Review & Author Interview: Sudden Moves - Kelli Sue Landon

Interview with Kelli Sue Landon

What is the title of your book, and what is it about?

Sudden Moves - A Young Adult Mystery.  Sixteen year old Michelle Martin grows suspicious when classmate, Katie Brashers, doesn't return after a Spring Break trip to Florida.  Michelle is worried because she let Katie borrow a family heirloom that need to be returned to her.  She talks it over with her best friend, Tami, and Katie's boyfriend, Brad, who is crushed over her sudden departure.  Together, they snoop around the neighborhood and learn more and more about what happened to Katie and her family.

Why did you decide to write it?

I had the idea in my head since I was in high school.  I started it as a story, but it evolved into a full length novel.

How did you get your book published?

I self published through Outskirts Press.

What types of readers will be interested in your book?

Teens or women who will be taken back to their high school years.

What is so special about your book?  What differentiates it from other books in the same category?  

This book is about regular teenagers, not the supernatural or vampires, which seems to be the norm right now.  They react as normal teens would react in their situation.  It's a YA mystery, but it evolves into a more adult finale.  These kids learn a lot on their quest to find Katie.

Have you published any other books?  Do you plan to publish more?  

This is my first one, but I have written another one.  It will be sent off for publication this spring.  It takes place on a weekend camping trip - a slasher type of story with a whodunit angle.

Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Release Date: October 27, 2010

Format: Paperback

Source: Sent by author for review

Challenge: Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011 & 100 Books in a Year

Author's Website: Kelli Sue Landon

Purchase: Amazon

When Katie Brashers announces to her friends that she's headed to Orlando, Florida, for spring break, no one thinks twice.  But when school resumes and Katie is nowhere to be found, her sixteen-year-old classmate and friend, Michelle Martin, grows suspicious.  The school staff claims that the family moved to Florida, but Michelle doesn't buy it.  First, Katie never said goodbye to her devoted boyfriend, Brad; and second, Katie promised to return.  Something doesn't make sense.  Michelle and her best friend, Tami, team up with Brad to investigate the family's disappearance, but it's not easy.  Not only do they have to dodge Michelle's demanding, nosey mother, but they also have to sneak around the neighborhood while avoiding arrest for trespassing.  After talking to neighbors and looking inside the house, they still have nothing but circumstantial evidence.  Michelle is about ready to give up - until she takes her dog for their daily walk and uncovers a concrete clue.  The clue leads her closer to the truth, but also thrusts her into dangerous circumstances beyond her control.  If she isn't careful, Michelle could end up like Katie - gone without a trace.

First Sentence

The news came after Spring Break.

My Thoughts

Kelli Sue Landon tells a story filled with twists and turns at every corner.  This book was fast-paced and an easy read.  With all of the plot twists I couldn't put the book down because I wanted to know what happened to Katie!  Throughout the entire book I was annoyed with Michelle's mom -- she was completely over-powering and often just plain annoying (which is probably exactly how I was supposed to feel about her...but halfway through I was like if we have to hear about Michelle's mom one more time...).  I was also a little confused about the book that Michelle lent to Katie.  I have plenty of valuables that have been handed down through my family for generations, but I can't see myself lending them out.  Especially to someone I didn't really seem to be that good of friends with.  It just didn't seem like Michelle had a whole lot of reason to care what happened to Katie.  I know she wanted to get her book back, but I didn't feel like their relationship was very well developed.  Overall I thought this was a nice, easy read that kept me engaged until the very last sentence.

My Ratings

Favorite Character: Brad

Least Favorite Character: Michelle's mother

Cover: 2/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Plot: 3/5

Ending: 3/5

Overall: 3/5 

A special thanks to Kelli Sue Landon for sending me this book!  Take a moment to visit Kelli on her website: The Plot Thickens, and follow her on twitter: @kellisuelandon 

Happy Reading!

