Get Lucky

Get Lucky by Katherine Center

I'm not one for chick-lit but this was pretty good. It has a feel of self-help wrapped in a fictional story.

The story is about Sarah. She's just been fired from her job and goes home to Texas to visit her sister while she tries to figure out what to do. It turns out Sarah has no idea what makes her happy or what's happened to the past few years of her life working in advertising in New York. She's pretty sure advertising is evil and she wants to do something that really makes a positive impact on the world.

There's an internal dialogue that carries through the book that I enjoyed. There are some very thought-provoking observations that take place in Sarah's thoughts.

It's a quick read that's easy to get through, even if it is chick-lit.

Read any good ones lately?

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.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

So I just started this last night. There was a lot of hype surrounding it's release last year so I waited a bit to read it, okay a year. I haven't really heard much about it, which is good because I'm not going into it with any preconceived notions.

Looking back at Dan Brown's two previous Robert Langdon stories, I thought Angels and Demons was much better than that other one ... you know ... The DaVinci Code ... yeah, that one (hasn't it outsold the bible by now?).

Anyway, I'll be back to let you know what I think!

The year is nearly over: Goals for 2011

I can't believe another year has passed us by. I think a new goal for the new year is to use this space to talk about the books I'm reading. It's such a big part of my life and I'd like to share what I'm reading and give my own reviews of what I have read.

Feel free to share any books you think I may like. I always love to discover new authors, new characters, and the worlds they create and live in.

See you in 2011!

reading list 2009

Once again, here is the book list for all that I read during the past year, 2009. Some might think it odd that I keep track, but I've done it for years. I'm not quite sure why. My 2008 list is here.

• Extras (Uglies Trilogy, book 4) by Scott Westerfeld
• Untamed (House of Night, book 4) by P.C. and Kristin Cast
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Givenchy Code by Julie Kenner
• T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
• Specials (Uglies Trilogy, book 3) by Scott Westerfeld
• My So-Called Freelance Life by Michelle Goodman
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
• Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
• Chosen (House of Night, book 3) by P.C. and Kristin Cast
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
• A Brush With Darkness by Lisa Fittipaldi
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (year 7) by J.K. Rowling
• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
• Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich
• California Demon by Julie Kenner
• Pretties (Uglies Trilogy, book 2) by Scott Westerfeld
• The Beach House by Jane Green
• Eclipse (Twilight series, book 3) by Stephenie Meyer
• Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
• The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
• The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
• Betrayed (House of Night, book 2) by P.C. and Kristin Cast
• Scribbling the Cat by Alexandra Fuller
• The House at Riverton by Kate Morten
• Logo, Font and Lettering Bible by Leslie Cabarga
• S is for Silence by Sue Grafton
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
• How to be Your Dog's Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete
• Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe

Happy reading in the new year!