Summer Reading List Marches On...

When one wants to escape life, a book is a great way to go. This time around I hid in the crazy world of 'Skinned' by Robin Wasserman. It was futuristic world where we bombed the crap out of each other and only the rich have survived. Well, only the rich have survived in any form of living. The story follows a teenager who gets in a nasty car wreck and to saver her life her parents have her mind down loaded and put into a mechanical body.

Well, as you can imagine this creates all sorts of problems for her, her family, her friends, and the religious groups as well. This book takes us though her journey in learning how to use the body, deal with her life, and deal with what she has become.

It was a great ride. It sets the stage perfectly for the next two books, which, with any luck, I will find soon. They did rename the book and the series after I got it. So, if you are looking for 'Skinned' it is now the 'Skinned Series'. It ticked me off. If you name a book, stick with it. Me, being me, will try to find the next two books in original form. Thank goodness for Goodwill.

All in all, I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in plausible futuristic books. Who knows, maybe our grand kids will download their brains into a machine. Only time will tell.

On to the Next Reading Adventure on 'The Summer Reading List'. "Shadow on the Crown" by Patricia Bracewell. While taking a much needed brake from life, my friend and I went to the big B&N. With. Out. Kids. Amazing right? I am a very pick book finder. I read so many backs of books that my head was going to spin. Towards the end of out little 'vacation' I came across this little gem, of piece of fire starter, only time will tell.


Here is the jist:

In 1002, fifteen­-year-old Emma of Normandy crosses the Narrow Sea to wed the much older King Athelred of England, whom she meets for the first time at the church door. Thrust into an unfamiliar and treacherous court, with a husband who mistrusts her, stepsons who resent her and a bewitching rival who covets her crown, Emma must defend herself against her enemies and secure her status as queen by bearing a son.

Determined to outmaneuver her adversaries, Emma forges alliances with influential men at court and wins the affection of the English people. But her growing love for a man who is not her husband and the imminent threat of a Viking invasion jeopardize both her crown and her life.

Based on real events recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Shadow on the Crown introduces readers to a fascinating, overlooked period of history and an unforgettable heroine whose quest to find her place in the world will resonate with modern readers.

Sounds interesting right? I thought so. So onto the world of 1002 and England. I hope I come out alive. As always I would love you to read along and share your opinions as well. 

If you have a book I should read, let me know. I am always up for a good book.

Summer Reading Add-on

 

My 7 year old needs to read every day. I am proud to announce that he has chosen ....Wait for it......HARRY POTTER!!!!! You could not find a prouder mother right now. 

So technically, for my Summer Reading I am always reading 2 books. "(name)" and HARRY POTTER!!!

Summer Reading List Cont....

I just finished reading 'The Witch's Daughter' by Paula Brackston and I wanted to share my thoughts with you all while they were still fresh in my mind. While I usually like to take a day or two to process what I have read, with this book I processed it after the first 1/3 of the book. If you do end up reading it there are definable sections to it. 

The basic story line is of a witch names Elizabeth. She lives for a ridiculously long time and tells three of her life stories to a young girl, hence the 1/3 bit. But they are all the same. She is having a good time, bad guy comes and mucks it all up. She escapes, and repeat. Each of the little stories are a good little read and should (in my opinion) have been elaborated and turned into books of their own.

On the down side the Author does give to much description for areas that don't need it. Adding words to make the book longer will not make it any better, in my opinion. The writing was ok, it was not kick you out of your head great, but on the other hand it did not suck either.

I have two ways of looking at a book. 1: will I read it a gain? Yes - Keep it. No - Donate it. I believe this will land in the donate pile. Don't get me wrong, I did like the book. It was a fast read...at times, but I will not be reading it again.


Now on to the next book on my reading list. I have chosen 'Skinned' (Cold Awakening #1) by Robin Wasserman. So here is the jist from the back of the book:

The Download was supposed to change the world. It was supposed to mean the end of aging, the end of death, the birth of a new humanity. But it wasn't supposed to happen to someone like Lia Kahn.

And it wasn't supposed to ruin her life.

Lia knows she should be grateful she didn't die in the accident. The Download saved her--but it also changed her, forever. She can deal with being a freak. She can deal with the fear in her parents' eyes and the way her boyfriend flinches at her touch. But she can't deal with what she knows, deep down, every time she forces herself to look in the mirror: She's not the same person she used to be.

Maybe she's not even a person at all.

It sounded interesting to me. Not to mention it was endorsed by one of my favorite authors. (Scott Westerfeld) If I end up liking it we all know I will hunt down the rest of the 'Cold Awakening' series, but for now this one will have to do. 

I have a little hobby of going in to small book stores when I go out of town. I like to get one or two gently loved books. I always find the good ones this way. I rarely go out of town, so we will see how 'Waucoma Bookstore' in Hoodriver, Oregon steps up to the challenge with 'Skinned'. 

Join me if you can and share your comments below. Wish me luck! 

Note: Since I got the Book 'Skinned" they changed the name of the book and the trilogy. It is now 'The Skinned Trilogy' and the books are Frozen, Shattered, and Torn....I am not happy about that. Pick a name, and stick with it.

Summer Reading List

I decided not to wait this year and started my summer reading early. I mean why not? I love to read. I did the most responsible thing ($ wise) and decided to read all the 'new' books I already had. Not that I wont get any more books and add them to the ever growing list.

I do not have any order that I am going in. If iI did I would post the list so you could join me if you wanted. Though If you send me a note I will gladly let you know what my next few selections will be.

I should note that there are more than a few books that are part of a series. Like #4 or something. I hate when I have to wait for a book in a series to come out, don't you?

Well I started with 'The Eyre Affair' by Jasper Fforde. My best friend recommended it, and leant it to me as well. I have been moving and boxed up all my books. Horrible I know, it couldn't be helped.

'The Eyre Affair' is an easy read. It is set in 1985, but it has a futuristic quality to it. Time travel, amazing inventions, and a society that it very different from our own. It centers around a woman named Thursday Next. She is a cop of sorts and is the only one who can capture the most notorious villain of the day. Unfortunately she only a Special Operative in the LiteraTech office. In other words, she deals with fraud and such pertaining to books. Which is a fairly big deal to those of us who love books. It is not like she is in a higher SpecOp like 12 or even 5. ( who knows what they do) She has a crazy uncle who invents great machines, an ex-boyfriend who comes back into her life to muddle her mind and constant dreams of the war she was in. It was well written and a fun story. It stands well on its own but has other books that follow Thursday Next's carrier.

If you need something that is fun to read, but you can also put down for a day or two, this would be a good one for you.

On to the next book on my scrambled up list. 'The Witch's Daughter' by Paula Brackston. I recently picked this one up on a trip to B&N with the BFF. This book spans time. The daughter of a witch witness her mothers hanging in 1628. She runs. The rest of her life she is running. Present day. She is still hopping from town to town across England. It is story or love, magic, loss and fear. Once i read the back of the book I knew I to read it. As soon as I am done I will let you know how it went, then share with you my next pick. If you choose to read along with me feel free to share your opinions and views of the books as well.

I also welcome recommendations.