Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
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Kelly's List of 2011 Reads & Challenges
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(This post will be updated as I move along)
Paranormal/Supernatural/Preternatural/Anomaly 11.11.11 Book Challenge easy level
Selkie/mermaid/merman - Sea Witch
Psychics/paranormal powers -Skin Tight 1/11/11
Witches /Wizards & Such - Hold Me Closer, Necromancer 1/24/11
Werewolves - The Lost Saint 1/7/11
Not sure what cat this is in, but has to do with Norse Myths..Stork
Other paranormal I intend to read for challenge
Vampires
Fae- Old Habits 2/8/11
Darkest Mercy 3/24/11
Ghosts-First Grave on the Right 3/8/11
Cryer's Cross 1/24/11
Dragons
Gods
Angels - Unearthly 3/18/11
Demon -Pleasure Unbound
I Heart Indie Books Reading Challenge
4/14/11 - Jenny Pox
Read the Alphabet
A -Across the Universe 2/20/11
B -Bone Crossed 1/8/11
C- Cinderella Unmasked
D- Demon Lover 2/8/11
E- Enclave
F - First Grave on the Right
G - Grimspace 5/2/11
H- Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
I - Inside Out 2/11/11
J - Jenny Pox 4/14/11
L - Lust 2/1/11
M - The Mockingbirds 2/4/11
N - Nevermore 3/17/11
O - Outside In 3/31/11
P - Paper Towns 2/16/11
R - Rock Me 1/17/11
S -Sapphique
U - Unleashed 1/14/11
V - Vixen 1/18/11
W - Where She Went 4/28/11
X - XVI 4/10/11
January Reads *post 1 of 2
Sea Witch
This book was good right up to around page 71. Then it got boring and flat to me. I didn't care about the two main characters and the storyline could have been a lot better if everything wasn't so hum drum.
Sapphique
The story continues for Finn, Claudia, Attia & Keiro, but some characters don't grow as the story does. I thought maybe we would get something more from Keiro or Attia, but we don't. It seems like we never dig deep enough for these characters.
The story moved along fast and in the direction I thought it would move in. But something at the end just left me unhappy and feeling like I got ripped off.
Bone Crossed
I had taken a little break from the Mercy Thompson series, because I was unhappy with the decision "Mercy" had made regarding Sam & Adam. AND because of that little break I think I enjoyed this book more then the rest.
It was like coming back to a family that I enjoy spending time with.(Everyone with their own little quirks.) I liked the relationship between Stefan and Mercy in this book and I like how Patricia Briggs didn't feel like she had to throw in a whole bunch of sex scenes for it a be a good book.
Cinderella Unmasked
For those that ever pondered .."I wonder what ever happened to Cinderella and Prince Charming?" this gives you an answer.
I liked the storyline, Cinderella has basically been abandoned and is now running a kingdom on her own. But she has no one to love. Doesn't she deserve some happiness, or at the very least some hot steamy sex?!
No worries she gets both in this book. I must say I enjoyed the plot more then I did the erotica part.
Skin Tight
This book takes place a few months after Skin Game ends. So you already know the two main characters ,mysterious "Foster" and Kyra's friend Mia.
I'm not gonna recap the plot I'm just gonna say my jumbled up thoughts:
~ Soren is one of my favorite book characters. He's mysterious, but soft,so soft you want to protect him.
~ The chemistry between Mia & Soren sizzled.
~ It was easy to pick up Soren's anger and make it my own.
~ Ava Gray's made a series that makes me very eager to pick up book after book!
Ok here's what made me deduct some halves from the rating:(view spoiler)
I'm so glad I've discovered Ava Gray, her books are not disappointing and her heroes are men with flaws, but you love them anyways!
January Reads post 2 of 2
Unleashed
Evan and Kelsey have known each other since college, Kelsey gets married to Evan's childhood friend . Eight years later Kelsey catches her husband in bed with Evan's Fiancée. here's where the story begins.
I liked this story, but if you hate books that are mostly dialog this book isn't for you.(because it was written with mostly dialog it moved along faster.) There was no unnecessary details that hung up the story.
The book reads like a friend telling you what happen during her weekend. Not like some made up story, not like a book. There were several parts I laughed, because it would have been something I would have said or done.
