REVIEW: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Yes, I gave in to the hype. And, I don't normally do that. In fact, I was NOT going to read this book (or the series) *because* it's been so hyped-up, and because I don't like reading about vampires. BUT, the ladies in my Raved Reads yahoo group convinced me that it's not so much about the vampires as it is about the love-story between Bella and Edward. So, I put the book on my Raved-About Reads Challenge list, and put a hold on the book at the library.

Then this past Sunday, at my husband's family reunion, I found out my niece has all 4 books in the series, and she offered to loan them to me. I said I'd borrow just book 1, because I figured it'd take me 2 weeks to read it.

Nope! Took me just ONE DAY!!! LOL. :P

Fantastic book, despite the vampire stuff! And, the gals were right... it IS more about the love story than it is about vampires! So, I'm hooked. I am now a 'fan' of the series, and I can't wait to read the other books ((in fact, I'm going over to my niece's house tonight to return book 1, and to get books 2 and 3)). LOL. :P

Go figure.

Recommended.

Rated: A-

REVIEW: Getting the Girl by Susan Juby

Sherman Mack is in Grade 9 at Harewood Technical school, and he has a crush on Dini Trioli -- a Grade 10. But Dini is in danger -- Sherman thinks -- of being "D-Listed" ("defiled")... this is where a kids' photo is posted on a washroom mirror, and then the whole school acts as if that person is invisible.

So, to make sure Dini doesn't get "defiled", Sherman Mack is on the case. He starts investigating Defilings, and the result is humorous!

This was a very cute book, and laugh-out-loud funny in some places! A realistic portrayal of high-school and the stuff that goes on there.

Recommended.

Rated: B+

REVIEW: The Gazebo by Emily Grayson

I found this book kind of by accident while searching for a different book on Amazon a couple of weeks ago. It sounded so good that I went to look and see if my library had it. They didn't, but they agreed to inter-library loan it for me. :)

The story revolves around Martin Rayfiel and Claire Swift. They meet in a gazebo in the centre of their hometown in 1952, and it's basically love at first sight. From that point on, they are practically inseparable.

Unfortunately, Martin comes from wealth, and Claire doesn't, so both of their families forbid them to continue seeing each other. Of course, that only pushes the two young lovers to want to be together more. So, they run off to Europe together, and make plans to marry.

But, life gets in the way before they can get married... and they end up separated for life. But, they promise to love each other always, and to meet each other on their anniversary at the Gazebo.

A sweet, sweet story that was so very well written... I couldn't believe it when I read in the back that this was the author's first book! She did an amazing job! She had me in tears by the end of the book! :-?

Highly recommended! This one was just put on my Top 10 list for this year. ;)

Rated: A+

REVIEW: The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff

I discovered this novel a couple of weeks ago, while browsing through Chapters bookstore. I wrote down the title, and then came home and checked to see if the library had it ~ they did. So, I told myself I'd take it out and read it at a later date.

Then, in the library last week, I had gone in to just drop off a book or two, and decided, "What the heck, I'll have a look through the shelves and see if anything catches my eye". Whatdoyaknow, this book was standing up on one of the shelves, facing out, and almost calling to me! I couldn't believe it was right there! I didn't even have to order it from a different branch! So, I figured it was fate, and I brought it home to read. LOL.

Two days ago, I picked it up -- couldn't decide on anything else to read -- and within 4 hours I was half-finished the book already! LOL. Yesterday I finished reading... it was just THAT good!

The story starts off with Marta Nederman - a jew - near death in a Nazi prison camp at the end of WWII. She thinks she's near death, anyway. Then she is rescued by an American soldier named Paul Mattison, and the attraction between them is instant.

The next thing you know, Marta wakes up in a recovery camp, and doesn't know how to find Paul. But, as luck would have it, he shows up a couple of days later, and they go for a walk along the lake.

The story continues, with Marta moving on, and a couple of chance reunions with Paul. But, then --just when she's to meet up with him again, she reads in the paper that his plane crashed in the English Channel. Marta grieves the loss of him for the next month or so, and then moves on, again...

Eventually, Marta ends up married to Englishman, Simon Gold. They are living in England, but work together in the Foreign Affairs office. Marta eventually ends up going back to Germany to do some "secret ops" stuff... and the plot thickens! ((I don't want to give anything away, so I'll stop here...))

