Wickedly boring

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars




 When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences, leaving a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and spontaneous seduction.







Review: Firstly, let me say the first book in this new series released by Janet Evanovich was really enjoyable. I don't know what went wrong with this one. Was I in a different mood when reading the first one or have I simply read better books since then and this just doesn't make the cut?

It's been two years since Evanovich released the first book and I read it around that time and I can't really remember much of the quality of the book. I did notice I gave the first book 4 out of 5 stars, then why was this one so bad for me? Don't get me wrong it was fun at times and made me laugh but the story was lacking in excitement. I'm used to a book building up the suspense and giving you tastes of what is to come. This on the other hand moved quickly but it all felt too easy for the characters. There weren't any bumps in the road or anything getting in the way of our heroes from achieving their goals. Ok, there were two evil people trying to find the treasure but it never felt like they were in the way and they could be overcome quite easily. See what I mean about it being easy. This book is all about finding clues and figuring them out to move onto the next step in finding your treasure but each clue was figured quickly and simply and then everything was wrapped up nicely at the end of the book - too easy!

Will I keep reading this series or just stick to Stephanie Plum books? I don't know, Evanovich has always delivered a quick book with lots of laughs and a good old mystery but I'm a little let down by this one. So if you're looking for an exciting thrill ride brimming with romance and huge cliffhangers, look elsewhere because for me it wasn't in this book.

If you would like to read my review for the first book "Wicked Appetite" click here

On the cover: I love the font and the cover does stand out with it's bright blue and green but why didn't the book feel as magical as it looks.

What I'm reading next: Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston

Have you read the Stephanie Plum series? What do you think about this new series?

Graphic Novel did it for me

Witch & Wizard (Graphic Novel)

by James Patterson

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Imagine waking up to find that the world around you - life as you know it - has changed in an instant. That's what happens to Whit Allgood and his sister, Wisty. They thought that they were just a couple of normal teenagers, until their rude awakening at the hands of a dozen armed police! Charged with being a wizard and a witch, accused of having incredible powers they never dreamed possible, the siblings find themselves the targets of an upstart political regime, The New Order, which has swept the country and vowed to wipe "their kind" from existence. Now Whit and Wisty must fight for both their freedom and their lives as they unlock the powers burning inside of them!





Review: I'm a fan of James Patterson's young adult series "Maximum Ride" so I thought I'd love this new series when he released it. But, I tried to read the book and the Audiobook but couldn't seem to enjoy the story. So when I saw that there was a graphic novel I thought I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did because it was much better. I still felt the same way I did when I was reading the book, which was that it all started so quickly and we (as readers) are expected to just "get" what is happening. I like a book that gets right into the story but I don't like when things aren't really explained properly. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this - I loved the illustrations and the humor. So I will continue reading the graphic novels

On the cover: I looove the cover, It makes me feel like kicking butt! The fire looks awesome.

Reading Next: Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

Have you ever tried a graphic novel after not enjoying the book?

What's happened to a great series?

The Full Cupboard of Life (No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency #5) 

By Alexander McCall Smith

Rating: 2 out of 5

Mma Ramotswe and Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni are still engaged, but with no immediate plans to get married. Mma Ramotswe wonders when a wedding date will be named, but she is anxious to avoid putting pressure on her fiancé. For indeed he has other things on his mind -- particularly a frightening request (involving a parachute jump) made by Mma Potokwani, the persuasive matron of the orphan farm.

Mma Ramotswe herself has weighty matters on her mind. She has been approached by a wealthy lady to check up on several suitors. Are these men interested in her or just her money? This may be difficult to find out, but it’s just the kind of case Mma Ramotswe likes and she is, as we know, a very intuitive lady.

Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi -- plucky assistant detective and deputy manager of the Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors garage -- is moving. Her entrepreneurial venture, the Kalahari Typing School for Men, is thriving and with this new income she has rented two rooms in a house. Her spare time is occupied with planning the move, the décor and her new life in a house with running water all to herself.