This is my first book by Cherrie Lynn and I'm quickly moving on to another by her.
1/17/11
Rock Me
This is my second Cherrie Lynn book. You can read it as a stand alone, but it does have 2 characters that you meet in her first book unleashed. (Kelsey & Evan)
Another quick sexy read. I was about to slam a 5 on this until page 204. Then Candace got on my last nerve and I found myself wanting to skip paragraphs that she was in. (but I didn't)
It's one of those stories where you meet bad Boy, Bad boy falls for very virginal good girl,Good Girl wants all that bad boy wants to give her, Bad boy swears a lot and knows just HOW to give a girl what she wants.
Good girl & Bad boy are in love...weeeeeeeeee...(at this point I'm in love with Brian too and wish I was a book character so I could get some of the action)
uh oh, Bad boy defends good girl, good girl then decides they need time apart.
SLAM the 3 stars on this book.
I may be being a little unfair with the 3 stars, but damn it Candace really just p*ssed me off. Besides that part the story again was something I think would happen. I mean the conversations between the two didn't see forced, it didn't read like a book, it was like you were eavesdropping on some one's life. I'm just so grumpy about Candace I think it's ruining the rest of the good parts lol.
Another thing, for some reason while reading this I got the feeling that Candace was younger then her 20 something years. I felt more like she was a 16 or 17 yrs old. Her actions(along with her friends) seemed a little immature/young.
Reasons to read this book:
Brian
Brian's hot
Brian's got it going on
I know you may not like bad boys, you may not like guys with Tattoos all over. Guys with piercings, guys that drop the "F" bomb every few minutes, but seriously, Brian has a way of changing your mind.
with that all said and done...
If I was rating on Brian alone, it would have gotten a 5.
1/18/11
Vixen
There are three girls this story develops around.
Clara - who is sent to her aunt's to hide her past.
Lorraine - Gloria's best friend, in love with Marcus.
Gloria- spoiled & rich. Before she settle downs to marry Bastian she wants to do something fun, go to a speakeasy. This is where the story starts.
The first couple chapters are slow but does eventually pick up. When you first meet Clara you know she has secrets, but there is one that isn't told until the end. it may have been that reason that I kept reading. I wanted to know more about Clara.
Lorraine ,right from the beginning,was a very unlikeable character. I wouldn't have cared if she dropped out of the book. Some of the things she did I just didn't get. Why would you do that?
Gloria's situation has been told before, mostly in romance novels. Truth be told Clara's story has also been told before in many romance novels. But because Clara wasn't so snippy or snotty she was the only one I really wanted to keep reading about.
By the end there is no real closure for any of the characters,She sets the pieces together, but then sets them adrift so you'll have to read the 2nd book.
Will I read the next book? Yes, I'd like to see Clara happy and also find out what kind of trouble or success Gloria is having.
1/24/11
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
Things I liked:
That it was told from a male's POV.
The Chapter titles rock (Kick-Start My Heart, Don't Rock the boat, Baby, Papa was a rolling Stone, Sweet Child O' Mine..)
Sam's friend Ramon reminded me of "Weevil" from Veronica Mars. So I instantly liked him.
Biggest like is that it's about a necromancer. I used to play an online game where my main character was a Necromancer! There's nothing more fun then raising some undead minions
= )
1/27/11
The Lost Saint
The "misunderstanding" between Grace & Daniel was a little too much for me. I hate when one character all of a sudden becomes secretive and pushes the other character away.
Undercover
This is how I'm gonna explain the feeling for this book.
First porno I ever saw was some ridiculous 70's thing. You know the kind where the girl has run out of money and can't pay for her rent <cue "Bow chicka wow wa" music> so she's got to work it off...then after 20 minutes of watching I've totally forgotten what the plot was. Facing the fact that we watch porn for the SEX not the plot. You read this book for the SEX not the plot. Which is too bad since it sounded like something interesting.
I'm disappointed in this book. If there was one scene that stuck in my head it was the scene with Ash's head.
Kelly, I love your rating style and I love how you set your section up. Kudos for creativity and flare!
I love it too! Dang...why couldn't I have thought of this. Super cute! :)
February Reads: *Update frequently* 1 of 3
Lust
First I want to say I love the cover.
