Happy Thanksreading!

Hello dear reader,

This month I've decided to take the Thanksreading pledge through literally.io. For every 100 pages I read they will donate $1 to promote literacy! This sounds like a great idea to me! Everyone wins!

I have loved reading ever since I can remember. My mom tells me that she used to read to me even before I was morn. Everyday I get to read I thank God that have the ability to read and comprehend what I'm reading. Sometimes I'll be reading and I just have to smile, not because of what I'm reading but because of the act of reading itself. It boggles my mind how authors come up with some of the stories that they do. I'm thankful that great authors have the ability to bring happiness and joy to me just by writing a few magical words. Without reading I don't know what I would do.

If you're a reader like me make sure you go to www.Thanksreading.com and take the thanksreading pledge. Spread the word by using #thanksreading!

Happy Reading!

S.

Book Review Catch Up!

Hello dear reader,

Clearly I'm very behind on my book reviews. I've definitely still been reading, I just haven't been writing nearly as much as I promised I would be. So I'm going to make this short and sweet. I'll give a couple sentences about what I liked/disliked about the books I've read and we'll go from there!

Hope you Enjoy!

Pretty Little Secrets: It felt like something was missing throughout this whole novel. Oh yea...it was A! It felt like a mystery with no mystery!

The Normal Bar: Great advice for couples trying to get their shit together and letting us know that love and relationships can come in all shapes and sizes.

The Wolf of Wall Street: This was one of the two books I read in August. Im not sure what happened this month but I failed big time. This book was long but actually really entertaining. Some of the things this guy gets involved with amazes me! I appreciate the show of sincerity and remorse in the book.

Dorothy Must Die: Read this with Jonathan! We liked it. It's interesting to see Dorothy as this evil superficial, arrogant dictator but also clever. Ended abruptly! Cannot wait for the sequel!

Legacy: Second book in The Awakening series. Not as fun as the first one.

The Giver: Amazing tale about a kind of twisted utopia. I love the imagery of the book and how the absence of color means "sameness". Super ambiguous ending. My thoughts: He dies... Waaayyyy better than the movie!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Jonathan and I decided to read all the Harry Potter books from start to finish!! We are loving them! This is my 3rd time reading this particular book in the series and I fell in love. Love J.K. Rowling's descriptive writing style.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: 2nd book in the HP series! Also super great! Falling more and more in love with this series as I read it.

The Maze Runner: Best book in the series in my opinion. Loved the intensity and adventure feeling the book gave me! Sadly Thomas was too emotional for me! Thought the movie did a great job of conveying the action of the book even though they changed the story line a bit.

Self Coaching- Anxiety and Depression: Learned a lot of valuable tips to help me with my anxiety but it got boring towards the end.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Nothing interesting happens at the beginning of this book. Last couple chapters are the best and most interesting.

Addicted: Not as interested in this book at first as I thought I would be but as the book went on and she got involved with her 3 affairs it became much more interested. This felt like the first time I read an urban novel like this and I was so intrigued by the dialogue and mannerisms of urban culture. 

The One: Last one in this series. I always feel like I cant remember what happens in this series but i cant wait for the newest book that comes out in this series, "The Heir".

The Scorch Trials: Second book in this series. it takes a long time to get to the action and I felt like this book didn't have that adventure feeling the first book had. This book had way more science fiction than the first book. Weird silver goop that decapitates people and weird pods! This is the book where I really started to not like Teresa!

The Death Cure: The last book in this trilogy! I don't want to give too much away about this book because Mr. J hasn't read it yet and I don't want to ruin anything for him BUT some truly unexpected things happen in this conclusion to the series. 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: My favorite book in the series! So much going on but so awesome!

Four: Super short! I wanted more!

Men, Women, and Children: Didn't know what I was getting myself into when I picked up this book. The movie trailer tells you nothing! I thought it was interesting to explore sex and the ways middle schoolers communicate about sex and how their parents communicate with them about sex as well as with other adults. 

This is Where I Leave You: Super funny family drama! Still need to watch the movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Too much talking. End scene was the best.

I Am Second: Amazing stories about people's decision to accept God as their Savior. This book made me want to put God first and become second.

The Kill Order: I needed more! To me this has no direct correlation to Thomas and his friends. This is only how the Flare started but I wanted the story of Thomas and Theresa before they went into the maze! Do not skip Teresa's secret chapter!! Heard there is a second prequel coming out and I hope its this contains the story I want! Just read that it is confirmed that I will get this story!!! yes!!!!! 2016 cant come any sooner!!! 


I'm currently on my 45th book for my 50 book challenge and will hopefully surpass by goal by the end of this month! I'll post my November TBR later!

Happy Reading!

S.

