NaNoWriMo 2008!

I recently heard about NaNoWriMo, and I'm so excited! NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. It begins on November 1st and ends on November 30th. The NaNoWriMo website has information about the challenge and it's where you can sign up! It sounds like fun and it's a good way to start writing that novel you've always wanted to write! I just wanted to write a quick post about it. I probably won't be updating for awhile because I'll be working on my novel and visiting with family a lot during November.

The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub

I can't believe how long it's taken me to update my blog. I feel awful!! I've been so busy lately, so I haven't had a lot of time to read.

I finally finished The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. I had to renew it twice so that I wouldn't have to pay a fine. The book is about a 12-year-old boy named Jack who is trying to find a cure for his dying mother. He discovers that he can enter another "world": the Territories. He must find the talisman so he can save his mother and her "twinner," the Queen of the Territories.

My family really wanted me to read this book because they all loved it, so I got it from the library. I'm really glad I did, too. The Talisman is probably my favorite book by Stephen King (I haven't read anything else by Peter Straub, so I can't really say anything about him). I liked that the book wasn't as gruesome as some of the other books I've read by Stephen King. I'm not really into scary books, but this one really wasn't. I liked Jack, but I think my favorite character was Speedy. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to read the sequel, Black House. My father and brother say it's more disturbing than The Talisman so we'll see.

I'm going to be rereading Eragon and Eldest before I read Brsinger by Christopher Paolini, which is good because my mom isn't finished reading it yet! I'll try to update again soon. I just don't feel all that inspired to write.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

It took me forever to finally read this book! I got it from the library a couple of months ago, but never read it because I was rereading the Twilight series and then I read Breaking Dawn. By the time I was ready to read something new, this book was due back to the library. I begged them to renew it again for me so that I could finish it, and I finally have!

Here is a summary from Publisher's Weekly:

English nurse Claire Beauchamp Randall and husband Frank take a second honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands in 1945. When Claire walks through a cleft stone in an ancient henge, she's somehow transported to 1743. She encounters Frank's evil ancestor, British captain Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall, and is adopted by another clan. Claire nurses young soldier James Fraser, a gallant, merry redhead, and the two begin a romance, seeing each other through many perilous, swashbuckling adventures involving Black Jack.

I am having a hard time deciding how I feel about this book. It was difficult to read because I had a hard time getting in to it at first. Then, I decided I liked the book and wanted to continue reading, but by the time I was near the end, I just wanted the book to be over. It was very difficult to read the end of the book. If you've read this book, you know why. Some people have called me closed minded because there are just some things I don't want to read about or watch in a movie, but it's just the way I am. I wasn't emotionally ready for parts of this book as I was expecting it to be a cute historical fiction/romance/chick lit book. It was, up to a point. Overall, the book was good, but not my favorite. I haven't made up my mind about reading the rest of the series yet.

2.5 out of 5 stars for my own reasons.

More About Breaking Dawn

So I decided that I wanted to write exactly what I thought about Breaking Dawn without having to avoid spoilers. I'm going to do that here. Just follow the link...

Don't read the rest of this post unless you've read the book!!!

Click for review with spoilers
My opinions about this book have changed so much as I had time to think about it. I still really like the book, but there are some things that bothered me.

I LOVED the wedding and the beginning of the honeymoon! That was very cute and very Bella and Edward. When I realized that Bella was pregnant (getting sick after eating), I was like, "NO! How could Stephenie do that!!!" I'm still not so sure about it, but it's what Stephenie Meyer wanted, so it's how it should be, obviously!

I liked that the second book was in Jacob's perspective. It was very interesting to see things through his eyes, especially the imprinting! I really liked the chapter names; they definitely sounded very Jake-like! I was definitely weirded out about the imprinting on the baby thing, though. It was weird because she's Bella's baby. I mean, Jake kissed Bella and had some very naughty thoughts about her, and now he's in love with her CHILD?!?! WTF?! I'm still not totally happy with that part. I was hoping Jake would end up with Leah, but at least he's happy. The birth/death scene was pretty good. It was very emotional when Jake was pumping her heart and everything. I was pretty close to tears at that point.

