Top rating 3 stars, bottom rating no star ______________________________________________ An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon ***Of course I love to have my characters back, but I thought it lacked something? There will be another book in the series too, by the way she left things. I will of course buy it and read it too. I am a slave to the characters I love! :)
_______________________________ The Black Jewel Trilogy by Anne Bishop 1. Daughter of the Blood 2. Heir to the Shadows 3. Queen of the Darkness ***I loved them! What a great series. The best way I can describe it is a balance between kindness and torture! So if you like fantasy-fiction, defiantly check it out. I ordered some used books by the same author from Amazon, I cannot wait til they get here.
___________________________________ Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare 1. City of Bones 2. City of Ashes 3. City of Glass ***Another great Young Adult (YA) series. The characters are easy to love and follow.
___________________________ Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer 1. Twilight 2. New Moon 3. Eclipse 4. Breaking Dawn ***I didn't want to read the series because of all the hype, but now I can see why people were talking about it. I enjoyed the series alot!
______________________________ Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss ***A classic book! I enjoyed re-reading it. I might read this book with my Literature class next year. I think I would find living on an island quite an adventure! Although, I don't think I would want my family with me.
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Song of Unmaking by Caitlin Brennan
***This is the second book in the series and was also very good. I love the weaving of horses, realationships, good and evil, and finding balance all together. Makes for a good book.
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The Chosen by Ricardo Pinto
***I like the premise, the characters, most of the story, but...I hated the ending! Why end it so terribly?! What a shame.
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Fountain of Fire by Josie Litton
***A good murder mystery book. A good story line, I liked it, but it wasn't super great.
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Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
***I love this series (Outlander)! It is so much fun and emotion in following the lives of the main characters. It is really hard to put them down. Cannot wait to get my hands on the next one! It is waiting for me at the library right now. I just really like books that you cannot stop thinking about, even after you are done reading them!
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Heartstone by D.C Brod
***It was hard to start this book after finishing Graceling. I'm glad that I did because it was also an excellent book. Lots of twists and turns, good vs. evil, intertwined legends dealing with King Authur and his sword.
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Last of the Amazons by Steven Pressfield
*** Great twist at the end! The middle dragged on a bit, and some of the language was hard to read through. I did enjoy it and some parts were very interesting.
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A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
***This is the second time I've read this book and I enjoyed it the second time just as much as the first! It is funny, adventurous, and very informative too.
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Loving the Highlander by Janet Chapman
***A little romance never hurt anyone, right?! A good, easy read.
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
***So I am waiting for the next book in the Outlander series to come in and I received an email that this book came in instead. I was a little disappointed because I want to find out what happens next with Jamie and Claire but...I started this book last night and ended up staying up and finishing it at 11:30. It is not a book I might have normally read, but it was very clean, good, action adventure, and survival. Teenages have to kill each other to survive a game, last one standing type of thing. A few twists and turns along the way, lots of build up too. A good ending with a wide door open for the 2nd book, Catching Fire, which is coming out in Sept. 2009. I'll read it!
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Deception Point by Dan Brown
***This was also an excellent book. A nice story to read and follow. The author of The Da Vinci Code. It had science, action, survival, and politics all wrapped into one!
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Vamped by David Sosnowski
***Vampire raising a human child. It was an easy, fun read. Interesting views on the vampire world. Predictable.
 The White Mare's Daughter by Judith Tarr
***Very enjoyable. Two very different groups of people dealing with genders. In one group, the men rule and the female are very restricted; in the other, female rule and men are told what to do. Eventually, the two groups collide with each other. Horses play a nice role in it.
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The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
***I liked it but maybe not as much as I thought I might. I don't know why, but I don't like following lots of substories through the book. It was nice at the end how he tied it all together. I would recommend it and I am sure lots of people would like it. There was a dog in it! :)
_________________________________ Life of Pi by Yann Martel ***I was excited to get this book, but was a little disappointed with it. It was a very good story line but page after page, it felt the same. I ended up getting a library late fee for the book because I just kept dragging out finishing the book. The start was very captivating with the young boy seeking out God. The way he went about it was to be involved in multiple religions; Christian, Muslim, and Hindu. I would still recommend the book but cannot predict how you will like it.
___________________________________ Dark Moon by Lori Handeland *** A good read. I got the book to read about werewolves and such, and little did I know it was a romance novel! Well, I did really enjoy it. Good story line.
