Currently reading : Hurricane

I was sent Hurricane by Jenna-Lynee Duncan for review and I am currently reading it.  I am loving it so far!  I'm about half way through it right now and it is so interesting and the characters are very interesting and mysterious!  Can't wait to finish it and then I'll have an interview with the super sweet Jenna-Lynne to discuss her book!

Book Review- Rules of Attraction



By: Simone Elkeles

I started this immediately after I finished Perfect Chemistry. I honestly was not sure about this one, I wanted to read more about Alex and Brittany from book 1. I knew that this story was not going to revolve around them. I could tell from the begining of this book, that the premise was going to be the same as in Perfect Chemistry. However, I love a good love story so I wanted to give it a shot. Now that I have finished reading it, I have to stay I don't know which story I liked more. I don't know how the author does it, but I seemed to liked these characters even more than the ones in the last book! I was glad to see that the previous characters did make a return appearance in this book as well and I got to look into their lives and how they were doing. Kind of like visiting with old friends. This was another book that I just did not want to put down, probably even more so than Perfect Chemistry and I didn't think that would be the case when I started this because I enjoyed Perfect Chemistry so much.

I loved Kiara's family and although Carlos was really annoying me in the begining I knew I had to give him a chance to warm up to his surroundings, kind of the same with Alex.

I am super excited to read the last book in the series, but I am kind of sad too because I hate to see it come to an end. Maybe Simone Eckles will find a way to continue the series. Either way, I have really enjoyed the first two books in the series and look forward to the next. Highly recommend to anyone that loves a good love story

Review- Perfect Chemistry

By: Simone Elkeles

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book. I didn't even know if I could get into it, but honestly, I got sucked right in. First chapter and I was in. I could really relate to the characters, I felt like they were people that I knew. I enjoyed that there was a deep emotional bond between the main characters and their families. They each came from different worlds and had major challenges in both their worlds, and then had to find a way to make those worlds come together. That was the greatest part of the story for me, seeing how the author was going to weave these two characters into each others' different worlds and if it would make them or destroy them.

I thought the story was well told, it was a page turner, I never wanted to put this book down. I am already reading the second book and I am enjoy that just as much if not more.

The only critique I would give this book is that of the gang involvement. I know that gang related material is a touchy subject and I comment the author for taking on the job of tackling it. The only thing that was a little off to me was how easy some of the details of the gang. I thought a little bit of the story would not be true, as in (without giving away a spoiler) I just don't think it would end the way that it did. Either way it was a great read and I look forward to reading the whole series

Go visit The Book Vlogger!

If you have not already done so, visit Lindsay at The Book Vlogger on youtube and on her blog page.  She is holding a terrific contest for her 100 subscriber celebration!   Here is the link to her video describing the details.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhKmixvKcHA&feature=player_detailpage

Book Review- Grit City, Issue #1

Grit City - A serialized Emotobook: by Ron Gavalik

My review: I really enjoyed this first installment of Grit City. I had never read and emotobook before and I got some information from the Author on just what this is. For more information on that check my blog where I have a short interview with Ron Gavalik in which he explains emotobooks.

From the very first page I was sucked into the story. It starts off action packed, no it really does. You want to know more about the main characters. I found myself relating to them right away and wanted to know more about them. I wanted to see their relationship with each other and with others.

I also loved the setting. Grit City is rough and hard and a place that you would be thankful not to be in. I felt the details to create the setting were perfect, not too much, not too little, but just enough to create perfect imagery of where these characters were.

It was alot of fun to read and I am looking forward to the next installment. It was a fun roller coaster ride of action and suspense.  It is just the kind of story that I look forward to reading that will keep me turning the page and make me want for more!


Here is a short interview with the author, Ron Gavalik.

So, how did you come up with idea for this new type of ereading experience?

Ron : As a writer it's always been a goal of mine to bridge the gap between the cerebral gratifications of well-plotted writing and the visual stimulation of illustrative art or film.  In September of last year, as I was finishing my masters degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, the idea hit me.

I had my mini-epiphany.  Insert abstract, emotionally representative illustrations during peak moments of tension.  By delivering visual experience of what the character feels and experiences, the read is more intensely immersed in the story.

The term emotobook is simply a compound word I conjured, as a fun and memorable label for this new medium of fiction.

How long does it take you to write each installment?

Ron : I write each installment in 30-days. But it's not just me that produces Grit City. Leah Keilman is our illustrator. She completes her expressionist illustrations in about 20-days. Nikki Hopeman is our editor and she reviews and critiques each story in about six days. Our team works together to produce the best possible story. 

Right now you have 2 installments, do you have a planned number for this series or is it open ended right now?

Ron: Emotobooks run like television show seasons. There will be 10 installments in each season, and we plan to create at least two seasons (20-installments.) Whether we go beyond that is not yet known.

What movies or book have inspired you most?

Ron : The biggest inspiration for Grit City comes from several different sources. The thriller edge of Dan Brown's novels like the DaVinci Code, the metaphysical thriller of Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, the dark humor of Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club, among others. In movies, I'd say my biggest inspiration was Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, especially the character of Beatrix Kiddo (Uma).

What types of books do you like to read?

Ron : Well, see the list I just wrote. I enjoy thrillers, some mystery, and some fantasy. Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, and Chuck Palahniuk are my favorites.

