My Long-Awaited Book Reviews!

I know, I'm three books behind in my book reviews. I've set aside time today to get you caught up. As of right now, I'm three books AHEAD of my 2014 Reading Challenge (holla!) You can always keep up with my reading challenge progress by looking at the top right of my blog. It is automatically linked to my GoodReads account and will let you know how many books I've read so far. You can click on it to see what books I've read this year. 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

(4 out of 5 stars)

I would be willing to bet that MOST of you have seen the movie The Wizard of Oz (or you at least know the plot of it), so I really don't need to give a summary (do I?) I have seen the movie version more times than I can count. It's not my favorite movie of all time, but I do enjoy it. I didn't realize that the Wizard of Oz series had 14 books in it (click here for that list). I knew there were a few, but had no idea it was fourteen total. I found the first five books on sale for like $5 (it was five books in one), so I went ahead and bought it. I finally finished the first book (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz). I guess so people don't freak out, I need to put SPOILER ALERT (but seriously, these facts will NOT ruin the book-you know what happens). I noticed a few differences right off the bat. First of all, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry didn't have three farmhands. The book starts with the tornado hitting Kansas. There was no mean old lady trying to take Toto away, Dorothy did not fall into a pig pen, and she did not meet up with some carnival fortune teller. She did land in Munchkin Land, but Glinda was not the name of the good witch that helped her (although Glinda does make an appearance later on in the book). Oh, and the famous ruby red slippers that belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East? They were silver in the book, not red. She met up with the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, although their back stories were a little different. The flying monkeys were there, and the Wicked Witch of the West was still very wicked (although her death came a lot earlier in the book). The Wizard promised to take Dorothy back to Kansas in a hot air balloon, but it takes off without Dorothy in it. She is finally told by Glinda that she can click her heels together three times to get home. There were many other characters not mentioned in the movie- like a land full of people made of china. I could probably go on a lot longer about the differences and what was left out of the movie version, but in case you want to read it, I'll leave it there. I did enjoy it. I plan to read the other books in the series at some point. I'm interested to see what happens.

11-22-63 by Stephen King

(5 out of 5 stars)

Summary: If you had a chance to change the course of history, would you? Would the consequences be what you hoped? Jake Epping, 35, teaches high school English in Lisbon Falls, Maine, and cries reading the brain-damaged janitor's story of a childhood Halloween massacre by his drunken father. On his deathbed, his friend Al divulges a secret portal to 1958 in his diner back pantry, and enlists Jake to prevent the 11/22/1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Under the alias George Amberson, our hero joins the cigarette-hazed, full-flavored world of Elvis rock 'n roll, Negro discrimination, and freeway gas-guzzlers without seat belts. Will Jake lurk in impoverished immigrant slums beside troubled loner Lee Harvey Oswald, or share small-town friendliness with beautiful high school librarian Sadie Dunhill, the love of his life?

I heard so many people say that this was a great book, and they were right. When I started reading it, I kept thinking, oh, this book is so long, it's going to take forever to read (the book is around 850 pages). I'm not lying when I say I read over 600 pages in two days. I had started reading it during my lunch breaks and was about 250 pages in, and then one Sunday afternoon I did nothing but read about 400 pages of it. The next day after work, I forced myself to stay awake long enough so I could finish it. By that point I was just ready to see what happened and how it would all end. It was really good- it was different than most books, but that is what I liked about it. What was funny is that the whole time I'm reading it, I kept thinking, "how could they make this into a movie? I bet they would need to make it a miniseries." I would totally watch it! The only nit-picky thing that bothered me (and I don't even want to say it bothered me, it was just something I noticed) is that Stephen King spelled the town of Killeen with only one "L" (very minor). He also made it seem like Killeen (Kileen) was close to Dallas. It's probably about a two and a half hour drive. Also at one point he said something about being able to smell the oil fields and refineries of the Permian Basin while in Dallas. I believe those are out in west Texas (hundreds of miles away) so I don't think you could smell them in Dallas. But like I said, very minor, and it didn't take away from the story (and for those who don't live in Texas, they wouldn't even notice it). You can tell that King did his research on the Kennedy assassination though. Even if you aren't a huge Stephen King fan, give this one a shot, I think you will enjoy it.

