Audiobook Review: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A book every go-go-goer of today needs to listen to. An amazing story about appreciating what we have and focusing on all the seemingly little (but really the biggest and most important) moments in life.

My parents and I took a LONG roadtrip this past fall and stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch. I suggested we pick up an audiobook to fill the silence during the drive. Now, I am typically drawn to YA literature and they...they would rather listen to the white noise on the radio than to anything YA. What they like are mysteries and Christian fiction. I found this audiobook and the back blurb sounded like something my folks would enjoy and I could stand to listen to.

As soon as the story started, I was hooked.

The reader does a phenomenal job capturing and bringing to life each of the characters. The story follows three main characters and, even though they are as different as can be, you are instantly sucked into each of their lives.

During the roadtrip we got lost and had to turn the audiobook off to listen to my Dad's GPS device disagree with my Mom's iPhone GPS. During that trip, we ended up seeing some beautiful parts of the country but I never did get to hear the last half of the book.

And the story has haunted me for months. I wanted to know what happened to Dor, Victor, and Sarah. So, 3 days ago, I just happened to pass by the Adult fiction audiobook shelf of my library (I was headed to the kiddie movies which they recently moved near the adult audiobooks--go figure) and by chance looked down and there was The Time Keeper, begging me to take it home.

And I am so glad I did!

I highly recommend this book to everyone and will be putting it on my husband's iPhone when he gets home tonight.

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Reading Challenges for 2013

I was so close.

 

Like THIS close.

But,

I failed.
(I'm the little blue guy.)

Last year, I only read 89 books when I said I would read 100.

Now, it's a new year and a new beginning.  And I've committed myself to not only try again this year, but to succeed and maybe even surpass my goals.

Not only am I participating in the Goodreads Reading Challenge, I'm also taking part in the Indie-Fever Challenge over at b00k r3vi3ws by DDS.

My challenge level will be that of LOVER (9-16 Indie Author books). If I had the time to read all the e-books I've downloaded over the past year and a half, I'd be a Fanatic (28+), but I don't want to set myself up to fail twice this year. As it is, I have not had the greatest success with e-books published by Indie Authors, so we'll have to see how this goes. Maybe I will find a few gems in my hoard.

I'm hopeful.

And I'm also now out of time for this post. Diapers to change, bottles to warm, and busy life to live.

e-Book Review: Becoming Jolie by Monique O'Connor James

Becoming Jolie by Monique O'Connor James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Becoming Jolie is yet another example of why I find it hard to like self-published books.

So far, in my experience, self-published books are riddled with problems. Problems that an editor should've/would've caught. Problems that using more than one beta reader could've pointed out. And I'm not talking just typos because typos exist even in traditionally published books. Even minor issues...like the wrong name or a misplaced prop...can slip through on traditionally published books.

However, self-published books or books published by small, online publishing companies tend to have far too many of these issues.

A few might bother me but won't distract too much from the story. But, when you have little thing after little thing after little thing, they really begin to pile up. And that makes it difficult for me to like the book.

That is my major complaint with this book: all the little things.

The inconsistencies with props and surroundings.

--Jolie goes to the bar to get a pitcher of beer and 4 plastic cups, but then everyone is popping the lid off their beer bottles. ??? Where did those come from and what happened to those plastic cups pointed out to me as being served at a bar?

--The need to walk to the back of a convenience shop to get cell service after coming off the highway. ??? In my experience, you normally find better cell reception outside of buildings. She went in only so she could run into another character.

--After traveling a long time, Jolie & Tucker walk into her apartment and the first thing he does is turn on the t.v. and THEN he drops his bag. I don't know how important the t.v. is to him, but I think most people would drop their bags first and THEN go turn on the t.v. to relax. I know that sounds nit-picky, but it's just another example of one of the many little things that irked me.

The odd and inconsistent behaviors from the characters

--Frog: He acts like such a douche/jerk in the beginning but then suddenly has a change of heart and helps out? And I think even a backward backwoods cop would've acted more...cop-like...than Frog did in the bar and at the police station. And what about that bar scene? Do you really think a cop would allow a guy he knows to knock him out in public and then not charge the guy later for assault?

--The FBI: They weren't even really characters in the book, and yet...Not gonna touch that one.

--Hutch & Jolie: I didn't even realize they were going to kiss the first time (it happened so quick and out of the blue) and then it's like they forgot it happened, too. Their whole relationship was awkward and wishy-washy. And I lost all respect (if I had any) for Jolie from her response to being rejected:

"...Hutch was distant as he pushed her to the floor and stood.
     "Please, don't leave.""

I'm sorry, but she is either really needy which makes her weak and dislikable, or she is the epitomy of dumb girls everywhere who only find self-worth and happiness in the person she is with. What self-respecting girl would beg a guy to stay after he rejects her forward advances and DUMPS her on the floor? How pathetic.

