Deep Storm

'"The century?" Crane repeated. unable to keep the disbelief from his voice.
"You're right to be skeptical. But this is no deception. It's the last thing from it. Still, 'discovery of the century' may not be quite accurate."
"I didn't think so," Crane replied.
"I should have called it the greatest discovery of all time."' -Deep Storm (p. 17-18)

Deep Storm is a super secret government research operation two miles beneath the ocean surface; so secret that they hired people to simply walk around the oil rig abover the water so that anyone looking on from aircraft or satelites won't think anything is going on. Meanwhile, they bring in Doctor Peter Crane to figure out why so many of the staff on the "Facility" are getting sick with such different symptoms at an alarming rate. But something more is going on in the "Facility" that Crane needs to find out about if he hopes to discover what is making everyone sick. And it's a something that puts discovering the lost city of Atlantis to shame.

When I first picked up the book I was a little worried by the reviews on Goodreads. With many people saying that it was excellently written but it was a poor book I had no idea what to expect. I am glad that this year's challange made me read the book whether I wanted to or not, because I enjoyed it greatly. Along with being so well written, the story is incredibly well developed and the plot is very captivating. I didn't expect what I found in the pages of this book. I kept expecting to be dissappointed at the end, but yet again found that I was worried for nothing as the end had be shocked, saddened, and awestruck.

This is one book that I would recommend to everyone I come across. Not only to those that love a good mystery or thriller, but to anyone who enjoys a good book. I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy it as much as I did. A big thumbs up for Lincoln Child and this is me eagerly hunting out copies of his other novels.

The Devil You Know

"But how many people do you know who actually get to choose what they do for a living? My careers teacher said I should go into hotel management, so exorcism it was." - The Devil You Know (p27)

Felix Castor is an exorcist, but not your typical, run of the mill one. First he is an athiest, so don't think he may be a man of the cloth. Second, he plays a flute to banish the spirits, so leave behind your notions of Latin and sygil drawing. And third, he is a smart-ass cynic, well you might have expected that. Just before the turn of the century spirits began to rise by the droves, as ghosts, zombies, and weres, so people like Castor are suddenly in high demand. Only, Castor doesn't want to do his job anymore. After a bad run in with a particularly nasty demon, Castor decides to turn in his flute, but then it never really is that easy is it?
Instead Castor takes a job when the lack of money gets to him. He is asked to exorcize a ghost from the Bonnington Archive in London. But as he delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the ghost in an effort to get a handle on her, Castor discovers a web of lies, theft, and murder at the Archive. Instead of simply sending the ghost where ever it is that he sends them with his music, Castor instead decides to solve the case. And so the wild chase insues.

I really liked this book! I picked it up a little afraid that it wouldn't be something I would choose to read and instead discovered a new series that I will be picking up in the future. Yes, this book is the first in a series which means I should have left it for next year, but like Sue Grafton's novels (i.e. A is for Alibi) you can read them almost as seperate books. So I decided to read this with the others on my shelf, and I am ver glad that I did.

At first while reading the discription of the Archive ghost at night, I thought I might have nightmares, but it was simply my imagination getting away from me with the narrative. Soon I found myself drawn into the story, loving Castor, and wanting to find out what had happened to the sad ghost that Castor was hired to get rid of. The characters are great, and the story twists in ways you wouldn't expect until the very end. Mike Carey has an amazing gift with words, I especially loved it when he made a Doctor Who reference. And while some of the words were a little forgein to me because it is Brittish, I was able to pick up the meanings well enough. I even think I might be able to move around parts of London thanks to his discriptions.

Like I said, I fell in love with this book. I recommend everyone who loves a good mystery, a little horror, and a bit of the supernatural, take up this book. I think you will be as pleased with it as I was!

BookMooch

Ok, since one of my followers has finally decided to join this incredible site, I guess it is finally time to bring it to the attention of the rest of my readers.

My sister introduced me to BookMooch and now I am passing on the love. It is a site dedicated to passing on books. You sign up and with your account you post all the books you have that you would like to get rid of. Others do the same. When you find a book you want you send a little request asking for them to send you the book. The whole thing works on points. For every book you list on the site you get a tenth of a point; for every book you send you get 1 point for in country shipments and 3 points for sending it to another country; and for every book you request you give up 1 point, 2 for books from another country.

