Atonement - Ian McEwen

I didn't like this at all. Briony Tallis made a horrible mistake at the age of 13 which affected the lives of her older sister, Cecelia, and the housekeeper's son, Robert Turner. Briony was 13 at the time and didn't understand fully what was going on or the consequences of her statements. That led to Cecelia's estrangement from the family and Robbie being convicted of rape and subsequent jail time.

At the age of 18, she tried to make things right because in a sudden burst of clarity, Briony realized who had raped her cousin Lola.

I found the whole thing contrived and unbelievable. It was also very disjointed, in the jumps from part to part. I didn't like the flowery language. I felt that the backbone of a good story was there but Mr. McEwen failed to deliver it.

I know that this is on several lists of must reads but I can't figure out why for the life of me.

Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

I've recently (within the last year) become a fan of some of Richelle Mead's other series. The succubus series. The Dark Swan series. Everyone that I talked to about her told me that I had to read the Vampire Academy series. OK. I have no problem with that. I love getting new books and I truly marvel at the creativity that dwells within a select few. I think I'm also slightly envious since my own writing creativity has been sucked out of my mind somewhere along the line.

Lissa is a Moroi, a vampire who has not killed humans and turned to the dark side. (Those are Strigoi, by the way.) The Moroi have 12 families from whom they select one individual to lead them. One person is voted into power but is considered to be a king or queen.

Rose is a dhamphir, a guardian. She will protect the Moroi from the Strigoi, who's sole mission is to murder all the Moroi and take over the vampire and human worlds. There's a catch: they haven't graduated school yet. Further, they are linked in a way that no one can explain but may have ties to their patron saint.

It's an interesting read. I have the next two books in the series. They should be quick reads hopefully.

And with this book, I'm about halfway to my goal of reading 25 new books this year. I do reread quite a bit.

Onto the next book!

Savor the Moment - Nora Roberts

This saved the series for me. I was rather disappointed with Emma and Jack's story but I really liked Laurel and Del.

Maybe it's because Laurel's more like me. She had to scrape and work to get through school while holding down jobs that paid the bills. As a result, she's forthright and not afraid to go after what she wants. She is a pastry chef and runs that aspect of Vows.

Del may be wealthy (and here is where the comparison between Laurel and me ends) but he's not snobbish. In some ways, Laurel is more stuck up than he is. But it's a reverse sort of discrimination against herself as she doesn't feel worthy of being with him.

I liked Del; he wasn't too overconfident and cocky. He was the right mix of man, boy, adult and child for me. Fun loving but serious when the situation requires it. He helped Laurel unwind a bit and stop being so stuffy.

Overall, good job!

Rising Tides - Nora Roberts

I picked it up on a whim. I think I saw it in Walmart. I think I'm now in love with Ethan, the male lead.

As with all the boys the Quinns adopted, Ethan comes from a troubled past. His mother was an addict and sold both herself and her son for the next fix. He fought his past and his memories for years until the Quinns brought him home. As usual, they helped him heal physically and emotionally.

Along came Grace. She had her own issues but was determined to rise above without leaning on anyone. Married at 19, pregnant and divorced by 20, she recognized that inner core of strength which women seem to have. She determined that she would do better for her little girl and was doing OK. Just OK. So she was killing herself with work. So she was too proud to ask her father for help. It was fine.

Grace and Ethan dance around each other for most of the book. Since it is a Nora Roberts book, the inevitable happens. Again and again ... if you know what I mean. lol

I think what I like about her books is that her women are not weak characters. She realizes that everyone is flawed and isn't afraid to showcase those flaws. Also, her male leads are not perfect specimens which can do no wrong. They're believeable (sp?). Yes, they can act like fools. Yes, they often do. Yes, they make mistakes and learn from them. Yes, they grow as most human beings do.

She understands how people are with each other and really shows the development of relationships fully, if in a microcosm of time.

Identical - Ellen Hopkins

Wow. Just wow. I finished this a couple of days ago in preparation for a buddy readalong that my online book club is doing. I can't wait for my buddy to finish this. My most difficult challenge is to review it without giving anything away. So here goes ...

The narrators are twins, Raeanne and Kaeleigh. Years before the book starts, they are in an accident along with their parents. And that's when all the trouble begins. Not only the car is destroyed. Their family is too.

The twins chronicle their downward spiral into incest, drugs, alcohol, sex, cutting, bulimia, and so much more in a way that breaks your heart. Kaeleigh is looking for some sort of absolution in the relationship with her father. Raeanne feels like an outsider to the family.

There is so much more I can't get into here. This is only scratching the surface but I think that to tell you more will ruin the book. You need to experience it for yourself. It was very well written and is staying with me days after I finished it. That's the mark of a good book in my opinion.

In case you're wondering

I haven't really been reading anything new lately. I've been sticking to some favorites over the last few weeks. They are all books I've reviewed so I don't feel the need to repost them.

Starting Thursday, I should have some more new material to review. I'm going to read Identical by Ellen Hopkins.

I'm also going to read Atonement by Ian McEwan. I'm doing it as part of a buddy readalong on my online book club. We're going to read both books and discuss them during the month of April. I can't wait!

The White Dragon - Anne McCaffrey

This is the third of the Pern series. Typically, Holders do not Impress dragons. Chances at impression are given to others. Jaxom is not your typical Holder though. He is both Lord Holder and Dragonrider, having impressed the white Ruth in the prior book.

They grow together and learn every aspect of each other's personalities. In this book, Jaxom finally comes into his own. He assists in locating a missing dragon egg without drawing attention to himself. He trains to become part of a flying wing. He learns the management side of the Hold from Lytol, who has raised him from the time he was a baby. (Both his parents have died.)

There are challenges along the way but I'm glad I got the chance to see him grow. It was fun.

OK, I know that this is really brief but I couldn't figure out a way to get it down in writing without giving too much away.