Books Recommended To Me

White Cat

2010-05-06T07:09:00.000-07:00

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers -- people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail -- he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

It's been way to long sense I've been on and I apologize for that!! This book by Holly Black was just awesome! I can't say it was her best book, but that's only because I've only read a few =P. I love to read about dark magic and such like that so this book fit me pretty well! One of my favorite things about this book was the fact that was totally in the dark! i had no idea what was going to happen! I characters got on my nerves every now and then, but that what makes it seem real! lol

The Kepper of Light and Dust

2010-02-12T07:33:00.001-08:00

Mia Lockhart is descended from Keepers-women who were warriors, healers, and protectors in ancient times. But as Mia practices her craft in South London, she has no idea she is being watched. Adrian Ashton is a brilliant scientist. He is also a skilled martial artist-and a modern-day vampire. He has mastered the art of draining the chi of his opponents-the vital energy that flows through their bodies. And Mia finds herself drawn to his dark genius, though she has given her heart to another... When Ashton targets the man she loves, Mia is forced to choose between them-and the choice results in a fight to the death in which love is both the greatest weakness and the greatest prize.

I was a little depressed to discover that even in books boys and girls can't seem to be friends without one falling in love with the other. That hurt. Other than that, I thought this was great! I've never read a book that had anything to do with things like chi and inner light before and I found completely intoxicating! I was a little confused about the whole vampire thing, but, it didn't effect anything for that matter. Bottom line, I thought everything in this book was so cool and new! Once again, I love happy endings, true love, and in this case, amazingly cute guys! jkjk...lol! XD If you do read this book, read the author's note! She is so cool! O.O

The Silver Phinox

2010-02-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

on the day of her first betrothal meeting–and rejection–ai ling discovers a power welling deep within her. she can reach into other people’s spirits, hear their thoughts, see their dreams…and that’s just the beginning.
ai ling has been marked by the immortals; her destiny lies in the emperor’s palace, where a terrible evil has lived, stealing souls, for centuries. she must conquer this enemy and rescue her captive father, while mythical demons track her every step. and then she meets chen yong, a young man with a quest of his own, whose fate is intertwined with hers. here is a heart-stopping, breathtaking tale for fans of action, fantasy, and romance–of anything with the making of legend.

This book totally blew me away! I absolutely loooove reading about mythical Gods and legends and everything and everything that has to do with other cultures. One of my favorite things about this book, was that I could see it so vividly in my mind, that I remember just about everything that happened! And trust me, that's a stretch for me! The ending wasn't truly like anything I've ever read before. The author managed to keep it happy, yet, almost disappointing at the same time. More like a little bittersweet. But, it was more sweet than bitter so it was a great book for me!

Dream Girl

2010-02-04T08:27:00.001-08:00

Claire Voyante has been having strange visions ever since she can remember. But the similarity between her name and her talents is purely coincidental. The name is French, and unlike the psychics on TV, she can't solve crimes or talk to the dead. Whenever Claire follows her hunches, she comes up empty - or ends up in pretty awkward situations. But that all changes on Claire's 15th birthday, when her grandmother, Kiki-former socialite, fashion icon, and permanent fixture at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel - gives her something a little more extraordinary than one of her old cocktail dresses: a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain. It's not long before Claire's world becomes a whole lot clearer. And a whole lot more dangerous.

I'll try to keep this short, and sweet.I thought this was an awesome read! Seriously, if I hadn't, accidentally, read the second one first, I would have been totally stunned! So DON'T read the second one first!!!Lol. I have to say, I still like the cute guy a little better. I did think that it dragged on a little, but not to the point where I could hardly pick it up. I have to say this has to be one of the few books were I really liked the characters. Actually, I loved them! I thought Claire was adorable!

Spellbinder

2010-02-01T09:11:00.000-08:00

Belladonna Johnson can see ghosts. It’s a trait she’s inherited from her mother’s side of the family, like blue eyes or straight hair. And it’s a trait she could do without, because what twelve-year-old wants to be caught talking to someone invisible?

It is convenient, though, after Belladonna’s parents are killed in a car accident. They can live with her the same as always, watching the same old TV shows in their same old house. Nothing has changed . . . until everything changes.

One night, with no warning, they vanish into thin air—along with every other ghost in the world. It’s what some people think ghosts are supposed to do, but Belladonna knows it’s all wrong. They may not be living, but they’re not supposed to be gone.

