The Vampire Diaries

Alright, so I caved and re-read some really bad books this past weekend. I couldn't help it! I was drawn to them for some reason. And yes I wrote "re-read" - I read these books when I was about to begin high school and I just loved them (of course I was 13 turning 14, so what can I say). Anyhow, the books are The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith and they chronicle the love triangle between Elena, Stefan and Damon. Elena is mortal and the queen bee of her high school. Stefan is new in town and quite handsome, so he has all the girls crushing on him. Damon is Stefan's older brother and loves to live dangerously. Both Stefan and Damon are vampires and have come to Fell's Church for very different reasons: Stefan wants a fresh new start and Damon wants to torment his brother. Elena finds herself
drawn to both brothers and must choose between them. And there you have the plot in a nutshell. So, what happens? Well, Stefan and Elena are in love, but Damon brings out feelings in Elena and in the end they both make her a vampire and then she is still torn about which brother to choose (although it is usually Stefan, the good brother, that she is more drawn to) and then Stefan and Damon's first love comes back to kill them all and Elena sacrifices herself in order to save her town and the people she loves and Stefan and Damon are left heartbroken. Of course the last book has Stefan and Damon returning to Fell's Church to help Elena's old friends deal with a new evil in town and eventually Elena makes her return and there you have it. Oh and Elena chooses Stefan. The end (okay, not really the end, because apparently there is a new book out that talks about Elena and her return from death and reunites the whole gang again, but I haven't read it so I don't really know how bad or good it is). As for the writing in The Vampire Diaries, well, it's okay: the characters are pretty much stereotypical versions of high school kids (queen bee, jock, serious student, jealous rival, etc.) with a couple of vampires thrown in for fun. As for the story lines, well, nothing too original about them, but fun to read nonetheless. Overall, it was fun to read these books again, because it reminded me of when I was young and how bad my taste in books was back then (not really, I loved reading Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine). I guess not all YA books are for adults, huh? However, I got my fix of fluff reading out of my system and I am back to reading Columbine, which is so good- can't wait to review it! And I have started S & S & Sea Monsters and so far I have laughed out loud several times - love it!! As for In The Woods, well that has taken a back seat for now, but I will dive back into it when I finish Columbine. I have to figure out which books to read for the Clear Off Your Shelves challenge and for another challenge I am doing on goodreads. So many challenges!! Hope you all are having a great week and enjoying the fact that fall has arrived. Happy Reading!!

2009 Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge

I have a super long list of books that I want to read. In fact, I tend to take them off of the shelves and place them in my bag, on my nightstand, on my desk, and basically anywhere I can think of that will remind me of these great books that are waiting to be read. And yet there are just too many that need to be read. In fact, I tend to ignore some of these piles and wind up buying new books to read. For example, I have, The Grand Sophy, Sense and Sensibility, Dracula, Columbine, In The Woods and Short Stories by Poe, all sitting in a stack on my nightstand. I am slowly getting through Columbine and In The Woods, so I am making progress there. However, I have just put them aside to read The Vampire Diaries (cheesy YA novels that I read when I was actually YA age, but for some reason I just had to read them again) and now I have just purchased Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (which I am sure I will begin reading as soon as I finish this last book in the Vampire Diaries). Ugh! Don't get me wrong, the main thing is that I am reading and that is a good thing. However, I want to finish the two books I have already started and begin reading all of the books I have placed in piles around the house. So, I have decided to participate in Swapna's new challenge, Clear Off Your Shelves. Okay, so what exactly is this challenge? Well, here's the info I got from S. Krishna’s Books :

This is a challenge that is aimed at getting through those books that have been sitting on your shelves for months, even years! Any non-review books that are on your shelves and/or review copies that have been on your shelves for over six months. This means that recent review copies and library books are not eligible for this challenge! However, that doesn’t mean the book has to have been out for six months in order for the review copy to be eligible. Books you have purchased/traded for/etc. and are NOT review copies can be from anytime - even from during the challenge! Crossover with other challenges is welcomed, even encouraged!

When? This challenge will run from October 1, 2009 – November 30, 2009. T

Where? S. Krishna’s Books! The sign-up post for the challenge will be posting today as well. Come back to post your review links – there will be links to everything you will need in my sidebar!

How? This challenge will work a little differently than other challenges. Instead of picking a set number of books to read during this time period, you will pick a percentage. This means that a certain percentage of the books you read during these two months will have to qualify for this challenge. For example, let’s say you pick 40% and you end up reading 10 books in October and November. 4 of those books would have to qualify for this challenge in order for you to complete it. I am setting a minimum percentage of 20%. As a result, there is no need to make a list of books prior to starting the challenge, though please feel free to do so if you want to! Your wrap-up post should have a list of the books you read for the challenge, though, so please do keep track of what you read!

