This book is absolutely amazing!

A teen aged girl,Bella, who's parents got divorced when she was very young and she moves with dad because her mom gets remarried to a guy who travels a lot. Bella used to live in sunny Phoenix and moves to rainy Forks. Bella feels awkward at her new school at first, with all the stares and whispers. Some kids are friendly, some over friendly, and Bella has friends quickly, except for the biology next to her, Edward, in who looked very angry. Bella worried it was something she did. The next day the talk though. Edward is gorgeous and Bella is just awed by him. She soon finds out that he is a vampire.Edward says it would be better if they weren't friends but they're love keeps them together. Edward and his family, the Cullens, are good vampires and eat animals like bears and not humans but Bella finds out not all vampires are good and gets into some bad vampire trouble. This book is very suspenseful. If you love suspenseful and romantic novels you will love this like i did and you won't want to put the book down.

Aislinn has had the Sight all her life, and it’s always been something she’s feared. But when the glowing Keenan approaches her, in full glamour, in a place most faeries can't enter, her fear achieves a whole new level. Overhearing the deathly-looking girl outside tell her to run while she can didn't do much to help either, since she wasn't supposed to be able to hear it anyway. When the fey start treading ground on her safe places, following her, showing up at school, at the train yard, leaving her no safe haven, she knows she can’t take it any more. Her Grams, always protective, is going to lock her in the house at the rate things are progressing, but she can’t hide the truth forever either. Still, she’s determined to try it her own way first.

While originally repulsed by Keenan when he first approached her, she was also inexplicably drawn to him, and it’s become clear he isn’t going to go away. Inside school or out, he’s a constant presence, and the effort to ignore him, not to touch him, is becoming too much. Time to change the rules a little. Try it a new way. Try playing friendly and find out what they want. So long as her Sight stays hidden, she can even spy for herself, eavesdropping on invisible faeries who assume they can’t be seen or heard.

Unable to go it alone, Aislinn has confided in Seth. Afraid she'd lose him, that he wouldn't be able to believe her, she was much relieved when he took the news in stride. Still newly aware of this other world, Seth, her best friend (and more if she were to be honest with herself) is not entirely keen on her plan, but agrees to go along. So long as part of the plan is attempting to get him the Sight as well, so he can better assist.

Unfortunately, as well as Ash’s plan works, or seems to, it also changes everything. While pretending to give Keenan what he wants, she is giving him what he wants. From the moment she was chosen, her mortality began to slip away, and after a night of fey revelry and good, she can no longer pretend she doesn’t see it. How she’s becoming like him.

Desperate to find a way to undo it, Ash turns to Donia, the Winter Girl, hoping for an answer she knows doesn’t exist. And Donia can only confirm her worst fears. She has only two choices. Summer Girl, or Summer Queen. And she’s begun to feel it. She knows she’s her. So how to coexist? How to be what Keenan needs, and not lose everything she loves?

The stakes grow even more dire when the Winter Queen takes Seth captive. When Ash learns that her mother had also been chosen by Keenan, and rather than face the choice, made an even more drastic decision. A decision she knows won’t save her. All she can do is accept who she is, and make the best of it. Do what no girl before has. Meet Keenan half way. Bring her own demands to the table. As a job, Summer Queen seems feasible. Overwhelming, but potentially even fun.

This is a really interesting new twist on the Faery Tale, and I really enjoyed reading it, even with all the heart-wrenching, not knowing what would become of Aislinn and Seth when all was said and done. Highly recommended.­

I was completely astonished! My friend told me she really liked this book and she is not a person who likes to read or even reads at all. But there she was recommending a book that was a LOT longer than the ussual things I read. I bought it to try it out and te results were amazing! It took me a total of TWO days to finish this well written, romance/thriller that had me addicted to it like a vampire is to blood. LOl, jk. I thought that Stephanie Meyer had done a great job writing this book and recommend it to all y'all.

