Thursday, April 17, 2014

Abducted by The Second Summer of the Sisterhood

Sunday marked the fourth anniversary of my blog! In celebration I have decided to feature a new review every day this week! I hope you will enjoy them!

THE HEADLINE: Four friends get ready for another crazy summer!

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: I was severely disappointed with this book. I mean it was written in the same tone and style as the first, which I loved, however it also had almost the same story lines as the first book which I could not believe! I mean literally, the exact same story lines!
Lena is obsessed with Kostas, even though she spends over half the book not even speaking to him. Tibby has yet another person following her around like a puppy dog that she is choosing to ignore. Carmen is mad at one of her parents because they aren't giving her enough attention. And Bridget is depressed.
Actually, Bridget's story line was the only one I liked because depression doesn't just clear up in a flash. So I was grateful that they showed her still struggling with the symptoms.
Now, Tibby frustrated me because she so easily ignored her friend Brian. I understood why she was reluctant to befriend Bailey in the first novel, because she was 12 and no 16 year old once a 12 year old following them around. But Brian was already her friend, and a very close one at that. He didn't deserve to be ignored. But in fairness I will also say that I thought it was crazy that Brian kept showing up the way he did. And I could see where Tibby had wanted to do something new on her own this summer and him showing up all the time got in the way of that.
Lena and Carmen really pissed me off though. I didn't buy Lena's feelings for Kostas in the first book, so my dissatisfaction with that couple carried over to the sequel. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt because the book only takes place during the summers and so Lena and Kostas had a relationship during the school year that I wasn't privy-ed to. But the whole thing wore on me by the end. And Carmen was just being ridiculous! I couldn't believe how selfish she was behaving. I mean I guess some teenagers freak out when their parents start dating again, but Carmen really let it consume her.
In the end, I spent so much time being frustrated with the plots that it made it hard for me to enjoy the book. But I will finish the series! My sisters and I all want to do a read-a-long for the fifth and final book so I'm already committed to finishing. But the good news is that Carmen has run out of parents to be mad at and Bridget is finally doing better so the next book has to be different....right?

THE ABDUCTOR: As I said already Bridget was the only character I cared about in this book. It would have been incredibly unrealistic if I had opened this book to find Bridget as bubbly and provocative as she was in the first one. But I also didn't expect the author to make the choice of still having her struggle as much as she was to get back to feeling like herself again. So, for that alone I was extremely grateful!

POINT OF ABDUCTION: I can't think of a point of abduction for this book. I just tried my best to push through it and I really did try to make the best out of it.

PICK UP LINE:
I mean putting yourself out there in the way of overwhelming happiness and knowing you're also putting yourself in the way of terrible harm. I'm scared to be this happy. I'm scared to be this extreme.

ABDUCTION RATING:

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Abducted by The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Sunday marked the fourth anniversary of my blog! In celebration I have decided to feature a new review every day this week! I hope you will enjoy them!

THE HEADLINE: Three kids die in accident. Will the only survivor have the strength to remember the truth?

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: I went into this book with absolutely no expectations. I was hoping to like it, but I had also seen some negative reviews for it so I was prepared for some issues. I ended up really liking it though! It definitely wasn't perfect, but it was still enjoyable.
Mara Dyer is a teenage girl who wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the accident that put her there or the fact that three of her friends died in that same accident. Now, she has moved to Miami with her parents and two brothers and is starting at a new school. 
But not all parts of this transition play out smoothly. For one thing, she is struggling with severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This part of the plot I found most exciting. With all her hallucinations I had no idea if she was crazy or haunted or stalked or what was going on! Normally, I get frustrated when it takes too long to figure out what the plot is, but for some reason I was having so much fun thinking she was crazy that it didn't bother me. Every time she met someone new I kept waiting for someone else to acknowledge them before I trusted that they were actually there. 
And Mara did meet a few new people, a friend named Jamie, and the cute boy at school Noah. 
The harder that Mara tries to ignore her hallucinations, the worse things seem to get. 
And the closer she gets to Noah increases her desire to finally discover the truth. 

THE ABDUCTOR: I loved Noah in this book! He was cocky and crass, which I normally hate, but for some reason I found it all really funny and cute. And I didn't believe all the stuff that Mara heard about him from her fellow classmates. Apparently there are a lot of rumors going around the he is basically a man whore, but I didn't buy it. 
I'm sure the abductor was supposed to be Mara, but she turned out to be a slightly unlikable character. I didn't ever really hate her or anything, but she could be bratty and self-centered at times. 