___________________________________________________ I am the Great Horse by Katherine Roberts ***I liked it, but some parts did drag. It was meant for more of a teen reader and I could tell. However, it was still a good book. The view of Alexander the Great through his horse. I found it interesting. I think I would recommend it to a horse crazy girl.
___________________________________________________ Cancer on $5 a Day by Robert Schimmel ***I decided to read this book because we love to listen to comedians and Robert Schimmel is one that we like. I knew that he had cancer and heard some of his bits about it, but wanted to hear his story. The book was very funny, very serious, and very inspiring.
___________________________________________________ Survival of the Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem ***A very thought provoking book. I really enjoyed reading it and it wasn't bogged down with too much medical lingo. The points presented were an interesting connection between how a particular diseases might help a person survive in their environments. Now, I don't believe in the big bang theory or that everything evolved from a single cell, but I do believe in evolution as its definition states; change over time. I also know that organisms adapt to their environments to survive...survival of the fittest. I certainly liked the book and it was a surprising light read too.
___________________________________________________ The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus ***A very entertaining book. A cute story about a college student who deals with an interesting upper class family disfunction while trying to make some money to pay for school. Makes me glad that I am not a nanny, but I can feel the pain after dealing with parents from school! A good read with some laughs.
___________________________________________________ The Deep by Peter Benchley ***Now I do like Peter Benchley's books, so I thought I would read this one next. Well, I cannot say that it had alot of depth to it. It was okay but certainly not what I expected. My opinion...don't bother. However, I can recommend White Shark, The Island, and Shark Life by Peter Benchley!
___________________________________________________ When Sex Goes to School by Kristin Luker ***This book was about conservatives and liberals warring views on sex education in schools. The author did an excellent job presenting both sides and had some extremely interesting points made for both. I really liked the comparison between America and other country's sex education programs and the statistics that went with them. Why are American's so afraid to talk about sex to their children? I'm not sure why, but I am glad that I grew up in a sexually open home. My mom was great about answer questions truthfully, and it probably helped that I grew up on a horse breeding farm. The book was a little research overloaded, which made it somewhat difficult to get through certain parts. It was very informative and I would recommend it for an interesting read.
| The Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop ***Well I started it last night and finished it last night, if that is a gage to how good it was. I'm a little tired today because I stayed up to 2:00 am to finish it. I was not sure how this new series would compare to the Black Jewel Series but I was pleased that it didn't fall too far behind it. Starting book two of the series tonight!
_________________________ Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ***Awesome! This is the second book in the Hunger Games Series and it was quite good. By the end of the book I wanted more, however I have to wait another year until the next one comes out. It really left you hanging too!
___________________________________ The Wheel of Time Books 1-8 by Robert Jordan 1. The Eye of the World 2. The Great Hunt 3. The Dragon Reborn 4. The Shadow Rising 5. The Fires of Heaven 6. Lord of Chaos 7. A Crown of Swords 8. The Path of Daggers 9. Winter's Heart ***Adam has been trying to get me to read this series for a long time, and I finally gave in. Good thing, I love them!! I'm not done with the series yet and there are more books to still be published too. They are the most wonderfully complex, detailed books I have read.
______________________________ A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon ***I do love the characters in these books! Even if some of the book drags on, I still enjoy hearing about their lives. Only one more book left from the Outlander Series, what will I do then?! It comes out in September.
______________________________ Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst ***I made it through the book. Not a page turner though.
________________________ Deerskin by Robin Mckinley ***I really like this book, read it in one night! A very good fairytale-like story about a girl and her dog. I would recommend it to a dog person. I think I am going to try another one of this author's books.
________________________ The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon ***Another good book from the Outlander series. However, I didn't think it was as good as the first ones. I still enjoyed reading about the characters and their lives. Boy, they go through a lot!
__________________________ The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter ***Yeah, it is a little romancy. Immortal lords with a demon bound inside of them like violence, wrath, doubt, etc. and one of them falls in love with a person who can read "hear" past conversations. It is a good read and you do end up liking the characters. It is the first in a series and I'm not sure if I will get the next one just yet.
___________________________ Voyager by Diana Gabaldon ***Another great book in the Outlander series. Worth the wait from the library. Yes, some parts did get a little long but the story is so-o good. I just love Claire and Jamie! I already have the 4th book and started it last night! I really would like to buy the whole series someday to read over and over again. I even put my name on the list to get the 7th book from the library, due out in September I think. I am 10th on the list!
