Marjorie

Published in 1869, it is astonishing the then future technology that was imagined in this Science-Fiction novel. It tells the story of Professor Aronnax after he, his servant Conseil, and Canadian whaler Ned Land wash up on Captain Nemo's submarine the Nautilus. They embark on an underwater adventure that takes them around the world.

First off, while reading this, I had to keep reminding myself the technology thought up for this novel was ahead of it's time. I did skim over some Verne's extensive scientific descriptions but the action and plot were really riveting. There is a clear picture painted of this underwater world and I loved the distribution of the life under the sea. The author leads his characters and the reader to the red corals of the Red Sea, lost shipwrecks from historic battles, and the discovery of Atlantis. And the pace of the story improves when the characters use diving suits to go pearl hunting and fight a giant squid. The biggest mystery is not in the depths of the ocean but the people themselves. The reader is the witness to the curious Captain Nemo's decisions and it is only hinted at why the Captain choices to exile himself from the world. While I'm okay with the mystery of the Nemo's past and motive, it does make you wonder about a man who will give a whole pouch of pearls to a poor Indian pearl diver but at the end destroy the lives of so many and leave his men up to a possible devastating fate.

I think this is a very worth wild read if you can get pasted the scientific jargon. It will not be a read for everyone but I am happy I read it.

Another dystrophia type novel I recommend. I find Tris, being a 16 year old girl, is complex and likable. She has trouble making decisions, reading people and situations in the beginning but it is understandable. These are life changing decisions and there is no turning back. She finds and learns to trust her inner strength. Four is another good hard to read character. The author does good on the teenage romance factor without the angst. Love the cover art. I wish there was more world building but that the problem with first person, you only get the one view. The end of the book left a lot of questions but I'm sure the author will reveal a bigger view of the world, it's look and characters in the next novel. A good start to a trilogy.

3 ½ stars.
This is my first time reading the steampunk genre.
The first chapter dives into this world and I was jarred by the new terms at first but I'm glad I stuck with the story. A good mystery story with exciting action, fun banter, and zombies. The female protagonist, Mina, a strong heroine, who does her job well, and isn't a constant badass or whiner. I loved Scarsdale, the drunken navigator who's afraid of heights and Yarmeen, the everything has a price adventurist captain of the airship Lady Corsair.
Didn't love the main character, The Iron Duke Rhys Trahaearn. His physical description seemed off sometimes. To me Rhys just another dominating male character that gets what he wants and protects what's his. Also, I don't think the author every really showed why Rhys needed/wanted Mina. What made her so special?
I think I would continue to read the series in the future.

I wish I could rate this with a 3.5. I liked this book. It is shocking, disturbing, and thought provoking. Easy read with a serious, thought provoking topic. I'm impressed that this is for teens. I first I thought one of the character's voice used to many cliques but then I guess he started to grow and they disappeared. The characters and their stories are well developed. It does read like a movie flipping from POV and scene to scene but I don't think it takes away from the story. Easy read.

Meh.

Changeless had the same returning pleasures the first book produced. The character interactions were smooth, amusing and the humor was still present. The pacing was good, and the story overall was decent. I was happy the reader does find out a little more about Soulless people along with the character, which I felt was really lacking in the first book.
I didn't like that the sister disappeared through the action scene and then reappeared after everything was all done and over at a silly dinner scene. The disappearance stayed in the back of my mind. I can't help but think (or hope) she shall have a more evil role in the next book because if her only role was to be an instigator I feel it was a poor on the writers part but I have more faith in this writer's talent. Over all it was distracting. Also, a bad technique was the cliffhanger ending I didn't need it to read the next book. It is also not stopping from continuing on in the series.

Maybe Because I have worked in Retail I really loved this book. He didn't cling to cliques, the book was in a very organized manner, and he made me laugh. He didn't make the book sound complaining in situations which made all the difference.
It was a quick read but very enjoyable. I didn't feel alone in the retail world.

Chicago reporter, Camille, has to head back down to her small town in Missouri to cover the murder of one little girl 9 months ago and another recently missing. Is this a child serial killer? Camille doesn't want to go home and the reader learns she left this small town with mental and physical scars she scratched all over her own body. Words. Hidden beneath her clothing. As she investigates she learns how much more dysfunctional her family is.
Creepy, chilling, and suspenseful novel. In this psychological thriller is a page turner filled with flawed characters trapped in a dark story. Solid writing. Guess the only problem I have with these type of stories is after you finish them. The story seems far fetched and the characters extreme but I feel it bring a lot to light a dark side to people's actions and personalities.

Liked the main character, Gavyn, but the dialogue was a bit stereotypical/clique. My favorite characters were probably the side characters like Ian, and Tory. They seemed more real. I liked the plot/storyline but I thought it took to long for the story to play out. It felt like one long boring road trip of prolonging the inevitable.

Gin is kick-ass. A female assassin, AKA The spider, trying to track down who doubled crossed her, killed her handler, and beat up Finn, her handler's son. She crosses paths with Detective Caine. The world of elemental magic seems intriguing but it wasn't flushed out enough. Vampires, dwarves, giants, and humans seem to live amuck in this world. The novel is fast-paced which makes it a page turner but I didn't believe the romance/relationship between the Detective and Gin. It seemed forced and I think the book would have done better without the sexual tension. Also, the receptiveness of “Gold on gray” and “Mmm” was placed in the story often enough to make me roll my eyes.

I never thought I would like romance but this was a very good read. Love the characters. Each one was fully developed with their own personalities. Great story line with great funny situations. Some of the sex scenes tended to be repetitive. I would give this book 31/2 stars.

