Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Title: Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Pages: Paperback 335 pages

Publisher: Algonquin Books

Date Published: April 9^th 2006

Genre: Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance

My Rating: 

Goodreads

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My Review

A ninety-something year old remembering his days working for a circus during The Great Depression.  Doesn’t sound as interesting? Yeah that is what I thought until I read it and it was more than just a book to me.

This book has joined My Favorites list. I was not expecting much from this book; actually I expected to not like it. I only read it because the movie was coming out but I seriously fell in love with it. A well-written and well-researched book. Very unique and I really enjoy knowing that I learned a couple of things from it since it is based on true historic events and I will admit I am not a big history fan so this helped me get into it.

I recommend this book to everyone, it is definitely a must read!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1) by Stieg Larsson

Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)

Author: Stieg Larsson

Translator: Reg Keeland

Pages: Hardcover 465 pages

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday

Date Published: September 16^th 2008

Genre: Mystery, Mystery Crime, Suspense

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there's no turning back. This debut thriller--the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson--is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly. Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch--and there's always a catch--is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

--Dave Callanan

My Review

Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist one day and another he is hired to be a private investigator but isn’t quite sure what it is he should be investigating since his case has already been investigated by police and has been unsolved for nearly forty years. Later on he gets help from an incredible computer hacker with big issues, Lisbeth Salander.

This book was hard to begin; it was a little slow at the beginning and only picked up at around one third through it. I actually really liked it, but I didn’t read it all at once, I did pause for a month or two. Great plot and characters. It was suspenseful and interesting. I am not a big fan of Mystery Crime novels because they seem a little boring to me but this book was different maybe because it is easier to connect to these characters than with other ones in other Mystery Crime books, at least in my opinion. Lisbeth Salander is such a fascinating character it is hard not to like her. Once you read this book you will be shocked at the types of problems she is in and you won’t help but feel bad for her. Larsson isn’t afraid to be explicit; there will be a couple of things that might shake you.

I recommend this to anyone that is into the Mystery Crime genre and to anyone that is willing to read something different.

Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Wither (The Chemical Garden #1)

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Pages: Hardcover 358 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Date Published: March 22^nd 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

Obviously, something went terribly wrong. Genetic mutations have festered, reducing human longevity to twenty-five, even less for most women. To prevent extinction, young girls are kidnapped, mated in polygamous marriages with men eager to procreate. Sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery, a recent victim of this breeding farm mentality, has vowed to break loose from its fetters; but finding allies and a safe way out is a challenge she can only hope she will survive. A dystopian fantasy series starter with wings. Editor's recommendation.

Better summary of the book go here!

My Review

Amazing. Absolutely, remarkable.

What a strange book. By strange I mean this book goes nowhere but goes everywhere at the same time. Confusing, I know. The setting of this story pretty much stays the same throughout the whole book, you don’t go on an adventure like most in most books but this story proves that you don’t need to! From the beginning this book captures the reader’s attention, from there on you become part of the story. I seriously felt I was there with the characters in that house, even felt imprisoned. I felt seriously connected with this book.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the guy characters, Gabriel I can stand but I still feel he was missing something but I really can’t handle Linden, I really dislike his character he annoys me and even grosses me out I have no idea why. I like the rest of the characters, each one is very unique, my favorite is Jenna, and even Linden’s father is an interesting character. This book was different, besides the love triangle, there is no book like it, the story was morbid at times, I just loved it.

Okay one last thing, out of all the books I’ve read I have only cried with at the most three, not even One Day made me cry, its hard for me to get emotional with just anything, but this book had a section where I couldn’t help it, it was way too sad and unexpected.

I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Title: Beastly

Author: Alex Flinn

Pages: Hardcover 304 pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

Date Published: October 1^st 2007

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly.

My Review

For starters I will admit this book was not for me. I really believed it was of my taste but once I read it I realized it wasn’t. It is a temporary version of Beauty and the Beast and I was really excited to read it. The book is small but it took me a while to finish it, I’m guessing it was because it wasn’t seizing my attention. It was a good story and I understand why a lot of people liked it. It had its romance and its moral but it just wasn’t for me. I’m not going to say it was a bad book because it wasn’t, I am sure many of you will like it. It had a good little twist at the end that was pretty clever. I know this review was way too short but I hope you enjoy this book a little more than I did.

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Title: Red Riding Hood

Author: Sara Blakley-Cartwright

Pages: Paperback 329 pages

Publisher: Poppy

Date Published: January 25^th 2011

Genre: Young Adult, Fantansy

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

The blacksmith would marry her.

The woodcutter would run away with her.

The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.

My Review

Okay so this book is based off the screenplay written by David Johnson. The real ending to the book was left out so that people would go and watch the movie, which was something a lot of people didn’t think fair but I really didn’t have a problem with it, the bonus chapter was up online (Legally) for people to go read and I think that was a great marketing strategy in their part because the movie was the first idea since the beginning so it seemed fair to me.

Obviously the whole thing is based on the fairy tale we all know except with a dark twists which is what got this book so much attention. Personally I believe this book was a little odd but I’m not sure if it was a good odd or bad odd, mixed feelings here, I liked it for the most part but it was missing something. I would have rated this book maybe half a star less if it didn’t have such a good twist at the end. It’s hard to find books with twists like this one and I love it when I finally find one. By the way, yes the good part is in the bonus chapter that is found online so I guess if you really wanted to know my opinion in just what you buy for, I would give the book three and a half stars. Besides that, it was a very interesting idea the author had with this book because I really didn’t expect how they were going to re-do little red riding hood. There is romance in it and your typical love triangle that most YA readers adore, not so much for me. There is suspense, mystery, great characters, not so bad concept of a story and of course that great twist at the end you just can’t expect. I say if you have seen the movie don’t bother with the book because they followed it very well but If you have yet to see the movie go ahead and give the book a try either you will hate it or love it in my opinion.


For Bonus Chapter CLICK HERE (Please don't read without reading the book first)

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead

Title: Vampire Academy

Author: Richelle Mead

Publisher: Razorbill

Date Published: August 16^th 2007

Genre: Young Adult

My Rating: 

 

Goodreads

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger. . . .

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

My Review

Dhampir are half-vampires and guardians to the Moroi, or mortal vampires. Rose is a Dhampir or at least training to be and her best friend Lissa is a Moroi and a very important one at that. At the beginning Lissa and Rose are on the run but from who exactly? From what? They are running from the people that want to keep them safe from the Strigoi, the most evil undead.

The Strigoi feed on the blood of innocents. Are the Strigoi really the only ones coming after Lissa?

This book is full of mystery and the unraveling of the story is so intriguing. It is a dark, mysterious and at the same time has its typical high school drama type of stuff going on and I know what you might be thinking, deal breaker right there right? Well trust me I would have thought the same thing but to be honest, it is very different, very mature. Yes mature, I felt this book was a little more mature than most vampire books in the Young Adult genre, maybe it’s just me. The ending is unbelievable by the way as well, something to look forward to if you are planning to read it. There really isn't anything negative to say about this book. Great beginning for a series.

I recommend this book for people who are into vampire books… okay I will say this now and please no one hit me, yes this book is way better than Twilight. The story is better and the characters are better. Yes even the guys in this story are better. Don’t believe me? Read it!

Again, forgive me for comparing.

Regarding 2011 Challenges

When I first heard about this challenge I was really excited I must say, but I have to admit that I am no longer as interested in the Young Adult genre as I was when I first heard about the challenge. In that case I am no longer going to continue with the DAC challenge because I don't want to force myself to read something that I am not currently interested in reading only because I don't want to give whatever book I am reading a bad review based on the mood I was in while reading the book. I did get to read FOUR of the twelve books I promised to read and there WILL be reviews for those four. I did have most of those twelve books on my lists already bought and in my bookcase in which case I might read them sometime in the future and there will obviously be reviews. Just because I am pausing the YA reading it does not mean that I no longer like them in any way because I do, those books were the first type of books I read and I still want to continue reading them, in which case I should mention that I am really excited for a couple of YA books that are coming out soon so please know that there will still be YA reviews. I still have plenty of YA reviews that I have to do so this blog will still be mainly YA based for a while.

As for the Stephen King Challenge, I will continue that challenge along with the goodreads challenge.