Every Visible Thing by Lisa Carey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been sitting on myself for years. I've decided to read it based on a whim and I am glad I did. It is also scary the hell to me as a parent! Teenage years are the hardest thing to get through. Their thought processes are completely out of whack and you can really feel it throughout this book.

Losing a child must be completley horrifying for parents and how could you ever bounce back? It must be so hard to push and to stay strong for your children but this story shows that however you feel you must change for the better. Owen and Lena really went through some terrifying things and it is mainly because they felt alone and unloved. They needed their parents more so than ever and were neglected.

This was such a meaningful book and quite a learning expierence. It may not be a true story to the writer but it is a true story in itself.

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Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story is about how love is blind and people should not judge based on what they think the "norm" is. It is a modern day love story with tons of humor (and some saddness).I really loved this book. It drew me in from the start. I totally enjoyed the way it was written. It sounded real and I felt connected to all the characters, especially with, Freda and Nicholas. If you truly have an open mind I highly recommend you read this.

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City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a little lost at first since it has been years since I have read the first 2 books but I got into a groove rather quickly and was absorbed in it. This one was probably better than the others thus far. The whole Angel-Demon thing was great and I love how it was "us against them". I Don't want to do a spolier so that is the best I can give.

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The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It started very slow but then I got into it once she (Eva) got into the past. I loved the way that it came to an end. A god ending seems rare. Of course there are many things that I over analyzed but all-in-all it was still a good read.

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The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm sorry but my head just wasn't in the game. I got about halfway through until I just had no desire to move forth....It wasn't a bad read it just wasn't a fantastic read where I wanted to continue on. Maybe another day I will pick it up and continue on but that seems unlikely.....

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The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another five-star book from Carlos Ruiz Zafón! This is the third book in The Cemetary of Lost Books series. I gave the first 2 five-stars as well. He really is a magnificent writer and has really mastered the art of writing. He has such a great imagination. I truly recommend any of his adult books (his young adult ones are too easy for the average adult reader - but great for 13 and under)

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Review: Blue Nude - Elizabeth Rosner

Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781439173084
Published: September 2010
Pages: 200
Rating: 2/5 Stars
Read: September 2012

I really could not get into this book. I felt like I was reading the same pages over and over again except now and then something good would happen and I would get all excited and then I would turn the page and it was the beginning again. Maybe my pages were stuck together?

It is a very poetic story, in which I like on occasion, but this just dragged. Every page was about painting and drawing and about her body and how she (Merav) was a model and why and blah and blah. I liked the "historical" parts but then it faded and we were back to art. Maybe others would like this book but as for me....not so much!

Review: The Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach

Genre: Fiction
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN: 9780316126670
Pages: 512
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Read: July 2012
Recommended by: Work Book Club

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. Of course like everyone else, I thought that I would have no interest because it was about Baseball and it was not really about it per say. Of course there was a lot of talk about the baseball team and yadda yadda but the characters were all so great! Each had a strange personality. Like us humans we all have something that is wrong with us one way or the other. Every character in the book has something that matter.

There is so much I want to say about this book but am finding it hard for words probably because they are all so jumbled. There was a lot going on. The ending kinda was a eh but many books have to end and I feel that it is always hard to put an ending to something. It was a decent ending but left me with no real emotion but the rest of the book was great! Don't let the title fool you. It truly is a great book. AND don't let the largeness fool you either. It flows so well and it is a quick and easy read.

Room - Emma Donoghue

Genre: Fiction

Format: Hardcover / Library

ISBN: 9780316098335

Rating 3/5 Stars

*Potential Spoilers*

I am not too sure on how to rate this book. I like the lot but I just could grasp...something. I guess I was waiting for this wonderful great story because of all the reviews and ratings but I guess I was just not one of those people. I did enjoy it and it was a quick read but there was something I just didn't like. Of course there were things that didn't sit well with me but that's because I am a human but those are the parts I liked most about the book. I did love Jack and his innocence and I don't blame Ma for anything. I loved the grandparents and everything did seem believable but yet I guess I just didn't think it was as good as everyone else but that is what makes a great book I guess.

