By Invitation Only by Jodi Della Femina and Sheri McInnis

TITLE:  By Invitation Only

AUTHOR:  Femina, Jodi Della, and McInnis, Sheri

GENRE:  Fiction/Chick-Lit

DATES READ:  1/19/2013 - 1/26/2013

MY RATING:  3.5/5

This was my first birthday present this year, and I fell in love with the cover!  Nothing like a little summer in the depths of winter.

This book will make you fall in love with the Hampton's.  Not that that's hard to do.  Sure, it's shameless chick-lit, but you can absolutely picture every second of it in clear detail.

I really liked Toni, and all of her idiosyncrasies.  She's flawed, and she reminds me of myself in some ways.  Maybe that's why I connected with her so much.  I also like the complex characters of Chris and Didi (she was probably my favorite character!).  I feel like I kept falling in love with all of them.

The snippets about the Hampton's really helped with the vibe of the story, and make you want to take a visit to see if it's all real.  The ending was tied up like a neat little ribbon, and every once in a while that's exactly what you want.

Beach read to the max!

Will read and write soon!

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Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

TITLE:  Warm Bodies

AUTHOR:  Marion, Isaac

GENRE:  Fiction/Zombies

DATES READ:  1/7/2013 - 1/15/2013

MY RATING:  3/5

I kind of love that this book is a play on Romeo & Juliet.  Also, it was a pretty deep critique on humanity in general.  But the post-apocalyptic world was pretty typical of other books.

The one thing that really made this book sing was R.  He was a deeper character than most, the irony in that he is a zombie.  I would read the book all over again, just to look through his view on society once more.

The book was very fun to ready, and it definitely makes me want to go see the movie.  However, I would recommend you read the book first, because the message is much deeper than the movie appears.

Overall, this book was well done, but it was the zombie hero, R, that made it for me.

Will read and write soon!

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

TITLE:  The Night Circus

AUTHOR:  Morgenstern, Erin

GENRE:  Fiction/Fantasy

DATES READ:  1/1/2013 - 1/7/2013

MY RATING:  5/5!!!

I really don't know quite what to say about this book.  Few books remain in your heart always.  I am overwhelmed, satisfied, and filled with an ache in my heart because it's over.  This book is the stuff that dreams are made of.  And, oh, to dream that dream.

I will return to this book again and again to savor the majestic dream world of the Night Circus.  I can almost see the twinkling lights dance in the air, feel the warmth of the bonfire, and taste the sticky sweetness of caramel.

This books is for those who wish to escape reality and get lost in their dreams.  Perhaps things are more easy to see in black and white, with a touch of red of course.

With bittersweetness, I will turn the page to read and write soon!

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The Shining by Stephen King

TITLE:  The Shining

AUTHOR:  King, Stephen

GENRE:  Fiction/Horror

DATES READ:  12/25/2012 - 1/1/2013

MY RATING:  4/5

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  A new year... and with it, new books of course!  But now to review the old.

First of all, this book is so much better than the movie!  Not a foreign statement for the avid reader.  But it's most often so true.  The book explains every confusing part of the movie in detail, and makes everything much much creepier.

Throughout the book, you realize exactly how crazy Jack really is, and it's made much worse by the punctuation of sanity.  Stephen King is undoubtedly a mastermind when it comes to horror.  This book gave me nightmares the entire time, and I had already seen the movie!

I feel like I want to watch the movie all over again, now that I know the horrifying truth about the Overlook Hotel.

Will read and write soon!

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