Book+Reviews+for+Adult+Readers

[|Lover Reborn] by [|J.R. Ward] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] In this continuation of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, the focus is on Tohrment as he tries to recover from the death of his shellan, Wellsie, and his unborn child. He is fighting and eating again, but has refused to feed from the Chosen except for the first time after Lassiter returns him to the brotherhood. He finds out from Lassiter, the fallen angel, that Wellsie and his child are in the "In-Between", neither the Fade or Hell and he, Tohr, is the one who holds the key to their release. We also learn more about Xcor, Throe, and the Band of Bastards, as well as some new characters. John Matthew and Xhex come to a crisis in their relationship early in this story as well. As usual, J.R. Ward keeps you glued to the page waiting to find out what happens.

[|Fifty Shades of Grey] by [|E.L. James] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] Although I have been more into the paranormal romance genre lately, I decided to try this because of all of the hype I heard about it. I am so glad that I did! Anastasia Steele is about to graduate from Washington State University when she agrees to help out her friend, Kate, who has arranged an interview for the college newspaper with entrepreneur and WSU benefactor Christian Grey. Kate has come down with the flu and the interview would be difficult if not impossible to reschedule, so Ana agrees to go and do the interview using Kate's list of questions and a recorder. Christian Grey is scheduled to speak and help award diplomas at their graduation later in the week, but Ana really knows nothing about him until she literally falls at his feet, tripping over her own, on the way into his office for the interview. One thing leads to another and Christian arranges another meeting with Ana who is very attracted to him. She has never felt such a strong attraction to any man and he seems to be attracted to her as well. As the romance develops, Ana learns about Christian's "dark desires" and he thinks he will frighten her away when reveals them. This story is a very intense romance with some graphic scenes, but I found myself drawn into their romance and hoping for a successful outcome. You will have to read it yourself to find out if they succeed in finding a middle-ground. There are two further books in this trilogy about Ana and Christian and I am already half-way through the second and deeply hooked on their relationship.

[|The Darkest Seduction] by [|Gena Showalter] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] In this latest entry in the Lords of the Underworld, Gena Showalter brings Paris, who is paired with the demon Sex, center-stage. If you are familiar with the Lords of the Underworld, you already know that in order to maintain both his strength and his sanity, Paris must have sex almost daily, but he is only ever able to be with a partner one time, and then is never able to feel desire for that person again. In an earlier story, we see Paris meet with Sienna, who is acting as Bait for the Hunters, the Lords mortal enemies. Just when Paris finally realizes that Sienna is the one woman he continues to desire, even after "having" her, she is killed in an attempt on Paris' life. In this story, Paris is desperately seeking to find her, even though he knows that she is dead. One of the gods, Cronus, has managed to reanimate Sienna and pair her with the demon Wrath who was formerly paired with the Lord Aeron. This story is full of twists and turns, with an ending that I didn't see coming. Suffice it to say that Paris does indeed get his happy-ever-after, but you will have to read the book to find out how it comes about. We also see the birth of Ashlyn's and Maddox's twin babies in this story and learn more about William. This was a very satisfying read. [|Lone Wolf] by [|Jodi Picoult] My rating: [|3 of 5 stars] I read this because a co-worker gave it to me, thinking I would enjoy it since I enjoyed reading about the "werewolves" in the Twilight series of books. I have only read one other book by Jodi Picoult, namely Nineteen Minutes. I find that her books tend to be a little too much "real life" for me. I am just a sucker for a happily ever after ending and this book doesn't really deliver that. It took me some time to get into the story, partially due to Picoult's rather choppy writing style, jumping between characters narrating the story. When you start off with a very serious car accident, with one person requiring surgery and one person in what appears to be an irreversible coma, you don't really see how there can be a happy outcome. Cara is the seventeen-year-old daughter of a man who has made a career out of learning about wild wolves by living with them. Cara and her father have been in a serious accident and she has had to have shoulder surgery and he is in a coma. Her mother, Georgie, who is divorced from her father and remarried with a set of young twins, calls Cara's older brother, Edward, who left home to go live in Thailand when he was eighteen after an altercation with his father. Edward comes home to find that he must make a decision about whether to discontinue life-support on his father. The story is told alternately by Cara, her father Luke, Edward, her mother Georgie, her stepfather Joe, and a temporary guardian with the laughable name of Helen Bedd. There was some very interesting information about wolves, and I did find myself involved with the characters after a while, but as I said before, there was no real way to have a happy ending to this story. If you like Jodi Picoult, you will probably enjoy this story as well. If you are looking for light reading and a happy ending, you might want to give it a pass.