There you have it folks. All the info you need to participate in Clear Off Your Shelves 2009! Don't forget to sign up here. I'm really looking forward to this because not only will the books that I am reading for the challenges fall in line with this challenge, but mainly because I am hoping it will finally get me to clear off those piles I have sitting around. I am going to aim to read about 40% of the books. I think that is reasonable and feasible. All right, well let me get back to reading. Cheers!! Happy Reading!!!

A FEW FAVORITES

Since it is Book Blogger Appreciation Week I figured I would take the time to acknowledge some of my favorite book blogs that I visit on a daily basis. These are the blogs that I leave comments on and that I usually read in order to find new books to add to my ever growing list of books to buy and eventually read. Here they are in no particular order:

BookBath
Nonsuch Book
kiss a cloud
The Mookse and the Gripes
S. Krishna's Books
Lit and Life
Steph & Tony Investigate! .

Check them out when you get a chance! If you already know about these awesome blogs then you totally get why I visit them. Hope everyone is having a great week and that you are all enjoying Book Bloggers Appreciation Week. Happy Reading!!

BOOK MEME VIA BOOK BLOGGER APPRECIATION WEEK 2009

I have no review to post about today. Right now I am between two books, which is a new one for me, since I tend to usually only read one book at a time. But, hey, its always good to try new things, right? Well, as of now I am part way through Columbine by Dave Cullen and I have to say that I am really enjoying it thus far (as much as anyone can enjoy a book about a real life tragedy). And then there is In The Woods by Tana French which I am slowly reading, because it is taking me a while to get into it. All in all, not bad reading for now. However, for today's post I figured I would answer the questions to this book meme that I found on the Book Blogger Appreciation website. Here goes:
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
sometimes I do snack - depends on if I am hungry or not. usually its popcorn or something sweet, like a cookie.
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
no, I don't really ever write in my books. I used to in college, but not anymore. and so obviously the idea of writing in books does not horrify me - well, I do hate it when people put lines through the text, that is annoying and just plain rude.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Laying the book flat open?
I tend to use whatever is lying around and is handy at the time: receipts, post-it, candy bar wrapper, lotto ticket, etc. I hate dog-earing a page, it just seems cruel.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
both. although truth be told I tend to read more fiction than non.
Hard copy or audiobooks?
most definitely hard copy. I am just not into listening to books.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
I am able to put a book down at any point, but I try to finish each chapter and then put it down.
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
If I can get through the sentence and have a general understanding of what is going on then I am fine and can wait to look up the word, but if I have no clue as to what it means, then I have to look it up straightaway.
What are you currently reading?
Columbine by Dave Cullen and In The Woods by Tana French
What is the last book you bought?
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
I am normally a one book at a time type of gal, but lately I have been trying to have two books on the go and so far its not too bad.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
I am a night time reader and I usually do it in bed.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I prefer stand alone books, but there have been the occasional series that have sucked me in.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut. The Housekeeper and The Professor by Yoko Ogawa and anything by Murakami. Oh and of course the brilliant works of Jean Rhys.
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
I tend to organize my books alphabetically on one shelf and then by favorite authors and books on another shelf and then I have some miscellaneous books just placed on the shelf by what I would like to read next on another shelf.

All right. Well, that is that. Happy reading to all!!

My Sister's Keeper

I cried. The ending made me cry. What a book. It was intriguing and kept me wanting more. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is such an emotionally charged book that raises so many questions about family, love, sisterhood and so much more. We have the story of Kate and Anna. Kate is a 16 year old APL (leukemia) patient who has endured several painful procedures, surgeries, medicines, etc. in order to stay alive. Anna is 13 years old and is Kate's younger sister who has provided the blood, platelets, bone marrow, umbilical chord blood, etc in order to help keep Kate alive. Both sisters love each other dearly and want nothing but the best for each other, but both have secret desires: Kate no longer wants to endure anymore medical procedures and just wants to live as she is; Anna no longer wants to provide any of her body parts to Kate and wants to be free of these expectations from her family (that she is supposed to give Kate her kidney because that is her sister and that is what you do, especially when you are the perfect match). So begins the story of Anna filing for emancipation from her parents in order to obtain the rights to her own body with regards to medical procedures/decisions. Shocked by their younger daughter's actions, Sara and Brian are swept away in a tug of war between what to do, who to listen to and how to handle the situation. Both parents settle on doing things differently; Sara chooses to believe that Anna merely wants attention and that is why she decided to file this lawsuit, whilst Brian believes that it is time to listen to what Anna wants and accept that maybe it is time to stop expecting Anna to donate so much of herself to Kate. We also have Jesse, Anna and Kate's brother, who seems to have a penchant for getting into trouble. All in all a family breaking apart at the seams, which typically ensures a good read. And let me tell you, it was indeed a good read. Picoult has created a wonderful cast of characters, a heartbreaking storyline and an ending that made me weep! I suppose this Picoult book makes up for The Pact (a book I did not like), which means that I will definitely read more of her work. For now though I must move on to something a bit more Halloweenish for the R.I.P. Challenge. I was going to read Tana French's In The Woods, but truth be told I just cannot get into the book - the writing is bad and so I just cannot bear to read anymore of it. Ugh! I think I will have to put that book in my bookmooch inventory. Oh well. Perhaps I should read Dracula or some Poe. Hmmm. Not sure. I'll figure it out. Anyhow, must get back to work. Hope everyone is having a fab week! Happy reading!!!