With the help of her classmate Steve, a master of sneaking and spying, Belladonna is left to uncover what’s become of the spirits and to navigate a whole world her parents have kept well-hidden. If she can’t find her way, she’ll lose them again—this time for good.

I loooooved this book! I think it would be even better for someone younger to start out on instead of something as powerful as Harry Potter. I loved how the main character Belladonna was so brave! The author (Helen Stringer) did a wonderful job of giving enough description, and not boring me to death with every little detail. I could see in my head what was happening the whole time, even though there wasn't as much dialog as I'm used to. I was a little dissapointed with the riddle it gave, but again, like I said, perfect for a younger kid how loved books about magic and whatnot. I think that anyone who was just starting out reading fantasy, would love the ending! Actually the whole book!

Royal Blood

2010-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

In the Tudor Court of 1518, your friends and enemies can be one and the same…During the annual celebration of the Order of the Garter, Sir Michael Devereaux arrives in King Henry VIII’s court on a mission for his benefactor. The celebration’s endless feats and sumptuous women delight the charismatic newcomer, who becomes captivated by the enigmatic Princess Renee of France. But evil, it seems, has followed Michael to the court. Shortly after his arrival, an unknown killer claims several victims, including the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, and the powerful Cardinal Wolsey asks Michael to help with the investigation. As he searches for the killer, Michael is haunted by disturbing images of the victims – flashes of violence that lead him to doubt his own sanity. Michael soon realizes that the key to solving the crime is connected to both the Pope’s Imperial vault in Rome and a mystery from Michael’s own past – revealing a secret that is so damning, it could forever alter the future of mankind.

Basically this is probably one of the best books i have ever read. period. Usually when i read a book about old England, i prepare myself for dull boring historical re-enactments with a over creative love story with many sex scenes, and a lot of random killings...but this one definitely shocked me, it had random killings, and sex scenes especially, but it was a more down to earth believable tale. When i first started to read it, i fell in love with reading the womans side "Renee", she is the best example of French beauty that the author could have created, you will love her personality, and "Michael" would be the perfect example of a charming bad boy, that secretly just wants to be loved. The book is not cliche at all which was very surprising for its genre, and the last 3rd of the book was a complete surprise, the ending perfect and unexpected too.

-Gerry-

Finding the Forger

2010-01-20T09:16:00.000-08:00

Bianca Balducci, every body's favorite teenage amateur sleuth, i back on the case, and this time the resourceful Baltimorean has her hands more than full.
On top of school, her two bickering friends, and boy trouble, Bianca is brought in to prove the innocence of Hector, Sarah's latest heart throb, who's considered the prime suspect in a clever switcheroo at the local art museum-several paintings have gone missing,l and forgeries hung in their place.
But things get awfully complicated when Connie, Bianca's PI older sister, is hired by the museum to formally investigate the crime.
And that's just the half of it. Doug, Bianca's fabulous new boyfriend, isn't paying much attention to her as she'd like, while a charming a rich Brit named Neville seems more than willing to take Doug's place. Can Bianca manage to keep Doug's affections while gently fending off Neville?
In this story of miss-assumptions, Bianca learns that things are not always as they seem, that all cases are not so open-and-shut, and that connected with every valuable painting is the possibility of forgery.

This wasn't one of my favorite books ever. I did however like how she added bigger words into the text and then wrote what they meant for the character's point of view. I surprisingly learned a few things. At the end though, I was done. I really didn't want to read anymore and I found myself finally just skipping to the end. I sorta knew who the bad guy was from almost the start though as well. So if you have a younger child who loves a good mystery, this would be perfect! But maybe not so much for older people.

North of Beautiful, by Justina Chen Headley

2010-01-12T14:08:00.000-08:00

As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my check and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked- and I repeat- Why not fix your face?
It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.
She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her small , stifling town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disturbed, will Terra be able to find her true path?
All I have to say is, wow. This was the first book I've ever read, that had almost no dialog (in my oppinion) and yet I was still able to piture everything in my head. I've always read others people's reviews were they said how a book has changed their life, and I always wondered how it did, but this book truely did change they way I looked at things. It's hard to explain the lesson in this book without giving away the ending, so you'll have to read it yourself to find out! This is the first book that's ever made me cry tears of joy.