POINT OF ABDUCTION: There was a scene towards the beginning that involved a dog that Mara tried to rescue and I think that was my point of abduction because I was so concerned about the dog I had to keep going. 
I was also abducted by all of the creepy hallucinations! They were so spooky I just had keep going to find out how crazy she was!

RATING: 

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Abducted by Misery

Sunday marked the fourth anniversary of my blog! In celebration I have decided to feature a new review every day this week! I hope you will enjoy them!

THE HEADLINE: How far would you go, to inspire your favorite author?

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: There was a time in my life when I thought I hated Stephen King. I thought he was too creepy and too weird and too out there and waaaaaaaay to long winded. However, as she has with many things in my life, my dear friend Kate showed me the error of my ways.
Now some of his books can be creepy, weird, out there and waaaaaaay long winded. But others are really good! And in a way I would say Misery is one of those books.
Paul Sheldon (think James Garner from the movie) is a well known author for a series of romance novels he has out with a main character named Misery. Annie Wilkes (aka Kathy Bates) is his self proclaimed number one fan. On one dark and stormy night, Paul drives his car off the road during a blizzard and is found by Annie who removes him from his car and takes him back to her house. Once there she goes to great lengths to keep him there, at first just for the company. However, the last Misery book that Paul wrote is released while he is in Annie's care and she is not too pleased when he kills off the title character.
She forces him to write her another novel bringing Misery back to life, and that's when the real torture begins!
I loved the way the novel was structured. Everything is told from Paul's perspective and Annie keeps him pretty drugged up most of the time and therefore the novel does bounce around from time to time. But once you get into it the story is pretty easy to follow. Some of my favorite parts were when Paul began working on the re-write for Annie. I loved reading about his writing process and seeing how the events with Annie were shaped into the book.

THE ABDUCTOR: I'm not really sure who the abductor of this books was. I loved the book itself but I didn't really love any of the main characters. I mean don't get me wrong, I didn't like Annie...AT ALL! And of course I did not feel that Paul deserved anything that happened to him, and his situation definitely wasn't something that would encourage him to be charming or out going. But I usually hold the title of "The Abductor" for those characters that I fall in love with, but I didn't really love Paul.

POINT OF ABDUCTION: The first point of abduction for me was when Annie finished reading the book where Misery dies. Her reaction is completely unnerving and the build up and tension when you are just waiting for Annie to explode was unbearable!

PICK UP LINE: 
...If you promise to be good Paul you can have a piece of birthday cake but you won't have to eat any of the special candle so he promised to be good because he didn't want to be forced to eat any of the special candle but also because mostly because surely because Annie was great Annie was good let us thank her for our food including that we don't have to eat girls just want to have fun but something wicked this way comes please don't make me eat my thumb Annie the mom Annie the goddess when Annie's around you better stay honest she knows when you've been sleeping she knows when you're awake she knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goddess' sake you better not cry you better not pout but most of all you better not scream don't scream don't scream don't scream don't 
This is just a little snippet that shows how twisted Paul's mind gets after everything that Annie does to him. I also just liked how he tied in so many well known phrases and you can really get a sense of the desperation at the end.

ABDUCTION RATING:

All in all I loved that book and I am officially over my blatant fear of Stephen King. As long as the page count doesn't get too high up there I am more then willing to give him a shot.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Abducted by Attachments

Sunday marked the fourth anniversary of my blog! In celebration I have decided to feature a new review every day this week! I hope you will enjoy them!

THE HEADLINE: Lincoln has fallen in love via email, unfortunately they were not emails sent to him!

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: Rainbow Rowell has become one of my new favorite authors! Attachments was Rowell's first novel, however I read her other books first so I was excited to finally get to this one. Rowell writes both YA and general fiction novels and this one is her GF work.
Lincoln has just moved back home, literally, he's back living with his mother. He has taken a job in the security department at a local newspaper. The company has a very strict internet policy and it is Lincoln's job to read through the emails that have been flagged to make sure that everyone else is toeing the line.
That is when he stumbles upon emails between Beth and Jennifer.
The story actually takes place in the winter of 1999 over the Y2K countdown. Lincoln feels most comfortable when pursuing academics and so even after he has completed a couple of degrees he is having trouble figuring out his place in life.
The story of Attachments follows Lincoln in his efforts to move on from his past and decide on his future. And along the way we get to watch him fall in love! However, what will happen when the girl he loves finds out he's been reading her personal emails? That's what you have to read to find out!