Review: Leaving Home - Jodi Picoult

Published: January 12, 2011
Publisher: Laura Gross Literary Agency
Author's Website: Jodi Picoult
Format: E-book
Source: Amazon
Challenge: 2011 E-book Challenge & 100 Books in a Year
Purchase Here

Jodi Picoult has the remarkable ability to portray an event's key moments and feelings in a potent narration that tugs at the heartstrings.  Leaving Home's three emotionally charged stories deal with a gaunt of pain, regret, unconditional love, memory, motherhood, and friendship that the author renders almost palpably.  Fans will find that Leaving Home offers another shining example of Picoult's skill as a storyteller.  those new to her work will find this a magnificent introduction. - Shirley Hong (From Goodreads)

First Sentence 

"The loudest sound in the world is the absence of a child."

My Thoughts

I am a HUGE Jodi Picoult fans.  I love that in the beginning she writes the readers a letter saying that she knows the waiting from year to year can be just awful (which is SO true), so she's given us a little taste of her fantastic writing with these three short stories.  These short stories were incredible, and it makes me want to go back and read all of her books over again, just because she is such an amazing storyteller. 

The first story is about a husband and wife that have lost their daughter, and the struggle to survive without her.  Throughout the entire story you can feel the pain that the family is going through.

The second short is a letter to a son leaving for college.  Also, such an emotional roller coaster!  You could just feel the love pouring out in each word, but you could also hear the heartache.  The author goes on to describe how parents know that their job is to raise a child so that they can send them off into the world, but once you actually get to that point it is so much harder to let go then you could have ever imagined.

The last story is about a family dealing with the mother running away.  She just needs a break from all of the housework and everything else that is involved in being a mother, and I can't say I blame her.  This too was a heart warming story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Favorite Quotes

"How many idealistic discussions had she and Abe had about religion being akin to brain-washing."

"This planet is smaller than you think. I don't just mean that environmentally - an area where you've taught me, instead of the other way around.  I mean that there will be plenty of people who don't think the way you do - whether that's in class at college, in the workplace, in your country.  Don't judge someone just because their opinions are different - lest they do the same to you."

"Expect to cry.  Real life isn't fair."

"Be history, instead of just watching it happen from the sidelines.  Try something new, even if it scares you to death.  Learn because you're being tested.  Don't whine - there is always someone who's having a worse day than you are.  Be honest with yourself, and you'll never have anything to hide."

"Just like I used to believe that my kindergarten teacher slept underneath her desk..."

"You can't force a wind to blow the way you want it to, Jenna.  You have to hope it gets there on its own."

"Even if an exotic destination has dazzling culture, stunning scenery, spectacular hotels, there's something it can never be: your home."

 My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5/5 

Happy Reading!

Book Blogger Hop (12)

I love love, love, love the Book Blogger Hop that is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books. The rules are simple, and this is am awesome opportunity to get your blog out there! Post the hop on your blog, then make sure to include a link in the Mr. Linky on Crazy For Books's blog...and then -- GET TO HOPPING!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List at Crazy For Books
          (In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.)
2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!). 

This weeks question comes from Aliyah at Des Absurdites.
"What books are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011?  Why are you anticipating that book?"
I would have to say that there are about a million and a half books that I am really looking forward to.  I don't have any particulars at the moment, but I'm excited to see all these new debut authors!

A very warm welcome to my new followers, and thanks for sticking around to my oldie but goodies!

Happy Reading!
 

Teaser Tuesday (14)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly event held by MizB at Should Be Reading.  I love this event and love giving you a little teaser into what I'm reading!  This can either suck you in, and you will enjoy reading the book, or it can make you realize that this just isn't the book for you!

The rules are simple:

- Grab your current read

- Open to a random page

- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on the page

- Please do not include spoilers!!!!! (Please be sure that what you post doesn't give too much away -- we want this to be fun for those who haven't read the book as well!)

- Make sure you share TITLE and AUTHOR so that other TT followers can add the book to their TBR pile.

- Always be sure to check out the host's blog and leave your Teaser Tuesday link!

My Teaser

"The deserted lobby looked like Mexico before the Spanish destroyed it, the walls covered with murals of hefty Aztecy-looking goddesses.  The goddesses could have been sisters with their straight black hair and hawk noses, though each had a different skin color - brown, red, yellow." 

Happy Reading!

