Crazy House

Crazy House by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the first book I have read from James Patterson. Now I'm wondering if all of his books are this crazy. I know the book is called Crazy House, which should have given me some warning, but there was no way I could have expected what happens.

After reading this, I'm wondering if there is going to be another book. There was so much left up in the air by the end of Crazy House. I wold like the lose ends to be tied up.

Crazy House reminds me of The Hunger Games in a way. They are no where near the same, but they both feature a United States after something horrible, ending with a government that is more like big brother than anything else. Rebellion is not tolerated, and those fighting the government must do so in secret or risk losing their lives.

I reviewed this book for the Beehive Book Awards.

Author: James Patterson
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Publication: 2017

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Old Geezers

Ceux qui restent by Wilfrid Lupano
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a really weird comic. For mature audiences only.

I had a hard time following what was going on. There was so much dialog to go with most of the illustrations, that everything was scrunched together a little. The time jumps were also a little difficult for me. The story wasn't necessarily in chronological order, and I couldn't keep the names and times straight.

People that like to read books that have depth to them would probably enjoy this. It is not a light easy read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Wilfrid Lupano
Publisher: Europe Comics
Publication Date: 2017

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Johnny and the Dead

Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am conflicted by this series. I love Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series. I also like the first two books in this series. My conflict is that the Johnny Maxwell series doesn't seem to really be a series. Each book seems to be a stand-alone.

The dead in this book were kind of weird. Actually, the whole thing was kind of weird, but that's Terry Pratchett for you.

My only real complaint, is that I would have liked Death, from the Discworld series, to make an appearance. I know they are two different series, and it wouldn't have made any sense, but it would have been awesome.

Author: Terry Pratchett
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: 1993

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Resurrection

Resurrection by Derek Landy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I loved the rest of the Skulduggery Pleasant series, so I was really excited to be able to read the 10th book. Resurrection just didn't live up to the hype. It felt like an unnecessary addition to the series. Most of the characters I had grown to love where nowhere to be found, and a bunch of random characters that I could care less about took up most of the story.

Resurrection takes place five years after the 9th book. A lot can change in that amount of time, but the changes made seem unrealistic. Why is there suddenly a school for kids to learn magic? There never was before. Did someone read the Harry Potter books and decide a school for magic was the way to go? It seems odd.

Why is Omen's brother the chosen one that is supposed to be doing great things with his life? The book doesn't go into details about the great things he is doing, so unless there is going to be another book, it seems like a waste of words to even have the brother there. Maybe it is just to give the reader more reason to cheer for Omen. Everyone wants the underdog to win.

This book was too all over the place for me. It seems to have no connection to the other books in the series.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Derek Landy
Publisher: Harper Collins Children's Books
Publication Date: 2017

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Zom-B Gladiator

Zom-B Gladiator by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If I was B, I would have given up 10 times over by this point. B is captured by the Board, and forced to fight every day for her life. There are some absolutely horrible characters in this book. B may be the zombie, but she has more humanity than the humans that have managed to stay alive.

Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date: 2014

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Zom-B Clans

Zom-B Clans by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book questions a persons loyalty to family and friends. Do you stay loyal to someone even if you don't agree with the choices they are making? B is faced to choose sides quickly as everything in her life starts to change. She has to figure out who to let back into her life, and who needs to be taken out. It's a moral dilemma that is difficult to solve, even if you are a zombie.

Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2014

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Zom-B Mission

Zom-B Mission by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I feel like this book was a major turning point in the series. Humans don't find it easy to change their nature, even if doing so would increase the chance of survival. Zom-B Mission shows just how deep hate can run. The idea of the KKK trying to take over seems crazy to me, yet, with the way things are going now days, I can actually see it happening.

Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 2014

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How to Appear Normal at Social Events

How to Appear Normal at Social Events: And Other Essential Wisdom by Lord Birthday
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I don't understand this book at all. Why is this a thing? I normally love books by Andrews McMeel, but this one seems like someone wrote on a dare. I really don't have anything to say about this book. It was weird.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Lord Birthday
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: 2018

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Zom-B Fugitive

Zom-B Fugitive by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm starting to think that the most trust worthy character in this series is Rage, and that's saying something. Also, Holy Moly is possibly my spirit animal. If nothing else, I want Holy Moly to have a happy ending.

I've never been so conflicted about a series in my life.

Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 2015

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Zom-B Family

Zom-B Family by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This series really makes you question what makes a monster. Are the zombies the monsters, or the humans? It seems like the answer should be clear, but it's not. My personal opinion of all of this, the zombies are the victims. There are very few people willing to step in and help them.

This book does get a little more emotional than others in the series. Characters from early on come back, letting the reader see how these characters are coping with what has happened. It's these characters that make it so emotional.

Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: 2014

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Zom-B Bride

Zom-B Bride by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More mutant babies! They are still creepy, but not to the point that they were before. I'm still waiting to see how this whole thing plays out. The lines between right and wrong are completely blurred in this series. It's hard to figure out who is telling the whole truth. I'm going to have to finish reading the series before I can really figure out how I feel about this whole thing.

Author: Darren Shan
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Publication Date: 1 Feb 2015

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Hogfather

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In my continuing journey of reading the Discworld series out of order, I read the Hogfather, where Death decides to take over for the missing Hogfather, Discworld's version of Santa. Poor Albert has his hands full with Death taking following the job to the letter, even if it causes more harm than good.

Along the way, many new characters are introduced as fabled characters everyone stopped believing in start turning up causing mayhem.

Author: Terry Pratchett
Publisher: Corgi
Publication Date: 1996

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Not a Box

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is adorable. As soon as I finished it I made my mom read it. The book is a celebration of a child's imagination. The illustrations fit the text and add to the adorableness. Highly recommended for little kids.

