Sweet water

By: Christina Baker Kline

Book review:

When a grandfather she never knew bequeaths her a house and 60 acres of land in Sweetwater, Tenn., a restless young artist leaves New York to recover her past and rethink her future. Cassie Simon's mother Ellen died when Cassie was only three; raised in Boston by her grieving father, she never knew her maternal relatives. Unprepared for the thick veil of mystery that surrounds them, Cassie is especially bewildered by her brusque grandmother, whom rumor credits with hiding a terrible secret about Ellen's death. In alternating sections told from their respective points of view, Cassie and her grandmother fight their separate battles to cope with the truth about the tragedy. Kline perfectly renders each woman's voice: Cassie's, probing and often uncertain, propels the narrative and creates an appropriate level of psychological suspense; the grandmother's quavers with the weight of memory as Cassie's search forces her beyond family myth to a painful and perhaps dangerous truth.

My review:

Is it sad that I just finished this book a few days ago and I can barely remember what is was about?? Guess that's my review, this book is utterly forgettable. Not bad, or horrible, just nothing about it stuck with me. Not the characters or the storyline. Average, boring, forgettable.

Rating 2.5 out of 5

Beautiful Disaster/ Walking Disaster

Book Review:

Beautiful Disaster

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate number of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance from the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. 

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby wants—and needs—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

Walking Disaster:

Can you love someone too much? 

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder. 

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees. 

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

My Review:

I actually read Beautiful Disaster like 6 months ago, and finally read the sequel. I love reading this book from both of their points of view. His and Hers. Travis is out of control and crazy, Abby wants to be a good girl and forget her past. But together they have this crazy relationship, and I love it. I loved both of these books. Great characters, great story, great LOVE story.

My only hang up, horrible horrible language, especially in the 2nd one, and some sex and other inappropriate language/situations. Dang it all! Never will understand why they feel the need to put that kind of stuff in books. My rating will be lower only because of those things.

3.5 out 5 rating.

Blackmoore

Book Review:

Kate Worthington knows her heart and she knows she will never marry. Her plan is to travel to India instead if only to find peace for her restless spirit and to escape the family she abhors. But Kates meddlesome mother has other plans. She makes a bargain with Kate: India, yes, but only after Kate has secured and rejected three marriage proposals.

Kate journeys to the stately manor of Blackmoore determined to fulfill her end of the bargain sooner rather than later and enlists the help of her dearest childhood friend, Henry Delafield. But when it comes to matters of love, bargains are meaningless and plans are changeable. There on the wild lands of Blackmoore, Kate must face the truth that has kept her heart captive. Will the proposal she is determined to reject actually be the one thing that will set her heart free?

Set in Northern England in 1820, Blackmoore is a regency romance that tells the story of a young woman struggling to learn how to follow her heart.

My review:

So, yes, I have been a book slacker lately! We went on a week vacation, where I didn't read once, crazy! And I totally got hooked onto watching How I met your Mother, so that was taking all my reading time.

I love a good love story. And this was a great one.  Kate is a great character, and this book just has you wanting more page after page. Her mother and sister and a total nightmare!! All the characters in this book are so well written.  It just sucked me right in from the first page to the very last. This author actually wrote another book I loved too, called Edenbrooke, I highly recommend them both!

Rating 4.5 out of 5.

How to be an American Housewife

Book Review:

When Shoko decided to marry an American GI and leave Japan, she had her parents blessing, her brothers scorn and a gift from her betrothed-a book titled How to be an american housewife. As she crossed the ocean to America, Shoko also carried a secret she wanted to keep her entire life.

Half a century later, Shoko's plans to finally return to Japan and reconcile with her brother are derailed by illness. Instead, she sends her grown American daughter, Sue, a divorced single mother with a teenage daughter of her own. As Sue and Helena take in Japan, with all its beauty and contradictions, they also discover another  side of Shoko, and return to America irrevocably touched, irrevocably changed. 

My review:

This was a simple, enjoyable book to read. I didn't read the whole thing in one sitting, it took me about a week to finish. But I enjoyed it. I really love learning about Japan and japanese people and customs, and even how different they parent than americans do.  This isn't a book that is going to suck you in, but it is interesting and a book I would recommend.

3.5 out of 5 rating.

