For a while I’ve been wanting to read Stolen. I can’t remember where I first learned about it, but I know it was another book blog. I read the description, then went to Amazon and saw it had a few glowing reviews and decided I needed to read it. But, it wasn’t due out in the US for a few months.

By some miracle I received an ARC for the US release (due this month) and started reading it straight away. From the first few pages I had high hopes it would be a smooth read. Right now I’m at the end of page 84 and all I can think is, Man this is a painfully slow read. (It took me hours to get that far.)

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because the writing or story are bad, but there’s just something about the unfolding of it all that’s stalling my reading. In other words, it’s not holding my attention in the least.

The story so far is about a girl named Gemma who, while is on a layover in Bangkok with her parents, meets and has coffee with a random strange man, and then she wakes up in the middle of nowhere Australia. Basically, she’s kidnapped and is trying to piece together what happened.

Indeed, the subject matter is rather disturbing, but I do love a good psychological study. For whatever reason, though, I’m just not feeling Gemma’s emotional distress. Sure, I can envision what she’s going through, the descriptions are clear and all, but it’s all so scattered it almost feels disingenuous. Maybe someone who’s read the book could clue me into what I’m missing.

I hate to say it, but I need to set this book aside and read something else. (This is the second time I’ve had to do this while reading this book.) There are a few books that have May publication dates, so I’ll probably start on one of those, but I’ll eventually come back to Stolen. I just hope it begins to pick up.

Update July 29, 2010: I’ve finally finished reading the book and have posted my review.

Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays…

Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
• Please avoid spoilers

This week’s teaser:

“I changed my clothes, finding a baggy T-shirt scrunched in the closet in the hall with the words SAVE THE EARTH, NOT YOURSELVES printed on it. It was loose enough not to hurt the burns too much.” pg. 196 Stolen by Lucy Christopher

When I first heard about this book I was certain I wanted to read it. From the synopsis and some early reviews, I was able to gather that it would be controversial in some way. I enjoy reading controversial novels, especially those that present a conundrum. Stolen does just that. From what I’ve gathered, it touches on the concept of Stockholm syndrome. And after reading the first few pages, it seems like it’s going to be a smooth read.

Title: wtf
Author: Peter Lerangis
ISBN: 978-1416913603
Story Length: 272 pages
Genre: Young Adult Action/Adventure

Back Cover of wtf

ONE PLAN, TWO PARTIES, SIX PLAYERS:

Jimmy: the driver
Cam: the connect
Byron: the know-it-all
Waits: the supplier
Reina: the conscience
MC: the crasher

On one Friday night these six will test their limits to the extreme. Some are driven by lust, others by greed. One just wants to have fun, and another desires to be free. If everything goes as planned, they all get what they want. But within twenty-four hours, bones will break, bodies will touch, hearts will race, guns will be drawn, and everything will go oh so very wrong.

Three Quick Points About wtf

• Point 1: Ultimate in mental junk food. It’s like a McD’s Big Mac with extra cheese and special sauce with bacon piled on top and no lettuce or pickles.
• Point 2: There’s no room to breathe. It felt like being trapped in the passenger seat of a high octane sports car with a brick on the accelerator.
• Point 3: Darkly comical. I laughed a few times, but I had to wonder whether or not I was supposed to and if it made me a bad person because I did.

Continue reading »

Title: Morpheus Road: The Light
Author: D. J. MacHale
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0438-0
Story Length: 344 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Psychological Horror

Back Cover of Morpheus Road: The Light

It begins with mysterious sounds, a fleeting face outside a window–all things that can be explained away. That is, until he comes face-to-face with a character who only exists on the pages of a sketchbook–a character Marshall himself created.

Marshall is quickly convinced these strange incidents have something to do with his best friend, Cooper, who has gone missing. Together with Cooper’s beautiful but aloof sister, Sydney, Marshall searches for the truth about his friend while ultimately uncovering a nightmare that is bigger and more frightening than he ever could have imagined.

Three Quick Points About Morpheus Road: The Light

• Point 1: More of a creepfest than a gorefest. Although I’d definitely place this book in the horror category, there’s a relatively small amount of blood and guts.
• Point 2: So. Much. Tension. It just didn’t stop. Right when you think all is well–BAM!–something else jumps out at you.
• Point 3: There’s a mystery begging to be solved. Too bad the second book isn’t out yet, because (and I can’t believe I’m going to say this…) OMG I can’t wait for it!

Continue reading »

Thanks to Jill at Breaking the Spine, I present another edition of Waiting on Wednesday…

Nomansland by Lesley Hauge is scheduled for publication June 22, 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

Sometime in the future, after devastating wars and fires, a lonely, windswept island in the north is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men.

When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there.  What are they to make of these mysterious things, which introduce a world they have never known? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs?

This description reads like something I could see as an episode of the Outer Limits (a show which I love and mourn the loss of as I watch old re-runs). Come to think of it, I believe I have seen an episode similar to this, but with grown people. Something tells me, if all is done well, I’m going to enjoy this book when it comes out.