Book: The Possession of Alba Diaz

 Book: The Possession of Alba Diaz

Author: Isabel Canas

Pages: 384

This is my 120th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas.  Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiance, Carlos, to his family's isolated mine for refuge.  But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions.  She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin.  Something angry.  Something wrong.  Elias, haunted by a troubled past, came to the NEw World to make his fortune and escape his family's legacy of greed.  Alba, as his cousin's betrothed, is none of his business.  Which is of course why he can't help but notice the growing tension between them every time she enters the room - and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon's thirst for blood gets stronger.  In the fight for her life, Alba and Elias become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other - not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom.

Stars: 3

Book: Beggars in Spain

 Book: Beggars in Spain

Author: Nancy Kress

Pages: 154

This is my 119th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

This coming of age tale follows Leisha Camden.  She is the first person gentically altered before birth so that she does not need to sleep.  Her rich industrialist father pays for the procedure so that his daughter will have a competitive edge over others.  It's soon discovered that Leisha's mother is also carrying a "normal" child.  As Leisha grows older she finds others who've had the non-sleep genetic alteration.  Compared to their age mates, the non-sleep children, who have not had IQ genetic manipulation, are more intelligent, better at problem - solving, and more joyous than non-engineered children.  And no negative side effects reported so far.

This book was interesting.  I picked it up after having a discussion with my husband that with all the books I read, especially in my favorite genre (Dystopian), I have not read a book where people don't sleep and it is a NORMAL phenomenon.  Not "can't sleep", or a disease comes into the world that causes people to stay awake and chaos ensues - but a world where not sleeping is known.  I did a deep search and this is the only one I could find.  It started out strong, but alas, as a novella, it didn't satisfy me completely.  It has an abrupt end - almost on a cliff hanger like the author might want to write more and continue on, but this is an old book so I guess that won't be happening.  It has quite a bit of smart thinking in it - the author put some thought into how this would work and what it would look like.  But the story was just so-so.  She kept starting ideas, but because of the short stories - there was no world building which is my favorite in these types of novels.  I am glad I read it.  I was just hoping for a bit more.

Stars: 4

Book: Mary and O'Neill

 Book: Mary and O'Neill

Author: Justin Cronin

Pages: 256

This is my 118th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

Mary and O'Neill: They are ilke any other couple.  They have survived loss and found love and managed the occasional hard-earned laugh as they moved toward the future, hearts thick with hope.  Each human life is ever changing, born of moments large and small - births and deaths and weddings, grave mistakes and chance encounters and acts of surprising courage - and in this unforgettable book, Justin Cronin makes vivid how those moments connect us all, making us more than we could ever be on our own.  

This book was okay.  The title is a bit confusing.  Yes - there becomes a Mary and O'Neil, but honestly - this book should have been called Kay and O'Neil, because it is more about the brother and sister than the husband and the wife.  It was dry and mundane, and while I enjoy Justin Cronin books, this one fell flat for me.

Stars: 3

Book: Kill for Me, Kill for You

 Book: Kill for Me, Kill for You

Author: Steve Cavanagh

Pages: 352

This is my 117th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

One dark evening on NYC's Upper West Side, 2 strangers meet by chance.  Over drinks, Amanda and Wendy realize they have much in common, including an intense desire for revenge against the men who destroyed their families.  As they talk into the night, they coe up wiht the perfect plan: if you kill for me, I'll kill for you.  In another part of the city, Ruth is home alone when the beautiful brownstone she shares with her husband, Scott, is invaded.  She's attacked by a man with piercing blue eyes, who disappears into the night.  Will she ever be able to feel safe again while the blue-eyed stranger is out there?

This was an interesting enough book.  It has been on my shelf for awhile, and I am determined to make a big dent in that thing this year.  It has an interesting enough mystery.  There was a twist I didn't see coming - bravo.  Two of them actually.  It was an easy read - a lot of short chapters.  I liked a lot of the characters.  The ending - even with a bit of a twist - was still just okay.

Stars: 3.5

Book: Theo of Golden

 Book: Theo of Golden

Author: Allen Levi

Pages: 400

This is my 116th book for the year.  

What Amazon Says:

One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden.  He doesn't explain much about where he came from or why he's there - but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the wlals, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each protrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person's story.  And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.  A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unfortgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder.

This book was excellent.  I have been seeing this book everwhere for months, and finally was able to get my hands on it.  It is very well written.  Great characters.  Theo is adorable and the epitome of someone who gives without wanting anything in return.  He keeps his last name anonymous the entire time he lives in Golden.  The story is sweet with humory and humility and will restore your faither in humanity.

Stars: 5

Book: Cradle and All

 Book: Cradle and All

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 286

This is my 115th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

In Boston, 17 year old Kathleen is pregnant, but she swears she's a virgin.  In Ireland, another teenage girl, Colleen, discovers she is in the same impossible condition.  Cities all around the world are suddenly overwhelmed by epidemics, droughts, faminse, floods, and worse.  As terrifying forces of light and darkness begin to gather, Kathleen and Colleen find themselves at the center of the final battle for a very sould of humanity.  Each of the girls must convince a young detective that she is the true mother of God - and that the other is carrying the devil. 

This book was good enough.  It is a very easy, very fast read - I read it in a day.  Lots of short chapters and half pages of text made that easy.  James Patterson is a commercial success, but a great writer?  Not sure about that.  The story was interesting.  Got a bit drawn out, even in its few pages, and got a bit boring, but does circle back to redeem itself at the end.  Left on a bit of cliff hanger, but this is an older book, so I don't see a sequel appearing.

Stars: 3

Book: Chosen Ones

 Book: Chosen Ones

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 432

This is my 114th read for the year

What Amazon Says:

15 years ago, 5 ordinary teenagers were signled out by a prophecy to take down an impossibly powerful entity wreaking havor across North America.  He was known as the Dark One, and his weapon of choice - catastrophic events known as Drains - leveled cities and claimed 1000s of lives.  Chosen Ones, as the teens were known, gave everything they had to defeat him.  After the Dark One fell, the world went back to normal - for everyone but them.  After all, what do you do when you're the most famous people on Earth, your only education was in magical destruction, and your purpose in life is now fulfilled?  Of the 5, Sloan has had the hardest time adjusting.  Everyone else blames the PTSD - and her huge attitude problem - but really, she's hiding secrets from there - secrets that keep her tied ot the past and alienate her from the oly 4 people in the world who understand her.  On the 10th anniversary of the Dark One's defeat, something unthinkable happens: one of the Chosen Ones dies.  When the others gather for the funderal, they discover the Dark One's ultimate goal was much bigger than they, the government, or even prophecy could have foretold - bigger than the world itself.  And this time, fighting back might take more than Sloane has to give.  

This was an okay book.  I have read most of Veronica Roth's books, because I did like her Divergent series years ago.  However this one wasn't great.  It was a cool idea, but I felt like I was walking into a sequel instead of a stand alone.  We are past this big battle with a world ending deamon, and we are supposed to care about it?  I just could not get sucked in.  I walked away from the book a few times because it just did not hold my interest.  This is supposed to be an adult fantasy, but it is written as YA in my opinion.  Hard to like any of the characters - especially Sloane.  

Stars: 3