Little Miss Bookmark

Newton Neighbors was ... okay. I didn't feel really strongly about it either way. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't bad. I've had quite a few of these books lately. The great thing is that I think there is a really big chance that books later in this author's life will be pretty spectacular. The story is just missing that special something. That one thing that can transform that "meh" book into magic.

The story that Suzy Duffy created was actually pretty good. Duffy must be amazingly perceptive. She really nailed her characters. They were so thought out. The conversations that went on in this book ... they didn't feel stiff or overworked. It really flowed well. This is not one of those books that you have to put down because it becomes too much or the descriptions are horribly long or the conversations are nothing that would actually happen in real life. This book just didn't have that.

I was pretty entertained through the whole thing but it just left me wanting. It was just okay. But I really liked how the novel started. That actually made me look at how I feel when a babysitter comes to watch our boys. Those "mommy feelings" were really spot on. Duffy is really an artist when creating characters.

As I was reading, I started to wonder if she just sat around recording actual conversations because there were quite a few that I've had with my husband and girlfriends.

I think I just wasn't the target audience for this book. I love Real Housewives (that's what I thought this book would be like) but this isn't Real Housewives of New Jersey ... which is my favorite ... because of the epic arguments. I think I need something with just a little more drama and action. But this is perfect if you're looking for a lighthearted read while on a train, plane or automobile (great movie, btw).

** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

This is one of those few books for me that just did not click. I didn't get it. I didn't like it and I didn't agree with it.

I couldn't even finish the whole thing. I just couldn't. I tried and I just couldn't. And this wasn't like a gradual thing ... like the book was good in the beginning and then it started to taper off ... no. This was a bad experience for me from the very beginning.

The fact that so many people have given this book four and five stars just BAFFLES me!! I just don't understand how this was a good book. I get the short stories. I kinda like the darkness and taboo-ish-ness of the stories but I just didn't connect to them.

I actually reread some of the interviews because I was honestly wondering if I had missed something. Was I reading too fast? Skimming? Not paying attention? Oh, no. I was right the first time. I paid attention, the book just didn't do it for me.

The kicker is that the movie version of the book looks interesting. It looked funny and entertaining ... I just can't figure out how this book translated into THAT.

Not for me. But it might be the best book ever to you. Good luck.

http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

Before I dive into this review, I have a little story to tell about this book. I was looking for something to read last month and I came across this book on my "To Read" list. So I grab my Nook and go to download it. But it's not available! And I hate it when that happens. For some reason, I see it as a challenge ... OH, you don't want me to read this book, Barnes & Noble?!? Well, guess what, I'm totally going to use my Kindle app then!! That will show B & N!

Read about how I finally was able to read Velocity at http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/

Okay, all of that being said ... I am going to give a completely honest opinion of the book. My interaction with Worland and my love of Bootmen will not sway my thoughts or feelings on the book at all. It totally should, though. Bootmen kicks butt.

So ... diving in ... Velocity took me a bit by surprise. I don't know what I was expecting but it definitely wasn't what I encountered on that first page. Reading a new (to me) author, I try to go in with an open mind ... no prejudgements or expectations. You get thrown into the story right away. There's no ... meet this character or here's some background info. No, you are right there in the middle of things immediately. And while it felt like being pushed into the deep end, I found it pretty refreshing.

You don't know from one paragraph to the next what the end result is going to be with Velocity. Just when you think you know what is going on or whose side someone is on ... oh, no you don't. You're wrong. I grew attached to a few of the characters pretty early in the book ... I don't know why ... but there was this one bad guy that I was actually rooting for when he met an untimely demise. That was a bit shocking. I had to put the book down for the rest of the day on that one. And the kicker is that he wasn't even this super important character! I think it may be because Worland writes these ... lifelike ... characters.

I really found myself getting wrapped up in this book. It reads like a movie and by that, I mean that it reads in such an explosive and animated way that it's really brought to life as you read. The main character is named Judd and I have to read more about him. Man, is he messed up. Such a perfectly flawed character and I can't wait to see what he gets into in the next installment.

