Untamed is the 4th (but not final!) book in the House of Night series. Zoey finds out that life sucks when all your friends are pissed at you. In one week she went from having three boyfriends to none and from having a close knit group of friends who trusted her to being an outcast like she was before she came to the House of Night. Her advisor Neferet has declared war on humans, and Zoey knows that catastrophic events are about to come her way. Zoey's adventures take wild and dangerous turns as loyalities are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened.
This was by far the best book in the series. The only bad thing I could possibly think of to say is that I'm horribly disappointed that I have to wait until March 2009 for the 5th book in the series, "Hunted" to find out what happens to Zoey and her friends. Well people, you've just found my achilles...I hate to wait and I just HAVE to know what happens, always. I can't say why I'm so eager to read the 5th book without giving too much away...but if you haven't started this series, it's definitely worth what you pay for it.
Ratings: I give it an A+ and a dirty look for making me wait impatiently for the 5th one
Monday, December 8, 2008
CM - Chosen - P.C. Cast
Chosen is the 3rd House of Night series book. Zoey's adventures at the House of Night take a mysterious turn or two. Those who appear to be friends are turning out to be her enemies and oddly enough, sworn enemies are turning into friends. Zoey has to figure out how to help her best friend Stevie Rae who is struggling to maintain her grip on humanity while Zoey scrambles to utilize her powers to find a solution. Trust has become a rare commodity at the House of Night and Zoey finds herself keeping secrets from nearly everyone.
Zoey finds herself juggling three boyfriends...one being a teacher at the House of Night. Then vampires start turning up dead and a war with the human race is brought up. Zoey starts to find out the hard way that things are definitely not always what they seem. Definitely worth reading, by this point in the series, you find yourself engulfed and unable to explain why.
Ratings:
I give it an A
Zoey finds herself juggling three boyfriends...one being a teacher at the House of Night. Then vampires start turning up dead and a war with the human race is brought up. Zoey starts to find out the hard way that things are definitely not always what they seem. Definitely worth reading, by this point in the series, you find yourself engulfed and unable to explain why.
Ratings:
I give it an A
CM - Betrayed - P.C. Cast
This is the 2nd book in the "House of Night" series by P.C. and Kristen Cast. By the time you get to this book, Zoey Redbird has settled in at the House of Night. She is chosen as the leader of the elite Dark Daughters and starts to realize her own powers. She even has a boyfriend or two. Then human teenagers that Zoey once went to school with start to be abducted and killed and all the evidence is pointing to the vamps at the House of Night. Then, when Zoey needs her friends the most, death strikes the House of Night and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal (hence the title) that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.
I don't want to give away too much of the book, but this book picked up more so than the first book. Worth reading.
Ratings:
I give it an A-
I don't want to give away too much of the book, but this book picked up more so than the first book. Worth reading.
Ratings:
I give it an A-
Sunday, December 7, 2008
CM - The Nymphos of Rocky Flats - Mario Acevedo
I'm soooo mad at my book club for recommending me this one. I know, I know, I should have read the title and known better, but it was on special for 20 cents, and I want my 20 cents back!!
Alright, so the book actually had a potentially good plot. Felix was an Iraq soldier who's platoon accidentally killed what they though was four insurgents but turned out to be a family of four including a 12 yr old girl. An encounter in Iraq give Felix the gift/curse of immortality as the undead. Even I must admit that the first few chapters were pretty good. Back home in the states, Felix is still affected and is trying to pay penance for his war-time sins. The former infantryman works as a detective and is asked to investigate a case at a government facility in Rocky Flats, Colorado. Sounds like a decent read right? Not.
I feel no remorse for spoiling the end to this garbage. I'm still pissed that I wasted two hours of my time reading this waste of paper and ink. Let's just say that little green men and UFO's...not my cup of tea. I don't know why the author went so horribly wrong in the last 7 or so chapters. It turns out that there's some weird chemical from a UFO that was part of a government cover-up conspiracy that turns the people in Rocky Flats into nymphomaniacs because of alien invasion. Yeah....anyways, the proceeding ratings should be of no surprise to anyone. I want a refund! Damn you book club!
Characters: 2/5
Plot: COULD have been a 4/5, but thanks to the ending, 1/5
Interest rating: None. Zip, zero, nil.
Overall rating: Refer to the finger I'm giving my book club and the author
Alright, so the book actually had a potentially good plot. Felix was an Iraq soldier who's platoon accidentally killed what they though was four insurgents but turned out to be a family of four including a 12 yr old girl. An encounter in Iraq give Felix the gift/curse of immortality as the undead. Even I must admit that the first few chapters were pretty good. Back home in the states, Felix is still affected and is trying to pay penance for his war-time sins. The former infantryman works as a detective and is asked to investigate a case at a government facility in Rocky Flats, Colorado. Sounds like a decent read right? Not.