== [|Midnight Sun] by [|Stephenie Meyer]== ==My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] I can't help but hope that Stephenie Meyer will eventually complete this book. Basically, it is the first several chapters of Twilight, only told from Edward's point of view instead of Bella's. It is interesting to read of all the different ways he thought of killing her in the first moments after catching her scent, and even more interesting to read of how his love for Bella develops. I am just afraid that by the time Mrs. Meyer feels ready to complete this novel, the interest in the series will have faded.== == [|Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night] by [|Kresley Cole] My rating: [|3 of 5 stars] Mariketa is a twenty-three year old witch competing in the Hie, a contest that immortals hold every two-hundred and fifty years. Bowen is a Lykae (werewolf) competing in the same contest. This book runs somewhat parallel to the previous book in this series No Rest for the Wicked. In that book, Kaderin, a Valkyrie, is competing in the same Hie with Sebastian Wroth, a vampire, as her main competition. Mariketa is a fierce competitor, but she has little control over her magic, plus she is disadvantaged by still being mortal going up against competitors who are all immortal and will heal from most mishaps. Bowen finds himself drawn to her, but he knows that she cannot possibly be his mate, since he lost his only mate nearly two hundred years ago. He strongly suspects that she has cast a spell on him to make him want her. He shuts her in a tomb with other immortals during the contest, fully expecting that she will be able to free herself. He is defeated in the final contest of the competition by Sebastian Wroth, and spends weeks trapped in fire caverns, growing ever weaker due to a spell that Mariketa cast on him as he closed her in the tomb, making him unable to heal from his wounds. If Mariketa is trapped in a tomb and Bowen is trapped in fire caverns, how will they ever work out their differences? Read this episode to find out. I did not feel as close to these characters as I have to others in the series.== == [|No Rest for the Wicked] by [|Kresley Cole] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Kaderin is on a mission to destroy yet another vampire, when she suddenly finds herself unable to make the killing stroke with her sword. Sebastian Wroth has been wishing for death for three hundred years until this moment - it seems that Kaderin is his Bride. He feels his heart beat for the first time since he was turned against his will. But Kaderin lives to kill vampires since the vampire horde killed her two sisters. How can she possibly be feeling an attraction to one of the race that murdered her family? How can she be feeling anything? After her sisters' deaths, Kaderin prayed for relief from the pain of their loss and received the blessing of having no feelings of any kind. Now suddenly, she is feeling again! How can these two possibly work out their differences? Read this romantic thriller to find out.== == [|Covet] by [|J.R. Ward] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] This story takes place in the same location as the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, Caldwell, New York. Marie_Terese Boudreau is working in The Iron Mask, the club that replaced the Reverend's club, that is owned and operated by Trez Latimer. She is deeply shamed by the job she must do to repay the debts she owes, but her young son makes it all worthwhile. Jim Heron is a construction worker, who isn't interested in becoming involved with anything or anyone, but who finds that life has other plans for him. Vin DiPietro is a wealthy contractor who has everything anyone could want and is about to become engaged to his gorgeous girlfriend, Devina. Adrian and Eddie are Jim's co-workers and drinking buddies - at least that is what Jim thinks. This story has many twists and turns, and you certainly won't expect what happens in the end.== == [|A Hunger Like No Other] by [|Kresley Cole] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Lachlain has been imprisoned in the catacombs beneath Paris for one hundred and fifty years, having the flesh burned from his body each time his immortality regenerates it. He is pulled from this torture by the scent of his one true mate on the streets of Paris and he is able to free himself to go in search of her. Lachlain is king of the Lykae (werewolves) and is appalled to find that the scent he followed led him to Emmaline, a vampire. As he convinces her to help him return to his home in Scotland, he realizes there is something different about Emmaline. He begins to doubt that she is truly his life mate. Emmaline just wants to get away from him and return to her aunts in New Orleans, but she is becoming weaker from not having fed in several days. Read this story to find out if these two can get past their differences.== == [|Playing Easy to Get] by [|Kresley Cole] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] I bought this book because it has the beginning of Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series as one of the three stories. The first story in the book, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, is a good basic romance, with no immortals involved. The second story, by Jaid Black, is a story of a race of Vikings who live beneath the earth, with bride-hunters who go above ground to steal eligible women to bring below and marry the Vikings and provide them with children. This one was interesting, with the Vikings seeming to have some immortality to them. I may read more of Jaid Black's work later on. The third story involves vampires and Valkyrie and how one of each came together after nearly destroying one another. This one left me wanting more and I continue on to A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole.== == [|A Touch of Dead] by [|Charlaine Harris] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] This book is 4 short stories about Sookie Stackhouse. Each gives just a taste of a Sookie Stackhouse adventure. If you enjoyed reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels, you will enjoy these stories as well. They left me wanting more, but I will have to wait until next Spring for the next full length Sookie story.== == [|The Lost Art of Gratitude] by [|Alexander McCall Smith] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Isabel Dalhousie is living with her lover, Jamie, along with their young son, Charlie. Once again, Isabel is drawn into the affairs of someone else, this time at the request of her acquaintance Minty Auchterlonie who draws her into an intrigue involving two other men. At the same time, Isabel's relationship with Jamie takes a giant step forward and Isabel finds that her niece, Cat, has once again become engaged to a totally unsuitable man. The relationship between Isabel and Jamie is very touching, and I continue to hope that eventually Isabel will turn away from interfering in the affairs of others and devote herself completely to her own little "family".== == [|An Echo in the Bone] by [|Diana Gabaldon] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] Jamie and Claire begin this story by attempting to return to Scotland, where Jamie plans to retrieve his printing press and return with it to America, where he plans to make an attempt at proving that "the pen is mightier than the sword". They plan to take young Ian with them to fulfill the promise that Jamie made to his sister and her husband that he would return their son to them. As usual, matters interfere with the best-laid plans and Jamie, Claire, and Ian find themselves embroiled in the Revolutionary War as it begins. Other strands of the story keep us abreast of Brianna, Roger, Jem, and young Mandy in the twentieth century, Lord John Grey and his attempts to keep his stepson, Willie, safe, and the way the stories intertwine with one another. I don't know if I can stand the likely 5 year wait before I find out what happens next. As usual, Diana Gabaldon leaves me wanting more!== == [|A Breath of Snow and Ashes] by [|Diana Gabaldon] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] Jamie and Claire continue their love story in this epic book about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. Brianna, Roger, and their son Jem are living with Jamie and Claire on Fraser's Ridge. Claire succeeds in creating ether, enabling her to operate on a young boy with appendicitis successfully. Brianna uses phosphorus to make matches. Jamie becomes a colonel of the militia for the governor of North Carolina, while contemplating when he must make it clear that he is rebel, rather than loyalist. The "Frenchman's gold" makes a reappearance in an unexpected way and the house fire that Brianna came into the past to warn them about happens, but not in the way that anyone expects.== == [|The Fiery Cross] by [|Diana Gabaldon] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] In The Fiery Cross, Jamie and Claire continue to establish their home on Fraser's Ridge. Brianna and Roger, with their son Jemmy are part of their extended family, which continues to grow as Jamie adds more settlers to his mountain land. In this book, we see the beginnings of the strife that will eventually lead to the Revolutionary War. [|Drums of Autumn] by [|Diana Gabaldon] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] As Jamie and Claire begin to make a life in the mountains of North Carolina on Fraser's Ridge, circumstances conspire to bring not only Brianna, but also Roger Wakefield through the stones into the past in the hopes of saving the lives of Brianna's parents. How will Brianna find her mother and Jamie and will Roger find Brianna and make her his wife? This story was full of twists and turns over a road paved with love.== == [|Voyager] by [|Diana Gabaldon] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] Claire finds out that Jamie did survive Culloden and returns to the past to find him, leaving their daughter, Brianna, in the 20th century. Jamie is working as a printer in Edinburgh, while also smuggling on the side. Jamie and Claire return to Lallybroch to take Jamie's nephew Ian back to his parents, and encounter Laoghaire, who, it seems, is Jamie's wife as well. Claire leaves Lallybroch, planning to return to the future, when young Ian, the nephew, finds her and tells her that Laoghaire has shot Jamie and he is dying. Claire returns to save Jamie's life yet again, this time using skills that she gained training as a surgeon in the 20th century. This is just the beginning of the adventures that take Jamie and Claire from Lallybroch to France again, back to Scotland to take ship to Jamaica in search of young Ian who has been kidnapped. Where will this adventure take Jamie and Claire and will they still be together when it is over? Read this installment to find out.