Baby Drive South Trilogy - Stephanie Bond

one sentence summary
The Armstrong brothers are determined to rebuild their home town, along the way they are distracted by love.

review
Very typical of this genre, quick and easy romance stories to feel good about (a half step above harlequin as far as writing quality). Characters that are based strongly on  stereotypes falling in love and then refusing to admit it etc.  A great read all around. I recommend them to anyone who enjoys a bit of romance in their life.

6/10

A Simple Winter - Rosalind Lauer

one sentence summary
an outsider falls in love with an Amish man and his family.

review
Really well written, with a setting that makes you want to give up all the modern day conveniences, characters you want to befriend and a story line that, though predictable, draws you in and takes you on a journey. Every single character, no mater how short their time in the story, became a distinct and drawn out person (I have no idea how Lauer pulled it off). The romance really bites into you and you can't pull yourself back out of it, you just have to ride with it until the final choices are made. It is a great book, perfect for a snowy afternoon.

8/10

Wit's End - Karen Joy Fowler

one sentence summary:
everything has gone wrong in Rima's life and she has moved into her eccentric godmother's house.

review
the writing was good but the story was fragmented, there were entire side stories that could have (and probably should have) been removed by the editor. The characters all felt only half developed but they all had much potential, I guess it felt rushed, like if only Fowler had taken a bit more time with it it could have been fantastic. The plot was great and the ideas were all really well plotted out.To me it feels like she had an idea playing in her head for years and then her publisher put her on a way to short time line to finish it. Still good enough I don't regret reading it

5/10

Blood Red - Heather Graham

one sentence summary
In New Orleans for a bridal shower get away three normal women find themselves wrapped up in the world of vampires.

review
Writing typical of Graham, with reliance on cliches and tropes but with enough character development to draw you in.  I would recommend this to anyone who likes trashy vampire romance, good reading for a distracted day.

7/10

First Grave on the Right - Darynda Jones

one sentence summary:
Charley is a sexy keep no prisoner grim reaper who in addition to helping the dead cross over helps her uncle, a police officer, solve crimes.

review:
This had a great premise but the writing was not so good. It relied on tropes and cliches to the point of a prime time television show. It would be ok for a day at the beach but there are thousands of better authors out there, some who even write for Harlequin. I will not be continuing to read this series, which is disappointing because of how intriguing the premise was. It did have its moments of great humour though, perhaps Jones should consider a career in stand up or television writing.

5/10

Day by Day Armageddon Origin to Exile - J. L. Bourne

one sentence summary:
Zombies have taken over, only the smart survive.

Review:
I would call this a well written zombie survivor diary. The story in my opinion is realistic with chaos and lots of shifting attitudes of the main characters. The highlight of the story is a dog and how many sacrifices the people make to keep the dog around, to maintain their humanity is amazing (and realistic to my way of thinking). I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys zombie apocalypse stories where people actually survive in realistic ways.

7/10

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

One Sentence Summary:

A young boy goes on a journey and realizes that he can follow any path he chooses. 

review:

A very philosophical read, one of few books I re-read with some regularity. When I first read it I recommended it to everyone because I thought it changed my life... really it just made it easier for me to justify my life and the choices I had made. That said every time I read it I take something else out of it and reflect on my life for a while. A well written parable, it basically tells you to follow your dreams and overcome anything in your way, let nothing prevent you from living the life you want to live the way you want to live it. I think everyone should read it at least once. 

10/10

10/10

memorable quotes:
"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."

"The secret of life, though, is to fall seven times and to get up eight times."
If you enjoyed this read:

Life of Pie - Yann Martel
The Death of Ivan Ilych -  Leo Tolstoy
Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood