The Secret Life of Prince Charming

by Deb Caletti

I picked this book up at the Library randomly and took it home because the main character's name was Quinn. It took me a while to get interested in reading it, but from the first sentence of the first paragraph I was hooked.

Deb Caletti is a phenomenal writer. There is an ease and flow to her writing, but her insights are poignant and inspire moments of clarity. I honestly can not say anything bad about this book. Was it perfect? Of course not. But there was nothing it that was overwhelmingly, or even noticeably, annoying to me. There were too many uses of the F-word, but as far as the plot, characters, writing, etc. I thought it was extremely well done. I liked the characters and Caletti did a great job of developing them as the story went on. She didn't rush the relationship between Quinn, Sprout and Frances Lee. The romance between Quinn and Jake was perhaps a little too good to be true, but I enjoyed the way Jake rose above stereotypes and was comfortable in his own skin.

There are so many other things I can say about this book that I liked, but there's really no need. It was one of those books you want to read through, mark up and refer to over and over again.

Fairy Tale

by Cyn Balog

Fairy Tale was a huge success...if you don't have high expectations.

The story of Morgan and Cam is bittersweet, filled with magic, love and sacrifice. The idea of a changeling who is being reclaimed by the Seelie after sixteen years is one that I haven't seen spun in this way before Fairy Tale. From the first few paragraphs I thought I was going to love Morgan. However, she quickly turned into your average, self-obsessed teenager. Balog tries to balance a brave, selfless heroine with a typical 16-year-old and, unfortunately, the immature Morgan shone through a little brighter. Despite that, I still liked the character for the most part. Although Cam is supposed to be the big focus in this book, I felt detached from him and I wasn't rooting for him to stay with Morgan. I loved Pip. He was an almost unrealistic ideal of perfection and chivalry. The naivete and true selflessness of this character and the almost childlike awkwardness made me want to invest in him.

I was bothered by the fact that Morgan's psychic powers were virtually non-existent after the first two or three chapters; leaving that in the background is almost akin to snatching away her parents after the first few chapters, or maybe changing the color of her hair midway through. Also, I would have liked a more in-depth explanation for why Morgan was able to see Dawn, distinguish the changes in Cam and remember him after he was gone.

I loved the ending of this book. I thought it was exactly how it should have ended and it was made even better by the fact that Morgan and Pip's relationship was not just a Fairy trick, but that it had been developed throughout the whole story, making their seemingly lifelong connection easier to accept at the end.

There was use of mild profanity in this book and allusions to sexuality (in dreams).

Being Nikki

by Meg Cabot

Being Nikki is the sequel to Airheads, a book I don't really recall reading, but I must have because some part of my brain recognizes the recap from book one.

This book was hard for me to get into. Em, or Nikki's, teenage angst, mixed with deep dark secrets, a mystery and a villain in disguise, just doesn't ring true. It's annoying and embarrassing that she lets everyone manipulate her. While I do enjoy the concept of putting an intelligent honor student's brain into the brain of a vapid supermodel, this book is riddled with similar stereotypes, which leaves me disliking most of the characters, not at all relating to them and being annoyed by their very presence.

Meg Cabot is a fun author with some amazing concepts and an easy, flowing writing style. That said, as a friend put it, she's very hit and miss. This was a miss for me. Here was another book with a wide open ending which could have easily been tied up in this book had she not spent so much time developing themes and characters that went no where.

I will be reading the third in this series, mostly to satisfy my curiosity. This is pretty PG rated.

Fragile Eternity

by Melissa Marr

Fragile Eternity is Melissa Marr's third book in this series, but I would call this one more of a sequel to Wicked Lovely and classify Ink Exchange as perhaps a companion book.

