Tiffany Aching

Today I am going to review a trilogy of books. I guess "technically" they are not a trilogy because they come from the discworld series of books that Terry Pratchett writes. So, it's a trilogy within a series. I guess certain characters are made reference to in other discworld books, but it can stand on it's own. You don't HAVE to read all the discworld books in order to understand all of them...make sense? Clear as mud?

Anyway, the three books I recently read by Terry Pratchett are referred to as the "Tiffany Aching" books, or the "Wee Free Men" books. Tiffany Aching is the main character in these books and the Wee Free Men are kind of like disgruntled male pixies with a Scottish accent.

The first book in this trilogy is Wee Free Men. From the very get go I was intrigued by this book. It is written in a rather refreshing way and is quirky and funny. The dialogue of the Wee Free Men is written out in a Scottish accent form, and is quite hilarious once you get the hang of reading it.



Apparently these are youth fiction books (in the first book Tiffany is 9), but they are rather long and the thought processes and patterns aren't really something that I see a young reader understanding. Just saying... Still, as an adult, I thought they were all three a very enjoyable read.

The second book in the trilogy is "A Hat Full of Sky." This follows Tiffany as she leaves her home to further her education (at the ripe old age of 11). Again, the dialogue, descriptions, interactions, are quite quirky and fun to read.


The third book is called "The Wintersmith." This book was also good, but a little more on the unusual side, which seems to be what Terry Pratchett specializes in. Not a terrible thing, but sometimes it is difficult to twist your mind about what he is writing about.


If I were to say one thing that did kind of annoy me about this trilogy, is that while it does end, and has a decent ending, there are some loose threads that leave you wondering...but what about??? Apparently some of these things are referenced in other discworld books, but good luck finding the exact thought you are looking for. I could be exaggerating, but it seems like there are about 50 discworld books.

Still, for what it is, it is enjoyable, and worth reading anyway. :) I give them 4 pens.

Avalon High book review

So, considering that I've checked this book out from the library twice and read it at least four times, I decided I needed to do a review on it.

Obviously I like the book! I think that this is probably the ONLY book by Meg Cabot that I can stand. I tried to read her "Princess Diaries" books, but, contrary to the cutesy clean movies, her books are anything but clean.

I do like her style of writing though, so this is a big disappointment to me. Enter in, Avalon High. This book is fairly clean. There is one chapter on a boat that I don't like and is a bit on the crass and crude side, so I admit that when I read the book I skip to close to the end of that chapter.

So, that is disappointing. Still, the rest of the book is very good and always makes me want to read it again.

I think the reason I like this book is its references to King Arthur. She is very creative in tying in the legend of King Arthur and putting it into a young adult fiction book set in the current time.

I like the characters in the book, their reactions to things, the descriptions of things. All good.

I don't know that I would want young girls reading this book though. I consider it more of a 14 and up book. I give it 3 and a half pens...mainly because of the boat chapter and other inappropriate things. If I had my own book I would probably "edit" it and just be a happy camper.

A book that I don't like...

There are some books that I don't like. Sometimes I don't finish them, sometimes they leave me feeling gross and disgusted, sometimes, if they are really bad, I throw them away.

So, for the sake of this entry, today I am going to write about Wuthering Heights. I saw it on someone's classic books list, and my reaction was the same as when I finished the book back in high school.

I guess I miss the "beauty" of the book. I know it's a classic. I know it's deemed high quality literature at its finest. Still, what a nasty book! It is so full of hate and angst. As if I need more of that in my life.

I still remember reading it and just feeling dark and depressed. I wondered if it was just me, but my cousin (who is about 20 years older than me) had just read the book as well and we happened to be on a multi-family outing. His reaction was the same as mine! "What a dark and depressing book!"

I have never had the desire to read it again! Okay, once I contemplated it, but then I just sat there thinking, Why? Why would I want to put myself through that again?
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not against books that have drama in them. A lot of classics do.

One of my favorite classic books is Jane Eyre. (Ironic that it's written by Emily's sister, Charlotte, isn't it.) It's sad, it has drama, but it also keeps you going.



So, if you want to read about two people who hate and despise each other, read Wuthering Heights. If you want to read a book that has a little mystery, sadness, but good feelings, read Jane Eyre.