In the background of all this is Botswana, a country of empty spaces and echoing skies, a country so beautiful and entrancing that it breaks your heart. Mma Ramotswe has prepared the bush tea and is waiting for us to join her.

Review: I was really disappointed with this installment because I felt like it wasn’t about the mystery as much as being about boring daily Botswana stuff. Now I know these books are a light detective story and I usually like learning all about life in Botswana but this time it wasn’t doing anything for me and I got bored. I loved the other four because they had a really interesting mystery intertwined with the daily story of Mma Ramotswe but this one took quite a few chapters before we came across our mystery. In the end, I hate to say this, I didn’t finish the audiobook. Instead I looked online to find out what happened in the end and I kinda wished I had finished the book because something really important happened. Oh well! I think i’ll wait a while before I read the next one.

On the cover: It's not a very exciting cover and I don't see how it speaks specifically about the story because there wasn't really much to the story. I suppose the book is called "Full Cupboard of Life" and this a full cupboard?? 

Listening on Audio to next: Purity in Death by J. D. Robb

Have you read this series? What did you think?

Books I'm pining for 31/7/12

"Books I'm pining for" is a new feature for new and old books that I want to read. So I thought I would share with everyone these books and to find out what books you are pining for.

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce
Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul. 

Tempestuous (Wondrous Strange #3)
by Lesley Livingston
"I don't love Sonny Flannery." 


That's the lie Kelley Winslow told to protect the boy she loves from a power he doesn't know he possesses. Devastated, Sonny retreats to a haven for Lost Fae that's hidden deep underneath New York City.

But Kelley's not about to let things end in heartbreak. To get Sonny back, she's got to find out who's after his magick—and how to use her own. She's got to uncover who's recruiting Janus Guards to murderously hunt innocent Faerie. She's got to help rebuild the shattered theater company she called family. And she's got to do it all without getting dangerously distracted by the Fennrys Wolf, whose legendary heart of stone seems to melt whenever he's around Kelley.

The intrigue and romance that began with Wondrous Strange and Darklight come to a stormy head in Tempestuous, the breathtaking conclusion to Lesley Livingston's ravishing urban Faerie trilogy.

 Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth
One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.

 Something like normal by Trish Doller
When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.

Until I die (Revenants #2) by Amy Plum
Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

 Daughter of Smoke & Bone
by Laini Taylor
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

 The Traitor in the tunnel (The Agency #3) by Y. S. Lee

Get steeped in suspense, romance, and high Victorian intrigue as Mary goes undercover at Buckingham Palace - and learns a startling secret at the Tower of London.

Queen Victoria has a little problem: there's a petty thief at work in Buckingham Palace. Charged with discretion, the Agency puts quickwitted Mary Quinn on the case, where she must pose as a domestic while fending off the attentions of a feckless Prince of Wales. But when the prince witnesses the murder of one of his friends in an opium den, the potential for scandal looms large. And Mary faces an even more unsettling possibility: the accused killer, a Chinese sailor imprisoned in the Tower of London, shares a name with her long-lost father. Meanwhile, engineer James Easton, Mary's onetime paramour, is at work shoring up the sewers beneath the palace, where an unexpected tunnel seems to be very much in use. Can Mary and James trust each other (and put their simmering feelings aside) long enough to solve the mystery and protect the Royal Family? Hoist on your waders for Mary's most personal case yet, where the stakes couldn't be higher - and she has everything to lose.

What books are you pining for? 

 *Picture & blurbs taken from goodreads

War = Sadness

Then by Morris Gleitzman
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Felix and Zelda have escaped the train to the death camp, but where do they go now? They're two runaway kids in Nazi-occupied Poland. Danger lies at every turn of the road.

With the help of a woman named Genia and their active imaginations, Felix and Zelda find a new home and begin to heal, forming a new family together. But can it last?

