Dark Lover

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Description from Amazon:
"In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing their enemies-the lessers-more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed, leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate, Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams."

 

My thoughts:

I was determined not to get sucked into the vampire craze. It took me a long time to make myself read Twilight. The fact that I liked it, shocked me. I was hesitant to read any more of the vampire stuff. But then this book came up on my reading list. I thought I would hate it, but I ended up enjoying it. Weird vampire stuff aside, it was dark, sensual and dramatic. I plan to continue reading this series!

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

Don Miguel Ruiz is a Shamanic teacher and healer. In this book he imparts simple advice on how to live a life full of peace and love. Based on the Toltec wisdom of his ancestors the four agreements are simple, yet thought provoking. Living a life of grace really can be that simple. This book is short and sweet. Many spiritual based books are complex and take a lot of time to read and digest. I enjoyed that this was more simple. Filled with good reminders, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to live a peaceful life!

How to Bake the Perfect Life

How to Bake the Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal

This was a good read. Following the life of a woman and how she grows and finds strength through challenges. I enjoyed the plot--creating something from nothing (in baking, mothering, self awareness). I did find it a bit long, but I am a pretty demanding reader when it comes to pace. Overall, I would recommend for those who like books that span a character's life.

Take the Stairs

Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success by Rory Vaden

Vaden's premise is that to be successful you do it in a focused, disciplined manner. He urges the reader to avoid "quick fixes" and work hard to reach goals.

From my perspective, this book was all just common sense. His 7 steps are: sacrifice, commitment, focus, integrity, schedule, faith and action. Again, all common sense. A lot of talking about how these steps help you become successful. In some cases I actually disagreed with the author.

The book was OK. I didn't find it groundbreaking or particularly motivational, but perhaps for a young person, just building a career it might be more applicable.

The Spirit Catches You

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

This book explores the clash of two cultures--Hmong and American. Lia Lee, a Hmong child is very ill. The Californian doctors diagnose her with epilepsy. Her parents don't understand American medicine. Tragedy ensues as the cultures clash on what is best for Lia. The American doctors want to heal her using Western medicine, the parents want to care for her using their own customs. Both people want what they think is best for the child.

The part where Lia is taken away from her parents was heartbreaking for me. I cannot imagine the pain that she was in being separated from her very loving family. And my heart was with her Mother. I cannot fathom having a sick child ripped away from me.

This was my first introduction to the Hmong. The author does a good job of explaining their history in Laos and the reasons for their immigration to America. At times it felt as if she were generalizing an entire group of people, as I'm sure not all Hmong are identical to the Lees. Overall I think her depiction is balanced.

Shatter Me

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Another YA novel made it onto my reading list. Not sure who the recommend came from. I was ambivalent about this one. It is a dystopian novel, with a pretty unique voice, but I wasn't really engaged. A good book for the teen reader who enjoys dystopia, though.

Betrayal in Death

Betrayal in Death by JD Robb

Still loving this series...

Each book retains the characters I have grown to love and creates a new, suspenseful story.

If you enjoy suspense/crime fiction with female leads, definitely add this series to your list.

Under the Bridge

Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey

For the those who like to read true crime, this one is intriguing. In a small Canadian community seemingly ordinary teenagers turn into murderers. Teenage girls plot to beat up 14-year old Reena Virk. The plan goes terribly awry when it turns into a heartless murder. These kids then keep this a secret for over a week.

Rebecca Godfrey brings this tragic murder to the page in a gripping and moving way. She conducts interviews with the people directly involved and the story unfolds from multiple perspectives. She attempts to give the reader an understanding of each of the key players in what happened. This is especially true of Warren, one of the convicted murderers. She attempts to show the human side of him and the psychology of how one very wrong decision alters so many lives. At times I even felt Reena Virk was minimized in the recount, as it leaned more toward the psychology of her killers.

I am not terribly familiar with the way the Canadian justice systems works. After finishing this book I did more research on what has happened to the people convicted of this murder. This was the first time I read about restorative justice and the role it plays in Canada. Warren is already out of prison. Kelly, the other defendant, was still wrapped up in appeals. She is the one that is clearly disturbed. T

his led me to question if restorative justice works and how it works. More research for me.

 When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

I enjoy a good historical romance. I didn't love this one, but didn't hate it either.

The part I liked: The honesty of the characters. I thought they were well developed and had some realistic flaws.

The part I didn't like: The story line is a bit shallow, that was hard to get over. The language was also a bit hard at times.

Overall this is a good book for the historical romance fan. Not making my favorites list, but I did read to the end!

