Jac Star
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"RIDIN' THE SHORT BUS TO HOMESCHOOL"
Female
26 years old
Toronto,
Canada
Last Login: 6/3/2008
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Mood:
refreshed
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http://www.myspace.com/jhobbin |
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Jac Star's Interests
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| General | 
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Mikoto, my Scottish prince |
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Meet My Pet |
Ain't he so cute?
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Jac's Upcoming Jaunts |
 | | Music |  | | Books | I love to read and always have a book on the go. My favorite author is Chuck Palahniuk, though I met him recently and was a little turned off. I'm hooked on J. A. Konrath at the moment, maybe I'll make him my new favorite. I do have other authors that I enjoy as well. You wanna talk literature? Send me a message, I like all :)
Oooooh and I almost forgot to add the part about the Harry Potter Series, I absolutely got hooked on those dang books, but (#6) is garbage. It doesn't seem as though it is written by the same author, you don't like any of the characters as much as you did and that includes Harry. It seemed as though she is more or less trying to end the series, so she is rushing it... faux pas.
But the final book more than made up for it... It's so completely awesome!
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Books On The Go |
I am currently reading "The Encyclopedia of Women Killers" by Brian Lane. It is just that time for some non-fiction. Funnily enough, this was a Christmas gift from my fiancé. It's pretty interesting so far... Just crazy what some women will do.
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Books Already Gone |
"Beach Road" by James Patterson and/or Peter De Jonge (hard to tell based on the cover). Basically this book was about a young guy in the East Hampton's who gets accused of murders he didn't commit. It's written with very short chapters (much like The Da Vinci Code) of about 2 to 3 pages each. Each chapter is told from the perspective of different characters throughout the novel but mostly it's told through the perspective of the defense lawyers. I somewhat liked this idea, though the chapters were too short to really get any sort of feel for anyone and I didn't particularly care what happened to each person. The reviews of Beach Road are all good and they talked non-stop about the big twist ending... Given the fact that it's supposed to be a "surprise" or a "shock" I really didn't feel that way. I guessed the ending long before it happened and didn't really care. Maybe I would have been surprised if I hadn't heard anything about the book prior to reading it.
Overall, I really didn't care for this book. As said before, with the short chapters told from everyone and their grandmother, it felt like too many hands were in the pot. The only thing that hit the spot for me was the build up to the verdict. The suspense of whether or not the accused was found guilty or not... THAT was a page turner!
"Wit'ch War" (Book Three of the Banned and the Banished) by James Clemens. I already read number two and just didn't mention it here. As I said before, these are great books if you can commit yourself to reading the series. So much happens, what an adventure! My only issue with Book 3 was that it was a little drab. I had to fight to get through it and it took me twice as long to read it as any other book. Clemens introduces some new characters and puts aside some old ones. The new characters for the most part are very interesting, I just found myself yawning a bit towards the last section of the book. For this I am going to take a break before moving on to Book Four of the Banned and the Banished.
I finally read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J. K. Rowling. This book is incredible. It completely ties everything in from beginning to end, even the things that you thought were already done with. She brought everything back and it all makes so much sense. I am glad Rowling brought Krum back as well, although I am disappointed that he didn't play a bigger role. I can't believe that's it! What am I going to do without Harry and the gang?
"Thriller" is a book of short stories by many authors, edited by James Patterson. I picked up this novel because it features a short story by my favorite author J. A. Konrath. I read approximately half of the novel and to be honest, I'm quite disappointed. I expected it to be a little bit scary, mostly it's just puts you on edge a bit. I do like that the authors are introducing some of their minor characters from their big hit series novels.
Basically I chose this book to read because I was anticipating the new Harry Potter which HAS NOW ARRIVED! I put Thriller down and honestly, I really do not forsee me picking it up again. Once I am finished, I'll be sure to continue on my Banished and the Banned series.
"Wit'ch Fire" by James Clemens. The best way to describe this novel is to say it's a cross between The Hobbit and Harry Potter. This is Book One of the Banned and the Banished, book one of five. It's written for an adult audience with the imagination and creativity of a child. I love this book for it's originality. If you like fantasies and adventures, pick up this novel. I'll be sure to read the entire series.
I was reading a book called "The Wrong Man" by John Katzenbach. I guess it's supposed to be about a beautiful young college student who got mixed up with the wrong man, hence the title. I assume he's a psycho stalker and some people I am sure get killed. It's very wordy and it did not do a very good job in captivating me. This bad ass guy tattoos his foot so that every time he walks he feels pain. He walks into a pub just to pick fights and not pay for his drinks. He calls his ex girlfriend just to deliver the message "if I can't have you, no one can." Yea... big, tough guy... real scary. Needless to say I put that damn book down, too stupid.
