Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry***

Hey guys, about an hour ago, I finished Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry. Here's my review. Enjoy!

**THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR ROT & RUIN, BUT NOT FOR DUST & DECAY**

Dust & Decay by Jonathan Maberry

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Release Date: August 30, 2011

Pages: 519 in the U.S. Hardcover Edition
Ages: 12+
Genre: Young Adult, Zombie Apocalypse, Dystopian
Series: The Benny Imura Series
Preceeded by: Rot & Ruin

Benny Imura & Nix Riley can't forget the jet they saw fly over the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin.

The jet meant leaving, something that Nix and Benny were going to do. Now-after months of rigorous training with Tom-Benny's zombie-hunter brother- Benny, Nix, Lilah the Lost Girl, & Chong are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future.


But from the start, everything goes wrong. They are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, and insane murderers, and are faced with the horrors of a rebuilt Gameland, where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits, Worst of all... could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?


This book was really great! I liked it sooo much better then the first in the series & I really hope Jonathan Maberry writes plenty more of these books.

The reason I liked this book so much more was because the author definetly took some time to add alot of depth to the characters as opposed to the first book. Maybe because the first one was more of an intro and this is more the "meat" of the series, but either way, this one had my heart racing more then a few times.
My favorite part of the book was probably the pages that had come out of Nix's journal. Every so often, after a chapter, not every chapter, the author as thrown in an entry from Nix's journal. It isn't anything long, just a page, maybe 3, of random things she has written about the different tools that Tom uses or what she knows about zombies so far. I really liked that the author has added that aspect to it. It definetly added a little something extra to the story. I felt closer to Nix after reading some of those.

The characters I didn't too much were the surfer bounty hunters and some of the other bounty hunters. I just felt like they weren't well researched and they didn't really add much to the story... they were just kind of... there.

But overallm I felt like the book had ALOT of depth to it and I highly recommend it to anyone really. I believe it's aimed more for middle graders, but I think anyone can read it if they like.

Update:
I'm currently reading Cosmic Forces by Gregory Lamberson, the third book in The Jake Helman Files. I should have a review up shortly. :}

Happy Reading!

Super sorry/October reads

I have been tooooootally M.I.A. for quite awhile now, and I wanna start updating alot more. I do update my Goodreads page ALOT so check that out if you're interested.

www.goodreads.com/minitiger031010

I also have a Youtube channel where I post book reviews & hauls & all that jazz.

www.youtube.com/bookreviewsbykandes

So, for an update, I'm gonna post the books I read for the month of October & put what I rated them & just a brief lil review. Enjoy!

Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan***
I absolutely ADORED this book! I know alot of people hated it, and I guess I can see why, but I really really liked it. The main reason is because it completely changed my opinion on zombies. Before reading this book, I never was too interested in zombie type novels, but now (as you will see) I am OBSESSED with zombies! Not as much as I am with vampires, they'll always be my fave, but I just thought it was great that it can change my opinion about that. Definetly give it a shot & let me know what you think. :]

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan***
This one I rated more as 2 1/2 stars, just because it wasn't super amazing like the first one. Also, this one is more of a companion then a direct sequel to FOH&T. I wish that Ms. Ryan would've continued on with the story she created in the first one, which she sort of does, but not completely. Other then that, it was alright.

Zombie, Ohio: A Tale Of The Undead by Scott Kenemore**
See? This was the beginning of my zombie hysteria. It's about this college professor who, at the very beginning of the book, wakes up after a car accident & has no recollection of who he is & where he's from. He ends up finding out that he has turned into some of super zombie. (Not a spoiler, this info is in the synopsis) I say "super zombie" because he is a flesh-eating zombie, BUT he can think & speak like a regular human. It was pretty interesting I guess. Check it out if you're a huge zombie cuz there were LOTS of zombie action scenes, but other than that, I'd just borrow it from the library.

Personal Demons***
This isn't a zombie novel, but it's definetly a great Halloween read. It's about a NYPD Special Elite Task Force Agent Jake Helman who is battling a cocaine addiction. After a shootout at his local hangout, he is required to take a drug test, purely regulations, but right before the shootout started, he had just snorted some cocaine, so he decides to resign from the Task Force. After that, this huge Donald Trump-esque corporation hires him for a head of security job. He soon finds out that they are doing some super creepy experiments that involve some alien fish type things. I highly suggest it for those of you that are looking for a book that will make you have a "WTF?????" moment. (I seriously had a moment where I was sitting on my couch & I screamed out "what the fuuuuu?")

