Required Reading for Spring Semester 2013

The following are the books that I will be reading for my four classes this semester. This looks like it will be an intense semester of reading. I may not have a lot of time for fun reading for a few months.

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

************************** I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy, this in no way impacts the review that I give this book *******************************************************

Goodreads Summary:

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.


My Thoughts:

I actually felt anxious while reading the Everneath parts of this book. It is pretty rare that I feel anxious when reading a story so coo-dos to Brodi Ashton. I was also far less annoyed with the love triangle in this book than I was in the first. I am not sure if that is because Jack wasn't actually there or if the characters were more developed, likely it was a combination of factors.

The Everneath is an odd fantasy world that I liked, and also really disliked. It was interesting but also frustrating. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Everneath the the High Court, which is pretty normal for the second book in a series. I really started to like Cole in this book, we got a lot more of his history and started to learn more about his motivations.

Overall, I liked this one and I look forward to the next one which likely won't be out for at least a year. I will say I didn't expect the ending, which is a good thing. I would say generally I can see things coming, but I didn't see that ending coming.

I would recommend this book to those who like series books, dystopian books, and possibly mythology lovers.

While writing this review I was listening to snow fall.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Goodreads Summary:

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned--to her old life, her family, her boyfriend--before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance--and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

Everneath is a captivating story of love, loss, and immortality from debut author Brodi Ashton.

My thoughts:

I really dug the angle this book took. I have read a lot of books with the love triangle with big crisis but this book has a new take with the outlying story being rooted in mythology. I have never been big on mythology so it was fun for me to learn that stuff right along with the main character Nikki.

I was a little bored with the love triangle aspect because I think it has been done so many times before. Sometimes people fall in love and there isn't a third party. I can see how it was needed for this book, but Jack was a little too predictable as was Cole. I would have liked a little more diversity there, but over all I really enjoyed this read. I read it earlier in the semester and didn't pay enough attention to it to review it, so after I received the second book as an ARC I re-read this one and got a lot more out of it this time. 

I liked that Nikki is more complicated than other female leads. I also like that Nikki doesn't really shy away from her dark and twisty like so many other characters. I wouldn't say that she loves her dark side, but she doesn't really try to hide it either and I liked that.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy dystopian novels or teen lit. Since I am not sure how close the mythology stuff follows I only have recommend it to mythology lovers.

While writing this review I was listening to coffee brewing.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Goodreads Summary:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.


My Thoughts:

The first half of this book follows the dystopian genre formula to the T. Enough that I almost put the book down because I have read it all before and better. This being said, once the book got into its own groove, I warmed up to it quite a bit, enough that I intend on reading the follow up book which comes out next year sometime.

The second half, I feel like we, the readers, get to know each character a little better and by that process I started to like them more for the most part. I liked that America loves music, and can get lost in notes. I liked that Maxon admits that he doesn't know everything, which is hard for Prince types to do. I would say I am not a huge fan of Aspen. I never fully warmed to his character, or should I say, lack there of. He seems like the typical scared guy. I feel like I have seen versions of Aspen in a lot of books, and this book like the others doesn't really give me a reason to like him, unless you count the hotness factor (which I don't).

Also, can I just say I am a little tired of a female lead, who is so pretty she thinks she is ug-o. For once I would like someone to be plain, PLAIN JANE and be embraced or loved for who they are rather than the main character having to struggle with accepting outside beauty. This is my compliant with a lot of YA books. Not everyone is gorgeous, but everyone does have something gorgeous about them. I worry these books are just as destructive as magazines that don't show short girls, or heavy girls, or girls who aren't white. Most of us, if not all of us, have something about us that is imperfect. For once I would like to read about a character who struggles with the same things normal people struggle with. Rather than the struggle to accept they are hot. Seriously writers, come up with something else to focus on.

I would recommend this book to dystopian genre lovers, but watch out for that formula for the first half. Beyond dystopian fans I am not sure a lot of people would like this book. I do have hopes that the second is better and not so contrived.

