Monday, July 28, 2014

Talk: A NovelTalk: A Novel by Michael A. Smerconish

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I was a little worried that this might end up being boring, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was actually pretty fast paced. There's really only one fully-developed character but he is believable and human enough to make up for the one-dimensionality of all the others. I'm not sure if I would read this again or not. It's good right now because it's current. Quite a few people I know would enjoy this story so I may pass on my copy or recommend to them.

This review is based on a free copy obtained through GoodReads First Reads.



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Friday, July 25, 2014

The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All KindsThe Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I thought this might be one of his kids books when I first got this. Safe to say, it is not. Very creepy cautionary tale.



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William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth ReturnWilliam Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return by Ian Doescher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I think the novelty wore off. I did enjoy this but not nearly as much as the first one. It doesn't look like he will but I am curious to see if Doescher decides to do the prequel trilogy (will probably be better than the movies) and the upcoming trilogy.



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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

LandlineLandline by Rainbow Rowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed reading Rainbow Rowell's first book so I was looking forward to seeing how good this would be. I was not disappointed at all. Perhaps because this book was written for my generation, I think I actually liked this one better. Relationship difficulties is a topic pretty much everyone can relate to and identify with. And who doesn't like a supernatural/Back to the Future twist??!! I don't want to give away any more but I really did enjoy this book.


This review is based on a free copy obtained through GoodReads First Reads.



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Saturday, July 19, 2014

A Constellation of Vital PhenomenaA Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I wasn't sure I was going to like this at first since it was pretty depressing right off the bat but you very quickly get invested in the characters and are sucked in to their stories. I'd heard a little about what happened in Chechnya but am still admittedly ignorant. Although this was a novel, it included enough of the reality of what people went through to be interesting from a historical perspective. I've read a lot of books lately that were either character driven or plot driven but were missing the vital connection between the two. This book marries both perfectly. It reminded me of a Jenga game. It's stripped down to what is essential and is perfectly balanced. Nothing excessive left on it to make it bulky and awkward and not so much left to the imagination that the story topples. Really, a wonderful and beautiful book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.



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Friday, July 11, 2014

Abandoned: America's Vanishing LandscapeAbandoned: America's Vanishing Landscape by Eric Holubow

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Absolutely stunning photographs of my favorite subject, abandoned spaces. I'm so drawn to this type of work and these places, I find it very moving. Both sad and beautiful at the same time. I'd love to visit some of these places.

This review is based on a free e-galley from NetGalley.



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Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer Complete EditionPinocchio, Vampire Slayer Complete Edition by Van Jensen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I actually only got to read an "extended preview" which was about the length of most graphic novels I've read. This was surprisingly good. Better than Abraham Lincoln as a vampire slayer. Quite a good little story with some great humor. The only issue I had was some of the font was difficult to read on my Kindle.

This review is based on a free e-galley from NetGalley.



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The City: A NovelThe City: A Novel by Dean Koontz

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


It's been a long time since I've read anything by Dean Koontz and I remember his writing being better than this. The characters were great but the story just wasn't that engaging. I was interested in what the characters were doing and what happened to them but it seemed like the plot was secondary to their personalities. It felt like there was potential for a lot more in this story.

This review is based on a free e-galley from NetGalley.



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Tuesday, July 8, 2014

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I wasn't sure I was going to like this book but I found it quite enjoyable. The only problem with knowing how much I liked it is that it's not over yet. The world and and it's politics was interesting and believable. The characters and plot were engaging. I think this will go over huge with the female YA audience. It would also make a decent movie.

This review is based on an ARC I received from the publisher.



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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Jane Austen's First LoveJane Austen's First Love by Syrie James

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This wasn't bad considering it's kind of high quality fan fiction. James is a good write and spins a good, well-paced tale. The problem I have with a lot of these Jane Austen stories (not just by this author) is that they rely too heavily on the source author's own work. It seems every fictional tale about Jane Austen has references to all her novels as support beams for the plot. It would be nice to see something truly original.

This review is based on a free e-book from NetGalley.



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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

In the BloodIn the Blood by Lisa Unger

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was very well written but it just served as a reminder as to why I don't read many mysteries/thrillers, too many are too easy to figure out. No matter how good the writer is, if I can figure out the plot early I'm not going to be that impressed.



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