So I'm getting a couple books for Christmas and have added more to my book list, buttt I am gunna change up my type of books a little starting now. Up until now I feel like all I've read are about vampires. Which isn't a bad thing, but the vampire hype is getting old. It's all anyone is writing about anymore. And no I am not a Twilight fan. Anne Rice will always be the original for me. I will continue to read YA books, but more books about relationships and definitely less sci-fi fiction type books. Sorry if I'm disappointing. Just giving a heads up for the coming month. :) Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I am officially home on break and so excited to read some books! I have a 6 page book list going and I plan on spending my morning at Barnes and Noble tomorrow getting more book titles to add to my list. This is going to be great!

I cannot walk out of a bookstore without a book. I have a problem. I have no business doing any free reading right now nor do I ever have time yet last weekend I bought a new book. I bought 1984 by George Orwell. I read part of it in high school and really liked it and I saw it at the store and one thing led to another and now I own it. It's my next book to read. It'll happen eventually...

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Third book in the Sookie Stackhouse (Trueblood) series.

Bill tells Sookie he has been working on a secret project for the queen of Louisiana, but he won't tell her what. When Bill goes missing it's obvious it has to do with his secret project. Sookie finds herself going to Jackson to Club Dead to see if anyone knows where Bill is. When she finally finds out she also finds out that he cheated on her and Sookie is torn what to do. She will of course save him, but will she take him back?

I liked this story because it wasn't so much Sookie and Bill. Bill disappears at the beginning of the book and doesn't come back until the end. The story develops on Eric's character more and we meet a new group of characters from the Jackson area.

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

The second book in the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

Sookie Stackhouse continues her adventures with her vampire boyfriend, Bill. An older vampire begins to use Sookie for her telepathy gift and Sookie is kidnapped by a group who helps and encourages vampires to commit suicide.

Apologies on my not-so-exciting summaries. Each book picks up where the last one left off and without reading the previous ones you'd be totally lost. Hence my vagueness.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

So I've started to read the Sookie Stackhouse novels or as many of you may now know it, the TrueBlood series. I assure you, the books are less raunchy than the HBO show.

Sookie Stackhouse is a waitress, but unlike other waitresses, she is telepathic. Once she meets Bill the vampire and starts dating him, she learns to embrace her telepathy and her life becomes more supernatural and dangerous as her world mixes with the vampire world.

It started out slow, but it really picked up towards the end. Overall, a good start to the series.

The House of Dead Maids by Clare Dunkle

Tabby is taken from her orphanage and brought to Seldom House to be the maid of a young boy. Seldom House is unusual in that many ghosts haunt it; young maids and masters who have died there. Tabby doesn't understand what they want from her and she thinks they're trying to tell her something. That is until Tabby and the young boy come across the sick workings of Seldom House. After they run away, Tabby reconnects with family and the young boy is taken in with another family.

In the end, the young boy is taken to Wuthering Heights. He will later be the character Heathcliffe in the story of Wuthering Heights.

It was interesting. I have never read Wuthering Heights before, but I know the story line of it. This was an interesting prequel. Definitely a haunting tale, but with a nice ending.

I have not stopped reading! Bear with me. I'm taking a summer class and between that and work I'm not moving through books very quickly. I am still reading one, but I only get through a few pages a day. Expect to see more posts towards the beginning of August! :)

Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters

The second book in the Generation Dead series.

Adam has come back as a zombie and Phoebe feels like she owes it to him to help him become adjusted. He did die for her after all. Meanwhile, Pete Martinsburg is recruited by an anti-zombie group who is trying to make the zombies look dangerous. Now, the zombies are fighting for their lives even though no one will believe them.

This is one of those books where you need to read the first one so I apologize if the summary doesn't make sense. Kiss of Life was awesome just like Generation Dead. I love the concept of the differently biotic teenagers and the zombie movements.

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

Jess Parker has moved so many times that she's used to not fitting in. At her new school, it's gone to a whole new level. Jess is hated by Lexy, one of the popular kids. It's not until Jess is invited to join the Cinderella Society that she begins to fit in and learn why Lexy hates her so much. Lexy is part of the Cinderella Society's enemies, the Wickeds. The Wickeds seem to be scheming up a plan to take control of all the normal kids around the world. Jess has to help the Cinderella society figure out the Wickeds' plan and to help stop it.

