Every Day

By David Leviathan

"A" wakes up in a different body every day.  Always has, and probably always will.  Then he wakes up in the body of Justin, and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.  After that, A brings nothing but problems for himself and others trying to see Rhiannon over and over, no matter what body A happens to inhabit.  Trouble ensues when one of the "bodies" claims on the internet to have been possessed by a devil.

Either I have finally grown out of teen-angst romance, or this was way too politically correct for me.  For me, the whole one-day-I'm-homosexual, one-day-I'm-a-druggie, blah blah blah, was silly.  The author tried too hard.  If he would have stuck more to the main storyline, it wouldn't have felt so forced.

The Best of Me

By Nicholas Sparks

Twenty five years after their ill-fated teen romance, Dawson and Amanda are brought back together for the funeral of their friend Tuck.  They were his only friends, and Tuck left instructions for them alone to carry out.  Along the way, they learn things about their friend and each other, and ask themselves how their choices affected their lives.

I am officially tired of Nicholas Sparks books... they are so predictable that I could now write one myself.  Starcrossed lovers, secrets, misunderstandings, and the inevitable death of a main character.  But you have to give him credit for writing readable stories, no matter how unsurprising the plot.

Crazy Little Thing

By Tracy Brogan

Sadie Turner, in the midst of a messy divorce, decides to take her children away for the summer and visit her Aunt Dody.  There she meets a man that is everything she dreams of, if she or her family can stop chasing him away with their loopiness.

This book is what it is... a light-hearted summer read.  If you expect more, prepare to be disappointed.  The only part that was a little heavy was how everyone seemed to drink all the time.  Since I don't drink at all, maybe that's how summers with crazy relatives are, & I've been missing out on constantly making a slobbering fool of myself.

Desires of the Dead: A Body Finder Novel

By Kimberly Derting

Violet can sense the echoes of those who have been murdered, and the matching imprint that clings to their killers.  Few people are aware of her gift, but the FBI becomes interested in her after she locates the body of a missing boy.  She must decide how much she wants to use her gift, and how much danger she is willing to put herself through while still trying to be a normal teen.

This is the second Body Finder novel, and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first one.  Mostly because I found it hard to believe that anyone would want to be friends with her.  Then again, her friends were pretty annoying too.  I enjoyed everything but the personal stuff about Violet... I hope the next one focuses more on the mystery and less on her boyfriend problems.

Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Married

By Gary Chapman

Dr. Chapman takes couples through ordinary yet important matters to discuss before marriage.  Topics include dividing chores, spirituality, and handling money.  At the end of each section there are "Talking It Over" questions & suggestions to help couples discuss & problem solve.

This is a good book before marriage, but is even helpful after marriage.  Dr. Chapman even has examples from already-married couples who needed help solving issues before their marriage deteriorated completely.  This book really makes you think in far-reaching terms, not just the "but we're in love!" attitude that sometimes wipes out logic.

Stop The Wedding!

By Stephanie Bond

Annabelle is horrified to learn that her widowed mother, Belle, is about to marry a man she's only known for eight weeks -- Martin, a former movie actor who's already been married six times.  She rushes home to talk some sense into Belle, and meets Clay, Martin's son who is even more opposed to the wedding.

Don't read this book if you want anything more than a silly summer-read book.  It's one of those over the top romance novels, full of misunderstandings and goofiness... which is why I love these books :)

Insatiable

By Meg Cabot

There are two unusual things about Meena Harper: she writes for a soap opera, and she can see how people are going to die.  When her soap bosses want to create a vampire story line, Meena is frustrated, since she is sick of all the supernatural silliness.  Then she meets Lucien, a tall, dark, brooding stranger who is impossible for her to resist.  Of course, he's also a vampire.