The House of the Scorpion

I read this book a while ago, but, it deserves to be written about. If you want a book that really makes you think about things...this is the book for you. A sci-fi "thriller" I guess it would be called, it really brings to the surface some very interesting ideas.

As the book starts you don't really know what is going on. You have to read it for a while, and all you really know is that you're reading about a boy who for some reason is kept away from everything. The only person he sees is his nanny. Then the day comes when he goes exploring and discovers another house, with children, and things really start to get interesting...and somewhat horrifying. A part of your brain can see how this could one day become reality, and the very idea that it could, at least for me, was rather...frightening.

Now, I will go into the spoiler portion of this review. If you don't want to spoil the book, DON'T read this part!
This book is about a time in society when human clones are allowed...but only for medical purposes. So, at the beginning of the book you read about scientists who are injecting infants with a solution that will basically turn them into a vegetable, or someone who has very severe special needs. They can't function without someone to take care of them. One infant isn't, because his "owner" likes his to be left alone.

It takes a while to realize that they are referring to clones. That this clone is being raised as a normal little boy and isn't told anything about himself. He doesn't know anything about families are relationships, or anything. At first as he is going through his childhood he is treated like a little boy, because that is how his nanny/caretaker cares for him. She treats him as if he is her child.

One day some kids are playing in the fields surrounding his home and he tries to play with them. His nanny gets in trouble and he is taken to the "big house." His next caretaker treats him like an animal and keeps him in a room with sawdust on the floor.

The story progresses to where he learns who he is cloned from, but he still doesn't realize that he himself is a clone. In a strange bizarre way, it's as if his owner is doing his own experiment to see how each clone of himself differs.

It is about this time that you learn and realize that the clones are made so that as a person gets older they have the perfect organ donor. The view is that the clones aren't really "people" so, what does it matter if they have to give you their perfectly normal liver because you fried yours with alcohal? To make them seem even less of a person, they damage their brain when they are infants, so they have no "knowledge" of what will be done to them, eventually.

Then the story takes a different twist then the one you think it will...thankfully, and things begin to change for the "clone." I can't in good conscience tell you how the book ends, so you will just have to read it to find out!

While the scenes that play out in this book are in some instances, truly bizarre, it brings your level of thinking to a whole new level. It really makes you wonder...what would I think or believe, especially where human cloning is concerned.

While my nephews did read this book, and they are both middle school age, I certainly wouldn't recommend it until they reach maybe 11th 12th grade? It has some pretty deep concepts, and disturbing imagery, that even as an adult, took me some time to fully ingest.

I would recommend that you read it with your child, even if they are in high school, so that you can discuss the concepts that are written about. All in all a very intriguing book, if somewhat disturbing one, and very well written. I give it 5 pens.

The Ship Who Searched

This is a book that I have read a couple of times, and since I just finished reading it again, here is my review of it.

Obviously I like the book! I certainly wouldn't put myself through the torture of reading it again if I didn't like it. It is very much a sci-fi book though. If you don't like sci-fi, you probably won't like this book.

This book kind of goes along with a couple of other books that Anne McCaffrey wrote. The only one I have read besides this one is "The Ship Who Sang." A good book as well. Anyway the series for these books is called the "Brain and Brawn Ship series." For a comprehensive list for all of Anne McCaffrey's books you can go Here.

I really enjoy the style in which this book is written. It is sci-fi, but you don't have to use every brain cell in order to follow and understand the book.

The books in this series deal with "brain ships" which are ships that have an actual human encased into the ship. Sounds bizarre I know, but it is really cool to read about. The jist that I got from it, is that the minds of people who have bodies that would leave them unable to do anything physical are placed into these ships. The books explain HOW they are able to do this, much better than I ever could.

In this book a girl gets into the a special program after an alien virus leaves her as a quadriplegic. Since she is very gifted mentally, she does well and chooses to get installed into a brainship. Her main goal is to find out more about the source of the virus that attacked her. While on this search she also gets involved in finding a pirate ship escapade and forged artifacts. Almost sounds swashbuckling doesn't it? Like "Pirates of the Carribean" in SPACE! Except, no dead/alive guys and no curses.