I was excited to read a another fae book, I liked the court system in Marr's wicked lovely series and thought this would be something similar. I mean come on, it even has a dark fae named Niall!
But I needed the fae to be a little more devious & sinister. This book was a little more historical then erotic to me. I was bouncing between 2 1/2 to three stars.
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2/4/11
The Mockingbirds
I like the concept behind the "Mockingbirds". Daisy Whitney does an excellent job describing the system and how it works. I also giver her Kudos for standing up for herself when the same thing happened to her. She gave many other women a voice and the strength to also come forward.
If there is only one thing you get from this book it's:
"Sexual assault is sexual contact (not just intercourse) where one of the parties has not given or cannot give active verbal consent, i.e., uttered a clear "yes" to the action. If a person does not say "no" that does not mean he or she said"yes". Silence does not equal consent. Silence could mean fear, confusion, inebriation. The only thing that means yes is yes. A lack of yes means no."
This subject should be address in schools now and there's no reason for it not to be.
*on a side note- it has a lot of Music reference, which made me want to pull up the music on you tube and listen to it.
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2/6/11
How It Ends
This book has sat on my bookshelf for a long time. I'd gotten it at Books a Million for a dollar, thinking it looked interesting. I finally took it off the shelf (because I'm between library books) and started reading the first chapter wondering if I could maybe read it soon. Well soon turned into RIGHT NOW. I honestly did not want to put it down from the very first chapter. Not a lot of books do that to me.
This isn't just a young adult novel about Hanna. It's a novel about Hanna & her elderly neighbor Helen, her "gran". Helen sees Hanna grow, from being a small child to a teenager who no longer thinks it's cool to hang out with her. The book is written from both POV. So you see the hurt from Helen and the very much teenager attitude from Hanna.(So many times I felt like screaming, Open your eyes Hanna, he's an *ss!)
What makes this book so good is that it's just not one story, but two. The story your reading and then the story Hannah & Helen listen to on an audio book called "How It Ends".
There are so many issues being touched on in this book I could go on and on about. So many important ones. I bet this book would be go for a group discussion. It's heart wrenching & full of love and one that made me stay up until 3am two days in a row.
"I don't know how you say good-bye to whom and what you love. I don't know a painless way to do it, don't know the words to capture a heart so full and a longing so intense."
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2/7/11
Demon Lover
This was an adult take on the old fairy Tale Rumpelstiltskin. Again (like the author's other book I read) I like the story more then I did the "erotica" part of it.
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It's on my hit list this month too. Wonder if I'll like it more? I was hoping Wal-mart had a copy (they're cheaper), but I guess I'll be making a trip to B&N tomorrow.
February Reads *post 2 of 32/7/11
Old Habits
I'm pretty sure Melissa Marr's fae have some kind of glamour on me. I adore them. Especially Irial & Naill and that's who this short book is about.
I was just as satisfy with this book as I was with a full length book. I can't wait to read the finally book in this series.
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2/11/11
Inside Out
Snyder creates a world of small hall ways, narrow passages, pipes, vents & Gaps. It's a world full of propaganda that leaves everyone leery of everyone.
In it she places, Trella and the scubs, along with them is you.
Your right there with Trella as she's squeezing through air ducts, peeking/spying on the "uppers" .
I'll admit while reading it I thought, mmm.."I wonder if this is like the book Incarceron?" but honestly it's not.
The whole time reading it I wanted to know the same thing Trella wanted to know, "What's Outside?"
The sequel comes out this month and I've already placed a hold on it = )
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2/16/11
Paper Towns
So many funny lines in this book. You start off and you think, this book is hilarious, it's gonna stay this funny teenage story, but then towards the middle it turns into this, edge. The edge where you know everything is about to change. Everything is not what you thought. All I can think of is two quotes "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." & "For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known"
I think the most important line in this book would be:
"What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person."
(view spoiler)
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2/20/11
Across the Universe
This book had a little bit of everything.
Did I like it? Heck ya!
I wanted to write up this big review on how much I liked/disliked the inner world of "Godspeed" but I don't feel that creative today.
