The Book Review Club (February 2012)
Welcome to our little Book Review Club! Interestingly enough, all our reviews this month fell into one of two categories: Young Adult or Adult. Please enjoy and add with enthusiam to your to-be-read pile. Happy February!
UNRAVELING ISOBEL by Eileen Cook (young adult)
This month I am using a new, groundbreaking method for reviewing a book. It's related to the fact that I'm going to a new gym where I don't have any friends. Which means I don't have anyone to chat with while on the dreaded Elliptical. So, I've taken to reading. I'm usually ready to hop off after about five interminable minutes. Let's see how UNRAVELING ISOBEL affected my workout.
In a nutshell: Isobel's mom marries a guy she met on the Internet. They move to his creepy, gothic mansion, far from Isobel's friends. The good-looking, hands-off stepbrother moves with them. Isobel worries about going insane like her father when she starts seeing ghosts.
What I liked: The characters were interesting. The dialogue was snappy. There was a creepy, paranormal element. The mystery was totally sewn up. There were no plot holes (one of my pet peeves). There was a good romance. There were some unexpected twists. And it was humorous.
Elliptical Rating: UNRAVELING ISOBEL kept me going for 30 minutes! Thank you, Eileen! My heart thanks you, too!
Added Bonus: The grunting, sweaty man on the machine next to me moved after I laughed out loud a few too many times. Triple thank you, Eileen!
Linkage:
-Eileen Cook's website
-Eileen Cook's very entertaining blog
-A very funny (if I do say so myself!) interview I did with Eileen a couple of years ago
And now to....wonderful reviews by wonderful reviewers! Please click through. You'll be happy you did.
YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Staci of Life in the Thumb: THE SHIFTER by Janice Hardy (Fantasy)
Kaye of the Road Goes Ever Ever On: SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD by Kim Culbertson
Stacy Nyikos: THE APOTHECARY by Mail Meloy & Ian Schoenherr
Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: DEADLY by Julie Chibbaro (Historical)
Beth Yarnall: ANGELFALL by Susan Ee (Science Fiction)
ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Patti Abbott: AUSTENTATIOUS by Alyssa Goodnight** YES! This is our very own Alyssa Goodnight's debut novel!**
Sarah Laurence: THE MARRIAGE PLOT by Jeffrey Eugenides (literary fiction)
Scott Parker: BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny (Mystery)
Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: CATCH ME by Lisa Gardner (Thriller)
Linda McLaughlin: THE BREATH OF GOD: A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE by Jeffrey Small (reviewed by Teresa Zimmerman-Liu)
Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: TAIL OF THE BLUEBIRD by Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Mystery)
Beth Yarnall: BONDS OF THE EARTH by G.N. Chevalier (M/M Historical Romance)
Beth Yarnall: FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT by Darynda Jones (Paranormal Romance)
Note to Reviewers: Any errors (broken link, missed review, etc), just shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thank you so much for your reviews!
This month I am using a new, groundbreaking method for reviewing a book. It's related to the fact that I'm going to a new gym where I don't have any friends. Which means I don't have anyone to chat with while on the dreaded Elliptical. So, I've taken to reading. I'm usually ready to hop off after about five interminable minutes. Let's see how UNRAVELING ISOBEL affected my workout.
In a nutshell: Isobel's mom marries a guy she met on the Internet. They move to his creepy, gothic mansion, far from Isobel's friends. The good-looking, hands-off stepbrother moves with them. Isobel worries about going insane like her father when she starts seeing ghosts.
What I liked: The characters were interesting. The dialogue was snappy. There was a creepy, paranormal element. The mystery was totally sewn up. There were no plot holes (one of my pet peeves). There was a good romance. There were some unexpected twists. And it was humorous.
Elliptical Rating: UNRAVELING ISOBEL kept me going for 30 minutes! Thank you, Eileen! My heart thanks you, too!
Added Bonus: The grunting, sweaty man on the machine next to me moved after I laughed out loud a few too many times. Triple thank you, Eileen!
Linkage:
-Eileen Cook's website
-Eileen Cook's very entertaining blog
-A very funny (if I do say so myself!) interview I did with Eileen a couple of years ago
And now to....wonderful reviews by wonderful reviewers! Please click through. You'll be happy you did.
YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Staci of Life in the Thumb: THE SHIFTER by Janice Hardy (Fantasy)
Kaye of the Road Goes Ever Ever On: SONGS FOR A TEENAGE NOMAD by Kim Culbertson
Stacy Nyikos: THE APOTHECARY by Mail Meloy & Ian Schoenherr
Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: DEADLY by Julie Chibbaro (Historical)
Beth Yarnall: ANGELFALL by Susan Ee (Science Fiction)
ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Patti Abbott: AUSTENTATIOUS by Alyssa Goodnight** YES! This is our very own Alyssa Goodnight's debut novel!**
Sarah Laurence: THE MARRIAGE PLOT by Jeffrey Eugenides (literary fiction)
Scott Parker: BURY YOUR DEAD by Louise Penny (Mystery)
Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: CATCH ME by Lisa Gardner (Thriller)
Linda McLaughlin: THE BREATH OF GOD: A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE by Jeffrey Small (reviewed by Teresa Zimmerman-Liu)
Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: TAIL OF THE BLUEBIRD by Nii Ayikwei Parkes (Mystery)
Beth Yarnall: BONDS OF THE EARTH by G.N. Chevalier (M/M Historical Romance)
Beth Yarnall: FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT by Darynda Jones (Paranormal Romance)
Note to Reviewers: Any errors (broken link, missed review, etc), just shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thank you so much for your reviews!
Posts
I'm going to the gym tonight. May I borrow the book to get rid of my gym's sweaty grunters?
ReplyDeleteI miss participating in the review club. March. I will review in March, which should work given 4 books I really want to read will be out by then.
Sounds like a winner. Anything that could potentially keep me on the elliptical for thirty minutes is worth trying.
ReplyDeleteA book that makes you laugh out loud is a winner. Great review!
ReplyDeleteSounds like one for the exercise bike. Thanks, Barrie!
ReplyDeleteI love Eileen's books and am reading this one right now, as a matter of fact. :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really cool. I'd like to check it out sometime. Or if they have it for the Kindle(I got one!) on my library website, I'll see if I can get it there.(:
ReplyDelete