Book #51: Hereafter

Title: Hereafter (Second in the Reaper novella series)

Author: Jennifer Snyder

Date started reading: July 25, 2013
Date finished reading: July 26, 2013

Publish date: February 2013
ASIN: B00BBWNWDS
Number of pages: 104

Official summary: "In Death I could finally see the importance of Life. ... After being forced to become a Reaper Council member and being torn away from the one she loves, Rowan Harper must learn to accept her altered Fate as well as her death and move on. A task easier said than done, especially when witnessing those you love suffer in the wake of your death. When an unlikely alli provides information that could change everything, Rowan sets out on a journey through Purgatory with her beloved by her side and a nonchalant Tracker to learn the true meaning of the word sacrifice. Another task which seems easier said than done, especially with the threat of Purgatory’s ability to corrupt your soul the longer you’re in its grip looming above their heads. " (http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.com)

How I obtained the book: Got an eBook free through Amazon

My commentary:

• I swore and swore for years that I would never read eBooks. I am a book purist, and I love print books. I'm very loyal to printed books, but I recently got a smartphone (my very first smartphone -- I know I'm way behind the tech curve), and I saw a deal posted on Facebook to get this eBook free through Amazon. I loved the cover, so I looked into it. The storyline intrigued me, so I sold out and got the eBook. I'm glad I did it, but it's hard not to view myself as a eBook sell-out. 

Memorable quotes:

•  "Complete emptiness swam through me as depression darkened my thoughts. How does a soul go on when they’re stuck here after death?" ~ Rowan
• "Maybe when you’re dead there’s nothing left to be afraid of." ~ Rowan
• "Although we hadn’t had a lot of time together while I was still alive, the fact was, we hadn’t needed it for either of us to know the depth of our feelings. Some say love at first sight is a ludicrous belief. That it’s only for those who are lustful and dim-witted. I disagree strongly. With Jet, it had been love at first sight, and that had been all the proof I’d needed to believe in it." ~ Rowan
• “Death has a way of making things feel eternal." ~ Jet
• “Nothing is ever final. Life and death are intertwined always, each woven by a blanket of transitions, of changes. For something to be final, it would have to be stagnant, never changing, never transitioning, never moving— ended. This is something you are not. Don’t accept what has happened to you as an end, because it’s not. You have shifted to a new lesson for your soul. Your soul is young; it is ever learning. Its full cycle has not yet been completed. As to when it will, no one can say, and until that time, nothing is final." ~ Evelyn to Rowan
• "In death, I could finally see the importance of life." ~ Rowan

Buy on Amazon.com: Hereafter (A Reaper Novella)

Book #50: Touch

Title: Touch (First in the Reaper novella series)

Author: Jennifer Snyder

Date started reading: July 24, 2013
Date finished reading: July 24, 2013

Publish date: August 2011
ASIN: B005JKMWRU
Number of pages: 74

Official summary: "Seventeen-year-old Rowan Harper knows her life is forever changed the moment her schizophrenic mother commits suicide. What Rowan doesn't realize is how much her mother's choice altered her own fate. It's not until after meeting Jet, a sapphire-eyed dead boy, Rowan begins to learn of her new destiny as becoming her mother's replacement for something she never knew existed." (http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.com)

How I obtained the book: Got an eBook free through Amazon

My commentary:

• I swore and swore for years that I would never read eBooks. I am a book purist, and I love print books. I'm very loyal to printed books, but I recently got a smartphone (my very first smartphone -- I know I'm way behind the tech curve), and I saw a deal posted on Facebook to get this eBook free through Amazon. I loved the cover, so I looked into it. The storyline intrigued me, so I sold out and got the eBook. I'm glad I did it, but it's hard not to view myself as a eBook sell-out. 
• Regardless of how I feel about this book's status as an eBook-only publication, I frankly loved it. The book was great. The story was engaging and so well-written that I got addicted one chapter in. 
• The fact that Rowan's mother saw spirits and spoke to them because she was a "link" between the living world and the afterlife led to her being diagnosed as schizophrenic. I love when I can find books that combine my interest in the paranormal and in mental illnesses.... especially while also having beautiful covers.

