Getting the Girl (The Wolfe Brothers #3) by Markus Zusak

Add to Goodreads

Title: Getting the Girl

Author: Markus Zusak
Series: The Wolfe Brothers

Genre: Young Adult

Length: 256 pages

Published: 2004

Publisher: Push

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Cameron Wolfe's life gets very complicated when he falls for his brother's girlfriend in this winning, wise novel from the dynamic author of FIGHTING RUBEN WOLFE.

Cameron Wolfe is the quiet one in his family, not a soccer star like his brother Steve or a charming fighter with a new girl every week like his brother Rube. Cam would give anything to be near one of those girls, to love her and treat her right. He especially likes Rube's latest, Octavia, with her brilliant ideas and bright green eyes. But what woman like that would want a loser like him?
Maybe Octavia would, Cam discovers. Maybe he'd even have something to say. And those maybes change everything: winning, loving, losing, the Wolfe brothers, and Cameron himself.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

I finished this trilogy quickly. Not only were all three books were super fast reads, they really captured my interest. I wanted to find out what happened with Cameron, as well as his family. 

This is truly a tale of family, brothers, and rising above your situation. It's more than just a story, you truly feel for Cameron as he fights with his brother, but then turns around and rescues him. You hurt with him as his other brother tells him something very hurtful. 

I definitely recommend this whole trilogy. It's well-written, a quick read, and a really great coming of age story. Because that's exactly what Cameron does - grow up.

You can purchase the entire Wolfe Brothers trilogy through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format.

Have you read Getting the Girl? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Fighting Ruben Wolfe (The Wolfe Brothers #2) by Markus Zusak

Add to Goodreads

Title: Fighting Ruben Wolfe

Author: Markus Zusak
Series: The Wolfe Brothers

Genre: Young Adult

Length: 224 pages

Published: 2002

Publisher: Push

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) It's the difference between being a winner and being a fighter...

Cameron and Ruben Wolfe are brothers from a family clinging to the ragged edge of the working class. Initially to make some money, the boys hook up with a sleazy fight promoter who sees something marketable and audience-pleasing in the untrained brothers' vulnerability.

So they hide the boxing from their long-suffering mother. And Cameron hides what's going on in his head from the girls who come to the matches, the girls he wishes he could reach.

But the Wolfes soon find that they're fighting for more than tips and pay-off money. It becomes for them a fight for identity, for dignity, and for each other.

The question is, in a fight like that, who makes it out of the ring intact?

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

This book continues the saga of Cameron and Ruben Wolfe. It takes place some time after the events of The Underdog. Their father has lost his job due to an unfortunate accident and can't seem to find work. As Cameron watches his father's depression worsens, his mother works her fingers to the bones, his brother Steven moves out, and his sister Sarah starts drinking and partying hard. 

Then one day, Ruben gets in a fight at school when another kid calls Sarah some nasty names. A few days later, they're approached by Perry Cole, a man who proposes they come fight for him. As Cameron loses bout after bout, Ruben wins every single match and changes significantly. And then they must fight each other.

This is a great story about brothers; what it means to have a brother and what it means to be a brother. It's also about what brings a family together and how that family can rise up above circumstances which strive to pull them down: whether it's together or separate.

You can purchase the entire Wolfe Brothers trilogy through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format.

Have you read Fighting Ruben Wolfe? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Add to Goodreads

Title: Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Fantasy

Length: 238 pages

Published: 1999

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) In the sleepy English countryside at the dawn of the Victorian Era, life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall--a secluded hamlet so named for an imposing stone barrier that surrounds a fertile grassland. Armed sentries guard the sole gap in the bulwark to keep the inquisitive from wandering through, relaxing their vigil only once every nine years, when a market fair unlike any other in the world of men comes to the meadow. Here in Wall, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to beautiful Victoria Forester. But Victoria is cold and distant--as distant, in fact, as the star she and Tristran see fall from the sky on a crisp October evening. For the coveted prize of Victoria's hand, Tristran vows to retrieve the fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends the lovelorn swain over the ancient wall, and propels him into a world that is strange beyond imagining.

