Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #1
Blurb: (from Goodreads)

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley—a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry—and anyone who reads about him—will find unforgettable. For it's there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

I read this book after a good friend of mine went to see the movie. I remember he kept talking on and on about the story, about how good the movie was and how good the first four books were and how he was anxiously waiting for the fifth. After about two weeks of non-stop talking about Harry Potter, I finally caved in, and asked him to lend me the movie. The next day he came to school and gave me the video cassette and saying "You'll love it". And I did. How could I not? It had the power to keep you in that fantastic world where   you can be a child forever, where everything has a solution and where good always wins. I went to school on Monday and begged him to lend me the first book and with every page I read, I loved the story more and more.

Ten years later, the book still has that power over me, to make me feel like a kid again and wish I too received a special letter from a secret school. What I love most about these books is that with every read, you discover new things, things you missed the previous time you read them.

This book isn't my favorite in the series, but it's an awesome start. I can't name everything I loved about the book, because I'd just have to copy the entire book. I can say I liked the idea of a secret room and a mirror that showed you what you most wanted. I also loved the friendship that Harry, Ron and Hermione have, a friendship that eventually lasts forever.

Like every other Potter fan, I hope that in the future J.K Rowling will give us a sort of an update, little tidbits of what "the boy who lived" and his two best friends are doing after Voldemort died. If it doesn't come to that, though, I'll be a happy reader as well, because re-reading the books doesn't change their charm and their magic.

My Rating:

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser today is from The Shakespeare Secret by Jennifer Lee Carrell:

We are all haunted. Not by unexplained rappings or spectral auras, much less headless horsemen and weeping queens - real ghosts pace the battlements of memory, endlessly whispering, Remember me.

What's your teaser this week?

Book Review: Chasin' Eight by Lorelei James

Author: Lorelei James

Series: Rough Riders #11

Blurb: (from Goodreads)

She wants it…he’s got it…and the chase is on…

Bull rider Chase McKay has finally landed in a pile too big to charm his way out of. Caught with his pants down, he finds himself bucked right off the PBR tour until he can get his act together.

Hollywood actress Ava Cooper became the tabloids’ favorite target when her longtime boyfriend was outed as gay. She needs a place to lay low and a chance to prove to herself that she can satisfy a red-blooded man between the sheets. The sexy, rugged cowboy she finds holed up in her Wyoming hideaway seems like the answer to her every fantasy.

But Chase has sworn off women. Forever. Or at least a month. Whichever comes first.

When they take to the road to get Chase more hands-on bull riding experience, they have every intention of keeping their hands off each other. But the two headstrong stars quickly end up riding a hot and heady rodeo circuit all their own—until the press gets wind of their affair. When the dust clears and the lights of the paparazzi fade, are they ready to give up chasing the dream for a chance of finding forever?

About a year ago I was chatting on Shelfari about sexy books and one of the girls mentioned Lorelei James and her cowboys. The only other book of Ms. James that I read before that was Running With the Devil and I remember I enjoyed that book a lot, so I thought it would be a good idea to try her other works too. Her cowboys are the sexiest I've ever read so far. Chase McKay isn't any different than all the other cowboys from the McKay family.

The reason I loved Chase was because he was different than the other McKay cowboys. He's not impossibly tall, he's just 5'10, and it's obvious that at times it bothers him a little. Also I felt that the person he was at the ending of the book was much more mature than the one he was at the beginning of the book. So, unlike some of the McKays, he grew up in this book. Don't get me wrong, all the McKays grew up and matured just fine, but most of them matured over the course of a few books.

After one too many wild nights and mistakes, Chase McKay faces a dilemma: grow up and save his career as a professional bull rider, or continue partying and lose everything he's worked for over the years. So he decides to go home, see if he can get his head straight and give celibacy a try. All would be well, if his new roommate, Ava Cooper, wouldn't be so attractive.

Ava Cooper is a Hollywood actress who's had a bad luck with men. When her most recent boyfriend is outed as gay, paparazzi start stalking her. She, too, decides it's time for some hiding and rediscovering, so she goes to Wyoming, where supposedly no one knows her and no one will bother her. Also she sets a challenge for herself: see if she can satisfy a red-blooded man and the first man she sets eyes on is Chase McKay.

What I loved about this book was how the relationship between Ava and Chase developed. Because of his month of celibacy, Chase wanted to try and become friends with Ava, and I think they did it very well. The attraction between them is huge and it sometimes make me want to be able to shake both of them up a little bit, so they would do something about their attraction. Yet, at the same time, I was afraid that once they jumped in bed, the friendship would disappear. Luckily, it didn't happen that way. The dialogue also was very funny.

The details about bull riding were very interesting too. I actually loved them, because they helped set the background for Chase a lot better. They helped me understand part of why Chase was so determined to succeed and to be the best at bull riding.

This is one of the series that don't disappoint, the series where each book is better than the previous one and no matter which book you read first, it will get you hooked on the series and it will make you want to read it all over and over again. Another thing I love about it is the little tidbits about the characters who already have their story told. You always get to see them again and that's wonderful in my opinion. Now, I am impatiently waiting for the next story in this fun, sexy series, Cowboy Casanova, due December 2011.

