The Nymphos of Rocky Flats *

Ok, so I was in the book store a few weeks ago and I noticed this book. At first I wasnt sure if I wanted to read it or not, but my Fiance convinced me to. The book rants that it is "Unique, loaded with Thrills, Sex, Violence, and laughs. Wrong!

The concept was interesting enough. Felix Gomez is a Latino soldier in the Iraqi war who accidentally kills a innocent family. He seeks to punish himself and gets himself turned into a vampire. After returning home to the states with his new found powers, he becomes a P.I.

At first I thought I had picked up the second book in the series instead of the first. The scenes where short and had absolutely no development. He just starts into it like I could read his mind. He threw in lore with absolutely explanation. It confused me.

I just couldnt find myself able to get into the character of Felix. The storyline is just riddled with vampire cliches and over done concepts. Acevedo writes like a beginner. He had no Idea where he wanted to go with the story so he just threw as much stuff as he could get in.

At every turn Felix tried to use his Vampire Hypnosis but it never worked. All he ended up doing was "fanging people." Which made it kind of useless since he would not drink their blood. Isnt that what Vampires do?

Then there was the whole sex thing. You would think that With the word Nymphos in the title, there would be lots and lots of sex. Nope! Felix Love interest turns out to be a Pot smoking Druid, and every time they started to get into it something or some one would get in the way.

Then throw in the predicable vampire hunters. I have to give them the Kudos. They were the only characters with any real personality.

Then it turns out that the Nymphos are just side effect of what was really happening. Seriously aliens? Every thing turned out be the government trying to hide a flying saucer. LAME!

In the end I wont be continuing this series. I give it a 1 out of 5

Highland Captive ****

So you will soon find out that Hannah Howell is my favorite romance author. I have a bookshelf full of her books. This particular book is one of her older books that has been republished by Zebra. I am not really a fan of her earlier works but that is understandable. I have seen the great progression she has made.

This book is set in the Highlands of Scotland around the 1500's. This is typical for Howell. Most of her stories are connected and progress through the generations.

Highland Captive seemed rather long for Howell. It was not a bad read, but a little predictable. However, when you read as many Romance novels as I do, not many things surprise me. He he.... The sex was there, but not as steamy as I would like it. Its more sweet than anything.

Currently I am ahead on Howells books and I am a little anxious for her next book. She going to do something a little later period than she normally writes. I am not to fond of the Tutor Era, but I will bare through it.

I give it a 4 out of 5

Jacob*****

Jocob by Jacquelyn Frank

Ok so this book stared back at me from the third shelf of the Barns & Nobles Romance section for a very long time. I picked it up and put it down. I was not sure if I was going to like it. I must have picked it up and put it back a dozen times. I finally picked it up about a month ago.

So the book is not only Romance but it is paranormal as well. This is the first book in a series called the Nightwalkers. This series is about demons, but they are not the demons from Hell.

I thought it was rather original. The Author wrote it well and kept things interesting. Not to mention frustrating, but not in a bad way. She kept me right on the edge. The sex was steeming and just when I thought it would happen every thing changes. Yummy!

I definitly enjoyed this book. I plan to pick up the second one next time I go to the bookstore. that wont take very long.

I give this book a 5 out 5

Anita Blake ****

So the Anita Blake series didn’t catch my eye at first. When it was first introduced to me, I was reading nothing but historical Scottish romance novels. Modern day novels just didn’t sound interesting to me. One of my best friends however, was very much into the series and every chance she got she tried to get me to read it. “You will love it, I promise” she said. I just shook my head and would not give it a chance. I just stood by as my friends went crazy at Comic-Con International the year that Hamilton did her book signing. Now I am not one of those fans that go crazy, but I noticed how much passion my friends had. I wanted that.

I don’t remember exactly when I decided to pick the series. I was caught up with another authors work and was looking for something else to read. I said what the heck, and picked up the first book.

I was completely taken back by the first person view. Up to that point I had never read a first person. It was a slow read at first. I had a hard time visualizing. Eventually I got over that. I still was having trouble really associated with Anita. I really did not have any thing in common with her.

