Book Review: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar chronicles the crack-up of Esther Greenwood: brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under--maybe for the last time. Sylvia Plath masterfully draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that Esther's insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experiece as going to the movies. Such deep penetration into the dark and harrowing corners of the psyche is an extraordinary accomplishment and has made The Bell Jar a haunting American classic.

My Review: They label this as an american classic, I myself wouldn't take it that far...it's IMO not nearly as much of an American classic as To Kill A Mockingbird but it did have it's appeal. I agree that the Sylvia Plath may have had a hard life and that this so called classic was more like a "semi-autobiography" but this was by far not what I expected nor anything like the good reviews I heard from other people giving it good ratings. Guess this is why they say never expect anything when opening a book, and don't judge a book by it's cover.

My Likes: The book was small in pages, the type was easy to read through, and there are AMAZING vivid descriptions in certain parts that just give you an awesome clarity on what was happening at that time.

My Annoyances: The book literally took me 90 pages to be entertaining to me, that is a big rate loss right there! I am not saying entertain me by page 2 but get to the story before page 90 it wasn't until Esther was cracking up that this book became interesting or bearable for me to get through, had I not been a completest I could have easily put this book aside and forgotten it.

Overall IMO I would give it 3 STARS for easy reading, and vivid descriptions.

Needless to say this book went right back into the swap company I got it from and someone else already requested it ha ha so hopefully they see something else in it that I didn't :)

Book Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (30 Books 2 Movie Challenge)

To start off this new year I forced myself to attend to the task of starting the twilight reading session. Now my original Twilight series to put into my 30 books to movies challenge was New Moon but i had honestly thought I was going to get through Twilight faster than what I did so it took me back a lil when I didn't finish as fast as I thought. When I found myself in mixed company with my girlfriends there wasn't anything bad they could say about the Twilight series and although I have only started book 1, I will continue the rest of the series not only for closure but also cause they are fast reads.

As far as the book goes: I enjoyed it more than the movie in parts! I like the references and lil sarcastic remarks that are kind of cute in the book. I definitely liked the sequence of the book ALOT better than the movie which made the story a lil more believable.

for instance in the Twilight Movie: girl meets boy automatically has a connection and goes through unraveling the truth. Book: although the insist appeal is made it's not like it's love at first sight which i can relate better to personally.

Bookwise: I like that Jacob Black is a fresh new character to Bella and not the close family friend that Bella should remember and feel obligated to, as in the movie Jacob Black comes to tell Bella that they use to make mud pies. With the books reference it makes it clearer why Bella would feel closer to Edward then Jacob because Jacob is a new aqquaintance. I would have loved to go more into the history of finding out more though of other characters. To me the book focused on Edward and Bella and maybe that was suppose to be the purpose but I would have loved more background on the Cullens. They tended to touch somewhat on Charisle and Alice (who is my personal favorite character) but I still felt something missing.

I had read some mixed reviews on Twilight before reading it on good reads.. and it takes me back to one review that stood out in my mind regarding Bella. The person who made the review tended to write about Bella being a disappointing character in the way that she seems like a 35 year old in a 17 year olds body and how they can't understand a character like that or see how someone can be like that. Now I have said it before when I was that age I never felt that age, maybe it was because I was raised independently but I have always felt older than my age mentally. So i can relate with that characteristic, although Bella to me in the book was a lil too over the top at times, she was willing to do anything for Edward but when it would come down to things she was always being stubborn, pessimistic and seemed like she never wanted to do anything fun. Although Edward with his brooding fashion and internally tormented nature, always doubting himself, blaming himself for Bellas attraction etc gets to be a lil too much as well at times in the book. As well as the glittering in the sun effect, I think I like to keep the old fashion ideas to how the sun effects vampires rather then the glittering effect. The glittering effect seems to be written only to appeal to the positive nature of a person rather then the more believable nature that vampires are have been known to be damned and forced into the darkness why wouldn't there be more negative aspects to coming out into the sun?

Overall if you asked me I would have given the book between 3-1/2 to 4 stars cause it was easy to read, it was interesting enough, just the hype that i was looking forward to was kinda missing, maybe cause I was listening to my girlfriends tell me how quickly I would be addicted to this book, and fast the series goes. Although if you had to ask me what team I would be on I would tell you Edward in a heartbeat! Even with his brooding, tormented lover, ways he is sarcastically dry humored, he is mysterious, old fashion, fiercely loyal, possessive where it counts, and absolutely gorgeous and I think the movie did good casting when they picked Rob Pattinson to play Edward with that charming crooked smile he has.