Rainshadow Road

Book Description:

Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful Friday Harbor Washington, with a boyfriend, Kevin, who she believes is her soul mate. She has always had a magical side-a gift that finds its way into the breathtaking glasswork she creates-and she struggles to keep it contained. But when Lucy is blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal, she questions many of her choices. Her boyfriend leaves her and his new lover is none other than Lucys own sister. Lucys bitterness over this devastation is multiplied by the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.

Meanwhile, facing the sever disapproval of Lucys family, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucky so that she can more easily move on. But when Sam and Lucy begin to feel real sparks between them, Lucy must ask her self if she can easily risk her heart again.

As Lucy questions her beliefs about love, loyalty, old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings, she explores the possibility that some things in life-even after being broken-can be re-made into something beautiful. And that it is only by discovering who you really are that you can find the one who truly deserves you.

My review:

So, I started reading this book while in the middle of reading another book ( The Madea Complex), for no other reason then because I wanted to read in the bath and I don't dare take my kindle in the bath with me. :) To tell you the difference, I finished this book in less than a day, compared with the other one. I really enjoyed learning a little bit about glasswork and also vineyarding. I liked the story and the characters, they added a little bit of magic into the story which I liked, as they did it in a way that wasn't too unbelievable. Her sister and ex-boyfriend made me dang mad. I don't know if I could get over something like that. I love a good love story, it doesn't take much to suck me in and keep me entertained. A word of caution, this is an adult book, with a few "F" words and a few sex scenes. But other than that it was a entertaining, easy read and I really enjoyed it.

My rating:

4 out of 5

The Madea Complex

Book Description:

1885. Anne Stanbury. Committed to a lunatic asylum, having been deemed insane and therefore unfit to stand trial for the crime of which she is indicted. But is all as it seems? Edgar Stanbury. The grieving husband and father who is torn between helping his confined wife recover her sanity and seeking revenge on the woman who ruined his life. 
Dr George Savage. The well-respected psychiatrist and chief medical officer of Bethlem Royal Hospital. Ultimately, he holds Anne’s future wholly in his hands. 

I can't believe it has been this long between books. After I finished that last book, I didn't read for FOUR days!!! That never, ever, ever happens. I read every day. I mean, really. But for some reason I couldn't bring myself to pick up a new book. I had bought this one on my kindle for .99 because it had such a high review! BLAH on peoples reviews!!! Oh my gosh, it took me a week to read this book.  So slow, so boring, so complicated and hard to follow and understand. I am still not sure what really happened in this book.  I think I know, but I would have to read parts again to make sure, and there is no way I am doing that!!! I mean, from the description it sounds pretty interesting, but, man did it fall short for me.  Every chapter was a different person telling the story, and I had such a hard time keeping them all strait.  I was so glad when I finally finished this book, confused as I was.

My rating:

1 out of 5

The Lake and Troubled Waters(book 2)

Book Review: The Lake

At 17, Layla Weston is already starting over. Having lost both her parents and grandparents, and with nowhere else to go, Layla is moving from Florida to a small town in North Carolina to live with the only family she has left: her estranged uncle and aunt. 

The last five years of Layla’s life were spent appeasing her lessthan-loving grandmother, followed by being her grandfather’s caretaker. Growing old before her time, Layla lost her identity. Now she must learn how to allow herself to be the one cared for and loved. 

Life takes an unexpected turn when Layla meets Will Meyer. His breathtaking good looks are enough to catch her eye, but his sincerity and passion are everything she needs to find the strength and confidence she lost — and lead her into love. 

When tragedy once again strikes Layla’s life, her hope is all but completely crushed. Through it all, Layla learns what it means to truly love and be loved.

Troubled Waters:(Book 2):

College life for Layla Weston isn’t starting the way she’d intended. She’s revisiting the plans she once had to be the reclusive girl she wanted to be at Heyward Prep, and Layla is more than confident in her ability to succeed this time. After all, she’s got a whole new bag of secrets to keep. 

Still reeling from Will’s disappearance, Layla is doing her best to adjust to life back in Florida. She continues to hold out hope, confident she was meant to find Will’s ring for a reason. 

Just as Layla is starting to accept that she must keep moving forward, secrets from the past threaten Layla and her family. As Luke and Claire join with Layla to protect their family, Layla discovers that her uncle may not be the man she thought he was – and that there’s more to Will’s disappearance than she ever could have imagined.

