The Book Chat - Your favorite book

You have no idea how excited I was to type "The Book Chat" again. It's been back for a few weeks now and I've just been too insanely busy to do anything, including sitting down to write. I super duper loved The Book Chat. I missed it  a lot.

My amazingly talented friend Jessica hosts the chat every week. You should join in the fun!

This week Jessica has asked us to share our favorite book. Today is her birthday, so what favorite book would we give her?

I'm gonna start with saying the Harry Potter books are my favorite. 

I'm pulling my nerd card out right now.

They aren't however what I recommend to other people. Maybe because I assume everyone knows about them.

These are my 3 top recommendations. Sorry Jessica you've read these but they are simply the best.

The Book Thief - I've read this twice and I would definitely read it again. It's so powerful and full of emotion. You can read my review of the book here.

The Night Circus - I've also read this book twice. The world that is created inside this book is so fascinating. I love the characters so much. My review of this book is here.

My Name is Memory - I've only read this once but that because it is the only one that doesn't sit on my shelf. I NEED to buy it. I would certainly read it again. Be warned though that it will crush your heart into a million tiny pieces. The pieces will be beautiful and magical because that is what this story is. Review found here.





I love reading so much. It is my favorite thing to do. With books we can travel to far off places, become different people, experience lives outside our own. After a long day there is nothing better than escaping into a world that was created in the mind of a writer, printed on paper, seen with my eyes, and absorbed into my soul.

Happy birthday Jessica!!!!

The Cradle Will Fall

I read this as part of the Summer 2014 Book Challenge.

This book was for the category: "Read a book that was written before you were born."  It was written in 1980.

How have I never read a Mary Higgins Clark book? This was awesome! Let's start with what the book is about. 

Prosecutor Katie DeMaio is admitted to the hospital following a car accident. During the night she thinks she sees someone carrying a body and stuffing it into the trunk of a car. She's not sure though. It could have been a dream. It could have been the medication. She also seems to recognize the dead woman's face. 
The woman is found dead in her own home the next day and is thought to have committed suicide. Katie sets out to find the truth about what happened. 

Katie has no idea that as she's looking for answers someone is looking for her. I'm not giving anything away by telling you Dr. Highley is the woman's killer as well as the one hunting Ms. DeMaio. You find that out at the very beginning of the book. You won't believe what Dr. Highley is up to. He's doing some serious experimentation with his patients. He will avoid being caught no matter how many people he has to kill to cover his tracks. 



I LOVED this book! I needed one more chapter and then just one more after that. It's very suspenseful and highly entertaining. You see all the players. YOU have all the information but they DON'T! It's exciting watching all of the bits and pieces fall together. You're trying to figure out just what Dr. Highly is doing to his patients as well as hoping that they catch him. It's very well written. I thought all of the different characters would be confusing but they aren't. It's very easy to follow. I'm glad Mary has so many books! Now I can read a ton of them. I can't wait to get my hands on some more.

Conjured - Book Review

I read this book as part of the Summer 2014 Book Challenge.

This was my book for the category "Finish reading a book you couldn't finish the first time around. (You must have at least 150 pages left in the book to use it for this category.)"

I started reading this book and put it down because It wasn't really grabbing me. Plus I had Gone Girl waiting on my end table and I REALLY couldn't ignore it.
Synopsis from Goodreads:

Eve has a new home, a new face, and a new name—but no memories of her past. She’s been told that she's in a witness protection program. That she escaped a dangerous magic-wielding serial killer who still hunts her. The only thing she knows for sure is that there is something horrifying in her memories the people hiding her want to access—and there is nothing they won’t say—or do—to her to get her to remember.

At night she dreams of a tattered carnival tent and buttons being sewn into her skin. But during the day, she shelves books at the local library, trying to not let anyone know that she can do things—things like change the color of her eyes or walk through walls. When she does use her strange powers, she blacks out and is drawn into terrifying visions, returning to find that days or weeks have passed—and she’s lost all short-term memories. Eve must find out who and what she really is before the killer finds her—but the truth may be more dangerous than anyone could have ever imagined.

