The Vast Fields of Ordinary - Nick Burd

Sunday, February 28, 2010
It’s Dade’s last summer at home. He has a crappy job at Food World, a “boyfriend” who won’t publicly acknowledge his existence (maybe because Pablo also has a girlfriend), and parents on the verge of a divorce. College is Dade’s shining beacon of possibility, a horizon to keep him from floating away.

Then he meets the mysterious Alex Kincaid. Falling in real love finally lets Dade come out of the closet—and, ironically, ignites a ruthless passion in Pablo. But just when true happiness has set in, tragedy shatters the dreamy curtain of summer, and Dade will use every ounce of strength he’s gained to break from his past and start fresh with the future.
What a gift Nick Burd has for writing! I fell in love with book within the first ten pages. The writing is very well constructed and articulate, Nick has a way of arranging words beautifully. All of the characters are so real and I felt as though Dade was a good friend and we were sitting on the patio just having a chat. Lucy has such a beautiful soul and she doesn't care about what anyone thinks and she is off on her own beaten path.

Dade's life is crumbling but when Alex comes along, I almost heart the music for the knight in shining armor. I honestly couldn't put this book down - it has everything a reader could want. There's drama, romance, heartbreak, angst, and even a little mystery and some parts where I shivered a bit. This is a complete page turner and I so recommend it to anyone! Alex and Dade completely win the cutest couple award and have replaced my favorite gay couple, Paul and Noah from Boy Meets Boy. Please check it out!

*****

Breathe My Name - RA Nelson

Saturday, February 27, 2010
Once upon a time she wasn't Frances Robinson. She was Shine, and she lived with her three sisters and her birth mother, Afton Jelks, far out in the country. But the loneliness overtook Afton's fragile mind, and one day she smothered her daughters, one after another. Only Frances escaped.

Now Afton is out of prison. And she wants to finish what she started. . . .

I have to start off by saying that this novel took my breath away! ;) Now that the pun is out of the way, this book was completely unforgettable! I found myself not wanting to put it down because I had to know what happened next. My heart went out to Francine and I felt everything she felt as I read. It was such a roller coaster ride and this novel made me fall in love with R.A Nelson's type of writing. The ending was something I was NOT expecting, and I felt the book was worth it just for that. Amazing book that I highly, highly recommend it!

*****

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logstead

Friday, February 26, 2010
In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.

Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.

But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.

Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

This was beautifully written and well constructed. I adored the idea of retelling Beauty and the Beast and I enjoyed seeing the similarities the author put into the story. My heart absolutely ached for Lucius, he was such a good boy and I loved the chapters in his point of view. I did find Aurora a bit annoying, but I find that I dislike most female characters in books. ;) The story was lovely and I liked how short the chapters are. It made it easier to stop (not that I wanted to)!

****

Chosen - P.C. and Kristin Cast

Friday, February 19, 2010

Dark forces are at work at the House of Night and fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird’s adventures at the school take a mysterious turn.  Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be enemies.  And oddly enough, sworn enemies are also turning into friends.  So begins the gripping third installment of this “highly addictive series” (Romantic Times), in which Zoey’s mettle will be tested like never before.  Her best friend, Stevie Rae, is undead and struggling to maintain a grip on her humanity. Zoey doesn’t have a clue how to help her, but she does know that anything she and Stevie Rae discover must be kept secret from everyone else at the House of Night, where trust has become a rare commodity.  Speaking of rare: Zoey finds herself in the very unexpected and rare position of having three boyfriends. Mix a little bloodlust into the equation and the situation has the potential to spell social disaster.  Just when it seems things couldn’t get any tougher, vampyres start turning up dead. Really dead. It looks like the People of Faith, and Zoey’s horrid step-father in particular, are tired of living side-by-side with vampyres.  But, as Zoey and her friends so often find out, how things appear rarely reflects the truth…

I have to say that I thought this was the book that made the House of Night series go down for me. I hated how whiny she was in this book, I understand she had a lot on her plate but that doesn't excuse her from treating people like garbage.

She was short with her friends and while I'm not really a fan of Erick, I felt horrible for him that he was trying so hard to be a good boyfriend and she wasn't having any of it and still struggling with her feelings for Heath and a professor. The writing is very immature in my opinion and they kind of went parenthesis crazy.

I also didn't really enjoy the back story at the beginning, I thought it was unnecessary and slowed the book down a lot. I liked the plot but the writing was bad and it didn't move well for me.

**

Night Runner - Max Turner

Tuesday, February 16, 2010
For Zack Thomson, life in the Nicholls Ward wasn't so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. But that all changes the night a stranger on a Harley crashes through the front doors and tells him to run. Along with his best friend Charlie and a girl he may or may not be falling in love with, Zack does just that: run. Under the cover of night, hiding amongst the shadows, he races for the truth.

