Bookish Review: Sisters Red

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce is an updated Little Red Riding Hood for teens. Scarlett's family is attacked by a Fenris when she is just a little girl. Her grandmother is killed, but she manages to protect her little sister Rosie and kill the Fenris, though she loses an eye and gains some scars in the process. Fenris are, of course, werewolves. In the mythology of this story, they are soulless creatures that change form when overly enraged or aroused. They are all men, and prey primarily on young women. Fenris don't age, but they can be killed with a hatchet or sharp knife, which Scarlett, Rosie, and their friend Silas employ to destroy the creatures. Scarlett is a single-minded hunter, but Rosie is not so sure she doesn't want more from life, and when Silas returns from a year away and realizes Rosie is not a little girl anymore, it awakens feelings in both of them that they are unsure how to handle. In the meantime, the three of them must uncover what makes a Potential, which is the only person who can become a Fenris, and only during a certain time.

The book was a good read, scary and entertaining. I did have a slight problem with the age difference between Silas and Rosie (he's 21 and she's 16--yikes!), but their affection feels real and overall the book is good.

Full Disclosure: The publisher sent me a free pre-pub copy of this book for review. It did not affect my opinion.

Bookish Review:Summer Sisters

Summer Sisters is a novel for adults by Judy Blume. As a child, I loved Judy Blume, so this, with its more adult themes, gave me mixed feelings. It tells the stories of two girls who spend summers together on the East Coast. One, Caitlin, is rich and the other, Vix, is not, but their friendship provides opportunities Vix would not otherwise have. She gets to summer on the island, leaving her dysfunctional family behind in New Mexico; she gets to go to private school; she gets a scholarship to Harvard. Both girls envy each other, for different reasons, and they love each other, in their own dysfunctional way. Caitlin gets wilder and wilder as she grows up, eventually even marrying Vix's first love. Many people question why Vix remains friends with Caitlin, but how do you turn your back on the person who changed your life?

I can't say I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed Judy Blume's books as a kid, but it was interesting to read something on this level from her.

Bookish Review: Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict

This book is a quick read. It opens in media res--a huge Jane Austen fan finds her transported in time and it is as if she is living in a Jane Austen novel. The book is narrated by the protagonist and you are basically stuck in her head the whole time, which can be a bit taxing. She also behaves rather thoughtlessly at times, going off on rants about women's rights and nearly getting herself compromised several times. She's a bit tiresome in this regard, but the book is a quick read, fluffy and light. It's not bad if you can pick it up on the cheap, but I wouldn't recommend shelling out full price.

Bookish Review: The Monsters of Templeton

This book is a bit of a love letter to Cooperstown, NY, and a fictionalized version the Cooper family (Think James Fenimore Cooper). I have only been to Cooperstown once, but it was fun to read a book that was so tied into the fabric of the town. The book features the creature that is supposed to live in the lake. Willie returns to her hometown in disgrace and extreme crisis. SHe has gotten herself into a situation where she thinks she will not be able to finish her graduate degree and her mother's dreams for her will be dashed. She comes home to find that her hippie mother has found religion--and a pastor to date, to boot. Her best friend is dying from lupus, and and her mother reveals that the story of her paternity is completely false. As she searches for the truth of her parentage and digs deeper into her family tree, the story of the town and the family unfolds through different viewpoints. Groff has a very interesting writing style, and the way the story is told adds interest.

Bookish Review: Dead Until Dark

Dead Until Dark is the 1st book in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. These are the books on which the TV show True Blood is based. Sookie is a telepathic barmaid in a small town in N. Louisiana. Two years prior to this book, synthetic blood was developed and vampires brought themselves into the light (metaphorically) and are trying to "mainstream." When a vampire walks into Sookie's bar, she is immediately attracted to him and the silence of his mind (she can't read his thoughts).

Soon, women who have been with vampires start showing up dead, and Sookie must help solve the mystery when her brother becomes a prime suspect.

I have friends who are big fans of this series, and they are fun and fluffy, to an extent. but, Sookie is a little annoying (she cries a lot, and is an odd mix of well-read and semi-stupid, with a lot of naive mixed in). Also , she and Bill (vampire) fall in love immediately, and she has sex with him almost immediately, despite the fact that she is a virgin and one who was sexually assaulted in the past. These are not unusual romance conventions, but it is a little hard to take.

Overall, not bad, but nothing you should rush out to pick up, either. The 2nd in the series is a little better.

Bookish Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The 3rd book in Steig Larsson's Millennium trilogy wraps up the story quite nicely. The book picks up exactly where the last one left off. Lisbeth has been shot, multiple times, and requires brain surgery. Micke is being questioned by incompetent police, and since Sapo is involved, the investigation is difficult, to say the least. Zala is still alive and Lisbeth's brother is on the run, and the police have no leads. The staff of Millennium are trying to wrap up Dag's story and prove Lisbeth's innocence (with Armansky's & Palmgren's help). With Erika leaving the staff, this is not easy, and Erika is having trouble of her own in her new job, including picking up an apparent stalker.

Micke gets yet another love interest in this one, and she is very quickly under his spell, as usual. The truth of Lisbeth's past comes out, and she actually gets some closure by the end.

Another exciting romp from Larsson--too bad it's the last one!

Book Review: Infinity

This book is the first in a new series called the Chronicles of Nick. The book is set in New Orleans, which I found to be the most interesting part. Nick is a poor teen on a scholarship at a ritzy school. His mother is a stripper and his father is in prison for murdering several people. Strange things begin happening (not unusual in New Orleans) and when zombies (but not dead zombies) begin taking over the school and trying to eat their classmates, Nick discovers that his "crazy" friends who believe in zombies and demons are not so crazy after all. Little does Nick know, he is the latest generation in a demon family, and he can choose to save the world, or destroy it.

There's also a love interest, of course, who is really watching Nick to make sure he doesn't become the embodiment of evil, but may have feelings for him, too.

The plot is a little odd, and some of the writing is hokey or laughable (in an unintended way), but it's rather entertaining, too. (How do they become zombies? a video game, if you can believe it. How to change them back? A cattle prod!)

Full Disclosure: I received a free ARC of this book at a conference, courtesy of the publisher.