Review:
I didn't love this book. I didn't hate it. It was just okay.  I really wanted to love it. It had potential to be a great story, but it fell flat. The beginning of the book is pretty boring. You are fed just enough new information about the case the keep it mildly interesting. It really only picks up towards the very end. The last chapters are fact paced and keep you turning the pages. They don't make up for the long drawn out beginning though. I did enjoy all of the magic in the story and even the scary nightmares Eve has. Eve has a lot of visions throughout the book. She can't tell if the are memories or dreams. These were very confusing for me sometimes. She is sometimes herself in the visions and sometimes sees herself as other people.  Maybe they were supposed to be confusing to us because they are also confusing for Eve? I didn't feel connected to the characters in this book. That's something pretty important to me. I need to feel like they could be real. I want it to seem as if I could actually know them. I didn't think the magical worlds were fleshed out enough. The descriptions seemed too rushed and didn't help me "see" the settings of the story.  So while I had hope that picking up this book again would find me a new favorite. It didn't.

Look Me in the Eye - Book Review

Image via Goodreads

I read this book as part of the Summer 2014 book challenge.

I was searching for a book that fit the biography, autobiography, or memoir category and came across this one. I really liked this book! John writes about how Asperger's has made his life different. Some in good ways. Some in bad ways. He didn't even know he had Asperger's until he was an adult. Growing up it wasn't a known diagnosis. He was classified as lazy, unmanageable, just a bad looking for trouble kid. He grows up wondering why kids don't like him. Socializing with others just doesn't come easy for John. School becomes too hard for him and he drops out. He goes on to do some pretty incredible things. You know those awesome guitars that KISS plays? He designed those. After working for the band for a while he needs a more stable environment. He ends up working for Milton Bradley designing electronic toys. He wants success and he finds it. However the higher he climbs on the ladder of success the more he has to interact with people, something he's not good at. He ends up leaving his job and doing something that he enjoys. He relates to machines. Machines don't try to trick you like people can. Machines are reliable. He opens his own car lot. He sells and fixes cars. Once he learns he has Asperger's he is better able to manage it. He can see now how he is supposed to relate to people. He sees how a conversation is supposed to be. He finally understands why he's had trouble relating to his peers.

This book was entertaining and educational. It puts you inside John's mind. you get to see how someone with Asperger's views the world. He's very matter of fact about things. My favorite part was chapter 23 "I get a Bear Cub". In this chapter his son is born. It was pretty comical how he described the experience.

""They had a big room where all the babies lay behind glass and grew under heat lamps, just like the baby chick display at the State Fair. Some were in incubators but most were just on trays."

Also in this chapter he talks about how reading the same story over and over again for his son got boring. I can relate.  He begins to change the stories.

"One fish
Two fish
Black fish
Blue fish
I eat you fish"

"See them all
See them run
The man is back
He has a gun"

In the book he describes having Asperger's like this:

"No one turns to a guy in a wheel chair and says, "Quick! Let's run across the street!." And when he cant run across the street no one says, "What's his problem?" They offer to help him across the street.
With me though there is no external sign that I am conversationally handicapped. So folks hear soem conversational misstep and say, "What an arrogant jerk!" I look forward to the day when my handicap will afford me the same respect accorded to a guy in a wheelchair."

I'm glad I read this book. I've said it before but my favorite thing about the challenge is that it oushes me to read books I wouldn't normally read. Thank you book challenge!




His brother wrote a book called Running with Scissors that I have now added to me "to read" list. His brother talks more about the not so fabulous childhood that they had.

Perfect Ruin ~ Book Review

Image from Goodreads

You can read a portion of the book HERE from Amazon.

Morgan lives in a city floating in the sky. This city is named Internment. A train runs around the outer part of the city. Cross the train tracks and you find yourself on the edge. A place you do not want to be. You can't leave Internment. Many have tried. These people are called jumpers.  Her brother Lex is one of those people. Approaching the edge is dangerous. Lex is blind because of it. Morgan thinks constantly about what life would be like on the ground. She fears she might one day find herself at the edge trying to look down.
Strange things are happening in this once safe city. There is a murder. Judas is accused of killing his betrothed. Morgan is certain he is innocent. There is more to the murder than the public is being told. She also feels that people close to her are keeping things from her. She begins to question everything she knows. Nothing really is as it seems anymore. In the book we follow Morgan on her adventure to find the truth. She will discover things she never thought possible and feel sadness that she's never known before.