Murder Hooks A Mermaid by Christy Fifield

(4 out of 5 stars)

Summary: Nestled in Keyhole Bay, Florida, Glory Martine's souvenir shop, Southern Treasures, is supposed to trap tourists- not ghosts. But a possessed parrot may be just what Glory needs to solve a murder. Inheriting her great-uncle Louis's shop should have been a breeze for Glory. Instead it's been one headache after another- with a lot of them generated by Bluebeard, a parrot with a mouth like a sailor and a personality a lot like her great-uncle. But Glory's troubles pale in comparison to those her best friend Karen, whose ex brother-in-law is about to get locked up. A diver has been found with a gaff hook in his chest, and Karen turns to Glory to help get her former brother-in-law off the hook for his murder. But casting the net for the real killer won't be easy. Glory and Bluebeard are about to find out that the secrets in Keyhold Bay run deeper than anyone ever imagined...

After reading a deep and intense book by Stephen King, this was just what I needed to read next. It's a easy read, fun little mystery book. If I had the time, I could have finished this in one sitting, but alas, I do have to work, so it took me a few days. I didn't realize until I had already started it that it's book two in a series, so I plan to find book one at some point. I found on the author's website she just released book three, so I look forward to that as well. I like her characters and her writing style. Unlike some murder mysteries, it doesn't get into the gory details of what happened (so if that usually discourages you from reading murder mysteries, you won't have to worry about that here). Like I said, it's a fun read. Almost borderline YA (Young Adult), but I like that writing style. If you are looking for something deep and meaningful, this might not be for you. If you are looking for a quick read on some rainy afternoon, check this one out!

Okay, there, I'm caught up for now on my reviews. I leave for my business trip tomorrow, hoping to catch some reading time on the flight to and from the convention. :) 

XOXO!!

Book Club Friday

I know, I've been way behind on my book reviews for 2014. I decided to link up with Book Club Friday (it's been a LONG time since I'm participated in it). I know I'm probably only supposed to review one book for that link up, but I decided to get totally caught up on my reviews (since I'm actually making time to sit and update my blog). I'll keep them short so you won't be too overwhelmed. And, as always, you can follow me on GoodReads here. 

The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen

(3.5 out of 5 stars)

Summary: Ten months after dropping out of all-girl Tarble College, Ruby Rousseau is still haunted by the memories of her senior year, a time marred by an affair with her English professor and a deep depression that caused her to question her sanity.

When a mysterious suitcase arrives bearing Ruby's name and address, she tries to return it to its rightful owner Beth, a dorm-mate at Tarble, only to learn that Beth disappeared two days earlier.

With clues found in the luggage, including a tattered copy of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, which Ruby believes instigated her madness, she sets out to uncover the truth. 

After the first few chapters, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, BUT, I'm so glad I kept reading. I guess the story wasn't what I thought it was going to be, so it took me a while to get into it, but after I did, I really enjoyed it. There were parts of the book that I didn't see coming (and I'm usually good at figuring out stuff like that). And I thought the ending was really good! This was the author's debut novel, I plan to check out her next one. 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

(4 out of 5 stars)

Summary: Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in "The Satan Sacrifice" of Kinnakee, Kansas. She survived-and famously testified that her 15 year-old brother Ben was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club, a secret, secret society obsessed with notorious crimes-locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history. She'll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club- for a fee. As Libby's search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started-on the run from a killer. 

I found a list of 16 books to read before their movies came out this year (see list here) and this book was listed. I decided to give it a try. Hence the name, it was pretty "dark". If you like books about puppies and happy thoughts, I don't recommend this for you. It's kind of a mystery, but can get pretty graphic, especially recalling the murder scene. I wasn't sure what I thought of the Libby character at first. I assumed you were supposed to sympathize with her because she went through something so tragic as a child, but she seems to want to profit from it, even 25 years later. Honestly none of the characters are very likable (it doesn't take away from the novel though). The character Lyle kinda grew on me after a while. BUT, it's still a good read. I plan to check out some more Gillian Flynn books soon. I also plan to see the movie when it comes out later this year.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

(4 out of 5 stars)

Summary: Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her "happily ever after" begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill, but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in the trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone's owner, businessman Sam Raxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

After reading such a dark and gory book like Dark Places, I needed something "light" to read, so I turned to a Sophie Kinsella's book. Sophie rarely disappoints with her novels, this was a cute story. As someone who lives through text messages, it was fun to read the correspondence of Poppy and Sam's texts going back and forth. I could so relate to having a relationship through texts. Was it a realistic story? Not really. What is predictable? Absolutely (well, for the most part). But like most chick-lit, it was a fun read. I read it in less than a day.

