I'd So Rather Be Reading: May 2010

Our First Award

We received our first award this week from CMash(cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com)! We are so excited!

And the rules for accepting this award are:

When you receive this award, you must share seven things about yourself and then pass it on to 15 blogs you have recently discovered that you enjoy!

Seven Things About Us:

We are total "Vampire Diaries" addicts---the CW series, not the books. The books stink!
We don't understand people who say they don't like to read.
We are on different Hunger Games teams---Natalie is Team Peeta and Kelli is Team Gale.
Our husbands read Twilight and The Hunger Games so they could relate to us---because we talked of nothing else for months on end.
We have "Edward Cullen corners" in our offices at work. If they ever make Vampire Academy into a movie, Edward will have to move over to make room for Dimitri. We love Dimitri too!
A short story from Natalie: Before my husband read Twilight, he was so jealous of Edward that he made a t-shirt that said, "Edward Cullen has HIV," and wore it in protest of my fictional relationship with Edward.
A short story from Kelli: I've read all of the books that Stephenie Meyer recommends on her website. My husband asked me, "If Stephenie Meyer told you to jump off a bridge, would you do that too?" I told him no, but was really thinking, "Yes, I would, but only if Edward were there at the bottom to change me..."

And here are the 15 new blogs that we have recently found and who we are passing on this award:

The Insatiable Reader
Daisy Chain Book Reviews
The Book Muncher
YA Addict
The Undercover Book Lover (not really)
Stella Ex Libris
The Book Guru
Noodle Bubble
Wise Owl
Holes in My Brain
A Journey Of Books
Dark Faerie (book it forward ARC tours)
The Book Buff
Psychotic State
The Bookish Type

Book Review: Out of the Blue by Caroline Clemmons

Summary:

Deirdre Dougherty never cursed at anyone, much less put a curse on the potato crop of her remote Irish village. She’d rather take her chances with the Atlantic lapping at the bottom of the cliff than the mob intent on burning her as they have her cottage. Deirdre leaps . . . and plops down over 160 years later in a Texas lake. She doesn’t understand how she’s ended up with the man from her recent visions or why he has the same name as the saint to whom she prayed. She’s in danger of falling for the handsome policeman who rescued her, in spite of the fact that he thinks she’s lying to him. How can she convince him her story is true when she’s finding it difficult to believe the tale herself?

Police Detective Brendan Hunter wants answers. Who shot him and killed his partner? Why? And why does Deirdre know details of the event? Her story has to be a colossal fabrication or else she’s a beautiful psycho. Either way, he wants her gone before he becomes even more fascinated with her. But he can’t let her out of his sight until she confesses to how she learned details no one but he and his late partner knew.

Review:

This was a fun read! It is a romance but has a little mystery to it too, and the allure of time travel adds another layer of intrigue. I sat down to read "just a few pages" this morning and ended up reading for over two hours...actually that happens quite often to me with thrillers but very rarely with a romance novel.

The story is engaging and the characters are relatable. I especially liked Blossom. I've noticed that so many romance novels follow the same guidelines: step one: meet cute; step two: one partner doesn't like the other and has to overcome feeling of dislike which are usually mixed with attraction; step three: flirting; step four: overcoming an obstacle that stands in the way of the couple getting together; step five: "getting together..."; step six: sometimes another obstacle; step seven: happily ever after.

Out of the Blue does follow some of those steps but in such a way that I didn't realize it until I was finished reading and reflected back on the book. The time travel makes this one fun and the mystery of Brendan's shooting adds a lot to the story. I also liked that while a romance novel, Out of the Blue was surprisingly light on bedroom scenes and heavier on the characters falling in love. This was the first Caroline Clemmons book I've read and I plan on reading more.

Just One Gripe:

Deirdre uses the word "lovely" too much.

The Best Thing About This Book:

This book is more than just a romance novel. The story is compelling and the characters are endearing.

Appropriate for a younger audience:

Score:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Setting/Imagery: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Ending: 4/5

Total Score: 18/25

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an impartial review.

Book Review: Grave Secret (Harper Connelly #4) by Charlaine Harris

Summary:

Lightning-struck sleuth Harper Connelly and her stepbrother Tolliver take a break from looking for the dead to visit the two little girls they both think of as sisters. But, as always happens when they travel to Texas, memories of their horrible childhood resurface.

To make matters worse, Tolliver learns from his older brother that their father is out of jail and trying to reestablish contact with other family members. Tolliver wants no part of the man- but he may not have a choice in the matter.

