 Publisher: Ace Books
Page Count: 335 Fiction Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, War, Spectulative, Dystopian Dates Read: December 20-22, 2015 Reading Challenge: 2016 Topic Discard Challenge Topic: A book set on another planer Series: N/A Good Reads Summary In one of Robert Heinlein's most controversial bestsellers, a recruit of the future goes through the toughest boot camp in the Universe--and into battle with the Terran Mobile Infantry against mankind's most frightening enemy. Review This book left me wanting so much more. What happened here? Maybe my expectations were too high? Maybe I was sold grandiose dreams of a really cheesy movie. How is a bad movie better than a book?!?! While I will say that the character development is much stronger in the book than the movie, the plot of the story reminded me a lot of riding a carousel, it just kept going around and around, and the scenery never changes. In Starship Troopers, Heinlein is capable of writing a lot whole saying nothing at the same time. For me, the entire book was just kind "eh". I'll stick to the cheesy movie. At least the movie has Casper Van Dien and Neil Patrick Harris. Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 5 Pace - 2 Plot Development - 3 Characters - 3 Enjoyability - 2 Insightfulness - 3 Ease of Reading - 4 Photos/Illustrations - N/A Overall Rating - 2 out of 5 stars
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Books: The Betrayal (1), The Secret (2), The Burning (3)
Publisher: Simon Pulse Page Count: 161, 147, 179 Fiction Genre: YA, Romance, Horror, Paranormal, Supernatural Dates Read: December 18-19, 2015 Reading Challenge: 2016 Topic Discard Challenge Topic: Reread the first and last book of your favorite sereies & reread a book from a series you did not want to end Series: Fear Street Saga Good Reads Summary The Betrayal: The Secret is Out! Why do so many horrifying things happen on Fear Street? Nora knows. She knows how the terror began. She knows about the young girl who burned at the stake--and the bloody feud between two families that caused the unspeakable horror that has lasted 300 years! She knows, and she wants to tell. Are you sure you want to hear it? The Secret: In this terrifying new trilogy, R.L. Stine takes readers back in time, telling them finally the awful truth of what happened to the cursed Fear family . . . and why their evil lives on. Simon Fier meets an old gypsy who tells him his family will all die in a terrible fire. Terrified, he changes the family name to Fear, but he can't escape the curse. The Burning: The end…and the beginning Simon Fear thought changing his name would stop the evil. He was wrong—dead wrong. After generations of unspeakable horror, it is up to Daniel and Nora, brought together by their fateful love, to unite the feuding families. But is their forbidden love strong enough to withstand such awesome evil? Poor Nora—desperate to tell the truth and bury the family curse…before it buries her. Review I loved this series as a teenager. I probably read the trilogy a hundred times in my teens. I don't know what it was about these books, but I was hooked. Reading them 10 years later as an adult I gave myself a migraine from all the eye rolling I did. I couldn't believe all the cheesy romance lines and easy swooning these ladies did. I mean good lord, a man said hi to these ladies and they wet their knickers with the excitement of wedding planning. It's laughable, but I can see how teen Manda was swept up in this, because what teenage girl doesn't want to believe in love at first sight. While grown up Manda is bitter and critical of love and laughs in its face. Stine has always been one of my favorite authors, and while I don't read much of his works these days, I've kind of aged out of them, I still appreciate everything he's written and all the joy he brought me as a child, starting with my very first Goosebumps book. These books aren't something I will probably ever pick up again, but they will always have a special place in my library, and I would encourage every young girl to read this series. While the ladies in this book fall foolhardy in love like it's going out of style, Stine also manages to write some very strong and fierce women in this book that will help bring courage to the young woman reading it. Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 6 Pace - 6 Plot Development - 5 Characters - 6 Enjoyability - 5 Insightfulness - 5 Ease of Reading - 8 Photos/Illustrations - N/A Overall Rating - 3 out of 5 stars  Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 96 Fiction Genre: Children, Adventure, Fantsy, Dates Read: December 18, 2015 Reading Challenge: 2016 Topic Discard Challenge Topic: A book with an animal on the cover Series: N/A Good Reads Summary Fantastic Mr. Fox is on the run! The three meanest farmers around are out to get him. Fat Boggis, squat Bunce, and skinny Bean have joined forces, and they have Mr. Fox and his family surrounded. What they don’t know is that they’re not dealing with just any fox–Mr. Fox would never surrender. But only the most fantastic plan ever can save him now. Review This is a delightful children's book. I didn't read much Dahl as a kid and I really wish I would have. I think younger Manda would have loved his books. Dahl has a great imagination and brings his imagery to life; he puts you right into the middle of his stories. His stories are a bit on the dark side, but I believe in a way that most children can handle. Fantastic Mr. Fox has beautiful illustrations and provides great lessons to children about how we treat others and take care of those around us. Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 6 Pace - 6 Plot Development - 5 Characters - 5 Enjoyability - 7 Insightfulness - 8 Ease of Reading - 8 Photos/Illustrations - 8 Overall Rating - 3 out of 5 stars  Publisher: Emily Bestler Books
Page Count: 239 Fiction Genre: YA, Romance, Zombies, Sci-Fi, Fantsy, Dystopian Dates Read: December 13-18, 2015 Reading Challenge: Quatre Challenge Topic: A two-part story (part one) Series: Warm Bodies, 1 Good Reads Summary R is having a no-life crisis—he is a zombie. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he is a little different from his fellow Dead. He may occasionally eat people, but he’d rather be riding abandoned airport escalators, listening to Sinatra in the cozy 747 he calls home, or collecting souvenirs from the ruins of civilization. And then he meets a girl. First as his captive, then his reluctant guest, Julie is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn't want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight. Review I tried watching this movie when it first came out and I could not get into it. To say I was a bit hesitant to read the book is a bit of an understatement. I was struggling to see how this could be a good book. But, when hasn't a book been significantly better than a bad movie? I'm looking at you, Twilight. So, I dove into this book, and by Chapter 2, there was no looking back. This was AWESOME! It was an interesting perspective and a unique take on the overly covered zombie genre. Thank you for something different. I like the idea of what if being a zombie is only temporary, like purgatory for the human body. The story was so much more than I could have expected and more than just a zombie falls in love with a living woman. I felt like the romance aspect was more of a secondary story versus the primary thing. I love Marion's writing style and the multiple perspectives he gives us to tell the story. Outstanding! Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 7 Pace - 7 Plot Development - 8 Characters - 7 Enjoyability - 8 Insightfulness - 7 Ease of Reading - 8 Photos/Illustrations - N/A Overall Rating - 4 out of 5 stars  Publisher: Vintage Books
Page Count: 142 Fiction Genre: Classic, American Lit., Short Story, Banned Book Dates Read: December 11-13, 2015 Reading Challenge: Mega Challenge Topic: A book your parents read as a child Series: N/A Good Reads Summary In this seductive, wistful masterpiece, Truman Capote created a woman whose name has entered the American idiom and whose style is a part of the literary landscape. Holly Golightly knows that nothing bad can ever happen to you at Tiffany's; her poignancy, wit, and naïveté continue to charm. Review Before I start I want to mention that I am a HUGE fan of the Audrey Hepburn movie. I watch the movie at least once a month, but had never read the book it was based on until about a year ago. What was holding me back? I don't know! I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book. I knew it was high controversial when it came out, but the movie did not prepare me for this. I had not realized all the changes that had to be made for the adaption just for it to make it to the big screen. We all know the movie was a bit iffy for it's time, so if our elders considered that bad, you might be surprised by the contents of the original. Okay, I was really surprised and impressed. I have always loved the spirit and nature of Holly Golightly, and after reading this book, I love her even more. She is fierce and courageous, but not in the ways we typically look for these traits. She is a woman who in the 1940s or 50s, set out to be her own woman. SHE'S A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN AND SHE DOESN'T NEED A MAN UNLESS SHE WANTS ONE! She is woman, hear her roar. She really just did her own thing. I don't know how, but Capote perfectly captured the essence of what I imagine to be the free-spirited beatnik woman of the era. This book touched on many sensitive and relevant topics of the time period, including female sexuality, unwed pregnancy, abortion, homosexuality, promiscuity. Things that today we don't really bat an eye at, but back then these were things that were enough to ban this book from places all over the country. I am very thankful for this book and for Capote's suburb writing and story telling. This is easily one of my favorite books of the past year. Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 9 Pace - 9 Plot Development - 8 Characters - 10 Enjoyability - 9 Insightfulness - 10 Ease of Reading - 8 Photos/Illustrations - N/A Overall Rating - 5 out of 5 stars  Publisher: Ballantine Books
