Percy Jackson and the Last Olypian

I don't think that I could ever truly express how disappointed I was in book 5. Way to drop the ball Rick! The series sets up nicely for the 5th book to make a spectacular and clean ending, and what does Rick do, it ruins it. Every time trouble occurs conveniently Jackson gets a get-out-of-jail-free card. No worries no one important dies, although wounded and then conveniently healed. The writing was average, and the ending was pointless. I suggest reading a review after you finish 4 and skip 5 all together. It was terrible and a huge disappointment. Grrr.

Percy Jackson and the Labyrinth

Book 4 was better than 3. The pace was slower, and when stressful situations occurred they were short lived, but enough to keep the interest going. However it did set up nicely for the last book. Nothing spectacular happens. It's a normal Percy Jackson story, but pretty well written, so no real complaints on my end.

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

Book 3 Percy meets some new friends, and a new goddess. Of course there is always trouble with the young demigod, but he finds his way out of it with team work. Pace was good, but nothing amazing. It was a good book, but could be easily forgotten.

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Book 2 was much better, as to be expected. The pace was good, and there was a delightful twist at the end. There isn't much to say in way of criticism. I know this is brief, but it was a good YA book.

Austenland

I am a huge Shannon Hale fan, however this attempt was like living in Utah with angry, single women over the age of 24; oh wait, I do that now. Basic story the loser in love Jane, oh what a surprise, is a thirty-something year old with a history of lame boyfriends. Luckily she has an aunt that's practically prehistoric that visits her just in time to find out that Jane has a nasty obsession with Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Again luckily the aunt dies and leaves a Mr. Darcy dream vacation to Jane. Let's keep up with the lucky theme here, she happens to have 3 weeks vacation saved up to take her, who would have guessed it, 3 week vacation. Once there she gives up her modern life to dive back into the early 1800s and all of the glories that brings. After three boring weeks and a few make out sessions with a gardener/actor; oh and an almost expulsion by the wicked owner of the resort, she leaves England making out with a real life Mr. Darcy on the air plane back to New York. Keeping with the scale this one gets a -10. Moral of this book, be desperate, awkward, never go on vacation and poof! Single women will get there unhealthy obsessions in a healthy way.

Percy Jackson, eh?

So I've now read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and I'll have to say that it's o.k. Look I'm a fan of Greek Myth. and I like the twist, however he's not the best writer.

Percy, the main character, is this punk kid that gets kicked out all the schools he graces with his presence, and just in the nick of time it turns out that he's actually special. Whew! I thought he was just a teenager with an attitude. Ha! No, in reality it's a fair read. I have hopes; not high ones, but hope for the rest of the series.

Going back to the writing style, he's an average writer with an o.k. story. I did dig the few moments of originality, but I would like to see some more originality Rick Riordan. Even kids don't want to see what's coming. I felt like every other page I knew that someone a punk teenager kid would never talk to in the first place was going to turn out to be a death threat for the kid. So on a scale of Harry Potter 10 and Collapse -15 I'll give it a 4.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

I have not had so much fun reading a grammar book since Kolln and Funk. Lynn Tuss is witty and my new best friend. This book is practical and approachable for most kinds of readers. And, let's face it who amongst us couldn't use a brush up on our grammar? As she says just a drive down the road or a look at the newspaper will show you just how little we know about our language, and how we direct ideas. I suppose the real issue with grammar is how our language is changing.

Consider yourselves sufficiently warned from here on out this is a tangent and I'm not afraid to rant slightly. I can appreciate the fact that language is changing. I can even agreed that new spellings and vocab are necessary. However, just because texting has taken over in the way that most of us communicate, I don't think that we should give up everything that our language has developed into. Again, let's face it most of the general population can't spell or properly use a comma, but that doesn't mean that it should be acceptable. Have we no self respect? What does our communication say about America? Now granted I'm a weird one. I love grammar. I love writing. So, of course, I want the whole country to be able to be able to spout off what a comma splice is, or how to properly use a comma to seclude relative clauses. But I could be just as satisfied if the general population if Americans could properly use 'be' verbs. The point is that the slacking is starting somewhere, so where's the blame to be placed? The public school system (my personal favorite), parents, T.V.? Take your pick. They all contribute to the lack of ease in communication. I suppose the real point of this rant/tangent is that we should take more care in how we present ourselves in print. Have some dignity people!

Fablenhaven

O.K. I admit I'm a little bit behind on the Fablehaven series, but I must say that it was a fun find in the world of childrens/YA lit (depending on your definition). Brandon Mull does a wonderful job keeping up with the fantasy kick, but he does it by being original. His writing is decent, imaginative. I have enjoyed each of the 4 I have read so far and recommend them to anyone with younger children, anyone going through Harry Potter withdrawals, or someone who is in need of an easy, delightful read. I have high hopes for the 5th in the series.