For those of you that have read it , or even those thinking about reading it, you can actually see a 3-d rendering of the ship "Godspeed" it's kinda cool:
http://acrosstheuniversebook.com/
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Last post of February 2011 Reads2/22/11
Breathless
At first this books feels like one of those, I'm a teenager waa waa waa, my parents don't understand me, I'm spoiled. But then Katie is shipped off to boarding school and things start to change and I start to soften a little bit towards her character. I can't imagine having a brother who is unable to cope with the world, who as a child was your best friend and always had your back, but now when you need him the most he is..just not him anymore.
Katie goes through the typical teenage girl things while living at the boarding school for 3 yrs.It wasn't until the end of the book that I started feeling this emotional weight.
The only thing that bothered me was Katie's "put-offness" towards drew's religion.(I could go on and on about this) But by then end everything smoothed out with that.
The story left me feeling sad & depressed.
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2/24/11
Cryer's Cross
While the story line was unique and interesting, I just don't feel it was played out right.
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The Sky Is Everywhere
I obviously was in the bathroom while they were giving out the kool-aid for this book. 'Cause I just didn't fall in love with it.
I felt a connection with Lennie, because I have a sister who I shared a room with, and on scary stormy nights even a bed. (I was always the one who had to run across the room to her bed.) So I felt horrible for her loss & for Toby's loss. These two character's had the most depth. I had a hard time with Joe's character, for me he was just a book character. Flat. I know he was suppose to be this amazing guy, but I just didn't feel it.
The best part of the book were the notes Lennie left all over the place. You could see the grief she carried and how much she wanted to let it go.
You have so many books on your list I have on my list to read and others I will now have to add to the list. :)
March Reads 2011 (1 of 2)3/17/11
Mercy Thompson: Homecoming
I did not like the way they drew Stefan or Mercy, but I thought they made Adam better looking.
It was weird because in the first two "chapters" Mercy looked different then the last. She looked better once her hair was pulled back, more real looking then comic book looking.
I like that it's basically a prequel. I just don't like the comic book look of some of the characters, they looked a lot less attractive then they did in my head.
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3/12/11
Pleasure UnboundIf your a reader that doesn't like sex, well sex really doesn't feel like the right word. The right word to me would be the big
yea so if you don't like that, then don't pick up this book, because that happens really early on in the book. (I think it before page number 45) I'll admit that at that page I was really wondering if I was gonna continue reading it. It was just really dark and it just seemed to have a sinister feel to it. Like I was walking down into a part of town that I knew what was happening there and it was frightening and that's why I stay away from that part of town. (yes that was rambling)
BUT I stayed with it and was drawn into the story line and the characters. Larissa Ione creates a world where your not sure if you really want to step into,because it's dark and sexy and alluring, but also you have this feeling where it's dangerous and once you know certain things there's no way to go back.
The secondary characters (Shade, Wraith & Kynan) were just as interesting as the main ones. Larissa has cracked open a whole world I can't wait to read about.
If your looking for a new series, try the Demonica.
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3/8/11
First Grave on the Right
First let me say, yea it's not a Vampire book!
Although some of the characters reminded me of/ felt a little like some of Jeaniene Frost's character's from The Night Huntress series. This book IS different and worth reading. It has mystery & humor with a little bit of sexiness thrown in.
I would have given this a higher rating then 3 1/2 if I didn't feel like it had lost some steam right in the middle. (but it did regain it soon after)
Is this book worth picking up? Absolutely!
Will I read the next book? Heck yea!
really darn close to a 4.---------
3/5/11
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
I loved this book! It makes me want to take a road trip and eat at all the local diners.
This story shows how grief can take over and how you forget to live. That your still here and how sometimes by not going the straight path, the one you have planned, wonderful things can happen!
Things I loved about this book:
The scrap book Amy is filling out through out the book. Her little side notes on each state.
Loved the receipts from the places they stopped at.
The pictures she took
I also loved the way Amy became Amy again. She allowed herself to break down and allowed herself to be held and comforted.
The Life saver chapter had tears rolling down my cheeks.
Great characters. They had me smiling through out the book.
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3/2/11
Stork
I liked this story because of it's originality, but I had a hard time warming up to Katla.
