by Caroline B. Cooney

I liked the story, it fascinated me. Although the ending was a bit short, probably because it leads to the companion book. Anyway, the story seemed to focus on the whirl of Janie's doubts if she was really kidnapped. I enjoyed reading it but I think the author should have condensed the whole story into one book instead of indicating that the others are just companions. Some people can't tell immediately what number from the series is the book they're reading.

To be able to grasp the whole idea, I suggest readers take on the companions to this book such as Whatever Happened to Janie? and The Voice on the Radio.

Rating: 3 stars

by Iris Johansen

This is my first hardbound experience of an Iris Johansen book. I haven't read any of her novels before, but this turned out pretty boring. I love forensics - I'm allured by it and its concepts but this was a letdown.

For one, the plot was simply weaved to tell a story. It did not really excite me except the fact that I have been quite a fan of Jane and Trevor's love story. I completely forgot that Jane was seventeen and Trevor was around more or less in his thirties, but he was always described as handsome (for a con man and a sleuth) so I bit the bait. At some point before halfway reading, I had an idea to dump it and read another book instead, but I wanted to finish the story as to satisfy my curiosity and leave no room for regret. Alas, I wasted my time because the ending had been so easy and fast-moving. It was hard at first to get myself to pace reading hardbounds (I think I have a weak link for them) but when I got near Blind Alley's half it seemed so easy and light.

There had been confusions in the story. Jane is too much to decide as an adult for a seventeen-year-old girl. I understand her relation to the nightmare and Cira story but it seems her parents are always at bay and she does things independently with Trevor most of the time, as if proving she can do on her own.

I did not like the over-all part: everything seemed to be too perfect and everyone seemed to be so skilled that it falls flat for a forensic mystery, but this had made me laugh, worry and feel smitten a bit. It really shouldn't be called an Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller but a Jane Duncan one. I think I wanted to read Countdown, but I'm hesitant about it. Blind Alley truly left me lost in blindness. The conclusion did not make up for what the narration lacked, in my opinion.

Rating: 2 stars

by Kelly Easton

Honestly, I bought the book because I was enticed with its cover - it seemed so mysterious and vague so I thought might like it. The story revolves around Adam who lost his parents in a tragic car accident on the way home to Rhode Island from a peace rally in Seattle. You would certainly feel Adam's sorrow as he recalls what has happened to them that resulted to his parent's death.

What I didn't understand is that how come he left his parents there lying on the pavement to cross the country by just walking away? I would certainly not do that to my parents, unless I would call for help (which Adam did not do apparently; I did not get whether he was just disoriented so he didn't do that but then again, if I was in his shoes whether disoriented or not I would STILL call for help).

On the other hand, this book teaches some values learned from Adam's experiences as he journeys along - the people he met, the places he's explored and the impressions they leave on him. However, there are good and bad points in Aftershock: it worked on the story by means of flashback although some of the way it was presented was drastic, the reader could not distinguish whether Adam was in reality or was he recalling a memory. But I guess it's just the nature of Adam's experience: shocking and mind-swifting. I think even though he has been weary, he enjoyed the journey as he struggles to get home because he has certainly learned a lot from it.

A very good example is this line that I loved from the book, "People separate themselves from each other by so many things: race, gender, religion, class. But on my travels, I learned to distinguish people by the only thing that really matters: kindness."

Rating: 3 stars

by Nicholas Sparks

Have you ever once lost faith in the power of love? Nicholas Sparks proves to you that love conquers all in this spectacular love story after his bestselling novel, The Notebook. Theresa Osbourne is a Boston Times writer and the type of woman who believes that once hurt you'll be more likely to get hurt again. She's a single mother, divorced and has a 12-year-old son named Kevin whom her other dates tend to take for granted. But Theresa never took another risky leap for love because no one had ever gave her serious chances. That is until she finds the bottle.

Washed up along the Cape Cod beach while jogging, a mysterious bottle sticking out of the seashore caught Theresa's attention. She takes it, only to find a heart-gripping letter addressed to Catherine, written by someone whose name is Garrett. Having read this and after finding two more letters in bottles washed up along beaches somewhere, Theresa is determined to find Garrett in search of also something which she hopes to revive her lost belief in romance.

She intended only to meet and greet the wonderful author of the mysterious love letters. But little did Theresa know that the letters would be the keys to her journey to love.

I could say that this book took my heart away. This was one book you couldn't put down - unless you really have to go to the bathroom. But even though, I still took this book to the bathroom because the story is heartwarming that even if you think that it is likely to be predictable, you would still find yourself holding the book till the end, determined to finish it. The plot is greatly arranged and small details weren't left out. However, the tempo of the story seemed to be a bit fast especially at the point where Garrett and Theresa fell in love with each other. You couldn't believe how fast the events were given that Garrett was a husband who just lost his wife to some accident three years ago.

