#4 it's cracked up to be AND #5 the hunger games

life has been a little crazy lately, so i'm lumping these 2 book reads together.
not for any particular reason because i really LOVED one, and eh, thought the other was ok.



it's cracked up to be - courtney summers
3.5 stars

i would definitely read this book again, but it wasn't one that i would recommend to someone who is finding a hard time finding something good to read. it was, eh, ok. it kept my attention through the majority of the book, but once you found out what actually happened, i wanted resolve for her, and there really wasn't much of it. although i must say that i pretty much breezed through it and it was an easy read...just not my favorite YA book that i've read.

now, on the other hand...



the hunger games - suzanne collins
5 stars

...this book was everything that i hoped it would be and more. i read and i read and i read until i finished this book. i read in the morning, i read at work, and i read a lot before i went to bed. after reading all of the reviews that other bloggers had written, i knew i wanted to read this book for myself just to see what all of the fuss was about, if not for anything else. so i requested this book fm the library and after what seemed like forever, it was there, i picked it up, and finished it in a matter of days. it totally lived up to all of the praises and great reviews that it has gotten. i would definitely tell anyone and everyone to read this book - even my fiance seemed interested! ha! :)

book slump?

ok, so i haven't posted in a couple of days, but does that in no way, shape, or form mean that i haven't been reading...i'm notorious for reading 4, 5, or even 6 books at a time and somehow being able to keep them all straight! so just a current update on what i'm reading:

cracked up to be - courtney summers
the friday night knitting club - kate jacobs
(reading that with my work bff in our own book club!)
prime time - hank philippi ryan
to the last man - jeff shaara

i'm sure i'll finish them all at the same time and then it'll be bombarded with new posts - so give it time, give it time! ;)

#3 i, alex cross

james patterson is BACK!
ok, so i have been faithful through the entire alex cross series, but i must admit, the past couple of books that i have read have been a little, well, off...

i, alex cross
james patterson
4.75 stars



the story begins when someone finds cross's neice caroline's remains in the trunk of a car. ok, so far, so good. and it just keeps getting better! i was shocked how easily the story flowed. i feel like alex cross has gotten back to the way things should be. not in south africa, not globe trotting anywhere. just in washington, dc. i'm glad that i haven't given up on the series, and i feel that my faith has been renewed! the ending was absolutely shocking, and i loved every minute of it!

i would DEFINITELY recommend this to anyone that has given up on the series because the couple of books before have seemed a little off base...you won't be disappointed! fo sho! :)

#2 - twenties girl

so, now that i have my sony reader, i can check out books from the library!! whoohoo!
the first one that i checked out ON the actual reader was:

'twenties girl' by sophie kinsella.
4 stars



i really did like this book...in the end. at the beginning, i had not read ANY reviews except bits and pieces that said it was good. now, i LOVE sophie kinsella's shopaholic series, so anything that she writes, i'm willing to give it a try...

the book begins are her great-aunt sadie has passed away with very few (uncaring) people at the funeral home...all of a sudden, sadie, in her 20's, jumps in front of lara and forces her to stop the funeral. much meyhem ensues!

as i'm reading the first couple of chapters, i was saying: really? really?! this book is about a ghost...this is ridiculous. maybe it's because i could actually relate to her other characters? i'm not sure. but i still wanted to finish because i can honestly say that i've never left a book unfinished, and i'm so glad i didn't give up on it. it probably took me up until i got about 25% into it to actually GET into it. the ending was how it should be, and i must say i was pleasantly suprised by how everything in the story finally wove together. i absolutely adored this book! she will remain on my great list...ha!

i would definitely recommend this to just about anyone - as i already have told my work bff's about it! :)

kindle vs sony reader

ok, here's the deal:
i have owned (and dearly loved) a kindle since april of 2009, and seriously i have enjoyed every single second of it! unfortunately, i have access to the ebooks that are available for free through the nashville library. i <3 the library! anyways, for some reason, you cannot tranfer the epub & pdf files that are drm protected to the kindle, no matter which version you own. believe me, i tried to figure it out...a way doesn't exist.

so i had some gift cards and some extra christmas money that was burning a hole in my pocket...my great idea? why don't i buy one of the cheap sony readers (the $188 at walmart) version so i can carry my library books around with me?! so that's what i did... there are approx 50ish books right now available through my library that i want to read, so i figured, that would totally be worth it! so i went and bought a sony reader yesterday...and it's, eh, ok.

i still am in a full blown love affair with my kindle. why?

• the kindle gives you 6 or 7 different text size options, when the sony only gives you small, medium and large. and even then, when you choose large, it only takes up half the screen...what's up with that?!
• i know i'm just learning to navigate the sony, but it's definitely not as easy as the kindle.
• no internet access
• you have to actually attach the sony reader to your comp to get the books that you've purchased/downloaded, whereas the kindle is automatically sent or you can access amazon from the kindle directly.
• the books are 95% the same price or way cheaper on amazon with the kindle - which is why i will most likely ONLY use the sony for the free ebooks fm the library
• i wish the sony had a 'next page' button on the sides (both of them) like the kindle...instead it's on the bottom. this is not very treadmill condusive.

so i would totally recommend the kindle to anyone who needs any advice...i have not seen/used the barnes & noble nook yet, but i'm rebelling and i refuse to even try one...ha!

doesn't really count - twelve sharp

ok, so since i had read half of this book back in 2009 - since that was SO long ago, i can't count it for the 100+ reading challenge. but that's ok!

twelve sharp - janet evanovich
4.5 stars

i love stephanie plum! they're so much fun to read, and really quick too. they're one of the only series that every single book has made me laugh out loud. so if you have read any of them, and you just want something fun with a little bit of mystery and suspense, start with the first one - one for the money...they're fabulous!

ok, onto the next one... :)

#1 - step on a crack

ok, first book to finish in the new year:

step on a crack by james patterson
4 stars

i am a huge james patterson fan...i love the fact that (like this one) i can read an entire book in one day! the short chapters are my favorite, and they're usually pretty fast-paced. this is the introduction of the character michael bennett and his family of 10 kids...yes, TEN! i really really liked this character, and i'm definitely looking forward to reading the sequel 'run for your life'. i thought the story flowed pretty well, and it kept my interest the whole way through!

i would definitely recommend this one for anyone who's looking for a quick read :)

where did it come from?
i checked this ebook out fm the nashville library - free is always good.
i LOVE the library!