THE ABDUCTOR: As much as I loved Lincoln in this book, I was mostly abducted by the emails that passed between Jennifer and Beth. There quick wit and cleverness actually reminded me of my own friends, which made me love them even more.


POINT OF ABDUCTION: At one point in the book when the emails between Beth and Jennifer
stop and Lincoln doesn't know why. The reason isn't a huge plot point, but I know some people are particular about spoilers so I wont say much. But I was just as desperate to find out what was going on as Lincoln was.

PICK UP LINE:
There are moments when you can't believe something wonderful is happening. And there are moments when your entire consciousness is filled with knowing absolutely that something wonderful is happening. Lincoln felt like he'd dunked his head into a sink full of Pop Rocks and turned on the water. 

ABDUCTION RATING:


Is anyone really that surprised? I LOVED it!!! Funny, clever, smart, and deeply sweet! Rowell delivers yet again!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Abducted by Jess Jordan

Today marks the fourth anniversary of my blog! I didn't really have time to host a giveaway or anything but I still wanted to mark it in some fashion. I do have several reviews already scheduled to post from now through May so I've decided to move them all up and feature a new review every day this week! I hope you will enjoy them!


THE HEADLINE: Meet; Jess Jordan...British teenager extraordinaire!!!

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: My friend Holly loaned me these books because she knew that I am a fan of the Georgia Nicolson books by Louise Rennison. Jess Jordan is yet another verging teenager that lives in England and has crazy misadventures with her family and friends. Jess is brought to us by the author Sue Limb in her series that begins with Girl, 15, Charming but Insane and Girl, Nearly 16, Absolute Torture!

In Girl, 15 Jess is trying to navigate her way around a boy she likes and a friend who is seemingly perfect putting a lot of pressure on Jess. In Girl, Nearly 16 Jess is on vacation with her mother and grandmother on a trip around England ending at her fathers house.

I loved them! It took me a while to get into the first one but by the time I got to the end I was in love with Jess Jordan! Her humor was fantastic. The language of the book wasn't as silly as the Georgia Nicolson books but I actually felt that in the end Jess was by far more clever and brave then Georgia. Don't get me wrong I love Georgia, but she has a tendency to follow in line with whatever her friends or magazines tell her to do and spends all her time trying to figure out how to seduce boys. Jess is aware of how her actions effect her friends and the boy she likes but she doesn't pretend to be someone she's not.

THE ABDUCTOR: Obviously Jess was the abductor in these books! I loved how independent she was
and strong and yet she still would end up getting into hilarious predicaments.

THE POINT OF ABDUCTION: In Girl, 15 my point of abduction was when Jess started working on her stand up comedy routine for the school talent show. Girls wanting to be comedians isn't a very common scenario and it is something that I can see a lot of other teenage girls not wanting to be vocal about that desire for fear that her peers would think it was weird.

In Girl, Nearly 16 the point of abduction was when Jess finally made it to her father's house and found out that main reason why her father has been keeping secrets from her! I don't want to divulge any spoilers but let me just say that the way that Jess handled that situation was beyond brilliant! Made me love her and Sue Limb even more then I already did.

THE PICK UP LINE:
She had read somewhere that you shouldn't throw yourself at boys. It was best to preserve an elegant sort of mystery and poise. That was how you would retain your allure, or something. Jess knew for sure that her allure was zilch. Her only hope of retaining Fred's interest was to grab him and cling to him and never let him go. So completely without mystery or poise, they kissed.

I love this quote because it is a prime example of how different Jess Jordan is from Georgia Nicolson. Georgia is always listening to the advice of How To Get A Man books and magazine columns and doing things that are completely absurd in hopes it will lure in her recent crush. I loved that Jess acknowledged what the advice would be, but acted with abandonment anyways. 



RATING: Both the Girl, 15, Charming but Insane and Girl, Nearly 16, Absolute Torture received a rating of...