I also enjoy reading the dialogue and relationships that take place in this book, although, if there is anything that I didn't like, it was how nonchalant the girl's parents are at the beginning of the book. They wait until the very last moment to get pregnant, and then when they have a child they just leave it with a computer/android to take care of it? It always strikes me as somewhat odd, but I guess it could be likened to longing for a baby and then once you get one, leaving it with a nanny for long periods of time.

Even with that, I still give it 4 and a half pens. :)

The Boy Who Lost His Face

When I first saw this book, I thought, Great! Another Louis Sachar book! His books are usually quirky and fun to read! Notice I said, USUALLY. I was very disappointed in this book. While it still had the same writing style, and the book storyline was fairly decent, there was SO MUCH LANGUAGE in this book I thought I would just gag. HELLO! It's written for 10 year olds and under! They don't need any help in the swearing department!

Aside from that there was a bizarre moral in the book which somehow included flipping people off. It is unfortunate really, because the main storyline in the book was a really good one. It could have been an amazing book. The main storyline is about a boy whose best friend decides he isn't "cool enough" anymore. It goes over being bullied not just by kids who were bullies, but his former best friend.

The main character, David, has a big decision to make. At first he tries to hang out with his former best friend anyway, and even goes along with some of the really stupid and mean things that kids can be known to do. He then realizes that that is not what he wants to do, and he finds new friends. THAT is what I liked about this book. The portrayal of the difficulties of middle school and finding new friends when you realize that your current friends are going in a direction that you don't want to go.

I don't think I will be keeping this book. I can't even say that I would recommend it to anyone. I give it 2 pens. If you want a good book to read by Louis Sachar read "Holes" or "There's A Boy in the Girl's Bathroom."

Escape by Carolyn Jessop book review

This is a book written by a lady that used to be a member of the FLDS church. I have always (somewhat anyway) wondered what exactly was believed in FLDS church since I knew they had split away from the LDS church more than 50 years ago. What I read was not only intriguing but also horrifying and upsetting.

Intriguing because it gives a very detailed day to day sequence of what it was like to be in a polygamous marriage. Horrifying because of the events that are so simply detailed. Upsetting because of how twisted and changed basic beliefs of the LDS church have been taken and used by the FLDS religion. This is really upsetting to me, because the LDS religion is NOTHING like the FLDS religion. NOTHING. To think that people even wonder if FLDS and LDS are similar. THEY ARE NOT.

When I saw this book I wanted to read it mainly because of all the media that has been going on. "The Polygamists" as they were commonly referred to when I went to school in southern Utah, were pretty much left alone. I don't remember seeing them at the university while I went there (which makes sense after what I read), and I rode past Colorado City maybe two or three times the whole time I lived in Cedar City, Utah.

While it was somewhat disturbing to read about how the children were taken care of in the community, what was even more...interesting to me was their lack of concern for others. Even within a family unit it was not uncommon for one or two of the women to basically be the "slaves" of the family. I don't think unselfish service to others really even exists there. If someone gets sick they are looked at as weak and not being in harmony with God. If someone gives birth to a special needs child they are looked at as being a sinner (otherwise their baby would have been born healthy, right??)

Another thing that I found interesting was how the religion itself changed with each leader, going more and more extreme until the sick psycho himself, Jeff Warren. Reading about him, really made me feel ill. What a disturbed individual.

She wrote of instances over and over again where people would be "married" and they would both look upset and sad. To think that people are living in this community and thinking that it is the right thing to do, to me is just depressing.

I never realized before why it was so difficult for someone to leave the FLDS community if they wanted to. Her flight to freedom was reminiscent to me of the turmoil in the book "Not Without My Daughter" except it occurred right here in the United States.

Reading this book after the raid on the FLDS compound in Texas really made me look back on the facial expressions of the women in the community. There is no doubt in my mind that most of the women in this community really do love their children. That being said, there IS a high level of accepted abuse there. I will never forget the video of four FLDS women talking to the cameras and listening to one woman speak, and have another woman interrupt her every few seconds. I always felt like the one woman was trying to exert her "authority" over the other woman, and it even showed on camera. After reading this book, I realize that I was probably right.

I felt like Texas was wrong for the way they handled things the way they did. I still think they could have done things differently...but at least they tried. The things going on in this community are wrong. They should have to be accountable for their actions just like everybody else.

Definitely a book that will make you think about things.

