Last Call for the Year

If I have the time and I come across it, I always read books about the Grimm fairy tales. I love the re-imaginings of the stories. They're comically dark and ridiculous at times. This is one of the better adaptations of the classic horror tales.

The Big Book of Grimm by Jonathan Vankin
A graphic novel retelling of the original Grimm fairy tales
4 STAR RATING

How about that? These stories get even more gruesome and gory with pictures attached to them. All of the artists in this book are very talented at putting their own spin on the fairy tales. And Varkin did an amazing job writing the stories into comic book style. The point gets across and it adds a hilarious feel to how ridiculous and out there some of these stories are. 

This is the last book I'll be reading for the year. Here I come 2015!!!

Quick read

These classic children's books are a trip. Especially if you've never read them before. You have a certain idea of how the story actually goes, pieced together from other people's memories and what you see in the media. And then the story is nothing like what you thought it would be.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The classic picture book about a boy names Max
3 STAR RATING

Again, I am underwhelmed by reading one of these classics. I know watching the movie a few years ago gave me a warped sense of what this book is actually about. It's not a deep portrayal of a child desperate for attention. It's just about a little boy that went to bed without supper and started hallucinating about huge monsters in the jungle. Obviously the hunger was affecting his brain lol 

Christmas break

Another holiday has come and gone and I'm left feeling...unfilled. Not with the books I've read but with the holidays all together. I was not in the Christmas spirit this year. I feel like I'm still waiting for Christmas to come and for me to be filled with Christmas cheer. I did get some awesome presents but I could get those anytime. The only highlights of this past week were hanging out with family and reading some books.

The Immortal Crown by Richelle Mead
The second novel in the Age of X series
4 STAR RATING

Wow...this was just amazing. I didn't really care for the first book that much but I knew I was going to read the second one of the series. And I'm glad I did. The world building got way better this time around. It was so complex and layered but not in a confusing way. I could keep track of all the gods and goddesses that are in the story already. And I'm beyond excited for the introduction of SPOILER Loki SPOILER. Mead has a way of writing bad boys in a way that cause you to root for them. I'm sure that will be the case with the third book. I'm so upset that I have to wait so long for another story. It's just not fair! 


Bitter Sweet Love by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The prequel novella of The Dark Elements series
2 STAR RATING

It took me a while to get into this one and I rushed my way through it once I started. It was just boring. I wasn't interested in either love interest. The only people I found intriguing were the main characters for the official first book, and they're not introduced until the end of the story. I'm optimistic that White Hot Kiss will be better than this but I still can't help but be disappointed.  


Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
A classic children's picture book
4 STAR RATING

I didn't realize how hard this book would be to read aloud. I kept stumbling over my damn words lol. I wanted to read it like I was reading to a child for a bedtime story. I finally got all the way through it after reading it three times without messing up. The moral of the story here? Just read Dr. Seuss books in your head.


I'll have another holiday coming up for New Year's. I hope to bring in the year with some awesome books.

Too much too soon

I find myself reading yet another book in a series that i have long forgotten about. This was a spontaneous read for me. I have other books that need my attention but someone returned this book to the library and it jogged my memory that I had read the first book in the series two years ago. I tend to do this a lot with novels I read.

Reflected in You by Sylvia Day

The second book in the erotic Crossfire series

2 STAR RATING

Too much drama, not enough sex. That was my main problem with this book. I'm all for melodrama plot twists in a romance novel. As long as the sex scenes distract me from the tom foolery of the plot, I have no complaints. I wasn't interested in what Day was trying to sell me here. I was not having it. I found myself getting angry at Eva for putting up with Gideon's bullshit. I get that you love him and the sex is amazing and you're both addicted to each other. But when is enough enough? Obviously I haven't reached my threshold yet because I'm still planning on reading the next book. I'm a glutton for pain.

So now I need to read the books I started days ago. But with it being Christmas Eve, I might be on a little break for the holidays.

All caught up

I have been a series fanatic over the past few weeks. I read a spin off book from a great YA sci-fi  series and read the second book of a long forgotten series that I started a while back. But now I'm caught up and am loving it.

Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

An adult spin off novel from the Lux series

3 STAR RATING

This was...alright. I mostly would have wanted an adult romance novel about Daemon and Kat. Those sex scenes would have been hot and amazing, just thinking about them is making me blush. But this was a good substitute for it. I really liked Hunter in the Lux series and was glad to get a story from his POV. The girl, I can;t even remember her name, was less entertaining. She bored and annoyed me. They waited too long for the smut portion of the novel. By then, I couldn't have cared less if they got it on. I knew they would end up together and work it all out, like any other romance novel. I'm not upset that this is their only story. I doubt I'd want to read it anyway.

The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

The second book in The Archived series

3 STAR RATING

So I barely remember the first book but I do know that I really liked it. I was a bit excited to continue the story and I'm glad I did. Mackenzie is a great heroine for young readers to know about. She's strong, kickass, and doesn't give up. Her voice is whiny at some points but it's totally understandable why. Her nightmares keeps bleeding into real life. She's trying to deal with that, her feelings for the adorable Wesley, and The Archive being on her back. It's a lot of drama packed into a small book but the final action scene is rushed and over so quickly, I almost missed it. I felt like all the angst wasn't worth the finale. There's a possibility that a third book will be written for this series and I think it's necessary. Mackenzie has to carry on the revolution that Owen wanted to start. It'd make for a great third act twist for a trilogy. 

