Betwixt

Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith

Isn't that the most horrible book cover you've seen in a while?? However, hiding betwixt it's pages is a really incredible book. Three teens all hide secrets about themselves. Ondine paints images that come alive. Nix sees bright halos of fire around people who will soon die. Morgan morphs into small creatures of the woods.

I really liked this one. I picked it up to read the first two or three pages and wound up reading it straight through.

On the Prowl

On the Prowl

Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs

I really liked this story. It was pretty predictable, but I still liked it.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks

When this one first started, I didn't think I would like it. Later on, I really got into the story and it is my favorite of the four.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance

This was a cute little story. More humorus than the other three.

Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny

I didn't like this one much.

Witchling

Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn

Everything I'd read about this one said it was really good. I agree, this was really a good book. The first in a series about three sisters, half human, half faery, all with different paranormal talents. The sisters are operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. This book focused on Camille, the witch. Because of her mixed blood, sometimes her spells don't work quite right.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Changling.

High Stakes

High Stakes by Erin McCarthy

After about the first 80 or so pages this one did not grab me. I thought it was silly and typical, so I am going to pass on this series. I have so many TBRs and so little time that I don't want to waste it on anything that does not interest me.

Wish House

The Wish House by Celia Rees

A good listen even thought it was fairly predictable. I would only give it to older teens because of sex, drugs, etc.

Richard and his family go to the same place every summer. He and a friend play in an abandoned house they call "Wish House". One summer, a family has moved in. Father, mother, son, daughter all free spirits, artists and lovers. Richard falls in love with the girl, Clio. As Richard becomes obsessed with her, he learns more and more about oddities of the family.

Fly on the Wall

Fly on the Wall by e. Lockhart (Teen)

Unabridged audio -- 4 CDs -- 4 hours -- read by Caitlin Greer

This had to be one of the most disgusting things I've listened to in a long time. The main character is a girl in a special arts school in NYC. The book started off fairly well, although the language at times was bad (trust me, it got a lot worse). She wishes she was a fly on the wall of the boy’s locker room so she could hear what goes on in there and the next day, she wakes up as a fly on the wall in the boy's locker room. Through all of almost 2 complete CDs of the 4, she proceeds to talk about seeing them all naked and about the size of their "gherkins". Geezzz give it a rest. I kept skipping to the next track hoping it would be finished. Also there was a lot of talk about the size of girls "biscuits". The basic story was good, but the voyeurism got to be too, too much. The girl started tossing the "f" word around constantly too.

Heart Shaped Box

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Audiobook -- Unabridged -- 9 CDs -- ll hours -- Narrated by Stephen Lang

Awesome. Reminisent of Stephen King at his best, his son Joe Hill has written an awesome ghost story.

Aging rock star, Judas Coyne, buys a ghost from the internet. The dead man's suit arrives in a heart shaped box. The ghost has business with Jude. He claims his step-daughter, Anna, killed herself because of him. He says he is going to kill Jude and everyone who helps him.

Winter Moon

Winter Moon by three fantasy authors. I really liked all three of these stories. The Lackey and Lee stories are the fantasy I like best. Murphy's paranormal shaman is going to soon be a favorite.

Moontide by Mercedes Lackey
A story from the 500 Kingdoms. Moira na Ferson, Grey Lady and heir to Highclere returns home to find her father is not exactly being loyal to the king.

Heart of the Moon by Tanith Lee

Lee at her best. Clirando, a warrior maiden,is exiled to spend a week on the Moon Isle during the time of the seven full moons. There she is forced to face her own fears and to do penance for the ghosts that haunt her.

Banshee Cries by CE Murphy

Joanne Walker, shaman and Seattle police officer, gets help from her dead mother to track down a serial killer.

Monsters of Templeton

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

I was sent this book by Barnes & Nobles as part of their "First Look" program. It is an Advance Readers Copy and the book is scheduled to be released February 2008.

Willie Upton is one of the last decedents of the original founders of her hometown, Templeton. She hasn't been home in years, but she returns, pregnant and scared that she is in much deeper trouble for trying to run over her lovers wife with a small plane.

She has always thought herself the child of her hippie mother's years in a commune and that her father was one of the three male members of the group. Soon after Willie's return to Templeton, her mother confesses that Willie's father is actually a local man. However Willie's mother refuses to tell Willie the name of her father, only that he is someone Willie knows and that he is most likely also descended from the town's founding fathers.

I really liked the book and am happy that I was selected to read and discuss the book with it's author.

This review can also be found on The Smoke Lives The BookMooch TBR Club Blog:http://bookmoochtbrclub.blogspot.com/2007/10/monsters-of-templeton-by-lauren-groff.html

Chaos King

The Chaos King by Laura Ruby (Unabridged Audio - 7 CDs)

This was a slow starter, but finally got interesting. It wasn't my favorite teen audio, but it wasn't bad. I really think it was for a younger audience, probably 4-8 grade.

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Very good story about a country girl from Iowa who goes to live with her aunt, uncle & cousins in NYC. They think she is fleeing Iowa to get away from a stalker x-boyfriend. She's really trying to escape a love spell she cast that has gone awry. Really liked this one a lot!

Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber

Kissing Coffins by Ellen Schreiber

Very fast, very short book. I liked the ending of this one much better than the last, so I probably will continue on with the series. In search of her vampire boyfriend, Alexander, who has disappeared, Raven meets Jagger, Alexander's sworn enemy. Jagger is determined to change Raven into a vampire on cemetary ground so she will be his for eternity.

Vampire Kisses

Vampire Kisses, Book 1 of the Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber

I liked this book almost from the first page. The ending, not so much. The series is about a girl named Raven who has wanted to be a vampire since she was a little girl. The story was good up until the last chapter and then I thought it got a little silly. I have the second book in the series and will read it next, but not sure if I will continue with the rest of the series.

Enchanted Inc

Enchanted Inc by Shanna Swendson

I thought at first I'd hate this book because she kept referring to her hick ways in the city and being from Hicksville and growing up on a farm, etc. All the things that people from outside of Texas think Texans are like. Then I find out the author is from Texas. I still very much dislike her exaggerating the typical sterotyped Texan, but I soon forgot about that as I got into the story. I really liked it and would like to read more in this series!

Ace of Cups

Ace of Cups: Minor Arcana

Description: Hand emerging from a cloud holds a single golden cup. Five rivulets of water flow from the cup into a lake of lily pads. A dove flies into the cup with an offering of a host wafer.

My thoughts: Water is the symbol of emotion. The five rivulets of water indicate the five senses. The dove is peace. This card offers happiness. The potiential is there, the seeker only has to accept it.

Traditional meaning: A true heart. Joy, happiness, contentment.

Reversed: A false heart. Instability