Then I was really getting pissed off at Jean-Claude. I was so mad one book I put it down and did not pick it back up for a month. Then Richard showed up. I feel in love with Richard. I am little upset that he became such a Bastard, but I understand the character development. I knew exactly how Anita felt. That was it. I was completely hooked. I have fallen completely in love with all of the characters. Each one has become special to me.

It took me a good year to get caught up. Then the next book came out, and I have to wait. I have bought the books in paperback. I have to wait a year before anything comes out in paperback. I have to wait 4 more months before I get to read the last one.

Over all the book series brings a lot of emotions to the surface. The characters are so believable and loveable. There is something for everyone. Anita is a great example of a strong woman. Plus the sex is firery. At times it’s a little S &M, but that’s ok.

These books are not for the innocent or immature.

I give the series a 4 out of 5 because of the slow beginning.

Twilight Saga ***

Ok so Twilight was one of my most resent reads. I finished reading it a few months ago. I originally posted a blog on myspace about it. I have edited this one just slightly.

At first I was hesitent to read it based upon the descriptions my friends had given me. It seemed a little to adolescent for my tastes. Plus I have this thing against people who make things more exciting than they really are. However, I decided that I might as well read it before the new movie comes out.

I was surprised at how much I liked the first book, which was BRILLIANT! I read it in about
15-20 hours. I just fell in love with Edward and his family. Bella seemed so real to me. Once I was done, I thought I was hooked. I went out and bought the last three books all at once. I had to go to three different Walmarts just to find them.

The second book I was not so impressed with. I cried when Edward left. I was also angry that the author took him away and put in a selfish character like Jacob. The second book just went by in a daze until Bella decided to jump off the cliff. I found my self board with the book. But I had hopes that Edward and family would return. Sure enough I was right.

The third book seemed kind of like useless filler. I HATED the tog of war between Edward and Jacob. Jacob was too selfish for me. I don't see how Bella could have forgiven him for forcing himself on her the way he did. Then for her to forgive him so quickly, after he apologized to her. Bella became a little too weak willed for me.

The Third book was just a little too much. The lack of any real detail when it came to Edwards and Bella's Intimacy was driving me crazy. The fact that the author is more than likely Mormon was keeping out the stuff that would have made the book better. Then there was that HUDGE section for just Jacob. I could have cared less. It didn't do any thing for story except make the book longer. Then came Nessie. I didn't see her coming but everything that followed behind was WAY too predicable. I knew by the end of the book every thing would turn out alright, but that wasn't exactly the way I wanted it to end. The last book was better than the two in the middle however. I am glade that the author ended it where she did. I don't think I could stand another book.


Over all I give the series a 3 out of 5. The first book and originality is the only thing that saves it.

To introduce you a little more, here is an essay I wrote. It tells the story of how I became so passionate about reading.

Tenacious

Thomas Jefferson once said in a letter to John Adams, “I cannot live without books.” Literacy is a very important part of my life. Literacy is goes beyond just reading the words on the page. Literacy is knowing and feeling what is being written. From a very young age my life has been consumed by books; fueled by the events and people who surround me. I have almost never been caught without a book. The first memory that I have about literacy was when I was in the fourth grade. It was the first year of school where I did not have to move away. This was the year that sparked my interest in reading.

It was a normal day for me. I woke at a quarter to seven, and had a bowl of Captain Crunch. After eating I packed my backpack for school, and headed out the door. I walked one mile from my house, across a large park, and to school. The school was Midland elementary. Its exterior always reminded me of a large red barn. It had sloping roofs, wood paneling as thick as two DVD cases, and a termite infestation.

My class was located just inside the front gates. I walked into class and sat in my assigned seat at the back of the room. The bell rang at exactly eight am and class began.This was the day we spent all day reading. I don't remember the book I came in with, or maybe I didn't have a book at all. All I remember is going up to the book case, and picking out a pretty pink book. It was one of the books in the American Girl series. I wasn’t sure why that got my teacher’s attention, but it did.

Mrs. Yamaguchi was a middle aged woman, with no children of her own. She had short black hair and she looked down from a pair of glasses that were too small for her. Mrs. Yamaguchi had little to no patience with fourth graders. Ironic isn't it? If that were not enough, I always seemed to be on the short end of her rope. She must have already been having a bad day, because she walked right up beside me.

