January Reads

January 2014 Reads:

1.  The Cherry Cola Book Club (5/5) 1st in series
2.  Orleans (YA) 4/5
3.  Allegiant (YA) 4.5/5  3rd in series  Kindle
4.  Game (YA) 5/5  2nd in series
5.  Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (YA) 5/5  Kindle
6.  The Kept (3/5)
7.  The Coldest Girl in Coldtown (YA) 5/5
8.  Team Human (YA)  5/5
9.  Heartbeat (YA)  5/5

Year to date:  9 books read

Heartbeat (YA)

Book #9 Read in 2014
Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott (YA)  Amazon Vine review book

Emma's mother dies unexpectedly.  Emma's stepfather, Dan, decides to keep Emma's mother alive by machines because she is pregnant; his hopes is to keep her alive long enough for the baby to be safely delivered.  Emma resents that he was able to make this decision without her say and she shuts herself off emotionally from him.  Every day after school (where valedictorian-in-the-making Emma has gone on an academic nosedive) she goes and sits by her dead mother's beside.  Emma begins a connection with bad boy Caleb as he understands in ways that her friends cannot since his younger sister Minnie died in a biking accident.  Their common understanding of loss draw them together. 

This book was a riveting read.  The raw emotion of Emma's sense of loss was wonderfully written.  Emma and Caleb's love story was touching.  I recommend this read.

I received this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for a review.

Team Human

Book #8 Read in 2014
Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan (YA)

This book focuses on Mel trying to prevent her friend Cathy from deciding to become a vampire.  Cathy falls for vampire Francis and decides that she wants to transition and become one herself.  Mel feels that this a ridiculous idea.  As Mel tries to convince Cathy, she is also trying to find her friend Anna's missing father (supposedly he ran off with one of his vampire therapy patients) and tell with her own feelings towards Kit, a teenager who has grown up among vampires when he was abandoned as a baby on vampire Camille's doorstep.

This book has great humor to it, poking sly fun at the vampire books and movies that have become hot reads of late.  The characters are interesting and realistic.  The plot combines romance and mystery in an excellent way.  I enjoyed it.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown (YA)

Book #7 Read in 2014
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (YA)

This is a different sort of vampire book.  In this book, Coldtowns are where vampires and those humans who are infected are contained...and there are not really too many rules there.  Tana heads for the nearest Coldtown after her friends are slaughtered by vampires at a party...and her ex-boyfriend Aidan has been infected.  Along for a ride is a vampire that Tana saved.  The trio get to Coldtown and things get even more harried....vampires turning others into vampires, the head vampire being out to get them....bloodshed and mayhem. 

I loved this book (and yes, that is saying something because Holly Black's fairy books are not my cup of tea).  Tana was a great character and I loved the humor, romance, action etc of the book.  I liked the different take on vampires and way that was presented.  I highly recommend it.

The Kept (Amazon Vine review book)

Book #6 Read in 2014
The Kept by James Scott

This book started off with an exciting premise...a woman comes home to find her husband and children murdered, save one.  Caleb survives and swears vengeance on the ones who murdered his family.  His mother realizes that the sins of her past (stealing the children she helped delivered) may have caused for these murders to happen....but she goes along with Caleb on his quest for revenge.  That being said, this book was a slow read for me....I had to force myself to finish.  I did not really care about the characters and what happened to them.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Book #5 Read in 2014
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (YA)

This book is sort of a modernized Willy Wonka, set in a library.  Twelve 12 year olds are chosen as winners of an essay contest.  Their prize is a sleepover in the brand new library of Mr. Lemoncello before it is open to the public.  This is no ordinary library, or sleepover for that matter.  There are clues, prizes and twists and turns. 

The characters are likeable (except for those who are not supposed to be liked).  I enjoyed the book references throughout.  This was a fun read.  It contained humor, a good mystery and an interesting plot.  I recommend it.

Game (YA)

Book #4 Read in 2014
Game by Barry Lyga (YA)

This book is the sequel to I Hunt Killers.  In this book, Jasper Dent is once again on the hunt...this time at the request of the New York Police Department.  He heads to the Big Apple to try to profile and track the serial killer known as the Hat Dog Killer.  Of course, his on the lam killer father Billy Dent is connected somehow....can Jasper find the killer (and perhaps Billy) before it is too late?

This book once again hooked me...for a book over 500 pages, it was a quick read.  The ending was a cliffhanger that left me screaming for book 3....which apparently will not be out until September.  Jasper is a great character and the supporting characters, especially Connie and Howie, are once again successes.  This is a great, edgy young adult series.

Allegiant (YA)

Book #3 Read in 2014
Allegiant by Veronica Roth (YA)

This is the final book in a dystopian young adult series.  The main characters are Tris and Four; they have become leaders in a war zone of factions and those who think they know what to do for the good of all.  Tris and Four are strong characters but in this book they spent more time arguing with each other than working together, which got annoying after a while. 

There was a lot of hype and furor about the ending when this book first was released and now I know why.  The ending did disappoint me, not only for what happened but how it happened.  Overall though, I liked the book.  In this book, I focused more on the political happenings and whether any peace would be reached rather than the relationship between Tris and Four.  This is a series that I enjoyed and would recommend.

Orleans (YA)

Book #2 Read in 2014
Orleans by Sherri L. Smith (YA)

This is a dystopian young adult book, set in Orleans (New Orleans after several horrific hurricanes).  There is a fever that taints people's blood and a wall has been built around Orleans to keep the tainted away from the "clean" outsiders.  Fen is one within the wall; she is smart and brave.  Daniel is an outsider who climbs the wall to try to find the final part of his possible fever cure.  The two pair up and form a somewhat uneasy alliance.  Fen wants to save her chieftain's newborn baby and Daniel wants to save the world.  Will either reach their goal?

This was a good read.  It kept me interested.  Fen was a great character...she was tough yet sensitive, rough yet intelligent.  I recommend it.

The Cherry Cola Book Club

Book #1 Read in 2014
The  Cherry Cola Book Club by Ashton Lee

A southern, small-town library is in danger of being closed due to lack of funding.  The young librarian decides that the library must be saved, as it is an integral part of the town, at least in her mind.  To try to boost circulation and membership numbers, she establishes a book club where southern fiction is discussed and pot luck dishes are shared.  As an added bonus, the book club members forge strong friendships. 

I loved the writing of this book and the characters were like friends.  I have already pre-ordered the sequel which comes out in March.  I was surprised that the author is male; he writes female characters very well and they are complex and strong.  I enjoyed this book a lot.

2013 Book Totlas

2013 Book Totals

106 books read

42 were young adult books

18 were Kindle books

December Reads

December Reads:

1.  Insurgent (YA) 5/5  2nd in series Kindle book
2.  Steelheart (YA) 4/5  1st in series
3.  Tandem (YA) 4.5/5  1st in series Amazon Vine review book
4.  But Inside I'm Screaming (4/5)
5.  Catching Fire (YA) 5/5  2nd in series Kindle book
6.  Happier at Home (4/5)  review book
7.  Last Writes (4/5) 2nd in series