Internment is a very structured place...

Before birth you are betrothed to someone. On your 18th birthday they will become your spouse. Don't like them? Too bad...  If your betrothed happens to die before they are 75 you spend your life alone. Your job is to take care of and protect each other. You wear your betrothal ring on a chain around your neck until it fits your finger. On your wedding day it is filled with your spouses blood. 

You get 75 years of life. That's it. If you reach the age 75 you are dispatched, a nice word for killed kindly and cremated. Internment is a small city. They can't have people living too long and over crowding the place.

Also to prevent crowding and food shortage, you must wait your turn to have a baby. Once you are married you may enter the queue to be approved for a baby. If you happen to get pregnant out of turn you are forced to have the baby terminated. There are no exceptions. To prevent this all females are required to take contraceptives.  

Jumpers are required to take daily medication. Members of their family may be required to take medication as well. 



I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are easily likable and believable.  I felt like this city really could exist. There are no lulls in the story. Each chapter is packed with new information that will keep you turning the pages. I was constantly saying to myself, "Just one more chapter." I would then take a teensy peek at the next chapter and end up reading that one as well. Morgan is surrounded by so many people who love her. Each of them different and interesting. The journey they take together is scary and exciting.  I'm only worried about three things. 

1. I have to wait a LONG time for the second book to come out!
2. What is going to happen to everyone?
3. The way the book ends sets up the second book to either be awesome or the story could fall apart. I'm hoping for awesome =)

PANIC (Book Review)

Image via Goodreads - Panic by Lauren Oliver

"Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most."

Review

I was a fan of Lauren Oliver's as soon as I read Delirium. That led me to read Pandemonium and Requiem. When I found out she was writing Panic I knew I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. I have to admit at first I had a little trouble really getting into the book. I just kept thinking why on earth would these kids do these really dangerous incredibly stupid stunts just for money. I feel a little bit torn. While there was a lot of suspense throughout the book, particularly in the last few chapters, I still struggled to find it believable. Even with that you will still be glued to this book. The story just keeps you wanting to know what is going to happen! Towards the end of the book I was enjoying it more and more.  The book definitely commands your full attention. Lauren does an excellent job of making her characters seem real. You care about them. You want all of them to win Panic because they ALL have a great reason to be playing. 

The twist at the end is great. I sat on the couch saying, "WHAT?!? No Way!!!" If you can get over the unrealistic challenges and just try to enjoy the characters and what they are playing for then I think it's worth reading. I'm glad I read it!

BETA - book review

Image via Goodreads

BETA (overview from Goodreads)

"In a world constructed to absolute perfection, imperfection is difficult to understand—and impossible to hide.

Elysia is a clone, created in a laboratory, born as a sixteen year old girl, an empty vessel with no life experience to draw from. She is a Beta, an experimental model of teenaged clone. She was replicated from another teenage girl, who had to die in order for Elysia to be created.

Elysia’s purpose is to serve the inhabitants of Demesne, an island paradise for the wealthiest people on earth. Everything about Demesne is bioengineered for perfection. Even the air there induces a strange, euphoric high that only the island’s workers—soulless clones like Elysia—are immune to.

At first, Elysia’s new life on this island paradise is idyllic and pampered. But she soon sees that Demesne’s human residents, the most privileged people in the world who should want for nothing, yearn. And, she comes to realize that beneath its flawless exterior, there is an undercurrent of discontent amongst Demesne’s worker clones. She knows she is soulless and cannot feel and should not care—so why are overpowering sensations clouding Elysia’s mind?

If anyone discovers that Elysia isn’t the unfeeling clone she must pretend to be, she will suffer a fate too terrible to imagine. When Elysia’s one chance at happiness is ripped away from her with breathtaking cruelty, emotions she’s always had but never understood are unleashed. As rage, terror, and desire threaten to overwhelm her, Elysia must find the will to survive."