But Tristran is not the only one seeking the heavenly jewel. There are those for whom it promises youth and beauty, the key to a kingdom, and the rejuvenation of dark, dormant magics. And a lad compelled by love will have to keep his wits about him to succeed and survive in this secret place where fallen stars come in many guises--and where quests have a way of branching off in unexpected directions, even turning back upon themselves in space and in time.

Neil Gaiman works his unique literary magic in new and dazzling ways in "Stardust, a novel that will shine in the heart and memory far beyond the turning of its final page.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Tristran is half-human, half-faerie. Raised in the human world, he doesn't know that his mother is really only his step-mother and that his true mother is a faerie trapped by a witch. One night, he begs of the one girl he loves to kiss him and she will not. Nor will she marry him. However, when they see a star fall to the east, she promises she will give him anything he desires if he brings her the star. With barely a thought, he promises to do just that.

Thus begins his journey to find the star and bring it to the girl he loves. He gets some unlikely help, finds the star, and finds a lot of danger. For more than just Tristran are searching for the star. An evil witch seeks to take her heart to extend the lives of her and her sisters. Two princes seek the star, for she holds the key to one of them gaining the throne.

This was an excellent fantasy story. A coming of age story which holds danger, love, and friendship. I really enjoy reading Neil Gaiman's books, and Stardust definitely did not disappoint. Tristran and Yvaine are both lovable characters. I'm definitely going to have to check out the movie which was based off this book and see if it does the story any justice.

You can purchase Stardust through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Stardust? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Underdog (The Wolfe Brothers #1) by Markus Zusak

Add to Goodreads

Title: The Underdog

Author: Markus Zusak
Series: The Wolfe Brothers Trilogy

Genre: Young Adult

Length: 139 pages

Published: 1999

Publisher: Omnibus Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Boys are like dogs - ready to bite, bark and beg to be given a chance to show their value.. "I vowed that if I ever got a girl I would treat her right and never be bad or dirty to her or hurt her, ever." Cameron Wolfe is a dirty boy. He knows it. His brother Rube knows it, because he's one too. they could change - but what would it take?

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

Cameron Wolfe has no friends. His best friend hangs out with a different crowd now, though occasionally they still talk. Mostly he spends his days fighting with his brother, Ruben, and hatching plans to pull off robberies. One day, when working with his dad, he meets Rebecca Conlon and falls for her. He spends his days getting into trouble with his brother and working up the courage to speak to Rebecca.

This was a pretty good tale about a kid who isn't a loser but a fighter, and the realizations about himself and his family that he comes to in the end. It was a short, fast read. Each chapter ends with a dream he's had. The dreams are windows into Cameron's anxieties about life.

Does he get the girl? Not in this book, but there's two more in the trilogy, so I'm going to keep reading to find out!

You can purchase the entire Wolfe Brothers trilogy through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Underdog? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Add to Goodreads

Title: Slaughterhouse-Five

Author: Kurt Vonnegut

Genre: Contemporary, Historical, Science, & War Fiction

Length: 275 pages

Published: 1976

Publisher: Dell

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Kurt Vonnegut's absurdist classic Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a man who becomes unstuck in time after he is abducted by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all phases of his life, concentrating on his (and Vonnegut's) shattering experience as an American prisoner of war who witnesses the firebombing of Dresden.

Don't let the ease of reading fool you - Vonnegut's isn't a conventional, or simple, novel. He writes, "There are almost no characters in this story, and almost no dramatic confrontations, because most of the people in it are so sick, and so much the listless playthings of enormous forces. One of the main effects of war, after all, is that people are discouraged from being characters."

Slaughterhouse-Five is not only Vonnegut's most powerful book, it is also as important as any written since 1945. Like Catch- 22, it fashions the author's experiences in the Second World War into an eloquent and deeply funny plea against butchery in the service of authority. Slaughterhouse-Five boasts the same imagination, humanity, and gleeful appreciation of the absurd found in Vonnegut's other works, but the book's basis in rock-hard, tragic fact gives it a unique poignancy - and humor.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

This was...strange. It took me 90% of the book to decide if I liked it or not. The writing was easy to read, which is always great to find. The story was disjointed - but not without reason. The disjointedness of the story was exactly what the author intended. You're following Billy Pilgrim through his life. He becomes unstuck in time and travels back and forth between different eras: WWII, meeting the author Kilgore Trout, time spent in the psychiatric hospital, time spent on the alien planet Tralfamadore, etc. 

