ReadingQueen 12/17 Female, 27, In a relationship. USA

Well, I’ll say it again: I approached this series with the LOWEST expectations, I am embarrassed at how involved I am with the key players of this saga (they’re VAMPIRES for the love of god) and I am bitter, nay resentful, that I have to be at work today and not at home, knee deep in book 3. Stephanie Meyer is an amazing story teller!!
After I finished Twilight I went to see the movie (Let me just say I thought they cast the film perfectly). That same night I went home and started New Moon. 200 pages later, I was still on the couch, about 3 glasses of red deep and 10,000 tissues into the most ludicrous sob fest of my life. The central story line of New Moon is gut-wrenching. There are parts where my stomach literally hurt because I was so worked up and heart broken. I just kept thinking to myself, no, Stephanie Meyer, no. You can’t do this to me. You can’t do this to Bella. You can’t do this to non-existent vampires everywhere.
Ugh! What is the deal? I can’t get enough of these books.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Suggested With: Entire blocks of time and a complete sense of reckless abandon!

I so wanted to like this book. I am an obsessive fan of David Sedaris and when I read in one of the critics’ comments that she is comparable to his writing style I thought for sure I had a winner. Furthermore, one of my dearest friends told me that when she read this book, it was my voice she had pictured in her head. Perfect! Let the laughing begin.
Wrong.
With the exception of a few snigger-worthy moments, this book is just a compilation of endless brain tangents. She’ll start the telling of one story and just as you think it’s going to amount to something, she completely digresses into some random musing. What you end up with is a series of diluted, and truthfully, very boring self deprecating yarns.
Very disappointing.
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Suggested With: A Long Island Ice Tea (it’s in line with the constant references to New York and it’ll help you find humor in the mundane)

Well, well, well…
To steal from the author’s choice of words from the back of the book, at the start of reading Twilight “about three things I was absolutely positive”: I was not a tweeny emo goth, there was a part of me that wanted to laugh out loud with ridicule, and I unconditionally and irrevocably needed a drink.
HOWEVER, after the first 100 pages I found myself completely obsessed with the oh-so-cliché forbidden romance that was unfolding before my eyes. Stephanie Meyer is GENIUS at tapping into every single element of teenage girl love fantasy. Don’t get me wrong, the writing in this book is extremely sappy but by the end of the last page my brain had “irrevocably” decided that having an impossibly perfect vampire boyfriend would be so rad and I so totally need to read the sequels.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Suggested With: Renewed Puberty

This is the first book by Jasper Fford that I've ever read, although I've had many of his books on my "to read" list for a while. In any case, this is a very clever story. While it has all the ingredients of a good murder mystery, Fford integrates the zany element with his use of nursery rhyme characters, mythological figures, and fairytale icons that partake in the story as though it's the most normal thing in the world.
I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish!
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Suggested With: A good memory of your favorite childhood stories!

There is nothing I like more then finding a book I can really sink my teeth into. I love it when a book is so good I find myself thinking about it when I'm not reading it. I love when a book is an easy read not because the content is frivalous, but the writing is fluid and well paced. I love books that have epic story lines and diverse characters. I love historical fiction that is well researched but not "preachy". As a relatively slow reader, I love being able to read 100+ pages in one go without batting an eye. I love this book because it provides all these things.
If you're looking for a book with emotional depth and contemplative prose, move along.
If you're looking to invest yourself in a long and thrilling tale, look no further.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Suggested With: An oversized chair and a tankard of ale. ;)

For a book that is only 316 pages, this took me FOREVER to read. The two words I would use to describe the story are "sweet" and "tedious". Julia Stuart does a lovely job of capturing the charms and quirks of a small French village and its inhabitants. One almost feels as though they are watching a play with a cast of 33, each person acting out their strange persona and telling their own story all at the same time. In other words, the reader is getting a lot of details thrown at them at every stage of the story.
Again, I say the book is sweet because of the overall plot; a failing village barber sets aside his life's craft to become a matchmaker. In a small town, there isn't much selection for matching so apparent hilarity ensues. But the story gets so bogged down in the details that it becomes irritating and by the time I finished the last page, I was glad it was over.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Suggested With: The ability to speed read.

To be honest, I had my doubts about this book. At face value the story line appeared simple and I couldn't fathom how the author could draw it out over the course of 600+ pages and entertain the reader all at the same time. But entertain she does. Padma Viswanathan artfully draws together a compelling family saga with the deeply involved Indian caste system, and tops it off with a hint of intrigue and magical realism. This book is a wonderful read; not too demanding, yet very insightful.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Suggested With: A chaise lounge and a sparkling fruit drink.