June wrap-up

The Elite

What can I say about The Elite. This is the second installment in Kiera Cass' "Selection" Trilogy. At this point in the story America has made it to the top 6 and she's actually beginning to have strong feelings for Prince Maxon even though Aspen is still in the castle and still fighting for her love as well. It took me a while to actually get into this book.  I started this book and found myself not as interested as I was when I started reading the first book but the story started to get more interesting as the book went on. The thing I'm most interested in is the character of Price Maxon. At first he seemed to good to be true. He liked America so much that he was going to let her stay even though she possibly couldn't love him. That seems like a pretty noble thing to do. At the same time, I forget he is a young man and he is not going to hold out too long for a woman who may or may not love him in the end. He is man who also has needs and it wasn't long before he was looking else where for love and attention. Towards the end of the book he has found that love from a "nice" girl named Kriss and that attention from a "fake" girl named Celeste. Sadly, the Prince and America's relationship starts to dwindle as the book comes to an end and after she pulls the outrageous stunt of suggesting they end the caste system on national television, no one likes her anymore. I personally thought this idea was genius. At the same time America needs a little more restraint. She does everything based on impulse and that doesn't seem to get her far. But just when we thought America was out of the game and about to go home, the Prince comes in and saves the day. In spite of his fathers wishes he allows her to stay. She's gotten pretty far for a girl who was only there to help her family. I just want to see how Aspen is going to react to America still being at the castle even though she already said her goodbyes. There are so many places this series could take us and I can't wait to find out where that is.

S.

The Mystery of Gone Girl

I honestly don't understand why it has taken me so long to blog about this book. I had been wanting to read this book for a long time and then I found out the movie was coming out on October 3rd so I knew I had to read it before then. I was trying my very best to not even watch the trailer until I was able to finish the book but I was unaware that this trailer would be on the playlist for a new movie I watched a couple weeks ago, so I was freaking out the whole time thinking, "oh fuck is this Gone Girl? This is Gone Girl!" I was so upset because I didn't want to have the actors they picked for the movie to ruin the way I imagined the characters while I read the book. Unfortunately, while I was reading, that is exactly what happened. I kept picturing Ben Affleck as Nick but for some reason it didn't fit. As I got further and further into the book I couldn't picture Ben Affleck as Nick at all. I kept thinking of other well-known Hollywood stars that could play an on-screen asshole. People like Brad Pitt or Matt Damon come to mind. Even with the actress they picked to play Amy I was unable to view her as this evil mastermind plotter. I guess Ill just have to wait until October 3rd to get my "Gone Girl" fix and see if Ben Affleck can really pull this off.
Anyways, back to the book itself. Out of my whole reading career, I've only read a couple psychological/murder mystery/thriller type books so I really didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. I must say that I was completely taken with this book from start to finish. The book is split up into three sections, and each section is told from the alternating point of views of Nick Dunne and his wife Amy. The first section includes Nick's POV from the day Amy goes missing and Amy's diaries from the past couple of years. Amy's diaries tell the story of their first meeting to when they get married, to the bitter trap their marriage had become. We also find out that Nick has been having an affair. Yeah, Nick isn't portrayed as the best man or husband. After the first section you're left with so many questions about where Amy could've gone and what could've happened to her. Of course from the way the diary entries are written, we automatically think that Nick is the 1st suspect and so does the rest of the world. At the beginning of the second section a bomb is dropped that I didn't think I would be able to handle, and in this case I don't want to ruin anything for you. This is the kind of bomb that a reader needs to experience while reading. But after the bomb is dropped the story continues in some twisted ways.
I thought this book was simply amazing and pure genius.  The way the author keeps you guessing throughout the whole novel is beyond mind blowing. I wasn't expecting anything that happened in the book. The book was very unpredictable and I liked that. The writing made hate Nick and almost love Amy, which is the goal of a good writer, to make you feel some type of way about the characters and situations you're reading about. I want to read more books by Mr. Flynn. If they are all as good as this I can't wait. I also can't wait to see the movie on October 3rd. I will be the first in line to see the midnight to how all this craziness plays out on screen, and I hope they stay true to every part of the story!

S.

Pretty Little Secrets & The Selection

Pretty Little Secrets
What can I say about Pretty Little Secrets. It took me a very long time to get through this book. I thought it was a cool concept to give each girl their own section and story but I found it hard to become interested in what each girl was going through.  This book made me realize how much I actually like the mystery character of A. The added drama and suspense that A brings to the girls lives is what draws me towards these books. It was like advertising a mystery but with no mystery! A ultimately makes the girls lives interesting.









The Selection

I must say that this book pleasantly surprised me. I had seen a lot of stuff about it on instagram after the last book in the trilogy came out so I decided to give it a chance. This book was a mix between Hunger Games and The Bachelor but more Bachelor then Hunger Games. The crazy thing about this book is that it is set in the future but I guess in the future of the United States we are going to be split into caste systems and have royalty again.
There are 35 girls who get "selected" to participate in what I like to call the Hunger Games of Dating. They get whisked away from their families and taken to a castle to win the heart of the young prince, which is being filmed for the whole world to see. Cue the opening credits of The Bachelor. At least if you get selected your family gets taken care of and if you win you and your family move up in class rank. It seems like a fair deal.
At first I thought this was going to a typical love story but the only problem is that our main character, America (how ironic), is in love with someone else when she gets "selected. Granted her boyfriend is the who pushes her to join. I like the fact that America is only doing this to help her family and decides to strike a deal with the Prince. They can be friends and she can help him find his mate. This poses the question: Can men and women really be "just friends"? As the story continues America and the Prince start to catch feelings for each other and to make matters worse who do you think the new guard is at the castle? That's right, Aspen, America's boyfriend before she left for the selection. Dun Dun Duuuunnn! Just when we thought things would be simple!

I'm currently reading The Elite, the second installment in this trilogy. It's starting off a little slow for me but I've realized that the second book in a trilogy is always my least favorite. Review coming for that soon!

S.

May Wrap-Up

Guest Blogger Jonathan Martinez | Roboapocalypse

I read this book because I wanted to read a book with my girlfriend and share her passion in reading. I looked at her 100 books to read list and the title caught my attention. I am a huge fan when it comes to zombies and end of the world stories. I also like machines and robots! So this book was just perfect! 

Robopocalypse is a series of events told by Cormac Wallace about how robots took over the world and how humanity fought back to claim it. To me, this was a good book because it starts off with its origin and forms a time line of every action that was taken to reach the end.  From the start of the robotic takeover to the the importance of characters actions that changed the outcome of everyone's survival. 

The story begins with a scientist awakening a machine with an intelligence that can not be measured by any human scale. Archos, as they call the machine, grows so intelligent that it believes humans are only capable of destruction thus end humanity and rise of the machines. Archos kills the scientist and starts his evil plot of robotic domination. 

In the book the world is at a futuristic time where robots are everywhere. Domestic robots that look like humans. Worker robots that are designed for specific jobs. Even the vehicles are designed with thoughts of their own.  Different cases around the world start happening where robots start to "malfunction" and start to attack people. Archos commands all type of robots to enslave humanity and kill any threat. It experiments on humans and creates new type of droids to attack in any type of situation. It starts a war that nearly leaves all humans extinct. 

Now I am not about to go over every story and every important character that is in this book but here are some of my favorites. 

Takeo Nomura , an old mechanic that can fix any robot, he builds a human like wife robot that he truly loves, and was willing to die when his robot wife started to attack him.  I believe he has a connection with the machines since he is able to love one. He becomes sort of like a robot whisperer and is able to reprogram some robots to fight for him. During the war he builds a castle and has the best army robot that protects him and the people he shelters. Even though Nomura and his wife aren't really talked about, they are important for the awakening of the domestic robots that help the humans during the war. 

Lurker was another interesting character to me. He is a genius kid just pranking people around the world for kicks and by sheer luck he comes in contact with Archos. When he talks to this super machine, Lurker realizes that the world is going to war and does nothing but run and hide. After some time in hiding he witnesses a car killing a little girl and her family and that causes him to take action and fight back. Lurker and his friend get in these mobile suits and fight off robots and break in their communication station and destroy everything. That scene and Lurkers determination and realization in how he owed the world is such a good chapter. 

The last character that I enjoyed was Mathilda Perez. A ten year old girl that has a first hand experience with an evil toy robot. The robot warns her about a robot defense act which clearly a little girl wouldn't know anything about. As her story progresses Mathilda and her family get captured and sent to a holding facility. The robots experiment on her and remove her eyes and replace them with robotic ones. Because of her mothers love and determination she escapes with her brother from the facility. Mathilda is given a gift to see what the robot's see, that helps out during the war. 

The book goes on with stories from and Osage tribe having a well guarded city, to brothers doing anything they can to help out people. In the end every person and their story is connected and it's amazing how it all connects to change the outcome of the robot war. 

The book ends with a chance that Archos still might be alive somewhere  and maybe that's what the second book will be about. This book is being made into a movie. I am excited because there were a few scenes that I couldn't quite imagine and I want to see how they look on the big screen! When the movie comes out I am for sure taking my girlfriend out to see it! 

-Jonathan I Martinez 

New Update for Kindle Paperwhite

So I wake up this morning and my prayers had been answered! Amazon finally made an update for the 1st generation kindle paperwhite! When I found out there was a 2nd generation paperwhite coming out, I wanted to buy it right away of course, but times are hard so I held off. I had always thought to myself "why doesn't Amazon just make an update for people who had already spent $119 on a kindle that looks the same?" Amazon must've heard me or got enough people complaining but regardless it finally happened! Now I have goodreads on my kindle and page-flip which is too sweet! So thank you Anazon for making your readers happy! Now I just have to figure out how to update my reading percentage status through this goodreads function.

S.

If I Stay...