I LOVED THEM! They were adorable! Great series for teenage girls!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Abducted by Matched

Headline: In a world where Cassia has had all of her decisions made for her, choosing who to love could cost her everything

Time in Captivity: Cassia lives in a world where their government picks everything for their citizens from their clothes, food, jobs, and partners. And Cassia is surprised when she is matched to a boy she already knows, Xander. Normally when citizens are matched it is to peers from other provinces. They are matched, given a file on the individual they are matched to, and go home to await the future that lies before him. It may be rare for someone to be matched to a boy they already know, but not unheard of.
The morning after her match, Cassia opens the file on Xander but sees a flash of another boy instead, Ky.
Suddenly, Cassia can't help but be curious about Ky and the more she sees the more she begins to question the society she lives in.
So, why did I struggle with it so much?
Because I hate love triangles. They drive me crazy! Especially if they aren't presented to me in a way where I believe the emotions within them.
It really felt to me in the beginning that Cassia only developed feelings for Xander because the society told her to. And she started to have feelings for Ky because he was the forbidden fruit.
I'm always impressed when I read reviews by my friends where they admit that they struggled with a book but found a way to keep an open mind towards it, because I completely lack that ability.
I feel like I go into most situations in life with a pretty open mind but too often I shut down as soon as I loose interest and it is hard for me to get back in. So, when this love triangle started to form I didn't like the way it was handled so I shut down and just tried to finish as quickly as possible.
However, I will say that as the story develops the love triangle does disappear. Cassia still has choices ahead of her, but who she loves is pretty obvious. And there is a twist at the end that could be compelling.
Unfortunately, for me it was too late. I was ready to just be done with the book and I also couldn't help but think about the other books I could be reading instead. I'm not big on dystopians but I definitely felt that by comparison I prefer the Delirium trilogy. Although, I probably wont be finishing that one either because the sequel ended with a big old fat love triangle that made me want to pull my hair out.

Abductor/Point of Abduction: The truth is I was never really abducted by this book. I was disappointed because I was actually looking forward to reading this one, but I just felt like the whole story was felt flat. I didn't really have a favorite character or any one story line that I was interested in. If I had been reading this book on my own I probably would not have been able to finish it because I would have put it down at some point and then never picked it back up. However, because I checked out the audio from the Library and only had it for a limited time I forced myself to keep going.

Pick Up Line:
Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side. Our roots will always be tangled.
This line was said in regards to Cassia and her friend Em.

Abduction Rating:

I would give Matched a two because I didn't hate it, but I was pretty bored through out most of it.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Abducted by The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Headline: Four friends, a pair of jeans, and one crazy summer.

Time in Captivity: I had seen the movie adaptation of this novel when it first came out so I felt very familiar with the story lines and was pleased to see that the movie didn't really deviate from the book to drastically.
Sometimes my friends and I complain about the lack of YA books that show strong female friendships and this book is the complete antithesis of that problem. The girls are strong and smart and completely there for each other. They each have their own lives and issues and obstacles to deal with this summer, but they love each other. That much can not be denied.

If you have seen the movie version, then like I said you will be familiar with these girls. Tibby is working on a documentary at home while also slaving away at a local department store. Lena is off visiting family in Greece. Bridget is at a soccer camp in southern California. And Carmen is supposed to be spending the entire summer with just her dad. Of course they each have surprises in store for them.

I loved seeing how close these girls were and this is really the first summer that they had to deal with tough issues on their own. I mean they weren't completely alone but still...

Now, there was one story line that was different in the movie in comparison to the book. That was the story line of Lena and her love interest Kostas. And to be perfectly honest, I actually felt that the movie did it better. The conflict in the book started out as a minor misunderstanding. But as Lena allowed the conflict to grow and become a bigger deal with pretty serious accusations, it made her character seem pretty vapid and shallow.

My only other critique is that the romantic relationships in this book all seemed pretty flat. But I feel like
those relationships were really supposed to be secondary compared to the dynamic between the girls in the story so I can get over it. I mean if the romantic relationships were the main focus of the book I wouldn't be interested in finishing the series but I want to know what happens to these friendships.

The Abductor: I really liked Bridget in the book because I felt like they dealt with her depression really well. It was very subtle and under the surface but it was still very much there. I also really liked Tibby's relationship with Bailey.

Point of Abduction: I was pretty much abducted from the beginning because I knew the movie so well and knew what the story lines were working up to. But I'm a huge fan of emotional scenes so I really liked the part when Carmen threw the rock through her dad's window and then the phone call that followed.