It's been a while since I read Wicked Lovely, but I remember loving it. Ink Exchange was crap, but Marr mostly redeemed herself, as I was hoping, with this third book. It returns to the original characters and continues their story, but I found that I didn't care much for Aislinn. I hated how whiny and immature she came off and I didn't really understand or enjoy the dynamic between herself and Keenan. The thing that really annoyed me was the loosey goosey ending. It was obviously a cliffhanger for another installment, but it didn't leave me panting for the next one, only irritated that there were so many unanswered questions.

The writing is good, although I don't think it's as good as the author thinks it is and there are moments of imagery that don't quite conjure a clear picture. I really liked seeing how each of the courts fits together and, despite it being a little unexpected and weird, I liked seeing into Sorcha's court and the relationship that develops between her and Seth.

Fragile Eternity was good enough to get me to read the next one. It had some sexual content, nothing graphic, and profanity.

The Dobe Ju/'hoansi

by Richard B. Lee

I read this third edition case study to help Tyler with a paper for his Cultural Anthropology class. Initially, I was reasonable unenthusiastic as I am not overly fond of non-fiction and typically research papers made into books bore me to tears.

I was surprised by the lively, light writing of Lee and, although it seemed a little scattered because it was divided into sections by topic, rather than being a chronological record, it was extremely interesting. Often people in well-developed countries assume that those living primitively, by our standards, are unhappy, destitute and disease infested. The Ju/'hoansi (Zwe/wasi) make this assumption laughable as they are healthy, congenial and peaceful and value food, water and friends more than inanimate possessions.

This book was infused with traditions of a culture very different from mine. Perhaps the most interesting thing Lee discovered about these Kalahari- dwelling people is there way of keeping equality and humility among individuals. At first it may seem that they are harsh and impossible to satisfy, always complaining and ungrateful. However, this practice only assures that the people are not swelled up with pride and that no one is looked on as better or achieves a higher status than anyone else.

I wrote a five and a half page paper on this book and could have continued in relating facts and cultural traditions of the Ju/'hoansi for at least five and a half more. This type of book is one that I will strive to indulge in again as it was a huge eye-opener to the differences in other cultures that don't make them worse off, just different and, in many ways, better in my opinion.

This book was a very frank study of this indigenous people and that included marriage and sexuality. However, there is nothing graphic, inappropriate or crude in the conveyance of these facts.

The I Believe Bunny

by Tish Rabe

Recently I signed up to be a Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger. My first read was The I Believe Bunny, a beautifully illustrated children's book.

The I Believe Bunny is the story of a bunny that is feeling a little down during a rainy, gray day. He hears a cry for help and finds a small mouse stuck in the river. He tries desperately to help her and prays to God that he can help the little mouse. Suddenly, his friends arrive to help him save the mouse and the bunny learns a valuable lesson, summed up by the last page:

You CAN make a difference, even a bunny...your size.

I am usually wary when I read something that is classified as Christian Literature, only because, while lovely and mostly congruent with my beliefs, there are sometimes phrases that are used that I would not choose to teach my daughter. This book, however, was more non-denominational Christian and the principles were general and basic. The focus was on prayer and asking for help, two things, the importance of which I would like to impart to my daughter.

The rhythm Rabe uses is lively and effortlessly fun to read aloud, unlike, for example,Dr. Seuss which becomes quite tiring for the tongue. The illustrations by Frank Endersby are colorful and charming. The story captivated my daughter and that in itself made me enjoy it even more.

Radiant Darkness

by Emily Whitman

This book was one that I grabbed off of the library shelf in passing so I could get my moody toddler out the door. The second I saw the book was based on the mythological Persephone, I was hooked.

In my opinion, there are not enough fictitious novels based on Greek mythology. This take on the myth was a very light and easy read. Whitman gives the reader some great imagery and the basic rules that govern Hades and the Underworld are explained well even though she does not delve into complexities, which is appropriate considering the tone of the book. I liked the character Persephone and enjoyed seeing the changes in her as she gained freedom and was able to become a woman. I did want a little more interaction between her and Hades.

This book is not something I would purchase, but I might read it again. Well written and sexuality is only subtly alluded to, not inappropriately.