Desperate Souls***
This is #2 in the Jake Helman Files, a direct sequel to Personal Demons. This opens up as Jake Helman is now a private investigator & takes a job helping an older woman find out if her dead grandson is dealing a deadly new drug called "Black Magic". He ends up being thrown headfirst into a full on drug war going on with the local drug lords, who just happen to be uncle & nephew. This does involve zombies, but I don't really recommend it for people who are on the look out for zombie books just because it isn't really focused on the zombies so much as the drug war. But I do suggest checking it out if you liked the first one, or if you're looking for a murder mystery type book mixed with a lil bit of sci-fi.

The Radleys by Matt Haig**
Wanna know what it would be like if the girls of the hit show "Desperate Housewives" were actually vampires? Then this book is definetly for you. It starts off with a family in Suburbia, mother, father, daughter, son, and, on the outside, they seem like the typical "all american family". But when you look a little deeper, you'll find that they are actually a family of vampires, only the kids don't know, they just think they're "freaks", until one classmate decided to mess with the wrong girl, and things go horribly wrong. I liked this book for the vampires... and that's about it. It wasn't too unique in the plot and the story just didn't really stick with me. Check it out if you're a vampire fan, but if not, then I wouldn't suggest it.

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry**
This is where my zombie obsession kicks up again. This story is about a 15 year old boy named Benny Imura who lives in Mountainside, a town in post-apocalyptic America. In this town, they are surrounded by "The Rot & Ruin" which is where the zombies live. In Mountainside, food is rationed, and once you turn 15, if you don't have a job by the end of summer, they take your food rations away. Benny decides to start working with his older brother who he believes is a bounty hunter who goes in the woods and kills all the zombies he can find. Little does he know, he's in for a rude awakening. This book wasn't too amazing. I thought it was a young adult novel, but, in my opnion, it's more middle grade, which I don't normally read. But reading it as a middle grade book, I thought it was alright. It was interesting enough to make me want to read the sequel which is titled Dust & Decay. I'm currently reading that, & I really like it so far. I'm about 70% done. Once I finish, I'll have a review up. :]

So I hope you enjoyed my lil update/Halloween reads. For the month of November, I'm going back to reading whatever sounds interesting to me, but when December rolls around, I'll definetly be reading some Christmas themed books, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. Happy Reading. :}

Update: I'm sorry!

Wow, I just realized I haven't updated this page since October 3rd! Jeeeez. Well I've been kind of busy with reading and my hubby just recently got word that we will be moving from Connecticut to Washington at the end of November, so we've been busy with making plans for all that and everything, but I do apologize for being M.I.A.

During my break I've only read 2 books which is horrible, usually in a 15 day time span I would've read alot more, but I've been in a bit of a slump. Anyways, after this post, I'll be posting reviews on The Dead-Tossed Waves (companion to The Forest Of Hands & Teeth) by Carrie Ryan and Zombie, Ohio: A Tale Of The Undead by Scott Kenemore.

For the month of October, I've decided to read a bunch of zombie books and some other creepy crawly scary books to celebrate the awesome holiday of Halloween! So stay tuned for those and Happy Reading! :]

The Forest Of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan***

This is another book review from me. Hope you enjoy!

The Forest Of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Release Date: March 10, 2009

Pages: 308 in the U.K. paperback edition

Ages: 14+

Genre: Young Adult, Zombie Apocalypse, Dystopian

Series: The Forest Of Hands & Teeth series

Followed by: The Dead-Tossed Waves

                   The Dark & Hollow Places

In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect & serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence the surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest Of Hands And Teeth. 

But, slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhod and it's secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future-between the one she loves and the one who loves her.

And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands & Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

This book was... amazing! I would definetly give it 3 out of 3 stars. It was really well written and really drew me in.

At first, I wasn't too sure if I was going to like it because I don't normally read apocalyptic novels, especially not ones about zombies. But after reading maybe 60 pages, I got hooked! I think that's when you know a book is great, when it can make you interested in things you've never had an interest in before. I've never really read a zombie book before, so I'm not saying this is the greatest one ever, but it was really great. It had everything I like in a book, mystery, romance, some violence and gory parts (great for Halloween coming up), and it was just written in a way to make you wanna know what's gonna happen next.

My favorite character in the book was definetly Mary, the main character and the narrator throughout the story. She was just very nieve and had such big dreams for trying to survive this world that they've lived in their whole lives. She did get a little annoying, she wasn't perfect, but overall I just felt like we all can relate to her. We all have dreams of surviving parts of our lives, and we all have had issues with figuring what we want and who we wanna spend our time with.

My least favorite character was Sister Tabitha, the "leader" of The Sisterhood. She reminded me of Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. She was just very mean and hard on Mary and threatened her more then a few times to keep some of the secrets that Mary happened upon. She also forced Mary into an unhappy marriage just to keep the village the way it's always been. I really could not stand her character at all.