== == [|Something Borrowed] by [|Emily Giffin] My rating: [|3 of 5 stars] Rachel and Darcy have been best friends since elementary school and Darcy has planned a night out in celebration of Rachel's thirtieth birthday. Rachel has not achieved what she had hoped to achieve by the time she was thirty - no handsome loving husband, no children, no fabulous career. She is an attorney with a major New York City law firm, but she is miserable. Darcy is engaged to an incredible guy that Rachel introduced her to, has an exciting job in PR, and the kind of personality that makes her the center of attention everywhere she goes. Darcy has a little too much to drink at Rachel's party and goes home, leaving her fiance, Dex, to finish out the night with Rachel and take her home. After many more drinks, Rachel and Dex end up sleeping together. Will Rachel and Darcy's friendship survive this betrayal? Will Darcy and Dex's engagement end in heartache or marriage? Read this to find out. Although I enjoyed this story, I don't plan to read the others in this series - it was a bit too much "Sex in the City" for me and I didn't find myself caring too much about the characters.== == [|To Tame a Highland Warrior] by [|Karen Marie Moning] I enjoyed Moning's The Dark Highlander, so I checked out the others in the series from the library, but I found that I just wasn't interested in what would happen and I was forcing myself to read just to say I finished. It is similar to the way I felt when I read Darkfever, which I did finish but didn't continue the series. I can't put my finger on what it is that loses my interest after I start these, but it seems to be the repetition of problem-solution-problem-solution without much exposition. I love a good romance and I have enjoyed reading about Highland warriors in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, but this one just didn't do it for me.== == [|Outlander] by [|Diana Gabaldon] My rating: [|5 of 5 stars] Claire Randall and her husband Frank are spending some time in the Scottish highlands at a bed and breakfast, becoming reacquainted after a long separation necessitated by World War II. While exploring, Claire comes upon a stone circle which seems to be the meeting ground for a group of women. Returning later to the stone circle to find a plant she wanted a sample of, Claire finds herself drawn to the cleft in one stone. Suddenly, she finds herself thrown into chaos and when she recovers her senses, she believes that she is still in the same place. She finds herself in the midst of a squirmish between redcoats and Scotts in kilts and becomes aware that maybe she is not in the same place after all. She meets Jamie Fraser and begins a relationship that is unlike any she has ever known. This book has everything - drama, romance, war, science fiction, fantasy, time travel - all twisted together in a masterful story that kept me turning the pages despite its length.== == [|The Dark Highlander] by [|Karen Marie Moning] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Dageus MacKeltar has been cursed with thirteen evil souls in addition to his own since he violated the Compact and went through the stones to save the life of his twin brother Drustan. He has been living in New York City, searching ancient Celtic texts for a clue that will help him rid himself of the curse. Chloe Zander is sent by her boss at the Cloisters to take him a copy of text that Dageus hopes will hold the answer he needs. She is appalled that stranger will be allowed to touch and use one of the books that she holds precious, but when these two meet, sparks fly and nothing in Chloe's life will ever be the same. Can Chloe help Dageus defeat the darkness of his demons and win his love? Read this dramatic tale to find out.== == [|Darkfever] by [|Karen Marie Moning] My rating: [|2 of 5 stars] MacKayla Lane is enjoying summer in Georgia, sunning herself by the pool, listening to music on her Ipod, waiting for her sister Alina to come from Ireland and her parents to come home from a cruise. She is as happy as she can be without her parents and her sister. Then comes the call that will change her life - her sister has been murdered in Dublin. MacKayla goes quickly from shock to anger when she sees that noone seems concerned that the murderer has not been caught. She decides to fly to Dublin and do everything she can to find out who killed her sister and see to it that the murderer is brought to justice. As soon as she arrives, strange things begin happening that will forever change not only MacKayla's view of the world, but her life itself. She finds herself plunged into the Fae world of Seelie and Unseelie, vampires, and nightmares brought to life. Will she find her sister's murderer or will she become just another victim? After reading the sample of this book on my Kindle, I probably would not have purchased it, but it was free, so I downloaded it. It held my interest, but I really did not enjoy the story as much as others of the same genre. There seemed to be too much left unsaid about the characters that I would like to know about them. MacKayla's character was fairly well developed, but I don't feel like any of the other characters were. Of course, many of the characters didn't last long enough to get familiar with.== == [|Dark Prince] by [|Christine Feehan] My rating: [|2 of 5 stars] Mikhail Dubrinsky has lived for centuries and has finally decided that he no longer wants to live an existence that is without meaning or love. He is so despondent that he plans to end his life by "meeting the sun". Raven Whitney hears his despair in her mind and calls out to him, startling him with her telepathic skills. Mikhail decides to put off his end until he discovers the women who is able to speak to him with her thoughts. When he meets Raven, he realizes that he has found his true lifemate. Raven is equally drawn to Mikhail, but she doesn't understand or trust the powerful attraction he has for her. Although I was drawn into this story at the beginning, by the time I got halfway through the book and the characters had already made love multiple times and had each barely survived mortal wounds, I found myself less interested in their story. It seemed to go from disaster to disaster without developing the characters and relationships the way I would like. I finished the story and read the bonus selection at the end, but I likely will not read others in this series.== == [|Lover Avenged (Black Dagger Brotherhood, #7)] by [|J.R. Ward] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Rehvenge has been approached by a high-ranking member of the glymera who wants him to kill the king, Wrath, in order to accommodate a change in leadership among the vampires. In return, he is offered the role of leader, but his symphath side detects another agenda on the part of the aristocrat making the offer. Lash, son of the Omega, continues to plot and plan the end of the race of vampires. Ehlena, a nurse in Haver's clinic, takes on the task of caring for Rehvenge when he comes into the clinic for a refill of the dopamine that he uses to control his darker impulses, and finds him strangely compelling. All of the nurses in the clinic have always been afraid of Rehvenge, but she is the type that doesn't back down and when she sees the infection in his left arm, she insists that he have it seen to. Will she be able to get past his defenses to get him the help he needs? Will Rehvenge find a way to help Ehlena with her schizophrenic father? Read this episode of the Black Dagger Brotherhood to find out.== == [|Lover Enshrined] by [|J.R. Ward] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Phury has agreed to become Primale in place of Vishous and be father to a new generation of Brothers with the Chosen, but he is having problems with living up to his side of the bargain. He has brought Cormia, his First Mate, from the other side to the Brotherhood's mansion, but he has not mated with her because he feels that it would be against her will. Cormia has been staying to herself in her room except for meals, so Phury arranges for John Matthew to spend some time with her, hoping that they could be friends. John Matthew, for his part, is having problems of his own following his transition. His friends Qhuinn and Blay are as close as ever, but his former enemy Lash is back to cause problems. Will Phury consumate his union with Cormia and lay with the others of the Chosen as required by his station of Primale? Will Cormia return to the Other Side to be with the Chosen? Read this interesting chapter in the adventures of the Black Dagger Brotherhood to find those answers and many more.== == [|Lover Unbound] by [|J.R. Ward] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Vishous is happy that his best friend Butch has finally hooked up with Marissa and that the two are happily mated, but he can't help but feel a sense of loss that he can no longer be as close to Butch as he once was. He is still necessary to Butch, though, since he is the one to draw the evil out after Butch inhales the lives of lessers. Vishous has never known love or kindness in his three hundred years of life, but in this story he finally discovers the identity of his birth mother, when she appears to him to tell him of his destiny. Unfortunately, he is so distraught by this revelation that he ends up with a gunshot wound to the chest while wandering on his own and he is taken to a human hospital where his surgeon, Jane Whitcomb, operates to save his life. What happens between Vishous and Jane, and Vishous and his mother makes for an exciting and interesting story.== == [|Lover Revealed] by [|J.R. Ward] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] Butch O'Neal, former cop and current friend of the Brotherhood, has tried to get over his infatuation with Marissa, a vampire from an aristocratic family, with little success. The Brothers refuse to let him get involved with the fight against the Lessening Society as anything other than a sidekick. Unfortunately, the lessers are perfectly willing to use Butch when they capture him, hoping he will lead them to the Brotherhood. When the critically injured Butch is retrieved by the Brotherhood, he is taken to Haver's clinic to be healed. But there seems to be more to his injuries than the torture he has undergone - he has a black scar on his stomach. Marissa finds out that Butch is in the clinic and despite warnings to protect herself with a hazmat suit, she enters his room. Will Marissa be able to save Butch, or has she doomed herself by her contact with the evil that seems to surround him? Read this engrossing thriller to find out.== == [|Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story] by [|J.R. Ward] My rating: [|4 of 5 stars] This was a novella telling the story of Zsadist and Bella as they struggle to find peace after the birth of their daughter. Zsadist is struggling with dreams of his captivity and sees his baby daughter in the cell with him. Bella is wondering if Zsadist still loves and wants her and if Zsadist will ever hold his daughter. This story fills in the gaps nicely between the end of Lover Awakened and its epilogue.== [|**Lover Awakened**] by [|**J.R. Ward**] My rating: [|**4 of 5 stars**] In Lover Eternal, Bella has been kidnapped by lesser Mr. O, who is holding her captive in a torture building operated by the Society of Lessers. Zsadist, his twin Phurry and the rest of the Black Dagger Brotherhood have been searching for her for weeks, but they are beginning to lose hope of finding her alive. Zsadist is the scarred and tortured member of the Brotherhood that Bella had been drawn to when she visited the training center with her friend Mary and the young man that she had recognized as a pre-transition vampire. Zsadist refused to have anything to do with Bella when she was there, but now refuses to stop until he finds her. Will Zsadist find Bella and if she is still alive will they be able to find a common ground? Read this fast-paced, thrilling romance to find out.