I have been on the site for a few months now, keeping it to myself until I could actually give an opinion on the whole thing. I have sent out a few books and recieved 3, so I have experienced both sides now. Sending the books is not that costly, well in country that is, and I think sometimes it is worth it to clear out the books I no longer want. Going to the post office and spending $5 on an envelope and shipping is easier than driving to Lewisville for a Half Price Books that may not take the books or give me much in return.

And just recently I finally found some books that I wanted enought o send a request for a mooch. The books showed up in the mail quickly after they accepted the requests. I am happy with the books and the site! I fully recommend everyone giving it a chance! If you do give me a shout-out: MommaChristy! Check out the books I have listed (which so far are the ones I have listed as weekly giveaways), and browse through what others have to offer!

The Tear Thief

The Tear Thief is an intresting story about a man that, you guessed it, steals tears. The book is set in a dangerous uture where people suffer from a desease that takes away one's emotions. The only way to feel again is to drink tears farmed from those who are still capable of feeling. However there are some that want more exotic tears fromcertain people who are not in the farms. This is where the thiefs come into play. They steal tears in exchange for the world's finest pieces of art.

While the story really has the capability of being a very amazing read, I believe the author let it go a little too soon. There are parts that need a little more explination or background information as well as parts that could use a little more padding with details. The ending was rather abrupt and a little too neat for my tastes.

However, I did enjoy it and I would recommend it to anyone looking or a quick and unique story. Give it a chance, you might really enjoy it!

A Little Princess

"Never did she find anything so difficult as to keep herselffrom losing her temper when she was suddenly disturbed while absorbed in a book. People who are fond of books know the feeling of irritation which sweeps over them at such a moment. The temptation to be unreasonable and snappish is one not easy to manage." -A Little Princess (p 55)

Most people know the story of the young Sara Crewe from A Little Princess thanks to Disney; she is a rich young lady sent to a school in London and given anything her heart desires from a father that dotes on her. Suddenly her father dies and she is left with nothing. Made to work as a house servant she tries to make the best of her life through her powerful imagination.

I fell in love with the tale as a child but left it behind as I grew up. Now that I have been given the chance to revisit the story through the original work, I find myself once more in love with young Sara and her kind soul. Through everything she manages to act like she believes a true princess would in the face of adversity; something I wish more adults could manage. She has a kinder heart than I see in most people I see. But then she is a small fictional child from another time.

I of course love the writing of Frances Hodgson Burnett, owning and cherishing the novel A Secret Garden since many years back. This is just another wonderful work produced by the author, one that I believe everyone should read and enjoy. I look forward to being able to read this to Jareth soon and Livia in the future. And I hope they take from it a desire to be as kind hearted as Sara, just as I have.

Imaginary Friends - Review and LendMe

"A friend like Pick belonged only to him, and that was the way he should keep it." -Imaginary Friends (p.60)

Back in 1991, Terry Brooks wrote this little short story about Jack, a young boy facing tough facts, and fan favorite Pick, who eventually appeared in Running With the Demon. The story went out of print and in 2011 Terry Brooks decided to reprint it, giving all royalties to his Web Druid, Shawn Speakman, to help cover his growing medical bills. Like young Jack, Shawn has fought with cancer. Being a big fan. not only of Terry Brooks, but also Shawn Speakman who has marvously managed Brooks's website for longer than I can remember, I of course bought the rereleased short story for my Nook. And I am glad that I finally got the chance to read it.

Technically speaking this book should have been on next year's list when I take on the challange of reading all the series on my book shelves seeing as how this short story is what inspired Brooks's hit series the Word and the Void; which later transforms into the Shannara series. However, this also being a short story I should have waited until the end of the year to tack it onto my challange numbers. But this is Terry Brooks we are talking about! So I went ahead and read the story on my phone over the course of this week, and I am glad I did.

The story is not up to par with the rest of his work, but one must take into consideration that this is 1) a short story, 2) was written 6 years before the books came along, and 3) was a very early work. Keeping all that in mind I still really liked this story. It has a nice little twist at the end while setting up bits of the world that we see in Running With the Demon and the books that follow.  It was a nice short read that kept me in touch with my favorite author and got me ready to tackle the 22 books that this story began.

So, now that I have read it I can lend it out to one other person. This is this weeks giveaway. . . with a twist. I have this book on my Nook, which allows me to lend this story to someone for 2 weeks. It's not as permanent as my usual giveaways, but it saves you space and I get to keep the original. So if you would like to take advantage of this offer, please post a message with your Barnes and Noble account email and I will send it your way. It is another good addition to the world Terry Brooks spent so long creating.

