Book Reviews by Today, I Read…

From the Back Cover of Nightlife

There are monsters among us. There always have been and there always will be. I’ve known that since I can remember, just like I’ve always known I was one…

…Well, half of one, anyway.

Welcome to the Big Apple. There’s a troll under the Brooklyn Bridge, a boggle in Central Park, and a beautiful vampire in a penthouse on the Upper East Side—and that’s only the beginning. Of course, most humans are oblivious to the preternatural nightlife around them, but Cal Leandros is only half human.

His father’s dark lineage is the stuff of nightmares–and he and his entire otherworldly race are after Cal. Why? Cal hasn’t exactly wanted to stick around long enough to find out.

He and his half brother, Niko, have managed to stay a step ahead for four years, but now Cal’s dad has found them again. And Cal is about to learn why they want him, why they’ve always wanted him: He is the key to unleashing their hell on earth. The fate of the human world will be decided in the fight of Cal’s life….

Three Quick Points About Nightlife

• Point 1: If you were to remove all the adjectives and adverbs from the book, it would probably shrink by about 60 pages. Being a lover of adjectives and adverbs, it pains me to say this, but there’s a limit to their use. They should be treated like a fine and potent spice–use only as much as necessary or the entire dish could be spoiled.
• Point 2: This Cal character is a sardonically wonderful guy. The novel got heavy at times and it felt like trudging through mud, but the twisted humor injected through Cal’s voice certainly helped to balance it out.
• Point 3: What happened to the climax? The build up is good, the tension is there, and you’re poised, ready to see what dark and ominous creatures spring forth to tear the main characters into shreds, and then…wha…that’s it?

Continue reading »

Despite trying to be good about not binging on more books, I had to snag a copy of Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron when I saw the adorable kitty on the front cover. I remember hearing about Dewey somewhere else (which escapes me at the moment), but it wasn’t until I saw it within my grasp that I decided to pick up a copy. My reasoning was that I would read it after I finished the book of the moment. Unfortunately it didn’t take long for that plan to go straight to pot.

The book was sitting there, too close to me, calling out to me and those big kitty eyes on the front cover begged me to crack the spine and just read a little. How was I to resist? Well, I couldn’t. And a little bit turned into about six chapters. Quite frankly, those first six chapters were enough to get me to shelf my book of the moment so I can finish reading Dewey. I probably would have finished it last night if I didn’t actually need to sleep. Continue reading »

From the back cover of Literacy and Longing in L.A.:

In a wickedly funny and sexy literary debut, we meet the beguiling, beautiful Dora, whose unique voice combines a wry wit and vulnerability as she navigates the road between reality and fiction. Dora, named for Eudora Welty, is an indiscriminate book junkie – from Tolstoy to Twin, from Flaubert to bodice rippers – whose life has fallen apart. She’s coping with a painful separation from her husband, scraping the bottom of a dwindling inheritance, and attracted to an aspiring playwright who seems to embody all that literature has to offer – intelligent ideas, romance, and an escape from her problems.

Joining Dora in her odyssey is an assortment of memorable characters, including an elderly society hair-brusher, a heartbroken young girl, a hilarious off-the-wall female teamster, and Dora’s apologetic mother, an ex-alcoholic now on the wagon, trying to make amends. Along the way, Dora faces some powerful choices. Between two irresistible men. Between idleness and work. And most of all between the joy of well-chosen words and the untidiness of real people and real life.”

Ms. Bookish’s Quick Take:

Shortly after I finished reading Literacy and Longing in L.A., as I was rummaging around in one of my to-be-read piles, I discovered another, pristine, copy of the book, which goes to show the idea behind it really appealed to me. My quick take? This is one of those books where I didn’t want the story to end – I wanted to follow Dora as she moved into a new era of her life. If you love books, feel like you’re in heaven the moment you step into a bookstore or a library, and you love funny, quirky and literate protagonists, this book is a Must Read, worth five stars here at Today I Read. Continue reading »

A few weeks ago, while packing up to leave class, a book fell out of my backpack. Emblazoned on the front cover was the Oprah Winfrey book club logo. A friend, having seen the items falling, bent down to help me and before he touched the book, he drew his hand back and grimaced. Continue reading »

While I haven’t yet finished reading all the titles from my last book binge, I did manage to float my way through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Nightlife (read review), Faeries, The Fantasy Illustrator’s Technique Book, and Hell Beasts. Yeah, I’m not sure why I even bothered to separate them into lists because I’m reading them out of order.

But, moving right along, I’ve been splurging on more books again. (Hmm, it really looks like I need to do more reviewing and less splurging. Not to worry, I have a few reviews that I need to polish and I’ll get them online.) So, without further ado, here is a list of the new titles added to my personal library: Ogle my library additions