This book couldn't decide whether to be sinister or silly, so it settled on uninspired.  Had the author stayed with Meena's odd gift of foretelling death, it would have been unique... instead she is the pawn of a vampire war.  Some characters were just too stupid for words.  How can a vampire be gossipy and chatty and stay alive for hundreds of years?  And don't get me started on how dopey Meena's brother Jon is --- not a surprise that he's unemployed and lazy.  Thank heavens for a determined vampire hunter, and some campy fight scenes.

The Power of Six

By Pittacus Lore

John Smith, aka Number Four, is still running from the Mogs, with the help of his best friend, Sam, and Number Six.  They are also accused of being terrorists after escaping the town of Paradise, Ohio, where the Mogs found them and the resulting battle destroyed the high school and killed 5 innocent people.

Meanwhile, Marina, or Number Seven, is in hiding in a small Spanish convent.  She knows about John and his friends from the internet, and is intent of finding them.  But she also has Mogs chasing her, and has no idea how to get to America, or how to use her "legacy" powers.

I really enjoyed the first book, I Am Number Four, so I was disappointed by this book.  John & his friends just move around randomly, living in abandoned houses and miraculously finding transportation without a lot of effort.  If they are so "wanted", why is it so easy for them to move around?  Also, the whole love triangle was awkward and kind of pointless.  The action towards the end was good... it felt like there was finally some plot line,  and I enjoyed the alternate story-lines between John and Marina.  The ending saved this book.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

By Joanne Fluke

Hannah Swensen finds the dairy man shot in the alley behind her bake shop, The Cookie Jar.  She can't resist helping her brother-in-law, who is hoping for a promotion in the sheriff's department, especially since the murder occurred right outside her shop.  In the meantime, her mother is determined to fix her up with every single male in town, despite Hannah's objections.

I almost liked this book, but the characters were too flaky and Hannah seemed slightly stupid for a successful business owner.  As always, she gives away so many free samples that it's amazing she isn't filing for bankruptcy.  She also spent more time than her brother-in-law tracking down suspects and following leads... at least he's likeable so I didn't mind that he earns a promotion based on her detective skills.

Why Him? Why Her? Finding Real Love By Understanding Your Personality Type

By Helen Fisher

Why do we fall in love with certain people?  Why do we stay in love? What drives others away?  Our personality, along with our mate's personality, can determine how & why we are attracted to each other.

Fisher seems to be a very thorough and intelligent person.  She is an anthropologist, not a psychologist, and therefore takes a scientific view of relationships.  However, she says nothing new.  She even admits that her personality test is a modification of the Myers Briggs Test first created in the early 1960's... all she did was change the names to Explorer, Builder, Director, and Negotiator.

In the end, this just seemed like a Match.com ad, especially since they hired her to come up with a compatibility test.  Right there, I lost a little respect for the formula.  If Fisher had included more real life examples, it would have been more interesting.  Instead,  the book rehashes the same traits over & over.  Okay, we get it -- Explorers should stay clear of other Explorers, because someone has to stay home.  Negotiators should be wary of Directors, because they might lose their fun-loving spirit.  At the same time, Fisher never discourages any match... anyone can fall in love!  Then what's the point in reading this book?

Under the Dog Star

By Sandra Parshall

Crazy happenings in Mason County, Virginia yet again.  Pet dogs disappearing, rumors of a dog fighting operation, and wild, abandoned dogs roaming the country side in search of livestock.  It all comes to a head when Dr Gordon Hall is killed outside of his home, his throat torn out.  Sheriff's Department investigator Tom Bridger believes that someone was waiting for Hall, and used an attack dog to murder him. Veterinarian Rachel Goddard, meanwhile, is desperately trying to capture and rehabilitate the wild dogs before the locals shoot them.

I like these stories as long as I try to imagine them separately.  Otherwise, it's a crippling blow to rural Virginia tourism, since every story makes you wonder how anyone is still alive.  Thank goodness I like the characters, and I love animals.