I recommend her first book, “My Horizontal Life.” This one was good just not nearly as good as her first.

Adventurous, intelligent, surprising, witty, cleaver and thought provoking. John Green has a way of making the completely believable characters. I like the novel's idea of taking a girl, Margo, who strives to be rebellious but has to plan all the details out. Q is also a great character following the clues and learning the effects she has on him but still needing to search her out. One of my favorite character's happen to be a side character, Radar. He was funny, well adjusted, and the voice of reason. Some of the best parts of the book was the journeys and Q's circle of friends.

Soulless is slow to start. Language is a bit different but once I got use to the rhythm of speech it is a quick read. Soulless is fun, light hearted read. One thing I had a major problem with it the concept of being without a soul isn't explained very well. I like when the pace of the plot quickens. The action and story really seem to pick up. The main characters, Alexia and Conall, are well developed and entertaining. An enjoyable read.

I thought it was a little slow in the middle but the book quickly picks back up again. For a “self help” book I found it interesting. I normally can't get through help books but this wasn't a book that felt as if the author told you what to do, just what she did, which maybe can be really inspiring for some.

This book has nothing to do with Einstein and if you're looking to improve your memory this book is probably not for you. Right in the beginning Foer tells the reader, “This book is about the year I spent trying to train my memory, and also trying to understand it- its inner workings, its natural deficiencies, its hidden potential.” Foer starts this journey with an average memory and his goal, to compete at the US World Memory Championships the next year.
The book does give a brief culture history on the memory. Also, tricks mentalist use to commit list, desks of playing cards, and poetry to memory. Foer learns to apply these techniques. He meets famous memory celebrities like “Rain Man” inspiration Kim Peek, and some less famous people who can't remember the previous day.
But somewhat through the book it was a bit of information overload. While interesting, the author gets lost and within chapters, dumps all the researching memory literature and history in big chunks to show how he overcame challenges. It becomes overwhelming and even boring at times. Still an entertaining and intriguing read with useful tips.

Very well written and the dialog is witty and sharp. It is not some chick lit novel where everything is predictable. The premise kept me reading until the end. Around the end I just kept thinking, “Well, this must be the end” over and over again. The ending dragged on and (I won't give away any spoilers) disappointed me. I felt like the author was pulling for some sort of heartbreaking ending but it was lack luster for me.

Amazing storyteller. Martin makes this medieval fantasy world believable. There will be no doubt from description this world is false.
Martin makes it is easy to get emotionally involved with the characters and he seems to find ease in putting the characters into great danger. His has a wonderful handle over the intricate plot and never seems to lose his way. He has eliminated clique story lines making it a complete mystery what will happen next. Very few portions of the book dragged on but overall pace was well planned out. A very exciting read. Recommended.

3.5.

Katniss is a strong character. She's independent and self-sufficient, and she'll do anything for the people she loves. All of a sudden she can't do anything. It takes some reading to find that maybe The Hunger Games had more of an effect on her. I think this should have been focused on in the beginning screw the impeding love triangle. We are smart readers. From the first book I know Kitniss is going to have a lot of feeling searching. Book is rushed in the wrong places.
The book still has great concept, scenes, and characters that keep me reading.

Personal Effects: Dark Art
J.C. Hutchins tries a new form of storytelling in this Supernatural thriller.
“Personal Effects: Dark Art” is by J.C. Hutchins and Jordan Weisman. This is Hutchins second novel, the first being the “7th Son.” Weisman is known for creating marketing campaigns for such famous franchises like “The Dark Knight” and “Halo.”
The story follows an art therapist, Zackary Taylor, and his new patient, Martin Grace. Grace is a blind psychic serial killer convicted of twelve murders. Grace claims he has not killed but takes responsibility for the victim's deaths. Acting difficult, Taylor has to learn to match wits with Grace. Taylor discovers not only Grace's secret path but also his own families filled with conspiracies, love triangles, and ghost.
The novel comes with items used and described throughout the book called “Personal Effects.” License, photographs, birth and death certificates were included. The reader can call the phone numbers and search the websites.
The story and writing was engaging. Hutchins does not waste time introducing characters. The narrative is fast paced and action is always present. Character interaction troubled me like with Zack and his brother. The author took to much time explaining the brother's way of speech and I found myself wishing he would just start speaking normal.
The reason I bought the books was for The “Personal Effects.” I ended up being very disappointed, distracted, and found the items useless. Hutchins does an excellent job of describing objects, events, and characters so there was no need for the interactive substance. Besides, the need to use the material dropped off in the middle of the novel. Calling the phone number threw off my imagination. The character's tone didn't match the character's voice in the book. Zack Taylor's father did not sound as tough over the phone as he did on the page. The website's wasted time on useless topics which had no importance with the book.
The novel is a good read. It was appealing and kept my interest. The mystery, murder, and secrets keep the reader wondering to the end. The extra elements didn't enhance the read like I anticipated. It took me out of the story instead of dragging me in.

3.5

It was cute, fluffy, and generic. Writing was good. Really like Noah. Love the banter but by the end I couldn't wait for it to end.

It is Pride and Prejudice with zombies. I was more interested in thinking about how much work it was for the author to write, then the story. If you read and or liked the original, you may not like this vision. I recommend the book World War Z. Now that's a Zombie book.

A great suspenseful novel. A lot less disturbing then Flynn's Sharp Objects which I appreciate. this novel is riveting, intense, and graphic. I just wish for more closure in the book.