Book 25 The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

Book 25 was The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong. On man what a book it was! Now I may be a bit bias as I am a crazy Kelley Armstrong reader, but her "Darkest Powers" trilogy (of which The Reckoning is the final book) enticed and intrigued me right from the first chapter of "The Summoning".

The story is about Chloe, who at the age of 15 gets her first period, and begins to see ghosts. Does the classical movie quote: "I see dead people" ring through everyone's heads here?? Well that is basically what Chloe can do. When she realizes the people she's seeing are in fact dead, she has a sort of break down. Doctors feel she is schitzophrenic, and thus send to her to Lyle House: a centre for "troubled teens". Chloe notices strange things going on at Lyle House, things starting on fire, poltergiests floating around, items going missing as well as her housemates.

Ok so I can't say to much about "The Reckoning". Without ruining the story. All I know is I whipped through this one at lightning speed (as with the first two). The story is fast paced, and has the ability to "suck you in"

For those of you that have read Kelley's Women of the Otherworld series, you will be pleased that Kelley is actually pulling the Nast and Cortez Cabals into the story! To me that was pure genius!!! So I'm thinking Chloe may become another woman of the Otherword...and me...I will be right there gobbling up the pages!

Books 23 & 24 The Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith

Hello Followers, Horror Junkies and the Curious!

I would like to say that what drove me to read books 23 and 24 was the fact that I love the TV show of the Vampire Diaries (and of course Ian Somerhalder, right Dawn!??!). So we are near the end of the first season of the show and I was wondering how the show followed the book. Yes...does NOT AT ALL pretty much sum it up?!

Well ok I can't say not at all, but it's pretty darn close. The book has the same characters, Stephan, Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Tyler, Damon, and a new character called Meredith.

The first book is called "The Awakening", where Stephan and Elena are introduced. Now, in the first story Elena drove me freaking crazy! She is portrayed in the book as a stuck up snotty teenager, that is driven to have every boy in the school. Personnally I wanted to beat the snot out of her.."oh Stephan isn't looking at me, I think I'm going to go home and cry" UGH!

For those of us who watch the show, Stephan is a serious vampire who choses to feed on animals instead of people. In the book he drinks both from humans and from animals, but he doesn't want to drink to the death for either of them. This was definitely an interesting twist in the story.

Elena finally meets with Stephan they get together, in a somewhat serious relationship. Elena reminds Stephan of Katherine, his one true love from 15th century Italy (yes they are 500 + years old). Everything is progressing rather well in their relationship until Damon, Stephan's older brother-who is also a vampire-shows up wanting a piece of Eleana as well.

The second book "The Stuggle" carries on the story from the first book.So there is teenage angst, vampires fighting, along with humans fighting etc. etc. etc. What really took me for a loop was the fact that Damon can turn into a crow! Now when watching the shows, I kinda figured Damon was the crow..but wasn't totally sure on the issue, well now I am!

The books lent a bit of hints to the back story to the show. Like the crow issue, there are other things that Damon and Stephan can or can't do, but I won't spoil it for anyone. I was a tad disapointed in the lack of bloody guy wrenching scenes...but hey, the book is a young adult novel. We wouldn't want to warp any young minds, right?

Both books were enjoyable and I will probably pick up the 3rd and 4th books after Kelley Armstrongs "The Reckoning".

Book 22-Altar of Eden

Altar of Eden...wow what can I say about it...besides the fact it is absolutely fantastic!!! Now as a true Zombiemom, I am one who flocks in a ravenous bloodthirsty manner to anything horror. Although..after some prodding from one of my BF's Dawn, I decided to pick it up.

And well now...I am addicted to James Rollins.

Altar of Eden is the story of Lorna Polk, a veterinarian who is led to a shipwrecked fishing boat housing some exotic animals, By exotic I mean a parrot (named Igor) with no feathers, who can recited pages and pages of the full numerical value of pi (for those of us that aren't math whizzes, pi is used in geometrical formulas and is an almost never ending value, but those of us in the real world use 3.14 as a value for pi). Along with Igor is a saber toothed tiger cub, and two capuchin monkeys that are joined at the hip...siamese monkeys?!?

Now the real trouble starts when the Mama saber toothed tiger escapes, with one cub and leaves the other behind. Lorna is forced to track down the Mama tiger and cub, but the "catch the tiger" game soon turns into a full blown dive into military and governmental testing to create the perfect weapon...bioweapons.

Whoa now, I know your thinking this is another politcal thriller bull crap story, but it is anything but. It is like Indiana Jones and National Geographic thrown together with some John Grisham and a little sprinkling of romance. This book reads like a textbook with all it's scientific wording, but not in a way to ruin the full effect of the book. The book was a great read, that kept me entertained and rooting for the good guys for a change.

I am not totally interested in reading more James Rollins. As long as his books don't drown me in political and/or militay BS I'm a happy camper. I HATE books that come across like a MLA's handbook.

Book 23 and 24 will be the first two books in the Vampire Diaries series. Ever since the TV show started I have been dieing to read these books! I so want to compare the actual story to the TV show...and plus I love Damon! LOL! Horns is still on the backburner...I will pick it up again..but it's just not peeking my interest...and the fact that is fell in my bathtub makes it kind of hard for me to pick it up again...it makes me nauseous to look at it.

Book 21 done!