So why didn't this awesome novel get five stars, you may be asking. Well, first of all, this is an amazing book. I'll definitely read it again and I'll be reading the remainder of the series. It only fell short because the first couple of chapters were a bit confusing with all of the technicalities of all this equipment that was being used and the large number of characters in the beginning ... there were quite a few and I did have a hard time keeping up with them. Was the book hard to understand? No. With all of the info that was given, you would think that it would read like a manual but it doesn't, it was just a little overwhelming at first.

But that's it. A great read - especially if you like the whole astronaut/pilot/military-esque book. Which I happen to love. I thought that I was going to have a huge hole in my future library where these types of books reside because on of my top 3 favorite authors passed away this year ... Vince Flynn. But it looks like Worland novels will fit right in. Sigh. Such a good book!!

This is a really good book so we are just going to jump right into the review today! First of all, you need to know that this book is written from different point of views. This often just irritates me. Like, a lot. But not this time. I really loved the altering pov's. I can't see Deeper We Fall being written any other way. I don't think that the book would have worked if it was written in the "traditional" way. I really like seeing what is going on in the other characters minds - it offers invaluable insight into who they are and it really connects you to the story and the characters.

I was a pretty good chunk into the book and I was just itching for Lottie and Zan to interact in some way. I don't think I've ever wanted something to happen in a book so badly before. I'm pretty glad that our boys were at school when I was reading this because they would have been confused by my yelling, "COME ON!!". Unfortunately, I did that more than once. But it wasn't because I was getting irritated with the book - I can't say that enough. I just wanted it to happen so badly because Cameron had written these two characters in such a way that they had turned into my friends almost. She made them so realistic that it felt as if I was reading a diary.

I found myself becoming almost protective over Zan. The hand he was dealt really hit me. I've never known anyone involved in an accident like the one that the story was woven around, but it affected me. I wanted to jump into the book and shield him from any hurtful comments or actions and then maybe kick his brother's ass.

Deeper We Fall was very, very, very close to getting five stars. There was only one thing that bothered me and it may not bother other people as much. It was the fact that To Kill a Mockingbird was brought up so much. Come on, I love that book as much as the next person but it was referenced constantly. To the point of being irritating. Now, that could just be because I have a 6 year old that incessantly repeats himself. Redundantly. It drives me up the wall. So I might be a little more sensitive to the repetitive references. On the other hand, the same thing that bothered me, really held the story together. I know, that doesn't make sense. But that's how it is.

You know what ... after writing this whole thing, I think that I'm going to give the book five stars. It really does deserve it. When a book gives me a case of just-one-more-page-itis and keeps me up until 3am when I have to get up at 6am to get our boys off to school, you deserve five stars. FIVE STARS IT IS!

I guarantee that this will not be the last you hear of Chelsea Cameron. Go grab some of her books before it becomes the cool thing to do. You don't want to be a follower, be the leader!

** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

I won The Rosie Project through the Goodreads First Read Giveaway on 07/26/2013!

Meh. That's how I feel about The Rosie Project. This book received 4.11 stars on Goodreads. I usually really trust the star rating on Goodreads ... I use it constantly to give myself an idea of what to expect from a book and this time, I felt betrayed. I expected a four star book and I was saddled with a 1.5 star book. I decided to go ahead and give the book the extra half a star because at least the author was grammatically correct throughout the entire thing.

When I first heard about The Rosie Project, I was really excited. I thought that the premise was adorable and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. To my surprise, I won an ARC of the book through a Goodreads giveaway and I would get to read it before everyone else (insert nana-nana-na-na).

My excitement was quickly extinguished once I cracked open that book and read the first page. BORRRRING! Hell, I know that sounds so rude but it's what is going through my head. I would hate to sugarcoat things and spew sunshine and rainbows when that's not how I feel.

The main character is Don Tillman ... this Don character was a freaking nut job. He micromanaged his life down to the second. He is so stuck in the routine of his life that he doesn't actually live. He just exists. That's fine ... be anal retentive. Be weird. I have no problem with that. I have a problem with it a book being written like the back of a shampoo bottle. It was boring and I just couldn't wait for it to be over.