The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver

(4 out of 5 stars)

Summary: When Special Agent Kathryn Dance, a brilliant interrogator and kinesics expert is sent to question the convicted killer Daniel "Son of Mason" Pell, as a suspect in a newly unearthed crime, she feels both trepidation and electrifying intrigue. Pell is serving a life sentence for the brutal murders of a wealthy Croyton family years earlier. Pell and his cult members were sloppy. Not only were they caught, they even left behind a survivor, the youngest of the Croyton daughters, who, because she was in bed hidden behind her toys that night, was dubbed the Sleeping Doll.

But when Dance's party goes terribly wrong and Pell escapes, leaving behind a trail of dead and injured, she finds herself in charge of her first-ever manhunt. Dance turns to the part to find the truth out what Daniel Pell is really up to. She tracks down the now teenage Sleeping Doll to learn what really happened that night, and she arranges a reunion of three women who were in Pell's cult at the time of the killings. The lies of the past and the evasions of the present boil up under the relentless probing of Kathryn Dance, but will the truth about Daniel Pell emerge in time to stop him from killing again?

This is the first book by Jeffery Deaver that I have read. I'll be honest, halfway through the book I was expecting to only give it three stars (it was good, but was kind of dragging), but during the second half of the book, the pace picked up, earning it an additional star from me. I like the character Kathryn Dance and look forward to reading more books in her series. This isn't nearly as dark as Dark Places, but there is some mystery and murder throughout the book (you have been warned). The one thing I found kinda funny (I guess I should put spoiler alert, although it's not really and it won't ruin the book), is that the book is called The Sleeping Doll, but that character is only in the book for a very brief time. Regardless, I thought it was a good read.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
XOXO! 

The Brass Verdict-Book Review

I told you I was going to try and do my weekly book reviews. I just finished The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly. This is only the second book of Connelly's that I've read, but I'm becoming a fast fan. 

The first book I read was The Lincoln Lawyer (yes, the movie with Matthew McConaughey is based on it, but the book was better). I really liked the main character, Mickey Haller, so I picked this book up (book 2 in the series). I was introduced to another character of Connelly's- Harry Bosch. I now have to catch up on the Harry Bosch books-from what I read about Bosch in this novel, I think I will like him. 

I like Connelly's writing style. His books are easy to read (that is not an insult, it simply means that his writing flows well and it's easy to get caught up in the story). I really like his characters. There are some minor characters introduced in this novel that I hope make an appearance in another Haller stories (one of them being Patrick- if you read the book, you will meet him). I would like to see where Connelly takes them. 

The only problem with reviewing a mystery book is that you don't want to say too much. I don't want to give something away in the story (as minor of a detail it might be). I will say there were some things I didn't see coming, so I was surprised!

If you read this book, I would recommend reading The Lincoln Lawyer first, just to get some background on Mickey Haller. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

XOXO!

2014 So Far...

So my plan to blog more in 2014 hasn't worked out so far. I've had a few friends mention to me that I needed to blog, so I decided to do a post of "What I've Been Up To So Far in 2014". Prepare to be amazed (or bored). :)

I went to my second Stars game of the season...

I hosted my first baby shower where the guest of honor wasn't able to be there. My BFF Brandy and her newborn son got very sick the day of the shower, and it was too late to cancel it, so we Skype chatted with her (we had already postponed the shower once since Baby M decided to make an early appearance). I opened the presents while she watched from the hospital. Isn't modern technology wonderful? She and Baby M are thankfully doing much better. I'll hopefully post a picture of Baby M soon, it's late as I'm writing this and I want to get her permission before I post anything (I always get permission from parents before I post pictures of their children on my blog). :)

Holding up the gifts so Brandy could see them via the iPad.

Everyone's favorite principal Mr. Belding replied to me on Twitter. Yes, that Mr. Belding. If you don't know who that is, I feel sorry for you (hint: Saved By the Bell). :)

I went to Austin to meet Baby A...

