SJ's favorite book so far

Well, I did say it would be while between updates.  SJ (my daughter's nick name) is an active little girl.  We're coming up on her first birthday and she rarely slows down for reading right now.  However tonight she cuddled up next to me and we read 6 little Sesame Street board books before she was off again.  This got me to thinking about the books we've shared this year and my impressions of her reading interests.

Yes, I realize she's not even a year old yet, but it's still easy to see which books she prefers over others. For example, her least favorite book so far has been I'll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Shelia McGraw.  She won't let me finish it.  By the time I reach the boy's teenage years she tries to close the book. 

She's fascinated by her First Words: Let's Get Talking book, though there's no real story there to follow. I think she just likes all the colorful pictures and different tabs that are so fun to gnaw on.

The Peter Rabbit Touch and Feel book she got for Easter didn't last very long.  Though she liked the textures found throughout the book, it wasn't sturdy enough to stand up to her curiosity. 

But the one that she comes back to time and time again is a silly little book that I love reading with her as she giggles through a good portion of it.  Five Little Monkeys jumping on the bed by Eileen Christelow is SJ's go-to book.  When she's ready for a story that's the one that gets pulled out of the pile.  Naturally, I'll be getting other books out of the Five Little Monkeys series for her.

With her birthday coming up, I have a list of books I'm considering picking up to share with her. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle will be our next purchase and hopefully another favorite.

2014 - Reboot

I didn't intentionally stop keeping up with this blog, but switching jobs made it infinitely more difficult to make it a priority.  Two months ago I had a daughter and one of the things I started thinking about was how to insure she loves reading as much as I do.  One way I'm going to try and do this is making sure books are prevalent in her life.  We've already started this - her book collection is small, but my goodness will it grow. 

I'm also taking this opportunity to read some of the classic children's books I never quite got around to when I was growing up.  For Christmas she received the classic picture books Goodnight Moon Margaret Wise Brown & Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney as well as the chapter books The Story of King Arthur & His Knights by Howard Pyle and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.  I'm looking forward to sharing these books with Hiccup (our online nickname for her) but we're starting our reading journey with The Chronicles of Narnia.  I'm trying to get into the habit of reading a chapter a night with her - and while I realize she's not able to follow the story right now, she's hearing the language and it's designated Momma/Daughter time right before bed.   Hopefully she'll enjoy it as much as I already do.

So my plan for this blog is going to alter a bit and become more of a record of the books my daughter and I share.  I can't promise frequent updates, as one 15-16 page chapter a day won't get us through books very quickly.  But I will put up a review of each book we read together, even if it's a small sort of thing.

Be well and have a wonderful 2014.

Dead In The Family

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Usually I jump right into a Sookie Stackhouse book and I don't stop until I reach the end. I'm completely satisfied and can't wait to crack open the next one. Sadly, I didn't feel that way with this one. For one thing the way the book began with the very short, choppy chapters I couldn't get into the flow until around page 92 or so. Once I hit page 100 I was off and running. The build up of tension went on throughout the book as it always does but the resolution felt too quick and left me feeling a bit disappointed.

I enjoyed the growth we saw in Jason's character and I hope that remains. Sookie's internal examination of her own character and how cold she's grown towards certain things was very well done. With so many different characters it's impossible to give everyone a lot of time on the page but there's never enough Sam to suit me. I think he's probably my favorite character in the series outside Sookie herself. Here's hoping the next book is a bit more enjoyable for me.

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I apologize for taking so long to post this review! I managed to miss the fact that though I reviewed it on Good Reads I never got around to it over here.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott is told from the point of a 15 year old girl who was abducted and abused since she was ten years old. Her captor, Ray, has molded her into his twisted version of the perfect girl. When the book begins all she's waiting for is the day she gets too old to fill Ray's fantasy so he'll kill her. That desperation remains throughout the book though we do get to see the barest hint of hope towards the end. The book's ending is not what you expect to see but perhaps the only ending that matches the tone of the book.