The Hollow Kingdom trilogy book review

Here are three books that are soooo good. They are by Clare B. Dunkle. I give these books 5 pens. If there is anything that I would change about these books, it would be length. After finishing, I wanted to just read more and more.

In the first book, The Hollow Kingdom, there are two sisters. One of them gets kidnapped by the goblin king. The sister that gets taken ends not hating the kingdom after some interesting events take place, which I won't tell you about, or that would completely spoil the book.

In the second book, Close Kin, the adventure continues focusing on two other characters that you meet in the first book. They come to accept and realize the importance each "person" has in the Hollow Kingdom society. In this book you also learn more about elves and how their kingdom interacts and relates to the goblin kingdom.

In the third book, In the Coils of the Snake, most of the story takes place outside of the goblin kingdom, or Hollow Hill, and you meet the third main character in this trilogy. While all the books are good, I probably enjoyed this book the most. This books involves the elf kingdom and the goblin kingdom again, and the events that transpire are interesting to read.

The thing that I find amazing about all of these books, is you are reading about goblins...and liking them. You want the girl and the goblin to like each other. You want things to turn out.

Clare B. Dunkle is an excellent author, who I feel has been overlooked in this time of popularity among fantasy/sci fi books. This is an excellent trilogy that was just as exciting for me to read as the Twilight books, and moreso than the Fablehaven books.

These books are not as long page-wise. They are written for the tween age level of readers (10-12), although some of the ideas are definitely not on that level. An adult reader could certainly read these books and enjoy them...since obviously I am an adult and enjoyed them! :)

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X book review

I just finished reading "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge, which apparently is the first book in a new series.

Synopsis: A teenage boy feels compelled to give vengence for his parents untimely death when he was a young boy.

This is a science fiction book. I liked it. I give it 4 pens. I liked the way it was written...the tone, descriptions, characters, all good. In the book flap there is a spot where it says that "special care has been taken with the language and content." I guess they wanted it to appeal to younger readers as well, but I definitely appreciated it too! :)

Anyway, the book is written in first person, and is almost like reading a journal of a teenage boy. So, if you're looking for an in depth sci-fi book...this ain't it. If you're looking for a sci-fi book that stretches your mind and makes you think hard in order to read, understand, and follow the storyline...this is NOT the book for you.

For me, it was like reading a quirky version of Men in Black...except, it is a teenage boy, who also happens to be an alien from another planet. He is an alien hunter. He has telepathic powers. He can create things with is mind. To top it off, he is on his own, since his parents were killed when he was 3 years old.

Some of the imagery is rather graphic though. Not in a horrific way, but some of the fight scenes are described in detail, and for me anyway, were somewhat disgusting. For a boy? They'd probably think it was just cool. I can see tween age and up thinking this book was good. Younger than that, and it would probably be a little too intense.

Breaking Dawn book review!!!

This is the last book in the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. Honestly, it would be next to impossible to write a summary about this book without spoiling it for someone. So, here is my, "impression" of this book. I don't want to spoil it for you because it is that good!

Every possible way I even imagined this book being (which, believe me wasn't all that speculative) didn't even come close to the way it actually was. It was soooo much better. I started it, and once again, could not put it down until it was finished. Good thing it was a Saturday!

There were a few times where I was just sitting there going "WHOA...WOW." So, I give this book...5 pens. That being said, it definitely isn't perfect, but not many books are. It is easy to read, fast paced, and definitely had my heart pumping in a few spots.

I liked how this book ended. I liked how the characters interacted. I liked how majority of the loose ends were tied up, and I wasn't left hanging at the end, wondering, but what about this? But, what about that? What happened to so and so? How did it all end? There was definitely enough closure for me.

So, what else can I say? Go read the book!

Fablehaven Book 2: Rise of the Evening Star

Synopsis:
At the end of the school year, Kendra and her brother, Seth, find themselves racing back to Fablehaven, a refuge for mythical and magical creatures. Grandpa Sorenson, the caretaker, invites three specialists — a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper — to help protect the property from the Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to infiltrate the preserve and steal a hidden artifact of great power. Time is running out. The Evening Star is storming the gates. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the world. Will Kendra learn to use her fairy gifts in time? Will Seth stay out of trouble? Can they overcome paralyzing fear?


