Southern Lights

I think I can pretty much credit my mom for my love of reading and books as that has always been one of her favorite past times too. I can remember growing up and even now, she has always been a huge Danielle Steel fan. One day when I ran out of books on my own shelf to read, I ventured down to mom's room to rummage through her collection. I pulled out a few hopefuls, and not really expecting much, I started to read Southern Lights, by Danielle Steel. While my mom has read almost every one of her books, this was my first. I can now honestly say that I like her a lot and enjoy reading her books. I still have a ton to go compared to mom but can't wait to read more of her work. This book takes place in the deep south of Charleston where it's a small town life but very high class blue bloods. Alexa is the assistant D.A. living in Manhattan working a high profile case of a convicted serial killer, but now that he's been caught, she's getting threats to herself and her 17 year old daughter. Alexa decides to send her daughter to live with her ex-husband,(bitter divorce there) in Charleston, they town she couldn't get away from fast enough after her divorce. It follows the lives of these women, one dealing with 11 years of heartache and the other forced to move to a new town during her senior year. Heartwarming watching the bonds of family come together in an unconventional way.

*** Special thanks to my mom. You started my love of reading and I haven't been able to put books down since. I love being able to share this passion with you. Love you!

Hurricanes in Paradise

Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth, just goes to prove that I am capable of reading something outside the Young Adult genre. Just wandering up and down the aisles at the library and the cover and title caught my eye so I thought I'd give it a try. It turned out to be very entertaining. It follows the lives of 4 very different women who all happen to come together at a luxury resort in the Bahamas for a variety of reasons to escape their own demons and come to form an amazing friendship. It was a rather emotional book at times but seeing how these women came to lean on each other is awesome. I breezed through this book and enjoyed the island getaway it provided.

Paranormalcy

I was pleasantly surprised when I came across Paranormalcy. It was referred by a friend who actually got to interview the author so I thought I'd give it a read. Turns out it was great! It involved a ton of different paranormal creatures and events so of course I loved it. There are a few new character creatures that I had never heard of that were so unique. Lend who is a shape-shifter, love him! The story sort of starts out with our lead girl, Evie, short for Evelyn, as a Buffy the Vampire Slayer sort of figure born and raised to bag and tag paranormals. She has a gift that no other paranormal catcher has which makes her pretty unique and incredible valuable to the center she's a part of. Only later does she realize that maybe she isn't really making the world a safer place by neutralizing paranormals and she’s bound to find out the truth, while still making time to be a regular teenage girl. This book kept my attention the whole way and gave Evie a lot of relatable qualities that made you like her even more. I’d suggest it for sure.

Uglies Series

The Uglies series is a set of books I read years ago but still make for an awesome read. It revolves around a dystopian society in the future that being pretty is the most important thing there is. I really enjoyed the young rebellion of or lead, Tally Youngblood, as she views the world around her as normal until she discovers the truth and another way to live. Everyone in this society is known as a "littlie" until they turn 12 where they go to live in the "ugly dorm". From this age until 16 they are taught that they are all hideous and not really important part of society. When they finally turn 16, they get to have their "extreme makeover" which turns them into incredibly beautiful people and they get to go to all the best parties and do pretty much whatever they want. Tally always looked forward to being pretty one day until she discovers that being pretty has consequences. I always have been a fan of future based dystopian society books like The Hunger Games so even reading this before those fabulous books came out made for some great entertainment.

Beastly

Ever since I first saw Beauty and the Beast, it has remained my favorite Disney movie of all time. I have read several versions of the classic story and one I read most recently was Beastly. I saw that this was being made into a movie and I love to read the books before seeing the movie. This was an awesome retelling of that classic story and I loved it. It has a lot of parallels to the original Disney version but in a modern retelling of the story with some fun new characters. It was one of the books that have a big moral to it as well being the old adage, "Beauty is only skin deep." While this is often a theme in several love stories, being able to fall in love with a man who looks like a beast is still my favorite. I loved the book and look forward to the movie.

Vampire Academy

First, don't judge a book by its title. I admit I have done a lot of cover judging myself, but just because a book has the word "Vampire" in it, doesn't mean it's another lame teen romance pining for immortality. The Vampire Academy series involves several different kinds of vampires and remains another favorite of mine. It was incredibly refreshing to read an entire series of 6 with a new take on vampires and the different forms they come in. Once again, our heroine, Rose Hathaway, is a very strong, independent; take care of her-selfer type of girl that any one reading will like right away. She tends to cause most of the trouble she gets into but has a knack for getting out of all sorts of crazy situations. There is an awesome connection between Rose and several of the other characters I came to love in this book and the story line rocks! Each book is actually better than the last! Bella, Edward and Jacob have nothing on Rose, Dimitri and Adrian!

The Hunger Games

Ok ok, by now it seems everyone has heard of The Hunger Games, but just in case you have been living in a cave somewhere the last year or two, you may have missed one of the best books to have been published in what seems like forever. This book is probably one of my all time favorites, if not the favorite. I'd also like to point out that I read this book ages ago when no one had heard of it and I started telling anyone who would listen that they had to read it. From the first chapter, this book sucked me in and I flew through the series. Having to wait for the final book to come out seemed like torture. Suzanne Collins is the author of this fantastic series that remains one that people continue to talk about long after they have read it. The brilliant plot and story line absolutely carries this series. She is another author who really knows how to develop a character to make an audience really fall for them. This book is intense but more than that is the story line that is unlike anything I have read before. I envy Collins' kind of creative genius it takes to be able to create a futuristic world but keeps it so simple and relatable that it is believable for its time. As long as they don't slaughter the book like some, I wouldn't mind seeing this book on the big screen one day!

Study Series

This is one book I just happened to come across when wandering through the library. The first book in the series is called Poison Study followed by two more books, Magic Study and Fire Study. All three were incredibly well written and entertaining from start to finish. The author is Maria V Snyder and quickly one of my favorites. She really takes time to develop characters in her books. A few chapters in and you are in love with several of the people she has created. You really care about what happens to them and love to see what she has in store. This particular series takes place back in a time of medieval reign but with the descriptive writing she gives you, it's a world that you would love to be a part of. Yelena is our lead character and someone you can't help but root for. She is independent and strong but likable in a way that we can all relate to. The story is unique and fast paced with action and romance that find a perfect balance to keep us interested from book to book. It rates up there on my top 10 for sure.

New Year, New Blog

I'm finding that I quite enjoy blogging when I have the time for it. That being said, I decided to start another one focused around my love of reading. I am always on the look out for the next book or series that will capture my heart for a few weeks. I love to give book recommendations to others who are also looking for a new love. Hence that is what this blog is going to be all about. My favorite books! There are more than I could ever count that I adore (my husband doesn't call me Belle for no reason... :)). So here is a place where I would like to share that love with others. I will add new posts about current books i'm reading or favorites I've already devoured and hopefully inspire you to pick up those books and enjoy them as much as I have and still do. I love asking people what books they're reading or have heard are awesome so if you have any you think I'd like please please please leave a comment! I love new stories!