"The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" by Stephanie Meyer (No Spoilers)

I am, unashamedly, a fan of the Twilight books, so it only made sense for me to pick up this little novella about a young vampire, Bree, who is briefly mentioned in the third book of the series, 'Eclipse'.  The story begins during Bree Tanner's third month of her vampire life.  She is part of Riley/Victoria's army, but she doesn't know why.  She doesn't really care.  She just wants the others to leave her alone and to stop being stupid.

Although she is quite young, she is one of the brighter crayons in this box of vampires.  She understands, pretty much from the beginning, that Riley isn't telling them everything.  However, she just goes along with it in her own way... Until she meets Diego... The other smart one. The two become fast friends who work together to figure out what it is that Riley and "the one who created them" are really planning.  I'm not going to go any further than that because, the book is so short, I'd pretty much be telling you the entire story.

Anyway, as my mother pointed out, it was almost difficult to read simply because I knew how it was going to end.  Anyone who has read the Twilight novels knows what fate lies ahead of Bree and, really... Is anyone other than Twilight fans going to read this book?  Doubtful... However, it was an enjoyable read.  The book was interesting and entertaining, but there was nothing really special or clever about it so it gets a respectful three stars from me.  Read this on your rainy afternoon off.  It won't take you any longer than that and I'd say it's probably worth it (but only if you're a Twilight fan, obviously).

Coming up next, my review on my first book club read, "Christmas Jars" by Jason Wright.  But, for now, go read something else!  Buh-bye!

"Summer of My German Soldier" by Bette Greene (Spoiler Alert)

Alright... I have to start of by apologizing.  This will be my third review and I realize I am going to sound like a huge critic, because, so far, let's just face it... They haven't been raves.  It's weird because, honestly, I'm usually not that hard to please when it comes to books.  Anyway, I guess I better get on with it.  This won't take long.

"Summer of my German Soldier" by Bette Greene is a book I've wanted to read since I was in the sixth grade.  It's about a Jewish girl, living in Arkansas, who falls in love with a German prisoner of war.  That's about it.  I thought it would be this sweet, charming tale with a little bit of drama (possibly war related) entwined.  Boy, was I wrong... This book completely failed to meet my expectations and all I can say is I pretty much hated it.

I hated almost everything about it and, I'm sorry, but I have nothing good to say about it.  I understand some people love this book and that's great for them, but I really don't understand why.  The entire time I was angry with the parents, annoyed with the writing, and just flat out depressed with everything else.  I kept reading it hoping that it's saving grace might be a sweet romance of a forbidden love. (Forgive the 'Romeo and Juliet' in me.  I'm a sucker for that stuff.)  Oh no... Not only is there no substantial love story, but the boy dies!!  HE DIES!!  WHAT!?!  And he died a fair piece before the book was over.  Quite honestly, at that point, I almost said "Forget this... There's no point in reading it now."  However, I figured "I've already made it this far... I may as well finish."  So I did... And I was right... There was no point.  It only gets more depressing as the girl is sent to a reform school because she fed and clothed and starving German kid.  What a horrible thing to do (*Insert Sarcasm Here*).  She loses the few people who ever loved her and the book ends with a "trying to be meaningful" message about how she's got her life ahead of her and now, after all that's happened, she needs to figure out how to live it.  Fail... 

Terrible... That's all I can say.  For those of you who liked the book... I admire your strength.  You probably liked 'Animal Farm' too, but for me... This book could very possibly go on my "Least Favorite Books of All Time" List... Right above 'Animal Farm' and just below that stupid vampire book I read during my 'Twilight' phase.  (That one was so bad, I, obviously, can't even remember the name of it.)

All of that being said... I'm glad I read it.  I'll never again have to wonder about that book that I always said I would read, but just hadn't gotten around to yet.  On the other hand, the version that I made up in my head would have been much better.  Maybe I would have been better off believing that's how the story actually played out.

Okay... I'm done.  I think I made my point.  I'll leave you now to your own devices.  Coming up next is my review of "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" by Stephanie Meyer.  

But, for now... Go read something else!  Ciao.

Nancy Drew - "The Secret of the Old Clock" by Carolyn Keene (No Spoilers)

Oh wow!  How fun it was to read this book!  I read this for mostly nostalgic purposes.  I loved Nancy Drew when I was younger and I wanted to go back and rediscover why... What started my love of the stories of the young sleuth?  What sparked my everlasting appeal for mystery and suspense?  Well, folks... I found it.  Sort of...

While reading "The Secret of the Old Clock", I discovered something.  Books written in the 1930s are very different from books written today.  I enjoyed the book, I did, but my enjoyment was slightly overshadowed by the overwhelming "unbelievability" of it all.  In the '30s, it very well may have been typical for a 16 year old girl and her friends and family to be absolutely perfect, but nowadays... Not so much.

I imagine Nancy Drew is the girl with whom many girls today would not want to be friends.  Sounds harsh, I know, but hear me out.  Nancy is too perfect.  She'd be the girl I wouldn't want my parents to know about for it would produce far too many expectations.  "Sweetie, if Nancy Drew can change a tire, repair the engine of a motorboat, and solve crimes in her perfectly ironed dress all while she is referring to Archimedes in order to prove what she has discovered to be true, surely YOU can too."  Yeah right, Mom.  Whatever, Dad... I'm a girl of the 21st century.  Archimedes was smart and all, but I've got an iPad that'll tell me what I need to know.  I'm just saying (with all due respect to my beloved detective), no 16 year old girl is that perfect and I think girls today relate better to characters who have obvious flaws yet are still awesome.