Twilight is about a girl named Bella Swan who is just and ordinary girl moving from Pheonix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her dad. When she goes to her new High School, she met an unusual boy, Edward, who she couldn't keep her mind off of. Their relationship develops after many incidents where Edward saves her and flourishes into a dazzling romance. But soon Bella learns that Edward is a vampire and this book will turn into a thriller that will keep you hooked into this gripping novel.

So in conclusion, this has become one of my favorite books and I highly recommend it to everyone.

~A Very Satisfied Reader

For those new to Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight series, this is definitely not the book to start with--you'll get lost. For those who've been waiting on the edge of their seats to get their hands on this one: you're going to be pleased. And also wanting the next one. I checked---it's tentatively due out next fall.

Life in Forks is speeding right along, Graduation Day looming ever closer, even if its reality is at the same time not quite sinking in. Bella, not a fan of her house arrest grounding, spends her days in school with Edward, afternoons antsy and awaiting visiting hours, suffers through Charlie's impoliteness for said hours, then heads off to bed where she can be alone with her dream boy, with Charlie in the dark. But even with the secret visits, Bella is ecstatic when she finds out she's getting a reprieve. On the condition that she try to spend more time other people. No problem. Except for Jacob.

After the conversation where he told her he couldn't see her anymore, Bella and Jake haven't spoken. And his last note wasn't all that promising. But she tells Charlie she'll try. And even when it turns out she can see Jake...there's a whole new set of obstacles to deal with. Like his feelings for her. And his feelings for Edward, and vice versa. All in all a sticky situation, though the trio manages to find some compromise.

Bella, still set on becoming a vampire after graduation, has a lot on her mind. Like how her best friend will most likely never speak to her again, and how Edward wants to be married first. And then there's the matter of Victoria still hunting her. And the spree of murders going on in Seattle that seems to point to a bunch of newborns running amok.

There's never a dull moment in this installment, that's for sure. Don't expect to be putting it down often. I for one couldn't sleep last night til I had turned the last page...even if it did leave me wanting another page to turn.

Continuing to be one of the greatest love stories I've ever encountered, Eclipse has further solidified Meyer as a favorite author (and excellent writer), Edward as my favorite vampire, and I can't wait to see what's next.

The speed with which I read this book speaks highly to how enjoyable it was.

The story picks up right about where Blue Bloods left off, with the grand Four Hundred Ball approaching. Mimi Force, not finding the upcoming ball to be enough, decides an even more exclusive after party would be an excellent idea. The Ball is already for blue bloods only, but she intends the party to be for the most select. Hurting people, after all, is Mimi's idea of fun. Best friend Bliss doesn't agree.

Elsewhere in the world, Schuyler is in Venice with best friend Oliver, searching for her grandfather, which was Cordelia's last request. Their trip is rapidly approaching a fruitless end when she spies her mother. The same mother who's been in a coma in NY all Schuyler's life. The chase leads not to Allegra, but to a pensione where a professore normally lives, though he hasn't been home in awhile. The locked door opens for Schuyler, providing them with their first clue. Informed that the Professore never misses a Biennale, Schuyler and Oliver head out hoping to find him there.

After more faster-than-human-sight chasing, Schuyler chases down the boy she suspects to be her grandfather, offers the words Cordelia left with her, and wakes up some time later in a foreign bed. She has indeed found Lawrence Van Alen, but as predicted by Charles Force, he wants nothing to do with what she's told him. Schuyler heads back to the states without him.

Back at home things go from crazy to worse. The Ball, the after party, her feelings for Jack Force. Bliss is suffering nightmares and blackouts, waking up places she has no recollection of coming to, always mere steps from danger. Though no one believes her she's sure Dylan is still alive, though after Kingsley Martin arrives at school and admits to having saved her from drowning, she starts to believe she must be mistaken after all.

