Bite Club by Rachel Caine

I got seriously "sucked" into this series (couldn't help the pun). I have been patiently awaiting the arrival of this book from my library hold list, and have been trying to get my teenage vampire fix elsewhere. That attempt has been dissatisfying and I am so glad I finally got to read this book! There is so much character development in this series, added to a fantastic and complicated plot, and TONS of action and adventure! I just ate it right up.

A little bit of background for those of you that might be unfamiliar with the series:

Claire Danvers is an exceptionally intelligent teenager with a passion for science. She could attend college at M.I.T, but her parents don't think it's a good idea for her to go so far away at the ripe young age of 16. So instead they enroll her at TPU, Texas Prairie University, which is only a couple of hours from home. Upon her arrival at TPU, Claire knows this has been a bad match. Claire narrowly escapes a murder attempt by a gaggle of mean girls who throw her down a flight of stairs. Too afraid to continue living in the dorms, Claire sets out to find an alternative place to live: The Glass House. After much persuasion, Claire becomes a housemate and fast friend to Eve (Goth Girl), Michael (Ghost Boy), and Shane (seriously hot and angry boy). But things don't settle down for Claire. She manages to get herself mixed up with the town's vampires, leading her and her friends into all sorts of hairy trouble.

So, in this book (#10 in the series), Claire finds herself trying to save her boyfriend Shane from self-destruction. The town's Founder's evil father has escaped imprisonment and returned to seek revenge on his daughter and the town's humans. But first he needs an army and funding, and Shane sort of unwillingly becomes a participant in this mad scheme to destroy the town. The old man orchestrates a version of Fight Club that involves humans versus vampires, and streams the fights over the internet. Claire and her friends discover Shane's secret and set out to convince him to ditch it before the Founder finds out and orders him and all other participants killed.

All this before the book's halfway point.

I read this in less than 6 hours because I couldn't bear to put it down. This series has very little dull moments. Things are always moving at a break-neck pace and I find myself reading voraciously and flipping pages feverishly to discover what happens next. If you're looking for an entertaining series, this one's a shoo-in.

Marked (House of Night #1) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

A young librarian recommended this series to me as I was checking out a Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires) book. Immediately I logged onto goodreads to see people's reviews. Had I heeded those reviews, I probably would not be in the predicament I am now: I was entertained by the book, but distracted by the lack of quality writing. The teenage dialogue seemed so unrealistic and forced. I spend 40 hours a week surrounded by teenagers, and I've never once heard them say, "hee hee." How about the continuous and confusing misuse of 'affect' and 'effect'? Isn't it customary for a manuscript to go through a rather lengthy process of editing before it is printed? Reading this book has given me hope that the novel I've been writing for 5 years has potential to eventually be published. But I'd lobby for a better editor...

Zoey is floundering through her normal high school routine when suddenly she is approached by a strange man near her locker. He Marks her, meaning he tags her as a vampyre (why is it spelled like this, anyway? Do the authors have something against the usual way - vampIre? That is never explained in the book, either.) She rushes home to tell her mother, running into her drunken boyfriend and his friends, who are absolutely horrified by her new Marking. When she shows her mother the Mark, her mother shies away in disgust and panics. Immediately she calls her new husband, a member of the People of Faith, who calls the pastor and the family psychologist to the house. Zoey retreats to her bedroom and escapes, driving to her Cherokee grandmother's lavender farm. Luckily her grandmother is more understanding and brings her to the House of Night before she dies from all the coughing (??). Her roommate, whose name I can't seem to remember even though I finished reading only moments before writing this, has a thick Southern accent and is very naive. She introduces Zoey to her friends and they accept Zoey quickly. Enter Aphrodite, the leader of the "mean girls" at House of Night. She is in training to be the High Priestess, but also makes it her mission to destroy Zoey. Naturally, Aphrodite's ex-boyfriend is interested in Zoey, and that just adds fuel to an already raging fire.

This book lacks many things, in my opinion, but what it does not lack is teenage drama. However, several of the characters aren't developed enough (Erik especially), and this makes it difficult for the reader to identify with them.

The marking on my book says "Young Adult", but I don't know that I'd agree with that since there are very inappropriate references to things that young adults needn't really be aware of...yet.

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Wow.
I've only read one other book by Elin Hilderbrand (The Blue Bistro), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So, naturally I had high expectations for this one - and Elin did NOT disappoint. She writes in such a way that I feel like I KNOW each character. She is such an expert at characterization. The plot is simple yet deep, and I like that because it allows the reader to really become acquainted with each character and their particular situations.