If you stories were turned into a movie, who would you see playing Dillon and Alyssa?  ( I have to tell you, I would totally see Angelina Jolie playing Alyssa,)

Ron : Ha! Yeah, Angelina would make a great Alyssa 10-years ago. Alyssa is in her mid-20s, so it would have to be someone young and tough. I'm not sure who the resident evil girl is, but believe it or not, I could see Scarlett Johnason pulling it off well. She just needs darker hair and a couple of Colt revolvers.

Dillon is a question mark. Perhaps Sean Flannery from The Boondock Saints? He needs to be a young, gritty Irishman. 

What would you most like my subscribers/watchers of my vlog to know?

Ron : I think they should know that Grit City is just the beginning. Grit City Publications is currently accepting submissions for other emotobooks in other genres of fiction. The group is seeking romance, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and other mystery/thriller emotobooks from other writers. This new medium of fiction must be supported by the writing and reading community if it's to have a long life. New books from other writers will secure its future.

You can learn more about Ron and his emotobooks and the collaborative effort in putting an installment together at his website : http://www.rongavalik.com/Site/AboutGritCity.html

You can also purchase his ebook at Barnes and Noble.com, Amazon.com, Smashwords.com and itunes bookstore. 

Review of : Reluctant Hero by Michael Benfante

This book was the true story of 9/11, not leaving out any of the disturbing details. That is one of the things that I liked about this book, he didn't try to sugar coat it. He told like it is, raw; and that's what 9/11 still is to a lot of people, raw. It is the story of how Michael Benfante (author) escaped the North Tower of the WTC on 9/11. How he and many others became heros with selfless acts of kindness.

There were some definite parts of the book that I really enjoyed and there were some parts that I didn't. I enjoyed hearing the story of what happened from start to finish on 9/11, what he experienced, what he saw, what he did and how he felt. I enjoyed reading how how he dealt with it afterwards and how he felt and moved on from that day.

I did not like how many pages and times he repeated the same things over and over about his anger. I understand that anger comes out of that day, I also understand the survivors guilt that he was dealing with. I think it is an important part of his story which was a good thing to tell. However I felt like it was filling pages or just dragging it out for lack of a better word. In a way I felt like the resolution that he felt was something that could have been added upon instead of dragging out the anger and hatred and dispair he fell into. There could have been a better balance rather than leaving the "letting go" part to a page and a half. Overall it was an entertaining book for the most part, and will give you a good idea of what it was like to be in the towers on that day, outside of the towers when they fell and the time afterwards in which to deal with what was seen.

The Vampire Stalker- Book Review

By : Allison Van Diepen



I devoured this book! If you like love stories, vampires and Twilight you will like this book. Every spare chance I got, I picked this book up, so I could find out how it would end. I loved every single character and the whole concept of the story. Very unique concept the author has come up with, falling in love with characters from a book and then they come to life through a strange turn of events. It was a fast fun read with a great story and I'm hoping that the story continues! Anyone who has ever fallen in love with a literary character will enjoy this book!  You can also watch my Vlog on youtube to see a live review of this.

Thunder Dog- Book Review

I really enjoyed this book. The story is of a blind man and his dog Roselle, who have to escape the terror attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. The story was great because the author really not only talked about living as a blind person in a sighted work. He explained how he grew up and how it was for him. He did not try to evoke sympathy for being blind or consider his blindness a disability. He just showed how there were other ways to navigate in the world and looked forward to the challenges that awaited him. It was a touching story of friendships through trials and tribulations and how faith can bring you to where you need to be. So many times I forgot that the author was blind because of his excellent descriptions of his surroundings. Highly recommend

WIN LOLA & THE BOY NEXT DOOR, CROSSED, & SHATTER ME

WIN LOLA & THE BOY NEXT DOOR, CROSSED, & SHATTER ME

Awesome contest

There is an awesome contest I wanted to link to, Its from the blog, Gripped into books and here is the link :

http://grippedintobooks.blogspot.com/

She is having a huge 1000 fan follower contest and giving away some great prizes.  I will also post this on my Vlog next time I do a video but I wanted to get it out here first. 

1000 followers give away on Gripped into books

Currently Reading

The Vampire Stalker

By : Allison Van Diepen
Published : 8/2011
Publisher: Scholastic

New Reading Blog

Hi!  I'm Jen and this is my book blog.  I also have a Vlog on youtube.  Here is the link to it : http://www.youtube.com/user/Pebbles730

Come on over and subscribe, leave comments or just watch the videos. 

I post videos to talk about book hauls and reviews of the books I've read.  I think I may eventually put up the posts on here as well on my reviews and what I am currently reading. 

You can also find me on twitter @Tinkerbellpugs.   You can also find me on Goodreads.com @Pebbles730

Yes I know alot of different names, but that's what adds spice to the world. 

So, the books that I read are fiction and biographies.  I have started reading alot of Young Adult or YA and also adult fiction.  I love reading and reviewing books and usually do that curled up with my girl pug Belle, whom is featured in my Vlog.   

I have to admit that I will be much better with the Vlogging, than the blogging.   It is much easier for me to keep up with that and do it quicker than blogging, but I am going to give it the old school try.    So that's just a little about me for today.  I hope to hear from anyone that has a love of reading .