Follow Me....

I've added some things to my site that I think I need to bring attention to.  First off, under Contact Me, there is a link that says subscribe in a reader.  If you click on that you sign up to gets emails from my blog.  I'm not positive, but I think it will send an email when I post something new.   The second way to follow my blog would be if you use Twitter.  There's a little blue bird on the side that says Follow Me.  If you click that you will be following me on Twitter.  I will post there when I have posted a new review or something else to my blog.  
I'm still working on a few other things and figuring out how my host site works.  I picked wordpress because I liked the format, ease of use, and how I thought I wanted my blog to look.  Turns out, there are a few things that wordpress doesn't do yet.  So, being new to blogging, I've had to find other ways. 

Also, please check out the blog links on the side.  These are the main blogs that inspired me to start me own!

Soulmates (Kissed by an Angel #3) by Elizabeth Chandler

I give this book 4 stars!

Description:  Targeted by the same killer who murdered Tristan, Ivy finally learns that Tristan has become her guardian angel and works with him to prevent her own death, but when Ivy finds true love, Tristan must let her go.

I think this was the best book out of the series.  I wasn't expecting the twist.   I think the story escalates nicely.  Although I could really have done without the involvement of Ella.  I do understand it was necessary to install fear in Ivy.   I was happy with the ending.  Overall pleased with the series, although I do recommend the 3 in 1 novel over the separate books.

The Power of Love (Kissed by an Angel #2) by Elizabeth Chandler

I give the book 3 Stars!

Description:  One month after Tristan's death, Ivy becomes aware of his presence as her celestial guardian, but she is unwilling to believe in the existence of guardian angels until Tristan's killer begins to stalk her.

As a stand alone book, it just doesn't have it.  But, you can tell it's building up to the final book.  As a carryover from book one, I still find Gregory extremely creepy.  If my feelings are right remains to be seen completely.   I did enjoy the pivotal ending of this book.

Kissed by an Angel (Kissed by an Angel #1) by Elizabeth Chandler

I give this book 3.5 stars!

Description: Falling in love with Tristan, Ivy believes that she has met the boy of her dreams, until he tragically dies, destroying her belief in angels and preventing him from helping her as her new celestial guardian.

I liked this story, even though it felt a bit uneven.   At first I thought the story would start from when Tristan died.  I was ok with that.  But then it backtracks to when Tristan is trying to get Ivy's attention.   Although they finally do get together, I don't think enough of the story was devoted to their building relationship.   And then the story ends with Tristan trying to get her attention again, only this time as an angel.  I'm also extremely glad that I'm reading the newer 3 in 1 addition because the end of Kissed by an Angel does not feel like then end of a book.  It's more like the end of a chapter.  I would have been frustrated to have it end like that.  Overall a good, fast read.  And, obviously I will be continuing the series!

Musing Monday's

 

 

 

So, I came across my first problem over the weekend.  I had The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner on my classics challenge.    I've been trying to work my way through my challenges for the year because I have a huge pile of books I really want to read.  Now maybe that's my problem (other books I would rather be reading), because 50 pages into The Sound and the Fury I had to put it down.   Now I'm not sure if I should review it or not.  I'm thinking about taking it back to the library and trying it again at a later date.  But, what do I do if I have the same issue then?   I'm not sure I can give a fair review of a book I couldn't even finish.  So fellow readers (if I have any lol!) do you review books you can't finish?

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

I give this book 4 out of 5 Stars!

Description: A big, sumptuous tale of catty girls, dark secrets and windswept romance unfurls in this compulsively readable novel of late-19th-century New York City socialites. Godbersenweaves a tenuous web of deceit, backstabbing and pretense that follows four teens: Elizabeth Holland, a prim and proper lady of old-money society, is betrothed to one man, though furtively loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabethor be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancé; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau richewho will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dénouement. A delicious new twist along the Gossip Girl vein, readers will clamor for this sharp, smart drama of friends, lovers, lies and betrayal.

So, I admit, I'm a sucker for awesome covers.  And who wouldn't pick up a book that involved one of those awesome dresses from back in the day.   The description intrigued me as well.  So it went on my to read list.  When I found it on the shelves at my local small town library, I snatched it up!   I loved it!   But then again, I have found myself completely enthralled with historical fiction.   I can't wait until my library gets the rest in stock for me to read (and yes they ordered the rest since they didn't have them on the shelves!)

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

 I give this book 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Description: Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them." His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.

Add this one to the pile of classics that weren't for me.  This was another one in my banned or challenged list.  While the story was ok, I never found a point to it.  It seemed to lack a plot or something.   It was an easy read, but I was extremely glad when it was over!