My Review:

Ok, so this book was recommended to me by one of my Young Woman. I read lots of young adult books, and I usually love them all. Well, I guess I liked this book enough to buy the second one at 2.99, and there is a 3rd one but I can't bring myself to buy it...yet. Yes, overall, a good story. Layla lost her parents at 12, lived with her grandparents for 5 years, her grandmother blamed her for their deaths and wasn't very nice, took care of grandpa for 3 years after grandma died. Then grandpa dies and she goes to live with her aunt and uncle.  So, she moves, meets some new friends, and meets Will. And then the "there is no where in this book that is part of reality" part starts. The cheesiness between Layla and Will is so over the top and unrealistic, and I LIKE cheesiness, but it was just too much. And then her relationship with her aunt and uncle is just so AWESOME and PERFECT and AMAZING and its just too much!!! She makes instant great besties for life, even though she's spent the last 5 years having no social life at all, and then Will, the hottest, most sought after guy in town instantly falls in love with her, even though she has hardly ever even talked to a boy. Ok, so, it was a little cheesy. But the story intrigued me enough to buy the 2nd book,  but not the 3rd. Too unrealistic, too over the top cheesy, just not my kind of love story.

 Maybe someday I'll read the 3rd and final book. 

3 out of 5 rating.

The Language of Flowers

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, its been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.  Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market has her questioning what's been missing in her life, and when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance of happiness.

My review:

 I loved this book. It was beautiful.  To learn so much about flowers and what each one means, I really wanted to become a florist and know about flowers. Victorias life has been so sad, moved from foster home to foster home her whole life. She has closed herself off from everyone. But she finally starts to open up, and it was great to see her growing and changing. She goes through some really hard things, confronts really hard things from her past, it makes your heart ache for her. I highly recommend this book, I picked it up on saturday morning, and finished it saturday night. It was interesting, engaging, I loved all the characters in it and the story line. It was great.

4.5 out of 5 rating.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Sometimes I need a book that is like an old friend. Something I am familiar and comfortable with, something that I know, something that makes me happy. Sometimes in life it just gets to be overwhelming thinking about starting new book and having to invest yourself in it, and in those moments I have books that I can fall back on, old favorites, that I have read so many times, yet I know I will love them just as much this time as I did the first time.

Confessions of a Shopaholic series is one of those for me. I have read them all at least 10 times, and I love them. Becky Bloomwood is one of my most favorite charachters in a book, ever. She is someone I can relate too, she is crazy, she makes me laugh, she frustrates me. She would totally be someone I would be friends with. So, about 10 days ago when I just wasn't feeling up to starting a new book, I needed something I knew and loved, I picked up the first book, Confessions of a Shopahlic, and ended up reading all 6 in the series.  I highly recommend these books, they are the best! I only have to warn that the author is british and therefore uses the "F" word frequently, and some other bad language.  that is the ONLY thing about these books that bothers me, I know I shouldn't try justifying it, but...I just love these books too much. 

Since I don't want to write every intro to all 6 books, here is a link to amazon so you can read them yourself. And I highly recommend all of Sophie Kinsellas other books, they are all fabulous!!

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Dreamworld-Shopaholic-Book-ebook/dp/B000FBFN0Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393457602&sr=1-1&keywords=confessions+of+a+shopaholic

Here are her books in order:

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Shopaholic takes Manhattan

Shopaholic ties the Knot

Shopaholic and Sister

Shopaholic and Baby

Mini Shopaholic

( and hopefully the next one will come out soon! Its been 4 years)

Her other books:

Undomestic Goddess

Remember Me?

Twenties Girl

I've got your number

Wedding Night

Can you keep a Secret?

Thin Wire

A mothers journey through her daughters heroin addiction.

by: Christine Lewry

Thin Wire is an honest and intimate account of heroin addiction told by both mother and daughter. Amber is introduced to drugs and becomes addicted without her mother's knowledge. She meets a dealer who feeds her habit. Whilst living together, they are raided by the police. Bailed to her mother's address with a £200-a-day addiction, Amber doesn't think her family will accept her back when they discover the truth. When she's charged by the police with dealing class A drugs and accepting stolen goods, she fears she'll go to prison. Trying to feed her habit alone, Amber meets a fellow addict who offers to introduce her to prostitution. The prospect terrifies her, but will her mother help her?
An unflinching story that looks at drug addiction from two sides. The book's concluding section offers two sets of personal guidelines; one for addicts, the other for parents or partners of addicts, while the in-depth, harrowing real life story vividly illustrates the difficulties of overcoming addiction. In a society where 50% of teenagers experiment with drugs, Amber is every mother's child. She could be yours.

My Review:

 Wow, this was a hard book to read. True story written by mother and daughters point of view. Heroin addiction is awful, the daughters description of her addiction and how she thought of nothing else was very sobering. The mom kind of made me mad, she wasn't a very good mom in her daughters early life. But, she did step up to the plate when she found out about her daughters addiction and did everything she could to help. It seems almost impossible for anyone to get over a heroin addiction. From reading this book, I felt that the most way people end their addiction is through death. The daughter (Amber) literally will do almost anything to get heroin, it has over taken her life in every way.  It was sad to read, hard to think about. Something I would never wish on any person.  Neither of them are professional writers, so it is just raw and truthful, exactly what happened. I can't say I enjoyed it, it was too sad, but it was for sure very eye opening.

4 out of 5 rating.

Sisterhood Everlasting

On the cusp of turning thirty, Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget are now living separate lives, out on their own. Yet despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness. Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

My Review:

I love the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, so when this came out I wanted to read it. But then I kind of forgot about it, til I found it on the sale rack. So of course I bought it. From the start of this book it was not what I wanted! I couldn't believe the direction she took their story. 4 best friends from birth, of course growing up and starting their own lives would take a toll on their closeness, but you always knew that somehow they would work it out. They are all so different. While the author does have a tendency to run on and on, oh my gosh I would skip paragraphs, I still love her characters. The end of this book gave me what I wanted, kind of, in a way. I thought about my closest friends and how they impact my life. This book was happy and sad and all of the in-between. It is a pretty adult book, language, a little bit of sex. But I highly recommend reading ALL of the Sisterhood books, and of course this one also to complete the story.

4 out of 5 rating.

The first phone call from Heaven

One morning in the small town of Coldwater, Michigan, the phone starts ringing. The voices say they are calling from heaven . Is it the greatest miracle ever? Or some cruel hoax? As news of these strange calls spreads, outsiders flock to Coldwater to be a part of it.

At the same time, a disgraced pilot named Sully Harding returns to Coldwater from prison to discover his hometown gripped by "miracle fever". Even his young son carries a toy phone, hoping to hear from his mother in heaven.

As the calls increase, and proof of an afterlife begins to surface, the town-and the world-transforms. Only Sully, convinced there is nothing beyond this sad life, digs into the phenomenon, determined to disprove it for his child and his own broken heart.

My Review:

What a very interesting book. It begins right off with people getting phone calls from people who have died, usually someone close to them, but in one case from someone this person had no wish to hear from. I started thinking, who would I want to call me from Heaven?? It seems like people are always looking for proof of an afterlife, and then I thought to myself, I already KNOW there is life after death. I know people I loved who have died are just waiting on the other side, and that they are closer to us then we realize sometimes. I realized that I wouldn't need a phone call from heaven to help me to believe. I already know. But of course, there will always be people who want PROOF, hard evidence. It was interesting how these phone calls affected the people who were receiving them, but also people from all over the world. I think everyone wants to be a part of a miracle, when we don't realize that sometimes miracles are right in front of us. It was a good read from beginning to end, and a conclusion that you just never would figure out. This book really made me think.

4 out of 5 rating.

A Shade of Vampire

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's 17th birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake. 
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood. 

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine. 
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains. 

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince. 

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

My Review:

So, another vampire book, that wants to be better than twilight, that will NEVER be better than Twilight(in my opinion). The above caption makes it sound so thrilling, but really, it wasn't that thrilling. Yes, there is some total cheesy love stuff in the book that I liked. Theres a good vampire and a bad vampire brother and some murder and everything that should make the book awesome, but it was just too shallow for me. I like a lot more depth in a book. Especially one that has 3 more books in the series. I paid .99 for this book, and I wouldn't pay more than that. And I don't want to read the next one enough to pay 3.99 for it. So, if the next one comes out for .99 I would probably buy it. A fast, easy read.

3 out of 5 rating.

Summerland

On a warm June evening, the students of Nantucket High gather for the traditional graduation bonfire on the beach. But the celebration ends in tragedy after a horrible car crash leaves the driver, Penny Alistair, dead, and her twin brother, Hobby, in a coma. Penny's boyfriend Jake, and her friend Demeter are unhurt but haunted by the events of that night, and by the questions that linger about what happened in the car, and what happened in the dunes before Penny took the wheel.