Birdie is recently divorced from millionaire Grant Cousins and is enjoying the company of a new man, Hank, whose wife has fallen ill to Alzheimer's and permanently resides in a caretaking facility. Her daughter, Chess, calls in the middle of the night to tell her that her wedding to perfect man Michael Morgan is off. Chess moves back home with Birdie in Connecticut, and Birdie decides to take Chess to her family's summer home on Tuckernuck island, off the island of Nantucket. Birdie's other daughter, Tate, who makes a very nice living as a computer consultant, calls to tell Birdie she is coming to the summer house, too. At the last minute, Birdie invites her sister India, whose famous sculptor husband committed suicide fifteen years ago. Together these four women set off to Tuckernuck, leaving the fast pace of the mainland for a more primitive existence on an island without electricity and warm water. Each woman carries with her a secret, along with the hope that Tuckernuck will save them from themselves.

With the end of the book comes some kind of closure for each character, depending on her need. But, it also provides hope for the future, a revival of sorts. Additionally, Hilderbrand's novels have instilled in me the 'itch' to spend part of a summer in Nantucket. So, if you have any connections or advice on where to inexpensively stay for a week or so, please be so kind as to share. I've got Nantucket on the brain for summer 2012!

(I have to thank my friend Rebecca for not only turning me on to Ms. Hilderbrand, but for also being my supplier!)

Despite its thickness, this book is a fast read. And it will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy afterward :) Enjoy!

The 5 Love Languages by Gary D. Chapman

Written by a man who served as a marriage counselor for 30 years, The 5 Love Languages is a book about, well, love languages. "Love Languages" is a term that Chapman designed to explain what works best for people in a marriage, namely what makes a person feel loved. The 5 languages are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

Chapman describes that each person involved in a relationship (marriage) has something called a "love tank". When a person's tank is full, they are happy in their marriage, but when their love tank is less than full or even empty they become dissatisfied with their marriage. How do you know whether your partner's tank is full or empty? Pay attention to what your partner nags you about or witholds from you: that is probably their love language. For example, if your partner constantly nags you to take out the trash or load the dishwasher, their love language might be Acts of Service.

According to Chapman, many a marriage has been rekindled and resurrected by deciphering which love language your partner speaks and then "speaking" that language to them and filling their love tank.

Not everyone speaks the same love language, AND some people are bilingual.

It would be ideal for both partners in a relationship to read this book, determine each other's love language, and then use Chapman's tips to fill each other's love tanks.

The terminology is cheesy but the idea just might work. He cites many examples in detail and he encourages that it would give any struggling marriage a boost.

{Maybe someone should forward this book to the Catholic Church to use in place of their Pre-Cana marriage seminar/workshop. A priest lecturing couples on sex and family planning might not be the best method of marriage instruction. Gary Chapman would be a much better, more practical and realistic choice!}

Ghost Town (The Morganville Vampires) by Rachel Caine

Well, I have finally finished reading all the books from this series that I can get my hands on. There is one more on hold at the library, and I think the author has another one coming out in November. I was really captivated by this series, especially the earlier books. I love Claire - she is brainy and attractive, has a devoted hunky boyfriend, has parents that love her immensely, and she is crucial to keeping Morganville running. Much of the time the cards are in her hands, even though her life is constantly being threatened. She has way too many close calls...

Caine has artfully created a world in which vampires and humans live together, but under forced and regulated (mostly) conditions. Humans are free to roam during the day, but once dusk arrives they shut themselves in for fear of the vampires who roam at night. Each human citizen pays taxes, but not in the form of money. Instead, each person must donate blood once a month at the blood bank, and that blood becomes meal replacements for the vampires. But there are always some less-than-cautious humans who allow themselves to be bitten, and it usually works out o.k., except when a vampire can't stop. Many people hate living in Morganville, but unfortunately can't leave due to the town's strict border control and mind-altering effects. Those that do leave never come back, except for Claire's boyfriend Shane and his father who seek to avenge relatives' deaths. What will happen when the system breaks down and Claire is commissioned to help fix it? And what if things go terribly wrong once the machine is up and running? Who will save the town from Myrnin's psychotic grasp?

Just when I thought she couldn't possibly come up with any more unique ideas to keep the series going, I was surprised! Each book presents a new, seemingly impossible problem that Claire somehow is needed to help with.

As a devoted Twilight fan, I highly recommend this series as a contender at least, but maybe better? It's just different, so hard to compare. A quick, entertaining read of adventure, action, risk, love, and survival.

