Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Notebooks byJustin Richards

"Newly discovered entries and drawings in William Shakespeare’s journals reveal for the first time the astounding relationship between the great Bard and the Doctor.

Since his first adventure in 1963, the Doctor has enjoyed many encounters with William Shakespeare. Now, BBC Books has rediscovered notebooks, long thought lost, compiled by the Bard in which he divulges the influential role the Doctor played in his creative life. Here are the original notes for Hamlet, including a very different appearance by the ghost; early versions of great lines (“To reverse or not to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow”); the true story of how the faeries of A Midsummer Night’s Dream were first imagined; stage directions for plays adjusted to remove references to a mysterious blue box; and much, much more."

I am both a fan of Shakespeare and Doctor Who. So when I received this book for my birthday I was over the moon. Some of my favorite things put into one book! And did I laugh! If you are expecting a serious book than you will be sadly mistaken here. The author combined these two themes together in a great way. 

The book was a quick read, which sometimes is the best way to have these kinds of mash-up books. The only part of the book that I did not like was the "Academic Notes" it seemed to drag on, and I could not follow what Richards was trying to do. over all though I loved the book. 

So if you are a "hardcore/naturalist" Shakespeare lover, than steer clear of this book. But if you like to laugh, like Shakespeare and/or Doctor Who, than by all means pick this book up!

I gave this book a four out of five stars.

Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip by Linda Oatman High

"Laura Crapper, a seventeen-year-old combat-boot-wearing poet with spiked red hair, renames herself Sister Slam and hits the road with her best friend, Twig. On the way to a slam poetry contest in New Jersey, they hit a pig, get pulled over by the cops, fight with one of the judges, lose the contest, get into two more fender benders, fight with each other, and finally land on the front page of a New York City newspaper for their amazing impromptu performance at the famous Tavern on the Green. The girls and their fresh style of poetry take the city by storm, but when Laura's father back in Pennsylvania has a heart attack, she must face her fears about home and the still-raw loss of her mother. This inspiring romp of a coming-of-age story, written entirely in Laura's in-your-face slam poetry style, proves you don't have to give up your home to live your dream."

So this week I went on a little binge of really quick reads. This book was only written in the form of slam poetry, and I really enjoyed it. I am always impressed when an author can write a complete story using have the amount of words others would and have them rhyme at the same time. So I give props to Linda High for that!

The story was cute, two friends going on a road trip to follow their dreams and almost making it. But I find myself always wanting more. With this book being poetry, I know that is hard to do, so I cannot critic it all that much for that. 

Another good quick read with a little sass, attitude, love, and teens. I gave this book three stars. 

                           

Find it here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582349487?ie=UTF8&isInIframe=1&n=283155&redirect=true&ref_=dp_proddesc_0&s=books&showDetailProductDesc=1#iframe-wrapper

Grim edited by Christine Johnson

"Johnson’s anthology of retold fairy tales, most based on Grimm, should be wildly popular as the 17 authors include such well-known names as Ellen Hopkins, Julie Kagawa, Amanda Hocking, and Malinda Lo. Many authors bring the tone and focus back to the original Grimm tales, and graphic gore abounds. Sometimes the violence feels gratuitous, but often it’s completely appropriate. Rachel Hawkins’ opening story sets Bluebeard in a trailer park, with truly creepy foreshadowing from the heroine’s alcoholic mother. Jon Skovron’s “Raven Princess” has delightful contemporary touches, such as a same-sex giant couple rearing an infant, and a Shrek-like ending. Readers are bound to like some stories more than others, but the diversity of tone and treatment should please most fans of the genre. For many of the authors, the retold fairy tale is something new to their body of work. Hopefully, readers drawn by Ellen Hopkins’ novels on contemporary issues will discover the appeal and relevance of “tales as old as time,” such as Sarah Rees Brennan’s charming treatment of Beauty and the Beast."

If you may have noticed I love fairy tales, and the retelling of them. So as you may guess I really enjoyed this anthology. I have not read many books containing short stories, but after Grim I am going to be keeping my eye out for more of them. The authors that she chose to write did a great job retelling the Grimm fairy tales, so that you could still know which one you were reading. There was only one that was retold, that also happened to not be a fairy tale that the Grimm brothers wrote, Beauty and the beast. I did not mind this though, because it also happens to be my all time favorite fairy tale. 

Now to the stories themselves. While I enjoyed them all there were some that I liked more than others. Each had their own 'darkness' to them, but some did a better retelling them then others. While one story may be very similar to the original, even in the language they used to write it, others changed them so much that it was almost like reading a different story. I am not saying it was a bad thing, but I did need to look up which story they were trying to portray. There were even some stories that the author could easily take and turn it into a full novel if they wanted to , and I would defiantly go out and buy it.

So if you like reading a variety of different writing styles, and romances that are dark and a little twisted in some cases, then defiantly give this a read. I give this a four out of five stars. 

Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

"Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case!

Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style.
Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad."

I picked this book up as just a quick read, but was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I like the comedic quality to it. I knew I was reading a young adult book, and it is a very small book but the author did a good job at telling a story, introducing the characters, and ending it in a satisfying way. I easily connected with the main character, Daisy, and completely understood the emotions she was going through. It is the first book in a series, and even thought the book ended on a was that made the book a stand alone, it  also left opportunities for more books. If I come across the others books in the series I may get them, but I probably will not go out and purchase them as a set from a book store or Amazon. If you are looking for a book that you can read in just a few days, that has a little comedic mystery, as well as some supernatural characters, than I recommend this book for you. 

I give this book a three out of five stars.

Fated by S.G. Browne

"Over the past few thousand years, Fabio has come to hate his job. As Fate, he's in charge of assigning the fortunes and misfortunes that befall most of the human race-the 83% who keep screwing things up.

Frustrated with his endless parade of drug addicts and career politicians, Fate has to watch Destiny guide her people to Nobel Peace Prizes and Super Bowl MVPs. To make matters worse, he has a five- hundred-year-old feud with Death, and his best friends are Sloth and Gluttony. And worst of all? He's fallen in love with a human.

Getting involved with a human breaks Rule #1, and about ten others, setting off some cosmic-sized repercussions that could strip him of his immortality-or lead to a fate worse than death."

I was excited to read this book. I thought it was going to be funny and have a lovey dovey ending. I was, of course, wrong. While it did have humor in it, it was at the expense of religious doctrines. (Now I know some people reading this may not be religious and find it humorous, but I am and did not.) But overlooking this, it was an alright, book. What really ruined it for me was the ending. I was hoping for a more stereotypical ending, but did not receive one. So props to S.G. Browne on writing a “creative” ending, but I was so out there for me that it really ruined the story for me. But if you are looking for a humorous book with a surprise ending than you may like it. 

I on the other hand am giving this book a two out of five stars.