I'm going to be reading Galapagos by Vonnegut soon, and I hope I enjoy it as much as I ended up enjoying Slaughterhouse-Five. I definitely plan on picking up more Vonnegut books in the future as well.

You can purchase Slaughterhouse-Five through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Slaughterhouse-Five? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

Add to Goodreads

Title: Schindler's List

Author: Thomas Keneally

Genre: Historical, War Fiction

Length: 400 pages

Published: 1993

Publisher: Touchstone

Brief Synopsis:(Taken from Goodreads) Schindler's List recreates the true story of Oskar Schindler, the Czech-born southern German industrialist who risked his life to save over 1,100 of his Jewish factory workers from the death camps in Nazi-occupied Poland. Thomas Keneally's "documentary novel," based on the recollections of the Schindlerjuden (Schindler's Jews), Schindler himself, and other witnesses, is told in a series of snapshot stories. It recounts the lives of the flamboyant profiteer and womanizer Schindler; Schindler's long-suffering wife, Emilie; the brutal SS (Nazi secret service) commandant Amon Goeth; Schindler's quietly courageous factory manager, Itzhak Stern; and dozens of other Jews who underwent the horrors of the Nazi machinery. At the center of the story, though, are the actions and ambitions of Schindler, who comes to Kraków, Poland, seeking his fortune and ends up outwitting the SS to protect his Jewish employees. It is the story of Schindler's unlikely heroism and of one man's attempt to do good in the midst of outrageous evil. The book explores the complex nature of virtue, the importance of individual human life, the role of witnesses to the Holocaust and the attention to rules and details that sustained the Nazi system of terror.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

This book was just as good as I'd  heard it was. I can't believe it took me this long to get around to finally reading it. Mr. Keneally draws on the real life of Oskar Schindler and his quest to save his Jewish employees and adds some fictional elements, such as dialogue. It was really hard to believe I was actually reading a fiction novel instead of a biography. 

The ending made me cry. I don't think much can be said about why it made me cry. I wept not only for those that did not survive the horrors of the Holocaust, but also for those that survived.

You can purchase Schindler's List through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Schindler's List? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Add to Goodreads

Title: Coraline

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Fantasy

Length: 195 pages

Published: 2006 (original publication date: 2002)

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Brief Synopsis: Coraline discovers a door in her house that is bricked up. The next time she opens the door, it's no longer bricked up. She follows the path and finds...her home, only better. However her other mother and other father have buttons for eyes and they want her to stay with them. She escapes, only to find that her real parents have been taken from her. She sets out to save them and herself from her other mother.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was a really fast read, which is great. I love to intermingle super fast reads and ones that take longer, as it makes the plodding through the slower/longer reads much easier to tolerate. 

This was the harrowing tale of plucky, young Coraline who loves to explore. Her explorations nearly cost her the lives of her parents, her freedom, and her own life. Through her own brand of cunning, she manages to save everyone, including herself from the horror on the other side of the door. 

If you enjoy a really good middle-grade to young adult scary story, then pick up Coraline.

Neil Gaiman is truly a master, and I really enjoyed this delightful tale. You'll be seeing quite a few more reviews on his books in the upcoming weeks, as I have a stack of them waiting for me.

You can purchase Coraline through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Coraline? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman

Add to Goodreads

Title: Girlchild

Author: Tupelo Hassman

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Length: 275 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Brief Synopsis: Rory Hendrix is the third generation of feebleminded women in the Hendrix family. This tells her story: from how the Calle works, the awful things that have happened to her that her mother hoped to prevent, and the awful things that happened to her mother and grandmother. The most she can hope for is to get out of the Calle and not get pregnant at 15 like her mother and grandmother before her.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I saw a review of Girlchild on a book review blog that I read regularly. And just from the description they gave, I knew I had to pick this book up to read immediately despite my long list of books to read and review. And, boy, I'm glad I did. 