Pick Up Line: 
I could tell the pants hadn't come to our lives because of tragedy. They'd just witnessed one of those regular but painful life transitions. That, it turns out, is The Way of the Pants.
Abduction Rating:
I love these girls and can't wait to finish the entire series! It would have been a full five but I really didn't like Lena's story. The rest was perfect!

Sunday, March 30, 2014

In Bed With...3.30.14

hosted by Kate at Midnightbookgirl


Anyone who knows me knows that I am really not much of an outdoorsy person. But yesterday I caught a mad serious case of Spring Fever! I am itching to get out into nature and rustle leaves and step on twigs and do all sorts of outdoorsy...naturey...type stuff that people do outside.

So I am going to spend part of my afternoon today walking the trails at a local part and I am actually very excited about it!

However, prior to my wilderness adventure I have a lot of reading to do. I spent the morning reading part of Always On My Mind by Jill Shalvis. I just bought it yesterday on my Kindle app and I'm already half way through it!

And when I was getting ready to go on a hunt for breakfast this morning I listened to the last hour of So Long And Thanks For All The Fish by Douglas Adams. I still have one last book to read in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series but so far it is looking like that one was my favorite!

Now that I'm back home and fed I'm going to get started on Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday and I've already downloaded my next audio book to be The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, I'll be listening to hit when I'm hitting the trails! 


I hope everyone is able to enjoy the same beautiful spring weather that I am going to get to experience and have an amazing Sunday!


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Abducted by Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers

The Headline: Travel to America with one of our favorite Brits!

Time in Captivity: According to my goodreads page I read book book 5 in this series back in October of 2012! I can't believe that it took me a year and a half to read the next book!!! What was I waiting for!?!

In this book Georgia is obsessed with the Italian Stallion Masimo, but first she must accompany her family on a trip to Memphis in Hamburger-a-gogo-land! I loved seeing the United States through the eyes of Georgia and her family.

Upon returning home Georgia gets right back to reeking havoc at home and school and with all of the boys in town.

The abductor: Why Georgia of course! Who else? I will say that I appreciate that she didn't make nearly as many disrespectful comments about her parents or her friends in this one. I know that all teenagers make comments about their parents but in some of the last books her comments about them made me a little uncomfortable. But in this one it was all light hearted fun.

Point of Abduction: Okay, so there was one scene that was towards the end that was absolutely
hysterical. I don't want to say much because of spoilers but let me just say it involved Georgia having to get stitches. I laughed so hard I practically cried! And this was the scene that abducted me because it felt like a throw back to book one Georgia! Georgia who shaves off half her face when taking a razor to her eyebrows! Georgia who tries to bleach her hair only to have a strand fall off into the hand of the boy she's trying to kiss! We are talking old school Georgia here and I loved it! Immediately following the stitches scene was another scene when her friends tried to train her for a date and that ended with Georgia trying to kiss the back of another girls leg! I mean the absurdity was just pure comedy and I loved it! It may have taken me awhile to be abducted into this book, but I know that abduction will carry over into my desire to finish the last four books asap!

Pick Up Line: I actually love the way Georgia and her friends talk although I would never be clever enough to pick it up in my own life. One of my favorites was when Georgia said about her friend Jass...
She has got the sent of funosity in her nostrils and wants to come to Hamburger-a-gogo land A LOT.

I texted that quote to my friend Andrea when we were discussing the books we were reading and it is still one of my favorites. I like the idea of the sent of funosity!

Abduction rating:

As I said I really loved all the scenes that felt like book one Georgia! Georgia hasn't had moments like that in a while so it was really great!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Abducted by The Chocoholics

Just before Christmas my friend Kim introduced me to a series of romance novels called Lucky Harbor by Jill Shalvis. The first three books in the series is referred to as "the sister" books because each one centered around one of three sisters. The second group of books is called "the chocoholic" books. Each one is focused on one of three friends. This is my review of those three books.

The Headline: Three friends come together to support each other in going after what they really want. In Lucky Harbor, falling in love is just a bonus!

Time in Captivity: The Chocoholic books follows Mallory, Amy, and Grace through their own trials and tribulations. Mallory is struggling to get a health care clinic off the ground and running, Amy is attempting to recreate a trip her grandmother took in her youth that helped her in finding her own hope, peace, and heart. And Grace has just left home and a lucrative job offer because the intended boss was making sexual advances towards her. Now she is just trying to land on her feet in a new town.

I loved all three of the girls and I actually really loved their instant friendship. They meet one night during a snow storm that locks them in at the local diner and they end up stuffing their faces with chocolate cake. From then they decide that they will support each other in going after what they really want. They decide to meet together every few days over chocolate cake, brownies, chocolate chip pancakes, cupcakes, whatever it is as long as it's chocolate!

Mallory is a nurse and she meets Ty after he suffers a head injury during the said snow storm. He has a lot of his own demons that he is struggling with and Mallory is known as the town sweetheart. I really felt bad for Mallory because she felt like everyone in the whole town was counting on her and she felt like she had to hold everyone together. But I loved that she had so much faith in Ty even when he didn't have it in himself.

Amy is a waitress at the local diner so we have actually seen her in a few of the other books already. She is strong and doesn't take crap from anyone! She has never really felt at home anywhere and when she finds her grandmothers journals that dictate a trip she had taken in Lucky Harbor that brought her peace. Amy tries to recreate this same trip and ends up stumbling across local forest ranger Matt Bowers. I loved that we already knew how bad ass Amy was and then we got to see all of her walls come down as she started to open up to Matt. In the end she was just as tough a chick as in the beginning but now she is in love!

Grace was by far my favorite of the three stories! Her book literally had me laughing out loud at how crazy she was. She was just floundering all over the place! I don't want to paint the picture that she was some kind of scatter brained flake because she is the furthest thing from it. But while being highly capable and intelligent she is also realizing that everything she was working for was to please others. Now she has to decide for herself what path she wants to follow. Hopefully a path that leads straight to the arms of one Dr. Josh Scott.

Now Dr. Scott comes with his own baggage however. A sister who has never fully healed after a car accident that left her parents dead and her in a wheelchair, at least not emotionally healed. And Dr. Scott has a young son that he has full custody over. More often then not I find young kids in books annoy the crap out of me! But this kid was adorable! He barked at everything and he was obsessed with Star Wars!

The Abductor: The overall abductor in this series is definitely Jill Shalvis and her lovable town of Lucky Harbor. In these books all of our favorite local townies are back and better then ever! How could you not fall in love in that place!?!

Point of Abduction: To be completely honest I read each of these books so fast I can't remember what was the one scene that really hooked me in each. But I do remember which one it was for Grace's story in Forever and a Day. It was when Grace was on the phone with her mom on one line and Dr. Scott on the other and she kept trying to click over and tell her mom something personal but would accidentally tell Dr. Scott instead! That is a gimmick that has been done before in movies and what not but it was still freaking hilarious!

Pick up lines: This was my favorite quote from Amy's story in At Last:
As for peace, she hadn't been quite sure. When she thought about her life, she knew she'd always lived it to survive. But she was beginning to see that there was more to life than mere survival, so much more. And maybe that was peace right there, just learning that.
Abduction ratings:

Lucky In Love, At Last, and Forever And A Day all got...

For the humor factor alone Forever And A Day is up there as one of my new favorites but I really loved each of the books! 

Sunday, March 16, 2014

In Bed With A Book...3.16.2014

hosted by Kate @ Midnightbookgirl!

Today I spent my morning in bed with...

Misery by Stephen King.

This is yet another book that has been on my tbr shelf for far too long and that I have picked up only to put back down several times. But this time I am determined to finish.

I'm also trying to fit in a few episodes of Alias as I go.

I hope everyone else has a fantastic Sunday! 

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Abducted by Inkheart

HEADLINE: What if the power of reading aloud could bring our favorite characters to life?

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: I always find it easy to be abducted into books that are filled with characters who love books. And this story is no exception. The father Mo is a book binder and he has raised his daughter to love and cherish books. However, he has never read to her himself because when he reads out loud, strange things begin to occur. The characters and objects begin to appear before him, brought to life in our world. And although this gift may sound wonderful it also comes at a heavy price. Whenever an object from a book is brought to our world, an object from our world is sent to replace it. Unfortunately this goes for humans
too. When a character is read out of a book, a person from our world enters there story never to be heard from again.
I haven't seen the movie yet but I love Brendan Fraser so I hope to very soon
One night while Mo is reading aloud to his wife, three men escaped from a story called Inkheart and Mo's wife vanishes.
Now, nine years later, the men who originally escaped Inkheart are back looking for Mo. They capture him, but Maggie, his daughter, refuses to be left behind and she sets out on a jury with her aunt Elinor to find him.
Maggie, Mo, and Elinor meet some truly heart warming people along the way (those of the human variety as well as the characters from books). The story is a wonderful adventure that takes you on many twists and turns. There may have been a few scenes when I started to feel like maybe the story was starting to slow down a bit and I couldn't believe how much I still had left to get through, but right when I was starting to feel that way another twist would come along and we would be off on another adventure.
I listened to the audio version which was read by Lynn Redgrave who truly did an amazing job with all of the different voices and accents. I mean we are talking about on the level of Jim Dale here!