Some of of the other things I didn't like in the book was the way that the author had one obstacle after another and another, which I know is the point of the story, but I just don't see why there couldn't have been at least some happy parts. And I also didn't like the fact that there was hardly any dialogue between the two love interests. It just seemed like they were in love, but yet they never conversed at all really.  

But overall, I do highly recommend this to anyone looking for a scary read for Halloween. It wasn't too overly gruesome for those of you who don't enjoy gore in every single scene like me, but it did have enough for those horror lovers. There also wasn't ANY sex scenes which I liked. There was one or two scenes where there was kissing, but that's it.

Happy Reading!

Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard***

**Review**

Pretty Little Liars
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: August 31, 2007-December 6, 2011
Pages: each book is about 250-300 pages roughly
Ages: 16+
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Drama, Romance
Series: Pretty Little Liars
Flawless
Perfect
Unbelievable
                                     Wicked
                                    Kiler
                                    Heartless
                                    Wanted
                                    Twisted
                                    Ruthless (to be released 12/06/11)

Everyone has something to hide-especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, And Hanna. Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful. But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished. How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were, the naughty girls they are, and all the dirty secrets they've kept. And guess what? I'm telling.

So I definetly give these books 3 out of 3 stars. They were really great light easy fun reads. I went through them really fast.

My favorite character out of all of them was definetly Aria because of how original she is and how she isn't afraid to be different, even in a city where people revolve their whole life around fashion. It was also interesting to read about her relationship with her teacher because I have never read another book about that & I have never been exposed to that in real life. She was just a fun relateable character.

Hanna would probably be my second favorite for the sheer fact that she isn't afraid to speak her mind, and for that she is considered a "bitch". She is definetly the most outspoken one in the group. I also really enjoyed getting inside her head to learn more about her because on the outside she is just the typically bitchy stuck up fashion obsessed teen living in an "OC" type environment, but on the inside she is so much more and the author writes her character in a way that makes you really fall in love with her. You also feel yourself relating to her even though at first you really don't expect to.

Emily would be my third favorite because she is the most emotional in the group. I loved getting inside her head to see how she dealt with learning she has feelings for another girl and how that would hurt her social status and how upset her parents and friends would be. At first, it doesn't sound very hard to deal with, but once you get inside her head and you kind of put yourself in her shoes, you realize how hard that must be.

Spencer was definetly my least favorite because she sort of got on my nerves because she was driven to succeed, which is fine, but she was also whiny and never stood up for herself, especially when it came to her older sister. I just got really irritated when it came to her and her sister and how competitive they got, even for the smallest tiniest little things.

Overall, I really enjoyed this series and I can't wait for books 10-12 to come out! I highly recommend picking up this series. It's such a great look at what teens nowadays go through and how they find different ways to cope with the cards they are dealt. My favorite thing about it was that I have never gone through any of the big issues in this book, so I loved seeing how these girls dealt with it and what consequences came with it as well. I think it's great to read if you haven't had any experience with these issues, or even if you have, you can compare how you dealt with it, and the different ways that others handle it. Hope you enjoyed this review, Happy Reading!

Update!

Hey everyone! I'm sorry that I haven't written in soooo long! For the past 2 or 3 weeks, I've been reading the Pretty Little Liars series & I just finished. As I was reading, I did put up reviews on each book, but they weren't very well written so I deleted them & decided to go ahead and just do a review on the series as a whole. Also, I have a youtube channel up & I've been doing some reviews on there as well so feel free to check that out. The URL is http://www.youtube.com/user/BookReviewsByKandes?feature=mhee

So, in the coming weeks, I will be doing reviews on some creepy, Halloween type books in honor of the month of October and the upcoming holiday. As of right now, this is the list of books I plan on reading:
The Forest Of Hands & Teeth (currently reading)-Carrie Ryan
The Dead-Tossed Waves-Carrie Ryan
A Brief Lunacy-Cynthia Thayer
The Body Finder- Kimberly Derting
Desires of The Dead-Kimberly Derting
The Graveyard Book-Neil Gaiman
Tales of Terror-Edgar Allan Poe
In The Shadow Of The Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allan Poe
Creepers-David Morrell
In The Night Room-Peter Straub
The Day of Small Things-Vicki Lane


So, that's my TBR pile for the month of October. I might not read all of them since there are alot. If there's any books you would like a review on, please let me know.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy Reading!
~Kandes

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf***

Who wants another book review? I do, I do!

I just finished this book, like, 5 mins ago, & I can't wait to review it!

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Publisher: Mira

Release Date: Jan 31, 2011

Pages: 337 in the U.S. Paperback Edition

Ages: 18+

Genre: Mystery

Series: none

Allison Glenn tried to hide what happened that night... and failed. The consequence? A prison sentence. Now she's free. But secrets have a way of keeping you locked up.

