My Reading Life

For now I'm just trying this out. A new place to keep track of what I'm reading, when I'm reading, what I want to read, and what I'm thinking about it all. I had to find something else now that Amazon will own Goodreads.

The Living Dead

The Living Dead - John Joseph Adams, George R.R. Martin, Clive Barker, Robert Silverberg, Stephen King, Norman Partridge, Neil Gaiman, Lisa Morton, Nancy Holder, Harlan Ellison, Kater Cheek, Catherine Cheek, Hannah Wolf Bowen, David Tallerman, Will McIntosh, David Barr Kirtley, Scott Edel A great book for anyone who loves zombie stories. I was impressed with the scope of the stories, everything from the typical fortified gated school with a few survivors, to an "Our Town" for a zombie world. A man surviving in the archival vault of a library, to a corporation charging to bring back people's loved ones (and charging even more to get rid of them once you realize the mistake you've made). With stories from Sherman Alexie, Clive Barker, Joe Hill, Laurell K. Hamilton, Stephen King, George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, and many others, there's such a huge variety. It's also a great chance to test out some great authors' writings if there was someone you were thinking of reading, and want to see what their style is like. So many of these stories will stick with me, I'm sure (I know, because it took me over a year to finish it, and I still remember the ones I read in the beginning), and I know I will pick it up again and again to reread things. A good one to have on the shelf.

Shatter (Joseph O'Loughlin)

Shatter - Michael Robotham Wow, I finished this book about fifteen minutes ago and had no idea until I just pulled it up to add it here that it was the third in a series involving this character. I'm glad I didn't know because I would have missed out on a really good story. I really liked the characters and will definitely be going back to read the first two!

Timeless Innocents

Timeless Innocents - Janis Susan May At only 81 pages this was a good creepy little story. Having read quite a lot in this genre, I had a feeling pretty early on that I knew what was going to happen, and I wasn't wrong. However, it's so well done that I didn't care. It was almost like knowing made the journey even better. Like when you're watching that scary movie and the girl is walking through the house or the woods looking for her friends k you know something is going to jump out at her, you're preparing yourself for that moment, yet when it finally happens, you still respond with that sharp intake of air.

Six Feet Under: Better Living Through Death

Six Feet Under: Better Living Through Death - I love the format of this book. I'm nervous about reading it, however, because I've only seen the first season of six feet under and I don't want to come across any spoilers...

The Submission: A Novel

The Submission - Amy Waldman Despite a very good ending, I didn't enjoy this book. The premise was very interesting, and I wanted to like it, which is the reason I continued reading, but I didn't like or care about any of the characters. Their motivations were weak and inconsistant.I have more thoughts on this, but that's about all I'm willing to do on a mobile device.

Erebos: It's a game. It watches you.

Erebos - Judith Pattinson, Ursula Poznanski A very fun read. I would definitely recommend this book to those teens I know who love video games and m maybe don't read very much.

How to Make a Golem (and Terrify People)

How to Make a Golem and Terrify People - Alette J. Willis Good to read to kids before bed.

Starters

Starters - Lissa Price So good! I would recommend this book to all of my friends who enjoyed Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games et. al. In a world where a dangerous bio-weapon has wiped out the entire population of people between the ages of 20 and 80, and where those 80+ Enders have all the power (under 20's, Starters, cannot vote and "unclaimed minors" are institutionalized), Starters are forced to live on the streets, running for their lives and scavenging for everything. One girl, Callie, in an effort to save her young, sickly brother, makes the difficult decision to rent her body out to Enders who are willing to pay substatially to be young again for a while. Of course, something goes terribly wrong and Callie is in danger. It's a wild ride.Some people may say that this novel borrows many things from Collins' world. I, however, found it inventive and intriguing. I also say to them, go read "Running Man" by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman), "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, and "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, and then tell me how original Suzanne Collins' ideas really were.(*Please note that I loved "Hunger Games" and mean no disrespect to Ms. Collins, I'm just pointing out that there really is nothing new under the sun*)

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer So good but so sad. Loved the format and writing style. Will definitely be reading more Foer.