My Rating:

Fall Into Reading

Fall Into Reading is a fun, no-pressure challenge hosted by Callapidder Days. Here are the guidelines:

Make a list of books you want to read (or finish reading) this fall. Your list can be as long or as short as you’d like.

Write a blog post containing your list and submit it to this post using the Mr. Linky below.

Get reading! The challenge goes from today, September 23rd, through December 21st.

Check out other participants’ lists and add to your own to-read-someday pile, if you wish!

Write a post about your challenge experience in December, telling us all about whether you reached your goals and how Fall Into Reading went for you. But remember: this is a low-pressure challenge that should be fun. As long as you do some reading this fall (and enjoy it!), that’s good enough for me.

I haven't decided on all the books I want to read this fall, but here's the list so far:

1. The Shakespeare Secret - Jennifer Lee Carrell : a re-read, but I loved this book so much, I can't help myself!
2. Dead In the Family - Charlaine Harris : I've postponed reading this book for far too long. Maybe it's not as good as the earlier Sookie Stackhouse books, but I'll try it again...
3. Heat Wave - Richard Castle : I really love the TV show and this book has been sitting on my shelf for a few months now. I'm ready to see if the books are anything like the show.
4. Slave to Sensation - Nalini Singh : I've heard a lot of good stuff about these books, so my curiosity is finally getting the better of me. Again.
5. Tall, Dark & Dead - Tate Hallaway : What can I say, I love the cover.
6. Sorcery and the Single Girl - Mindy Klasky : I read the first book in the series about four years before and I loved it. I can't say I remember much, just that I laughed a lot while reading it. I'll read the entire series this autumn.

This is my list for now. If I manage to read more, I'll list them as I finish them.

Book Review : The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton

Author: Jaci Burton
Series: Play by Play #1
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The last thing event planner Tara Lincoln needs is the jet-set lifestyle of a football pro like Mick Riley; even though their steamy and passionate one-night stand proved that Mick is an all-star-both on the field and in the bedroom.
Tara played the game of love once and lost big, and she doesn't intend to put herself out there again, especially with a certified heartbreaker. But when Mick sets his mind to win, nothing will stop him. And he has the perfect play in mind to catch this sultry vixen.

I can't talk about the book without first expressing my love for the cover. There are very few covers out there that do the book justice and this is one of them. It's very hard to find that perfect cover, you know? And it's sexy. I can't imagine a better cover for this book. And all the covers for this series are amazingly beautiful and sexy.

Now that I've covered that up, I can return to the book in question. When it comes to sexy books, Jaci Burton is one of the first authors that pops into my head. Not only are her stories sexy, they're funny and full of good characters. And her books aren't filled with unnecessary sex scenes, when you feel it's more sex than action. Knowing that, I was a little afraid to pick this book up. Why? Because of the sport part. I know nothing about sports. Not one little detail. So I putt it off for a few weeks, mainly to gather my courage and try to look past the sports details. I'm glad I finally managed to do so, because I liked this book a lot.

I loved the characters. Tara is such a strong woman. She's not one of those women that swoon at the sight of a famous guy and she doesn't seem to care about his pockets more than him. She's also a devoted mother. She's willing to sacrifice her happiness for that of her son and I think that says a lot about her. I totally understood her reasons for being weary of having a relationship with Mick. He's a famous guy and a relationship with him could have a bad influence on her teenage son.

Mick is one of those guys that don't change much once they become famous. He has managed to get away from trouble and I think that makes him a very strong guy. He's also sexy, or so he is in my head. He helps Tara's son when he makes a bad decision, knowing that by doing it he could be risking his career. I think this is what made me see him as a really nice guy and the perfect partner for Tara and the perfect father for her son. Maybe it's not much, but to willingly hand over a secret that could ruin his career forever to a 13 year old  means that he really wants to be a part of their lives.

I honestly can't say a thing I didn't like in this book. Well, there's actually one little thing that made me want to smack Mick, but I can't talk about it here, without going further into the second book in the series, Changing the Game.

I am waiting impatiently for the third installment, Taking a Shot, due March, 2012. Until then, I have all the time in the world to reread the first two books.

My Rating:

Follow Friday (3)

Welcome to Follow Friday hosted this week by Parajunkee and Alison!
The main idea behind FF is just to go see a bunch of new blogs you may never have seen before, and follow the ones you like (and they’ll follow you back!) It’s a total win/win, so take a peek around and follow me!

This week’s question is:



What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?


There are many books that I'd like to see turned into a movie. I think the one that comes into mind right now is Interred with Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell. It's the story of a Shakespeare scholar trying to find one of Shakespeare's lost plays, while trying to escape a vicious killer. The story is more than just compelling, it's wonderful. And it's one of the few books written in 1st person that I actually enjoyed and didn't feel the need to connect fully with other characters or to try to get inside their minds. And on top of that, it's about Shakespeare. I can't decide who I'd like to play Kate Stanley, the heroine, nor Ben, her protector. I'm afraid I'm not that good at pointing out actors and actresses. I do know I would like Ben to have a British accent. So maybe I'd go with Matthew Goode.

What book do you hope to be turned into a movie?