Love Lies Beneath

I am pleased to announce to have finished reading my first novel provided to me by Net Galley online in exchange for an honest review! I was lucky enough to receive one of my favorite authors, Ellen Hopkins. I enjoy everything she writes, but this one was not targeted at teens, it was targeted towards 40 year old women. (Keep that in mind when reading it.) Honestly, I loved it regardless. Love Lies Beneath gives us the opportunity to follow Tara's love life through all of the twist and turns, even through the sexy strangers she meets. While skiing with her sister, she takes a nasty fall and winds up in the hospital. But Tara can't let the doctor get away and actually asks for his number, little did she know he'd teach her the meaning of love. When Tara moves in, she not only gains a fiancée, but also a 17 year old son with an attitude and a lying problem. I wish I understood where Ellen Hopkins was going with the end of the story, but I'm thinking there may be a sequel?!

Mark your calendars! Love Lies Beneath comes out July 21! 

Looking for more books by Ellen Hopkins?

Adult Fiction:

A Sin Such as This (book two)
Collateral

Triangles

 

Middle-Grade:

Closer to Nowhere

What About Will

 

Teen:
Crank Trilogy

 Flirtin' with the Monster

Burned
Smoke 
Rumble

Tricks

Traffick

The You I've Never Known
People Kill People

 Anthologies:

One Death, Nine Stories

Behind the Song 
Life Inside My Mind

The Lorax

So today I decided to tackle two topics at once. April is National Poetry Month, but April 22nd is also Earth Day! So by celebrating both events, I present to my readers Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. I'm sure many of you have seen the animated movie (and if you haven't, you should), but nothing beats the truthfulness of the book. The underlying message here is that we are slowing killing our planet because of economic "needs." The Once-ler tells the story of a beautiful town that was absolutely corrupted by society. He begins a business making Thneeds for the town people to wear. Thneeds are in high demand, but use the Truffula trees to make fabric. One by one we see the trees cut down and the poor animals habitats being destroyed. We see the pollution take over because of pure economic greed...

What I love about this book is that it was published in 1971.

Dr. Seuss saw the issue and took the initiative to voice his opinion.

It's 2015, we still haven't grasped the concept of protecting our home.

So, I beg you to educate yourselves on the dangers of polluting our beautiful home. Hurry before it's too late. 

Looking for other books by Dr. Seuss?

Oh, the Places You'll Go

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Oh, the Places You'll Go has always been a kids book in my mind. But lets face it, Dr. Seuss didn't intend to write children's books. Earlier today I re-read this book and it really hit home for me. Oh, the Places You'll Go is a book that literally describes everything you go through in life, especially when we're still growing up. It tells a story about finding yourself, playing the waiting game, and living your life the way you want to! Never did I expect something so meaningful to come out of a book I read in Kindergarten.

So I share this in honor of National Poetry Month and for the upcoming high school and college graduates. If any of you ever begin to doubt yourself, look to the wise words of Dr. Seuss and that's all the therapy you'll need. 

Looking for other Dr. Seuss books?

 The Lorax

Cinderella

Everyone knows the classic Cinderella tale. But Charles Perrault and Camille Rose Garcia give us a little bit of a twist to the story we know and love. In this short illustrated classic, we still see Cinderella and her evil stepsisters. We see her hard work and her dedication to helping her family, including her terrible stepsisters. We see the fairy godmother and the magical pumpkin carriage. She loses the slipper and she wins the Prince. But what could possibly be different? The illustrations! From what you see on the cover, this classic has a darker feel than other versions of this tale. Every illustration of Cinderella has spider webs and the stepsisters have very exaggerated, unflattering features. Although it is a new approach to this very lovely classic, I think it still did the story justice!

Psycho

What can I say? Psycho is a classic! Written in 1959, this novel reads so quickly that you hardly realize that it's over. Going into this book, I didn't realize there was a movie or the spinoff show, Bates Motel. I can honestly say the book is ALWAYS better. We get into the mind of all of the characters in Psycho: Mary, Lila, Sam, Norman, and even Norman's mother. The plot unfolds when Mary steals 40 grand and takes off to see her fiancé Sam. But she only makes it to the hotel, and is never heard from again..... So why haven't they gone to the police? Why haven't they questioned Norman? We know what Mother does, we know what Norman is doing, and we know the snooping of Lila and Sam. Everything falls together so perfectly that I have to applaud Robert Bloch for the amazing novel he has created in such a different time compared to today.

Psycho will not disappoint!

Meet the man who inspired it all: Ed Gein

The First Phone Call From Heaven

Mitch Albom truly created another masterpiece.

In the small town of Coldwater, Michigan, several people are beginning to receive phone calls claiming to be from their deceased relatives and loved ones in Heaven. Everything is brought to attention when Katherine Yellin speaks out in church saying her sister has called her and wants everyone to know what Heaven is like. What Katherine does not know is she was not the only one to get a phone call. Small time news anchor Amy comes to Coldwater to cover the story only to become lifelong friends with Katherine. Sully Harding has just been released from prison when these calls start coming in and he begins investigating. No one can ACTUALLY call from Heaven. Police Chief, Jack Sellers starts getting calls from his son who was killed in Afghanistan. But the question is, should he tell his ex-wife? Tess Raferty got a call from her mother saying that there is no worries in Heaven, just peace. She should tell everyone that. Coldwater blows up over the phone calls from Heaven. Visitors from all over have come to witness the phenomenon, but what is really happening? Is it real?

Mitch Albom created such an amazing novel that you will have to find out that answer yourself. The way all of the characters find solace in one another is exactly what the novel needed. 

Looking for other books by Mitch Albom?

 Tuesdays with Morrie

Born Evil

Hadden Clark was born evil. But don't let the title description fool you, this is not a story of "A real-life Hannibal Lecter." This is a story about Hadden Clark and his misfortunate childhood that led him to split personalities who kill for the fun of it. Supposedly, Hadden has killed around 15 young girls between the ages of 6 and 30. In Born Evil, we watch Hadden's life laid out before us. The abuse from his mother, his wrecked home life, and his time spent in the military. To Hadden, all things fall apart. That one tragic afternoon when Michelle Dorr wandered into Hadden's brother's yard changed everything. Charging Hadden with Michelle's death took much longer than charging him with Laura's death did. Laura and her family employed Hadden and he still ruined their lives.

Honestly, this novel takes place more in the court room and behind closed doors than it does telling the actual details of the crime. Born Evil may not be the fastest paced read, but it is still quite intense.