Mimi, undone by her brother's interest in Schuyler, is growing frantic. She and Jack share an immortal bond, made difficult by their current human relationship. She's ready to reform it, yet Jack remains reluctant. She thinks up a plan to get Schuyler out of the way only to be discovered by her father. Her next plan backfires even more horrendously, leaving her life in the hands of an enemy.

This is an extremely quick-moving story, with surprises at almost every turn. I can't wait to see what else she has in the works.

Prom Nights From Hell: Paranormal stories by five extraordinary authors

Reviewed in starred order:

Madison Avery and the Dim Reaper (5 stars)

by Kim Harrison

"Fantabulous. He's a psycho. I left prom with a knife-wielding psycho. Can I pick 'em or what?" Taken before her "coin was flipped," Madison blames the R.E.A.P.E.R. squad for the screw-up which has left her body in limbo. But what can you do other than swear "Son of a dead puppy," and let the powers that be sort out this mess. Very creative plot; I wish this short story was a lengthy YA novel. Hmmm, maybe I should find that corsage.

Kiss and Tell (4 stars)

by Michele Jaffe

"Foxy girls know that silence may be golden - but only for 4 seconds." So says How to Get - And Kiss - Your Guy, the self-help book Miranda Kiss purchased to hook her crush. During her limo pickup, Miranda receives more than "live in the mo'" boy adivce offered by young Sibby Cumean. This teen package comes with spunk, attitude, oracle tellings, and men with guns. Good thing Miranda has unexplained superpowers and a thing for helping out the good guy. Filled with light adventure and playful teenspeak, this short story is a must read for boy-crazy girls.

Mary is hunting Sebastian Drake, the son of Dracula, so it's understandable that she's aiming an Excalibur Vixen crossbow 285 FPS with a twenty-inch long Easton XX75 (the tip, formerly gold, now replaced with hand-carved ash) where Sebastian's heart would've been if he were human. And if her aim is successful, she'd not only save her best friend who is under the vampire's thrall from certain fate, but the outcome might make Dracula peeved enough to reveal himself. Mary isn't alone in her quest; her father is a mad-scientist seeking a cure for vampirism and she's found a sidekick in falling for her bestfriend's-ex-boyfriend's-friend. Now all she has to do is steady her aim.

Every bit as amazing as it's prequel, if not more so. To do this book real justice I may have to go back and read it again...for reasons I can't really go into without ruining too much, I read it a little too fast.

Picking up where we left off at the end of Twilight, Bella is now recovered from her attack, still dating Edward, and now has a job at a store in town. Life seems pretty much perfect, except for the minor detail of her still not having what she wants.

Despite her wishes, the Cullens have planned a Birthday party for her, and while she's displeased, she tries to cut them some slack, once Edward points out that they've not been able to celebrate a real birthday in over a hundred years. And party-lover or not, she has to admit they've gone all out.

But, clutz that she is, it isn't long before disaster strikes in the form of a paper cut, leading to Jasper having to be dragged from the house, the rest of the family (other than Carlisle) quickly following after. Once she's been stitched up and bandaged. Edward brings her home, and his gift to her makes the night perfect despite the badness. In fact, she can't imagine a better birthday.

But it isn't meant to last.

Abandoned, Bella spends the next handful of months in a daze. At a complete loss, Charlie has know idea how to help her. But she refuses to leave Forks, and so all he can do is watch her struggle on.

Eventually, sparks of life return, as Bella vows to become reckless, purchases two used motorcycles, and heads down to La Push to see Jacob Black about fixing them. While there, she remembers how much she liked being around Jacob, and her visits quickly turn into a regular thing. Between them, and the sound of Edward's voice in her mind with each reckless act, Bella begins to feel alive.

And then Jacob turns on her.

Life quickly becomes on trial after another, as Bella refuses to let Jacob go, and after a mid-night visit does some hard thinking to piece the puzzle together, much to the chagrin of his new friends. Then a cliff-diving stunt gone bad sets in motion a whole 'nother set of events, even more incredible and harrowing.

