Troubled -- Suzanne Leavitt

Troubled by Suzanne Leavitt

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This book had many problems that made it difficult to read. First, there were many technical issues with the writing. This book was filled with random use of italics of words, phrases and sentences. Even a just a few letters of words were italicized. The author used quotation marks for thoughts which is really, really uncommon in modern writing and this was made even more troubling as the author combined thoughts with dialogue so it was difficult to follow what was spoken and what was thought.



The characters were flat and came across as pathetic while almost the entire story was constructed through dialogue making for some strange and unrealistic exchanges. The writing itself was elementary and forced. Almost no attention was paid to detail or setting and the author relied too heavily on the dialogue to note changes in setting. The overall story was predictable and anticlimactic because it became such a cliche.



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Troubled -- Suzanne Leavitt

Songs for the Missing -- Steward O'Nan

Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Overall I enjoyed this story--though given the subject "enjoy" doesn't quite seem to be the right word. The author's writing style is a little difficult to follow at times. Specifically, in some places it was tough figuring out who was the focus of that sentence or paragraph. One thing done really well is the great amount of description in this novel. O'Nan also created fully developed characters that you wanted to get to know. One last note: The Killers are from Las Vegas. I appreciate when an author does his or her homework on pop culture references. This story would have benefitted from some fact-checking.



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Songs for the Missing -- Steward O'Nan

Room -- Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I could not put Room down. The characters were well-rounded, particularly Jack. He was such a vibrant character and, after getting used to his voice, it was fun to experience the story through his eyes. There were a few things I did not care for in the story, but to avoid spoilers, I will keep those to myself. I enjoyed the story overall and found it difficult to put the book down.



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Room -- Emma Donoghue

ttyl (Internet Girls, #1) -- Lauren Myracle

ttyl by Lauren Myracle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My daughter rated this four out of five stars. She loved the unique format of the story. She read it very quickly--one afternoon when she was home sick from school. She really enjoyed the story and characters.



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ttyl (Internet Girls, #1) -- Lauren Myracle

The Bone Garden -- Tess Gerritsen

The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Past and present collide in The Bone Garden. I loved how fiction and history come together as two people attempt to discover the identity of a skeleton found in a back yard. This story is both charming and gory. It is a little convenient but well-told.

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The Bone Garden -- Tess Gerritsen

Final Scream -- Lisa Jackson

Final Scream by Lisa Jackson

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


This story was disappointing. The characters were annoying--no one said what they should have said. The dialogue was forced and unbelievable. The twists were easily predictable--I figured both out well before I was supposed to. And again with the gratuitous sex scenes that added nothing to the relationships or storyline. The incestuous undercurrent in the plot was gross.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I felt the same for the first one as I did this one so I just think this writer's style is not for me.

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Final Scream -- Lisa Jackson

{Indie}Pendent Books

{indie}pendent books
Featuring Indie Authors and Publishers

{Indie}Pendent Books is an online book store dedicated to new and independent authors.

Go visit! And, if you visit, click the above link or the link on the right and I will earn commission on all sales from that click-thru.

{Indie}Pendent Books

KCFreePress.com

KCFreePress.com is one of my favorite sites for reading about local news, events and businesses.

Right now they are having a contest and the grand prize is an iPad--so, of course, I have to try to win that!

KCFreePress.com

The Weight of Silence -- Heather Gudenkauf

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Weight of Silence is a fast-paced, addictive read.

It is the story of two lost little girls and the emotions, fears and devastation that they and their families experience.Heather Gudenkauf eloquently weaves well-developed character stories together into a gripping tale.

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The Weight of Silence -- Heather Gudenkauf

The Glass Castle -- Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A well-written, depressing tale of neglect. My heart ached for the Walls children and I found myself angry at their parents and their misguided way of life.

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The Glass Castle -- Jeannette Walls

Lost Symbol -- Dan Brown

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Lost Symbol is an action-packed addition to the Robert Langdon adventures. The story moves quickly with properly developed characters and a fully formed plot. The action keeps you turning pages but the story lacks the same inertia found in Dan Brown's previous Robert Langdon adventures.

