Saturday, November 29, 2008

Cherry Cheesecake Murder


So, I don't know if I was wiped out from reading the last book, or if this book was just really bad, but I could not get into it. I've liked some of other stuff by this author, but actually, I think her work is getting worse as time goes by. The mystery in this one doesn't even start until about 200 pages into the book. I forgot I was even reading a mystery until some action finally happened. And the main character has 3 guys who are smitten with her. Two of which asked her to marry him. Does that really happen in real life? They only guy smitten with me is my slightly creepy married friend who just doesn't understand the word NO. Maybe I should learn to cook. Seems to work for Hannah.

Twilight


I finally allowed myself to become part of the Twilight cult. Or at least for a few hours while I read this over popular novel. You probably shouldn't read this entry if you are so in love with this novel, that a little or a lot of criticism will make you mad. Let's get started shall we?

Lets start with the cover. When I look at the cover, it makes me think of Snow White. Eat the poison apple Snow White. Or in this case, it could be more like, eat the poison apple Bella and you will fall in love with a vampire who will put you and your family in danger. Yum, poison apple.

So, for all 2 of you who haven't read this book, here's how it goes. Bella, is a dark and confusing teenager, as most teenagers are, who moves to Washington to live with her dad while her mom goes and has fun with a baseball (or maybe its basketball) player. Frankly, I don't blame her. I'd gladly go off with a cute athlete. Forks is the perfect place for someone who hates the rain and cold to move to. It just makes sense. So she moves there, goes to school, and like in most books and movies, but never in actual real life, she has like three guys in love with her straight from start. Which I don't understand, because she's a pale, brown haired, weirdo and I'm the same, and never get any guys to want to ask me to the school dance. And she turns them all down. That's not a normal thing for a teenager to do.

Anyway, on her first day she sees the Cullen clan and is fascinated by them. Apparently they are the most beautiful people in the whole town. This, I might understand, if I hadn't already seen the not so beautiful people who play them in the movie. Did I miss something? Cedric is not that cute. He wasn't that cute in Harry Potter, and because he wasn't very cute in Harry Potter, he decided to turn into a vampire. This is obviously going to confuse anyone who has not seen the 4th Harry Potter movie.

Bella falls in love with Edward, even though he is a vampire. But a vegetarian vampire (inside joke). Apparently his family doesn't eat people, but eat animals. I agree, a nice bear has got to be far more tasty than a homeless person. But, the world is way over populated so I think they should start eating people. At least the bad people like killers and Hitler.

One night Bella goes with Edward to watch his family play baseball when the visitors show up. The visitors being vampires as well but not friendly ones. Since Bella is human, one of them (James) decides that he's going to eat her. This is where the book went all wrong. The Cullens know that James wants to eat Bella, so instead of calling up Buffy to slay him, or Edward being a real man and protecting his girlfriend and killing James himself, they run away. Isn't there a saying about how running away from your problems isn't going to fix them? This book proves that. Lets run away and put Bella's family in danger. What a great idea. So they take her to Phoenix where her family lives and eventually Bella comes face to face with James, unarmed with a stake to stab and kill him with, and almost gets herself killed. Good thing the Cullens figured out that she had run away and were there in time to save her.In the end, everything is a good and jolly. Bella and Edward get to be together.

This is suppose to be a love story. Now, maybe I have a cold heart or something, but just how many high school relationships last? So I had a hard time convincing myself that these two were really in love. I'm sure as hell not in love with the guy(s) I thought I was in love with in high school. I do not understand how 3 other books were made off this storyline. Am I going to read them? Maybe someday, but not anytime soon. Am I going to see the movie? Yeah, probably. I'm kind of curious how they brought it all to life.

There was a lesson to this story. Stay away from vampires! They might come in handy when someone is trying to kill you, but they also kind of put you in danger. And break your heart. It happened to Buffy, it'll happen to Bella too.

