Artemis Fowl: Time Paradox

I just finished reading the latest installment of Artemis Fowl. I enjoyed this one and it makes you think about the things you would like to go back and change. But, I'm always in a stupor about some of these time travel things. At least in Back to the Future when he travels back and alters the past his "present" life changed, but why didn't he? In the book Artemis' present life doesn't change like it does in Back to the Future. He just happens to bring back an evil genius pixie with him. So I thought that was wierd.
Artemis's mother has contracted a fairy disease because Artemis used magic on her...or so he thinks. The only cure is brain fluid extracted from an extinct Lemur, which he was responsible for. 8 years prior he kidnapped the last lemur and sold it to the Extinctionists. In order to save his mother he has to go back in time and undo what he has already done and go against himself. Of course, when he comes back he finds out that Opal had taken over his mother's body and had staged the whole thing because she wanted the Lemur's brain fluid so that she could be all powerful and invincible...as all maniacal geniuses want. Artemis discovers that because he went back in time to change all of this he allowed Opal to come to the future and arrange all of this and make it so that Artemis would bring the Lemur to her. He discovers that if he would have left things the way they had happened, things in the present wouldn't have gotten so out of hand. His mother was not in any real danger. I didn't quite understand this whole part...but ok!
The author left it wide open for another book which is great because I really like these books. I wonder what Opal Koboi will do next? What if she releases her present self from confinement? What kind of havoc will this evil pixie wreak on the fairy world? Or the human world for that matter.
Anyway, it was a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love books that only take me a few days to read instead of a few weeks!

Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Another great mystery by Agatha Christie! I really liked this one. For those of you who don't know much about her novels (like myself) I guess she has several different mysteries categorized by Ms. Marple and Hercules Poirot. I have now read the first one of each series and I like them both. I like Ms. Marple in the fact that she is older, a woman, and not in everybody's face about things. She just sits back and "watches." Hercules Poirot is an actual detective. In this novel he was "retired" and had come to live in this town to live a peaceful, retired life. But of course, there is a case for him to solve. I have to admit that I was very shocked at the end of this book. I had suspected this person at the beginning, but immediately dismissed him, as all the other characters did as well. Unfortunately I cannot give anything away about this book because it would spoil the entire story. But, it was very good. With Poirot you get to walk in the detective's footsteps and follow along with him on the case. The story is not written from his perspective, but the person whose perspective it is-follows him on the case every step of the way. Although Poirot is French and hard to understand sometimes, you like him and try to think like him. I kept going back to my original suspicions about this particular person, but could never find any real evidence to support that it was him. Read this and then we can chat. I hate reading these types of books and then trying to give a review because the whole review could be a spoiler alert...but this was very good and I thoroughly enjoy reading Agatha Christie. She is my new favorite author!

The Trapp Family Singers

I read the book about the Von Trapp Family-the Sound of Music. I was surprised to find that the movie only comprised about 100 pages or so of the book. The rest of the book was about what happened after the went up into the hills. I really enjoyed it but have to say that I don't if Maria was a real person. I mean she never complained about anything and always found the positive in everything. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that she can be so positive, but I was getting kind of sick of her cheery disposition about everything. I mean throw a fit already! Things did not go so well for all the time and nobody is really that positive are they?
Anyway, enough of that. I liked it and it was nice to know what happens after the movie. I've always wondered if they escaped and what happened to the family after the war, where they went and what they did. And now I know. If you like the movie you'll like the book. I only say that because if you don't care about the hills being alive with the sound of music, then you won't care about what happens to the family. I have to warn you though, this is not an easy read. I like to read at night in bed when it's nice and quiet and I could not get through more than a few pages without falling asleep. I don't know why it's so hard to get through, but it is. Enjoy!

Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage

So, I'm not a huge mystery fan because I can usually guess the culprit before the end. Sometimes it's so obvious that it's not even fun. Plus, I'm kind of a paranoid person and then I start thinking that these things can really happen and I start dreaming about them in my sleep and they are happening to my family. So, I just try to avoid them altogether. However, for bookclub next month we are reading an Agatha Christie book called Murder at the Vicarage. I've heard a lot about Ms. Marple and so I was actually interested in reading this book. I thought that this one was the first of Ms. Marple but I am not sure on that. I expected it to be written from Ms. Marple's perspective, but it wasn't. It's from the Vicar's perspective. Anyway, I won't give any of the details away because, after all, it is a mystery, but it is very good! My dad wrote a Murder Mystery for a dinner party and he wrote it so well that only one or two people have actually figured it out. In fact, I don't think anybody has actually figured out the whole thing but they have guessed either the "weapon" or the murderer, but I don't think they've guessed both. Anyway, this story was written in kind of the same fashion. There were a few minor details that played a big role in solving the mystery. It's very good. I'm sorry that I can't do any better than that in details but I don't want to give anything away. My only complaint is that I did get a little lost in the language of the Vicar. He doesn't say "thee's and thou's" but it is British and I felt that some things ran together and I had to go back and reread what I had just read because it didn't make any sense. But other than that, no complaints here! My husband and I like to watch Perry Mason at night and try and figure it out. This was very much a Perry Mason kind of thing. I'm going to try and see if they made a movie of this particular book because I know that there are several made-for-tv movies of Agatha Christie's books. This is a great read even if you don't like mysteries!!

Battle of the Labrynth

This is the fourth book in the Percy Jackson series. I love these books! They just get better and better. I'm almost sad to read the last book. I don't want it to end. These books remind me of Harry Potter. They are not as "complex" as HP was. There are not as many puzzle pieces, but they are still action packed and have many twists and turns that keep the story going.
In this book they are trying to find their way through the labrynth in order to stop KRONOS from rising and waging war on their world. Percy is now just getting into the "girl stuff" and can't quit figure it out. It's actually kind of funny how oblivious to things he is. Maybe that will be his greatest quest. They finally find a lost god and learn things about a few of the other "lesser" gods.
Very good. I couldn't put it down and once again stayed up late to finish it. If you haven't started these books by Rick Riordan you need to. Very entertaining and fast paced. You won't be able to put them down!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I have heard a lot about this book. I've had a lot of friends reading it for various book clubs and have wanted to read it for some time. I was at the library the other day and they were having a book sale. This book was on the table for 50 cents so I thought, why not? I'm so glad that I paid 50 cents because it was such a great book!!!!!!!
This book is written in letters and correspondence. There is a main character, Juliet, and it's her letters to various people and their letters to her. I really liked this style of writing because I felt that I was getting to know the characters as individuals and not as...well...characters.
It's set in a time just shortly after WWII in London/the Channel Islands. During the war, Juliet wrote several articles for a local newspaper under the assumed name of Izzy Bickerstaff. After the war, her editor friend decided to collect all the articles and make them into a book. During the German Occupation, a few people that lived on the Channel Islands in Guernsey had read the book and wrote to Juliet about it. It was revealed in one of the letters that they had somehow (quite by accident and desperation) formed a group called the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Juliet, being quite intrigued by this strange group, wrote back and wanted to know more about the Society and how it came to be. She was in the process of thinking up another idea for a book and a few more articles for the newspaper. She decided to write about this fascinating group.
Each page (or letter I should say) is a different emotion. One page you'll be laughing out loud, the next you'll be angry. Then you are sad and then you turn the page and you are laughing again. The language is so beautiful and captivating right from the beginning. The story is hilarious and heart warming at the same time and you feel like you are a part of the Society.
One of my favorite parts about the book is that it was about other book lovers and the different books they loved. One guy (yes guy) would only read cookbooks! Just shows that you can form a book club about anything!
I strongly recommend this book and hope that you like it as much as I did. Definitely a book that you can read again and again without getting bored with it.

**I know that Guernsey is a real place and that the German Occupation really happened there, but I don't know if the Society is real or what is fact from fiction in that book. Because I've already lent my copy out to someone else I cannot check on this for you. But real or not, it's still a fabulous book!

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

This is a very cute and funny book by Anne Ross. It's about a southern woman who's husband has just passed away. He was a wealthy and respectable man...or so she thought. One day she gets a very nice present on her doorstep...his son. They were never able to have children. So this comes as quite a shock to her. The adventure that they go through is quite exciting and funny. A few things made me mad, like the clergy trying to get their hands on her wealth and making her think that she has committed a serious sinful crime.
She is a delightful character and you can't help but just feel like you are one of her closest friends. She starts thinking for herself, which is something she was not allowed to do while her husband was alive. At first she despises the woman that her husband slept with, which is only natural. But as things start to unfold, she begins to despise her husband and become friends with the "harlot", which again, is only natural. There are so many delightful characters to love and hate.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants some light reading and could use a chuckle or too. There are several other "Miss Julia" books but I haven't read any of them and I believe that this book is the first. By the end of the book you will be saying "I declare!"

