Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

I was recommended to this book by a friend, and she warned me it was a bit intense.  It's written in YA style, but it deals with some pretty crazy issues.

The story is about a girl named Sky who meets a boy named Holden.  She is homeschooled by her mom (who also doesn't allow any kind of technology in the house) and decides to go to high school for her senior year.  She starts a relationship with Holden, and discovers more about herself as their relationship progresses.  It's not your normal "find yourself" type of relationship, as most of what she discovers pertains to her past.

It's a great story, but it deals with subjects such as abuse and isn't to be read lightly.  Definitely not your happy go lucky love story.  The book makes you think a lot about what you would do in a similar situation.  I can't say much about the situations without giving away the main story of the book.  The main character is your typical teenager, and she deals with situations like bullying, peer pressure, and boys.  That part of the story I think everyone can relate to, and it adds some interest to the storyline.  You really think THATS the main plot until you get further into the book and realize that something much deeper is going on.  Then, the story gets interesting :).  Worth a read, if you don't mind some dark issues.

<3, jacquie

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia

I saw a preview for a movie called "Beautiful Creatures" last week, and it looked like a good mix of Twilight and fantasy.  So I decided to read the book and see if it would be a movie I was intererested in.

The book is about a guy named Ethan, who has grown up in the South.  The way the book portrays the south, it's the stereotypical clique, Daughters of the American Revolution, small town vibe where you're either in or you're out.  It's a town where everyone knows everyone, so when Lena (the niece of the town shut in) shows up she's automatically an outcast.  Ethan realizes that he is tied to Lena, and starts to learn more about her mysterious family and what being a "caster" is about.  Legend has it on her 16th birthday, she will either be claimed for Light or for Dark, and it will change her life forever.

The storyline is a good idea with good promise.  It was a fun read, but there were parts of the story where it seemed like the plot just stopped making sense, or the author was trying to force connections between characters.  In the end, the plot almost ended up being too complicated by substories (and it's close to 600 pages, so there's plenty of time).  The main storyline was really good, although a bit confusing at the end.  And it left it open for more books to come, which is nice, because now I have a new series I can read :).  It would have been better if the author didn't try to put too many sub stories or secondary plot lines in the book.  The main story didn't need much extra decoration to be good.

As frustrating as that is, it seems like it's a common occurence for the first book in a series, because there's pressure to introduce everything about the characters that you want to discuss in later books.  Hopefully the second one is even better!

<3, jacquie

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

Well, first I made the biggest mistake ever finishing this book over lunch at work.  Seriously the first time I thought I would break down in tears, at my desk, within hearing distance of co-workers.

The main story covers two high school sweethearts who are brought back to their hometown for a funeral.  Amanda grew up with a wealthier family, and Dawson was from the wrong side of town.  The story has them rediscovering their love for each other, despite all the reasons they should stay apart.

Overall, I really liked this book.  The story line is difficult, because you're torn between what you want, what you have, and what your responsibility is.  It's a good example of how there are different kinds of love, and that family means everything.  The best part of the book is the fact that it will illicit different reactions from different people, depending on their views.  Should she be with the man she loves?  Should she keep her marriage together for the sake of their kids?  Questions I hope I never have to answer. 

One of my favorite reasons for reading Nicholas Sparks is there seems to be 3-4 stories going on at the same time in each book, yet at the end he weaves them all into one and you realize that they were connected the entire time.  It makes for a great story, as well as that great "ah-ha" moment everyone loves when they're reading.  If you love Nicholas Sparks, and you love a good story with romance, action, and some suspense, you'll love this book.

<3, jacquie

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Just finished reading this book.  Very much not the kind of book I normally read, but really interesting.  A friend loved the movie and gave me the DVD to watch last week.  I have a rule where I HAVE to read the book before I watch the movie.  It drives Kyle crazy, because we will see a trailer for a movie he wants to see, and as soon as he sees the "Based on the novel by" he knows that he has to wait.  Sad for him.

It was a quick start, slow middle, then huge crazy ending.  For awhile in the middle of the story I got somewhat bored with the plot, since there was some character development but not a lot of overall drive to the story line.  Then something happened with about 20% to go in the book, and it was a roller coaster until the end.  The story itself makes you think a lot about death and dying, and what happens after.  I liked the idea that people that leave us aren't far away, and we can talk to them and they will hear us.  The main character plays a "guardian angel" type role, and it gives me comfort to think that someone somewhere could be watching over me.  Overall, good read, but you need patience to get through the slow parts.

<3, jacquie

Favorites

Picking my favorites is much harder than I thought it would be.  Besides number 1, these are in no particular order.

1 - The Client by John Grisham - this was really the first big/long mystery book I read.  It was reccommended to me by my Grandpa, who I realize now I modeled my style after.  It was the book that got me hooked on mysteries and reading in general.

2 - The Harry Potter series - why pick one when they're all badass?
3 - The Lorax - first book that was read to me by my parents when I was young.  I used to be able to recite it word for word, and I cried like a nerd when I saw the Lorax section at Universal Studios.  I was 20 years old at the time.
4 - The Hunger Games series - once again, all badass.  Got me hooked on dystopian novels again.
5 - Les Miserables - REALLY long but a great read.  Combined with the score written, also my favorite musical.
6 - 1st to Die by James Patterson - I like the entire series, but this was the first Patterson book I read and it got me hooked on his series.  I've read all his other books to date, usually in one sitting.
7 - 50 Shades of Grey series - don't judge.  They're pretty good.
8 - Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle - great book, great author.
9 - The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker - my first Christian Fiction read.  The stories were great individually but incredible all together.
10 - The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - by far my favorite Sparks book.  Mostly because the main character lets out her feelings through the piano, and I know what it's like to have emotions that you can't escape until you sit down at the keys.
11 - The Help by Kathryn Stockett - great book.  Hard to read at times, and even more frustrating to realize that it probably isn't far from the truth. 
12 - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - this book was crazy.  It had one of those endings that takes you by surprise, and you want to turn around and tell someone (but you can't because they probably have no idea what you're talking about).  I also liked that she doesn't write stories that always have happy endings.  But the endings do NOT disappoint.
13 - Redemption by Stacey Lannert - true story about a girl who murdered her father to escape abuse and went to prison.  Great story about someone turning their life around.
14 - A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer - I still remember the way I felt when I read this book as a kid.  Sadness, but mostly perspective that your life is not that bad, and the problems you think are extreme are really so minute in the scheme of things.  A hard read, but an eye opening read.
15 - Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane - a book with a crazy twist.  Loved it, so glad I read it before the movie came out.

Definitely not an exhaustive list, but this should give you an idea of the types of books I read.  Narrowing it down wasn't easy haha.  More to come.

<3, jacquie

New Beginnings

So, I read pretty constantly.  It's safe to say that piano and books are my main obessions.  So this blog will be about the books I read, and allow me to vent what I think after each one.  It will be more cathartic than anything, but I love views and comments, especially if you know of something I would like!  I wanted a post to get everything started, and soon I'll post a list of my favorite books, recent to old.  So stay tuned.

<3, jacquie