Pop Sugar Reading Challenge

I need to qualify this blog post before chucking it out there. First, SPOILERS. This review has wicked spoilers. I can ’t not say the things. Second, as an author and a decent human being, I never want to trash another writer ’s work. I never want to say that their hard work and determination to get published, to get their words out to the public was in vain because their work sucks. Every piece of writing has merit. All of them. I just don’t love them all the same. And now The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. The Red Queen qualified for the “A Book about Someone with a Super Power” category of the Pop Sugar challenge. The society in the book is divided into those who have magic and those who do not. The silver bloods, actual silver blood in their veins, have basically enslaved the red-blooded, non-magical people. The world was rich, the story was ripe, and then it all fell apart by a few simple author choices. Our heroine, Mare Barrow—a red-blooded thief—discover...

Hey everybody. My second book for the pop sugar challenge was Anne of Green Gables. It filled the “Book that Makes Me Feel Nostalgic” challenge. I can't believe I never read the book before. I’ve noticed it on a dozen challenge lists. Not to mention, all my childhood friends read it in elementary school. I have no idea how I missed out on the book. It was adorable. Anne reminded me so much of my youngest daughter. We call her the Narrator. I listened to the book on audio and thought the reader nailed Anne ’s way of speaking in long complex paragraphs. I love Anne's spirit and ability to love. Her rivalry with classmate Gilbert Blythe had me rolling with laughter. I could just see my oldest daughter, Ms. Stubborn herself, vying with a cute boy in such a way. The book reminded me of Jane Eyre, a lifelong story of an interesting woman, her growth and change. Modern tales no longer include these life span stories. I wonder if we are missing out of some great tales due t...

I had the divine pleasure of reading New Attitude by Kathryn R. Biel recently. This book fulfilled the “Book I Mean to Read Last Year” challenge for PopSugar. (Sorry, Kathryn.) I’ve read several of her books previously so I’m totally biased. My favorite of Kathryn’s books tie between Live for This and Made for Me . That said, I loved New Attitude . The novel is the second in the series, A New Beginning . The story follows Kira ’s journey after being on a reality TV show and oh, her husband left her while she was gone. What I liked best about Kira is she ’s an everyday woman. A real mom concerned with living her life right, keeping her weight down, and dealing with a troubling situation (total abandonment by her spouse—jerk). She’s a victim here, dealing with loss (the show) and loss (her ex-husband). All she wants to do is raise her daughter right and maybe just maybe have something for herself. I loved watching her struggle. (Wait! That doesn ’t sound right…) I felt for he...