I saw the trailer for the movie that is based off this book a couple days ago and that made me want to read the book. The movie trailer actually looks really good but sadly I didn't really like the book all that much. This book is a contemplation of death. When your stuck between life and death, but you've lost your whole family, do you stay or go? Do we really have the power to decide whether we stay or go? In this book it would seem that we do possess that power. This book made me really sad and kind of freaked me out. It really got me thinking about death and how to continue on if someone in your life dies. It got me thinking some pretty morbid thoughts, like if my boyfriend were to die how would I find out? And how would I react? This is a super depressing thought and not something I want to spend my life thinking about. Death is always looming around every corner but to live in fear of that is a life un lived. Reading a book always makes me think about things more than seeing a movie so hopefully the movie won't freak me out as much as the book.

S.

April Round Up

April

Allegiant

Unbelievable

Cinder

The Awakening

This month things got busy. I wasn't able to read as much but I still cranked out 4 books. I decided to change my book challenge from 100 books to 50 books. We will see where that lands me by June. The Month of May needs to be an epic reading month. No if, ands, or buts.

S.

A Change of Plans

So it is only April but I have accepted defeat and decided to change my challenge of reading 100 books to 50 books. I was already 15 books behind schedule and with my schedule there is no way I would be able to make that up. If I reach 50 books by a reasonable month then I'll up the anti, but 50 sounds good right now...

Happy Reading!

Cinder | A Futuristic Retelling of Cinderella

I just finished Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I've been wanting to read this book for a while now and Marissa Meyer was also at the LA Times Book Fest but unfortunately I was unable to see her when I was there. Anyways, when I first started reading this book I have to be honest, I wasn't the biggest fan. The story wasn't holding my interest. Basically, Cinder is a futuristic take on Cinderella mixed with I-Robot. Cinder is a young girl who is half human, half cyborg meaning she has some mechanical parts such as her hands and one of her legs but she also has an operating system but also bleeds human blood. She's a mix of everything. We all know the story of Cinderella. Take that story and mix it with a Queen from an opposing plant of Lunars (a bad bunch with the power to control your vision and emotions) trying to marry the Prince from Earth so she can declare war. Add in the fact that Cinder finds out she is a Lunar herself and to top it all off she is the lost Princess they say died many years ago. Oh yea and there is a deathly plague going around. It's a mind bender of a story but it's worth reading. I don't necessarily read a lot of science fiction so reading this felt strange to me which is why I probably had a hard time with it in the beginning, but as the story went on I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to know more about what was going to happen to Cinder and the Prince, and Cinder and everyone else! As the book was coming to an end I still had so many questions! Talk about a cliff hanger! The last scene of Cinder in prison deciding what her next move is! I must find out more!! There's so much going on in this book it's almost like Meyer took the story of Cinderella and made it appeal to our robot obsessed technology driven society. Stay tuned for my next Lunar Chronicle adventure:  Scarlett

S.

Highlights from the Los Angeles Times Book Festival 2014

Allegiant + Pretty Little Liars: Unbelievable | The End of Act #1

I can't even begin to describe this book. It was definitely my favorite book in the series and the most eye opening. All the questions we have are answered and the end of book 2 set up book 3 perfectly. In book 3 we find out why Tris and her gang live the way they live, we find out about Tris' mother, and who is stronger between Tris and Four. I like that we got to find more out about Natalie Prior. I felt like the other books were spent finding out about Tobias' family but this book was all about Tris' family.

Honestly, Natalie was way to smart and cunning in book 1 to be just a regular abnegation

citizen. My favorite thing about this book was seeing the personal progression of Tris and Four. Not their progression as a couple but as their individual selves. In Book 3 Tris becomes herself. During books 1 and 2, Tris is struggling to fit in but in book 3 she has finally come into her own, able to trust herself and has clearly learned from her mistakes. I almost felt like in book 3 I was seeing a completely different person than in book 1 or 2. Four on the other hand seems like he is unraveling. In the beginning we meet Four as this strong man who has made his place in the world despite his violent childhood, but by book 3 it's clear that he never really let any of his past go and he is still haunted by his demons. He is unable to handle any kind of emotion or face any kind of confrontation. He runs away like a scared little boy and trusts the wrong people. I began to really not like Four in this last novel but I can appreciate the mental breakdown that he is experiencing. 

Lastly, the death heard around the world. I had heard rumors that Tris dies in the last book but I tried to push it out of my mind as much as possible while reading. I didn't really believe that she had died until the last couple of pages. When each ending chapter was only narrated by Four, I knew it had to be true. I could barely read on after that. Killing off a main character at the end of a book like that takes balls! Usually it's the strong manly man who dies to save his peers but in this it was a strong female character who dies in order to save the ones she loves and I can respect that. This was by far my favorite book in the series.  

