Favorite Music of 2009

1. Metric - Fantasies I love every song on this CD! Great upebeat music with darker, edgy lyrics.
http://www.myspace.com/metric

2. XX - XX Moody, sexy music. Pop in the earbuds and go into a trance.
http://www.myspace.com/thexx

3. Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Sons OK, so it's not cool to love Snow Patrol but I do. So there!
http://www.myspace.com/snowpatrol

4. The Eels - Meet The Eels, The Essential Eels 1996-2006 Vol 1 There's a great mix of musical styles here. Also check out the video for "That Look You Give That Guy" from Hombre Lobo
http://www.myspace.com/eels

5. She Wants Revenge - All Wound Up (from the CD Up and Down) I'm showing my age here, but this song reminds me of the Gap Band and my roller skating - disco days!
http://www.myspace.com/shewantsrevenge

REVIEW: Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl

Prim and proper Jane Morgan has a perfect life. A great job as the office manager for Jennings Architecture. The perfect boyfriend - Greg Nunn - a lawyer, she belongs to the woman's book club. So why isn't she happy? Because it's all a lie.......a carefully cultivated lie. Will she lose it all after one wild night with Chase, a guy that's all wrong for her.........or is he?

REVIEW:
Jane's story is the third in the Tumble Creek series. She was first introduced as Quinn Jennings tough as nails office manager in Start Me Up. I have to admit that I wasn't all that interested in Jane's story. I thought it was going to be the generic "uptight office girl meets rough and wild guy and learns to let loose". I love this series though so I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did.
Jane meets Chase when he has a meeting with her boss, Quinn Jennings. He is everything she has tried to avoid since she was a teenager - tattooed, rough around the edges, blows things up for a living. Just the type of guy she's attracted to. Chase finds her intriguing and hopes he can take her out to dinner and loosen her up a bit. She gives him the cold shoulder and says no but he leaves her his business card in case she changes her mind.
After a few martinis at a hotel bar Jane is thinking about how she will turn twenty nine soon and she has just broken up with another in a long line of "perfect" but boring boyfriends. Maybe one night on the wild side couldn't hurt. A birthday gift to herself. Then she will go back to being respectable Jane. She calls Chase and propositions him for a one night stand.
Now this is why I love Victoria Dahl's writing! At this point you would be expecting mousy Jane to be seduced and awakened by a night with Chase. You would be wrong. Jane has a bit of wild side and it's Chase's world that's turned upside down.
When Jane's brother Jessie is arrested and suspected of murder, it's Chase who stands by her side. But will he still want her if he finds out about her past?
These are well written characters with strengths and flaws. Jane is not always easy to like while she struggles with her growing feelings for Chase and her desire to keep her past hidden, pretending she's someone she's not even if it hurts everyone who loves her.
Chase.....I LOVED Chase. He looks a little rough around the edges but he's a great guy. He wants more than a fling with Jane. I love how he waits for her but doesn't let her treat him like crap either.
This book was very different in tone than the first two, which had a lot more humor but it was still a great addition to the series.
You don't need to read the first two books in the series to understand this one but I highly recommend it. In fact Start Me Up was on my favorite books of 2009  list.
Loved: Chase! Good character development. Got to see a little bit of Quinn and Lori Love.
Nitpick: I would have liked a little more of the humor from the first books. Jane took a little too long to figure things out. I almost wished Chase went with someone else.

Rating:
3 out of 4
Worthy addition to the series - I'm sad to see it end.

Author's Website: http://www.victoriadahl.com/
Buy the books:Talk Me Down
                       Start Me Up
                       Lead Me On

Favorite Books of 2009

A few of these came out prior to 2009 but I read them this year so they are on the list.


1. WILLOW by Julia Hoban    This was my favorite book this year. A beautifully written story about a girl trying to cope with grief and guilt, who ultimately finds self acceptance and love. It's a very powerful and uplifting story.

2. WICKED GAME by Jeri Smith-Ready  Vampires, rock & roll, action packed, sexy, funny! What's not to love?? A great twist on the UF, vampire genre. I can't even remember how many times I've read this book!

3. ASPECT OF CROW TRILIOGY by Jeri Smith-Ready  The most original series I've read in a long time. This series has it all - romance, heroes, villains, battles, parallels to religion, politics. I was on an emotional roller coaster for three days!

4. BUTTERFLY TATTOO by Deidra Knight  This book took me by surprise. Story of people overcoming fear, loss and guilt to find love and become a family. A twist on the traditional love story. These characters stayed with me for a long time after I finished the book.

5. CATCHING FIRE by Suzzane Collins  The second book in the Hunger Games trilogy. One of the few sequels that stands up to the first book.

6. START ME UP by Victoria Dahl  Sexy with a little bit of a mystery and lots of funny!

7. MERLE'S DOOR LESSONS FROM A FREE THINKING DOG by Ted Kerasote  Yes, it's funny like Marley and Me, but it's so much more than just a compilation of funny dog stories. It's about a true relationship between man and dog formed out of respect.

8.  THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA by Michael Pollan  Do you eat? Then read this book.

9. VISION IN WHITE by Nora Roberts  Romance with lots of laughs.

10. GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols YA books really hit their stride this year and this book is one of the reasons why. The YA books out now have great writing, believable characters that you can relate to and don't rely on many of the gimmicks that a lot of the adult books do these days.

