Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.

With these words, the reader is ushered into an isolated gray stone mansion on the windswept Cornish coast, as the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter recalls the chilling events that transpired as she began her new life as the young bride of a husband she barely knew. For in every corner of every room were phantoms of a time dead but not forgotten—a past devotedly preserved by the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers: a suite immaculate and untouched, clothing laid out and ready to be worn, but not by any of the great house's current occupants. With an eerie presentiment of evil tightening her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter walked in the shadow of her mysterious predecessor, determined to uncover the darkest secrets and shattering truths about Maxim's first wife—the late and hauntingly beautiful Rebecca.

When I began this book, I was immediately pulled into the world of Maxim and Mrs. de Winter. (I found it interesting that we are never told Mrs. de Winter's name, and only two references are ever made to it: first, when she receives a note from Maxim and says "my name was on the envelope, and spelt correctly, an unusual thing," and secondly when she meets up with Maxim and he says "You have a very lovely and unusual name." I really wanted to know what her name was; though it wouldn't have added anything to the story, it would definitely have satisfied my curiosity!)

Throughout the last 150 or so pages -- and after I had finished -- I wondered to myself why Rebecca wasn't on the list of the 100 Greatest Novels that I had found. It has been called "the unsurpassed modern masterpiece of romantic suspense," and while I myself am no judge as to whether or not that's true, I can say that I think it's an incredible novel, one that I had a hard time putting down.

4.75/5

Stargazer by Claudia Gray

Stargazer, the sequel to Evernight, begins shortly after Evernight ended, with Bianca Olivier back at gothic Evernight Academy and her boyfriend Lucas Ross carrying out his responsibilities as a member of Black Cross, an organization that could be harmful to Bianca and those she loves. Wraiths are haunting Evernight, and Bianca is determined to discover why . . . as well as the motivation behind Ms. Bethany admitting certain students to the school. With all of this on her plate, Bianca must also find ways to secretly meet with Lucas. Her parents strongly disapprove of Lucas and think he and Bianca have broken things off, so Bianca and her hot friend Balthazar come up with a ploy to ensure that she and Lucas can have their rendezvous.

I was really excited to read this book because I'd heard it was better than Evernight, but I found that I actually liked Evernight just a bit more than this one. Maybe it was the plot twists in Evernight that made me like that book so much --I totally didn't see them coming -- but there was something about Evernight that grabbed me and pulled me in immediately, and I just didn't feel that with Stargazer. I enjoyed that Balthazar was a more prominent character (he's really grown on me, and I even found myself at times wanting Bianca to be with him over Lucas . . . but then I'd change my mind again), and I was happy to see that Raquel and Vic had returned to the school, but other things didn't really interest me. I didn't care for the storyline about the new vampire who is running around with the 'wrong crowd,' although her identity and exploits play a big role in this book and most likely will in the third book. Still, I can't say that I didn't like the book, because I did. The action really picked up by the end, and I was left wanting to find out what happened to everyone. I definitely want to read the next book when it comes out.

3.5/5

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

I think I first heard about this series sometime last year from other book bloggers, but when Stephenie Meyer wrote a short blurb -- something like "you must read this series!" -- on her website, I knew I had to read the books. And I'm so glad I did!

At the beginning of the series, Perseus "Percy" Jackson is twelve years old, and has just discovered that he's a "half-blood" . . . half mortal, half Greek god. He is taken to Camp Half-Blood, and meets others like himself. Along with his best friend Grover, a satyr (half teenage boy, half goat), and his new friend Annabeth from camp, Percy goes on some crazy adventures, called "quests" in the book. Percy ages one year in each book, similar to Harry in the Harry Potter books. In fact, there are many similarites between the two series, but they are both very enjoyable in their own ways. [For summaries of the whole series, you can check the Percy Jackson & the Olympians Wikipedia site or any number of sites, but beware because you'll probably spoil some things for yourself, as I inadvertently just did! Shoot! Hopefully I'll forget what I just read before I get book 5 in my hands!]

I have to say that for me personally, the series started out a bit slow in book 1, The Lightning Thief, but has gotten better with each consecutive book. I'm actually glad I waited so long to read them because I was able to read the first four books in the series back-to-back. Book 5, The Last Olympian, is the final book in the series and came out in May. I've got a long wait until I get the book in my hands (I'm 124th in line at the library), but I am super excited to read it and see how everything ends!

Give this series a read sometime!

Ratings:

The Lightning Thief: 3.5/5

The Sea of Monsters: 4/5

The Titan's Curse: 4.5/5

The Battle of the Labyrinth: 5/5

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern

Thanks for the Memories opens with Irishwoman Joyce Conway laying on the floor after a fall, bleeding uncontrollably and quickly losing consciousness, knowing without a doubt that she has just miscarried the baby she's wanted for so long. Joyce's dad finds her (her husband is away, and doesn't seem too intent on rushing back to be at Joyce's side) and takes her to the hospital, where Joyce awakens with new memories and talents. Joyce discovers that she can speak Latin, as well as discuss art and architecture. Oh, and she's no longer a vegetarian, but craves red meat. And her memories are clearly not her own.

Justin Hitchcock, an American who recently moved to London to be closer to his ex-wife and daughter, is a visiting professor of art and architecture at Trinity College in Dublin. While in Dublin on one of his lecture visits, he is persuaded to donate blood, something he's never done before, but which he does because he imagines saving someone's life -- and having that person be forever indebted to him. Shortly after his donation, Justin begins running into the same dark-haired woman nearly everywhere he goes. Joyce is that woman; she received Justin's blood . . . and as a result, his memories and abilities. With each meeting, Joyce and Justin can't deny the strange bond they feel for each other, even though they are veritable strangers.

Cecelia Ahern also wrote P.S. I Love You, which I read a couple of years ago. I didn't like P.S. I Love You all that much, so I was somewhat leery of reading another of her books. But when I saw this book (the cover caught my eye) at the library last Saturday, I picked it up and decided to give Ms. Ahern another try. I'm so glad I did. While some parts of the book were a bit slow -- and need I mention that the plot was pretty implausible? -- I enjoyed it. I needed to know what was going to happen to Joyce and Justin. And I loved Joyce's dad, who played a big role in the book. Overall, a good read.

4/5

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

At her great-aunt Sadie's funeral, Lara Lington comes face-to-face with her great-aunt's ghost, in the form of a 1920s flapper. Sadie asks Lara to help her find a necklace that has mysteriously disappeared, explaining that she can't rest without it. Lara, who wasn't at all close to her 105-year-old great-aunt before she passed away, has more pressing matters on her mind, none of which involve tracking down Sadie's necklace. Her business partner has run off, her company is going under, and her boyfriend has just dumped her. She wants nothing to do with the search for Sadie's necklace. Unfortunately, Lara is the only person who can see or hear Sadie, and therefore, the only person who can help her.

Lara and Sadie, who has come back as a feisty 23-year-old, at first seem to have absolutely nothing in common. Sadie is self-absorbed, demanding, and determined to have as much fun as she can. She decides to pursue handsome American Ed Harrison, even though she is unable to touch or speak to him. Using her special influence, Sadie convinces Ed to go on a date with Lara. Lara is uncomfortable with the set-up, as she's still hung up on her ex-boyfriend Josh, but she wants to please Sadie because she feels guilty that her family never spent any time getting to know Sadie when she was alive.

As Lara hunts down Sadie's necklace, she makes some shocking discoveries about her family, her friends, and herself.

I love Sophie Kinsella's books. This one didn't live up to my expectations, though. I didn't like Sadie; I didn't like the way she acted or the way she manipulated Lara. She was out of control, loud, rude, and very possessive of Ed, telling Lara that Ed was "hers" and to keep her hands off even though she herself couldn't touch him -- and he had no clue about her 'existence.' Lara, on the other hand, was as amusing and likable as all the other Kinsella heroines. And Ed was dreamy. It's just a shame that the story as a whole wasn't as amusing as Kinsella's others have been. I sooo wanted to love it.

3/5