Broken Places: A Rachel Goddard Mystery

By Sandra Parshall

Rachel Goddard, the local veterinarian, is once again trapped in the midst of murder.  Her friend, Ben, has recently moved to town.  When she stops by to check on his dog, Ben is arguing with Cam Taylor, the local newspaper editor.  While driving home, Rachel notices Cam's car on the side of the road, hears a shot, and discovers Cam's body in the woods. 

Later that morning, the Deputy Sheriff Tom Bridger drives to Cam's house to inform his widow.  He finds her car out front, and the house on fire.  Later, her body is recovered from the wreckage.  Who would kill both the husband and wife within hours of each other? Rachel refuses to believe that her friend Ben had anything to do with it.  Tom is not so sure, but has plenty of other suspects.

In the meantime Tom's ex-girlfriend, Lindsay, returns to Mason County.  She just happens to be the Taylor's daughter, and will do anything to get Tom back.  How much will she dig up in Rachel's past?  And will it lead to the end of Rachel & Tom's romance?

These stories are turning into a Murder, She Wrote serial, but I still like them.  I'm just glad I don't live in this county.  Lindsay's character is over-the-top crazy, but that's what keeps this story interesting.  I usually get bored with series since I get sick of the same characters (yes, I realize this is weird).  I only wish she didn't become more compassionate at the end.  Lindsay should have stayed crazy.

Watched

By Cindy M Hogan

Christy is thrilled to win a scholarship to Washington DC and escape her friendless, bookworm existence.  But when her travel group is witness to a murder, Christy gets more excitement than she bargained for; the FBI watching over her & strangers tracking her every move, all while trying to decide which boy she truly likes.

I'd like to think that if a smart girl just straightened her hair & put on makeup, boys would realize how beautiful she is, but I just can't buy into it.  The other girls are typical stereotypes - a kind roommate, a jealous boy crazy snip, and a witchy, gossipy pain in the rear.  The guys aren't much better. 

The worst of it is that it was truly like reading the mind of a 15 year old girl - and I mean reading every single thought.  Ugh.  Way too much fretting, puzzling, and obsessing.  The book should have been WAY shorter.  Plus, I don't like stories that cop out at the end just because the author wants to sell a sequel.

So many other people loved this book, I was wondering if I read the same novel!

There's No Place Like Here

By Ceclia Ahern

Sandy Shortt's obsession began over 20 years ago, when a classmate went missing.  Ever since, Sandy feels a compulsion to seek out lost things, whether it is a missing sock, a stuffed animal, or her toothbrush.  It's no surprise that she has built her life around solving missing persons' cases, trying to find that missing part of her own life.  Her parents don't understand, and her only friends are those she has tried to help. 

Jack Ruttle is Sandy's latest client.  When she disappears the day they are set to meet, Jack is the only one worried.  Everyone tells him that Sandy disappears for days when she feels too attached or overwhelmed.  But Jack feels that Sandy might be the only person that can help him find his brother, Donal, who has been missing for over a year. 

Meanwhile, Sandy has found herself in another place - one that she cannot escape.  Here she meets some of her "lost" people, along with some of her missing possessions.  Can there really be a place where lost things go?

This story seemed to be a different take on The Wizard of Oz, except that Sandy didn't exactly yearn for home in the beginning.  She was relieved to finally find out where things end up.  I liked Jack - he felt guilty about not caring enough for Donal when he was around, and felt obligated to know what happened to him, even though his family felt he needed to let go.  It was two stories in one, which due to my own short attention span, was perfect.

The Heat of the Moon

By Sarah Parshall

Veterinarian Rachel Goddard has a panicky flashback when a child's dog is injured.  Is she just imagining her sister as a child, crying and terrified during a rainstorm?  Her mother sees no reason to discuss the past, and no reason to talk about their dead father.  When Rachel tries to discover the truth on her own, her manipulative mother does everything she can to stop her.  Only Luke, Rachel's boss, seems to sympathize and support her, which only turns Rachel's mother & sister against him.  But Rachel has no idea what she is about to uncover about her family.