Morris Gleitzman's winning characters will tug at readers' hearts as they struggle to survive in the harsh political climate of Poland in 1942. Their lives are difficult, but they always remember what matters: family, love, and hope.





Review: *Sniff Sniff* Why?! Why did Morris Gleitzman write such a sad story!! This is the follow on to his first book on the holocaust called “Once”. It continues the story of the young Jewsish boy Felix and his little 6 year old friend Zelda. I can’t really say that I enjoyed the first book or this book because it’s such an emotional topic, but I can say that I liked it because Felix felt very real and his voice was very strong throughout the book. It felt exactly like I was hearing the story straight from a 10 year old boys mouth. I don’t want to give away why it’s so sad but something really horrible happens at the end of the book and it left me stunned, I thought to myself ‘How can this be a book aimed at junior aged children? It’s very graphic and devastating at times’. I know, I know, it’s set in World War two and there wasn’t any happy times during the war until people found out it was over but.... I wasn’t expecting that!! This book is only 182 pages (which translates to only 3 and a half hours of listening) so it’s a very short, so when it ended I was craving to know what happened next, I needed to find out the ending to Felix’s story. So I am interested to see what happens in the next book and whether it will be the end to Felix's story.

On the cover: As always there's many covers and this is the cover that I had for the Audiobook. What I find interesting is the brightness of the green and blue, If I had picked this up without knowing anything about it I would think it's not a really sad book about World War two. It seems like it's a coming of age story (which it kind of is but through experience of war not just normal everyday things). The silhouette of the children meant something to me after I finished, It seems a bit like disappearing (but that's all I'll say as it will give away too much).

Listening to next: "Full cupboard of life" by Alexander Mccall Smith

Have you read this series before? What did you think?

Bye for now ~ Sami X

Library Lover

Working in a library is the best job in the world. I'm surrounded by books all day, I have a great team of workmates who make the work day fun, I get to read stories to babies & children twice a week, Access to all new books & movies, Chatting with all the wonderful patrons and running a youth book club. Can't get any better than that for me :)

 

This is my Library! It's where I come to work everyday (how lucky am I!)

Performer Earl Leonard came into the library for a school holiday activity. He wowed the crowds of parents and kids with songs & dancing.

Left: Illustrator Craig Smith came in to show some primary school tips on drawing.

Right: A display that I did this year.







All these three photos are from when we had a school holiday activity called "Toys in the library". Children brought theirs toys to the library for a sleepover and we caught on camera what the toys got up to while they stayed over night.

What do you love most about your library?

Bye for now ~ Sami X 

The Skeleton Detective has done it again!

Playing with fire (Skulduggery Pleasant #2) by Derek Landy
Rating 4 out of 5 stars

"Skulduggery and Valkyrie are facing a new enemy: Baron Vengeous, who is determined to bring back the terrifying Faceless Ones and is crafting an army of evil to help him. Added to that, Vengeous is about to enlist a new ally (if he can raise it from the dead): the horrible Grotesquery, a very unlikable monster of legend.

Once Vengeous is on the loose, dead bodies and vampires start showing up all over Ireland. Now pretty much everybody is out to kill Valkyrie, and the daring detective duo faces its biggest challenge yet.

But what if the greatest threat to Valkyrie is just a little closer to home?"




Review: After listening on Audio to the first book in the ‘Skulduggery Pleasant’ series I couldn’t wait to read the second. The first book was funny, magical and full of adventure, and this one also delivers all of those things. I love the soundtrack and special effect sounds on the audio book, it really sets the scene and makes the story more exciting! In the first book there were so many laugh out loud moments but I didn’t feel like there were as many in this one. I still really love the banter between main characters, Skulduggery & Valkyrie, at times I was amazed at what kind of comebacks a 13 year old could come up with (some were hilarious!) My favourite Skulduggery quote in this book would have to be “We aren’t retreating... we’re advancing in reverse”. These books are quick and easy to read and fill the time quite easily, So if you’re looking for a book full of fun then this series is what you’re looking for. Even though it wasn’t as funny as the first I still had a great time listening to it and I look forward to continuing the adventures with Skulduggery & Valkyrie. Keep up the good work of saving the world!!

