Archive for June, 2010

Clearly, I’ve been MIA for quite some time. It’s not that I haven’t had time to blog. It’s just that REAL LIFE has taken over my life, for real. I’ve been involved in some fantastic things lately, as well as school and work, and blogging has been the last thing on my  mind. Plus, I haven’t much time to read anything. (Awful, I know!)

Unfortunately, I did not attend the annual ALA conference as I had planned. Circumstances did not line up for me, so I stayed home. I wish I could have attended, but that will have to wait for next year! From what I’ve seen on Twitter and the blogosphere, it was a spectacular time. I’m mainly sad I missed out on all the cool authors and loads of freebies (I love freebies!).

I think I’ll be blogging about some books soon. I’ve been checking out ebooks on my iPod touch lately, and that has worked well with my busy schedule. I’ve finished Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr recently and absolutely loved it. I wasn’t sure when I started it, but by the end I was dying for more. I’m also in the middle of My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares. If you’ve read her Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, you’ll be completely surprised by this one–except, then you’re not. The story is very different from her normal style, but the writing is still very her. I enjoy her low-key, simple and calm, yet lovely way of writing.

So that’s where I’m at. I’m still in school. Still working. Still reading when I can. What are you up to readers?

Insatiable by Meg Cabot
June 8, 2010
William Morrow, 464 pages
ARC received from author–thank you!

Meena Harper is a writer for the hit television show, Insatiable. She lives out her rather normal life in New York City with her brother, Jon, recently unemployed, and her dog, Jack Bauer. After Meena’s at-work nemesis is given a promotion over her, the company that owns her television network decides to go a different route with the show, bringing in several new characters, cast as vampires. Vampires are all the rage, and the network hopes that bringing in a vampire plotline will help boost ratings and the company’s bottom line. Meena hates the idea and hates the idea of vampires, especially as she believes they promote an agenda of female weakness and dependence on a male companion.

Her problems are only beginning when she finds out that the guy she just started seeing, Lucien, the dreamy, hot, intelligent, probably a real-life prince, cousin of her neighbor is most likely a vampire. A really bad, really ancient vampire. And then her life gets a lot more interesting. In all the wrong ways.

Insatiable is a book trying to be a different kind of vampire book in this day and age when everything is a vampire book. I enjoyed that about this story. I think we’ll get more of a taste of this in the sequel. The story was certainly very different than any other vampire book out there. Lucien is your typical vampire–super hot, super desirable–but he’s a little more badass and it’s nice that he’s not always lusting after Meena’s blood (her body–that’s another thing altogether!). Meena is a very strong female character, not quite turning into a weak little girl around her vampire boytoy–one of her greatest fears, but I still felt she was way too attached, way too quickly to Lucien. The connection between the two was pretty believable, but the quickness of the story felt, well, just a little too quick for me. That’s my largest complaint with the book, because in general, I really enjoyed it. I loved it in fact, and can’t wait for the sequel!

Meg Cabot is bringing to this genre a whole new playing field, updating the vampire story for adults, but making it still fun and full of adventure, as we like to see in our teen vampire stories. I’d definitely recommend this book for older teens, as well as adults that are fans of paranormal stories. Also, if you’re a fan of Cabot’s adult books, you’ll really enjoy the humor she creates throughout the book. She really has a way of working in the littlest details that add humor and fun to the story, but don’t feel forced or contrived.

3Q, 4P, A/YA