This book was just fantastic! There is so much detail, and I really came to care for all of the characters! This is a story about first loves, reunions, war, and peace, and it could be classified as either a "romantic fiction" novel, or a "mystery/suspense" novel. :)

I really couldn't put this book down! Definitely one I highly recommend! :)

Rated: A+

REVIEW: The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid

I found out about this book a week or two ago, while surfing around online. Found the website, and found the book...then found that my library had a copy -- yay!

Shauna Reid started out at about 351 pounds... she went to a Weight Watchers weigh-in with her sister, and had a moment of decision: she couldn't live like she'd been doing any more. So, she made up her mind right then to change. She signed up for Weight Watchers, and she started her journey.

Shauna didn't stay with WW, though. Eventually she learned to make up her own plan, and she joined a gym. This is her story of how she lost half of her body weight, and learned to make peace with her body and her life. :)

Hilarious book, but full of inspiration. You can't help but be moved by Shauna's story (which was originally just her blog-posts on her website, and then got turned into a book -- there's more content in the book, though).

Recommended.

Rated: A+

REVIEW: Slightly Settled by Wendy Markham

Tracey Spadolini is still mourning the loss of her boyfriend of the past three years when she meets Jack (her boss's roommate) at the office Christmas party. Things with Jack heat up quickly! Tracey isn't sure how to proceed, so she asks her friends for advice, but she doesn't like what they suggest.

I thought this book was cute, despite a couple of annoying points. The first thing that bothered me was the frequent use of the characters' names in conversation ("You look fantastic, Tracey!"..."Thank you, Raphael!"..."Tracey, you really need to think about this"...."You know, Raphael, I am a big girl"...) It would go on and on. At one point, the author made a comment that the one character, Raphael, *always* speaks like this. So, Raphael's name-dropping is forgiveable. But, when the other characters did it repeately, it got a tad old...quickly!

The other thing that bothered me was the fact that the main character, Tracey, kept gushing about how fantastic she looked after losing a lot of weight. She would go on and on about being "svelte", and about trying to adjust to how great she looked now. While I shouldn't let this bother me, it did tick me off a bit, because I've been trying to shrink down for a while, now, and haven't yet been successful at it! LOL. So, yeah, maybe I was a tad envious of a character in a book. LOL. Mind you, when someone in real life does stuff like this, you walk away, right? (or, you really WANT to!) You wish they'd just stuff it, already! LOL

Anyway. Those two things are fairly minor. Overall, the book was good, and a nice "fluff" read. I finished it in a day.

Recommended.

Rated: B+

REVIEW: Her Only Desire by Gaelen Foley

The first book in Gaelen's new "Spice" Trilogy, this story revolves around Miss Georgiana Knight (cousin to Robert, Lucien, Damien, Alec, and Jack) and Lord Griffith. The tale takes place first in India, and then moves to London, England.

It's the usual plot (the two main characters are instantly smitten with each other, but must overcome their personal struggles in order to be together freely), but I loved it, as usual. I needed some fluff. And, Gaelen's books never cease to do the job. ;)

It was nice to have the old "Knight clan" featured in this book, even if just with a sprinkling of mentions. I was sad when their series ended. I'd read all 7 books featuring them, so they'd become dear to me. LOL.

Anyway. This book is definitely recommended (along with all of Ms. Foley's other books).

Rated: A-

REVIEW: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

I finally got around to reading this book, after hearing it raved about forever! People either love this book, or they hate it. Thankfully, I was one who loved it!

Right from the very beginning, I was drawn into the story because of Margaret's obsession with books, and her passion for reading! I loved that she worked in a bookshop, and her descriptions of her reading habits were fantastic!

If you're a bibliophile, you'll enjoy this one!
:)

Rated: B+

REVIEW: Mosquito by Roma Tearne

After writer Theo Samarajeeva loses his wife, he moves from England back to his home in Sri Lanka.

Just as his grief threatens to undo Theo, Nulani Mendis - a young artist - arrives on his veranda, and begins to draw him. After a time, Nulani's presence starts to heal Theo, and their friendship blossoms into something more.

But the civil war in Sri Lanka steps in and interferes. And, the reader is drawn further into the story, wondering how Nulani and Theo's newfound relationship could possibly survive.