 

Review: Unearthly - Cynthia Hand

Published: January 4, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Author's Website: Cynthia Hand
Genre: YA
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 435
Source: NetGalley
Challenge: 2011 E-book Challenge &
100 Books in a Year
Purchase Book: Amazon

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angle.  Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do.  Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town.  When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place -- and out of place at the same time.  Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

;As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make -- between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil.  When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart. (from GoodReads)

First Sentence 

"In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees."

My Thoughts

Wow. All I can say is this was incredible.  Cynthia Hand is an amazing author that has sucked me into a whole new genre: angels.  I was not 100% sold on the idea of this book when I first received it from NetGalley.  I saw that there was a lot of hype surrounding it, but I didn't think it was for me.  Boy was I wrong.  Cynthia Hand has a knack for telling a story.  The entire time I read this book I felt like I was there, experiencing everything Clara was going through.  The thing I liked the most about this book is that at no point did I think I knew what was going to happen.  I couldn't put this book down until I knew for sure what was going on.  I had all these different ideas in my head, but of course, I was wrong on all accounts.  

Clara is the perfect heroine.  She isn't your stereotypical beautiful/popular girl that saves the day.  She is having to deal with the same things that all teens go through.  I really think this helped me to connect with Clara, because I understood most of what she was going through (well the human emotions at least!).

Following along with Clara's journey was such an emotional roller coaster.  I felt highs and lows but I knew I just had to push through.  I cannot wait for the next book in this trilogy!  I highly recommend this to anyone that reads.  I know that sounds silly, but I never in a million years thought I would enjoy an angel book, but WOW.

My Favorite Quotes

"When I appear to him in the forest, when he finally turns and sees me standing there, I want to at least look the part of an angel.  I want to be all glowy and floaty like my mom."

"Great.  I fit right in with the Invisibles."

"Wingspan, I thought, shaking my head.  I have a wingspan.  This is insane."

My Ratings

Liked: The fast-paced way this read, the characters were incredible and the plot was outstanding

Disliked: I don't really think that the cover does this book justice.

Cover: 4/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5/5 

Happy Reading!

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme brought to you by The Story Siren.  It is a fun little way to share what books you've received over the last week, whether you bought them, borrowed them or were sent them!

I'm so excited this week!  I received my first two ARC books for review!

C.B. Murphy's compelling debut novel speaks cautiously with irony and humor to adults and adolescents about embracing black-and-white ideologies that can quickly spiral out of control.  Cute Eats Cute (North Star Press, 237 pages) follows the fragmenting family and the three Eco-Warrior high school friends of the book's 15-year-old narrator, Sam, who is forced to confront the ways and memes of the adult world in all of its many splintered shapes.  Set in the BT Before Texting dawn of the 21st century, the novel's major conflict arises when a herd of deer is slated to be culled in a large city park, shifting various factions into hyper-drive as the entire community literally goes up in arms!
 Cute Eats Cute the title taken from a speech Sam's dad makes at his high school defending the urban deer hunt encapsulates how animals eat one another for survival and defense.  And the food chain never sleeps.  The satirical jabs at the men's movement, the deafening but impressionable rhetoric of the gun-toting Christian right group, The Hunters of Men, and the fragile friendship of Sam's school chums (who are each facing down their own personal issues against their blind ecology crusade) all conspire to make Murphy's novel a page-turning delight.  But it's not without its carefully constructed messages. (From GoodReads).

When Katie Brashers announces to her friends that she's headed to Orlando, Florida, for spring break, no one thinks twice.  But when school resumes and Katie is nowhere to be found, her sixteen-year-old classmate and friend, Michelle Martin, grows suspicious.  The school staff claims that the family moved to Florida, but Michelle doesn't buy it.  First, Katie never said goodbye to her devoted boyfriend, Brad; and second Katie promised to return.  Something doesn't make sense.  Michelle and her best friend, Tami, team up with Brad to investigate the family's disappearance, but it's not easy.  Not only do they have to dodge Michelle's demanding, nosey mother, but they also have to sneak around the neighborhood while avoiding arrest for trespassing.  After talking to the neighbors and looking inside the house, they still have nothing but circumstantial evidence.  Michelle is about ready to give up-until she takes her dog for their daily walk and uncovers a concrete clue.  The clue leads her to the truth, but also thrusts her into dangerous circumstances beyond her control.  If she isn't careful, Michelle could end up like Katie - gone without a trace. (From GoodReads).