So instead I picked up Chuck Palahniuk's "Stranger Than Fiction" ... boring! I put that book down just as quick.
Back to tried and true, "Rusty Nail" by J. A. Konrath. This is his third novel and in my opinion, by far his best book. If you haven't read him yet, please do. He's awesome!
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"Hot Stuff" by Janet Evanovich and Leanne Banks. I bought this book because I had just finished reading "Conversations with the Fat Girl" and needed a book for my long journey home. It was an easy read and I pretty well finished the book in one day. It was also horribly written. I have no idea why this book is called "Hot Stuff" and it bounces back and forth too often. First you are reading from the perspective of Cate Madigan, a college student/bartender. She meets a man at a bar an now all of a sudden the story is being told from his perspective. There is no natural flow. It's not as if Chapter One is about the girl and Chapter Two is about the boy, it just mixes up the paragraphs randomly between the two characters. I was very disappointed in this novel, I'm not even going to acknowledge it's existence by telling you what it's about.
"Conversations with the Fat Girl" by Liza Palmer. I may have to rethink my views on first person novels. Just as Konrath's novels, this book is also written in the first person and again, I enjoyed it...
This book is about an average woman (not a size two Hollywood model) named Maggie, who is deeply insecure. She tells us her story and the story of her formerly fat friend, Olivia who is marrying a gorgeous and highly superficial doctor who knows nothing about Olivia's past. I found this a super easy read although it was a little hard to determine how much time was passing between events. I think there is also a few times when Palmer confuses the gender of the main character's dog. These things are minor really, overall I found this book hilarious and she really does a good job in explaining female insecurities. I would definitely read another of Palmer's novels.
I recommend this book to anyone who is insecure about their weight and/or looks. It just goes to show how silly us women can be...
I recently purchased two books by both Barry Eisler and J. A. Konrath based on their personal recommendations. I finished "Whiskey Sour" by Konrath in two days. This is good for me, I'm a slow reader but couldn't put this one down. His stories are about a female Lieutenant Jack Daniels with the greatest attitude, feisty and full of wit... In the beginning it reminded me of those almost black and white films where the narrator has a deep monotonous voice and likes to describe what he sees as feelings kinda like those old murder mystery films. I generally don't like first person novels. I just can't seem to get into them. But Konrath writes in a style that keeps the pages turning. Lieutenant Daniels tells her story in the first person, but every odd chapter you read from the killer's perspective in the third person.... I'll never eat halloween candy again. Read the book, I liked it so much I picked up "Bloody Mary" without missing a beat! That was just as good and I'd also recommend it.
"Choke" by Mr. Chuck Palahniuk (whom I met). It took me no time at all to finish this book and to no surprise, I loved it! It's a very easy read and pretty short, but in the 290+ pages, it has many similarities to all of his other novels. Some chapters are like "Diary", some "Lullaby", some "Haunted", but mostly it's too unique to describe. If that is not enough to make you want to read this book, please allow me the opportunity to wet your appetite a little more. "Choke" is about a forgettable, slime-bucket, sleezeball, loser named Victor Mancini. Victor has a sexual compulsion, a mother dying of Alzheimer's disease, and a brilliant scam to make money by choking on pieces of food in multiple restaurants... Are you ready to read this novel? Please do. There are so many twists and turns, it will definitely keep you on your toes.
"The Bourne Supremacy" by Robert Ludlum. This is the sequel to "The Bourne Identity." I read that years ago and absolutely loved it! It was 100 times better than the movie and I would recommend it to anyone.
As for the second book, well it was a bit harder for me to get through at some points, as I started to lose interest. It did pick up amazingly at the end and I couldn't put it down! I recommend not watching the movie at all as it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the book. No similarities at all aside from the title.
"A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka is a funny story about an old pensioner who marries a gold digging 30 year old. The old man has two estranged daughters who work together to get rid of this young trollop. Despite the title, this novel is quite entertaining, however I found the ending needed a little more. Not much, but a little spunk or pizzazz just to finish it off.