A lil on the movie: I think they did fairly good on the casting for the movie, I love the location of the shooting and the feel to the woods etc. The soundtrack is amazing to me! Again I didn't care for the sequence of events happening as quickly in the movie rather than like they do in the book but I can understand why they did it this way for the movie to appeal to audiences better, and keep the romantic at heart girls believing that love at first sight can happen. Which brings me to the reasoning of them making this book to a movie, the story is just appealing especially to a world or i should say a teenage realm and for those hopeless paranormal romantics out there who "LOVE" watching and reading about romantic vampires.

In closing I liked the book better than the movie in parts but both the movie and book are equally appealing in many ways! Although I am curious too as to the fact that if Stephenie Meyer would have stuck to the idea of her "original" dream, in which she says originated/fueled the idea of Twilight what kinda story that would have been. Don't get me wrong i "LOVE" reading about vampires always have even before it became the "craze" but take the vampires in Twilight and replace them with angels it kinda leaves me with the thought of where would that story have taken us?

Until my next review ...Happy Reading All!

Book Review: Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Are you predator or prey?

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APPLY IN PERSON BETWEEN 2:00 AND 4:00 PM.

Quincie Morris has never felt more alone. Her parents are dead, and her hybrid-werewolf first love is threatening to embark on a rite of passage that will separate them forever. Then, as she and her uncle are about to unveil their hot vampire-themed restaurant, a brutal murder leaves them scrambling for a chef. Can Quincie transform their new hire into a culinary Dark Lord before opening night? Can he wow the crowd in his fake fangs, cheap cape, and red contact lenses -- or is there more to this earnest face than meets the eye? As human and preternatural forces clash, a deadly love triangle forms, and the line between predator and prey begins to blur. Whose playing whom? And how long can Quincie play along before she loses everything? TANTALIZE marks Cynthia Leitich Smiths delicious debut as a preeminent author of dark fantasy.

My Views: When at the bookstore I had picked up this book cause the cover intrigued me I read the back and wanted to get it but had my hands full of purchases of books I had already had on my TBR list. Little did I expect that a week later my mom and I would make a trip to that bookstore and out of no where she picks it up and says "I am gonna get this book for you!" Yeah my mom and I have that kind of connection! Scarey eh?

Need less to say it reminded me a little bit of Twilight (well the movie/storyline as this week I am starting the Twilight book series I have had for about 2 months now waiting for me)
Although what I thoroughly enjoyed about this book was all the references to other novels/movies the author made! Right down to the main characters name being Qunicie P. Morris same name of the Texan in Stokers Dracula, to references of Mitchells Gone with the Wind and the Musical My Fair Lady to even references of early Ovid works. It was a fast easy to read book at 310 pages with a cliffhanging ending that kinda still has me wondering. I gave this book 4/5 Stars. It is definitely something to read if you want a fast easy entertaining read! Truly lovely this read was, and I look forward to possibly reading it again within later future (possibly).

Until my next review! Happy Reading All!

Book Review: Submission A Novel by Marthe Blau

Submission: A Novel by Marthe Blau


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You'll want to scream,

but you'll be gagged.

You'll want to cry,

but you'll be blindfolded.

You'll want to run away,

but you'll be tied up.

You'll have no way of begging me,

I'll do what I want with you.


Sexual obsession, domination, and dangerous desire drive the story of Élodie, a young married Parisian lawyer who finds herself swept up in a cycle of sadomasochistic lust.


A handsome stranger Élodie meets in court issues her a series of instructions that she feels compelled to follow. He introduces her to sex clubs hidden in dark alleys, toys that enhance physical pleasure as well as pain, and couples whose appetites are as voracious as his. What at first seems out of character for Élodie -- she has a small child at home, after all -- quickly begins to shape her self-identity. As the violence of their encounters escalates, these acts become an addiction she can't bear. But how far can Élodie go . . . and how much of her life will she risk in the process?


This sophisticated and captivating novel exudes the sensuality that only the French can deliver.

My Views: The writer comepletely Dominated me with her erotic novel of supposed real and true events. Although there were scenes that seemed elaborate, not completely far fetched but to an extent were in many cases. I felt sad, yet excited along with the main character of this book when I found myself reading her feelings and tried to grasp the idea of what she must have experienced and what it must of been like. Although many of my like friends who are into the lifestyle just saw this book as being no where near like what the real lifestyle is like cause the relationship between D/s is one that is of love in many ways and very different. What some forget is that there are incidents that do happen in the type of fashions, that this book revolves around. To me this book is what I needed and perfect for that easy read that I didn't need to focus on to get the story! I loved the idea that it took me two nights of not so consecutive reading to finish it and I would recommend it to Aanyone in the lifestyle with this note: It's a fictitious story and although based on the authors real life events she has experienced if you are looking for a read that is strictly by the BDSM book and more real than do not pick up this book and expect to come out with a thorough knowledge of the BDSM lifestyle.

