The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black

I read all five books of The Spiderwick Chronicles in a row. The books are about Jared Grace; his twin brother, Simon; and their older sister Mallory. The siblings move into their great-aunt's old house with their mother. Not long after, strange things begin to happen that can't be explained. Jared finds a book that his great-great-uncle had written that contains information about faeries that we can't see although they live in our world. Jared soon discovers that there are faeries who want the book and they'll do anything to get it.

There are five very short books in this series. It could have been written as one larger book, though. They were a very short, easy read. I enjoyed these books even though they are written for a much younger audience. I would say that they are similar in appearance and have the same target audience as the A Series of Unfortunate Events books. I thought this was a cute series and it's great for younger kids. I'm interested in seeing the movie now to see how it compares to the books.

3 out of 5 stars

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns is about two women, from two generations, living in Afghanistan. The book begins with the story of Mariam, a young girl who is forced to marry a 40-year-old man when she is 15. She moves with him to the city of Kabul where she doesn't know anyone. He becomes violent when Mariam is unable to have a child. Many years later Mariam's husband takes another wife, Laila, who's parents were killed in an explosion. Mariam and Laila must band together to survive their husband's brutal beatings and protect the children.

This is a very emotional and difficult book to read, but it's worth it. It definitely made me appreciate my life even more. I read the book in one day because I couldn't put it down. This book affected me so much I had dreams about it! I will read Hosseini's other book, The Kite Runner, eventually, but I will definitely read something less sad before then. I'll probably read The Spiderwick Chronicles next.

4 out of 5 stars

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

Well, it took forever for my library to deliver my book (A Thousand Splendid Suns) so I read Big Boned by Meg Cabot while I waited. Big Boned is the third book in Meg Cabot's mystery series. I read the first two books right after they were released, so I was excited to read this third book. The series is about Heather Wells, a former pop singer, and her life as an assistant dorm director at New York College. She loves her job except for the part where people keep dying in the dorm. In Big Boned Heather's new boss is killed, and Heather, as usual, investigates the murder herself while trying to get the attention of her landlord, Cooper.

Meg Cabot definitely delivers with this book. It's funny and suspenseful and just a fun, easy read. It's easy to relate to Heather, with her body image issues (hence the title of the book) and her boyfriend troubles. It's obviously unrealistic for so many murders to take place in the same building within one year, but it's what makes the books entertaining. I can't wait for the next book to be released!

I would give Big Boned 4 out of 5 stars.

Next, I will finally read A Thousand Splendid Suns now that I have it from the library.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess

Stardust is about Tristran Thorn, a young man from the town of Wall. After seeing a shooting star, he promises the girl he loves that he will find the star and bring it back to her. However, when he finds the star he is surprised to find that it is actually a woman, and he is not the only one looking for her. Tristran discovers that he must protect the star because her life is in danger.

I should have read this book before I saw the movie. It was less exciting because I knew what would happen and I couldn't stop comparing the book to the movie, but I did like it very much. This is definitely not a children's fairy tale! It has sex and violence and some adult language in it. Some of the scenes were far more violent than I was expecting! I liked the story and the illustrations were beautiful. The movie followed the book fairly well except for a few details that were not vital to the story. I would definitely recommend this book especially if you liked or are interested in seeing the movie.

I have so many books on my to be read list right now! I'm just waiting for my library to deliver my books!

First Impressions - Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess

I am about one quarter of the way through Stardust and, of course, I can't help but to compare it to the movie. I wish I had read it before I saw the movie, but I didn't even know the movie was based on a book when I saw it. The book is about a young man, Tristran Thorn, and his quest to retrieve a fallen star. I like the story so far and I'll post my full review after I finish the book.

Note: My cat, Mo, had his surgery and is doing a lot better. He needs to stay at the vet for over a week, though. We miss him a lot!

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Specials is the final book in the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. It concludes the story of Tally Youngblood and her world. Tally becomes a special along with her friends. When she is supposed to betray her old friends again, she starts to question what she's doing...again.