My brother very kindly loaned us his Fablehaven books. He only has the last two books, of which there are three, and he very adamantly told me "Don't read these until you've read the first book!" Well, I tried to wait, but the books were sitting right there taunting me over and over to read them, so I finally gave in.

Granted, it probably would've made more complete sense to read the first book, but it was all right. The second book has little snippets of description that give reference to things that happen in the first book, so I didn't feel lost at all, and it all flowed very nicely. So, I would have to say that on a general level, I give this book almost four pens.

Keep in mind when you read this book that it is YOUTH fiction! It is fairly easy to read, and flows along well. There were only a few spots where I was...well, okay I'll be honest, it was a little boring. That wasn't a common thing though. I would have to say that I would probably read it out loud to younger children versus letting them read it on their own though. For a youth fiction book, the descriptions of some of the things that happen can be fairly..uh...gross and scary. This is taking into account your children of course.

It doesn't help any that there are pictures in the book. I mean, really, did they need to put a drawing in of the zombie with a nail in it's neck? That scared me! My children have very vivid imaginations, and they really don't need any help in that area.

So, while I did enjoy it, and I think it was written well, it is a touch scary, and some of the lessons are a touch off. At the end of the book I was somewhat disturbed by the fact that not once, not twice, but THREE times in this book, one of the main characters is told that she needs to not trust people, and the ways that people who meant her harm gained her trust by helping her out in a time of need and then betraying her. Granted, I knew, reading it as an adult, that in real life it is okay to trust people, but what would a young reader think? Just a thought.

The Believer

Summary:

There is a place where the threat of foreign terrorism is nonexistent, where there are no arguments about religion, and no battles over politics. Welcome to New America-a place where reading the wrong book can cost you your life!
Ian Roshek finally believes in something. The young history professor has studied a contraband copy of the Book of Mormon-and he knows what it says is true. But now his newfound convictions will be put to the test as he struggles to listen to the still, small voice, while society screams in his ear.

A taut, must-read thriller, The Believer will cast a lingering shadow and leave you asking what you would give up in order to feel "safe."

I actually read this book a while ago, and then, when I was at girl's camp this past week had the opportunity to read it again. I give it...3 and a half pens. :)

The premise is particularily intriguing for me, as it takes you to a, what if this happened type of scenario, and what the United States of America would be like if this happened. There is a bit of suspense and mystery as you wonder who the real bad guy is in the book.

So, that being said, here is my criticism of it...while it does have a nice flow, and it is interesting to read, the beginning throws you right into the forefront of the story without much introduction. That isn't all bad, but it seems like there needs to be just a little bit leading into it. At least, that is how I think about it, anyway.

The characters are likeable, but some of the descriptions are good, but their personalities aren't fleshed out enough for me. And then, of course there's a character where I sit and go, am I supposed to like this person, or not? Are they good or bad? Really...

The feeling of this book for me, reminded me of what it seemed like the differences between West Germany and East Germany were, before they tore down the Berlin wall. Here you have a society trying to convince it's people that their way is best, and that they really are better off then the people who live in the United States, who can read whatever they want, think how they want, etc... etc...

The Neighborhood watch groups, and other occurences in the story were similar to me of the books I have read about what it was like to live in a communist Russia/Germany, and the hardships, the wary eyes, the hesitancy to speak your mind. Who do you trust? Who will turn you in? Where one thought or action could put you in prison, especially if you believed differently.

The pace is fast, and it does keep you reading until the end. The person behind it all, was someone I wondered at possibly being the bad guy, when I read it the first time, but I also remember that I went...WOW!

So, don't let my criticisms throw you. It's a good book, a thought provoking book, and I would recommend anybody read it.

Pretties

The second book in Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series is just as intense as the first book, Uglies. It grabs your interest and doesn't let go until you've finished the last page. In this book some new characters are added to the scene which just adds to the already great mixture of elements going on in this book. This is a definite must read for anyone who even remotely likes sci-fi books, or even books about cultures (the Giver anyone..).

Okay, now for the spoiler portion where I go over the whole book.
The last book leaves us where Tally goes to the city to become pretty, so she can be a human guinea pig and use the nano pills that will make her mind "ugly" again.
When we start on this book Tally is a new pretty, and somewhat oblivious to everything that went on before. She is still friends with Shay, and is being initiated/voted into the pretty clique, Crims. The head of the crims is Zane.