For Zoe, the twins mother, the unthinkable awaits:life without her daughter, and an agonizing recovery for the son who had been a star athlete with infinite prospects. Free spirited Zoe has been as much friend as mother to her children, but now she has to face devastating truths about them, and about her own role in all that happened.

As summer unfolds, Zoe and the other parents must ask whether their efforts to protect their children from lifes realities have only left them more vulnerable. The key to understanding the accident lies in what Penny learned that evening on the beach-but will it also destroy the survivors fragile peace?

My Review:

I have read another book by this author, which is why I picked up this one because I really liked the other one. And this one just sounded so dramatic and mysterious! Well, it wasn't nearly either of those things as I thought it would be. This book tells stories from a lot of different people  and what they are going through, because of the accident. Of course, losing a child part always gets to me, and the pain and suffering that it causes. I liked all the characters, though the story wasn't nearly as interesting as I was hoping it would be. The author is a little wordy, and I would skip paragraphs of her going on and on about nothing really. It took me over a week to finish this book, not one I wanted to gobble up in one sitting. The ending was also a little anti-clamatic for how much they keep you waiting to find out what happens. Also, very rated PG-13. Use of the "F" word and other swear words and a lot of very grown up topics.  

My rating: 3 out of 5

Readers Digest Select Editions #4

There was an old Woman

by: Hallie Ephron

When her mom falls ill and is hospitalized, Evie Ferrante returns to her childhood home to help out. What she discovers is shocking. The house is in total disrepair, filled with junk, unopened mail, and, strangely, a new flat-screen TV. Searching for answers, Evie turns to Mina, the feisty nonagenarian next door. Together, the two dig for clues and uncover disturbing evidence that all is not well in Higgs Point, New York.

I had to look up this word, I had no idea what it meant.

(nonagenarian: a person who is from 90-99 years old.)

 I loved the Title of this book, it just sounded so creepy!! Well, the book was good, but not nearly what I was hoping for. I figured out what was going on pretty quick into the book, so the mystery wasn't that mysterious. I found myself skimming over paragraphs to get to the next part, so it had a hard time really holding my full attention. I liked the characters, the plot line was good, but I think it could have really been developed into more. So, all in all, just an OK book.

3 out of 5 rating.

Readers Digest Select Editions #3

Suspect

by: Robert Crais

LAPD cop Scott James has never recovered from the horrific night his partner was killed and he nearly died. He's unfit for duty-until he meets his new parter. Maggie, a valiant military dog, isn't doing well either ager losing her handler to a sniper in Afghanistan. Scott and Maggie have a lot in common. And they are each other's last chance.

There wasn't too much that was original in this story. Cop gets hurt, loses his partner, crime doesn't get solved. Months later he gets back on active duty and tries to solve the crime. Yeah, I've read it before. But the one thing different about this story was the addition of the dog Maggie as his new partner. Reading about how Maggie lost her first partner in Afghanistan and how she suffered from it was really touching. I love reading about how loyal a dog can be. So, while the story was otherwise just ok, I loved the story of Scott and Maggie.  Wasn't a book I was trying to rush through to find out the ending.

3 out of 5 rating.

Readers Digest Select Editions book #2

Blackberry Winter

By: Sarah Jio

A May snowstorm doesn't look like much of a story for journalist Claire Aldridge. But things have not been going well for her lately, and maybe there's something in it to get her back on her feet. Like the disappearance of a young boy on just such a story night 80 years ago. Where did he go? Why did it happen? Solving the mystery from the past could be the key to solving her problems in the present.

My review:

I read this book in one day. Not that it was the greatest book I've ever read, but the whole mother/child thing really hits home with me. The book is written back and forth between two women, Vera-the mom from the 1930's whose 3 year old son goes missing, and Claire-the journalist from now who finds the story and starts to investigate it. Claires marriage is struggling after her 8 month miscarriage, which also pulled me in. A mother losing a child in any way tugs at my heart. The whole book I just wanted to know what had happened to this little boy. The story was good, you really get the feel of the characters and I just kept on reading until 1 am in the morning when I finished. I would like to look for other books by this author. It was a fast, easy read but one that kept my attention through the whole book.

4 out of 5 rating.

Readers Digest Select Editions

For as long as I can remember, my mom has gotten these readers digest every other month. It is a great way to read books you might not have read otherwise, and find new authors. Each book contains 4 books, all in condensed version. I have read a regular book once and the condensed version, and I honestly couldn't tell the difference. Each book  usually contains a love story, a human interest story, a mystery of some kind and then some kind of a crime novel. My mom and dad get them, read them and then pass them on to me. Last year I had a yard sale and seriously had over a 100 readers digest books to sell. :) I love them. So, my next 4 reviews will probably be about these 4 books, unless I take a break to read a different book in-between, which is not unusual, since I never know what kind of book is going to be calling out to me next.

