Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Rating: 4.0

Industrial Magic, the fourth book in the Women of the Otherworld series, is a fun read. The witch Paige and her sorcerer boyfriend Cortez are back and in Miami hunting down the supernatural who is killing off the Cabal children. This book has action, some light romance and plenty of mystery as the killer is uncovered. With stories filled with characters like witches, vampires, werewolves and necromancers.....Kelley Armstrong never fails to entertain.

Galilee by Clive Barker

Rating: 5.0

Galilee is a very engrossing tale of romance, adventure and intrigue with a touch of the supernatural. The heart of the story is very Romeo and Juliet.

Two very powerful families are at war. Family Geary is one of the wealthiest society families in America. Family Barbarossa is the oldest family, living secluded in a swamp in a house that Thomas Jefferson built for them. When Rachael Geary and Galilee Barbarossa fall in love....the tale gets really interesting. And I forgot to mention.....the Barbarossa family are more than human. They are on a scale with Gods and Goddesses. This book takes us from modern day New York City to ancient Samarkand. From the American Civil War where the foundation between Geary and Barbarossa was built to the shores of a Hawaiian island where the Geary women go to be "serviced" by Galilee Barbarossa. This is such an epic tale that I haven't even begun to tell you what it's about. I'll leave it at that.

Clive Barker's writing is so imaginative and full of life. His characters are so unique and eccentric. In Galilee, Barker weaves tales from many time periods featuring some truly bizarre people and scenarios that are unforgettable.

The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Rating: 5.0

The Sorrows of Young Werther is a beautiful piece of tragic literature. It's written mostly as a series of letters from Werther to his friend Wilhelm detailing his love of Lotte and how that leads to his eventual suicide.

Right from the get go Werther knows of the impending marriage between Lotte and Albert but he can't control his emotions and the love he feels for Lotte. And when he meets Albert, who is a genuinely nice guy, he can't help but like him. The letters go from being full of excitement and elation at the beginning of his acquaintance with Lotte to slowly turning very dark as Werther slips further and further into depression. Deep depression. In fact, his emotions go to such extremes throughout the book, I'd say poor Werther is manic depressive with his thoughts of suicide and murder. He says towards the end of the book, "One of us three must go, so let it be me!" He's had thoughts of killing Albert and even Lotte herself but can't bring himself to harm either of them. So he takes himself out of the equation in hopes that Lotte and Albert can live happily ever after.

The Sorrows of Young Werther is beautifully written but very sad. It's heartbreaking to read as poor Werther's euphoric happiness slides slowly to despair. He says a couple of days after his first introduction to Lotte, "My days are as happy as any God sets aside for his saints; and, whatever the future may have in store for me, I cannot claim I have not enjoyed the pleasures in life, the very purest of pleasures."

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Rating: 4.5

Pet Sematary is a very grim book and not one of King's more action packed stories either. I really enjoyed it though. That's the thing about King; even when his story is on the slow side, his writing and his characters keep me interested.

When Louis and his family move into an old house right off a trucking highway, terrible things are in their future. Between that highway in front of their house and the old Indian burying ground behind their house, they are caught in the midst of some unearthly mayhem. Whether it's a family pet getting run down in the highway, grave digging, or tales of the dead brought back to 'life', Pet Sematary has it's share of morbid moments. Like I said before, it's a grim tale.

Pet Sematary gets you thinking about death and what you would do with the power to bring back the dead. Louis makes that decision several times in this book with results that are less than perfect. This is a spooky story definitely worth a read....as long as you don't mind a touch of the macabre.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

Rating: 1.5

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is ranked by the Modern Library as the third greatest English-language novel of the twentieth century. I have no idea why. I just found it to be extremely boring. The book is the semi-autobiographical coming of age of Stephen Dedalus, the alter ego of James Joyce. From his questions and anxiety over the roles of women and his dealings with them to his on-again-off-again struggles with religion, A Portrait of the Artist...just didn't keep my interest. It's not a bad story really but I just did not dig the prose. I haven't given up on James Joyce yet but I really hope his other books won't put me to sleep.

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Rating: 5.0

A Prayer for Owen Meany is a poignant story about a very special boy named...Owen Meany. Our narrator in this book is John, Owen's best friend. The events in this book really get rolling when Owen accidentally kills John's mother. The wheels are set in motion for Owen, who believes that everything happens for a reason. Owen also believes he is "God's instrument". Owen believes there is a special purpose for his tiny size and unusual voice. This, John's telling of his time with Owen, is a riveting read. The narration goes back and forth from their childhoods and adolescence together, as young adults during the Vietnam era, and John living in Canada in the '80's. Irving has such a unique writing style of going back and forth giving little hints here and there of what's to come with the characters. Long before we get to the very last page, we realize that everything that we've read was relevant and it all comes together in the end. Owen is such a unique and unforgettable character. I'm already looking forward to re-reading A Prayer for Owen Meany.