I would have loved to have read about the court dates and of Ma's reaction to Old Nick when they were face to face in court. I kinda wanted to hear his side of the story. I kept playing it in my head. How he had his own family and how they didn't know and all that. I guess that would have made it more intense and shady. Oh well. I still liked the book and just wished there were more but Emma did a great job at adding in the small things like masks at the hospital and of how people looked at her funny because Ma still breast fed. I think her line went something like" that is what you think about?" It's kinda funny because it is true. We are all concerned about her breastfeeding a 5-year-old meanwhile she just spent 7 years in hell! Well, that's the human race I guess!

Blood Harvest - S.J. Bolton

Genre: Mystery
Format: ARC Softcover/hardcover
Pages: 421
ISBN: 9780312600518
Rating: 3.5 Stars

I am at a loss for words. I mean, I really did enjoy this but it seemed a little dragged at points. I did really enjoy the twists and turns and I liked the ending to a certain degree but something didn't quite sit well with me.

It took me some time to get through the book, but no fault to the author, I just had issues because of the missing and or dead toddlers. I have 2 little girls, 1 and 2 years old, so it was a little too close to home but after I pushed through I rather enjoyed it. The ending was a little troublesome to get through too because it was so sick and twisted but it worked. Somethings also didn't make sense to me but I think I may have to go back and read it again because I am sure it makes sense at some point.

Oh well, I gave it 3.5 stars and I am glad that I got a chance to read it and I thank those who allowed me to win the ARC.

Wedlock - Wendy Moore

Genre: Historical non-ficiton

Format: Hardcover / Library

Pages: 324 (not including awknowledgments, notes, and bibliography)

ISBN: 9780307383365

Rating 3.5/5 stars

It took me some time to read this book for 3 reasons:

1- It didn't grab me in the very beginning

2- It's summer. I am always tired and lazy

3- I was reading 4 books at once.

After all that I started to get into it and dedicated more time into reading it. I feel that it was a good read and a nice change. It shows you had it really was in the 1700's. I just couldn't believe the maddness and the choas it all became. Stoney was just an unbearable human being and he was such a conniving A-hole! But I am glad that Mary was so smart and it may have taken some time but she got to help herself from going truly insane! I just love that it was a true story, I mean I wasn't happy to find out that people (especially women) were treated as such, but I did like how the author tied in facts and dug deep to gain more insight to the truths and she did a very good job. She writes beautifully and sophisticativly. I wish that there were pictures but it may have been a copyrighted issue but she explained it to where you could see it in your head.

I was never really into reading about the 18th Century but I do enjoy watching films based on this time period so when reading this I played it all in my head. I searched Wikipedia and Google to gain images and to compare notes and I found it all fascinating.

Here is the link to the Wikipedia pages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Eleanor_Bowes,_Countess_of_Strathmore_and_Kinghorne

Here are some images:

Mary Eleanor Bowes Andrew Robinson Stoney Bowes

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

Genre: YA Fiction (?)

Pages: 198

ISBN: 9780142414736

Format: Softcover / Library

Rating: 4/5 Stars

First I would like to say that this book is so painful to read. I kept getting such a lump in my throat. I just kept thinking of how horrible high school can be and what an effect is has on shaping these young adults. I also kept thinking about my own girl. Even though they are only 1 and 2 it still upsets me to think that people can be so hurtful and so blind. I hate this stage in life. It may have been fun at times but teens can be so harsh. They don't know any better and think that they know it all. I went to a not-so-great HS but I survived because i was raised not to sweat the small stuff an I understood that people can be followers and I knew who my true friends were. I hope that I can instill that into my children. I want them to tell me everything that bothers them. I don't expect to get the truth out of them all the time but I at least want to know if someone hurts them.

I heard about this book for quite some time but never even thought about reading it and then of course it was put on the Banned Books list and then I just had to get it. It is also a movie that came out in 2004. The book just hit it's 10 year mark giving me another reason to read it. I just hope that by this book being out that people will not be so naive. I wish that parents weren't so obsessed in their own lives that they forget the most valuable things are at school or at home and should really notice abrupt changes. Don't be blind. Parents shape their children and can make a great impact on their community and should really know what their children are like and so on. I could ramble on forever but I think you should read this just to understand all the thought that circle around my head. I am sure you will see the same things I see and feel what I felt after and during reading this.

Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Genre: YA SiFi Fantasy

Pages: 563

Format: Hardcover / Library
ISBN: 9780316042673

Rating: 3/5

This book would have been a lot better if it were about 200 pages smaller. It dragged so much at times I had to force myself to continue on. The story line was cute and young love is always dear to read but I really didn't believe Ethan. I mean, two women were writing from his POV and it drove me crazy. First, a young guy like that does not talk the way he does. Not even in the South. There are guys like him just not at the age of 16. Maybe 35??? I don't know it was just hard to believe but then again it was a nice change. It's not like all that magic stuff is true either so it was nice to think that 16 year old boys could be like that too even if it is not true.


I gave such a rating simply on the book being well over 500 pages and most of it was unnecessary so I felt like I was being forced to read it. I only continued to read on because I wanted to know how it ended but I am lucky that I didn't just stop the book. I hate to give up on books. I always try to pull through and this was definitely a struggle but in the end I liked it and would probably read the second installment but probably not anytime soon. I need a break. I would also like to see what everyone else who felt the same way as me, what they thought of Beautiful Darkness. To see if it has the same effect.

From Ghetto to Greatness - Kevin "Coach" Brown

I was lucky to get this e-book from the author and although the writing wasn’t truly solid I still enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and it kept my attention at all times. The book grabs you right from the beginning with his train accident. It fully grabbed you and made you want to read more. I really enjoyed how he spoke of his life and made it simple and real. It was hard to read at times because of such sadness but it kept me wanting to read more. It is always nice to read about personal triumph. This story is definitely one of those books that show personal growth. He comes from such a hectic background and at times it looked like he was headed down the wrong path but he would change and be brought back to reality and with all his hardships he learned to cope with it and instead of making things more negative he made them into positives and now he helps people achieve what he had. It helps to have someone really care about you and understand what you are going through ion life and I really feel that he is a positive role model and personal helper to those who really need it. I recommend this book to anyone either looking for some positive reinforcements or simply for just a great read.

Lily's Crossing - Patricia Reilly Giff

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Pages: 180

Format: Softcover

ISBN: 0440474539

Rating;: 4/5

Okay I have to admit this is not the best book and I rated it mainly on the fact that I was born and raised in the main town, Rockaway. I love to see it all in my head and I try to picture it many years ago. The book is set during WWII so even my parents weren't born then but I know of the shops and the places they spoke of and it brought me back to my childhood and of the beach and our innocence and it was comforting but it was also very sad because what isn't during wars? But all in all I gave it 4 of 5 stars solely on the basis of innocence and Rockaway. I will read on to Willow Run because it the "companion" book of Lily's Crossing.

Honolulu -Alan Brennert

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Softcover

Pages: 431

ISBN: 9780312606343

Rating 4/5 Stars

I did very much like this book and at times I just couldn't put it down. It has been some time since I read a good book like this. I have been reading so many YA's lately that it was a nice change. As for Honolulu, I liked it enough to rate it 4 stars but not enough to give it the full 5 because there were times when I felt like I was reading footnotes mixed into the book. I know Brennert had to give more detailed information due to the many mixtures of cultures but at times it just drove me nuts. I also think it was annoying that I didn't really believe the main character, I mean, she didn't have any education and yet she "used" big words and it just didn't sound like it was her voice. I know it may be a problem writing from a man to a woman's voice and although I think he did a decent job I just don't think he did such a perfect one. I did like how he wove in true tales and real people and kinda recreated their former lives. It was very interested to read and I liked how he had pictures of them in the back of the book.

I had the privilege to talk with Brennert a while back in regards to Moloka'i and he was still in the works with Honolulu and he said that he fell in love with Hawaii and also loves their history as well as history in general so I was not surprised when I read Honolulu. He really did it justice and told a wonderful and beautiful story of the real American culture.

The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan

Genre: YA SiFi Fantasy

Format: Softcover

ISBN: 9787423101482

Pages: 312

Rating: 4/5

Of course I loved it! Why wouldn't I? I never really was one for sifi nor fantasy but once I started this series I just had to continue on. This one was just as good as the first. I wasn't crazy about the second, The Sea of Monster, but all in all it didn't stop me. I am sure I mentioned this in another post, but I really enjoy this concept of Greek Gods and young people being in charge , believe me, it makes sense!

