Can't Wait Wednesday #5: Monster (Gone #7) by Michael Grant

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and talk about the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.  My pick this week is a book that I squealed at work when I saw on another blog that this was going to be a book.  The Gone series by Michael Grant is one of my favorite series, it is a much better version of the very similar story, Under the Dome by Stephen King.  And to know I get to read more?  Well, let's just say I can't wait!  Here's the blurb from Goodreads:

In the stunning follow-up to the globally bestselling Gone series, Michael Grant continues the story of the teens who morph into superheroes—and supermonsters—when they ingest an alien virus.

Four years after the events of the FAYZ, new meteorites are hitting Earth, and the whole world is exposed to a strange alien virus that gives humans unique superpowers.

As some teens become heroes and others become dangerously out of control with their new powers, the world will become more terrifying than the FAYZ—and only a monstrous battle between good and evil can save them.





Have you read this series?  What do you think, do you want to read this one, or go back and start the whole series?  What book are you eagerly awaiting this week?
 

Review: Light (Gone #6) by Michael Grant (September Sequel Challenge #6)

I actually got a copy of this through a trade on YA Book Exchange a while back.  And just didn't seem to get around to it till my September Sequel Challenge.  Which I'm so not going to meet my goal this year.  But, I must say that the sequels I did read this year, including this one, were all really good.  And this was another great ending to a favorite series of mine.  As I watch Under the Dome on tv, I think about how much better this series would be on tv.  At least in my opinion.

The end of all the kids' time in the FAYZ is almost over.  The gaiaphage is coming into its own, ready to break lose, and take over the world.  Little Pete, the one who created the dome is now fading away.  The kids have kind of revolted, and no one is working.  Partly because the dome has now become see through, and they can see their parents and the outside world, and all they want is to get out and go back to normal life.  It will take the most powerful, Sam, Caine, Breanna, Lana, and others to stop Gaia.  But not before she kills many of the kids.  There will be lots of death, and even of some who may have started out as the bad guys, but who had a redemption of some sort.  Orc who found God.  Albert who knew he was the only one to get the kids back working. Even Diana, the mother to the monster, will do what she must to try to save the others, including Caine, who she loves.  And some of the deaths will be beloved characters.  And then there will be some that are thought to be dead, that may survive and show up after everything is over.  The kids know that they will have to face authorities when they get out.  That people will want to punish them for what they don't understand.  And in the end, Sam will find out things from his mother that will really change his whole view on everything, including his brother Caine.

As I said, such a great ending to a great series. If you haven't started, you need to.  They have started putting them all out in new covers, which aren't bad, but I'm glad I was able to get them all with the same cover.   Now I must fit in my ARC of Messenger of Fear that I got at BEA.  And because I must share, here is my picture when I met Michael Grant this summer at BEA.  Let me just say how cool and personable he was!

Me with Michael Grant

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Finally finished all 1074 pages of this huge novel. Really, it's actually about the size of another Stephen King novel, It, my favorite King novel of all time. It's longer than Breaking Dawn, or any of the Harry Potter novels as well. It was good once I got into it, and it isn't that it was hard to read that took me so long, just that it was so hard to hold! As I got halfway through I got to the point where I wanted to be reading it during commercials and not just at the table when I was eating. I even brought it to school one day this past week to read during my lunch break. The story was really good, and I didn't think that the early on hints that it was aliens would actually be what it turned out to be. I kinda thought maybe the "Chef" guy who ran the huge secretly town funded meth lab would be some kind of inventor who created that. And the thing about a Stephen King book is that every time you think, finally a break for the good guys, nope, there's a bad guy/thing there ready to spoil it and close that door. You just keep going and going and the last 400 pages are like htat over and over it seems.

So, I definitely recommend this. It reminds me a bit of one of his other alien books, what is the name of it, um, The Tommyknockers. Just because of the whole alien bit. I liked all the attention to what would happen inside the dome from no fresh air, or water, and the pollution and all that. Anyway, if you like Stephen King, go ahead and jump into this huge tome. It'll be worth it.

Now, a note, at my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday morning, our leader talked about seeing Julie and Julia and how she decided to do something similar and cook all the way through a WW cookbook. I'm thinking of doing something similar. But I will only cook the things I want to eat. If I do it, I'll just go straight through the book and cook what I'd actually eat. So I'll let you know when I get started with that, and maybe blog about that too. Right now I'm at a point where even though I have tons of books that I haven't read, sitting waiting to be picked up, when I go to decided what to read next, I have trouble finding anything I think I want to read for sure. What I've picked to read have all turned out good, it was sometimes just getting started.

