Category Archives: From the Back of My Shelf
From the Back of My Shelf (15): Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie Book Review
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2010 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
Manhunting
Jennifer Crusie
Publisher: Harlequin Books
Release Date: October 19, 2007
Pages: 328
Rating: 4.5 stars
Kate Svenson may be a dynamite businesswoman—but after three failed engagements, she’s decided she’s hopeless at romance. What she needs is a Business Plan to help her find Mr. Right. The Cabins resort is ripe with eligible bachelors, all rich and ambitious—just her type. But they’re dropping like flies, and after fishing Kate’s latest reject out of the swimming pool Jake Templeton is convinced that Kate is nothing but trouble. Especially for him. A man who’s sworn off ambition and a woman hanging from the top of the corporate ladder don’t have much in common. But in that unpredictable territory known as the heart, anything can happen…
I asked April from Good Books and Good Wine for some contemporary romance recommendations, as I was out of what I had and I knew she read quite a few. She responded back with JENNIFER CRUSIE. I wanted to read something right then, so I looked at what books were available for checkout as an ebook from the library at the moment. There were about 5 Jennifer Crusie ones available, and April recommended I start with Manhunting, and boy am I happy she recommended it, as it was awesome!
Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie was about the most adorable thing ever. I read straight through this one and fell in love with the characters and the story they had to tell. This was the perfect contemporary romance that I was looking for.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one when I was starting. I wasn’t sure about Kate, but she really grew on me as a character, and by a few chapters in I was completely sold. There were so many aw moments and everything that happened was just great. All the scenes out on the boat or in the lake, along with the scenes at Nancy’s bar was definitely my favorites.
Jake and Kate were so adorable and I loved the chemistry between then. The tension between them builds and builds until its about to burst. All the characters were just great. I loved Will, Mark, Penny, Nancy, the whole crew. I wasn’t expecting to love Penny as a character as much as I did – she definitely grew on me. Nancy was a hoot and just an all around awesome lady!
This is a must read for fans of a good contemporary romance. It was sweet, cute, and all around awesome. I definitely will be checking out more from Jennifer Crusie in the future!
From the Back of My Shelf (14) – Wings by Aprilynne Pike
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2010 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
Wings (Wings #1)
Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: May 1, 2009
Pages: 294
Source: Bought
Rating: 3 stars
Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful–too beautiful for words.
Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.
In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.
Wings by Aprilynne Pike was an interesting read. It was totally a feel good, fun loving type a book. While it wasn’t an amazing read for me, I still really enjoyed it.
I loved Aprilynne Pike‘s faeries – how original and neat. They were definitely the most abstract faeries I have ever encountered, and I just loved learning about them. Aprilynne Pike doesn’t reveal a lot in Wings, but I am very excited to keep reading and to find out more!
My biggest issue with Wings was the instalove that surrounded, not one, but two different boys in the story. Now, I loved David. But by the end of about chapter 1, he was already going after Laurel on her first day of school. It seemed a bit unnatural. With Tamani, the instalove was even more apparent. A lot of things were also very laid out for the reader – every characterization that is common for faeries was present in Laurel, and you find out about these in the first few chapters. She only eats fruits and vegetables, she doesn’t like to be indoors, she likes freeflowing clothes. It made things a bit too convenient. Those two things aside, I did enjoy the rest of the plot. Particularly scenes with David or Chelsea – both were just such fun.
I am curious to read more of this series, because the tale Aprilynne Pike was just intriguing. At the beginning of Wings, I wasn’t really feeling it, but by the end, it was one of those situations where I really want to keep reading and get answers to all the questions of book 1.
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From the Back of My Shelf (13): Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2010 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
Sarah MacLean
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: March 30, 2010
Pages: 422
Rating: 5 stars
A lady does not smoke cheroot. She does not ride astride. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never gambles at a gentlemen’s club.
Lady Calpurnia Hartwell has always followed the rules, rules that have left her unmarried—and more than a little unsatisfied. And so she’s vowed to break the rules and live the life of pleasure she’s been missing.
But to dance every dance, to steal a midnight kiss—to do those things, Callie will need a willing partner. Someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, the Marquess of Ralston—charming and devastatingly handsome, his wicked reputation matched only by his sinful smile.
If she’s not careful, she’ll break the most important rule of all—the one that says that pleasure-seekers should never fall hopelessly, desperately in love.
After finishing Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean I had to ask myself, how have I not experienced the awesome of Sarah Maclean before? I had heard of the awesome that was her books, yet for some reason I hadn’t picked up any of her books. I absolutely loved Nines Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake and am super exciting to get the rest of her books as soon as I can!
The story line of Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is simply addicting – there is no other way to put it. I fell in love with the story and was sad when it ended. I stayed up quite late reading – I just couldn’t put it down. The romance in this one was HOT.
The characters were absolutely charming. I loved Ralston, Callie, Juliana, just everyone. They were all such unique characters. Callie had such spunk and I loved all her adventures.