Something Borrowed (plus others by Emily Giffin)

I'm kind of cheating here because I didn't actually read the book. However, I just watched the movie on my day off (thank you Rosh Hashanah!). I have been putting off watching the movie because the book is on my to-read list and I like to read the book first. But last night I was standing at the Red Box by our house and this was the only movie that appealed to me so I rented it. I've read a couple of Emily Giffin's books: Love the One You're With and The Heart of the Matter. I liked the first but not the latter. Not really, anyway. Both books entertained the themes of disloyalty and infidelity, but for whatever reason Love the One You're With had more redemptive qualities. The Heart of the Matter left me feeling agitated and sad. Quick rundown: the main characters are Tessa and Nick, who live a comfortable life with their children in a nice neighborhood. Nick is a surgeon who begins to go through some sort of mid-life crisis (in my opinion). Basically, he forgets who he is and blames it all on his wife. He enters into an affair with a single mother whose child has been badly injured in an accident. He eventually confesses to his wife what he's done and begs for forgiveness. At first she tells him to get out, but then later decides to forgive him. While this might make her seem weak to some people, I actually saw her as brave. She had been deeply hurt and betrayed by the man that she loved and she tried everything she could think of to make him happy. He was a surgeon that was hardly home, and instead of putting forth effort into maintaining a relationship with the woman he fell in love with he ran away to another woman. So when he begged for forgiveness and she eventually granted it, I perceived her character as strong enough to realize that even though people (especially men) make very stupid mistakes sometimes it doesn't mean they don't deserve a second chance. If she had decided to hold onto her anger she would have only hurt herself more. We don't always have it all together, and sometimes we need others to see our strengths over our faults. She loved him, and I believe that she let her unconditional love for him allow her forgiveness and acceptance. It takes a strong woman to do what she did.

Now onto Something Borrowed. I enjoyed the movie. Rachel and Dex were likable, and Ethan was a strong supporting character who helped Rachel to realize the truth. Once she gained a better sense of who she was and who she wanted to be, she was able to tell Dex that the ball was in his court and that she wasn't going to sit around and be second-in-line. There is this theme of cheating that continues to present itself in Emily Giffin's stories, but it seems that she uses it to test her chracters and push them to realize who they are and who they want to be. And that's what life is: a constant test to help us decide who we are and who we want to be.

I'm looking for Something Blue next - any reviews?

Heaven is for Real

I'll begin by mentioning that I didn't need a book to tell me that Heaven is real. I know it's real. But I requested this book from the library months ago because of a couple reasons. It was on the New York Times Bestseller list for like, ever, AND more than one person recommended it to me. So it arrived and I read it, rather quickly in fact. It is a fast read.

For those of you that haven't heard of this book, here's the gist. A pastor and his family, who live in Nebraska, had a run of misfortune. Just when they thought things had turned a corner, their young son got very ill and needed an emergency appendectomy. All of his internal organs were toxic and he needed additional surgery after the appendectomy to further clean out the toxins. The young boy was practically on his death bed, but then miraculously recovered. This part I believed.

Not long after his release from the hospital, the young boy indicated to his parents through a series of comments that he had been to Heaven, had seen God, conversed with Jesus, and met dead relatives. The boy was four, but it took the family YEARS to find out about his "trip" to Heaven during the appendectomy. I absolutely believe the boy had this spiritual experience because I have had the blessing of knowing someone who had a similar meeting with Jesus as a young child. I believe that Jesus comes to people in their times of need, especially children who are quick to believe, unlike most adults. Children's hearts are pure and innocent and they radiate love, which makes them more receptive to spiritual "visits" and guidance.

What bothered me about this book was the preachy tone, the frequent use of scripture references to validate the young boy's spiritual story, and the author's (father's) assumption that the boy had no prior knowledge of things the boy referenced about Heaven. The father is a pastor and I just cannot believe that the family's home did not center around God, Jesus, and other scriptural references. And I didn't understand why the family waited so long to get information from the boy about this rare and important "visit". The book seems like a ploy to get money (which they have no doubt accomplished) and try to save all the non-believers.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I wanted it to speak to me and reveal things that would help me on my own life journey. But it really didn't. I am joyful that this young boy had such an awesome spiritual experience that he was able to share with his family and the world. I just wish there had been more details about that, and less of the evangelical preachiness.

But read it. It may speak differently to you.

THE REALLY COOL THING about this book is the reference to a young prodigy named Akiane. She is a Lithuanian-American born to atheist parents, and she began having spiritual visions as a four year old. This piqued my interested because she wasn't raised in a spiritual or religious home, yet she had visions of heaven and angels and, believe it or not, Jesus. She was featured on CNN and Oprah, specifically because of what she did with her visions. She is a prodigy painter and has created masterful paintings of her visions. One of these depicts Jesus as she claims to have seen him, which if you read the book mentioned above, you will learn that the parents of young Colton tried numerous times to find pictures of Jesus and have Colton confirm that's what Jesus looks like. The only picture Colton said "yes" to was the one that this young girl Akiane painted. Click on the link belowto get to the picture, and please take some time to browse her other paintings. Keep in mind she was a child (8 years old) when she painted Jesus, which to me looks like professional quality.

http://www.akiane.com/store/

Scroll down to Age 8 and it's the second painting in, titled "Prince of Peace"

Let me know what you think after you look at these photos!