My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Genre: Adult Fiction
Audio book

All her life, 13-year-old Anna Fitzgerald has helped her older sister Kate fight leukemia. Anna has provided platelets, bone marrow, and even stem cells to ensure Kate's survival. But when their parents ask her to donate a kidney, Anna has had enough. She enlists the aid of a lawyer and announces her intention to sue for control of her own body. Although she dearly loves Kate, Anna stands her ground, even as the drama builds toward a shocking climax.

I listened to this books as an audio book, and found it gripping from the first words. The circumstances of this story would normally have me ducking my head and running for cover. I try to steer very clear of anything that would deal with the hard parts of parenting - any kind of cancer is something I would naturally run away from. But due to the lack of audio books at my library, and the fact that I love this new past-time while I'm at work, I decided to give it a try.

Jodi did not disappoint - and I mean that on many levels. I am a big fan of character development. I love feeling like I know the characters inside and out when I'm reading books. I loved all the details, all the stories - many stories - weaving into one big story. I felt the story was about as accurate and real-to-life as a fiction book can get, as the topics, the characteristics and the entire subject is something that could actually happen in today's society. She did not disappoint also in the fact that, as I expected, there were very tender, hard areas of this book that, as a mother, I did not like to open up and think about. I personalize everything as much as I can, and being a mother - I think of my children. That is what made this book hard to read as well. The synopsis is not lying about the "shocking climax," and I believe even with its wild twist at the end - this books is wonderful and worth reading (or listening to).

The Fever Series, Dead until Dark, Sweet Ruin

I am so behind on updating this page. I've read several books in the last month or so, just keeping busy enough not to stop and blog. So here is a list and synopsis of what I've read:

The Fever Series by Karen Moning

DarkFever: MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….

Enjoyable - the characters were likable, but I found MacKayla to be a little whiney and annoying at times. Too girly, legally blonde type. But Jerrico Barrons on the other hand.... But it was enough to get me wrapped in the Faerie world and wanting more. One thing you might want to understand is, Karen Moning is a romance writer turned fantasy writer..so these books have a little bit of eroticism in them, but honestly it's the undertone of the entire book, and it keeps it going as well.

BloodFever: I used to think my sister and I were just two nice southern girls who'd get married in a few years and settle down to a quiet life. Then I discovered that Alina and I descend, not from good wholesome southern stock, but from an ancient Celtic bloodline of powerful sidhe-seers, people who can see the Fae. Not only can I see the terrifying otherworldly race, but I can sense the sacred Fae relics that hold the deadliest of their magic.
When my sister was found dead in a trash-filled alley in Dublin, I came over to get answers. Now all I want is revenge. And after everything I've learned about myself, I know I have the power to get it....
MacKayla Lane's ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland's shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets.
In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh-a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V'lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.
For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them....

Better than the first book...was ready to pick up FaeFever the minute I put Bloodfever down.

FaeFever: The New York Times bestselling author of Darkfever and Bloodfever returns to Dublin’s Fae-infested shores in a bold, sensual new novel. Hurtling us into a realm of seduction and shadows, Karen Marie Moning tells the enthralling tale of a woman who explores the limits of her mysterious powers as she enters a world of ancient sorcery—and confronts an enemy more insidious than she could ever have imagined.

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul.

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences.…

Should I say the best yet? Or not? At the end the book slipped into an erotic nature that I personally thought was a bit much (for my taste, others would likely disagree with me)...but the story keeps me going. Wanting more. So alas, I'm in the middle of a series, and have decided I DO NOT LIKE series...because I want the story ended. And it's not like Karen can give you any resolve, she stops her books right in the middle of the story. At least with Twilight everything had an ending to the point where you were pretty satisfied for the time, the imminant danger was gone even if there was more lurking ahead. But between the books of the Fae Series...it's like the longest commercial break ever, leaving you at a point where it MUST go on...but won't for at least a year!

Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life--and one of her coworkers checks out...Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea. A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed.

Yet another attempt of mine to find a replacement for the Twilight series. It was an okay book, but I can honestly say that I'm not "dying" to go and get the next book of the series. It was entertaining enough. The extra twist of her boss (which I won't give away in case you haven't read it) was a fun one, although you are given enough foreshadowing to know something is up. But the characters just weren't near as relatable as I like. I didn't wish that I was Sookie at any point, nor was I overly attracted to Bill. I don't know - he just didn't possess enough "man" under the vampire for me to really get into him.

