The Book Addict Reviews: Fat Vampire by Adam Rex

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 2 stars
Bought this book at YAllapalooza. 

In A Nutshell:
I had very high hopes for this story but my overall feeling after reading it I only feel disappointment.  I did not find it funny or charming or interesting.  The elements that I hoped would spark my interest all felt underdeveloped or unexplored. 

Review:
Doug Lee is doomed to spend eternity as an awkward, overweight, nerdy teen--all because that is who he was when he was turned into a vampire.  In order to sustain himself, he tries to attract girls.  But he has no better luck as a vampire than he did before.  He is forced to feed on cows to curb his appetite.  To compound these mounting problems, Doug's behavior at a convention has drawn the attention of a failing Vampire Hunter television show which needs to catch a vampire to stay alive itself. 

The storyline had a lot of potential.  The person I spoke to at the bookstore said that she laughed out loud throughout the entire book.  However, I am chalking this one up to an example of how every story does not work for every reader because I did not find a lot of humor in this book at all.  Maybe I missed the humor because I did not feel connected to any of the characters.  I thought that Doug was a jerk most of the time--particularly to his best friend.  His best friend was a likeable enough person, but then I wanted to know why he put up with Doug's treatment.

SPOILER ALERT

The characters that most sparked my interest were the older vampires that set out to mentor Doug and the other newly created vampires.  Where did they come from?  How did they find the teens?  How did they live?  Which led me to another of my frustrations with this book--the world created in this novel and how vampires fit into the world is never fully explained.  We only see Doug's lessons and then later learn that his mentor lies a lot--so we never really learn a lot of how this world works.   

Initially, I thought the television show would be a nice diversion, but instead I found its clunky and awkward.  Then when the show was finally starting to really get close to Doug--and the action and intrigue seemed eminent--they get cancelled.  The host starts focusing on a show idea that had nothing to do with this story.  At that point, I frustratedly had to ask why was it even part of the story!

Recommendations:
I have talked to a few people who have told me to give Adam Rex another chance--so I will with:

Hunger Games Movie Countdown Trivia and Giveaway (3)

My blogging buddy, Jen, and I have been working on a sequel to our Valentine's day celebration (the Famous YA Couples Trivia Quiz). 

So everyday I will post a trivia question about either a YA dystopian novel in general or the Hunger Games in particular.  Everyone gets one opportunity a day to answer--and it does not matter if you are right or wrong.  Any answer is worth a chance to win a prize!  This contest will continue until March 16.

The prize:
1) The Girl Who Was on Fire
2) The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook
Since these books are available from the Book Depository, I will open this giveaway internationally to any place that BD offers free shipping to.

Who are Venia, Octavia, and Flavius?
A) Career tributes
B) Mentors from District 3
C) Peeta's family
D) Katniss' prep team
 
Please fill out this form to submit your answer.

TBR Intervention (12)

I am calling it a draw.  Some successes that I am proud of but I did not make my mark entirely.

Last Week

I finished this book. In some ways it is very different from her YA books but in other ways it is not. I really liked it and I hope Ellen Hopkins does more adult books in the near future!


In some ways I found this one to be more predictable than her first book--but I really do like Kinsey. I already have the next on reserve.


Here is my failure. Triangles took me longer to read than I expected (or maybe it is more accurate to say that I did not get as much uninterrupted reading time as I had planned), so I did not get this one started as early as I thought I would. But the opening has grabbed my attention!

This Week

First, I have to finish Best Seller.  I am definitely looking forward to this one. 

After that, I have a book coming due to the library:

Summary (from inside flap):
Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother.  Her only friends are the shadows and the mice--until one night a ghost appears from the darkness.  It is Po, who comes from the Other Side.  Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.

That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery.  He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.

Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places.

For my audiobook--I have decided to start a series I have heard so much about by have not had a chance to start.  Better late than never, right

Summary (from Goodreads):
Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana, but she keeps to herself and doesn't date much because of her "disability" to read minds. When she meets Bill, Sookie can't hear a word he's thinking. He's the type of guy she's waited for all of her life, but he has a disability, too--he's a vampire with a bad reputation. When one of Sookie's coworkers is killed, she fears she's next.

And because I always like to set my bar high, I am hoping to re-read (this time as an audiobook):

Summary (from Goodreads):
Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average Joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash--fast--but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family.

Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail bonding company. She's got no experience. But that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. From the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water--wanted for murder.

Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained in the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight--and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

So do you what do you want to read this week?

Hunger Games Movie Countdown Trivia and Giveaway (2)

My blogging buddy, Jen, and I have been working on a sequel to our Valentine's day celebration (the Famous YA Couples Trivia Quiz). 