I had really high hopes for this book. I was however disappointed. The first parts of the book were boring for me. There isn't a whole lot happening. It wasn't really until the last few chapters of the book that I started becoming really interested in the twists and turns of the story. I think some of my dislike for the book comes from not being able to relate to Elysia. Which is understandable. She's a clone. She's supposedly soulless. Throughout the book she does become more and more human like. Towards the end of the book I did find myself liking her a little more.

The book takes place on Demesne. It is paradise. One thing the writer did really well was make Demesne believable. You can really picture what this place looks like. The major conflict in the book is that some of the clones seem to "awaken". They are starting to make their own decisions. They are beginning to want. They are forming a resistance called the Insurrection. Since this is the conflict in the story you would think there would be a lot of time spent on it. There isn't. I kept waiting for something big to happen. Most of the book is spent following Elysia while she hangs out with her "friends". We see the teens on the island do raxia over and over again. Raxia is a drug that basically makes the teens relax and happily go to sleep. We're involved in Elysia's love life, if you could call it that. She thinks she loves this guy because he is "aesthetically pleasing". It just seemed like there was a whole lot of nothing going on for a very long time and then at the end you're rushed into excitement in hopes that it will make you read the next book.

I most likely won't. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had focused more on the clone rebellion and less on Elysia's clothes, diving abilities, time spent playing video games, and love of chocolate.

Where the Moon isn't - Book Review

Image via Goodreads

Where the Moon isn't (Originally titled The Shock of the Fall) by Nathan Filer

Overview from Goodreads:
While on vacation with their parents, Matthew Homes and his older brother snuck out in the middle of the night. Only Matthew came home safely. Ten years later, Matthew tells us, he has found a way to bring his brother back...
What begins as the story of a lost boy turns into a story of a brave man yearning to understand what happened that night, in the years since, and to his very person. Unafraid to look at the shadows of our hearts, Nathan Filer's rare and brilliant debut Where the Moon Isn't shows us the strength that is rooted in resilience and love

This was a great book but it was not at all what I expected. I expected a story about a man who felt the loss and sadness of his brothers passing. A story about a man attempting to reach to the other side and connect with his brother again. It was that but it was also so much more. When I first started the book I was a little confused. Was this narrated by a child? An adult? The sentences were usually short quick thoughts. Matthew repeats himself over and over again. As you read you begin to understand that the story is told by Matthew when he is 19 years old. You find out that he is schizophrenic. He jumps around quite a bit throughout the book between the present, time as a child, and time spent in a psych ward. 

Throughout the book there is one common theme...Simon. Matthew truly blames himself for Simon's death and discovers a way to bring him back. All he has to do is stop taking his meds. Simon speaks to him when he lets his schizophrenia take over. Matthew struggles to understand why this is unacceptable to his parents and other who care for him. He gives you tiny bits of information throughout the book about Simon's death, never really telling the whole story until the end.  You can't help but feel sorry for Matthew. He's stuck replaying these sad events over and over again in his mind. He's constantly trying to reach Simon.

 I'm glad I picked this book up. I saw the cover and had to see what it was about. I'm a book cover lover.... =)

A book you must read ~ The Book Chat (The Book Thief)

Today's book chat is all about a book that you think everyone should read once. Our fabulous chat host, Jessica from The Tangerine. Told me I HAD to read this book a few years ago. Finally about a year ago I picked it up and fell deeply in literature love.

This book...oh this book! I went through many many tissues while reading this amazing story. The Book Thief has a great group of characters. It was hard for me to let them go after I read that final page. Just thinking about it makes me want to dive back into the story and eat up every single word.

I think it's time for a re-reading of this book.

You can read my review of the book here.

Trust me you just need to read this book. Go! Now! Get it!

The Book Thief is being made into a movie. I was worried at first because books to movies can go terribly wrong. I didn't want it to be ruined. After watching the preview I feel much better about it. All the feelings...and tears came rushing back when I watched it. I can not wait to see the movie. I only wish that I had a fellow Book Thief lover to see it with =(

Just for the record... I watched the preview AGAIN for like the 5th time and it still made me cry! I just love these characters!!!!