Borrowed Books:

Loretta Bowersock and her daughter, Terri, ran a multi-million-dollar furniture store based in Tempe, Arizona, where they were well-known and admired by many.  Together, these two women seemed to be living the American Dream...until one man decided to take it all away.  /  Over the course of two decades, Taw Benderly worked his way into Loretta's heart, home, and business.  Though the couple appeared to be happy, their lives behind closed doors told another story.  Terri had always known that the handsome, charming, and usually unemployed Taw was manipulating her mother - but she didn't know the extent of the abuse or how far he would go to defend her.  Then, just before Christmas in 2004, Loretta went missing.  It would be more than a year before Terri learned the shocking through: That, before killing himself, Taw murdered the 69-year-old Loretta and left her. (From GoodReads).

One week after fifteen-year-old Nick Markowitz vanished, his mother received the news: Nick's body had been found in a shallow grave.  Now she tells her own gripping story - the unbelievable motive for the murder, the shocking identity of the accused, and her own nine-year battle to bring her son's killers to justice.  (From GoodReads).

Happy Reading!

Wish list Wednesday (1)

I've decided to start my own weekly meme!  

It is called Wish list Wednesday, and the rules are simple.

- Post a list of books you've been wanting to read (new or old releases), but here's the kicker -- you can't already own them.

- Make sure to comment with the link of your post so we can all see what you're dying to get your hands on!

Here goes!

Today I found out that on my Kindle I can download the New York Times Book Review each week (*eep!!)  I realized that there are so many books on the best seller list that I want!

Hell on earth.  That's what it's like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.  It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away.  Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts - immortals who want to kill Luce.  Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students - Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.  

 At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives.  Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn't told her everything.  He's hiding something - something dangerous.  What if Daniel's version of the past isn't actually true?  What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?  The second novel of the addictive FALLEN series...where love never dies.

I had a life anyone would kill for.  

 Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there's nothing left to live for.  No more kisses.  No more secrets.  No more gossip.  It's enough to kill a girl all over again.  But I'm about to get something no one else does - an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.  

 Now Emma's desperate to know what happened to me.  And the only way to figure it out is to be me - to slip into my old live and piece it all together.  But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends?  Convince my boyfriend she's the girl he fell in love with?  Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents goodnight?  And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?  

 From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.  /  Let the lying game begin.

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan.  She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her...until Patch comes along.  With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see insider her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgement, but after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust.  Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends.  She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide.  And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is far more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.  For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect.  Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she's got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel.  But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic.  He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.  

 Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, it Patch hadn't been acting so distant.  Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude, Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.  

 Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperately searches for answers.  But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.

It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery...
 Narrated by Death, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young foster girl living outside of Munich in Nazi Germany.  Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she discovers something she can't resist - books.  Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever they are to be found.
 With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, Liesel learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids, as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

Wedding Bells Ring 

Detective Alex Cross and Bree's wedding plans are put on hold when Alex is called to the scene of the perfectly executed assassination of two of Washington, D.C.'s most corrupt: a dirty congressmen and an underhanded lobbyist.  Next, the elusive gunman begins picking off other crooked politicians, sparking a blaze of theories - is the marksman a hero or a vigilante?  

A Murderer Returns 

The case explodes, and the FBI assigns agent Max Siegel to the investigation.  As Alex and Siegel battle over jurisdiction, the murders continue.  It becomes clear that they are the work of a professional who has detailed knowledge of his victims' movements - information that only a Washington insider could possess.  

 Caught In A Lethal Cross Fire 

 As Alex contends with the sniper, Siegel, and the wedding, he receives a call from his deadliest adversary, Kyle Craig.  The Mastermind is in D.C. and will not relent until he has eliminated Cross and his family for good.  With a supercharged blend of action, deception, and suspense, Cross Fire is James Patterson's most visceral and exciting Alex Cross novel ever.

