Book Reviews by Today, I Read…

It’s safe to say that I’m not the world’s best Twilight saga fan because I didn’t even realize there was a scandal about leaked chapters of an upcoming book until recently. In fact, I didn’t even know there was going to be another book.

What I did know was there was a movie due out in December 2008. While waiting to see The Dark Knight, the trailer for Twilight came on and it looked interesting… Continue reading »

A few weeks ago, I started seeing the preview for a movie due out in Oct. called Blindness. As soon as I saw it, instinct told me it was based on the awesome book of the same name penned by Jose Saramago despite the preview not mentioning it. Continue reading »

OK. So, it seems that I was slightly more affected by the let down of Nightlife than I thought. Although Moonshine, book 2 in the Cal Leandros series, had been sitting on my bookshelf for roughly a month, I’ve put off reading it.

My original intention was to snatch it up and consume it the moment I’d finished Nightlife. That’s a trend with me: I did it with Patricia Brigg’s Mercy Thompson series and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga and a few others. It seems rather natural to flow from one book in a series to the next. Unfortunately, I felt no yearning to pick up Moonshine (although it was quite literally sitting next to me) after finishing Nightlife.

Fast forward a couple weeks and here I am deciding that I might as well get it over with. (Not exactly the best mental attitude to have, I know.) In fact, I was feeling rather hopeful. New circumstances, more mature character development, and a clean slate. It could only get better, right? (Cue the cackling.)

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From the Back Cover of Coraline

When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there’s another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Coraline will have to fight with all her wits and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.

Three Quick Points About Coraline

• Point 1: This book is absolutely riveting. Who knew I’d ever use the term riveting to describe a short novel penned for third-graders?
• Point 2: I’m sure some children will wind up with nightmares after reading it (or having it read to them). I can’t deny that I’m a huge fan of horror and creepy stories; my library as a youth (and even today) tells this tale. But, reading Coraline definitely sent a few chills up my spine…more so than some of the adult novels I’ve read.
• Point 3: Coraline is a splendid reminder that we (children and adults alike) are all capable of great courage. Coraline has a real child’s personality–not some fantasized version of one–which made her courageous adventures incredibly relatable. I was able to see much of myself, when I was a child, in her and watching her dig deep to find her courage made me want to dig deep and rediscover my own.

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From the Back Cover of Can You Keep a Secret?

Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:

Secrets from her boyfriend:
I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.

Secrets from her mother:
I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur

Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world:
I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.

Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger…. Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her…

Three Quick Points About Can You Keep a Secret?

• Point 1: Emma Corrigan bears a striking resemblance to Bridget Jones–not necessarily in appearance, but personality, deed and sheer life circumstances.
• Point 2: This book redefines the statement laugh out loud funny. From beginning to end, I found myself pausing to have a good belly laugh at some of the antics and situations in which Emma found herself.
• Point 3: The British quips and expressions were rather charming from my Americanized viewpoint. Although I’m still not entirely certain what a jumper is, am still unsure whether snogging is kissing or having sex, and it took me a few pages to recognize that having a row meant having an argument, I found reading through it all added to the amusement.

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