Review: Notes From a Totally Lame Vampire by Tim Collins

Title: Notes From a Totally Lame Vampire

Author: Tim Collins
Genre: Middle grade, young adult, humor
Publication: 2010
Source: Library

Summary: Nigel is a 100 year old vampire eternally trapped in the life of a 15 year old teenager. Unlike most vampires, however, Nigel is kind of a wimp, with no super human strengths or good looks. In fact, his younger vampire sister can beat him up. He tries to blend in at school, until he meets the new girl, Chloe, and falls madly in love with her. While attempting to win her love, he records about it in his new diary, as well as poorly composed poetry for her, and ramblings of his daily life as a lame vampire with embarrassing, old fashioned vampire parents.

My Thoughts: This was an incredibly quick read, and very similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, complete with funny illustrations. In fact, when it was originally published in England, it was titled Diary of a Wimpy Vampire. Hmm. A little close for comfort? Good thing they changed the title.

Anyways, I thought this book was pretty funny. I liked Nigel's voice, which was a bit old fashioned, seeing as he had been around for 100 years. For example, he continually said things like, "I shall," which made me laugh. His corny poetry, which he seemed to think was ultra romantic, was quite funny too. Nigel is nothing short of a wimp, getting fake excuses in order to sit out of PE class, and getting beat by his little sister. He was, however, more of the quiet, intellectual type, constantly writing poems and looking for love. His personality definitely made me laugh.

While I thought this book was a cute quest for love, from the point of view of a vampire, I wasn't blown away. It was a simple story without extensive details and definitely designed for a younger crowd. I think middle grade students would really enjoy this book, but may not be as enjoyable for an older crowd.

My Rating: 3/5

Review: A Scottish Ferry Tale by Nancy Volkers

Title: A Scottish Ferry Tale
Author: Nancy Volkers
Genre: Romance, adult fiction
Publication: 2009
Source: For review, Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours

Summary: Cassie is a young and in love college student, visiting her boyfriend who is studying abroad in Scotland. When he breaks up with her almost immediately after her arrival, she has to get away. She boards a ferry to a small island off the coast of Scotland, and meets Ralph, an older Scottish man with whom she feels an instant connection. When she encounters him hours later at the Bed and Breakfast she checks into, it seems that fate is intervening somehow. Their connection grows deeper in a mere two days, and soon they are in love. Cassie, however, has never accepted true love into her life, and has always shut people out. Will she lose the love of her life over fear of the unknown, or will she find a way to make things right?

My Thoughts: What a charming and delightful love story! The setting in Scotland was amazingly vivid and desperately made me want to go visit. How I'd love to stay at that little island's bed and breakfast!

I really liked Cassie, despite her cynicism and the frustration it caused in me as a reader. I constantly felt like saying, "what are you doing?!" I could understand and grasp her fear and apprehension, though, and I felt that she made a strong narrator. Even better was Ralph, the lovely and charming Scotsman who sweeps her off her feet in just days. Can I have one, please?

The writing was beautiful and flowed quite nicely. The details and descriptions had a real way of drawing me into the story and making me feel like I was there myself, watching the waters off the shore and seeing all the crazy sheep.

This book was so romantic and features the kind of love that every girl dreams of. It was a true delight to read. I found myself constantly rooting for our heroine and her prince, despite the miles and years between them. There's just something about a good romance that puts a smile on your face and hope in your heart, and this book did just that for me. I am definitely looking forward to reading the sequel, Scotland by Starlight, which is out now.

My Rating: 4/5

Let's Meet at BEA and BBC!!

A few months back, I blogged about going to BEA and BBC for the first time this year... and now it's a month away and I'm so nervous.excited.goingtothrowup.omg. :D I'm graduating college in 2 and a half weeks now, and my parents are taking me for my graduation gift. My mom will be joining me at BEA and BBC. We will be at BEA on Wednesday and Thursday, and of course BBC on Friday.