Even more than Twilight, New Moon will leave you eagerly awaiting what comes next.

(Next installment due out October 2007)

________________

Meyer created a craze with these books, to be sure. Highly Recommended. If you fell in love with Twilight, you'll definitely want to keep reading. If you haven't read Twilight, definitely read it first.

Bella Swan isn't looking forward to life in Forks. Though her dad is easy to be around, she's spent most of her life without him. On top of which, she can't stand the weather, and she knows she won't fit in.

So when the first week of school is full of stares and whispers, Bella's not surprised. Some of her classmates seem friendly enough, though some also seem overly friendly. All in all, things seem to be going fairly well. Until Biology, when her lab partner takes an immediate dislike to her, more along the lines of hatred.

When Edward Cullen stops coming to school, Bella assumes it must somehow be her fault, and can't imagine what she did that was so bad. She finds out from a classmate that the Cullens are frequently absent, being big campers, and is somewhat appeased. But unprepared for Edward's reappearance and attitude change.

While most of the school stears clear of the Cullen family, and Bella herself finds them intimidating, she's also enthralled, especially with the ever-changing Edward. After he saves her life, it only gets more complex. The more she learns, the more curious she becomes, and the more reticent he is to tell her.

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The story is great, and the characters will pull you right in. I, myself, am currently awaiting the sequel (with not enough patience).

__________

Vampire stories were one oy my big obsession in High School, along with King Arthur and Native Americans. For some reason, even though I knew this book was "big," I was very slow to get around to reading it. The upside of which is that the sequel was there for me when I was done with the first one.

Edward Cullen is an amazing character--maybe one of my favorite from anything, ever. If you like vampire stories or love stories, this book is most definitely for you. Be prepared to be sucked in.

Twilight has also been optioned for a move. Decision pending. Part of me would love to see it happen, part of me really doesn't want to.

A HOPELESS ROMANTIC

HARRIET EVANS

Laura was a hopelessly hopeful romantic. Cupid’s arrow was always just around the corner and the look of love was forever pasted across her face. But there are only so many disastrous relationships a girl can take; the budding theatre director (gay), the romantic poet (psychopath turned SAS recruit), the passionate Colombian (illegal immigrant) all failed to be her Prince Charming, Mr Right, or even, let’s face it, normal.

After her latest entanglement ends particularly horribly, Laura looks to escape her broken hearted existence by going on holiday. Unfortunately, it ends up being with her parents and grandmother armed with a jam-packed itinerary of visits to National Trust properties and Norfolk craft shops.

Distraction appears in the form of Nick, the prickly but sexy estate manager at Chartley Hall. They have good banter, witty repartee (well, it makes them laugh) and a chemistry which would definitely earn an A grade but do they have any kind of future? Or will Laura be forever cursed with a talent for picking the losers in love?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Harriet Evans was born in London and hasn’t managed to leave. With both her parents in publishing, and her dad a thriller writer it is no surprise she decided to enter the writing world. However she is also a editorial director for a major publisher – but still hasn’t managed to get away with commissioning and paying huge sums for her own novels…

I have mixed opinions about “A Secret of the Universe.” I found it very informative, but I did not agree with the author’s conclusion. The book basically is the story of two lifelong friends: Ian and Mac. Both are seeking the ultimate meaning of life, and both are traveling divergent paths. The author uses these two men to present his opinions about the Judeo-Christian view of life and about a non-Biblical scientific view of life.

The main characters are Ian Keppler and Bill Vanderveen. Both get married in the novel; both have children. There are many characters: in-laws, parents, friends, and a study-group of scientists trying to discern what is really true in human traditions. Gibson does a good job of characterization. He describes some surprising conduct on the part of some characters, but, in the concluding chapters, he lets that conduct amplify his thesis.

