Archive for the ‘Book Rants!’ Category

Seeing Things In A Different Light

September 2nd, 2010

I was in therapy the other day (aka web-surfing for mindless crap) and ran across a quote that sent off a flare in my mind.  For the past couple of days I have been reading Christa Polkinhorn’s debut novel “Love of a Stonemason” and try as  I might, I couldn’t peg a witty or otherwise enchanting way of wording its message, and then I ran into this…

“I don’t pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.”

This is exactly what Polkinhorn’s novel is all about, the struggle to overcome your demons and let love flood in.

Karla is an artist, but like most magicians with a canvas her talents come at a cost.  At the age of 5 Karla lost her mother, and with it went her peace.  Andreas is also an artist, but instead of painting he carves tombstones.  Both have issues, both are looking for closure, and in a ironic turn of fate (or an inability to look where they are going) they are about to meet, but will their instant connection be enough to keep them together? With depression, and anger waiting in the wings Karla and Andreas are forced to make a decision… face their pasts together, or live their hells alone.

A few days ago I was dreading having to write this review. I was 20% in and bored (which is never a good sign) but luckily my inability to toss a book (regardless of how crappy) kicked in and I pushed through.  I’m very glad I didn’t give up.  While I undoubtedly enjoyed the first few chapters of this novel, my patience began to wear thin when the focus of the novel shifted.  What I thought was supposed to be a (in the most basic term) “love story” suddenly turned into a long drawn out battle with daddy issues.  Thankfully, Polkinhorn’s ability to creatively capture the culture, and beauty of her settings added brief moments of reprieve from (an otherwise) excessively wordy section, and enticed the reader to keep moving.  After her stint in Peru however, things very quickly got back on track (well… as on track as you can be for throwing depression, abandonment, resentment and infidelity at a couple) and before I knew it I was sucked back in. The writing quality as a whole was wonderful, and Polkinhorn’s ability to “write art” was a nice little treat when it was all said in done.  Her characters (though written to have a slew of flaws) were nicely detailed, and allowed the reader to indulge in their complexities.

All in all… not bad for a book I initially disliked.

One word of warning however, if this sounds like the book for you, please set aside the appropriate amount of time to read it.  It is not an easy read, and it is long… so take your time and be prepared to learn some hard lessons.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: If you plan on writing secret love letters to people, don’t leave them on the table for everyone to see… that just screams FAIR GAME!

For a complete book description click image

(4/5)

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Can’t Fight That Feeling

August 31st, 2010

Back in March I read a book called “Leaving Paradise” and it was fantastic. I raved about it, and (if I remember correctly) told all of you to run right out and buy it.  There was something so emotional, and real about it that it left me breathless, so when I received an ARC copy of its follow-up novel “Return to Paradise”  I was like a kid in a candy store. I jumped, I squealed, and then I stayed up until ungodly hours reading it.

I wish I hadn’t.

“Caleb Becker left Paradise eight months ago, taking with him the secret he promised to take to his grave. If the truth got out, it would ruin everything.

Maggie Armstrong tried to be strong after Caleb broke her heart and disappeared. Somehow, she managed to move on. She’s determined to make a new life for herself.

But then Caleb and Maggie are forced together on a summer trip. They try ignoring their passion for each other, but buried feelings resurface. Caleb must face the truth about the night of Maggie’s accident, or the secret that destroyed their relationship will forever stand between them.”

I have been let down by books before, (even books by Simone Elkeles) but for some reason this felt much more personal to me.  I fell in love with Caleb and Maggie’s story in LP,  I held my breath in anticipation of their future, I felt their emotional acceptance, I even cried for them, but somehow in “Return to Paradise” all of that was lost.  The character development, and intensity that was so carefully crafted seemed to disappear completely, and was replaced by (somewhat) forced dialogue, and awkward personal interaction.

The lessons in RTP (which are absolution and acceptance) were cleverly disguised as a “Re-Start” youth program, and allowed Elkeles to expand her cast, but even with witty new characters, and chapters of angst, everything just felt dry and redundant.  For a woman that has (not only) made her mark in the YA community, but kicked mounds of sand over everyone elses’, to say I was disappointed would be like saying “spiders are icky”… grossly understated. I was completely deflated.

Read it if you must, but my advice (and I really hate saying this) retain your reading high from “Leaving Paradise” and write off the rest.

Oh… and (just because I have no self control) What the hell is up with the cover art? Really? Did we have to go with the extra slice of cheese?

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Sometimes even the best book can be broken.