And there were some issues with grammar and a serious overuse of passive voice.

But the story itself? The story itself was...absurd. The whole idea of the thesis which sent Jolie to Folette seemed far-fetched. The big ta-da near the end about Jolie was painfully obvious much earlier in the book than when the ta-da was revealed. There were so many unrealistic things which happened in the story and made it unbelievable. And the ending? Totally had that cartoonishness where the good guy goes to confront the bad guy and said bad guy confesses to all his evil-doings for no good reason, except to tell the reader what happened and why he did it.

Becoming Jolie's saving grace was Tucker. His character was consistent and most often seemed reasonably believable.

I have another of Ms. O'Connor James's books already queued up on my ereader, so I will give her another shot, but I doubt I will purchase anything else from her if the next book has similar issues.

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New Year, New Stories

Once upon a time...
It was a dark and stormy night....
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
Call me Izzy...

Ah, the opening line.

I spent so many hours agonizing over perfecting my opening line for Telos.  I have so many versions saved in one of the various 'temorary' files for that book.  It's hard to believe I began writing Telos over two years ago--as a project to occupy my time during Lent (we'd given up television watching) and to give my kids a story while they waited for the next installment of the series we were reading (Justin Somper's VAMPIRATES, which we've just recently begun to reread).

I'm happy to announce that thirteen minutes into the new year (and thirteen minutes later than my goal had been), I finished the fifth complete rewrite of Telos: book one of The Children of Chaos.

Now, it's time to start something new.  These new projects (for indeed, there are more than one brewing in my head) will encourage me to take a step away from the world of Chaos and to leap into new worlds full of chaos.  I look forward to the days of research as I examine and explore those worlds which I have yet to create.  I look forward to getting to know all the new characters I will meet there and their problems.  I look forward to the headaches of figuring out why something just isn't working and the countless hours of revision work ahead of me.  And, I look forward to handing the first rough draft to my husband/daughter/sister/mother-in-law and having them tell me what they did/didn't like about it.

But, I'm not leaving the world of Chaos completely.  I still have work to do...query revision, rewriting the snyopsis, finding an agent to sell Lily's story.  And then there are the sequel and finale in the trilogy which need rewriting and the side-stories and companion novels itching to be told.  But, I'm putting Chaos's full stories aside for now as I focus on renewing my passion for writing.  The few short stories I wrote while working on Telos really helped revitalize my love for telling stories and I'm hoping at least one new novel will do the same.

I'm excited!  It's a new year full of new stories to tell, and I look forward to sharing those stories with you and the rest of the world someday soon.

The Dump - Recycle or Just Throw it Out?

People give excuses not to GO GREEN all the time. "But I can't afford it." "But it's actually more harmful than helpful." "But it doesn't really make a difference."  However, I believe going green (to an extent) is the socially and environmentally sound option.  Even those who hate the whole GREEN campaign can agree that recycling paper, plastics, glass, styrafoam, and hazardous waste (to conserve natural resources, reduce landfill waste, and protect surrounding areas from harm) is a good thing to do.

Now, am I saying everyone should buy a hybrid car or switch out all their light bulbs or only buy products using recycled/recyclable materials?  No.  Just that, sometimes, recycling, if the item can be recycled, is a good thing to do.

And sometimes, you just have to throw some things away.

What does any of this have to do with writing?  (I’m getting there…)

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember.  Growing up, my favorite thing to do was read.  To this day, I still love to read.  It’s my favorite past-time.  And I really love it when I start reading a book and I get sucked into this whole other world I never knew existed.  Thankfully, someone else did and they were skilled enough with their language and writing ability to transcribe a story and introduce that world to me.

I never realized how difficult that introduction could be until my focus turned to writing.

Since you, the reader, are new to my world of Chaos, I feel like there is so much you need to know about its history and the rules existing there.  Some things are easy to slip in here and there, but others?  Not so much.  For example, things the MC needs to know:  her family's history, who and what she is, the "real" history of the "real" world.

 Enter the INFO DUMP.

 

Ugh.  Sitting in the middle of my book, smelling the whole thing up, is an information dump about all the background stuff I know and which I truly believe enriches the story and want to share with you, my reader.  And it really isn’t full of garbage.  There are some gems in there.

But (and there is always a but, isn’t there?)

I feel like I’m giving the reader a history lecture, which (as most non-history-buff people would agree) is BORING!  The last thing I want is to bore my reader.

But (there it is again)

My main character really doesn’t know all this stuff and she needs to and she’s inquisitive and she asks and, and, and…

What do I do?  What do I do?  What do I do?

