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Friday, September 30, 2011

Addicted

Oh wow, I just counted the books in my HUGE TBR (To Be Read) pile. Eighty-three books! So yeah, I think it's safe to say I'm seriously addicted to buying books. I can't help it. Anytime I'm near a bookstore (or even if I'm in the same town as a bookstore), I'm drawn inside and I can't leave without purchasing a book. I've even turned my kids into book hoarders. My oldest daughter has 22 books in her TBR pile and the middle child has 13 books waiting to be read.

My husband doesn't get it at all. He thinks I should read what I have before buying anymore. *falls over laughing* Yeah, like that's gonna happen! But he does have a point, I guess. Why keep buying books when I have so many to read already? If I knew the answer to that, I wouldn't have such a big stack of books.:D I know I should try to read faster, like I used to years and years ago when I was in high school, but that's impossible with three kids at home and trying to write my own book. (And I AM reading - I'm just really slow at it. Depending on the books, some might take a week or two to get through, others I can read in a few days.)

So go ahead and share...do you have a TBR pile? How many books do you have waiting to be read?

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Books I Love - Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet by R.J.Anderson
Publish Date: September 2011

Once upon a time there was a girl who was special.

This is not her story.

Unless you count the part where I killed her.


Sixteen-year-old Alison has been sectioned in a mental institute for teens, having murdered the most perfect and popular girl at school. But the case is a mystery: no body has been found, and Alison's condition is proving difficult to diagnose. Alison herself can't explain what happened: one minute she was fighting with Tori -- the next she disintegrated. Into nothing. But that's impossible. Right?



I read an advanced copy of Ultraviolet a while back via NetGalley. Y'all, I can't tell you enough how much I LOVE this book! First of all, I was sucked into the story right away. From the beginning, the reader is thrown into the mystery of what happened to Tori, the most popular girl at school. Since Alison was the last one seen with her and they were fighting, she's the obvious suspect. After she had a meltdown at her house, Alison is hospitalized and then sent to the mental institution. That's bad enough, but we soon discover that Alison perceives things differently than normal people. She can see colors that no one else can see. She can taste lies, see sounds, and smell emotions. Her mother knows about it and treats her like she's crazy, therefore Alison believes she's crazy. 


While Alison tries to unravel the truth behind what happened to Tori, she gets to meet an eccentric cast of characters at the mental institution. They are all fleshed out and believable. There's even a romantic subplot. I won't spoil it for you but, well, let's say it was a little weird at first. However, I was completely drawn in because it's one of those forbidden romances. I LOVE those.


Now I want to warn you, there's a huge plot twist about three fourths of the way into the book. I've read a lot of reviews in which people say WTF, where did that come from? BUT if you play close attention while reading, there are a lot of clues sprinkled throughout. I saw a lot of them, and I thought I wonder if Anderson is going to go THERE. And she did and it made my inner sci-fi nerd soooo happy! 


So if you like books with a mystery, quirky characters, and a cool plot twist, you'll more than likely love Ultraviolet.


**Have you read any great books lately? Please share!
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