I really liked the book. When I first got it, I thought it was going to all fairytale-like because of the title, but it really wasn't. There's a sequel, The Cinderella Society: Cindy on a Mission, that is now on my list to read. It was a great story about standing up for yourself and for others.

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

The small town of Cryer's Cross has the traumatic experience of one of their teenagers going missing. As if that wasn't bad enough, a few months later another teen goes missing. This time it is Kendall's boyfriend, Nico. While neither bodies can be found, Kendall struggles to cope with the loss of Nico and searches for an explanation. Soon enough Kendall finds herself in a similar situation as the missing teens and finds out exactly where they went.

A chilling tale with a total twist ending. I loved it. I wish it were a series :p

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

The third book in the Forest of Hands and Teeth series.

Annah has lived by herself for 3 years while she's waited for Elias to return. He finally comes home with another boy named Catcher. Unfortunately, the Unconsecrated are coming to the Dark City in hordes and it is no longer safe. Elias takes them to the Sanctuary where Annah is reunited with her twin sister Gabry. As time goes by, they begin to realize the Sanctuary isn't really as safe as they thought. They devise a plan to get off the island by hot air balloon. All they have to do is fly down the peninsula to an abandoned ship. If only it were that easy...

I think this is one of my all time favorite book series. Carrie Ryan had me hooked as soon as I started the Forest of Hands and Teeth. She really keeps you hooked. Several times I caught myself throughout the book getting upset for the main character and saying "ugh, she can't do that!" I loved it!

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

Andy wants more than anything to write. At this point, she doesn't care where. She needs a job. After interviewing at Runway magazine, Andy finds herself as the personal assistant to Miranda Priestly, the demanding editor-in-chief. Miranda is needy, impatient, and demanding and Andy hates her job, but knows if she puts in a year there it will open up many job opportunities for her. Andy stays with the job, until she can't take it anymore. After having a few choice words with Miranda, Andy leaves Runway and goes home. The story ends on a happy note when Andy is hired by Seventeen magazine and meets Loretta, who happened to have also worked at Runway.

I enjoyed the movie so I tried the book. The characters were perfectly portrayed, but I felt that towards the middle of the book I got sort of bored. It was a lot of just Andy complaining and about how she was unhappy. It picked up towards the end of the book though and ended on a high note. Overall, I did enjoy it and if you liked the movie then you'll like this.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Amy and her parents are cryogenically frozen so that they can be unfrozen 300 hundred years in the future to help inhabit a newly discovered planet. Unfortunately, Amy is somehow unplugged and woken up 50 years before arrival. Her parents can't be woken up and Amy is faced with a civilization very much unlike what she left in Colorado. Amy meets Elder, the next leader of the ship. Amy and Elder start to uncover the lies that have kept peace on the ship for so long and have to try and make it right.

So good! I loved the idea of the story and there was a total twist ending. Although it was a longer book (398 pgs) I read it in 3 days. I couldn't put it down. Beth Revis really captured the life on the ship and was very detailed in all the science behind the story. Every time I thought I characters and plot ideas figured out, she'd throw a curve that made me change my mind. I'd read it again.

Wondrous Strange by Leslie Livingston

Kelley is a seventeen year old girl living in New York City trying to pursue a career as an actress. Her play is putting on A Midsummer's Night Dream by Shakespeare. After a walk in the park to rehearse, Kelley meets Sonny Flannery, a boy who is actually a guard between the Mortal and Fairy worlds. After Sonny finds out that Kelley is the lost princess stolen from the fairy world, word seems to get out about her. On Halloween night, the Wild Hunt, a war band is called upon and Sonny accidentally becomes the leader of it. It is up to Kelley to call upon her power to save him and the whole mortal world.

This is the first book in this series. I'm pretty new to the whole idea of fairies. I started reading the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr last year which was similar to this. It's a nice change to read about something other than vampires.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski is ninety years old and is in a nursing home. One week, a circus comes to visit in the parking lot next to his nursing home. This causes Jacob to reflect back on his own life.