Soon, family secrets ensnare them both, as Harper finally discovers what happened to her missing sister, Cameron, so many years before.

And what she finds out will change her world forever.

Review:

Well color me dejected. As of tonight, I've read all of Charlaine Harris' novels and Sookie Stackhouse short stories and now I have to wait for her to write new books!

Grave Secret was one of Charlaine's best books yet. There were two major plot twists that I did not predict at all---love that! We find out the answers to several major issues as well. I enjoyed this series a lot; almost as much as I enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse series. I think that if there was an Eric-type love interest I'd like them even more. I like Tolliver but he just doesn't do it for me.

Fans of True Blood and the Sookie novels will like this series. Charlaine writes simply, with a good balance between emotion, plot, and action.

Just One Gripe:

The ending gives you specific facts but no details. I need details! I can't tell if there are going to be more Harper books or not based on this ending.

The Best Thing About This Book:

The plot twists.

Apporpriate for a younger audience:

Score:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Setting/Imagery: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Ending: 4/5

Total Score: 23/25

Read First:

Book Review: The Big Stone Gap Series by Adriana Trigiani

Summary:

In the town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia, not much happens. The highlight of 35-year-old Ave Maria Mulligan's week comes on Friday, with the arrival of the Bookmobile, the sight of which sends her into raptures. Her favorite book concerns the ancient Chinese art of reading faces. Through her face-readings, we come to understand the hostilities simmering within her family: her father whose small eyes are the clear "sign of a deceptive nature." Her aunt who "has a small head and thin lips. (That's a terrible combination.)" Adriana Trigiani's first novel concerns the family scandals that befall Ave Maria in this seemingly uneventful town. Greed, lust, envy--all the ancient emotional elements--manifest themselves even in this hamlet of "ordinary folk." Fans of Fannie Flagg or Rebecca Wells will enjoy this down-home tale, full of small, everyday details and colloquial revelations. The writing is often awkward, but so too are the characters who inhabit this place: the Bookmobile lady who thinks of herself as the sexiest woman alive; the amateur actors in the local Outdoor Drama who bristle with ambition when they hear that Elizabeth Taylor is coming to visit. In Big Stone Gap, her visit is so anticipated, it's like she's an angel sent from heaven.

Review:

The books in order are: Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, and Home to Big Stone Gap.

What's more fun than a series about someone who loves to read? Right from the beginning, I knew I was going to like Ave Maria Mulligan. Aside from our shared love of reading, she's a very likeable character. The series is based on her and written in the first person, which I love.

Ave Maria is a woman at a crossroads in her life. Her mother has recently died of cancer and Ave Maria is unmarried at 35 years old. The books chronicle her search for love, fulfillment, and reconnecting with her extended family.

I love the way Adriana Trigiani writes. Her characters are so likeable and realistic. Trigiani's books are heavy on the struggles and everyday life of her characters, which from some authors would be boring, but Trigiani's writing keeps it fun. There's a lot of emotion in this series and the series spans about 25 years. I like a series or book that spans a long length of time like that---it answers any questions I have about their futures.

Just One Gripe:

(Thinking hard here). The only thing I can really say is that the first book was a little slower than the rest. That's to be expected with a debut novel, in my opinion.

The Best Thing About This Series:

I love the way Trigiani writes about women and their emotions and relationships. This would be a great series for a women's book club.

Appropriate for a younger audience:

Yes

Score:

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 4/5

Setting/Imagery: 5/5

Originality: 4/5
Ending: 4/5

Total Score: 22/25

Book Review: Heartache and Sin by Charles Soto

Summary:

When diabetic Karen Wheaton learns she is pregnant, she is unable to come to grips with the effects the ripples of life within her will have on her body. She desperately wants to have a baby---perhaps, even more than she wants to live. For her husband, Steven, there is no question. Steven loves his wife, even more than he loves his own life. He begs Karen to end the pregnancy, even if it means having her leave the pro-life church he attends.

While Steven struggles to save his wife and his marriage, Karen's pastor, Ryan McDonald, convinces her not to terminate the pregnancy, even if it means her death. As the drama unfolds, Steven and Pastor McDonald will match wits in a trial to save Karen's life or solidify her death. As provocative as it is shocking, both worlds will crumble, leaving readers to sift through the haunting rubble of an issue that has no easy answers.