Memorable quotes:

• "My mother had ended her life five months ago, and, to be perfectly honest, my dad should have ended his right alongside her. Since then, he’d barely even looked at me. Ever since my mother’s suicide, our house had felt as bitterly cold and gloomy as a moonless night in the dead of winter." ~ Rowan
• "I’d never given much thought to my future before, but now, as the certainty of becoming like my mother tainted my mind like poison, my future didn’t look too wonderful. A never-ending supply of monotone shrinks and colorful pills — this was what my mother’s life had consisted of." ~ Rowan
• "In the end, it was almost ironic how all the pills doctors had prescribed over the years in an effort to save (my mom's) sanity had eventually been what she’d chosen to end her life with. Who knows, maybe in her eyes they’d finally done their job." ~ Rowan
• "It was all real, (Jet) being Death made perfect sense in some strange way. All of my confusion , annoyance , anger, and fear melted away like the disappearing snow outside. The reality of what I was doing sank in. I was standing alone in my bedroom with Death… and he had the face of an angel." ~ Rowan
• “The best part of me died a long time ago.” ~ Rowan's father
• "Cemeteries are meant to be places where you bury the dead, but what people often don’t realize is that they’re also a place where old memories lay buried — memories that don’t resurface until the very moment you step inside." ~ Rowan
• "Even if it meant keeping it our own little secret, because Love is the only thing that not even Death can kill." ~ Rowan about her and Jet

Buy on Amazon.com: Touch (A Reaper Novella)

Book #49: Happy, Happy, Happy

Title: Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander

Author: Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach

Date started reading: July 20, 2013
Date finished reading: July 27, 2013

Publish date: May 2013
ISBN: 978-1476726090
Number of pages: 240

Official summary: "If you’ve watched the exceedingly popular A&E program Duck Dynasty, you already know the famed Phil Robertson. As patriarch of the Robertson clan and creator of Duck Commander duck calls, he fearlessly leads his family in a responsible work ethic and an active faith. But what you don’t know is his life before the show. In the pages of this book, you’ll learn of Phil’s colorful past and his wild road to the 'happy, happy, happy' life he leads today. Before the 'happy,' Phil’s passion for the outdoors and wild living led him down some shady paths. As a young husband and father, he became the proprietor of a rough bar and lived a life, as he says, of 'romping, stomping, and ripping' for a number of years. He even left his wife and young boys for a short period of time. Through it all, Phil Robertson has lived his life as a 'called' man. Called to live off the land, called to leave a starring role in Louisiana Tech football (playing ahead of Terry Bradshaw) for duck hunting, called to wild living, called to create a new kind of duck call — and finally, called to follow God and lead a life of faith. In this eye-opening and rousing book, you’ll find stories that will shock you, as well as those that will inspire you. You’ll get to know the man behind the legend, and you’ll come away better for it." (simonandschuster.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Got through Listia.com (It's like eBay, but it uses a credit system instead of money)

My commentary:

• Pre-reading comment: I don't know why in the world I'm going to read this. 
• My mom's reaction to me reading this book: "Why the heck are you reading that?"

Memorable quotes:

Buy on Amazon.com: Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander

Book #48: Shadowhunter's Guide

Title: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - Shadowhunter's Guide

Author: Mimi O'Connor (Based on the movie, which is based on Cassandra Clare's book)

Date started reading: July 11, 2013
Date finished reading: July 11, 2013

Publish date: July 2013
ISBN: 978-1442493995
Number of pages: 128

Summary: "Delve deep into the world of the Shadowhunters with this ultimate guide that’s based on 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones' movie. This comprehensive book features full-color photographic portraits and profiles of the film characters, quotes from the script, detailed information on downworlders, Shadowhunters, the Clave, and more. Fans of the movie won’t want to miss this must-have guide to the realm of the blockbuster City of Bones movie!"


Official movie trailers (I'm posting them all because they are all somewhat different, and I frankly can't pick a favorite.):












How I obtained the book: I read the entire book standing in Barnes & Noble (That wasn't my intention. I planned to look at it and buy it online, but ended up just reading it there)

My commentary:  This was, obviously, a very fast easy read. Other than getting to see stills from the movie (which I've already seen online), there wasn't much to this book for people who read "City of Bones." It would be a good book to give someone to introduce them to the shadowhunter world before he or she watches the movie.