When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult in her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors everyday in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn-shy, quiet Brynn-who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her.

But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined then ever to speak with her estranger sister.

Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

This book was really great. I thought that it was well-written and the character development is amazing!

My favorite character is Claire, who is the owner of the bookstore where Allison gets a job while she's in the halfway house. The number one reason I love Claire is because of the fact that she owns her own small bookstore because, c'mon, who doesn't love small, independant bookstores? I also love the way that she is with her son, Joshua and her husband Jonathan. They just have such a cute perfect family that I just loved reading about. And she was just such a damaged character that still tried to keep a positive outlook on life.

My second favorite character was Allison, even though at first, I wasn't a huge fan. But that's what makes this book so great, it has the ability to change your opinion. When I first started reading about her character, I thought she was a little selfish and stuck up, so I didn't really care for her as a character, but throughout the book, you really see her develop as a woman and she really grows up.

The plot of this story was very original and well-written. It really drew me in from page 1. Right before I started These Things Hidden, I was reading Eden Close by Anita Shreve, and I found it to be a little boring, but as soon as I picked up this paperback, I could NOT put it down.

So, overall, I definetly recommend this to anyone over 18.

Needful Things by Stephen King***

Book review time!!!!

I read this book last year sometime so I'm not too sure about all the tiny details but I'll do my best.

Needful Things by Stephen King

Publisher: Signet

Release Date: July 8, 1992

Pages: 690 in the U.S. Hardcover Edition

Ages: 18+

Genre: Horror, Mystery

Series: none

Leland Gaunt is a stranger-and he calls his shop Needful Things. Eleven-year-old Brian Rusk is his first customer, and Brian finds just what he wants most in all the world: a Sandy Koufax baseball card. By the end of the week, Mr. Gaunt's business is fairly booming, and why not? At Needful Things, there's something for everyone.

And, of course, there is always a price. For Leland Gaunt, the pleasure of doing business lies chiefly in seeing how much people will pay for their most secret dreams and desires. And as Leland Gaunt always points out, at Needful Things, the prices are high indeed. Does that stop people from buying? Has ever?

For Allan and Polly, this one week in autumn will be an awful test-a test of will , desire and pain. Above all, it will be a test of their ability to grasp the true nature of their enemy. They may have a chance...but maybe not, because, as Mr. Gaunt knows, almost everything is for sale: love, hope, even the human soul.

Such a long synopsis! Well I definetly loved this book. I had never heard of it before, even though I've heard of most of King's books, so it caught my interest, because, well, it IS Mr. King, and I LOVE pretty much everything I've read from him, besides Cell.

Hmm, where to start? If you've ever read anything by King, you'll find this is a pretty typical King novel. It has the creepiness element like always, not too much gore, which is great because I don't really like gory type novels. The characters were very well written as well. My favorite was Sheriff Pangborn, although, I can't really say why since I don't wanna give any spoilers. My least favorite were definetly Ace Merrill and Leland Gaunt himself.

I'm not really sure if there was anything in this book I didn't enjoy. I mean it wasn't one of my all-time favorites or anything, but it's definetly one of my favorite by Stephen King.

Overall, I recommend this for anyone over 18. Happy Reading!

This or That book tag

This is a book tag started on youtube, I'll be doing a vlog on my youtube account sometime later, but I wanted to do it on here as well.

This Or That?
1. Audio or Book in Hand?
I've only listened to one audio book & that was Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, so I'd definetly choose book in hand.

2. Soft Cover or Hardback?
I'm not really sure. I know I usually pick up paperback because it's so much cheaper, but as far as a collection, I definetly want hardcover.

3. Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Fiction for sure. I love getting lost in a good story.

4. Fantasy World or Real Life Issues?
It really depends. I really like paranormal, but I don't like Star Wars or Star Trek type fantasy.

5. Harry Potter or Twilight?
I haven't really read Harry Potter, so I'm not sure.

6. Kindle, iPad, or Other?
I love my Kindle!

7. Borrow or Buy?
I love going to the library, but I prefer buying when I have the money, just so that there's no time limit & I can display it on my shelf.

8. Bookstore or Online?
I usually get books online because there's really good deals, but I love bookstores.

9. Tell Me One Time or Total Trilogy?
Trilogy.

10. Monster Read or Short and Sweet?
Depends on the story.

11. Starry-Eyed Romance or Full of Action?
Both?
12. Curl Up in Your Snuggie or Bathe in the Sun?
Snuggie! I love love love the cold.

13. Hot Chocolate or Latte?
Cocoa!

14. Read the Review or Decide for Yourself?
Decide for myself.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver*

Hey everyone, got another review.