I also feel the author wanted it to be a Fantasy story but then wanted it to be a Teenage romance..it's like she couldn't chose and at times it seemed like two different stories.
One thing I hated was the way Katla kept mentioning brand names. She went on and on about the clothes her father wore. How they were all brand name expensive clothes.
If there is a sequel I'll probably read it, I feel like this was just a beginning and it will get better.
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March Reads 2011 (post 2 of 3)3/17/11
Nevermore
I have to say that in the beginning I was devouring each page. I couldn't wait to find out more about Varen.
But then, the story turned confusing. The author was trying to be cryptic and give you a little odd information here and there. It was just too cryptic for me. It didn't blend and made me feel like I missed reading pages somewhere.
I still like the Character Varen. I'd like to read more about him and Reynolds.
*I've also updated two of my reading Challenges.
March Reads post 3 of 33/31/11
Outside In
This book picks up basically right after Inside Out. It's full of twist and turns, which had me asking "Who's the traitor?" more then once.
It took me about 114 pages to really get into the book, I think it was Trella's actions that were irritating me. So the pages were dragging. By the end I was turning the pages as quick as I could. I may have even been holding my breath a little.
Two things:
The relationship between Riley & Trella felt almost forced. It felt like there was little to no chemistry between them.
Second thing
I feel the book could have done with out (view spoiler)
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3/27/11
Desires of the Dead
I loved The Body Finder. I liked the characters, had a crush on Jay, the story was unique and held my attention..
Now lets talk about it's sequel.
I hated, hated Chelsea. So much that I feel she gave me a bad attitude toward the book. Every time I saw her name mentioned I automatically became grumpy. I didn't feel she was cute, funny or anything but RUDE.
Violet. Really we're going to do the whole let's not tell Jay anything and then have the big "misunderstanding" thing happen? That is just so over done. and it's crappy to do with two characters that had worked so well together in the first book. It didn't feel right or believable. Just aggravating!
Jay. Still a hottie!
I know I know this book is for young adults and there was a scene that didn't have to go play by play, but honestly? (view spoiler)
I'm very disappointed.
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3/24/11
Fruits Basket, Volume 1
I don't get the appeal of this manga. Maybe it's because I had a hard time spotting the differences between characters. they all looked the same.
The dialog was clunky,I wonder if it's because it wasn't translated really well. (maybe they had some one like me translating it, everyone knows how sucky I put words together)
I'm gonna try the next book in the series and see if it gets any better.
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3/24/11
Darkest Mercy
The ending to a series I really liked. Lots of death, fighting and complications.
(the only thing I wish it had in it was something more on The Shadow court.)
(view spoiler)
* question: Did anyone do the picture thing on the last page of the book? The bar code?
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3/18/11
Unearthly
I loved this book like I loved The Body Finder. I didn't expect to fall for it like I did. The characters were just that well written. (Tucker is adorable and sweet, and who wouldn't stare at Christian the whole time he's sitting in class with you?)
Yes, I've read books about angels, but honestly this book is just so sweet and kept me guessing, it STILL has me guessing.
April Reads4/15/11 (Counts toward I Heart Indie Books Reading Challenge and Read the Alphabet)
Jenny Pox
I'm not sure what to rate this book. In the beginning I thought it was just a normal YA story about a girl with some weird ability. Then towards the end it turned dark, I was actually thinking along the lines of (view spoiler)
Jenny was born with the plague touch. If anything touches her bare skin they break out in plague. She grows up feeling very isolated because of her inability to have any human contact. (she can't touch any living living) She does attend school, where she is ridiculed about where mittens/gloves all the time.
Now along comes the teenager falls in love with the mean girl's boyfriend plot. Yep Jenny falls for her nemesis' boyfriend. BUT there is a secret in there that turns the storyline into more then the story seems.
The character Ashleigh really bothered me, what a manipulative biotch.
There is one little scene that had me wondering at what age I'd let my niece read this. (view spoiler)
The end of the story is different then how I thought it was gonna end, but not in a bad way. I liked that turn in the story and can see a series being built out of it.
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4/10/11
Matched
Another story that pulls you in and makes you read in to the early morning.
I don't think there was one character I disliked in the story. (except all the Society officials)
I liked the closeness Cassia had with her grandfather, which makes me want to shout
"Rage, Rage against the dying of the light!"