Miss Understanding by Stephanie Lessing

I actually began this book awhile ago. It was one that I left in my master bathroom to read during bubble baths. But as I was reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels, it sat there waiting to be finished. This book was purchased when I got the crazy idea to search for chick lit books that were bargain that I could actually order into the bookstore I think I still work at.

What can I say about this book? It was one of the strangest, most outlandish main characters I think I've EVER read in a chick lit book. First the way she dressed, the ideas she had. I can't even describe how crazy they are. Her sister, also as crazy as can be. Normally I try not to give main points away, but like me, if you were to read it, you would determine before she really does that she's pregnant. And some of the gross things she talks about that happen to her body during this time? Just yuck. Can't say much about it. I'll probaby give it to my sister to read since we share all this type of book. But mainly I just have to say it was weird. I'm glad it was only $4.98 plus my 30% discount. It won't be a book I keep, and I probably won't look for any more books by this author either.

I should hopefully finish my Stephen King book tonight or tomorrow. I intend to read it during commercials as I sit home like I normally do on Tuesday nights. Oh yeah, had a sonogram/ultrasound today due to some health issues. Now, you see things about this in movies and on tv all the time when someone is pregnant. (I'm NOT pregnant, that would be an immaculate conception at this time in my life). But what was horrible about it is that you have to drink 32 ounces of water and be done an hour before time, and then you CAN'T go to the bathroom!! I was literally dancing back and forth in the doctor's office waiting for them to do the procedure. Not fun. Why do they not ever talk about that aspect of sonograms in tv/movies? I can see a huge comedic aspect to something like that. Oh well, what do I know?

Book Review ???: The rest of the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris

So, I've been kind of off my game in blogging this month. Which is kind of unforgivable as I've had many, many days when I had time to write. So I know I've left a few out that I've read, and I promise to make that one of my new year's resolutions for 2010, to actually blog about EVERY book that I read. So to probably finish up my blogging for this year, I have chosen to write one big post about #'s 3-8 of the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. Those include:

• Club Dead


• Dead to the World


• Dead as a Doornail


• Definitely Dead


• Altogether Dead


• From Dead to Worse

Club Dead was good as I believe it is when Alcide was introduced, and for awhile you think he could be a good new guy for Sookie as Bill has betrayed her for his maker. I also enjoyed Dead to the World because we got to see Eric as a good guy who could really love Sookie. However, I missed his "smart-ass" self when he'd lost his memory, and was somewhat glad that he got back to the old Eric.

Dead as a Doornail was actually kind of boring to me, and I didn't enjoy it that much. So I moved through it quickly to get on to the next book. Although it is where we met Quinn, the next guy we though might be good for Sookie.

Definitely Dead was okay, I liked the trip to New Orleans a lot. It was very interesting to read about it, especially as it was pre-hurricane Katrina. I liked the bit of subterfuge Sookie had to use to sneak the bracelet back to the queen at the party at the end. Altogether Dead, now that was a book with lots of twists and turns, and I also liked how the author used Hurricane Katrina as part of the story. There were some parts in this book that seemed to be a little confusing, but it was good anyway. I did feel though that it was a way of bringing another disaster to mind, 9/11, but that's okay.

Now, at this point I can't remember when we first learned Sookie had fairy blood, but in From Dead to Worse we meet Sookie's great grandfather, and learn her family tree is not quite what she'd thought. Again, there are TONS of things going on in this book, while I enjoyed it, at times it got a little busy for me. It seems Bill is trying to get back in with Sookie, and not sure what is up with Eric. As I was reading through all these books over the past couple weeks, I began to wonder if Eric was Sookie's "Edward," thinking of my favorite series, the Twilight books. But I don't know. In this book Sookie decides Quinn has too much baggage with his mom and sister to be good for her. Sam also starts to kind of come up again as a possibility for Sookie. The queen dies, which is sad, but the new king sounds interesting as well. And poor Sookie now has 2 roommates. As I was reading some of the books before these last 2, I was relating quite well to Sookie and how she enjoyed going back to her own house after all her adventures and just having peaceful alone time. I've lived alone so long, that I feel the same. Vacations with family, well, I enjoy them, but often by the end I'm sooooo ready to get home and have no one else around. Although being snowed in, that made me a bit stir crazy this last weekend. Even getting out shopping by myself would have been nice. Hopefully I can do that this week.

I will wait till the 9th book: Dead and Gone, comes out in paperback to buy it and read it. For now I'm on to other books, starting with Stephen King's latest: Under the Dome. Although I'm a bit afraid of the book, it is HUGE! But I started reading it this morning at breakfast.