Do you have a book that you think everyone should read once? Link up with the book chat.

This week's Co-Host is Megan from Semi- Charmed Kind of Life I haven't read her must read book yet but I've added it to my growing every day "to read" list. Go check it out =)

Do you do "chick lit"? - The Book Chat

I used to read a lot of what is defined as "chick lit". In the last few years the types of books I read have changed. Well maybe not changed. I still read chick lit books but now I also read several other kinds of books. I can't read a ton of chick lit books back to back because they get a little repetitive, I think.  Girl has problem...Girl goes through finding ways to solve problem...Girl solves problem.

My favorite CL author is Jennifer Weiner. I really do love her. I've rarely been disappointed with one of her books. My favorite book of hers is Goodnight Nobody. It's a CL story with some mystery mixed in.

 From Goodreads:

For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia has been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting's a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school.

As Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's past, she begins to uncover the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's picket-fence facade -- and considers the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between marriage and independence, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own.

Do you have a favorite chick lit author? A favorite book? Do you like chick lit? Hate it?
Link up with the book chat!

The Book Chat - Memoirs & Autobiographies

At first when I saw the topic of memoirs and autobiographies I thought I didn't have anything to say about them because I haven't read any. Then I realized that I have! It's a small number though...

Love You, Mean It: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Friendship

This book should come with a box of tissues. It's the story of 4 women who lose their husbands on that awful day...9/11. They didn't know each other before that day. The book follows them from just before the one year anniversary to 4 years after the tragedy. They end up meeting and forming a very strong bond and friendship. This book makes you appreciate the people you have in your life. 

Bright Lights, Big Ass 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Jen Lancaster. She's written several books cataloging her crazy adventures but this one is my favorite. Even though I've read it a few times it still makes me laugh out loud. It is a great pick me up kind of book. 

Bossypants

This was a great book. I laughed a lot while reading this. I like her even more now. Go read it!

Seriously, I'm Kidding

Who doesn't love Ellen? She's amazing. She's so kind and soooo FUNNY. When you read this book you can really hear her tell the story. I loved every page of this book. I want to go read the other books she has!

So that's about it for me in this genre. Maybe I'll read more someday....

Birthmarked (Book Review)

I'm ashamed to say it but I tend to judge a book by it's cover. When I'm strolling through aisles and aisles of books the nice covers call to me. The not so nice ones scream, "Don't pick me up! I'm not worth your time!" When I saw Birthmarked the cover was pretty, gritty, mysterious....I had to pick it up. After reading what it was about I quickly added it to my stack of books to bring home.

From Goodreads:
IN THE ENCLAVE, YOUR SCARS SET YOU APART, and the newly born will change the future.
In the future, in a world baked dry by the harsh sun, there are those who live inside the walled Enclave and those, like sixteen-year-old Gaia Stone, who live outside. Following in her mother's footsteps Gaia has become a midwife, delivering babies in the world outside the wall and handing a quota over to be "advanced" into the privileged society of the Enclave. Gaia has always believed this is her duty, until the night her mother and father are arrested by the very people they so loyally serve. Now Gaia is forced to question everything she has been taught, but her choice is simple: enter the world of the Enclave to rescue her parents, or die trying.
A stunning adventure brought to life by a memorable heroine, this dystopian debut will have readers racing all the way to the dramatic finish.

From the back cover:
"You can't take my baby. She's mine."
"You'll have others. You'll get to keep some. I promise."
"Please. Not this one. Not my only. What have I done?"
"You've provided a great service to the Enclave."

Gaia grows up in a land outside "The Wall" called Wharfton. On the other side of the wall, guarded by gates and soldiers, is the Enclave. Gaia is following in her mother's footsteps as a midwife. Every month the midwives have to bring the first 3 babies they deliver to the Enclave. Knowing that the children who grow up inside the guarded walls have privileges like running water, nice clothes, and plenty of food make this task easier. 