Evermore by Alyson Noel

 

I give this book 4 out of 5 Stars!

Description: Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school— but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste. Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking— and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is— or what he is.  Damen is equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

I really liked this book.  Maybe it was because I read it after reading a series of really "heavy" books.   I didn't feel that Damen was a very complex character.  I'm hoping for more development in the second book.   I really enjoyed Ever though.   She is a great lead character.  I will be reading the rest of this series as they come out!

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars!

Description: Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Massachusetts, this tale of an adulterous entanglement resulting in an illegitimate birth engendered the first true heroine of American fiction.

I hate giving classics bad reviews.  This book was not for me.  Nothing captured my attention and I found that I had to force myself to read it.  If it had been any longer I would have stopped.   It did catch my interest a little in the end, but not enough to redeem the book in any way. 

Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 Stars!

Description: Spring 1938. After nearly two years in prison for the crime of stealing his own grain, Ukrainian immigrant Teodor Mykolayenko is a free man. While he was gone, his wife, Maria; their five children; and his sister, Anna, struggled to survive on the harsh northern Canadian prairie, but now Teodor—a man who has overcome drought, starvation, and Stalin's purges—is determined to make a better life for them. As he tirelessly clears the untamed land, Teodor begins to heal himself and his children. But the family's hopes and newfound happiness are short-lived. Anna's rogue husband, the arrogant and scheming Stefan, unexpectedly returns, stirring up rancor and discord that will end in violence and tragedy.
Under This Unbroken Sky is a mesmerizing tale of love and greed, pride and desperation, that will resonate long after the last page is turned. Shandi Mitchell has woven an unbearably suspenseful story, written in a language of luminous beauty and clarity. Rich with fiery conflict and culminating in a gut-wrenching climax, this is an unforgettably powerful novel from a passionate new voice in contemporary literature.

This is the closest I've come to giving a book 5 stars since I started this blog.  This book was wonderful.  You couldn't help but be involved in every characters struggles.  I don't usually speed through books like this, but I couldn't put it down.  I wanted to know if what the conclusion would be.   I don't know how a book that has such an unhappy ending can leave me feeling like I just read one of the best book I've picked up in a long time.   I will look forward to reading this author's next book.

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

I give this 3.5 out of 5 Stars!

Description: the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget.

Esteban -- The patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by his tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess.

Clara -- The matriarch, elusive and mysterious, who foretells family tragedy and shapes the fortunes of the house of the Truebas.

Blanca -- Their daughter, soft-spoken yet rebellious, whose shocking love for the son of her father's foreman fuels Esteban's everlasting contempt... even as it produces the grandchild he adores.

Alba -- The fruit of Blanca's forbidden love, a luminous bearty, a fiery and willful woman... the family's break with the past and link to the future.

This book was on my frequently banned or challenged list.   Within a hundred or so pages I could see why.  Overall I though it was a very good read, but at time it was just to much.  There is quite a bit of violence, rape, and human cruelty.  Although, I do understand that is fits in with the time period the book refers too.  I loved Clara and thought the storyline lost some of its appeal when she died.   But, the hardest thing about this book for me was the didn't seem to be a point to the story.  I like to walk away from a book knowing I got the purpose for why the story was written.  I didn't get that here.

Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz

I give this 3 out of 5 Stars!

Description: When the Mayflower set sail in 1620, it carried on board the men and women who would shape America: Miles Standish; John Alden; Constance Hopkins. But some among the Pilgrims were not pure of heart; they were not escaping religious persecution. Indeed, they were not even human. They were vampires.The vampires assimilated quickly into the New World. Rising to levels of enormous power, wealth, and influence, they were the celebrated blue bloods of American society. The Blue Bloods vowed that their immortal status would remain a closely guarded secret. And they kept that secret for centuries. But now, in New York City, the secret is seeping out. Schuyler Van Alen is a sophomore at a prestigious private school. Suddenly, when she turns fifteen, there is a visible mosaic of blue veins on her arm. She starts to crave raw food and she is having flashbacks to ancient times. Then a girl from her school is found dead . . . drained of all her blood. Schuyler doesn't know what to think. Could those vampire legends really be true? Steeped in vampire lore and set against the heady backdrop of the rich, young, and powerful in the heart of New York City, Blue Bloods will be devoured by Melissa de la Cruzs legion fans.

I really wanted to like this book.  The description sounded great.  But, in all honesty the story was seriously lacking.  I know it's a young adult book, but the story felt very childish.  The plot was good, and the were areas of good filler.  But, for main substance, it just wasn't there.  It felt like it was missing some details.   I did like the main character and enjoyed the spin on the history of the Mayflower and the lost colony of Roanoke.