[|**Lover Eternal**] by [|**J.R. Ward**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Rhage, a warrior in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, lives in fear that the beast lurking inside him will break free and hurt or destroy one of his brothers. Mary, a human, works her job in a law office each day, and volunteers on a suicide prevention hotline at night. One day, when Mary returns home from work, there is a message on her phone, asking her to call and schedule an appointment to talk with her doctor about her blood work as soon as possible. She immediately fears the worst - that her leukemia has returned after a remission of two years. As fate would have it, Mary's path crosses Rhage's and there is an immediate attraction. But what will happen when a fiercely strong vampire warrior hiding a beastly secret tries to care about a delicate human woman who may be dying? Read Lover Eternal and find out about Mary's hidden strength and Rhage's hidden weakness.

[|**Dark Lover**] by [|**J.R. Ward**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Darius, a warrior in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, is planning to ask a favor from the leader of the Brotherhood, Wrath. He has learned that his half-human daughter, Beth, is about to undergo the transition from human to vampire and he wants Wrath to guide her through the change and feed her his blood to help ensure that she survives the transition. The only problem is that Wrath is not known as a caring, nurturing creature and he refuses to do as Darius asks. Then, as Darius is leaving the bar where they met, Darius' BMW explodes with him inside, killing him instantly. Will Wrath decide to help Beth through the transition to honor Darius? Beth knows nothing of the vampire world, though she has never felt at home in her own world. Will she survive the transition? Read Dark Lover to find out.

[|**Ashes of Midnight**] by [|**Lara Adrian**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Andreas Reichen is working his way through the agents who he holds responsible for the attack on his Darkhaven resulting in the deaths of everyone within, including women and children. His final goal is Wilhelm Roth who ordered the attack. When he goes to find Roth, he finds instead Roth's mate, Claire, the one woman that Andreas Reichen once loved. Will he kill Claire or use her to bring Wilhelm Roth to him? Will he succeed with his mission of vengeance before the fire burning within him consumes him? Read this exciting episode of the Midnight Breed series to find out!

[|**Veil of Midnight**] by [|**Lara Adrian**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Nikolai is in Montreal looking for Sergei Yakut, a Gen One vampire who he fears may in danger from a recent rash of Gen One assassinations. When he asks a young male vampire about Sergei, he notices a woman at the bar reacting to the name. He follows her out of the club into an alley, where he tries to ask her about Sergei. She tries to elude him and after her unexpectedly effective roundhouse kick, she is able to dash through a door into a nearby warehouse. Nikolai follows, but when he tries to speak to the woman, he is floored by a high-frequency sound that completely disables him. He sees the woman's accomplices coming to join her and hears them call her Renata. Who is Renata and how is she connected to Sergei Yakut? How was a human female able to disable a warrior of the Order? Read this riveting adventure to find out.

[|**Midnight Rising**] by [|**Lara Adrian**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Dylan Alexander is on a trip to the Czech Republic when she sees a vision of woman on a rock formation. She knows the woman is dead, even though it has been years since she last saw a dead woman. She is drawn to investigate and finds a narrow entrance to a cave, in which she finds human bones and a large empty crypt. She hears a noise, and is frightened into leaving in a hurry. She comes back later and finds a man lying on the cave floor, but then she looks again and he is gone. Breed warrior, Rio, was left behind to seal the cave some months ago. He planned to seal himself in as well, but has not found the strength to do it, and now there is a woman in the cave who has seen not only the crypt, but also the glyphs drawn on the cave wall. She then proceeds to use a digital camera to take pictures of the cave, the crypt, and Rio before fleeing down the mountain. Rio realizes that it is his duty to find her and wipe her memory and destroy the pictures she has taken before they can be seen by others. What he does not know is that Dylan is a reporter for a tabloid who sees the pictures as her chance to make some real money. Will Rio be able to stop her? Will Dylan survive an encounter with the dangerously damaged Rio? Read this great adventure story to find out.

[|**Midnight Awakening**] by [|**Lara Adrian**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Elise Chase is on a mission - to do everything in her power to make someone pay for the death of her only son, Camden. She has moved out of the Darkhaven reserve to live in an apartment in Boston while she searches for those who serve the leader of the Rogues. She uses her unique talent of hearing the evil thoughts of those around her to find the former humans known as Minions and kill them. She is usually careful to complete her work before dusk each day, but one day she cuts things too close and is attacked by three Rogues who are attracted to the smell of blood - blood from her most recent kill. Fortunately for Elise, Breed warrior Tegan is also pulled to the scent of fresh blood in time to save her from the Rogues. But will he send her back to the Darkhaven residence and end her quest for vengeance? Read this exciting adventure to find out.

[|**Kiss of Crimson**] by [|**Lara Adrian**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Tess Culver spends most of her time in her small animal clinic caring for cats, dogs, and other small animals. One night, she hears a noise in the back of her clinic and when she investigates finds a badly injured man. Little does she know that this man is unlike any other man she has ever met. When she gets close enough to investigate the intruder, he asks her not to call an ambulance, but tells her that he needs blood. Then he grabs her and sinks his fangs into her throat. Will Tess live to tell the tale? Read this second exciting adventure in the Midnight Breed to find out.

[|**The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle**] by [|**L.J. Smith**]

My review
rating: 2 of 5 stars Elena Gilbert is about to start her senior year of high school. She has always been one of the most popular girls at school, and she sees no reason for this to change, but she has a strange feeling that this year will be different. When she gets to school the first day, there is a new student, Stefan, who seems very aloof and mysterious. Elena cannot imagine that she cannot capture the attention of this new boy as she has captured the attention of others through the years. But there is something different about Stefan. What is it about him that makes Elena want him so badly? To find out, read these two stories.

I found the characters in these stories to be totally unlikeable, even the main character, Elena. The only character in the book who had some redeeming qualities was Matt. The girls in these stories were the kind of girls that I tried to stay from in high school - the "popular" crowd. If you like those kind of people, you might enjoy these stories, but I found that I couldn't wait to finish them and I don't plan to read the others in the series.

[|**Kiss of Midnight**] by [|**Lara Adrian**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Gabrielle Maxwell is a photographer who is going out to celebrate a successful showing of her work with her friends. Instead of just going out to dinner, her friends decide to take her to a new club, La Notte, to dance and drink. Gabrielle is reluctant, but goes along for a while. She decides to leave the club and head home, but on her way out, she sees what appears to be a gang beating up and killing another person. She tries to call 911 on her cell phone, but cannot get through, so she uses her cell phone camera to snap pictures of what is happening, then flees the scene to go to the police station to report the crime. Unfortunately, when police go to the scene there is no sign of the crime at all. This is the beginning of Gabrielle's entry into the world of vampires and she will soon meet the darkly handsome Lucan Thorne who she thinks is a police detective, but who actually is a warrior fighting against evil. This was another interesting take on vampires, with a whole new set of rules that are both the same and different than other vampire myths. I enjoyed this one enough that I may read the next in the series.

[|**City of Glass**] by [|**Cassandra Clare**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Clary is planning to travel to Alicante to find a way to wake her mother from the coma that she has been in for months. She discovers that Jace, Alec, and Isabelle have gone ahead to Idris without her and she uses her unique talent in rune drawing to create a Portal to transport her to Idris, inadvertently bringing Luke along with her. While searching for a way to save her mother, Clary is drawn into the world of Shadowhunters, and continues to struggle with what appear to be inappropriate feelings for Jace, who she believes to be her brother. Once again, Valentine, Clary's father, appears to create what looks like the end of the world for any Shadowhunter who refuses to follow him, along with all of the Downworlders, including Clary's best friend Simon. Will Clary and Jace find a way to defeat Valentine and revive Clary's mother? Read this last of the Mortal Instruments stories to find out.

