This is a place for my opinions on what I read, some movies or whatever else I find interesting. I love reading. I can find something positive about everything I read, at least I hope I can. I understand it takes a great deal of love and effort to write a book and to get it published. An author does not set out to write a crappy book, this is/was their baby. They got up at all hours of the night to feed it.
I don't see how you can give a true review of a book rushing through it. Don't you need to savor it a bit? I don't want my opinion to discourage anyone from reading. I hope you find something here you find interesting.
I buy most of my books, I get a few ARC, and I visit my library when my funds are low. I'm not trying to get you to buy anything by my opinions on the books I've read. I don't care if you buy it, borrow it, or check it out at the library. Just read. :)
SUMMARY: (from book jacket) Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust. They just know they can't trust each other.
OPINION: I really enjoyed this book. I like the characters. I wish there was more on the relationship between Lia and James. The book is basically about Lia discovering her part in the prophecy and trying to stop it for future generations. Lia discovers, with the help of some unusual friends, how to deal with this responsibility that has been bestowed upon her. Nothing is really resolved by the end of this book, but there is going to be a book 2due out August 2010, Guardian of the Gate. I think there is a really good story here, the first book just had to get the story started. I have a feeling Lia might find it harder and harder to do the right thing. Looking forward to the story continuing.
SUMMARY: (from book jacket) Samantha Kingston has it all- looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it's her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she relives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.
OPINION: I thought the beginning of the book was really hard to get through. I really didn't like Sam and her circle of friends. The book was kind of like Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day. Over and over again reading about this girl, who is just unlikeable, trying to convince you she is not as bad as she seems. I am glad the author didn't put on the blame on Lindsay, Sam's best friend. It seemed like that was the way she was going for awhile. I believe Sam was just as rotten as her friends and they are each to blame for the path they have taken. In her desperate attempts to move on from February 12 to February 13, Sam eventually becomes more likable as she takes responsibility for the person she was and tries to change the person she will be remembered for. The book didn't end the way I wanted it to, but that is for my own selfish reasons, the ending was perfect for the story.
SUMMARY: Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the Small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.
OPINION: I love the thickness of this book at 500+ pages I was expecting a great story, not full of fillers, and I got one. I loved the story, I loved the characters, and although 500+ pages is long, I wanted the story to continue. The book cover is beautiful too. I love that the book has two authors. I wasn't sure if the story would flow having different authors but it did. I was raised in the South and my home town did the whole Civil War reenactment thing too, MTV was banned for awhile, and everyone knew everyone's business, and ghost stories weren't just fables, so I totally got this book. I think you'll get a little taste of the South reading it too. Yes, you will wait Forever for Lena to turn sixteen,hundreds of pages you will be waiting, but that's what the whole story is centered around. Lena knows she will never be normal, but she wants to have as many teenage experiences as possible before it may be to late. Ethan needs Lena as much as she needs him. After the death of his mother, Ethan has been a little lost. Ethan and Lena find comfort, friendship and love in one another and they might just be able to conquer anything as long as they can hold on and not let go. When you enter Ravenwood, where Lena lives with here shut in Uncle Macon, be prepared to leave reality at the door and let your imagination lead the way. Ethan may have thought Gatlin was a little strange before but things change drastically when he meets Lena's extended family. He discovers his odd family has been hiding a few secrets of their own. Great read. The last paragraph caught me off guard, what a great twist.
"Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures." {page 446}
I bought a book at a library book sale, it had a strange odor. Someone gave me this suggestion to remove the smell, and it worked, so I thought I'd share. Put the book in a ziploc bag along with 1/3 cup(more or less) of Arm & Hammer baking soda and seal shut. Leave the book alone for 2 or 3 days. It worked for me, hope it helps you too.
