Amazing! Extraordinary book hangover! What else can you say when a book just leaves you completely exhausted at the end? Paper Valentine hit all the high points of a good ghost story, a heartbreaking relationship novel, and the edge of your seat excitement of City Confidential. I was impressed, awed, and overcome with the raw emotion of this story. There is more than one way to be haunted, as Hannah finds out. One is to live with the ghost of your dead best friend, another is to blame yourself for everything that happened to her and you since her death, and then there are vengeful ghosts who need your help catching their killer. Unfortunately Hannah is haunted by all three and its driving her crazy.

The thematic content of this book is DEEP. I meant really heavy stuff: bulimia, depression, murder, relationships, fitting in and forgiveness. If someone had told me before I picked this up, I would have said there was no way an author could do justice to all those themes in one book. Boy was I wrong. This story is a raw emotional rollercoaster of teenage life and I was completely hooked. Of course nothings perfect, there were a couple things that I think Brenna Yovanoff added because they added a sense of creepiness and unease but not any actual plot, like the plague of dead birds scattering the streets. The pace is also really slow at first. Imagine watching City Confidential and waiting through all the back story to finally find out who did it, why and see the pictures, that’s what this book is like. Slow isn’t bad because it makes you curious, makes you go back and pick the book up because you aren’t anywhere close to done with it. When “BAM” all of a sudden you are in the thick of the action and its a heartstopping race to the finish.

Though the content deals with a serial killer, the murders are more disturbing than they are gruesome. If you’re squeamish about blood its not a gory book, but blood is used as an effect, to get a reaction, but Yovanoff only uses it when necessary. Mainly you’re like a passenger inside Hannah’s brain and dealing with the soul sucking uncertainty of how life should continue after losing her best friend, Lillian, and blaming herself a little bit for Lillian’s death. Its amazing how Lillian becomes a character herself, because it helps you work through the stages of grief: Why did she do it, Didn’t she understand it was selfish, How could she do this to me? Only Lillian has those answers and she slowly comes to terms with them herself as the book goes on

I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone, but would be cautious with younger teens due to the nature of the murders and supernatural happenings. I think this book should be an essential read for any teenager struggling with fitting in, depression, or loss simply because of the emotional mess Hannah starts out as and her strength in starting to find her own place in the world. On a completely random side note, Fat Chance by Leslea Newman is another amazingly raw book that deals with eating disorders and the fallout from making a choice like that. Also an excellent and mandatory read for teens.

I have no idea why it has taken me as long as it has to even pick up a copy of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. I’ve seen copies in every booksale I’ve ever gone to and know the name as one of the most recommended romance novels. And therein probably lies the problem. I’ve always thought of Outlander as a fluffy romance novel that wasn’t worth my time or dollars. Am I a book snob? Hell yea! However, in this case I am a wrong-headed and narrow-minded book snob. Outlander is so much more than just a romance. It is an exquisitely detailed historical novel with a rich setting and strong characters.

Claire Randalls, former army nurse, and her husband are vacationing in Scotland after 8 years apart because of WWII. During a morning excursion Claire finds herself mysteriously whisked back in time for 1743 in the middle of a cattle raid. Claire needs to learn who to trust in this new world, and learn fast. Her husband’s 6 times great grandfather is convinced she is a spy and she’s suddenly faced with many decisions, including should she marry the gorgeous hulk of a man whose life she’s saved?

Diana Gabaldon has used her history background to recreate a realistic scene of life in the Scottish highlands in the 16th century. While some I know have said that the book is just too long, I believe that Gabaldon writes exactly enough for an avid fan of history. That said, if you aren’t looking for the description of the heather on the hill or the deep, still pool then this book might seem too daunting. While Claire is out of place and out of time, Gabaldon is careful to not let too much of the future slip into the past. Claire does use her knowledge of the future to help a few people she meets, but the burden of knowledge is a heavy one and Gabaldon doesn’t use Claire’s character as witch figure, instead tries to have her learning to fit in as much as possible.

Did I mention the sex? There are a lot of steamy sex scenes and romantic assignations seeded throughout this book. Some readers might think the sex is too graphic, but personally I never felt uncomfortable reading her descriptions of intimacy. Compared toFifty Shades of Grey and Bared to You, I felt the relationship between Claire and Jamie was more genuine and led to a sort of expectation of their relationship to become more serious and descriptive. Regardless, it is very steamy and if you prefer stories where it all stays in the bedroom this might not be the perfect choice for you.

I used to look down on romances and I don’t really know why. I discovered that I really enjoyed romance when set in a fantasy world. My favorite series, Kushiel’s Legacy by Jacqueline Carey, is almost exactly the same length and steaminess as Outlander just set in a completely made up world. For both authors I appreciated the dedication to creating a lush setting and believable characters, and to be honest, I enjoyed the sex scenes.

I would recommend this series for getaway reading. I think its great for vacations or beach reading (I bought the whole series in paperback to take to the beach with me this summer!!), however this book does require dedication. At 850 pages its not a quick to finish, but the story itself reads quickly.

It is an amazing thing when an author can create a world so vibrant and real within the first few pages of a novel. What Laini Taylor has created in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the first of this series, is a reflection of the real world superimposed with a glistening magical element on top. It helps that the story opens in Prague, which is kind of a magical city to begin with, but Taylor’s writing style infuses a patina of joy, romance, and tragedy into the setting. It is extremely atmospheric, even in the made up areas of Brimstone’s shop and the fortress of Loramendi. I loved this series so much that I gave up on my library copy half way through in order to go out and purchase this book and the next in the series.

At its heart this story is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Karou, an unusual human with a mysterious past who consorts with monstrous looking creatures, and Akiva, a beautiful seraphim at war with the monsters, fall in love against all the rules of the war between their “families”. Yet, death cannot end this romantic epic in a world where souls can be reborn in new bodies. The war is not over, can Karou and Akiva imagine a new world without war or will the death and destruction destroy this fragile relationship?

I read for world building and character, although I can forgive authors for their world if the characters are compelling enough. Taylor hits both the world and the characters perfectly. Of course everyone in this story is either “out of this world beautiful” or more than the average pretty, which is my only rankle with the story. Its easier to want beautiful people to be together, I guess, ugliness is reserved for those of questionable morals or marginality. However, Taylor does get the message in that beauty doesn’t always equal good and that external beauty can mask despicable evil.

I have to go back to the language in this story. It is luscious and rich while being quirky, honest, and human. I found myself thinking about Karou’s metaphor regarding cats. Don’t be the cat that winds around its human’s legs saying “pet me, pet me, love me, love me,” be the cat on the shelf who needs nothing and no one, calmly surveying the world. This is just so powerful because its so accurate. My cats are the attention grabbing ones, but I’ve had cats that just like to watch the world around them. Taylor’s relating the clingy cats to clingy girlfriends, but its so close a match I was amazed it had never occurred to me that way. This needs to get turned into the next summer blockbuster movie ASAP because the language is so vivid reading it is almost like watching a movie unfold in your mind. I would definitely suggest this to any one looking for a good book. The romance isn’t overwhelming and much more intellectual than physical that readers who shy away from sickly sweet love stories would probably enjoy this.
Go to your library and pick it up! Pick it up today!