I am absolutely amazed that this is the author's first book! It is beautifully written with flowing prose and vivid description. From the first pages, I was drawn into the story, feeling the humidity, hearing the buzz of the mosquitos and the lap of the waves on the seashore, and seeing the jungle foliage. Ms. Tearne has made Sri Lanka and its people come to life on the pages.

I found it incredibly hard to put this book down, so immersed was I in the story. I will most likely reread it in the future, as its depth is sure to have kept certain things hidden until a later time.

I look forward to reading more by this author!


Rated: A+

REVIEW: The Daring Female's Guide to Ecstatic Living by Natasha Kogan

I found this book while browsing in my local library... hadn't ever heard of it, or the author. I hesitantly brought it home, fearing it would be "too much" for me.

Well, I couldn't put it down! There are 30 ideas for "Dares"... ways you can make your life more "gutsy and fulfilling" (the subtitle of the book is: "30 Dares for a More Gutsy and Fulfilling Life"). ;o)

Each "dare" is only a couple of pages long, and there are spots after each for you to journal your own ideas.

Mixed in with each of the dares, you learn about Ms. Kogan's personal story of how she "dared" to start her own publishing company with her husband. This adds to the "inspiration". ;o)

Some of the Dares I liked best were:

* dare to be the kind of person you dream of being

* dare to love your quirks and imperfections

* dare to NOT label yourself!

* dare to take life detours

* dare to UN-intimidate yourself

A Daring Female...

- does awesome, risky, outrageous, gutsy, unique, and creative things

- worries little about others' perceptions

- always stays true to her guts and instincts

- knows what she wants and has the guts to try and make it happen

Quote from page 163:

"There's no way of knowing where you'll end up every time you take on a new challenge or pursue a new opportunity. And that's the absolutely great thing about living a Daring Female life! It allows you to be surprised, to experience success as well as failure, and to learn something from each situation that guides your future choices and brings you closer to filling your life with things you care about and want to be doing."

I loved this book (obviously), and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a dose of "kick-in-the-butt" inspiration. ;o)

Rated: A+

REVIEW: When the World Was Steady by Claire Messud

Emmy Simpson -- from Australia, and recently divorced -- decides that she needs to "get away from it all" for a time, so she takes a trip to Bali. There, she climbs the sacred mountain, Abang, and meets some interesting people. Buddy Sparkes & his son, Max, are living in Ubud (they, too, are originally from Australia), and they invite Emmy to stay with them for as long as she wants. She does, and finds it queer, but exciting.

Emmy's older sister, Virginia, still lives in London, England, with their mother, Melody. Virginia is trying to make sense of her life and her faith, and her mother -- who believes she's going to die -- schemes to get Virginia to take her to her ancestral home on the Isle of Skye, in Scotland.

This book had that wonderful, slower rambling to it, but because of the travelling bits, it still was exciting enough to not actually feel "slow". It was just the kind of fictional tale I needed right now. It provided a nice "escape". There was quite a bit of coarse language in the book, but I overlooked it, and am glad I did.

The ending wasn't what I expected... in fact, it was kind of anticlimactic. But, it was still a good story. I might look up other books by this author. This was her first novel.

Rated: B+

REVIEW: The Vagabond Clown by Edward Marston

I'd never read any books by this author before this one, but apparently this book is 12th in a series. Irregardless, it was easy enough to start here with this one because you are introduced to the characters, and don't seem to be missing much. There are hints at what may have happened in previous books, but not to the extent that it ruins much, I don't think.

I came across this book several years ago in one of those chapter-a-week Emails, and I was so engrosed in the story that I put it on my TBR list, and haven't ever forgotten it. Well, here I needed a "V" title for Alphabet Readers, and so this book came to mind. ;o)

Westfield's Men is a theatre troupe that usually plays in London, England. But, when a murder takes place during one of their plays at their normal innyard, the troupe is forced to go out traveling on the road earlier than expected. They are also forced to hire a stand-in replacement clown, as their own Barnaby Gill was injured (broken leg) during an affray that led to the murder.

Along the way, they run into mishap after mishap, and their book holder, Nicholas Bracewell, tries to learn the secrets of why the murder was committed, and who did it -- as well as who is still trying to keep Westfield's Men from playing!

Very well written, and I'll be seeking out other books in this series! :)

Rated: A-

REVIEW: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Took me a long while to get to this book... mind you, I'd tried to several years back, but just couldn't get into it then. This time, though, I did, and I found it to be an enjoyable read (save for the coarse language here & there, and the one character's name being somewhat along those lines, too).