Specials was definitely more dark and sad than Uglies and Pretties. It was a bit much for me considering what is happening in my life right now (see note below). I still loved the book and the entire trilogy. It's definitely a cautionary tale like Brave New World. I know that there is a fourth book called Extras, but I don't have it right now so I think I'll move on to something else. I'll come back to it another time. The next book I'm going to read is Stardust by Neil Gaiman. I have a ton of books on hold at the library and I'm just waiting to receive them! I'm number 50 something of 70 holds for the new Oprah book club book!

Note: I actually finished this book on Saturday, but I didn't write the review until now because our cat, Mo, has been having some major health issues. He was at the emergency vet all weekend and he needs surgery today or tomorrow. I've been very worried about him. He's only a year old and already needs surgery. Keep him in your thoughts for me.

First Impressions - Specials by Scott Westerfeld

Specials is the third book in Scott Westerfeld's trilogy. Tally is a special with her friend, Shay. The specials must have altered her brain again because she never would have wanted to be special in the other books. I'm only about 100 pages into the book, so not a lot has happened. I'll write my full review when I'm finished!

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Pretties is the second book in the trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. It continues the story of Tally Youngblood. She is turned into a pretty so she can save her friend. When she eventually is given a cure she realizes she needs to get out of the city with her friends.

This book seemed darker to me than Uglies. I still loved it and I'm excited to read Specials, the final book in the trilogy. The books get more and more exciting as they progress. I finished the book in a day and a half. These books are great for a fun and quick read. I definitely recommend reading them.

First Impressions - Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

I am already about 100 pages into Pretties by Scott Westerfeld. This is the second book in the Uglies trilogy. I can tell I'm going to like this book as much as I liked the first. It was hard to put it down just to write this post. Tally is a pretty! I can't wait to find out what happens and where David is... I'll post the full review when I finish!

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I just finished Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It is about a young girl, Tally, who wants to be pretty like all other fifteen year old girls, and in her world that dream comes true...for everyone. Every single person has major full-body re constructive surgery to make them pretty as soon as they turn sixteen. Tally's world is turned upside down when she meets Shay, a soon-to-be-sixteen year old who doesn't want to be pretty. Shay runs away and Tally is sent to find her along with other "uglies" who had run away to avoid the surgery. Along the way, Tally learns some things that are less than great about being pretty, like the brain lesions...

This book is great. It definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. I finished it in two days, so it is an easy, fun read. I think that Scott Westerfeld is definitely making a statement about our society and where it is headed. We already have sixteen year olds (and even younger kids) who go get plastic surgery to look "pretty". Looking pretty has become the ultimate goal because pretty people seem to get whatever they want. I noticed some similarities between Uglies and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (which is one of my favorite books and I think everyone should read it). In both books, the society is being controlled through brain alterations first of all, and secondly through pleasure and happiness. They keep the pretties happy and let them do whatever they want so that they remain docile and complacent. It is the same way in Brave New World.

I thought this book was great, and I can't wait to read the next one, Pretties. That's the next book I'll be reviewing. I hope it's as good as Uglies!

First Impressions - Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

I just started Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, and I'm about 100 pages into it. My first impressions are that it is an easy and interesting read. It is about a girl named Tally who is "ugly". She can't wait to turn sixteen so that she can have a surgery to make her "pretty". Her friend, Peris, has already had the surgery and moved from Uglyville to New Pretty Town. It is a constant party in New Pretty Town. There are no rules, and everyone is beautiful. Tally meets a girl who is also an Ugly named Shay. Shay doesn't want to have the surgery to become pretty, though, so she runs away. This is as far as I've gotten in the book so far. I definitely want to continue reading. It is a fast read and fairly amusing. I think Scott Westerfeld is definitely making a statement about our society and the way it is going. I will review the entire book after I finish it!

My First Post!

So, this is my very first post on my blog. I'm very excited!

Here is a little about me before I start reviewing books:
My name is Katie, and I obviously love to read. I married my wonderful husband in December 2007 and we have two cats, Mo and Charlie. Besides reading I also like to cook, crochet, see movies, play video games, and just hang out with family and friends.

I will be reviewing any and all of the books that I read. Enjoy my reviews and feel free to leave me comments!