"What are you reading Erica?" she gave me a forced smile. Maybe she did not want me to run screaming away from her. I wanted to. I just shrugged and showed her the cover of the book. I was prepared to walk back to my seat, but she had other ideas.

"Read it out loud to me." She grabbed the book from me, and opened to the first page. I didn't really want to read out loud, least of all to her. There was nothing for me to do about it; I had little to no chance of getting away. With a heavy sigh I looked down at the page. I began to read out loud. By the time I got done with the first paragraph, I knew it was not going so well. Mrs. Yamaguchi frowned. "Now tell me what just happened." she glared down at me through those glasses. She scared me. I didn't say anything. I just stared down at the page. ''That's what I thought. This book is way too hard for you. Why on earth are you trying to read this book? You can’t possibly understand it. '' I lived with two brothers. I didn't need a fourth grade reading level to know she was calling me stupid.

I don't remember if I cried or not, but I am sure I wanted to. Mrs. Yamaguchi reached into the bookcase and pulled out another book. It was something along the lines of Goosebumps. That was a little too easy of a read, even for me. I went back to my seat with the book. I was finished reading it by the time the bell rang for lunch.

After school I remember being angry at Mrs. Yamaguchi. How dare she tell me what I could or could not read? I asked myself why I let her intimidate me. She was supposed to help me get better at school, not scold me and call me stupid. I rushed home and headed straight to my room. I threw my book bag on the floor and went to the only bookcase in there. I searched the case for anything that I had not already read and looked interesting. I found nothing. Leaving the room I went in search of my mother. She was and still is an avid reader. I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t reading something. At the time my mother was a parent of two in her early thirties. Her weight had become a constant problem, and se began to hide her nose in the books she read. When I found her, she was in the kitchen making dinner.

“Mom, I want to read better, but I don’t have any new books,” I said as I tapped on her back. She turned to me surprised. At least it looked like surprise. She then set down the spatula she was holding and hurried out of the room. I just stood there. When she returned she had a thick and tan book in her hand. The cover of it read Little House on the Prairie.

“My mother had me read this book when I was your age,” She looked like she was about to cry. She held out the book to me and I took it. Every night after dinner my mother had me read the book out loud to her. It took nearly a month, but I did it. After reading the book, my mother gave me another. One book turned into two, and two books turned into three.

I can’t remember exactly which order all my favorite books came in. There was Time for Andrew by Marry Downing Hahn. Hahn would be my favorite author up until the end of the eighth grade. Next there was the entire series of The Chronicles of Narnia. I read the entire series with out putting it down. I don’t remember how long it took. By the end of the eighth grade I had begun to read the Harry Potter series. That was just the beginning. I was and still am addicted to reading. I pick up a new series and I don’t stop reading it until I can’t go any further. It is only natural that after reading so much that my written skills would increase infinitely. Each book makes me want to write, and I endeavor to write as often as I can. Each book brings new feeling and emotions that excite me.

Today as I write this, I realize my development into literacy. Literacy is seeing, feeling, and learning from the emotion in what is being written and read. It goes beyond the social restrictions that the modern world puts on day to day speech. I may not have known I was illiterate at the time, but the need to prove my self was profound. No one has the right to tell anyone else what they can or cannot read. Passion is the most important part of both reading and writing. Without it, things become boring and ordinary. So I too say, I cannot live without books, and neither should you.

Never Judge a Book By Its Cover

So Today I have decided to create a blog. I have decided to Blog about the very thing I love to do the most, and that is to read. I am almost never caught with out a book. If you do find me without one I more than likely just forgot it at home. I like a number of different genres but my favorites are Romance, Fantasy and Paranormal. Some times I get all three. Yipe!

So my blog will primarily be about the books that I will read. I will give my thoughts on the book before I read it. It be mostly likely be what caught my eye. Then I give my opinion of the book after I read it. Then I will give it a score between 1 and 5. I know that there will be a lot of different opinions than mine, and I would love to hear about them.

As an Avid reader it is only natural that I love to write. Some day I hope to become a published writer. So by combining the two I hope that you will share my passion with me.