Every single person that Don met, he would calculate their BMI. Every. Single. Time. It got old. Really quickly. Don also pointed out a persons faults in his head. Every time he spoke to someone. I found myself saying, "OH, MY GOSH" quite frequently because after a while of reading about these weird things Don does, it just became annoyingly annoying (that's the worst kind of annoying).

It makes me wonder ... are books like children? Do they just want attention, no matter what kind it is? Good attention, bad attention ... kids don't care one iota, they just want attention. Is bad attention for a book good as well? By writing this scathing review, am I sending people to pick up this book? Will I be held responsible if someone drops into a coma because of my review?!? I sure hope not. Because there won't be enough hospital beds for the victims.


** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

Oh, Sandra Brown!! This woman kills me. I just don't know what I would do without her books!!! I'm beginning to wonder if I have some sort of addiction problem. I just can't get enough of her novels. Okay. All gushing aside, lets rip this book apart and see what's going on within the pages.

If you've read my reviews before, you know how much I love a flawed character. Sorry, but the more messed up they are, the more I love them. Come on, it's got to be easy to write the PERFECT character. Everything is great in their life and basically, lead a perfect, unblemished existence. How boring must that be?!? I don't want shit to go right for me all the time. Sure, I think that it would be nice sometimes ... especially when I feel like my world is spiraling out of control because our two boys are screaming at the top of their lungs while chasing each other around the house because one of them looked out the others window or some other nonsense. At those moments, I have a bad mommy thought and it's usually that they will end up running into each other and bop heads ... knocking each other out. Hey ... I love our boys but they are a bit much sometimes. Soooo ... uh ... I have no idea where I was going with that ... oh. I love that my life isn't perfect. I want all the trials and tribulations ... that's what life is for!! I just think that a truly flawed character would be the most difficult to write and I totally respect an author that is able to do that. Hats off to Sandra Brown for writing the most perfectly flawed characters every time.

The book itself ... I loved. I know ... shocker, right? But can you imagine wanting to get away from your life for a night and then (what you think is) fate, drops the most perfect yin to your yang, right in front of you?? I'd like to say that this happened with my husband but if I'm being perfectly honest, that man annoyed the ever loving crap out of me the first day that I met him. He wouldn't stop talking and as if it couldn't get any worse, he only wanted to talk about Ozzy Osbourne! He totally had has a man crush on Ozzy. I mean, I love my husband now ... but back then, I would have happily karate chopped his Adam's apple in an effort to get him to quiet down. Okay, okay ... I'm getting back on track. Where were we ... oh ... meeting your better half and experiencing an instantaneous and all encompassing love ... yeah ... great start to the book!! I love how all of Brown's novels start with just dropping you into the middle of the story.

The Alibi really kept me interested the whole time that I was reading. I didn't feel a lag or boredom and I didn't find myself skimming very often ... I do happen to do that quite a bit. I'm not proud of skimming but I've got to raise two children who don't leave me much sanity or patience to work with.

You can NEVER go wrong with a Sandra Brown book. Ever. Well ... unless you're talking about one that I haven't read yet and then you're on your own. But for the ones I've read, they're amazing. Pick it up. Now. And no, I'm not paid by Sandra Brown to say that. But I totally wouldn't turn down a few bucks if I was ...

** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

Oh, Veronica Roth. She just twists that knife. She knows that we have to wait until OCTOBER for the last book in the series and while I really love the idea of having little novellas about Four ... it makes the wait for Allegiant so much worse!!

I hated to love this little book. I really did. Not because it was bad or anything but because it was absolutely heartbreaking. In Divergent, you fall in love with this strong and powerful man who is in control of everything around him. In The Transfer, all I could see was a broken little boy that I wanted to help and protect. It really gives you some amazing insight into the depths of who Four actually is.

I really can't say much more because it was only a handful of pages long and I don't want to ruin it!