This is another book that has been getting a lot of hype lately, and I decided to review it because I don't really agree with all the attention it has been recieving.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: August 2, 2011

Pages: 480

Ages: 14+

Genre: Dystopian, Romance

Series: Delirium Trilogy

Followed by: Pandemonium (out in February 2012)

                  Requiem (out in February 2013)

Edition: U.S. Hardcover

Ninety Five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't.

This book was very disappointing. I guess, due to the hype, I had very high expectations for it, and it just fell flat.

The things I did enjoy were the ending & Lena's character. I thought the ending was great because maybe 3/4's of the way through was really boring to me, but after that, it really picked up and got interesting. I'm not sure if the author needed to drag it out for the other two books in the trilogy, but either way, I really didn't enjoy most of the novel. I did like Lena's character. She was probably the only character throughout the whole book that I felt was even halfway believeable.

Everything besides the ending and Lena's character, I absolutely hated. I don't understand the hype. Maybe dystopian novels just aren't my cup of tea. I'm not sure. I understand that this is supposed to be a different society then ours so it isn't exactly like ours is now. But at the same time, I didn't see the plot or characters believable in any society... I don't know.

Overall, I don't recommend this to anyone really. Maybe ages 14-16. I hate telling people to not read a book, I believe people should read whatever it is they want, as long as theyre READING, so pick it up if you want. Happy Reading!

Stray by Mark Matthews***

Hey everyone, sorry for the million reviews, I just want to get to these before I forget.

This one is another ebook I recieved on my Kindle.

Stray by Mark Matthews

Publisher: Unknown

Release Date: December 2, 2010

Pages: Unknown

Ages: 18+

Genre: Drug Addiction

Series: none

Therapist Tomas Cleaves is many years sober from his addiction but is now losing his mind. He is sure that the addicts he treats must have infected the womb of his wife. Add to that the occasional seizure and voices in his head, he may be more unstable than any of his clients. And with clients like Jason Boston Senior, the Ancient Heroin Wizard, who moves about the city's underground like the Merlin of smack. Tom is in desperate need of a client who can give him some hope. James White is one such client-a newly orphaned alcoholic bent on drinking again until he finds himself rescuing lost strays at the next door animal shelter. It is here that he meets the mystical nurse and animal control worker Rachel. Rachel cleans cages, rescues strays, but then has the unfortunate duty of putting some to sleep with a lethal injection. Can James escape his despondent life by helping her rescue the throw-away pets of the city? Follow the cast of characters through dog fighting dens, crack houses, abandoned farms, and experience the minds and hearts of addicts and those who would help them through a world where stray dogs and heroin addicts are killed by needles everyday. Stray illustrates the universal longing in all of us as we wander through the aid stations of society looking for a place that feels like home.

Whooo, sorry for the super long synopsis, I always write down the synopsis from either Amazon or the back of the book, this was from Amazon.

Anyways, I really enjoyed this book. It's been a few months since I've read it so I'm not crystal clear on all the details.

I did quite enjoy the characters though and how the author took the reader on this journey that not many get to go on. I was drawn to the cover when I first saw it. Not the cover I have shown you, the original one. The one I first saw on Amazon was of a young man, he looked to be maybe 20-25 and he had a needle in his hand. I thought that was very interesting. I don't have much experience with drugs or drug addicts, and I always enjoy reading about subjects I know nothing about so that I may learn and hear other people's aspects of certain events.

My favorite character in this book was Rachel. I'm a huge huge huge animal lover (I have 2 chihuahuas and 1 retriever mix myself) and I just loved the scenes that were set in the animal shelter. And I really felt her pain when she had to euthanize these poor poor creatures that did nothing wrong other then be around these horrible people that use and abuse these animals. I really don't know how people can handle euthanizing them, they must be so strong.

Overall, I highly recommend this story, although I don't recommend it for kids under 18 due to the graphic nature of the drug use and slight sex scenes from what I remember.

*Sidenote: I spoke with the author and he has just released a new book. It isn't a sequel to this one, but it sounds interesting none the less. It is called The Jade Rabbit. It is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

**Side Sidenote lol I found the original cover on Google images... enjoy! Also, there will be a new version of Stray that is "re-edited and polished a bit" and should be uploaded by Sept 15, 2011. Definetly go and check it out if you have a chance!

Isn't that such an interesting cover that just draws you in??

My Sister's Keeper by Edna Curry **

Hey everyone, got another review for you!

I went to Bookrooster.com a few months back and signed up to recieve complimentary copies of ebooks in exchange for my honest review. This is the first one I recieved.

