Book #21 Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book Volume 1 by Terry Moore

This is yet another graphic novel which really hooked me as well. Not only is the story line awesome but the artwork is fabulous. My husband who is a die hard Manga fan read this story and enjoyed it. Shocked the hell out of me. Anyway this is the first novel about Francine and Katchoo. This first story focuses more on Katchoo's past which is quite dark and is something Francine doesn't know too much about. The reason why I am listing these graphic novels is because they are quite thick and took some time for me to get through. As stated previously, the art work is beautiful. Additionally, Mr. Moore has constructed a very complex storyline and has thrown in poetry here and there.

Things I liked about this book:

• The art.
• The poetry.
• The story of Francine and Katchoo.

Things I don't like about this book:

• It's damn near impossible getting Vol 2 at a bookstore b/c this series was done about 10 years ago, according to what the guy at Barnes and Noble told me. So needless to say, had to order it online and waiting for my second installment.
  

Book #20 La Perdida by Jessica Abel

I think this is the first graphic novel that I really fell in love with and that I couldn't put down. La Perdida is about a college aged girl who goes to Mexico. She wants to come to terms with part of her Mexican heritage. Her name escapes me at the moment. But she begins her life living with her white ex-boyfriend. After deciding she wants to immerse herself in the culture, she begins classes at a school and later gets a job there as a teacher. Eventually, she moves out into her own apartment shared with another teacher from the school and her boyfriend. I'm not a very good writer and I can see I'm not doing this story justice, but I could not put this graphic novel down. If anything I realized there is a difference between Manga and graphic novels. I loved this story.

What I like about this book:

• It helped me distinguish what types of graphic novels I enjoy reading.
• The story was phenomenal.
• I'm waiting for my friend to finish it so I can read it again.
  

Book #19- The Observations by Jane Harris

What a fabulous read!!!!! It's about a maid, Bessy, who begins working at Castle Haivers. Arabella, her mistress, wants her to keep a journal and informs her that from time to time, she will be reading what Bessy has wrote. One day when Arabella is away from the house, Bessy sneaks into Arabella's desk and stumbles across a book her mistress has been writing called the Observations. Arabella has been keeping notes and recording bizarre experiments which she has conducted on past maids. In her book, she is trying to discover the qualities which encompass a perfect housemaid. Needless to say, Bessy finds that there are pages about herself in there. Based on what is written, Bessy feels betrayed. This is a page turner! I loved this book!

Things I loved about this book:

• It hooked me in! I love books that do that!
  
• The characters are wonderful. You feel a mixture of emotions as you read about them.
• The story is fabulous and there is not a dull moment at all in the book!

Things I didn't like about this book:

• Nothing. Everything was excellent!!
  

Book #18 Spirited Away by Cindy Miles

I'm still on the fence about this book. It's about a forensic archaeologist, Andi Munroe who goes to this manor to dig up and classify bones. While there, she encounters the knights who haunt the manor. She additionally falls in love with the head knight and lord of the manor, Tristan de Barre. Tristan is a ghost, like his other knights. Let's just say magical mayhem ensues.

Things I liked about this book:

• It was romantic.
• It was a nice love story.

Things I didn't like about this book:

• It was corny in spots!!
• I'm not sure if I buy all the magical stuff that happened in the end.
  

Book #17- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I've never had to read this book in high school or in college for that matter. I've heard many a person reference Jane Austen on several different occasions. She even has her own action figure. So, I decided to read Pride and Prejudice so I could understand who Mr. Darcy was and why t-shirts were printed with "I love Mr. Darcy" on them. The story is about Elizabeth Bennett who is the sensible one in the family. She's like a rebel. She freely speaks her mind about people, especially Mr. Darcy who seems a bit cold and aloof when the reader firsts encounters him in the novel. Over time, we find that Eliza Bennett actually loves Mr. Darcy. Actually, Mr. Darcy is a pretty kick-ass dude, but we don't find that out until much later in the novel. This book took me awhile to read, but I learned new words like "thither". It was a very nice story and I have to say Elizabeth Bennett is probably one of my favorite heroines just because she goes against the grain. She stands up to her overly opinionated mother, she refuses to marry Mr. Collins who is a narcissistic, pompous ass, and she is not intimidated by Lady Catherine who tells her that she is not able to wed Mr. Darcy. All around I'd have to say Jane Austen created one hell of a chick!! No wonder why people like Austen so much.

Things I really enjoyed about this book:

• The characterization!!! I really hated some of the characters in the book- Bingley's sister and Eliza's sister Lydia!! But I adored other characters like Mr. Bennett who was well aware of how annoying his wife was and Jane who saw the best in everyone, and of course Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth.
• It was well written, obviously.

Things I did not like about this book:

• It's written in English, but for some reason, it took my brain longer to process the book. Sometimes I had to go back and reread passages which was frustrating, but well worth it.
  

Book #16- Ghostworld by Daniel Clowes

I wasn't sure if I should put this one in as a book really. It's a graphic novel about two girls who recently have graduated high school and they are looking towards their next steps in life. They have random conversations about nothing but everything. Maybe I'm just old.

What I liked about this book:

• I liked the artwork.
• I liked some of the opinions that the girls had, but I also found them cruel at times.
• I liked how quickly I can go through a graphic novel.
  

Book #15- Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Cute story. It's about an English headmistress, Emma, who comes to Texas to do some historical investigated. Her friend, Francesca, sets her up with Kenny who is supposed to show her around Texas and make her feel welcome for the two weeks she's there. At first, Kenny and Emma do not get along, but shortly after, they get along quite well.

What I liked about this book:

• It was a cute little love story.
• There was a spanking scene in it.
• Opposites attract in this story.

What I didn't like about this story:

• Not enough spanking scenes.
  

Book #14- Invisible by Lorena McCourtney

This story is about a feisty little old lady named Ivy Malone. She's upset because the cemetery in her town is being vandalized. Ivy also is trying to get over the recent death of her friend Thea. Ivy begins to realize that as she is getting older, she's becoming invisible. No one notices her because she's a little old lady (LOL). She uses this to her advantage and begins to stake out the cemetery at night to try and figure out who is vandalizing the cemetery. Another mystery comes about when Kendra, a girl who used to rent property from Thea disappears suddenly. Ivy uses some interesting sleuthing skills to solve two mysteries.

What I liked about this book:

• I love Ivy Malone, I hope I get like her when I'm older. She doesn't just lay around, she does stuff.
• The story keeps the reader engaged and sucked in...

Things I didn't like about this book:

• I could have done with less preaching. Ivy is a strong, Christian character.
  

Book #13 Summer Reading by Hilma Wolitzer

Wow, it's been awhile since I've read this and I lent the book out to a friend. The story revolves around a book club and three women- Angela, Lissy, and Michele. Angela is a retired English professor who runs the book club and selects the classics the ladies will read. Lissy is a newly married woman who basically lives off of her rich husband, shops, hosts the bookclub, and is dyslexic. Reading is a difficult task for her. And Michele who cleans Lissy's house and has her own issues to deal with.

What I liked about this book:

• I really liked Michele and Angela, though at times I was conflicted about them.
• The book moved quickly and I'm glad I bought it. It was well worth the money and I didn't feel like I got jipped.

What I didn't like:

• What the stupid kids do in the end and how Lissy covers it up. It made me cry. I hate when that happens.