5. Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn

Last year I made a deal with my husband.

He felt I read too much (is that even possible?!?!?) and I felt his opinion was a little on the crazy side.

To help him feel better about the amount of books I read, I promised him that this year I would read his entire collection of Star Wars books (those and military books are the only ones he'll read, so I figured that would appease him).

He agreed to this deal and so here we are today.

Outbound Flight is about you guessed it, a flight that goes out of bounds - the bound of the Republic, that is.

Here's what Goodreads has to say about it:

The Clone Wars have yet to erupt when Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth petitions the Senate for support of a singularly ambitious undertaking. Six Jedi Masters, twelve Jedi Knights, and fifty thousand men, women, and children will embark–aboard a gargantuan vessel, equipped for years of travel–on a mission to contact intelligent life and colonize undiscovered worlds beyond the known galaxy. The government bureaucracy threatens to scuttle the expedition before it can even start–until Master C’baoth foils a murderous conspiracy plot, winning him the political capital he needs to set in motion the dream of Outbound Flight.

Or so it would seem. For unknown to the famed Jedi Master, the successful launch of the mission is secretly being orchestrated by an unlikely ally: the evil Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, who has his own reasons for wanting Outbound Flight to move forward . . . and, ultimately, to fail.

Yet Darth Sidious is not the mission’s most dangerous challenge. Once underway, the starship crosses paths at the edge of Unknown Space with the forces of the alien Chiss Ascendancy and the brilliant mastermind best known as “Thrawn.” Even Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, aboard Outbound Flight with his young Padawan student, Anakin Skywalker, cannot help avert disaster. Thus what begins as a peaceful Jedi mission is violently transformed into an all-out war for survival against staggering odds–and the most diabolical of adversaries.

Timothy Zahn’s unique mix of espionage, political gamesmanship, and deadly interstellar combat breathes electrifying life into a Star Wars legend.

My husband is a HUGE Star Wars fan and in the 13 plus years we have been married, he has turned me into quite the fan, as well.

It was an interesting read.  The Star Wars world is huge, and there are so many facets to the Jedi and the Force that it has spawned numerous book series.  According to my husband, Thrawn is quite a notorious character in the Star Wars world, and after reading this I am a little disappointed and at the same time intrigued by his character.

The ending was not at all what I was expecting and I found myself actually interested in reading the Thrawn Triliogy to find out what happens to the Chiss mastermind.

Rating: 3/5 stars

35. South of Superior by Ellen Airgood

I had the hardest time finding an author with the same initials as myself... There were a select few and the books/poems/whatever the heck they wrote just did not sound interesting AT ALL!

I pleaded with my sisters to help me find an author with my initials so that I could fulfill that requirement for the reading challenge - they came through!

Introducing - Ellen Airgood.

Apparently she is also from my home state so that was a fun little side detail.

Here's the run down:


When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, she isn't prepared for how much her life will change.

Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents. It's a place where times are tough and debts run deep, but friendship, community, and compassion run deeper. As the story hurtles along-featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident, a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, Arbutus, and the rest of the town teach Madeline more about life, love, and goodwill than she's learned in a lifetime.

A heartwarming novel, South of Superior explores the deep reward in caring for others, and shows how one who is poor in pocket can be rich in so many other ways, and how little it often takes to make someone happy.


The story takes place in a small town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  I love small towns and was drawn into the quaint little town of McAllaster, which is situated on the shore of Lake Superior.

It did take me a while to really get into the book (I really had to power through Madeline's decision to move to McAllaster and her first few months in town), but once I got halfway through the story I had a hard time putting it down.  I loved most of the characters and I kind of wanted to be adopted by their town.

I was rooting for Madeline and all her fellow townfolk and was pleasantly pleased with how the story went.

Rating: 3/5

- a book written by an author with your same initials

Bad Reviewer

The last month I have definitely slipped on my book reviews.  Shame, shame, shame.

I am hoping that in the future I will do better, but for now, I am still playing catch-up. :(



27. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand


What an incredible story!

This book brought out so many different emotions.  I love books that can move me like this one did.

Rating: 5/5 stars


 - a book based on a true story



28. Killing Floor by Lee Child

I'm surprised by how much I enjoyed this!