[|**Dead and Gone**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars In this story, the "were-animals" decide to come out to the world as the vampires had done several years earlier. The whole world comes to know about other supernatural creatures who have been living among them for years. Sookie becomes a target in a war between fairies, and must call on the werewolves and vampires for protection. Quinn, the weretiger who was briefly Sookie's boyfriend, makes a brief appearance, but is sent away by Sookie with help from Bill and Eric. Eric attempts to tie Sookie to him in order to protect her from the King of Nevada who wants to use her for his own purposes. Once again, Sookie narrowly escapes death and is left to decide whether she loves Eric or Bill. This story was practically non-stop action, with never a dull moment.

[|**From Dead to Worse**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Sookie Stackhouse has still more adventures in this episode. She finds herself smack in the middle of a werewolf pack war, a vampire coup, marital infidelity, and previously unknown family members. Sookie sends Quinn packing once he finally reappears in her life, and begins to find a way to deal with her feelings for Eric. Bill is quietly in the background, trying to win back her trust, and Sam, as always, stands as a tried and true friend. Sookie has many supernatural beings who are willing to protect her, but she shows them all that she can and will stand up for herself.

[|**All Together Dead**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**] ===My review rating: 4 of 5 stars In this seventh of the Sookie Stackhouse stories, Sookie is once again up to her neck in supernatural beings. This time she has been contracted by the queen of Louisiana to accompany the Louisiana delegation to a vampire summit being held in Rhodes, Illinois. Her purpose is to listen in to the humans and let her party know if there is any lying or other collusion going on. Sookie's latest "boyfriend", Quinn, is in charge of orchestrating several events at the summit, and her former "boyfriends" Bill and Eric will also be in attendance. Sookie's "fairy godmother", Claudine, warns Sookie that something terrible is about happen and that she, Claudine, cannot go to the summit, since vampires find fairy blood practically irresistible. Sookie elects to go anyway, since she can really use the money she will be paid. Will Sookie return from this venture? Read this exciting mystery to find out! I find these stories nearly impossible to put down once I start one, and I am sad that there are only two more to read. [|**Definitely Dead**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**]=== ===My review rating: 4 of 5 stars Sookie Stackhouse is back in her grandmother's house after having the kitchen and back porch rebuilt following a fire in the previous story. She begins to become better acquainted with Quinn, whom she met during a packleader succession rite. Quinn is a were-tiger and appears to command great respect among other weres. Sookie is planning a trip to New Orleans to deal with the inheritance left to her by her cousin Hadley. Bill asks if he can go with her when she goes to help her deal with the queen of Louisiana, who was Hadley's love interest. Little does Sookie know that she will end up in the middle of another supernatural battle for power. [|**Dead as a Doornail**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**]===

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars I am discovering that in each of these Sookie Stackhouse stories there is a mystery to be solved. Once again, Sookie becomes even more involved with supernatural beings, especially since her brother was bitten by a were-panther and now becomes one every full moon. This time, Sookie is drawn deeper into the world of the "Weres" or shape-shifters, especially the werewolves. There is a new vampire in town, Charles, who is something of a wildcard. Sam, the owner of Merlotte's, is shot and Sookie must ask Eric, the vampire Sheriff of Area 5, to loan Merlotte's a bartender while Sam recovers. Charles is sent by Eric to bartend at Merlotte's and then the mystery deepens. There is never a dull moment in these novels! I can't wait to start the next one.

[|**Dead to the World**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**] ===My review rating: 5 of 5 stars Sookie Stackhouse can't seem to stay out of trouble with supernatural beings. She is still recovering from rescuing Bill from hostile vampires who were torturing him in Jackson, Mississippi. She is still angry at Bill for betraying her with a female vampire, even though he says that he had no choice because she was his "maker". Bill tells Sookie that he is going to Peru to investigate the vampire population there for his vampire database. Sookie is trying to go about her life, when, while on her way home from working New Year's Eve at Merlotte's, she comes across a half-naked man running through the woods. She stops to help him, only to realize that he is Eric, vampire Sheriff of Area 5, and he appears to have lost his memory. Thus begins another adventure which leads Sookie even deeper into the supernatural world, this time including a fairy and evil witches. These stories seem to get better and better with each one I read. [|**If I Stay**] by [|**Gayle Forman**] [|My review] rating: 5 of 5 stars Mia is a seventeen-year-old girl in her senior year in high school. She plays the cello and has auditioned for Juilliard. Her boyfriend, Adam, is attending college part-time while playing in a band. Mia is happy with her family and her life in general, except for the possibility that attending Juilliard may cause problems in her relationship with Adam. Then, one February day, a rare snow day in Oregon sees Mia and her family going for a drive and becoming involved in a horrific car accident. The story is told by Mia as she tries to make a true life-and-death decision - to fight and live or to let go and die. It is a very emotional and compelling story. [|**Club Dead**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**]===

My review
=== rating: 4 of 5 stars Sookie is puzzled about why Bill is suddenly spending all of his spare time on the computer, especially since he seems to have lost interest in her. Then he surprises her with the news that he will being going on a trip in conjunction with a project he is working on. Soon afterward, Eric comes to Sookie with the news that Bill has been kidnapped in Mississippi and Sookie's special skills are needed to help find him. This story really lives up to the mystery and horror genre, but you still find yourself hoping that Bill and Sookie will be together at the end. If you want to find out, read this third of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. [|**City of Ashes**] by [|**Cassandra Clare**]===

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars In the second of the Mortal Instruments books, Clary, Jace, Simon, Alec and Isabelle are once again fighting demons and forces of evil. Clary's mother is still in a coma in the hospital and Clary is living with Luke, her mother's friend who is also a werewolf. Jace and Clary's father, Valentine, is trying to get the Soul Sword, another of the Mortal Instruments, so that he can control demons and make them do his will. Together, the friends try to find a way to thwart Valentine. Clary, Jace, and Simon are still trying to sort out their relationships. There is a fierce battle at the end involving Valentine and his demon army against Clary, Jace, Alec, Isabelle, Simon and as many other Shadowhunters as they can gather at short notice. I quite enjoyed this story and am looking forward to reading the last book of the trilogy, City of Glass, and discovering what happens to these characters.

[|**Living Dead in Dallas**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**] [|My review] rating: 4 of 5 stars Sookie Stackhouse is still working as a waitress at Merlotte's and dating Bill Compton in this second book in the series. In accordance with an agreement that she and Bill made with Eric, the vampire "sheriff" in their area, Sookie is sent to Dallas to assist the vampires there in their quest to find their missing "brother", Godfrey (Godric). Bill travels with Sookie to protect her, but since he cannot be out during the day, he must fly in a coffin and Sookie meets the plane at the airport to ensure that he is unloaded safely. A man who appears to be a priest comes up to her in the airport, acting as though he thinks she is a bereaved family member, but really trying to take Sookie against her will. Thus begins another perilous adventure in the world of the supernatural. We meet even more supernatural beings in this story. These stories are quite addictive, and short enough to read in a day or two. I will read the others in this series.

[|**WUTHERING HEIGHTS**] by [|**Emily Brontë**]

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars Mr. Lockwood has leased Thrushcross Grange for a year in order to escape from society for a time. He goes to meet his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff, at Wuthering Heights and finds him to be a sullen and angry man. After catching a fever from being out in the weather, Mr. Lockwood persuades Ellen Dean, the housekeeper at the Grange, to sit with him and she begins to tell him the story of Heathcliff and Cathy. This is a story of two people who shared an immortal love that was confounded by circumstances. Cathy marries Edgar Linton, in some part to spite Heathcliff, then spends the rest of her life pining for him until she dies quite young after giving birth to a daughter. Heathcliff spends the rest of his life waiting for the time that he can join Cathy in the grave, while making everyone about him as miserable as he is. This story is a classic, but not a cheerful story by any means.