Goodness this was a hard read. Not the language, but the content. Like I said when I started the book, this wasn't the story I expected to read. It is powerful, it is chilling, and honestly? It's a bit harsh for my tastes when it comes to YA. I think it's an excellently crafted book, but when I was a teen I would not have gotten any enjoyment out of this story. I can't see myself recommending this to anyone under the age of 18.

Reading Update

I haven't posted a review in over a month. For that I apologize. I have been reading, but the books have been pretty fluffy. I will get reviews up for two "cozy" mysteries I read in August soon. Currently I'm reading a YA novel that is a very hard read. When I saw the title "Living Dead Girl" I was sure it would be some type of light humor about a teen goth - that's what I get for not reading the book jacket. This is YA Realistic Fiction - gritty and emotional without being sappy in any way shape or form. I'll post a full review when I finish it. But as I usually only get time to read during my lunch break I've drug my heels on this one. Every page makes me lose my appetite so it's usually left sitting on my desk while I find a writer's magazine or a book on MS Vista to flip through instead.

But since I have to turn it back in to the library next week I'll finish it up and post my review by Thursday. Have a great weekend!

American Gods

Two reviews in one day, I'm on a roll!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I started reading this the first time about four years ago and I never finished it. But, since it is a source of inspiration for Scion, the tabletop game I absolutely adore I decided to give it a second chance. Not the mention I happen to think Neil Gaiman is a brilliant author, so I figured my first time around with American Gods was just not the best time for the book.

I was right, because this time the story grabbed me and I really enjoyed it. Shadow is a character that is incredibly illusive. He doesn't give away much of what he feels or thinks and is, in general, a good guy that made some mistakes along the way. He more than makes up for them once Mr. Wednesday hires him. The story unfolds slowly and builds to an intriguing climax before it gives an ending that satisfied me.

What I think I enjoyed the most however was the game of trying to decide who all the characters represented. I'm pretty sure I got all of them, but of course there's no answer key to tell me if I'm right or wrong. Now I just have to find the novella Shadow is featured in as well, I'd like to know what happened to him.

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Bad Moon Rising

Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've been anticipating this book for ages now. See, I love the Dark-Hunters but the Were-Hunters really really intrigue me. I think Vane may be my favorite of all the characters in these books. But this book isn't about Vane, it's about his brother Fang and his star crossed love Aimee Peltier, the only daughter of Mama Lo and Papa Bear, the owners of Sanctuary. The Peltiers are a fantastic family full of great characters. Frankly I hope we get to see a book for Dev and Kyle as well sometime.

Fang is an interesting character but I didn't connect with him the way I expected to. Aimee is marvelous, you just can't help but like her and want to see her happy. Getting to see Savitar in action was great, and meeting the Hellchaser Thorn added a new character I want to know more about. Given this was a Were-Hunter novel instead of a Dark-Hunter novel it made sense that we saw very little of Acheron but I missed his presence anyway.

What I enjoyed in this book was Fang and Aimee's devotion to each other and their loyalty to their families. That worked really well for me and fit the characters as we've come to know them through other books. The one thing I didn't like was the lack of time line for the book. I found myself getting confused in some areas trying to determine which timeframe different portions of the book took place.

No matter what the Dark-Hunter series continues to entertain and inspire, I'm just disappointed that I have to wait a while for another book to come out. :)

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Graceling

It's been a while since I added a new review. Sorry about that!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. The main characters' exploration of their graces was fascinating. I enjoyed the romance in the story but I also liked the fact the romance didn't overshadow the plot of the story as well. The direction the romance took really surprised me simply because of the book's genre. In YA urban fantasy I'm not surprised by the exploration of a physical romance but in a more traditional fantasy it was a bit unexpected. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.


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Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was good book. I know, simple sentence, but it's true. It was an enjoyable story, with a very engaging plot. I didn't learn anything by reading it other than a reaffirmation that Neil Gaiman is a wonderful storyteller than can keep me entertained for hours.


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Sweet Love

Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I started reading Sarah Strohmeyer's books after discovering the Lipstick Chronicles she and several other sassy authors contribute to. In the time I actively read that blog Strohmeyer wrote about this book a lot and I was looking forward to reading it. Finally picked it up last week and I have to say I enjoyed it. The recipes discussed sound incredibly good, but that's just the proverbial icing on the cake. The real heart of the story is Julie's relationship with her mother and her childhood crush Michael.



