Poison Study

So my mom tells me that it is a sign of maturity that I can stop reading a book that I don't enjoy. Man, I must be really mature. lol I keep starting books and then not finishing them. Nothing seems to be holding my interest. I've been looking for something really gripping...you know something that I really don't want to put down. The Twilight series and Harry Potter series were definitely like that for me. So are the Pendergast books and the Alex Delaware books. I decided to look at some threads on Amazon.com to see what people were reading to fill the Twilight void and picked up a few of the books at the library.

The book I started with was Poison Study by Maria Snyder, and I must say I was very impressed. I really enjoyed this book. Poison Study is a fantasy book, but really only has a little big of magic in it. The main character Yelena is in prison for murder and is offered the chance to become the Commander's food tasters instead of being executed. I really liked the character of Yelena as well as that of Valek, who teaches her about poisons. This was definitely a book that I had a hard time putting down. I have already reserved the next two books in the series at the library, so I will keep you posted.

Reading now: Sunshine
Coming soon: Outlander, Post-mortem, Magic Study

My Sister's Keeper

I should probably wait to talk about My Sister's Keeper since without giving too much away, I absolutely despised the ending to this book. Jodi Picoult seems to have a great talent in writing the most depressing books. Okay, let's see if I can separate out my immediate feelings from just finishing this book. I do like Picoult's style of switching points of view from one character to another. I find it to be a very effective way of getting the full story. Obviously just from the subject matter you know that this book will be somewhat depressing. The book deals with a family who has a daughter who has a form of leukemia and decides to have another child who will be a good donor for her. The younger daughter hires a lawyer to sue for the right to make her own medical decisions, basically to be able to make the choice herself whether or not to donate to her sister. Obviously the subject matter itself is not even remotely cheerful. I did like seeing the complexity of the situation from everyone's point of view. I also liked the added distraction of the side story of the lawyer involved. I'm pretty sure if I were still a child that my parents would not have let me read this book (just like I wasn't allowed to watch Irreconcilable Differences ) because they would be worried that I would get some bad ideas...have I ever told you that I once organized a strike against my parents picketing for children's rights? Well, that's a story for another day... In any case, if you find that your life is just a little too cheery and you can't find the cloud to fit your silver lining, this book is for you!

What's next? Firefly Lane and The Gun Seller

The Year of Re-reading

So you all know that I have been reading the Twilight series over and over (and over). Well, I decided to re-read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince since the movie is coming out this summer. I am typically not one to re-read books even if I enjoy them. When I first started the book again I wasn't fully into it. However, once I got a little ways into it I really was just as engrossed as the first time I read it. I'm sure it helps that it has been several years since I first read this since I all but forgot what happened in the book. I know that a lot of people dismiss the Harry Potter books because they aren't into fantasy and the likes, but really the Harry Potter books are truly entertaining. The characters are very likable (or despicable as the case maybe be) and the plot is very engaging. As soon as I finished, I was ready to pick up the 7Th Harry Potter book right away (although that will have to wait until after I finish some of my library reserve books).

Confessions

So I read Confessions of a Shopaholic and I must admit I was not impressed. I went in expecting a light, fun, fluffy read. And while it was quite fluffy, I really did not enjoy it. Perhaps if I were more into shopping and fashion it would appeal to me more. But really I think what ruined it for me was the fact that the main character was not at all likable. Sure we all have problems that we need to overcome, but this woman constantly lies and schemes. Blah. I know that many people enjoy this series, but I for one am stopping after the first book.

True Detectives

Ah, Jonathan Kellerman... He has been my favorite author for years. I love the character Alex Delaware. I have been reading Alex Delaware books for around 20 years now (how odd that my parents would let such a young child read these books). In any case, True Detectives is not an Alex Delaware book, but he does make a few very small appearances.

True Detectives features Moses Reed and Aaron Fox, two brothers who we first saw in Bones. I was happy to read a little more about Mo Reed after getting a glimpse of him (and a possible romance) in Bones. Even though this isn't an Alex Delaware novel, it reads very similarly. It is still a detective book with various twists and turns. In addition, True Detectives adds the complication of the strained relationship between Reed and Fox. There are a few small cameos by Milo Sturgis and Alex Delaware, as well as a few other regular Kellerman characters.

I really enjoyed this books, as most often is the case with Kellerman's books. I like that the conclusion isn't completely obvious throughout the book and yet isn't a complete shock. While True Detectives is pretty much a stand alone book, I recommend reading Bones first to get a little more background...well, if you are going to do that you should probably just go ahead and read all 23 Alex Delaware novels...

