Disis19 Hearts...

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill My rating: 4 of 5 stars It's been a few hours since I've finished the book and still have no idea what to say about it.This was a very interesting read, and my first from Joe Hill. I started this on audiobook, but around the halfway point I had to switch to ebook because listening to the vulgar language bothered my ears. Listening to vulgar language is a very different experience for me than reading it and I found that listening to it was taking away from my enjoyment of this story. I am very glad that I switched over because if I hadn't, I might've had to put this book aside. We start with Vic at seven or eight years old and her first experience with The Shorter Way Bridge. After this initial meeting, we always skip past a few years before we meet up with Vic again, until she grows into an adult. I think the next time we catch up with her is when she's 12, then 17 and so forth. Each time we meet back up with Vic, things have h...

Edgewise by Graham Masterton My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was my first Graham Masterton novel and I really enjoyed it! The story was very fluid and easy to read. I really like how it ended as well. I did not agree with how Lily went about things at times, but I can understand her reasoning behind it. All in all, a great read and I am looking forward to reading other books by this author in the future. View all my reviews

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry My rating: 5 of 5 stars Zombie books are not usually something I gravitate towards. Before this, the only other book I read about Zombies was Warm Bodies, which I liked but didn't love. This book, however was quite a nice surprise! The world building was awesome and watching the relationship between our main character Benny and his brother Tom grow, was just heartwarming. This is so much more than a book about Zombies. There's a little mystery, a little teenage romance, and great action scenes. So glad I came across this unexpected gem and am looking forward to further adventures without cast of characters. View all my reviews

Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles My rating: 4 of 5 stars Listened to this on audiobook from Hoopla through my library. This reminded me a lot of Charlaine Harris' Aurora Teagarden series, especially with the realtor aspect of the story. I do think this was a bit more enjoyable though. There were several times where I found myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue. There were a few things that I did not enjoy though. The narrator sounded almost computer generated during much of the story, which bothered me a bit. **Spoiler (highlight to view) [ I personally thought that Violet should be stronger disciplining her children, especially her daughter who seemed to defy her at every turn and was persistently asking why she couldn't do something. And last but not least, Violet's co-worker who constantly harassed her. No one did anything to stop him or say anything, and she didn't do anything more than flip him the bird. I'm hoping that ...

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi My rating: 4 of 5 stars I haven't decided if his is a solid 4 stars or 3.5 stars, but since I round up my ratings, I suppose it doesn't really matter. This book was slow going for me until after the 50% mark. I found Juliette weak and whiny up until that mark as well. Such a let down after how strong I perceived her to be in the first book. The romantic elements were so over the top, they were unbelievable. It did offer the opportunity for some good banter on it though with the person I buddy read this with. That being said, after the 50% mark the story flew for me. I did really enjoy it and ended up absorbing the last half in a few hours. My favorite character is still Kenji. He just says what needs to be said and had some great lines/speeches throughout the story. I'm still not sold on Adam or Warner. At this point, I am looking forward to seeing how the story ends, but I hope that the end does not hold disappointment for...

1st to Die by James Patterson My rating: 3 of 5 stars My first read by James Patterson. I enjoyed this, but I think if I hadn't watched the TV show before I started reading the series I would've enjoyed this book more. I was surprised with how short the chapters were and it gave me the illusion that the story was just flying by. The case did keep my interest and I will be continuing with the series. View all my reviews

Once Haunted, Twice Shy by H.P. Mallory My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have to say that I enjoyed the first book more than this one. In this installment, there wasn't the excitement or suspense I felt with the first one and I wasn't as drawn in to the story. This one was heavier in the romance and relationship departments and I was a little let down by the end. Still a fun listen though. View all my reviews

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket My rating: 3 of 5 stars Really enjoyed the multi-voice cast, including Tim Curry, Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep, and Jude Law. The sound effects were interesting as well, though at times, I thought it took away or even over shadowed the narration. I did actually read the physical copy several years ago and watched the movie rendition, so I'm interested to finally continue this series soon. View all my reviews

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this! I was familiar with the premise of A Thousand and One Nights before diving in, but have not actually read it. I did start this on audio and am very thankful I did, as it helped with pronunciation of names and terms. I also had Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov playing in the background while reading, which really helped create an ambiance for the novel. Of course the question is why the wives are killed each night, but I figured out part of the reason very early on in the story. That did not detract from my enjoyment of this story though, and I think the full reveal was perfect. Also I think there might be a misconception that our male lead is a villain, though I feel it's clearly stated on the book jacket that he is not what he seems. One thing that I do have issue with is that I did not realize this was going to be the first in a series going in! That being said, I don't ...