I can tell you this much, it made me feel like a gluttonous hefty lady standing on a mountain of Zebra Cake wrappers waving her hands in the air while screaming "GIVE ME MORE!!" ...

I. Want. More. Four.


** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

I won this series through the Goodreads First Read Giveaway on 09/24/2013!

In a way, I have been waiting (not so patiently) for this book. Not that I had ever heard of this book prior to reading it, I hadn't. I didn't know that this book existed. But I had been waiting for a book to move me. And this one did.

You get pulled into this nightmare from the first page. Being a parent, this one really freaked me out. I can't imagine my child having to go through that kind of experience. Listening to your family being brutally murdered? Absolutely terrifying. I have a VERY vivid imagination and I often picture in my mind, the events of a book - especially when the book is well written. This happened with What Doesn't Kill Her. I could hear Jordan's mother calling to her, I could hear each footstep coming down the hallway ... I was terrified for Jordan!

I really liked watching Jordan transform from an emotionless mute to a very determined and angry victim. But I didn't see her as a victim. She is the definition of a survivor. Jordan was such a strong woman, just biding her time, waiting. I really don't think that she could have been written any better ... I love strong female characters!

Max Allan Collins is an amazing author. I had not read anything from him before this and that is going to change. Man, he's just awesome. The plot was absolutely perfect, the characters were so developed that I could relate to them as people and the book wasn't full of extra "fluff" (those unnecessary paragraphs full of info or descriptions that really aren't needed and usually just tick me off because they are a waste of my very precious reading time).

What Doesn't Kill Her is one of those books that you pick up and don't want to put down ... unless you have the flu while reading ... which I did ... and then you would rather die than get out of bed or crack your eyes open to read a page ... but if you don't have the flu you should totally pick this book up ... it would be great to read while sitting by the pool or by a fire with a cup of hot chocolate (I'm hoping hot chocolate / fireplace time is coming soon even though it feels like 900 degrees outside right now).

** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

I am really starting to wonder why in the hell I haven't heard of some of these authors that I'm reading lately!! Why have I never heard of Joan Swan?!? I'm just not understanding. Great authors should NEVER be kept secret! Who is it I need to be stalking in order to find out about these writers? All this lost time!! I could have been reading her books since last year!! Ugh. So frustrating.

Well, at least I've found her now because DAMN. Swan is an amazing writer! This novella had me hooked from the first sentence. I love how you're just thrown into the excitement from the very first sentence. Being that captivating from the get-go must be difficult or all writers would have the same thing going on.

I immediately fell in love with the main character, Zoe Brooks. This character absolutely commands your attention. It's great seeing such a strong female character. She's a strong, willful woman in a mans world and she fits right in. On the flip-side, she's sexy and funny and sassy. I just loved her. She was a perfectly messed-up character (the flawed kind that I adore).

I really liked the interaction between Taft and Zoe. The verbal sparring between the two was awesome. It reminded me of my husband and I.

The story was very well written. I was left with absolutely no questions or doubts about anything. The novella flowed so well ... this author is just amazing! I'll definitely be picking up some more of her books. Well, once I'm done with the pile that I have to get through. But Swan is on my radar and she should be on yours as well. If you like romantic-suspense books, you just have to pick this up when it becomes available ... which is soon ... right?!? (Nudge, nudge to the powers that be ...)

This is a super short review but I really don't have anything else to say ... I loved the book. I love the characters. I love the storyline. I love the cover. I love the author. Sigh. I really wish I didn't have other things lined up to read ...

** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

I don't know what to talk about first. My head is still spinning from this novel and not exactly in a good way. My first thoughts ... sigh. Okay. When I first read the blurb on Foreverland is Dead, I was really excited. This sounded like a dystopian novel ... I LOVE dystopian novels lately. And this one sounded like it had some crazy twists ... I do love twists!

Then I started reading. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm expecting too much with books today. Maybe that's what it is, my expectations are too high. I want to pick up a book and be transported. I want to go to another time or place and be swept up in what is going on in these pages. I don't want to think, I want to be overwhelmed. I want to feel something towards these characters ... I want to hate, love, dislike, despise, adore ... I don't care what emotion, really. I just want the characters to come alive.

