meg reads and reads

Title: The Boy Who Painted the World Author: Melody J. Bremen I've been trying to add more Middle Grade and Young Adult books to my To Be Read pile, not only to appeal to more types of readers, but also to get an idea of what younger people are reading. I have a twelve-year-old stepdaughter, and I would love for her to have as much joy in reading as I do. This book is one of the most heartwarming books I have ever read. It is at times devastating, always endearing, and just an all around great read. It's a little bittersweet for me, because I finished reading it in the emergency room this evening with my three-year-old, who broke his leg today. I shed tears over this book and over my son and over lost kids everywhere who hopefully will one day find a home and their place in society. The only thing keeping this from being a five-star review is some minor editing issues I noticed while reading, but that does not keep me from yelling from the rooftops for everyone, young...

Title: Extremis Author: Barry Eisler Okay, so I know I was a bit disappointed in the last John Rain novel, but I did  say that I felt that it was building up to something fantastic. I am so happy  that I was right! Book Five has been by far the best in the series up to this point. At first, I thought that the pace was way too fast, but Eisler masterfully reined it back in about two-thirds of the way through, and so many open storylines closed just like that, with the reader's (my) jaw hanging open. Unbelievable! I'm very excited to move on to move on to Book 6. John's story is open to go almost anywhere. Five out of five stars. ------------------ READING PROGRESS: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 99% An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: 16% The Boy Who Painted the World by Melody J. Bremen: 53% The Killer Ascendant by Barry Eisler: STARTING NOW

Title: The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection Authors: Stan & Jan Berenstain When I was a kid, I loved  the Berenstain Bears. Somehow, I missed the fact that there were chapter books, though, and I had never read them! But anyway, it was a fun stroll down memory lane through Bear Country, revisiting old characters, loved and hated. I liked how the "bad" characters weren't bad in every story and the "good" characters weren't perfect in every story. There was one book in particular that I didn't necessarily care for the message, but overall, the stories have held up well over time, and I would want my kids to read most of them. Three out of five stars. ----------- READING PROGRESS: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 83% An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: 6% Extremis by Barry Eisler: 9% The Boy Who Painted the World by Melody J. Bremen: JUST STARTING

Title: Redemption Games Author: Barry Eisler The fourth John Rain installment was the first one that I didn't love. I still liked it. It was slower on the action, but I think Eisler was developing John's character more. He definitely becomes more human in this book. The return of Dox and Delilah were both very welcome, and the tie-in to Midori was a pleasant surprise. Though I say I didn't love it, I see the direction Eisler is taking John, and I love that. I see this as necessary ground to cover before we can return to the kind of stuff I've enjoyed reading in this series in a much more hardcore fashion. Three out of five stars. ------------ READING PROGRESS: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 83% The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection by Stan & Jan Berenstain: 96% An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: 6% Extremis by Barry Eisler: JUST STARTING

Title: Winner Take All Author: Barry Eisler The third installment of the John Rain series kept up the momentum from the first two. It was full of action, fast-paced, and fun to read. Getting to know Dox as a character was a blast, too. I hope to see him again. I also hope to see more of Delilah. There are so many very interesting characters being thrown into the mix. I also appreciated that this book was the first to truly acknowledge John's age. The book was published in 2004, and John fought in Vietnam. That doesn't necessarily mean that he's elderly, but he's certainly not necessarily a spring chicken either. In any event, I haven't breezed through a series of books like this in a long time, so this is a really fun change of pace for me. I can't wait to start book four. Four out of five stars. ------- READING PROGRESS The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 82% The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection by Stan & Jan Berenst...

Title: A Breath of Snow and Ashes Author: Diana Gabaldon What can I say? Another hit from Diana Gabaldon. This one, like the last one, was slow at parts for me, but it had enough intrigue to keep me going. There's a lot of action to make up for the slow parts. I'm always impressed by Gabaldon's historical research and knowledge of the areas that she's writing about. I know that I've said this before, but being from North Carolina, it's almost thrilling to read about places that I've been to and know well. Four out of five stars. --------------- READING PROGRESS: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 82% The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection by Stan & Jan Berenstain: 80% Winner Takes All by Barry Eisler: 27% An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon: JUST STARTING

Title: A Lonely Resurrection Author: Barry Eisler This is the second installment of the John Rain series, and I have to say it was even more enjoyable than the first. There was lots of fast-paced action, and the crime web that Yamaoto--who I am assuming is the series' ultimate villain--seems to be involved with seems to grow ever more complex. I have a notoriously short attention span when it comes to books, just because I'm moody, but I actually read this one beginning to end without pausing to read anything else. It had me that riveted. Four out of five stars. ------------ READING PROGRESS The Tommyknockers by Stephen King: 73% A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: 80% The Berenstain Bears Chapter Book Collection: 36% Winner Take All by Barry Eisler: STARTING NOW