For you, the reader, do info-dumps bother you? I don’t think they bothered me…before I knew they shouldn’t be there…before I knew there might’ve been a better way for the author to tell me all that stuff.

But now…

The writer in me says I need to eliminate it.  Just throw it all away.

But then...

The story-teller in me says, “You need to know!!!!”

So, do I just throw it all out and see if it works without that knowledge?  I’m so close to the story, will I even be able to realize that the reader doesn’t know what I do?  Or, do I go back and try to weave the most important details into the existing story?  You know...recycle it.

That seems like the right thing to do.

But, but, but...

Audiobook Review: LOCOMOTION by Jacqueline Woodson

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I listened to the audio presentation of this book. I chose to listen to this, not knowing anything at all about the story, because of how short it was...just over an hour long. At the very beginning, I thought I would regret my decision.

I am amazed at how much I ended up liking this story.

Dion Graham, the reader, did such an amazing job bringing Locomotion (the MC) to life. I really felt like Locomotion was reading his poetry book to me...or I was in class listening to him read it aloud.

The author, Ms. Woodson, did an amazing job writing poetry believably written by a tweenager. Some of the poetry set me giggling. Some made me feel sad. All of it made me relate to Locomotion even though I've never experienced the things he did.

I highly recommend this audiobook even if you aren't a fan of poetry.

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Book Review: Passion (Fallen #3) by Lauren Kate

Passion by Lauren Kate
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Oh thank Heavens I finished this book!

If I could go back in time and stop myself from picking up PASSION and RAPTURE from the library, I would do it. At least I can prevent myself from reading book 4. I read the last page in the last book, so I know what happens and feel I've got it covered. No need to suffer through the 448 pages of that book. Maybe it would be better than PASSION, but I'm not going to spend my limited time reading it. After all, I have a stack of other library books and dozens of books on my shelf and close to a hundred e-books to read.

As for PASSION, I guess my main problem was the whole traveling-back-through-time bit. I get their Announcer travel, even if I don't understand it or why it is even possible. And I was okay with Luce going back in time to find out what the curse was and how to correct it. And I was even okay with her wanting to figure out why they loved each other (although I don't think that was ever actually answered).

At first.

Then, I just got bored. It was the same thing each time. Some minor enlightenment followed by some gruesome (or not so gruesome) death followed by Daniel acting like a seriously-depressed person. Okay, I get that he loves her and it tears him up to have to watch her die time and time again, but it really didn't help me to like him more or see him as a strong individual. And I really don't see what they love about each other. It's insta-love over milleniums...no real reason beyond they are soul mates, he's super hot, and...um...yeah, that's about it.

But my biggest beef with this story is the 'God' character. He totally doesn't act like an all-knowing, all-powerful, creator of everything, kind of god. He even admits that he doesn't know how something will end up for one character...which goes against the 'all-knowingness'. And then, he sides with Lucifer and says "Lucifer is right..." In what alternate timeline/universe did Luce end up in where 'God' would ever say Lucifer was right about anything?

Unfortunately, I cannot say I liked this book...at all. It was okay. I've read much worse. I've read MUCH better. Will I recommend this book? No. I really liked FALLEN. TORMENT was good, a bit annoying, but okay. I'm sure there are some readers who loved this entire series, including this book. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them and won't be finishing the Fallen series.

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Monday Madness

Today is going to be crazy.

First, and most importantly, it's my Hubby's birthday. Happy birthday, Honey! I've been informed NOT to make a big deal out of it, but I'm not very good at listening sometimes. ;D

And second, it's the last day I have to improve my logline and the first 250 words before forking over some $ in the hopes that my story will jump to the top of the slush pile and make it to an auction where it will WOW an agent, lead to a signing, and eventually to the publication of my first story. Phew! Say all that in one breath.

I received some very helpful advice from my last posting and made minor adjustments with those suggestions in mind. For the last time before the contest, I'm posting my first 250 words as well as the logline. As always, I would love any feedback you have to give.

So, here you go. Critique away.

LOGLINE:

A fifteen-year-old unknowingly destined to live forever is abducted from her family; to save herself and those she loves, she’ll have to defeat Lucifer's demonic hordes in the coming war for Heaven.


FIRST 250 (253) WORDS:

It was going to be perfect.

I had it all planned out. The food. The entertainment. And most importantly, the guest list. It was going to be the best weekend of my life.

“You’ll ruin everything!” Mom’s voice cried out through the open windows, pulling me from my daydreams of one guest in particular.

I smirked at the mental image of her in there, freaking out over the dust bunny she’d probably just found. She was always toiling away to remove the imaginary layer of dirt she swore coated everything no matter how recently she’d cleaned it. Gripping the front door’s handle, I hesitated going inside and risking her recruiting my help.

“No! I won’t let you! Get out! Get out and leave us alone!”

The door handle ripped out of my hand and I stumbled forward. “Oh!” I exclaimed as strong arms caught me. “I’m so,” I said, looking up at the stranger holding me, “sorry.” The word drifted from my mouth as an overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over me. “Who…? Do I…do I know you?”

A frown creased his brow as he narrowed his eyes. Uneasiness spread through me at his measuring gaze. I tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. “Let me go,” I breathed. He scowled, pulled me closer, and leaned his face into my neck. Like an animal scenting its prey, he inhaled.

“Lilith,” he breathed into my ear.

“Let her go, you, you, you demon!” Mom shrilled, brandishing a wooden spoon.


Thanks again for all your help! I couldn't do this without you!

It's so fluffy!

Hello! Me again. It is now the 3rd day of NaNoWriMo. If I have any hope of completing (winning), I ought to have at least close to 6k words for the new story I'd planned to write.

Word count as of 11-3-2012: 0 Zero, Nada, Zip, Zilch

Why? Why have I not even written a single word of the story I've been cooking up and dreaming of for the past several months?

Because I really want to see Lily's story in print one day!

I don't mean to be a snob, and bravo to all those writers who have self-pubbed and found success, but I really want to be traditionally published. In order for that to happen, for one of the big publishing houses to give me any notice, I need a Literary Agent.

I want a Literary Agent like the little girl in Despicable Me wants the unicorn. And I will do everything I can to get one. See, just like this:

Okay, so maybe I won't go blowing anything up, but I am willing to work my fingertips off and squeeze my brain to find ways to improve the story and pique the interest of my Agent-to-be.

So, I've been too busy to NaNo because, on Tuesday, not only do I plan to exercise my right (and duty) to vote, I am also putting Lily's story out there again for an Agent to read and fall in love with. Or, at least, that's the goal. But the previous intro was lack-luster at best and a scratchy bit of toilet paper at worst.

Here is the newest version. I think it's better. I hope it is anyway. As always, any opinions/suggestions are more than appreciated...even if it's to tell me you wouldn't even wipe your butt with it. Just make sure to tell me why. All your criticism helps to make me a better writer and I am forever grateful to you for taking enough interest in me to do that.

Now, without further ado, the first 250 (247, to be exact) words of The Children of Chaos: TELOS


It was going to be perfect.

I had it all planned out. The food. The entertainment. And most importantly, the guest list. It was going to be the best weekend of my life.

“You’ll ruin everything!” Mom’s panicked voice cried out, pulling me from my daydreams of one guest in particular.

I smirked at the mental image of her freaking out over the dust bunny she’d probably just found. She was always in there, toiling away to remove the imaginary layer of dirt she swore coated everything no matter how recently she’d cleaned it. Gripping the door handle, I hesitated going inside and risking her recruiting my help.

“No! Get out! Get out and leave us alone!”

The handle ripped out of my hand and I fell forward. “Oh!” I exclaimed as strong arms caught me. Intending to apologize for crashing into the person holding me, I looked up at the stranger and gasped. “Who…,” the word whooshed out as a sense of familiarity washed over me. “Do I…do I know you?”

A frown creased his brow as he narrowed his eyes. Uneasiness spread through me at his measuring gaze. I tried to pull away from him, but his grip was too strong. “Let me go,” I breathed. He scowled, pulled me closer, and leaned his face into my neck. Like an animal scenting its prey, he inhaled.

“Lilith,” he breathed into my ear.

“Let her go, you, you, you demon!” Mom shrilled, brandishing a wooden spoon.


So, better? More room for improvement? Any and all suggestions/comments are welcome. And thanks for taking the time to read it...again. :)

You decide: Woohoo or Boohoo

Recently, I've been lurking around on the Miss Snark's First Victim blogsite, trying to improve different aspects of my writing and hoping to score some interest from an agent.

So far,

But I'm not giving up.

This morning, the discovery of my first real rejection by an actual literary agent left me completely crushed. See, I'd entered a Secret Agent contest over at MSFV and posted the first 250 words of my story. Any Joe Schmo could leave comments and the Secret Agent would also. If s/he was interested, s/he would ask for more. Sadly, she did not love it. Or even like it. She said it was the worst possible way to start a story and had absolutely NO interest in reading more.

[insert snot-nosed crying and moaning here]

I was shocked. I really thought I had something...amazing. Not the snoozy bore she said wouldn't even encourage her to turn past page 1 (although others said they would definitely read on). I read all her comments on the other contestants' entries and found only a few harsher comments than what she wrote for me (and I agreed with her on most of those).
So, after my initial pity party and woe-is-me moment, I picked myself up, wiped away the tears and snot, and took another look at page 1. Keeping the suggestions of the other commenters in mind as well, I tried to see the story through fresh eyes. What I found shocked me.

They were right!