While writing this review I was listening to the wind beat against my windows.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Goodreads Summary:

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

My Thoughts:
This was a new take on the dystopian genre for me. I have not read one that is set in space until this book. I honestly have no clue if any others are set on a spaceship or not now that I think about it. :)

It took me over a week to get through this book, part of that may be that I was really tired every night by the time I sat down to read something not related to Political Science. I got into this book, but some of the word choices bothered me, for instance "frexing" was on probably every page and it just bothered me every time I read it. I was distracted by the tweaking of English. With most books I can get over that, but for some reason I could not look past it. I think this is due to the type of tweaking, "brilly" rather than brilliant was another that really bothered me. I have always been sensitive to how a story flows from the lips and the word choice, particularly in conversation, was choppy and harsh. I wish the dialog had been developed better.

That being said, I enjoyed the story for the most part. I was intrigued by the idea of people spending their entire lives on a ship without ever having seen a sun or moon and not going completely crazy. I discovered that the whole ship is being drugged. Which makes sense, I don't know anyone who would be content in a steel box for life. I enjoyed the flip flop of perspectives from chapter to chapter, Amy and Elder taking turns in the narrative wasn't annoying like it is in other books.

**SPOILER ALERT**
I am looking forward to the next book to see if they fix the problem of being over 150 years behind schedule. The ship is slowing down and unable to run at half speed. I wonder if Amy is going to wake up the other frozen cargo to see if they can help figure out the problem of the slow engine core. Also, will Amy ever see her parents thawed? I hope to have time for the second book over the Christmas Holiday.

I would recommend this one to fans of dystopian fiction. I wouldn't say the writing is strong enough to draw in anyone who isn't interested in the genre. Overall I would say I have lukewarm feelings on this one.

While writing this review I was listening to Rihanna and Justin Timberlake.

The Intercept by Dick Wolf

*************I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher, this in no way impacts my review of this book*************************

Goodreads Summary:

Dick Wolf makes his literary debut with this tense, driving thriller reminiscent of the classic The Day of the Jackal, an extraordinary tale filled with the ingenious twists and high-wire suspense we have come to expect from this master storyteller.

Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet over the Atlantic Ocean reminds everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly. But for iconoclastic New York Police detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also be a signal that there is much more to this case than the easy answer: that this is just the work of another lone terrorist.

Fisk—from the department’s Intelligence Division, a well-funded anti-terror unit modeled upon the CIA—suspects that the event might also be a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means defying those above him in the department’s food chain. So when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it’s up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin.

Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit any security weakness and anticipate Fisk’s every move. And time is running out.

My thoughts:

I know Dick Wolf from the credits of Law and Order. This is his first novel that I am aware of and it is actually pretty good. I am definitely not the demographic this book is aimed toward, but I won't hold that against the book. I think my Dad is likely who they want to pick this book up. 

Dick Wolf's character development is pretty great, but that isn't shocking when you look at what he is famous for. I would say I was drawn into this story pretty quickly and really wanted to know what would happen next. I liked that each character had a distinct voice and they never got confusing. Even later in the book when someone new was introduced everything flowed really well. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, so it becomes really hard to put down in the middle of a chapter or section. I stayed up late a couple times trying to get to a good stopping point. 

**SPOILER ALERT**

I was disappointed that Fisk's love interest was killed by the final terrorist. I think she played off of Fisk rather well and I liked the balance that was there with her. I hope in the next books there are characters that balance out Fisk's very heterosexual male stereotype. That is actually the only complaint that I have about the character Jeremy Fisk, he is a little too much what you expect an Intel officer from NYC to be, there were not any surprises to his character. I like a little quirkiness or oddball behavior from someone so stereotypical, to mix things up a little bit. Perhaps that is my lack of love for the genre coming out a little bit.

I would recommend this book to Older Dudes and Younger Dudes who like Grisham or Clancy. I would say this is a good read for women as well, just be aware it wasn't really written with anyone other than Straight White Men in mind.

While writing this review I was listening to Madonna.

Cemetery Girl by David Bell

Goodreads Summary:

Four years after Tom and Abby's 12-year-old daughter vanishes, she is found alive but strangely calm. When the teen refuses to testify against the man connected to her disappearance, Tom decides to investigate the traumatizing case on his own. Nothing can prepare him for what he is about to discover.