The night of the big party Tally and Shay decide to go as people from the smoke. A previous friend of Tally's who is still ugly, shows up at the party dressed as a special and gives Tally a coded message that she must figure out before she can find the pills. Zane ends up going on the adventure with her and they find the pills. Tally is too frightened to take the pills alone, so Zane tells her to split them. He'll eat one, and she can eat the other.

After taking the pills Tally and Zane are constantly together. This was somewhat complicated to read, because part of you wants Tally to stay loyal to David, but the other part of you wants her to be with Zane because he sounds so cool. Anyway, Shay finds out that Tally and Zane took the pills and gets really upset that Tally didn't share the pills with her. This just adds fuel to the already weak threads that are holding Shay and Tally's friendship together in the first place.

Eventually Zane and Tally and a few others end up at the New Smoke. Zane gets there before Tally, going on her own journey and only gets to the new smoke after she steals a Specials ship. She makes it to the New Smoke and is there for a few moments (enough to be led there by David and talk to David's mom), before things get dicey again. All in all, it is a fast paced, sci-fi adventure novel that I would recommend anyone read.

Uglies book review

I have to admit that when I first noticed Uglies on the book rack at my library I initially steered clear of it, because I mean, well, it was called UGLIES! I finally got brave and checked it out. Now a few years later it is a "hot" book to read! Rightly so, because it is a very intersting and thought provoking book.

Uglies is about a society that has made becoming the "perfect" person into an artform. Anybody who isn't changed yet is referred to as an "ugly." Once changed you're called a "pretty" because you are now basically a bubblehead with no creative thought.

So, the book starts out with Tally and she is an ugly. She ends up becoming friends with a girl who is even more of a rebel than Tally is, and convinces her that she needs to become a member of the community "the Smoke" which is a community people have developed for those who don't want to be changed. Initially Tally doesn't really want to find the smoke, because all she wants to do is become a pretty. Once Tally's friend leaves, Tally is arrested by the specials (basically pretties with cognitive development), and is told that they won't change her to a pretty unless she can lead them to the Smoke.

Tally agrees, but once in the community, she decides that being an ugly isn't all that bad. She inadvertantly leads the specials to the smoke when she tries to destroy a necklace that the specials gave her to notify them when she found the smoke. In destroying the necklace, the specials are made aware of where the smoke is and the community is destroyed. Many of Tally's new friends are captured, and the one person she wanted to have trust her, David, runs away, thinking that Tally purposely betrayed them all.

Eclipse book review

The third book in this series was interesting to read. Bella and Edward are back together again, and Jake is trying (but not totally succeeding) to stay out of the picture since all his werewolf insticts tell him to do is to kill Edward.

A large part of the book is the conflict between Edward and Jake over Bella. Bella loves Edward of course, but is confused because Jake was there for her when Edward wasn't. So, there's so conflict going on in Bella's mind as well. On top of it all there is a vampire who is trying to kill Bella and is raising a newborn vampire army in Seattle.

Throughout this book you learn more about the vampire characters. It goes over their history more, how they became vampires, and why they decided they wanted to be "vegetarians" and not drink human blood. It also gives you a more solid reason for why Rosemary is jealous of Bella.

During a portion of the book you are led to believe that Jake has "patterned" with Bella. Among the werewolves it is not uncommon for them to pattern with someone, basically meaning that they are loyal and loving to that person forever. So, while it is "insinuated" that Jake has patterned with Bella, it doesn't come out and say it, which makes me wonder if there will be something different about that in the next book, and maybe Bella will be jealous of the girl that Jake really does pattern with.

The end of the book gives you an interesting time where a battle bewteen the newborn army and Bella's vampires as well as the werewolves from the reservation takes place. Before the battle starts, Jake goes to see Bella, and Bella realizes that the reason she has had such a difficult time sorting through her feelings is because a small piece of her heart is in love with Jake too. Of course, the bulk of it is in love with Edward.

All in all, a good read. Makes me really want to read the next book which Amazon says will be coming out in August 2008!

New Moon book review

So, after I finished reading Twilight in about a day, I started on New Moon. All of the Stephenie Meyer books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse) I actually ended up buying since I coudln't wait the time I would 've had to, to check them out from the library. My library has five copies of each book and they all have at least to holds on them.

Anyway, on to New Moon. New Moon was a pretty decent second book. It was still interesting and caught my "I need to read this as fast as possible" sense, but I have to admit, I missed Edward. Jake is okay, and essentially the "good guy" but, I like Edward better. So, for about 2/3 of the book, I'm sitting there going, when is Edward coming back? I want to read about Edward! And, in the last chapters of the book, Edward is finally there, and that was probably some of the most interesting bits of the book. For me, anyway. All in all, it makes for an intriguing prelude to the third book...

Now for the spoiler portion. If you don't want to spoil reading the book, don't read this part.

So, at the beginning of the book Bella and Edward are doing just great, the model teen couple if you will. Then Bella has her birthday. One little incident makes Edward feel like he is going to ruin Bella's life forever so after a few days he decides it would be better if he and his family just leave. Bella, of course, has a heartbreaking bout of numbness, until she decides to become better friends with Jake. Bella starts to do more daredevil things, because she knows Edward wouldn't approve. Jake, who has liked Bella since he first met her, is very patient and adoring, even though he knows Bella could never like him as much as she liked Edward. (Sounds like a lot of teenage boys I remember, always going after the girls that would never like them back.)

Anyway, it goes through a whole Bella and Jake thing. Jake ends up turning into a werewolf, and Bella starts to know Jake's other friends at the reservation. Bella almost decides that she can put aside her memories and feelings for Edward and start really liking Jake and then she decides to go cliff diving...by herself. Alice "sees" Bella jumping off a cliff and then things really start to take off. Alice shows up at Bella's and they end up going to Italy because Edward had told Alice that if Bella were ever killed, he would have to kill himself as well. (Kind of the morbid part of the book.) So, they get to Italy barely in time to save Edward, and the Italy vampires, which are kind of like that "royal" vampires of the world, basically tell Edward and his "family" that they need to turn Bella into a vampire as soon as possible or they will take her away. And that in a nutshell is pretty much where the book ends.

Twilight book review

Hello everyone.

So, I decided to start writing reviews on the books that I currently read. Since I just completed the first three books in the "vampire" series by Stephenie Meyer, I decided to write on that.

So, first off, I just have to write a little about a review that I read on Amazon. It was a negative review and since most the reviews on these books are positive I thought it would be interesting to see what they had to say, because in my own view, I thought that Twilight, and the other two books as well, were very intriguing and interesting to read.

So, I start reading this negative review and the thing that struck me first was how this person was so disappointed that the characters were flat, and stuck on themselves, unrealistic, etc...
I thought this was a unique take on the book, since, we must remember, that the characters in this book are TEENAGERS. They are not going to be totally realistic, they are going to be somewhat selfish and thinking only of themselves, and the whole idea of what the world is like is up to the author, especially since it is a FANTASY book. I mean, come on! In Meyer's vampire world, they all are beautiful and that is how you can tell that they are vampires. The thing to me that made this book so interesting to read is not only the fact that the main character falls in love with a vampire, but that he falls in love with her!

The other thing that they wrote about bothering them was the character's name, and the fact that the character wanted to become a vampire herself. Well, okay, let's think about this. I guess they can totally have their own opinion of what the character's name should be, but come on! I don't generally read a book and go, man, that book was so good, but the character's name really just sucked. Then the whole idea that the character wants to be a vampire herself...well, I can totally see how that would be plausible. She wants to be with Edward. She knows that Edward is immortal. Edward knows how awful it is to be immortal as a vampire and wants to discourage her from missing out on all the things being a human has to offer. Bella on the other hand, just wants to be with Edward forever and wants him to know her forever in her younger self. She is a teenager. I can totally understand why she would rather be with Edward forever in a younger persona versus an older one.

So, okay, I guess you can tell that I disagreed with this person's viewpoint. I thought the book was, quite honestly one of the more interesting books that I have read in a while. Compared to other romantic youth fiction books, I found this one to be a breath of fresh air, with enough suspense, danger, and action to make it interesting not only for gals, but for guys too. My hubby and brother can attest to that. This book grabs you from the first page and takes you on a breathtaking ride to its end and leaves you wanting to know what will happen in the next book. So, in my opinion, this is a definite must read, and I'm not that big of a vampire fan.