Review:

At first glance, I thought Heartache and Sin was going to be a Steel Magnolias type of story. However, it is much more than that. Heartache and Sin is as different from my usual reads as salt is from sugar. Charles Soto writes with the most unique style of writing I have ever read. His writing style took some getting used to---for the first 100 pages I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the book because I was having trouble adjusting. I'll quote two passages to show you:

"Back at the compound of The Church of Resurrection, the Pastor's influence continues to grow. Like a weed corrodes the earth, indulging the sun for its own greedy existence, the Pastor too controls his fate, induling in the same kind of greed that deceit thrives on. Knowing with all he consumes, these lies that encompass his thoughts will only promise him more power in an already thoughtless mind. A mind of no conscience in depth with his lure of the meek and their weak-hearted mentality, for his promise of heaven that his hell can never bring, only entraps his disciples further into this oblivious abomination."

"How time can torture those who pursue it, for in the dire consequences of Steven's reflections came the ill-tainted confusions that blanket his soul. Harboring the smothering reminders of how strong the Pastor's influences are. The deep, dark secrets that he holds in his lies, and as Steven craves to set them all free, he can't help but to feel it's all a rapacious cycle that will never end."

See what I mean? This is the kind of writing that I think intellectual types thrive on. I can just picture a group of college students sitting at Starbucks drinking coffee and discussing this book. As I read Heartache and Sin, I found myself wishing I had someone to discuss it with. It is a very emotional and thought-provoking read.

Heartache and Sin surprised me. The plot had some major twists that I didn't expect and I loved the ending. A perfect Stephenie Meyer-ending would not have suited this book---Charles Soto finishes the book with a totally appropriate and realistic ending. I don't think I would have been satisfied had it ended any other way.

I thought that the story would focus on Karen (the diabetic) but the main character was Steven. I really liked Steven. I liked the way he thinks and I liked how loyal and steadfast he is. It's not often that I identify with a male protagonist the way I did with Steven.

Heartache and Sin was a challenging read. I love a challenge, and sometimes I like feeling like I've accomplished something when I finish a book. Mindless escapism books get old after a while, so this was a good diversion for me.

Just One Gripe:

The writing, at times, feels as heavy as your grandmother's poundcake. You will feel like you just finished a SAT review course after reading this one. But, don't let that stop you from reading---it's worth it.

The Best Thing About This Book:

The plot surprised me, which is a rare and exciting thing.

Appropriate for a younger audience:
No.

Score:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting/Imagery: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Ending: 4/5
Total Score: 19/25

*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an impartial review.

Book Review: Foreign Body by Robin Cook

Summary:

A series of unexplained deaths in foreign hospitals sends an idealistic UCLA medical student on a desperate search for answers, in this chilling tale from the master of the medical thriller.

Jennifer Hernandez is a fourth-year medical student at UCLA, just completing an elective in general surgery, whose world is shattered during a break in an otherwise ordinary day. While relaxing in the surgical lounge of L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, she half-listens to a piece on medical tourism, where first-world citizens travel to third-world countries for surgery. But when she hears her beloved grandmother's name mentioned, her own heart nearly stops: the CNN reporter says Maria Suarez-Hernandez had died, a day after undergoing a hip replacement in New Delhi's Queen Victoria Hospital.

Maria had raised Jennifer and her brothers from infancy, and their bond was unshakable. Still, the news that Maria had traveled to India was a shock to Jennifer, until she realized that it was the only viable option for the hardworking yet uninsured woman. Devastated, and desperate for answers, Jennifer takes emergency leave from school and heads to India, where relations with local officials go from sympathetic to sour as she presses for more information. With the discovery of other unexplained deaths followed by hasty cremations, Jennifer reaches out to her mentor, New York City medical examiner Dr. Laurie Montgomery, who has her own deep connection to Maria.

Laurie, along with her husband, Dr. Jack Stapleton, rushes to the younger woman's side, discovering a sophisticated medical facility with little margin for error. As the death count grows, so do the questions, leading Laurie and Jennifer to unveil a sinister, multilayered conspiracy of global proportions.

Review:

It's been a while since I read a Robin Cook novel so I was excited to find Foreign Body on the bargain rack at Barnes and Noble. If you've never read a medical thriller, Robin Cook or Michael Palmer are both excellent authors with very gripping plot lines. I like medical thrillers as much as my legal/murder mysteries. I like the variation they provide---each novel deals with a different medical issue so that mixes things up a bit.