It makes me miss my own grandpa.
There are so many things in this book that make me look at the society we live in and just shake my head. I just hope we never go down this path.
I'm glad I finally read this and now I'm EAGERLY awaiting the next book!!
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4/9/11
The Dark and Hollow Places
Being a big fan of this trilogy, I was worried about how it would end. I wanted to read about Gaby & Elias, not about another new character!
But I have to tell you, that I think Ms.Ryan did an excellent job. The book had just enough of everything. Love, despair & Hope.
Things that stand out for me about the story:
- this book (for me) is really about those dark and hollow places of ourselves that sometimes take us over, leaving us feeling empty and alone.
"For showing me what I could have been if I hadn't turned cold and dark and hollow"
Sometimes we believe something about ourselves for so long it's hard not to believe it any more. It's hard to let some one in.
- another quote in the book that shot straight to my heart "I can't breathe. Can't move. Can't feel anything in my body because everything's numb - except for the broken pieces of my heart. I feel as if I've been turned to dust, ready to be blown apart and scattered far away"
We've all hurt like that at one point or another. You feel Annah's hurt as if it was your own.
- I didn't know at first if I cared for Annah as much as I cared for the other characters, but as she grew I started to see that girl that I felt bad for, the one carrying the guilt for thos eyears. I also saw a little bit more of Elias. It was a good thing.
After reading this book I feel (view spoiler)
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4/6/11
Death Most Definite
This book was a fast paced ride. Steven ,whose a Psychopomp aka a "pomp", someone who's used as a gateway for the dead to get to the underworld, is on the run trying not to die from (almost) the very first page.
Why I liked this book:
- It was told from a male POV. (which I've really enjoyed in a lot of books lately)
- The story and the little elements in it were unique to me.
- I like the whole set up of Mortmax industries
- It made a reference to FireFly and gave a little head nod to Han Solo.
- It introduced me to a new series I'm sure I'm gonna enjoy
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4/3/11 (Update on Read the Alphabet Challenge)
XVI
The book has a world where advertisements blaring from every street corner & every wall is normal.People listen to them like they are gospel. Children , teens and adults are shape, molded by these. (almost sounds a little too close to where we're heading)
At the age of sixteen the girls get a tattoo proclaiming that they are now legal.Legal to have sex. Through out the story you get guys gawking at girls and the girls having to show their wrists revealing that they're not "legal" yet.
But the story isn't really about the whole "XVI" issue. It's about censorship. About not being media sheep. Let's not just follow the heard because everyone else is doing it.
I think it's scary that a world that's portrayed in this book seems possible. We listen to commercials about drugs that will help us feel better instead of listening to our Dr.'s.
I liked this book, the story had me reading late into the morning and although the last few pages seemed a little jammed pack (like there could have been at least 5 more chapters.) I thought it moved toward the right direction.
I'm really looking forward to reading the next book and hope there's several after that one. I'd like to see how the characters become NonCons, which way their lives go.
Post 2 of April4/28/11 (counts toward Read The Alphabet)
Where She Went
I was hesitant to read this because I thought Mia & Adam would always be together. So when I read the blurp my heart sank. Why? Why are they not together? After hearing such good reviews I picked the book up and began to read.
If I Stay was heart wrenching, Where She Went was full of isolation even though there were people every where. When you read Adam's words, his lyrics, you feel the hurt, you feel betrayed almost. And like him, I wanted to know why Mia did what she did.
Toward the end of the book when Adam and Mia are talking about why she left, I felt a little relieved like Adam. Like, there now I know. But at the same time I didn't (view spoiler)
This book is well worth your time, it pulls you along and before you know it your turning the last page.( I really appreciated that this was from Adam's pov)
I'm glad I got to see Adam and Mia again, I almost wish I could see just an itty bit more
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4/21/11
Anna and the French Kiss
I fell in love with Etienne right along with Anna. Very cute, sweet book.
One of my favorite chapters was the email chapter. I loved it.
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4/18/11
The Drowning City
Took a while for me to get comfortable in the world that Amanda Downum has created. Necromancers and dangerous creatures wanting you to swim with them, (of course asking with a smile revealing needle sharp teeth), Djjin that can control fire, and lets not forget assassins.