Honor Bound

"He toyed with a strand of her hair. 'I could just haul you out of here, you know.'
'Kidnap me?'
'Uh-huh.'
'You did that already.'
'It was the smartest thing I ever did.'
'It was the best thing that could have happened to me.'" -Lucas and Aislinn, Honor Bound (p. 246)

Honor Bound by Sandra Brown is about Lucas Greywolf, an escaped convict on a mission, and Aislinn Andrews, the woman he decides to kidnap. Their story starts out with their open hatred of each other until Aislinn discovers the reason he broke out of prison was to be with his dieing grandfather. But the story really takes a turn when Lucas is finally released from prison and visits Aislinn once more only to discover that she has kept a very big secret from him.

While this is not my normal read, I in act got this book against my will from a former roommate, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed it. Yes some of the novel was still a little too much for me (graphic, cheesy? I am not sure exactly what, just too much) but over all it was good.

The story went beyond what I thought it would. When I first picked up the book I dreaded the thought of 250 pages of sexual tension between the two main characters. Instead I was very surprised to find Lucas Greywolf back behind bars and the story kept going only a third of the way into the novel. When the twist came along I had seen it coming for a little while, but still it was a un plot twist.

Yes the characters where a little static, but what did I really expect from a novel of this genre? Lucas is given more depth as the story progressed and Aislinn slowly grew a real backbone. The ending was a little too happy, but it worked out for the novel just the same. As I said, I enjoyed the novel dispite my original opinion. I would recommend this book to my friends that enjoy the more adult books.

The Weird Sisters - Review and Giveaway Again

"Will alone could not make Rose brave, could not make Bean honest, could not make Cordy sensible. Weren't we proof of that, this sad sisterhood, bound as much by our failures as by our hopes?" -The Weird Sisters (p.216)

The Weird Sisters is the story of 3 girls named for prominent women in Shakespeare's plays because their father idolized the long dead bard. The only major problem with being named after, read plays, and taught all about these women your whole life is that there really is no living up to them. This is a fact that Rosalind (Rose), Bianca (Bean), and Cordelia (Cordy) long ago accepted. Something they cannot accept: that at the age of thirty they would all be back home, their lives horribly messed up, and helping their mother get through her fight with breast cancer. But deal they must and this book is the journey of their fight, not only with one another, but with their lives.

I picked this book up for much the same reason I pick up any book about sisters: being the oldest of three girls I can't help but be pulled to the complex stories of other women in the same family set. Well, if I was looking for someone to relate to I did not find it here. While my sisters and I are not bound at the hip, we have a much better relationship than the three who seem to hate each other and can be quite cruel to one another at the beginning of the novel. Yes they evolve and even come to cherish one another's company, but by the time this takes place I found myself tired of the novel. And not only did I find the relationships unrelatable I could not find likability in Rose's fear of change, her feelings of being the stand in mother, or her contempt for her younger sisters; nor in Bean's uncontrolable need to be loved (to the point of her own distruction) or Cordy's wonderlust and perpetual feelings of inadquecy. I am aware that most people have one or more of these character flaws (I am among  the masses), but the author exagerates them to an unnecesary level in an effort to make their redeption more grand.

Along with this unbelievability factor we have the POV that just confusses me as the reader. At first I found the author's way of narrating from the POV of one of the sisters intriguing; I found myself trying to figure out which sister she was. But I soon realized it was not so simple. While the author uses words and phrases such as "we", "our parents", and "us", she uses it to talk about all of them, never taking on the POV of just one sister. For example:
"For some reason, Cordy had never redecorated the way Bean and Rose has as we grew older." (p82)
After I stopped trying to figure out if the author would stick with a character, and the confusion passed, I became annoyed. At times I was even distracted from the story by this.

All those points aside I must say that over all I enjoyed the book, I simply didn't fall in love with it. I did like the way things turned out for each of the women, it wasn't a perfect happy ending for each, not in my opinion at least, but a believable one.

I would recommend this book to any number of my friends. That being said I have decided to give my copy away in this week's giveaway. This is not because of my dislike for the novel, but instead to make room for those books that I am completely in love with. I can see myself rereading this book at some point when I can get a little more out of it, but not soon enough that I feel the need to keep it on my shelves. So if anyone would like it just leave me a message. I do believe that you will like it if you give it a chance. And so I leave you with a final quote from the book:

"She just smiled indulgently and said, 'Oh, honey, we're all fuckups in our own special ways,'" (p308).