I did find it pretty amusing that the characters had such quirky names, though. Mr. "Braxton Hicks" had me cracking right up! LOL. :-P

Rated: B-

REVIEW: Losing the Moon by Patti Callahan Henry

This was the author's first book, but you'd never know it. She did a fantastic job!

Amy Reynolds has been happily married for the last 25 years. But, before that, she'd been head-over-heels in love with her college sweetheart, Nick Lowry. When Nick went off to Costa Rica for a school project, Amy expected him to come back, and for them to be together forever. Things didn't turn out like she'd hoped.

Fast forward to the present time, where Amy's son is dating none other than Nick's daughter! Seeing Nick again throws Amy into a tailspin -- questions abound. Nick is similarly affected. The two must discover what it is that went wrong in the past, and where they're meant to be now.

I couldn't put this book down. It was very moving. Hard to read, as it too closely reflected some things from my own past, but still a very good read. Very highly recommended! (Warning: there was some coarse-language throughout, but I was able to overlook it in favor of the great story). :-?

Rated: B+

REVIEW: Wearing the Spider by Susan Schaab

I think this was the author's first attempt, so for that, I have to say she did a very good job. BUT, there were some things I couldn't overlook.

This book would've gotten an A+ rating from me, as I couldn't put the book down! But, I didn't like that, in a lot of instances, the characters' actions were a tad unbelievable. And, there were times where the author would change who was speaking, but didn't indicate the change with a new paragraph... so I got confused as to who was "speaking". A couple of times I had to stop, go back a couple of pages, and figure out where the change had happened in order to make more sense of what I'd read. :-?

Otherwise, though, the book kept me wondering. You kind of *know* whodunnit from the beginning, but the author did a good enough job of throwing suspicion on other characters to keep you guessing. And, the pace was pretty intense. ;o)

Here's the blurb about the book (from the first part of the inside front-cover):

"It starts with a simple, unwanted kiss and evolves into a labyrinthine traile of forgery & illusion, a hijacked identity, a corruption scandal involving a U.S. Senator accused of channeling illegal benefits to a shady South American firm, even kidnapping and murder."

I found this book here:
http://www.habitualreader.com/index.html

I'd still recommend this, despite the flaws. They were minimal enough. ;o)

Rated: B+

REVIEW: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs

This is the first book in the "Temperance Brennan" series (from which the "Bones" TV show is based), and I had it on my TBR list for years, because I'd heard Reichs was a good author.

Well, whoever told me that was correct -- I had a really hard time putting this book down! I really enjoyed the mystery, and didn't have it figured out until I was about 100 pages from the end...and even then I wasn't *fully* sure I had it right. ;o)

Now I'm no longer worried about having bought most of the books in the series... I'm glad I did! LOL. I've been collecting them ever since I heard about Reichs being a good author to read if you like mystery/suspense. I have all but the latest 2. LOL.

Recommended.

Rated: A-

REVIEW: This Year I Will... by M.J. Ryan

I found the title of this book when I was browsing Facebook's "Virtual
Bookshelf" application, so I checked my local library, and was pleased to
find they had a copy. I ordered it immediately.

And, what a cool little book! It touches on soooo many topics:
- neural pathways & their "plasticity" (a lot of the book focused on this,
acutally)
- positive affirmations & creative visualizations
- prayer
- your personal "success formula"
- past successes
- intentions
... and sooooo much more!

I really loved the bits about creating new neural pathways... when you do something repeatedly, it creates a "pathway" in your brain. Kind of like a train-track. From then on, your brain will take that path unless it feels threatened... then it tends to "jump" track, and go back to your OLD habits/pathways.

Anyway. This book had lots of great advice on how to create new habits, and how to follow your dreams. I liked how she made it very clear that, what works for one person, usually isn't going to work for everyone. Hence why you have to find your own PERSONAL success formula. Everyone has a set of actions they use to succeed, and those actions are transferrable skills... you can apply them to anything you're trying to do differently.

Great book... recommended!

Rated: B+

Coming Soon!

This is where I'll post my general (secular) book reviews!

I've been posting my Christian book reviews on one blog, and my Health & Fitness book reviews on my other blog, so I figured I needed just ONE more blog ((grin)) for my secular book reviews. LOL.

Stay tuned! :D