I've already made plans to meet up with two of my most awesome bloggy friends, Michelle at Red Headed Book Child and Amelia at Imagination in Focus (hi ladies, can't WAIT to meet you!).

I'd love to meet all of you! So... who else is going? It's getting so close now and I want to meet as many of you as I can. I have made some of the most amazing friends through blogging and it would be just awesome to finally get a chance to meet. :) Let's make PLANS!

See you next month!

Stilettos and Scoundrels by Laina Turner-Molaski

Title: Stilettos and Scoundrels
Author: Laina Turner-Molaski
Genre: Mystery, cozy, chick-lit, adult
Publication: 2010
Source: For review, Pump Up Your Book

Note: I wrote a short feature on this novel a few weeks ago, but am now doing my full review.

Summary: Presley Thurman, a shopping and Starbucks addict, has just been fired from her HR job in Chicago. Now, she's taken a job writing a column for her friend's online magazine. Her first article, a feature on local senator Tom Daniels, has brought her back home to a small Illinois town to interview him. Shortly after their interview, the womanizing gambler winds up murdered! Despite being embroiled in lots of drama from being home again for the first time in years... Presley's determined to find out whodunnit... even if it means putting herself in danger.

My Thoughts: This was a light, fun mystery featuring a hilarious, fun-loving, and sassy heroine, Presley (named after Elvis). It's nice, fun chick-lit, with a light mystery twist. My favorite part of the story was the character Presley, herself, because she was strong-willed, determined, and stubborn, refusing to give up on solving the case, even though she had no right to do so. It made for a funny character making a lot of enemies.

What I didn't like about the story was that the romance aspect seemed forced to me. What I mean is... I didn't see any real chemistry or zing there so I had a hard time going along with it. The writing was also a bit awkward at times, such as this sentence from the back of the book: "Presley was betting her favorite pair of Manolo's she will find the killer... but will time run out!" To me, the tenses don't seem correct with the "was" and "will," and the sentence should also end with a question mark. Small errors such as this one appeared frequently throughout the book, but it's definitely not something that can't be fixed with some good editing. Plus, I am a stickler about these kinds of things, so maybe it's just me that it bothers slightly (I am an English major).

If you can look past the slight flaws in the writing, you will find an enjoyable story with a hard to solve mystery, and a fun character I'd enjoy revisiting in future books. I'd recommend this one to fans of cozy mysteries and chick-lit; this book is a good marriage of the two.

My Rating: 3/5

Int'l Giveaway - Easter Eggstravangza! Delirium and Across the Universe

**CONTEST CLOSED**
Winner is Elaina!

Thank you all for entering! :D

I am participating in the Easter Eggstavangza blog hop hosted by I am A Reader, Not a Writer and Once Upon a Twilight! One lucky follower (old or new) will win either Delirium by Lauren Oliver or Across the Universe by Beth Revis!

TO ENTER: Just leave me a comment with your choice of book, email address, and whether you're an old follower or a new one. You can enter if the Book Depository ships to you!

Winner will be chosen by random.org on April 25th.

Be sure to check out all the other stops in the blog hop here!

Review: The Chimp Who Loved Me by Annie Greer and Tim Vandehey

Title: The Chimp Who Loved Me and Other Slightly Naughty Tales of a a Life With Animals

Author: Annie Greer, Tim Vandehey
Genre: Memoir, nonfiction, adult
Publication: 2010
Source: For review, Pump Up Your Book

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this book is: freaking hysterical. Annie Greer is the wife of a farmer/veterinarian, Kent, and is herself an animal chiropractor. She and her husband have had quite a variety of animal adventures, owning several animal clinics, and even a petting zoo at one point! Somehow, Annie always finds herself with an exotic animal (or two, or three), at her home, ranging from a horny chimpanzee, to a wolf, to 500 pound pigs, to "special needs" chickens and turkeys.