____________________________ Graceling by Kristin Cashore ***I loved this book! Very well written and an intriging story. The Graced have special abilities, kind of like X-Men. This is the author's first book and I cannot wait til her next one comes out. I highly recommend this book. In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about it days after I finished it!
_________________________________ Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch ***A good book to read. I enjoyed it, but for me it wasn't an urgent, stay up late, and read it book. A good con-artist book with the con going very badly! There must be another book coming out after this one because I was left a little hanging in the end. We'll see.
______________________________ The Mountain's Call by Caitlin Brennan ***Wow! I loved this book! I started and finished its 400+ pages last night after school! A girl in a place she's not supposed to be because of her gender, horses as gods, magic (both good and bad), love, treachery! Wow!
_______________________________ Through Wolf's Eyes by Jane Lindskold ***A good book, very interesting. A girl raised by wolves trying to be re-established into human culture again. She maybe the heir to the thrown!
______________________________ The Waterborn by J. Gregory Keyes ***An okay book. It wasn't what I thought it would be. _______________________________ Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon ***The second book of this series was just as good as the first! Wow, so much stuff happens to the characters, and they are so well developed. How much more trouble can a group of people get into? I'm looking forward to the next book!
__________________________________ Outlander by Diana Gabaldon ***I thought this was a great book! I read all 650 pages in one day! It is romancy, but action, war, passion, and adventure what more could you ask for? It is fantasy fiction and in this case time-travel. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. I requested book two and three from the library.
____________________________________ Vellum by Hal Duncan ***A very interesting book. If you can get through the first 65 pages, it will be a wild ride. Angels, demons, choosing sides. Don't bother to read if you are close-minded about religion and its origins. This was the first book of the series, and I don't know if I would read the second book.
_____________________________________________________ Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley ***Second book in the series. Still interesting, I struggled to get through some of it. Interesting to see where the characters are going. I do LOVE the name though, Bloodheir...I feel a dog in the future might have a registered name with that in it.
___________________________________________________ Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley ***First book in a series. Very interesting, many different "human" species all are facing a huge war. What sides will they take? Who will come to power? Check it out and find out.
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The Mammoth Hunters by Jean Auel
***The 3rd book of the Earth Children Series. Another good read. Love, life, and the things inbetween, during prehistoric times. Another 600+ page book, finished in a weekend. I own this book and have read it before but now that I have read the first two books alot more things make sense and add to the drama! I think I might have a little break in between this book and the next. I have 3 other books waiting for me at the library right now. It was a great weekend to read. : )
______________________________________ The Valley of the Horses by Jean Auel ***The 2nd book of the Earth Children Series. Of course I enjoyed it! : ) Really makes you think about some things. I seem to plow through these books, which are 600+ pages, they are that good.
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The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel ***I read the 3rd book of this series (Earth Children) long ago and I had a lot of questions, what was I thinking starting in the middle?! Many of those questions have been answered and I'm glad that I am reading the whole series this time. I found it a very interesting read. I like following a character through pages and pages of story...except if they are on a boat (ha, ha).
______________________________________________ Sex. Lies. Murder. Fame. by Lolita Files ***Such a unique book, I really enjoyed it. An excellent story line and a twisted tale. The title says it all! The ending was good, but not really the way I like a book to end. Still, I highly recommend it.
__________________________________________________ Alive by Piers Paul Read ***What a great book! Such a story that these survivors have. I don't know what I would do in a situation like that, and certainly hope I would never have to be. Although, I did read this book while flying to Vegas and back! Highly recommend this book!
___________________________________________________ WITH by Donald Harington ***This was a book I just couldn't put down! I don't know exactly how to describe the book, but it is a combination of reality, fantasy, historical fiction, and mystery. The book was about 500 pages and I read 364 of them in one sitting!! I was drawn to three things...animals, isolation, and survival in nature. When I first picked it out, I was afraid that I might go over the due date (2 weeks) reading it, but obviously that was not a problem. I highly recommend this book.
___________________________________________________ The Alchemist's Daughter by Katharine McMahon ***A very interesting book with a twist at the end. Had all of the things a book needs; science, mystery, love, betrayal, and money. Yet, it still lacked something "magic" but still was a good book. I would recommend it.
__________________________________________ Bonk by Mary Roach ***This also was an interesting book. Mary Roach did tons of research for this book, but it wasn't too over-the-top. I enjoyed learning about the history of sex research and many explanations for sex taboos. The end of the book was very profound in its ability to tie everything up into the way couples should approach sex.
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