Books I Read This Week (BIRTW)

When I have time to go to the library, I usually come home with a Meade County Public Library tote bag full of books. Depending on the week I'm having, I usually can get three to four books read in a week. This week starts the NCAA tournament, and since that is ALL that is being permitted on TV at work, I've had a lot of time to read. I present books for this week.


New Books

Feathered by Laura Kasischke
This book was a bit of a surprise for me. I'm very bad about just looking at a book and not reading the book jacket. The old "Don't judge a book by its cover" has not been especially true for me. I usually end up finding something pretty good. Here is an excerpt from the book jacket.

"It was supposed to be the perfect vacation: hot guys, impeccable tans, and no parents. But for two high school seniors, an innocent car ride will drive them into the heart of their worst nightmare."

The girls go to Mexico, and it seems to me that any car ride in Mexico with strangers is not "innocent." This book centers around Chichen Itza, so I'm thinking their worst nightmare is going to be lost Mayan tribes who want to sacrifice their virginal selves. But no, not exactly. It's still pretty horrifying. This was a very satisfying book. Not light subject matter, though. Watch out.


Need--Carrie Jones

I didn't realize this book was a symptom of the Twilight disease until after I was about halfway through it. I should have realized. Plain girl, moves to sleepy town, cute boy, weirdness ensues. But were Twilight makes me want to stab out my eyes, Need made me sing with joy. The main character, Zara, is the anti-Bella Swan, and that is beautiful. Her love interest, Nick, does have the Edward Cullen "I must protective you from everything ever!!" Syndrome, but it's not to such an annoying degree. Zara knows she is plain, and yet she revels in it. She does not use it as some sort of pseudo-characterization element. Her friends are likeable, her grandmother, Betty, is a joy, and when you get to the meat of the story, it is original and enjoyable. **SPOILER** The story has a fair dose of were creatures, and that usually makes me throw the book down and cry, "WHY!?! WHY DO THEY DO THIS TO ME!?!" but in this one, it was tolerable. I was very happy with this book. Enjoy.


Old Books I Read Again for Fun

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy by S.D. Perry

"Resident Evil 5" just came out, and after obliterating it, I wanted to re-read the books. I like these books because they tell the story beyond the video game. They're very fun and brainless, and they give you a bit of insight into the characters. I'm going to re-read all of them eventually, in between other books, but I thought it worth mentioning.