[|**Dead Until Dark**] by [|**Charlaine Harris**] [|My review] rating: 4 of 5 stars My very first book I downloaded on my new Kindle DX! I usually would not have said that I would like books with vampires, but after reading and loving the Twilight saga (8 times), I decided to try the Sookie Stackhouse stories. I have watched the first season of True Blood on HBO and enjoyed those, so I was hopeful that the books would be similar. As usual, the book was even better than the TV series. I downloaded the book as soon as I received my new Kindle DX this morning and finished it by the end of the day. Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress living in Bon Temps, a small town in northern Louisiana. She has what she thinks of as a disability - she can hear the thoughts of everyone around her. In the world that Sookie lives in, vampires have come "out of the coffin" and live among humans, partially thanks to a Japanese manufactured artificial blood product called Tru Blood. When Bill Compton, a vampire, comes into Merlotte's, the bar where Sookie works, Sookie is secretly thrilled. Her relationship with Bill begims with her saving him from being "drained" by Mack and Denise Rattray who want to sell his blood on the black market. To Sookie's surprise, she can't hear Bill's thoughts, and finds it delightful to be around someone without being constantly assaulted with their thoughts. Unfortunately, the small town of Bon Temps is suddenly seeing young women murdered in a grisly way. The story is romance, mystery, and adventure all in one. These stories are more graphic than the Twilight saga and would probably not be suitable for school libraries, but I really enjoyed this story and plan to read the others in the series.

[|**Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives**] by [|**John Palfrey**]

My review
rating: 2 of 5 stars I was hoping to get some insight and information about working with students who are part of the Digital Native generation from this book. It was a real struggle to get through this book, which seemed repetitive and rather dry. I almost stopped reading when I was about two-thirds of the way through the book and read about "John Dewey and his famous decimal system". It seems that somewhere in the editing process of this book, someone would have pointed out that John Dewey was an educational reformist and the Dewey Decimal System was created by Melvil Dewey, a librarian. I kept hoping to find answers to the problems of how to teach with technology, but most of what I got was more questions. What I did get from this book is that the Internet and related technologies will continue to change and grow and we must help our students with tools to recognize the good and discard the bad.

[|**16 Lighthouse Road**] by [|**Debbie Macomber**] [|My review] rating: 3 of 5 stars In this book, we meet the residents of Cedar Cove, including Olivia Lockhart, her mother Charlotte, and her daughter Justine. Olivia is a family court judge and when Ian and Cecilia Randall come before her to have their pre-nuptial agreement overturned to clear the way for a divorce. Olivia makes the decision to uphold the pre-nuptial agreement in an attempt to get Ian and Cecilia to give their marriage another chance. We follow several characters as they struggle to find their way to love and acceptance. Their stories were quite moving in places, but I didn't feel closely connected to any of the characters. This is a nice, light romantic story if that is what you enjoy.

[|**City of Bones**] by [|**Cassandra Clare**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is the first in the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Clary Fray is a fifteen-year-old girl who is going to the Pandemonium Club in New York City with her friend Simon. She sees what looks like an attack on another teenage boy about to happen and she is suddenly sucked into a world inhabited by demons, vampires, warlocks, werewolves, and shadowhunters and meets another golden-haired boy named Jace. Within 24 hours, her mother disappears and Clary is attacked by a demon. From there, this book is a roller-coaster ride as Clary tries to find and free her mother while fighting an attraction for Jace and a deepening of her friendship with Simon. I really enjoyed this story and found that the characters were very engaging, making me care what happened to them. I plan to read the other two books in the series. I would not recommend this book for an elementary school, but it seems like it would work well for middle or high school libraries.

[|**The Lovely Bones**] by [|**Alice Sebold**]

My review
rating: 2 of 5 stars The story of Susie Salmon begins with her rape and murder at the age of fourteen. The story is told in the first-person by Susie from heaven as she watches how her family, friends and murderer deal with her death. The story was interesting in some ways, and depressing in others. I found it difficult to stay with the story, but forced myself to finish it in the hopes of a somewhat happy ending. Of course, how can a story that begins with murder end happily? The story basically ends with the people connected to Susie reaching closure in one way or another. I would certainly not put this book in any school library lower than high school, and I would be hesitant to place it even in a high school library.

[|**Night World 1: Secret Vampire / Daughters of Darkness / Spellbinder**] by [|**L. J. Smith**] [|My review] rating: 3 of 5 stars The characters in these three Night World stories are all interconnected in some way. In the first story, Poppy finds out that she is going to die of pancreatic cancer before she finishes high school. Her best friend, James, thinks of a way to save her. Poppy finds out that her friend is secretly a vampire. Their attempts to try to save Poppy's life are threatened by James' cousin Ash. Will they be successful? To find out, read Secret Vampire.

In the second story, three sisters are vampires who are trying to escape the strict, structured life they have been living to live free in the human world. Their brother, Ash, is charged with the responsibility of bringing them back home until he meets their neighbor Mary Lynnette. There is an instant connection between Ash and Mary Lynnette, which they are both determined to fight. A similar connection occurs when Mary Lynnette's brother, Mark, meets Ash's sister, Jade. Will Ash successfully return his sisters to their home and resist the draw he feels toward Mary Lynnette? Read Daughters of Darkness to find out.

Spellbinder, the third and last story in this volume, introduces Thea and Blaise, two witch cousins who have been expelled from yet another high school due to Blaise's attempts to control as many boys as possible. They are sent to live with their grandmother in Las Vegas and begin again at a new school. Thea meets Eric when she is trying to stop a group of kids from torturing a rattlesnake and finds herself strangely drawn to him. Unfortunately, her cousin Blaise decides to make a play for Eric as well. Which witch will win and will true love triumph over magic? Read Spellbinder to find out.

[|**Archangel**] by [|**Sharon Shinn**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars The angel Gabriel is poised to become Archangel in about 6 months when he goes to the oracle Josiah to discover the name of the woman Jovah (the god) has designated to be his wife and angelica. Her name is Rachel, and when Gabriel goes to seek her out to make her his wife, he is at first unable to find her. The place where she was born has been destroyed and he has no idea where to find her. He finally discovers her as a slave girl at the home of a rich merchant when he attends the wedding of the merchant's son. Rachel is far from pleased with the news that she is destined to marry an angel. After five years of slavery, she sees this as another way of taking away her free will. Then she finds that she must live in the angel hold at Eyrie which can only be reached by flying in the arms of an angel and she is terrified of heights. Will these two truly ever be a couple? Read this compelling story of a world where angels and mortals live side by side to find out. rating: 4 of 5 stars In this story, we follow Missie as she marries Willie LaHaye and follows his dream to own a ranch with cattle farther west. Again we are shown the hardships of life on the trail, counteracted by Missie and Willie's love for one another and faith in God. This story was as enjoyable as the first in the series and moved me to tears several times as I read.
 * [[image:http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170633746m/65484.jpg caption="Love's Long Journey (Love Comes Softly #3)" link="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65484.Love_s_Long_Journey?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"]] [|**Love's Long Journey**] by [|**Janette Oke**][|===My review===]

[|**Love's Enduring Promise**] by [|**Janette Oke**][|===My review===] rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second in the Love Comes Softly series. Clark and Marty continue to add to their family by taking in the two Larson girls as well as their own Ellie and Luke. In this story, the children are growing up and beginning to make their own lives as Clark and Marty help to build up their community by adding a school and church, as well as a teacher and preacher. Clark builds a large new house, Clae Larson goes to normal school to become a teacher, Missie grows up and follows in Clae's path to normal school, and the young people begin to pair up and marry. This is another tender, touching story of life on the prairies.

