Christmas Break Reading

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer, Twilight Saga Book 2
Rating: 5 Stars

I am a picky reader. I have so many expectations for the books I read that very few live up to my hopes. This book, actually the whole series, has really surprised me.

I started reading the series after my 11-year-old daughter expressed her desire to read them. I have been a fan of vampire lore since I discovered Anne Rice. And this love of the vampire tales and the knowledge of what type of undercurrents occur in such writing made be skeptical of whether or not a book found in the young adult section could deliver the intrigue and intensity that are requirements for this type of tale. It did - with a bite! Sorry, couldn't resist.

This second book kept me up until the wee hours of the morning and provided me with enough material to actually get me spooked. I found myself one night stalking the darkened hallways of my house because of a little noise that I heard outside convinced that I was about to be attacked by something mythical and undead.

I have no complaints about this book, but I do have some warnings. As I stated earlier, my 11-year-old daughter wanted to read this book and I had to say no. I am not about censorship, but I do think that as parents we have only so many opportunities to make good choices for our children to help guide them and I am not sure this is an appropriate book for a middle-schooler.

Aside from the fact that the book is quite erotic, not graphically, but definitely implied - the relationships that Bella forms with the two main male characters can be confusing for young teenagers who are just starting to date and form intimate relationships.

Edward is actually absent during most of the book. This book builds on the friendship between Bella and Jacob. But throughout the novel, Edward and Jacob have two things in common - they must push Bella away in order to keep her safe. They do this quite cruelly at times, but then regret their behavior and express remorse and forgiveness. Bella keeps moving towards them and getting closer no matter how she is treated.


I mean, I know this is fiction. It is part of the book and it makes the plot what it is. However, I am not so sure that young teenagers can understand this. Could they walk away thinking that is okay to be treated cruelly by someone who cares for them? Dating violence occurs frequently in young relationships and some of the interactions in this novel mimics this type of behavior.



Okay, enough of that. I will leave it up to you to form your own opinions. Great book, great read for an older audience.





The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
Rating: 4 Stars

I love Joshilyn Jackson. I first discovered her when I found her book Between, Georgia in the "buy one, get one half" section at Borders. Her writing is southern charm, southern voodoo and southern hilarious with always a little bit of mystery.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, is about Laurel, a woman who sees ghosts. The most recent ghost that she sees is that of a young girl that is found dead in her backyard pool. The book takes you on a journey to find out what really happened to the drowned girl. During the investigation, Laurel reaches out to her zany, unrehearsed and over-the-top sister, Thalia and invites more ghosts and problems into her picture-perfect life.

The book takes place in the panhandle of Florida and deep south of Alabama. Jackson does a superb job of making these characters real and uncensored. She has a knack for the deep south way of life and sometimes this can be hard to read. She does not use a lot dialect, but the expressions that she uses in her book are full of southern wit and can be nonsensical at times. If you can get past the need to understand everything you read, you will find yourself laughing out-loud at least once a page. And don't forget - there is a mystery to solve. Can you figure it out? I won't give anything away here.