Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras

I list all four books in the entry title, but I only read the first three. I only got a few chapters into the fourth and stopped.

So this is another series based on the whole Utopian ideology. It's a great commentary on the influence of society - others deciding for us what should be attractive, what should be cool or trendy, what the color you should wear next season should be. It has a sci-fi twist to it (it has to have such a twist to work.) I think I finished the series just because I try not to start but not finish stories. The fourth story, Extras, it is more like how Gotham is the prestory to Batman, but not really Batman - the other characters in the Batman story - I think. I only watched the first episode and wasn't interested enough to continue. That is how book four was for me. I got the gist that it is a story of the same society, but different characters and I just didn't have any interest to continue reading.

So, another series I wouldn't put at the top of your to read list, but it could be interesting to read.

Enjoy

The Girls from Corona del Mar

Do you have any friendships you would consider toxic? Do you keep those friendships? Why?

I'm not sure what I think of this one still. A story of two friends from high school to their younger adult lives. I think the reason that I decided I liked the story is because it shows how as friends, we need different things from our friends. What we need from them, isn't what they need from us... does that make sense?   But that is what makes us friends in the end. We get hurt, but the benefits of having good friends far outweigh that pain, and in many ways helps because we can support each other through the hard times. These two friends in the story didn't really get that message.  There was a bit too much selfishness in this friendship - and that doesn't work, but you should learn from mistakes, right? And move on.

Enjoy.

I Was Told There'd Be Cake

I listened to this one.  The author was the reader so I thought that would add humor to it. I don't think I laughed out loud at anything. There was one chapter that I just skipped because it went a little too far for my taste.  It was entertaining, and I could relate to a number of her thoughts and experiences. I didn't find any of it super entertaining though. I listen to the books on CD on my commute to and from work. Sometimes when I arrive somewhere listening to a book, I want to stay in the car to at least finish the track. That didn't happen with this book though. I kind of wonder if it would have more fun to read and think of the stories with my own voice in my own way. 

I've read more entertaining books of essays by other authors. 

Fallen in Love

So this book popped up on the recommended for me list on the site I use to check out kindle books. I saw the title and author and realized I must have inadvertently skipped a book in this series. Not the case. It is just a sort of companion story, a break off, let me explain some more background to you, let me sell more books, book.  You don't need to read it to understand the series. However, if you choose to read the series, I think it fits right in between Passion and Rapture (it fits more, actually, mid-Passion.)

Just a couple quick love stories of some of the characters, but really not important to the series. Like I said, it really was probably a quick, oh your like the series, you'll want to read this. Sort of like The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. This book takes the characters of the Fallen series and involves them in a side story.

A super, super quick read.

Enjoy should you choose.