Baby A is my BFF Mandy's son (yes, I have more than one BFF, don't judge me!) :) Mandy and I have been friends 25 years. It was also her birthday weekend so I got to spend that with her. :)

Went by my old high school and was very upset to see the empty spot where they had cut down MY tree (it was the tree my friends and I would sit under during lunch). Tree killers...

That bare spot is where our tree once stood...

Was sad to see my friend and coworker Yolanda move from Dallas (she got a job out of town). She will be missed around our office!

While watching The Karate Kid (the original one), I sent out the following tweet. It was favorited by William Zabka (who played Johnny in the movie). I know, I have silly giddy moments when stuff like this happens. :)

So, my goal in 2014 is to read 52 books. So far I'm on track and have read four. If I can stop being so lazy, tired, busy, I'll try to do these book reviews on a weekly basis. :) I'll get you caught up with the four I have read so far (I tried to keep the reviews short). Click on the name for links to the books on Amazon.

The Travis Club by Mark Louis Rybczyk 

(5 out of 5 stars)

I seriously couldn't put this book down- in fact, I stayed up until 2am reading because I HAD to see how it ended. Everything in this novel works- the characters, the plot, and the writing style. The author does a great job of making the characters seem real and believable. I love the historical facts that he includes-even readers with no interest in San Antonio will enjoy this part of the story. I hope that the author will write another novel using these characters, I feel they have more stories to tell. Great job!! I read the paperback version, but it's also available in e-reader form.

Love Me To Death by Allison Brennan

(5 out of 5 stars)

Allison Brennan is one of my top five favorite authors. I can't believe it took me SO LONG to start the Lucy Kincaid series. The only good thing is that I don't have to impatiently wait for the next one to come out since I'm so far behind. Although at this rate, I'm sure I'll catch up in no time.

I love the Kincaid sibling novels. We first "met" Lucy in the novel Fear No Evil when she was in high school. Now she is older and determined to apply to the FBI. I don't want to give away too much of the plot so I won't go into a lot of detail. You can read this novel without reading Fear No Evil (although to fully understand Lucy's story, I recommend you read Fear No Evil first). If you don't, Brennan does a great job of recapping the past events to get the reader caught up, so it won't take anything away from the story.

This is a great mystery novel (with a little bit of romance thrown in- although it doesn't distract the reader from the mystery portion of the book).

Love Is Murder by Allison Brennan
(4 out of 5 stars)

This book is more of a novella, and the story takes place between the events of Fear No Evil and Love Me To Death. It was a good story, but I wish it would have had been longer (to give more of a background on some of the characters). But overall, it was a very good read! Oh, and even though it's a prequel, it doesn't HAVE to be read before Love Me To Death, (I read it after the fact and I don't think it took anything away from the story). The only reason it didn't get five stars is because it was too short. :)

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult 
(3 out of 5 stars)

"In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge." This is taken from the description on the back of the book. This was all that I knew going into the book, but it didn't take long before I realized what the story was going to be about. KINDA SPOILER ALERT: Although I don't consider this a spoiler, because the reader will discover pretty quickly that this story is going to revolve around a school shooting. The author goes back and forth in her chapters describing the events leading up to the shooting and the aftermath of the shooting. This is done in such a way that it's not too confusing to the reader. 

I felt the story was well written, especially since it's dealing with a sensitive topic (one that might hit too close to home for some readers). Some of the characters were pretty stereotypical: the jocks who are flat out mean to kids who aren't as popular; the unpopular kid living in the shadow of his older brother, thus making him an outcast and causing him to be bullied, etc. There were also a few characters who I thought were somewhat over-dramatized, but it didn't take away from the story too much. 

The author not only shows the reader how the victims' families handled the tragedy, but she also shows how it affected the family of the shooter. I guess most people don't think about the families of those who cause shootings. We forget that at one time, the shooter had someone who loved and cared for them, and that they too are upset and confused at why the shooting happened. I don't want to talk too much about the story, because I don't want to give anything away (once I start talking, I won't shut up). :) This is a good read- although it does deal with some sensitive topics (other than the shootings), so be prepared. This is the first book by Jodi Picoult that I have read and I plan to read some others.

Okay my lovely friends, there you go, 2014 so far. I know, it doesn't seem like I've been so busy that I can't update my blog. Pure laziness, and the fact that I'm reading more. Hey- that's a good thing, right?!! Hope everyone is doing well! 

XOXO!