After reading my last 2 reviews, I decided that I will start with the book description that accompanies each book, and then I will give my own opinion. I have discovered that I have a hard time putting into words what each book is about. 

1/25/14

Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe

by: Mary Simses

Ellen Bradford has come to the small town of Beacon, Maine, to fulfill her grandmother's dying wish to deliver a letter to the man she loved so long ago. Ellen plans to return to Manhattan where she belongs as soon as she finds him. Except that one thing after another seems to conspire to keep her up there, learning more about her grandmother, and ultimately, herself.

My Review:

Ok, this book totally fell flat for me. I usually love these kinds of stories. People going off and finding out something about themselves that they never knew before. In this case, Ellen almost drowns at the beginning of the book and is rescued by a handsome guy, and she starts questioning her engagement to her fiance Hayden.  There wasn't much about this book that drew me in. The characters weren't developed well, I didn't come to know them and love them like I wanted too. The author rushed through the story and didn't delve into so many things that she could have. I was pretty disappointed.  It had the potential to be such a sweet love story, but its like the author was too busy trying to just write the thing instead of putting life into it. There is rarely ever a book I wish I hadn't read, I love to read all books and then move on, and once in a while you will get a book that will stay with you forever.

But this was not that book. If someone gives it to you or its free on Kindle, go ahead and spend a day reading it, but don't rush out to buy it.

my rating 2.5 out 5.

Miss Peregrine's home for Peculiar Children

It took me a few minutes to decide to even buy this book. I couldn't decide if it sounded like a good read, or just plain weird. I finally decided to pick it up and give it a try after reading some good reviews on it.
The main character of this book is Jacob. He grew up listening to his grandfather talk about an orphanage he was sent to as a child, his family was Jewish and his parents sent him away to try to save him. He tells Jacob these incredible stories about the other children in the orphanage and even has weird photographs of them all. A girl levitating. An invisible boy. As he gets older he believes that his grandpa is just making this all up, and that none of it is true. When he is 16 his grandpa dies in a terrible way, and Jacob see's something that he doesn't know if its real. His grandpas last words send him to the island where the orphanage is. Jacob had found a letter from the head of the orphanage, Miss Peregrine, that is only 15 years old. He is wondering if anyone from the orphanage is still alive.  When him and his dad get to the island, Jacob goes looking for the orphanage and finds that it is completely destroyed, and that it was destroyed by a bomb during WWII in Septmeber of 1940, his grandpa was the only one who made it out alive. But Jacob is wondering how Miss Peregrine had sent a letter to his grandpa just 15 years before.
I don't want to give too much of the book away, I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book, but the last 1/4 wasn't as good. I didn't like quite how much fantasy it turned into. There is a sequel to it called Hollow City, and I haven't decided yet if I will read it. I am sure eventually I will, but its not one of those books that you are running out to buy as soon as you finish the first one. The cool thing about this book is that it is full of the strangest pictures, and they are all real.
There was quite a bit of swearing in this book, but never the "F" word, so I have to rate it a mild PG-13 because of that. I give it rating of 3 out of 5.

Flowers for Algernon

This is a book about 32 year old mentally retarded Charlie Gordon. He has always wanted to be smart. So he is chosen to be the first human to be given a scientific experiment brain surgery to see if they can increase his IQ. The experiment has first been done on a mouse named Algernon with amazing results. So Charlie gets the surgery and his IQ starts to increase rapidly. The whole book is written in the form of Charlie writing in his journal and you can see his progression even through his spelling and how he talks. But as he gets smarter he starts to see that the people he thought were his friends aren't. It is very sad to see him start to realize how people really treated him. And even though he is getting smarter, soon he is smarter than the doctors he is working with, he is still very stunted emotionally. Then Algernon starts to fail, and everyone wonders if the same thing will happen to Charlie. 

I really enjoyed this book, even though a lot if it made me very sad. It was written in 1959 so I was surprised that it is still a pretty popular book. There is some talk of sex and mature stuff, because Charlie is coming to learn about that kind of stuff. I would rate it a mild pg-13. It is a pretty easy and fast read and I give it 3.5 rating out of 5.