At the end of the book, there is a MAJOR twist. And if I'm being completely honest, this twist was totally lost on me because I couldn't remember exactly who a certain character was. Really?!? I wanted to throw a massive temper tantrum and go kick someone in shin. I felt like I was let down. Granted, that may be my own fault. Maybe I didn't pay attention. Maybe it was the beginning of the book that lost me.

At the beginning, I was a little thrown off by the haltingly way that the book was written. It felt like the author was trying to use the least amount of words possible for each sentence. The sentences were cut off, not in a way that left a fragmented sentence, but in a way that I felt I was only getting part of the information. The book read like it wanted to be more ... does that even make sense?!? I have another one of my crazy analogies for you ... the book is like a balloon that was only blown up half-way. The balloon wants to be huge! It has so much potential! When it's only blown up half-way it's a waste.

The short, weird sentences never completely went away. It was hard to get the feeling of the story ... feel what the characters were going through or get a full sense of what was going on around them. Eventually the sentences lengthened but by that time, I had lost a bit of interest. I don't want to work that hard to figure out who characters are and what they are about.

The story wasn't bad. It was actually really good and that is the only reason that this book received 2 stars from me. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I needed to know what was going to happen. And let me tell you, that's a really weird feeling when you only know about half of the characters. I wanted to know but then I would have to go back to the beginning of the book to figure out who it was happening to.

Once again, I'm in the minority with this review score. A lot of people really liked it. You should give it a shot. If nothing else, you'll read a really great story concept.

** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

My goodness, the illustrations! The illustrations are amazing. So much fun! Here's the thing ... I'm a big fan of tricking your children into learning. That sounds horrible but kids are really hard these days. There are so many distractions around them and sometimes, it's hard to keep their attention on something that is learning related. They are like that dog in the movie, UP ... bird!

A child's attention span is about 5 seconds and that's if you're holding candy. If I can get something into our boys' hands that can teach them something useful AND they don't want to put it down, it's a home-run to me. This book has that.

My only issue with it is that it's a bit long. I know, at 32 pages, is that long?!? Well, it is to a kindergartener. Especially if they are the ones reading. But I found that if I only do a couple of pages with this book for our youngest, that he will stay engaged AND excited about it.

Cute book, awesome idea and amazing illustrations. I can't wait to see what else this author has up her sleeve because I'll definitely be interested.

Poor Loula! While reading this, I imagined that the triplets were three of our youngest son. And I shuddered. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Well ... maybe I would.

Such a sweet story! I was really captivated by this book. The illustrations are adorable and the story line is something that most parents have been through.

I loved how all of the characters were written ... I think that my favorite speaking character was Gilbert ... he was so sweet and patient and played along with Loula.

Now ... my favorite non-speaking character is the cat that speaks giraffe! It doesn't get much cuter than that!

I can't express how much I love this book. It is absolutely adorable! Unfortunately, our boys are a little too old to fully enjoy this book but I will be giving it to all of our friends with young kiddos ... which is a lot ... apparently, there's something in the water.

This is intended for little ones, but if you have a new reader, I think that this would be an awesome book to start off with!

The illustrations and bright colors are also perfect ... they will keep a little one completely engaged while you're reading it.

Peek-A-Boo Monsters is one of those books that your kiddo will be requesting to be read at bedtime night after night for quite a while!

Sigh. So it's come to this. A one star review. One of the things that I detest almost as bad as our boys tattling. To be completely honest, I didn't get it. Not that I didn't understand the book, oh ... I understood. I just didn't ... GET IT. You know? There were quite a few things that just irritated me.

The book isn't all bad ... it does have some stuff going for it! And this isn't me being condescending or facetious or anything ... but it was written well ... the grammar wasn't bad and sometimes just that can turn me off of a book. But it wasn't an issue with Sky's End. And the cover was interesting. Those were really the only high points for me.

