Book Wars 7

Before I dive into this weeks installment of Book Wars, I have a link you should check out. My awesome friend Jennie Bailey interviewed me for her Paws and Learn blog about my cat. If you want to know why I walk my cat, you should check it out!

On to this week's installment of Book Wars - the entirely positive battle between books I read this week.

(Click on the book titles to be redirected to their Goodreads page) 

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

So this book is based on the screenplay for the movie coming out on March 11th.  That being said, this book has no ending so it's hard to give you my overall opinion on it. (I did not know there was no ending when I bought it.) Apparently the final chapter of the book (the one that ties everything together) isn't going to be released until March 14th (so people have time to see the movie). I guess they want the ending to be a surprise. But, without an ending, I feel I have nothing more to say about the book than: it provides some interesting background information on the village the characters live in that I'm sure the movie won't.

VS.

Bloodthirsty by Flynn Meaney

My favorite  thing about this book is the humor. The MC Finbar is an awkward, pale kid with a 'perfect' twin brother who wants nothing more than to get a girl but has had nothing but awful luck so far. He keeps up to date with pop culture and realizes he can use the vampire trend to his advantage. If you don't think a high school boy pretending to be a vampire is funny on it's own...well, there's lots of other humor in here too. 

This Week's Winner:

Bloodthirsty wins, hands down - and not just because it has an ending! This book is a believable portrayal of high school. It's relateable because pretty much everyone has done something crazy to get the attention of the opposite sex. At one point in our lives, we've all wanted to be someone else. This book is so funny because of its honesty. If you've ever been on the Vampire Book Bandwagon (and seriously, who hasn't been at one point or another?) I definitely recommend this book. 

Book Wars 6

It's finally time for another Book Wars - the entirely positive battle to win best book of the week!

For more information on any of these books, press their name and you'll be redirected to their goodreads page.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

This book is written in a pretty unique way. It's like an epic fairytale in the Hans Christian Anderson or Grimm Brothers style except it's a longer story.

 VS.

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

This novel is all about how one generation living in a dictatorship affects all future generations. My favorite part was the historical footnotes spread throughout where I learned about Trujillo the dictator in the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. I never realized the horrors that country faced, we never learned about it in school though this guy was arguably as horrible as Hitler. The only difference? He didn't leave a paper trail behind him - just a scarred country terrified into silence.

VS.

I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
The First book in the John Cleaver series

The Main Character John's struggle with his own natural inclinations. Having a MC whose worst enemy is himself makes for truly interesting psychological elements. I was questioning my own inclinations right along with John.

The Winner This Week

Without a doubt, I pick I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells. The writing in this novel was clean, it painted vivid pictures in my mind (which wasn't always a great thing - some of it's gross!), and was just plain amazing. I found the MC relatable (which, unfortunately, makes me worry about the state of my mind since he is a sociopath). The details about famous serial killers was super interesting. I enjoyed the plot. Honestly, I don't really have anything negative to say. I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys the crime shows out there (CSI, Criminal Minds, Castle, etc).

What have you read recently? What are you reading right now? 

Book Wars 5

It's time for Book Wars. The entirely positive epic battle to be picked as my favorite read this week.

Hold me closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

The most interesting thing about this book is the way McBride handled her narrative. The chapters switch from first person to third limited but I didn't even realize she was switching between the two until about halfway through the novel and it struck me. The main characters voice is first and the glimpses into others are in third. It was amazingly well done - you feel close to the MC but get to see/hear more as well. I don't think there are many authors who can pull this off but when they do...it works.

VS.

The Ant and the Elephant by Vince Poscente

I loved the message in this book: all about the power of your subconscious mind.

VS.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

I have to credit McCarthy for conveying the psychological realities of a post-apocalyptic world. It was bleak and hopeless and, I suppose, that makes it the most realistic dystopian I've ever read.

VS.

Tender is the night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Scattered throughout this book are some very interesting passages that made me stop and think about people or things in my life and why I saw them the way I did.