This is the fourth installment in the Pretty Little Liars series and some say it's the end of Act 1. This novel rounds out and ties up all the loose ends from books 1-3. Any questions you might've had get answered in this book....or so you think. I actually really liked this book. Hanna survives the hit and run only to be faced with not remembering anything that happened that night. The two biggest shockers for me include Jenna and Ali being in cahoots about the fireworks incident and Mona being A. I still don't necessarily believe the story about Jenna and Ali setting that whole thing up because as we all know nothing is ever what it seems in this series. I'd also heard rumors that Mona was A and that she dies in this series. The show also makes Mona the first A so I was already pretty keen to that fact. Her dying was a bit sad but it had to happen. To round out the book and tie up loose ends you had to kill Mona off. I can't even image how the show comes up with story lines since most things are different.With Toby gone and now Mona, I can't even fathom who could be the next A. It's weird though because it took the show four years to get to Spencer "remembering" what happened between her and Ali the night she went missing but only about two years to bring in the whole Ian murder stuff. Interesting. And is it just me or is Wilden way too nice in these books? He actually seems like a nice cop instead of a creepy guy looking for a story. I also kind of like the whole Lucas and Hanna thing. TV Lucas always seemed a bit creepy but book Lucas doesn't seem so bad granted I guess that means no book Caleb. hmmm..questions questions. I feel like now that the first act is over the books are going to take a drastic turn from the show or visa versa. I've even heard rumors about twins. This could get very interesting!

S.

Insurgent + Perfect + March Round Up

I feel like I read this book to long ago to even remember anything exciting about it. All I remember was Tris and Four fighting in almost every other chapter. They kept way too many secrets from each other and I really didn't know if they were going to make it. This is the book where Tris and Four are kind of on the same reckless path and they can either learn from their mistakes or keep making them. In book three we find out who actually learned anything and who didn't. I find that the second book in a series doesn't grab my interest or isn't as memorable as I would like it to be. Second books kind of answer the question "okay..now what?" Sadly, this was my least favorite book in the series. 

This is the 3rd book in the Pretty Little Liars series and I have to read a summary of the book to even remember what happened....okay just read a summary and I still know nothing. This one wasn't one of my favorites. Each time I read one of these books I compare it to the TV show to see how much they left in or took out. Obviously with Toby being gone things change drastically but a lot of things are surprisingly the same. The biggest shocker that happened in this book that is the same in the show is at the end when Hanna gets hit by the car. That part made me want to read onto the 4th book (which was by far better than this one). I'll have way more comments on the 4th one.

March

Flawless

Insurgent

Perfect

What I learned in March:

• March was my lazy month. I only read three books which put be way behind. After finishing today's book I am officially 13 books behind 

February Round Up!

Fifty Shades Freed

Divergent

World War Z

Labor Day

Pretty Little Liars

What did I learn this month?

• I (again) need to pick up the pace. I only read 5 books this month (again)
• I can get through about two books a week if I really set my mind to it. 
• About 6 books behind on my book challenge :[

S.

Oh You Pretty Little Liars...

I've been a loyal viewer of the Pretty Little Liars television series ever since it first aired back in 2010. After watching it for four years I'm more confused than ever. I'm not sure who to believe A is. It went from Toby to Ian to Mona to Ezra and now to Mrs. Dilaurentes herself. I figured it was time to read the books thinking they would shed some light on this crazy show. I heard rumors that the books are completely different than the actual series which could be completely awesome or completely annoying. Either way the books are turning out to be quite interesting. This first book chronicles Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily after their BFF Alison goes missing and turns up dead. This first book is pretty well translated in the first season of PLL. I feel like I'm reliving all of A's crazy shenanigans over again, but I like it. This book gives subtle hints at Mona being A which is pretty clever and I'm happy the show at least stuck to that aspect. There are some pretty big differences in the way the characters are portrayed and the tone of the book in general though. Emily and Spencer are portrayed just like their characters on screen but in the books Hanna is much more slutty and Aria is much more of bitch. The tone of the books is much more adult. The fact that Hanna is slutty, they talk about thongs and blatantly about sex. They smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. Even the sexual stuff between Jenna and Toby is watered down in the show. In the show I just remember Toby and Jenna "kissing" but in the book Toby "molests" Jenna. It's very different but I like the more adult tone of the book and I'm looking forward to the rest of the books.

After reading the first book in this series I had to see what was going to happen next. Flawless is the next installment in the Pretty Little Liars series. This is where I believe the book and television show start going in different directions. There are a couple things that stay the same but most are different. I personally don't remember Sean and Aria dating in the show and I don't remember Hanna being so crazy when it came to Sean, but I do remember Toby and Emily going to a dance. These are minor changes that make a big difference. The craziest thing about this book that will effect the rest of the series is the fact that Toby dies in the last part of the book. Can we say #mindblown!? I did not see that coming at all. Getting back into this series has made me want to go back and re-watch the entire series to see what they changed and didn't change. I also fell like the books are all running together like I'll forget if something happened in the first or second book. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Either way the series is turning out to be pleasantly awesome. I picked up the third book today so look out for the review about that soon!

