Fall Break Reading

Fall Break reading is fantastic!! I'm finding time to read a little non-fiction, some ""just for me" books, a little Dave Ramsey, and some escape books..... Here are the most recent finishes:

A twist on a fairy-tale, Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry is full of beautiful writing, an intriguing story line and characters begging for more depth. Isn't that the way it goes sometimes....you have all the makings for a really good book and somehow it just doesn't all come together the way you hoped it would?!?! It's like the dessert that needs a little more - -oomph!

I truly enjoyed a lot of the story. Lucinda, our Cinderella character, was orphaned at age 5 and now lives with her aunt and uncle in a run-down jewelry shop. Lucinda's world changes when a mysterious customer, known as the Amaranth witch, visits the shop and entrusts a precious and powerful stone to their care for repair. Lucinda's life becomes even more complicated at the visit of the crown prince and is quickly followed by an encounter with a quick-witted street ruffian. The story was really intriguing then; I do love a fairy tale twist, when it took a left turn.... I just wasn't ready for the other worldly twist. I felt like the story lost a lot with this stretch and the characters and their development suffered because of it.

Lucinda was likeable enough, I just never really felt invested in her. Peter, the "Aladdin-type" ruffian, on the other hand, was full of quick wit and reparte. The book was fun and fast paced when he was around. However, my favorite character was "Dog" the goat!! Now I would read another book just about him!

Julie Berry's writing is beautiful. I truly would enjoy reading more of her work but I hope for a little more ... a pinch of something, a dash of this or that, you know - a little more oomph!

Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay was a book I found hard to put down. It was intense.

(Let me give you a language alert though, this has frequent rough language that may put more than one or two people off. I was willing to read past it as the story was intense but it may not be for many readers. Just beware.)

Taut writing. Twists and turns. A good ol turn the page mystery. I had some of the plot figured out along the way but I was truly intrigued to see where the author would go with it, how it would all pan out. The ride was a wild one, that's for sure.

David Harwood, a small town newspaper journalist, husband, father, has his life unravel before his eyes when one Saturday afternoon outing turns into an unexplained disappearance. David now becomes the news he has often reported. The more David uncovers the worse things look, for him!

I don't typically frequent books with such blue language but it was fun to have a good storyteller. I'll be looking for another book by Barclay in the future, I just may need to check my language-meter, I may not be quite old enough to read some of those words!!

I'm a little behind on those darn Report Cards. Geez, I wonder why!?!?!