Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

My Review:
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this. 'Great, another YA school paranormal trilogy' is what I was thinking to myself. I ended up like this though. Sophie does yet another spell that goes wrong. This time it lands her in a paranormal boarding school called Hecate Hall. From the moment she set foot on the island her life as she knows it changes. Never having met anyone else like herself, she is now surrounding by witches, shape-shifters, faeries, and a vampire. Throughout the school year she learns about her family and those who want to destroy people like her.

The story never stops in Hex Hall. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Lately I haven't been connecting with the lead characters of these types of books. Sophie is a character that I could relate to. She isn't the type to sit around pining for friends who don't want to be friends with her. Though she has a crush, she is not obsessed over him. She is witty in the way she see the world around her.

Fast paced and interesting to read the only thing you can really say negative about this book is that it's not all that original. But hey, there are only so many story-lines to go around. What is important is that the characters are relate-able, the story is interesting, and there is no lagging in the read. Looking forward to reading book 2 Demon Glass


Trivia Question: What is on this cover that shouldn't be?
Hint: Sophie says the answer by name

Challenges:
Paranormal Reading Challenge
2013 Where Are You Reading Challenge
Let Me Count The Way

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
3stars (2.6)

From Kobo:

Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again... At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle...

My Review:
This is the story of Noah and Allie Calhoun. They spent a summer together as teenagers and fell in love. Both did not forget each other nor did they ever find that type of love they share over that brief time with anyone else. Fourteen years later, Allie is engaged and seeks out Noah for what seems to be closure but ends up being a rekindling. Later in life the couple discovers Allie has Alzheimer's. They move into a nursing home where Noah reads from a Notebook (containing stories of their life) to her every day.

There I go again reading another sappy story. This is a touching love story. Allie disease is a hard disease to deal with for the person affected and his/her family and friends. I used to work for Lifeline (you've heard of it "I've fallen and I can't get up" commercials) and it was hard to deal with as a stranger on the other end of the line. I think what makes this story so popular is that this disease is scary for nearly anyone who has heard of it (especially the older one gets) and to have someone would have the love, dedication, and patience to confront such heartbreak and frustration everyday is enviable.

The characters lacked any depth. The book focused on the love the two shared but you didn't really get to know them as outside of that love.Who were they before that met, who were they during the relationship, who would they have been had they not gotten back together? These questions were never explored (there were brief glimpses). I would have love to have known how they continued to deepen their bond. All in all it was a good love story that makes you long for their kind of love.

2013 Reading Challenges:

Standalone Reading Challenge 2013

50 States Reading Challenge

2013 Where Are You Reading Challenge

Fun and Games 2013/2012:

PBT's 5th Anniversary Relay (Play Book Tag)
The Challenged Reader's Read with Friends

2013 WHERE Are You Reading Challenge

3rd year running and OH I love this challenge! As the host of the weekly What Are you reading meme, I find it awesome that I get to host the WHERE Are You Reading Challenge each year. What is the point of this challenge? It is to try to read in each of the 50 States between January 1 2013 – December 31, 2013.


How do you decide what state a book is categorized under?

1. In a fiction read it would be the State or Country that the book spends the most time in. (Ie. If your main character is from Wisconsin but the book is all about his/her time in college in California – the books should categorize under California….)
2. Non fiction reads categorize in whatever State or Country it is about (Ie…. a book about fly fishing in Colorado is a Colorado point, and a book about women in Afghanistan is an Afghanistan point.
3. If the book goes from one state to another… go with the state that most of the time is spent.
How to get started

Set up a map under Google Maps. It is easy to do! Every time you read a book in 2012, upload a cover picture to Picasa Web Albums (there may be other sites to use, feel free to use what works best for you).
Grab the challenge button here for your posts and sidebar

Questions?

Do you have to have a blog to participate? No. You can do everything on the map above without linking the book to a review.
Do I have to have my post up by January 1st, 2012? No, but I would think you would want to get started right away at the beginning of the year. However, you will be able to sign up throughout January as well.
How will people see my map? There are a couple of possibilities. On your original challenge post you should have a link to your map. You could also put it on your side bar to draw interest to it (see mine on my left side bar) I will be linking my map to every review I will also set up a monthly link here to post updates if you wish.
I dont get it – I cant figure out how to use Google maps but I really want to participate! No worries! You are welcome to create a challenge post that lists the 50 states (as well as bonus out of USA spots) and then fill them in as you read in the areas.
Do audio books count? ABSOLUTELY!
Once you are ready and have your map set up please create a blog post (those who have blogs) using the Challenge picture of the map I provided above as well as link to this post so others may join in. Then come back and link that post here to Mr Linky (below) so I as well as other participants know that you are participating and we can pop in throughout the year to check out your map and how we are all doing. I will post a linky at the end of each month so participants can check in with their own post of how they are doing. I will offer a $10 amazon gift card to one lucky participant who does a check in post at the end of each month and links it.
This is actually a fun and easy challenge as all books you read qualify and it will be fun to see where you generally read books from as well as searching out books to fill in areas that you need.
For those who have covered the 50 states by the end of 2013, they will go into a drawing for a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble or to Amazon. ** All other areas beyond the 50 states are bonus points and we will have a drawing using random.org for those who read 10 or more books throughout 2013 in that category.
You can see my map I worked on in 2011 here to see what the map looks like and how the pictures link to the reviews. (If you zoom in you will see the individual areas I read in and clicking on the blue pins will show you what book it was and clicking on the picture will take you to the post!
That’s it! Here is a link to tips on how to do it. Any other questions – please leave them in the comments section below.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (North Carolina)