S.

World War Z & Labor Day

I heard rumors that this book was completely different than the movie that came out starring Brad Pitt, and it turns out the rumors were really true. It's as if the movie just took the title of the book and decided to make a hollywood zombie movie out of it. I have to say the book wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. I think the idea of stories chronicling the "Zombie War" is a cool idea but when I actually read the stories, I wasn't that interested. I'd say about 75% of the book was filled with military stories. Granted, I do love the military and stores about it, but these just didn't hold my interest. The two stories I liked the most were told by actual civilians who had made it through the "Zombie War". There was one military story I liked that it encompassed actual action and not just special tactics used in the war. The story was about a woman names Christina who's plane had gone down, all her other plane mates had died. Christina was able to get a radio signal and she had the help of this anonymous woman whose job it was to help military officials. After Christina was rescued, we find out her radio had gone out before her plane even crashed and there was no person who actually existed on the other end of the radio. I'm not sure if it was by the hand of God or just her hallucinating but that was an amazing/trippy story. Another story was about an Asian man who was so wrapped up in his computer that he never realized that his parents were gone. He spent three days climbing down from his nineteenth floor apartment with sheets. To this day he still does not know what happened to his parents. Besides these two stories I felt like there was something missing. It's like the when the punchline of a joke is missing. The reviews said this novel was supposed to be chilling but there was something missing from the eye witness accounts. Even though this book is obviously a work of fiction, I was amazed at how someone could write an entire HISTORICAL novel without any real facts. The way Brooks wrote about each instance with such depth was pretty amazing. I'm not sure if i could ever do that. 

(Okay, this is going to be a really short review). I must say, this might be the first time I liked a movie more than its original book. I read this book because I recently saw the movie version of it starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. I cried three times. I am not a movie crier but this one really got to me. The entire movie was beautiful from beginning to end. Both the book and movie are about the love, the loss of love, and making a home where you'd least expect it. This book is filled with beautiful quotes and the movie took those quotes and put them on screen. The fact last I loved the movie so much is making it hard for me to talk about the book. The book was forgettable, the movie will stay in my heart for a long time. 

S.

Divergent

"One Choice Can Transform You"

At first I wasn't sure if this book/ series would interest me which is why I only have the first book in my collection. I know there is a big following for this series and I kept hearing that this book is just like Hunger Games which kind of turned me away because I wasn't the biggest fan of that series. After reading this first book, I don't think this book is anything like The Hunger Games series. I actually enjoyed this first book a lot more than Hunger Games. I might need to read Hunger Games again but at this point I definitely like Divergent better. This book is all about the struggle to fit in. Not only fitting in but feeling like you belong. It's one thing to fit in but to actually feel like you belong and are a part of something, that is a different and uplifting feeling. Today's world is all about following the latest trends to fit in with the "in crowd". You can struggle all you're life to "fit in" but sometimes you will never feel like you actually belong. Sometimes you might feel the most comfortable with a group that isn't the most popular but that's okay if you personally feel like you belong there. In Divergent, Tris "fit in" in Abnegation but she never felt like she belonged until she made the choice to become Dauntless. As dangerous as this choice was, she knew it was the right one and I respect that. 

I also respect the sexiness level of the book. Tris is a 16 year old girl and she is dealing with 16 year old feelings, especially when it comes to Four. I thought the way their relationship blossomed was actually very realistic. Starting out with subtle flirtations and transitioning into something more. Granted the boyfriend/ girlfriend title seemed to come a little quick but sometimes when you know it's right there shouldn't be any holding back. I am actually very excited to see where this relationship goes. 

The only similarity I can see between Hunger Games and Divergent  is the barbarity of it all. I thought all the teenage killing in Hunger Games  was pretty gruesome. Also, I hadn't been exposed to anything like that before. Granted there wasn't too much killing in Divergent but all the fighting and kids getting beat up was a bit overwhelming. I know it's just a book but I am  a softy when it comes to physical fighting. I mean I could barley watch Shia get beat up in Lawless  or an MMA fight on the television at Buffalo Wild Wings the other day, but that's besides the point.

Overall, I thought this book was very entertaining. I was quite surprised that I liked it so much and I honestly cannot wait to see the movie now. I'll read the other books a little later in the challenge so look for those reviews coming soon. 

S.