This is one of those must read books! It was just so good. I loved everything about this one and this will definitely not be my last Sarah MacLean read!
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From the Back of My Shelf (12): The Candidates by Inara Scott
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2010 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
The Candidates
Inara Scott
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: August 24, 2010
Pages: 293
Source: Bought
Rating: 4 stars
Dancia Lewis doesn’t seem all that special. In fact, Dancia’s mediocrity is a calculated cover for her secret: whenever she sees a person threatening someone she cares about, things just . . . “happen.” When recruiters from the prestigious Delcroix Academy show up to offer her a full scholarship, Dancia suspects the recruiters know more about her “gift” than they’re letting on.
The Candidates by Inara Scott has been a book I have been very excited for since before it came out, but for some reason I didn’t read it until now. I found The Candidates to be a very promising start to a series, and I’m super excited to see what happens next.
I thought the plot was really interesting. It held such an air of mystery around it for the majority of the book. I was constantly wanted to know more, as I felt that with every chapter there was more intrigue, which made me just want to keep reading. The entire time I was riding I didn’t want to put down The Candidates.
I loved Jack. He was so witty, funny, and charming. I am very curious to see more of him in future books! Cam never felt completely real to me, especially towards Dancia. Esther and Hennie were both complete riots, they were awesome.
I am super excited to hear more from Dancia and the rest of the crew at Delcroix Academy. The Candidates ends on a very dramatic note, so I cannot wait to read The Marked. The Candidates was a enjoyable read that I just breezed through.
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From the Back of My Shelf (11): A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2009 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
A Blue So Dark
Holly Schindler
Publisher: Flux
Release Date: May 8, 2010
Pages: 288
Rating: 3 stars
Fifteen-year-old Aura Ambrose has been hiding a secret. Her mother, a talented artist and art teacher, is slowly being consumed by schizophrenia, and Aura has been her sole caretaker ever since Aura’s dad left them. Convinced that “creative” equals crazy, Aura shuns her own artistic talent. But as her mother sinks deeper into the darkness of mental illness, the hunger for a creative outlet draws Aura toward the depths of her imagination. Just as desperation threatens to swallow her whole, Aura discovers that art, love, and family are profoundly linked—and together may offer an escape from her fears.
I had heard such words of praise from so many bloggers I love, so I was excited to read A Blue So Dark by Holly Schindler. While I didn’t have quite the immense love that many others did for this one, I still thought it was a good addition to the many contemporaries out there.
I think my main issue with A Blue So Dark was Aura. I get that she was going through a lot, but she was so completely obstinate and could only see things one way. It was like a broken record how she could think and say the same things over and over. I really loved Nell - She was definitely my favorite character of the book.
A Blue So Dark was a bit like a puzzle for me. At first it was disjointed, but after awhile it was more just putting together the pieces. Once I got the hang of it, it was really enjoyable. For me, this book was all about the smaller moments captured between the overarching major plot points.
A Blue So Dark is a book that I really didn’t have too much to say about when I finished. It was a book that wasn’t a favorite of mine, but still a book worthy of reading. It has made me really curious to check out Holly Schindler‘s other works.
From the Back of My Shelf (10): The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2009 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
Paul Griffin
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: June 11, 2009
Pages: 160
Rating: 2.75 stars
Meet Tamika Sykes – Mik to her friends (if she had any). She’s hearing impaired and way too smart for her West Bronx high school. She copes by reading lips and selling homework answers, and looks forward to the time each day when she can be alone in her room drawing. She’s a tough girl who never gets close to anyone, until she meets Fatima, a teenage refugee who sells newspapers on Mik’s block. Both Mik and Fatima unite in their efforts to befriend Jimmi, a homeless vet who is shunned by the rest of the community.
The events that follow when these three outcasts converge will break open their close-knit community and change the lives of those living in the Orange Houses in explosive and unexpected ways.
I was very excited for The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin after reading his novel Stay With Me. Sadly, this one did not live up to the expectations I had for it.
I was not crazy about The Orange Houses being told in third person. It made the story very hard to get into as it was so disjointed. The story was also told from 3 POVs, and that was too much for this book. I liked the idea of it, but considering the book was only 150 pages, it was too little for each character.
Most of the characters were great. I had a bit of an issue with Tamika, as to me, it felt like she didn’t have the strength and courage to keep going. There was nothing holding her back but her own attitude, and because of that I was not too keen of her. I really liked both Fatima and Jimmi. They were definitely my two favorite characters of the book. Fatima was such a good soul.
There was definitely a plot, but there wasn’t much to it in my mind. The characters all had a worthy story to be told, but there wasn’t a lot of continuity between the plot points.
The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin was a book that had a lot of good things about it, but was not executed the best. I had a hard time getting past the writing, as it was just so disjointed that I couldn’t get into the story.