Michael seems too good to be true and their relationship blossomed fairly quickly on the page. But Julie and her mother's relationship seemed incredibly real to me. The only thing that really disappointed me was the lack of exploration in the relationship between Julie and her father. There was so much resentment built up on Julie's side, I really would've liked to see her father's side of things or even for him to have a few more lines - something that would give me the chance to see if their relationship would be salvageable after the story was over.



Would I recommend this book? Sure! It's not just a light fluffy read, there's moments that inspire strong emotion, but it also brings a smile to your face or even makes the reader laugh out loud in a few places.






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Dream Hunter

I just finished reading the Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon and I have to say I absolutely love it. I've become a huge fan of her work since stumbling into this series. Most of the series I read in order, but my first foray was Dream-Chaser, the second of the Dream-Hunter sub-series. It just worked out that my last book would be out of that sub-series as well.

Dream Hunter is about the renegade dream god Arikos. As one of the Oneroi, Arikos feels no emotion except what's reflected off the humans he observes in dreams. He's fascinated by one human in particular, Meagara "Geary" Kafeiri. Arikos comes to Earth with the intention of spending just a little bit of time with her and their story is a fascinating adventure. Arik as a character took a bit of time to warm up to but I liked Geary immediately. This book also contains readers' first introduction to Tory Kafeiri who we later see in the book Acheron.

It's enjoyable but the hero in this doesn't immediately connect with me in particular. It's an interesting read and even though this wasn't my favorite book in the Dark-Hunter series, I wouldn't miss it.

Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress

I'm excited to read Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress by Shelly Mazzanoble. I first came across this book last year and immediately ordered a copy for my library. Since we put it on the shelf it's regularly checked out and that confirms something I already knew. Girl Gamers are a mystery and people want to know more.

The author has a great conversational style, she makes it easy to understand the basic concepts of Dungeons & Dragons and table top games in general. I laughed several times while reading this book. It made me think back to my early experiences with D&D and wish I could get a game started up once more. Considering it's been a few years since I played D&D that's a big boost in the books favor. There were only two things I didn't care for with this book.

Number 1: The only accent color is a bright, almost obnoxious pink.
Number 2: Ms. Mazzanoble does a great job at debunking the gamer stereotype, but she plays up and comes across as delighting in the girl stereotype that women think of nothing more than shopping, hair, beauty, ect. As a female gamer that bugged me a bit, but this book is geared more towards women who are drug into the game by their significant others so maybe that stereotype fits the "target audience" better.

Overall it's a great book, one that is a fun read whether you're just getting into D&D and table-top gaming in general, or you're a veteran gamer and just want a bit of nostalgia.

Yule: Celebration of Light & Warmth

This is a short review because I already knew this was a good book. Yule: The Celebration of Light & Warmth is part of Llewellyn publishers Sabbats and Esabats product line. I've read other books in out of this line and enjoyed them. Yule provides some of the history of the holiday, the similarities between Yule and Christmas, and some great recipes. The rituals are laid out nicely with explantions for many - though not every step.

It's easy to read and entertaining. A great way to help get into the seasonal spirit!

This is the last review for the book-a-month challenge - even though some of the reviews were posted late (like this one) I still managed to finish. It's been enjoyable trying to choose books that fit the monthly themes.

Acheron

St. Martin’s Press did an excellent job marketing Sherrilyn Kenyon’s book Acheron. Their marketing campaign for “The Year of Acheron” caught my attention and I was curious. So I signed up for the updates. I read the short story “Fear the Dark” and was completely lost. A friend of mine had the first four books in the Dark-Hunter series and promised to mail them to me since we didn’t have them at the library. But I was impatient to start reading so I tackled Dream Chaser. Acheron intrigued me in that book so I snatched up his book as soon as I saw it on the New Releases shelf at work.

I found the first part to be very well written and engaging. Rissa was a sweet character, one I liked immediately. I was fascinated by Acheron’s interactions with Artemis, especially the early ones when he had nothing but hope for his future with her. Seeing his friendship with Savitar, the birth of the Dark-Hunters...I really came into the series at the wrong place, but I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway.