Mysteries and thrillers aren't really my type of genre, but this story pulled me in from the very beginning.  I cannot wait to read more Jack Reacher novels.

Rating: 4/5 stars

- a mystery/thriller




29. Golden Son by Piece Brown

That ending - GAH!

Such a fast paced and exciting read! Never a dull moment in this book.

Rating: 5/5 stars


- a book with a color in the title            



30. Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder

It makes me sad to give this a low rating, because I LOVE Valek (and Yelena by extension), but this story was very different than the first three Study books.

It was told from three different POVs (Yelena, Valek and Janco), and while I could have overlooked it being just Yelena and Valek, I really did not understand why Janco was included. In my opinion, it didn't further the story any and seemed to drag it out more than was needed.

Also, while I enjoyed learning more about Valek's past, I did feel as though it was included just to make the story longer... again, it didn't really do anything to further the story. A few paragraphs, maybe a chapter would have been enough, but almost every Valek chapter had a flashback in it.

Like I said, it really hurt my heart to give this anything lower than a 3, but for me, this book was just okay. I will read the next book in the series, though, because I am too invested in Valek and Yelena to give up on them now.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars



31. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

It took FOREVER for me to get into this book. The first three quarters of the book seemed rather dull. I spent the entire time prepared to give it 2 stars, but then the last few chapters picked up and I found myself drawn into the story.  Rating: 3/5 stars 32. I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer I really don't know what I was expecting, but it was definitely something different than this. I really wanted to like this book, because I love most of the movies in which Judy Greer is a co-star, but it seemed very disjointed and all over the place. Add to that the part where her "funny" stories weren't really funny. I guess I was hoping to read more about her actual life, you know, being a co-star to the "famous" in Hollywood - maybe more on how her career actually started, what she does to stay pertinent in the acting community, heck, maybe even something about all the people she has worked with - but this was just a bunch of short stories about random subjects from shopping at CVS to having a pink car and it didn't really entertain me. Nothing against Judy Greer, she seems like a fun person, but this book wasn't for me. Or maybe I just have something against memoirs... I don't know. Rating: 1.5/5 stars - a funny book 33. A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout Wow. What an amazing story of survival. It is so hard to read about the darkness and terror that can be found in this world. I am so impressed by Amanda's perseverance and will to survive in the face of such horrors and I wish nothing but the best for her continued recovery. Rating: 4/5 stars  - a nonfiction book

More catch up

22. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Being the sixth book in the series, it was pretty blah.  I felt the series could have ended with the third book.

Rating 2/5 stars


23. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

LOVED this book!  Very well written with a cute story.

Rating: 5/5 stars

- a book set in a different country (England)



24-26. The Glass series by Maria V. Snyder

Storm Glass rating: 3/5 stars
Sea Glass rating: 3/5 stars
Spy Glass rating: 2.5/5 stars

This series was just "meh".  I wasn't really excited by it and didn't really connect to any of the characters.  But, Snyder is a great author and wrote a decent story.

 

- a trilogy

Catch up (books #18-21)

18. Plus One by Elizabeth Fama

It takes guts to deliberately mutilate your hand while operating a blister-pack sealing machine, but all I had going for me was guts.

Sol Le Coeur is a Smudge—a night dweller in an America rigidly divided between people who wake, live, and work during the hours of darkness and those known as Rays who live and work during daylight. Impulsive, passionate, and brave, Sol deliberately injures herself in order to gain admission to a hospital, where she plans to kidnap her newborn niece—a Ray—in order to bring the baby to visit her dying grandfather. By violating the day-night curfew, Sol is committing a serious crime, and when the kidnap attempt goes awry it starts a chain of events that will put Sol in mortal danger, uncover a government conspiracy to manipulate the Smudge population, and throw her together with D'Arcy Benoît, the Ray medical apprentice who first treats her, then helps her outrun the authorities—and with whom she is fated to fall impossibly and irrevocably in love.

Set in a vivid alternate reality and peopled with complex, deeply human characters on both sides of the day-night divide, Plus One is a brilliantly imagined drama of individual liberty and civil rights—and a compelling, rapid-fire romantic adventure story.

