The Host

by Stephenie Mayer
3.5 out of 5 stars

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy that is taking over. Humans become hosts for these invaders, meaning their minds (and souls?) are taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed, but there are a few colonies of "wild ones" left. Melanie is sure her life is over when she's captured, but her invader, Wanderer, was ill prepared for Melanie's unwillingness to relinquish her mind, the ensuing flood of emotions, and (wait for it)...undying love for Jared. Outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, and the rest is page-turning drama at its finest with a nice amount of survivalist action thrown in for good measure.

While the writing quality is similar to the Twilight Series, this premise totally held my interest. It's no classic, but I listen to a lot of books while driving or working out, so, ya know, it works. And, since this is a book for grownups, it's a good story minus all the teen drama and angst, which is of course a huge bonus. I don't understand why "Stephenie" spells her name that way though.

If I Stay

by Gayle Forman
3 out of 5 stars

At times the writing felt a little forced and the characters somewhat affected, but the premise of the story is compelling. Mia's experience is heart wrenching, but I was still able to walk away feeling hope for her future, should she choose to accept it. I felt Forman was best when writing about music and what it means to be a gifted musician -- and that these people have no choice but to play. I also enjoyed the way she wove Mia's flashback's into the narrative. Overall, I recommend this book, though if your eyes tear up easily, maybe don't listen while driving! I would have given it four stars, but I did find the affectation a bit distracting.

Son of Stone

by Stuart Woods
2 out of 5 stars

OK, I think I may be officially done with Stuart Woods now. Once again (spoiler alert), he killed off another love interest of Stone's, but not before giving her ovarian cancer, an abusive ex lover and an illegitimate son. Nice. Seriously, this guy really seems to hate women and has a very hard time creating believable characters. The "son" (who turns out to be Stone's) is a genius, handsome, sweet, unspoiled by wealth or his movie-star upbringing, and seems not to notice or mind that his mom is not only loose, but kind of an idiot. In other words, like father like son, he's ridiculously perfect, and he agrees with every saccharine "life lesson" lecture Stone imparts. For some reason, the dialogue in this book struck me as more forced and affected than usual, but then again, the guy sells a lot of books, so who am I to say? I think good old Herbie Fisher is becoming my favorite character, but even he's on a path that's pointing to straight and narrow. (sigh) I will say the book held my interest enough to finish it, but it was definitely a let down, and when I was done, I was left wondering, "Well what the hell was that all about?" Whatever formula Woods is using needs a tune up. Even James Bond is more human than Stone Barrington. But let me tell you how I really feel...