Embody Review

Embody (Insight #2)
By Jamie Magee

From Goodreads:

Not many Scorpio’s are known for their patience, and Willow Haywood is no different. Her only desire is to love Landen Chambers and redeem the lost souls of Esterious, but the path to that desire is long, dark and dangerous...
Before Willow’s life had a chance to balance the sudden revelations and grief she had to endure to get to Chara a disturbing discovery is made. A photo, one that shows Willow blissfully embracing the flawless image of Drake Blakeshire; giving her not only proof that she had lived before, but that she had loved him.
Running away from the memory of Drake’s hypnotizing touch, and the prophecy set before her seemed like the logical thing to do. That is, until a dark dream reignites her passion to save the hopeless dimension of Esterious. Willow struggles to find patience – to learn everything she needs to know before she faces Drake again, but her eagerness is dangerous and one step in the wrong direction takes everything and everyone away from her – the only way to survive this trial is for Willow to remember who she is and what she really wants out of this life. The question is….can she do that?

 My Thoughts :
In order to prepare for this blog tour, I read the first book, Insight, and then Embody.  For me, Embody is the better book.  Insight was mostly about Willow discovering her true identity and Willow and Landen falling in love, and while it's sweet it's also a bit mushy and teenage-dreamish for my tastes- again, I'm 34, the 17 year old me would have downed this like Augustus Gloop in the Chocolate River.  The love fest continues in Embody, but the action is kicked up several notches and Drake emerges as a fully fleshed out character.  In the first book, Drake is clearly the bad dude, in Embody the reasons Willow may have loved him in a past life(lives) becomes clearer.  It's not a true love triangle, which is a welcome relief, because Willow and Landen are true soul mates which everyone seems to know except Drake.  But his obsession with Willow becomes more understandable and just a bit tragic.  Donalt also rises up as the true bad guy, and he will no doubt cause much trouble for Willow and company later in the series.  Hopefully there will be more Drake.  Despite the fact that I don't want Drake with Willow, I'm still Team Drake.

Favorite Bit: When Willow becomes intangled in the lives of Evie and Stella.  I was not expecting that twist and it made for great page-turning (or Kindle clicking) drama.

Embody also gives us a glimpse at some of the other dimensions, and I can't wait for more!  Magee has created a rich and complex alternate reality, a mix of true love, powers, magic, and stars.  If you're a fan of YA paranormal, if you check your horoscope every week, or if your just needing a dose of romance and fantasy, then the Insight series is definitely worth checking out.  Did I mention the awesomely precocious children? And if my review seems a bit all over the place, just keep in mind that I'm a Gemini. ;)

Embody gets a Midnight Book Rating of :

* I did get free copies of both books because of the tour, but I also ended up just buying both so I could read them on my Kindle so I can safely say that my opinion was not swayed by free copies (not saying I can't be swayed, but I'm thinking a European cruise is about the only bribe I'm interested in, just in case anyone is looking to buy my opinion.  Anyone? ... Bueller?)

Waiting on Wednesday 6.22.11

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine. 

Normally I have no idea what books are coming out, or just a vague idea that a series I like is coming out with a new installment.  Tess Gerritsen recently published a short story, Freaks, on Kindle featuring Rizzoli and Isles and it came with a sneak peek The Silent Girl.  Can't wait to read it!

From Goodreads:

When a severed hand, clutching a gun, is found in a Chinatown alley in downtown Boston, detective Jane Rizzoli climbs to the adjacent roof-top and finds the hand's owner: a red-haired woman whose throat has been slashed so deeply the head is nearly severed. She is dressed all in black, and the only clues to her identity are a throwaway cell phone and a scrawled address of a long-shuttered restaurant.

With its wary immigrant population, Chinatown is a closed neighbourhood of long-held secrets - and nowhere is this more obvious than when Jane meets Iris Fang. Strikingly beautiful, her long black hair streaked with grey, she is a renowned martial arts master. Yet, despite being skilled in swordplay, neither she nor her strangely aloof daughter, Willow, will admit any knowledge of the rooftop murder. And pathologist Dr Maura Isles has determined that the murder weapon was a sword crafted of ancient metal from China.

It soon becomes clear that an ancient evil is stirring in Chinatown - an evil that has killed before, and will kill again - unless Jane and Iris can join forces, and defeat it ...

