Constellation Chronicles

I thought this book looks very good. I'm entering a giveaway for it on Goodreads.

Here's a link to the author's website:

I think this is a pretty original idea. I don't think I've quite seen or heard about anything with quite the same plot. I really want to get my hands on this one.

Hope you enjoy the video :-)

Review: Rachel's Tears: 10 Years After Columbine... Rachel Scott's Faith Lives On

Rachel's Tears: 10th Anniversary Edition: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott by Beth Nimmo

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was very touching. The story of Rachel Joy Scott, a student who was killed during the Columbine tragedy in April of 1999, is one that is filled with a strong faith in Jesus and God.



Through the journals that Rachel kept, as a way to communicate with God, we are shown her personal struggles that come with living her faith on a daily basis. But the journals Rachel kept are not the only parts to this book. Rachel's parents Beth and Darrell take turns throughout the book talking about certain aspects of their lives before, during and after the tragedy. Their takes on the killer's lives, and the understanding that their daughter had with God.



I found myself crying at so many points throughout this book. Rachel seemed to be a truly caring person, the kind of person that everyone wants to have in their lives. It is a shame that she was taken so early, but in her short life she seemed to have touched so many lives.



While I did enjoy this book I think that toward the end it became somewhat redundant in that Rachel's parents seem to share the same kinds of tidbits about their lives with Rachel. I do not fault them for this, as I can not imagine the task of writing about the loss of a child let alone losing a child so young. But I am glad that they choose to share this story and I hope that through this reading people can find faith and hope.


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For more information on Rachel's Tears please click here

Review: Sag Harbor

Sag Harbor: A Novel by Colson Whitehead

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
We are introduced to Benji and his family as they make their annual summer long trek out to Sag Harbor. The community of the upper/upper middle class African Americans who want to have their own summer place, just like their white counterparts.



The writing style takes a little to get used to but once I was hooked the writing didn't matter only the story did. At times it seemed as if one tale had little or nothing to do with the next but as you step back and look at the story as a whole everything is there for a reason.



I quickly grew attached to Benji and short of a few incidents he seems to be a really good kid, just trying to find his place between two societies. The white prep-school kids he's with at school and his black Sag Harbor friends that he shares his summers with. We are also taken into the 80's with catch phrases like "Dag" and the music that is so often referred to in this book. And anyone who's been a teenager can relate to the situations that Benji finds himself in.



Overall this is one of the best books I've read recently.


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Review: A Slaying in the Suburbs the Tara Grant Murder

A Slaying in the Suburbs: The Tara Grant Murder by Steve Miller

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book surprised me. I live in the Detroit area, so the Tara Grant murder was on every news broadcast and every instance of breaking news during the search for her body was about this case. Given that, I figured there would be little that I would "learn" from this book. I figured that it would end up being a re-hash of everything covered in the news. This book was so not a simple re-hash.



The book starts the night the cops searched the Grant home. The search that turned up the torso of Tara Grant, in the garage. After the discovery the story jumps into the past. These authors present Stephen and Tara's lives before they met. It sets up the kind of people they were and then talks about how they met, their dating and their lives as a married couple.



What I really liked about this book is that it didn't "take sides". Tara was not portrayed as a saint and Stephen was not portrayed as evil. It just told about their lives, and the problems they had. It gave facts, and the facts were that Stephen killed his wife, who at times seemed to be a bit of a domineering wife. After reading this my views on the case have not changed, if anything I'm more set in my belief that Stephen Grant killed his wife and was in a panic to try and cover it up.



While this isn't a who done it kind of book I would have to recommend it to anyone that likes murder mysteries. To have this much insight into the mind of a murderer is quite a shocking thing. And even if you think you know all about this murder, I would still say read it. There are things that this book uncovers that I don't remember the media even touching.


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Lots of Reading to do!!!

So I haven't posted a blog in a little while. But I've been busy reading so please bear with me. I have three that I'm in the middle of right now and many more that I've got sitting in my To Be Read Pile.

I'm currently reading:
Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead
Duma Key by Stephen King
A Slaying in the Suburbs: The Tara Grant Murder by Steve Miller and Andrea Billups

I've also been BUSY on paperbackswap.com I've got a bunch of "new" stuff sitting waiting for the pages to be turned:
Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Echoes by Erin Grady

I know I talk about Paperbackswap.com all of the time, but they really are GREAT!! If you want to check them out head on over to Swap Your Used Books - PaperBackSwap.com Mention Jennmarie68 as the user that referred you!!!

So I just wanted to post an update. I should be finished with at least one book by this weekend.

Thanks for reading!!!