[|**Love Comes Softly**] by [|**Janette Oke**][|===My review===] rating: 4 of 5 stars This series was recommended to me by a friend at work who loaned me her first three books to read. Marty is a young woman on her way out west with her husband Clem to claim and settle on the land there, when her husband meets with a tragic accident that claims his life and leaves Marty alone and bereft with a baby on the way and nothing to her name other than a few personal items from their broken-down covered wagon. Along comes a young man with an offer that she marry him and come to live in his house to care for his motherless daughter, Missie. Marty realizes that she has very few options and accepts his offer in spite of her pain at losing her young husband. The story continues as Marty learns to keep house and cook and care for the little girl. This story reminds me of the Little House books and was a beautiful story of how loss can be overcome and how much people depended on each other in the early days in the prairies. The only thing that I didn't like about the book was tripping over the colloquial speech patterns of the characters - while probably accurate to the times, they slowed down my reading as I tried to make sense of them.

|| [|**The Host: A Novel**] by [|**Stephenie Meyer**]
 * The Host: A Novel ||

===My review rating: 4 of 5 stars Melanie is one of the few humans left on Earth who has not been taken over by an alien life form. She is in Chicago, searching for relatives that she believes are hiding there, when the Seekers close in on her. Rather than be taken, she tries to kill herself by jumping down an elevator shaft. Unfortunately for Melanie, the aliens have much more advanced medicine and are easily able to heal her body's injuries and insert an alien life form inside her body. Will Melanie just fade away? Why is the alien life form called Wanderer? Can they learn to exist together in one body? These are the questions that can be answered if you read this story by Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight series. And like the Twilight books were more about relationships than vampires, The Host is more about relationships than aliens. I enjoyed this book, but not much as I loved the Twilight saga. === ===|| || || Black Sheep and Hidden Beauty || [|**Black Sheep and Hidden Beauty**] by [|**Donna Kauffman**]===

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars Elena Caulfield is a horse trainer at Dalton Downs working with troubled horses, when she comes to the attention of Rafe Santiago. His job involves solving problems and he senses that there is some problem with Elena, possibly involving her horse, Springer, who is soon to give birth. In typical romance fashion, the two meet and sparks fly. As they begin to know and care about one another, real problems come to the forefront. An enjoyable romance, with a little suspense thrown in.

[|**New Moon**] by [|**Stephenie Meyer**]
 * [[image:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/414jgcy2FAL._SL160_.jpg caption="New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)"]] ||
 * New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2) ||

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars If it tells you how good this series is, I have already finished Eclipse, the 3rd book, before I could bring myself to stop long enough to write about New Moon. I am not sure what is so addictive about this series, but sometimes I feel like I forget to breath when I am reading them. I will write more about New Moon, but I plan to finish Breaking Dawn and then start the series over again to catch what I missed while reading to find out what was going to happen. I even find myself thinking about these books when I am at work, which doesn't usually happen, since I love my job. To be continued.....

I have now read the entire series 4 times in a row. I feel a bit like a drug addict. New Moon starts with Bella celebrating her eighteenth birthday with Edward and his family with disastrous consequences. In New Moon, we learn more about Jacob Black and the Quileute tribe and then have a terrifying visit with the Volturi in Italy. Stephenie Meyer continues to spin a fascinating story.

[|**Eclipse**] by [|**Stephenie Meyer**]
 * [[image:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411cNNPkYAL._SL160_.jpg caption="Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)" link="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/428263.Eclipse?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"]] ||
 * Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) ||

My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars Finished, but too busy reading Breaking Dawn to write about it. To be continued..... In Eclipse, Bella faces the task of balancing her love for Edward, a vampire, with her affection for Jacob, a werewolf. At the same time, she faces the ever-increasing fear of an attack by Victoria and the mysterious news of what appears to be an army of newborn vampires terrorizing Seattle. Once again, Stephenie Meyer is a masterful storyteller, keeping the reader on tenterhooks. The romance of Bella and Edward remains central to the story.

[|**Nineteen Minutes: A novel**] by [|**Jodi Picoult**]
 * [[image:http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180316734m/14866.jpg caption="Nineteen Minutes: A novel" link="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14866.Nineteen_Minutes_A_novel?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"]] ||
 * Nineteen Minutes: A novel ||

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars I read this book on the recommendation of a couple of teachers at my school. It is an intriguing look at a "Columbine" style school shooting, with in-depth looks at the characters involved. It certainly makes me even more aware of the damage that can come from bullying and that bullying is more that just fighting.

[|**Breaking Dawn**] by [|**Stephenie Meyer**]
 * [[image:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416pfGGLM0L._SL160_.jpg caption="Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)" link="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1162543.Breaking_Dawn?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"]] ||
 * Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) ||

rating: 5 of 5 stars
=== In this last of the Twilight saga, Bella Swan finally marries Edward and they set out on their honeymoon. From there to the end of the book, it is a roller coaster ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. This series is so compelling that I felt almost like a drug addict while reading it - always impatient for my next Twilight "fix". At one point, while reading Breaking Dawn, I was literally trembling with suspense. While I certainly would not place this series in an elementary library, I can see why they would be very popular among older students and even adults. Now that I have finished the series, I plan to go back and reread, since I read so rapidly that I am sure to have missed something. === ===|| || || Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World || [|**Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World**] by [|**Vicki Myron**]===

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a beautiful story of a tiny, half-frozen kitten who was dropped into a library book return one winter in Iowa and how he became the symbol of a little town library. Dewey Readmore Books was a common alley cat who became a king, simply by living and loving in the Spencer Public Library. The story also chronicles the life of the town of Spencer and its library director, Vicki Myron. If you are a lover of cats or just an animal lover in general, this story will touch your heart.

[|**Twilight**] by [|**Stephenie Meyer**] ===My review rating: 5 of 5 stars OK, I didn't think I would like this, because I am not really into vampires, but halfway through the book, I got online and reserved the next three from the library. I finished the book on Friday and went to the movie today, after which I visited the book store and bought the books for myself - can't wait for my turn on the reserve list and I already want to reread the first one. It was a very interesting take on vampires, with much less violence than you might think and a very engrossing romantic story. The movie was a bit more violent, but nothing too graphic and I really enjoyed the actors chosen for the main characters. I wouldn't put this book in an elementary library, but for high school and up I think it would be very popular. === ===|| || || The Once and Future King || [|**The Once and Future King**] by [|**T.H. White**]===
 * [[image:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41t8tylXY1L._SL160_.jpg caption="Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)" link="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/762743.Twilight?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"]] ||
 * Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) ||

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars This lengthy book details the lives of King Arthur, Guenevere, and Lancelot. It is a work of fiction, but it is easy to believe that many of the events were true. The story starts with Arthur as the boy, Wart, learning his lessons from Merlyn (Merlin)the magician who frequently taught by turning Wart into various animals. It follows to tell about the Sword in the Stone, the Round Table, the Holy Grail, and finally to what seems to be Arthur's last battle. The language was often complex, but beautiful. If you are interested in the days of Knights and Kings you will enjoy this book. [|**The President's Daughter**] by [|**Jack Higgins**]

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a fairly enjoyable adventure story, with the usual elements. I did feel at the end that I did not "know" the characters as well as I would like, but overall the book delivered the type of story that kept me interested until the somewhat expected ending. [|**Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength**] by [|**Laurie Helgoe**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars I was fascinated by the information in this book. After a lifetime of feeling "strange", "weird", and many similar adjectives, I finally saw a reflection of myself and discovered that as an introvert, it is NORMAL to withdraw and prefer solitude to parties. What a relief and how empowering to know that over half of the world feels like I do! Now I know that the time I spend alone helps me recharge and sort out my thoughts. I always knew it on some level, but now I feel validated in my introversion. If you have ever felt like an outsider who doesn't understand the draw of crowds and parties, you might find out why if you read this book.