Monday Movie Meme 6.20

Sandy over at You've GOTTA read this! is hosting today's Movie Meme, and the topic is depressing movies. She also makes the point between tearjerker and depressing- so while some endings of certain movies like Dead Poet's Society and Stand By Me are sad, overall the movies, in my opinion, are not depressing.  So here's my list:

1. Closer- despite an attractive cast, this movie depressed the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of me.  It  makes you think that no one, no couple, can ever be faithful.  Plus it was gross to watch Clive Owens talk filthy to Julia Roberts.  Just gross and depressing.  Never, ever again.

2. Old Yeller- okay, I understand that this book/movie teaches children about loss.  But couldn't you just buy your kid a Walmart fish?  I promise you, it won't live long and your child won't be devastatingly depressed for years to come.

3. Dancer in the Dark- Bjork turns out to be a wonderfully charming actress in this film as she plays a dirt poor going-blind woman.  But despite the musical numbers her life suddenly goes from outhouse to sewers, and the whole thing is too depressing to continue typing about.

4. In the Bedroom- I don't like movies where nobody, absolutely nobody, wins or at least escapes unscathed.

5. Boys Don't Cry- now I am not a fan of Hilary Swank, but gives an amazing performance in this movie.  Too bad I can never watch it again because it's so depressing. 

6. Monster's Ball- another movie where everyone loses, and loses big.  Great performances, but overall the message is not one of hope.

7. The Elephant Man- not only did this movie both scare and depress me when I was a kid- but it's the reason that for years and years I had to sleep with between 2-4 pillows at night because I was afraid I might die otherwise.

My last 3 were already picked by Sandy in her meme, but I totally agree:

8. The House of Sand and Fog
9. Grave of the Fireflies
10. Requiem for a Dream

Water For Elephants

My book club meets this Saturday to discuss Water For Elephants (which for some reason I always want to call Like Water For Elephants...), so instead of posting a comprehensive review I thought I'd share:

Things That I Have Learned Reading Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

 

1. Circus people are cranky!

2. Breasts can move in ways I thought only possible in Japanese Anime movies.

3. That "Stars and Stripes Forever" is also considered a Disaster March.

4. That everyone needs a little privacy, especially short men with 8-pagers.

5. Old people lie.  About carrying water for elephants.  And probably other things too. Or maybe not, maybe they think it really happened.  Like how you can just buy some mickey mouse ears off the internet and over time convince your kid that they've gone to Disney World while in reality you spent the vacation money on box wine and lottery tickets.

6. That red-lighting has nothing to do with the red light district.

7. That maybe my dog Emmy isn't really that dumb, maybe she just speaks Polish.

8. You are never too old to run away and join the circus.

9. Retirement homes serve crappy food- although I actually already knew that.

10. It's best to just go ahead and wear a name tag, preferably large print, when visiting your loved ones in a retirement home.  That way if they forget your name they can still pretend they know it and maintain a little dignity.

11. And while Water For Elephants is the holy grail to most NaNoWriMo authors, nowhere in the book, afterward, questions, etc does Sara Gruen acknowledge this.  A little disappointing, Ms. Gruen, a little disappointing.  Although I am in awe of your research skills and dedication.

Water For Elephants gets a Midnight Book Rating of:

Pool Side Reads

The best part of apartment life (and really, one of the few perks at all) is our swimming pool!  This summer is even better because I'm working less hours and the creepy pool guy from last summer is gone.  Yay!
I am not much of a sun worshiper since my skin is pale and prone to burning and freckling bad enough to make me look diseased. But I do love swimming and sitting in the shade and reading.
Now pool reading is not quite as much fun as beach reading, mostly because some of my neighbors prefer to use the pool area as a babysitter for their noisy broods, but I have always loved reading outdoors... as long as it's in the shade and mostly bee free because bees scare me... 

So what have I read this past week at the pool?

The Genesis Code 
by John Case

From Goodreads:

A phone call in the dead of night brings Joe Lassiter shattering news. His sister and young nephew have died in a fire in their home near Washington, D.C. Yet Lassiter soon learns a chilling fact: His loved ones were brutally murdered before the blaze was set. . . .The mysterious suspect's identity only raises more questions. Then Lassiter uncovers another crime--another innocent mother and child murdered. The more he unearths, the larger the web of conspiracy grows, as his search for answers leads him on a dangerous international chase toward a truth that will shock him--and the world--to the very bone. . . .