 

This was an unique take on a dystopian society.  I really wanted to read more about what brought this type of society about and how people were okay with it, but there wasn't very much of that.  I also felt there was a lot of information missing from this book that would have made it better, not just a more thorough history of their society but other parts of the story that were lacking and could have used more description.  Some parts seemed quite unbelievable, but I guess that is what makes is dystopian, right? ;)

 

Overall an interesting read.  Another great thing it had going for it... it is a stand alone novel (I think and HOPE).  Not many of those anymore.

 

Rating: 3.75/5

 

- a book based entirely on it's cover

19. Seraphina (Seraphina #1) by Rachel Hartman

In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. Eragon-author Christopher Paolini calls them, "Some of the most interesting dragons I've read in fantasy."

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.  

 

 

I originally read this book in December 2013 and loved it!  Such a fascinating take on dragons!  I felt Seraphina was a character you could really connect with and Lucian Kiggs was another great candidate for a literary crush.

 

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

 

- a book with a one-word title

 

 

 

20. Shadow Scale (Seraphina #2) by Rachel Hartman

 

Seraphina took the literary world by storm with 8 starred reviews and numerous “Best of” lists. At last, her eagerly awaited sequel has arrived—and with it comes an epic battle between humans and dragons.

The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways.

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

 

 

I have been eagerly awaiting this book!!!!  It was a long wait between my reading Seraphina and Shadow Scale coming out and as the date for it's release got closer I got more excited.  Maybe that is why I was rather disappointed with this one...

 

Here's what I wrote on Goodreads:

This is a hard one to rate. I thought for sure going into it that I was going to love it. The world Rachel Hartman created is so fascinating and unique, and in the beginning of this book we learn more of Seraphina's history and in particular her history with Jannoula. But at times the story seemed drawn out (for example when she was in Porphyry) and really slow. Despite that, I wanted to continue reading because I was desperate to know what happened to the characters I have grown to love. I was really enjoying the book until the last one hundred or so pages. It seemed as though Seraphina became a completely different person. Up until then I would have given it four stars. Unfortunately the ending was irritating and really put me off, which is sad because I wanted to love this story.

Rating: 3/5 stars

 

- a book with more than 500 pages

 

 

 

 

21. How to Betray a Dragon's Hero (HTTYD #11) by Cressida Cowell

 

High up in the Treacherous mists of the Murderous Mountains, Hiccup and the Company of the Dragonmark are in hiding. The witch's Vampire Spydragons are guarding the shores of Tomorrow -- but Hiccup is determined to become King of the Wilderwest. Can Hiccup dodge the dragons and steal back the King's Things from Alvin before the Doomsday of Yule? And is there a traitor in Hiccup's camp who, in the end, will betray them all?

 

 

This has been a really enjoyable series.  I read the first ten books with my eldest daughter and we have loved them.  This is the first one I read by myself (she also read it by herself before I did), which was a little bittersweet.

 

Hiccup and Toothless and all the rest of the characters in these books are so well written you can't help loving them.  This is the second to last book in the series so things are drawing closer to an end in this installment.  I will be sad to say goodbye to Hiccup and his gang.

 

Rating: 4/5 stars

 

- a book with non-human characters



17. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear, and director Rob Reiner.The Princess Bride has been a family favorite for close to three decades. Ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 Greatest Love Stories and by the Writers Guild of America as one of the top 100 screenplays of all time, The Princess Bride will continue to resonate with audiences for years to come.

Cary Elwes was inspired to share his memories and give fans an unprecedented look into the creation of the film while participating in the twenty-fifth anniversary cast reunion. In As You Wish he has created an enchanting experience; in addition to never-before seen photos and interviews with his fellow cast mates, there are plenty of set secrets, backstage stories, and answers to lingering questions about off-screen romances that have plagued fans for years!

With a foreword by Rob Reiner and a limited edition original poster by acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey, As You Wish is a must-have for all fans of this beloved film. 

 

 

 

So after reading The Princess Bride I wanted to continue on my Princess Bride journey with Cary Elwes' memoir about making the movie.

