description of her travels throughout the mid-west were equally balanced with her inner reflection on why she felt the way she did about the Little House books.  I thought the whole memoir was brilliant.  And what a sport her husband was for going with her, reading all the books, and getting involved!

The only thing that would have made this book even better would have been if there were pictures of the places/items being discussed.  But if you want to see them, you can find them on the book's Facebook page.

If you've ever read the Little House books, I highly recommend The Wilder Life, even if you haven't read the books since you were eight years old.  It's very nostalgic and made me LOL several times.

The Start-Up

The Start-Up and The Anti-Social Network
Sadie Hayes
90 and 66 pages
Publisher: Backlit Fiction
Source: the author
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summaries here and here.

Amelia and Adam are twins, former foster children, and are finishing their first year on scholarship at Stanford University.  When Amelia invents a new iPhone app she soon catches the eye of a wealthy investor.  At first she is opposed to starting a business and earning money off her endless hours of coding, but when she and her brother lose their scholarships, she starts the venture.

I loved these novellas!  The Start-Up and The Anti-Social Network are like Gossip Girl meets Silicon Valley.  They were absolutely riveting.  What I particularly enjoyed was the balance between the descriptions of Amelia's program and the start-up itself and the more personal issues Amelia and Adam are dealing with, particularly in the second book when both twins have love interested and their former foster family comes back to haunt them.  Talk about juicy drama.

I particularly loved Amelia's character.  She's smart - both street smart and technically smart.  She's got the most common sense out of either twin and that made her a very realistic character.

I have already recommended this series to a friend and I recommend it highly to you, as well.  The Start-Up and The Anti-Social Network are, in my opinion, on the forefront of what is sure to be a great YA genre in the future simply because the topic of advancing technology is extremely relevant.  The ebooks are incredibly affordable, so go check it out right now!

Cheesy Romance Monday (3)

Abby and the Bachelor Cop
Marion Lennox
Subgenre: Classic
Goodreads link

This was a cute, classic romance.  Definitely a classic kind of romance.  Abigail, aka Abby, is engaged to Philip and the wedding is imminent.  Then one day on the way to court she gets stuck behind a car accident where a bunch of dogs on the way to be euthanized have escaped.  Her ex, Raff, a cop, hands Abby a dog and tells her to take him to the vet, but Abby can't force herself to put Kleppy down, so she keeps him as her own.  Soon her feelings for Raff are coming back and she's questioning her upcoming nuptials.

I think Kleppy was the shining star of this romance.  He's appropriately named Kleppy because he's something of a kleptomaniac; he likes to steal things.  Anything from bras to other dogs, Kleppy with take it and he's been trouble with the law more than once because of it.  Haha, a dog in trouble with the law, what a hoot.  If you like your romances classic without lots of sex or paranormal aspects or an inspirational message, this would be a great romance for you to try.

If I Tell

If I Tell
Janet Gurtler
256 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: NetGalley
★★★☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

If I Tell is a book that tackles a lot of issues - race, family, young love.  Jaz was raised by her grandmother because her mother had her when she was only seventeen years old.  Jaz has a careful relationship with her mother and adores her boyfriend.  But when she sees her mother's boyfriend at a party kissing her best friend, Jaz doesn't know what to do - should she tell her mother or not?  Things get even more complicated when it's announced that her mother is pregnant.

This book struck me as very realistic.  The situations in the book weren't anything I grew up with, but they were situations I've heard about and can imagine happening in real life.  I admired Jaz's strength.  While she was harboring this secret, she was also struggling with her mixed-race background in a prominently white city and she was also struggling with boy issues.  But aside from missing a few shifts at work, she never dropped the ball and she seemed like a very strong person to me.

I also found the book relatable in part because it was a coming of age story, but also in part because growing up always involves decisions like the one Jaz had to make.  Sure my mother's boyfriend never made out with my best friend, but going up everyone has tough decisions of whether or not to tell a certain secret.  Whether it's that your best friends boyfriend is cheating on her, or you saw someone cheating on a test, these kinds of "If I Tell" decisions permeate youth.

So overall, I liked If I Tell.  If you're a fan of contemporary YA I think you'll like it, too.

In My Mailbox (9)

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM THE LIBRARY:

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua (already read, two stars)

Current TBR: 118

Hourglass

Hourglass
Myra McEntire
390 pages
Publisher: Egmont
Source: library
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

WOW.  This book drew me in immediately, right in the first few pages.  Then it blew me away.  The plot line in Hourglass is just amazing.  Emerson has been seeing people from the past since her parents died, and her brother will do anything he can to help her.  Cue Michael, a consultant who know he can help Emerson.  When she learns what's really behind his motives, she's thrust into a drama where she feels compelled to save the life of a man who has already died.

I really don't want to give anything major away about this plot because I really do want to you experience it for yourself, but let's just say, there were twists and turns I didn't see coming... and I loved it!  Particularly near the end of the novel I found myself saying out loud, "WHAT?!" at the end of a couple chapters.  And the chemistry between Em and Michael was very compelling.  Throw some Kaleb into that mix (who doesn't love a love triangle, no matter how minor) and you've come a great love-y side plot.

This book was so beautifully written.  The language was modern but beautiful; the chapters were short, which made reading "just one more chapter" that much easier.  This was such a real page-turner that when I finally had the time today to sit down and finish it, I whipped through it.  Everything about Hourglass was great, even the cover.  Look at that cover!  Now turn it sideways.  Whoa.  Guys, this is a must read for 2011 and I'm so glad to have finally read it.  I'm looking forward to the sequel in June, we had some unfinished business here after all and I'm hoping to see more of Kaleb.  ;)

Little Women and Me

Little Women and Me
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
336 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: The publisher via NetGalley
★★☆☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

I read Little Women in 2010 and loved it.  It was the first time I'd read the classic in full (i.e.: not an abridged version for children) and I doubt it will be the last time.  So when I saw there was a YA novel coming out about Little Women, I jumped at the chance to read it.

The story starts out with Emily receiving an English assignment at school: pick your favorite book and talk about the things you would change about it.  Emily chooses Little Women, deciding that Jo needs to end up with Laurie and Beth needs to live.  But as she starts writing her assignment, she is sucked into the actual book as the fifth March sister!  How on earth will she get out?

I regret to say that I didn't like this book that much.  I was enjoying it right up to the point of the story where Emily is sucked into the story.  It went downhill for me from there.  My beef is mainly with the character of Emily- when she arrives in the 1860s she has no regard for the past.  She introduces her modern slang to the characters and is constantly whining to herself about how different the time period was.  Her teenage mannerisms were very over the top and detracted from what might have been a good plot.  I also didn't care for the fact that Emily refers to her adventure as "time travel."  I don't think it qualifies as time travel when you are traveling to a fictional place.

What I did like was that the character of Emily grew as a person throughout the novel.  It was refreshing to see, despite the fact that her mannerisms remained over the top.

I don't want to spoil the book's ending, so I will just say this: I especially didn't like the last chapter's revelations, nor did I care for the epilogue.  Reading the "Author's Note" at the end of the novel really helped me get a better grasp on what Baratz-Logstead was trying to do with the novel, but without that explanation I really would not enjoyed this book that much more.  The reader shouldn't have to rely on the "Author's Note" to understand the book.

The book has merits and I do think there are readers out there who would really enjoy it; it just wasn't for me.  The book is out today if you're interested.

Fading Into Magic

Fading Into Magic
Vone Savan
276 pages
Publisher: Savan Publishing
Source: the author
★★★☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

When Madeline visits the mysterious Madame Anca, a fortune teller at a local fair, she learns that she will soon fall in love with a handsome, dark-haired, pale boy.  Sure enough, the new student in town looks exactly as Madame Anca described.  Things start to get complicated after they start falling in love - Stefan knows magic and has a lot of family secrets to go along.

This book sounded really interesting to me and I was glad to receive it.  After reading it and mulling it over for a bit, though, I feel like it had a lot of plusses and minuses for me.

The Good:  The plot had dimensions.  Madeline wasn't just dealing Stefan and his nonsense, but she was also dealing with a distant and alcoholic father, as well as friends who felt abandoned by her.  Madeline had a lot on her plate.  Also, the concept for the book on a whole was great.  I liked how Madame Anca showed up later in the book (don't want to ruin it!) and how Stefan's sister was a crazy bitch who had more up her sleeve than I originally thought.

The Bad: I felt like the plot was rushed.  The chapters didn't really accomplish much on their own, but together they moved the plot too quickly.  I also had a problem with the dialogue: sometimes I felt like the high school characters sounded younger than they were supposed to be and dialogue often felt forced.

Overall, it was fast, good read.  If you're one of those YA readers who is into magical plot lines, then I think you would really enjoy this book.