(Re) Cycler

2010-01-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

Jill McTeague is not your average high school graduate. Not because she doesn't want to be, but because she is a scientific anomaly. Every month, for four days, she turns into Jack, a guy-complete with all the respective parts. Jill got through high school claiming she had blood transfusions every month, but now everyone in her home town knows that something very weird is up with her. So what's a girl ( and a guy) to do? Get the heck out of town, that's what.
With Ramie, her loyal and kooky best friend, Jill sets out to make it on her own in a place where no one knows her name or her secret: New York City. There both she and Jack will have to figure out everything, from the usual (relationships) to the not so usual(career options for a "cycler" anyone?"

I was so excited when the wonderful Staci, ( That can just be her name now. It fits her so well;), I was practically jumping up and down when I received it from the mail....Aright I was jumping up and down. Like none of you have ever done that? Any who, once again Lauren McLaughlin did an awesome job! There really wasn't any dry spots, boring, e.c.t at all, and that's what I really look for in a book. I picked it up and I didn't up it down until it was done. Lauren McLaughlin has a fabulous way of having it be a happy ending, while at the same time you want to scream for more! I find Jill's problems to, I'm sure, be very similar to those of older teens. How do you know if it's really love you feel, or just desire? This question haunts Jill through most of the book, where she mad wonderful, and not so wonderful choices, along with Jack too. Jack happens to be one of my favorite male characters ever! The way he thinks, you can actually understand why he ( and Jill) feel the way they feel! Sound interesting? Give it a try! Thank you everyone for all the wonderful comments! Happy reading!

Seventeen

2009-12-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

When seventeen-year-old Sophia dares to prove to her she should stay alive, her suffering is at its climax, her predicament at its worse, and her adolescence at its most difficult.
Sophia is taking summer courses at a New York City college before her senior year of high school, lured to the program by Shauna, her best friend from California. Blessed with all that society considers attractive and intelligent, Shauna succeeds with guy after guy, course after course. Sophia, meanwhile, fails in every course, at every challenge(especially attracting date-worthy males), and with everything she touches....or so she thinks.
Constantly reminded of her own beauty and brains, haunted by pangs of worthlessness, and noticed by only her lanky friend J.P., Sophia begs life for a single decent reason to stick around. Days slip by and she continues her silent countdown until...the greatest hope she can find becomes the deepest threat imaginable.
As she makes her final attempt to confront life among adults, this bold adolescent and feisty storyteller shreds the life she comes to know.
Sophia's plight is the plight of every girl or woman who's ever felt substandard, who'd ever questioned her own value, indeed every person who's ever wondered, "is life worth the suffering?"

I was amazed at this book. I was very very disappointed to have to give up on reading it. I get very close to the characters in the book I'm reading and if the book is good enough, I'll start to almost feel what they feel, and as you can tell, Sophia is suicidal. Reading this book was starting to throw me into a deep depression even though it was so good, and I finally had to call it quites. Not after reading the end of course! What amazed me the most was how...the author, was right on the dime with almost everything! He might as well have been a high school girl himself! If there is a woman out there who hasn't felt what Sophia is feeling at least once in there life I'd LOVE to meet them! If there is anyone out there who loves a good book and does't get too close to the characters...you should read this!

Trissa and the Necklace of Nulidor

2009-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

One day twelve-year-old Trissa discovers that everyone in her village is under a spell. Everyone but her! Desperate to find someone who can break the spell she flees, leaving her village behind. An old herbwoman tells her to seek help from a wizard who lives far away, and her journey takes her across the Three Kingdoms. Along the way she's joined by a kindly troll and a short, fat palace guard. They are pursued by the twin princes of Kallayne, the best hunters in the Blue River Kingdom, as well as by a huge, dangerous bird. Meanwhile, an evil wizard watches Trissa and her friends in his magic mirror and plans the second spell that will kill everyone in the Three Kingdoms.
I had a great time reading this book by Willow. I was impressed with her creativity. I think that this would be more of a book for preteens and maybe young adults as well. My favorite thing about books is reading about new, and mythical creatures and magic, and this book hit the spot. In the beginning I was a little insertion about Trissa and the Necklace of Nulidor, but my fears soon faded away as I got deeper, and deeper into Willow's story. Keep reading!!:)