 

I remember the first time I saw the movie was when I was in school.  It was a different kind of movie which made it really fascinating to me.  Through the years I have watched it quite a few times, and now that I have children who are old enough to watch and enjoy it, I have been watching it a lot more recently.

 

It was a lot of fun to get a glimpse into what it was like to make the movie.  It seemed like a fun group of people to work with and it was unique to have some memories and highlights from the other actors included in Elwes' book.  There were a lot of fun facts included (Mandy Patinkin and Cary Elwes learned how to fence and did the actual sword fight themselves, etc.) and it was great watching the movie a few days after finishing this book and witnessing these things and knowing the stories behind them.

 

But... with a memoir, there is always going to be a lot of "me, me, me", and this book was no exception.  I get that it is a recollection of his time making the movie, but it still kind of bugged me how often he talked about himself.  I guess I am just not a memoir kind of person.

 

Fun facts: 4/5 stars

"Me" factor: 1/5 stars

Other actors excerpts: 3/5 stars

OVERALL: 3/5 stars

 

- a memoir

10. Fairest by Marissa Meyer

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death.

 

 

So... that doesn't really tell us much about this book, does it?  Fairest is the tale of Levana, the Queen of Luna.  It begins when Levana is 15 years old and quickly covers the next ten or so years of her life.

It was shorter than I expected.  I would have loved for more details about Levana,  but it did give a little bit of insight into how Levana came to be the way she is and also how she became Queen of Luna.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the Lunar Chronicles series.  Just make sure you read it after the first three books.

Rating: 3/5

- a book you can finish in one day

9. Ever After High: Once Upon A Time: A Story Collection by Shannon Hale

WHEW!  That title was a mouthful! ;)

 

I guess Shannon Hale thought it deserved that many words in the title since there are that many short stories in the book.  (That's not an actual fact, but I'm sure it's close).

 

Once Upon A Time features short, introductory stories of a few favorite Ever After High characters from Hale's first three books in the series, as well as some newer characters that we haven't had much interaction with before.  We are given a glimpse into their lives as they prepare to head back to Ever After High for the new school year, which happens to be their Legacy Year.

 

I am not a fan of short stories AT ALL.  I have a hard time reading just a little bit of information about a character and feeling okay with that.  I want more, darn it, MORE!  It's not that the story isn't interesting... it's that I want to know what happened after the few hours of saying goodbye to family and home and heading off to school.

 

Really, that is the only reason I gave this book three stars.  The writing was good and the stories were cute, but it wasn't enough story!

 

Rating: 3/5

 

- a book of short stories

7. Across the Universe - Beth Revis

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

 

 

My sister gave me this book a few years ago.  It sat there on my shelf, sad and neglected.  Then my sister-in-law recently read it and I realized - hey, I have that book and I should probably read it.

 

So I started reading about the journey of Amy and Elder.

 

It started out interesting.  I think the idea of being frozen for space travel to settle on a distant planet in the distant future is so fascinating.  Crazy, but fascinating.  I don't blame Amy for being afraid to do it - leaving everything you know for some unknown world far into the future is definitely a daunting thought!  Naturally I was pulled into her story and wanting to know what would happen.

 

Then I was introduced to Elder and the Godspeed (the spaceship Amy and her family are traveling on while frozen).  Things seemed really weird on the ship, so there was a part of me that wanted to know what was really going on and what was behind all the weird rules, but then part of me was just not interested.  I didn't really like the character of Elder.  I couldn't stand how easily he fell in love with Amy (if we can even call it that) and how he was willing to betray everything he knew for her (which wasn't a bad thing, but highly unusual for someone his age).

 

Overall, the "surprise" did surprise me, and it makes me interested in reading the next book in the series to see what happens, but I don't know if I can stomach anymore of Elder and Amy and their "relationship".

 

Rating: 3/5

 

- a book you own but have never read

Books 1 - 3 of 2015

1. Dreamspinner by Lynn Kurland

- a book by a female author

Pretty self-explanatory.  Since this was a re-read it didn't really fit into any exciting category.

Rating: 4/5



2. River of Dreams by Lynn Kurland

- a book with magic

Again, since this was a re-read it didn't meet any of the unique categories, but it is based in an imaginary land with magic where the main characters are magic wielders.

Rating: 3/5


3. Dreamer's Daughter by Lynn Kurland

- a book published this year

This is the newest book in the Nine Kingdom series, just came out last week.

Rating: 2.5/5



Like the last instillation of the Nine Kingdom series, Runach's story started out really well and with so much potential!  I was drawn into the story and was eagerly awaiting how it would all end.  Runach seemed like such a different character than her usual magic-wielding male leads and I really enjoyed that about him.

But then... surprise (not really)!  The main characters actually do have magic!  .........

I get that the series is based in a world full of the stuff, but is it so wrong to write a strong character that doesn't have magic?  And the constant "long lost magical persons found" storyline is SO overdone.

I love the Nine Kingdoms, I especially love Miach and Morgan, but I am glad to be done with the rest of the series.  I will most likely only ever read the original three books ever again.

61. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Time is slipping away....

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?



So... this was our book club selection for September.  I requested it so far in advance because I thought it would take a long time to come in... I was wrong.

Overall I enjoyed the book.  The idea of the Brimstone Bleed was interesting.  I think I might have a little literary crush on a certain someone...

However, there were some parts of the story that were a bit disappointing.  Tella's character was kind of annoying.  Yeah, she is a teenage girl, but she seemed very superficial.  Also, for all the foreboding about how difficult the race would be, it didn't seem to incredibly difficult during the story.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

10. Sacrifice by Cayla Kluver

This is not the time for the fight to end. Now is when the fight will begin. This is the time to regain what has been lost.

Alera

Queen of a fallen kingdom, secretly in love with the enemy.

Shaselle

Daughter of a murdered father, rebel with a cause.

One lives behind the former Hytanican palace walls and walks the razor's edge to keep the fragile peace in her beloved homeland. The other slips through the war-torn streets, seeking retribution for her family's tragedy, following whispers of insurgency.

Both face choices that will separate them from those they cannot help but love. As their stories intertwine, a conspiracy ignites that may end in slavery or death—or lead to freedom anew, if only each can face what must be sacrificed.


An interesting finale to the Legacy series... I wasn't sure what the author could write about, considering how the last book ended.

This book focused on the land of Hytanica trying to hold on after being conquered by their greatest enemy, Cokyri.  Being from two different POVs, you got to see what was happening in the palace and in town.  It was a little annoying to me, having both Alera and Shaselle telling the story, but having finished the story I can understand why Ms. Kluver did that.  For the most part, I found Shaselle's chapters rather unnecessary, as they had to do with her trying to find a decent suitor during this post-war period.  But there was something completely shocking that did happen in her part of the story, and it really threw me.  A good job by the author.

Alera... I guess I began to like her character (finally).  She seemed to finally be growing up and not acting like such a spoiled brat.  I mean, I can understand being angry about being passed over to rule because you are a woman and also being forced into marriage, but DEAL WITH IT!  You knew your whole life this was how things would be, Alera!  No surprise there!  Enough ranting... thankfully she developed more and became a character that I could really support.

The ending of the series was very abrupt!  I got to the last page and thought, "Seriously?  This is where you're leaving it?"  I was disappointed.  Not to mention that it was such a cheesy ending.  Everything working out so quaint - especially after all that has happened in these books - not the best ending, in my opinion.  I would have gone somewhere very different with this story, but I'm not a writer, so I guess it doesn't matter.


Rating: 3.5/5

2. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent.

This book was a lot easier to read than the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  To me, it seemed like more of a story than a list of events (which was kind of how the LOTR trilogy was, but I still enjoyed it).

It was fun getting a closer look at Bilbo.  I enjoyed reading about the dwarfs (though at time I thought there were too many, but I digress), and was glad that by the end of the journey they all respected and befriended Bilbo, especially Balin.  It was also fun reading about all of Bilbo's ideas and plans that saved them so many times.

There were parts of the journey that I thought were rather boring and drawn out, but overall it was enjoyable.  I am interested to see how the next two films depict the rest of the story... although the first movie was VERY different than the beginning of the book.  And what the heck?!?! - no Legolas?  I was deceived...

To me, Smaug was killed too quickly, certain people who died shouldn't have, but I guess that's why I don't write stories.  The ending was rather abrupt and I wish there was a little more to the story, but I will survive.


Rating: 4/5

REVISED:  While I enjoyed reading The Hobbit, I didn't enjoy it enough to give it four stars.  I just liked it.

New Rating: 3/5

1. Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier

The young seer Sibeal is visiting an island of elite warriors, prior to making her final pledge as a druid. It's there she finds Felix, a survivor of a Viking shipwreck, who's lost his memory. The scholarly Felix and Sibeal form a natural bond. He could even be her soul mate, but Sibeal's vocation is her true calling, and her heart must answer. 

 As Felix fully regains his memory, Sibeal has a runic divination showing her that Felix must go on a perilous mission-and that she will join him. The rough waters and the sea creatures they will face are no match for Sibeal's own inner turmoil. She must choose between the two things that tug at her soul-her spirituality and a chance at love...

 

Having read the four previous books in the series... I have to say, the last two, which I call the second generation of Sevenwaters stories, are not as good as the first three books.

 

However, I still enjoyed the story.  It was nice to finally find out Felix's story, although it took quite a while to get there... and I don't quite understand the whole druid thing.  Maybe if I knew a little more about it I would understand Sibeal's character more.

 

But the whole "love story" was probably the best part of the book.

 

 

Rating: 3/5

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war.

Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.


The Wicked Lovely series... what can I say?  Very confusing and slightly boring.  The first book, Wicked Lovely, was interesting.  I though it was a promising twist to the whole faery genre.  But then the next three books, Ink Exchange, Fragile Eternity,  and Radiant Shadows, were very strange.  I felt like they really had nothing to do with the whole story line and it just confused me by adding all these new and (in my opinion) unimportant characters.

So... let me break it down for you.  There once were four courts in Faery - Summer and Winter (they balanced each other), and High and Dark (they also balanced each other).  But in the last book, a new court was created - the Shadow Court.  It was created to balance Sorcha, queen of the High Court and all of Faery, because she was losing control and in doing so would have destroyed all of Faery.  But in doing so, it left the Dark Court unbalanced.

Each of the courts has at least one ruler: Sorcha (High), Niall (Dark), Keenan and Aislinn (Summer), Donia (Winter), and Devlin (Shadow).  So the story starts with the death of the last Dark King, Irial, which leads to a sort of instability in Niall, the current Dark King.  It doesn't help that he has no one to balance his "craziness", so things start spiraling out of control.  Add to that the Bananach (the embodiment of Chaos and sister to Sorcha) is let loose on the world and trying to bring war to the faery courts in order to destroy everyone.

Basically all the rulers want someone they can't have, but they all have to work together, goodness prevails, and in the end all the rulers end up happy.

To me, it was the best book in the series because I understood who everyone was and what was happening to them.  I also felt a connection to their stories and wanted what was best for them.  And, it ended, if not a little too quaintly for me, nicely for everyone.  Really, I'm just glad the series is over with.  It was too much for the story, if you ask me.

Rating: 3/5

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…
 
 
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
 
 
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
 
 
But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.


Very interesting read... it was different than other faery books that I've read, and that's good, because I haven't been too impressed by the others.  I enjoyed the whole aspect of the Iron Court and how that came into being.

I REALLY enjoyed me some Ash, though!  Definitely crush-worthy.


Rating: 3.75/5

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Nothing comes between Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) and her bargains. Neither act of God nor budget crunch can shatter her dreams of wall-to-wall Prada. Every milestone in her well-shopped life (travel, long-lost sister, marriage, pregnancy) inspires new vistas to explore in the name of retail therapy. But now she faces her greatest little challenge yet: Becky’s two-year-old daughter, Minnie.






While motherhood has been everything Becky dreamed it would be—Baby Dior, Little Marc Jacobs, and Dolce & Gabbana for toddlers—adorable Minnie is wreaking havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Her favorite word is “MINE!” and her penchant for Balenciaga bags, Chanel sunglasses, and online purchases has no rival under age five.






