Last Breath (Morganville Vampires #11) by Rachel Caine

Emotional roller coaster.  That is how I would describe Last Breath by Rachel Caine.  Everything is going great. Humans and vampires are living in relative harmony in Morganville, but that never lasts long. Vampires start to disappear and there is a stranger in Morganville that only Claire can see. 

Fellow blogger Tessa and I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Caine at a book signing at our favorite indie bookstore Murder by the Book.  Rachel Caine was a lot of fun and answered questions and personalized every one's books.

No Humans Involved (Women of the Otherworld # 7) by Kelley Armstrong

The seventh book in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series focuses on Jamie Vegas.  Jamie is a necromancer but pays the bills with her day job as a psychic medium.  Wanting to get some exposure, Jaime joins two other spiritualist for a reality TV show.  The show is filmed in Marilyn Monroe's house to attempt to raise the dead actress's ghost.

Marilyn's house is haunted but not by the actress.  Jamie encounters strange entities in the garden she believes are children trapped between two planes. Jamie is determined to help these children and find out what happened to them and to prove her worth in the supernatural world.

In No Humans Involved we read about the relationship with Jamie and Jeremy and get a little better insight to Jamie.  She is very self-conscience and awkward and constantly looking for approval and reassurance. 

No Humans Involved has a pretty good storyline.  You get a better understanding of how non-supernaturals fit into the supernatural world.  There isn't a lot of action but enough to keep it interesting.

A Night at the Circus

Hey There Reading Grove Followers,

I know, Tessa and I have been MIA for a few weeks but y'all know how it is.  One thing lead to another and before I knew it I had neglected the blog for 3 weeks.

Anyway, both Tessa and I were able to find the time to read Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Its a fabulous book but, I think its better for a potential reader to begin the book without any preconceived ideas so, I'm not going to give a review.  Just know that it has an original storyline with a beautifully written setting.

Tessa and I loved the book so much we decided to attend a signing at our favorite indie book store, Murder by the Book.  We had a wonderful time and learned that Night Circus has been optioned for a movie so be on the look out. 

Upcoming: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Earlier this month Erin Morgenstern's highly-anticipated novel The Night Circus was released.  Thankfully, it appears that thus far Morgenstern's debut is living up to all the anticipation that has been building around this novel for months.  Among its accolades thus far, The Night Circus, is included on Amazon's Best Books of the Month list and is already #2 on The New York Times Best Seller's list.  I think part of its appeal is the variety it seems to offer readers.  Reviews range from those enthralled by the magical aspect of the book to those enticed by its mystery and romance.  Overall, it seems the common ground is that Morgenstern has created a masterpiece that truly draws the reader into the story through her descriptive, narrative talents.  Suffice to say, those of us at The Reading Grove are very excited to enjoy this adventure ourselves.  We also have plans to attend a discussion with the author in October and look forward to sharing that experience with all of you, as well.  Stay tuned for the full review next month on The Reading Grove!

New Poll: Favorite Genre?

Although The Reading Grove primarily shares reviews on books falling into the realms of Mystery or Sci-Fi/Fantasy, we do hold an appreciation for literature from a variety of categories.  That got us thinking, what is your favorite genre of book?  Take our poll at the bottom of the page.

My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland

Angel Crawford has been dealt a bad hand in life. Her mother committed suicide and her father is a drunk.  And how does Angel cope?  By dropping out of high school and getting drunk and high herself. She is on a fast track to nowhere. Until she gets a second chance...as a zombie. 

Did you know zombies are the new vampires?  My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland is the first in the new series White Trash Zombie and is the first zombie book I have read.  It wasn't too gruesome and had lots of mystery.  Angel isn't a mindless flesh-eating machine, although, it seems to take her awhile to figure things out that are pretty apparent to the reader.  My Life as a White Trash Zombie is a good start to a new series and I can't wait for the next installment.

The Help by Kathryn Sockett

The Help by Kathryn Sockett is told from the perspective of three women living in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement.  These three women, two black maids and a white socialite, decide to write about their experiences being the help and being raised by the help. 

A friend asked me to read this book and after we both read it we would go watch the movie. I have to say this book is predictable and not very interesting.  It lacks dimension and  depth.  It starts very slow, somewhere in the middle it picks up, but ends on a very flat note. There are so many directions a book about racism and oppression can go but Kathryn Sockett stayed very benign.  Kathryn Sockett even has the nerve to compare one of the main characters to Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird.