January 24, 2011

I’ve been so busy reading, I’ve been forgetting to post. Sorry! OK, I have lots to catch up on. Here we go. I zipped through reading I, Drakula by Bekka Black. I know another vampire book. I can’t help it, I’m weak! Anyway, this book was a retelling of the classic Dracula, told entirely through e-mails and text messages. I think it was a format that worked, especially for this retelling. It added to the sense of urgency and panic when phone calls, messages and e-mails went unanswered, or people became unreachable. There are some differences from the original novel, and while having read the original is not required, it helps a lot with understanding this book. (Similar to reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies).


In keeping with my little mystery theme, I also read the book Suspect by Kristin Wolden Nitz. This book was about a girl Jen, who is now 17 and will be spending the summer helping her Grandmother run her Victorian Bed & Breakfast. Sounds simple, right? But Jen’s mom disappeared when she was young, and her Grandmother has planned a mystery weekend, hoping to recreate the past, and jog the memories of several participants, trying to solve the mystery of Jen’s mother’s disappearance. Does it work? What really happened to Jen’s mom? Add a little dash of romance, and you have an enjoyable, entertaining read. I really liked Jen as a character, which made me eager to find out what really happened to her mom. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery/suspense novels. 

Thanks to snow days, I’ve been able to read more than usual, so I also had time to finish The Daughters by Joanna Philbin. Yes, Philbin, the daughter of Regis and Joy. This book? Okay, and that’s about it. Nothing new. Not a bad story, and the characters were relatively likeable, but it was so predictable. 

And my last update, I just finished Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. I LOVED it! Everyone should read it now. Loved the writing, the plot, the characters. It was just so much fun to read. And even though yes, it was a paranormal story, it didn’t seem trite and played out, it seemed fresh and interesting. I also love that the title and all the chapters relate to songs. It’s kind of like playing a little game while you read, trying to identify all the songs. I’m so hoping for a sequel! 

I just started a book called Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler, who wrote Twenty Boy Summer (which I read in February). I really liked Twenty Boy Summer, and Fixing Delilah sounds good, so I’m really looking forward to reading it.


Oh yeah…I’m also still reading East of Eden. I kind of have this method for tackling the classics. So, I figure out the date that I have to have the book read by. Then, I count the number of pages, and whatever number I come up with, I divide by the number of days that I have to read it in. This gives me how many pages I need to read per day. I know it sounds crazy and kind of complicated, but with the classics, sometimes I need a method to tackle them. Anyway, I’m reading around a chapter a day and I’m still really liking it. That’s it for now, hopefully I’ll get one more post in before the end of the month! 


January 13, 2011

Let It Snow, Let It Snow….

Done and done. Finished Paranormalcy and Decoded. Really liked them both. I learned a lot more reading Jay-Z’s book, but that stands to reason, seeing as how it was a non-fiction book. Also read two “adult” novels, Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich and Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie. 

And then I had time to bang out Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler. Hunger is a YA book; in fact, it’s very short, and not a hard read. However, the concept and plot are fascinating. The main character Lisa is anorexic, and on the verge of committing suicide when Death chooses her to be one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, specifically Famine. Imagine an anorexic girl playing the role of Famine? There was a lot in this book that reminded me of Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. I think the author did an amazing job of detailing Lisa’s struggle. If anything, I think the book was too short, and not enough time was spent on the mythology or story behind the Horsemen. However, this book is labeled Horsemen of the Apocalypse Book #1, making me think there is a series in the works, so maybe we’ll get more detail in the next few books.

I have SO many books checked out; I’m not even sure what I’m reading next! I’ll keep you all posted though! 


January 10, 2010

Reading up a Storm

While everyone is getting all crazy and frantic about the storm that is supposed to happen Wednesday, I'm getting all crazy and frantic with my books. I always do this, not sure why, but I'm in the middle of 4 books right now and about to start a 5th! I know, seriously? Most recently, I've jumped into East of Eden by John Steinbeck. That's right. The 601-page classic novel. Yikes! Before you get too impressed though, I only started reading it because one of the Book Clubs that I'm in chose it as their January title (oh yeah, I was supposed to be done with it yesterday!). But, not everyone finished it, so we kind of bumped the discussion up a month. Our February book is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. That is the 5th book that I will be starting ASAP. I feel so special and cultured knocking out these classics.