Click image for complete details

(3.0/5)

(On a side note: I know some of y’all are probably wondering where the 3 is coming from after such a harsh review, so let me explain.  Regardless of its inability to live up to it’s predecessor, RTP did have a few outstanding moments in it, and at the end of the day… I still love Caleb and Maggie, and giving their story anything less than a 3 felt sorta sinful.  If you are now confused I humbly apologize, this was not my intention, but so goes the game of a bi-polar reviewer.)

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Karma Is A Bigger Bitch Than I Will Ever Be

August 27th, 2010

About a month ago Debbi Mack sent me her collection of short stories “5 Uneasy Pieces.”  I decided to take a chance on them, (not because of the obvious sleuth pretence) but because I knew that at some-point I would need a break. Yes, I know that sounds horrible on so many levels, but sometimes less complicated is just plain nice.  Not all of us have the time to dive into a 500 page book, we need something to read in between switching out loads of laundry, and carpool, or… (for those of us that work a ridiculous number of hours a week) it is sometimes much more convenient to curl up with a 45 minute read than the 20 hour one.

Debbi Mack’s collection offers readers exactly that. Easy reading, investigation style.

All 5 of these stories offer different things; payback, bad timing, deception…but at the same time they are all identical. How? Irony. Mack’s ability to smack her own characters in the face is impressive, and because she weaves a twisted tale BEFORE she does this it makes her stories even more enthralling.

However…the best thing about “5 Uneasy Pieces” is that (with just a few short stories) you are able to get a good clean look into Mack’s writing style.  Is she for you? Can you stand the 500 classic movie references she throws out, and most importantly do you “believe” her self-made glimpses into the world of investigation. If you answered yes, then it enables you to purchase one of her full length novels guilt free. If the answer is no… no big loss, it was only 99 cents and I’m willing to bet you have more than that in your car’s console.

If you like short easy reads…go for it. Why the hell not.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: never give your shrink your address…it’s inevitable that one day they will snap. Do you want them knowing where you sleep?

For a complete book description click image

(4/5)

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Come Over Here And Let Me Smack You!

August 25th, 2010








It’s always a good sign when I have to physically pull myself away from a book to write a blog.  This has not happened to me in a while, and I have to admit… it’s rather refreshing!

The last time I read 4 books in 3 days was when I tackled the Twilight Saga (don’t roll your eyes at me!) Regardless of your feelings, the writing was undeniably captivating and had a way of sucking you in.  Amanda Hocking’s “My Blood Approves” series has successfully accomplished the same thing.

Combine: intrigue/fate/compulsion/and lust, throw in a pinch of hottie vampire, add a dash of vulnerable human and what do you get?  The next big thing, that’s what.

Sometimes my reasons for reading a particular book are… well…just plain retarded, and this time was no different. A few days ago I saw a random twitter post that read “Team Peter T-shirts!” and being the naturally nosy person that I am, I just couldn’t help myself.  Who was this Peter dude, and why in the world does he get his own shirt?  So I did the only rational thing I could think of, I bought the book.

For once that annoying little voice in my head did something right!

Normally this would be the part where I give my own personal synopsis of the book, but since I have read all of them so very quickly I figured I would let Amanda tell you.

Seventeen-year-old Alice Bonham’s life feels out of control after she meets Jack. With his fondness for pink Chuck Taylors and New Wave hits aside, Jack’s unlike anyone she’s ever met. Then she meets his brother, Peter. His eyes pierce through her, and she can barely breathe when he’s around. Even though he can’t stand the sight of her, she’s drawn to him.  But falling for two very different guys isn’t even the worst of her problems. Jack and Peter are vampires, and Alice finds herself caught between love and her own blood…

The only real problem I had with any of these novels was in the first 30% of the 1st book.  There were so many similarities to Twilight (sudden appearances in a car to save the day, family vampire setting, and a waitress that just couldn’t stop staring) that after 4 chapters I had to stop making annotations for fear of running out of memory on my Kindle, but thankfully… once the characters were established the story took on a life of its own, and a new world was created.  Hocking’s writing shined brighter the longer I read, and by the end of “My Blood Approves” I was hooked.  The tension created between the “love triangle” was so intense I felt a physical response when reading their dialogue, and the battles both inner and external (and believe me there were some doozies) were expertly plotted.

There were blood whores, pudgy brothers, mangy men from Finland, cracked skulls, one very high-tension moment with a cross, and lots of angst between a house of otherwise lovable creatures.

If you are a vampire enthusiast or would like to know the true meaning of “If you love them let them go” these are a MUST read!

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-its and remember: there are always two sides to every story! (And yes… in case you are wondering, Peter does deserve his own shirt)

For complete book descriptions click image

(5/5) <– and that goes for all of them!

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What Goes Around, Comes Around!

August 23rd, 2010

When I was a teenager I used to stay up really late on Saturday nights to watch a show called “Cheaters.”  Girlfriends, boyfriends, fiance’s, and spouses would hire this private detective (whose name I honestly can’t remember right now) to follow their loved one.  “Convince me that he’s not cheating on me” they would say only to be told 30 minutes later, “Sorry ma’am your mans a dog! Ruff Ruff!” SURPRISE!

Needless to say I was never fully convinced that these “take-downs” where 100% spontaneous (not that it mattered all that much) but now…being the much older, (and I would like to think marginally more intelligent) person that I am, I have decided that yes… these crazy, “I’m-going-to-confront-you-on-late-night-TV” melodramas do actually happen.

When I first picked up “Excuse Me, Miss” by Phillip Thomas Duck, “Cheater’s” is the first thing that popped into my mind. (I had a time warp moment… it was a little scary.)

Victoria (or “V” as her “savior-boss” affectionately addresses her) is a “Sexy Decoy.”  What is that exactly? Well, let’s just say that you think your hubby is shagging his secretary… instead of performing your own home-grown lame version of Sherlock Holmes, (reading text messages while he’s in the shower, or wearing a lame red wig and hiding behind a bush) you can just hire V to hit on him.  Perfect right? Not so much.  On paper the idea is brilliant, but when V’s emotional past starts to rear its ugly head, she suddenly realizes she’s not just lying to the men she’s sent to catch… she’s lying to herself as well.  Will Victoria burn herself in the process of burning someone else… or will help arrive just in time to stop her from self destructing?

When I  started reading EMM my thoughts were, “Wow! This is kinda cool… fun… sassy” and then, all of a sudden it wasn’t.  I was not expecting the dramatic, and pragmatic turn that popped up in the 2nd half of this novel, but that’s not to say it wasn’t well received.  Duck’s writing was a tad elementary in the first several chapters, (over using names, and awkward dialogue) but by the time to novel took it’s turn, so did its fluidity. Chalk it up to the change in structure (conversational to reflective) or even throw out the standby “author found his niche” cliche’, (it really doesn’t matter,) what matters is that it got better the longer I read.  I think the plot was a tad bumpy in places (specifically when detailing her past) and I could have used a little more insight into her “love interest” but, what the hey… I got what I needed and that’s what matters. Let’s just see if Duck can hold onto his groove for any future pieces.

Let’s put this one into the decent summer read column. Fun, sometimes deep, and easy to read.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: If a guy in a green tweed jacket ever approaches you at 2 in the morning and says he “just wants to talk” keep in mind that that is code for… your woman is about to bitch slap you.

Click Image for complete details

(3.5/5)

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Here Kitty Kitty!

August 19th, 2010

There is nothing more powerful than the imagination.  As children we use it to pass the time playing cops and robbers or planing fairytale weddings.  As adults we use it in different ways, we design websites, create video games, or even make up bedtime stories for our little ones.  It’s a quality that will never fail us. We are always in control of our own imaginations, we decide how we want things to be and then *poof* that bite sized movie screen you have in the back of your brain comes to life, filling in the blanks.

Stephen James Price wrote a prime example of “use-your-imagination- literature.”

“Pages of Promises” is comprised of 15 “dark fiction” short stories boasting anything from a confirmed (*ahem*) hatred of Stephen King to the more literal “You are what you eat.” All are unique in there own way and (I’ll admit) kept me VERY entertained, (and sometimes laughing) but none of these attributes are what caught my eye. Nope, it was Price’s amazing way of letting the READER finish the story.  Each of his tales were detailed without actually being detailed. (Ok… that was a ridiculous statement so let me explain.) Price gives his readers the set up, he gives the characters, and tells the story, but then… right when you are sucked in, and your mind is running a million miles a minute… BAM! He throws a wrench into the plot line, and then stops writing completely.  Normally this would annoy me, (I have thrown my Kindle on more than 1 occasion for this very thing) but for some reason this was the clincher for me.  This is what made me appreciate and love these sometimes quippy, sometimes creepy stories.

On a side note: the horror that was so eloquently expressed in each and every story was only made better with the explanation of their matriculation at the end of the collection.  Knowing the thought process of such off beat stories was almost as entertaining as the stories themselves, and the introduction Price threw as an his preface made me belly laugh. Nice bonus.

Overall: HUGE success, and… (pay attention, this is the important part) a collection that even the newest of horror fans can appreciate.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Sometimes all you need is a “pretty kitty” to solve all of your problems.

Click Image for Complete Details

(4.5/5)

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Knowing the Difference Between Me, Myself and I

August 16th, 2010

My reasons for reading “Eat, Pray, Love” were purely selfish.  I had no need for inner enlightenment, (so I thought) or urge to live vicariously through another.  I love the idea of 4 months in Italy, but had no desire to hear someone else’s account of it, and while meeting some beautiful Brazilian man sounds appealing, it’s just not in my cards.

Nope, simply put… I just wanted to watch the movie. (Which means in “OCD Land” that I had to read the book first.)

My hopes for EPL were a big fat goose egg. I am (admittedly) not that big of a fan of Non-fiction, but the more I read, the more I realized this book was not about 1 one woman’s journey to find the things she felt she had lost, no… this book was a 12 month experience in what your head, and heart can handle if you make up your mind to confront them.

Now, I can’t really breakdown this book in the traditional sense (which is one of the reason’s I choose to avoid novel’s like this) but I can offer you a little insight into how it reads. Elizabeth Gilbert is witty. Amidst the paragraphs of self loathing,  and her search for the perfect meditation mantra she tends to crack jokes at herself.  This is a very good thing, otherwise it would basically be 400 pages of college level psychology classes, and Gandhi talk. Instead… think of this as a week long discovery channel mini-series on the inner workings of traditional and non-traditional prayer, add a dash of pizza obsession, a few (very awkward) banana references and viola, you have Gilbert’s travel journal.

What could have very easily been the most boring book on the planet was actually entertaining, and while yes… Gilbert tends to get a little wordy in places, (oh dear lord please answer MY prayer and make her move on) in the end I didn’t seem to mind so much. The topics in which I was learning about were things  I never (in a million years)  would have guessed myself caring about,  yet I found myself unable to stop reading about them, engrossed by the semblance of them all I guess you could say.

In the end I would concur that my eyes have been opened, my head has been scolded, and my respect for yoga has grown exponentially.

My final thoughts: This book is DEFINITELY not for everyone. If you are one of those people that demand a plot, and could careless for mundane details like; why guru’s have 109 beads on their prayer necklaces, then this book will act like Ambien and lull you to sleep in minutes, but if you are a non-fiction fan, and don’t mind learning a few new things, take a chance on it; you just might find some inner peace yourself.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.”

(3.5/5)


Movie Trailer

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Sometimes Words Are All You Have

August 15th, 2010

It has been almost a year since I started KindleObsessed, and yesterday something occurred to me… I’m difficult to please. I know, I know… most of y’all are shaking your heads right now saying “Really Misty? It took you an entire years worth of bashing books to realize you’re a complete pain in the ass?” Yeah, well… apparently. To be honest I’m not quite sure where it comes from. Could it be the number of books I have read in my relatively young 29 years?  Is it the artistic side of my head that has me demanding more from the people who also call themselves creative? Or maybe… just maybe it’s the well known fact that I used to read Thesauruses for fun.  Who knows… or even better… why would you care? You probably don’t,  but that being said… I do actually have a point so I guess I’d better get to it.

I read “His Eyes” over a week ago with every intention of writing a review on it, but the later in the week it got, the more I felt ashamed of my views on this particular piece of work, and wanted to spare the author my thoughts.  The story was actually a good one. Well thought out, wonderful characters, believable. “So what’s the problem?” I’m sure your asking.  Ok, I’ll tell you. It needed to “be more.”

Let me explain, (be more is kind of a vague thought) This was the story of a teenage girl and her quest to fund her really expensive college experience.  In order to pad her pockets she does what most would do… she gets a job.  This job however, is not like every other job, (flipping burgers or brewing lattes) no, this job is to be a “babysitter” for a blind boy, (who in a twist turns out to be her age). Now… we all know where this story goes, it’s kind of predictable, (and that’s ok) it’s not always about the ending, sometimes it’s about the journey, but when the journey feels as though it is at warp speed, there is a problem.

As I said before, I didn’t think the book was bad, it was just lacking. Renee Carter created this wonderful world of circumstantial love, she set up her characters, she drew her audience in, and then she just… well… dropped the ball. Just when I started to really get into the story it ended. She waited way to long to introduce her 3rd act, and then only allowed herself roughly 10 pages to clean it up and make it tidy.  Why?  Is there some digital paper Nazi out there I am unaware of? Why would someone take such great care in creating a world, and forming a relationship with her characters just to tap out when things were getting too emotional?