Foreign Body does not disappoint. It is exciting and fast-paced. Each chapter occurs in a differnent location with different characters, so I felt like I was watching an episode of 24 for the entire book. This is not a bad feeling---I love 24! The way the chapters jump around, I kept picturing events happening on a split-screen (like in 24) and was left wondering when Jack Bauer was going to show up with guns blazing and save the day.

I have to say that I was surprised at the ending. It seemed a little pat to me. However, the story is definitely engaging, albeit somewhat predictable. I have trouble with predicting what's going to happen in books and then being proved right. It's probably because I've read so many books in my lifetime that I'm experienced in divining plots. It's rare that I'm truly shocked by a plot---but I love to be surprised!

Just One Gripe:

The Indian names got pretty confusing. There are so many Indian characters in the book that I had some difficulty keeping them all straight. This probably would have been less problematic if I had read this book in one sitting; however, I read it over the course of four days while reading another book at the same time.

The Best Thing About This Book:

I like how Robin Cook pulls you in to the story right from the beginning. I also like how his novels are based on current issues in the medical field. It makes me feel like I'm watching a really exciting episode of Dateline.

Appropriate for a younger audience:

No. There's murder and child abuse (no details, but there are multiple mentions of it) in this one.

Score:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Setting/Imagery: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Ending: 3/5
Total Score: 20/25

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Book Review: Dead Wreckoning (Sidra Smart #3) by Sylvia Dickey Smith

Summary:

Sidra Smart's search for an elusive schooner stirs up ruthless smugglers and the spirits of Privateer Jean Lafitte and Pirate Queen Mary Anne Radcliff.

Newly licensed private investigator Sidra Smart reluctantly takes on the pro-bono case of Boo Murphy, a poor, countrified woman accused of murder. When Boo tells her tale of stumbling on the Hotspur, half-buried in a Texas swamp, everyone is convinced she's found treasure worth millions.

As Sidra searches for both the schooner and evidence to clear her client, she battles an unknown enemy, and soon discovers they know their business much better than she knows hers.

After several close calls, not only does Sid question her own abilities, she discovers her trusted mentor George Léger is involved in illegal activities that threatens not only their friendship, but also their lives. Even Slider, her half-paranoid, half Chesapeake Bay retriever battles demons from his past as the investigation takes Sidra back to familiar small town territory. Complicated family histories dating back centuries and feuding family relationships muddy the clues and the truth seems as elusive as the spectral schooner.

When all seems lost, eighteenth century spirits of infamous Jean Lafitte and voluptuous, swashbuckling pirate-queen Mary Anne Radcliff show up to offer Sid assistance.

Review:

Well, I am so upset. I accidentally read book three before book two in the Sidra Smart series. I hate that! I hate spoilers and I did it to myself this time! When I discovered my mistake, I was so upset I had to lay on the floor in my husband's office and pout while I told him about what happened. Apparently my mood was infectious because my cat copied me and laid down next to me.

While reading Dead Wreckoning, Smith alluded to things that didn't happen in Dance on His Grave, but I thought she was the type of author who has lots of time and events lapse between installments in her series. Little did I know I was ruining the plot of Deadly Sins, Deadly Secrets for myself!

Well, onto Dead Wreckoning. This was a fun read! I love the writing and the phrases Smith uses. I also really enjoy reading about events happening in towns close to home. A lot of this book centers on events on the water, including Sabine Lake, which I've been on countless times in my dad's sailboat. It's fun to read about Pleasure Island, where I spent so much time growing up.

I liked Dead Wreckoning even more than Dance on His Grave. I really like Sid and the way she thinks. She's got gumption---and there's nothing I like more than a strong female protagonist.

Just One Gripe:

I found the cover to be a little off-putting. In retrospect, it fits, but before I read the book I thought that was Sid on the front playing dress-up.

The Best Thing About This Book:

The writing. I love the dialogue and turns of phrase Smith uses. For example, "It seemed he carried his Cajun accent in his pocket and pulled it out whenever he wanted. Sid never had figured out what triggered his mood for using it." One line I really liked was, "'If you locked that man in a closet, he couldn't find his a** with both hands.'" Hah!

Appropriate for a younger audience:

Score:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting/Imagery: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Ending: 4/5

Total Score: 22/25

Read First:

Book Review: Spirit Bound (Vampire Academy #5) by Richelle Mead

Summary:

After a long and heartbreaking journey to Siberia, dimitri's birthplace, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir's---and to her best friend, Lissa Dragomir. It's graduation, and the girls can't wait for their real lives outside of the academy's cold iron gates to finally begin. But even with the intrigue and excitement of court life looming, Rose's heart still aches for Dimitri. He's out there, somewhere.