So everyday I will post a trivia question about either a YA dystopian novel in general or the Hunger Games in particular.  Everyone gets one opportunity a day to answer--and it does not matter if you are right or wrong.  Any answer is worth a chance to win a prize!  This contest will continue until March 16.

The prize:
1) The Girl Who Was on Fire
2) The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook
Since these books are available from the Book Depository, I will open this giveaway internationally to any place that BD offers free shipping to.

When Katniss tells the reader about life in District 12 and how she knew Peeta, she says this "is never the cause of death officially.  It's always the flu, or exposure, or pneumonia.  But that fools no one."  What is she talking about?
A) Reaping Day
B) Talks of Rebellion
C) Starvation
D) Hemlock

Please fill out this form to submit your answer.

THG Read-A-Thon: The Tributes

1. Imagine one day waking up and finding yourself in Panem. What district would you be in and why?

My family has been in ranching for over 100 years. As a child, my "vacations" all led my family up to the ranch to round up the cattle and brand the calves or check the cows for pregnancy or spray the herd to prevent bugs and parasites.  So if I woke up in Panem I am pretty sure it would be in District 10 on a cattle ranch.  And it would probably be the crack of dawn so we were not burning daylight!

2. The Reaping Day was one of the dreaded days by District 12. If you were picked that day as one of the tributes, what would be your initial reaction?

Dread.  I have never been a particularly good shot, particularly good runner, or particularly strong.  I do not see that I have a lot of skills that would give a chance at being successful in the arena.

3. You are a tribute and your mentor is planning the best strategy for you to win. What do you think will be your best selling attribute and/or skill?

It seems cheating to say see question above--but my best skills have always been intellectual instead of physical.  I think my mentor would focus on outsmarting the other tributes rather than a show of force.

Now--I want to start study how to tell poisonous and helpful plants apart!

4. You were not picked but your sister/father/mother was, would you sacrifice yourself for them a la Katniss or would you keep your ground a la Peeta’s brothers?

I would probably keep my ground.  I would root for my family member.  I would do anything that I could to help them (although the way the Hunger Games are set up there is not a lot a non-tribute can do).  But as I think about how the Hunger Games is seen in other districts, such as District 1 and 2, it can be seen as an opportunity.  I would not want to take away an opportunity for one of my family members to shine or to assert him or herself. 

5. Time for the first impression segment. What is the first thing that came into mind when you think of:

1. Katniss EverdeenHer with her bow with an eye on prey.
2. Peeta MellarkThe boy with the bread
3. Gale HawthorneThis kiss when Katniss returned to District 12.
   
4. CinnaThe mockingjay costume (and I cannot wait to see it on the big screen!)
5. Haymitch AbernathyStrategy--I may not always understand it but I came to realize he always had one!
6. Effie TrinketSimple and in some ways unintentionally cruel.
   
7. Primrose EverdeenInnocent and young.
   
8. Caesar FlickermanShowman
   
9. RueKatniss' memorial service--which is a moment I expect to cry at the theater!

6. Look up. Who is the character that leaps out to you the most?  Why?

Katniss is the character that always comes to my mind when I think about the Hunger Games.  She is the strength, the heart, and the dedication of the story in my mind.

7. Do you think Peeta ever thought of winning The Hunger Games even if it means killing Katniss in the process? Why or why not?

No, I think if it ever came down to a dual between Peeta and Katniss he would have planned to fall on his own sword before he would ever have hurt Katniss.

8. (Refer to p. 40)  Fill in the blanks: The Peacekeepers are back too soon and Gale asks for more time, but they’re taking him away and I start to panic. “Don’t let them starve!” I cry out, clinging to his hand.

“I won’t! You know I won’t! Katniss, remember I ______” he say, and they yank us apart and slam the door and I’ll never know what it was he wanted me to remember.

I love you!  At least that is what I always thought Gale was trying to say when I read the book. 

9. Most memorable/favorite scene in Part I “The Tribute”?

Peeta and Katniss' fiery entrance into the Hunger Games celebrations.  That was the moment where I really believed that Haymitch and Cinna had a plan--a strategy in mind.  After all of narration about District 12 having no history of success in the games, this was the moment I started to feel hope for Katniss.  

10. I know it’s too early to say, but if there was something you want to know more about or you would want to be more elaborated, what would it be and why?

I want to know more about Cinna's background--where did he come from, where did he learn the do the costume designing, what were his inspirations, how did he really feel about Peeta and Katniss.  For me, Cinna was a mystery I wanted to solve. 