When She Woke

When She Woke - Hillary Jordan I loved this novel. Again, like most books these days, the end was a bit disappointing, but just because it didn't make me go wow. The rest of the story, however, did. It was paced nicely and dealt with a lot of issues that are important today. It's not difficult at all to see how our current society could easily become this world. I think that's the most effective and frightening type of distopian literature. Towards the end of the book, there was an event, a choice made by the main character, Hannah, that didn't feel in keeping with her character or the novel. It didn't take away from the story, really, but it was a bit jarring. I also would have liked more of a journey in the last part of the book. It felt a bit short, but maybe that's just all the Stephen King I've been reading...

Bond Girl: A Novel

Bond Girl - Erin Duffy A fun, entertaining read...until the last chapter. I was very disappointed in the ending, and that's a bad way to be. I suppose that's not entirely the truth. I was happy with what happened in the last chapter, but it shouldn't have been the end of the story. I like things to wrap up, and this didn't. I want to know what happens next, and I don't think it's the first in a series.

All Fall Down

All Fall Down - Megan Hart A very strange book about a girl and her three children who leave a compound the night before everyone "drinks the rainbow to go through the gates". She has nothing but some hastily packed rags a few dollars, and a slip of paper with the address of a father whom she's never met. She and her children live with him and his wife and the story of these two worlds colliding unfolds. An interesting take on what it would be like to be the only survivor of a mass suicide.

In One Person: A Novel

In One Person - John Irving When I think of John Irving, I think mostly of A Prayer for Owen Meany and The World According to Garp. This book had many similar elements to both of those books. I was afraid at first that perhaps Irving was merely recycling bits and pieces of these two stories to make a new novel and almost stopped reading. Then I thought about how much I loved both Garp and Owen, and how horrible would it be to read something else similar to them? So I kept reading. I'm glad that I did. The story was a moving one, but lacked the depth or twists in both Owen and Garp. However, is it fair to compare? Is it fair to expect every one of Irving's new novels to be as incredible as those other two? I don't think so. If I didn't know this was an Irving novel when I was reading it, I would have loved it. (*I also probably would have been disgusted by the author trying to imitate Irving, because it is clearly his writing*).Overall an enjoyable read, but I wish he had fleshed out the middle a bit more, and the ending was not superb. It had the too tidy feel of an author who has decided he's done writing so just does a little "and this is what happened to everyone" chapter.

Jesse's Christmas

Jesse's Christmas - RJ Scott A fast-paced political sci-fi thriller? Yes, indeed. I was a bit confused in the beginning, and figured that that was the nature of the beast and things would work themselves out. Only later did I realize this is the third, and final, book in a series. I wish I had known before I began. By the time I realized it, I was too far in to just stop and go back. Overall, however, an enjoyable read with a fantastic ending.

The Stranger You Seek: A Novel

The Stranger You Seek - Amanda Kyle Williams There were quite a lot of things about this novel that reminded me of the Janet Evanovich series. Keye Street is quite a lot like Stephanie Plum. She's a divorced woman, she does some bond retrieval work, she has the same kind of attitude about a lot of things. But she's smarter, doesn't rely on luck or men as much, used to work for the FBI in behavioral analysis and is dealing with serious life issues in a realistic way. The story was compelling and the characters were interesting. As I was reading, I was absolutely certain that I knew what was going to happen. I knew what was coming and I hated it. But man, I was so wrong! Just when I thought I knew how it was going to end, the world was turned upside down. I also feel compelled to add that this is the first in the Keye Street series, so things don't get entirely wrapped up in the end, which left me feeling a little let down, but the journey to get there was fun and surprising. I'll definitely be reading book number two.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, Book 1)

The Hunger Games - Suzanne  Collins Amazing. Smash together your favorite Shirley Jackson (assuming, of course, that your favorite is The Lottery...as it should be) with the best of Ray Bradbury, and you've got the Hunger Games. Sorry I waited so long to read it.

Currently reading

Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time, #11)
Robert Jordan
Other Worlds Than These
John Joseph Adams, Alastair Reynolds, George R.R. Martin, Christie Yant, Stephen Baxter, Lev Grossman, Stephen King, Paul Melko, Gregory Benford, Jeff VanderMeer, Mercurio D. Rivera, Seanan McGuire, Ross E. Lockhart, John R. Fultz, E. Catherine Tobler, David Barr Kirtle
The Baker's Daughter
Sarah McCoy
The Cove
Ron Rash
Stephen King Illustrated Companion Manuscripts, Correspondence, Drawings, and Memorabilia from the Master of Modern Horror
Bev Vincent
Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Ray Bradbury
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath
The Dark Half
Stephen King
The Cove: A Novel
Ron Rash