Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

Series: Dexter
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Adult Mystery/Suspense
288 pages

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing... a monster who cringes at the sight of blood... a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likable: HE ONLY KILLS BAD PEOPLE.

Dexter Morgan isn't exactly the kind of man you'd bring home to Mom. Though he's playful and has a wonderfully ironic sense of humor, Dexter's one character flaw (his proclivity for murder) can be off-putting. But at heart Dexter is the perfect gentleman, supportive of his sister, Deb, a Miami cop, and interested only in doing away with people who really deserve his special visit. Dex is quite good-looking but totally indifferent to (and, frankly, a bit puzzled by) the attention paid to him by women. Despite the fact that he cant' stand the sight of blood, he works as a blood-splatter analyst for the Mmiami police department, a job that allows him to keep tabs on the latest crimes and keep an eye open for his next quarry.

Dexter's well-organized life is suddenly disrupted when a second, much more visible serial killer appears in Miami. Dex is intrigued, even delighted, by the fact that the other killer appears to have a style reminiscent of his own. Yet he can't help but feel that the mysterious new arrival is not merely invading his turf but reaching out to him as well. This new killer seems to be doing more tha copying Dexter—he seems to be saying, "Come out and play." Dexter's secret life makes for a lonely existence... even a lovable monster can be intrigued by the prospect of finding a friend.

When my mom and I changed satellite companies we got Showtime and HBO for three months free of charge. Since then I've became hooked on Dexter and TrueBlood (more on that addiction later). Much to my delight both series are based on books. So I picked up Darkly Dreaming Dexter. This book was delicious.

The book is told through Dexter's point of view. That makes it insanely interesting to read since he is a serial killer. His voice is so earnest and truthful. He kept me interested and even I after finishing the book I want more. I won't even touch on the other characters since they weren't important to me.

Man, I'm out of practice writing reviews. Although, I really don't know how much more I can say about how amazing this book is.

B+

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin


Publisher: Delacorte (January 2010)
Category: Historic Fiction
351 Pages


But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?

Alice Liddell Hargreaves's life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she's experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only "Alice."

That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice—he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice's childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.

For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.

A love story and a literary mystery, Alice I Have Been brilliantly blends fact and fiction to capture the passionate spirit of a woman who was truly worthy of her fictional alter ego, in a world as captivating as the Wonderland only she could inspire.
Oh wow. Just.... Wow. I loved this book. I could barely put it down - it was that good. It's almost rendered me speechless.

Alice I Have Been is a novel version of the Finding Neverland movie - except with Alice in Wonderland.

Alice was a very spunky character. She was the most tomboyish of her sisters which made me immediately like her. She does turn into a spunky woman, but you still do see bits and pieces of her childhood self throughout the story. The other characters are great, but Alice I Have Been is more of a character study so I won't go into the others to much.

The story jumps suddenly about three times. There's four Alices in the story: child Alice, young woman Alice, middle age Alice, and elderly Alice. This story really does teach how something so simple as asking a childhood crush to write down a story can change the course of your life. She constantly fights with the version of Alice that was immortalized in Lewis Carroll's book.

I really don't know what to say about this book now. The writing was excellent. The plot was unique. I love how Alice meets Peter later on in the book. That was fun. The best part of this book? Everything about it was based on Alice's real life.

A+

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stehanie Kuehnert

Publisher: MTV
Category: Adult (fiction)
340 Pages


Punk rock is in Emily Black's blood. Her mother, Louisa, hit the road to follow the incendiary music scene when Emily was four months old and never came back.

Now Emily's all grown up with a punk band of her own, determined to find the tune that will bring her mother home. Because if Louisa really is following the music, shouldn't it lead her right back to Emily?

I'd heard nothing but good things about this book. Even then I was impressed by this book. The way Stephanie writes is mind blowing. Just wow.

This is a very unique story about a daughter and her mother -eventually- finding each other through music. There are ups and downs throughout the book. Things you won't see coming at all. I didn't cry while reading this book, but it's exceedingly touching.

Emily was such a heartfelt character. I loved how passionate she was about everything. If she wanted it - she went for it. I loved that she wasn't perfect - she had her flaws and as the reader I knew exactly what they were. I won't say anything on Lousia to avoid spoiling anything.

Go pick up this book. NOW. It's a must read. Well, if you're over fourteen since this book has sex (nothing graphic), drug usage,alcohol usage, and loads of cursing. If you don't mind those things...well, what are you waiting for? Go buy it!

A

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Category: Adult
276 Pages

Lil is an old woman who spends her days shelving rare books in a tiny Manhattan bookstore and lonely nights at home in her apartment. But Lil has an intriguing secret. Tucked and bound behind her back are white feathery wings–the only key to who she once was: the fairy godmother responsible for getting Cinderella to the ball to unite with her Prince Charming.

But on that fateful night, something went terribly and beautifully wrong. Lil allowed herself the unthinkable: to feel the emotions of human beings and fall in love with the prince herself, going to the ball in place of Cinderella in her exquisitely gorgeous human guise. For her unforgivable mistake, she was banished to live among humans, far from her fairy sisters and their magical underwater world. But then one day she meets Veronica–a young, fair-skinned, flame-haired East Village beauty with a love of all things vintage and a penchant for falling in love with the wrong men–and suddenly it becomes clear to Lil that she’s been given a chance at redemption. If she can find a soul mate for Veronica, she may right her wrong and return to the fairy world she so deeply longs for. . . .

I want to start by saying that this book is currently being optioned for a film! I would definitely go see it if it gets that far. Godmother is a very cute story about redemption. Lil was THE fairy godmother. However, the night of the ball didn't go as planned... So, three hundred years later the fallen fairy is in modern New York and is about to stop accepting her fate.

This story had an interesting concept 'What if we didn't know the real story?', but something kept this book from being amazing. Turgeon has a fantastic writing style. It just didn't click right with me. At times while I was reading Godmother it felt like almost all I was reading were description.

The three main characters were really refreshing. Lil, George, and Victoria were very neat and quirky characters, but they didn't pull at my heart strings. I liked the take on the prince and Cinderella's story. It was depressing at times yet very interesting.

Overall, this book is a nice rainy day read. It's worth picking up from the library, but I'm note sure about buying it.

B-

Stray by Rachel Vincent

Stray by Rachel Vincent

Series: The Shifters
Publisher: MIRA
Category: Adult
624 Pages

From Vincent's Site:
I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.

Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back... for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever and whoever--I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays--'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them...


This was a fast paced and fun read. Vincent creates a very interesting world of people who transfer into cats - panthers, technically. I hope she continues to build on this world and add in more mythology to give her feline race more background.

Faythe was a fun, but predictable, character. She was hormonal, quick-tempered, and had a lot of rebellion in her. Think Rachel from the Animorphs series plus a nastier vocabulary. Marc was quite,um, angry. His jealousy about drove me nuts. I just felt bad for Jace.

I couldn't completely get into this book. It was a fun read, but something kept me from falling into the plot like I normally do. Even so, this book is worth a chance. I hope that whenever I read the three more books that Vincent has released I'll find a more mature Faythe and a plot that I can really get into. My last note is that this should only be picked up by kids in high school. There is violence, bad language, and sex throughout the book. It also deals with rape for a few chapters.

B-