The Time Traveler’s Wife

The Time Traveler’s Wife This clever and inventive tale works on three levels: as an intriguing science fiction concept, a realistic character study and a touching love story. Henry De Tamble is a Chicago librarian with “Chrono Displacement” disorder; at random times, he suddenly disappears without warning and finds himself in the past or future, usually at a time or place of importance in his life.

This leads to some wonderful paradoxes. From his point of view, he first met his wife, Clare, when he was 28 and she was 20. She ran up to him exclaiming that she’d known him all her life. He, however, had never seen her before. But when he reaches his 40s, already married to Clare, he suddenly finds himself time travelling to Clare’s childhood and meeting her as a 6-year-old. The book alternates between Henry and Clare’s points of view, and so does the narration.

Reed ably expresses the longing of the one always left behind, the frustrations of their unusual lifestyle, and above all, her overriding love for Henry. Likewise, Burns evokes the fear of a man who never knows where or when he’ll turn up, and his gratitude at having Clare, whose love is his anchor. The expressive, evocative performances of both actors convey the protagonists’ intense relationship, their personal quirks and their reminiscences, making this a fascinating audio.

The Time Traveler’s Wife Review

I stumbled across this book by mistake and hesitated to read it simply because it was 518 pages. To my surprise, I devoured this book in a few days and felt a pang of sadness when it was finished. The author crafts a story of something that is quite unbelievable and yet deftly makes it so very believable. I was hooked after the first chapter. Niffenegger managed to suck me in to this story so that I felt emotionally bound to the characters and their plight. It’s a tragic story that weaves so much love/pain/joy/disappointment that it fairly bursts with emotion. Read it!

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Sookie Stackhouse 8-copy Boxed Set (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood)

Cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse is no typical Southern belle. She can read minds. And she’s got a thing for vampires. Which, in a town like Bon Temps, Louisiana, means she’ll have to watch her back—and neck… This title will be released on September 29, 2009.

Includes:

• Dead Until Dark
• Living Dead in Dallas
• Club Dead
• Dead to the World
• Dead as a Doornail
• Definitely Dead
• All Together Dead
• From Dead to Worse

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A Touch of Dead (Sookie Stackhouse)

A Touch of Dead, a compilation of previously published Sookie Stackhouse stories, will be on the shelves on Oct. 6, 2009.

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Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9)

Telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse braces herself for trouble when another group of supernatural beings goes public in her disjointed eighth adventure (after 2008′s From Dead to Worse). Following the vampires’ lead, the shape-shifters decide to step out of the woodwork and announce their existence to the world.

While the initial reveal goes smoothly, the brutal crucifixion of a young werepanther behind the local bar makes Sookie wonder if the people of Bon Temps, La., are as tolerant as she thought. Meanwhile, the FBI is asking questions about Sookie’s uncanny ability to locate survivors after an explosion, and trouble is brewing among the secretive fae. Harris tries to cram too much into a single story, and even die-hard fans of Sookie’s adventures in print and on HBO’s True Blood will complain about the plot gaps. (May)
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Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9) Review

After reading the negative reviews on Amazon site, I could only think of one thing… People, stop over analyzing this book and series. As readers, we need to be open to the author’s vision, not our desire for the story line. Dead and Gone is a purposeful book that moves the story line along as the author wants to tell the story. The Sookie series is an entertaining fantasy/mystery that is meant to be enjoyed, not poured over looking for inconsistency and minutiae. Enjoy this series for what it is and not what you ‘want’ it to be and you will have a wonderful time!

I have read all the books and just finished in the newest one in one evening.
Its entertaining, sassy, dark, a little scary, sexy and downright enjoyable. Read the book and be taken away for a few hours into another world. This book will not disappoint and you may even find yourself eagerly awaiting the next installment.

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Twilight: Director’s Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie Based on the Novel by Stephenie Meyer

The Story of How We Made the Movie based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer!

In this intimate book, readers will follow visionary director Catherine Hardwicke through the creative process that went into transforming Stephenie Meyer’s breathtaking novel into box office gold. Designed to replicate the director’s own personal notebook that she kept on set, readers will discover the inside secrets on wardrobe, storyboard sketches, behind-the- scenes photographs, personal notes about Catherine’s favorite scenes, and much more.

Praise for the film Twilight:
“Epic! Sexy, stylish and altogether the coolest movie of the year”
- Shawn Edwards, Fox TV

“. . . getting Catherine Hardwicke to direct Twilight was a shrewd move, because the youthquake specialists of Thirteen treats teen confusion without a trace of condensation. . . .She has reconjured Meyer’s novel as a cloudburst mood piece filled with stormy skies, rippling hormones, and understated visual effects.”
- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

“Hardwicke has connected so intensely to the Meyer novel that it’s hard to imagine anyone else making a better version.”
- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Twilight: Director’s Notebook Review

I’m still giving this 5 stars, but there were a few things that I found a tiny bit disappointing…

1. The book is 163 pages, but there is not much text and the pages are small. It took me less than and hour to read it from cover to cover.