"Catcher In The Rye" by J.D. Salinger. Please don't read this book, it's awful. I remember I had a grade 10 English teacher in high school who said that if she was stranded on an island, the one book she would want to have with her is this "Catcher in the Rye." Now this teacher of mine, well she had a breakdown during one of her classes and actually told us that her husband left her for his younger, attractive secretary. She was bitter and hated all men for this... And I'm pretty sure she ended up all lesbian after that too... So I figured, this "Catcher in the Rye" must make for an interesting read... Ya, it doesn't...
I read a book called "Love You To Death" by Melissa Senate. Basically what happened here was that I packed up all my books as I was in the middle of a move, and then finished reading "Something Blue" (see below) so had to go out and buy a new book. After much searching I came across this nice, light read.
This book is about a woman who chooses all the wrong men, and suddenly they all end up being murdered... It's actually a pretty funny story... Like I said, Nice, Light READ!!
"Something Blue" by Emily Giffin. This is the sequel to "Something Borrowed" (see below). It is also an easy read. I really enjoyed the transformation of the main character. I liked that in the beginning of this novel, you still found the main character as ditsy, spoiled and as irritating as you did in "Something Borrowed." In this novel though, the main character has an amazing growth... I would recommend this book to anyone on vacation... simple read... not challenging, but very enjoyable.
"Talking With Serial Killers" by Christopher Berry-Dee. I liked it solely on the fact that it's NON-FICTION. It was a good read, I figure I learned a lot about psychos, though there were a few errors, both in fact and in grammar... Other than that, I'd recommend it.
"Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin is a fantastic book about a woman having an affair with her best friend's fiancé. This story is told from the perspective of the shy woman who tries to avoid conflict and confrontation, but finds herself unable to avoid both when she falls in love with an engaged man.
I just could not put this book down! It does drag a little in the middle but it picks back up very quickly. I found it may have been written for a younger audience despite the fact that it's about couples in their thirties. There is very little description but it's refreshing and a light read.
I gave up on reading both Dracula by Bram Stoker and the biography on Vlad the Impaler. The biography was quite boring. It talked lots about the myth and little about the man. Dracula was boring, I pushed myself to read it but didn't get more than 100 or so pages into it. I found myself doing other things and not reading anymore. I decided to call it quits and start something new... That's when I started reading "Something Borrowed."
Ooh I finished reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova a while ago and I guess I forgot to update this. This book is incredible. It's written like a true story about proving Dracula's existance. It touches on Bram Stoker's "Dracula" saying that it is a myth and fiction with very little fact. It also touches on Vlad the Impaler, who is the man behind the myth. The Historian is fiction but it really makes you want to study both Dracula and Vlad the Impaler. You can't help but think that all of it is possible... It's very similar to The Davinci Code. You read through it very quickly anxious through their searching and waiting for the results. I just didn't like The Historian's ending. It was kind of a waste. Though, I'd like to hear other opinions on the matter, it's still worth the read.
I actually read "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants" recently. I read it because I was travelling and wearing pants... Ya, I'm clever like that. I don't have much to say about the book, but it's cute and it's a nice story. I even laughed out loud a few times.
"Son of a Witch" by Gregory Maguire was boring and didn't really go anywhere. It is the sequel to his "Wicked" which I read and loved. However, the sequel didn't even need to be written as far as I'm concerned. For 99% of the book the main character doesn't even know he is the Son of the Witch, he spends 25% of the novel in a coma and when he wakes up all he does is travel back and forth looking for a woman who he never finds. We never even find out what his connection is to this woman and why he's desperately trying to find her.
"Invisible Monsters" by Chuck Palahniuk: It's about a woman who had everything and lost it all after a horrible accident. But given that it's Chuck, it's not at all what you'd expect. It's not about the hardships of life or coping with tragedy. It's not about moving on and letting go, it's not about holding on to the past either... It's crazy weird! The people who have everything do drastic things to get rid of it all. Beautiful people are mutilated, sex is a pastime, and love is just a word... Just read it, it's Chuck, can't go wrong.
The book before was "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham. Yes, I know, it's a also a movie. I have been told the movie is exactly like the book, so if you're at all interested, I recommend the movie. The book was a bore, made me think all women are psychos... and not in the fun, murderous, insane, crazy attacking kind either... just the kind that bake cakes several times a day until they can get one that's perfect. Or the kind that turn the vase of flowers slightly to the left, just for a better view. Or the kind that put rocks in their pockets and walk out into the lake because they are hearing 'those voices' again... ya, rent the movie, the book is boring. |
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Jac Star's Details
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| Status: | In a Relationship | | Orientation: | Straight | | Zodiac Sign: | Sagittarius |
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