I really am falling in love with Percy! He is just a great kid and he will grow to be an even greater person or a cocky one. It can go either way and after reading the ending of this book I am leaning more towards the cocky! Not so much a Luke, maybe Percy will stay good but I can tell you he may turn arrogant but hey, this is just a thought! I really think his personality will change though.

I can definitely read between the lines and I kinda predicted what will happen at the end but it still kinda had a good shock value and I know what will happen in the other books and yet I still want to read it! I love books like that. It still makes you interested even with it's predictability. Reading this makes me feel young again and whenever I read books like this I get annoyed by the language but then I keep telling myself that it is meant to be written for younger people and then my brain goes into young world and it's kinda nice!

Life as we Knew it - Susan Beth Pfeffer

Genre: YA Fiction
Pages: 337

Format: Softcover

ISBN: 9780152061548
Rating: 4/5

I gotta admit I really did enjoy this one. I didn't know it was a series until I got to the end and I was very excited. There were some flaws of course but in the end I rated it based on the entertainment factor. I read it in 1.5 days and it kept me awake and I wanted to continue reading it so...

It is based on a young teenage girl, Miranda, who writes in her journal and I think it is an easy way to write a book because there are many details that you can leave out. It begins with her living a normal life with her friends and family and there are talks and news about a meteor that is expected to hit the moon and when it does it literally pushes the moon closer to earth and all these catastrophic events unravel and it's like the world comes to an end. All these things happen, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcano eruptions. Half of the known world is pretty much gone and it is in Miranda's journal that we learn this much but that it all we know which also makes the story good because it is pretty much all she knows too. There are no more news and how will she get any more information? It is definitely a good story and I am very much happy to get to the next installment< The Dead and the Gone, which is another teenage boy who lives in NYC and it is now his story of how these events effect him.

I gotta admit this is one of the few YA's that I truly enjoy and I wish I would have known how good it was before for I would have brought the box set! I wonder if there will be more after the 3?? Perhaps in the making...????

Noah's Compass - Anne Tyler

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 277

ISBN: 9780307272409

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

There is a lot to this story that i wish I could mention here but I hate to write spoilers so I will have to make do with what I got which may it may not be as informative as I would have liked. First, I have to mention that I have never heard of Anne Tyler and then I find out that she has such an amazing life story and I think she should create a memoir. Her husband is from Iran and passed away in 1997, they had 2 beautiful daughters, Tyler didn't attend school until she was 11 and still she attended Duke and Columbia, she was a librarian and a bibliographer, and now she is a writer. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for her eleventh novel entitled Breathing Lessons. She has a total of 18 books at the moment and I plan on reading many of them.

Her writing style reminded me a little of Richard Russo's style. They both write lovely stories that keep you engaged and brings them to life. She tells a realistic story and speaks very beautiful and Noah's Compass is such a nice tale about a 61-year-old schoolteacher, Liam, who gets robbed and knocked on conscious and can't remember a thing about it and then this just spirals into events of dating, and bringing family together expectantly. He keeps trying to remember what had happened so much so that it brings him to meet someone intimately and it also brings him to interact more intimately with his family as well.

It was a very quick, engaging, and a overall comforting read and I gave it 3.5/4 stars and I would definitely dig into more of her books.

Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout

Genre: Fiction
Pages: 270
ISBN: 9780812971835
Rating: 3.5/5 stars


Wow! I read this one pretty quick! This was our April book club read at work and I gotta say I did enjoy it but not what everyone put it out there to be. I really wanted to give it 3.5 stars but for Goodreads purposes I gave it 4 because you just can't give half stars yet.

This book is very touching and it makes you feel that just because you are old doesn't mean your life just stops. You can still go on and be loved and have love and even make love. These people in this book are 65+ and yest they are still out there cheating on their spouses! I am not saying that this is good I am just saying that you really never hear of such things happening when you are 72! My point is, is that you think of getting old as sitting on your rocking chair knitting sweater and watching reruns of old shows and at some points this may be but the elderly are still rocking it and just because they can't do certain things I am sure that they would given the opportunity.

There are a lot of sad things too, like having your friends and loved ones getting sick and dying. It sucks big time but I this book just goes to show you that you have to take things for granted and just live your live to the fullest because you are not always are going to be able to.