By the way, what is up with the baby's name?! Renesmee?? You've got to be kidding me. What was Stephenie Meyer smoking when she came up with that one?! Her middle name, Carlie, would have been a better first name than Renesmee!

I really liked when Bella "woke up" as a vampire. I thought it was kind of cool how Stephenie Meyer described it. I was a little confused about why Edward wasn't being very fatherly. He didn't say anything about Renesmee when Bella "woke up" and I don't really remember him holding her that much at all! It was very weird. I thought you were supposed to love your kids more than anyone else, including your spouse!

I thought Charlie accepted everything way too well.

Jake: "I'm a werewolf and your daughter is something else, but we're not going to tell you what."

Charlie: "Ummm...OK"

??????

What kind of parent would just say "OK"??? Whatever.

I'm glad that the book had a happy ending, but the Volturi scene was so anticlimactic! It was just like, "We're going to kill you! ... Oh, um never mind. Bye!" I did really, really like Bella's power and the very end where she lets Edward into her mind. That was very cute!

So, overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think Stephenie kind of lost sight of her characters and made their personalities all weird and not like them at all! Edward was so boring and kind of shoved into the background. I liked it better when he was all protective of Bella. And what was up with him calling Jasper "Jazz"??? No one had ever called him that before! When did that start? I'm done. I just wanted to write what I really thought about the book with as many spoilers as I wanted. Sorry it kind of turned into a rant!

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Don't read this review if you haven't read the other books in this series, as it may contain spoilers!

I finally finished the book! I got it the minute it came out at Walmart, but I haven't had much time to read it. I'm glad I finished it! It was great! I think it was a good end to the saga. I'm a little sad that the series is finished, but I'm not feeling as depressed as I thought I would.

I wasn't sure I was going to like Breaking Dawn at first. I was a little unsure of where the story was going, but I started to like it more and more! I want to reread it already, but I have a lot of library books to read. I've renewed them as many times as I can already. Well, I hope Stephenie Meyer changes her mind and decides to continue to write books in this series. I have to say that it pushed the Harry Potter series out of the top spot on my favorite series list. I guess I'll just have to make do with the movie and the guide that are being released in December!

5 out of 5 stars, of course!!

Post-Reading Deprsession

I'm getting closer to the end of Breaking Dawn and I can feel that my post-reading depression (I swear it exists!) is going to be worse than usual. I'm kind of procrastinating so that I can hold it off a little longer. This happens to me a lot when I finish a really good series, or even just a really good book. It happened with the Harry Potter series, Uglies series, His Dark Materials, and Pope Joan, Eclipse, and The Host. I can't believe I'm almost finished with the Twilight series! It's not fair! I'll post about the book when I finish, and after I come out of the "depression" a little bit.

Note: I realize that post-reading depression is not really depression as it only lasts a few days or so, but it's the best way I can describe the feeling. It's pretty awful and emotionally draining.

The Waste Lands by Stephen King

This is the third book in the Dark Tower series. If you haven't read the first two books, don't read this review as it contains spoilers.

The Waste Lands is the third book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. It continues the story of Roland and his quest for the mysterious Dark Tower. As Roland, Eddie and Susannah continue their journey, Roland is fighting madness. When he stopped Jack Mort from pushing Jake in front of the car, he changed the past. If Jake didn't die, he must not have met Roland at the way station. But, if Roland didn't meet Jake at the way station, why did he remember it happening? Jake is feeling the exact same way in his own reality. He eventually finds a way to Roland's world and joins the quest for the Dark Tower. The foursome must follow the path to the Dark Tower and they have two children's books from Jake's "when" to help them.