[|**The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday**] by [|**Alexander McCall Smith**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Isabel Dalhousie is once again doing what she does best - choosing to take on a problem that seems to be totally none of her business, but that she feels bound to find a solution to. The title says a lot about this novel - comfortable- with enough intrigue to keep it interesting. It is hard to imagine that a man could write so well about a woman, but Alexander McCall Smith once again leaves me thinking about Isabel as someone I would like to know in real life. [|**Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog**] by [|**John Grogan**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars Marley & Me is a well-written, entertaining account of the life of a dog and his family. It is evident that Marley is a member of the family, even at his worst. Marley's many escapades are offset by his loving and loyal nature. I found myself laughing out loud many times while reading this book and crying at other times. This is a must-read for anyone who loves and lives with labradors.

[|**Murder in Georgetown**] by [|**Margaret Truman**]

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars Joe Potamos is a journalist for the Washington Post who gets more involved than he would like with the political intrigue attached to a murder he covers for the paper. He tries to discover who committed the murder only to find another murder, journalism students who want to work with him to solve the crime in exchange for partial credit for the story, and powerful men trying to get Joe off of the story. Along the way, he meets a beautiful pianist who gets dragged into the whole mess with him. Before long Joe is without a job and apparently the target of the same people who have already committed two murders. This was a pretty good mystery story, but fairly easy to put down between chapters.

[|**Gods Behaving Badly: A Novel**] by [|**Marie Phillips**]

My review
=== rating: 3 of 5 stars I picked this book up at the public library because I had recently enjoyed reading about the Greek gods in the Percy Jackson series for kids, most recently The Battle of the Labyrinth. The story in this book was much more light-hearted than the adventure stories in the Percy Jackson books. Also, this book is definitely not one you will find in an elementary or even middle school library since it delves to some extent into the amorous activities of the various gods and goddesses as they attempt to pass the time in what has become, for them, a somewhat boring existence. In some ways, the ending reminded me of Tinkerbelle in the Peter Pan stories who needed the belief of people to revive. Overall I enjoyed this story, but it felt like it ended too soon and I was left wanting more. === === [|**Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time**] by [|**Valerie Bertinelli**] My review=== rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoyed this look into the life of a celebrity with the same problem many Americans have - excess weight. It is always interesting to get a look inside the life of those we see in movies and on television. I liked the conversational tone of the book and felt that the author was basically honest about the flaws in her life. The message I got from this book was that no weight loss program will work until you are able to face the problems beneath the pounds.

[|**The Last Lecture**] by [|**Randy Pausch**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars The book is more in depth that the lecture itself, with more insight into Randy's life as he faces death. I really enjoyed reading this narrative in Randy's own words. I felt like he gave the world a glimpse into his life and he definitely showed his philosophy of life and death. This book was easy to read and hard to put down. The conversational tone made you feel like he was talking directly to you and that you were his friend.

[|**The Next Thing on My List: A Novel**] by [|**Jill Smolinski**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This book was a recommendation from the LM_NET listserv. It took awhile to get it since it was checked out each time I looked for it at the public library. Then, at last, it was in. The story is about June Parker, a 34 year-old woman whose life seems to be going nowhere. Then she picks up a woman who needs a ride, gets in a car accident which kills the woman she thought she was helping. She finds a list that the woman had made of twenty things she wanted to do before her 25th birthday with only two items crossed off. June knows she should give the list to the family of the victim, but something makes her hold onto it. Then, she decides to try to complete the list. This is a very entertaining and touching story about a woman's journey to find a purpose in life.

[|Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56**] by [|**Rafe Esquith**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is an inspirational look at what a caring, dedicated teacher can do with a class of fifth-grade students. Just reading this book makes me want to be a better teacher. I think this would be a great book for a faculty to read to get charged up for a new school year. I found myself reading parts aloud to my husband. There were many great ideas in this book to try with kids. I highly recommend this for teachers to read.

[|**The Scent of Lilacs: A Novel**] by [|**Ann H. Gabhart**]

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a beautiful little story about a preacher's daughter in a small town. Jocie Brooke lives with her father and her Aunt Love. Seven years ago, Jocie's mother and older sister left without a word. Jocie has been praying that her sister will come back and that she will get a dog. Suddenly, both of those prayers are granted. This was really a heart-warming story with many twists that left me feeling glad I had read it.

[|**Rhett Butler's People**] by [|**Donald McCaig**]

===My review rating: 3 of 5 stars I was unsure whether or not to read this, since I am such a fan of Gone with the Wind. I decided to try it when I learned that the author was chosen by Margaret Mitchell's estate to write Rhett Butler's People. I found the first half of the book rather heavy going. It seemed to jump around with no real connection between the chapters and sections. Some of this made sense as the book continued, but at one point I almost put it down. I did enjoy much of the last half of the book, and I do feel that it helped to explain Rhett's character. What I probably enjoyed the most was that this book extended past the end of Gone With the Wind and continued some of its stories. If you are a fan of Gone With the Wind and/or the Civil War, you might enjoy this book. [|**The Uncommon Reader: A Novella**] by [|**Alan Bennett**] My review=== rating: 4 of 5 stars One day while chastising her dogs for being noisy, the Queen of England noticed a mobile library (bookmobile) parked nearby and went in to apologize for the noise her dogs were making. She then felt compelled to borrow a book. This was the beginning of several years of discovering new books and reading all manner of books, sometimes to the detriment of her duty. This was an interesting book about what a difference reading can make in a life. If you enjoy books about reading, books, libraries, or royalty, this is a good choice.

== [|The Year of Fog] by [|Michelle Richmond]==

My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars This book was given to me by a coworker. It is the story of a woman, Abby, who is walking on Ocean Beach in California with Emma, her fiance's daughter. Emma pulls her hand from Abby's and goes ahead, and in a few seconds of distraction on Abby's part, disappears from sight. The rest of the book is the engrossing story of the search for Emma and how life changes for Abby as a result. The book was very descriptive and detailed. Although it takes place mostly in California, Abby is from Alabama and several scenes take place there. The author is a native of Mobile, Alabama and mentions many places that only a native Mobilian would be familiar with, such as the Dew Drop Inn. This is definitely not a book for children, because of the frightening concept of a missing child and many adult themes in the story. It does not really qualify as a romance, but relationships play a large part in the story.

Friday, June 06, 2008
[|**Ladies Man**] by [|**Elinor Lipman**] [|===My review===] rating: 4 of 5 stars The story of a man who left a woman not at the altar, but at the engagement party thirty years ago leads to an introduction to many interesting characters: three unmarried sisters in their forties who live together, an unmarried refloxologist with a yearning to have a baby, an unmarried financial advisor with a soft-heart, a sheriff's deputy who serves court papers when not looking after his unmarried sisters, a gallant doorman, and several others. This story shows how some people can make a major change with a minor push, but some people are what they are and will never change.

[|**City of Light**] by [|**Lauren Belfer**]

My review
=== rating: 3 of 5 stars This adult novel was a recommendation from one of my listservs. It is a historical novel centered on the city of Buffalo, New York at the turn of the last century (1900). The main character is the headmistress of private school for girls. Much of the story involves the use of Niagara Falls to product electricity and the battle between preservationists and investors. I learned many interesting things about the production of electricity and also about President Grover Cleveland and President James McKinley as I read this book. The story tended to drag a bit, and at the end, I find that I feel unsatisfied with the outcome of the story. It didn't really have an unhappy ending, but it definitely was not happy. If you enjoy historical novels, this is probably a good example. ===