Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

This is my first entry from my book club reading list. It is not a book I would have chosen at all since I am not a fan of Nicholas Sparks. As a matter of fact, I am grossly opposed to anything by him. BUT I am not opposed to being a team player, nor am I opposed to trying books that I would normally shrug off without thought. So while I wasn't really looking forward to it, and I was definitely not blown away, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting either.

Safe Haven is a about a woman, Katie, who has a lot of baggage she'd rather keep hidden. She moves to a small North Carolina town hoping to stay off the radar until she can move on again. Little does she know, she will make attachments she had never intended and was certain she never wanted, with the likes of local widow Alex and his kids. Now she battles with the reality that getting comfortable may put her at greater risk then she ever wanted to be in again. Does she stay and start over despite her legitimate fears or does she cut her ties and skip town risking her heart as well as his?

This book was rather dull in my opinion. Sparks is a lack luster writer, his characters are two dimensional, and I particularly find his dialogue to be unengaging and forgettable. I did however feel for the main character. Her fear was very real to me, and I suppose Spark's does deserve credit for that. If you like books that are steeped in reality (including all the mundane things that entails), mixed with romance, drama, and sadness, then you will probably enjoy this book.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

This book is so amazing. Gut wrenchingly beautiful and tragic, it's rawness and poignancy will haunt you. The characters are believable and likable. Green's ability to write dialogue and tell a story is phenomenal, especially considering it is told in the voice of a dying teenage girl, which he is neither.

The main character of this book is Hazel. A teenage girl who has had terminal cancer since she was 13. Thanks to a miraculous (and fictional) cancer drug, her tumors have stopped growing thus extending her "life". Hazel had resigned herself to a life of cancer treatments and minimal "real world" interactions, when low and behold, a new guy, Augustus Waters, attends her cancer kid support group. Augustus not only brings a new body to the group, but also a new season to Hazel's life. Augustus helps Hazel experience a life she never thought she would get the chance to experience, and we get the pleasure of going on the ride with them.

I strongly suggest this book make an appearance in your life. While the sadness I experienced through this book was immense, I am glad to have experienced it. Because as it says in the book, "That's the thing about pain...it demands to be felt."

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

I picked this little gem up from my local library and I loved it. It's beautiful, sad, hopeful, and interesting.

The Language of Flowers tells the story of main character, Victoria Jones. Victoria is a young women who is emancipating out the state of California's foster system. Having been in it since infancy, Victoria has become a cold distant person who refuses to allow attachment to anyone or thing. The only thing Victoria loves in this world are flowers and the old Victorian language flowers were once used for. Once emancipated, being homeless and unemployed, Victoria looks for work and finds it with a local florist who sees Victoria's natural talent with arrangement making. Soon Victoria is carving out her own niche with her unique arrangements based on the antiquated language of flowers. But Victoria finds herself facing ghosts from her past and fighting attachments she thought she never wanted.

This is a story of redemption and learning to forgive one's self. It is a story of new beginnings and relationships that heal old wounds. It's a revelation that sometimes the biggest skeleton in one's closet is the one you've refused to let out, the one only you care about.

Time for an update.

So I read a LOT of books in 2011. I'm not entirely sure of the actual total, but I do know it was over a 100 books. This year, however, is not going so well. With having 4 kiddos, finding time to get absorbed into a book is scarce. Especially when my 8 month old is really opposed to me having any personal time at all. She reminds me of a cat. Even as I type this, she stops playing in order to come crawl over and begin harassing me.

Anyway, I do intend to update this more frequently then last year, as I joined a book club where we meet monthly and I do plan to include you in on my first book club experience. Check back at least once a month to see what I've been reading. Hope we all find a few books to enjoy this year!

3rd Quarter Check In

So I haven't kept track of all of my reading over the past 3 months very well. So I can't really list them. I can however tell you about a few books that I do remember and I suggest you read too.

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Amazing book! Hill's first published novel is creepy, fast paced, and addicting.
Judas Coyn is a man obsessed with collecting creepy paraphernalia. Like a snuff film given by a police officer, letters from imprisoned serial killers, and his latest and most dangerous acquisition, a dead mans suit. The suit is supposedly haunted and Judas has to own it. Soon enough the suits secrets begin to be revealed, leaving Judas and his girlfriend with a big problem on their hands and a big journey ahead of them.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. An awesome mystery story involving a few different cold cases that end up overlapping in the present. The main character is so likable, you cheer him on through the whole book. I think I might even have a little crush on the rugged PI!
Atkinson's main character, Jackson Brodie, is an ex-cop turned PI. He finds himself in the employ of several different people who want to finally put to rest their pasts that have haunted them relentlessly for years. All 3 cases seem unlinked, but Atkinson weaves them together in a clever and exciting way.


City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. If you've been following the series, then you shouldn't be disappointed. You get to know more about the characters you've come to know, and meet a couple of new ones added to the mix as well.
The 4th book in Clare's Mortal Instruments series, finds Simon coping with his new found status of vampire and the Shadowhunters busy investigating murders of their own kind. Also, it delves deeper into Clary and Jace's relationship.


These are the only ones that I can think of that are worthy reads. If I remember anymore, I'll get back on and add them.

2nd Quarter Check In

Ok, so here's the official list of all I've read(that I can recall)since I last posted 3 months ago or so. This time instead of alphabetical by book title alone, it will be by author, then their book titles. Once again, Bold font books are ones I strongly suggest, Italicized books are ones I don't suggest, and plain font books we're just ok or didn't blow me away but were still good.

Ashlyn Chase -
1.Strange Neighbors
2.Werewolf Upstairs

Autumn Dawn -
3.The Charmer

Alicia Dean -
4.Heart of the Witch

Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl -
5.Beautiful Creatures

Laurell K. Hamilton -
6.Hit List (Anita Blake, bk. 20)

Charlaine Harris -
7.Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse, bk. 11)

Alan Jacobson -
8.7th Victim
9.Crush

Maureen Johnson -
10.13 Blue Envelopes

Heather Killough-Walden -
11.The Heat
12.The Spell
13.The Strip

HP Mallory -
14.A Tale of Two Goblins
15.Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
16.To Kill a Warlock
17.Toil and Trouble

Jill Mansell -
18.An Offer You Can't Refuse
19.Millie's Fling
20.Miranda's Big Mistake
21.Perfect Timing
22.Rumor Has It
23.Staying At Daisy's
24.Take a Chance on Me

Will McIntosh -
25.Soft Apocalypse

Aprilynn Pike -
26.Wings

Carrie Ryan -
27.The Dark and Hollow Places (Forest of Hands and Teeth, bk. 3)

Kind of an update, but not.

I'm needing to charge my Nook so I can get my "list of books read over the last 3 months" gathered and ready to post. It is coming, and it will be soon. Currently I'm reading the new Anita Blake novel, and of course I'm liking it thus far. Be watching for a list of books and suggestions on which of them are worth checking out!