This was kind of a cross between Mommie Dearest meets James Herriot. Weird combination, but it works.  There are the inevitable plot holes, but the characters were interesting and the story suspenseful.  I just kept wondering why she keep her revelations from her sister --- every time she talked to her, she either flipped out, or ran & told their mother.  Rachel could have saved herself a lot of grief by leaving her sister out of the loop.

Secrets

by Liz Schulte

The strange story of Olivia, a photographer who falls for Holden, a mysterious stranger.  What or who is he?  Why do they share dreams?  Who is following her?  Why are people around her killing themselves?

I really can't tell whether I enjoyed this story or not... I enjoyed the chapter being told from different characters, but I didn't understand why Olivia just blindly accepted all the weird things that were happening.  It wasn't bad, just odd.  Suspend your common sense, and read away!

Disturbing the Dead

By Sandra Parshall

Tom Bridger returns to his hometown after a car accident takes the lives of all but himself and his nephew.  He joins the sheriff's department, and is thrown into solving the only case his father couldn't --- the disappearance of a local woman.  Meanwhile, he is falling in love with Rachel Goddard, a local veterinarian who is trying to escape her own past.  After Rachel hires the dead woman's niece, both women become targets.  Tom must solve the murder, unravel old secrets, and protect Rachel.

This is supposedly the second book about Rachel Goddard, but except for it having her in the story, there is no continuity.  This is a stand-alone story about a vet and a deputy sheriff.  That being said, it's a good mystery.  There wasn't much to follow Rachel's story from the first book, including her relationship with her boyfriend.  It was kind of more realistic for him to overprotect her, and for Rachel to want to get away from him and her hometown.

Bulls Island

by Dorothea Benton Frank

Elizabeth "Betts" McGee returns to her hometown in the Carolina lowcountry to help her former fiance develop untouched Bulls Island.  She left under sad circumstances, and thought she would never go back again.  The secrets she brings with her will shock everyone.

I liked this book, but didn't love it.  Betts seemed too emotional to be a high powered investor, and had frighteningly bad taste in men.  I don't know how she survived and prospered in New York.  Plus, her former flames' theory that Bulls Island would be developed eventually, so it might as well be a Southerner instead of a Yankee making money, was a short-sighted, ridiculous argument.  Why not fight to keep it as a protected sight?  Oh, right, there's no money in it.  For someone who supposedly loves his culture, he comes off as a money-grubbing jerk.

Jane Slayer + Little Women and Werewolves

by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin

Takes the original Jane Eyre storyline and adds vampires, werewolves, and assorted zombies.  Obviously, Erwin thinks she is a more compelling writer than Bronte, since very little of the original work is used.  What makes Pride and Prejudice and Zombies so much better is the use of the classic work, adding the supernatural.  Erwin misses the point of adaptations by adding too much side story and changing the basic feelings of Jane & Rochester... and creates a sloppy, silly book.  Excellent example of taking a good idea & ruining it with your own thoughts about how a classic book should be written.

by Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand

If it's possible, this conglomeration is even worse than Jane Slayer! Ugh... stupid, stupid, stupid!  Which is again a shame, since the werewolf angle is perfect for this story.  Unfortunately, Grand decides to change almost everything known about "typical" werewolves to make things creepy and salacious. Ick

Jane Bites Back

by Michael Thomas Ford

Jane Austen is among us... as one of the undead.  Going by the name Jane Fairfax, she operates a bookstore in upper state New York, and wishes she could get her hands the royalties from all the current Austen-mania.  Instead, she focuses on publishing the last novel written when she was human, and is rejected 116 times.  A man from her past appears to add to her troubles, while she finds herself longing to tell another man the truth about herself.

I have a new phrase for books you should read in the summer, on an airplane, etc. -- a Candy Book.  And that's exactly what this is; a quick, enjoyable read when you don't want much depth.  It's not a bad book, and the thought of Jane Austen as a vampire is a fun twist among all the supernatural storylines.  However, it's not nearly as good as Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, but then again, that story leaned heavily on Austen's actual work.