Pretties

I finished up the second book in this series. I have to admit that I am starting to get bored with these books. The same-old-same-old things happen. So, in the last book Tally "sacrificed" herself to become pretty so that they could test out this "cure" to try and make you think on your own and undo the programming that they do to your brain. While she is pretty she meets this guy named Zane and they fall in love and she splits the cure with him. Turns out you need both pills to make it work completely and he got the worst end of the deal. The other uglies finally get in touch with Tally and she sees David for the first time. She chooses Zane over David!! I couldn't believe it and I am mad! She also stumbles upon this "other" world that is experimental for her world and by this time I am just ready to chuck the book out the window. At the very end of the book Shay gets her revenge and becomes a Special. She forces Tally to become a Special as well and that's how the book ends. I don't know if I'm going to read Specials because I'm sure it will be the same story line and plot and same "tricks" and what not and I have a list of more interesting books to read. Sorry Scott Westerfield. The ideas behind the stories are good and give me something to think about, but the stories themselves are UGLY!

Uglies

I just finished "Uglies" by Scott Westerfield. My sister has been trying to get me to read this for awhile and I had too many other things to read. My bookclub has selected this for August and so I had to hunker down and read it. I liked it but I really struggled getting into it. It didn't just grab me and take off like "The Host" did, but I really liked the story. I wanted to read more and find out what happens next so I went to the library today and got the second book "Pretties". it's kind of Sci-Fy in that it's set in the future and they have alot of "advanced technology" stuff. The idea behind the story is that when you turn 16 you go from being an "ugly" to a "pretty" and you undergo major plastic surgery. They make you just the right height, weight, eye color, hair color, nose shape, eye shape, eye spacing, etc., etc.. Basically, everybody is the same and noone is prettier than another. Well, there are two girls. One can't wait to be a pretty and the other one wants to escape and be herself. It's a great story that gets you thinking about what the world would be like if people weren't judged on how they looked because in the end you'd all look the same. Becoming pretty was basically like growing-up. You never got old and wrinkly and you could do whatever you wanted when you crossed the line over to the pretties.
To be honest, I kept putting the Mormon philosophy on things and I kept thinking "this is exactly what Satan wanted. Everybody is the same. Everybody gets what they want and everyone is happy." A point that they make in the book is that everybody is basically "programmed" into believing that the way they look before the operation is UGLY. Your eyes are too close together or your too skinny or too tall or whatever the circumstance may be-you are just ugly. Then you have the surgery and you are pretty and happy with yourself and life is just one big party after that. There is a love story of course and I loved that the author brought out the points that you are beautiful in your own way. That your personality and character flaws and traits really make you the person that you truly are and that you are beautiful-even if your eyes are too close together or you are too skinny. David tells Tally that he thinks she is beautiful and she is shocked...and it makes her think that maybe she really is pretty without all the surgery.
It's a really good book, but just be prepared for a very slow beginning. The book takes some intersting twists and turns and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titans Curse

I just finished reading the third book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I just love these books! There's so much action. I feel that the author does a really good job writing the action and resolving it. It's not over in a second and in unbelievable ways. It's really well written and I feel like I'm right there in the thick of it. I can't wait to read the 4th book and find out what happens next! If you like Greek Mythology or Harry Potter then you will love these books. These are great books for boys as well. I know that boys sometimes have a hard time reading books and these are so action packed there's no way you can get bored!

