MOVING BLOGS

Kind of sad to say, I am moving this blog to tumblr. It's just a way more active site in my opinion: http://readingwithcoffee.tumblr.com/ follow me if you want to keep seeing updates & reviews.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

Published: May 10th 2011
Pages: 359
Format: Hardcover (New)
Stars: ★★★★★

When Alex falls for the charming new boy at school, Cole -- a handsome, funny, sports star who adores her -- she can't believe she's finally found her soul mate . . . someone who truly loves and understands her.

At first, Alex is blissfully happy. Sure, Cole seems a little jealous of her relationship with her close friend Zack, but what guy would want his girlfriend spending all her time with another boy? As the months pass, though, Alex can no longer ignore Cole's small put-downs, pinches, or increasingly violent threats.

As Alex struggles to come to terms with the sweet boyfriend she fell in love with and the boyfriend whose "love" she no longer recognizes, she is forced to choose -- between her "true love" and herself.

I will admit at first I had a huge problem with Alex. I thought she was really naive and had no common sense whatsoever. That was until, I realized she was me.

This book really hit home for me as I was in an abusive relationship for almost two years. So I could relate to Alex 100% through out this novel. The things that went on and how Alex acted, mirrored me completely when I was her age. So I give Brown huge points for nailing this situation right on the head. I think anyone who has been in this situation, can really feel touched when they read this book. I also highly recommend reading it. 

Even if you have not been in an abusive relationship, I think it's an important book but please read it with an open mind and don't be too quick to judge because sadly, abusive relationships start every single day and it's a huge problem with people of all ages but I think when it starts at such a young age, it's different and sometimes harder to overcome. But you CAN overcome it.

If I stay by Gayle Forman

Published: April 6th 2010
Pages: 234
Format: Paperback (New)
Stars: ★★★

A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family. 

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

This is one of those books that people have been raving about ever since it came out. How amazing, touching and heartbreaking it is. That it's one of the best books ever written..etc etc. To be honest, I've had this book on my shelf for about a year because I really didn't know what to expect. 

If I stay is a book about a girl that pretty much has to decide if she is going to keep living or if she wants to die after a wreck tears apart her family. While it was sad and pretty well written, it didn't really touch me as strongly as it has touched others. Maybe because I am use to reading sad books or because to me, this book was way too predictable.

When you read the blurb and think about the book, you pretty much get exactly what you would expect. I just found it to be way too basic and cliche. That's really all I have to say about it. I decided to give it three stars because it wasn't an awful book but I don't really understand the hype around it either.

Bah, Humbug! A Romantic Comedy Novella by Heather Horrocks

Published: September 9th 2011
Pages: 96
Format: E-Book
Stars: ★★★★

Lexi Anderson is an up-and-coming, Martha Stewart-type TV hostess whose two kids love the Jared Strong adventure novels, which happen to be written by their new neighbor, Kyle Miller. For the first time in his writing career, Kyle has writer’s block--until he sees the snowman on his lawn and realizes it’s the perfect solution to his plot problem. He digs in and discovers two things: one, his villain’s weapon will fit inside a snowman's body, and two, this particular snowman was supposed to be the backdrop for Lexi’s next show. From this improbable beginning comes friendship, but can there be a happy ending for a woman who is afraid to get close again and a man who has shadows from his childhood? Families join together and hearts are healed as this couple goes walking in a winter wonderland.

So Starting last year, I made a point to read a bunch of Mindless (but cute) Christmas Stories through out December every year. So of course, I totally stalk Amazon for free books on my Kindle for this purpose because some of my favorite Holiday books are Indies on my Kindle. I have been seeing Bah, Humbug! on Amazon under Free books for months so I finally got it and decided to read it.

Now I will be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this Novella because it just sounded like it could be a really cheesy story but I actually really enjoyed it. The plot was adorable and so were the characters. Plus it was a super fast read that I knocked out in a little over an hour. The problems I had were: No drama..I felt like everything went too smoothly and I wish it was longer because I feel that it could have made an amazing full length story. But for free, I can't complain. 

If you are looking for a cute Holiday story, check out Bah, Humbug!

Breathless by Jessica Warman

Published: August 18th 2009
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover (New)
Stars: ★★★★

When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn't take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she’s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don’t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won’t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it’s all Katie can do to keep her head above water.

I loved Between by Warman when I read it back in January of this year. So I've wanted to read Breathless for a while. I found it for an awesome price on Amazon a few weeks ago so I finally got around to reading it. 

I pretty much loved it. The plot was wonderful, the characters were some of my favorites and I just loved the setting that Warman was able to create. My only complaint was the very ending. It was good but I would have loved if she made this into a series instead because as I said before, I loved the Characters and I would have loved if she kept the story going. Also, it was a little slow in places.

Overall I loved it though and if you are interested in reading it, I highly recommend that you do so.

The Christmas Bus by Melody Carlson

Published: January 1st 2006
Pages: 157
Format: E-Book
Stars: ★★★★

The people of Christmas Valley always celebrate Christmas to the fullest extent. The mayor plays Santa, every business is holiday themed, and there's a nativity for the kids each Christmas Eve. This town knows Christmas. But this year nothing goes according to plan. Shepherd's Inn is full of strangers, Mad Myrtle is causing problems, and a young couple with a baby due any minute rolls in to the middle of town in their Partridge Family-style bus. It's hardly the holiday Christmas Valley wanted--but it may be just what they need. This charming novella is sure to become a new Christmas tradition for readers who love a great holiday story.

I am starting to slowly read Christmas Stories to put me in more of a Christmas Spirit and I came across The Christmas Bus for Free on Amazon for my Kindle. It sounded really cute so I decided to give it a try. While the reviews on other sites aren't great, I really enjoyed it. I know a lot of people were complaining that it's too Religious but it's a Christmas Story...(duh) and I didn't think it was overwhelming. I just found it to be a very cute and nice story to get you in the mood for Christmas. So yes, it did it's job and if you are looking for a cute short story for Christmas, I recommend it.

Ashen Winter by Mike Mullin (SPOILER FREE)

Published: October 16th 2012
Pages: 576
Format: Hardcover (New)
Stars: ★★★★★

It’s been over six months since the eruption of the Yellowstone super-volcano  Alex and Darla have been staying with Alex’s relatives, trying to cope with the new reality of the primitive world so vividly portrayed in Ashfall, the first book in this series. It’s also been six months of waiting for Alex’s parents to return from Iowa. Alex and Darla decide they can wait no longer and must retrace their journey into Iowa to find and bring back Alex’s parents to the tenuous safety of Illinois. But the landscape they cross is even more perilous than before, with life-and-death battles for food and power between the remaining communities. When the unthinkable happens, Alex must find new reserves of strength and determination to survive.

To keep this spoiler free, this is going to be a short and basic review.

Ashfall was probably one of my favorite books (if not my favorite) that I've read in 2012 so far so when Ashen Winter came out, I was super excited. However, Ashen Winter topped it by A LOT. I think the writing was better, a lot of character development and I would say that it was more epic then Ashfall. A lot more happened in Ashen Winter and while I wanted to take my time reading it, it was really hard to because it grabbed my attention and held on for dear life. So if you are a fan of books similar to this, I HIGHLY recommend giving The Ashfall Series a try. 

If you have already the books in this series, I would love for you to comment below and let me know your thoughts.