The issue most readers were having was something I'd been holding onto as the last reminent of the very first draft of my story (back when I was calling it Lily). I have now (for the bazillionth time) revised the first, oh, 400 words and really like the new version. I don't know if the Agent would feel the same (I doubt it), but hers is only one literary agent's opinion.

What is your opinion? Below is the revised first 250 words. (Okay, it's actually 257 words but I couldn't just leave it in mid-)


Abduction was never supposed to be part of the best weekend of my life – neither was dying – but then things seldom go according to my plans.

The weekend started out decent, at least. I stepped off the bus and out into the promise of freedom Friday afternoons held. I moseyed across the suburban road, happy to be home and even happier that Saturday was finally only one day away.

As I got closer to the front door, my daydream of how different this birthday would be from previous ones was interrupted by Mom’s voice. She was in there, toiling away to remove the imaginary layer of dirt she swore coated everything no matter how recently she’d cleaned it. A smile crept up my lips as I gripped the door handle. It was almost time for my ball and this Cinderella had handed in her broom for the weekend.

“Oh!” I cried as I stumbled forward. Strong arms caught me. Intending to apologize for my uncommon clumsiness, I looked up at the stranger holding me and inhaled sharply. “Do I…know you?”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to place his completely foreign yet uncannily familiar features. Tightening his hold, he glared at me, his brilliant green eyes reflecting the sunlight in an unusual halo around his pupil.

I tried to pull away from his grip, away from him and his measuring gaze. “Let me go,” I breathed. He scowled and pulled me closer. He leaned his face into my neck and, like an animal scenting its prey, he inhaled.


So, what do you think? Woohoo or Boohoo? And, if you care to compare, you can click here to read the other boohooed submitted version. Thanks for any feedback! :)

Book Review: SEND by Patty Blount

Send by Patty Blount
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a fan!

When I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I tried to win a copy on several blog sites. Before I knew if I'd win, I begged my library to buy this book. They used to honor my requests right away, but for the past year or so, they've been denying most of them due to budget cuts. I was shocked when, two hours after I sent my request, the librarian in charge of adding new books to the catalog contacted me and said to look for it in mid-September. Well, it didn't come in until the end of September, but they did get it and I was the first to have their copy in my hands.

And I LOVED it!

The very first sentence grabbed me, and I knew I was in for a ride. And what a ride. Dan/Kenny is such a likeable character. You know he's supposed to be the bad guy, he messed up and is messed up after all, but you can't help but empathize with and sympathize for him. The secondary characters are well done, too. The mysteries behind everyone's lies continues until the very end, wrapping you up in their troubles and sorrows.

This story is about actions and consequences, mistakes and forgiveness. It's about bullying. Bullying doesn't have to physically push someone in the ground or take their lunch money or give them swirlies or wedgies. It can be done easily, thoughtlessly, and with just a word or a look. Or the click of a SEND button. In this electronic/digital age, the cyberworld holds whole bunches of new issues and problems for our kids to grow up with and deal with, cyber-bullying being one of the big ones. I'm constantly reminding my kids to 'think before you act' in the attempt to help them figure out their life and how they want to live it. The thing is, how many of you would have ever imagined posting an embarrassing picture on the internet would result in someone's death? That by laughing at someone--and getting others to laugh along with you--you were essentially pulling the trigger or tying the noose or dragging the blade or any other number of things people do to end their pain? Could you live with that guilt?

SEND is an amazing story that takes you on one boy's journey through his search for redemption and forgiveness. It's thought-provoking and masterfully done.

And I still want a copy to call my own. I'm trying to win one of the two copies up for grabs on Goodreads as of the posting of this review. If I don't win, this will be one book I plan to purchase to add to my collection--to reread for myself and to share with my kids as they get a little older.

**This book contains quite a bit of foul language (several f-bombs), mentions drug and alcohol abuse, and has a non-explicit sex scene.**

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Book Review: Hidden (Firelight#3) by Sophie Jordan

Hidden by Sophie Jordan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maybe I have a thing against the end of a story...especially trilogies. Quite often, it seems the second book is just filler OR the final book just doesn't hold up to the awesomeness that was book 1 and book 2. Sometimes both. Now, I loved Firelight and Vanish. And I really, really wanted to love Hidden just as much. Unfortunately, I didn't.

One thing going for this book is that it is a quick read. After spending nearly a month trying to finish a 354-page book, I was able to finish this 260-page book in about 5 hours. The major problem was that most of story was spent going back and forth: caught then free, caught then free, caught then free; be with Will, let him go, be with Will, let him go, be with Will, let him go. It became kind of tedious. I wanted Jacinda to hurry up and get back to the Pride, but even then the same things happened. I also felt that there weren't any real twists or surprises to this story. There is one semi-surprise near the end, but it wasn't all that shocking. Several of the characters from book 1 and book 2 make a reappearance in book 3, but their parts are very limited. Also, there was one injury/death at the end of the book which I felt was not clarified (see, I don't even know if the person actually died or not).

All in all, I enjoyed reading this end to the series but it isn't one of my favorites by Sophie Jordan. The story does wrap up most of the issues Jacinda faced and has a mostly happy ending. If you've read and enjoyed the first two books in this series, I would recommend reading this to finish out the series...just don't expect to be blown away with the amazing awesomeness that was Firelight.

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Book Review: The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry

The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I was originally intrigued by the idea of an alternate history/steampunk/paranormal/fantasy novel. And the cover looked so interesting. Unfortunately, I found myself not connecting with these characters...not caring about their problems and wishing they would just hurry up and finish. When I finally read the last line, I actually humphed. "That's it?" The ending was lackluster. Really, the whole story was lackluster. It had such a seemingly unique premise and there were certainly aspects of the story which were unique. They just weren't...interesting.

I was really shocked by how long it took me to finish this book. It wasn't even 400 pages long and it took me nearly 3 weeks. And I wasn't reading something else in the meantime. I wasn't even really working on my own novel much. I picked this book up every spare second I had and...it...just...dragged. The dialog often felt like an information dump or just seemed like a forced conversation. There were other information dumps which weren't dialog and those really slowed the pace of the story down, too.

I'm sure some readers out there will find this book to be a fantastic read. I am not one of them. I don't think I'll recommend this book, even as one to borrow from the library (which is where I got my copy). Happy reading!

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Book Review: A Gift for My Sister by Ann Pearlman

A Gift for My Sister by Ann Pearlman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Before I begin my review, I would like to thank Inga Kupp-Silberg for generously giving me a copy of this book for review and Pavarti Tyler for informing me of the opportunity.

Here is my very abbreviated synopsis of the book. A Gift for My Sister is a story told from the dual perspectives of two sisters about their struggles with love and life. At first, the two are distant, disconnected, and consider each other almost as strangers -- being only half-sisters by birth. After tragedy strikes, a roadtrip begins the journey of self-realization, acceptance, and healing. By the end of the road to recovery, the sisters are best friends.

Now, A Gift for My Sister does not fall into my typical, go-to genre for pleasure reading, so my opinion of the story may skewed by that fact. That said, I did still find it more enjoyable than some of the YA I've read in the past year. The story had some touching moments, especially when the main tragedy struck the family. I found the worries and concerns of the sisters to be feasible and believable, something essential in this kind of story. The thing that kept me reading to the end was to find out Tara's decision and what the fallout of her choice would be.

My biggest issue with this story (grammatical things and typos aside) was the dialog, both external and internal. I had a hard time, like, believing the characters spoke that way and oftentimes had a difficult time following their conversations. Occasionally, the way the two sisters spoke - and even some of the secondary dudes (characters) - ended up sounding alike. Also, there were moments when the prose shifted from the MC narrating the story for me to her talking directly to me (the reader). I found those moments unnecessary and disconcerting, often kicking me out of the story.

A few, other minor issues, included:

-the chapters: I would have had just one chapter 1 and had a sub header for the parts told by Sky and Tara. Sometimes, I would forget who was telling the story or if I'd read the other character's perspective for the same chapter yet. It was a little confusing.
-the flashbacks/back stories: There were several that I felt were not really needed for the plot to progress. They didn't really help deepen the main characters, just gave them more to think about. I will say that most of the flashbacks were done very well, so they flowed with the story and did give some insight for the reader into that character's motivations.
-the in-depth mention of daily activities/food: I almost didn't read past the first few chapters. The information of the little girl's potty training experiences and saving her successes for her daddy to see...a bit too TMI for me. The details of the sisters' everyday, mundane activities was somewhat tiresome, as well. I understood by the end of the book why the food and it's preparation were so detailed, but that information could have been left out and I would still know just as much about the characters.
-the last chapter: If recipes are going to be given, they should be written like you'd find in a recipe book. If you want to add a story/explain the meaning behind each recipe, that’s fine, but do it either before the ingredients list and directions or after. Don't mix it all up together. And I really like measurements with my recipes, too.

And while those things took up a lot of space in this review, they really didn't ruin the story for me. A Gift for My Sister is a story I would recommend to readers who enjoy realistic fiction, chick-lit, family drama, or a character-driven story.


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Book Review: Tempest by Julie Cross

Tempest by Julie Cross
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Sigh. Once again, I regret having to rate a book. I was actually NOT going to rate it, but what's the point of that? If I'm going to be an honest reviewer, I have to say what I think.

One Star.

