February in Review

Despite being the shortest month of the year, I still managed to read nine books in February. That's one more than last month, and fits in perfectly with my goal of reading 100 books this year. If I continue the trend and read eight books in March I will be a quarter of the way to my goal and will have read one more book then last years total twelve month combination. I read some great books this month, including the first in the Harry Potter series. I'm really excited to have finally gotten into this series and I'm looking forward to completing the series before the new movie hits theaters.

Work wise, I still have a job despite all of the rumors that are swirling around the building. I'm hoping in the next month we will finally hear something about what is going on with the buy out. I need to let some of the stress go because it's not helping me in my daily life, and it's definitely not helping us have a baby.

I'm really looking forward to spring and I'm ready for winter to be over. I'm ready to sit down with a cold one and watch the dogs run around in the back yard. I'm ready to grill hotdogs and have picnics. To be honest...weeding flower beds never sounded so good.

Review: Evermore

Title: Evermore

Author: Alyson Noel

Pages: 306

Rating: 3.5/5

Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love with him.

This was my last read for February. I finished it up this morning (when I was supposed to be up early to clean) and the ending was quite good. It's the stuff leading up to the ending I'm not sure I liked. This book started off really strong, and I couldn't put it down for about the first 100 pages. Then it started to slow. Slow to the point that I read two other books before picking it back up. Once I got through the middle, the end was full of twists and turns that were great.

This is the start of a brand new series called The Immortals. The next book Blue Moon comes out August of this year. I will probably pick it up, but I don't think it'll be the day it comes out.

I had high hopes for this book. When I first started it, it almost gave me the feeling I had the first time I read Twilight. I was ready to post big signs that said "TWILIGHT FANS UNITE - THIS BOOK ROCKS." Yeah that didn't happen. The main character Ever (that is such a weird name) was really whiney and annoying and so SELFISH. It got really old. She did however, redeem herself at the end though so that made it better.

I'm not telling you to not read this book. Go ahead and give it a try. It may have just been me and my mindset while reading it. I just wasn't as blow away by it as I was hoping.

Review: Fade

Title: Fade

Author: Lisa McMann

Pages: 248

Rating: 5/5

****IF YOU HAVEN'T READ WAKE...THIS REVIEW COULD CONTAIN SPOILERS****

For Janie and Cabel, real life is getting tougher than the dreams. They're just trying to carve out a little (secret) time together, but no such luck.

Disturbing things are happening at Fieldridge High, yet nobody's talking. When Janie taps into a classmate's violent nightmares, the case finally breaks open — but nothing goes as planned. Not even close. Janie's in way over her head, and Cabe's shocking behavior has grave consequences for them both.

Worse yet, Janie learns the truth about herself and her ability — and it's bleak. Seriously, brutally bleak. Not only is her fate as a dream catcher sealed, but what's to come is way darker than she'd feared....

The sequel to Wake, Fade is ten times as intense. I started this book at about 7:30 this morning, and with work, grocery shopping, and making dinner still managed to finish it in less then ten hours. I again, couldn't put it down.

In this novel, Janie is asked to work to find a sexual predator within the halls of Fieldridge High. By tapping into others dreams, the police are hoping she'll be able to spot just who is doing this to the students. And once Janie is sucked into solving the crimes, she can no longer escape, no matter how badly she or Cabel wants her out of the situation. Plus, Janie is quickly learning how to pause, rewind, and work within others dreams, making her even more drained of energy then normal. As these things begin to affect Janie, the reader holds their breath in anticipation of what is next.

I absolutely loved how this book was written. Not once does the anticipation of what is going to happen wane. The book continues to clip along at a rapid place taking the reader on a roller coaster of a ride. I'm so sad that the next book in the series doesn't come out until 2010. It seems like a long time to wait for another well written novel. Plus, its a long time to go without a little Cabel in my life. His love for Janie is so intense, and so sincere it just makes him so damn sexy. Wonder if I'll dream of him again tonight?

Review: Wake

Title: Wake
Author: Lisa McMann
Pages: 210
Rating: 4.5/5

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does — they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....(Cover Blurb)

I've been looking at this book on and off for months on the shelves at Borders. I would pick it up, read the description and then put it back on the shelf each time. I wasn't sure if it would be something I would like, and I wasn't sure if I liked how the book was set up. It wasn't until Katie (she has a great blog and reads awesome books) said it was something that I might like, did I actually pick up a copy. I should have done it a long time ago.

I actually bought this book while I was on lunch at work, around noon. By the time I left work at 4:30pm I had already managed to sneak in about 50 pages. Once I opened it I couldn't put it down. I came home, read until we had to leave for dinner, and then got home around 9pm and finished up with it around 11pm. The book reads fast and the set up really helps it keep moving. I loved Janie and couldn't wait to see what happened to her. Plus Cabel, the "hero" of the story, is stunning. I could just picture him in my mind and wow...he's like up there with Edward wow for me.

The writing in this book is really good and the story is so gripping its all you can think about when you're finished with the novel. The story really sticks with you. It's really intense for a young adult novel and I was sucked in from the very first page. And then, as if the whole book being about dreams wasn't odd enough, I dreamt about Cabel last night...I told you he was Edward hot.

All I can say is thank goodness I bought the sequel while I was at Borders too...

Review: The Boy Next Door

Title: The Boy Next Door

Author: Meg Cabot

Pages: 374

Rating: 4/5

To: You (you)

From: Human Resources (human.resources@thenyjournal.com)

Subject: This Book

Dear Reader,

This is an automated message from the Human Resources Division of the New York Journal, New York City's leading photo-newspaper. Please be aware that according to our records you have not yet read this book. What exactly are you waiting for? This book has it all:

• Humor
• Romance
• Cooking tips
• Great Danes
• Heroine in peril
• Dolphin-shaped driftwood sculptures

If you wish to read about any of the above, please do not hesitate to head to the checkout counter, where you will be paired with a sales associate who will work to help you buy this book.

We here at the New York Journal are a team. We win as a team, and lose as one as well. Don't you want to be on the winning team?

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Please note that failure to read this book may result in suspension or dismissal from this store.

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I am sorry to say that I have never read a Meg Cabot novel before. Sure I've heard great things about them. I've even bought a few here or there. I've seen (and rather enjoyed) both Princess Diary movies, but still didn't pick any of Cabot's books up. However, this weekend, in my medicine induced coma, I found myself grabbing one off the shelf. And I could kick myself for waiting so long to find such a great author.

The Boy Next Door tells the story of Mel, a single girl, living in Manhattan, and working for The New York Journal. After finding her neighbor unconscious, Mel begins looking after the neighbors Great Dane and two cats. She also begins looking for her neighbor's only living relative, Max Frielander. Max, an obnoxious playboy and photographer calls in a favor from an old college friend to pretend to be him and go and take care of the animals. Hilarity, heartbreak, and hi jinks ensue.

Told through emails, this book is a fast, fun read that even being sick I still finished in two days. I have Cabot's other two books: Every Boys Got One and Boy Meets Girl, which are told in the same type of format that I'm definitely looking forward to reading.

I have to say, limiting myself to books that I already own has caused me to find some really great reads already this year. I'm looking forward to seeing what else my shelves have waiting for me in the months to come.

My own little Great Dane, Gidget :)

Sick, sick, and more sick

I think I'm dying. Seriously. I have never had such a horrible, nasty, disgusting cold/infection/bronchitis thing in my life. For the past four days I've done nothing but lay in bed and stare at the ceiling. And then yesterday, Aunt Flo showed up (a week late...) so of course I bawled about that for about an hour. It's really frustrating when you're trying to get pregnant and you're a week late and start to get excited and then BOOM.

Oh yeah...and the battery died in my car and I had to have it towed. And the tow truck drivers sister, who I graduated from high school with, is pregnant...with twins. Open up the flood gates...the rains coming.

That was my weekend. I've managed to finish one book in all this ickiness. Once I'm feeling a bit more up to par I'll get a review up...until then I'm off to bed with my new best friend...Puffs Plus with Lotion.

Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Author: JK Rowling
Pages: 309
Rating: 5/5

Orphaned as a baby, Harry Potter has spent 11 awful years living with his mean aunt, uncle, and cousin Dudley. But everything changes for Harry when an owl delivers a mysterious letter inviting him to attend a school for wizards. At this special school, Harry finds friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, as well as a great destiny that's been waiting for him...if Harry can survive the encounter. From an author who has been compared to C. S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, this enchanting, funny debut novel won England's National Book Award and the prestigious Smarties Prize (Barnes and Noble).

Finally, almost 12 years after its original publication I can say I've read the first Harry Potter book. I've owned this book for almost five years, occasionally moving it from one shelf to another and saying every year "This is the year I will read Harry Potter." And finally, the time has arrived. And...I was an imbecile to have waited as long as I did.

My goal is to finish the series before the 6th movie releases in July - I have seen and own the first five movies, which I adore but the books are so much richer. I'm going to try to get my husband to read them and then we'll have a movie marathon (*nerd alert* hehehe).

So anyways, I loved, loved, loved this book. Harry tugs at your heart strings from page one. His aunt, uncle and cousin are the most obnoxious, irritating people I have EVER met and I really wish Hagrid had turned them all into pigs. The best part of the whole book was the fact that it had been ages since I have seen the movie so I had forgotten quite a number of things that happened including the bad guy. I'm really looking forward to books six and seven because I'll really have no clue what will happen.

I still have three other books I'm reading too, but I will definitely be starting The Chamber of Secrets soon!

Almost the weekend...

It's Thursday night! Almost the weekend. A two hour Grey's Anatomy on TV tonight. And I'm killing time reading listening to my favorite song (of the past few months...lol) and reading my little heart out.



After finishing Never Tell a Lie and I Love Everybody I can't decide what to read next. So far this evening I've started four books - and I like them all. Soooo I guess I'm going to read all four of them. At least I know I'll be on track for my 100 books so this year...

Also, this is the second Thursday I've posted a music video thing (mind you, I do listen to other music other than Robert Pattinson --- like the Twilight soundtrack --- kiddin'...kinda). Maybe I'll make it a weekly thing. And I promise I'll post other music groups to enrich your listening experience :)

What's a girl to do?

I have just found myself at work, heading towards my lunch hour, with no book to read because I couldn't wait and had to finish my book when I should have been working. What's a girl to do now?

ETA: I went to the bookstore...hehehe - just what I needed more books :)

Review: I Love Everybody (And Other Atrocious Lies)

Title: I Love Everybody (And Other Atrocious Lies)
Author: Laurie Notaro
Pages: 226
Rating: 4.5/5

Laurie is married, mortgaged, and now--miraculously--employed in the corporate world, discovering that bosses come in all shapes, sizes, and degrees of mental stability. After maxing out her last good credit card at Banana Republic, she's dressed for success and ready to face the jungle: surviving feral, six-foot-plus Gretchen ("Three Thousand Faces of Eve") before battling the overbearing, overstuffed (in way-too-small pants) new mom Suzzi, who ruthlessly cancels Laurie's newspaper column and learns that payback can be a bitch. Laurie also explores the backstabbing world of preschoolers at a Halloween party, the X-rated madness of a family trip to Disneyland, and the pressure from her QVC-addicted mother and the rest of the world to reproduce. But while losing more friends to babies than to booze, she realizes there's a plus side: at least for a couple of months she gets to be the thinner friend.

I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies) is Laurie Notaro at her deliciously quirky best. Can a woman prone to what her loved ones might term "meltdowns" (she considers them "Opportunities to Enlighten") put a smile on her face and love everybody? Take a guess (Cover Blurb).

I am a huge fan of Jenn Lancaster's books so when I asked the girl at Borders if she knew of any similiar authors, she quickly pointed me towards Laurie Notaro. So with her recommendation in hand, I purchased every book Ms. Notaro had ever published and ran home where I promptly sat them on the self and forgot about them. Monday, as I was searching for something to read, I stumbled upon that pile and thought I'd give it a quick try. It was the best quick try ever!!

This book is absolutely, 100% hilarious. At one point, I was laughing so hard that tears ran down my face and my husband thought he would have to call an ambulance. I laughed at work, I laughed at home, I laughed in the waiting room of the vets office. I am Laurie Notaro's biggest new fan... :). I think the funniest thing about this book, and Jenn Lancaster's books also, is that they are real. These things are normal things that would happen to anyone - just given a whole new light.

This book is exactly what I needed to lift me out of my "short" reading slump and I'm back on track now for the month. I highly recommend this book if you need a break from real life and just a really good laugh!

Review: Never Tell a Lie

Title: Never Tell a Lie
Author: Hallie Ephron
Pages: 288
Rating: 4/5

It all started with the yard sale. Ivy was eight months and one week pregnant when she insisted that she and her husband, David, clean out the junk they'd inherited with the old Victorian house they'd bought three years before. Call it nesting, call it nerves—she just wanted it all gone: the old electrical fixtures, the boxes of National Geographics from the 1960s, the four black wool greatcoats.