Parts of this book made me cry and yet other parts made me laugh. For a first novel, this is an incredibly well-written story. I've found in the past that many first novels suffer from poor editing or have continuity issues. Girlchild is not one of them. The chapters are short, ranging from a paragraph to four pages long, allowing you to easily put the book down if you need to. Let me in on a little secret, you won't WANT to put the book down. Except at certain points to grab a tissue.

The book does deal with some very adult topics; as Rory Dawn is a victim of abuse, physical and sexual. However, the author does a good job keeping the abuse in the perspective of a child and does not go into details about what is occurring. In fact in a few of the chapters where Rory talks about it, the text is mostly blacked out because it's too frightening for Rory to even put in print. 

The author really did an amazing job telling Rory's story. Her writing style was definitely one I enjoyed and I truly hope to read more from Ms. Hassman in the future!

You can purchase Girlchild through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Girlchild? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper

Add to Goodreads

Title: The Demonologist

Author: Andrew Pyper

Genre: Horror, Mystery

Length: 304 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Professor David Ullman’s expertise in the literature of the demonic—notably Milton’s Paradise Lost—has won him wide acclaim. But David is not a believer.

One afternoon he receives a visitor at his campus office, a strikingly thin woman who offers him an invitation: travel to Venice, Italy, witness a “phenomenon,” and offer his professional opinion, in return for an extravagant sum of money. Needing a fresh start, David accepts and heads to Italy with his beloved twelve-year-old daughter Tess.

What happens in Venice will send David on an unimaginable journey from skeptic to true believer, as he opens himself up to the possibility that demons really do exist. In a terrifying quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost, David attempts to rescue his daughter from the Unnamed—a demonic entity that has chosen him as its messenger.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Wow. Brilliant. Hard to put down. Riveting.

This caught my attention from the moment I opened the book and read the first page. David Ullman is an atheist who spends his days lecturing about Milton's Paradise Lost, the epic poem about Satan and the Fall of Man. He's always had a melancholy about him that he also sees in his daughter, Tess. Tess has always had a very close relationship with her father.

When his wife tells him she's moving out, he takes Tess to Venice, to go and witness a phenomenon that he's been invited to view by a woman he calls "the Thin Woman". That trip to Venice propels him on a journey to save his daughter from the hands of demons, as well as himself.

This is truly one of the more riveting stories I've read recently. I could barely put it down. I have not read Paradise Lost, but you don't need to have read it to understand what is going on throughout the novel. The author does a good enough job explaining different passages and their meanings that you can get the general idea of what the poem is about and what it means in reference to David and his daughter. The Demonologist is vaguely reminiscent of some of the theological themed horror movies where possession is a key part of the plot. David's wanderings throughout the U.S. and Canada are even loosely reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code where Robert Langdon follows obscure clues to unravel the mystery.

But all combined, it makes for an excellent tale that leads David not only to his daughter but the truth about himself. Andrew Pyper has a writing style that I really like. I definitely plan on checking out more of his books.

You can purchase The Demonologist through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Demonologist? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance

Add to Goodreads

Title: Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance

Author: Ruud van der Rol, Rian Verhoeven

Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography

Length: 113 pages

Published: 1995

Publisher: Turtleback Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Photographs, illustrations, and maps accompany historical essays, diary excerpts, and interviews, providing an insight to Anne Frank and the massive upheaval which tore apart her world.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I haven't read The Diary of Anne Frank since I was a little girl, but it was something that has always haunted me. The Holocaust was a horrific time in world history and my heart has always gone out to those who lost their lives or their loved ones. So when I found this juvenile non-fiction book about Anne Frank and her family, I knew I needed to pick it up and read it. It didn't take long and it's not too graphic in regards to the atrocities that happened in the concentration camps. It's the perfect read for a child between the ages of 8 and 12 who is reading The Diary of Anne Frank or learning about WWII in school.

