The Ghoul Next Door (Monster High 2) by Lisi Harrison

The Ghoul Next Door by Lisi Harrison ☆☆☆☆

This sequel to Monster High was definitely better than the first book. It was full of so much intrigue and lighthearted humor that I couldn't put it down. Not to mention the boys in the book are absolutely to die for (pun possibly intended).

While the first book involved alternating points-of-view of Frankie Stein and Melody, this sequel adds the third point-of-view of Cleo. And even with three separate POVs it is still clear as ever to read. The addition of little pictures of the "narrator" above each of their chapters make it even easier to follow along with who is being featured. There is also a fourth point-of-view for a heart-breaking two page chapter involving Billy, who I adore so much. I am looking forward to seeing even more of him the next book. He better play a bigger role! :)

As lighthearted as it is, like the first it is true to high school life. It may contain monsters and puns galore, but it focuses on friendships and fitting in more than anything else. In this book in particular, the most popular girl has to cope with losing her friends, boyfriend, and social position by giving them an ultimatum they decided to protest; Frankie has to deal with the nervousness of letting her friends down as well as her growing emotions for the boy of her dreams; and in the end, Melody is faced with news that could change her entire life in a cliff-hanger ending. This is a great book at looking at all those potentially destructive emotions that everyday teens face in a way that keeps the seriousness on the back burner.

My only complaint about these books is label dropping. I know absolutely nothing about fashion and there are so many clothing labels I have to look up just to keep up. And fashion aren't the only labels dropped, it's almost like there are merchandise sponsors, haha!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver ☆☆☆☆

I couldn't get into this book at first. The five page prologue could have been a self-contained story. The seventy-two page first chapter could have been a self-contained story. I just didn't see where it was going because I just don't get post-death stories. And then I get to chapter two and realize that this book is Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day. The moral almost felt like it was being shoved down my throat. But the more the characters developed, the more I found it harder to put the book down.

My biggest problem is that I tend to read books that are highly recommended before even finding out what the book is about. So obviously, when I don't read post-death books, it was a little unsettling to find myself in the middle of one.

The characters start out as stereotypes: the top of the popular girls/the mean girls, and then those that are bullied. But as each relived day unfolds the characters are revealed to be even more and more complex. This story screams high school and reminded me of what I was like that long ago, except that I wasn't one of the popular girls. I was more like Anna Cartullo (and I wish I could have seen more of her in the book). This book was just so real and it's something that every high schooler should read. However, there is the issue that it's aimed at mean girls that need to rethink their actions and I doubt any of the popular girls would read a book like this (if at all). Nevertheless, this story really went where it needed to go and more... I just wish the ending was different, it left me unsatisfied and empty, even though I know it was part of the point.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme posted by The Broke and the Bookish. A new top ten question is posed every week. I encourage you to start your own Top Ten Tuesday list. This week:

Top Ten Reasons I Love Being A Book Blogger/Bookish Person

1. Knowing that somewhere out there are other people that love books as much as I do, and one day having the opportunity to share this love for books with them.

2. Going to the movies and being in on information that was left out of the movies, but that we all know is so important to the plot ;)

3. Learning author styles I admire and hope to emulate in my own writing.

4. Likewise, seeing through blogs what everyone else is into so that I know what my writing path should be (and possible future reader pool).

5. Knowing that I can go to my favorite blogs to find suggestions on books I wouldn't necessarily have picked up on my own while also knowing that I'm recommending books that others may not have picked up otherwise.

6. Practically living at the library. (I've got my job interest card in there, but they are never hiring.) It's quiet and comforting and peaceful. Who could resist that? And...I can drop my son off in the kids computer lab for even more peace :)

7. Escape. I love that when I'm in a horrible mood I can pick up a book and escape to some other place. And...true story: My grandma asked what I was doing this summer out of school, I said reading because that's what I do every summer to catch up on what I missed, she said I should be getting out of the house and actually do something, I said I didn't want to spend the money to leave the house when I could travel wherever I wanted with a new book. Haha, at least I leave every now and then to go pick up another library book!

8. Seeing how excited my son is about reading. He can finally read some picture books on his own and he wants me to start reading him chapter books without pictures. Shock! We've already bought Peter Pan to attempt this summer.

9. Meeting some really amazing guys! I don't care if they don't exist. I mean it sucks that all my favorite guys are fictional characters, but at least it shows me the kind of guy I'd love to have in my life one day, setting standards and all that...

10. And blogwise...keeping track of what I'm reading (and my thoughts on it). Looking at my blog I always feel a sense of accomplishment for all that I've read, it stands as a sort of trophy, and reminds me why I love reading and writing.

Feast of Fools (Morganville Vampires 4) by Rachel Caine

Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine ☆☆☆☆☆

Rachel Caine grabs my heartstrings again! I am absolutely in love with this series and take joy that there are many more books still left to read in this world. I am madly in love with Shane's personality and his resolve. I am proud of the strength of Claire. I want to hold Michael and comfort him. And Eve needs all the support she can get in this installment of the Morganville Vampires series.