She failed to kill him when she had the chance, and now her worst fears are about to come true. Dimitri has tasted her blood, and she knows in her heart that he is hunting her. And if Rose won't join him, he won't rest until he has silenced her...forever.

But Rose can't forget what she learned on her journey---whispers of a magic too impossible and terrifying to comprehend. A magic inextricably tield to Lissa that could hold the answer to all of Rose's prayers, but not without devastating consequences. Now Rose will have to decide what---and who---matters most to her. And in the end, is true love really worth the price?

Review:

I managed to wait four days to read this book---I don't know how I did it but I made myself save it for this weekend. It was worth the wait! But now I don't know how I can move on from this story to another book. Cue up Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares To You." Because the Vampire Academy series is just that good. If you haven't read this series, go immediately to the bookstore or library and check it out. It is excellent! We have love, action, friendship, rivalry, devotion, evil enemies, plot twists galore and forbidden love (our absolute favorite) in this series.

I was not a fan of vampire novels or anything paranormal until I read Twilight. That started me on the paranormal genre and I've been unstoppable ever since. This is so strange for me, because I'm the kind of person who can't watch The Shining, who still cringes when I think about the little girl ghost in Wait Until Helen Comes and who used to think I couldn't stomach the "weird" stuff likes vampires, werewolves and ghosts. The paranormal books I've read are are just really good stories set in a fantasy world. I think the extra layer of the story happening in a total fantasy world is what makes them so alluring.

Okay, the rest of the review is for people who have already read the book, because I'm suspending all of my usual rules and including spoilers in my review. Can I do it? Will my Type A, OCD tendencies allow me to break my own rigidly set protocol? For something so great, I think I have to! So, if you haven't read Spirit Bound yet, stop reading here and come back once you've finished it. Unless you're like Stacey and you like to know the ending first! :)

Spoiler Alert:

Spirit Bound starts with Rose's guardian trials. Rose and Lissa don't stay at the academy long, with graduation happening in chapter two. From there, they go to court for a very short stay, then the action starts. After they sneak out of court, I became unable to put the book down. The plot moves that fast! Several major questions that Blood Promise left us with get answered in Spirit Bound:

1. Will Rose and Lissa break Victor out of prison?

2. Will Rose and Lissa save Dimitri from being a Strigoi?

3. Will Lissa and Christian get back together?

4. Will Rose and Dimitri get back together?

5. And what about Adrian and Rose's relationship?

I have to say here that I am not a fan of Adrian. Adrian has his moments of tender-heartedness but is mostly a side character to me. He is the equivalent of Jacob in Twilight to me: a big part of the story, but just not "the one." Maybe my diapproval is because of his alcohol use/abuse, maybe it's because I think Rose would really lose her mind if she got too close to another spirit user who battles the depression associated with spirit, but Adrian is the definition of the B-team to me. He's a nice guy but I only have eyes for Dimitri.

Here are my official predictions for what will happen in Last Sacrifice. A central character will have to die, doesn't the title alone allude to that? Lissa's illegitimate half-sibling will come into the picture and complete the quorum and Lissa will take her place at the royal court. I'm undecided if Lissa will go to college. I'm thinking she'll take classes part-time and fulfill her court duties part-time. Sydney will come testify at Rose's trial that they were having their online chat at the time Tatiana was killed and Rose will be released from custody. Rose will live, I'm sure of that. I think Lissa and Christian will live too. I'm predicting that Adrian will somehow sacrifice himself for Rose. I'm not sure how or what, but that's what I'm hoping. He will say that he can't stand the pain of living with spirit's darkness, of not having a shadow-kissed bond with someone to siphon the darkness away from him. He'll say that his life is too painful and meaningless but it will mean something if he dies for love. And I think that we will get our happy ending with Rose and Dimitri. At least that's what my fervent hope is. If Richelle Mead does us wrong with the ending, she'll have scores of angry young women to deal with. And we know how scary we can be when we're mad...

Just One Gripe:

Richelle Mead uses the phrase "no pun intended" three times in this book. That's two times too many. This is a very inconsequential gripe, in light of how great Spirit Bound is.

The Best Thing About This Book:

The plot. I was shocked several times---and that doesn't happen often!

Appropriate for a younger audience:

Somewhat.