This Weeks Winner

This week is a little different. I have two winners. Not necessarily because I couldn't decide between the two but because they are so different that I find choosing between them to be unfair.

If you're looking for a fun, easy and interesting read I'd definitely recommend Hold me closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Maybe it's just me but the fact that the main character worked at a fast food joint made me relate to him in a way I've never related to another character. (Yes, I used to work at McDonalds - in case you were going to ask.)

If you're interested in reading a book written as a fable and actually teaches you about the power of your subconscious (and, consequently, yourself) then I'd say The Ant and the Elephant by Vince Poscente is a must read. It was interesting and fascinating. (Also, I tested the techniques this book illustrates to get what you want/achieve goals and it totally works! I promise!)

What have you been reading this week?

Book Wars 4

It's time for another Book Wars!

(Click on the book titles to be redirected to their goodreads page so you can get an actual synopsis.)

Fearscape by Simon Holt
Third book in The Devouring series

The overarching theme for all three books is finally verbalized at the end of this book and it validated the MC's (Reggie) journey for me. Here's the two lines that say it all, "But for all the horrors Reggie had seen, she had also witnessed the wonder of the human spirit fighting back. It wasn't about eradicating fear; it was about overcoming it." To me, this was a really powerful message.

VS.

Fire In The Blood by Irene Nemirovsky

This book is set in rural France several decades ago (not sure of the exact date) and I loved the way she highlighted the community, the way they both operated as a collective and as individuals and the way they kept family matters family matters (even though everyone else knew about it!). It was a very interesting and revealing look into rural existence in France after the war (first - I think).

VS.

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

So, unless you haven't been reading any of the new fiction books in the last couple of years, you know that love triangles are in (even when we say they're going out). But, I have never read a book where I ever had a doubt about who I wanted the main character to be with. I always know within the first third who I want to win (even though half the time they don't). That is, until I read this book. I actually couldn't decide. I wanted her to choose both of them (but then I don't want them all to be together or anything like that). My point is, the best thing about this book is that the love triangle actually felt like a real love triangle, each guy brought something different and valuable to the table and I understood why Frannie was conflicted because so was I.

VS.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

I really liked the beginning of this book, it started out with a bang and went right into the action - basically, straight to the point with no unnecessary set up.

This Week's Winner

So, this week, I have to go with Personal Demons. The main character was strong but still feminine and relateable . Also, as I said before, I was really impressed with how the author handled the romantic aspects of the story - it was very well done. I'm excited for the next book in this series.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What did you read this week?

Book Wars 3

It's time for the entirely positive war between inanimate objects (books) that are shuffled around in my mind, words flying everywhere, until, I - the supreme ruler (of my mind) - decide who wins!

(Click on the book titles to be redirected to their goodreads page and get a synopsis.)

Entice by Carrie Jones
Third book in the Need Series

I really like all the foklore and mythology Carrie Jones integrates into her series and this book does that the best out of the three.

VS.

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

The descriptions in this novel brought the setting, characters and world to life. They were gritty and real and I could almost taste/touch/smell it all. For something so infused with fantasy and foklore it seemed very believable and I think the descriptions had a lot to do with that.

VS.

The Devouring by Simon Holt
The first book in The Devouring series

I started reading this before bed and couldn't put it down because if I did, I wouldn't know how the conflict was resolved, and if that was true then I wouldn't know how to beat the Vours (the villainous creatures who devour human souls and steal their bodies). Holt created creatures that fed on people's fears and my overactive imagination started feeding my conscious all of my fears until I was, quite honestly, scared to turn out my light (The Vours come when the night eats light). I believed in this book. (Until the next day when I realized that was just madness.)

Soulstice by Simon Holt
The second book in The Devouring series

The fears in the first book were physical things - clowns, spiders, water, etc - but in this installment we deal with fears like desolation, being afraid of your self and guilt and this intangible fears are far more horrifying. This book doesn't skip on horror at all, so if that's what you're looking for...