...And I'm Spent: The Conclusion of My Fifty Shades Adventure

"I want your world to begin and end with me"

What a perfect series to write about on Valentine's Day! But..can I just say how happy I am that this series is over. By the end of the 3rd book I honestly couldn't read fast enough!
In this last book, I really started to hate Christian. In the beginning he just seemed like your typical controlling business man but by the 3rd book he has gone full "American Psycho" on us. He wants Ana's world to begin and end with him and that does not sit well with me. Maybe it's my cynicism about love but I feel like that wouldn't be the healthiest thing. In relationships don't you need a little space sometimes? A little alone time? No one can be around someone else 24/7 and not get a little antsy. Sometimes space is good to regroup and get your thoughts together. You also don't want to turn into a person who's thoughts and ideas are all constructed based upon another person. That looks like losing oneself to me and that is pretty scary. Sadly, Ana began loosing herself around the 2nd book. I'm happy that in this book she stood up to Christian a little more. Granted he fucked up...more than once!

You would think by the 3rd book, Christian's insecurities would diminish a bit but sadly they are in full swing. He's insecure about Ana not changing her last name, turns mad when Leila visits Ana at her office, and goes completely psycho at the announcement of the baby. This had to be the moment when I hated Christian the most. 1. He assumed that Ana did this on purpose when it's clear that she was upset about the pregnancy as well 2. He ran back to his ex and got drunk with her. That's definitely not the way to handle the news of an unexpected pregnancy. If my HUSBAND reacted like that I'd be livid. That is a complete breach of trust no matter which way you look at it. I'm glad that Christian realized that he fucked up royally. It's too bad that it took Ana getting beat up and landing in the hospital for him to realize that.


I would give the series as a whole 4/5 stars. It's not profound literature but it's the first erotica series I made it through and as absurd as it was, it did what it was supposed to do; it excited me, angered me, and made me swoon all at the same time. This series is so much more than just erotica. It seems that many people only focus on the erotica, but as the series went on the erotica became less and less and just focused on the life and love of Christian and Anastasia. This is the exaggerated telling of love in the 21st century. It's romantic love mixed with angry love, jealous love, insecure love, and sexual love. Our "hero" is as insecure as a 5 year old boy and our "damsel" is by no means in distress. Living in a world where women are more powerful than ever and communication is lost is translation, I can truly appreciate this tale of flawed love.

Happy Valentine's Day!

S.

January Wrap-Up!

Well it's the end of January. The first month of my challenge is over. I only read 5 books this month. (I'm counting Fifty Shades Darker as part of my January reads because I finished the biggest chunk of it in January). Coming out of this month I learned that I need to pick up my reading pace. To complete my goal of 100 books I need to read at least 8.33333 books each month. At this rate I am 3 books behind! 

Books Read in January

Lone Survivor

Life After Life

Carrie

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades Darker

Here We Go Again: My Second Encounter with Mr. Grey

"I'm a sadist"

As we all know Fifty Shades Darker is the second installment in the Fifty Shades Trilogy. After reading the first one, Fifty Shades of Grey, I really didn't know what to expect from this book. Usually the first book sets everything up and is exciting because everything we are being exposed to is new, and then we get to the second book and it's like..okay..what now? In this book we get the continuation of the erotic love story between Mr. Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel. I feel like I don't know what to say about this installment. I was taken aback by the first book but this second book was just okay. Nothing spectacular for me to marvel at. I've heard the third book is people's favorite book so I'm interested to see what's next for the married couple. 

I had a couple issues with this book but at the same time there were things I really liked. I really thought this second book did a great job at portraying the modern day Prince Charming. For girls, Prince Charming is this perfect guy who is supposed to ride up on a white stallion and sweep you off your feet. Granted, Christian does sweep Ana off her feet but there is no white stallion and their are actual flaws. In today's world, even the most "perfect" guy has insecurities which I can respect. I like that even though Grey is this super sexy, multi-billion dollar mogul he still has deep seeded issues that shine through. He is a real man with a flaw, a sadistic flaw, but a flaw none the less. I can see why so many women have fallen in love with him. Ana even has her own insecurities and even though her and Grey have gone through very different life experiences they both do not feel good enough for each other. These are realistic insecurities that come up in relationships. I must say, I thought Grey's official wedding proposal was beautiful. "You have my heart, and here are the flowers". I even shed a tear, and I am not a book or movie crier. 

The only thing I didn't like about the book was around page 200 when I feel that Ana loses her independence. She allows Grey to order for her without any hesitation. In the first book this would not have been accepted. Her independence rears it's head up every now and then but by the end of the book she has given herself completely to Grey. I don't know, maybe this is how "can't live without each other love" is supposed to go! I'm also a little disturbed by how quickly this relationship evolved. From a chance meeting to marriage in the span of a month. The magic of books and movies. I will let this slide for the time being. 

I'm interested to see how the series ends, but I think I need a break from Mr. Christian Grey, but not to long of a break. Until next time..

S.

The 50 shades of Mr. Grey

A quote from Tess of the d'Urbervilles used in Fifty Shades of Grey: "I agree to the conditions, Angel; because you know best what my punishment ought to be; only--only--don't make it more than I can bear!"

I'm a hundred and thirty pages into Fifty Shades Darker and I realize I should probably get all my thoughts out about Fifty Shades of Grey before I go deeper into the broodish world of Mr. Christian Grey.