My Thoughts:  I was not sure I was going to like this book at first, because it opens up in Italy and there's much Catholic church inner workings and my eyes were glazing over a bit. Lucky for me, I managed to process enough of the information to help me when the book started to pick up, which it does as soon as the story switched to Joe Lassiter and his journey to uncover the mystery of the deaths of his sister and nephew.  There is a lot of action, and it was cool to read the action parts that took place in my birthplace of Northern Virginia.  You get to visit a lot of cool places with this novel, and Joe is a pretty cool guy- he's not quite Jason Bourne but he's no slouch in the area of kicking butt and getting answers.

My friend Susan brought this book to our book club swap meet awhile back, and the Hubs ended up with it.  He rarely reads, being more of a computer guy, so it helped me stick with the book despite the initial misgiving.  I was weary of it because I thought it was going to be too much like a Dan Brown novel. Not that I've actually finished a Dan Brown book, I haven't.  I guess the hype of the Da Vinci Code scared me away (plus all the people who were either outraged by the novel or totally convinced that it was all really true), and normally I'm not big on conspiracy plots.  And while I think the Catholic church has lots of problems and issues (that may be an understatement), they do seem to be the go-to bad guys in movies and books nowadays.  I realize that I was just limiting myself by not reading these books- I love thrillers, I love the action and trying to figure out who's going to make it and if good will ultimately triumph over evil. 

Will I be reading more John Case books?  Absolutely- the Hubs is already reading another book by the author (which is actually two authors writing under a pseudonym).  The Genesis Code gets a Midnight Book Rating of 11pm!  It's a great pool side read :)

And when the noise gets unbearable I listen to Discovery of Witches on my iPod- yes, I am STILL listening to this book.  I love the book, I really do, but I usually can only listen to audio books in my car, and I just haven't been driving much these days.  I have come thisclose to just buying the darn book so I can finish it, and I know I'll cave someday simply because I would like to own a hard copy of it.

Next up: 

Love You More
by Lisa Gardner

This is the book I'll be taking to the pool today.  It's hardback, and I normally prefer to read paperback whenever I'm near water but I've had this sitting on my tbr pile for awhile and I'm itching to get to it.  I read the first four books in this series in a bit of a fever, which I tend to do when I find an author I like. 




Other Pool Side Reads Planned:

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

So what are your pool side recommendations?  I obviously prefer reading mysteries and thrillers, but do you have a particular genre you like to read while relaxing outdoors?

My Stephen King Summer

Have I mentioned my overwhelming love of all things Stephen King?   To say that I am a huge fan of the writer and all his work, his thoughts, his ideas, his doodles, would be an understatement.  Well, I don't actually know that he doodles, but I'm sure I'd love any doodles he doodled.

So I was excited to see his recent article in EW about summer book reads.  He's posted lists before, and I've read some of the books he's recommended (thanks for the intro to Lee Childs and Peter Abrahams, Mr. King!) but this summer I plan on reading ALL the books he's listed. I greatly respect King as a writer, and I have faith that if there's books out there that interested him, then they'd probably hold my attention too.  I can't find a link to the article online at EW, but below is a list of all the books he mentioned.  I'm going to try to stick to the month order, but it'll just depend on how easily I can get a hold of the books.

June Reads: 

Buried Prey by John Sandford (read in June)
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (read in June)
The Five by Robert McCammon (ordered)
The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly (read in June)

July Reads:

The Sentry by Robert Crais (read in July)
The Silent Land by Graham Joyce (read in June)
The Cypress House by Michael Koryta (reading now)
Dog On It by Spencer Quinn

August Reads:

The Accident by Linwood Barclay
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (ordered)
A Test of Wills by Charles Todd
The Terror of Living by Urban Waite

I am sad to say that other than Kate Atkinson, I have not read any of these authors before.  I have recently read Started Early, Took by Dog by Atkinson, and Case Histories is the first book in that series so it's on my list already.

I'm not making an official challenge out of this, but I'd love to know if any of you out there are interested in joining me in my summer reading odyssey!