Book 21 was borrowed to me by a co-worker. I know...I said book 21 would be Horns, but this was a lendie book, and i think my co-worker is more anal than I am with books. If thats possible...

So the book is called Dead Zones by Sharon Jarvis. No fictional work here, just a collection of true hauntings, UFO sightings, strange creatures and the like.

What was different was how the book included addresses or directions to the locations that are shown in the book. That was definitely different! Gives me some ideas for future travels!

The book was enjoyable, but not to creepy. I love it when I read a true paranormal story and I get the cold shivers up the spine feeling, and you feel like theres someone watching you...actually I haven't had that in a very long time...maybe I'm just to learned on the subject of hauntings and the paranormal to get creeped out? Hmmm...it's a possibilty...

Book 20-Snow by Ronald Malfi

Book 20 I decided I would pick an author I had never read before, which is kind of a tall order, as i have read most authors in my genre of choice-of course that would be of the horror genre.

So when I got "Snow" in the mail (I subscribe to Dorchester Publishings Horror Book Club), I considered it, and shoved it to the back of my "To read" pile. Silly silly me!!

Todd Curry, a divorced dad, is trying to get to his son for the first visit in over a year. It's Christmas Eve, and he his flight has been canceled due to a snow storm. Desperate to get to his son, both from loneliness and guilt, he rents a car and with 3 other people trek out into the snowy wasteland that is Chicago, heading for Des Moines.

Todd, Kate, Fred and Nan trek out into the snow in the rented Ford Explorer. They are traveling down a desolate road (they think they are going in the correct direction) when they happen upon a man (Eddie Clement) who is looking for his missing daughter. They gather Eddie into the car and travel to the next town that is Woodson.

Here where things start to get good, the town seems to be deserted, but the travelers soon find out, it is anything but. The story turns into a true tale of survival against amazing odds, personal and paranormal. The story is a guy wrenching, bone munching, romp through a horror wonderland. (if you so choose, insert favorite X-mas tune here, me I prefer Winter Wonderland).

Ronald Malfi is an amazing author! I was pretty much unable to keep myself from thinking about the book. Definitely a book that keeps you wanting to read! I'm going to have to find his other books now...Shamrock Alley, Passenger and any others I can find!

Book 21 will be Horns by Joe Hill.

Finally! Book 19 done!

Wow...it took me a long time to finish book 19 "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter". Not that the book was drab or slow, it was an enjoyable book...but my passion for video games got in the way of my reading time.

For any "gamer" the words "God of War" or "Final Fantasy" can bring night sweats and heart palpitations, such is the same with me. The month of March brought forth God of War III and Final Fantasy 13 (sorry,I don't know the roman numerals for 13) All my free time has been spent on mainly God of War III as I haven't touched Final Fantasy 13 as I know once I insert that disc into my PS3...well it's all downhill from there...kids, husband and all living things in my world will making their own dinner, doing their own laundry, and basically surviving without me!

So after some pushing, I decided it was time to finish this book! With lots of willpower, I have finally turned the last page of the book!

I have to say Seth Grahame-Smith has an amazing ability to turn historical fact into present day fiction. We all know of Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States, the man who abolished slavery, and who was assassinated on April 14 1865. But..did you know he was also a vampire hunter?

The story in Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter begins with Abe's childhood and how after his mother dies (from a mysterious "sickness") he learns of vampires and vows to destroy everyone of them. The story travels with Abe through his years as a young man, his battles with finances, vampires and fatherhood, his winning of the presidential election, and finally his death.

It is like reading a biography of Lincolns life, but of course the historical facts are correct with some embellishments. :)

Seth Grahame-Smith has a knack for explaining the grotesque, using phrases such as "bloody brain matter" and "blood ran from his nose and mouth like a waterfall". Gotta love bloody brain matter and waterfalls of blood... (insert happy sigh here).

Now we all know John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln but there is so much more that is missing from that simple tale (according to the book). Grahame-Smith works his elements into history smoothly without a single stutter. Truly, he is a talented individual!

On to book 20! Which i have no idea what to choose...Horns by Joe Hill (thank you for the lending Dawn!) or Rusty Nail by J. A. Konrath (do I need another shot of J.D.) or maybe something completely different...decisions decisions...

Still Loving Jack Daniels! Book 18-Bloody Mary

I am still not an alcoholic! But Damn!! Jack Daniels is amazing!

For those of you that have read my blog before, you have probably been introduced to my new favorite character, Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels. The Chicago PD lieutenant who kicks ass, takes no shit, and now has a bit of a man (or men) problem!

In Bloody Mary (the second book in the Jack Daniels Mysteries) a new killer is on the lose, and is leaving items of Jacks at the murder scenes. Jack has to move fast to figure out how this killer is getting her personal belongings, and of course stop the murders.

The book is mixed very well with suspense, gore and humor. I actually caught myself laughing out loud at quite a few chapters. I mean really who wouldn't laugh with Mr. Friskers ( a cat Jack has taken in who was a murder victims) launches itself off of the television and lands on Herb Benedicts head! Jack is in another room and hears a loud screech.

In between Jack's personal life, Harry McGlades big mouth, Herb's exploration into Viagra and dieting, and Mr. Friskers "heartwarming" personality, I caught myself cringing, laughing and smiling through the whole book.

J. A. Konrath will you marry me?? I would sit and listen to your stories for hours, C'mon what wife would actually say that to their husband??

To bad I'm already married... :)