The downside to a well-planned story arc is that every book ends in a cliff-hanger because the ends can't be tied up in one novel. This book of course was no difference, ending in a cliff hanger that makes me want to grab book 5 immediately, but I really have to tackle some of te other books on my stack first.

I love the places that this book went and how fluid the story is. And most importantly I love love love the humor in this. I wish I had the guts to highlight sections of a book because if I did there would be so many one-liners and sections highlighted that my book would glow. However, I do mark them with post-it note strips and the result is making my book look like one of my school books ;)

Maybe my craving for book 5 will make me read the books in between faster. Here's to hoping!

Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan

Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan ☆☆☆

Why did I pick this book? The synopsis tells you it's not twins, the girl is straight and the guy is gay, and they fall for the same vampire. Awesome, right? Well I thought it would be so I gave it a shot.

This book was draining me. It was almost like a chore to read it at first. Each chapter was incredibly long which didn't leave room for easy stopping points I need while reading. And I just wasn't sure about character development and plot. This book also had (the ever present now) alternating points of view between the twins which worked quite well in showing you just how different they are from each other, and at the same time just how much they have in common.

So I was trudging through my reading when suddenly I got to an explicit sex scene. An explicit gay sex scene. And I was floored. I make it no secret that I love boy-on-boy and that scene was incredible. The character development and scene were just there in every way. And better yet...it's a male author. Who'd have expected that?

After that scene it became so much easier to read, as if the characters themselves started loosening up. I stayed up until sunrise just to finish reading the last half in one night. It was a great story, I like where all of the characters finally took themselves. However, the story ended a little too neatly, like everything was tied up in a nice little bow, and that made the story fall a little short for me. I won't give away anything plot related, but if you chance to read it you'll understand.

Monster High by Lisi Harrison

Monster High by Lisi Harrison ☆☆☆☆

I have to say that I am in love with the dolls and jumped at the chance to read this when it was recommended to me. Draculaura is a vampire who loves pink and whose favorite subject is creative writing. I am a creative writing major who loves pink and vampires. Match made in heaven!

Despite that, this book isn't one of my favorites. It was hard to get into for me and I was just forcing myself through it. When Harrison finally started introducing who the characters really were then it got more interesting, finally ending with a cliff hanger (I have the sequel in my stack already).

This book uses the alternating points of view of a human named Melody and a newly created monster named Frankie Stein, who is of course, the grand-daughter of the Frankenstein monster. I seem to be reading a lot of alternating points of view books lately and I find that interesting, especially because it isn't something I would particularly choose, yet it seems to be working for the most part in the books that I have been reading. And no, I'm not choosing this style purposely. :)

Monster High has a great subject matter. It isn't just about blending classic monsters and horror tales with modern teen life. It's about acceptance, accepting who you are inside, how you look, the whole package. And in Frankie's case it's also about learning that sometimes hiding for protection is part of that acceptance. For an issue that teens face every day in accepting their own bodies, it's an excellent theme mixed with an interesting monster plot that's sure to amuse.

Top Ten Tuesday

I haven't been around in a while because of school, but it's about time I get back in the swing of things. What better way that a Top Ten Tuesday?


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme posted by The Broke and the Bookish. A new top ten question is posed every week. I encourage you to start your own Top Ten Tuesday list. This week:

Top Ten Settings In Books
(All those real or imagined locations/worlds you loved reading about OR settings you think would be perfect in a book)

1. Boarding schools!
Who doesn't love a good book with a boarding school? Harry Potter, Vampire Academy, The Catcher and the Rye.... Young adults without parental supervision makes for the best stories.

2. The South.
I love to see how authors portray the Southern accents in their writing. Now, I'm from the South, but where I'm at, there isn't a Southern accent like the rest of Texas or rest of the South East USA. But I love a good accent (read: British, Italian, Australian, you get the picture), and something about Southern accents makes my heart swell. Maybe it's Southern hospitality and the idea of Rhett Butler. Yeah, I'll go with that.

3. West Coast.
I've only been on the West Coast once, but I'll never forget it. It's not like I can see the beach on a regular basis and I love books where I get to imagine being on the beach all the time, lying in the sand, feeling the waves wash over me. Especially when reading a summer book in the winter.

4. The forest.
Even if a book isn't a magical fantasy novel, I still imagine fairies and elves and such. A forest is an enchanting place full of magic and wonder all on its own. Even if it's filled with big bad wolves and murderous rampages, there is still something engaging in it.

5. Local.
I like books that are set where I'm at locally. Right on the Mexican-American border in the middle of the desert. Who doesn't like reading about home when you're from a small seemingly unrecognized place and you're reading a book that has national or even international appeal? I love when I hear El Paso, Texas in comedy sketches, Food Network shows, etc. and it stands even more so in books that last well beyond media.

