Review: The Rules of Thoughts by James Dashner

Michael completed the Path. What he found at the end turned everything he’d ever known about his life—and the world—completely upside down.

He barely survived. But it was the only way VirtNet Security knew to find the cyber-terrorist Kaine—and to make the Sleep safe for gamers once again. And, the truth Michael discovered about Kaine is more complex than they anticipated, and more terrifying than even the worst of their fears.

Kaine is a tangent, a computer program that has become sentient. And Michael’s completing the Path was the first stage in turning Kaine’s master plan, the Mortality Doctrine, into a reality.

The Mortality Doctrine will populate Earth entirely with human bodies harboring tangent minds. Any gamer who sinks into the VirtNet risks coming out with a tangent intelligence in control of their body.   
And the takeover has already begun.(Goodreads)

James Dashner I'm never sure what to do with you.Michael has learned the truth or his origins, and Kaine has begun to affect the real world, he's begun to put tangents into human bodies and Michael and his friends are the only ones who can stop it. However that becomes a bigger problem than anticipated when they start to doubt the VNS, and rightfully so might I add.

Michael, Sarah, and Bryson are in the real world now and it's not as easy to manipulate as the Sleep, especially because they're wanted by the police. These poor kids, they just can't catch a break, they're on the run from everyone.

When it finally looks like everything is going to be alright (as in I thought there might only be two books and everything would end happily ever after) everything completely went to crap. Michael and the other had been seriously manipulated and we don't know who to trust any more. Then in a very James Dashner, we're left with a major cliff hanger and now I have to wait a whole freaking year to figure out what in the heck is going on. Thanks James, love you too.

4 Stars.

Review: Magnolia by Kristi Cook

In Magnolia Branch, Mississippi, the Cafferty and Marsden families are southern royalty. Neighbors since the Civil War, the families have shared vacations, holidays, backyard barbecues, and the overwhelming desire to unite their two clans by marriage. So when a baby boy and girl were born to the families at the same time, the perfect opportunity seemed to have finally arrived.

Jemma Cafferty and Ryder Marsden have no intention of giving in to their parents’ wishes. They’re only seventeen, for goodness’ sake, not to mention that one little problem: They hate each other! Jemma can’t stand Ryder’s nauseating golden-boy persona, and Ryder would like nothing better than to pretend stubborn Jemma doesn’t exist.

But when a violent storm ravages Magnolia Branch, it unearths Jemma’s and Ryder’s true feelings for each other as the two discover that the line between love and hate may be thin enough to risk crossing over. (Goodreads)

Romeo and Juliet backwards in Mississippi. That was my first thought when I read the description of this book. Jemma and Ryders mothers have been planning their marriage literally since they were born. The idea was intriguing and rather funny so I have the book a try. 

The book is obviously a contemporary romance with some pretty interesting aspects thrown in. I like that the book was broken up in to Acts (because Jemma wants to go to film school). Act one was where we're introduced to Jemma and Ryder, their friends, their family, and we learn why Jemma hates Ryder. Act 2 is their experience during a hurricane where they've been left to fend for themselves for various reasons. Act 3 is the aftermath, certain "things" happened during the storm and now Jemma and Ryder have to deal with them. I love the over all moral of living life to the fullest and living it for yourself, not your family. It was well played although a bit predictable, but hey, what are you going to do.

Now... I hate to say this but I couldn't stand Jemma. She was so frustrating and just about impossible to like. She spend four years angry with Ryder and he has no idea why, then she gets even angrier at him, because he doesn't know what he did to upset her. It's just not okay. I'm typically the first person so get behind a character that others don't like because we have to remember that these are teens and they don't always communicate the way adults want them to. However, it's been my experience that teen are just itching to scream at you and tell you what you did to piss them off. I just couldn't get behind Jemma and her immaturity. I can't understand not wanting to say anything as an 8th grader, but when he distinctly asked her again why she hated him (they're not seniors) all she can do is get mad that he doesn't remember. The poor guy isn't a mind reader. As you can tell from this ramble, I wasn't a happy camper. I hate when people don't communicate as it is, this was just ridiculous. 

If Jemma hadn't been such a pain in my but I probably would have given this book a 4, but alas I leave you with a 3.5.

Review:Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? (Goodreads)
 
My friend has been trying to convince me to read this book for ever. I put it off because I just had no interest in reading about something that took place in France and I was never in the mood to read such a hard core romance.

Now that I've read the book I can say that I liked it, I really did. With contemporary books like this that don't really have an element of mystery, or murder, or anything else that'll keep you on the edge of you seat, I judge based on reality. If I have no problems imagining the content of the book happening in real life, I'm a happy camper. That being said, again, I'm going to say, I liked the book. I promise I did, I just had one little problem. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD COMMUNICATE. It drove me nuts, I honestly think that it I hadn't been listening to the book I would have just put it down and walked away. Anna likes St.Clair, but he has a girl friend so despite the fact that she picks up on all of his hints, she ignores them and tries to pretend like she doesn't have feelings for her. St Clair likes her, it's doesn't take a genius to figure it out, but doesn't do anything about it because he doesn't know if she likes him back. For goodness sake St. Clair, you have a freaking girlfriend, what in the heck is she suppose to do. But then, Anna has more than one opportunity to come clean and what does she do? She lies. what the heck. It as just all too much. I would have rather seen them get together, then break up, then get back together, than do this tap dance of dumb.

It's not an insult to the author or the book or anything, it just didn't work for me. I know that in reality people, especially teens, can get ridiculous about these things, but... this was just too much.

Anna and the French Kiss, I give you 3 stars. 

Banned Books Week

My library banned books display.I love doing those.

We're all readers here so I don't have to tell you that there are real people in the world who try to ban books from those around them. Typically children. It's silly, we know it's silly, but I like that we recognize it for a week every month.

If you want to see the PDF of the books that have been banned or challenged for the 2013-2014 year check out this link.