That was a terrible synopsis, but I've found that it's very difficult to summarize the books in the Dark Tower series. Once I start my summary, I feel like I want to describe every detail. I'm trying to stay away from too many spoilers, though. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book even though it took me over a month to read it. It really had nothing to do with the book, though, it was because of a pretty crazy month. I liked The Waste Lands more than The Gunslinger and I definitely want to read the next book.

4 out of 5 stars

I'm going to reread Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse before Breaking Dawn comes out on August 2nd, so it may be a little while before I post again. I guess I could post about the books again with my opinion about them after a second read. Maybe I'll do that...

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Here is a synopsis from Amazon.com:

"Ever hear of Zeus? Michelangelo? Attila the Hun? According to 14-year-old Molly Aster they all derived their powers from starstuff that occasionally falls to Earth from the heavens. On Earth, it is the Starcatchers' job to rush to the scene and collect the starstuff before it falls into the hands of the Others who use its myriad powers for evil.

On board the ship Never Land, an orange-haired boy named Peter, the leader of a group of orphaned boys being sent off to work as servants in King Zarboff the Third's court, is puzzled by his shipmate Molly's fantastical story of starstuff, but it inextricably binds him to her. Peter vows to help his new, very pretty friend Molly (a Starcatcher's apprentice) keep a mysterious trunk full of the stuff out of the clutches of the pirate Black Stache, a host of other interested parties, and ultimately King Zarboff the Third."

This book is very cute! I love how it's a prequel to the Disney movie. It was obvioulsy written for a younger audience, but it made it very easy to read. Life has been pretty crazy lately, so I needed to read something that would be quick and easy. I love how the story explains how the orphan, Peter, went from being a "normal" boy, to the flying and forever young Peter Pan. I can't wait to read the other books in this series. I hope they're as good as this first one.

4 out of 5 stars

Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman

Once Upon a Time in the North is about the aeronaut, Lee Scoresby, when he is about 24 years old. He has just won his balloon in a poker game and is flying from city to city looking for work and adventure. He lands in Novy Odense and meets some very interesting characters there, including talking bears! He decides to help a ship captain with a customs dispute and mayhem ensues.

This book is very cute. I read it in about an hour and a half as it's only 95 pages long. It's not part of the His Dark Materials trilogy, but it has some of the same characters. It takes place 35 years or so before The Golden Compass. I really enjoyed reading about Lee Scoresby when he was young. He's my favorite character from The Golden Compass, so I definitely found this book interesting. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who liked His Dark Materials. I haven't read Lyra's Oxford yet, but I'd like to. It's similar to this book in that they are both about some of the same characters from the trilogy but are not actually part of the trilogy themselves. Anyway, Once Upon a Time in the North was a very quick, easy read, and very enjoyable.

5 out of 5 stars

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

This is a sequel. Don't read this review unless you have read the first book, One for the Money, as this contains spoilers.

Two for the Dough is the second book in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. It continues the story of Stephanie's life as a bounty hunter. This time she's looking for Kenny Mancuso, a guy who shot his friend in the knee. Joe Morelli is back on the force and is getting in Stephanie's way. They're both looking for Kenny while also trying to solve a mystery involving missing caskets.

This book was so fun to read! I really like this series. I just wish everyone else didn't love it so much, too, because it's very hard to get from the library. I sat on the waiting list for over a month before I got the book! Well, it was worth the wait. Two for the Dough was fast-paced, funny, and easy to read. I love that Stephanie has to try very hard to be a bounty hunter (and not a very good one at that!). I'm tired of the books about people who "fight crime" with the ease of a superhero. It makes Stephanie seem more real and makes the story more believable. These books remind me of Meg Cabot's Size 12 is Not Fat books. I see many similarities between Stephanie Plum and Heather Wells. I can't wait to read Three to Get Deadly! I guess I should put it on hold at the library now...

5 out of 5 stars

So, on a personal note...