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn My rating: 2 of 5 stars Finally....I am finally finished with this book. It was almost two months of aggravation and attempted avoidance on my part to finally get here. I am trying very hard not to give this book 1 star, but I don't think I can go any higher than 1.5 stars. I do round up on my ratings, so 2 stars it is. I think if I didn't enjoy crime shows or stories, this would've appealed to me more, but throughout this book there were a lot of verbals on my part while reading/listening (none of which were nice). The only character I enjoyed was Go. I thought Nick had some redeeming qualities toward the end, but I can't stand Amy. I don't even know if I want to watch the movie now that I know how this unfolds. Unfortunately because of my experience with this book, I don't know if I want to try another one of Gillian Flynn's books....ever. At this point I would say that if I do, it will be a very, very long...

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi My rating: 5 of 5 stars Now I know what all the fuss was about. This book was great. In the beginning, I was a little concerned with how I would get on with it. The descriptions were beautiful but I was constantly skipping the sentences and phrases that were struck out and would have to remind myself to go back and re-read it before moving forward. I did enjoy what was in those places though, as I thought it gave great insight to what Juliette was really thinking. This was a very fast, entertaining read and I appreciate that it did not have a cliffhanger ending. Can't wait to delve into the next one. View all my reviews

It has been a while since I finished a book that wasn't a manga! This review is for the audiobook version. Goodreads is not posting it to my blog as I believe there are a few technical issues, so below is the review I left on there for this book:. I gave this 2 stars but I would say this was more like a 2.5 star read for me. The additional half star would definitely come from the last 10% of the book.  This was a VERY slow listen for me. I've listened to the audio version of the first and second installments as well, but this one just grated on my nerves. I found Luce to be very whiny. I think if I had read it on a page, it wouldn't have irritated me as much as it did listening to it. I believe it also says something when you're listening to a book and you're constantly saying out loud "You're an idiot!" (in regards to Luce) LOL. I did that a lot during this listen unfortunately.  Once Luce got over her insecurities about Daniel's love fo...

So, here we are with another combined review. I've continued the theme of "finishing series I've started a long time ago" with these two books. As with the Wonderous Strange Trilogy, I read the first installment of this series, The Summoning  in 2010. The first book I did enjoy, but was not in a rush to complete the series when I was done. I found these books on Scribd as audiobooks recently and jumped back into it. At first, the narrator did not agree with me one bit. I had even put myself on the waitlist at the library for an e-book copy of  The Awakening  because it bothered me so much. I ended up trudging through while I was waiting and by time I was near the end of the second installment, I was okay with the narrator. The Awakening  was enjoyable but I did not find it to be as good as the first and third installments.It may also have to do with a certain character that irritated me (Tori). For a good portion of this book, the characters are on t...

I finished these two books recently, and instead of doing separate reviews, I thought I would combine them. I listened to the entire series on audiobook, which was narrated by the author. I listened to the first installment,  Wondrous Strange , in 2011 and did not continue reading the series until last month. I am not usually one to start a series unless all the books are out (or close to being out) and I have access to all the books. I admit that I do not do well with cliffhangers and having to wait. I am the same way with my Korean Dramas. This was a rare situation for me as, I had only access to the first installment at the time I started the series.I liked the first book and the ending did not leave me with an urgent need to seek out the next installment, which was great considering my situation. I found that the series was available on Scribd recently and I decided to finish it.  As with the first book,  Darklight was also enjoyable.Nothing specific to p...