A harder task is to bring in the opposing world views for Bill and Ian to discuss. Gibson does a good job here. I was surprised at some of the world views described, but Gibson provides ample references to show that these views are indeed held by real people, experts in their fields. A difficulty with lengthy technical material is that many writers will simply narrate the views instead of expressing the different views through dialog between characters. Gibson’s dialog, when he uses it, is good, but there are long sections of the book that are narrated.

Gibson presents some surprising information in his book. In support of the presumption that Christianity is not true, he quotes an Episcopalian bishop (a real person) claiming that Jesus Christ is essentially a myth, and Gibson quotes Carl Sagan saying that if Jesus Christ ascended into heaven at the speed of light (the fastest speed known to science), he, today (two thousand years later), would not yet have risen above our galaxy. In support of the Judeo-Christian view, Gibson quotes C. S. Lewis explanation that Christian altruism (inspired by God) is what motivates people to help others, sometimes at the risk of their own lives and to rejoice and be touched when observing goodness in others.

The first half of the book is an even-handed discussion of the pros and cons of the Judeo-Christian view of life with many quotes from contemporary scholars. About halfway through the book, one of the characters opines that if someone could prove that there was no historical Jesus Christ, it would be like revealing a secret of the universe. It is here that I got a premonition of where this book is headed, and I began to wonder what the secret is.

Gibson has focused everything, even religion, on a scientific quest for truth using the scientific method. The scientific method is effective for physical objects that can be measured and experimented with, but it is not effective when dealing with spiritual objects, like God, that cannot be measured or experimented with, or even observed. Gibson focuses on the work that scriptural specialists have done in reconstructing ancient manuscripts, particularity Gnostic manuscripts. However, this is a study only of the manuscripts. The scientific method cannot measure beyond the manuscripts to determine the truth of the words in the manuscripts. In addition to lost Gnostic manuscripts, there is also an ongoing legacy of Christian writers whose manuscripts were not lost. To be fair to the Christian tradition, one would have to take into account both sources of information. The manuscripts that were lost and recently found might represent what earlier generations rejected. The traditions that were saved probably represent what previous generations thought was correct and worthy of preservation. Presuming that the lost manuscripts portrayed authentic Christianity and the information that was preserved portrayed a subverted Christianity goes well beyond science. Not taking this into account is a big flaw in Gibson’s arguments.

Gibson goes so far as to propose that there is no evidence of God, no revelation, nothing more than what humans can imagine. Gibson has Mac, one of the proponents of atheism, state that, since the earliest days of tribal conflict, distinctions between people have most commonly existed based upon their various religions. I disagree here also. Tribal conflict does not have its roots in religious views. Television documentaries (Animal Kingdom) (Planet Earth) show that meerkats, chimpanzees, and packs of wolves also have tribal conflicts. It is, therefore, obvious that tribal warfare stems from our animal nature and is not something peculiar to our spiritual nature.

Gibson wonders: “how our minds, the cells in our head, could absorb and process such concepts as Einstein’s relativity.” Does Gibson think that humans are entirely physical, no spirit—no soul? One would presume so reading the book. The secret, when Gibson finally reveals it, is very elementary. The secret is love. Everyone would agree with the secret. However, Gibson misses the point that, perhaps, God is the source of love.

Gibson also argues against emotion-driven thinking, proposing that truth-driven thinking is preferred. He’s absolutely correct. In his book, however, when Bill Vanderveen suddenly discovers the secret of the universe, the discovery is realized during very emotional circumstances. When Ian affirms the secret to his sons, it is also done at a moment when emotions are high. I think this is another flaw in his book. The secret of the universe should have been discovered during a truth-driven exercise devoid of emotion and the other impediments to clear thinking that Gibson had pointed out in his book.

Gibson’s book is exciting and entertaining fiction. It contains a lot of surprising information, with references that show that many eminent people hold the positions he describes. Read it for information and entertainment. If you do not agree with Gibson's conclusions, you are not alone.