Cycler

2009-11-18T09:02:00.000-08:00

Jill McTeague s your average smart senior trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom. Of, course those monthly blood transfusions aren't exactly average-but it's not like she's got anything fatal. What no one knows, except for Jill's parents-who live in constant feat of the secret getting out-is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she's not having blood transfusions. In fact, she's not even Jill those days. For four days of every monthly cycle, Jill becomes Jack, a boy-complete with all the parts-and Jack has to live out his four days as a prisoner in Jill's bedroom. But Jack's personality has been gaining strength over the years sense the cycle began. He is growing more rebellious and less content with his confinement, while at the same time his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill's question about the prom isn't simply who she will go with, but who will she be when the night arrives?
This has to be my favorite book I've read all year!(I can't remember past then!) my all time favorite thing about Cycler was how easy it was for me to connect to the characters, or to dislike them! I felt like I knew the characters, without the author having to get over-descriptive in the process. I didn't pass a single dry spot in Cycler, and I also found it surprising that the author truly did know what a high school girl and boy would normally be thinking. A lot of authors kind of like to pretend they know what's going on in a teenager's head,but let's face it. They almost never do.
The only thing I didn't like about Cycler was just how it ended. The author could have totally kept on going, and frankly, I didn't want it to end!

Recovering Dad

2009-11-14T04:42:00.000-08:00

Another great Bianca Balducci mystery! Libby Sternberg is inspirational for all young, or even older, readers who are interested in writing. Recovering Dad was hard to not skip to the ending. It took me almost less then a day to read it, because I was so fascinated by the words on each page. What I like best about Recovering Dad was, how easy it was to picture what was going on. Libby did a great job of describing the characters, but not over whelming you with description like a Steven King book. I can't wait to read my next mystery! Give it a try!

Uncovering Sadie's Secrets

2009-11-14T04:29:00.000-08:00

Bianca Balducci is an intelligent girl how I think that many young adults will be able to relate with very easily. The author, Libby Sternberg, has a great way of keeping it real, while still keeping it interesting. This was the first mystery I've ever read so I have to tell you, I was surprised to find out how much I wanted to know what happened in the end! You may need some self control to keep you from skipping to ending in this book!

Ice Land

2009-11-14T04:13:00.001-08:00

Warned by the fates of an impending disaster, Freya embarks on a dangerous journey deep into the mountains to find a magnificent gold necklace said to have the power to alter the course of history. Meanwhile, the country is on the brink of war as the new world order of Christianity threatens the old ways of IceLand's people, and tangled amid it all are two star-crossed lovers whose destiny draws them together-even as their families are determined to rip them apart. I
IceLand had to be one of my all time favorite books! It rocked! In the beginning I got a little lost when it changed points of view, for one chapter it would be Fulla and before you knew it it was now Freya. Yet, I loved the characters! It may have just been me and my obsession with mythology, but I found the characters really easy to relate with, so when the author wrote what they were feeling like, I could really understand what she meant, and that made only want to read it faster! The only bad thing that happens when you read IceLand is how it make you sad when you've finished it! I never wanted it to end!

Shootind an Albatross

2009-11-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

It's 1943, the 170th Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army has taken over the El Rancho Golf Course in Los Angeles, becoming uninvited nieghbors to the Hollywood movie moguls living along the back side of the course. This happens in the only year in history that the PGA canclelled the entire season of professional golf. Combine a military presense with a beautiful golf course left unused, and the setting becomes ideal for a challange match between the Army General and Navy Admiral. Niether man could play the game, so each chooses a partner from the ranks. The general selects Private Evan Wilkins, a gifted golfer from McCall, Idaho, who gets thrown into a world of wealth, power, and rage.
When I started to read Shootong an Albatross, I gave it the benifit of the doubt thinking 'Oh, it's just the begining, I'll get more into it soon,' but the days wore on and I was still finding the book difficult to read. I don't know if it's because I'm a younger age than what the book was made for, or what, but I didn't get past chapter 4. I think that older people could really apperciate the time setting of this book and follow it a little better than I did.

Embellish

2009-10-23T18:19:00.001-07:00

As a young girl, Solis Burkes is raped at the hands of ruthless school bullies-an incident that hunts her into young adulthood. Then she meets Nacio, a strikingly handsome man who seems to know everything about her-including the painful past Solis hasn’t told anyone about. But what Solis doesn’t know is that Nacio has been with her every step of the way, protecting her since that fateful episode.

It’s a destiny he’s been working up for the last 257 years.

Now, Solis enters a dark world of vampires, voodoo, and passion, she’ll need all the protection she can get. Unbeknownst to her, those responsible for Solis’s rape have returned. Connected to the evil voodoo Priestess Aldicia, they’ll stop at nothing in their plans to spew violence and mayhem throughout the city. And an old family feud dating back centuries puts Solis first on their list of targets. But not if Solis unravel the clues fast enough, and inflict her own brand of revenge.