A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thought I should read this one before the Hallmark Movie comes out on April 4. I believe I read the first book in this series, Real Murders , about 6 years ago which made some of the references to that story a little hard to remember. That being said, I did not find this installment as enjoyable as I remember the first installment being. It does makes me wonder why they decided to turn this story into the Hallmark Movie and not Real Murders , unless they have already made that movie and I just don't know about it? This was an easy read for me and though I gave it 3 stars, it was probably more of a 2.5 star rating for me. Some of the choices Aurora makes in this one had me shaking my head, but I will not go into detail as to avoid spoilers. I will continue reading this series as I do own a few more of them, but I do not feel the urge to jump into the next novel right away. PopSugar Reading Challenge 2015: A bo...

Insurgent by Veronica Roth My rating: 4 of 5 stars Finished in time to see the movie! I enjoyed this installment, but the trust issues had me shaking my head throughout this one. I am weary about the end of this series. Why do I get the distinct feeling that I'm going to be disappointed with it like I was after I finished Mockingjay? That being said, I'm not sure if I'm going to dive right into the final book, or wait until after I see this movie to do so. PopSugar Reading Challenge 2015: A book with more than 500 pages, check! View all my reviews

This is the first book in a new series by Jeaniene Frost. As per every other book I've consumed by this author, I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Tavia Gilbert. Categorized as Young Adult, I would personally categorize it New Adult instead. This story about Angels, Demons, and Destiny was enjoyable for me.  You can go to Goodreads  to read a summary of the book.  I thought the concept was interesting, as I have not yet read many other books with this type of theme, though I know there are several out there. As I finished this audiobook, I was reminded of the reason I don't start series before they're done or nearly done, because now I have to wait to find out what happens next!  Tavia Gilbert's narration is excellent as usual.  If you haven't listened to any audiobooks narrated by her, I highly recommend you check her out.  Of course, I also recommend Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Novels if you're interested in books about Vampires and...

The classic tale of Cinderella with a cyborg twist and a deadly disease running rampant. I started Cinder last year and just wasn't getting into it. This is the book I put on the side and then didn't read anything else for the rest of the year. I decided to pick it up again, and finished it in a day! Maybe it was just the story set-up that was boring to me?  Once I got into more about the disease and the Evil Queen, the pages flew by. You still have your expected cast of characters, with the addition of the Doctor (well, maybe he's the Fairy Godmother?) and her robot friend Iko (maybe the equivalent of Gus Gus if I had to guess).  The land where this story takes place wasn't as fleshed out as I needed it to be. I couldn't really imagine where New Beijing was. In my mind I was in a land that was a mix of Star Wars and Agrabah (I say Agrabah because every time the Prince showed up in the Marketplace to talk to Cinder, I pictured him as Aladdin incognito.  I ...

I mentioned that When brought me out of my reading rut. So much so that I jumped right into this other new book by the same author! No Ghouls Allowed  is the 9th installment in Victoria Laurie's Ghost Hunter Series.  You would think that with series of this length, things start to become less interesting than they were when you first started the series, but that is completely not the case here. I really enjoy this series, not only for the spooks we are introduced to, but the places and of course, our Ghost Hunters.   This installment takes place in Valdosta, Georgia which is MJ and Gilley's hometown. Our Ghost Hunters are supposed to be taking a break from their job, but when MJ's father's fiancé mentions that she's been having strange occurrences at the mansion she has bought and is now trying to renovate, MJ offers to take a look. It becomes apparent that this spook has some kind of connection to MJ's Mother's past. The mansion itself also has histor...

I devoured this book in just a couple hours. It was in 2013 that I discovered Victoria Laurie's books at my local library. I dove right in and read all the books in her Ghost Hunter Mystery series and have been a fan since. As expected, I loved this book and do recommend it, especially if you like a little supernatural with your mystery. This story is about a high school girl named Maddy, who can see a person's date of death just by looking at them, whether it be in person or from a picture.  She had been able to see the numbers floating on people's foreheads since she was small, but it is not until her father dies tragically that her family realizes what the numbers mean. As the years go by, Maddy's Mom becomes an alcoholic and to make ends meet, she starts advertising Maddy's gift.  For a small fee, Maddy begins doing readings for these clients from a small room at the back of their home. Would I want to know what date I would die? Probably not, but there a...