Anyway, back to East of Eden, I'm actually very surprised, but I'm loving it so far. I'm not sure why I was hesitant to start it, I've read The Grapes of Wrath before and enjoyed it, so I know I like Steinbeck's writing. Honestly, I think I just get intimidated by these big, serious classic novels. I think I've even written about this before. I should know better by now, because once I buckle down and start reading these classics, I'm almost always glad that I did, and I end up really liking them. 


And, yes, I'm still making my way through Decoded and loving Paranormalcy (there better be a sequel!). I'm also wrapping up an adult novel that I've been reading, Falling is Like This by Kate Rockland. So, my friends, that rounds out my 5. Now I've got to go and read! 

P.S.- If we do get all the snow they're predicting, stay safe and warm, and read a lot. Nothing goes better with a huge cup of warm hot chocolate than a good book! 



January 6, 2010

So, I just finished The Miracle Stealer by Neil Connelly. So, when it’s all said and done, what did I think? Hm…that’s a great question. Have you ever finished a book and then wanted someone else to read it, so you could see what they thought? That’s how I feel about this book. Not the most amazing book ever, but I really like how the author portrayed both sides of the main issue in the story, namely faith. He examined faith through a variety of characters and showed without too much judgment how faith and religion can get tangled, for better and worse. Connelly’s portrayal of a confused and angry teenage girl (Anderson) was realistic and heartbreaking. The ending seemed a bit abrupt, but purposely ambiguous, leaving the reader to form their own thoughts and opinions. Are there miracles? Did Anderson really witness one? I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a story with more depth and seriousness to it. While it’s not a difficult read, it’s also not light and fuzzy; it definitely packs an emotional punch and doesn’t give any easy answers.

My next book? I started Decoded by Jay-Z. So far, it’s a pretty interesting read, I’ve already bookmarked several pages, so I can go find songs or videos on YouTube and watch/listen to them while I read the footnoted lyrics. (Is that a word? Footnoted?) This is technically an Adult book, but if anyone is a big fan of Rap and Hip-Hop, or of Jay-Z, or you just want to learn more about the topic, then I would say this is a good choice for you to check out. The book is laid out in an interesting format with different sized and styles of fonts, pictures, drawing, lyrics and more. At times, it almost seems like a diary. The language and emotions are personal, raw and real, so if strong language bothers you, I would not recommend this title.

And, in keeping with my usual theme, I started a book called Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. So far, I love it (of course!). Very tongue-in-cheek writing along with a human (?) Buffy the Vampire Slayer-style heroine. I love books that don’t take themselves too seriously, and have a good sense of humor, and this one has it in spades. And hey, knowing my luck, it will be the start of a series!! 


January 3, 2011

2010: The Year in Review

Whoo! What a Year. And Happy Birthday to my little blog, it turns 1 this January! So exciting!! So, let’s talk about last year from a literary standpoint. 

Total Books read for Reba Recommends: 71 (?) Why the question mark? I won’t lie…I just read through the archives of my blog and attempted to tally up the books that I had read specifically for the blog, and I got 71. But, I’m not sure I added correctly. Close enough though. And really, is anyone else out there going to try and add them up? That’s what I thought. So, of all those books, what’s my Top 10 List of 2010 look like? This is so tough, but here they are, in no particular order. 

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. Graceling by Kristen Cashore
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 
5. Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes 
6. Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 
7. Heist Society by Ally Carter
8. The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
9. Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill
10. World War Z by Max Brooks 

And an addendum to my entry about World War Z. The author, Max Brooks is the son of noted director Mel Brooks. Guess an offbeat sense of humor and satirical writing runs in the family. There is also a lot of violence and some mature language and content in the book, which I guess will make for a great movie adaptation. That’s right; World War Z is being made into a movie starring Brad Pitt (swoon)! As long as he doesn’t end up as a Brad Pitt Zombie, I’ll be happy. 

I’m about halfway through The Miracle Stealer. The intensity has not let up, and the author clearly has spent some time in the church. I grew up in the church myself, and I feel like Neil Connelly’s voice is very authentic. I look forward to reading the rest of the book, and see where the author goes with it all. 

Happy New Year! Keep reading!!