Blood and Chocolate
Every so often a book comes along that I like well enough to read from beginning to end without stopping. Rarer is the book I bother to reread. There is only one book that I have read cover to cover without stop only to turn around and read it again making it so that I literally read it twice in a single sitting.This book isn’t some great literary read, but it took me by surprise. It is part fantasy, part coming of age, and part romance with a twist.Part of the surprise for me about this book was that I initially almost didn’t like Vivian, the book’s main character, but she becomes compelling and the story drew me in with moments of grief, violence, humor, fear, and human (werewolf?) connection. If you are remotely interested in paranormal fantasy, young adult stories, or romance then I would highly suggest you pick this up and give it a try.As a side note, my review of the movie isn't quite so glowing. If you're interested, you can read it here: http://kates-couch.livejournal.com/21798.html
Beast Behaving Badly
Gotta love a book that makes you laugh out loud and not even mind when people look at you funny.
 - Rick Riordan)
Five Year Sentence Pb (Abacus Books)
2.5 out of 5 StarsThis wasn’t a bad story and I actually ended up liking it better than I expected. It was sweet, occasionally amusing, and for something that was a short romance and nothing else, it was surprising lacking in trite. On the downside, as this was another one that I listened to instead of reading, the narrator was great for some of the voices, but many of his “female” voices grated on my nerves, pulling me out of the story. The real problem for me was that the characters were kind of forgettable, though I think that is in large part due to the brief nature of the story. I think to make the characters vibrant, the story would have had to have been longer, but sadly making the story longer would have made it too long to be enjoyable, at least not without more plot than what it had. In the end, I didn’t mind spending a few hours listening to it, but it won’t be one that I go back to or that stays with me in the long run.
QUEEN OF BROKEN HEARTS
I'll tell you what I think of this book, just as soon as I figure out what I think about this book.
Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned
I'm mostly definitely intrigued by this story. I'm interested to see where it goes. There's a lot going on, but I do believe I'll be reading more of this series.
Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility
As I delve into the comic book world (albeit mostly Marvel 'Verses), Spider-Man is quickly becoming one of my absolute favorite characters. He's a nerd who suddenly finds himself with superpowers. There's a lot that I like about this story of Peter Parker who is just trying to find his way when he gets thrown at his way. The first part of the story was familiar enough. Boy gets powers, boy gets in trouble, boy's father gets killed and he could've stopped it. Yeah, yeah, we've all heard the story (and probably seen the movie). What the movie did not capture for me, which the comic book does in spades, are the following:1) Peter Parker is (essentially) a child. Yes, he is in high school, but he's not even old enough to get a driver's license - a permit maybe, but I think this proves my point. He's not old enough to be trusted alone behind the wheel of a car (granted some might argue that NO ONE living in the great NYC should be trusted behind the wheel of a car, but that is NOT the point) but he is dubbed Spider-(focus on this bit) Man. This is a kid who is barely passed his voice cracking attempting to take on the weight of a city. 2) Spider-Man is hilarious. (Peter Parker is an amusing enough kid and he's actually very believable. In some ways there are differences between Peter Parker and his alter-ego. It seems that he becomes Spider-Man - and perhaps his truest self if we ask Oscar Wilde - when he puts on the mask.) He is laugh out loud, pee your pants a little for laughing so hard, funny. He can being having the entire conversation with himself for all his opponent might respond, but it is by far one of the funniest conversations you'll read anywhere. 3) Peter Parker is super smart, and he was before he got his powers. In this, he does not inherit his webs, but in fact invents a substance to use as a web. Now maybe I've just muddled up what I saw in the movie since it has been about ten years since I saw it, but I'm pretty sure it didn't come close to capturing me like the book did. So yeah, I really liked this.
X-Force, Vol. 2: Old Ghosts
First off, I did not put this down until I had finished it.I feel like this one is a little less bloody, a little less dark, and definitely tempered with more of the humor that I personally love. The illustrations were clear and the dialogue was much easier to follow in this one than in the first volume. It also really feels like the story is moving more naturally.
X-Force Vol. 1: Angels and Demons
At first I wasn't sure I was going to like, but between my love for Logan/Wolverine and my desire to complete "X" in my Alphabet Challenge, I continued.Apparently there's a ridiculous amount of back story that I don't have for this story, so it was rather difficult reading in the beginning. Then, it got very dark - and not just the content, but also the drawings shading which made it difficult to really see what was happening in the panels. The 3D computer animation looking animation style takes some getting used to. Somewhere around two thirds in though, I got really interested and immediately after finishing it, I started the second volume which I read in a single sitting. I'm not clairvoyant, but I see the third volume in my near future.
Vanish: A Firelight Novel (Firelight Trilogy)
It is possible that I would have liked this better if I had read the book instead of listened to it, but after devouring the first one, I found this one a little disappointing. The plot didn't feel as well thought out as before. The (two) "love triangle(s)" feel a little forced (one more so than the other) and some of the events just seem random as opposed to plot driven. I'm generally a fan of Sophie Jordan (I've read a lot of her historical romances and some of her paranormal fiction as well) but this just wasn't my favorite by her.
 - Sophie Jordan)
Black Widow: Kiss or Kill
This wasn't a bad story, but it lacked something that the first volume did have. First, I thought they might be connected and I guess technically they are, but they don't feel that way. Second, this story is does not flow as well as the first. I had to keep going back to figure out if I'd missed something. There's still one page that I do not understand as it seems totally unconnected to any of the pages close to it. It probably related to another part, but this one seemed to jumped around through time, places, and characters more than was practical (at least for me). I will admit that as I'm fairly new to comics that I'm still learning how to read them (and yes, there is a difference between reading a book and reading a comic book as they have different ways of telling the stories).
Black Widow: The Name of the Rose
Black Widow is an ass-kicking heroine who plays a better game of chess than Bobby Fisher (figuratively).
Avengers, Vol. 1
I enjoyed this so very much.Now, I'll say that (to use fanfic terms) there was a bit of hand-waving. And the plot is not for the faint of heart (he BROKE the timeline! the Avengers must fix it!). I laughed like a mad woman and squealed with a twihard at the Breaking Dawn premiere. Not that it didn't have serious moments as well (Tony has an almost heartbreaking moment which was amazing).