Annie's book is full of 26 stories of animals ranging from exotic, wild animals, to farm animals, to pets they see in their clinic, including a Doberman who ate underwear. Each story gets funnier and funnier, and I could not stop laughing the whole time I was reading. The writing is hilarious, wry, and brash, full of harsh words one could only use to describe a 9 month old Chimp attempting to get in the shower with you. I especially enjoyed Annie and Tim's humor in a story about the time she and her husband went on a pig foray that was more reminiscent of "The Swamp Has Eyes," as they call it, kind of like the movie, "The Hills Have Eyes," except... ya know... in a swamp. It was filled with creepy pig owners, an eerie premonition from their receptionist, and strange people ducking behind trees along the deserted country road. I also loved hearing about Sammy, the Chimpanzee, chucking donuts at Annie's dog Lucy, during a dinner party, complete with "chef," guest, and all.

This is not a sweet, endearing animal memoir. You won't cry from sadness, only from laughing too hard. I was expecting one of those sweet and adorable animal memoirs that I love so much, but what I got was even better: a hysterical look into the real world of animals from a true insider who has been working with all kinds of animals for years. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you love animals and laughing (and who doesn't?) then this book is for you. Beware, the language is mature, but really, who doesn't want to drop an F-bomb or two when they're chasing 500 pound pigs through a meadow, or a zoo customer has put your flying squirrel in their pocket?

Seriously, go buy this book. 20% of the proceeds go to animal charities, and you'll piss your pants laughing. I was sad to see it end. This book is staying on my bookshelf to be shared with friends and read for years to come. Check out this website for more information and a cool book trailer!

My Rating: 5/5

Review: Separate Kingdoms by Valerie Laken

Title: Separate Kingdoms: Stories
Author: Valerie Laken
Genre: Short stories, adult
Publication: February 2011
Source: For Review, TLC Book Tours

Separate Kingdoms is a collection of eight very diverse short stories taking place in both Russia and the U.S. with a wide variety of characters and narrators. While I'm not much of a big short story reader, I was intrigued by the premise of many of these stories and am overall pleased that I gave this book a chance.

My favorite story was one titled 'Family Planning', about an American lesbian couple over in Russia trying to adopt a baby. Meg is reluctant and indifferent about the experience, while her partner, Josie, is enthusiastic and overly hopeful. When they are shown two separate babies that are available for adoption, it is clear that they both want a different baby. I loved the dynamics in this story and the differences between the two women. You could really sense Josie's desperation and Meg's indifference.

I also really enjoyed the story called 'Map of the City,' which takes place in Russia in 1991, and is from the point of view of an American student abroad. It focuses a lot on the various relationships she forms while there, as well as the riots and big changes that are occurring in the city.

The writing throughout the book is eloquent and polished to near perfection. I must say, I both admire and envy Valerie Laken's beautiful writing style and immense talent. She is able to perfectly capture so many different voices in this book in a simplistic but elegant manner. Her writing style is really astounding and these stories make you think. I can truly say I enjoyed all of these stories except for one of them, 'Before Long.' To me, that story didn't seem to really go anywhere.

My only problem with this book lies in the endings of almost all of the stories, if you could even really call them endings. All of these stories just abrubtly stop, leaving too many questions unanswered which really frustrated me. I would become invested in the stories and the people in them, and then BAM, no more. Though they're not necessarily my favorite, I can definitely appreciate ambiguous endings that leave things up to the reader, but these stories just didn't seem finished to me. Because of that, my rating is slightly decreased.

If you're a fan of short stories or multi-cultural books, I think you'd really like this one and I could highly recommend it.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Review: Miss Hildreth Wore Brown by Olivia deBelle Byrd

Title: Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle
Author: Olivia deBelle Byrd
Genre: Memoir, nonfiction, humor, adult
Publication: May 2010
Source: For review, from author

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown is a funny and charming little book full of short stories and anecdotes about being a true Southern woman. Olivia deBelle Byrd covers a wide range of topics including parenting, hair, fashion, traveling, and much, much more. I love her voice in this book because it is uniquely and distinctly her: very Southern but with a little twist. See, Olivia has a bit of sass in her, and isn't afraid to speak up at all. While she can certainly act like a prim and proper Southern belle, she isn't afraid to laugh at herself and others, and break out of the mold sometimes (such as when she got a bit rude, or shall we say "sassy", with a cop who pulled her over for speeding).