There are a lot of pictures of Anne and her family, as well as accompanying text to outline their lives. There are maps showing the concentration camps and where the Frank family lived before the war. It was really fascinating to learn a little bit more about the Frank family, as well as what some of the Jewish people in Europe had to deal with during this horrible time.

You can purchase Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance through Amazon in hard copy format. 

Have you read Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting by Bunmi Laditan

Add to Goodreads

Title: The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting

Author: Bunmi Laditan

Genre: Humor, Parenting

Length: 256 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Scribner

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Bracingly candid, sweetly indignant, and writing with an unchecked sense of entitlement, the Internet’s wildly popular Honest Toddler delivers a guide to the parenting techniques he deems acceptable (keep the cake coming and the apple juice undiluted).

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

The Honest Toddler is a blog where all sorts of topics are raised from a toddler's point of view. Finally, many of the Honest Toddler's stories are available in print. I was lucky enough to win a copy through a Goodreads Giveaway, and I've finally gotten around to reading it.

I could not stop laughing. As the parent of a toddler, this "guide" to parenting from the view of a toddler could not resonate more truly with me. This book is perfect for the parent of a toddler, soon to be toddler, or even a child out of toddlerhood. You have to have a good sense of humor to deal with a toddler to begin with, and this just pulls from those experiences and allows you to look back on what your own toddler has done in the past. 

I recommend this for anyone who is a parent, is thinking of being a parent or is about to become a parent. So basically everyone. Now I'd better go, it's time to pay homage to my own toddler and give him whatever he needs to stop that annoying loud response of his: probably a hug or ice cream. 

You can purchase The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Moonlight: A Melanie King Affair Part 1 by Lisa Sumil (T.M. Williams)

Add to Goodreads

Title: Moonlight: A Melanie King Affair Part 1

Author: Lisa Sumil / T.M. Williams

Genre: Erotica / Contemporary Romance

Length: 30 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Half Light Publishing

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) *ADULT*
When Melanie King and Warren Browns fiery love affair escalates people are bound to get hurt. Just not in the way anyone expected. Their lust becomes an uncontrollable addiction and it becomes increasingly more difficult to hide their relationship, not only from their spouses, but from their high-profile careers.

*** 4 part mini-series in completion will be equal to a full length novel ***

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

There's not too much you can say about a 30 page story, so this will be short. I really enjoyed the character interactions, and found that there were a lot of realistic emotions between all the characters. This is erotica, so of course there are some very hot sex scenes: the first one within only a few pages. Relationships are definitely complicated, and that's exactly what Melanie's relationships with her husband and her lover are.

The author is putting this up on Amazon in four parts, each for a super low price. I really did enjoy this and I hope all of you do as well!

You can purchase Moonlight: A Melanie King Affair Part 1 through Amazon in Kindle format. 

Have you read Moonlight: A Melanie King Affair Part 1? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Family by Ed Sanders

Add to Goodreads

Title: The Family

Author: Ed Sanders

Genre: True Crime

Length: 412 pages

Published: 1971

Publisher: E.P. Dutton & Co. (NYC)

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) In 1971, Ed Sanders wrote The Family, a profile of the events leading up to the Tate-LaBianca murders. He obtained access to the Manson Family by posing as a "Satanic guru-maniac and dope-trapped psychopath."
Introduction
Section I: From the Beginnings to mid-1969
Section II: The Murders, 7/25/69-8/15/69
Section III: Manson Captured, 8/16-12/1/69

My Review:

I give this book a 3 out of 5. 

Ed Sanders researched a lot before writing this book, which is a very informative look into the lives of the members of the Manson Family. The author stated at one point that within a couple months of researching and interviewing people, he had over 10,000 pages of data. 

The author also pulled in information about other (Satanist) cults that crossed paths with Manson during this time period. You can definitely tell when the book was written, as the author uses a lot of era-specific slang. (I even had to look some of the terminology up to ensure I was understanding what he was saying!) The main thing that I didn't like was some of his phraseology. Throughout the book, he used phrases like this: "Sue met a human named Al Sund in San Francisco. Al and another human, Clint Talioferro...". If I'm remembering correctly, he used this phrase mostly referring to males. 