Here's the deal. I think that I am the completely wrong demographic for this book. Apparently, I don't read enough science fiction books for me to appreciate this book fully. And that's okay. Sometimes you have to take a chance with a new book, author or genre ... if you don't, then you'll never know what you might be missing out on.
I don't really know where to start on my issues with the book, so I'm just going to dive in ... one of the first things you will notice when you pick this book up is that there are TONS of items that you don't know what they are. I really expected that, for the most part. This book is about the future, so obviously, there will be things that are "yet to be invented" in our world which will play a part in the futuristic book. But it was a new item quite frequently AND it had the little trademark symbol after the word. It's a new item. Got it. It's got a trademark. Got it. After the first few pages, it became immensely irritating. My thing was, every time you read another book and it says COKE, you don't see the trademark symbol after it. It just isn't necessary.
I'm going to hit on the other items very quickly, no need to draw this out. The "teen vernacular" was annoying also. I think that it really narrowed the window of people who would enjoy the book with all of those teen-inspired words - words that will be really dated within a few years.

Oh, and there's cursing ... including the f-word. This doesn't bother me because I don't talk like a lady and I use that word far too often. For too many f-ing things. Just joking ... kinda. But some parents don't want their children reading that kind of language and so the cautionary note needs to be put out there.
And lastly, this book is written in first person. Which is really great. It's really not all that common (at least in the books that I read) and it lets you get a different perspective than normal on what is happening in the book. BUT. The italics became annoying. Italics were used to signify the little voice in her head ... at least that's how it read. But not everything in her head was in italics, so the whole practice during the book was more of a distraction and hindrance than a strength of the book.
I'm definitely in the minority on my views of the book. There are a lot of people that really enjoyed it, so just forget everything that I said and go grab it and see what you think. I think I may lay off of alien books for now ...

** http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/ **

I ♥ historical romance novels. To the point where I've often wondered if maybe I was born into the wrong century. I just adore novels set in the 1800's ... maybe that comes from my love of Jane Austen. She was one of the first authors I read when I started to get out of my R.L. Stein phase - which lasted entirely too long, if I must be honest. I had to have read Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice hundreds of times.

So needless to say, I was super excited to get my hands on Macnamara's first novel. (Insert frantic clapping and huge smile) I'm always looking for an untapped historical romance resource. I feel like I've read everything that is out there even though I know that that can't possibly be true. Anyhow ... A Most Devilish Rogue wasn't too shabby!!

I did find myself skimming some of the paragraphs. Nothing really serious or extensive ... at times it just felt like the story stopped and started in a few places. Do you know how they used to plow fields? They would hook a mule or a horse to a plow (or plough) and then someone would walk behind it in order to keep the plow and horse going straight. Well, it felt like this book's plow kept getting stuck on rocks or roots or something and it would just make the ride really jerky. But this is something that will probably get better with each book that Macnamara writes. I can't imagine that an absolutely perfect book is something that is easy to accomplish your first time out of the gates or there would be no need for the New York Times Bestseller list because all authors would be amazing. Whew. Totally off track. Hopefully you know where I was going with that though ... even though I'm not totally sure that I do ...

I did like how some of the characters were written, though. LOVED Benedict Revelstoke and his wife, Julia. I loved everything about both of them ... the way they spoke, how they were towards each other, how they treated the people around them ... they were, unfortunately, my favorite characters. It's unfortunate because they weren't the main characters in this book. George was okay ... he seemed a little spineless at times but other than that, I liked him. For the most part. And Isabelle ... the main character ... hmmm ... I don't know. I didn't really like how she was written at times. The way she flip-flopped between being absurdly desperate to totally standoffish became a little annoying. It made me wonder if the character had been fully explored before being written. And this could be how Macnamara intended and if that's the case, then she hit the nail on the head ... I just didn't enjoy it. But then again, I like a really strong female in a historical romance ... I think being a spunky and sassy female back in those days was such a rare thing and that's just what I personally like reading.

So all in all, not a bad book. I'll definitely be looking out for another book from this author.

** I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review on my blog **
http://littlemissbookmark.blogspot.com/