Currently Reading - The Historian

by Elizabeth Kostova
ISBN: 0316011770

The Host

by Stephanie Meyer
ISBN: 9780316068048

Humans have been invaded by aliens, their minds and bodies controlled by these aliens living inside them. Melanie was one of the few remaining wild humans, but she's captured and becomes an unwilling host to Wanderer. Wanderer finds herself unable to quiet Melanie and fully control her. Rather than giving up the memories Wanderer is trying to access, Melanie sends her off in search of the man she loves.

I adored this book. Typically I'm not a big fan of sci-fi. It's quick and easy to read, about on the level of reading Harry Potter for me. This is great fluff reading; the story sucks you right in. I read all 600+ pages in 2 days.

Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides
ISBN: 9780374199692

This is a lot of story to try to summarize in a few sentences, but I'll give it a shot. The story is told from the perspective of the adult Cal. It tells of his grandparents leaving Greece, their life, the life of his parents, and his own life. The details of the back story explain the reason for his being born as Calliope, an intersexed person.

A bit slow at times, but overall I enjoyed this book, especially as I made my way through the book.

Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper

by Diablo Cody
ISBN: 9781592402731

When she moves to Minnesota to be with her boyfriend, she's drawn to entering amateur night at one to the many strip clubs. Over the next year, she works at several clubs before returning to the "straight world."

I freaking loved this book. The prudish while likely find it over the top. I found it extremely fascinating and entertaining. Perfect fluff reading.

A Cry in the Night

by Mary Higgins Clark
ISBN: 9780671886660

Jenny, while working at an art museum, meets Erich, and up and coming artist. After a very short romance, they get married, and Jenny and her 2 children move to Erich's farm in Minnesota. Things are not as she envisioned they'd be, and Jenny is suddenly dealing with all kinds of tragedy.

Meh. Not bad, but not gripping either. This one was too predicable for my tastes, and the relationship dynamic between Jenny and Erich left me feeling very uncomfortable (probably due to my childhood experiences).

The Sex Chronicles

by Zane
ISBN: 9780743462709

This is a collection of erotica short stories written from a woman's perspective.

Um, not exactly what I was expecting. I was hunting for a 3rd book (buy 2 get 1 free sale) and was being hurried along by, "Mommy, I have to go to the potty." I was expecting more of an erotic novel, not short stories. I was disappointed with this book. Let me first say that I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but this was just trashy, in my opinion. It was very crude and peppered with too much profanity (and I use a ton of profanity). A little more diversity in the vocabulary would have been nice. There are, after all, countless euphemisms and graphic words to use instead of fuck. The stories lacked any depth or connection to the characters. It is just straight up fucking, page after page. And very little creativity. It quickly becomes repetitive. What little emotion is in the stories has a huge heaping helping of cheese. I say skip this one.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

by Libba Bray
ISBN: 9780385732314

Gemma was raised in India wishing to go back to England. She starts having visions, the first of which is of her mother's death, which comes true. She's sent back to England and enrolled in a girl's academy. She has the visions increasingly more often until she discovers she has powers and can access the realms. After a rough start, she makes a few friends that accompany her to the realms.

This is a young adult/teen book, and at times it was obvious. Overall though, I found it an enjoyable read. It's set in the Victorian Era with a slightly gothic feel. I found the underlying sexual tension believable for the character's ages and status, but I could have happily taken a smaller dose of teenage angst and drama.