I read over 100 books this year so it was hard to narrow it down to just 10......so here are a few more that I loved but there just wasn't room:

The Night Huntress Series by Jeaniene Frost

Playing With Fire by Gena Showalter

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

The Morningstar Strain Series by Z.A. Recht

One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer by Nathaniel C. Fick

REVIEW: Plucker by BROM

Toy Story on acid.
The Underbed is a place where Thomas's toys go once he has moved on to newer, more exciting toys. Jack (in the box) has just been added to this group.
As Thomas sleeps at night the toys come to life dancing and playing in the moonlight. They are brought to life by Thomas's love and imagination and without it they fade.  Jack is shunned by all his former friends when he tries to leave the Underbed to join them as he used to. Only the Snow Angel befriends him when she sneaks away from the ever watchful eyes of the Red Night.
One day Thomas's father brings him a Spirit Doll from Africa. Thomas is weary of it but his father hangs it over his bed. Shortly after it crashes to the floor - letting out The Plucker - a spirit that sucks the souls of children by killing their toys. He hopes to collect enough souls to make himself human and create havoc on earth.
During the night The Plucker's creations, "Foulthings", torture and kill the toys. One of them has Angel and Jack fights to rescue her.
Mabelle (Thomas's caretaker-who knows a thing or two about the dark spirits) finds Jack and the other toys in the aftermath of the battle and knows what she has to do. She repairs Jack giving him all he needs to beat the Plucker. She tells him, "It's done. You's no longer a toy, but a weapon of the Lord. A viper. A devil slayer.

REVIEW:
This is a story about simple toys that must band together to save the boy they love and each other. This is a very dark tale and not for the kiddies. The artwork takes center stage and is absolutly stunning. While the story is good, it's the artwork the brings it to life. Every detail from the story shows up in the drawings.
I know it's about toys but I did find myself getting upset when they got hurt. It is quite graphic.
The book is sick, twisted, beautiful and imaginative. I really enjoyed it. I happen to like twisted so it was ok with me but don't say you weren't warned :-) This would make a great coffee table book as long as you don't mind potentially freaking out your friends and family!
Loved: The artwork. Amazing!
Nitpick: none really

Rating:
Overall a 3.5 out of 4.
3 out of 4 for story, & 4 out of 4 for the artwork.

To read more about Brom and his other books/artwork http://www.bromart.com/

REVIEW: Of All The Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz

When a rumor starts circulating that Tara’s boyfriend has been with one of the guy cheerleaders, the innuendo doesn’t just hurt Tara. It marks the beginning of the end for three lifelong friends.

 Tara’s training for a marathon, but also running from her fear of abandonment from her father.

Whitney Blaire seems to have everything, but an empty mansion and absentee parents leave her looking for her own value in the wrong places.


And Pinkie has a compulsive need to mother everyone to make up for the mama she’s never stopped missing.


Then the new girl arrives in school and Tara starts to feel things she’s never felt for before for a girl. Can the girls’ friendship survive when all the rules have changed? YA Fiction

REVIEW:
I was lucky enough to win an ARC of this book a few months ago during Jeri Smith-Ready's Blogtoberfest.

The book is told from the alternating points of view of three best friends.

It started strong from Tara's POV. I was drawn into her relationship with Brent and with her friends Whitney Blaire and Pinkie. So I found it a little jarring that just when Tara's world is coming down around her we shifted to Whitney Blaire's POV, then Pinkie's.

Having said that ...once I got used to the three girls' very different personalities I enjoyed going back and forth between them. At one point in the book an event occurs and is told from Tara and then Whitney Blair's POV. It was interesting that they could see the same event so differently.

Although Tara's is the main story, Whitney Blaire and Pinkie each have story lines that help explain their actions and reactions to Tara's growing relationship with Riley, the new girl at school.

The girls personalities and experiences are different enough that I think that everyone will be able to have someone to relate to.

There are sexual situations in the book but they are not exploitive and are handled honestly.

Loved: Tara's inner strength and ability to accept herself and her choices even if it meant losing her friends. All three girls had well developed story lines that intersected nicely at the end.
The Cover is beautiful!

Nitpick: It takes a little while to get used to the very different personalties of the 3 girls. I wanted to know more about David (a friend of the girls and potential love interest for Whitney Blaire) and even Brent. I can't blame Alexandra Diaz for that one though - I don't think there would be room for anymore perspectives!

I give it a rating of 3.5 out 4. Definitely read it!

Alexandra Diaz is Part of the Class of 2K10. A group of debut authors of Middle Grade and YA fiction. Check out the rest of the group and release dates here: http://www.classof2k10.com/

Alexandra's website: http://www.alexandra-diaz.com/
Buy the book: Of All the Stupid Things

Welcome!

ANOTHER book blog?? Yes.

Why me? Not sure. To be honest I was never a big reader, even as a kid. Then around October of last year I read a 4 book series (Twilight) & haven't stopped since. I loved being lost in another world for four solid days.
Since then I have read well over 100 books in just over a year.
I've really enjoyed reading other peoples blogs and getting ideas for new books to read. It seems to be a community that likes to share their thoughts and have a good time so I hope you'll welcome yet another addition to the group!
I also love music and hope to incorporate that into the blog too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen