book butterfly reviews -- april

Did I read this month?  I certainly don't remember any reading! 

Boo!  Hiss!! 

Never fear, my summer is but a week away.  Then, me and the books-of-the-non-study-variety, we have plans.

In April I read:

"Torment" (Fallen #2) by Lauren Kate

There wasn't a heckuva lot of story progression in this 450-page paperweight. Luce, the reincarnated star-crossed lover, has been exiled into hiding of sorts on the west coast while Daniel (fallen angel and occasional boyfriend) and Cam (Satan? demon?) go off and be mysterious and don't give her a clue about what is going on--which of course only makes her curious enough to break all their rules. She attempts to figure out her past, present, and future, and in the end, ends up disappearing in one of her past life's shadows in order to get answers.

Took me three weeks to get through it, not sure I have the energy to pick up the next behemoth of a book in #3. Will there be payoff?

 

"The Best of Me" by Nicholas Sparks

Oh Nick, Nick, Nick...why do you enjoy tugging at my heartstrings so? Why do you thrill in getting me to fall in love with a character only to make me read while you wreak havoc with his life? Why must you persist in writing stories that make me cry my eyes out while sitting in my bathtub?

Said it before, he's my fave. Was very excited to get and read this one, (incidentally I believe the movie rights have already been sold and I'd like to suggest Girls Night Out on opening night??), one of the best I've read in a while.

Amanda and Dawson were high school sweethearts, but their lives took them in 2 very different directions. Her privilege and parents forced her to drop the poor blue collar-bound boyfriend--especially when he was incarcerated for vehicular manslaughter for 4 years. Fast-forward another 20 and the death of a mutual friend ties them forever together.

This was very reminiscent of The Notebook at first, but didn't take long to develop it's own story. You ache for the two of them to get together and then ache some more for everything that happens afterwards. I can't say much more without giving away key plots. Let me just summarize by saying I guessed several of the major plot twists chapters in advance, but that still did not detract from the enjoyment that is a Nicholas Sparks romance. Very solidly PG, but not beyond.

 

And beyond that?  Blah.  Boring.  Heavy doldrums of tomes I tote back and forth to class.  Books that have me falling asleep sentence by boring sentence.  Dan and I are a few chapters into the next Harry Potter book (my favorite, incidentally. . . well, one of them) and I started Gregor the Overlander but to be frank, I'm having a hard time of it.  That is, when I allow myself time to free read.

My time is coming!