My husband and I bought a house just over a month ago, and we have been completely redecorating it. I don't want to ever touch a paintbrush again in my life, but we're still not finished. We've been spending a lot of time at the house, so I haven't had as much time to read. I will try to keep updating, but we'll be moving in soon, so that will take time also. We're moving to a different county so I will be using a different library. I hope it's as good as the one I'm currently using!

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

Warning! This is a sequel to The Gunslinger. If you haven't read the first book yet, don't read this review as it contains spoilers.

The Drawing of the Three is the second book in The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. It continues the story of Roland's search for the Dark Tower. Roland must "draw" three people to help him on his quest. All three are from different times in New York City. Roland enters their minds and draws them into his world. The first is Eddie, a young drug addict; the second is Odetta, a schizophrenic; and the third is Jack, a serial killer. In some way or another, all three of these people are important to Roland's quest for the Dark Tower.

This book was definitely better than the first. It was easier to read and introduced more characters. They are really what makes the book interesting. We still don't know very much about why Roland is looking for the Dark Tower or what the tower is, but I assume eventually that will be revealed. The book was definitely pretty graphic in the violence department (it wouldn't be Stephen King without the violence, though). Overall, this book was way better than the first, and made me want to read the third book, The Wastelands.

4 out 5 stars

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

The Boleyn Inheritance tells the story of Henry VIII's fourth and fifth wives, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. Both women are very different but the both eventually learn how dangerous it is to be Henry Tudor's wife.

This book is just as interesting and emotional as The Other Boleyn Girl. I loved that it was in the perspective of the three women, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Jane Boleyn. All three women had such vastly different personalities and thoughts about what was happening. Anne was so independent and was just trying to live her life without a man telling her what she could and couldn't do, Katherine was naive and vain, and Jane was calculating and a little mad, I think. I loved this book, and I wish Philippa Gregory had written more books about Henry VIII, but this was the last one. Maybe I will find some written by other authors. I've seen them at the bookstore. I'd like to see how other authors tell the story of the Tudor family.

5 out of 5 stars

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I finally finished this book. It took me forever to read it! I liked it more than Wuthering Heights, which was written by her sister. I thought the story was interesting, but it was a bit slow. It took a lot of energy to force myself to read it. Anyway, this book is in the book 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. That leaves me with 976 books to go!

My husband and I just bought a house a little over a week ago and we've been fixing it up every weekend. So far, we have almost all of the walls primed and about half of them painted! After the painting, we need to have tile and carpet put in. I'm excited to be finished so we can move in! I have been very busy with house stuff, so I haven't updated my blogs in a while. I also noticed that reading hasn't been as fun because I feel like I'm just doing it so that I can update my blog. I may end up taking a break from blogging. I don't want to, but I want to enjoy reading again.

3 out of 5 stars

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

I finally finished The Host today. I got it last Wednesday, so it took me a little over a week to read it. I've been busy with crocheting (I've made two bags and I'm currently making bunny slippers!) and we're closing on a house tomorrow, so that's been keeping me busy, too. Anyway, back to The Host. Here is the summary from Amazon.com:

"A species of altruistic parasites has peacefully assumed control of the minds and bodies of most humans, but feisty Melanie Stryder won't surrender her mind to the alien soul called Wanderer. Overwhelmed by Melanie's memories of fellow resistor Jared, Wanderer yields to her body's longing and sets off into the desert to find him. Likely the first love triangle involving just two bodies, it's unabashedly romantic, and the characters (human and alien) genuinely endearing."

I loved this book! It was so good! I think I would love anything Stephenie writes, though. She's such an amazing writer. At first I thought the book would be really weird, but it was great! The "love triangle" was a very cool aspect of this book. I hope she writes a sequel. I want to read more about Wanderer and everyone else! I already want to reread the book. I thought I would compare it to Twilight the entire time, but I really didn't. If you liked Twilight and aren't sure if you should read The Host, you should! Go read it! Right now! You won't regret it! Can you tell I'm excited about this book?