Jacob attended Cornell to become a veterinarian, but after an accident that kills both his parents, he flees the school without completing his finals exams and thus not obtaining a diploma. With no money or belongings to his name he jumps a train which turns out to be a traveling circus; Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. He travels with them for 3 and a half months. In this time he meets a woman he loves who is married and grows to love an elephant who only understands Polish, his native language.


It was a really nice story. It was a drama and unlike many of the YA books I read, but once I started it I couldn't put it down. This was recommended to me by at least 6 people; all different ages. It is a definite must read :)

Helllo!! So I am finally on summer break! Time to finally read my butt off all summer. I have finished my first book of the season and am going to pick up 2 more at the library tomoro. I have a 6 page book list right now o.O I wonder how much of that I can get through this summer :)

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Third book in the Darkest Powers trilogy.

Chloe has arrived at Andrew's house with Derek, Simon, and Tori. They all finally feel safe. After Chloe meets a demi-demon that used to live in the house, they begin to have doubts of Andrew and the other members intentions. Always on their toes, the teenagers don't know who they can trust. After turmoil at the house, the teens end up back at the Edison Group Lab where they find out the truth about the genetic mutations and end up being rescued by Simon and Derek's father. Even though they escape, it will never be over. They still have to live on the run because there will always be people looking for them.

I apologize if my summary doesn't make a whole lot of sense. This is one of those books series where you have to go in order. The book picks up right where the last one leaves off and doesn't really give a recap as to what you've missed or haven't read. It was an awesome series and I really like this author. I'm planning on reading a lot more by her.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

So I read this as a summer reading assignment for school a few years ago and remember it being fairly good. This year I needed a book for my nursing theory class so I chose this.

It was basically about a 13/14 yr old girl named Lily. Lily lived with her father and their maid, Rosaleen. Lily remebers that as a small child she accidentally shot her mother and has had to live with that. Her father has also told her that her mother left them and that she never loved Lily. Lily struggles with these and when she finds a picture that belonged to her mother with the words "Tiburon, SC" on the back she knows she must go there. Lily goes to Tiburon and stays with a house of three colored sisters, August, May and June. During the time Lily is here, they grow to love her and she finally finds the love she's needed all her life. The story twists when Lily finds out that the sisters knew her mother and that her mother stayed in that very house. Lily learns about herself and the mother she barely knew.

Such a nice story. It wasn't a long read and I never found myself bored. Also I saw the movie and I will say that the movie was fairly accurate in portraying the book. I would definitely recommend this one.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Hope you're all out celebrating St. Paddy's Day and eating ur corned beef and cabbage. I know I did.

Anyways just want to let everyone know I hopefully will be posting a new book. I am reading the Secret Life of Bees for a class I am taking, but it's really turning out to be good.

Also I just started another new blog called My Movie Madness. It's just basically reviews of movies I see. It's amazing how many movies I watch compared to how long it takes me to read a book. So check it out here

Oy, I need summer vacation. :)

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

When I read Angels & Demons this summer as a reading assignment for school I was absolutely amazed at the detail and research that had clearly gone into writing the book. So I knew I had to continue and read the Da Vinci Code. That one had after all had more publicity because of it's controversial topic.

While in Paris, Harvard professor Robert Langdon gets involuntarily involved in the search for one of histories most mysterious treasures when his name appears at the scene of a murder. With the help of cryptologist and granddaughter of the murder victim, Sophie Neveu, Langdon discovers the mystery and secrets of the Holy Grail and the secret society that protects it.

I loved the book! Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. Like Angels & Demons, this oozed detail and research which made it all that more convincing. I'll definitely be reading Dan Brown's other books. :)

2011 100+ Challenge

Yep it's that time of year again. I just signed up for the challenge again on Home Girl's Book Blog. This year she's done it in levels which I'm pretty excited about.

25+ Challenge: You rock.

50+ Challenge: You are a reading machine.

75+ Challenge: You are a frickin' marvel.

100+ Challenge: The world has never seen your equal.

Because I signed up for the 2010 100+ Challenge over the summer and had only made my blog a few months before I don't actually know how many books I read in 2010. But from the time I started the blog to the end of the challenge I read 24. So I am ready to see how well I do this year :)

You can sign up for the challenge here. Just copy and paste the link.
http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2010/12/100-challenge-sign-up-page.html

Happy reading!!