I feel no remorse for spoiling the end to this garbage. I'm still pissed that I wasted two hours of my time reading this waste of paper and ink. Let's just say that little green men and UFO's...not my cup of tea. I don't know why the author went so horribly wrong in the last 7 or so chapters. It turns out that there's some weird chemical from a UFO that was part of a government cover-up conspiracy that turns the people in Rocky Flats into nymphomaniacs because of alien invasion. Yeah....anyways, the proceeding ratings should be of no surprise to anyone. I want a refund! Damn you book club!
Characters: 2/5
Plot: COULD have been a 4/5, but thanks to the ending, 1/5
Interest rating: None. Zip, zero, nil.
Overall rating: Refer to the finger I'm giving my book club and the author
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
KM- I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell- Tucker Max
My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole.
I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging dickhead.
But, I do contribute to humanity in one very important way. I share my adventures with the world.
This book was hilarity at it's finest. I found the website because of a friend of mine, and soon read all of the stories featured on tuckermax.com. Then, I set out to find the book. Most of the stories featured in the book are also on his website, but there are some extras thrown in. It's definitely worth the $13 I paid for it. Tucker Max was a student at Duke School of Law, and it's a telling of his drunken nights and one-night stands. This man has the sort of life you can't even imagine. It seems that even on an average day, hilarity ensues. The best part of it is, it's all true.
This book is definitely not for the easily offended. He sleeps with random women, gets drunk and is generally disrespectful of all other people, but if you're not easily offended, this could very well be some of the funniest stories you will ever hear.
Rating:
Characters: 5/5 Absolutely love his friend, Drunkasaurus Rex!
Plot: N/A It's a collection of stories, but it gets the highest rating for a collection
Interest Level: 5/5
OVERALL: 100/A+++
I get excessively drunk at inappropriate times, disregard social norms, indulge every whim, ignore the consequences of my actions, mock idiots and posers, sleep with more women than is safe or reasonable, and just generally act like a raging dickhead.
But, I do contribute to humanity in one very important way. I share my adventures with the world.
This book was hilarity at it's finest. I found the website because of a friend of mine, and soon read all of the stories featured on tuckermax.com. Then, I set out to find the book. Most of the stories featured in the book are also on his website, but there are some extras thrown in. It's definitely worth the $13 I paid for it. Tucker Max was a student at Duke School of Law, and it's a telling of his drunken nights and one-night stands. This man has the sort of life you can't even imagine. It seems that even on an average day, hilarity ensues. The best part of it is, it's all true.
This book is definitely not for the easily offended. He sleeps with random women, gets drunk and is generally disrespectful of all other people, but if you're not easily offended, this could very well be some of the funniest stories you will ever hear.
Rating:
Characters: 5/5 Absolutely love his friend, Drunkasaurus Rex!
Plot: N/A It's a collection of stories, but it gets the highest rating for a collection
Interest Level: 5/5
OVERALL: 100/A+++
KM- Odd Thomas- Dean Koontz
"The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different. A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.
Today is August 14. In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares-and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.
This was a mind-blowing work from Dean Koontz. It is one of the few books that actually brought a tear to my eye at some parts. The heroic young man is faced with so many challenges, and yet he perseveres. The story instantly captures your attention from the opening page with a humble introduction from the main character. As the action progresses, you'll be gripping the book in white-knuckled anticipation, sighing with relief, and smiling at the beauty of the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story about an everyday hero with a bit of a supernatural gift. It deals with the most basic of moral questions, how much evil is there really in an average human? How strong is the power of love? What can you go through and still have faith in humanity?
RATINGS
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Interest Level: 5/5
Overall: 100/A for lack of anything higher.
Today is August 14. In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares-and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.
This was a mind-blowing work from Dean Koontz. It is one of the few books that actually brought a tear to my eye at some parts. The heroic young man is faced with so many challenges, and yet he perseveres. The story instantly captures your attention from the opening page with a humble introduction from the main character. As the action progresses, you'll be gripping the book in white-knuckled anticipation, sighing with relief, and smiling at the beauty of the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story about an everyday hero with a bit of a supernatural gift. It deals with the most basic of moral questions, how much evil is there really in an average human? How strong is the power of love? What can you go through and still have faith in humanity?
RATINGS
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Interest Level: 5/5
Overall: 100/A for lack of anything higher.
Monday, December 1, 2008
KM- Twilight- THE MOVIE
I guess I will start this one by saying: DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.
This movie was similar to the books only in a few moments of dialog, the fact that the Cullens were vampires, and that Bella and Edward loved each other. The events were somewhat similar, but where in the books did Edward say something as stupid as "You can google it." WHAT?! No.
I know most people are thinking, "You knew it wouldn't be identical to the book." Yes, I did. I prepared myself for that. What I did NOT prepare myself for was that they were going to take what could have been the best movie of the YEAR, and ruin it with mediocre acting, forced lines, and overall terrible settings. I was so disappointed by this that I felt as though I'd lost a friend. Not to mention the fact that I was in a theater full of teenage girls who squealed every time Edward came on the screen.
I guess the best way to put it is, IF you HAVE NOT read the book, the movie may pass as a semi-decent film. If you HAVE read the book, the movie will be nothing but a massacre to your senses and a way to ruin a great story.
And just a p.s.: THEY RUINED JASPER.
RATINGS
Acting: 2/5
Character Portrayal: 2/5
Similarities: 3/5
Overall: 47/F
This movie was similar to the books only in a few moments of dialog, the fact that the Cullens were vampires, and that Bella and Edward loved each other. The events were somewhat similar, but where in the books did Edward say something as stupid as "You can google it." WHAT?! No.
I know most people are thinking, "You knew it wouldn't be identical to the book." Yes, I did. I prepared myself for that. What I did NOT prepare myself for was that they were going to take what could have been the best movie of the YEAR, and ruin it with mediocre acting, forced lines, and overall terrible settings. I was so disappointed by this that I felt as though I'd lost a friend. Not to mention the fact that I was in a theater full of teenage girls who squealed every time Edward came on the screen.
I guess the best way to put it is, IF you HAVE NOT read the book, the movie may pass as a semi-decent film. If you HAVE read the book, the movie will be nothing but a massacre to your senses and a way to ruin a great story.
And just a p.s.: THEY RUINED JASPER.
RATINGS
Acting: 2/5
Character Portrayal: 2/5
Similarities: 3/5
Overall: 47/F
CM - Dear John - Nicholas Sparks
This book is a story about an angry rebel named John Tyree who enlisted in the army after high school because he didn't know what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets Savannah Lynn Curtis, the girl of his dreams. She is in North Carolina attending college and working for Habitat for Humanity and is completely unprepared for her feelings for John Tyree.
The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that makes Savannah vow to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty, and John is ready to settle down with the woman that captured his heart. Neither one of them can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world and that single day forces John to risk every dream he's ever had. Like so many soldiers, John is forced to choose between love and his devotion to the country. And like so many left behind, Savannah has to decide whether to wait for John or move on.
This one was a good read, but then again I am never disappointed when I finish a Sparks novel.
Ratings:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Interest level: 5/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5
The attraction is mutual and quickly grows into the kind of love that makes Savannah vow to wait for John while he finishes his tour of duty, and John is ready to settle down with the woman that captured his heart. Neither one of them can foresee that 9/11 is about to change the world and that single day forces John to risk every dream he's ever had. Like so many soldiers, John is forced to choose between love and his devotion to the country. And like so many left behind, Savannah has to decide whether to wait for John or move on.
This one was a good read, but then again I am never disappointed when I finish a Sparks novel.
Ratings:
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Interest level: 5/5
Overall rating: 4.5/5
CM - Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn was one of the most anticipated books...ever. Twilight fans across the country were waiting for what seemed like an eternity for August 4th to roll around so they could scramble to the nearest bookstore to get a copy. I went that very day and picked up my copy because I absolutely could not wait to see what unfolded in the end of Edward & Bella's journey.
Well folks, I have to say, this one was not nearly as good of a read as the first 3 books in this series. The story picks up where Eclipse left off and Bella still finds herself torn between her love of Edward and her friendship with Jacob and Victoria is still after her. I don't want to spoil the book, but I will say that Edward and Bella's wedding was in the beginning...followed by some highly illogical events...but anyways, I was personally disappointed. I was not only disappointed that this would be the last book in the series, but the series of events threw me for a loop.
Either way, I've warned before, if you pick up one of these books in the series it is like an addiction. Let's just call it cocaine...you don't start cocaine unless you intend to keep doing cocaine because of it's highly addictive and alluring nature...same thing with the Twilight series. So it's understandable that you go read it even after hearing that it's not the greatest, I did. The book wasn't terrible, it just didn't play out like I would have wanted it to.
Ratings:
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 3/5
Interest Level: 4.5/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Well folks, I have to say, this one was not nearly as good of a read as the first 3 books in this series. The story picks up where Eclipse left off and Bella still finds herself torn between her love of Edward and her friendship with Jacob and Victoria is still after her. I don't want to spoil the book, but I will say that Edward and Bella's wedding was in the beginning...followed by some highly illogical events...but anyways, I was personally disappointed. I was not only disappointed that this would be the last book in the series, but the series of events threw me for a loop.
Either way, I've warned before, if you pick up one of these books in the series it is like an addiction. Let's just call it cocaine...you don't start cocaine unless you intend to keep doing cocaine because of it's highly addictive and alluring nature...same thing with the Twilight series. So it's understandable that you go read it even after hearing that it's not the greatest, I did. The book wasn't terrible, it just didn't play out like I would have wanted it to.
Ratings:
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 3/5
Interest Level: 4.5/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
CM - Complete Tales & Poems - Edgar Allen Poe
I would recommend this book for any Poe fan. It has all of his short stories and poems including some of my favorites like the Tell Tale Heart, Annabell Lee, The Black Cat, The Raven, and many more. It was a steal at the bookstore for $8.
Ratings:
Differ by story but overall, I give the collection an A. Thought-provoking and written from sheer madness, which makes it all the more interesting.
Ratings:
Differ by story but overall, I give the collection an A. Thought-provoking and written from sheer madness, which makes it all the more interesting.
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