Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Forever Odd


Forever Odd by Dean Koontz

Finished June 18th, 2008

Rating: 4/10

2008 To Be Read (TBR) Challenge Book #3



Barnes & Noble Synopsis
We're all a little odd beneath the surface. He's the most unlikely hero you'll ever meet-an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there's so much more to any of us than meets the eye-and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead-it's something that just happened. But as the unofficial goodwill ambassador between our world and theirs, he's got a duty to do the right thing. That's the way Odd sees it and that's why he's won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.

A childhood friend of Odd's has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope.



It had been a while since I have read a Koontz book and I was pretty excited to read this one since I really liked "Odd Thomas". However I was extremely disappointed in this book. The plot was very weak and I didn't feel there was any additional development of Odd's character.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Remember Me?



Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Finished June 10th, 2008

Rating: 7/10

Chick Lit Challenge Book #1


Barnes & Noble Synopsis

When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?



The book reminded me of the movie "13 going on 30" so I didn't find it very original. Regardless, it was an enjoyable, easy read but I didn't find it as funny as some of her other books.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Book Awards Reading Challenge Completed

I have completed my first challenge of 2008. I enjoyed most of the books I read for this challenge. I am not sure if I will sign up for the Book Awards challenge Part II as I am not reading a lot right now.

Well I held off for as long as I could in signing up for the Book Awards Reading Challenge however finally cracked yesterday and decided to join after taking a look at different book award lists and realizing that I owned many books that have won awards but hadn't gotten around to reading yet.

The rules are to read any 12 award-winning books from July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. Examples of book awards are the Pulitzer Prize, Orange Prize, Booker Prize, Newbery Award, etc. The challenge also allows the participants to read any book from an author who has won the Nobel Prize for Literature. However, at least SIX of the twelve books must be actual book prize winners. Books may also be cross-posted with other challenges.

There is a blog set up for this challenge at Book Awards Challenge that allows participants to post to or participants can choose instead to post on their own blog.

My tenative list for the challenge is:

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt - 1997 Pulitzer (Biography/Autobiography)
[completed April 18th, 2008]

B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton - 1986 Anthony
[completed October 20th, 2007]

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly - 1992 Edgar Award (First Novel)
[completed August 13th, 2007]

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak - 2007 Book Sense (Children's Lit)
[completed March 12th, 2008]

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen - 2001 National Book Award
[completed June 2nd, 2008]

Eldest by Christopher Paolini - 2006 Quill Awards (Young Adult/Teen)
[completed March 31st, 2008]

Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald - 1997 Commonwealth Writers (First Book)
[completed May 14th, 2008]

The Road by Cormac McCarthy - 2007 Pulitzer (Fiction)
[completed July 4th, 2007]

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - 1990 Newbery Award
[completed April 23rd, 2008]

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - 1962 Nobel Prize
[completed September 22nd, 2007]

Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky - 2004 Prix Renaudot
[completed April 10th, 2008]

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - 2007 Alex Award
[completed February 26th, 2008]

Monday, June 2, 2008

The Corrections



The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Finished June 2nd, 2008

Rating: 3/10

Book Awards Reading Challenge Book #12



Barnes & Noble Synopsis

The narrative focuses on three critical months in the history of the Lambert family, longtime residents of the fictional midwestern city of St. Jude. Albert, the patriarch, is a once-formidable figure whose frequent rages and implacable rectitude have dominated life in the Lambert household for nearly 50 years. As the novel begins, Albert had just been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Against the perfectly articulated background of his physical and mental deterioration, Enid -- Albert's long-suffering, perpetually dissatisfied wife -- develops a single, overriding obsession: to see her scattered family return to St. Jude for one last Christmas together.

The bulk of the story depicts the disordered lives of the three departed Lambert children: Gary, a grasping, increasingly unhappy investment banker with family troubles of his own; Chip, a former professor and failed screenwriter who drifts into a dangerous, highly illegal investment scam in economically depressed Lithuania; and Denise, a gifted chef lost in a maze of sexual confusion and "moral chaos." In time, and by various circuitous routes, all three will find their way to that climactic Christmas in St. Jude, and to a final confrontation with the ghosts of the past, a confrontation that is painful, tragic, and liberating, all at once.



I found that this book was all over the place. The story jumps between characters and from past to present but with very little fluency. I didn't see the point of most of the storyline and didn't like the characters or plot. I didn't take anything away from the book after finishing it, I would suggest skipping this one.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

May 2008 Reads

15. The Birth House by Ami McKay - Rating: 9
[2008 TBR Challenge]

16. Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald - Rating: 7
[Book Awards Challenge]

17. Peony in Love by Lisa See - Rating: 7
[2008 TBR Challenge]


New Authors Read = 2
Male Authors = 0
Female Authors = 3