Twenties Girl in the Noughties World

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella is a typical chick lit book with a slight twist. We have a modern day gal struggling with her love life and career and suffering from a severe case of self doubt (typical chick lit); added to the mix, her dead great aunt Sadie's ghost pestering her about finding a necklace (twist). Lara has just chucked her job and opened a headhunting business with her best friend Natalie who has headed off to Goa with some guy thereby leaving Lara in the lurch (Lara has no headhunting experience). She's recently been dumped by her boyfriend Josh and is determined to get back together with him. And her parents are forcing her to attend the funeral of her great Aunt Sadie, a woman she never even knew. Talk about a jolly good life. It is at this funeral for dear Sadie that Lara's life begins to take a turn for the different. Whilst listening to the vicar drone on about a woman she hardly knew, Lara finds herself listening to the pleading of a young woman nearby who is looking for her necklace. This young woman turns out to be the ghost of Lara's great Aunt Sadie. Unable to believe what is happening Lara soon finds herself stopping the funeral and declaring that Sadie was murdered at her retirement home all in an attempt to prevent Sadie's body from being interred without her beloved necklace. Soon the hunt is on to find this one of a kind dragonfly necklace worn by aunt Sadie. Along the way, guided by Sadie, Lara soon finds herself asking out a stranger in the middle of a board meeting, dressing up like a twenties slapper, reuniting with her ex Josh and taking charge of her new company. Of course a wrench or two are thrown her way, but Lara battles it out and soon finds herself discovering who she really is. All in all a fun read. Albeit the beginning was a bit slow, but soon enough it picked up pace and I found myself reading non-stop to find out what would happen to Sadie, Lara and that necklace. Another book to cross off of my Random Reading Challenge list! Yay! And now I am picking up Sense and Sensibility for the Everything Austen Challenge. Happy Reading to all!!

The Pact

Just finished reading this Picoult book and am not sure how I really feel about it. The Pact is called a love story, and centers on two teenagers, Emily and Chris. Both children and their families have been friends with each other for about 18 years (since the Golds (Emily's family) moved in next door to the Hartes(Chris' family) ). Each family has watched this young couple grow into each other and become completely attached to one another in a way that expands beyond young love. However, both families are devastated by a phone call they each receive in the middle of the night concerning their children. Once at the hospital, the Golds find out that their daughter Emily is dead and the Harte's find their son to be the remaining survivor of a suicide pact. Soon we are thrust into the middle of an investigation into the murder of Emily Gold and the trial of Chris Harte. Along the way we flash back to moments from the past that show us the types of people that Chris and Emily have grown up to be and the ways in which their undying love towards one another has affected their lives. The parents of both children are at a loss to comprehend how this idea of suicide could even have been entertained by their children. Clinging to the past and what they believe to be true, both sets of parents attempt to deal with the grief of their losses (Emily, friendship, family, marriage, etc.) in their own ways. In the end we find out that Emily was sexually abused as a child and that her feelings towards Chris were love, but more like sister/brother love. She did not want to marry Chris and be with him in such an intimate way any longer and longed for freedom. However, upon finding out she is pregnant she decides that the only way to handle the situation is to commit suicide (so that she can escape from her unhappy life). Emily gets Chris to agree to borrow one of his father's guns and to be there with her when she ends her life - Chris agrees to do as Emily wishes, in the hopes of stopping her from killing herself. In the end Chris realizes that Emily's pain is too much for her to bear and so he decides that he will help her by pulling the trigger, yet he cannot bring himself to do it and so Emily presses her fingers atop of Chris' and the gun goes off and she dies, while he faints away. Chris is found not guilty and is released from prison. The Gold's move away and the Harte's remain a family. Emily of course remains in Chris' heart. The End. Okay, so it sounds like an interesting read, but for some reason I just can't place it as a good read. The Pact is filled with serious issues that are heartbreaking to read about and Picoult does a fine job addressing them. The writing is simple and the plot engrossing. However, I'm feeling mixed about this book - part of me likes it, but another part of me can't quite grasp what about it I liked. Oh well, I'll chalk it up to another book off of my TBR list and get on with my reading.
For a lighter read I am now about 1/4 way through Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella and I'll be picking up Sense and Sensibility afterward. Must get on with those challenges. Until the next post - Happy Reading!!