One day a guard is waiting for Gaia at her house. Her parents have been arrested. They've been accused of keeping a record of the babies that have been "advanced" to The Enclave. As far as Gaia knows her parents have done nothing but faithfully serve the Enclave. As time passes and they don't return she forms a plan to find them and bring them home. 

Once inside the wall Gaia quickly sees the difference between her world and this privileged one. It's not too long until the truth behind why the babies must be given to the Enclave is revealed. She also finds that maybe her parents did have something to hide. Maybe the marks her and her mother placed on each baby they gave to the enclave have a special meaning. 

Gaia's adventure in the Enclave is exciting and kept me turning page after page. Will she find her parents in time? Will she figure out the connection to the marked babies? Where will her discoveries lead her?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I didn't realize until I was almost finished with it that it is the first book in a trilogy! I'm very excited to read the other two books. I NEED to know the rest of the story! I haven't LOVED a book in a while. I'm hoping this is only the beginning and that I'll love the other books too. 
I already love the covers... ;)

Prized BOOK #2

Promised BOOK #3

The Book Chat - Catching Up!

The book chat has been missing for a while because Jessica from The Tangerine has been without REAL internet since about April. Can you believe that? Me either. That's just inhumane... However now she has a reliable internet connection and the chat is back!

I haven't really been reading a lot this summer. I'm having a hard time finding books that I love and actually want to review.

I DID fall in love with these three books. Lucky for me they are all the first book in either a trilogy or series!

I have Jessica (The Tangerine) and Brighton (Dear Brighton) to thank for introducing me to the world of the Black Daggar Brotherhood. Dark Lover by J.R. Ward is the first book and it was GREAT! Thankfully the next several books are already out so I won't have to wait for a release date to sink my teeth (ha ha ha) into the next one. 

I finished reading What's Left of me by Khat Zang in June. You can read my review here. The second book wont be released until September.

I started reading Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien on Tuesday. I finished it yesterday. It was THAT good. I did not put this book down! I highly recommend you go read it....like now. I didn't realize until I was almost finished with it that it was the first book in a trilogy. That made me extremely happy. 

Today I will start to read Almost Moon by Alice Sebold author of The Lovely Bones. I don't really know what I'm expecting from the book. The Lovely Bones was such a haunting book. The first line of The Almost Moon is, "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily." So...ya...we'll see where this story takes me.

Welcome back book chat!!!!

Six Years - Book Review

Image via Goodreads

From Goodreads:
Six years have passed since Jake Sanders watched Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man. Six years of hiding a broken heart by throwing himself into his career as a college professor. Six years of keeping his promise to leave Natalie alone, and six years of tortured dreams of her life with her new husband, Todd.
But six years haven’t come close to extinguishing his feelings, and when Jake comes across Todd’s obituary, he can’t keep himself away from the funeral. There he gets the glimpse of Todd’s wife he’s hoping for . . . but she is not Natalie. Whoever the mourning widow is, she’s been married to Todd for more than a decade, and with that fact everything Jake thought he knew about the best time of his life—a time he has never gotten over—is turned completely inside out.
As Jake searches for the truth, his picture-perfect memories of Natalie begin to unravel. Mutual friends of the couple either can’t be found or don’t remember Jake. No one has seen Natalie in years. Jake’s search for the woman who broke his heart—and who lied to him—soon puts his very life at risk as it dawns on him that the man he has become may be based on carefully constructed fiction.


This was a really good book. I don't read very many mystery/thriller books but I'm glad I read this one. Jake makes a promise to Natalie to leave her and her new husband Todd alone. He keeps that promise until he finds out that Todd has passed away. He begins searching for Natalie taking him on a crazy and dangerous journey no one would have expected. I thought several times that Jake should just give up his search. There were SO many reasons to stop trying to find her. Towards the middle of the book is when this became a real page turner for me. Every time I thought that maybe I had it all figured out...or at least some of it something would change and I had to keep on reading to see what this new information meant. 

I think I need to check out a few more Harlan Coben books.

The Book Chat - YA Books

Finally I'm participating in the book chat again! It feels like it's been forever!