From the Back of My Shelf (9): Purge by Sarah Darer Littman
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2009 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
Purge
Sarah Darer Littman
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: April 1, 2009
Pages: 240
Rating: 4 stars
Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So why does she binge eat and then stick her fingers down her throat several times a day? That’s what the doctors and psychiatrists at Golden Slopes hope to help her discover. But first Janie must survive everyday conflicts between the Barfers and the Starvers, attempts by the head psychiatrist to fish painful memories out of her emotional waters, and shifting friendships and alliances among the kids in the ward.
Purge by Sarah Darer Littman was a book I really enjoyed – It feels weird to say I enjoyed it, given the subject matter, but Sarah Darer Littman has written a book filled with such hope and a positive message for teens.
I really liked the characters. I thought Janie, and all the other teens at Golden Slopes. They all were very different, but I found them all very easy to connect to. No, I haven’t gone through the same things as they had been through, but so many contributing factors to their situation I have experienced in some manners, making it really easy to relate to all of them. I really liked Tom. He was hands down my favorite character of the book. I also really liked Brad, he definitely played a smaller role, but I just loved the one scene he was in.
Each chapter started with an entry from Janie’s diary, and I thought it was a really neat format. The diary entries were very different from the regular narrative, as it was not only here thoughts, but also a lot of Janie’s back story. The one thing I wasn’t too crazy about was how Janie referred to everyone as a Puker or a Starver. It just felt a bit odd to me, and it was almost like there was like a battle between the two.
Purge‘s plot was very sad at times, but it had such an element of hope throughout most of it. There were so many touching scenes. I found Nurse Joe to be hilarious and he helped Janie a lot when no one else was really succeeding. Any scene with Tom was just great, he always brought something new to a scene
I really liked Purge. I thought it was a book that addressed a very important topic, and that Sarah Darer Littman really succeeded in writing about it. This is my first Sarah Darer Littman read, but after Purge, I am very anxious to pick up another!
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From the Back of My Shelf (8): Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2009 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
Jellicoe Road
Melina Marchetta
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: September 1, 2008
Pages: 416
Rating: 4 stars
“What do you want from me?” he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More.
Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn’t a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.
In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.
I have heard that Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta is amazing for ages, and decided I finally needed to sit down and read it, to see what everyone was talking about. Jellicoe Road had a very touching story to tell, and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t love it to the point that I feel others have, but I thought it was a story worth telling.
This was a very slow book to get into. I had no idea what was going on until just before page 100, and didn’t grasp a full idea until closer to page 200. This was bothersome in a way, but it almost made me more curious. I was so intrigued by the storyline, yet I had no idea what the basis for all of it was. After that, I found the story to be so charming. The story line from the past, with Narnie and the others, was very hard to follow. I found myself finishing still not having a clear understanding of everything that happened. I was able to piece together the gist of it, but I still had so many questions that I didn’t feel were answered. That went for the main storyline as well, there definitely were some questions that remained unanswered, when I had hoped I would discover an answer.
I really adored all the characters. Jessa was a character who really grew on me throughout the book; at first, I was not super crazy about her, but by the end I could not imagine the book without her. Griggs was awesome. He was just such a great guy. Ben was another character who I really loved – he was such a good-hearted person. Taylor grew a lot as a character as the book went on, and I loved seeing the changes in her as the book went on.
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta is definitely a book worth reading, and while it wasn’t a for sure favorite of mine, I still am happy to have read it. I am very interested to check out other works by Melina Marchetta after this one. Jellicoe Road was a story of a simply wonderful cast of characters.
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From the Back of My Shelf (7):
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2009 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
UPDATE: From the Back of My Shelf is going to be taking a break. I hope to start it up again in December, life has just been really busy. I can keep posting the Mr Linky though and I’ll make sure to comment on all the reviews :) Let me know in the comments :)
From the Back of My Shelf (5): The Espressologist by Kristina Springer
From the Back of My Shelf is a bi-monthly event, that happens on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month where you pull a book from the back of your shelf (with a 2009 release or prior) and review it. It’s a way to read some of those books that have been gathering dust while new books came out. Feel free to join in and participate, and link your reviews up in the Mr Linky below. Check out more in my intro post here here.
The Espressologist
Kristina Springer
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Pages: 184
Source: Gift
Rating: 4 stars
What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?
The Espressologist was a super cute read! The pages flew by at a crazy fast speed, and all too soon the book was finished and I was left wanting more from this fantastic plot Springer had spun.
The plot was adorable. I loved the whole idea of matching people by the drinks they order – it’s so unique and I would really love to see if it would actually work out ever!
I really loved the characters in The Espressologist. I thought they were all super easy to connect with and a lot of fun. I thought Derek was absolutely hilarious, with all his different moods he would be in. I did have a little more of an issue connecting with Em, Jane’s best friend but she was still a ton of fun.
The ending was about the most adorable thing in the world! This was a great book, that I would absolutely recommend! This is my first book from Kristina Springer but after this one, I definitely want to check out her other book now!
