My Soul to Lose, Rachel Vincent

I feel cheated, I really do.

I "bought" this book from Amazon and downloaded it to my Kindle app on my iPhone (several, several months ago). I use the term "bought" loosely as it was free. I even got a receipt saying that I would be billed "$0.00".

Well, okay, then.

The premise was interesting: a young girl who suffers panic attacks and hallucinations suddenly wakes in a psych ward. While everyone writes her off as crazy, there's one girl who seems to understand. She see the same shadows twisting around people, too.

Catchy.

I started reading this at 1PM, while at work. In between stocking and waiting on customers. I was finished at 5:30PM.

It was a great read; honestly, it was. But I wanted more. I've only now realized My Soul to Lose is the prequel to Vincent's Soul Screamers series. It's but a teasing novella.

It did it's job, though. I'm hooked, and only mildly annoyed, and I cannot wait to start this series. I'll definitely be looking them up in the local library.

It's YA, in case you couldn't tell. But for anyone who enjoys YA novels, I definitely recommend this.

Happy reading, everyone!

Two Books Down

I've finished two books this week.

Good start for a new year.

Marley & Me by John Grogan was cute and -- for the most part -- effortlessly entertaining. Grogan's sense of humor about his family, his life, and his pesky dog is very uplifting. Though, it did, in my opinion, slow down somewhat when he gave endless information on the history of his dog's breed. If I wanted to know the Labrador retriever's lineage, I would have looked it up.

Other than that, it's a really good book. Great in fact; one I would most definitely recommend.

Grab the tissues, though. Because, yeah, I cried.

Fade, the sequel to Wake by Lisa McMann, I started yesterday and completed just after midnight today. It was, in a word, amazing. Officially: one of my favorite books, favorite series, favorite author.

For anyone who hasn't read these books, you need to pick it up, as in nowish. Janie and Cabel are adorable and real. The plot in the first book was entertaining, and enthralling, though it mostly focused on Janie's abilities (which, was to be expected). But the sequel's plot was ten times better -- and that's saying something. I was thoroughly impressed, especially after I finished and went back and reread some of my favorite parts from the first book. McMann, it seemed, was setting up the second book right from the beginning -- which I think is terrific. All loose ends were neatly tied. Wonderful job on her part.

Gone, the final book, comes out in February; I kind of wish I had held out in reading the second, so I wouldn't have to wait so long for the third. Bah.

That's two books off my list (which, I haven't posted yet, but I'm going to do that next, I think). I feel better!

Now, the only thing left to decide: what's next?

Happy reading, everyone!

New Year; New Beginning

Hello readers,

I hope everyone enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season. The new year has begun, and I'm hoping to get back into blogging, being as it's a resolution of mine.

Blogging helps to fuel my passion for writing; I need to utilize one if I intend to pursue the other.

Another resolution of mine is to drop the 50 books a year challenge. It creates too much pressure for me, I think. Sad as that is. Instead, I'm just going to read. I'll continue compiling a booklist, and I'll keep a running total of every book I complete. But if I don't read a certain number of books in a month, then that's fine. At least I'm reading.

So, starting today: I am back. I'm updating my 2009 Booklist one last time (as I finished another novel last month). Then, I'm going to draft up another. Many of the same books and recommendations will remain, but I'm hoping to add a few more as well.

Happy New Year, everyone! And happy reading!