My Thoughts:

This book reminded me a lot of the Elizabeth Smart story. I am from Utah so that story is a part of my history here. This book left me with the same feeling as that true story. I am sad and sickened by what people can do to one another and call it "love" or "faith." I found myself rooting for Tom. He never gave up hope that his daughter was alive. It destroyed him and broke his already weak marriage. I remember many times seeing Elizabeth Smart's Father on TV never giving up hope that he daughter would be found. I can only imagine the strain something like this puts on someone.

David Bell is an engrossing writer. I was sucked in from the start and wanted to know everything, even the dark and disturbing parts of this story. I hated the kidnapper but also wanted to understand what a 16 year old girl saw in him to be so devoted to her abuser. Tom's daughter definitely suffers from Stockholm syndrome. You always think that when a missing child is found that the story ends happily ever after, but this book shows you how terrible it is and how hard it is to watch a stranger who was once family.

I would recommend this to mystery fans or fiction fans in general. Some of the things that happen to Tom's daughter are pretty disturbing so if you are sensitive to that I would pick this book up with caution.

While writing this review I was listening to Euphondisson.

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

***I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way affects how I review this book.***

Goodreads Summary:

Bestselling author Jennifer McMahon is back with a gut-wrenching mystery about an architect whose troubled mother has been found 25 years after being kidnapped-by a killer who is still on the loose.

"One of the brightest new stars of literary suspense."
-Los Angeles Times

The summer of 1985 changed Reggie's life. Thirteen, awkward, and without a father, she finds herself mixed up with her school's outcasts-Charlie, the local detective's son, and Tara, a goth kid who has a mental hold over Reggie and harbors a dark secret. That same summer a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother Vera-an ex-model with many "boyfriends" and a thirst for gin-the most, Vera's hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there's no body and Neptune disappears.

Now a successful architect who left her hometown behind after that horrific summer, Reggie doesn't trust anyone and lives with few attachments. But when she gets a call from a homeless shelter saying that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

With her signature style, Jennifer McMahon portrays the dark side of adolescent friendship and introduces characters who haunt the imagination, along with a disturbing web of secrets, betrayals, and murder.

My Thoughts:

I am not normally big on mystery novels. I have been reading a lot lately so I am starting to get a feel for the genre. I would say this is the best one I have read yet. I wouldn't say I couldn't put it down, but it was pretty close to that. I felt the character development was awesome. I really got to know and understand Reggie through the flashback chapters and present day chapters. At first I liked that every other chapter was either flashback or present day, but about 3/4 of the way in it started to grate on me a little. This is likely because I wanted to hurry up and find out who Neptune was!


****SPOILER ALERT****SPOILER ALERT ***********


Throughout the read I kept guessing and was wrong each time who the killer was. Obviously that is the point of mysteries, who done it? I never saw the twist of George being both Reggie's Bio-Dad and Neptune. Looking back on the book I can see all the signs that pointed to George but when I was think in the reading I didn't see it coming. George played the Daddy role for Reggie her whole life, but she never suspected so I never suspected him either.

I found the relationship between Reggie and Tara really hard to take; only because Tara reminded me so much of too many girls I hung out with in high school. Tara the cutter, Tara the dark and gothic, it was all unfortunately familiar to me. Tara eventually got her shit together which is a nice part of this story. I did find it a little too convenient that she was taken by Neptune as his newest/ last victim. I understand why the author chose this path, but it was really the only part that I didn't like. Tara ha already been through enough as a character so I didn't like seeing her further punished by losing a hand.

I would recommend this book to fans of mystery. I think if you don't like mystery very much you should stay away from this one, the flipping between time tables might bother the average non mystery reader.

While writing this review I was listening to my dog snore and the pond bubble outside my back door. Can I just say I am super swell excited that Fall has finally come to Utah?!?