The Killing Game

The Killing Game by Iris Johansen

Continuing the Eve Duncan series. I loved this one! It is intense. There is suspense, intrigue, bonding and a little emotion! Eve Duncan is a complex character that I find myself engaging strongly with. This is the type of suspense I love...I think I know who the killer is…no I’m wrong…wait I’m right! Kept me on the edge until the very end.

If you love suspense or crime fiction with female leads you should definitely start this series!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I find Chinese history and culture to be fascinating; particularly the societal roles of women. This novel is set in nineteenth-century China. The main character is Lily. Her life unfolds vividly, beginning when she is just a child. The main plot is regarding the secret lives of women, friendship and emotional survival.

I found the emphasis on foot-binding particularly of interest. I honestly had no idea how barbaric this practice really is.

Emotional and riveting, I highly recommend this for history buffs or any fan of dramatic literature.

 

Proposed Roads to Freedom

Proposed Roads to Freedom by Bertrand Russell

My fascination with politics and world governments led me to this book. It is pretty limited in scope and classic (written in 1918). But overall, Russell gives valuable insight on the roots of Socialism, Anarchism and Syndicalism. He compares these ideas and lists both good and bad points.

Sure to challenge your intellect, this is a must-read for those interested in politics, philosophy of government or mass psychology. I will be re-reading this book in the future, for sure!

On a side note, this is of particular interest in America, as the word "Socialism" is thrown about quite freely. It would be interesting to poll people using the word to see just how many actually know any real facts about the socialist movement.

The House of the Scorpion

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Description from Amazon:

"MATTEO ALACRáN WAS NOT BORN; HE WAS HARVESTED. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster -- except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect."
My thoughts:
Super weird, but yet quite engaging YA novel. I actually enjoyed it to the very end! I might have to stop stating that I don't like YA or Sci-Fi. Seems I just might...

I Love Yous Are For White People

I Love Yous Are For White People: A Memoir by Lac Su

Lac Su's memoir details his family's escape from the Communist regime in Vietnam. They immigrates to Los Angeles,where they try to find the "American Dream," but find poverty and struggle instead.

Living in a bad area, with a culture that is hard to blend, Lac Su struggles to belong. His Father is very strict (to the point of abusive) which forces Lac Su to find unhealthy ways to rise above the fear he feels at home. He goes through many ordeals, including turning to a gang for the sense of belonging he so desires.

I was sad for him, sad for his childhood. I really enjoyed the honesty of his memoir. He brings to the page the difficulty of blending cultures.

 

Edge of Sight

Edge of Sight by Roxanne St. Claire

New romantic suspense series alert! I picked up this title and really liked it. Found it is part of a series--the Guardian Angelinos series.

Zach is an alpha male with the wounds to heal. Emotional, action packed and steamy!

Adding this series to my list.

Cleo

Cleo: The Cat Who Mended a Family by Helen Brown

Description from Amazon:

"We're just going to." Helen Brown had no intention of adopting a pet when she brought her sons, Sam and Rob, to visit a friend's new kittens. But the runt of the litter was irresistible, with her overlarge ears and dainty chin.When Cleo was delivered weeks later, she had no way of knowing that her new family had just been hit by a tragedy. Helen was sure she couldn't keep her-until she saw something she thought had vanished from the earth forever: her son's smile The reckless, rambunctious kitten stayed. Through happiness and heartbreak, changes and new beginnings, Cleo turned out to be the unlikely glue the affectionately held Helen's family together. Rich in wisdom, wit, heart, and healing, here is the story of a cat with an extraordinary gift for knowing just where she was needed the most."

My thoughts:

Absolutely heart-breaking. This book is more about Helen Brown overcoming a grief of unimaginable magnitude, than about Cleo the cat. Brown lived through every parent's worst nightmare: the loss of her son. Every person's grief takes a different path and Helen shares her private path in this beautifully crafted story.

Sweet Return

Sweet Return by Anna Jeffrey

For the contemporary romance reader, this is a sweet and light read. Jeffrey crafted multi-faceted, realistic characters with a writing style that kept me reading.

You Might As Well Laugh

You Might As Well Laugh: A Working Mother's #1 Rule by Sandi Kahn Shelton

This book is a collection of humorous articles geared toward working Moms. Sometimes life seems so hectic that all you really can do is laugh.

Easy reading with portions that every Mother can relate to on some level.

A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ismael Beah

Riveting and heartbreaking, this memoir really impacted me. The plight of child soldiers is one I honestly hadn't considered. Beah's story opened my eyes to this issue. I read that an estimated 300K children are serving as soldiers around the world.

Beah recounts his life. At 13 he is forced into war, given drugs, given guns and trained to be a killer. The magnitude of taking lives is so large, what does that do to a child?

This book was quite painful to read, but worth it. Beah was fortunate to get out, I hope he is successful in getting more children out of this dreadful existence.