Sweet Ruin by Cathi Hanauer

Thirty-seven-year-old Elayna Leopold used to be a New York magazine editor, until she and her young family moved to suburban New Jersey. Two years ago, the death of an infant son sent her into a deep depression---a darkness that begins to lift in the company of a handsome, unattached neighbor. As she fights yearnings that could destroy everything that gives her life shape, a threat to her young daughter's welfare emerges from an unlikely source, throwing Elayna's questionable morality into stark relief---and forcing her to make choices she never dreamed she would have to make.

This is the first audio book I've ever listened to. At work we are allowed to have an IPod, as long as it's kept quiet. I've been missing out on reading books, so I got this ingenious idea to listen to them instead. So I went to the library and searched through our very limited books on CD and found this.

I really enjoyed Sweet Ruin. Elayna having gone through one of the most difficult things I can imagine, is struggling to come out of her depression and resurface into the world, only to find that she is seeking passion, to be loved, to feel loved. There are parts I can relate to in the story, such as making decisions for her daughter and reasoning out scenarios of what is good or right or okay for her 6 year old. And what is right for herself as well. She is just trying to begin to live again while her husband is shut up in an office working long hours, and barely has time for her. Cathi's writing style is beautiful. I know in the past I've mentioned that I prefer character development over very potent descriptions - but for Sweet Ruin; the descriptions, the language - which is poetic, is what make this story so good. The character development is very strong as well. You can feel the emotion, and the love, and the hurt and betrayal of each character. This book is simply written beautifully!

Twilight - the movie

I went last night and went to MY most anticipated movie ever. I have never sat and waited on a movie like I have waited on Twilight. I was literally nervous and anxious as we were sitting in the theater waiting on it to start.

So how was it? I'm still figuring that out in my head. On one hand, I can't get it out of my head. I keep replaying scenes over and over again trying to hold on to every minute that I can. On the other hand I wish it was better. I honestly didn't like how hard Rob Pattinson played Edward. I understand his reasoning; vampire tortured by love and by blood lust all in the one lovely person known as Bella Swan. Kristen Stewart did great. She was a little overly serious too - but it worked. They were SPOT ON on the kissing scenes, that could not have been done any better. The special effects - well they had us laughing at some points, but with a bottom of the barrel budget, that was pretty much what I expected.

My husband, who has not read the books and is unable to hyper analyze every little detail of the film like I was, has asked me a million questions since we got out of the movie. So by that, I think it's safe to say it really was a good movie. I'm over analyzing everything. Some scenes I wish could have been there that weren't: The scene where Jessica is asking Bella a million questions about Edward after their "date" in Port Angeles. And of course, Edward listening in. That would have really played up Jessica's character a little more, and it would have set the bedroom kissing scene up a little better too, because there would be a little tension of Edward knowing Bella really wants that physical contact but understands how her situation is not that of a normal "teenage love" situation. I would have liked to of seen some of the stuff from Midnight Sun thrown in, more specifically the scene where Alice clues Edward into the fact that he is falling in love with Bella - because he is utterly clueless.

I want there to be more. I told Justin, I want MORE. I want to see the rest of it, even though I'm pretty sure they may stop short at Breaking Dawn - but I'm not finished. I would like to see more of Alice, and I want to see Jasper's character come out of his shell. My husband wants to see the werewolves, and was pretty disappointed when Jacob didn't phase. I was hoping they would do one phasing scene - the dream that Bella has after the beach trip to La Push, but Jacob didn't elaborate on the Quinton tribes tradition enough in the movie for that dream to of made any since.

I think what I want the most is for Rob's acting skills to sharpen up a bit. This really IS his first major movie production, and I hate that I say that, because of the last few months of following the Twilight media, and having watched dozens of Rob Pattinson interviews, I have come to like Rob as a person. From his interviews, he seems like a really down to earth, really awkward person. He's not really into this fame, but taking it as it comes, and in every interview you can tell how seriously ...just awkward he is. But the answers he has to the questions are pretty funny, and he says some of the weirdest stuff that you know he's telling the truth. I don't think he likes being considered an "actor" in Hollywood terms, like flaunting his popularity with expensive toys (he drives a used beat up, sounds like it's not working properly, car). He'd rather just be a normal guy who can go and play some music at an open mic night without being mobbed - unfortunately now that is just simply impossible with all the 13 year old fanatics running around screaming at him. All he has to do is run his hands through his hair and half the girls would probably faint at the sight of it. It's all pretty funny actually.

Blue Bloods

Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz
Young Adult Fantasy

Well, I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to go to B&N and return some books. I bought the first two books of the Blue Blood series; Blue Bloods, and Masquerade, and I must say I'm extremely disappointed with Melissa De La Cruz's lack of creativity, to say the very least.

I'm not even finishing the first book. I actually was following a recommendation based on my love for Twilight, and I'm sorely disappointed. I am enjoying reading Fantasy books, and will not avoid delving into more of the Fantasy genre, I obviously DO NOT like Twilight solely based on the vampires. They do help, but it was the world that Stephenie Meyer created more than the vampires themselves. What I love about Twilight, and many other books - including The Time Traveler's Wife and The Pillars of the Earth, are solid characters. Characters you can believe in, relate to, that you can love and hate, characters that intertwine with each other within the story. And this is exactly what Blue Bloods was lacking.

The barely lets you get to know the characters before moving on to the next one. It does not delve into their thoughts much more than a second. Dialogue between them is lacking as well. And the worst part of all are the things that were similar to Twilight. Main character, Schuyler, is suppose to be shy and inward. Only instead of being a plain Jane, she's a rich goth princess. The vampire, Jack Flash, is a wonderfully handsome guy with lovely green eyes (...okay that's different) and adorably disheveled hair (can we say, Edward knock-off?). Not to mention that most of the vampires have mind-reading capabilities?? About the time I learned all that, I decided I was done. I already knew that the book wasn't going anywhere for me. I'm not much for the rich and classy - I cannot relate to that. I don't like reading about vampires just because they are vampires.

Here's my suggestion. If you LIKE vampires, give the books a try. I mean, I only named a few things about the vampires, just pointing out the obvious Twilightish references, but there are OTHER things about them that certainly are different than the norm. If you like high class, 'I can buy any thing I want' type books, sure it might work. I don't want to shoot anyone completely out, I mean Melissa DID spend time and effort writing and creating this new vampire world. I'm sure there are people out there who like it. I'm just not one of them.

Twilight

I just recently realized that I never did a real review on the Twilight Saga books. I talk about them often enough that anybody should realize that I loved every last one of them, but seeing as how I have a book review site, it only seems appropriate to do reviews. When I first read the Twilight books, Breaking Dawn had not been released yet, and I read through all three (Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse) in less than 4 days. When I did talk about them on my other blog, it was a quick overview of all three, and how I was completely crazy and read them all without stopping. Since then I've read each of them 2 more times, except Breaking Dawn, and Midnight Sun's draft - which I have only read through twice. So here it goes...

Twilight (& Midnight Sun) by Stephenie Meyer
Young Adult Fantasy

(A short synopsis from Amazon.com)

Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.

Twilight is probably one of my favorite books of all. It's not perfect. It's not the most eloquent book of all time. But the story is absolutely wonderful, captivating to say the least. I just recently finished reading Midnight Sun again and I really, really hope that Stephenie Meyer will finish it in time. I believe that the strongest aspects of all of the Twilight books are the characters, and that what I consider the most important aspect of any book I read. If the characters are strong and believable. With the Twilight books, I honestly felt like they were alive, they were real. When I was done reading the books, I felt like I was missing a bunch of my "friends."

Bella feels that she is so plain and ordinary, that Edward's beauty and character is not much less than God himself. She is nothing compared to him. And yet, she cannot help but fall in love...

About three things I was absolutely positive:
First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Edward views himself as a monster. He has been living for over 80 years in a state of complacency and just numbness. The only reason he's living is because he can't die. He views Bella as a beautiful, and horribly breakable being. He wants nothing more than to love her forever - except maybe taste her blood which literally calls to him. Yet wants to do nothing to harm her or effect her what-so-ever, including damning her to life forever as a vampire. He struggles constantly with his feelings for her, positive that it is very wrong for him to love her, but finding impossible not to.

Oh, and also, I'm wretchedly in love with you.
And, by the way, I adore you...in frightening, dangerous ways.

I think my favorite part (of Midnight Sun) is how he refers to Bella as "the girl" for a good portion of the first part of the book, basically distinguishing the "age" difference between them. But he is frozen at 17, and that includes emotionally - no matter how much Edward would like to deny that. He over analyzes every move Bella makes, and exults at her simple "yes" when he asks to take her to Seattle. He is most certainly still a teenager, with teenager-like emotions.

And all of this is just the beginning. I remember the first time I read Twilight, I was reading until the wee-hours of the morning just because I could not bare to put it down for too long. I was happy with the internal struggle. I was happy with just Bella and Edward, but what kind of book would that make? It all intensified with the addition of the nomads! The struggle and conflict, setting up Edwards ultimate decision for New Moon, perfectly, his worst fears are coming true. Humans hanging out with vampires just can't be good for their health... This conflict just topped the book of with a nice cherry for me making it one of my all time favorite books. I can almost feel myself wanting to go upstairs and pull off the shelf....again.