I loved YA books before I knew I was actually reading YA books. I just took recommendations from friends, read the books, and loved them. It wasn't until about a year ago that I realized this was actually a genre...a genre that I read a lot of. Since discovering that the books I loved were in fact YA I started immediately heading to that section of the library. 

YA books are NOT just for young girls.They deal with so many different topics and issues. Some of the most emotion provoking books I've read have been YA. These are a few of my favorites:

The Delirium Trilogy

The Book Thief

 The Fault in Our Stars

What's Left of Me

Goodreads - What's Left of Me

From Goodreads:
Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren't they settling? Why isn't one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn't . . .

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable-hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet . . . for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

In What's Left of Me Addie is more the rule follower and Eve is the more adventurous one. Addie controls their body so Eve is just present inside the body. When Addie begins to spend more time with an outcast girl from school she discovers there might be more people like her and Eve out there than she thought. When Addie and Eve are offered the chance to teach Eve to move again it sends them on a journey neither of them ever wanted to be on. They find that the government hasn't been truthful with its citizens. Maybe having one soul fade away from the body isn't so normal after all? Is it possible to function as a hybrid?

Things I loved:
- Really easy to get into. I had an instant understanding and connection with the main characters. 
- The story moved at a fast pace. There weren't any dull parts dragging on forever.
- I thought Kat Zhang did an excellent job writing the conversations inside Eve and Addie's minds. That could have easily been very confusing when Addie is speaking to some one and Eve is talking to Addie inside the body at the same time!
- Kat dipped into the relationship pool towards the end of this book. I'm interested to see what happens in the second book. Eve is fond of another Hybrid. Addie not so much. How does that work?

Things that bothered me:
- Some parts of the book felt rushed almost like the author knew where she wanted the story to end up and was in a hurry to get there. 
- I thought there could have been more of a climax in the story. There was all this build up but then things fell into place too easily for me. It could have been more dramatic than it was. 
- I wish that a better explanation would have been given about why hybrids are so dangerous to society. Maybe she'll tell us more in the second book?

Overall I really liked this book and I will read the second one when it comes out (September 2013). My favorite part of this book was the relationship between Eve and Addie. They love each other very much. Imagine how hard it would be to have someone you cared for living in your body with you. You're never alone. That can be comforting and a burden. Eve hasn't moved the body in years. While Addie wants to give Eve a chance to move again she's also afraid of losing herself in the process. They are two separate people but also the same person.

Great book!

The Book Chat - Book Blogging?

Am I a book blogger? I think I am... a little bit. My blog isn't devoted to books but I do spend a good amount of time reviewing the books I read. I don't review books for other people, just the ones I find interesting. If you read any of my recent posts you probably won't find much about books though. I was going through a reading drought. Now I'm BACK! My library bag is stuffed with books. I've been reading every day so reviews will pop up here shortly.

Blogging has pushed me to read more. I've always been a big reader but finding REALLY good books has always been hard. (Enter the blogging world!) Through blogging I've been given great recommendations on what to read. I've read books I never would have read otherwise.

When I started my blog I had no idea what direction I wanted it to take. I'm still really unsure. I DO know I want books to be part of it because they are such a big part of me.

The Book Chat - Cookbooks

Today Jessica has asked us to share our favorite cookbooks. 

I was at Joeys grandmas house one day looking at her cookbooks. I found this one and it had so many great recipes in it. She told me she bought it just a few days before at Family Dollar. When I left her house I stopped by the store and found one of my own AND for only FIVE bucks! I'm sure this was because the book was a few years old...but I didn't care!

I love this cookbook. It's meant to be a holiday cookbook but I make things out of it all the time. There are some amazing entrees in here.

Just like Jessica mentioned in her post. My food never comes out looking as nice as the pictures...

I read somewhere once that after they prepare the food they pretty it up with shiny sprays and sometimes glue to hold things together. It has to look picture perfect! When they're done it's pretty inedible. So if your food looks crappy but tastes amazing don't worry about it. =)  

Left Neglected - Book Review

Goodreads

LEFT Neglected is about do it all woman named Sarah. She has a high powered job, 3 kids, a full schedule, and no time to even think about slowing down. One day on her way to work she does something she does everyday. She takes out her cell phone, takes her eyes off the road for too long, and her life finally slows down.

