Thursday, October 28, 2010

15 Books That Have Really Stuck With Me

I stole this idea from Ignorant Historian:

"I found this meme on Facebook, and I thought it’d make a great post.  The idea is to list 15 books that have really stuck with you.  I’m going to type these just as they come to my head.  Here goes…"

So -- off the top of my head -- the lucky 15:

The Bible by Various Authors

Just As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Any John Grisham (I know, that's kinda cheating)

Sphere by Michael Critchon

Are You There God, It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume

Christopher Pike, R.L.Stein & Lois Duncan (cheating again...but I went through a phase where these were all I read)

Harry Potter 1 - 7 by J.K. Rowling

Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan (my current read)

Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins

I know, that's 17 and I cheated. These were totally off the cuff, so with a little reflection, might be different. But don't they always say that your inital reaction is the true one? (Man, I should've added Blink by Malcolm Gladwell to the list! 18...)

What are yours?

Monday, October 11, 2010

City of Ashes By Cassandra Clare

**********Contain Spoilers***************

I read City of Bones (book 1) in about two days.  I could not put it down it was so good. 
So, I assumed City of Ashes would be the same.  However, this one was a little bit harder to get into.  It was all the same character: Clary, Simon, Luke, Alec, Isabelle, and JACE.  (I am so Team Jace).  There were just some parts that seem to drag on for me and it took me a little bit longer to read it. 
However, towards the middle it started to pick and I really got into again.  I really enjoy these characters.  I think that Cassandra Clare is wonderful writer.
There were some shocks this time.  For example, Maryse is meaner than what I thought she would be.  I thought she would protect Jace not send him to the Inquisitor.  Then she sent him to jail.  Simon gets turned into a vampire, then dies, and then Jace saves him.  Clary discovers that she has Shadow hunter talents and she can create runes.  Valentine is still bad and using his children instead of protecting them. 
There are more twist and turns but I do not want to give it all away.  There is also a big war scene at the end of the book and I think it was great. 
I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to pick up City of Glass.  I know this review is shorter that others that I write, but I do not want to give it all away (wink:wink)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Club Dead By Charlaine Harris

****************Contains Spoilers**************************

Book 3 of the Sookie Stackhouse series is Club Dead.  I like this book a lot because there was more, of what I call, “Sookie Independence”. 
In the beginning, Bill and Sookie are still in a relationship but they have become “comfortable” in their relationship.  Bill has not been spending much time with Sookie because he has been working on a project for the Queen of Louisiana.  Bill leaves for a business trip and heads to Seattle.  Well He tells Sookie that is where he is heading.  Bubba (who I think is the most loyal of all the vampires) stays to protect Sookie.  It takes no time for Eric to show up at her door.  This time he comes bearing bad news and tells her that Bill was not in Seattle but in Jackson, Mississippi.  Now he is missing and no one knows where he is. 
So, Sookie heads off to Jackson to save Bill.  (Why is the human always saving the vampires and not the other way around)?  She could not just take off to Jackson and find Bill with no help.  So, Eric was able to set her up with a werewolf, Alicide Herveaux.  (I liked him right away and I think Sookie did too).   So, off to Jackson they go. 
The club they head is Club Dead.  The Weres but to everyone else it is Josephine’s.  Of course Eric was not too far away.  It is soon that Sookie figures out that Bill was leaving her for a woman that Bill was with before many years ago, named Lorena.  Even thought Sookie knew all this she still went on and search for Bill, even though now she was having mixed feeling about Eric and Alicide.  (Poor Sookie)
However, Eric and Bubba were able to help Sookie find Bill.  Sookie got to stake Lorena, because Lorena was the one who tricked Bill.  Nonetheless, Sookie was able to free Bill.  But, it was Eric that drove Sookie home to Bon Temps.  Of course, Sookie is never drama free, but Eric and Bill were able to clean up that mess.

Next book is Dead to the World.