Author: Antoinette Portis
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: 1 Jan 2006

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Lost on the Amazon

Lost on the Amazon by R.A. Montgomery
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I grew up loving the Choose Your Own Adventure series and still do. There is something about having your choices affect the story that I enjoy. I found myself being safe in my choices with this one. For some reason, I really wanted my character to get out alive with no problems. For the record, that didn't happen.

Author: R.A. Montgomery
Publisher: Chooseco
Publication Date: Sept 1983

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Daughter of a King

Daughter of a King by Rachel Ann Nunes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like this book is a good one for every teenage girl to read. It was written based on the LDS faith, but I think the message that you are an important person that is meant for great things is a good message for any girl. Remembering that you have worth is important in today's world.

Author: Rachel Ann Nunes
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Publication Date: 1 Oct 2001

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The Story of Babar

The Story of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I was little, Babar was a television show. I didn't know it was a book series until recently. This is an adorable children's book, and I can't wait to read the others in the series. One thing that confuses me as an adult is why no one in the book seems to think it's weird that an elephant is going out buying clothes and driving cars. Does this happen often?

Author: Jean de Brunhoff
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 1931

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Another Whole Nother Story

Another Whole Nother Story by Cuthbert Soup
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the series, and it is just as weird as the first. While the story is written in such a way that younger kids could read it, I feel like you have to be a little older to actually understand it. There is time travel and name changes that sometimes make it hard to remember who is speaking, and what is going on where they are at.

There is nothing serious in this series. Even situations that seem like they would be serious, somehow end up being the opposite. This series almost reminds me of A Series of Unfortunate Events. It has the same type of tone.

Author: Cuthbert Soup
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publication Date: 23 Nov 2010

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Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger

Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger by Jon Scieszka
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Frank Einstein series. It was just as entertaining as the first. The series teaches children about science without getting boring.

My main issue with this book, was the color choice. While yellow works well on the cover, I had a hard time reading the first line of every chapter. Yellow on white paper does not show up very well.

This series is great for children that have any interest in science.

Author: Jon Scieszka
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
Publication Date: 17 Mar 2015

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A Bear Called Paddington

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I remember Paddington from when I was a child, but I had never read the book before. Now that I have, I have to say, Paddington is everything I aspire to be. Maybe it's just his attitude. Everything is an adventure in his mind.

Now that I've read the book, I might watch the movie. Hopefully, it will live up to the book.

Author: Michael Bond
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pubication Date: 22 Jul 2014

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I'm Not Your Sweet Babboo

I'm Not Your Sweet Babboo! by Charles M. Schulz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I own Peanuts collections, but I have never read any of the comics compiled in this book.

There is not a lot to say about Peanuts that is not already known. The characters are great, and I liked being able to see them in new situations. Anyone who enjoys Peanuts should read this collection. Most likely, you will read Peanuts comics you haven't read before, or at least, haven't read in a while.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Charles M. Schulz
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: 13 Mar 2018

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The Temptation of Adam

The Temptation of Adam by Dave Connis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Temptation of Adam was either going to be really good, or really bad. Dealing with topics like drug abuse and porn addictions, there isn't a middle ground. Luckily, even though I started this book feeling skeptical, it ended up being a good read.

This is a book that without a doubt is meant for mature readers. It is a YA book, but that doesn't mean that it is appropriate for anyone that reads at that level.

Adam is a teenager addicted to porn, and his actions reflect the affects of the addiction. Of course, most people can't see the damage they are doing, and have a hard time accepting help. When Adam is told he has to join the Knights of Vice in order to be able to return to school, he starts on a road to change that he never expected.

While dealing with the topic of porn is difficult, especially in a book geared towards teenagers, I feel that it is important to show how your life can be affected by it. The book also shows the struggles other have with their various vices. It's not just a one note warning. We all have our vices, and sometimes it takes a lot to admit to having them and start to move forward.

The Temptation of Adam shows addiction through the lens of someone who has an addiction, and someone who is watching someone else go through the struggle. Hopefully this book and other like it serve as a wake up call to anyone that might be struggling with something like that.

This is a recommended read, especially for those who may be struggling.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Dave Connis
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Publication Date: 21 Nov 2017

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Little Carp (Marzi #1)

Little Carp by Marzena Sowa
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Little Carp is a comic about Marzi, a girl living in Poland in the 80s. The comic is an autobiographical account of the authors childhood. I think that choosing to write your biography in comics is a brave choice. It helps to bring everything to life, but it also limits the amount of detail that can be provided.

I struggled a little with this book, because Poland in the 80s was very different than the world I grew up in. There are cultural things mentioned in the book that I have no experience with. I don't think that can be avoided, it how it really was at the time, but it does make it harder to understand what is going on.

Although this is a comic, I would recommend this book for older kids to teens.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Marzena Sowa
Publisher: Europe Comics
Publication Date: 19 Jul 2017

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Big Foot and Little Foot

Big Foot and Little Foot by Ellen Potter
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Big Foot and Little Foot is a cute story for children showing the importance of not judging someone without actually getting to know them.

Hugo is a Sasquatch who has heard terrible things about humans, but when he finally has a chance to see one up close, he risks everything for that one peak. He is soon has a secret involving Boone, a child. As Hugo grows closer to Boone, the reader wonders what the rest of the Sasquatch will do if they see one of the humans they fear so much. Hugo and Boone have to work together to stop the stereotypes plaguing both sides.

Once you get to know someone, the differences don't seem as big, even if you are a Sasquatch and a human.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Ellen Potter
Publisher: ABRAMS Kids
Publication Date: 10 Apr 2018

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