Another Note: this book does contain graphic intimate, explicit content so if you don't like erotic novels this may not be the book for you, also it does contain same sex relations, and I realize that some book lovers, might not be as opened minded as some others maybe so I thought I would contain this part in my review!

Until my next read which I yet haven't picked, Happy Reading All!!!
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Book Review: Something Borrowed (Emily Giffin)

So much to others surprise, Something Borrowed was my actual first Chic-Lit novel I have ever read. I can't say I haven't read a soap opera novel ever as I remember being like 15 or so and grabbing like the one and only Danielle Steel novel I ever picked up from my mum's bookshelf. I was never really a Danielle Steel fan. I had heard some many women in my chic-lit and other book club sites remark how good "Something Borrowed" was so I decided to give it a try (it looked easy enough to read through). Just some big of info on this novel:

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.

I gave this book more of like 3-1/2 Stars it was easy enough to read and get through and for being my first chic lit novel I wasn't completely disappointed although while reading this at points I couldn't help but to think "I don't watch soap operas on telly why am I reading this?" Well even though with this in mind I still per-sued on with the reading, I did love the 80's references and all the descriptions to things I remembered growing up to. Such as ie: there is a reference to the show "Threes Company" that I use to love etc.. I can't say this book wasted my time reading although to me it was quite predictable, I found myself almost not ready to finish it the last 20 pages i felt i could have done without, since it was such an obvious ending. When it comes to books though I have OCD once I start it I have to finish it. If you want a quick beach read you might like this tho. I gave it the 3-1/2 Star rating for being somewhat enjoyable and yet very quick to read once you did sit down to start reading it.

Next book on my list is "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro so be expecting a review on this one soon! It's an October read for one of my book clubs and I can't wait to start it.

Until then Happy Reading All!!!

Book Review: Water for Elephants

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

I personally gave this epic novel 5/5 Stars for me it had everything that I could of possibly needed in a circus tale. I went into this book not over expectant to find a gem but boy did I! I loved this novel and don't have enough good things to say about it! Only thing I will say about this novel that "some" may not like who are animal lovers (I being one of them) it does have some scenes that may disturb those who are truly against animal abuse. Taking this in account I can understand if someone didnt want to read this novel for that particular reason. I do know that circus' esp in the depression era were not precisely known for their animal loving nature, hence why circus' everywhere now are being thoroughly investgated.

Knowing all this I can still say this has become a new favorite of mine and i truly reccomended to anyone who loves reading about the circus.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

I finally finished the 870 page, 38 Chapter (5th) book tonight, and I feel a huge load of accomplishment not to mention a small curiosity for more! lol I know I am a harry potter glutton! lol

Reading many other reviews about the 5th book and after reading it I tend to agree yet disagree with some! HP 5 was highly energetic and very much detailed and complex for me which really kept me going! Although! maybe it was the 870 pages (136 pages more than HP4) that made the beginning seem to take longer to reach interest? i don't know but once I did reach that point (I mean HP completely boring?! never!) I couldn't put the book down after that point.



I never really was one of those passionate people that read the book first than went to a movie and said "WTF?!!" cause I always took a movie for exactly what it was "A Movie." Now! I find myself saying why didn't they put this part in?!! and where is this part?! All the more reason for being glad to be an avid reader and that there are books to add more clarification to the "whole story" still would of been nice to see all those vivid descriptions put to film but beggars can't be choosers so I am reminded.

Anyways onto the review all in all a VERY addicting read once you get through the long awaited beginning of when harry makes contacts with the Order patrol/squad that tend to take him to Grimmauld Place! The book went into so MUCH more detail regarding O.W.L.S, Occlumency and explained so much more that the movie tended to leave out as most of the movies do although I tend to believe the 4th movie was one of the worst that disappointed me with the lack of background that was missing but again it's "A Movie!" Needless to say 5 stars from me easily it kept me entertained and I would easily read it again and might do it later on for the Re-Read Challenge coming up this next month through november! lol

Now for a lil more lighter reading my next book started is "The Reader" I have the next two Harry Potter books and am anxious to start them just don't want to find myself in the same situation as before "A Harry Overdose" that it takes longer for me to get into cause after the last 870 pages I just read. lol So I have taken a HP break for the meantime and will start some books my book clubs are discussing! Just until I am reading to finish the HP series (might just be my way of dragging it out a lil longer) hate to see it come to an end! lol

Until my next review Happy Reading All!!!