14 by Peter Clines

I have been trying to get this book from my library for at least a year now. It recently became available through inter-library loan and I now know, I HAVE TO BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Peter Clines has been one of my favorite authors since I first read Ex-Heroes over a year ago. Clines has an amazing ability to get me to yell at characters, him, and even myself* while reading. I was bouncing around in my reading spot because this book was so intense!

Don't get me wrong, it starts out mundanely enough, just a guy looking for a new, cheap apartment in LA while working a cruddy job. We meet the neighbors and, while there are a few oddities, nothing automatically seems weird or sets you on edge. Despite that, I devoured this book. I had a hundred pages read in no time and easily got lost in the story.** Clines paces the story so that it easily builds up to the action packed scenes without you feeling like you're missing something or that too much is happening all at once.

Probably one of the reasons I love Clines, as an author, is because his dialogue is natural and his characters are so real. Several times they comment about the fact that what they're doing is stupid and make frequent allusions to Scooby-Doo as a running joke amongst them. That's not to say they don't take things seriously. There were several times I was completely creeped out by this book.*** There were a few times where I was completely blindsided by things that were going on and I certainly appreciated a joke from a character or two who had also been blindsided.

I'm still shaky from the adrenaline rush of reading this book. I am buying this book. I recommend you at least read this book as well! 5 Hoots!

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*I really should have seen that coming! How did I not put the pieces together?!
**Almost missed my stop while reading on the bus.
***If you don't like cockroaches, DON'T READ THIS BOOK!

Lix & Basta by Mark A. Gilchrist and Brian Rathbone

I follow Brian Rathbone on Twitter, so when he offered free electronic copies of this book in exchange for honest reviews, I signed up right away. I have to say, I'm so very glad I did! This book is awesome! It's so beautiful! So cute! So perfect for kids yet so perfect for adults to enjoy reading it to kids!

It did take me a bit to get into the rhythm of the poetry, but at no time did my personal lack of rhythm make the story any less enjoyable. If I had kids or younger nieces/nephews, I would gladly buy this book for them to read it to them. The artwork is beautiful and imaginative. The story is cutesy, yet has a great moral. And, let's face it, who doesn't love baby dragons?!

I gladly give this book 5 hoots! I recommend it to anyone with kids or anyone who thinks baby dragons are cute! It was a fun, light read and enjoyable for all ages.

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Finding Jesus by Winston Rowntree

This is a cute, fun for a few minutes, kind of book. It's basically "Where's Waldo" but with Jesus instead. I definitely had a lot of fun looking through the pages, not just for the main character, but also for the jokes. There's a lot of silliness in this book and it's definitely fun for several minutes. 

Probably the most notable thing about this book for me is, sadly, the condition I received it in. Not sure if it was the fault of UPS or Blogging For Books* but it makes me sad to see a book so damaged so quickly.

But, book's condition aside, it is fun. I give it 3 hoots!

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*The people who sent me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I allowed myself to mentally prep for one of two outcomes with the book: either it would be a great continuation of the series, or it would flop. The former DEFINITELY came true and I am so very happy for that! I'm actually still shaky from the intensity I felt from this book.

Scarlet doesn't quite pick up where Cinder left off; We have to get introduced to the title character of this book, Scarlet. Scarlet is, not surprising, a take on Little Red Riding Hood. Right down to her red hair and hoodie. But we still have a world with androids, cyborgs, and now, fighters and monsters from the moon!

Meyer does a very good job of balancing the three perspectives we get. Between Cinder, Scarlet and Kai, at no point did it feel like any one of them got too much or too little time. There was more of a focus on the love story in Scarlet's perspective but, to be fair, she spends a lot more time with Wolf than Cinder did with Kai in the first book.

I have to say, I am very happy with this book. This is a great continuation of The Lunar Chronicles and I've already requested the next book. This is definitely a worthwhile series.

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The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander

I hate to say it, but this is yet another "meh" book for me. It has a promising premise and overall it was a quick read. But this just didn't work for me, for some reason.

Part of the problem is likely to be the pacing. I didn't really get into this book until about half way through. The world building is interesting enough that I kept reading past the 60 page mark. This could simply be because, as I've said before, I'm really hit-or-miss with thrillers and this just wasn't thrilling. Though I will admit that the boss fight was quite interesting. Outside of that, though, I'm afraid I can really only give this 2.5 hoots.

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoo

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review by Blogging for Books.

How to Be a Husband by Tim Dowling

This is another book that is not one of my usual genres. Non-fiction is something I tend to reserve for Non-Fiction November. But I received a free digital copy of this in exchange for an honest review, so here is my honest review.

Overall, this was a "meh" kind of book for me. I got some laughs out of it. I appreciated Dowling's chapter on feminism. But for the most part I just couldn't relate. I've been married for almost 2 years now so I may be in the "Honeymoon Phase" still, but my own marriage is so different from his a lot of the book was un-relatable. Perhaps after another 18 years of marriage I will find this book more enjoyable. Dowling is correct in saying that after 20 years of marriage, you are not the same person you were and your spouse is not the same person they were.

But I did get some laughs and a few good lines out of this. I also got a couple of warnings about things I should not do if I want my marriage to last. Overall, I give this 3 hoots.

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The Poison Secret by Gregg Loomis

I'm not sure if any of my readers remember, but a while back,  I had completely given up on thrillers. They just weren't for me. They didn't thrill me. I needed to take an extended vacation from them. Then I was asked by a publisher to at least take a look at The Poison Secret. I read the description and figured, why not give it another try. That being said, I had a great time reading this book!

Though I have not yet read the previous books, I never felt like I needed to in order to understand this one. The main characters clearly have a history, but once Loomis establishes their relationship, there really is no need for back-story or excess exposition. Loomis clearly writes his books with all readers in mind, not just his regular audience.

The Poison Secret is a very fun adventure with great characters. The plot requires a little stretch of the imagination, but definitely not an uncomfortable one.* At no point did I want to put this book down. The exposition is well paced with the action.The dialog is natural. I happily give The Poison Secret by Gregg Loomis 4 hoots!

Hoot!Hoot!

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*Especially after it's established that the main characters have a LOT of money.