2. The book is written in Catherine’s handwriting which can be hard to read sometimes.

3. I thought the book could have covered the topics more in depth. I thought the chapters about how they shot various scenes were interesting, but they made me wish I could ask her questions (and get the answers!). There were so many more things I wanted to know about how and why she made different decisions in shooting the movie.

Despite those 3 things, I still thought the book was really interesting and fun to read. I saw the movie twice in the theaters and this book made me excited for the DVD release (especially the bonus material). I realized after reading the Director’s Notebook there were lots of little details from the movie I had missed. Here’s one example: After the nomad vampires kill the security guard they wear his clothes, James wears his jacket and Victoria wears his “Kiss me, I’m Irish” t-shirt. I never noticed that before.

This book also made me realize how difficult it is to a translate a book into a film and how budget constraints can really limit a director’s vision. I feel sad that it didn’t work out for Catherine to do New Moon because you can tell how much she loves Twilight and put everything she had into this movie.

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The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide

Fans of the #1 New York Times bestselling Twilight Saga will treasure this definitive official guide!

This must-have hardcover edition–the only official guide–is the definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga and provides readers with everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. With exclusive new material, character profiles, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, and much more, this comprehensive handbook is essential for every Twilight Saga fan.

The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide Review

Praise for Eclipse:
“Move over, Harry Potter.” – USA Today

“Has a hypnotic quality that puts the reader right inside the dense, rainy thickets of [Forks]” – People Magazine

“The legions of readers who are hooked on the romantic struggles of Bella and the vampire Edward will ecstatically devour this third installment” – Publishers Weekly

“[Stephenie Meyer is] the world’s most popular vampire novelist since Anne Rice” – Entertainment Weekly

“Meyer’s trilogy seethes with the archetypal tumult of star-crossed passions, in which the supernatural element serves as a heady spice.” – The New York Times

Praise for New Moon:
-”Teens will relish this new adventure and hunger for more.”–Booklist
-”[A] near-genius balance of breathtaking romance and action.”–VOYA
-”New Moon will … leave [fans] breathless for the third.”–School Library Journal

Praise for Twilight:
-A New York Times Editor’s Choice
-A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
-An Amazon Best Book of the Decade…So Far
-An American Library Association Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

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Twilight Collector’s Edition (The Twilight Saga)

The book that started the phenomenon is now available in a deluxe collector’s edition! Featuring a ribbon bookmark, cloth cover, ragged edges, new chapter opener designs, and a beautiful protective slipcase, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.

Bella 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, Bella’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 Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

Twilight Collector’s Edition (The Twilight Saga) Review

I first heard about Twilight in an interview with Stephanie Meyers. I was particularly interested in how she would write about her vampires. From the movies we have ideas about seductive dark men like Bela Lugosi and Frank Langella. Teenage vampires are something different.

I am an adult reader. I find there are many books directed toward young adults that can be enjoyed equally by adults. Twilight is one of them. I have read a many of the positive and negative reviews. Maybe not surprising for a book as popular as Twilight the criticism has tended to be nasty, some downright dumb and others are far too disparaging of the author.

For me, Twilight is very well written. I thought that some of the chapters could have been divided into two, just to give the reader a break. The book is written in the first person, which can be a problem for some readers and tends to restrict the narrative to a single point of view.

Generally, the wording is concise and descriptive without over doing it. The sentences are well constructed and move the reader along. I can’t say that I didn’t find some passages a bit tedious. Some of the sentences were a bit awkward and could have been rephrased. An example: ” I was trying so hard not to think about him, and what Angela had said…and more than anything trying to beat down my hopes for Saturday, fearing a disappointment more painful than the rest, when I looked up to see someone’s silver Volvo parked along the street and it all came crashing down on me.”

I liked the character development and interplay between Bella and Edward. I didn’t want their growing relationship to be hurried along. Bella’s character has been criticized by a number of reviewers as basically uninteresting. She is portrayed as a loner who sees herself an inadequate and clumsy, certainly not as the object of a romance. Her character actually fits the story far better than a more extroverted girl. If one is going to enter into the secretive world of vampires someone who also sees themselves as an outsider would be more understanding.

