Currently reading
Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence
Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Beautiful Creatures (Beautiful Creatures, Book 1)
I think this book is fantastic. It grabs you from the beginning and carries you right through to the end with supernatural and crazy! This take on witches is one of the best I've read in a lot time. There is a lot going on in this book and it kept me turning the pages. The plot stalls a little bit in the middle in my opinion. In the beginning you get a lot of information and background then it slows a little bit before the climatic ending. It wasn't enough to make me put this book down though. Ethan is one of my favorite male characters in a YA book in a long time. I haven't read many great dynamic male voices in a long time. Ethan is smart and he feels genuine which makes him easy to connect to. I think all of the characters in this book felt fleshed out and real. Even some of the supporting characters have clear motivations and backgrounds (like Link) that make their actions have meaning.
This book maybe all about Casters and magic, but it hits on some tough issues like desiring to fit in and bullying. I thought that Ethan and Lena tackle these issues in great ways and their relationship grows even stronger because of these struggles.
I can't wait to start the next book and see where these two go from here.
Obsidian (A Lux Novel)
I've been waiting to read this book for a while and it was on sale for Kindle for $3 and how does a girl say no to a sexy alien. I started this book in around nine right before I went to bed but I never looked back at the clock until I had finished every extra that Jennifer Armentrout had to offer and it was 1 am. There is a Twilight feel to this book. Girl meets hot guy and boy isn't human. He saves her life a couple of times. Perky sister is her best friend. As I read I noted the similarities as I went but they didn't bother me. Even so, I think this story works a lot better. Katy and Daemon's banter had me laughing out loud. Their insta-love is a little annoying but a lot of stories work like that in YA now.
There are a lot of elements that work in this story though. I thought the alien story was unique and interesting. Its kind of a typical paranormal YA romance but I really enjoyed it. I thought the extra scenes in Daemon's point of view were excellent. I want to read even more from his POV. Katy is a great character and I loved that she had a passion for books. That element made me love her and really connect with her.
I couldn't put this book down and I have already purchased the next book in the series. I cannot wait to have time to read it.
Cold Fire (Circle Opens, Book 3)
It took me forever to read this but that isn't a reflection on Tamora Pierce's writing or this book. The four young mage's seem to be learning that they are teachers as well as masters in this series. Daja has always been my favorite character in this foursome and she is just as strong on her own in this book. She discovers magic in a pair of twins while traveling North with Frostpine during the winter. While trying to find teachers and guiding her new students, Daja also must find who is starting dangerous fires in a town mostly made of wood. I loved this story. It was sweet and sad. I think this book really shows us even more about Daja because I think she sometimes gets overpowered by the other three even though I think she is a fabulous character and very powerful. She is a terrific heroine and she is so so strong both in her magic and her character.
Now I move onto Tris's story which might be a struggle for me but I enjoy the writing, the world and the magic so much I'm not sure I could ever be upset to find more book that I have to read by Tamora Pierce.
Chasing Spirits: The Building of the "Ghost Adventures" Crew
I read this book immediately after I finished Zak's book Dark World. Even though I enjoyed this book I didn't find it as interesting. I probably shouldn't compare the two but it was difficult not to when I read them one right after another. Nick's book is more about how GAC got its start and how they started the show than it is about paranormal experiences and the field of paranormal investigation. I really loved the beginning. I though Nick did a great job explaining how hard it was to get respect in paranormal research and how difficult it was to start a television show. That part was excellent and very interesting. I also really liked when Nick talked about his experiences investigating the paranormal. I didn't want him to cover exactly what Zak did but it would have been interesting to see his view on some of the investigation (other than the ones that really affected him so personally). I got a bit bored near the end but overall I really enjoyed it.
Nick doesn't quite have the finesse that Zak does and his story does lack a bit of what made me finish Zak's book in 6 hours. I enjoyed Nick's personal story but I also wanted more of his personal experiences in the paranormal and I did not quite get that.
Dark World: Into the Shadows with the Lead Investigator of The Ghost Adventures Crew
I read this book in about six hours. I could not put it down once I started. Zak knows what he is talking about and as a big fan of the show I really enjoyed all of the stories he put in it. Zak also shows off a more serious side of himself in the book which I really like and he talked a lot about the science and future of paranormal investigation which really made me see him in a different light. There are some errors and some issues the editor did not fix that I caught in this book while reading but overall I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what Zak does in the future.
Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One
I have several issues with this book. One major problem for me was that this book is based on the 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Hence it is a continuation of an adaptation. I felt like that movie changed the characters quite drastically and left a lot of story out which made this story feel incomplete. I also felt like there wasn't much story to this book. There is very little plot development or character development. Most of the book is focused on Darcy and Elizabeth's passion and love for each other. I wanted to love this book but there just wasn't enough plot and instead of reading a story it was more like reading about a series of events.
What Would Mr. Darcy Do? (A Pride & Prejudice Variation)
I really really enjoyed this book. I was expecting to like it because I have heard many good things about Ms. Reynolds books but I could not put it down! I think one of the best things that she does it that she grasps the original characters so well. As soon as I started reading the book I could see the scenes happening. I didn't have too many moments where I would stop reading and think "would Darcy and Elizabeth really do this?" most of the time I thought her changes worked very very well. I also actually really enjoyed her tweaks to the timeline. The changes she made have purpose and make the story her own. In other adaptations I struggle with how much affection Austen characters can show without it being a)totally inappropriate for the time period and b) far outside the original boundaries of the story. For the most part I thought Reynolds did a great job balancing out a good amount but also satisfied my craving for the question of what if? Reynolds doesn't make Lizzie into a Lydia but she isn't quite as controlled as her original character. Overall I enjoyed the story very much.
The Irish Americans: A History
This book reads a lot like a textbook and I think it was set up to be one rather than a book that someone can pick up and read for pleasure. The book covers the history of the Irish in America extensively. Even though it is a extensive history, and there is a lot of history, I was bored. A lot of the information is repeated several times. It took me quite a long time to read this book. I had trouble really getting into it because it is dry. Even though the author obviously knows a lot about the subject the wiriting does not draw you into the book. If you are looking for a book to give you a lot of names and information this is the book that you need. It was easy to skim over the information while getting the idea which wasn’t what I wanted to do but the writing just wasn’t very exciting.
The Hangman's Daughter
This book would have gotten a higher rating except I felt like it could have been 3/4 of the length. So many times I felt like I was being told the same things over and over again. For example (this isn't a spoiler) the hangman has a lot of medical knowledge and has a large collection of books about medicine. I feel like the hangman's library was mentioned over and over again without need. The only other complaint I have about the book is that all of the characters can seem like the same person until you get all the names and titles straight. Overall I really really enjoyed the plot and characters in this book I just though the end dragged tremendously and could have been shortened up to make it faster paced and more exciting.
Thirst No. 1: The Last Vampire, Black Blood, Red Dice
I did not love this book. Things were simply too perfect all the time. From the beginning Sita has no weaknesses and she gains more as the story goes along. She is an interesting character and I will probably continue to read the series but I was bored till the end of the book.
Pegasus
This book might be the most disappointing thing I read in 2012. I wanted this book for so long but it simply fell flat for me! The concept of this story sounds absolutely amazing. This take on Pegasus lore was really interesting and it seemed like it was going to be a great read. Even though it was disappointing I still really like the idea and there is a lot of great points in this book. I think the major problem with this book is that it is simply too slow. The world building is great, but all of this was overshadowed for me because the plot took forever to develop ( if there even really is one for this novel).
Obviously, this book is going to be a series because it just ends. I felt like nothing really happened in the book and it seemed like it was all set up for the next one. Honestly a few times I wondered why I continued to read this book... Even so the relationships between Sylvi and Ebon is very interesting and their adventures are fun to read. It is everything else that gets in the way.
I wanted to love it, but it disappointed me. The book ends with no resolution or hint of a resolution. I'm not sure how I feel about reading the next one because it was like pulling teeth to make myself get through this one, but if the pacing was better I think the story would be much better.
All That Remains (Patricia Cornwell)
Overall I was less impressed by this one but I still liked it! The story was less thrilling than the last two and more political but still enjoyable.
Arabian Nights: Stories from the Arabian Nights
First of all the version I read was 200 pages not 144 so it was slightly longer than the information on the site would let you believe. These are interesting stories. I especially enjoyed the stories about Sinbad the Sailor. I expected the stories to be shorter and there to be more of them but I was wrong. The stories were very detailed, sometimes overly detailed. Overall all of the stories were enjoyable.