4. One For The Money

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars





Plot Summary:
Stephanie Plum, an unemployed lingerie buyer, applies for a filing job with her cousin Vinnie, a bail bondsman. Vinnie's assistant, Connie, tells her the job is taken, but suggests she start apprehending some clients who have skipped out on their bonds, starting with Joe Morelli, vice cop and onetime sexual acquaintance of Stephanie. He is wanted for murder one. Stephanie is in financial trouble, and wants to take the job, as she will get a percentage of the $10,000 bail bond, so she blackmails Vinnie into employing her, by threatening to reveal his use of a duck for sexual gratification. In trying to find Morelli, Plum attracts the attention of a heavyweight boxer involved in the murders of several women.


My Review:
Loved it! I saw the upcoming movie trailer and thought about reading it before seeing the movie, but wasn't 100% crazy about it. Then as I was thinking of what to read next my sister-in-law suggests the series to me. 18 books is a lot for a series so I figured Ms. Evanovish must be doing something right.

I loved how she kept the book moving right along - it was a very fast paced read. Plenty of laugh out loud humor. I also loved how descriptive she was when mentioning the characters...I felt very creeped out just by her deacription of Ramirez. And I must say that I did not see the twist coming.

This book was originally published in 1994, so it was kind of neat to see how date the book was. Instead of cell phones, there was a car phone - oh and please watch the charges lol. Instead of voicemail it was answering machines. I like it.

All in all I thought it was a really funny, light read. I plan on reading the rest of the series soon and think you should too.


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3. The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book!

I was hesitant on reading it - because I'm not really that into action type books...and I thought thats all this was going to be. After several comments from friends mentioning I need to read it and that they read the whole series in one weekend - I took a crack at it.

It was great and I am so glad that I did! I'm holding off on reading the second book (and believe me it's tough) because of the fact that I'm meeting with a book group soon and this is what they are reading. I don't want to accidently ruin the next book or mix in the plots.

It is written in first person and introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where the countries of North America once existed. This is where the government, working in a central city called the Capitol, holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual event where one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the 12 districts surrounding the Capitol are selected to compete in a televised battle in which only one person can survive.

It was good from the very beginning - my only regret is that it took me so long to read it. I snuck it in every chance I got - lunch breaks, before bed time (often times being so tired at the end of the day I'd fall asleep reading it and smack myself in the face with my eReader on accident), any place I could think of.

My husband and I started reading it the same time - he's the faster reader and ofcourse finished it before me. He loved it just as much as I did and would constantly ask "where are you at now" just so we could discuss what had happened so far.

It is a young adult novel - but it didn't seem like it, it's great and there are so many views to be had on the "government" in this book and the things they force their citizens to do.

I highly recommend this book to everyone!

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2. Sister

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that what drew me to this book was the whole idea of "a sister's bond". I have a younger sister and even though we aren't twins - there is still a very strong connection/bond we share. For instance, I will call her to tell her something funny that happened and she will mention, "I so needed to hear that story. I needed that laugh. It must be our sister thing." She has always been the free spirit and I strongly admire her for that.

Now, on to the review - the book is written as a long, soul-searching letter Beatrice (the elder sister) writes to her dead sister (Tess), in which she retraces the her struggle to learn how and why Tess died. It was a little slow - but mostly because I was really wanting to put all the pieces together. I love how it was written, a sweet letter to her sister. I can only imagine the grief Beatrice felt.

I also love that there were so many ways this story could have gone! However in saying that, most people found the ending to be a shocking twist. Without wanting to reveal too much, I saw it coming.

Also there were little weird things that just didn't add up - for instance Beatrice moves into her sisters flat and can barely afford much (including the sisters flat) but can afford two plane tickets to Poland?! She has a job - but it's apparently part time as she focuses on figuring out what happened to sister. She only mentions working "at the Coyote" a couple of times.

After reading the book I looked at a few reviews online - some stated it was "over the top emotionally". I don't agree. I think the emotional aspect was written perfectly and perhaps the readers that mentioned it was "over the top emotionally" are only children that have not experience that sisterly bond.

It's the authors first novel and think she did a splendid job and I can't wait to read the her next novel. At the end of this book, there is a Q&A qith the author and it mentions she is working on another "thriller" showcasing the bond between mother and children and a fire at a school.

Can't wait!


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1. Miss Peregrin's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I marked the review as it may have spoilers.

Let's see - I heard about the book and it's photographs, loved the idea. I love old photos creepy or not...but I thought this book would initially be a creepy thriller and less of an X-men remake.

Initially I could NOT put the book down, after a while - after knowing where it was going it was still interesting to me - just less so.

I liked the whole "down the rabbit hole" type feel it had to it, with a twist of time travel.

I kind of have mixed feelings about it - I LOVED it starting out and then towards the end I was like, "eh". In saying that, I can't wait for the movie (heard Tim Burton) is looking into it and I can't wait to read the sequel.

I read this on my e-reader, some have complained that reading it on a Kindle is no good because the pics and the letters written do not show up well. I have a Pandigital, which is comparable to the Nook Color and I was able to see all photos and letters nicely.

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50 Book Challenge

So, here is what I have gotten myself into!!

The Rules:

1. Choose an amount of books that you want to read in 2012 (e.g. 25, 50, 75, 100)
2. Read, read, read!

There isn’t a rule about what type books these have to be; read anything you want. You decide what you want to include (novels, short stories, non-fiction, school books…).

To keep track of how much you’re reading, you can use the Goodreads Reading Challenge, create a list (on Tumblr, LiveJournal, LibraryThing, your computer), write book reviews, post about each book you’re reading - it’s up to you. It may be a good idea to use the #50 book challenge tag so that others can read posts about your progress.

Although this is a quantifiable challenge, the most important thing is that you’re reading and that you’re having fun doing it :)