The Housekeeper and the Professor

I have literally just finished reading Yoko Ogawa's brilliant book, The Housekeeper and the Professor. And right now I am in awe. I can't believe that this novel evoked such strong emotions from me, but it did. The writing was wonderful because it centered on the strange and beautiful relationship between a brilliant mathematician, his astute housekeeper, and her 10 year old son, Root. To begin, we meet The Housekeeper who has taken on a new job working for a mathematician whose mind only retains 80 minutes worth of information at a time. To keep things in order, he has taken to pinning notes onto his suit: a reminder that his mind has a short-term memory of 80 minutes, a reminder of his new housekeeper and her son, a reminder of where he can find his pills, etc. All day long the Professor spends his time working on mathematical problems, while the Housekeeper tends to the house. At night she returns home to her son. However, upon learning that she has a son, the Professor tells the Housekeeper that she must bring her son to work in order to ensure his safety (he would go to the park after school and then home). Her son and the Professor become fast friends and begin to look forward to spending time with each other. Because of his flat head, the Professor nicknames the boy, Root (square root). Soon the Housekeeper, Professor and the Root fall into a familiar routine of working all day, listening to the radio at night and enjoying each other's company over dinner. However, the Professor's sister-in-law (she hired the Housekeeper to tend her brother-in-law's house because of his mind glitch) catches wind of an overnight stay (the Professor was sick and so the Housekeeper and her son both stayed to care for him) and has the Housekeeper promptly fired. We soon find the Housekeeper employed by a rude company and having to leave her son home alone again. Missing the Professor and his love of numbers, both the Housekeeper and Root make do with their memories of the Professor. However, things change when the Housekeeper receives a call that the Professor's sister-in-law has requested her services once again. Soon enough, The Professor, Housekeeper and Root are reunited. The story goes on to reveal truths from the past and future and shows us ways in which the Professor's love of math forged such lifelong connections. We learn so much through the astute observations the Housekeeper makes with regards to the Professor's work habits, his gestures, his moods, etc and we learn about her connection to this man and the ways in which he has impacted her life and Root's. This book is written in such an elegant manner with such simple words that the reader cannot help but become immersed in it. The use of numbers as a means of communication for the Professor is amazing because it shows how much he regales these symbols that have afforded him prizes and distinction during his career and have continued to provide him with a familiarity that calms him and brings him peace. There is just so much to write about this wonderful story that I could go on and on and on, but I won't because I do not want to give away too much. The Housekeeper and the Professor is by far one of the best books that I have read this year and I highly recommend it to everyone! I originally read this book in order to complete the Japanese Literature Challenge 3 (which actually does complete the challenge for me), but am happy to say that this book is one that I will revisit from time to time for the pure pleasure of reading it. Happy reading to all!!

2009 Reading = Me

I found this on BookBath and thought it was a fun idea, so I figured I would give it a go. Basically, what you do is take all of the books you have read so far this year and choose which ones can answer the following questions. Try not to repeat a book title!

Describe yourself: The Uncommon Reader
How do you feel: Dead Until Dark
Describe where you currently live: Forever in Blue
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Your favorite form of transportation: The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants
Your best friend is: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
You and your friends are: Girls in Pants
What's the weather like: L.A. Candy
You fear: Little Bee
What is the best advice you have to give: The Rules of Attraction
Thought for the day: The Hour I First Believed
How would I like to die: After Dark
My soul's present condition: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

That was interesting! Made me realize I need to start reading more books so that I can have a better selection next time there are questions like this to answer. Enjoy!!

Revisiting las Sucias!

I just finished reading Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez' book Dirty Girls On Top last night for The Random Reading Challenge. A sequel to The Dirty Girls Social Club, this book is filled with familiar characters and continued story lines. However, what the first book did (crown Valdes-Rodriguez the creator of chica lit and provide readers with a glimpse into the lives of young Latina women) this second book did not do. In my opinion, Valdes-Rodriguez should have left the sucias behind in her debut novel instead of bringing them out again. In Dirty Girls, the storylines are cliched, the sucias are caricatures of stereotypical Latina women and the writing is simply bad. There is just too much happening in the book: adultery, difficult pregnancies, may-december romance, bulimia, alcoholism, domestic abuse, and death. I would be okay with all of these issues being dealt with, if the writing was good and if the characters were not neglected from time to time ( I think Valdes-Rodriguez forgets about certain sucias when she is focusing on specific issues, which is fine, except that by the time she brings them back you have already lost interest in their storyline- ugh!) All in all, a disappointing read. In fact all I can write about this book is that I am happy I finished reading it, because that means that I can cross off one more book from my list of books to be read for challenges. Oh well, on to the next book! Happy Reading!!