All that being said, I still love my dear Nancy Drew.  The story is good... Not great, but good.  It was a fun read that seriously made me wish that our world was more like hers.  Sure you've got your crooks and your bad guys, but who cares?  Nancy Drew will catch them eventually and everyone else is perfectly pleasant.  I mean, c'mon... Nancy was invited to dine in the homes two different sets of strangers she had just met... In the same day.  You think that happens here and now?  Think again. If it occurs at all, it's very rare... And it's probably in the South.  Anyway, as I was saying, reading this book made me wish that people were actually that friendly, that considerate, and that kind. It's a sad truth, but face it... Would you expect a perfect stranger to run through a thunderstorm out to her family's barn to check on the stranded driver who was caught in the storm with her convertible top down?  And after that, would expect her to help get the water out of stranded girl's car and then offer dinner and a place to stay?  Probably not...  I think most of us would offer the use of our cell phones and maybe the extra cash stuffed in our pockets and then slyly back away, because in today's world we simply don't know if someone is actually in trouble or is just trying to take advantage of us.  I think we have wonderful intentions, but we've also got to be crazy careful.  It's a tricky rope on which we try to balance.  Okay, okay... Enough of that rant.  Sometimes, I get on something and then just keep going.

I apologize if it seems like I'm just bashing the book.  I actually really enjoyed it and I think all young girls should read Nancy Drew... But make sure they begin before they reach their teen years or, trust me, I just don't think the books will go over very well.  And, being completely honest, if someone tried to publish this book today, I can almost guarantee you it wouldn't have made it.

All in all, I still love the books for good reasons:

1) They are good, simple, wholesome stories.  This is a book you can give your daughter and trust that there is nothing in it that is going to taint her perfect little soul.  

2) I remember reading book after book when I was younger.  I almost couldn't wait to finish one so I could turn around and start the next.  (It was a good thing my mother already had most of them!)  That fondness doesn't go away just because (at 23 years old) I now find the books a little farfetched for our day and time. 

3) And, most importantly, it was Nancy Drew who led me to discover the Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes and the rest of the world of mystery-solving and suspense which is one of my very favorites.  I'll never forget her for that.

And, now, just for fun... Check out the covers for this book through the ages.  I just thought it was kind of neat to see how they've changed.

Alrighty, y'all... That's all I've got to say for now.  I got a little behind on here so I have three more reviews that I have yet to write.  Next, you'll find out my opinion of "Summer of My German Soldier", a book I have been saying I was going to read since I was in the 6th grade.  I finally read it... If you want to know how I felt about the long-awaited story, stay tuned.

But, for now, go read something else!  Adios!

"Numbers" by Rachel Ward (No Spoilers)

"Numbers" is the story of a young girl, Jem, who sees, to put it quite bluntly, when people are going to die.  According to her, everyone has a "number" and it's never wrong.  Quite honestly, that's about it...

I finished "Numbers" on Monday afternoon and, after putting it down, all I could think was "ehhh...".  I started this book feeling incredibly intriqued at the concept and I was anxious to get into the story.  I read and read and read... Still waiting to get into the story.  I finally realized that I was about three quarters of the way through the book and I still hadn't found the plot.  "Oh wait... This IS the plot.  Oh, I see... Hmm... Okay.  Well, I might as well finish." 

I really couldn't decide how I felt this book.  It was a toss-up between "Yeah, it was okay." and "Man, what a disappointment."  It was one of those books that, while reading it, you're thinking "It's not bad.", but when you finish, you're left with "Huh... That was actually kind of boring."

Pros:

1) The idea of a girl who can see death dates was a great one that could've led to a fascinating and intelligent book or series of books.

2) The style of writing is very British and I loved that.  Certain conversations and details reminded me so much of England and it gave me that wonderful bittersweet feeling that you get when you look back on good memories.

3) The book leaves you with a pretty decent message.


4) The very last sentence of the book definitely left me with this... "Hah! Sweet!"

Cons:

1) It was a great idea... Spoiled.  The author could have gone so many places with this, but, unfortunately, she didn't.

2) Jem's comrade, whom she meets at the beginning of the book, goes by the nickname "Spider".  That... drove... me... crazy!!  C'mon... You couldn't have come up with something a little less cheesy?  I inwardly cringed everytime I read the name.  Sorry... I guess it's just one of those little things that most people wouldn't think twice about, but bugged me.

3) No plot... Well, there's sort of a plot, but, in a really good book, it would've been shortened and where the story was just getting started.


4) The message mentioned in the pros list probably could've been summed up in a couple of pages.

I'll stop there... This is, obviously, my own personal opinion and I am well aware that some people really liked the story so if you've been wanting to read it, then, by all means, please go read it.  It may be your just your cup of tea (note my British reference, please, and thank you).  (;

For my next book, I have decided to read an old classic and favorite of mine, "Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock".  This is the first in the beloved Nancy Drew mystery series.  Stay tuned for my review of my own personal blast to the past.

Now go read something else!  Cheers!