Have you read the Hunger Games?  What are your impressions of the first 9 chapters?

Don't forget to take the opportunity to answer my Hunger Games trivia question for a chance to win Hunger Games prizes!

Follow Friday (16) and Hunger Games Movie Countdown Trivia and Giveaway

Q: What book would you love to see made into a movie or television show and do you have actors/actresses in mind to play the main characters?

As we enter March, the month where my most anticipated movie of the year is coming out, I have been thinking a lot about a lot of the books I would love to see as movies:

Anyone who knows me well--yes Jen I am talking to you--know I have a little bit of a literary crush on Valek.  Him on the big screen...all I can say is *sigh.*


Veronica Rossi created a world of such vivid visual details that I would love to actually see it on the screen!


I have been sharing this one with everyone I work with (who is a big reader) and now we all want to see it on the big screen.

And Now To Announce:

My blogging buddy, Jen, and I have been working on a sequel to our Valentine's day celebration (the Famous YA Couples Trivia Quiz). 

So everyday I will post a trivia question about either a YA dystopian novel in general or the Hunger Games in particular.  Everyone gets one opportunity a day to answer--and it does not matter if you are right or wrong.  Any answer is worth a chance to win a prize!  This contest will continue until March 16.

The prize:
1) The Girl Who Was on Fire
2) The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook
Since these books are available from the Book Depository, I will open this giveaway internationally to any place that BD offers free shipping to.

What is the first line of The Hunger Games?
A) "Look what I shot," Gale holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stuck in it, and I laugh.
B) When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.
C) One time, when I was in a blind in a tree, waiting motionless for game to wander by, I dozed off and fell ten feet to the ground, landing on my back.
D) When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the things I would blurt out about District 12, about the people who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol.

Please fill out this form to submit your answer.

The Book Addict Dares You To Read: Sarah Dessen

I love having the opportunity to challenge people to read books that I personally found compelling or interesting or just all out fun.  But I want to know what you think?  Have you read the book?  Did it stick with you?  If so, why?  If not, why? _________________________________________________

My blogging buddy, Jen, repeatedly recommended Sarah Dessen books to me--and I would put them on my TBR list and there they would stay.  Then I finally sat down and read one and I was in love.  Her characters are flawed, human, relate-able, cute, fun--anything that positive you can say about a character.  Her stories are engaging, believable, and all around fun to read.  In short, she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Here are links to the reviews for her books that I have written so far:
Just Listen
This Lullaby
The Truth About Forever
What Happened To Goodbye

And here is the review for my latest Sarah Dessen read:


Genre: Young Adult, Love & Romance, Siblings, Family
Order Online: Amazon.com
Author Info: Website | Goodreads
Rating: 4 stars
Borrowed this book from the library. 

In A Nutshell:
Sarah Dessen masterly tells a difficult story with an optimistic tone--so rather than feeling overwhelmed at the end.  I felt hopeful and happy with the world as the story ended, but I wanted more.  I wanted the ending to stretch out a little longer. 

Review:
Lock and Key may not be my favorite Sarah Dessen novel but I still loved it.  The story centers around two teens who have no where to go--or at least feel like they have no where to go. 

Ruby had been taking care of herself ever since her mother disappeared.  She is going to high school by day, working her mother's delivery job by night, and dealing with the electric company, the lack of running water, and the housekeeping in her spare time.  But what else can she do?  There is no one else in the world who cares about her, right?

Then we learn Nate's tale of abandonment on the part of his mother after she started a new family with her new husband.  It may not have been too bad except his father is abusive and using Nate as free labor in his errand running business.  There is no one in the world who cares about him, right?

There is a balance between empathizing with the teens and wishing they could see the options to get help around them because there are people who are willing to and want to help them.  Part of the time, I wanted to call out to Ruby and Nate--tell them to accept the help available to them.  But more than that, I was heart broken because there should not be a need for teens to be worried about not feeling loved, cared for, appreciated, and safe.  That should be a given for them. 

While the basic storyline tugged at my heart, I commend Sarah Dessen's ability to handled the complicated and emotional story with finesse.  The focus is not on the sad elements--the focus is on the hopeful elements.  Throughout the story, I was optimistic.  I always had the feeling that it was going to turn out well.  I was happy. 

Recommendations:
And my favorite part was that Sarah Dessen brought back glimpses of some of my favorite characters from her other books--Annabel on the radio or Kristy and Bert at the mall.  It almost makes me want to re-read my first Sarah Dessen to see if I recognize some of my favorite characters embedded in the story: