Curse of the Spellmans

Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

If you havent read The Spellman Files go. Go read it now. I'll wait. Done? Great. Now read Curse of the Spellmans.

Izzy Spellman is a ridiculous mess. And her family isn't any better. Actually, the women in this family are all hilarious. Izzy, her younger sister Rae and their mom Olivia are all crazy. But in a lovable way. The men (brother David and father Albert) tolerate them, sometimes barely. From compulsive surveillance, going on "disappearances," and good 'ole BandE, the stories themselves aren't so full of mystery that you're on the edge of your seat. What makes these stories such good reads are the characters and the dialogue. They're page-turners. I actually laugh out loud.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Have you read the Spellmans? I can't wait to read book three!

Ruined

Ruined by Paula Morris

New Orleans ghost story.
Need I say more?

I read this very, very quickly. I liked it. But I love a ghost story.

Rebecca is a New York City girl and she gets sent to New Orleans for a few months because her father has to work overseas for a bit.

Of course, she doesn't fit in. She has a teenagers curiosity and immediately does that which she's told not to. She begins to have more questions than there seems to be answers for.

I don't want to give away anything so I won't say much more. You'll figure it out as you're reading, it's not deep mystery, but she's a good character.

Thumbs up.

Any thoughts? Any recommendations for me? I'd love to hear!

Leviathan

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

This is book one in a new series from the author of the Uglies trilogy (which sort of has four books) and the Midnighters trilogy. Both of which I really enjoyed, which is why I picked this one up. It's a departure from the other two series, I would put Leviathan in the Steampunk sci-fi category. It takes place at the beginning of World War I but the technologies are at times advanced. There are the Clankers and the Darwinists. The Clankers have machines like the walkers which are like piloted walking tanks. The Darwinists have created living creatures that are created from several animals (splicing and cloning) using "life threads" (DNA). They call them hydrogen breathers because they use hydrogen as fuel. Leviathan is actually a flying whale creature.

I love reading "what if" stories so I really enjoyed this one. It's imaginative and the characters are fun, smart and interesting. The mix of historical fact and science fiction is fun. It took a bit for the story to build, probably because the reader had to be introduced to these technologies and the world the characters live in. It's a quick read but it felt like it peaked and ended rather quickly.

I am intrigued enough to read the next story, Behemoth.

Have you read this one? Can you recommend any books I might enjoy?

Happy reading!

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: book 2

Ninth Grade Slays is book two in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, Eighth Grade Bites, which I read a short time ago. Vladimir Tod is half human, half vampire, is one-of-a-kind and is not without enemies. His father broke vampire law by marrying his human mother and many believe him to be an abomination. But, he's still just a teenager trying to survive adolescence and high school.

It's in the teen-lit genre, which I love. I wish "they" wrote books like this when I was a teenager. He's a good character and I'm enjoying "getting to know" him.

I think I'm going to order me some Minion Bling.

Happy reading!

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown: part 2

First, I have to say that I loved Angels and Demons. I also loved The DaVinci Code, but not quite as much. I struggled to finish The Lost Symbol.

Here's why, in a nutshell:
1. It lacked mystery.
2. Really, how many times can weird stuff happen to one guy? Robert Langdon is like a literary Jack Bauer.
3. The characters weren't very compelling. I didn't care if they lived or died, which isn't good when you're trying to read a story about them.
4. It was about 180 pages too long.

I actually started skipping paragraphs when I had about 100 pages left, which is unusual for me. The villain was unconvincing, way, way too weird, and didn't give me a feeling of dread.

I did like the information about the symbology. It's very interesting. I've never been to Washington, D.C. and this makes me want to go more than I already did.

All in all, I think the Robert Langdon series has jumped the shark.

So, I wish I had more to say about it, but I don't. And, I don't recommend this book. Do you agree or disagree with my assessment? Any reading suggestions?

Thanks for reading! See you in the new year.

Reading List 2010

Happy New Year to you all!
Here is the list of what I've read in 2010. 2009 is here and 2008 is here.

• The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
• Blue Noon (Midnighters 3) by Scott Westerfeld
• Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Mockingjay (Hunger Games, book 3) by Suzanne Collins
• The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
• The Manual of Detection by Jedediah Berry
• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
• Sunshine by Robin McKinley
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
• Touching Darkness (Midnighters 2) by Scott Westerfeld
• Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
• The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
• The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
• The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle Trilogy, book 3) by Libba Bray
• The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
• The Secret Hour (Midnighters 1) by Scott Westerfeld
• The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube by Michelle Goodman
• Demons are Forever: Confessions of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom by Julie Kenner
• Dog On It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn
• The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
• Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
• Catching Fire (Hunger Games, book 2) by Suzanne Collins
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
• Latte Trouble by Cleo Coyle
• Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
• Codex by Lev Grossman
• City of Glass (Mortal Instruments, book 3) by Cassandra Clare

If you know of any books or authors you think I might like, leave a comment an let me know! I would love to hear from you.