Black Dehlia written by James Ellroy
The Black Dehlia puts a fictional twist on the real life case of the Black Dehlia. The story follow Bucky Bleichert
a L.A.P.D officer assigned to the case of Elizabeth short, she was found on January in 1947. Her body cut in half. Bucky goes crazy trying to solve her case and slowly becomes consumed in it to the point were he falls in pretty much in love with this dead woman.

This book took me a while to get through, but as much I wanted to trash this book I managed to get through the whole thing. It was just so dark and plain gross at point.I got the book (though it was fiction) to learn more about this unsolved mystery, and I totally regret it. Because James Ellroy portrays her as a slut who sort of deserved what she got, so in a way it sort of ruined the reputation of a girl know one really knew.
As you get deeper and deeper into the case it gets more dark and wierd. I'm not dissing it I sort of get what Ellroy was trying to do, but at times he did not need to get so graphic in detail you know.
I was fairly disappointed in this book which is rare for me, but anyway yes I should have just rented it for free at the library instead of buying it.

Thanksgiving Ect.

So yes This blog is about books but I wanted to make a post about Thanksgiving.

  The thing I am thankful for this year is my grandparents.
You see my mom, my 3 siblings, and I lost our house this summer. My mom went to stay with friends, and my siblings and I went to live with my step grandparents. They have made things so wonderful for us here, trying to make things as comfortable as possible. My mom has not really tried to even be in our life or try to work hard to getting us together, and they try to shower us with even more love because of that. They do everything for us and since moving here people have made comments that we look happier, healthier, and we are doing much better in school.
So my "Thanksgiving wish" is that anyone who has had a rough year, or had your ass kicked by the ecomonmy, will have somone just as loving and supporting in your life. If it comes in the form of family, friends, or a kind stranger.
Because in reality Thanksgiving is pot about stuffing yourself full of food, football games, or a parade. It was about a celebrating from making new friends, who helped each other in a time of need.
I hope your Thanksgiving is full of joy and stay positive because there is so much good stuff that is yet to come.

Pick Your Poison

Ok this has to be one of my favorite books (and series). It is the first book to the Yellow Rose Mystery series by Leanne Sweeney.

Abby Rose is a down-to-earth heiress, who does not know what to do with her life. That is until the day she finds her gardener Ben, dead in the green house. Abby and her sister Kate are questioned by the authorities, but Abby can not help but ask a few questions of her own. Like if they will be trying to find his family. When they tell her no she soon takes it upon herself to find his family and give him a proper funeral. But in doing that she soon finds herself in the middle of a secret that was hidden for years. 

Yes this is my favorite book as I've already said, so here is why. Abby has to be one of my favorite protagonists, she is so witty, smart, and does not let her financial status dictate who she is.
Another great quality about the book is that Leann Sweeney adds in funny "Texan sayings", and advice that Abby's father used to say.
This book does not get boring, it has you hooked at page one and not wanting to put it down.
It is a must read!

Patty Jane's House of Curl

When I was making a visit to Goodwill a few weeks ago, I could not help but go look at the books and came across Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik.

Patty Jane and her sister Harriet have had a hard life. They had to pretty much raise themselves due to their parents alcoholism.
Things start looking up when Patty Jane marries the love of her life Thor, and Patty Jane soon becomes pregnant (thought Thor does not believe it).Harriet also falls for a very rich and caring man named Avel.
But as Patty Jane's pregnancy becomes real Thor starts distancing himself from his wife. Until one day he just disappears. Patty Jane has the baby soon shortly and goes through a patch of depression. With the help of her mother-in-law Ione, Harriet, and Avel though she soon gets her life on track. Remembering she now has a little girl to take care of and be strong for. Patty Jane starts by going to school to be come a beautician and eventually opens her own salon. The book continues to follow the family through their lives, and their many troubles. But they realize with each others help they can survive anything.

This book had me laughing, crying, and left me feeling inspired. The characters are just so strong, and though it was set in the 60s the characters are still relative to women of today . though I do admit some of the problems they faced had me putting the book down pondering "After all this how do they manage to be happy in life?"  But then I realized it was because these women supported each other, and helped each other see the goodness that they still had.
This book honestly should be a classic, because it is one of those books that will have you wanting to read it again and again, and recommend it to everyone you know.  So please read it, it is so amazing.

Pride Prejudice and Zombies

Halloween has just past and in celebration of it I read Pride Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and of course Jane Austen. I bought it a year ago after practically pining for it in the book store. But it took me a while to actually read it.

Any who here is a brief overview...
The story is set like Pride and Prejudice, but Merry Old England has now been taken over by zombies, with the characters right in the middle of the zombie infected land. The story like the original follows Elizabeth Bennet a smart, beautiful and now deadly girl. She and her sisters are skillful "warriors" that protect their property by killing "unmentionables".  When not dealing with zombies she has to deal with her embarrassing mother, defending her family's honor, and finding love.

So yes like many I was ecstatic about the fact that Jane Austin's brilliant work of literature was going to include zombies. And though I wanted to love this book I just didn't.
Let me first wirte what I did like about the book. That is simple enough...the ZOMBIES! I mean come on you don't see that everyday. The parts where Elizabeth and her sisters are actually fighting the zombies is very entertaining. Also I liked that Smith changed and added parts of the book that do set it aside from Austen's work.  Plus it was pretty funny in parts.

Now for the bad. All in all I felt the book was pretty poorly written.  I get Smith was trying to write the story like it was written in 1800s, but he just failed at it. At times I was scratching my head thinking "what is the heckles is he tying to say?".  Also at parts it felt like my 13 year old brother could have written the book, because characters were puking for no real apparent reason, and Elizabeth was ripping out ninja's hearts and eating them. So, yah it was just plain creepy and weird (and not the good kind) in parts.

All in all though I would give this book a 6/10. It was not completely bad, but it is not a book I would likely not read again. (Though I would go see the movie ):-D

Fallen Angels

I am going to do my first review on a book that I just finished reading for school Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. (It has become one of my favorites.)  But first here is an overview of the book.

17 year old Richard Perry decides to join the army so he can get out of Harlem and earn money to help support his mom and little brother. But Harlem seems like paradise when Perry soon finds himself fighting in the Vietnam war. His only hope is to make it out alive. But with the help of his friends and fellow soldiers Pewee, Johnson, and Lobel he might just make it out unscratched.

I read a book by Walter Dean Myers called Slam! a few years ago and I really enjoyed it, so when I saw Fallen Angels on the list of novels I could chose for English class I just jumped at the chance to read it. I'm glad I did.
I love the characters. Shockingly my favorite was not the protagonist Perry, but his best friend Pewee. He was such a funny character and  he lightened up a lot of the book which is good because I am not a fan of reading books that are completely depressing. This book makes you realize what the soldiers in Vietnam had to go through and what they did in their day to day, and all the prejudice that black and gay soldiers had to deal with. Even though this book was written in the more than it still relates to problems the world and people face today. All in All it was an inspiring book that I think teens and adults will enjoy.