Ok, since I was more general with my answers I couldn't make ten this time around, but still good to be back in the swing of things. And hooray for summer, I'm blowing through books like there is no tomorrow and the librarians are wondering why I'm there almost every day, haha :)

The Dead Girls' Dance (Morganville Vampires 2) AND Midnight Alley (Morganville Vampires 3) by Rachel Caine

The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine ☆☆☆☆☆

Love, love, love! All the drama that built up in the first book and ended with a major cliff hanger just keep right on and didn't let up even once. This series is definitely one I am very very glad to have picked up after meeting the author and don't ever want to put down.

One of the best parts of this book was the development of Shane's character. There were so many sides to him and so many layers that every time you saw him you felt like you were looking at someone entirely new. And so see just how much guilt and pain he was holding inside was heartbreaking.

And then you have Monica Morrell, who you think can never get any worse and more destructive than she already is....and then proves you wrong by something equally or even more horrendous. This series makes you lose your faith in humanity just as much as it portrays vampires as the mob-like bad guys. And if vampires have to be portrayed as bad guys in this day and age where they are usually the unsung heroes, then it's only fair that humans are just as cruel, if not more so.

In the first book, I marked one page for re-reading over and over. In this one I marked at least three different sections in this one.


Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine ☆☆☆☆☆

So even though the second book didn't end in a cliff-hanger, I couldn't resist picking up the third right away and it didn't disappoint.

In terms of marked pages...I can't even count how many pages I marked in this one. Between romance and just overall humor...wow.

And humor, my god, Rachel Caine, I do love you. I was literally laughing out loud at so many points during this book. And I don't have that much of a reaction often. I'll smile or sometimes laugh a little, but with this book I'm talking about gut-wrenching laughter. There were some moments that were so funny that I wanted to text it to my friend, but then realized I'd have to put it in context and it would take too long. Now, of course, I'm telling her to hurry up and read the books and catch up with me. Oh, how I hate reading alone.

There was so much going on in this book. There was pain and anguish, drama that can't be expressed. So much was on the surface and so much more was just below and barely accessible. The plot unraveled slowly, revealing how much she's had planned from book one and how much more she still has planned for the readers. And, like the first, it ended with a cliff-hanger, but I'm going to try my hardest to hold out on the fourth. (I have two enormous stacks of books to read plus I can't seem to leave the library so make that almost three stacks to catch up on.) Can't wait til I can get to it though, this series is to die for (pun probably intended).

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt ☆☆☆☆

Amazon recommendation based on my wishlist. I was so excited to read this that I had to drive across town to get it from another library because I didn't want to wait for that library to ship it to mine. And I was pleasantly surprised.

The story is about a girl that has to drive across country to college with her ex that broke up with her two weeks before for another girl he met on the internet. Yeah, cruel and unusual punishment. But this story was so so so much more.

The first notable thing about this book is that it is set in alternating points-of-view. You get to see both sides of the story, his and hers. It's not a writing style I typically read, but being this was the second book I read recently with that style I was familiar at least. What was unfamiliar and interesting was that it was set in alternating time periods also. And it wasn't confusing! The story begins when their road trip begins, yet as you alternate between each of their voices, the story goes back in time to show their different views on how they first met and how their relationship started and progressed. You get to see how they fall in love in the midst of experiencing their breakup and it is amazingly written.

This book was so well written and engaging that I read it in one day, which doesn't happen for me. Even my favorite books take three days to a week to read. (The ones for school I typically read in a day, but that was because I procrastinated and had to go without sleep to get it read in time.) I just couldn't put this story down and it was reading so quickly. And this book made me feel incredibly smart, I figured out what was going on early on in the book before it was revealed and it was not obvious in the slightest. I love books that are constructed so well that if you really pay attention you can work it out. It shows that the author has a lot of foresight about what is going on behind the scenes in her book and where she intends to go with her information.

So why did it lose a star if I'm speaking so highly of it? Careless errors. I hate typos and the most careless they are the more I lose faith in the book. So there was one main typo in it, but I could excuse it: doing instead of going as it should have read. A one letter mistake can be forgiven even if it throws off the whole sentence. What I couldn't forgive was the author and/or editor not paying attention to the story itself. I don't know how many people remember the great movie mistake in Pretty Woman where she goes from eating a pancake to eating a waffle because of the way the scenes were cut together, this story did that....not once, but twice. The first happened during the first time Courtney and Jordan went out to eat and she picked up her hot chocolate to drink and set down her coffee. I though I read something wrong and went back over it several times. A few chapters later, Courtney is sitting at lunch with her best friend who picks up her chocolate milk to drink, then drinks from the soda she's holding, then drinks from her chocolate milk. And no, she didn't have two drinks. Besides, who drinks milk and soda together?

So this story was freaking awesome beyond awesome and if you can get passed those two errors and the typo then it's the perfect book to read this summer. So stop reading this review and pick it up already!