Given the characters and over-all score, this book gets two thumbs up! The characters were well-casted and the story tickles the human interest for bottles travelling the ocean. You will even see yourself believing Sparks' narration about bottles.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

by Gene Brewer

This book was brimming of information - from psychology to reality. It was a masterpiece brought by Gene Brewer. The story moved me to inspiration and it gave me a better look at the world.

The plot revolved around 'prot' - a patient of Manhattan Psychiatric Institute who claims that he was an extra-terrestrial being from the planet he calls K-PAX. He was found in a bus terminal in New York and thus confined to MPI because of this belief.

I watched the movie first before the book so it gave me a very clear idea of what I would be reading now. When I started flipping the pages of K-PAX, I was pretty amazed that the plot went goes smoothly and almost everything were interconnected. The book focused more on the psychological aspect because Dr. Gene Brewer, one of the protagonist, aimed to find out and reveal prot's true identity and prove to him that he was merely but a human.

I loved prot's character. He was such a fascinating man (otherwise, if he isn't then he's a K-PAXian) because of his intelligence regarding astronomy. He presents his perception of the reality that humans don't realize. I liked the fact when he said that: (not really his exact words) "Crazy people are not really insane. They are just simply different from the majority. And if they were the majority, we would be the crazy people in their perspective."

The book was really satisfying and moving. It triggered some of my doubts as a human. prot was such interesting that you'd love to have a character like him in a book. This is the kind of book that I don't want to put down. When I finished K-PAX though, I was really disappointed and at the same time, elated to have ended it. The ending solved just some of the questions but the majority of the conflicts presented will leave you hanging till the end.

Rating: 5 stars

by Judy Blume

Rachel Robinson is a straight-A student and is often referred to by other people especially her friends as 'genius' or 'perfect'. But ever since her brother Charles came back from his school because he was expelled, she's now referred to by him as 'the child prodigy'.

Rachel knows that Charles would mean trouble at home and that he would be a big obstacle to her. When he finally comes home, things at the Robinson's residence swerved to a change: Mom and Dad is having a hard time with Charles, Jess is struggling to battle Charles' insults regarding her severe cystic acne and Rachel - well she's more than irritated as Jess is.

But at the least good thing, her brother brought some benefits: he's having a tutor come by at the Robinsons who becomes Rachel's new crush, and having ninth grader Jeremy Dragon around.

When things start to change, surprises pop up: Jess got a job in Mrs. Hirsch's travel agency whose daughter was Steph, one of Rachel's best friends. She's hired to work despite the fact that most companies won't hire her due to her physical appearance. Not only does the story revolve around Rachel, but also with the people around her. Then there's Tarren, Rachel's cousin, who happens to be a single mother with her child Roddy. And having her around brings something to Rachel which she didn't expect.

There are funny points in this story. I loved and hated its concept. There was a scene where Charles wanted to change his last name back to its origin. It was hilarious when he recited a poem in the Ellis Island (a place where the Robinson's ancestors landed from Poland) and people were starting to stare at him like some balderdash moron.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars - I admired Rachel's straight-A personality. Since I am an obedient student like her I know how it feels, although she's an almost perfect student while I'm a desperate-math-moron. I also saw myself in her shoes when it comes to dealing with family problems. Although this book wasn't focused on the three girls unlike in Just As Long As We're Together, this was a good story you cannot pass up.

When I have read this book it made me think of the true value of family. Charles' character struck me the most because it was his who made a big impact on me. We were alike in some ways that I am being considered as a pain in the neck of the family (okay, so much for the drama). I could truly say I fell in love with this book and it was wonderful! Judy Blume has made it very comfortable for me to read and by the end of the book, I craved for more of it. I recommend this book to you if you're wondering how life turns around with someone almost as perfect as Rachel.

by Gena Showalter

Love the story of this book - it revolves around individuality of a person. Jade is the eccentric Goth girl who finds herself struggling to stand out from the crowd. Her school rival Mercedes, is getting on her nerves and she has to find a way to stop her from spreading her evil scheme. They are very opposite: Jade loves black and gothic things while Mercedes loves girlie stuffs. They are both put into shock when they learned that the principal decides that they must go to a special field trip.

In the real world, everyone seemed to be Barbie clones. Well that's the opposite of the virtual game: now every single person is goth and they're trying to be Jade's friends. In this world, she is famous and well-appreciated. She's in total center attraction while Mercedes is looked down on and is disregarded. Jade thinks she can't handle any more of these pretensions and as much as possible get away from it all plus her only true friends don't want to talk to her. What would you do if you sought for people's acceptance and it is granted but your true friends won't talk to you?

Now, their excursion turned out to be a virtual game that'll teach them a lot about their lives. The two find themselves clinging to each other and helping out to escape this nightmarish punishment.

I could see myself relating to Jade because at one point in my life I decided to have my individuality. But as I read this book, it made me felt like I was in the game. The plot was good and I enjoyed the story but I got myself hanging in the end. I wish I could read more from this book. :)

Rating: 4 stars - This story made me laugh and envy at how things turn out to be good in the end. I love the way Jade thinks about the new boy Clarik and the ending put me to the edge of my seat.