On the cover: I LOVE these covers! They are so cool, the colors are very eye-catching against the black & whites and the catch phrase at the bottom is the perfect explanation of what is to come. Doesn't Skulduggery look fly in his suit :)


To see my review of the first book in the series click here

*Picture & blurb taken from goodreads


Listening to next: Then by Morris Gleitzman

Bye for now ~ Sami X

The Devastating End

MockingJay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

Review: My my, what a rollercoaster ride of emotions I went through reading this book, there was sadness, anger & despair. After reading this it left me drained and a little bit empty, I sat there a few moments just thinking about everything and then I had to do something happy to cheer myself up. Poor Katnis, she never gets a break from corruption, death & pain. There were two stages towards the end of the book that soemthing really terrible happened and I had to close the book and stop for a little while because I was so angry with the author for doing that to certain characters (I don't want to give too much away incase you haven't read it yet). In the end, I guess in war there's never a happy ending for the people who fought in it, they are always going to be left damaged in some way whether it be physical or mental. I also have to mention that I only gave this 4 stars instead of 5 like I did with the other two because it took getting past the first 100 pages before any kind of action happened. It wasn't like the other two in which at the end of every chapter there was a cliff hanger and I was desperate to find out what happened next.  I will be interested to see how they will go making this into a movie because there's so much of it which is what's going on inside Katnis' head. You can read my other reviews of The Hunger games and Catching Fire by clicking the titles.

On the cover: Well the cover is pretty self explanatory, the fire colours for 'the girl on fire' and the black feather for the 'mockingjay'. Another cover which gives you a good idea of what to expect on the inside. I've seen these really nice black 'classic' covers which you can check out by clicking on each name below
*The Hunger Games* *Catching Fire* *Mockingjay*

*Picture & Blurb taken from goodreads

What I'm reading next: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

Have you read this series and did you feel the same way as me after reading it?

Bye for now ~ Sami X 

Free as a bird...

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

Review: I have had this on my 'to read' shelf for a while now, probably ever since the movie was released. I thought I better read it because so many people recommended it, even a few colleagues. I'm going to be honest and tell you that I haven't really read anything on black history and didn't know how bad it really was for the black community living in Mississippi in the 60's, So after reading this it really opened my eyes. I know this is fiction but whenever something horrible happened I thought to myself "It's so true, this probably happened somewhere and to someone for real'. This is such a sad story and the end almost brought me to tears! (And that's saying something because I don't cry during movies or books) At one stage in the middle of the story I had massive butterflies in my stomach because of a stupid mistake Miss Skeeter made in not keeping track of her property and it nearly fell into the wrong hands!! (I won't say anymore so it doesn't really give the book away) I haven't seen the movie yet but I'm dying to see it, I want to see all the characters come to life and how much of the book they will cut out. Usually I like to see the movie before reading the book because then you're never disappointed in the movie because it's left out so much but I have a feeling that I'll really like the movie. I gave this 4 stars only because there were a few things I felt dragged on and it just doesn't deserve to be up there with all my other favourites. A little side note... I listened to this on audio and I recognised one of the narrators. The voice actor who read Miss Skeeter's part had narrated the "Wolves of Mercy Falls" series so that was interesting to hear the same voice do a different part.

On the Cover: So the above cover is the one that I had with my Audiobook which I think is really pretty but I didn't get what it meant to start off with. Once I finished it though I realised that the birds probably represented the three main characters and the freedom that they want to not be kept in a cage.
That's my take on it anyway. The other cover is the movie cover which I don't always like as much as the originals. 

Listening on Audio to next: Playing with fire by Derek Landy

Have you seen the movie and what did you think? 

Bye for now ~ Sami X 

*Picture & blurb taken from www.goodreads.com