Dear John

Dear John.  Who would have thought a chance meeting could change two lives so much.

If you like Nicholas Sparks' other books, you'll probably like this one as well.  It has plenty of romance, sadness, and redemption.

Dear John is a love story about an army sergeant with a bit of a troubled past who comes home to his father on leave because he feels it's his duty as a son, and not because he wants to visit his father.  During a 2-week leave, he meets Savannah, an all-American college girl who is in the area during her summer break to build houses for the poor.

The book is narrated by John, and starts with him watching Savannah from afar while she's working on her farm.  Then it jumps a few years back to when they first met, and you get to follow along on their romance.  They are faced with several obstacles during their relationship, including Savannah's theories about John's strained relationship with his father and John's choice to re-enlist after 9/11.

Overall, Dear John is a nice, light read.  It's a pretty cookie-cutter war romance that could have taken place at any time in history, and I'm sure if I looked hard enough I'd find many of the same stories.

Up Next:  The Black Dagger Brotherhood: Dark Lover (Book 1)
This is a book that was recommended by some friends who also enjoyed the Twilight series.

The Last Song

I debated for a while before finally deciding to read this book.  I love Nicholas Sparks, but could I get through the book without thinking about Miley Cyrus (the reason I refuse to see the movie)?  Then it occurred to me that if I ended up liking this book well enough to buy it, I'd probably be stuck with MC on the cover if I waited.  So, I bought it.

The Last Song takes us along as an obnoxious and rude teenage girl, Ronnie, is forced (along with her younger brother, Jonah, who is more than happy to go) to leave New York for the summer and spend it with her dad in North Carolina.  From a young age, Ronnie had an amazing musical ability.  Her father was a teacher at Julliard, and taught Ronnie to play the piano.  When he decides to leave Julliard in search of a career as a concert pianist, the marriage falls apart, and Ronnie blames him for her parents' divorce.

When she first arrives at her dad's home, she is downright mean to her dad, who is just trying to make up for the previous 3 years when Ronnie refused to have any contact with him.  He even builds a wall around his piano to prove that he loves her for who she is, and not for her talent.  The longer she is in North Carolina, the more she learns about what really happened between her parents, and finds a few surprises in her own life.

At the beginning of the book, I couldn't stand Ronnie and her bad attitude.  By the end, I found myself thrilled with her growth, amazed at her strength, crying for her heartbreak, and hoping for a happy ending.

The Last Song has landed itself on my Favorites list.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

As a history lover, I found this book to be quite entertaining.  I don't know what I was expecting when I opened Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but was very pleased with the fun introduction into the book, as well as all the pages after.  Unlike most Lincoln biographies, this new version tells us what really happened. 

We now know how Honest Abe's mother and sons really died - vampires.  We find out the real reason the civil war was fought - vampires. Grahame-Smith even provides us with photographic evidence throughout the book to back up his claims.

If you love history, and are willing to let your imagination go with the flow, you will enjoy this book as much as I did.  Not only will you find out more about our 16th President's secret life, but you'll learn a little about a few other well-known figures.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls

What can I say? This book was awesome! I received it a couple of weeks ago, and read it twice within the first week. Then, I re-read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to see how they flowed together (very well), and read Dawn of the Dreadfuls a third time just a few days ago.

While reading PPZ, I couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to turn Elizabeth Bennet into a young woman who's first thought is to slit a man's throat when he offends her. After learning of the heartbreak, disappointment, and feelings of betrayal she endured, my question was answered.

The book opens with a funeral, where the poor decedent isn't as dead as the guests thought. With the realization that the unfortunate plague has reappeared, Mr. Bennet insists on training his girls in the deadly arts. Mrs. Bennet is horrified by the fact that this decision has ostracized the girls, and is tormented by the fact that their chances of finding suitable husbands is now almost non-existant. Despite being shunned by polite society, the Bennet sisters, with the help of Lord Lumpley, find that being courted by suitable young men is still a possibility. Those neighbors who at first rejected them, find themselves owing their lives to the unorthadox daughters of the Bennets. This story has comedy, drama, romance, and, of course, the zombie factor.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls was written entirely by Steve Hockensmith's hand, so it was an easier read than PPZ that is mostly in Jane Austen's words. It's a fun, enjoyable novel that not only works well with it's sequel, but is also a wonderful book on its own.

I highly recommend this book, and encourage you to go to your nearest book store on March 24th (or go here to find online stores) to pick up this gem.

In the meantime, check out the website here, and enter their contest here (remember to mention my review, please!). Quirk Classics is giving away 50 Prize Packs that include:

• An advance copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• Audio books of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (both wonderful books)
• A password redeemable online for sample audio chapters of Dawn of the Dreadfuls
• An awesome Dawn of the Dreadfuls poster
• A Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Journal
• A box set of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies postcards

Happy reading!

Jane Bites Back

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is still alive today...as a vampire." This line, on the cover of the book, is what made me want to read it. Unlike the popular Jane Austen mash-ups (here and here), this book is about Ms. Austen herself.

Jane has spent the last 2 centuries trying to get her latest book published. 116 rejections later, the manuscript finally gets a bite, throwing Jane Austen, a.k.a. bookstore owner Jane Fairfax, into a whirlwind. The twists and turns are quite amusing, and I loved the surprise characters.

Jane Bites Back is an entertaining, light read that includes a little bit of romance and mystery, and a lot of laughs. I was disappointed to reach the end of the book so quickly, and look forward to the sequel, Jane Goes Batty, that is promised to be coming soon.

To Kill A Mockingbird

I just finished this book, yesterday. LOVED IT! When I was in high school, we only read a couple of books that are on your usual high school required reading list. This is one of the very many we didn't read, and I'm glad. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if I had been forced to read it.

I laughed, and I cried, and I sometimes laughed so hard that I cried! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, especially given some of the language. There are few words that I absolutely despise, and one of them is seen in this book...a lot. I find it shocking that it's even in one of my favorite quotes. Oh, how I laughed and laughed when I Scout commented on what kind of snowman she's never heard of! I'm not sure why it struck me as so funny, maybe it's because it was so unexpected. I don't know, but it still makes me laugh!

To Kill A Mockingbird takes place during the early-mid 1930's in Alabama. Jem and Scout, and their friend Dill, spend their carefree summers trying to get the reclusive Boo Radley to come out of his house. Then, when their father, Atticus, defends a black man accused of raping a white woman, Jem and Scout get an education they don't expect.

Atticus's wife passed away when Scout was still to young to remember, so he gets a lot of grief over the way he raises his kids. He may let his kids run around a little too much, and he may not dress Scout in cute, frilly, pink dresses and petticoats, but I think he's just the kind of father every kid should have.

To Kill A Mockingbird is definitely a book worth reading, and I strongly recommend it.

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Quirk Classics has a second hit on their hands with the adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. In Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Ben H. Winters throws the Dashwood sisters in with Sea Monsters and Pirates, they even stay at an underwater colony for a while!

After Mr. Henry Dashwood is eaten by a Hammerhead, Norland Park becomes the property of his son, Mr. John Dashwood. John's wife is not a very hospitable woman, and almost immediately encourages Henry's widow and daughters to find someplace else to live. They are offered Barton Cottage on Pestilent Island where Marianne is rescued from an octopus by the Mr. Willoughby. Shortly after he abruptly leaves the island, Elinor and Marianne are invited to spend some time at Sub Station Beta where they are forced to fight off man eating lobsters before the Station collapses.

Meanwhile, Margaret befriends creatures on the island whose description almost reminds me of Gollom from the Lord of the Rings movies. Poor Colonel Brandon is not only unattractive, he's hideous, but finds a little bit of hope when Mr. Willoughby breaks Marianne's heart. Between the pirates, sea monsters, and people who aren't who they appear to be, it's nothing short of a miracle that the lovely Dashwood sisters are able to find their happily ever afters!

While I found this book slightly easier to put down that PPZ, I still thought it was a good read, and definitely recommend it.