Monday, November 24, 2008

St. Patrick's Day Murder


I should stop reading mysteries late at night. At least creepy ones like this one. As I was reading it, I realized that a lot of her books are a little creepy. Of course it really doesn't take much to creep me out. In this one, an Irish family comes to town and the mom is crazy and kidnaps Lucy's daughter, while her own daughter rambles on about how fairies and leprechauns are evil, and the dad possibly murdered his own brother. I'm not Irish so I don't know if the Irish stories that are in this book are true or not, but it might be something interesting to read if you are Irish. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't read it again.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

This Pen For Hire


I'm starting to like this author. I first read her stuff in the last book I read, and enjoyed it so I checked out the first book in her mystery series, and it was good. It was short, funny, and a fast read. I've read a lot of mysteries this year, and most of them are slow and long with not much humor, so this was a refreshing read. I might have picked up her stuff earlier if she used more interesting titles. They don't really jump out at me, but oh well. I think most women can relate to Jaine, as she's always saying that she's going to stop eating so much, but then turns around and eats a bunch. That's me everyday. It's funny. Even if you don't really like mysteries, you should check this out.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Candy Cane Murder


Nothing says Merry Christmas like murder. This book contains a short story mystery by 3 different authors. The first two stories were pretty good, the third one (by Leslie Meier) was not as good as some of her other work. I had never read anything by Laura Levine, so it was kind of fun to discover a new author. At first I didn't like her story (who names their cat Prozac?! Crazy), but then I found myself laughing every so often, so it was good. And of course there's Joanne Fluke, who's character makes cookies all the time and made me want some. So make sure you've got some goodies handy when you read this book, because if you get cravings like me, you'll need them.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

The Boy I Loved Before


What would you do if you had the chance to go back to when you were 16 years old? At the age of 32, Flora runs into the boy she loved when she was a teen at her best friends wedding. Without realizing it, she makes a wish that she's 16 again. Waking up the next day she finds out that it came true. Only, she's 16 now instead of when she was actually 16 (the 80s?), which was not what I was expected. I thought that she would go back in time along with everyone else that she knew and get to make changes and stuff. Nope. She's stuck being 16 while her best friend and high school love are in the 30s. Oddly enough they seem to take it pretty well. So here she is a teenager again, but with the mind of a 30 year old, and yet she still lets herself get bullied at school. I was wanting for her to stand up for herself and her strange new best friend, but she doesn't until the end of the book. If being a teen was so horrible the first time, wouldn't you try to make it better the second time? As for the boy she loved before, she falls in love with his brother who is now her age. The whole book is pretty much her trying to figure out why she was sent to her teenage years and making sure she gets it done before she turns back into an adult. It was a pretty good book, kind of slow in the start, but work past that and it gets better.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

The Future of Love


It always feels good to finally finish reading a book that I started months ago. I really think I got this last Spring, read a few chapters than got distracted by something else. It wasn't a bad book, when I started reading it again I kept at it, mostly I think to see how it would end. Everyone in the book seems to be cheating on each other, and oddly enough, I actually didn't disapprove of them cheating, because the person who they were married to seemed like a bitch, and I was happy when one of them got what she deserved at the end (death).

The story follows the lives of about 6 or so people who are all interlocked with each other, and how the events of the September 11 attacks changed the way they looked at life and love for them. The attacks didn't affect me because I live no where near NYC, but everyone in this book seemed to take it as a sign that it was time to change their lives. Leave their wife and child for their mistress, leave their mistress for their wife. Try to work things out with the cheating husband. It really made me wonder if this is how people in New York thought about things when the event happened. Like it was a sign that they should start living a life that they want instead of the life that they currently had. There was really only one character that I really liked, the mom, and was happy when she got her happy ending. I felt like she deserved it.

So yeah, it wasn't bad, but it didn't touch me like I felt it would. There were sometimes when I would get a little confused because there are so many characters in it, and it seemed a bit wordy at parts, but I guess it does make you take another look at the relationship that you have with your partner.

So what is the future of love? I think it's whatever you make of it.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Body of Knowledge


I love Heidi Klum. How could you not? She's cute, and seems friendly and down to earth. I've been watching Project Runway a lot recently and decided to look up if she had a book out, and she did. It's part biography and part self help, but a fun read with lots of pictures. When a celeb writes a book about themselves, I love to see lots of photos, because one of the reasons why I like them is because I think they are attractive looking and want to see if they reveal any secrets on how they stay fit and cute. So if you like Heidi Klum or want a sneak peak inside the life of a model, then this would be a good book for you to read, so check it out.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Summer By The Sea


The cover of this book caught my eye and made me want to read it. It's soothing and romantic. I don't like romance novels, but the cover of a book will make the deal or break it. But this was actually a pretty good book, for a romance novel. Not cheesy and no sex scenes, so if that's what you are into, then this probably isn't for you. It tells the story of Rosa and Alex who met when they kids and follows their relationship throughout the years. He's rich, she's not. Neither one of their parents wanted them to be together, but true love doesn't listen to their parents. Or does it? It's a quick read and easy to follow. This is the first that I've read from this author and will probably read some more. Just as long as her romance novels aren't cheesy. I hate that.