The Hiding Place by David Bell

**I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way affects what I have to say about the book**

Goodreads Summary:

Twenty-five-years ago, the disappearance of four-year-old Justin Manning rocked the small town of Dove Point, Ohio. After his body was found in a shallow grave in the woods two months later, the repercussions were felt for years.… Janet Manning has been haunted by the murder since the day she lost sight of her brother in the park. Now, with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Justin’s death looming, a detective and a newspaper reporter have started to ask questions, opening old wounds and raising new suspicions. Could the man convicted of the murder—who spent more than two decades in prison—really be innocent? Janet’s childhood friend and high school crush, who was in the park with her that day, has returned to Dove Point, where he is wrestling with his own conflicted memories of the events. And a strange man appears at Janet’s door in the middle of the night, claiming to know the truth. Soon, years of deceit will be swept away, and the truth about what happened to Janet’s brother will be revealed. And the answers that Janet has sought may be found much closer to home than she ever could have imagined.

My Thoughts: **SPOILER ALERT**

I am not a huge fan of the mystery genre, but that being said I liked this book. I felt the character development was top notch. I never once questioned why a character was doing what they were doing. I find that kind of character development as a dying art form so Kudos to David Bell. My only complaint about this book is Janet never gets a break. Janet has hope for a second in this book that her brother isn't really dead, he is. Then on top of that, Michael, Janet's best friend and life long crush is the one who actually killed her little brother. While this book was well written it was incredibly sad and Janet never got even a moment of happiness, I have a hard time reading a book without even one happy moment for the main character. I did have a hard time putting this book down every night while reading it. I was captured by the word usage and the picture that David Bell painted.

This has made me pick up David Bell's other book Cemetery Girl from the library. I just hope there is at least a hint of happy in that book.

I recommend this book to mystery lovers and those who are lukewarm on mysteries. This is a genuinely good read, just be prepared there is not a happy ending.

While writing this review I was listening to Ciara.

Excuse the Politics...

As most of you guys know I am not a rich kid. Many would say I am down right poor, but I am not too poor to help out a couple organizations I really believe in. I donate $5 dollars a month to KUER (for public radio, yes, I am an NPR listener), $5 a month to Planned Parenthood (without them I would never have had access to health care for the 5+ years I didn't have insurance), and $10 a month to Equality Utah (I love and support the LGBT community). 

So what? Who Cares? Well the thing is kids if my broke ass can give up my latte money every month to help support things I really care about then so can you. I am not even close to suggesting that you support the same organizations that I do. I have been hearing a lot of discontent about the state of the world lately, this is one way to help. If I had the time to volunteer you bet your ass I would. If you have time to volunteer I am absolutely suggesting that you should.

I get that things are looking pretty grim lately. We have a crap economy, we have high unemployment, we have people who thump podiums with hate filled speeches, and we have non doctors trying to enforce medical decisions. The worst of it all is the whole world is in turmoil, not just America. So much hate is getting thrown around it is hard to see the bright side in anything. I can't turn a page in the New York Times without reading about some conflict that stems from hate. 

For me, donating to the organizations I have already mentioned has helped me feel a little light coming through. Getting involved in my community has always been something that has made me feel better. The older I get, the more I think that voting is not enough. That isn't to suggest that I don't think you should vote, I am a huge fan of voting (in Utah if you aren't registered go to vote.utah.gov and get registered). I just think with so much grumpgrump in the air it would be nice if we could all be a little more active in our worlds to make it a better place. It seems like everyone has a gripe, then why not do something to off set it? In my own state the local NBC affiliate decided to not air The New Normal because they didn't think a show about a gay family was appropriate for prime time when straight families will be watching tv. This ticked me off, it was also the same day that I started my monthly donations to Equality Utah. Nationwide, including my state, women's rights to reproductive choice have come under attack. I started donating to Planned Parenthood. I love NPR and the local radio programming like Radio West. I donate to them for being a bright light or at the very least an informative light in my day. 

Yeah yeah I am an idealist, I think that the world can change and be a better place. I am still naive enough to think that what I do matters, so I better do things that improve not destroy. I just can't help it. I really do think that if we all did our part things could get matter. Let's stop polarized politics and start active participation in our communities.

I will get down off my soap box now. :)