Fablehaven:Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary

I have really enjoyed all of the Fablehaven books so far. This one kind of surprised me. My sister in-law said that she felt betrayed. I already knew part of the secret but have to admit that I was shocked about the rest of it. It's hard not to discuss the details because I'm sure that a lot of you haven't read it. But, I'm also sure that most people don't read this blog so I'll just talk about it anyway.
So, Seth becomes a shadow charmer and I kept wondering if he was going to pull an Anakin Skywalker on me. He has the "dark" powers and Kendra (who is fairykind) has the "light" powers. I felt like the author was trying to do a Dumbledor/Lord of the Rings thing with his advice. Seth was worried that he was going to turn evil since he had these powers and people would say things like "it's up to you to choose how you use those powers" and things like that. Anyway, I hope he doesn't go to the dark side in the last book.
The big secret is that Gavin is really a dragon. I figured that out from the last book. I mean, how could he not be with all of his special talents? A dragon brother? Ya, like any mortal is going to be "adopted" by dragons. So, when he changes into a dragon I was not surprised at all. The shocker for me was that he is the dragon Navarog who is also the evil demon prince. That one I did not see coming. So, I kind of felt betrayed as well because I really liked Gavin. The good news is that he gets defeated by something you wouldn't expect.
One problem that I do have reading these books is that you do not know who is "good" and who is "bad." You learn to just distrust everybody and I don't like that. I don't mind the occasional shocker- like with Gavin- but it just seems like everyone in this book is working for the wrong team. To be honest with you, I wouldn't be surprised if this new character Trask is working for the Society. He seems a little shady to me.
Anyway, despite the twists and turns, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the 5th and final book. I can't wait to see how it ends.

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man

Ok, so this is not going to be a very good book review. This was written by Fannie Flagg. She also wrote "Fried Green Tomatoes." I haven't read that book but I have seen the movie. Not my favorite but I know a lot of women like it. Well, this book is just horrible!!! It's the diary of a young girl named Daisy Fay who is 11 when the book starts. She has a rough childhood and EVERYBODY in the book is always drunk. Then it skips to her high school years and that's when the book gets even worse. I was about ready to gouge my eyes out and because I was reading this for a book club I decided to skip to the last few pages to see if it redeems itself. I read the last two entries and thought- "Ok. It's going to get better. Things turn around for her. You discover a secret that I totally did not see coming and it ends mildly happy." NO!!!!! The last part of the book is the WORST part of the book. It says the F-word several times and there's so much swearing and lying and deceiving and the "redeeming" part I thought was going to happen was actually the worst part of the whole book. There's swearing throughout the whole book and I just had enough of everybody being drunk and all the sex talk and I am really disappointed in this book. I can't believe I read the whole thing! I kept saying to myself, "this book is horrible, put it down, don't finish it and just be honest about it at book club." Well, anyway I don't know if I'm at a time in my life when things like this bother me because I am a mom or because I'm trying to be a better person or what, but this is not a "make you feel good-this was a really good book I'd like to read it again" kind of book.
It's set in the late 50's so it's a troubling time when if you got pregnant out of wedlock you were shunned and you could secretly get an abortion and not think twice about it. Drinking was the fashion and everybody and I mean EVERYBODY drank and smoked. It's also set in Mississippi so there's the whole KKK thing as well as all the social classes like white trash and red necks and that sort of thing.
Trust me, you are not missing out on anything and your life will be better if you DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!

The Sea of Monsters

This is the second book in the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. I really liked it and it even had some humorous things in it. It's very adventure packed and just leaves you wanting more and more. I'm really liking this series almost as much as I like the Harry Potter books. I will definitely be collecting these to read to my kids!

Peter Pan in Scarlet

I just finished reading my book for one of the book clubs I belong to. "Peter Pan in Scarlet" by Geraldine McCaughrean. This is the only authorized sequel to the original Peter Pan book. The Children's hospital that Barrie donated all of his royalties to held a contest awhile ago to write a sequel and this was the winner. One of the ladies at book club suggested it for this month and said that she liked it better than the "Peter and the Star Catchers" series. I do not agree with her on that. I liked this book...and I didn't like it. I felt that the writing was a little choppy and it took a long time to get to things. I like books that just grab you right from the beginning and I guess this just didn't do it for me. I haven't ever read the original story and so I don't know if the author patterned her writing style after his. She had great details but she was very wordy in her details.
I like the messages she portrays. She talks a lot about Mothers. How sometimes you feel betrayed or unloved by your mother, but in the end she would do anything and everything for you. I think she portrays that you should always be a kid at heart but you have to be responsible and progress in life as well. You forget what it's like to imagine and have adventures like a child. Sometimes we get caught up in the world and all the grown-up things that we don't look at things in a simpler way and have fun anymore.
The message is awesome...the story is a bit dry for me. I would still recommend reading it though. You might like it better than I did and like I said, it made me want to be a better mother to my children and reminded me that it's ok to be a little childlike sometimes.