Winner This Week:

This week I have to go with The Replacement. The main character Mackie was strange and interesting and the world was dark and dreary but not hopeless. The entire story revolves around foklore but the fantasy is believable because the descriptions make it all seem real. Days after I finished, I was still thinking about the town of Gentry. That is a mark of a good book (especially when you've read two after it and still can't stop thinking about it).

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What did you read this week?

Book Wars 2

The event were, despite the negative connotation of war, there is absolutely no bloodshed! (Or spilled ink - since we are dealing with books here)

This week I read:
(Click on the book titles to be redirected to their Goodreads page)

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
First book in the Lorien Legacies

With I Am Number Four, my favorite thing has to be the story itself. There really isn't any other way to explain my feelings about this book except the story was...out of this world (And yeah, I know this pun is totally lame because the book has something to do with Aliens - as an aside: I'm not a big fan of aliens but this book  may have changed my mind....)

VS.

Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

The best thing about this book is the emphasis on family dynamics. Too often in books, this sort of atmosphere is left by the wayside - which after reading this book, I'm reminded of how silly that is. With a large family you have all the stuff that makes for interesting plot: love, drama, comedy, rivalry, competition, support.

This Week's Winner

This week my favorite book would have to be I Am Number Four. This book convinced me that alien-centric books really aren't lame and considering how anti I was before, that's saying something. At first I thought it would be very Smallville (TV show based on Superman before he was Superman) but it really came into it's own. It's well paced and sets up the beginning of a series perfectly. I was gripped from the first chapter and had no choice but to read straight through to the end. 

Have you read either of these books? What did you think? What's your favorite read this week?

Book Wars

As I mentioned in this post 2011 is a year of goals. One of the goals I set for myself is to read 110 books this year. (I'm also starting a regular blogging schedule of Monday-Wednesday-Friday.)

I kept trying to think about how I could keep you all updated with what I've read. I don't want to review books - I respect those who do but sometimes I really can't think of enough to say and I get really picky with the books I do read. Even books I love I wouldn't necessarily give 5/5 stars. So, while brainstorming, I came up with the idea of Book Wars.

Every Monday I'll post all the books I read during the week (from Monday to Sunday) and say one good thing about each book - there will be no negatives because I know first hand how hard it is to write a book. At the end of the post I'll pick my weekly favorite (which is where the 'war' part comes in, one book will end up on top though with very little bloodshed - unless, of course that's what the books about!).

I know it's only the 3rd but I've already read three books so we can start this week:
(For more about any of these books click on the title to be redirected to their Goodreads page.)


Captivate by Carrie Jones
The second book in the Need series.

My favorite thing about this book is the main character's voice. I love Zara's (MC) obsession with phobias: it's funny, amusing and interesting. And I even feel like I'm learning something.

VS.

ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
The third and final book in the Looking Glass Wars

If you hadn't guessed by my blog's title, I love Alice Adventures in Wonderland/Through The Looking Glass. The Looking Glass Wars trilogy is basically a re-imagining of Alyss' story in a darker world. As with the first two in this series, I love the concept and the world. I also love how our world and Wonderland are so intertwined with each other yet separate at the same time (which basically fits into loving the concept).

VS.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
The third and final book in the Darkest Powers trilogy

I like how the covers in this series focus on the changing stone. When focusing on the actual story, again I really enjoyed the concept. The idea of a Necromancer as a main character is something I hadn't seen in other fiction books. Maybe I'm too morbid or something but I really like the idea and Chloe's (MC) powers - even when they creeped me out and gave me shivers.

This weeks winner:

Unfortunately, I don't feel very strongly about any of these books. It's hard to pick a winner because, while I enjoyed them all, I don't feel like any one of them really stood out to me as better or easier to recommend then the others. I have positives and negatives (though I'll keep those to myself!) things to say about each of these books that are about equal in number. 

In the end, I think I have to go with ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor. It isn't the best book in the series but it is a series that I would definitely recommend if you ever enjoyed Alice in Wonderland. The first book Looking Glass Wars will always be my favorite. 

Have you read any of these books? What were some of your thoughts?

I hope everyone had an amazing holiday! Anything exciting happen that I missed during my absence?