The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella- by Stephenie Meyer

While I'm a big fan of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, I wouldn't call myself a Twi-Hard or anything. But ever since hearing about "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" — a minor character from the Eclipse book — I was interested to read more by Meyer and more about the world of vampires she had created. As the title of the book implies, it takes place during the time between when Bree Tanner is changed into a vampire and when she ultimately dies at the hand of the Voluri.

In this novella, Meyer brings to life the concept of newborn vampires and gives light to the desires and tendencies of newborns with a first-hand account. While the reader knows much about normal newborn life from the primary Twilight characters, we never hear a narrative from their perspective until now. Even Bella, who is changed into a vampire in the final book in the Twilight Saga does not react the way more newborns do.


The Short Life of Bree Tanner spans only about 1 week of Bree's short three month vampire life. In it we learn that some vampires cope better with the thirst than others, that they are capable of love and that there are even more types of special abilities than we readers knew about.

I give this book a reluctant 3 1/2 stars out of 5. Partly because the ending is so sad, but it there is nothing that could be helped about that due to the original ending in the Eclipse book. I had hoped we might see a bit more interaction between Bree and her new-found friend Diego. Had they learned more about their own abilities I would have been more pleased with the book.

Bloodlines - by Richelle Mead

As a big fan of the "Vampire Academy" series by Richelle Mead, I was excited to hear about the spin-off series, Bloodlines which featured the character Sydney the alchemist.

I received a copy of the book from the library last week and quickly devoured the book while on breaks at work over a few days. While I always liked the character of Sydney — she wasn't featured much in the previous series — it was nice to get a better understanding of her perspective on the Moroi and Dhamphir groups. All the set-up of the new characters and setting made the first half of the book too slow though, in my opinion. It wasn't until about page 200 that the action Mead is known for finally started to kick in and the storyline got interesting. If not for my love of the original series I would have likely given up on the book earlier.

Another down-side of the book was that the main story ended, but it seemed to have a few other endings in order to prep for the next book in the series. I'm also very interested in where upcoming storyline will lead. The last-minute addition of previous characters has enticed me to pick up the next book in the series (slated for summer 2012). I just hope Mead can pick up the pace in the next book and get me hooked again.

I rate this book a weak 3 stars out of 5, with hopes of rating the next book a 4 or 5!

For more information on Richelle Mead and her Vampire Academy series check out her website: http://www.richellemead.com/books/vampireacademy.htm

The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli- by Carolyn Hennesy

As a life-long long fan of the soap General Hospital and fan of the characters Spinelli and Diane Miller, I was excited to hear about the book "The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli: As told to Diane Miller" by Carolyn Hennesy.

After a long wait on the library queue, I finally received a copy of the book this week, just in time for Christmas vacation. While I knew that the story was written in a noir-style and was prepared for some of the eccentricities of the classic Spinelli character, I wasn't prepared for so much interaction in the telling of the story from Spinelli to Attorney Diane Miller. Too often, in my opinion, the story was broken up by the Diane Miller character questioning the Spinelli character on his word choice or use of a metaphor; it seemed to break up the flow and bring me as the reader out of the story and back into real life.

While I was initially excited to read the book, I gave up reading it, frustrated that the writer, Henessy, was bringing the reader too much into reality and out of the storyline. While the GH characters were for the most part true to form, despite the noir genre, this reader felt that some of the tendencies of the characters were too excentric, even for Spinelli's vivid imagination.

I'm giving the book 2 1/2  stars out of 5. If you're an avid GH lover, or a noir fan, you may enjoy the book more though.

Start Something That Matters- by Blake Mycoskie

If the name Blake Mycoskie sounds familiar, it's likely because you watched the hit TV show "The Amazing Race" of which he was a contestant. While I'm not a big reality TV show watcher, I was at least familiar with the name and face from TV commercials.

I received "Start Something That Matters" by Blake Mycoskie from a Goodreads giveaway. It is an inspirational book filled with tips on how (and why) to start a business, as well as hints on how to save costs and become a more happy you. In addition to the interesting history of Mycoskie's TOMS (an business that gives a pair of shoes to those in need for each pair of shoes purchased) the book discusses the history of other famous inventors and business people, and what innovative ideas helped them succeed.

While I admit I haven't finished the book (I'm not in the need of starting a business) I enjoyed reading about how Mycoskie has succeeded, and the principles that got him there. I give this book 3 stars out of 5.

For more information on TOMS and the book, check out the video below.

Cloaked in Red- by Vivian Vande Velde

After seeing a recommendation for this author from a friend on Goodreads, I picked up the book "Cloaked in Red" by Vivian Vande Velde from my library. (I must admit I LOVE saying this author's name).

Upon reading the author's note at the beginning of the book (see HERE for a view of it on GoogleBooks) I couldn't wait to start the book. Based on the introduction, the reader was in for eight snarky, silly takes on the classic "Little Red Riding Hood" children's story. I anticipated reading the story through varied viewpoints  — the girl, the wolf, grandmother, the wood cutter, etc. — but was sorely disappointed to see odd variations on the story, none of which were as humorous as the introduction was.

While the book itself is rather small and compact — a mere 127 pages long — I couldn't bear to read any more than the first three entries, which came to less than half of the book. While the writing was good, it wasn't captivating. The short storied themselves also prove it difficult to identify with the characters and really root for (or against) anyone in particular.

I give this book 1 star out of 5. While I didn't care for what I read in the book, it definitely gave me some interesting ideas for short stories of my own. Perhaps some day I'll use Vivian Vande Velde's ideas for writing my own version of Little Red Riding Hood.

About THIS Blog

Although Goodreads allows people to write reviews of the books they read, I wanted to have another platform to voice my opinions on the books I'm reading. I've decided to start a collection of my reviews, so that others can get ideas for what to read (and what not to read).