Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Teaser Tuesday~~Mockingjay by, Suzanne Collins


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


Page 18- Why did I come back to 12? How can this visit help me answer the question I can't escape?
~~Mockingjay by, Suzanne Collins

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Artemis Fowl and the Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer and General Retrospective


Let’s get this out of the way right now. Artemis Fowl has remained a favorite series of mine for quite some time. As such, I’m always eager for another installment. Before diving into the review, I’d like to touch on a sentiment that will better explain my opinion.

There comes a point in any long-running series, whether it be television, cinema, or literary, when it arrives at a crossroads. No matter which direction it chooses, it’s markedly changed and sometimes quite noticeably so. In enough cases, this is not equivalent to “jumping the shark” which is defined as doing something drastic, and oft times out of character, to spark interest once more with fanbases. Some series handle it quite well, heading in a fresh and inspired direction. Others cling desperately to what made it first popular by trying to outdo itself to the point of being a parody of its former self. Deciding between the former and the latter can quickly turn into a heated discussion.

It’s my humble opinion that the Artemis Fowl series hit that crossroads around the fifth book. That’s when Artemis went “good,” when he acquired a love interest, missed three years of his life without aging, and received the news of now having twin brothers. As a quick note, if any of that spoiled the reader then it’s their own fault. This is a review of the seventh book (and a retrospective of Artemis Fowl in general) and all of that was established before the seventh novel.

Anyway, back to The Atlantis Complex. It opens with Artemis in dire straits, mentally. He’s developed Atlantis Complex, the book’s namesake if you weren’t paying attention. This particular disorder causes the victim to develop obsessive compulsive disorder, paranoia, multiple personalities, and other such pesky symptoms that muck up one’s rational thinking process. This alone was a curious enough hook to draw me in. However, I didn’t find the rest of the novel nearly as compelling. Fowl is a fascinating character because even if he is the protagonist, he’s also played the part of the villain. While the protagonist generally wins by the end of the book, the villain faces defeat. Artemis is both. That element was gone once Artemis turned into a 100% force for good, abandoning his shadier enterprises. I certainly enjoyed Complex but would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the book doesn’t completely focus on its title character, a missed opportunity, and ends half-heartedly. The villain is sympathetic, the Butlers get a few chapters all to themselves, as does a few other supporting characters. A highlight is a section where Fowl is trapped in his own mind, forced to observe his alternate personality and completely helpless to prevent it. The plot is another “save the world” scheme with the Atlantis Complex being taken advantage of from time to time.

I wish I could be more enthused concerning Colfer’s latest effort, but, in all honesty, I can’t. Perhaps it was too radically different from what I was expecting for me to enjoy it properly. I was hoping for a more focused take on Fowl dealing with his mental disease since his intelligence is so integral to the series; it’s almost a separate character. Maybe it was the unsatisfying ending that seemed to only bridge to an inevitable eighth book or the short page length and long waiting period. Whatever the reason, my personal feelings aside, I can still heartily recommend it for readers looking for something with clever writing, excitement, and entertainment. In any case, Atlantis Complex is buoyed by its intriguing plot device that was, unfortunately, not taken full advantage of. Although, I can definitely see that as a focus in the next one, even if it seems less appropriate considering the title of the disease is the title of this particular book. It’s excellent, but doesn’t quite live up to its predecessors. 4 stars

Review by Alisa Heskin

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank And Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom by, Celia Rivenbark~~Review


Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank And Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom by, Celia Rivenbark

I love love love this woman’s books her humor is so good! She just tells it like it is in the chapter for the title of this book she writes about when her daughter grows up from 4-6x to size 7-16

"There must be some mistake," I said. "These are, well, slutty-looking. I'm talking clothes for a little girl in first grade."

"Thats all we got."

"But these look like things a hooker would wear!"

She smiled sadly. "You have no idea how many times I hear that every day."


I enjoy the way she sees life and agree with her on most of what she writes, I wish I could put it as well as she does! She tackles everything from celebrity moms to the anti-carb movement to bin laden. No subject is safe and Celia Rivenbark will tell it like it is no matter who get offended and I love that about her, like she say I write a humor column not a news story.

If you enjoy humor (i.e. Dave Barry) or the wit and wisdom of your southern outspoken aunt this book is for you al her books are hilarious I highly recommend them when you are looking for a laugh and some light-hearted reading
4 ½ Stars

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Teaser Tuesday~~ Just One Wish by, Janette Rallison


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Just One Wish by, Janette Rallison Page 21-"I'll tell you some other time. Right now I want to explain the rules of wishing because you can't wish for more wishes or for the impossible stuff like superpowers.And don't even think about wishing to fly, because my genie is one of those difficult genies, and he might turn you into a bird or something."

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Finder by, Emma Bull~~TAB Review~~


Finder by, Emma Bull


I have read many books in the past eighteen years of my life. Some of them have been amazing, and some… well let us just say that some deserve to be buried and forgotten. But Finder by, Emma Bull has probably been the most intriguing. The story is set in Bordertown, a place somewhere between the human world and faery where all running from a past or a bleak future seem to wind up. Our main character is Orient. Now Orient isn’t just a regular young man, no Orient has the ability to “find” things. Just ask him where something is and it’s like his brain turns into a dowsing rod pulling him closer and closer to the missing object.

One day while he and his elf partner in crime Tick-Tick are sitting in a restaurant when Sunny Rico, a no-nonsense cop, comes to ask for Orient’s help. It seems that there is a deadly drug promising to turn the taker into faeries trickling its way into the veins of Bordertown. Sunny wants to use orient’s strange ability to track it down. A harrowing tale ensues, filled with tragedy, loss and the breaking down of racial barriers to come to the conclusion that you can only be yourself. You can’t be perfect, and even the things that seem like they are. Fail under closer scrutiny.

I really enjoyed reading this book. What struck me most was the fact that there was this drug being peddled to eliminate the human race, well the ones in Bordertown anyway, trying to make them “perfect” like the faeries. Imperfections have this funny way of most often not be imperfections at all, but traits, habits, and abilities that make us all beautiful and unique individuals.

At a more technical point of view, the book was fairly easy to read, kind of dragged a little bit towards the end and sometimes there was a lot of inner reflection on orient’s part that can get a little confusing to read, but it was understandable because he was supposed to be feeling all this turmoil. Over all Finder was a very satisfying read, so I give it 4 out of 5 Stars.

Sara Schuster

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Teaser Tuesday~~Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank by, Celia Rivenbark



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank And Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom by, Celia Rivenbark
Page27-
"There must be some mistake," I said. "These are, well, slutty-looking. I'm talking clothes for a little girl in first grade."

"Thats all we got."

"But these look like things a hooker would wear!"

She smiled sadly."You have no idea how many times I hear that every day."

Monday, August 9, 2010

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by, Lola Shoneyin ~~Review


The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives by, Lola Shoneyin
Summary-The story of a polygamous husband and his four very different wives. For Baba Segi, his collection of wives and gaggle of children are a symbol of prosperity, success, and a validation of his manhood. All is well in this patriarchal home until Baba arrives with wife number four: a quiet, college-educated, young woman named Bolanle. Jealous and resentful of this interloper who is stealing their husband’s attention, Baba Segi’s three wives begin to plan her downfall. How dare she offer to teach them to read, they whisper. They vow to teach her a lesson instead. What they don’t know is that Bolanle hides a terrible secret: a secret that unwittingly exposes the deception and lies upon Baba Segi’s household rests.

My Review:
This books setting was new to me I don’t think I’ve read any fiction from Africa. This is the story of Baba Segi and his 4 wives and their children. His newest wife Bolanle has not been welcomed with open arms by is other wives. In fact they make life downright miserable for her.

There were times in this story where I was a bit confused as to who was talking. It changed POV very often and wasn’t always clear who the new narrator was.
Other than that I liked this book it was a good story even though I figured out ‘the secret’ before the people in the book did. It was quite the comeuppance for these wives after all the hurt they had caused Bolanle and others.

When I requested this book I thought it was historical fiction but it is set in modern times I don’t know enough about the setting to know if plural wives are common place or even if they are legal. But this was a very interesting story of the lives of this family.

I would recommend this book it is a good story even though I didn’t like a lot of the people in it as they are all extremely flawed by their past. I however did like the story and would read others by this author.

3 ½ Stars (This book would have been 4 stars if it was less confusing by the changing POV)

Full Disclosure: I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program

Betrayed By: P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

First I've gotta say that this is probably one of the greatest books I've read all summer.

Summary: So After getting Aphrodite kicked out of the Dark Daughters Zoey is put in charge of them. She starts her leadership by making huge changes to the Daughter's ways. Then while still in a world wind of excitement from their success one of her best friends dies. As if that wasn't enough for a young fledgling to handle an evil being has started to kidnap football players from her old school. So when he ex-almost-boyfriend Heath goes missing she and her friends have to fight evil which is coming from the most unexpected source of all.

Review: Wow! The authors of this book have really made an amazing story. I never even wanted to put it down. It really kept me guessing.

4 1/2 stars

Friday, August 6, 2010

Dragongirl by, Todd McCaffrey~~Review


Dragongirl by, Todd McCaffrey

This book continues the story of Fiona, T’Mar, Lorana & Kindan and their fight to save the dragons. I couldn’t put it down the first 200 pages flew by then it slowed a bit. This is a sad book the Weyrs don’t have enough dragons to fly thread so there are a lot of injuries and deaths in this book , one that almost made me cry (No Spoilers).

There is a lot of drama and action Fiona is one amazing weyrwoman she fights to keep the moral up when some just think everything is lost. Which this book seems to say at times. I hope this story arc is not the end of the Pern series. The blurb at the end says that Anne will be writing the next book with Todd to join him in the final drama of his tale of Pern. I sure hope that it’s just this storyline and not all of Pern that is ending!

I really enjoyed this book it was like going back to see old friends you have missed. These characters are well written fully fleshed out. I just did not like the cliffhanger ending but if that is the worst thing I can say about it then I would say I loved it!

4 ½ Stars