I Applaud You Kate Brian

So, I finished reading Privilege the first book in Kate Brian's Privilege series, and I have to say I'm impressed. To take a character like Ariana Osgood, who is a convicted murderer, and turn her into a character that you can totally relate to, is impressive. Even after she kills again, and you discover that the girl she murdered was completely innocent, you still want her to succeed and get the life she wants. How is that possible? Well, to put it simply, Kate Brian gives Ariana a foe who is even more cold-blooded than she is! I'm definitely going to read the next book in this series. I have to know if Ariana is going to face down her foe again. Now I've begun reading something totally different: Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. I've only read about 20 pages so far, but I already like it. It's a bit of a surprise to me actually, classic literature and I do not usually get along. (i.e. Jane Austen)

Yeah, so, I cried

I should know better than to read a Nicholas Sparks book without a tissue handy. I think I've cried every time I've read one of his books, and At First Sight was no exception. This book picks up where his novel True Believer left off, and it is a humdinger. I don't think Nicholas Sparks knows how to write a happy book. I was in tears for about the last 50 pages or so. (Maybe less, I'm not exactly sure where all the sad started to happen). I won't spoil the book for any of you that haven't read it yet, just know that you need several tissues handy. If you need a good cry, a Nicholas Sparks book is always a safe bet. So, onto the next book, which I've already read the first chapter of. It is Privilege by Kate Brian. It is the first book in the Privilege series that follows the adventures of Ariana Osgood, who was a character in Kate Brian's Private series before she was shipped off to a correctional facility for the murder of a classmate. It's strange to be inside this girl's head. She is most assuredly not right in the head. She feels justified in her murder of Thomas and feels that he made her kill him. So, yeah, she's psycho. Anyway, I'm sure this book won't take me long to read either. Though, I am going to the movies with my friends tonight, so reading more will have to wait until tomorrow.

Still Speed Reading

I finished Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied last night. Again, it took me less than 24 hours to finish this book. The book took a little while to get off the ground. It felt like it took forever for anything to happen. It was a very interesting book, but it wasn't necessarily a happy ending. I did like the period the book was set in. It was a very interesting time in America right after WWII. The book takes on some hard hitting issues: adultery, sexual assault, racial segregation, religious segregation, blackmail, murder. It's not a very active book, but it is good. My next book is At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks. I haven't started reading it yet, but I will some time today.

Speed Reading

I finished reading The Coffin Club yesterday. It took me less than 24 hours to read that book. I knew it wouldn't take me long. It wasn't a very long book to begin with. Only 170-something pages. It was good, but definitely the weakest effort in the series so far. It wasn't bad enough to make me stop reading the series or anything. I've already started reading a new book What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. So far, so good. I'm only on page 70, but it seems pretty good. It's not a book about the supernatural. I'm not entirely sure what the book is really about yet. I think it's leading up to a possible murder. I'm not sure, but there is something fishy going on. I like that this is a period book. It takes place right after WWII, so it kind of reminds me of when I was little reading the American Girl Molly books.

The Mammoth is Dead!

I finished The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance this morning! There were a few interesting stories in there. One story used something in the mythology that I've never seen anyone else consider. This story said that vampires lose their memories at the beginning of every new year. They remember their human lives up until the time they were changed, but they lose their vampire memories at the beginning of every new year and that is what keeps them from aging. I thought that was an interesting idea. The last story in the book was severely disturbing...I'm not even gonna talk about it. So, since I'm done with that book, I have moved on to the next in my stack. It is part of the Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber. It is book number 5 The Coffin Club. These books are always really easy to read and I've enjoyed the first 4 books very much, so I'm looking forward to reading this one. In other news, I graduated college this past Saturday and my in-laws gave me a superb graduation present. They got me a signed copy of The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall. There is an amazing book store in Oxford called Square Books and they sell signed copies of a lot of different books. BEST PRESENT EVER!

I Can't Say

So, I've been reading The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance which is basically a collection of short stories about vampires. I've read about 5 or 6 of the short stories so far, and I have to admit I really can't say much about them. Why? Well, because I don't actually remember them. I guess that means that I don't think they're very good stories because I usually have a fantastic memory when it comes to reading comprehension. There was one about an anthropology professor that studied vampires, but other than that, I don't really remember the plots of the other stories. That's kind of sad. I'll probably make a sizeable dent in the book this weekend. I'm headed up to Oxford for my brother-in-law's graduation from law school, and I won't be driving, so I'll have some prime reading time on the way there and back. Thankfully, I've never been one of those people who get car sick when they read. I used to take a book with me anytime I was in a car for more than 15 minutes. Of course, I can't always do that these days since I end up driving myself more often than not. Anyway, plenty of time to read this weekend!

A Little Trashy Romance

I finished The Gatecrasher this morning before lunch. I have to say, I'm surprised I finished it that quickly. It was very good, though. The characters were very well developed and you really felt like each character went on a specific journey. Some might find the end of the book unsatisfying, but I would disagree. I think that the author made a smart choice in ending it the way she did. It ended in a very good place for the characters.
I also started a new book today. I have only read a few pages so far. It is a collection of short stories called The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance. Why am I reading this? Well, in my opinion, everyone needs a little trashy romance now and then. It's just a bit of fluff to read for the moment. As I've said before, I enjoy reading all kinds of books, even slightly trashy romance. :p