I almost wish I could cry. I was SO excited to start this book, as you can see from my update comments posted below. It bugged me at first how similar the cover is to the Hush, Hush series (I remember the first time I saw the book and thought it had the wrong title...bizarre). For the first 200 pages, I had no idea what the title had to do with the book. Not that that's a big deal; some books have titles that make no sense at all, but whatever.

So, the book. Where to begin? I love Sci-fi. Like LOVE Sci-fi. See, I'm 'old school' like that, not SyFy as the channel has changed it. I love exploring other worlds, investigating the supernatural, and testing my ability to pretend to understand the scientific mumbo-jumbo littered throughout the genre. The thing about Sci-fi is it has to be believable. The science has to make logical sense. The premise/plot has to seem plausible. The characters have to be enjoyable (I would've said likeable but some of my favorites have been characters I love to hate).

Unfortunately, TEMPEST falls flat on all accounts. Plus, it completely lacks originality.

The main 4 characters are Jackson (the MC), Holly (the MC's girlfriend), Adam (the MC's smartypants sidekick), and Dad (the MC's 'dad'). Jackson, at first, is a completely selfish jerk who treats his friends poorly and his girlfriend like dirt. We do see some growth in his character as he struggles to figure out how to return to his original timeline AND save Holly. Quite often, his 19/20-year-old character seemed really immature, and other times he sounded more like a 20-something-year-old playboy. Maybe his lack of morals at first explain his behavior and his player attitude, but I found it detrimental to my ability to like him as a character. Holly seemed like three different girls to me. There is the original 009 version (blah, she seemed like the type of girl that would stay in an abusive relationship and cover it up with makeup), the younger 007 version (a little more wild and believable), and the second 009 version (who accepts everything and becomes a wannabe-CIA chick). Adam is there just to fit the pieces of the puzzle together when Jackson isn't smart enough on his own (even though he has photographic and audiographic memory). And then there's the Dad...the most unbelievable CIA agent ever written. Oh wait. No, those would be his co-workers and boss.

~smacks head~ The freaking CIA! If you are going to write about CIA agents, please try to make them seem realistic and not like they fell out of Men-In-Black or some kiddie-Disney show. I get that the CIA guys are tough and wear suits and there isn't much way around that...but honestly, there has to be a better way to create a CIA character than big-tough-dumb-guy-in-suit-with-gun-who-is-after-me-for-no-apparent-reason.

Okay, enough about the characters. Let's look at plot. I was promised "...excitement, romance, and intrigue." I was told to expect "a maze of ingenious twists and turns...[taking] me on a magic carpet ride that will have [me] flipping pages to the end." Yeah, I flipped pages, constantly, but only to see how much longer until the end. It's bad when you've barely made it halfway through a book and you can't wait for it to be over. There was no suspense, no twists or turns I didn't see coming pages away. Jackson is trying to learn more about his time-jumping abilities and in the process learns he's a government experiment whose existence alters the future of the world and his biggest concern is how to save his girlfriend who he actually cares about but treats like dirt. The whole idea of time-jumping as it's portrayed in this story makes little to no sense at all. Different timelines existing in a parallel universe but his 'home-base' is the timeline that's real...says who? And how does he know he's on the real timeline? After the jump he made from the past on a different timeline to the past of his real timeline, several of the characters said things or did things that they wouldn't have known to say or do (nor could they accept) on the original timeline, yet they do anyway. I seriously thought he'd jumped to what he thought was his original timeline but was really another parallel. I somewhat expected him to be lost in the timeline continuum of parallel universes always struggling to find his way home but never quite getting there. Wait. Wasn't that a show on in the late '80s early '90s? Quantum Leap. Loved that show. {tangent} Anyway, the science in this book just isn't well done. It leaves too many questions and answers questions with vague explanations.

And then there's the writing style. I just didn't enjoy it at all. The MC is supposed to be a dude, but he sounds less dude-like and more chick-trying-to-be-a-dude. I mean, I guess I'm not the best judge of what or how dudes think (seeing as how I'm a girl), but I've read other books written by women from a guy's perspective and they seemed so much more realistic than this one did. And the language. My goodness. I understand some characters use foul language and that is just part of who they are, but this felt like it was put in just for the 'oh-my' factor. Same with the sex stuff. Totally unnecessary.

Well, that's enough for me. Suffice it to say, if there is a sequel, I won't be reading it, and I probably won't be watching the movie version of this until it's on instant-download from Netflix.


Oh, here are my status update comments. I don't normally include them on my reviews (and I normally don't write such long reviews either), but I thought it would show that I really grew to dislike the book and didn't go into it looking to hate it.


07/28 page 2 1.0%
"Just started. Nice to have a story with a dude for the main character again. Love my strong, female protags, but it's always nice for a change."

07/30 page 53 16.0%
"So, I'm not loving this as much as I thought I would. The dude is too much like a chick. The plot very GROUNDHOUG DAY meets JUMPER meets CLOCKSTOPPERS or any other sci-fi time travel story. I don't like how things just happen for the sake of happening. And I'm not crazy about the language or the sex. Unnecessary and doesn't add to the character's development at all."

08/03 page 219 66.0%
"Still not loving it, but too far in to quit. Hoping the next 100 pages goes faster. I'm ready to move on to something else."


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Audiobook Review: Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow.

Behemoth was an excellent read (listen) and a fabulous installment in the Leviathan series. One thing is for sure, Scott Westerfeld knows how to write action-packed scenes.

Behemoth continues the story of Alek and Deryn (aka "Mr. Sharp"), introducing new allies and beasties who help overcome the obstacles the two face in their attempts to play their parts in the Great War. I love how everything that happens seems plausible and (somewhat) inevitable for the characters. I really enjoy the mix of fact and fiction in this incredible historical steampunk story.

I really like sci-fi and action stories, but I LOVE when a story has a hint of romance in it. And Deryn's growing affection for Alek (and his complete oblivion to it) really fits the bill for me. Deryn's feelings for Alek and her desire to follow orders often don't mesh so well, and it's really interesting watching her decide how to balance the two. I adored the moment they were alone in the hotel room and Alek confided his last secret to Deryn. And I have to say, the scene after the battle had me grinning. ;D When you read the story, you'll know what I'm talking about.

I'm so excited to see what happens in the next book, Goliath, and super glad I already have it loaded on my iPod!

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Audiobook Review: The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus #1) by Jonathan Stroud

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Breif review for this one. I'd read this book several months ago after I got it out for one of my kids and he turned his nose up at it. I wanted to find out what he didn't like about it. When I read it myself, I found that the Britishness of this story was probably what lost him. At first, I found reading the footnotes somewhat annoying. I skipped several of them if I wasn't confused in the story. I wish I hadn't done that. Those footnotes held a lot of humor.

I received this audiobook from SYNC for free, and I must say, listening to this story in audio format was SO much more enjoyable than reading it for myself. I love the reader's voice for the different characters and how he handled the footnotes - they were more like side thoughts than footnotes. If you like worlds of magic and magicians and don't mind the British setting, I'd highly recommend listening to this series. I know I'll be looking for the rest of the trilogy on audio now.

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Audiobook Review: Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Didn't realize this was part of a series and not the first. I haven't read or even heard of the other books. We'll see...

So, I finished it...finally. Let me just say, anytime the main character reveals that they died and you rejoice only to be told in the next chapter that they really didn't die and THAT is when you cry, it is not a good sign. Suffice it to say, I disliked this book. Immensely. There are too many reasons why to list here. Let me summarize it all with a quote from the story towards the end (don't have a page number since it was on audio):

I considered whether or not I had to pee.
I didn't.

Yeah, that seems to fit the bill.

This is the second Koontz audiobook I've listened to, and I'm sad to say it will be the last. I had fond memories of the Koontz books I liked back in the day (Lightning & Watchers). Now, I'm afraid to reread them and find out that I dislike them as much as I disliked the newer stuff I've listened to.

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Book Review: Legend by Marie Lu

Legend by Marie Lu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Can I give it 6?

LEGEND blew me away. It is an amazing, mysterious, romantic, action-packed, dystopian and has renewed my love for this genre. It is one of those books that I just couldn't put down and when I had to, I thought about it and dreamt about it and couldn't wait to pick it back up.

I can't remember the last book that had me so enraptured.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that I have to wait until 2013 to read the next installment.

The story is told from dual perspective, Day and June. I don't know how Ms. Lu did it, but from the first moment the characters are introduced, the reader experiences empathy for them. I anxiously awaited the moment Day and June would meet and what would happen. The changes June undergoes are impressive and completely believable as presented in the story. I also loved the world building. I got a real, Gotham-City-before-the-bat feel for the new, Los Angeles area depicted in the story. You could really visualize the dirt and decay, feel the hunger and hopelessness, and see how some of the elite (and even some of the poor) were blinded to the truth right in front of them. I look forward to finding out more about the Patriots, if their society is any better, and to watching Day & June's relationship develop.

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Audiobook Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished listening to this audiobook a couple days ago. I really enjoyed listening to it. The reader to a great job with the voices and made the story's action come to life. Guy readers will probably find this steampunk book right up their alley: lots (LOTS) of action, war, robotic machines, sci-fi creatures, and very little (but it is there!) romance. My only complaint is how abruptly the story ended. I know the sequel is already out, so at least I don't have to wait for a year to find out what happens next, but it felt like the story was just chopped in mid-scene for the ending. If not for that, I probably would've given this book 5 stars.

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