Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

From inside the book:

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very peculiar photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children were more than just peculiar. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive."

I LOVED this book! I decided to read it for Halloween - I don't like horror stories, but this was perfect for me...creepy, but not scary. This was just such a DIFFERENT book. The unusual vintage photos used in the book definitely drew me in, as they have many. And those photos are REAL - they are not doctored up to fit the story. It was so cool, how author Riggs took these photos and worked them into a story. But cool photos aside, the story was awesome too! The characters are very likeable and interesting (well, except the villains, of course), and the action keeps you turning those pages. I can't really even think of anything I DIDN'T like about the story (well, maybe the few instances of language...but there really wasn't even too much of that). I definitely recommend this book to anyone! I gave it 5/5 stars!!

From the Library - 10/25/11

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my library? I did? Well, I'm gonna say it again - I LOVE my library!! I love how I have access to 28 branches of one library system, and I can just go online, look up the book I want - from any branch - and have it sent to any branch I choose! With all those branches, they have almost anything I could want! But, back to the subject of what I got...

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon - not a YA book, shocker! But it sounds SO good...a mentally handicapped woman who escapes the institution where she lives in the 1960's, with her lover, who is deaf and African American. She gives birth to a baby girl, but is forced to leave her in the care of the woman who has taken them in, when she is found and brought back to the institution.

Forgotten by Cat Patrick - a girl who's memory is completely erased every time she goes to sleep...sounds a lot like the YA version of Before I Go to Sleep, which was a fantastic book.

Die For Me by Amy Plum - heard so much about this from other blogs...and the cover is gorgeous!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - another much talked about book. Very unusual sounding book - and it has pictures! :)

A Love That Multiplies by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar - I can't help but love this family!

What are you excited to get from the library?

In My Mailbox - October

So, I've gone from doing a weekly In My Mailbox to a monthly because, well, my goodreads winning streak seems to have come to a halt, and I've put a hold on buying books for awhile. So, my weekly IMM's for some weeks would be an empty space :( Boy, getting the mail is just no fun anymore!

Until, I just couldn't take it anymore...I had to do something! So, I browsed half.com. Well, as you probably know, if you buy more than one book from the same seller, it saves shipping...so, y'know, I had to maximize those savings...Anywho, I bought 6 books - all around .75 each. I was a little disappointed with the condition of some of them...but beggars can't be choosers, I s'pose. So, here are the new additions to the bookshelf for the past month...

Sarah's Key by Tatiana deRosnay - got for free on paperbackswap. The movie is coming out soon, and I've GOT to read before I see! I love books set in this time period (Holocaust era).

I Don't Want to Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz - got for free on paperbackswap. This is a book written in verse, much like Ellen Hopkins, and is actually a memoir. I love books about psych-related issues.

Gone and Hunger by Michael Grant - Since I picked up Gone in a bookstore and started reading it (but left behind), I've been dying to read this series. Will have to see if it lives up to my expectations before buying the rest.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - so much hype behind this book and I thought I read this was being made into a movie...

Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant - won on goodreads. Sounds pretty good.

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley - sounded pretty good, and my older daughter was wanting to read it.

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller - another pick off my TBR list

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr - another hyped up book that is being made into a movie. I like to stay in the know on books like this...just can't keep up like I would like to.

So, that's it for this month. I expect next month will be rather sparse. Might have to do a combo of Nov/Dec...unless anyone wants to buy me an early Christmas book present - wink, wink, lol. I might be able to manage scraping together a wish list ;)

Happy reading!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Blurb from back of the book:

"Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fin in at school...or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her. Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face...and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart."

This is the first in a highly talked-about series. Soooooo many people have raved and raved about this book, so I was very excited to read it. For me....it was just...ok. Put down the rotten tomatoes and flaming arrows, please. First, let me say that the writing was awesome. Kagawa is obviously a gifted writer. The writing style was a good balance of being easy to read, yet beautifully poetic. I just wasn't terribly into the whole fey (fairy) world, I guess. But, for those of you who do love fairy stories, this would totally be up your alley.I will probably read the rest of the series, but I'm not in a huge hurry to do so.

Between Ash and Puck, I have to say that I wanted Meghan to end up with Puck...I always seem to be a sucker for the best- friend-turned-love-interest.

Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin

Matt and Liz were high school sweethearts. They married and traveled the world together before buying the house they always dreamed of. They were so happy, and so in love, they decided it was the perfect time to start their family. Soon, they found out they were expecting a baby girl. Liz's pregnancy was difficult and she was hospitalized at 30 weeks for the safety of their baby. After 3 weeks of bedrest, the doctors made the decision that it would be safer for the baby to be born immediately as her heart rate was decreasing. To Matthew and Liz's great delight, she came into the world with a hearty cry - the hallmark of a healthy baby. Due to her prematurity, baby Madeline was taken to the NICU for evaluation, while Liz was taken to her postpartum room.

Because of her surgery, Liz is unable to visit baby Maddy in the NICU, but Matthew brings her pictures. The day after the birth, however, just hours before she is able to go see baby Maddy, Liz's healthy suddenly declines. Within a short amount of time, Liz dies - a clot in her leg has traveled to her lungs and caused a pulmonary embolism.

The shock, grief, and devastation hits Matt like a freight train. The happiest day in his life is followed by the saddest day in his life. His memoir is a detailed account of the grief filled days following the loss of his beloved wife.

This book was so heart wrenching, I was literally bawling through much of the book. At 30 years old, most do not expect a loss such as this, especially in such a vibrant woman. However, Matt, even in his deepest, darkest sadness, determines that he will be the best father he can be to Maddy. And he is. I cannot imagine being in his situation, and I admire him greatly for his bravery and determination.

I highly recommend this book - yes, it is a tearjerker, but it is very inspirational as well.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This book had so much going on in it, that instead of trying to summarize it and not doing it any justice, here is the blurb from inside the book:

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue - Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is - she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are - and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves...or it might destroy her."

I had so been looking forward to this book, because of all the wonderful reviews I had read about it. And I was not disappointed. I am a HUGE fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, and this book really reminded me of it. The nail-biting action is fast paced, and will keep you turning the pages. The romance is sweet but not mushy...(think Peeta and Katniss). If you are looking for a really exciting read, this is for you! I gave it 5 out of 5 stars! How am I going to wait for Insurgent to be released?