My Sister's Keeper by Edna Curry

Publisher: Unknown

Release Date: April 24, 2011

Pages: Unknown

Edition: Kindle E-Book

Age Group: 16+

Genre: Romance, Mystery

Series: none

Mystery novelist Candi finds herself in trouble way over her head when her sister, Jolene, drops off her baby asking Candi to keep it safe from it's father and disappears. She needs to meet her deadline and doesn't have time to bail Jolene out of trouble for the umpteenth time. She's sick of responsibility. But FBI agent Luke shows up, saying Jolene is part of a jewelry thief gang. Worse, Luke suspets Candi of being one of the thieves herself. Assigned to watch her, he finds himself falling for her and the cute baby, wanting her, but never gets involved with a suspect. Then they find that secrets from the past threaten Candi's whole family.

I found this book to be quite an easy, beach-type read. It didn't take a whole lot of effort to keep me interested. It was a little bit predictable, I saw what the outcome would be maybe halfway through.

Some of the things I didn't really enjoy were the love scenes that seemed to kind of drag on when there wasn't any real reason for them to and some of the scenes weren't very believable to me, they seem seemed a little farfetched.

The characters were well written though. I did feel I could relate to Candi and her issues with everything she had to go through. I also fell in love with Jolene, even though at the beginning she was kind of a pain and seemed very selfish.

Another thing, the relationship between Luke and Candi was a little unnecessary. It seems like the story would've been just fine without their romance thrown in for filler.

Overall, I recommend this for a quick easy read. Happy Reading!

Lesser known titles... why no love?

Hey everyone.

I was noticing that alot of bloggers have been reviewing alot of popular titles such as The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare, but not many bloggers have been introducing lesser known titles, so I thought I'd go through my books and start doing a few reviews on lesser known titles to get the word out there. I'll also be doing some reviews on popular books that have gotte either good or bad reviews all across the board. I'll be reviewing the ones i don't agree with. For example, I reviews Eat Pray Love, because it seems to have been getting more and more negative reviews, and I wanted to give my opinion, since I don't agree with those negative reviews. 

So stay tuned for some reviews!

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert***

Hey everyone, as promised, here's my next review!

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Publisher: Penguin

Release Date: January 29, 2007

Pages: 334

Age Group: 18+

Genre: Memoir, Spirituality

Series: none*

Followed by: Commited: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage

In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want-husband, country home, successful career-but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she felt consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and of what she found in their place. Following a divorce and a crushing depression, Gilbert set out to examine three different aspects of her nature, set against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldy enjoyment and divine transcendence.

I decided to write this review because it seems like many people have given this book bad reviews, and in my opinion, it was amazing! I guess I related more to it then others because of what I've gone through in the past. I haven't gone through what Ms. Gilbert has in this beautiful memoir, but I have felt the way she describes and I really related to it.

I'm not really sure how to review this book since it is a memoir and not characters created by the author herself. I guess I can just tell you the parts I did enjoy and part I did not.

First of all, the book is broken down into 3 Books. My favorite book out of all 3 was Book One: Italy. I loved the way she described Italy and all the wonderful and beautiful food. I also loved the teeny tiny Italian lesson as she threw in a few translations of some Italian words, which was interesting to me.

I also loved the spiritual aspect of it, even though it wasn't too overpowering or condescending. I never felt the sense that she was trying to shove the religion down our throat or that she felt she was better then us.

Overall, it was a great book and I highly recommend it. Happy Reading!

*Side Note: This isn't really a "series" but Elizabeth Gilbert did come out with a sequel to this book called A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage and it continues on with this story. I haven't read it yet, but I did pick it up a few days ago, so I should have a review up soon.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson***

Hey everyone.

I just finished this book around 2 am last night. I literally could NOT put this book down.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: June 14, 2011

Pages: 358

Edition: U.S. Hardcover

Age Group: 18+

Series: none

"As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning, thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me..." Memories define us. So what if you lost yours everytime you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love, all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may be telling you only half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.

The main reason I gave this book 3 stars was because it was definetly a page turner. I found myself stalling to go to the store or do dishes so I can read one more paragraph. But, overall, I think this book deserves more of a 2 star rating. I'm not really sure why. I think it just didn't have that "wow" factor you know? 

The characters were all well done and believable. My favorite was Claire because she seemed very carefree and loveable, and I really felt that she truly cared about Chris. Another of my favorites was Christine, the main character. The author definetly made me feel her pain and try to imagine what it would feel like to be so alone and not know who to trust. 

I'm not quite sure how I felt about the plot. Like I said, it definetly kept me interested all the way until the very end. In my opinion, it was very well written and very believable. But, once it all unraveled, I felt it was sort of a let down. It was still very believeable, I just felt like the whole book kept building up to this huge "grand finale" when it turned out to be kind of a dud.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The next part of this review might have a few points that some might consider spoilers, so if you haven't read this book, i suggest you stop right now.

Another part that didn't sit well with me was that fact that it moved kind of slow, but it was still a page turner, if that makes sense. It's just the first couple chapters were the same thing, which I understand is part of the story, but c'mon. The beginning of each chapter is her waking up and not knowing where she is or who's she with and needing her husband to explain to her everything. I know that it's part of the story since the main character has amnesia and she wakes up every morning like this and the story is told from her point of view, I just didn't see the need to do the same thing for the first couple chapter. It got a little repetitive.

And the thing I didn't like about the ending was I thought the answer to the whole plot would be a lot more twisty turny then it just being her lover. But that was a HUGE twist, don't get me wrong. I did NOT see that one coming. I just thought it sort of fell through in my opinion.

So, overall, I think that you should definetly check this out if you're over 18. Happy Reading!

Borders Haul! (Yes, MORE books... isn't it awesome?

Hey everyone. Hope you're all enjoying your Labor Day.

My awesome husband took me to Borders for the closing sale yesterday, and then again today because I wanted to look for a book I didn't pick up yesterday but I couldn't find it. :[

Anyways, here are all the books I got!

A Field Guide To Burying Your Parents by Liza Palmer
Descent Into Dust by Jacqueline Lepore
Crave by LauraJ. Burns & Melinda Metz
Commited by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Blindness by Jose Saramago

So, those are all I got altogether. The first 3 books I posted are the ones from today. Those I picked up on a whim because they sounded good. Do you guys know anything about them? I also don't know much about Blindness, but I know it was turned into a movie, so I wanna check it out once I'm done reading.

Update on my reading, I'm almost halfway through Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson so once I'm done, I'll have a review. Happy reading!

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Mcguire*

Hey everyone. Happy Labor Day weekend!

Has anyone heard of this book? I know it's been getting some hype lately, but I really believe that this is one of the examples where you really, really shouldn't buy into the hype of anything.

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie Mcguire
Publisher: Jamie Mcguire, LLC
Release Date: May 26, 2011
Pages: Unknown
Edition: Kindle

Synopsis: The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn't drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, 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 needs-and wants-to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his charms, 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' apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

So... yeah. When I first heard about this, I thought it sounded like a really cute love story between two teens. In actuality, this story was between two college students that acted like 12 year olds. Throughout the first 1/2 of the story, I loved it. Until I realized how this was sort of aimed at young adults, at the example it sets is horrible.

First off, the characters are the only reason I gave this even one star. My favorite characters were America and her boyfriend, also Travis' cousin, Shep. They were the only level headed characters, even though I thought Shep was a little bit of a wuss. But Travis and Abby were just Jamie McGuire's pathetic attempt at trying to emulate what she believes young adults act like.

Travis is a very controlling individual who just made me sick to my stomach because so many young girls see this and "swoon". Can you say pathetic? Why would you want a guy who beats the crap out of a guy for LOOKING at you. And Abby couldn't go to certain places for fear of what Travis would think/say/do. If that doesn't scream controlling, I don't know what does.

Overall, I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I definetly do NOT recommend this to anyone, especially younger girls under the age of 18 or 19.

September's Reading Theme: Anita Shreve/Book Haul from Library and Goodwill

Hello everyone, how are you?

I just got back from the library and Goodwill to pick up some books for this upcoming month.

Before I explain why I chose the Anita Shreve as my theme for September, let me continue on with the books I picked up at the library and Goodwill.

Goodwill:
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
Light On Snow by Anita Shreve

Library:
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
Eden Close by Anita Shreve
Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve
Bosy Surfing by Anita Shreve
The Raising by Laura Kasischke
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin
These Things Hidden

So, I'm sure you've noticed the amount of Anita Shreve books I've picked up. First off, that wasn't entirely purposely. You see, I've read Testimony by her a year or so ago, and I really liked it, so whenever I come across one of her other novels, I try to pick it up. When I was at Goodwill, I came across maybe 5 or 6 of her novels, but I had to pass on most of them since I'm tight on cash, but I picked up a couple. And when I got home, I realized I completely forgot about picking a theme for September, so I figured I'll make her my theme. Sound good?

What I originally wanted to do was read Banned and/or Challenged books since this is banned books month, but I realized lots of other bloggers are doing that, so I wanted to be unique. :] Maybe in November since October is going to be creepy Stephen King type books for Halloween and I don't think I can find enough Thanksgiving books to fill up the whole month of November.

So that's what I'll be up to this month. For the next few days I'll be reading Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson because it needs to go back in a few days. So that review will be up by Wednesday maybe.