Sarah has a traumatic brain injury called left neglect. Nothing on the left exists to her. Not the left side of her body. Not the left side of a room. Not even the left side of her dinner plate. Sarah should feel lucky but she doesn't. How is she supposed to get back to doing it all if she cant even dress herself? 

In the struggle of recovering Sarah is also dealing with the possibility that her son has ADHD and her very absent mother has made a reappearance in her life.

I really liked this book. I read Lisa Genova's book Ask Alice a few years ago. I was at the library and stumbled upon Left Neglected and snatched it up as soon as I recognized the author's name. Ask Alice was about a woman who has early-onset Alzheimer's. Lisa did such an amazing job with that book I just knew I wouldn't be let down with Left Neglected.  Lisa seems to have a real skill in writing about problems with the brain. She writes in a way that doesn't focus just on the issue but how it affects the person with it. I didn't even know left neglect was something that could really happen. Early in the story Sarah's husband becomes frustrated with her. He can't understand how she just can't SEE the left. Sarah's husband is urging her to just "look left" and she asks him to describe the room to her, which he does. Then she asks him,

"Okay, now what if I told you that everything you see is only half of everything that's really here? What if I told you to turn your head and look at the other half? Where would you look?"

In Left Neglected I immediately felt connected to Sarah. I felt all of her frustrations. I cried when things got hard and cheered when she has success. The story actually has a bit of humor in it. It has a quick pace and no dull boring moments. I found myself laughing at times.  I highly recommend reading this book. 

My Name is Memory - Book Review

GoodReads

From Goodreads:
Daniel has spent centuries falling in love with the same girl. Life after life, crossing continents and dynasties, he and Sophia (despite her changing name and form) have been drawn together-and he remembers it all. Daniel has "the memory", the ability to recall past lives and recognize souls of those he's previously known. It is a gift and a curse. For all the times that he and Sophia have been drawn together throughout history, they have also been torn painfully, fatally, apart. A love always too short.

Interwoven through Sophia and Daniel's unfolding present day relationship are glimpses of their expansive history together. From 552 Asia Minor to 1918 England and 1972 Virginia, the two souls share a long and sometimes torturous path of seeking each other time and time again. But just when young Sophia (now "Lucy" in the present) finally begins to awaken to the secret of their shared past, to understand the true reason for the strength of their attraction, the mysterious force that has always torn them apart reappears. Ultimately, they must come to understand what stands in the way of their love if they are ever to spend a lifetime together.

A magical, suspenseful, heartbreaking story of true love, My Name is Memory proves the power and endurance of a union that was meant to be.
___________________________________________________________

You need to read this. I've read a lot of great books lately. This book rose quickly to the top of my favorites list.  The world created inside is so easily believable. I love that Daniel comes back again and again trying to find Sophia if only to lay eyes on her and know that she is okay and happy. It is also heartbreaking. 

Sometimes a book that bounces around through time can be confusing and hard to follow. That wasn't the case with My Name is Memory. Ann Brashares did an amazing job weaving Daniels previous and present life together in a way that didn't leave you dizzy. She created characters that were easy to fall in love with and some that were easy to fear. They felt like real people to me. That is both good and bad. Good because I'm still thinking about them. I felt involved in there lives. Bad also because I'm still thinking about them. I miss them as if they were my friends. It's makes me want to cry!

I could not put this book down. Except for once when I was so scared of what might happen that I just had to take a break and calm down. It will pull at all of your emotions. I stayed up late into the night finishing the last few chapters. The last parts of the book are my favorite. They are also the most intense. I felt the need to get up and pace around the room as I read because I was so involved... so nervous. Tears streaming down my face. Do not read this book without a tissue box nearby.

As soon as I finished I started looking online to see if there was a sequel because trust me... you'll want more. From what I was able to find Ann intended this to be a trilogy. Her publisher decided that because not many people purchased the first book they would wait on moving forward with the remaining two. I sincerely hope that another book comes out. I will be lost and heartbroken without it.

You NEED to go get this book. I beg you to read it!