5 out of 5 stars!

I Have The Host and I'm Loving It!

I got The Host on Wednesday, and I've been liking it a lot. The only problem is that I have a new obsession that has been taking up a lot of my time: knitting and crocheting! I've made a baby blanket, some scarves, a clutch, a baby hat, and I'm currently working on another bag. I've been writing all about my projects in my other blog which is linked on the right. Go check it out!

Tithe by Holly Black

Tithe is about a girl named Kaye who can see faeries. When she was young, she had three faerie friends. When she moves back to her childhood home with her mother, she finds her faerie friends again. They tell her about a plan to help out all faeries, and they need her help. She agrees and ends up in way over her head.

This book is very odd and I found it to be pretty confusing, especially at the end. Overall, it was an interesting book, but not my favorite. I'll probably read the next book, Valiant, just because I want to know what happens in it. I liked that Kaye was portrayed as a "real" teenager, but it also teaches young adults that it's OK and normal to smoke and drink alcohol when they're under-age. Eh, I guess Holly Black is just not my favorite author.

3 out of 5 stars

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

This book is so confusing; I don't know what to say about it. Here is a summary from Amazon.com:

"The Gunslinger introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has "moved on." Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland's quest. "

The Gunslinger is the first book in the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. My brother and father love this series and have been trying to get me to read it for a while now. I finally decided to read the first book, and it was... confusing. I still don't fully understand why Roland is looking for the Tower! My dad and brother told me that the first book is the hardest to get into, so I am looking forward to the second. Hopefully it will make more sense to me. I did enjoy this book despite the weirdness. Some of the scenes were a bit disturbing, but that's to be expected in a Stephen King book!

4 out of 5 stars

The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

This is a sequel to Peeps, so you may not want to read this review if you haven't read the first book.

Moz (short for mosquito) is confused yet excited when he sees a woman throwing all of her belongings out of her window including a "mid-seventies Fender Stratocaster with gold pickups." He, with the help of a girl named Pearl, catches the guitar and they run away with it. Pearl; Moz; Moz's friend, Zahler; Pearl's friend, Minerva; and a girl who plays the "drums" (paint buckets) on the street decide to start a band. They can tell that New York City is deteriorating around them as the disease spreads, but all they care about is signing a record deal and getting famous. Somehow, their music is causing strange things to happen and is more important than they all originally thought.

The Last Days starts out very slow. I did not realize that it is about completely different people. I figured it would start out continuing the story of Cal and Lace. I was disappointed. The book was OK, but I liked Peeps better. I have to say that the second half of The Last Days is much better than the first. It eventually got to the point where I really wanted to finish the book to see what would happen. I'm definitely taking a Scott Westerfeld break. The books I've read recently by him just haven't been all that great.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Prom Nights from Hell by Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, Stephenie Meyer and Lauren Myracle

Prom Nights from Hell is a collection of short stories by popular YA writers. Obviously, all of the stories are about prom, and they all have a supernatural element to them. I picked up this book because Stephenie Meyer wrote one of the stories. I was also interested in the one by Meg Cabot, but I haven't even heard of the other three authors.

The first story is called "The Exterminator's Daughter" and it's written by Meg Cabot. It's about a girl who hunts and kills vampires. She happens to do just that at her prom. This story is not Meg Cabot at her best. I was very disappointed. The reactions of the characters seemed very unrealistic. Overall, this story was just OK.
3 out of 5 stars

The second story is "The Corsage" by Lauren Myracle. The author says that the story was inspired by "The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs, and she's not kidding. It's the same premise, but it takes place during the prom and is obviously more modern. The main character, Frankie, is given a corsage that can grant three wishes to the person in possession of it. Frankie thinks it's great until she realizes that she must be very careful what she wishes for! This story is just plain creepy. I have also read "The Monkey's Paw" which was quite creepy. "The Corsage" was OK, but I feel that it wasn't a very original idea.
3 out of 5 stars