THE ABDUCTOR: Maggie was the perfect perspective to be brought into this story. She has all the innocence of a child but she is also very strong and brave. She has an amazing relationship with her father where you can tell that he raised her to be self sufficient but also to feel quite loved. As the story moves on you do start to follow many of the other characters, but Maggie starts it all.

POINT OF ABDUCTION: I was pretty much abducted by the writing from the beginning but one scene that completely hooked me was when Mo and Maggie went to meet the author of Inkheart, Fenoglio. He lives in this little village and his grandchildren come to play at his house every day and he is so great with them. Those scenes were adorable! I'm a sucker for sweet old grandfather types in books, so to have one who was also playful with his grandchildren totally got me.
It was also around this time that the story started to calm and then a twist came that stirred everything back up again! I loved it.

PICK UP LINE: 
If you take a book with you on a journey...an odd thing happens: The book begins collecting your memories. And forever after you have only to open that book to be back where you first read it. It will all come into your mind with the very first words: the sights you saw in that place, what it smelled like, the ice cream you ate while you were reading it...yes, book are like flypaper - memories cling to the printed page better than anything else.
ABDUCTION RATING: 
A very magical story with tons of action and adventure and truly wonderful characters!

In Bed With a Book...Day 3

hosted by the delightfully mysterious Kate!
Well, I have to type this one fast as to try to make it to bed soon since tomorrow I actually have to get up and get back to the grind of going to work....boo!

But here are the books I was in bed with today:

I FINISHED Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb and loved it!

I read 100 pages of The Dinner by Herman Koch, which is my book club pick so I'm excited to have made more progress with that.

And I listened to more of Matched by Ally Condie.

I also wrote several reviews that will go up every Wednesday for the rest of the month, and watched a few episodes of Alias and got fully caught up with Emma Approved.


All in all...Good Vacation!

Monday, March 10, 2014

In Bed With A Book...Day 2

hosted by the fascinatingly gifted Kate! 
Today is Day 2 of my 3 Day vacation from work where I have absolutely nothing planned but reading books!

Yesterday I was able to finish It Had To Be You by Jill Shalvis. I read 50 pages of Girl, 15, Charming but Insane by Sue Limb. And I made progress on listening to the audio file for The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

This is what my reading plans looked like for today...

I started reading The Dinner by Herman Koch (my pick for book club on Saturday). I read about 25 more pages of Girl, 15. And I started the audio file for Matched.

Now, as far as The Help goes. Well, I became completely and utterly abducted by it today and literally did spend the entire day in bed with that book! I could not put it down because I HAD to know how certain story lines were going to end.

I also watched a few episodes of Alias and wrote a review over Inkheart that will go up on Wednesday.

Phew! Busy busy!

Tomorrow my plans are for more Alias and review writing. I also really really really want to finish Girl 15 and read at least 100 pages of The Dinner. We'll see how I do!

Sunday, March 9, 2014

In Bed With A Book...Day 1

In Bed With A Book is hosted by the amazingly wonderful Kate! 

I am one lucky duck who has three days off work with nothing to do but read a bunch of books!

I will also be filling my time with cleaning and blogging. But mostly I'll be read read reading!

Today is Day 1 and this is what is on my schedule for today...

First of all would everyone please take a second to admire my new bed set.

Thank you, thank you very much.

The last bed set I had I hated from the second I put it on my bed. Four years later I finally broke down and bought myself something new!

I'm not really a floral person but this design is really simple so I can handle it. The best part is that I have a queen size bed but I bought a king size comforter.

Why, you might ask. Because my dog Riley is a blanket hog! By the time he gets on the bed I can't move him in order to get more blankets so by having an extra long comforter I'm all set!

I know that all may be very boring to you, but trust me, I am miu miu emocionado!!!