When the timeframe shifted to today the story really picked up speed. I loved meeting the various characters like Talon and Sunshine – characters that became favorites when I finally read their story. Soteria is a fun heroine. Like all of Kenyon’s female leads, she isn’t perfect and that makes her very likeable. She’s still a strong character but without that perfection you can easily identify with her.

Acheron is the end of the first part of the Dark-Hunter series according to the author. It’s an interesting read, thoroughly engaging, longtime fans get to see familiar characters once more and each one is a welcome treat. For me, it’s been fun to read from the beginning of the series and meet the characters I first glimpsed in Acheron’s book.

Something I found interesting about the character of Acheron is how due to his experiences in his human life he never expects anything from people. Nothing good at least. So when the people he’s given so much to come back to help him he’s stunned. Humbled in a way. It was a lovely scene, one I look forward to going back and rereading soon. It worked out nicely that I got to read this book in November when the Book-A-Month challenge theme was Giving. Acheron gives of himself everyday and he’s rewarded for it in the most wondrous ways. I couldn’t help but enjoy that.

If you’re a fan of vampires, mythology, or paranormal romance I think you’d enjoy the Dark-Hunter series, especially this book. It can be read on its own, but it is much more satisfying as part of the overall series.

Dream Chaser

I've heard about the Dark-Hunter series for a while now, but dispite my enjoyment of paranormal romance, I've never picked up one of the books. A few weeks ago I needed something to read while on my lunch break and came across Dream Chaser. This was a great read! I was a bit lost on the Dark-Hunters and exactly what the mythos for the series was since this book is in the middle of the series, but it was still enjoyable. The heroine was likeable and the supporting characters interesting. The hero was compelling. His quest for vengence and his determination to remain solitary both made complete sense and I really enjoyed the way the heroine got through his walls and made him warm up while still retaining his cold demeanor. The interaction between the hero and the supporting character, a mouthy ghost permenantly stuck in 1988 was excellent. It was a lot of fun reading this and getting more information about the Dream-Hunters.

As my first foray into the series it hooked me enough to want more. I was confused because I didn't know all the back story, but that confusion did not detract from the main story at all.

Up next, Acheron!

Haunted Halls

October’s Book-A-Month theme was Hauntings. Given the type of books I go for I knew I would be all over this theme and have plenty to work with so I decided to try a Non-Fiction book on hauntings. Something I’ve always been fascinated by are the ghost stories you find on college campuses so when I found the book Haunted Halls: Ghostlore of American College Campuses, I expected some great ghost stories and a bit of information on the history of the stories.

Sadly that’s not what I got. What I got was a Sociological dissertation on the way ghost stories are used to deliver moral lessons in the American heartland. I was disappointed by the clinical tone of the book and the lack of representation for the Southern States. Colleges I know have a reputation for ghostly encounters weren’t mentioned at all. There are Southern universities and colleges mentioned, but very few. I did learn some interesting things about the ghosts from New England and the Northern Mid-West, but on the whole, I was bored by the book. Luckily, this wasn’t the only book I read during the month of October. More coming on my newest interest, the Dark-Hunter series.

Ink Exchange

Ink Exchange picks up a few months after Wicked Lovely. The new peace between the Summer and Winter Courts has brought a stability to faerie society that doesn’t sit too well with the Dark court. Dark Fae thrive on violence and emotion but it’s no longer easy to feed off their fellow Fae. The Ink Exchange is the solution Irial, the king of the Dark Court uses to save his subjects from death. It isn’t perfect and he’s aware of that, but the only other choice is all out war with the three other faerie courts. The only thing is he didn’t expect to actually care for the human that receives his mark. Nor did he expect how much she would change under his influence.

Melissa Marr pulls the reader into an incredible tale of politics, fantasy, friendship and even a bit of romance. The characters get additional depth that really rounds them out and shows their flaws as well as their strengths. YA Urban Fantasy at it’s best.