The third story is "Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper" by Kim Harrison. Madison is not having a very good time at the prom; she just found out that her date only asked her because he felt sorry for her. She is about to leave when she sees Seth. A gorgeous guy she had not seen at school before. They dance together and he offers her a ride home. She agrees but soon realizes how stupid it was to get into the car with someone she doesn't know. This story was very weird! I'm still confused about it. It leaves a lot of loose ends which is kind of annoying.
2.5 out of 5 stars

The fourth short story is "Kiss and Tell" by Michele Jaffe. This story is about Miranda Kiss, a girl with amazing abilities like super speed, super strength, super hearing... you get the idea. She works as a chauffeur, picking passengers up from the airport mostly, and on the day of the prom she picks up a 14-year-old girl named Sibby. After much annoyance, Miranda drops Sibby off at her house, but she feels that something isn't quite right so she goes back to investigate. The people at the house are trying to hurt Sibby. Miranda breaks in and takes Sibby away to hide out at the prom. Who is this young girl and why are so many people after her? This story was definitely the most confusing and weird. I didn't like it at all.
2 out of 5 stars

The last story is "Hell on Earth" by Stephenie Meyer. This is why I read this book. I loved Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse so I wanted to read anything I could by Stephenie Meyer. This story is basically about angels and demons (not the Dan Brown book!). Specifically, it's about a demon who is trying to ruin the prom. This was definitely the best story of the five. I liked it a lot.
4 out of 5 stars

Overall, this book was OK. I liked the story by Stephenie Meyer and the rest were OK. Overall, I would give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

I'm not sure how to summarize A Great and Terrible Beauty without feeling like I'm giving too much away, so here is what it says on Amazon.com:

"Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother’s death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls’ academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms of her visions "for a bit of fun" and to taste the power they will never have as Victorian wives, but they discover that the delights of the realms are overwhelmed by a menace they cannot control. Gemma is left with the knowledge that her role as the link between worlds leaves her with a mission to seek out the "others" and rebuild the Order."

I could not get into this book at all. I don't know why. I really wanted to like this book, but I can't force it. It was well written and I liked that the girls wanted to amount to something more than just obedient wives, but that's about all I liked about it. I guess this trilogy just isn't for me. I probably won't read the next two books because I just don't really feel the need to. I'm very disappointed now. Oh well, on to the next book on my forever increasing "to-be-read shelf"!

2.5 out of 5 stars

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Do not read this if you haven't read City of Bones because this review will contain spoilers!

Clary and the Shadowhunters are back in this sequel to City of Bones. The Clave suspects that Jace is acting as a spy for Valentine, his father, and ends up in the Silent City. While he is there, it comes under attack and the second mortal instrument, a sword, is taken. Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Alec, and Simon must stop Valentine from killing children and from using the mortal instruments. Clary and Jace must also fight their feelings for each other now that they know they are brother and sister.

I really like the plot of this series and I find the books very engaging, but the incestuous feelings between Clary and Jace are kind of creepy. I have a feeling they will find out that they aren't really brother and sister, but for now, it's really weird! It really is hard to get past that part of City of Ashes, especially since I have a brother and... eww! I will definitely read the next book when it comes out, though, because I want to know what happens. I want Clary and Jace to be able to be together so I hope they aren't really brother and sister!

3.5 out of 5 stars (for the creepy incest)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

It took me so long to read Wuthering Heights! It's only just over 300 pages and I think it took me longer to read this book than The Pillars of the Earth, which is over 900 pages! I guess it's the language.

Mr. Lockwood moves into a property called Thrushcross Grange. He visits his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff, who lives in a property called Wuthering Heights. He discovers that Heathcliff is a very odd, rude man and decides to ask the housekeeper at Thrushcross Grange, Nelly, about him. Nelly begins a very long story about Heathcliff's life and the people he hurt along the way.