Even though I'm one of those Northerners to whom Olivia frequently refers, I still got a chuckle out of her stories and found I could relate to a lot of them. One of my favorite bits was the section called "Christmas Sweaters." She read in a magazine that Christmas sweaters were a fashion no-no, so when she attended a Christmas coffee ("coffee" meaning a get-together, not a beverage... strange Southerners! lol) she was the only one not wearing Christmas apparel. This cracked me up. Just this past Christmas, at my family party (or should I say coffee?) we had an ugly Christmas sweater contest (my uncle won, for the record. He wore some kind of bedazzled Christmas vest. It was bangin')! Later on, Olivia also learns the fine art of bargaining from her husband... while in Jamaica, she spots a gorgeous basket. When the woman tells her it's five dollars, she hastily replies "I'll give you seven dollars."

All in all, Olivia is a real hoot, and someone I'd love to be friends with in real life! I really enjoyed her humor and wit. My only complaint is that the stories were all quite short - some were even just a page or two long. I would have liked to see some of them developed more, with more detail or back story. However, I absolutely adore Southern novels, so it was fun to read about Southern life from a real Southern woman. I actually kind of wish I were Southern... (y'all are classy) hmm... maybe I'll have to recruit Olivia to teach me...?

My Rating: 3.5/5

Review: Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress by Megan van Eyck

Title: Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress: A Love Story

Author: Megan van Eyck
Genre: Memoir, nonfiction, adult
Publication: January 2011
Source: For review, Pump Up Your Book

Summary: This is Megan's true account of her five and a half year long affair with an older man, Carlos. Both were married, and Megan had two kids. They met on a plane trip to Hawaii, exchanged numbers, and reconnected several months later when Megan's unhappy marriage continued to go downhill. They met for occasional discrete encounters at first, promising never to fall in love, but soon enough, they were madly in love with one another, and stealing time whenever possible, even going on numerous trips together. As their love deepens, both marriages continue to disintegrate, but Carlos refuses to leave his demanding wife, as he doesn't want to disappoint his family with yet another divorce. In the midst of their love, Carlos is diagnosed with a rare, and often fatal, blood disorder, Amyloidosis. Megan does everything she can to try to save him but eventually learns that love is not always enough to save a person.

My Thoughts: To say that this memoir captured my attention would be an extreme understatement. I have to say, I was completely riveted from start to finish. It was painstakingly honest, painful and even hopeful, despite the circumstances of the once in a lifetime love Megan found. Even though both Megan and Carlos were married, and thus doing something "wrong," I think we all yearn to find the love, passion and romance that they shared. It's only a shame that their love was illegitimate.

My heart broke with Megan when she learned of Carlos' fatal diagnosis, but it also soared when she first found true love. And I have to be honest that yes, at times I thought Megan was being selfish, going away on many trips with Carlos and leaving her kids behind in order to do so, and yes, I know that what she was doing was wrong and so I felt disgusted at times by her behavior... but I could also sense the intense and emotional love they shared. So beware, you may be shocked and upset by the behavior in the book, but if you can look past that, you'll find yourself incredibly engaged in the story.

I think Megan has a real talent for writing and expressing emotion. Her emotions are raw, open, and very palpable through her writing. The story is both horrifying and beautiful, all at once.

I would strongly recommend this memoir if you're a fan of memoirs, like myself. As a memoir, it is extremely well developed and encompasses the entirety of Megan's story, including past and present. I would warn that is it much too inappropriate and graphic (sex scenes) for readers under the age of 16, though.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Review: Blood of My Brother by James LePore

Title: Blood of My Brother

Author: James LePore
Genre: Suspense, thriller, adult
Publication: 2010
Source: For review, Pump Up Your Book

Summary: Jay Cassio and Dan Del Colliano have been best friends for over 30 years, ever since they were school children. So, when Dan is mysteriously murdered, Jay vows to find out who did it and seek revenge. During his search for answers, he encounters Isabel Perez, a beautiful Mexican seductress, who has some of the answers that Jay is searching for... but it's a race against the clock as very dangerous men are seeking both of them out.

My Thoughts: What a thrilling novel! I recently read and reviewed LePore's first novel, A World I Never Made, and really enjoyed it, so needless to say, I was looking forward to this book as well. I was definitely not let down. I'd even say I liked this one a little better.

What I loved about this book was the nail-biting suspense. LePore does an excellent job of keeping up the suspense during the entire crazy chase.

Each of the characters had fascinating back stories as well, which really added to the story and made it complete. Jay has struggled for many years after his parents death and is really just trying to get by. Isabel was basically a sex slave who could not leave due to the powerful men that held her captive. Now, her past and Jay's present have collided in an action-filled search for justice.

As with his first book, I had a slight issue keeping all the characters straight. There were SO many characters that I couldn't always remember who was who. While that was a bit frustrating, I bypassed this fact and was able to fly through the book anyways.

I'd highly recommend you check out James LePore's novels if you're a fan of thrillers and suspense with a touch of the political mixed in. His writing is extremely polished and precise. LePore is an exceptionally gifted storyteller whose writing career I will follow through its entirety.

My Rating: 4/5

Author Interview and Giveaway: Savita Kalhan

I got to interview Savita Kalhan, author of The Long Weekend, which I recently loved and reviewed. Welcome, Savita!

Hi Steph! It’s great to be on your blog today. I’m going to attempt to answer your 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, questions here, but I just wanted to say how hard it is to choose from so many great books, brilliant writers and amazing characters!

5 authors you'd love to meet

1.Rohinton Mistry is the first because I really admire all his writing. A Fine Balance is one of my all time favourite books, but I also really love Such a Long Journey. His writing is so keenly observed, each character is brought to life with such vividness, and each sentence to be relished.

2.Stef Penney – I read The Tenderness of Wolves a couple of years ago and was totally blown away by it. Then I learnt that the author, who is Scottish, suffered from agoraphobia when she was writing the novel and did all her research at libraries and online, and never once went to Canada where the novel is set. That’s an amazing achievement.

3.Marcus Sedgwick – I read Revolver and thought, what a unique take on the theme of guns and violence. I’ve read other teen and YA books by him and really enjoyed them. I think he would be very interesting to meet. I once saw him at a conference, but sadly only from a distance...

4.Jennifer Donnelly –I think she would be such an interesting person to meet if her work is anything to go by. A Gathering Light and Revolution rank up there amongst my favourite YA reads.

5. Mary McGarry Morris – I read Vanished a long time ago and thought it was brilliant. Then I read A Dangerous Woman and thought, Wow! I’ve also read Songs in Ordinary Time, and I think she is an exceptional writer. Her work is absorbing, her characters are acutely observed, and I would love to meet her one day. The Lost Mother, was inspired by the fact that her grandmother walked out on her young children one day and never came back. I’m reading it now...

4 books you'll never forget

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I’ve already talked about this author above, but this book made a huge impression me. Even though I am Indian, I’ve lived in the UK nearly all my life, and what this book did for me was open to my eyes and gain an understanding of the way of life in different parts of India from the poorest untouchable to the higher echelons of society, and he did this in a book which is so accessible and memorable.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte – I studied this at A Level and it left a lasting impression on me. It’s about a young Englishwoman who goes abroad to teach in a boarding school. It is in many ways a sad story, but what stays with you is the resilience and inner strength of the main character.