Embellish mixes sexy romance with high-stakes paranormal intrigue for a keeps-you-guessing, fast-paced and savvy thriller, right up until the shocking finale.

I thought this was a very enjoyable book. I love stories about vampires and magic and one thing that I really appreciate about Embellish is that unlike Twilight, I really liked the lead character so when she was happy, it made me happy. I found that every time I picked it up, I was lost inside it and could feel and see what was going on in the book in my mind. It never seemed to drag on, as soon as I thought I knew what was going to happen, something else would! The author did a great job writing this book for readers who want to feel what’s happening in the story, and I can’t wait to read the sequel!

Rumer and Qix

2009-10-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Rumer, a petite 16 year old with a flair for fashion, loves zipping the vast cityscape of 31st century Nanjing for her job as an apprentice reporter for the Global Quotidien. There's one big problem, though. For some reason, the stories she's assigned are always tedious and never interesting. To make matters worse, her insensitive boss wants her to report on the activities of Alfa, the same mega-conglomerate where her parents died mysteriously when she was eight.

Feeling frustrated, the rebellious Rumer escapes into the indie networks and, along with her pocket-sized sidekick, Qix, soon finds herself puzzling over a series of images of bizarre nature sightings posted by seemingly credible eye-witnesses. Ever since the world's flora and fauna were replaced wiht Alfa's Syncov replicas eons earlier, nature sightings like this have been routinely dismissed, but Rumer senses that something is different this time.

When ethereal voices relay a coded message confirming her hunch that something is terribly amiss, Rumer slips away with Qix on a globe-trotting quest for answers. Two colossal forces are about to square off for the final epic battle that will determine the fate of the planet. Who will triumph, Dr. BigCo, the ruthless CEO of Alfa bent on expanding his empire at all costs, or his nemesis, MoNa, the vulnerable matriarch of the cosmos? The fate of the world hangs in the balance and Rumer holds the key in a race against time.

This wasn't exactly one of my favorite books. I never really found myself being sucked into it. I was always thinking 'okay ...where is this going...' or I was thinking how easy it was to tell what was going to happen next. One of the best and worst qualities of this book was the vocabulary. It was amazing because I learned so many new words(through parts of it I almost had to go get a dictionary) but at the same time,sense it was in the 31st century, a lot of the words weren't real and made no sense what-so-ever to me and the author really didn't attempt to explain them until the end of the book! This wasn't the worst book I've read, but it really wasn't my favorite. I think part of the reason may have been simply that I didn't enjoy the storyline that much, but if you're into the whole end-of-the-world save-us-Mother Nature thing than it would be a good book for you...I'm just not that person.

Thanksgiving At The Inn

2009-10-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ever since his mother left, life hasn't been easy for Health Wellington III. Between his father's (Junior's) bouts with alcoholism and literary rejection, and Health's own wrongful suspension from school, there hasn't been all that much to be thankful for.
But following the tragic death of estranged grandfather Senior, father and son alike stand to inherit a life-changing fortune...with one catch.
Heath and Junior must spend the next three months managing Senior's bed and breakfast, located in the same Massachusetts home Junior has spent the last eight years trying to escape.
Upended from his everyday life and relocated to a town where everyone knew and loved the grandfather he can't even remember, Heath finds an inn full of some of the strangest people he's ever met.
And at a nearby school is Savannah, Junior's first love, and her adorable, autistic daughter, Tori.
But most of all, there's Junior himself, vinegar to Heath's oil. As Heath adjusts to his new world, what he needs most is to start anew with his father, to understand that Junior, too, is dealing with loss, and to realize that, even in the tragic of times, there's a lot in life to be thankful for.
Thanksgiving at the Inn is a beautiful story of family and forgiveness, and a sure holiday classic. Tim Whitney's fantastic, heartwarming debut is one you'll want to read with the whole family for years and years to come. (From the cover of Thanksgiving at the Inn.)

The thing that I personally loved most about this book, was the lesson that you learned well you were reading it. I didn't even realize all the things that you can easily take for granted in your life. I liked the character Health a lot just because he's such a nice person. I never would have done the things he did like he did. I think the author did I a great job in choosing the characters and also the story line. The thing that I thought needed fixing was that, unlike in some other books, I didn't find myself......getting lost in the book. In some books I love it so much and get so into it were I forget where I am and I see myself with the characters. In Thanksgiving At The Inn I only found myself getting lost a few times. Yet, the ending is one of my favorite parts!!