Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
Readers captivated by Twilight and New Moon will eagerly devour the paperback edition Eclipse, the third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob --- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?
- taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
Eclipse is the third book in the Twilight saga. It is also my favorite so far. The relationship between Bella and Edward matured nicely. I enjoyed the shaky alliance between the vampires and the werewolves. The climactic action sequence at the end was intense. I couldn't put Eclipse down!

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality. - taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
New Moon is the second book of the Twilight series. It throws in a fantastic new element: werewolves. Now Bella is caught in the middle of a long feud between the vampires and the werewolves. New Moon has all the mystery and suspense of Twilight with some great new characters. I can't wait to start the third book now! This Twilight series is definitely hard to put down!

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:

About three things I was absolutely positive:
First, Edward was a vampire.
Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood.
And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite. -taken from B&N.com

My thoughts:

Twilight is a sweet, romantic novel about first love.....with a dark side. The first half of the book was a little slow and just not all that interesting but when I hit the halfway point I couldn't put the book down. It's very mysterious and suspenseful. I found I really cared about the characters. Especially Bella and Edward, though the supporting cast is great too. Now I have to get the other books in this series so I can find out how it all ends.

Raise the Titanic by Clive Cussler

Rating: 4.0

What it's about:
The President's secret task force has developed an unprecedented defensive weapon that relies on an extremely rare radioactive element--and Dirk Pitt has followed a twisted trail to a secret cache of the substance. Now, racing against brutal storms, Soviet spies, and a ticking clock, Pitt begins his most thrilling mission--to raise from its watery grave the shipwreck of the century...
-taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
Yet another action packed, thrilling adventure starring the ever entertaining Dirk Pitt. Raise the Titanic is full of danger, intrigue and espionage as Pitt and crew battle the Soviets and a brutal hurricane while trying to raise the Titanic from the depths of the Atlantic. Clive Cussler is great at putting his readers right in the midst of the excitment!

Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:

Jerome K. Jerome's comic classic Three Men in a Boat (To say nothing of the Dog!) is unsinkable. One of the most widely read and beloved works of British fiction it has never fallen out of print since it first came out in 1889, but rather has been translated into many languages and even turned into a teleplay by Tom Stoppard.

The most ordinary circumstances turn hilarious as J., an idler who exhibits a "general disinclination to work of any kind," and his friends journey up the Thames River. Getting into many scrapes along the way, the friends consider "assaulting a policeman" just to have "a night's lodging in the station-house," when they get lost, but ultimately reject the proposition, fearful that he would hit them back without locking them up. The real scene stealer, though, is Montmorency, a small fox terrier who appears to be "born with about four times as much original sin in [him] as other dogs are." - taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:

Three Men in a Boat is a very funny travelogue/comedy novel. It was very entertaining with all the misadventure that seemed to follow these fellows up the Thames. You never knew what might happen next. This book is well know for it's timeless feel. It was written in the 19th century but the writing and the humor seem ageless. It reminded me of a Bill Bryson travel book. Three Men in a Boat is lively and amusing, and a quick read too at under 200 pages.

House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker

Rating: 2.0

What it's about:

A mind-bending supernatural thriller from the creators of This Present Darkness and Showdown.

Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker - two of the most acclaimed writers of supernatural thrillers - have joined forces for the first time to craft a story unlike any you've ever read. Enter House - where you'll find yourself thrown into a killer's deadly game in which the only way to win is to lose...and the only way out is in.

The stakes of the game become clear when a tin can is tossed into the house with rules scrawled on it. Rules that only a madman - or worse - could have written. Rules that make no sense yet must be followed.

One game. Seven players. Three rules. Game ends at dawn.

-taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:

I was disappointed in House for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, I wasn't impressed with the writing. This is the first book I've read by either Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker. Now I don't know if the collaboration threw these guys off or if they just don't have much writing skill. I haven't given up on them yet but suffice it to say....I wasn't dazzled.

Secondly, the story pretty much sucked. I didn't realize (until after I finished it) that this is a "Christian" book. It's published by WestBow Press who publish much of the top Christian and Inspirational books. Now I don't have a problem with that but it does explain why I felt preached at while reading this. I was starting to get a little annoyed at about the hundredth time of hearing how we are all sinners. That pet peeve asside, the story still wasn't very good. It just seemed to drag on and on. There were about two parts that really made me cringe (in a good way) and some of the ideas were nicely original (which is this novels saving grace) but not enough good to overcome the bad. The good vs. evil, light vs. dark themes were just too blatant and conspicuous for my taste.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
Barbara Kingsolver's fifth novel is a hymn to wildness that celebrates the prodigal spirit of human nature, and of nature itself. It weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives amid the mountains and farms of southern Appalachia. Over the course of one humid summer, this novel's intriguing protagonists face disparate predicaments but find connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with which they necessarily share a place.

My thoughts:
This is the second time (so far) that I've read Prodigal Summer and I love it just as much as I did the first time. This thought provoking novel is full of so much relevant dialogue. And I never thought I'd learn so much about the natural world just by reading a novel! There are in depth discussions about coyotes and predator/prey relationships as well as insects and a whole host of other living creatures. There are interesting arguments about the use of pesticides and the harm that they do. But this book isn't just about trees and coyotes, it's about human interaction as well. Prodigal Summer is a fascinating, beautiful testament to nature.