I've had these books for at least a year but could never bring myself to read them but I figured I'd give them a chance since I'm trying to read 100 books this year.

First off, I have to say the story is completely absurd BUT wildly entertaining at the same time. I can see why middle aged women love these books. First off I need to talk about Mr. Christian Grey himself. Can we say CREEPY? If someone thinks it's sweet that a man that you don't know tracks your phone and knows your address without you telling him then you might need to seek a little help. I found him to be quiet creepy and way too controlling for most of the book, but then he goes and writes that beautiful letter to Ana actually expressing his feelings. If I could find a man who was actually able to opening and honestly speak about his feelings I would be more than ecstatic. Granted, he is still a pretty fucked up character. His control issues go beyond anything I have ever seen before and I need to find out why.

This book really made me want to learn more about Dom/Sub relationships. Real Dom/Sub relationships! Not this "oh I want a Dom/Sub relationship with all these rules BUT I'm still going to sleep in a bed with you even though I don't "sleep" with anyone and I'm still going to do things for you that I've never done for anyone else" kind of Dom/Sub relationship! It confused me to no extent when Grey states that he wants a Dom/Sub relationship only on the weekends but still needs to be in contact with Ana 24/7. That sounds like a relationship to me. This is why I need to talk to a real Submissive or Dominant! I would have so many questions like.... Is this a weekend thing or an entire lifestyle? If it is just a weekend thing, what do you do on a day when you not being a Submissive? Do traits from you submissive or dominant lifestyle ever spill over into your "regular" lifestyle? I am so fascinated by this whole idea! If a Dom or Sub ever runs across my blog please comment!!!

Lastly, I found this article on Twitter: How to be Well-Read. It's Book Riots list of 100 books that would make someone a "well-read" person. Ironically, Fifty Shades of Grey made it onto the list. The list includes selections like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The DaVinci Code, & Invisible Man (One of my favorite books). A lot of people were not happy that Fifty Shades of Grey actually made it onto the list, but I can clearly see why it did. Let me explain. The newest generation is one of pop culture, technology, and sexual liberation. It only makes sense that a book about power and sex would make it onto this list. Having a book deemed "erotica" make it on the New York Times Bestseller list and stay there, it's #3 as we speak, is an amazing accomplishment. The success of this book speaks to how sexually free this new generation is. We've brought kinky BDSM sex to the forefront of pop culture and made it A-okay! Not to mention in about a year we will have a feature film starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. That is a big accomplishment so I have to say congrats to Miss E.L. James!

Like I stated earlier, I'm too far in to give up now. I'm moving on to the second book! Posts coming soon!

S.

Don't Fuck With Carrie White!

"I just want them to know me"

Carrie, written by Stephen King, is the horrifying novel about Carrie White. A regular high school student with a not so regular power. Carrie has TK or telekinesis, which means she can control things with the power of just her mind (I would love a power like this). Surrounded by an overtly religious mother, and her peers, who attempt to make her life hell, Carrie is what happens when you push someone too far.

As book-nerdy as I am this is surprisingly my first Stephen King novel. It's ironic that it's also the first novel he ever wrote. Not bad! When I was younger I really tried to give Stephen King a chance. I remember checking out The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon from the library but for some reason I just couldn't get into it like I wanted to. Maybe it was because I was young,who knows. Putting my failed attempts aside, I thought I'd give the horror "King" another go, and I'm happy I did. I thought Carrie was a great piece of fiction that has obviously stood the test of time. By taking a regular girl and subjecting her to almost typical high school bullying Carrie combines creepiness with just enough humanity.

In a world where bullying has gotten much worse, is it wrong to see the bullied get justice? Granted, Carrie didn't have to destroy an entire town, killing many "innocent" people, but it almost poses the questions, how much is a person supposed to take before they fight back and is anyone really "innocent" in this novel?  For a girl, getting your period for the first time is a horrifying experience in itself but to share that experience with a bunch of nasty girls who throw tampons and sanitary napkins at you while making you the butt of a joke, that can be life shattering. Then...PROM! Prom is supposed to be one of the "best nights of your life" for a teenage girl, but then to get asked to prom by the star quarterback just to get a bucket of pigs blood dumped all over your dress, that is soul crushing and humiliating. Two big events in a girls life... ruined by blood! 

Can we just talk about Carrie's mom for one second? She continuously claimed that Carrie was possessed by the devil, but in my opinion, the mom was definitely overcome with something ungodly! That kind of over zealous religion scares the living daylights out of me. Carrie was just as much a victim of the bullies as she was of her mother's crazy religious views. The mother was probably the creepiest part of the novel. 

If Stephen King's work only gets better from here, I can't wait to see what his books, Pet Sematary, The Shining, Misery, & 11/22/63  are all about. Look out for reviews for these novels later in the challenge!

S.