Another thing that truly bothered me about the writing, was that it seemed to be poorly edited. There were a lot of sentence fragments, repeated phrases, and even what appeared to be errors throughout the text. It was written probably how Mr. Sanders talked. 

This gets three stars because of the reasons above. It was very informative and gave me some more details on the Manson family that I did not know. 

You can purchase The Family through Amazon in hard copy format. 

Have you read The Family? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

X0 by Sherrie Cronin

Add to Goodreads

Title: X0

Author: Sherrie Cronin
Series: 46. Ascending (Book #1)

Genre: Science Fiction

Length: 328 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Cinnabar Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) What if you are capable of far more than you realize? Lola, a Texan geophysicist who doesn't believe in nonsense, finds that a near fatal accident reintroduces a disturbing phenomenon into her mind. Lola pretends it isn't there until the changes taking place inside of her just won’t be ignored. 

Across an ocean, Somadina is a young Nigerian who thinks that her telepathic abilities are perfectly normal. When her sister becomes a captive, the young Igbo woman draws upon her powers to find an ally like herself, a woman with a strong sense of justice and a desire to protect the helpless. As Somadina discovers that her sister has become a strategic pawn in a larger and more dangerous game, she vows to do anything to get the attention of this kindred, uncooperative lady.

x0 is an ancient organization with good reasons to stay hidden, but it knows that these two women have more important things in common than they realize, and that such will forge a powerful link. This forces x0 to reluctantly emerge from the shadows. Somebody needs to intervene. Both women are far stronger than they know, and to make matters worse, a fringe fanatic may be on the verge of altering a nation’s future.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

I did receive a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. 

One of the really intriguing things about this book is that it's marketed as an "interactive novel". This means that if you purchase the e-book version of the novel, you are able to press on links through the story for more information. Sadly, I have the paperback copy so I was unable to do this. However, they do give a list at the back of the book of all of the websites you can go to for more information. The sections that are interactive are underlined in the hard copy. 

A lot of research was done for the writing of this novel, which is not necessarily a bad thing. A lot of the facts garnered from that research was put into the book and kept causing me to put the book down after a couple of chapters and left me with the feeling of not wanting to pick it back up. However, at around the midway point, the book got significantly more fiction-like and I started to really enjoy reading it. I do intend on reading the rest of the series (second book is y1 and third book is z2; the remainder have not been published yet, but there are supposed to be 6 books in total) in the hopes that I don't keep getting that feeling of needing to put it down after only a couple of chapters.

All that being said, I really did enjoy the premise behind the story and I really did enjoy the book. While the factual information seemed long and did not flow very well, it was very helpful in understanding the cultures and the technical terminology in relation to Lola's job as a geophysicist. 

You can purchase X0 through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read X0? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Monthly Update - July 2013

Welcome to July, Readers! 

I read and reviewed 8 books last month. Not nearly as good as the previous month. I'm guessing the reason for this has more to do with the fact that I lost a day of work each week and was thus home with my two year old more. I was also working a part time job at home last month, so all my spare time was spent trying to get hours in on that. Not very conducive to getting reading time in. Hopefully now that I have my hours back at work and the part time job appears to be over, I can get a lot more reading time in!

My Currently Reading list: 

• X0 by Sherrie Cronin (I feel really bad that I haven't finished this yet. In fact I didn't even touch it last month. I got too wrapped up in the books I had out from the library...Whoops!)
• The Family by Ed Sanders
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Honestly, I haven't touched this since February, but it remains as one of my current books. I will be trying to work on this as soon as I finish The Naked and the Dead.)

Next up:

• The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper
• The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell
• The Honest Toddler: A Child's Guide to Parenting by Bunmi Laditan
• Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
• The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen
• Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary by Ruud van der Rol
• The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

Hopefully I can get through most of these! If there's ever anything in particular you'd like me to read and review, either leave me a comment here or send me an email at theprintedwordbookreviews@gmail.com.