Edward’s brooding character is well captured by Ms. Meyers. Like Bella he is conflicted over his potential relationship with her. In the end, perhaps against his better judgment, he allows her into his world. I was hoping that Ms. Meyers would give her vampires different attributes than the sleep-by-day-feed-at-night creatures of Bram Stoker and other writer. The vampires are more like gods with their luminous skin. Vampires may be the ultimate killers but they are rational. It is also refreshing to have vampires who don’t want to be a treat to humans and find the need to be sociable, despite the risks.

Although I can’t say that Twilight is the best book ever written it has a lot going for it. It is a good mix of romance and horror that you can get carried away by. Perhaps that is the best way to judge a book.

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Sookie Stackhouse, Books 1-7 Box Set

Sookie Stackhouse is the main character in The Southern Vampire Mysteries, a series of eight books written by bestselling author Charlaine Harris

Sookie Stackhouse, Books 1-7 Box Set Review

First off – if you are interested in the True Blood series on HBO – get these books and get this set. I was STRONGLY recommended to read these books after talking about the show by a friend who read them when they first came out. So I did…purchased one at a time. Boy do I wish I would have bought the set right off and then get the additional books later for I would have saved a bit of money and had a great way to keep all the books together and in great shape. Nevertheless, the books and show ARE different and yet both are worthy of reading/watching if you are into this genre of books. I have enjoyed both for various reasons, but for the books, I truly enjoy the narrative of Sookie through all her trials and tribulations of interacting with “special” characters. This is not a wannabe Anita Blake type of series, but very unique, exciting and often lighthearted…definitely not as dark! Harris has written these books in such a way to really draw one into them, sometimes even identifying with human emotions that is sometimes unexpected. Now I have all the paperbacks, without the boxed set container (sad), and am awaiting the next book in the series.

Plus I will continue to watch the show, knowing on what it is based and that I should not expect the same thing as I read in the books…yet knowing the same “flavor” will be retained. That makes for good reading and for good TV/movie adaptation.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2)

It’s hard to fall in love with an earnest, appealing young hero like Harry Potter and then to watch helplessly as he steps into terrible danger! And in J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the much anticipated sequel to the award-winning Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, he is in terrible danger indeed. As if it’s not bad enough that after a long summer with the horrid Dursleys he is thwarted in his attempts to hop the train to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to begin his second year. But when his only transportation option is a magical flying car, it is just his luck to crash into a valuable (but clearly vexed) Whomping Willow. Still, all this seems like a day in the park compared to what happens that fall within the haunted halls of Hogwarts.

Chilling, malevolent voices whisper from the walls only to Harry, and it seems certain that his classmate Draco Malfoy is out to get him. Soon it’s not just Harry who is worried about survival, as dreadful things begin to happen at Hogwarts. The mysteriously gleaming, foot-high words on the wall proclaim, “The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened. Enemies of the Heir, Beware.” But what exactly does it mean? Harry, Hermione, and Ron do everything that is wizardly possible–including risking their own lives–to solve this 50-year-old, seemingly deadly mystery. This deliciously suspenseful novel is every bit as gripping, imaginative, and creepy as the first; familiar student concerns–fierce rivalry, blush-inducing crushes, pedantic professors–seamlessly intertwine with the bizarre, horrific, fantastical, or just plain funny. Once again, Rowling writes with a combination of wit, whimsy, and a touch of the macabre that will leave readers young and old desperate for the next installment. (Ages 9 and older) –Karin Snelson

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1)

Say you’ve spent the first 10 years of your life sleeping under the stairs of a family who loathes you. Then, in an absurd, magical twist of fate you find yourself surrounded by wizards, a caged snowy owl, a phoenix-feather wand, and jellybeans that come in every flavor, including strawberry, curry, grass, and sardine. Not only that, but you discover that you are a wizard yourself! This is exactly what happens to young Harry Potter in J.K. Rowling’s enchanting, funny debut novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In the nonmagic human world–the world of “Muggles”–Harry is a nobody, treated like dirt by the aunt and uncle who begrudgingly inherited him when his parents were killed by the evil Voldemort. But in the world of wizards, small, skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of the wizard who tried to kill him. He is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, curiously refined sensibilities, and a host of mysterious powers to remind him that he’s quite, yes, altogether different from his aunt, uncle, and spoiled, piglike cousin Dudley.

A mysterious letter, delivered by the friendly giant Hagrid, wrenches Harry from his dreary, Muggle-ridden existence: “We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” Of course, Uncle Vernon yells most unpleasantly, “I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!” Soon enough, however, Harry finds himself at Hogwarts with his owl Hedwig… and that’s where the real adventure–humorous, haunting, and suspenseful–begins. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, first published in England as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, continues to win major awards in England. So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children’s Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal. This magical, gripping, brilliant book–a future classic to be sure–will leave kids clamoring for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (Ages 8 to 13) –Karin Snelson