I guess this is something I’ll never understand, or maybe it is something I should just learn to live with…because lately it seems to be the norm, but do you know what gets me most of all? The sadness that erupts from me when I can tell an author just gave up.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: sometimes being honest hurts.

For a complete book description click image.

(3/5)

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Seeing Scars

August 12th, 2010

“It’s so curious:  one can resist tears and ‘behave’ very well in the hardest hours of grief.  But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer… and everything collapses.”  ~Colette

How true.

In life we deal with 2 types of pain, emotional and physical. Most of the time the two are mutually exclusive,  however at times they are triggered by the other.  “Willow” by Julia Hoban is just one example of what happens when the inability to control your emotions leads to the compulsion to feel physical relief.

Willow talks to no one, she wears long sleeves regardless of the weather, and she is addicted to pain. Why? because she is a cutter. Unable to deal with the emotional responsibility of  her parents sudden death (that she inadvertently caused) Willow does the only thing she can think…she abolishes her heartache with physical pain, but when a boy named Guy suddenly takes notice of her…and her arms, something snaps.  Will Guy’s intense nature eventually help, or hinder Willow’s little problem? Will Willow ever understand the significance of crying, and if she finally does…will it be enough to stop her destructive behavior?

I know it can sometimes be confusing when I label devastating literature as beautiful… but that’s what it is.  When a book has the ability to make you forget where you are, feel the pain, and love of its characters, and push the boundaries of what is acceptable conversation… it is no longer a book. It is art.  Hoban created a story that was so overwhelming, that at times I felt as if I would explode from the on-slot of sensory overload. The skeletal plot of “Willow” was about love, grief, and understanding… but the lessons in between are what is important: acceptance, compassion, compulsion, redemption, and the ability to let go.  There are several places through-out this novel in which you will hang your head in disbelief, unable to mentally comprehend what is actually happening, and even more moments in which you will find yourself shaking or crying. Let it happen… it’s what keeps you from becoming broken…it’s what keeps you from becoming Willow.

Now, I could write for days, pages of beautiful words to express what I felt for this book… the writing was breathtaking, the plot was wonderful, I fell in love with a damaged girl…but none of it would ever be enough. So it leaves me only one solution,  you will just have to read if for yourself.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: YOU create your own paradise, and your own prison.

For a complete book description click image.

(5/5)



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Cover Your Mouth When You Cough!

August 7th, 2010

A few weeks ago I asked my readers to “give me some sappy book suggestions.” After 20 or so books with no emotional reaction I was starting to fear my sensitivity level was pretty much at a 0, (which I’m sure comes as no surprise) but after checking the list, and even reading several chapters from some of the suggestions I got… my tear ducts were still on lock-down, until this book. Who in the world would have thought a paranormal thriller (which reads a lot like a forensic thriller) would be the one to unclog the faucet.

Cameron Dawson just wants a little peace and quiet. Hoping to escape his tortured past, he moves back to his childhood home in Faith, but when bodies start piling up at the morgue, Cameron suddenly realizes his dreams of peace have morphed into the stuff nightmares are made of.

Kyle Bancroft doesn’t have a clouded past… she “sees” everybody else’s. Finding herself haunted by a little girl with a dark secret, her generic “Dr.”  life starts to spin out of control, but cryptic messages or not, Kyle is determined to come up with an answer and set her companion free… even if it kills her.

Is Kyle’s mystery girl the answer to all of Cameron’s question? Will Cameron even believe such a wild accusation, and if he does… is there anyway to stop his little town from tearing itself apart?

I’m going to be honest, (deep breath) I have been sitting here for over an hour trying to think of something to say about this book, a way to breakdown the characters… explain the narrative and plot sequences, but for once I am speechless.  (Yes… shocker, I know) It’s not often that I find myself in this situation, and it’s a little unsettling, but alas… here I am.  The fact is…I would have been completely content with this review being 1 sentence long.

“This book is the best book I have read in months”

(But then you would have labeled me lazy, and scolded me for my lack of originality… so here is the best I can offer you.)

If you are looking for expertly written characters,  a murder mystery that (not only) reads like a movie in your head, but is so twisted that you almost need a piece of paper to keep the players straight… this one is for you.  “While The Savage Sleeps” is not only a story that keeps you guessing “who” the entire time… but also adds that unexpected element of “what” as well, and even when you think you have if figured out, chances are you don’t. The best part? The last 10% when something inside of you clicks, and you realize you care about the characters. (Oh the horror.)

So what does this mean for you? Simple.  You are out $2.99 cause this one is a must read.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: There is no such thing as harmless.

For a complete book description click image

(5/5)


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