One Day by David Nicholls

I think that this book was a depressing love story that had me crying and hating a lot about it for a little while last night.  I hate books that make me feel so much...but I can completely relate to the relationship between the two main characters.  I think that's why I was so emotional.  *I'm such a girl.* 
How horrible/hard is it to watch the person you love more than anything go in an opposite direction?  So many times they missed each other but they never gave up on each other.  It was heart wrenching seeing them needing each other so much and not being able to get it together.  It's such a relateable story. 

I HATED the ending.  Without spoilers--just saying.  I cried and cried in sadness and happiness.

Rating: 4

The Bourne Identity



I have been meaning to read this book for a while because my husband loves the movies so much. When I found out it was a bestseller from the year I was born, I went for it. I have to say, overall I loved it and there were some parts I didn't want to put the book down, and other parts were really confusing and hard to follow.
I did NOT however, like the way the romance was written between Marie and Jason. It didn't seem real to me...because typically, people don't speak or act that way. I remind myself that this was written a long time ago, but sometimes it had me shaking my head and saying "yeah right!"

I have not seen the movie yet but I intend to, just to maybe put some faces with the names and characters in the book--adding another dimension.

Overall, very nice. I will be reading the second and third installment eventually.

 

Rating: 4

 

Game of Thrones-G.R.R. Martin

Finally, after a battle of inner ear infection--I was able to finish this book. WOW. It's hard not to get entertwined in the characters to the point where you experience such love or hate for them. It was a bit on the long side and it's not a novel you can read quickly because you miss so much if you try to skim--but it's worth it because the story is amazing. I can't wait to get to the next novel, but I think I'm going to read something light and fluffy before getting into that! I love the character building and writing in this, and normally I wouldn't waste time on a novel like this, but once again, I picked up something out of the ordinary and it was completely worth it. 
My friend Julie over at Book Hooked Blog raised questions regarding morals and such in this book.  I have to say, it got me thinking about so many different things.  The quest for power, not knowing who to trust, the cavalier way that some of the characters dealt with life and death...the way that sex was discussed and how powerful it was...and how women were treated like objects rather than humans.  I don't think I could have lived in a time like that, knowing what I know now.

The only disclaimer I have is that this book is not for the faint of heart.  It is bloody, gory and things that you would never expect to happen...HAPPENS. 

Rating: 5

Loose Gravel by David Holmes

** spoiler alert ** I am sure you can get a synopsis from Amazon, so I will spare you...but here's the thing. I wasn't incredibly impressed with this book. I am not a prude by any means, but some of the language and situations in this book were cringe-worthy. I think the best way to do this is to start listing the things that stood out to me as being unrealistic or bothersome.

1. The detective had NO resolve for his physical appearance. There is no way that a person like that would be allowed to work as a detective. At some point, you would think that someone would put him on leave or something until he got that straightened out...or perhaps even recommended counseling or therapy to get through all the baggage he was carrying around. I get that his past was awful and horrible, but it seemed like his problems stemmed from more than that and someone from the team (even though he was disgusting and hard to get along with) would have stepped up and made him get help.
2. I HATED "Yo Yo" Brown. A cop that is also a prostitute? Really? And she wasn't fired or let go...last time I checked prostitution was illegal.  And her mouth and the fact that she jumped into the shower the FIRST DAY she met Harold to clean him was a little unrealistic.  I understand that she had the mind of a prostitute and it didn't bother her, but this was her career on the line.  Her language was HEINOUS too. 
3. The thought that Harold based all his theories and was driven by a woman's shaved vagina had me rolling my eyes. Seriously...you think she's innocent because she shaves her private parts? Who are these people??
4. The sex between mother and daughter made me shutter...seriously...that's gross...and I know some people are sick like that...so it's not far fetched, and I am SO glad that he didn't go into too many details on this part, but it was still sickening.
5. The constant switching of the name Amy/Amanda in the same paragraph...choose one and stick with it because it's confusing.
6. I think there were two many twists and turns to make sense. I am certain that Mr. Holmes has the potential to be a great writer...but this book was not one of my favorites, by far. I just couldn't get into the characters enough to care what happened to them.

I HATE writing bad reviews but this book had my head spinning because I saw so much more than this when I read the synopsis. I am so sorry. I was not impressed.

Rating: 2 (and I'm being generous)

Long Time

I know it has been a long time since posting a book review.  Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling well, so I've been unable to read.   You can imagine how much it has killed me!!!  I am starting to get back into the swing of things, so hopefully, I will be able to do another review soon. 

Love you guys!

Kat

Shelter (Blood Haze, 1)

What I thought:
I received this book from the Member Giveaways at Library Thing. 
This book was quick and easy to read however, being the pessimist that I am, do not believe that someone can be "so in love" with someone they just met to the point where they are all clingy and crazy about it--almost to the point of being obssessive. And to have 2 guys fall in love with Alice at the same time was reaching...then again, we are talking about a book about vampires.
I thought that the main character was naive a bit but Kai was ANNOYING. I have never met a guy like that, even though I know he had been through a lot. I have known several women like that though--so kudos to Ms. Shuler for turning the tables.
I would be interested in seeing how things turn out for all of the main characters. I think it was great to have a cast out friend who was a little overweight.
Anyway--the character development was good and the writing wasn't phenomenal, but there was nothing wrong with it at all. I think my biggest problem was the unbelieveable love story.
Sigh--I long for the days when I believed in fairytales!

(and by the way...the people on the cover are  hot!)

Goodreads:
'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.

What I thought:

UNBELIEVEABLE.  I loved this book.  I loved the character development, the writing style, the entertainment value, and the twists and turns.  I never knew which way I was coming and going.  I read this in a day and did not get any work done.  None.  I was in a trance because I just had to see what was going to happen next...who was the bad guy...who was behind the madness.  The ending was one that I really didn't see coming until I got closer to the end...and by then I was guessing because I knew something had to go down.
Wonderful debut novel from Mr. Watson

Rating: 5