Wicked Lovely

In the city of Huntsdale, Aislinn prefers the inner city, the land of iron and steel that keeps her interactions with the Faeries to a minimum. Aislinn possesses the gift – or perhaps the curse to see the Fae. Her grandmother has brought her up to follow three rules. Rule #1 – Don’t attract the attention of the Fae, Rule #2 – Don’t speak to invisible faeries, and Rule #3 – Don’t stare at invisible faeries. Without doing anything at all however Aislinn’s broken Rule #1. Not only did she attract their attention, she attracted the attention of the Summer King, Keenan.

Keenan searches for his Summer Queen, a mortal woman destined to become Fae and rule at his side. Due to the machinations of his mother, the Winter Queen this is a daunting task that puts each young woman he approaches at risk. In order to rule by his side the women must take up the Winter Queen’s staff. If she is not the one destined to be queen she becomes the Winter Girl. Her touch is cold, her world is covered in frost. Aislinn doesn’t want anything to do with the Fae, but once Keenan sets his sights on her there’s nothing she can do to lose their attention.

I wasn’t sure I would like this book – but I loved it. Melissa Marr has an engaging writing style, one that’s very easy to read. No character is a caricature or a stereotype. You immediately get a sense of Aislinn’s personality as well as Keenan’s. There are surprises throughout the book, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect by the end. It was a pleasant surprise and a well thought out world. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, Ink Exchange.

Like many other Twilight fans I was at the bookstore at Friday night in order to pick up my copy of Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight saga, as soon as it was available. I didn’t read it as fast as the other books but I’m still left stunned by the story. Going into this book I was looking for three things…ok, four. #1 – Bella and Edward get married. #2 – Bella is changed into a vampire. #3 – The Volturi confront the Cullens over Bella’s change. And #4 – Jacob gets a happy ending. I thought if I got all those things, or even 3 of the 4 I would be happy.

I’m not happy. Parts of the book at very good – there’s some great character moments for the Wolves. Some very sweet parts between Bella and Edward. Bella’s joy at certain happenings in the book is wonderful. But over all – the book is not the story I wanted to see. It doesn’t fit the rest of the series. It doesn’t fit Stephenie Meyer’s world as she’s presented it before this.

Before Breaking Dawn, the message that love requires sacrifice, compromise, and a lot of work for a wonderful emotional reward came through loud and clear. In Breaking Dawn that message is chucked right out the window. It’s hard to write a review of this book without spoilers – but I’m trying my best. The message of the series is lost in this book because of the central plot point that comes so far out of left field my brain couldn’t wrap around it even after a few hours of sleep. I will have to reread this book in order to full absorb the story, but upon my first reading I can not say I was truly satisfied with the ending. It has some very good scenes and some excellent character moments but as the conclusion of Bella & Edward’s story it doesn’t stand up to my expectations.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I started out the month of July with a goal to read 1984 for the Book-A-Month challenge. I managed to get through the first chapter then put it down. The whole concept of Big Brother was a bit much for me. I will finish the book but not for the challenge. Instead I decided to indulge in a book about Alien Invasion and how the humans of Earth deal with it. Independence was the theme for July so I thought Stephenie Meyer’s The Host fit the bill.

The Host is an interesting story that’s an interesting take on the classic Body Snatchers theme. In the Host parasitic aliens have infiltrated Earth civilization and quietly taken over. The aliens are known as Souls – luminous jellyfish sort of looking creatures that are surgically implanted in the host body through a small incision at the base of the neck. The Soul then wraps around the brainstem and its tentacles attach to various parts of the brain and spinal column. When a Soul wakes up from this procedure they are in complete control of the host body – the host mind is completely silent and repressed so the Soul is in sole control of her host body. Except in Wanderer’s case, her host is still present and refuses to completely give up on her body. Their tale is fascinating and provides the few free humans left in the world some hope that the extinction of the human race as free-willed beings is not as certain as they once thought.

This book certainly qualifies as Science Fiction, but there’s enough realism that it’s very easy to believe it and get lost in the story. I enjoyed the characters, they felt very real to me and it was interesting reading the story from the point of view of a Soul while still getting the Human point of view through Melanie, the ever present host personality. Meyer left the ending open enough to support a sequel but it isn’t a requirement. The story is whole on its own, but if a sequel does come out I’ll be interested in reading it.