Fluff

So I decided to be a little more like Heather and read some "fluff" over vacation. I read Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella and Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I am now wondering if all chick lit books involve affairs...it seems rather odd to me.

Remember Me? read exactly like a movie...a chick flick. It was good and entertaining, and I definitely wanted to find out what happened. Yet, I kind of felt let down at the end. I mean, it had a happy ending - I'm beginning to think that all books in this genre do, you know based on my vast experience of reading a total of 3 books - but I was left wanting more. I guess I'm not big into these glossed over romances. Yeah, I'm glad that the characters I like end up together at the end and everyone seems happy, but I want to know more about their relationship and where it goes. Maybe I would do better with a series where you continue to see a character and get to watch those relationships and lives grow a bit more. I'm far from deep...I spend my evenings watching Grey's Anatomy and House and the like. Heck I often even find Lost to be a little too involved. Yet, I find myself wanting a little more substance in my books. How odd.

Something Borrowed read a little less like a movie to me. I suppose it was a little more involved. I did however, find it odd to be rooting for someone to get together with her best friend's fiance. =) I suppose that is just my wholesome view point though (how does my halo look?). I did enjoy this book and definitely kept reading eagerly to find out how things would turn out. Something Borrowed does have another book after it, Something Blue, which I have not had a chance to read yet. However, from what I have seen, Something Blue changes view points to that of the best friend of the main character in Something Borrowed. I'm interested to see if this gives a little more depth and insight, or if it will simply seem like an unrelated story that just happens to start where th previous one left off. I'll keep you posted.

This past week I read Baby Proof also by Emily Giffin. I do have to say that this was probably my least favorite of the three chick books I have read so far. I think I didn't like it as much because it had a far more depressing tone to me. I felt like it didn't give enough glimpses of possible happiness or resolution as the other books did. It is about a couple who gets a divorce because after a couple years of marriage the husband decides he wants kids after they had always both said they didn't. I suppose I could also not like it as much because I can't relate as well to a woman not wanting kids...you know unlike how I can to a woman with amnesia who finds out she has been having an affair or a woman who is trying to steal her best friend's fiance. lol In any case, it was still an entertaining book, just not quite as happy or captivating as the other two. I also recommend reading this after Something Blue as it contains somewhat of a spoiler, even though the two books aren't reall related. Make sense?
So I think now my task is to find the right balance between complete fluff and books that make me feel like I am back in school.

Next up: Friday Night Knitting Club, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Something Blue and Wuthering Heights

That's my story...

and I'm sticking to it. Okay, it's confession time. Well, I guess it probably doesn't count as a confession if practically everyone knows it already. I have been reading the Twilight series, over, and over (and over). I think I have actually lost count of how many times I have read these books this year. But really, they fit very nicely on my treadmill bookholder while small paperbacks don't - and I wouldn't want to possibly mess up any books borrowed from friends or family with my bookholder either. At least that's what I tell myself. Of course, I don't always read the whole book at this point. I've been known to read only the beginning and end of New Moon or to skip the Jacob section of Breaking Dawn or occasionally just skip around to general sections that I like. I guess that reading these books just makes me happy. Even after all of these times I get somewhat giddy at the wonderful love story and some of the emotional exchanges between Bella and Edward. So if you haven't read these books, I highly recommend you treat yourself to them. I'm about to start The Host, also by Stephenie Meyer. I figure it will be nowhere as good as Twilight but I am hoping it will at least be entertaining.
My other confession is that I came this close to get a "classic" from the library today. I actually had Wuthering Heights in my hands and put it back on the shelf. Of course, I reasoned with myself that I should choose lighter reading for my vacation in a few days. Not to mention that I have a couple of reserve books coming in that will need to take priority. If I am being honest though, I am a little nervous about reading classics. Will they be remotely entertaining? Will I be bored to tears? Will I have flashbacks to high school English class? I understand that they are called classics for a reason, but I'm not sure that I buy that logic. I mean, I would really like my 5 hours back that I spent watching 2001: A Space Odyssey and Lawrence of Arabia. I don't know who determined that these are the greatest movies of all time, but I found them slow, boring and way too long. Maybe I just need a pep talk. Please tell me that some classics will actually hold my interest. What do you recommend for a novice like me?

light vacation reading: The Host, Remember Me?, Something Borrowed and possibly The Wednesday Letters