Radiance and Shimmer

All Riley Bloom ever wanted was to be 13 and just shy of her 13th birthday she dies in a car accident along with her parents and golden retriever. Forced into the afterlife known as a place called the Here and Now she has to accept her death and the survival of her older sister. She feels that everything was taken from her unfairly and can’t seem to accept her fate. Riley is given a job assignment as Soul Catcher where she is sent down to Earth with her young teacher, a boy named Bohdi.

The second novel in the series is, Shimmer. Riley continues her afterlife adventure getting earth bound souls to cross over into the afterlife. Riley meets the ghost of an evil young girl torturing the souls of others. Riley was not given this assignment and is warned not to intervene by her mentor, Bohdi. But when Bohdi and her dog become trapped Riley has no to choice but to get in there and save them.

Dreamland is the 3rd book in the Riley Bloom series by Alyson Noel. Noel is also the author of the series Immortals about Ever Bloom, Riley’s older sister. Both of these series are a great young adult novels. I hope to read the Immortals series soon. I give the books: uniqueness: 7 writing: 7 plot: 7 protagonist: 7  I give it a 7.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunger

Yes ladies and gentlemen America’s most beloved president was indeed a vampire hunter.   Secret diaries of President Lincoln were reveled to none other than the author (Seth Grahame-Smith) himself by you guessed it… a vampire named Henry.

Henry actually saved Lincoln’s life and helped train him on finding and killing vampires. After Lincoln’s mother was murdered by a vampire he took it upon himself to rid the world of as many vampires as he could. Lets just say that what we believe to be a simple matter of states rights evoking a civil war is more about vampires using humans with power, like you guessed it… Jefferson Davis, to take over America and rule without fear of being hunted down and all the access to the blood of slaves they could want.

So if you like to read something a little unusual or read a piece of hidden U.S. history than this may be the book for you. I give it a 7.4

Cleverness: 8 Writing: 8 Characters: 8 Plot: 7 Perspective: 7

May the odds be ever in your favor

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins is probably the best young adult series I have read in quite awhile, except Harry Potter. The first night I picked up the book I thought I would only read the first chapter, as it was late, I ended up reading the first 3 chapters. I couldn’t put the book down! I was on the edge of my seat like I was in an action movie! I felt like I was there watching events unfold. I read the whole series in the matter of two weeks which would have been less if I didn’t have to work.

The Hunger Games is set in the future where North America is called Panem and is divided into 12 districts. Every year 2 tributes, 1 boy and 1 girl, from each district are chosen to participate in the Hunger Games. Our protagonist, Katniss, finds herself unprepared for what awaits her and finds an uncommon alliance with her competiter, Peeta, whom she’s known for years. Every year the Capitol designs an “arena” for the games using the children of Panem as a reminder of the rebellion of the no longer existing district 13.

I don’t want to give too much away. If your a Harry Potter or Twilight fan you will love the series! The movie is set to come out in March with many well known actors including Woody Harelson and Josh Hutchinson.

Plot: 10 Characters: 10 Cleverness: 10 Message: 10 Romance: 10 These books deserve a well earned 10 across the board!

Team Eric

Screw Edward. I’m all for Eric… the tall blonde viking vampire that has stolen the heart of Sookie Stackhouse and maybe some blood too.

I’m writing this post about the Sookie Stackhouse series in general. Dead and Gone and Dead in the Family are the 9th and 10th book in the series. Sookie is a telepathic waitress living in a world where vampires have come out of the coffin. She finds herself the center of attention of gentle civil war vampire and a ruthless and cynical viking vampire. You learn about the other supernatural creatures living in plain site where Sookie is burden to bare their secrets and get sucked in all the drama…no pun intended

The first 2 seasons of the show were very similar to the books story lines. However, as the series countines I find it more and more over the top and lots of people dying. In the novels 1-5 people die, in the show at least 1 person dies each episode. I absoulty love the books and the tv show as well. I just seperate the two which I would reccomend to anyone.

Twilight fan? Read the Sookie Stackhouse novels. They are the adult version of Twilight and in someways seem more “realistic” The characters have more depth and the vampires are bad ass not little pansies. Charliene Harries started publishing her novels a few years before Twilight and the vampire craze.

Rating: Plot: 10 Protagonists: 10 Romance: 9 Cleverness: 8 Writing: 8 Overall: 9

Magic Tree House: Tonight on the Titanic

The Magic Tree House  series by Mare Pope Osborne are about a brother and sister’s adventures they embark by entering into books at a magic tree house. In this particular one they enter a book titled, “The Unsinkable Ship” and find themselves on the Titanic. They know they cant change history but referencing the book they learn many people in 3rd class didn’t survive so they try to help someone.

These books came out a little more than 10 years ago because I remember them being very popular when my little brother was in elementary school, he owned every book in the series at the time. Like Junie B. Jones, MTH was recommended by my cousin Bonnie. These books are great because it allows the reader to learn a few historical facts while enjoying a piece of fiction. Ironically when I was a kid, I wanted to be a children’s author, I came up with a story idea with the same name about four kids that would go to a tree house full of books and as soon as the opened the book they were sucked in and became part of the story. I still have the piece of paper where I wrote about it.

Characters: 7 Plot: 7 Cleverness: 7 Message: 7 Writing: 7 Overall Score: 7

Junie B. Jones

I asked my cousin, Bonnie, to pick out two of her favorite books for me to read. Junie B. Jones is a Beauty Shop Guy was one of her favorites in the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park. This is a very popular series among elementary kids. I remeber the series first coming around when I was probably in the third grade but I took no interest myself. My mom is an elementary librarian and she said there are always kids checking Junie B. books out but she as well never cared for them either. 

What makes Junie B. Jones stand out than most chapter books for kids is that Junie B. talks just like you would expect a Kindergarten to talk, incorrect grammar and all! While reading I kept wondering if she is ADHD because I just hear her talking fast when I see things capitalized like, “YES! ‘CAUSE I ALREADY KNOW HOW TO BE A HELPER! ON ACCOUNT OF SOMETIMES I HELP MY GRANDPA MILLER FIX STUFF AND LAST WEEK WE FIXED THE UPSTAIRS TOILET! AND I GOT TO TOUCH THAT BIG BALL THAT FLOATS ON TOP!”

I reccomend everyone to read Junie B. Jones to their children for pure entertainment. My uncle reads them to my cousin is a very funny voice which is perhaps why she loves Junie B. Encourage your kids to read them too! I reccomend for kids 2nd grade to 4th grade. They are short books with large print and easy to read. I read it in about 30 minutes.

Funny: 7 Writing: 8 Character: 9 Plot: 7 Cleverness: 7  I give it a 7.6

A Clockwork Orange

This is a story of a baddiwad nadsat malchick who loves dratting with his droogs and thinks its real horrowshow.

Did you get that? A Clockwork Orange is a bit like reading another language (teenage slang). In Anthony Burgess futuristic novel he tells the story of a teenager who’s joy is fighting the innocent, burglary, and being a downright juvenile delinquent. Alex aka Your Humble Narrator comes from a normal and loving family and yet he beats, rapes, and eventually commits murder with very little remorse.  Alex has a love for the classic works of Beethoven and Mozart which he tends to listen to after a long day of playing hooky and fighting. After he “accidently” kills an old women he is sent to prison. After serving for 2 years he is offered the chance to be “cured” in two weeks and be a free man. Little does our Humble Narrator know what he as agreed to. Basically through conditioning and “medicine” he becomes repulsed, literally sick, at the sight of fighting. He is released into society cured of his violent acts. However, Alex finds himself suffering of being unable to defend himself or stand the sound of the music that he found so much joy in. I won’t tell you how it ends . If you’ve seen the movie only, then read the book because it ends with the American published version, not the original. I read that Burgess publisher said Americans would like the book better without the last chapter so it was left out.

Now for my opinion. Did I like the book? Not really. My brother read the book and thought it was real horrowshow so I thought I would viddy and find out for myself. Is it deserving of being a classic? Yes. I really had to force myself to finish reading it. It just really wasn’t my kind of preferred novel to read. It’s like the Lord of the Flies, it’s a great novel I just didn’t like it. My score: 9.2

Cleverness: 9 Writing: 10 Protagonist: 10 Plot: 9 Theme: 8