Neither she nor David recognized the woman at first. But it turned out that the customer asking about the lime-green glass swan dish—the woman who looks just about as pregnant as Ivy—was none other than Melinda White, a former high school classmate of David and Ivy's. When Melinda was a child she used to play in their new house, she explained. It looked like they'd been doing some work. Would it be all right if she took a look around? David took Melinda inside. And she never came out.

Now David's under police suspicion, and Ivy finds herself digging deep into the past to clear his name. But David's history, she begins to discover, is not necessarily the history she remembers, and before long Ivy has uncovered a twisted web of deceit, betrayal, and lies, both the ones we tell those we love and the ones we tell ourselves. . . .

Relentlessly fast-paced and disturbingly creepy, Never Tell a Lie is a page-turning thrill ride about how well we know the people we love, and how far we are willing to go to protect the secrets of our past (Cover Blurb).

I heard about this book when J. Kaye reviewed it for her blog and immediately wanted to read it. I'm not a huge fan of thrillers (I used to be and think I burned myself out reading them one after another) but this really sounded good. I was planning on getting it from the library or waiting for it to come out in paperback when I stumbled upon the website BookSwim. Its an awesome website where they loan you books and then you send them back for free (like a Netflix but with books). Well of course I had to try it out and Never Tell a Lie was in my first book package that I received on Tuesday.

I had hit a brick wall with my reading, and hadn't even picked up a single book all weekend, so I was super excited when my books arrived. I started this book late Tuesday night and quickly flew through the first 100 pages. I really enjoyed this book and the writing style of the author. The characters were well developed and believable. I really liked Ivy, the main character of the story, and pushed for her to overcome the evils of the story the entire time.

The reason I only gave the book a 4 rating is because I had it figured out by the first 100 pages. It was slightly predictable, but still rather enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to other readers who are looking for a fast paced, quick read.

Stress...and my "secret" boyfriend...

What the day from you know where. If one more thing happens at work I am going to scream. If its not one person it's another. Once things get figured out I'll be a little more free to talk about what is going on and I can explain some of that stress away. As for tonight...I'm off to read and listen to my boyfriend sing to me...care to listen too?

Review: Vampireville

Title: Vampireville
Author: Ellen Schreiber
Pages: 231
Rating: 3.5/5

Can Raven stop Dullsville from becoming Vampireville?

For goth-girl Raven, dating her dream boyfriend is complicated, especially because Alexander's secret means they can only meet at night. And now they must be extra wary, with Alexander's arch rival, Jagger, creeping around town. Then Jagger's exquisitely pale sister Luna also surfaces—and seems to have her sights on Raven's own longtime nemesis.

Raven and Alexander must begin a terrifying hunt for Jagger and Luna's secret hideout. Can they drive them away before Dullsville is eternally threatened by these menaces from the Underworld?

This is the third book in the Vampire Kisses series, and I didn't like this one nearly as well as the first two. I don't know if the thrill of reading a new vampire series is wearing off or I'm just burning out too quickly on this series.

In this installment of the series, Alexander and Raven set out to rescue Trevor, Raven's longtime foe, from a life of Vampirehood. Throughout the way, there are several strange encounters with vampire twins, Luna and Jagger. Alexander and Raven go all over town, searching for the twins coffins in which they sleep during daylight hours. Once found, they hope to hide them, forcing the twins back to Romania. To me, that whole situation was straight out of an old black and white vampire flick and it really started to annoy me.

Also, the writing in this series is not stellar - you can definitely tell it is directed to a younger crowd. However, during the first two books, this did not bother me. In this one, I found myself picking apart sentence structure and everything else. I do believe, a lot of the issues, were bad timing on my part. Things have been stressful at work, and there's been a few situations at home lately that DH and I have had to handle (stupid stupid water company...grrr) that most likely affected me as I was reading last night.

I started the four book in the series this morning and hope to finish it and number five this week.

Review: Kissing Coffins

Title: Kissing Coffins
Author: Ellen Schreiber
Pages: 224
Rating: 4.75/5

Not far from Dullsville someone's lurking in the dark...

After meeting the handsome and shadowy Alexander Sterling, goth-girl Raven's dark world has a bright, new glow. But as in her favorite moving, Kissing Coffins, Raven knows that love always has its complications, especially when Alexander has a big secret to guard.

When Alexander suddenly disappears, Raven leaves Dullsville to begin a dangerous search to find him. Can she stay safe, no matter who - or what - she encounters on the way (Cover Blurb)?