Going into this book. I really didn't know what to expect. I believe this book is going to be one of those that you either really like or really hate. I thought I wouldn't like it but boy I was wrong. The story picks up right away and doesn't stop until you're finished with the novel and even then you're on the edge of your seat begging for more.

Many people I've looked through didn't like it but I really want to ask those of you to give it a try, especially you male readers out there. The suspense is awesome and you never know who exactly to trust and it keeps you guessing until the very end. One thing I really appreciated about this one was the ending; I rarely get surprised at endings but what a twist it was. I enjoyed this one and hope you put it on your to read list.

*****

Untamed - PC and Kristin Cast

Sunday, February 14, 2010
Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two Zoey has left are undead and unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? 

There isn't much to say about this novel other than it made me not want to finish the series. Zoey is such an annoying little putz that I just have the desire to slap some sense into her!

I felt like so much of the book was what happened in the previous novels that I was bored to tears. The book should've only been 100 or so pages without the BS. I don't have a desire to read more of this series so I'll leave it at that.

Also...all the love interests are laughable.

1/5

Sunday's at Tiffany's - James Patterson

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother Vivienne Margaux, the powerful head of a major New York theater company has no time for her. But she does have one friend--Michael--and no one can see him but her. But Michael can't stay with Jane forever, and on her eighth birthday, her imaginary friend must leave her.

When Jane is in her thirties, working for her mother's company, she is just as alone as she was as a child. Her boyfriend hardly knows she's there and is more interested in what Vivienne can do for his career. Her mother practically treats her as a slave in the office, despite the great success of Jane's first play, "Thank Heaven." Then she finds Michael--handsome, and just the same as she remembers him, only now he's not imaginary. For once in her life, Jane is happy--and has someone who loves her back. But not even Michael knows the reason behind why they've really been reunited.

This book made my cryyy! I was such a mess when it was over, I'm sure my parents looked at me like I was a complete lunatic. This book was so beautiful and almost whimsical in a lot of ways. It's about love, friendship, and forgiveness.

Jane is adorable as a child and I really related  to her as an adult. Her mother made me want to throw the book against the wall, however by the end, I understood her a little better which really shows talent in a writer. Michael of course just made me melt into a puddle of goo.

5/5!

Living Dead Girl - Elizabeth Scott

Thursday, February 4, 2010
 Once upon a time I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time I didn't know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

This book was a really hard one for me to get through because it was completely gut-wrenching, but I was also abused as a young girl. It brought up many memories but it made me glad I was one that came out okay. Elizabeth Scott is a genius and I can't believe I loved this book. Not because it was bad, but because it was about such a morbid and close to home topic.

Just a warning that this book is rough. I don't want to sheild anyone from this because I think it's important, but I thought to warn a reader that it is morbid and gave me nightmares for a couple days after I finished it.

*****

Teach Me - RA Nelson

Teach Me invites readers inside an experience that fascinates everyone—an affair between a teacher and student—and gives an up-close-and-personal answer to the question: How does this happen?

 I was so excited to see this book in the library! As some of you know, I love books about 'naughty' or forbidden fruit types of books so when I heard about this one, my eyes lit up. What I didn't realize is that it wasn't what I thought it would be.

I found myself skipping around and wanting it to be over. I think Nine's behavior wasn't desirable at all, I don't like desperate people like that. I understand where it can come from, but I'm just not a fan. She became so obsessed that it was borderline obnoxious.

I had really high hopes for this one, because I just loved Breathe My Name, but Teach me didn't hold the standards I was expecting.

3/5

Swoon - Nina Malkin

Monday, February 1, 2010
Torn from her native New York City and dumped in the land of cookie-cutter preps, Candice is resigned to accept her posh, dull fate. Nothing ever happens in Swoon, Connecticut...until Dice's perfect, privileged cousin Penelope nearly dies in a fall from an old tree, and her spirit intertwines with that of a ghost. His name? Sinclair Youngblood Powers. His mission? Revenge. And while Pen is oblivious to the possession, Dice is all too aware of Sin. She's intensely drawn to him -- but not at all crazy about the havoc he's wreaking. Determined to exorcise the demon, Dice accidentally sets Sin loose, gives him flesh, makes him formidable. Now she must destroy an even more potent -- and irresistible -- adversary, before the whole town succumbs to Sin's will. Only trouble is, she's in love with him.

What do you do when the boy of your dreams is too bad to be true?

This book highly disappointed me. So much so that I couldn't really finished it. I skimmed the rest just to see what happened but I found there was a lot to be desirted. The beginning was really slow and didn't capture my attention at all.

I wanted to like it so badly because the cover and synopsis was awesome but I just couldn't. I was expecting more from Sinclair and wanted to know what it really felt like to be him. There was a lot of sex and lust type of scenes and while I'm pretty tolerant of those topics, I found it to be too much and overbearing against the plot.

2/5