This book was so depressing! Heathcliff is so mean to everyone in his life including the woman he loves! It was interesting that the book was in Mr. Lockwood's perspective until Nelly is telling her story but then goes back to Mr. Lockwood's perspective near the end. It was very difficult to concentrate on this book because of the language and it just wasn't that interesting. I'm glad I read it, though, since it's a classic. Wuthering Heights is one of the books in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, so I have now read 24 of them! Time for a nice easy young adult book next!

2 out of 5 stars (because of the depressing nature of the book and the fact that it wasn't capturing my attention)

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

It has taken me so long to finish this book. April is the month of birthdays in my family (my mom, myself, my cousin, my aunt, my brother and my husband) so I have been busy with all of that. Also, my brother-in-law is staying with us during his high school's spring break. I'm glad I finished the book today, though, because it's due back to the library today!

The Other Boleyn Girl is an historical fiction about the rivalry between Mary and Anne Boleyn who are sisters. Mary, the younger sister, is a lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine, Henry VIII's wife, when she starts to notice the king is paying special attention to her. Her family notices, too, and they push Mary to become the king's mistress. Her older sister, Anne, is jealous that Mary is getting all of the attention, but there is nothing she can do. Eventually, the king tires of Mary and Anne captures his attention. The rest of the book is about Anne's journey to the throne and what she is willing to do to get there and then stay there.

The Other Boleyn Girl is told in the first person perspective of Mary Boleyn. It makes it very interesting to see the story through the eyes of the "underdog", the one who couldn't become queen. I loved the descriptions in this book, especially of the sibling rivalry between Mary and Anne; it made me glad that I don't have a sister! At first, I was sad that Henry chose Anne over Mary, but then I realized that it was definitely better for Mary that way, I mean, at least she kept her head on her shoulders! (OK, bad joke, I know) Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I liked it a lot more than The Constant Princess which is also by Philippa Gregory but is about Queen Katherine. I definitely want to read more books about the Tudors especially Gregory's next book, The Boleyn Inheritance.

5 out of 5 stars

Midnighters 2: Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld

Touching Darkness is the second book in the Midnighters trilogy. It continues the story of Jessica Day and her friends, the Midnighters, who experience the secret hour that happens at midnight every night. In this book, Jessica, Rex, Dess, Jonathan, and Melissa learn more about Midnighter history and discover a horrifying secret that began 50 years earlier. They need to learn to work together if they want to save one of their own.

I feel like I've been reading so many Scott Westerfeld books lately, but it's because he has so many series and I'm just reading my books as I get them from the long list I have at the library. I think Touching Darkness was better than the first book, The Secret Hour. It had more action and kept my attention more. I felt The Secret Hour kind of dragged, especially in the beginning. I will definitely put the third book on my list of holds at the library.

4 out of 5 stars

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum is having major money troubles. She's selling off her appliances just so she can eat, and she doesn't want to get evicted from her apartment. If that happened she would have to move in with her overbearing mother! She finds out that her cousin Vinnie has a job opening at his business. Vinnie is a bail-bondsman and he's looking for a bounty hunter. Stephanie really needs the money so she takes the job. Vinnie gives her a week to find and bring in a man who's wanted for murder. Not only is this guy a murderer, but Stephanie realizes he is the boy she lost her virginity to when she was 16!

I know a lot of people who are in love with the Stephanie Plum series, so I was looking forward to reading the first book in the series, One for the Money. At first, I couldn't figure out why everyone loves this book so much, but now that I'm finished, I want to know what happens in the next book! Stephanie reminds me of a less annoying Heather Wells from Meg Cabot's Size 12 is Not Fat series. I like that Stephanie is just a regular girl trying to be tough in a scary job. I will definitely continue to read this series.

4 out of 5 stars