Page Count: 256 Fiction Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian, Cyberpunk, Spectulative Dates Read: December 7-11, 2015 Reading Challenge: 2016 Topic Discard Challenge Topic: A book with a weird or wacky title Series: Blade Runner, 1 (the following books were written by Dick's friend K.W. Jeter, and connect to the book. The series of books are connected, but do not really connect to the movie, Blade Runner, a loose adaption of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) Good Reads Summary It was January 2021, and Rick Deckard had a license to kill. Somewhere among the hordes of humans out there, lurked several rogue androids. Deckard's assignmet--find them and then..."retire" them. Trouble was, the androids all looked exactly like humans, and they didn't want to be found! Review I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I first opened it up, but now I have been exposed to the world of Philip K. Dick, and I have zero regrets! This book is weird, but in a good way. The best way I can describe it is as a realistic and depressing version of The Jetson's. Maybe Deckard's Earth is what The Jetson's live above in their happy and healthy glass bubbles? I love how Dick makes you question reality, and makes you question your own value system. How far would you go to self-preserve? I haven't had my philosophical views brought into question this much since my freshman year of college. I absolutely love it when an author makes me think on a deeper level. It's been nearly a year since I read this and I am still wondering what sets me apart from the computer I am typing this on? Is it the emotions I have? Is it my ability to feel love or empathy? Throughout the entire book I was in love, but what really sold this for me was the very final scene with the toad. I found there to be a lot of hope, dreams, and love within this scene that really made the entire story for me. I love Dick! I must read more of his work! *note to readers of this. If you have seen the movie Blade Runner, please note that while the movie is based off of this book, there were many changes made in the movie that the book is almost unrecognizable. Please do not judge the book based on the movie. Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 9 Pace - 7 Plot Development - 7 Characters - 9 Enjoyability - 9 Insightfulness - 10 Ease of Reading - 8 Photos/Illustrations - N/A Overall Rating - 5 out of 5 stars  Publisher: Quirk Books
Page Count: 80 Fiction Genre: DC Comics, Batman, Mystery, Graphic Novel, Crime Dates Read: December 2-5, 2015 Reading Challenge: Side Piece Topic: N/A Series: N/A Good Reads Summary Murder at the Mansion. Can you solve the crime? For generations, the people of Gotham City have looked to Wayne Manor as the embodiment of wealth and high society. But when construction crews discover a corpse buried on the grounds, the venerable family estate is embroiled in scandal. Is someone trying to frame billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne for a shocking and heinous crime? Hardly. Forensic scientists determine that the body has been decomposing for at least thirty years, and the likely murderer was Bruce’s father, Dr. Thomas Wayne. Torn between the need to protect his family’s honor and his obligation to deliver justice, Batman sets out to solve this coldest of cases, using nine mysterious clues (all included throughout this book as removable facsimiles): • a blood-stained party invitation • a map of Wayne Manor • a Gotham City newspaper • an autopsy report • private journals, a letter, a photograph, and more Was Dr. Wayne—the man young Bruce swore to avenge on that bloody night in Gotham City—actually a killer? It’s up to you to sift through the clues and uncover the shocking answer. Review This was really cool! I loved the interactive features of the story; being able to open letters, look at things up close, open up the newspaper, etc. There was no lack of detail put into this murder mystery. While the mystery itself was pretty obvious, that did not take away from the unique, creative, and fun attraction of this graphic novel. It was something different for me,a dn I really appreciated that. The story itself was well written and the graphics were on par. This was very well done, all around! Ratings (based on a 10 point scale) Quality of Writing - 7 Pace - 7 Plot Development - 8 Characters - 6 Enjoyability - 8 Insightfulness - 7 Ease of Reading - 8 Photos/Illustrations - 10 Overall Rating - 4 out of 5 stars |
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