Anyway, here is another image to give you a better look at the books I'll be reading today.

It is The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Girl, 15, Charming But Insane by Sue Limb.

Both books have been on my tbr shelf for far too long. I am hoping that I'll be able to finish Girl 15 today and make considerable progress with The Help.

I'm also hoping to finish It Had To Be You by Jill Shalvis today. However, that one is via my kindle app so I wasn't able to include it in my pick. It is book 7 of the Lucky Harbor series and is slightly different from the rest. Which means I'm being a tad bit of a bratty-cranky-pants when it comes to reading it because I don't like change. I mean it's not bad or anything but it is different and I don't handle different very well. But with less then a hundred pages left I'm sure I'll be able to find it within myself to finish it.

So, anyway that is my plan for today! I hope everyone else has a great Sunday!



Friday, February 28, 2014

Abducted by Two Boys Kissing

I read Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan as part of my...


THE HEADLINE: How long can you kiss? Thirty-two hours sound long enough?

TIME IN CAPTIVITY: I had a really hard time coming up with what the headline for this book would be because the book is about so much more than two boys trying to break the world record for the longest kiss. The book works its way through 5 different story lines, but in the end I decided for the headline I would stick to the story line the book was titled after...simply because it was easiest.
The book gets its name from the story line of Harry and Craig. They are ex-boyfriends who are trying desperately to maintain a friendship. Then one night a friend of theirs is attacked simply for being gay. Harry and Craig decide to break the world record for the longest kiss as a way of showing the world that there is nothing wrong with two boys kissing. In the book the world record they have to break is just over 32 hours, so the book takes place over that weekend.
Ryan and Avery are two boys who meet the night before the big kiss and then have their first couple of dates throughout the course of those two days. They were my favorite couple because everything was so new and exciting.
Neil and Peter are two boys who have been together for over a year. Even though their relationship is pretty solid they still have obstacles and bumps along the road to navigate.
Then there is also a story line that follows a teenager named Cooper. His life seemingly implodes when his parents violently confront him about being gay and he runs from the house. He spends the weekend completely lost.
I had read that the book was based on the fact that two boys, Matty and Bobby, actually did come together and broke the world record for the longest kiss in real life and then four days later, in a town not to far away, another boy, Tyler, committed suicide. Knowing this made reading Cooper's story line extremely emotional because I had an idea of what message he was supposed to be demonstrating.
The 5th story line, technically wasn't a story line at all, it was the narration. Levithan uses the voice of the universal "we" to represent all of the past generations of homosexual men who have passed on. As angels they are watching over then current generation of men as they start to figure out their place in the world. Levithan was using the contrast between the past generation and the current one to show how far we have come in excepting and supporting equality, and at the same time, how very very far we still have to go.

THE ABDUCTOR: I was completely abducted by that 5th story line. That ingenious decision elevated the power and volume found in this book.
So many of us had to make our own families. So many of us had to pretend when we were home. So many of us had to leave. But every single one of us wishes we hadn't had to. Every single one of us wishes our family had acted like our family, that even when we found a new family, we hadn't had to leave the other one behind. Every single one of us would have loved to have been loved unconditionally by our parents. 
THE POINT OF ABDUCTION: I was excited to get to when Harry and Craig actually started their Big Kiss because I wanted to see all the work that went into it. But I think each of the story lines had their own point of abductions. When Neil and Peter hit their first bump in the road (at least the first one featured in this book). When Ryan and Avery first went out in the canoe. When Cooper ran from his parents. And most moving of all, each time the "we" reflected on their battle with AIDS.

PICK UP LINE: My pen was working overtime underlining in this book. And while there were so many quotes I could share that were incredibly powerful, there was one lighter one that I personally loved.
We often believe the truest measure of a relationship is the ability to lay ourselves bare. But there's something to be said for parading your plumage as well, finding truth as much in the silly as the severe. 
It may seem strange, but sometimes I do feel like it is easier to be serious with people and yet incredibly difficult to show off my silly crazy ridiculous side. Because believe me...I can get pretty silly!

ABDUCTION RATING: The heartrending power behind having one generation that was lost to a senseless disease reflect of the hope and promise found in the generations to come was brilliant. In the end I sincerely believe Two Boys Kissing will forever be one of the most important books I have ever read.


 
Blog Design by Imagination Designs all images from the Winds of Change kit by NatashaNaSt Designs