246/300

Ape House by Sara Gruen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was really hoping I would love this book as much as Water for Elephants and it did not disappoint. I was enthralled from the beginning. Isabelle lives in an ape's world. She does linguistic training with Bonobo apes and it is amazing to see how the apes can communicate. When an explosion at the center leaves the apes homeless and Isabelle injured, she does everything in her power to save the apes and make sure they are not being exploited. The story is touching and exciting and I look forward to more from Gruen.



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245/300

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Maybe it was a mistake to read this instead of Shadows of the Wind. But someone recommended both to me, and I chose to go with this one. From the beginning, I felt like a fool and I didn't want to tell the recommender it bored me because I felt dumb. Like I should be enjoying the lengthy descriptions and references to God. But I just didn't. In fact, I found the first 300 pages or so dreadfully boring. After that, I did become interested in how the story picked up and I wanted to find out what happened. The problem with that is that even though I finished the book a few hours ago, I'm still not really sure. Maybe it is because I was spacing out during some of the boring parts, or maybe I just don't have a mind for this depth. But overall, I am left unfullfilled.

I found Martin to be semi-likeable, despite the picture of him being portrayed as someone everyone is out to get. I really like Isabella and Senior Sempere but everyone else I could do without. There was so much death in this book, and it seemed like after each one, Martin simply picked up his coat and went on his way. I don't think I will be attempting any more Zafon.



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245/300

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was good. Everyone loves it. From my prior reviews, it is no surprise that I am not huge into YA. But this was cute and entertaining and wholesome. I think everyone can relate to Anna. Even if your parents never shipped you off to a foreign country to basically make themselves look better, everyone has had that time in their lives where they don't fit in. I hope more teen girls are reading books like this.



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243/300

Prayers for Rain by Dennis Lehane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Unfortunately, I read this book without knowing it was the fifth in the series. Luckily, I don't think that mattered too much as the stories seem like they can stand alone. Patrick Kenzie is a private eye who examines a case for a wholesome young woman. When the woman commits suicide, Kenzie decides to investigate what led to her death. This kept me interested the entire time, and I will definitely check out the rest of the series, starting at the beginning this time.



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242/300

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A quick read. The story of Sophie, a self-proclaimed witch who has been kicked out of one too many schools and is finally sent to Hectate Hall, a school for the supernatural. It read like Harry Potter for the lovesick crowd. Typical high school bitchiness, love triangles and angst, but with a side of magic. As for the ending, I don't really understand why Archer was forced into seclusion when the person who implicated him was a demon. But alas, I guess that's where the next book comes in. I will be skipping that one.



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241/300

Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have been reading the reviews before I wrote my own and I have to agree with those that say they have a love/hate relationship with this book. While sometimes you get angry at Hornbacher for bragging about her unhealthy ways and giving tips to those that shouldn't be finding new ways to beat the system, you can also appreciate the raw look into the mind of someone with an advanced eating disorder. I read Madness before I read this, and I think this book is a little misleading since many of the manic points described could be attributed to her bipolar disorder, and not necessarily her eating disorders.

Her parents really disgusted me throughout the book, and I thought it was interesting how she defended them. I can't imagine what it must've been like to deal with a child intent on killing herself, but from the day she was born, they seemed like people who had no business raising a child. Despite getting angry at points, I would recommend this book as an insider's guide for those that don't understand why anoretics don't "just eat" and for those that will never grasp the concept of never feeling thin enough.



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240/300

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Keeley Murdock discovers her fiance cheating on her with her maid-of-honor at her rehearsal dinner and throws the aforementioned hissy fit. To be honest, I didn't think the fit was all that bad based on the circumstances. I liked this book more than I thought I would thanks to the entertaining chick lit flavor, but I did have some issues with it. I don't know if it was because it was a library book, but the nook formatting was terrible. I knew the ending before I even started reading because of the formatting of the table of contents. But technological issues aside, I did not find the description of Will to be at all sexy. At the beginning of the book, I pictured him as old for some reason. I also took issue with people drinking in their cars while driving. What is that all about?? But I think my biggest beef was that Keeley was supposed to be portrayed as the girl next door (at least I think she was, but that was a little unclear also) with a less than perfect body and sagging bra straps, yet she was always dressed to the nines. And I couldn't get passed the description of the Manolo Blahnik's for $200. Seriously? Where did she get those from??? Aren't they about 5 times as much? I think the character developments could've been better, but overall, an enjoyable fluffy read.



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