I hope everyone enjoys their Labor Day weekend. I heard that Borders is having 60-80% off for the holiday weekend, so maybe you can go check that out. Happy Reading!

August Favorites & September reads..

Hi, everyone.

I wanted to do a lil blog post about my favorite books I've read in August since it's the beginning of September & discuss a little what's on my reading list for this month.

Here's a list of books I read in the month of August 2011:
Escape by Barbara Delinsky
Beastly Alex Flinn
Shiver & Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause
Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
The Girl Who Would Speak For The Dead by Paul Elwork
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon

It took me a little bit to choose my top 3, but here they are.

#1. My all time favorite from this month would have to be Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon, just because it kept me up well into the night trying to finish just one more chapter... and then maybe one more. This book was definetly without a doubt a page turner. I wrote a more in depth review if you're interested.

#2. My second choice is Shiver by Maggie Steifvater. This book was a very cute, sorta cliche, book about a human girl and werewolf who end up falling in love with each other. It's obviously a lot deeper then that, but we'll get into that at another time. I chose this because it really surprised me. I only read it because I had Linger on hold at the library, so I figured I should start the first one first. I was definetly hooked after the 2nd or 3rd chapter! Now that I've read the first and second in the trilogy, I am DYING to read the third one! It should be here in the mail soon, so once I'm done, I'll be sure to write a review.

#3. My third and final choice is Beastly by Alex Flinn. I had been wanting to read this story ever since I heard about the movie coming out since I am one of those people who HAS to read the book, if there is one, before I watch the movie. I have a really hard time reading the book after watching the movie though, for some odd reason. Anyway, back to the book. It was a really quick read. It took me maybe a day and a half to read it. But it didn't disappoint! I thought it was very, very cute and I was sad that it was so short.

So those are my favorites from the month of August. As for my reading lists for future months, I was thinking of choosing a theme of the month, and start choosing books with that theme. The problem with that is, I don't know if I'll be able to get those books because I'm on a tight budget right now. So I'm going to the library tomorrow to browse the shelves and maybe I'll find inspiration for a theme. If you have any suggestions, let me know. thanks!

Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon***

Hi, everyone, how are you today? Hope everyone's enjoying their day.

I finally finished my book today, and thought I'd jump on here and write a review while it's fresh in my mind. Here's some info about the book itself.

Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: May 17, 2011

Pages: 447

Edition: US Paperback

Synopsis: On a soft summer night in Vermont, twelve year old Lisa went into the woods behind her house and never came out again. Before she disappeared, she told her little brother, Sam, about a door that led to a magical place where she would meet the King of The Fairies & become his queen.

  Fifteen years later, Phoebe is in love with Sam, a practical, sensible man who doesn't fear the dark and doesn't have bad dreams-who, in fact, helps Phoebe ignore her own. But suddenly, the couple is faced with a series of eerie, unexplained occurrences that challenge Sam's hardheaded, realistic view of the world. As they question their reality, a terrible promise Sam made years ago is revealed-a promise that could destroy them all.

*I don't recommend this book to anyone under the age of 18*

Review: I personally don't really like the synopsis, not because it isn't interesting or well-written, it just didn't sum up the book at all really, in my opinion. I guess it told the basis of the story, but it sort of made me believe I'd be reading about some fantasies of a little girl and her fairyland. But it was MUCH more darker then that.

The book starts off with Lisa's disappearance and throughout the book, it goes back and forth between Phoebe's point of view (Phoebe being Sam's girlfriend) and Lisa's point of view. When written in Lisa's point of view, it is set 15 years prior to Phoebe's point of view. So, that got a little confusing for me, and after finishing the book, I still don't know why the author found that necessary.

But I was definetly hooked from page 1. It is just one plot twist after the other after the other... and it does not stop until maybe 3/4 into the book. I loved that about it though! I hate when I can figure out a book from page 1, it just takes the fun out of it for me. But this book was not like that AT ALL. And the plot didn't even start unfolding until after about 3/4 as well. I was really worried with all the twists the author was going to leave some things unexplained, which I hate, but she definetly patched it all up pretty nicely at the end.

Now, let's talk characters! I loved all the characters Jennifer has created for us. Even the ones that made me sick to my stomach because it takes someone with a lot of writing talent to make me feel that much emotion for a story. My favorite character of all was Phoebe. She is someone I'd love to hang out with because she was very relateable and wasn't judgemental. I'm not really sure what my least favorite characters were because there were so many! Very, very disturbed characters in this book, but I promise it's done with class.

The ending was another plus for me. It answered all the questions I had, while also leaving me wanting more.

This is my first book by Jennifer, but I definetly plan on reading more! I highly recommend this story to anyone over the age of 18 who's looking for a great scare!