Review of Picture of Hollis Woods

a Newberry award winner
The Picture of Hollis Woods is told in the memories of Hollis , both her present and her past . Through her memories you learn about the life she had , and the mistakes she believes she had made. Being in foster care Hollis comes to believe that she is trouble , not worth the efforts , and most of the time she runs away when she thinks trouble has hit. The story is beautifully written , the imagery is marvolus. It's easy to fall in love with Hollis as she wades through her thoughts.. learning about the new friends she has and the family she lost. great book for all ages.

Review of Stolen :by Lucy Christopher

Straight from Lucy Christopher's site:
It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him. This is my story. A letter from nowhere.Told in a letter to her captor by 16-year-old Gemma, Stolen explores the influence that a really wild and remote space can have on the inner development of a young woman.


This book was Captivating and Wild , just like the desert that they find themselves in. Gemma learns about her life before from the outside view of her kidnapper Ty. By the end of the book I found myself questioning was Ty her kidnapper or her rescuer? Was Gemma falling for him or was it really just Stockholm Syndrome? The book is written in the form of a letter to Gemma's kidnapper Ty . Makes the book all the more personal , connects you to Gemma and Ty. I would highly reccommend this book .. it drew me in , captivating me so completely that I found myself reading it all in one night . a 5 stars for this book.

Grandma's book rules

revisit to Grandma's rules on books .

1) no dog earing- dog ears are cute on dogs not books
2) always use a book mark- I don't care if it's a real book mark , a receipt, heck even a piece of toliet paper will work. Just respect the binding.
3) never bend the pages to where they fold behind the book it's self , you will never get that book to lay flat again.
4)if you borrow a book make sure it comes back in the same condition as when you borrowed it.

Well that is pretty much the rules to keeping your books nice and making them last longer. Respect the book , enjoy the book, and never ruin the book.
These are the rules I live by and heck who am I to argue with Grandma.


so tell me do you have any book rules?

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Amazon's back of the book summary:

"There are many things that Annah would like to forget: the look on her sister's face when she and Elias left her behind in the Forest of Hands and Teeth, her first glimpse of the horde as they found their way to the Dark City, the sear of the barbed wire that would scar her for life. But most of all, Annah would like to forget the morning Elias left her for the Recruiters.

Annah's world stopped that day and she's been waiting for him to come home ever since. Without him, her life doesn't feel much different from that of the dead that roam the wasted city around her. Then she meets Catcher and everything feels alive again.

Except, Catcher has his own secrets -- dark, terrifying truths that link him to a past Annah's longed to forget, and to a future too deadly to consider. And now it's up to Annah -- can she continue to live in a world drenched in the blood of the living? Or is death the only escape from the Return's destruction?"


I loved this book , I have to say it was my favorite of the three books . The book was beautifully written . I felt tied to the outcome of the characters as they fought for survival and love. I found myself cheering for them to beat the odds to fight for a chance to have a life , a life not tainted by the dead and the cruelty of some humans but by love and new found beauty. By the end of the book I found myself wonder , what would I do if I knew I was going to die .. would I just give up? or would I fight for something more ? This series is one I highly recommend it is one of the best zombie type books I have ever read.

I've been a bad Girl I bought books

Books I Bought: ( in my defense they were on sale)

Black Tuesday by Susan Colebank
I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings: by Maya Angelou

In The Mail

In the Mail :

My Delicious Life with Paula Deen
Dance with a Vampire
The Coffin Club
Royal Blood
Masquerade ( a Blue Bloods novel)
Just a Guy- Notes from a blue Collar Life( Bill Engvall)


The two biographies are for my 5 by 5 by 5 - I will explain more on this when I have all my choices but currently it's 5 biographies, 5 books that teach you something and 5 real stories.

Book review of Dead- Tossed Wave by Carrie Ryan

book description from Amazon:

"Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves."


Like The Forest of Hands and Teeth before it .. this book was heart stirring. A mix of learning about ones self and the will to survive and the courage to choose what you really want . Gabry blooms into a strong courageous girl that draws you in with her vulnerability and innocence. through Garby you learn how situations in life change us , and teach us . Once you go into the Forest, you will never come out the way you went in .