Buy on Amazon.com: Shadowhunter's Guide: City of Bones (Mortal Instruments, The)

Book #47: When We Wake

Title: When We Wake

Author: Karen Healey

Date started reading: July 10, 2013
Date finished reading:  July 12, 2013

Publish date: March 2013
ISBN: 978-0316200769
Number of pages: 304

Official summary: "My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy. ... Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027 – she’s happiest when playing the guitar, she’s falling in love for the first time, and she’s joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice. But on what should have been the best day of Tegan’s life, she dies – and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened. Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity – even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn’t all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?" (http://www.karenhealey.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Got a free copy through my now-former employer (a newspaper)

My commentary:

• Before thoughts: I love this book's cover. It was definitely drew my attention as it sat on a table with all the other books that the newspaper had received from publishers. I'm pretty good at judging books by their covers, and I hope this is one case where my first impression is right.  I wish the newspaper's editors would've let me review "young adult" books because this one would've been one I'd have reviewed. (The paper only covers "adult" books and children books, not stuff they view as geared toward teens.)  This book is similar enough to the genres I normally read -- which are usually either paranormally or psychologically based -- so that I would be a good judge of the book's plot. The science fiction storyline has a more widespread appeal than just teenagers, so the readers of the paper could've really enjoyed it.
• Thoughts at half-way point: Tegan's point of view is given as though she's telling the story to someone who already knows about the futuristic society, so she seems really out of place, but, of course, she is out of place since she was "asleep" for 100 years. Writing it this way, the author really drew me in because I can see myself in Tegan's place. I'm learning about the future world as Tegan is learning it. I've struggled somewhat because of the Australian terms/phrases being used. Some words are used in Australia that just aren't used much here in the U.S. I have one online friend from Australia, and I have the same issues when we have a conversation. I have to figure it out as I go.

Buy on Amazon.com: When We Wake

Book #46: Crushed

Title: Crushed (Book #13 in the Pretty Little Liars series)

Author: Sara Shepard

Date started reading: July 6, 2013
Date finished reading: July 8, 2013

Publish date: June 2013
ISBN: 978-0062199713
Number of pages: 352

Official summary: "It's springtime in Rosewood, but while everyone else is searching for the perfect prom dress, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria are on a different kind of hunt: They're looking for A. ... Hanna puts her campaign for prom queen on the back burner to volunteer at a burn clinic, where one of A's victims is recovering. Emily digs into Ali's past at the mental hospital with some very crazy consequences. Spencer contacts an amateur private eye to help her stalk her stalker. But when their sessions get a little too private, they may forget to keep their eyes on A. And Aria's worried that A is even closer than she thought. When her dark secret from Iceland comes to light, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, the one person she's been trying to hide the truth from has known all along. The liars are finally taking the fight to A. But no matter what they do, A's always one step ahead, ready to crush the girls completely." (http://www.epicreads.com)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $14.53 from Barnes & Noble using a giftcard I got basically for free through Plink.com

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes: --

Buy on Amazon.com: Pretty Little Liars #13: Crushed

Book #45: After Daybreak

Title: After Daybreak (Last book in the Darkness Before Dawn Trilogy)

Author: J.A. London

Date started reading: July 4, 2013
Date finished reading:  July 5, 2013

Publish date: June 2013
ISBN: 978-0062020673
Number of pages: 336

Official summary: "Dawn grew up behind a wall, terrified of the vampires outside who controlled the lives of humans and demanded their blood. But when she became a delegate for her city and met Victor, she realized that not all vampires were the same, that maybe one could be trusted. Now Day Walker Sin is infecting his followers with a disease that turns them into mindless killers. Dawn and Victor will have to convince humans and vampires to band together to stop him, because alone they will all die. ... Our last hope lies with our oldest enemies. When we lost the war with the vampires, our world changed. The Old Family overlords trapped us in a few scattered cities and demanded our blood. Then Victor — the first vampire I've ever trusted, ever loved — came to power, and I hoped for peace between our kinds. Only now a new type of monster, Day Walkers, has emerged, and their maniacal leader is threatening to destroy us all, human and vampire alike. The Old Family Council is stubborn and proud, unwilling to acknowledge the danger. But once I claim my birthright as the last living member of the Montgomery line, they will have to listen to me. Neither fully human nor vampire, I am the bridge between both. Even if I'm not sure where I belong anymore, I know that the only way any of us will survive is if we stand together." (http://www.epicreads.com)

How I obtained the book: Bought for $8.98 through Barnes & Noble using a giftcard I got basically for free through Plink.com.

My commentary: --

Memorable quotes: --

Buy on Amazon.com: After Daybreak: A Darkness Before Dawn Novel