Book 21 of 52

I DID IT!!! I am officially back on track. I just finished the 21st book of my challenge.
The Vampire Kisses series has been a bit disappointing from day one. It is much younger and immature than I normally like to read. I do enjoy young adult fiction but just because it is young adult does not mean it has to be callow and juvenile, especially today. Teenagers are in a whole new class these days and they can handle a lot more than they could in the past. Another thing that bothered me in this series was the stereotypes they used, I like old school thinking when it comes to vampires but the whole goth idea is a bit annoying.

After reading the first four books in this series I was almost ready to give up on it but then book 5 was awesome. I really enjoyed it. And then... book 6 went right back down to the level the first 4 were at and book 7 Love Bites was no exception. It felt very pointless to me. As I got closer to the end I kept thinking "is this going to come to something?" And the end just confirmed my worries that the book was pretty pointless. I have a word for books like this... I call them filler. I use the same word for TV shows also. Every so often it just feels as though an author or TV writer just needs some content to fill in an empty space. That's what this book was. Since these books are short and are easy to read... I will definitely continue reading the series as new books come out, mostly out of curiosity.

Book 20 of 52

I finished another Sookie Stackhouse novel, book #4 Dead to the World. This was definitely my favorite book. I feel like Harris has finally begun to fill in the spaces that seemed to be lacking in the first three books. One thing really disappointed me... I waited a long time for Sookie and Eric to... "wink, wink" ... and when they finally did... well it just wasn't what I expected. It would have been much better if it had happened while Eric was in his right mind. Sookie may as well have been with someone else entirely. Eric's appeal is mainly that he is the "bad ass", since he was a completely different character in this book, it was difficult to enjoy the intimate moments between him and Sookie.
After I finished this book last night, I, in turn, started another book. I decided to read the 7th book in the Vampire Kisses series. Though this isn't my favorite series ever, I have read the other books and they are short and easy to read. Now all I have to do is finish it before tomorrow is over and I will be completely caught up with my reading challenge.

Book 19 of 52

As you can see I am finally catching up to the point I should be at for my challenge. I am only one book behind now and I should be able to remedy that before the week is up.
Anyway... I just read Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard. I heard about these books a couple years ago and despite my age I am still a teenage girl at heart, so I have been wanting to read them. I finally read the first book because the show is coming out next week. I was afraid this series would be too young and immature but it turns out that it really isn't. It is definitely geared towards a more mature "young adult" reader. It took me less than 24 hours to read this book. Not only because it was an easy read but because I really enjoyed the plot lines and how each character had their own story to follow. I definitely recommend this book to all young adult girls and not so young adult women.

Book 18 of 52

Since I hadn't started reading these books before I started watching True Blood, I figured I would catch up before season 3 starts. I had felt as though the first two books were lacking something and I worried that it was only because I had watched the show first. Well... book 3 was also lacking something. It was good, but it was also a bit boring at times. So far this one is my favorite... I'm hoping the books continue to get better as I go along. I have to say that I absolutely love the fact that Elvis is a vampire and that he calls himself Bubba. Whenever he speaks in the book, I can't help but read his lines in a very "Elvis-Like" voice. I will admit that Harris writes very good "intimate" scenes. I only wish there were more  ; P 

Book 17 of 52

Book 5 of Vampire Academy came out this past week. For me, when one of my favorite authors has a new book coming out, it's like a holiday. The holiday ended this morning as I finished reading Spirit Bound. I thought I would be able to wait until December for the next (and I believe last) installment to come out but Mead has a way of ending a book in a way that leaves you both excited and infuriated. She is also the queen of plot twists. I have become very good at guessing what will happen in a story but Mead surprises me every time. There was a point in each of the VA books where I either threw it on the floor in surprised anger or just stopped and stared with my mouth gaping in shock at what happened. I absolutely love books like that.

Book 16 of 52

I had finally gotten into this series and was enjoying the plot and characters and then all of a sudden there was Burned. Not only am I not a fan of the whole Stevie Rae/Raven Mocker thing but the fact that the whole book revolved around the Otherworld and Zoey being stuck there got old very quickly. Which is why it took me so long to read. Hopefully Awakened will be better now that it is back to the norm.
Tomorrow, Book 5 of Vampire Academy comes out, Spirit Bound. I am so excited. I have been waiting for this for a while. 

Book 15 out of 52

Finished up book 6 from the House of Night, Tempted. It is definitely my favorite book in the series so far. I feel as though the authors finally figured out how to write a cliff hanger. And the end of the book has a great cliff hanger. I cannot wait to see what happens. And lucky for me, the 7th book just came out.  I'm so glad I hadn't continued reading this series sooner since i now don't have to wait to start the next book. I honestly do like most of the characters in the book (now anyway... I couldn't stand a few of them in the beginning). I hate to say though that I am not that upset to see Heath die... not that he wasn't a good guy but I always picture Zoey ending up with Erik or Stark. Heath is human and for me, the appeal of books like this are the vampires. I see plenty of human men everyday... I'm even married to one. Reading is exciting for me because I get to slip into bizarre and impossible worlds that could never exist in real life.
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Other than reading a lot , this week has been mostly stressful and a but painful and I cannot wait for it to be over... unfortunately I will be working all weekend. At least I have plenty of books to keep me sane.

Book 14 of 52

I have finished another book in the House of Night series, Hunted. The series has continued to get better and I cannot wait to see what happens. I have found that it is much easier to write a review for a book that you absolutely loved or completely disliked then it is to write one for a book or series of books that are simply ok, or that you are indifferent to. Although I am now enjoying this series, it has been neither mind nor life altering. When I disliked the series and found it difficult to continue reading, I was able to review it well. Now I find myself at a loss. I only have two books remaining in this series (that are currently available), should I continue on now or should I pick something else to read at this time. Hmm... not sure.

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On an exciting note, this past Friday, my husband and I went into Atlantic City and saw Paramore preform  live at the Trump Taj Mahal. It was by far the most amazing concert I have ever been to. I cannot wait to go see them again. August 6th at Jones Beach. Here are a few pics I took at the concert.