Port Mortuary, the title of Patricia Cornwell's 18th Scarpetta Novel, is literally a port for the dead.  In this fast-paced story, a treacherous path from Scarpetta's past merges with the high tech highway she now finds herself on.  We travel back to the beginning of her professional career, when she enlisted in the Air Force to pay off her medical school debt and found herself ensnared in a gruesome case of what seemed to be vicious, racially motivated hate crimes against two Americans in South Africa.  Now, more than twenty years and many career successes later, her secret military ties have drawn her to Dover Air Force Base, where she has been immersed in a training fellowship to master the art of CT - assisted virtual autopsy - a procedure the White House has mandated that she introduce in the private sector.

As the chief of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, a joint venture of the state and federal governments and MIT, Scarpetta is confronted with a case that could shut down her new facility and ruin her personally and professionally.  A young man drops dead, apparently from a cardiac arrhythmia, eerily close to Scarpetta's new Cambridge home.  But when his body is examined the next morning, there are stunning indications that he may have been alive when he was zipped inside a pouch and locked inside the Center's cooler.  Various 3-D radiology scans reveal more shocking details about internal injuries unlike any Scarpetta has ever seen.  These suggest the possibility of a conspiracy to cause mass casualties.  She realizes that she is fighting a cunning and cruel enemy that is invisible as she races against time to discover who and why before more people die.  

 In Port Mortuary, Patricia Cornwell brings Scarpetta together with Marino, Benton and Lucy in an intimate way that is reminiscent of the early novels, and we welcome a voice we haven't heard in years.  The point of view is Scarpetta's and this is her story.

I hope you like this new meme and will join me each week!
Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday (13)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly event held by MizB at Should Be Reading.  I love this event, and love giving a little teaser to my readers!  This can either suck you into reading the book I'm reading, or make you realize this just isn't the book for you.

The rules are simple:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share 2 "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• *****Please do not include spoilers!*****  (Please be sure that what you post doesn't give too much away!  You don't want to ruin the read for the next guy!)
• Share Title & Author so that other TT followers can add the book to their TBR pile
• Always be sure to check out the host's blog and leave a link for your Teaser!

          My Teaser

"When I appear to him in the forest, when he finally turns and sees me standing there, I want to at least look the part of an angel.  I want to be all glowy and floaty like my mom." - Unearthly - Cynthia Hand

Happy Reading!
 

Review: Body Surfing - Anita Shreve

Release Date: April 24, 2007
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Genre: Contemporary Fiction 
Format: Hardcover
# of Pages: 291
Source: Purchased at Border's
Challenge: 2011 Reading From My Shelves Project &
100 Books in a Year
Purchase Book: Amazon

At the age of 29, Sydney has already been once divorced and once widowed.  Trying to regain her footing once again, she has answered an ad to tutor the teenage daughter of a well-to-do couple as they spend a sultry summer in their oceanfront New Hampshire cottage.  /  But when the Edwards' two grown sons, Ben and Jeff, arrive at the beach house, Sydney finds herself caught up in a destructive web of old tensions and bitter divisions.  As the brothers vie for her affections, the fragile existence Sydney has rebuilt for herself is threatened.  With the subtle wit, lyrical language, and brilliant insight into the human heart that has led her to be call "an author at one with her metier" (Miami Herald), Shreve weaves a novel about marriage, family and the supreme courage that it takes to love.

First Sentence:

"Three o'clock, the dead hour."

My Thoughts:
I can't say that I was very happy with this book at all.  I don't recall ever reading any of the other books Shreve has written, but I don't foresee that happening anytime soon.  From the start the book was slow going, and the characters were not very developed.  As I look at my notes now I notice that all I kept writing was "on page 130, still bored..." "on page 190...not interesting..."

I couldn't find a character in the book that I truly liked.  Sydney annoyed me, Jeff was a huge jerk, Ben was pretty lame, Mrs. Edwards was a mean old lady, Mr. Edwards was a pushover....AHHHH.

I really thought there would be more to this book, but I was sadly disappointed.  I really wanted to like this book, as I've heard great things about Anita Shreve before -- maybe I just started on the wrong book?

My Ratings

Liked: The open ending

Disliked: ALL of the characters

Cover: 4/5

Characters: 1/5

Writing Style: 3/5

Plot: 2/5

Ending: 3/5

Overall: 2.5/5

Happy Reading!