I'm reading about three books right now and don't know where to start. At least I'll have this Christmas weekend to read whichever one I want.

2 for 1

I finished another series. I love it when I do that! Unfortunately, this was another lackluster finale to a beloved series. All of the others book blew this one away. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. At least it came with a bonus story like a prize you'd find in a Cracker Jack box.

Opposition by Jennifer L Armentrout
the last book in the Lux series
3 STAR RATING

Ugh, why did this book have to be so annoying? It picks up right where the last book ended but it took none of the excitement or drama or awesomeness from it. The only tolerable part was when Daemon was pretending to hate Kat. It created some much needed tension to the finale but the story completely fell off after that issue was resolved. The big fight wasn't even that long. The main characters weren't a part of the fighting; they were just spectators to the action. Despite the many faults with his book, I still consider this one of my all time favorite YA series. I'd recommend it to one and all.  

Shadows By Jennifer L Armentrout
a prequel novella to the Lux series
3 STAR RATING

I didn't really care to read this novella since it was a prequel. I just wanted to read more about Daemon and Kat but this is about Daemon's brother Dawson. I never cared about him to read a whole story about him but I have always been intrigued by Beth so I decided to take a chance. I was mostly bored. I already knew how this story ended so there was no excitement at all. I liked that it was short, sweet and to the point. 

Another series has been put to bed. I'm off to read another series. I read the first book too long ago so hopefully I won't be too lost. I'm also reading the adult spin off of the Lux series. I just can't get enough!

Sweet series finale

I love when I finish a series. I always feel a sense of satisfaction. It doesn't matter whether I liked the books a whole bunch or not, I like the action of putting a book down and knowing it's done. No wondering what will happen next or waiting for the next book. It's finished and that's that.

Sweet Addiction by Maya Banks
the last book in the erotic romance Sweet series
3 STAR RATING

This was a weak ending to an okay series. I never rated these books higher than three stars and this was not my favorite by far. The conclusion of the love triangle felt forced and rushed. I would have accepted it more fully if Lucas and Cole had a lot more interaction between the two of them. I would have loved to have read more love scenes with the two of them with Ren. She was my favorite character in this book. The men were playing second fiddle to her awesomeness. I wish I had more of a background story with her and Cole but at least I felt that their attraction was genuine. Lucas was my favorite of the guys even though he's barely in the book at all. There was just something about him that drew me in. Despite all of these good characters, the story fell flat. There was so... za za zoom. The sex scenes were hot but they didn't blow me away. I'm just glad to put this series to bed and hope that another book doesn't pop up randomly after a few years.

I'm off to read another finale book in a beloved series. Here's hoping I'm left feeling satisfied rather than disappointed like I was with this one.

Two and a half

That's how long it took me to read one damn book. Granted, I did have other things on my mind but it never takes me that long to read anything. I think it was a combination of average writing and a disinterest to read.

The Moon Sisters by Therese Walsh
a coming of age story about two sisters dealing with the death of their mother
3 STAR RATING

It took me forever to read this book. And it's not dense or overly complex. I just wasn't in the mood to read these past few days, especially this book right here. It started off super boring and failed to capture my full attention. I would read a few pages, put it down for a day, then force myself to pick it back up again. Once a love interest was introduced to one of the sisters, I was into the story. Olivia and Hobbs were cute together and I hope they have a good life together after this book. As for the other sister, she was too angry for me to relate to her. I mostly found her annoying. This book seemed like it had a grand idea for a coming of age story but it completely fell flat. It could have been a lot better.

I need to get back into the groove of reading every day. It helps soothe me and is a much needed distraction from the b.s. that is life.

Thanksgiving break

My plan was to read a whole plethora of book over these past few days. I was off from work and would have nothing to distract me from reading, since I planned on spending my Thanksgiving day alone (by choice). But alas, all I managed to do was sleep, drink, eat, and read only 2 books. It was pathetic really lol But the books I did read were great so at least there's that.

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris
a humorous autobiography by NPH
4 STAR RATING

I am not a regular reader of nonfiction but since this was a book club pick, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a shot. I always thought Harris was funny anyway so I was confidant that his book would be too. And I was not disappointed. I loved that it really read like a "Choose your own adventure" novel. Mind you, I did not have time for that so I just read it straight through. There were some hidden pages that were pleasant surprises. Overall, this book was really cute and funny and I'd read another one of his bios in a few years time if he decides to write one again.


The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by Matthew Inman
a collection of comics about running and becoming active
5 STAR RATING

Just like The Oatmeal website, this book was beyond hilarious. This guy just speaks the truth. I know I'll be a long time reader and fan of his as long as he continues to release these comics. 


Hopefully over the next break I'll be taking, which is Christmas, I'll be better about getting some reading done.