The Lord of the Rings – I read The Hobbit the year Tolkien died, 1973, and I’ve read The Lord of the Rings a zillion times! I love epic fantasy and for me this remains the best book in the genre. When I read it none of my friends were really into fantasy, but it didn’t put me off. It made such an impact on me that when I finally started writing myself, an epic fantasy trilogy is what I wrote!

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – I loved this book and recommend it to everyone. It’s such a beautifully written story set in post Spanish Civil War Barcelona, about the mystery surrounding a book the main character Daniel finds in The Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

3 fictional characters you'd like to have lunch with

I’d love to have lunch with: Gandalf because it would be amazing fun! Who wouldn’t want the best wizard in the world for lunch? Hannibal Lecter – I think I’d feel safe as long as Gandalf was there to curb his cannibalistic appetites, so we could enjoy his wit and sarcasm, and Anne of Green Gables because she would be doing her best to see the good in Hannibal, she would admire him for his intellect for being well-read, but at the same time she wouldn’t be able to hide her revulsion. Perhaps I should switch Hannibal for The Cat in the Hat – although Gandalf might lose patience with him faster!

2 actors/actresses you'd love to see in a movie of The Long Weekend

Kevin Spacey as the monster. I think he would be devastatingly good, although I understand it’s not a role anyone is going to rush to take. For the parts of Sam and Lloyd, I really don’t know. They’re eleven years old in the book and I don’t think I know enough child actors to be able to say. Perhaps your followers can help me out there...?

1 weird or interesting fact about you

For seven years I lived in a country where most books were banned. It’s quite hard for most people to imagine what that’s like. I suppose, in a way, it inspired me to write. Now, of course, with the advent of ebooks, it would be very different living there, but for the seven years I was there I hid books in the lining of my suitcase to get them through customs!

I try to keep my website, www.savitakalhan.com up to date with all my news and events. So please have a look around, and say HI! on my message board. Let me know what you think of The Long Weekend!

You can also find me tweeting on random things over on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/savitakalhan

Or come and join me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Long-Weekend-Savita-Kalhan/117223691628538

For the international GIVEAWAY competition, I’d like your followers to answer a question that you asked me! In the comments section tell us which three fictional characters you’d like to have lunch with and why. I’m looking forward to reading your responses.

Thanks so much for inviting me here today, Steph. It’s been fun!

Review: You Don't Love This Man by Dan DeWeese

Title: You Don't Love This Man
Author: Dan DeWeese
Genre: Contemporary fiction, adult
Publication: 2011
Source: For review

Summary: Today is an eventful day for Paul. It's the day that his daughter Miranda is marrying Grant, his friend, who is twice her age, plus the bank he manages just got robbed by the same guy who robbed them over 20 years ago. Things are strange though; Miranda's gone missing, and for unknown reasons, Paul's not letting on to the police that he recognizes the robber. Paul is reflecting back on today's events and all that has led up to it over the years, including his own marriage gone wrong, his old friendship with Grant, and the previous bank robbery.

My Thoughts: This is a quiet and thoughtful novel, moving along at a slow pace, but telling relevant stories along the way of Paul's past and present. The current story takes place over just the one day, but interwoven are an abundance of flashbacks of Paul's life at a young age, up to the present. The novel is incredibly character driven rather than plot based and is all shown and seen from Paul's own mind. We are literally in his head and viewing the events from his eyes rather than our own as he attempts to come to terms with his daughter's marriage, his ex-wife, and his old best friend, Grant. I really enjoyed the flashbacks and seeing Paul's life, as well as Miranda's, progress from his viewpoints of the past. Paul is a bit of a neutral character: not one that you'll love for any particular reason, but neither will you dislike him. We merely watch him reflect and feel some empathy for him. I liked the subtleties of this novel, but often wished it was just a tad faster paced. Though it was not hugely engrossing, it was a beautifully written novel and I will certainly read future works from Dan DeWeese.

My Rating: 3.5/5