Divine by Choice by P.C. Cast

Divine by Choice by P.C. Cast

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What can I say? I really like this installment in the series. I love getting to see a little bit of how Rhiannon handles the modern world especially. I enjoy Shannon, but I'm also very curious about the story from the opposite point of view. I'm just drawn to hearing both sides of it all, I guess.

I am a little sad about some of the events in the book, particularly the death of a character. It feels a little weird and possibly unnecessary. There is another death centric scene that was quite a bit disturbing and I wasn't in love with it. However, there are other parts I really enjoy. For example, I love the name of ClanFintan's mirror in Oklahoma. I find it highly entertaining for some reason. I also enjoy the plot for the most point. I look forward to reading the next installment soon. :)

Divine by Mistake by P.C. Cast

Divine by Mistake by P.C. Cast>

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am glad my cousin recommended this book to me because it is a really fun read. When I returned this one to her, I asked to borrow the rest of the series. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to think when I read the back. But after I started, I found I was having a great time and enjoying the ride. I like the world the author created and how the main character handles it. Part of me is curious about Rhiannon's experiences with Oklahoma, but that is not addressed, at least not in this installment. (I just started book 2, so I don't know if that will change or not). I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Surprisingly, I was never given this book as an assignment for a class. I took it upon myself to read it because it is a book that is found on every "must read" book list. I'm glad I read it, even though it did not do a lot for me. When I read Fahrenheit 451, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and On the Road, I immediately understood why these books are considered classics and on "must read" book lists. They intrigued me and stayed with me long after I put them down. Will 1984 have that same impact? Probably not. I am glad I read it and I did enjoy the freaky parallels between Orwell's dystopian future and our present. But, for some reason, the story didn't move me the way I anticipated. It felt like a chore to read and I was secretly pleased I'd never had to read it for a class. I was even more pleased that I didn't have to write a paper on it! :)

The Cluttered Corpse by Mary Jane Maffini

The Cluttered Corpse by Mary Jane Maffini

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My main criticism/observation from the first book in this series was that the main character, Charlotte, never finishes an organizational job during the book. In fact, I finished my review for Organize your Corpses by saying, "Perhaps Charlotte will be able to finish a job in the next book? Ha ha!" Well, imagine my surprise to discover the same thing happens in this book too! I just don't get it. Again, Charlotte is interrupted during a big job with a mystery, so that explains the hold up on the big job. But, she never actually finishes any other job either. This is really striking me as odd for a series with organization as a theme. Am I the only one bothered by this? I guess I just expect a little more from Charlotte than I've been given thus far. Of course, I enjoy the books overall and will continue with the series, despite this random concern. The author does throw in a lot of organizational tips, but I'd kind of like to see her complete a job from start to finish as well as help solve a mystery. Am I asking for too much here? :/

I did find parts of the mystery a little obvious to solve and other parts impossible to solve until the reveal. I had no reason to suspect who was behind everything and how it all came together, which can be both good and bad. I liked that it was a surprise, but I don't like that I had no chance of solving the case before Charlotte. What can I say? I'm competitive with these fictional sleuths and I want a chance to beat them at their own game. :)

Bring Your Own Poison by Jimmie Ruth Evans

Bring Your Own Poison by Jimmie Ruth Evans

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
While the mystery of this book isn't as exciting as I would have liked, there are a lot of character developments that help make up the difference. In fact, the only plot points that I recall with clarity have to do with the main characters and what is happening in their lives. It's only been 3 days since I've read this book and I find it is difficult to recall who did what, how, and why. I wouldn't say it's poorly written, but the character developments definitely overshadow the mystery for me. I look forward to reading more in this series, despite not loving this installment.

Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield

Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I loved the concept behind this book. Rob is a music fan and he uses music to tell his story. It was funny, sad, touching, and real. I would love to have a play list of all the songs mentioned at the beginning of each chapter so I could really connect to Rob's experiences. There were many great quotes that will end up in my quote book. In particular, the chapter that deals with Kurt Cobain's music and death was fantastic. It was a thought provoking chapter for me. However, there was one chapter that did nothing for me and that's why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Otherwise, it was a really good book that I would recommend to anyone that has ever made a mix tape. :)

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Overall, I liked it. I think comparisons to Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket are ambitious, but I enjoyed the story for the most part. Personally, I'm not sure it needs to become a series. I will read the next one just to see how it goes, but I'm not foreseeing an addiction. The children were cute and I liked their interactions with Mr. Benedict. Once they were away from him, however, I was no longer in love. I loved the selection process in the beginning and following along to see how the children solved the problems in their own ways. But, the second half of the book didn't really do much for me. As I said, however, I will give book 2 a chance even though I'm not sure it will be worth it. If you have an appropriately aged child in your life, however, by all means give this story a shot. It has enough adventure to keep a child interested and enough new vocabulary to make a parent or teacher feel good about them reading it.

Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts

The Remains of the Dead by Wendy Roberts


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I did not want to put this one down! This is not a light, cozy read but it was very engrossing. If you can't sit through an episode of CSI, however, you will probably want to skip this book. It is more descriptive of crime scenes than pretty much any book I've ever read and the crime scenes are far from pleasant. But, I loved the main characters and the storyline. I thought some of the clues were very obvious along the way, but missed a big one that was revealed in the final chapter. Kudos to the author for that last chapter because it was fantastic. I was already quite pleased with how things happened, but then I was pleasantly surprised to find just one more twist. If this is the author's first book, I am more than impressed and I expect great things to come from her. I look forward to reading more in this series. Excellent first book in a series and highly recommended for anyone that likes mysteries with a little bit of the paranormal and that doesn't mind a little gore. :)

Merciless by Richard Montanari

Merciless: A Novel of Suspense by Richard Montanari


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Normally, I don't read this type of mystery novel, but it was recommended to me by someone at a garage sale and I thought I'd give it a try. I can say it was good, but not a favorite. It's harder than the cozy mysteries I tend to read, which is to be expected, but I think it contributed to why I wasn't in love with it. I really enjoyed the fairy tale angle and would like to see that theme more often. I recently ordered a Grimm's Fairy Tale book because they are amazing to read as an adult, especially in a more pure form than say Disney would allow. The descriptions of the area were really good and I thought the plot was strong. I think if I venture into harder mysteries in the future, I will look this author up and see what else he has to offer. :)

Organize Your Corpses by Mary Jane Maffini

Organize Your Corpses by Mary Jane Maffini


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have to say, there was a lot less organizing than I was expecting. I'm fairly certain Charlotte didn't finish a single job during the book! Of course, one job was suspended because of the mystery, so I can forgive that. But, she was also helping other clients and they never actually finished the jobs. How odd! There are plenty of organizational tips thrown in though, so it's not a big deal. It just struck me as funny that Charlotte never actually finished a job during the book. Anyway, I enjoyed this book. For the most part, I liked the dialogue, the characters, and how they interacted with one another. I think the author waited a little too long before really diving into the reveal and I don't think we were given enough clues along the way to see how Charlotte figured it out. The reveal also requires one to suspend a lot of disbelief, in my opinion. That said, I still enjoyed the book enough to want to continue with the series. Perhaps Charlotte will be able to finish a job in the next book? Ha ha!