Look William...I updated!!

FYI - Im working on Duma Key next. It will be hard to do that one justice.

What do you think about maybe doing a guest review when you finish Sawtelle? I cant wait for you to finish. (hint hint)

Fade

Fade by Lisa McMann


From Booklist (edited to remove possible spoilers for the first book)
This sequel to Wake (2008) follows dream-catcher Janie as she navigates the treacherous world of dreaming the dreams of others. The series is moving in a darker, more dramatic direction, with Janie facing evil and needing to decide if she can sacrifice her own health for the greater good. A great blend of mystery, romance, and supernatural elements, and featuring a strong but vulnerable female protagonist, this episode ends with an irresistible hook for the final installment.

8.5/10

So this is the second book in the series. I LOVED the first book and will be forcing all my friends to read at some point. The second book was good. I didnt love it as much..but I think thats kind of typical of a second book. Its really setting you up for the third..and I am really excited about the third book. I love the setup for these books...about people being about to jump into other peoples dreams. Its just creepy enough to keep you on your toes but its definitely not a scary book. Im not going to tell details because I dont want to spoil the first book (Wake) for anyone that might read it.

Safe

Safe by Susan Shaw

Product Description
Safe. To Tracy, safe means having Mama close by. Years after her mother’s death, Tracy still feels her presence. But the moment Tracy is forced into a car as she is walking home from school one day, safe is ripped away. In the aftermath of an unspeakable crime, thirteen-year-old Tracy must fight her way back to safety and find comfort in her mother’s memory once again.

8/10

This was a one-sitting book. Its pretty short and it is definitely a teen book but I really liked it. It reminds me of Speak as far as subject matter. I liked Tracy and I thought her relationship with her dad was a nice break from the typical cold-distant-understanding parents that you see a lot of in these type books.

I would recommend this one for Meghan and Ryan. Seems like one of those books that we all like. The author has another book called The Boy In The Basement that I want to check out next.

Small Sacrifices

Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule

From Publishers Weekly This searching analysis of the shooting of three children in Oregon by their mother devolves into a study of personality. In May of 1983, Diane Downs drove to a Williamette Valley hospital emergency room with her children, all gravely wounded; one did not survive the first hour, and the other two were disabled for life. Downs initially told of a "bushy-haired stranger" who had committed the crime, but frequently changed her story. Under police questioning she recalled her childhood with a cold, domineering father who abused her sexually, her weak mother, a rape by one of her bosses, her failed marriage and many men with whom she had sex. One of these men, whom she claimed to love, did not want children, and that may have prompted the crime, speculates the author. The greatest strength of this book is the exploration by ex-policewoman Rule (The Stranger Beside Me of the aberrant personality of Downs, who is now imprisoned and not eligible for parole until 2009.

7/10

So I have this love/hate relationship with true crime books. I think they are fascinating. I love reading about things that actually happened. I like looking at the for-real pictures. Im just really interested in the crazy things that crazy people do. What sucks is when its starts to really sink in that these real crazy things are REAL CRAZY THINGS.

How do you sleep at night after looking at black and white pictures of ordinary looking people that have done these horrible things? Or looking at family portraits of families that no longer exist?

But still every once in awhile I go to furthest corner in the basement of Recycled Books (Denton Tx - best book store ever) and end up walking away with at least a handful of true crime books.

This is actually one that I just reread. I had an old copy that I think I sold at a garage sale so I picked up another one the other weekend. It was a lot better than I remembered. Its the story of Diane Downs, a lady that shoots her children because she thinks her ex-boyfriend will come back to her if she doesnt have any baggage. Only one of her children dies but the other two are severely injured.

The book is really well written...Ann Rule is the best at true crime. Diane Downs is seriously fascinating. Possibly one of the most interesting people I have ever read about. She had all these people convinced she was just an innocent mother and that someone else had attacked her and her kids.

To me one of the creepiest things about this lady is looking at her pictures. She has the scariest eyes I have ever seen. Ann talks about them in the book (but of course I cant find it to quote it!). Her eyeballs float in her eye sockets. Like there is a lot of white space underneath her actual eyeball. Im pretty sure Ann said a lot of serial killers have this same issue ( dont remember what its called)...so for your own safety stay away from people with eyes that look like this:

Wake (also...a bird crapped on my book!)

For f'ing real.
A bird crapped on this book.

I was sitting on my patio. The sun has gone down. Jolene and Sue Ellen are sleeping on my lap. I am squinting trying to read by the light of one bare lightbulb while the sound of my neighbors Latin music drifts across the fence making me crave Mexican food. It is amazingly peaceful.

Then I hear (in this order) *flap* *flap* *flap* *caw* *splat* *flap* *flap* *What the?..mother f###### s### a## bird!*

Stupid kamikaze bird flies under my patio to crap on me.

I continued to yell *sh#t* *sh#t* *sh#t* while Jolene gives me a look that says *yeah..its sh#t. Bird sh#t. Does this mean we are going to have to get up?*

White runny bird sh#t on my book. And on my blanket. And on my arm.

So...if any of you want to borrow this book you should probably buy your own copy. Or well..wait a couple of days. Im sure I will have Amazon send me another.

Amazingly..I still went ahead and finished this bird sh#tty book. Because the book was fabulous.

Wake by Lisa McMann
Product Description
Not all dreams are sweet.

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....




9.5/10

So you know how I made everybody read Twilight? This will be the next book I force on everyone for their own good. I read it in one sitting (not counting the shower I had to take after the bird sh#t incident).

If BOA paid me more money I would be mailing this book to Amber, Meghan, Charlotte, Julie, Ryan (not the brother Ryan!), Richie and William. But...no can do. Sorry.

Okay..so I could go on and on about how much I liked it...but maybe I should mention the few negatives to be fair.

There wasnt a whole lot of meat to the story. It was kinda like a chips and queso appetizer....you know that the steak you ordered thats coming next (or for Meghan..the black bean burger) is going to be amazing...but damn those chips are good. (And if that makes zero sense: there is a second book coming..and it will be steak) (how funny is it that I dont even like steak...but beside the point)

And the little twist with Cabel was a little predictable. But still...I havent felt this way about a main guy character since Edward. And he is no Edward...but I liked him.

Its a short book. 210 pages. But a very good 210. I will pbly bug everyone until they read it.