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Lost Symbol -- Dan Brown

All children derserve to be represented in storybooks...

All children deserve to be represented in storybooks regardless of how we may or may not feel about their parents and their relationships.

or, Create a Petition

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All children derserve to be represented in storybooks...

The Likeness -- Tana French

The Likeness by Tana French


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I was not as impressed with The Likeness as I was with In the Woods. The story was interesting but I felt it got off track a few times. Overall the story held my attention to the satisfying end and I genuinely wanted to know what happened to all of the characters.

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The Likeness -- Tana French

The Neurology of Angels -- Krista Tibbs

The Neurology of Angels by Krista Tibbs


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Neurology of Angels is a touching story that profiles three different sets of characters who's lives are intertwined through the complicated process of pharmaceutical research. Krista Tibbs details the often complicated and misunderstood processes behind FDA approval for new treatments for fatal disorders. Tibbs creates vibrant characters who are as flawed as they are heroic as they work to fight systematic bureaucracy and save lives.

The subject of The Neurology of Angels is socially relevant today as we are struggling with the very same issues as the characters. The Neurology of Angels leaves you questioning what you thought you knew about pharmaceutical research and government interference in private industry.

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The Neurology of Angels -- Krista Tibbs

The Memory of Water -- Karen White

The Memory of Water by Karen White


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
There is not much I can say about The Memory of Water. It is a Lifetime movie in pages rather than on the TV screen. It is predictable and the characters lack the depth Karen White was hoping to create. Some of the book was charming and White's story-telling was thorough, the predictability of the story just made it difficult to want to continue reading because the reader knows what is going to happen well before it happens.


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The Memory of Water -- Karen White

Holy Reading Batman!

I just scanned through my blog and no wonder I haven't been able to write a constructive post...I've filled all of my free time reading!

I love summer time...when I can read for fun and not for an assignment...

I do have something in mind for an upcoming blog post.

Holy Reading Batman!

The Host -- Stephenie Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Host was a quick, easy read. Through Stephenie Meyer's fast paced and uncomplicated writing she tells the story of Wanderer and Melanie...two beings who's lives intersect and simultaneously complicate and complete each other as they learn to live with each other and share those they love.



The writing is typical of Stephenie Meyer. She draws readers into the story with expressive language. Though in this novel, Meyer gets into the bad habit adding questions. The characters ask so many questions, outside of dialogue, that the story dulls as it tries to come though these weird questions. It is almost as if Meyer did not quite know how to form the thought with active language so she gave up and just inserted questions.


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The Host -- Stephenie Meyer

The Time Traveler's Wife -- Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
The Time Traveler's Wife is a story about a man who travels back and forth in time and creates an enduring relationship with his future wife.



I loved Audrey Niffenegger's concept but the book fell far short of my expectations. Her characters were inconsistent and because of the inconsistencies it was difficult to become involved in their lives and care about their futures.



The biggest problem in the book is with Niffenegger's endless attempts to make her characters hip with long lists of subculture bands and the arts not to mention her use of obscene language. She tries much too hard to add hipster credibility and, frankly, it is forced and boring--the opposite of what she was trying to do with these characters.



The second problem with the story is the writing itself. While there are moments of greatness in the writing, most of the content is wordy and tiring yet somehow through all those words, wonderful minute details were lost leaving the characters lacking depth. There was an entire paragraph devoted to the contents of a shopping list but the anger Clare feels at always being left behind is only briefly mentioned at various points through the story.



I appreciate the general idea of the story. That story would have been a great story to tell. Unfortunately, it ended up hidden behind Niffenegger's idea of a hipster, wordy language and flat characters.


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The Time Traveler's Wife -- Audrey Niffenegger

Trunk Music

Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Trunk Music is a good crime novel. The story flows nicely and the characters are interesting to read. It is exactly the novel you would expect in this genre.


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Trunk Music

The Funhouse--Dean Koontz

The Funhouse by Dean Koontz

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
The Funhouse is a little predictable and exactly what you would expect from Dean Koontz. I liked the gore and the quick pace of the story. However, I felt there was some unfinished business at the end.


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The Funhouse--Dean Koontz