Becky is at her wits end. On top of this, she and her husband Luke are still living with her parents. Thankfully it appears house buying attempt number four is a go! Until a huge financial crisis causes panic everywhere, and nobody wants to shop—not Becky’s personal shopping clientele, not her friends, nobody. And with Luke in the doldrums, it’s time for Becky to step in—with a party: A surprise birthday party for Luke (on a budget) is the perfect antidote to everyone’s woes. At first.






Will Becky manage to keep the party of the year a surprise? Can she hire jugglers, fire-eaters, and acrobats at a discount? Will enlisting the help of Luke’s unflappable assistant to convince him to have another baby realize her dream of matching pom-poms? Will Minnie find a new outlet for her energetic and spirited nature (perhaps one with sixty percent markdowns)? She is, after all, a chip off the old shopping block. And everyone knows a committed shopper always finds a way.
 
 
After waiting two years, it was fun to read about Becky again.  She completely drives me insane and I can't stand that she lies all the time and shops way too much, but that's the way she's supposed to be.  Sometimes her antics are so ridiculous you can't help but laugh!  I thought this book would be more about her daughter than her, but I was wrong.  That doesn't make it bad, necessarily, just not what I was expecting.  The ending was great and I was glad everything worked out, although I wish Luke knew the WHOLE truth about how everything really worked out.
 
 
Rating: 3/5

One Second After

This story is set in a small town in North Carolina and how they deal with the effects of an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse - nuclear warheads being set off above the atmosphere, knocking out all electricity and anything that has any sort of electronic device in it).

WOW! This book both intrigued me and freaked me out. Going through possible scenarios following something like this (which could very well happen) really got my mind going. First off, our society is so dependent on electricity. For me, it would truly be difficult to function without electricity. Food would be hard to come by, medicine as well, staying clean would be much less of a priority. Diseases long thought of cured would come back, skills that helped people survive hundreds of years ago are dwindling and so many wouldn't know how to survive.

All of those are scary thoughts... but for me, the scariest part was when groups of vigilantes/crazies/murderers got together and started plundering their way through the countryside. Totally freaked me out! You might have all your food storage and other supplies, but how do you stand against a large group of people intent on killing you (and then eating you). So disturbing!

This book made me really think about what I need to do for my family to be better prepared (and hopefully nothing like this ever happens).

Rating: 3.5/5

The Wizard Heir by Cindy Williams Chima

This is the sequel to The Warrior Heir. It follows Joseph McCauley (called Seph), an untrained wizard who cannot control his powers, which leads him into all kinds of trouble. He is sent to a reform school led by a mysterious Gregory Leicester, and at this school all sorts of strange happenings occur. He later meets up with characters from the previous story as they battle to uphold the decisions made by the council in the last novel. I'm not going to tell you what else happens, so you'll have to read the book.

First off, I HATE that the kid goes by Seph! What kind of name is that!?!? It was horrible and it bothered me everytime I had to read it, which unfortunately was a lot since he was the main character.

Secondly, the beginning of this novel was VERY hard to get into. I almost considered not finishing the book, but I really wanted to know how everything would turn out, so I plunged ahead. Thankfully only the first quarter to third of the book was difficult to read. After that, it picked up pace really quickly and I was so excited to read about what would happen next.

I loved the ending a lot (better than the first one), but because the beginning was so horrible, I can't justify giving it a 4 (otherwise I would).

Rating: 3.75/5

The Warrior Heir by Cindy Williams Chima

The plot of the story was interesting... Jack, born a wizard but lacking a wizard stone, is transplanted with a warrior stone, the rarest of the five guilds. Warriors are a dying breed due to the Game, a competition between warring wizard factions over control of all the guilds. In the Game, warriors are sent to fight for a side (White or Red Rose) to preserve the lives of wizards.

Jack grew up protected from the magical world, told that the scar over his heart is from a heart surgery, but when he turns sixteen and stops taking the medicine prescribed to help his heart (but it really suppress his powers) and things start happening that he can't explain...

A very interesting concept for a story, kind of Hunger Games like, but not as good. The beginning did sort of drag out, but the ending was better. Some of the characters were easy to connect with, but others were very boring and I wasn't sure why they were even a part of the story.

Overall, an enjoyable read, just not as great as I was hoping.

But I'm still going to read the rest of the series.

Rating: 3.5/5