These is My Words

I had a rough start with this book, but once I got past the first part it turned out to be an excellent book!! It's a story based on the life of a pioneer woman named Sarah Agnes Prine from Arizona. Keep in mind that this is not a story about a Mormon Pioneer. It's a little strange when those are the stories that you are used to and this is not one of them. She lives a hard life yet has such strength and courage. I just loved her whole attitude through out the book of when things would go wrong she would just deal with it and move on and not sit there and have PMS (which in this case is referred to the Poor Me Syndrome-so named by my dad) and just takes care of business the best she can. It's a very inspiring book and you fall in love with the character. You fight with her, cry with her, love with her and go through her life. You can identify with Sarah on so many different levels and you feel like you really know her. It's a great book to read as a mom, and even if you're not to prepare you for things, and gain a change of attitude and a change of heart about the way you look at things. I read this for May's book club discussion and all the ladies just loved it. We got talking about "simpler times" and we wondered if any of us would have survived back then. Of course, we know the conveniences that we would be missing. We then talked about how spoiled we are now. ALL of us there were not rich, in fact, several of the husbands were out of a job and there was one lady there is recently going through a divorce. We are all in the same boat financially and the struggle of every day. This book made us realize that while we don't have a lot, we have more than they did in the pioneer days. Furniture, toys, books, clothes, shoes and what not. THEY built their houses and grew all of their food and hand washed everything and MADE all of their clothes and the list goes on and on. I think you get the point. It's a very humbling book. One lady at book club made such a valid point. If we got rid of all our crap that just seems to clutter up the home we would probably be happier. If we only had the bare minimum in clothes, toys, shoes, furniture, etc. we'd be able to live in a simpler time of sorts. I feel like I already have the bare minimum in somethings, but it defintely inspired me to come home and clean out all my crap! We talked about how a lot of us hold on to things that have sentimental value. Truthfully, everything you own is attached to some memory right? But we said that if you just throw it in a box, take that box to a charity or DI and drive away, you'll probably think about it the rest of the day and then wake-up completely forgetting about it right? I'm putting myself to that challenge because I am a MAJOR pack rat! Anyway, it's a really good book and I think you will all enjoy it. If any of you have read it I'd love to hear what you thought about it. Oh, and there is a sequel to this book it's called "Sarah's Quilt" I believe. Has anyone read it?

Mr. Darcy's Diary

I loved this book so much that I finished it in one day! I stayed up until about 3 am and finished it. It's Pride and Prejudice but from Mr. Darcy's perspective. It is an easy read and by that I mean that the language is easy. It's not as wordy as Jane Austen can be sometimes.
I know that I've read Pride and Prejudice before, but I think it was back in High School and then I've seen a few different versions of the movie. So, I really didn't remember what happened. I thought about reading Pride and Prejudice first, but I just didn't have the time. I'm working on 3 other books besides this one. Anyway, it's ok if you've never read the book Pride and Prejudice because this book is just fabulous and it made me want to read Pride and Prejudice all the more. As I read this book things started coming back to me.
I love the Victorian age and so I enjoy books set in that time. I don't, however, agree with how they viewed women and how the society was set-up. You start thinking "do people really think of themselves and others in that way?" Your worth was based upon your salary, your "accomplishments" (such as your talents-like music, art, writing-basically just things that you learned and did well), who your family was and what you did for a living. I was so glad that by the end of the book Mr. Darcy had learned what was really important and proved the point that "love conquers all."
This is a really romantic story and I recommend this to anyone and everyone! What a great way to spend my day...reading this amazing book. I'm definitely going to buy it and read it over and over again. I know that Stephenie Meyer was inspired by the book Pride and Prejudice when she wrote the Twilight series and it's easy to understand why.
Anyway I give this book a gazillion stars and I want you to read it!!!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

This is a really great series. Well, Ive actually only read the first book and I'm starting the second right now...but I really loved the first book. It's a great substitute for Harry Potter. It's about a boy who is living a really hard life and finds out that his father is an Greek God. It's full of Greek Mythology which I love! He has a special power and "magical" friends. I was hooked right from the get-go. I think there are 5 or 6 books and the last one just came out. I'm really excited to read all of them. It's by Rick Riordan and you should go check it out!