City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another series for me to get stuck on. It probably isn't my absolute favorite Young Adult series, I definitely think it was worth my time. I really enjoyed this story. It was well put together and didn't give me any "what the heck" moments...except maybe the flying motorcycles, they were a little bit unbelievable. While it was a little bit predictable, I did enjoy trying to guess who was trustworthy and who wasn't.

I'm not going to lie, there was a special little twist at the end that I didn't pick up on, but should have. I think I was a little bit wrapped up in the story to really catch one. So what was the twist you ask?? Well....I guess you'll have to read the book and find out for yourself. :)

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Future of Audiobooks

I think the Audiobook industry is going to boom! Or at least I hope it does.

With electronic devices becoming increasingly more popular, it is my hope that Audiobooks will continue to become more popular. You might wonder why I'd want this...

Well it's mostly because of the narrators. There are many things that make up a good Audiobook, the story, the writing, the characters - all these things are true of a good book too. But what makes a GREAT Audiobook is the narrator. I've listened to books that are wonderful! And while I can honestly say that the books are really great, I must give credit where it's due. The narrators of the following books are what do it for me the most:

• The Highlander Series by Karen Marie Moning Narrated by Phil Gigante
• The In Death Series by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) Narrated by Susan Ericksen
• The Help by Kathryn Sockett Narrated by Janna Lamia, Cassandra Campbell, Bahni Turpin, and Octavia Spencer
• The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling Narrated by Jim Dale

There are also many, many books I've started listening too and then decided that I just didn't like the narrators and couldn't listen to anymore. Two series in particular that I LOVE, and really had a hard time listening to on audio would be The Twilight Saga, and The Hunger Games Series. In both instances, I found the narrators to be stiff and not convincing. I mean, I want the story to be read as if it really IS the characters. They have to act out the part, not read and change the voices slightly for character changes. I really hope that eventually there will be a competitive market for Audiobooks, and that the productions will be a competition for who does it best. Wouldn't that be fun?

Of course that will likely mean they will cost more, and that is something I DO NOT want to happen!

The things I've learned about Book Blogging...

Hello there! It's been a long time since I've written a blog, or a review or anything. It's not like I've stopped reading or anything, I just needed a break. I thought that maybe, to jump-start my semi-dead blog back to life, I'd start off with some of the things I've learned about Book Blogging.

1. It can be a time suck if you let it.
I read lots of books. I listen to even more audio books. For 2009 I had set a goal to read 1 book a week. And let me tell you, I fulfilled that goal almost two fold! I was attempting to try and review every book I read, and it was taking a lot out of me!

2. Sometimes doing a review can be boring! Especially if it's a part of a series.
For instance; the In Death series by J. D. Robb. LOOOOVE these books. I love Eve Dallas and Roarke. Great characters, awesome books. But really, how many times can you say that? There is always a a murder(s) to solve, Eve is always witty, crazy, tough and soft at the same time. Roarke is always sexy and awesomely over protective and over bearing and wonderful (got to LOOOVE that accent). Ever time Eve solves the mystery, proves she's the best cop in the land and all is well in New York once again. Repeating myself for every book was a bit redundant.

3. Hello - time, where did you go?
I'm a mother of 3, and at the end of '08 I got a full-time away from home job for the first time in almost 4 years. I've got to be home and "there" for my kids. I can't be concerned about sitting down at the computer and plucking down a review on a book that I just thought was okay.

4. I LOVE ARCs! I HATE ARCs!
Nothing like a great book, especially when you get a jump on everyone else! I really love ARC's. They are hard to resist. But I find that I must for many reasons...mainly because of the time thing again, however that is not my only reasoning. Having an ARC means to me that I need to read this book before it publishes, and honestly form my thoughts at the appropriate time. I find that I really, truly absolutely LOVE only about 1 out of 5 ARC books I get. I only truly hated 1. And I don't like saying that I didn't like a book..especially one I got for free, and even more so because I'm pretty darn sure the author may just read my review. Authors love their books, and their characters (or at least they should) and I don't like tearing down something they worked so hard to build up. There are probably a million good reviews out there for the same book, but the one that they will likely remember the most is the bad review.

5. Sometimes it's okay not to finish a book.
I read so many books, listen to so many books - obsess over characters I love and what will happen next. If there is a book I just don't like from the beginning....I don't and shouldn't feel obligated to finish it. End story!


So my future plans? I think I'll start blogging again. I'll do some reviews, but I'm also going to talk about other things going on in my life, with my family, movies I watch, TV shows I watch. So more than just books. Which means....I'll probably have to change the sub-heading of my blog...but who cares, yah know? There's more to life than the "other-life" known as a book!

Kissing Games of the World - Sandi Kahn Shelton

Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton
Genre: Adult Fiction
Form: Paperback

Jamie is a free-spirited artist and devoted single mom with a slightly unorthodox living situation: in exchange for free rent, she looks after the grandson of her much older landlord. But when Harris Goddard dies of a heart attack--naked and splayed out in Jamie's bed--nobody believes that he and Jamie were just roommates.

With the rumor mill buzzing and two small children to care for, Jamie's life is further upended when Harris's handsome son, Nate, a charismatic jet-setting salesman, shows up unannounced at his childhood home to settle the estate and reclaim the five-year-old son h left behind.

As Jamie's and Nate's highly guarded worlds collide, can these two damaged souls manage to see the good in each other...and maybe more?

Source: back of book

The Kissing Games of the World was an impulse buy at Target earlier this week. One of those, 'hmmmm, this looks decent' kind of days. I get most of my books via www.swaptree.com, which I highly suggest checking it out if you've not heard of it. Anyhow, so the book was very good. A very mild type of drama I was looking for. It was more about Jamie and Nate finding themselves than finding each other. Oh they "collided" a few times, and it was wonderful and beautiful, but what was more important was watching them grow as people. Nate especially, with his coming and learning to love his son, Christopher, and feel his way around parenthood. Sandi Kahn Shelton really hit the nail on the head with the children too, with their strange stories and millions of questions, and unpredictable behavior.

This is the type of book that sort of leaves you wanting more. You find out so much about Jamie, Nate, Christopher and Arley that you hate leaving them just when the getting get's good. You want to watch a real relationship bloom between Jamie and Nate. I hate and love that about books. There is such an open end of story that you want it to be told, but if it kept going the book will just get long and boring - so it just can't be done. I can't say that Kissing Games of the World is going to stand out to me as a favorite, but I can say that I loved Sandi Kahn Shelton's writing. There were lines in the book that really made an impact on me and on the story. This is something to truly admire in a book.

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart - Beth Pattillo

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Pattillo
Genre: Adult Fiction
Form: ARC Book

Claire Prescott doesn't understand Mr. Darcy's appeal. She's been comfortably dating Neil, a nice - if a bit negligent - sports fanatic. But when she agrees to stand in for her sister at a Jane Austen seminar in Oxford, England, she finds herself holding a lost version of Pride and Prejudice. Scholars thought Austen's original manuscript was destroyed centuries ago, but as Claire reads the first draft, Austen's own struggle to find the right hero for Elizabeth Bennet.

And when a tall, dark, and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner Lizzie Bennet? Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead, and she discovers that finding the right hero can be more difficult than she ever imagined.

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart is the story of a woman who finds that falling in love may be the biggest adventure of all and that a true hero can appear in the most unexpected places.

~Source: back of book

First of all, I must say that I love the cover of this book. It's beautiful and romantic, and if I hadn't agreed to read this book, I probably would have picked up and checked out the back summary based on the cover alone!

Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart was a very enjoyable read for me. I really liked the characters, especially how each and every character was expressly different. There are many times when you read a book, and while the main characters are allowed to develop and express their personalities, the minor characters of the book sort of take on a cookie cutter appearance. There may be physical descriptions that distinguish who they are, their characters are very robotic and are the main point of their presence is to offer support to the leads. Beth Pattillo developed all of her characters into people I could see in my mind's eye as well as gain an understanding of on a personal level. Kudos for that!

I also enjoyed watching Claire discover herself, or rather discover that she had no idea who she was. Even her purpose for going to Oxford to the seminar was made as a favor to or in a "care taker role" for her sister, and not as a decision of her own. Soon you discover that there is very little about Claire's life that is her own choice or will. So it is no surprise when she meets James at the seminar and feels the buzz of attraction between them, that the part of Claire that just wants something for herself steps up and takes control. Their relationship develops rather fast and furious, as they are swept up in the romance of London and Pride and Prejudice. Add this in with the revelation if First Impressions, the secret first draft of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and the world becomes an interesting, if not complicated break from what has become Claire's life.

My favorite part, outside of the ending which I won't blow for you, was the presentations at the seminar. I loved hearing everyone's different opinions and thoughts about Pride and Prejudice. It has opened up a desire to go back and revisit the book for myself, looking at from more than just a head-on approach. The only thing I was a little disappointed in the book was I really wanted more resolution between Harriot and Eleanor. I know that Harriet pointed out that no matter how you raise your kids, they are cut from a particular cloth and that is how they are going to be, and that should have been resolution enough, but I was harboring a desire for an understanding to come between them.