The second book in the Vampire Kisses series, Kissing Coffins is even better than the first one. Alexander has suddenly disappeared and Raven sets out by herself to find him. Going to visit her hippie aunt, she enters The Coffin Club and discovers the super creepy and scary vampire boy Jagger. Jagger is also looking for Alexander, but his motives are much darker than Raven's.

All in all, this book of the series, was definitely darker than the first one, and had more action. However, it still had all the same aspects that made me like this series in the first place. One of my favorite parts of this series is how it is so full of vampire cliches, including when Alexander is almost killed from accidentally inhaling some garlic powder.

My favorite part of the whole book is when Alexander is telling Raven about Jagger and states, "My parents were bohemians and we really never fit in with our kind. We were what was known as vampire vegetarians." I immediately thought of my boyfriend Edward Cullen...hehehe. But anyways, enough about that. I'm off to start the next book Vampireville and then to bed for a good night's sleep!

January in Review

Reading wise, January was a great month. I finished 8 books and managed to review each and every one of them. Considering the fact that I only read about 25 books total last year, I think I'm well on my way to making my goal. Also, I completed one entire series (that's one more than last year...lol) and brought my goal of series to complete down to 4.

Real life wise, January was a bit rough. My company that I currently work for was bought out by the company that I use to work for - I had very specific reasons for leaving so I'm a little concerned as to what is going to happen now. DH has been working long long hours and we haven't had a chance to be together hardly at all. Plus, we had to put down Ralph and Sammy, my Doberman, has a really nasty infection behind his ear (I told my vet this weekend that I didn't want to make it a habit to see her every week...lol). He's on antibiotics and we'll probably have to take further action later this week ---it is just too nasty to talk about.

Well, I'm back to work and then back home to clean up the mega mess left from the Super Bowl Party... I don't know what kind of reading I'll get done tonight :)

Review: Vampire Kisses

Title: Vampire Kisses

Author: Ellen Schreiber

Pages: 253

Rating: 4.5/5

The mansion on top of Benson Hill has been empty and boarded up for years. But a new family has moved in. A family that never ventures out during the day. Who are these creepy people –– especially the handsome, dark, and elusive Alexander Sterling? Or rather, what are they? Could the town gossip actually be true? Are they vampires?

Raven, who secretly covets a vampire kiss, both at the risk of her own mortality and Alexander's loving trust, is dying to uncover the truth.

This was my last book I completed in January. I really enjoyed this book and it was a super fast read. Raven is a goth chick who's goal in life is to grow up and be a vampire. So, when a super creepy family moves into the old abandoned mansion, she is convinced that something spooky is going on - plus, there's a really cute goth guy living there that she just has to check out. Along with her best friend, Becky, Raven sets out to find out what is going on and ends up losing her heart along the way.

The funny thing about this book is how it describes the vampires. They don't go out into the sunlight, they don't eat garlic, and they turn into bats at night. This was just so different from the other vampire books I've read recently and I had to laugh. It was rather funny, after reading Twilight, to go back to something that said vampires slept in the ground and turned into bats.

There are four more books already written in this series and I have already ordered them from Amazon. I'm looking forward to reading them in the next month. At this rate, by the end of the year, I should no everything I need to know about vampires!

Review: Vampire Academy

Title: Vampire Academy

Author: Richelle Mead

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5

St. Vladimir's Academy isn't just any boarding school—it's a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They've been on the run, but now they're being dragged back to St. Vladimir's—the very place where they're most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy's ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world's fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever (Barnes and Noble.com).

I finished this book early last week but never had a chance to write up the review. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a good start to a series. I've started the second book in the series but accidentally left it in my desk drawer at work over the weekend so I had to read something else.

I think my favorite part of this novel, was the history within it. The novel focuses a lot on St Vladimir and his shadow kissed friend Anna. St. Vladimir was a healer, and used his powers to heal plants, animals, and other people. However, these healings left him a little crazy, and Anna was always there to help him out. Rose uses this information to solve the mystery of her and Lissa's relationship --- and to also figure out who the bad guy is. It's all very surprising and suspenseful - especially the last 50 or 60 pages.

Rose is my favorite of the series so far. She's bad ass, she's tough, and she doesn't let a lot of things bother her. And her "relationship" with her trainer Dimitri is hot --- I wouldn't mind letting him push me around a few times either...lol. I look forward to reading about how this relationship transpires.

I originally picked up this novel because of my obsession with the Twilight Saga and all things Twilight. I was looking for other novels to fill the void left by the absence of completing those books. While Vampire Academy is completely different from Twilight, I still really liked it and will be keeping me eyes out for other things by this author.