PS: I would like to thank the author for sending me this signed copy of his book.  Even though I received the book for free, that didn't affect my review.

Cheesy Romance Monday (2)

The Doctor's Family
Lenora Worth
Subgenre: Inspirational
Goodreads link

Soooo, I really liked this book.  I really love romances where the hero is a doctor and that's probably why I married one (well, amongst other reasons.)  There were all kinds of positive things going on in this book:

• The hero, Jonathan, was a doctor!  There's nothing sexier than saving a life.
• The heroine, Arabella, had three adorable daughters.  Just adorable.
• There was some real plot and mystery behind the main plot line of the romance.  Who is Macy's real father?  She bears an uncanny resemblance to the triplets!  Dun dun dun...
• The "inspirational" aspect of this novel was not overpowering at all and added to the plot nicely.  It was certainly not preachy, which I enjoyed. 

In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FOR REVIEW:

Feyland by Anthea Sharp (review coming December 15th)

Nightingale by David Farland - it's an enhanced ebook with a soundtrack

FROM THE LIBRARY:

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Amiee Bender

Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat by Sofie Kelly

Current TBR: 121

The Book Thief

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
550 pages
Publisher: Knopf
Source: paperbackswap.com
★★★★☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

At the beginning of World War II in Germany, nine year old Liesel is whisked away to foster care by her mother.  She quickly fits in with her new Mama and Papa and the war really gets underway.  When a book burning occurs to commemorate Hitler's birthday, Liesel steals a book from the bonfire and starts her careers as The Book Thief.

I enjoyed the way the story is told.  I thought the point of view (I don't want to ruin it by telling you who is telling the story) was very unique.  In several cases the narrator tells the reader straight-up what's going to happen, but that kind of extreme foreshadowing really worked in this book.

This book held so many emotions.  Since it's a book about WWII in Germany, and thus the Holocaust, it was extremely depressing and disheartening to read at points, but there were also parts that made me smile and one part in particular that made me happy.

It's times like this I wish I did half stars, because three and a half seems more appropriate to me than a plain three or four.  So I'll round up just because it's so popular.  If you're even remotely interesting in the war or the Holocaust, I think you would enjoy this book.

Darker Still

Darker Still
Leanna Renee Hieber
320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Source: NetGalley
★★★★★

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

It's 1880 in New York City and a famous painting has just arrived and is the talk of the town - a painting of a young man, Lord Denbury, who is suspected to have drowned in England.  Yet there is something so lifelike about the painting.  When mute Natalie sees the painting she's immediately drawn to it and when she notices the details in the painting are changing she knows something is up.  Denbury's soul is trapped in the painting and he wants Natalie specifically to save him.

It hit me within the first three pages - Darker Still is a beautiful novel.  It gives off an air of sophistication, it's written so well with such great language.  In addition to that, I thought the formatting of the book was brilliant.  The book starts with missing person case notes and continues on with the diary of Natalie, submitted as evidence in the case.  I loved reading the story through Natalie's diary entries - it really helped the story be personal.  Of course, the ending case notes were just as charming.

Charming.  That's a really great word to describe the book as a whole.

I particularly enjoyed the spiritualism aspect of the book.  The spiritualist movement in the United States has always fascinated me.  The history throughout the book was so interesting and I can't think of a better time period for the book to have taken place.  I think if it took place today, it would have been really cheesy.

Of course, the character of Jonathan was one of the best parts of the book.  A gentleman through and through and at the same time gorgeous and just, well, dreamy.  He was a classy guy, yet at the same time the chemistry between Natalie and him was palpable.

Darker Still is out today.  Five stars!  An amazing book with a gorgeous cover to match.  Add it to your Christmas wishlist right now, or go out and get a copy.  I'm not kidding.  What a lovely piece of literature.  I'll be checking out any future sequels for sure.

October Recap

Another month over!  Thankfully I had a better reading month in October than I had in September and finished twenty-three books.  So without further ado, here's the list of what I read this month, whether it got reviewed here or not:

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

The Blood Lie by Shirley Reeve Vernick

Blood Drive by Traci Houston

Death by the Dozen by Jenn McKinlay

The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

Deadly Choices: How the Anit-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All by Paul Offit

A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis by Irene Woodbury

Happy Birthday to Me by Brian Rowe

Happy Birthday to Me Again by Brian Rowe

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The Reckoning by Beverly Lewis

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bewitching Kittens by Janice Bennett

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel

YTD books: 217

YTD pages: 71,372