So while I was reading and this world was being built before my eyes, I was a little confused. the longer I read the better I fit in . I started understanding each character and their powers and connections. By the end I was wishing for more about "Ash" & "Adam"
I've already gotten the next in the series and hopefully will being reading it sometimes at the end of this month.
May Reads5/2/11 (counts toward Read Alphabet challenge)
Grimspace
Grimspace is : Firefly meets Battlestar Galactaca meets Star Gate meets a little touch of Star Trek.
It's fast paced and everything I like about sci-fi.
real quick a line out of many that shows Jax's character:
"He's never going to sit at my feet and write me poems, which is good because I hate poetry, except dirty ones that rhyme."
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5/4/11
Stay
Deb Caletti didn't waste a single word. Like an artist using each stroke to create a beautiful picture, Ms.Calettie used every word to create the story that you fall into . You know how some books have words, words that really didn't need to be said, "fillers". There are none of these words in this book.
Every sentence is filled with meaning, every sentence pulls you further in.
I'm gonna give some examples of how each sentence seemed to be as powerful as a whole story in itself:
"..because an untold story has a weight that can submerge you, sure as a sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean.:"
other quotes that hit home to me:
"To me, my body seemed only good enough, something you'd buy if it were 60 percent off, but not at full price."
I think this nailed how most teenage girls see themselves and their body. "Only good enough"
Clara's reasoning was scary, because even though I knew Christian was bad I could see how her thinking made sense (to her).The readers sees how when you are in a relationship like that you twist things around in your head so much that you rationalize everything. At one point Clara thinks of her relationship as she's a nice object " For him it was as if he'd had a nice object, a painting, say, or some vase, and then he suddenly found out it was rare and valuable, so valuable it made him nervous. He needed to guard it. He needed to make sure sure no one would steal it.."
This mode of thinking helped him control her even more.
The chapters weave between the present and the past. They slowly move forward til your at the now. So your watching Clara go thru everyday life while little by little she takes you back telling her story.
The only thing that I have an icky to say about is (view spoiler)
I think every girl/woman should read this story. Why? Because you see how easy it is to fall into that kind of a relationship. This book should be a lesson.Too many times we lose ourselves for others, too many woman end up caring so little for themselves because of situations like this.
okay Two more lines that I really liked
"You can catch a mood like the flu, and that sort of mood was easy to pass on to someone else. Joy is not nearly as contagious as despair."
""A person shows signs of clutching on too fast, of being needy, of not hearing the word "no," of jealousy, of guarding you and your freedom. But the signs can be so small they skitter right past you. Sometimes they dance past, looking satiny, something you should applaud. Someone's jealousy can make you feel good. Special. But it's not even about you. It's about a hand that is already gripping. It's about their need, circling around your throat"
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5/9/11
Hush
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5/15/11
Shine
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5/20/11
Aftertime
Book was good right up to the point where we stepped in to "Barter Town" (minus Master Blaster & the crazy Tina Turner character. Seriously I thought I was gonna read her jumping down in the middle of the people screaming "I know the law! Wasn't it me who wrote it!")
From that point on was a different tone and there was too much crammed in there at a much faster pace. Like she had to hurry up and finish the book, but in the beginning it was like a long Sunday afternoon drive.
Close to a three. I did enjoy the book, but the rush ending made me like it a lot less.-----
5/25/11
Enclave
This book reminded me a little of The Forest of Hands and Teeth But instead of people living in isolated villages in the woods they lived in underground tunnels. It also had a little bit of Across the Universe feel to it.
The story read very fast and before you know it it's the last page of the book and your searching the website to see when book 2 comes out.
I really want to know more about Fade. Maybe she'll do a prequel, about Fade's life before he came to the "enclave"
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5/27/11
Extreme Exposure
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Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Across the Universe (other topics)The Forest of Hands and Teeth (other topics)
Shine (other topics)
Extreme Exposure (other topics)
Hush (other topics)
More...
I'll keep a running list of books I've read and what I think of them along with challenges I'm going for.
Here's my rating system:
Ratings for Erotica:
CLICK HERE for the Books I read Last year