Book Review: Freak of Nature

By reading the first chapter I knew I wasn't really going to like this book. I figured I'd give it another few chapters and see if it got better. You never know, sometimes it does!

This time it did not.

Freak of Nature is a book about a teenage cyborg who has to hide that she still possesses her human mind and emotions. If she lets the scientists know she still has them, they'll erase them. This is made more complicated by her crush on one of her scientists -- he's smart, young, and super hot. She eventually tells him she can feel and the rest of the book is about her and him trying to make a mark in the world for her so she doesn't have to become anyone's secret weapon.

Good idea, bad execution. I didn't feel like the characters had an opportunity to develop or mature throughout the book. 

I'm also not sure if it was Amazon's fault or the publisher's fault, but there were missing words throughout the entire book. I'm luck and snagged a free download for my Kindle a few days ago. The price has since increased. 

I would not have paid money for this book.

The cover sure is pretty, though!

I was hoping for something a little more developed, something a little more mature. I guess I've been spoiled with my Lunar Chronicles series . . . Freak of Nature is the first in a series of books. I'll not be reading the rest of them. 

Cheers!

LC

Booklist

There are lost of books I have been told I need to read recently. And I also feel I should be reading them. I've gotten away from my "good" reading habits. I used to go to the library all the time when I was a kid. Now I live a few blocks away. What happened?

Here's a list of fiction books I'd like to read this summer. Maybe on an overnight hike or two?

1. Freak of Nature by Julia Crane
• "Donate Body to Science. Check. When seventeen-year-old Kaitlyn checked the box, she never suspected she'd have her life -- and her body -- stolen from her. She awakens one day in a secret laboratory to discover that her body is now half-robot and is forced to hide her own secret: that she still has human emotions and a human mind. If the scientists who made her find out, they'll erase what remains of who she was. Kaitlyn finds an unlikely ally in Lucas, a handsome, brilliant scientist who can't get over the guilt he feels knowing she was once a vibrant, beautiful young woman. He never expected a science project to affect him the way she does. As he tries to help her rediscover her past, he finds himself falling for the brave girl struggling to find her place and acceptance between the human and computer worlds."
2. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
• Obviously in reference to the show. I've been told to watch the show and then read the books. But that never really seems to work for me! I'd rather read them first, then watch the show, then reread them if they're still that interesting to me.
3. The Leaf Men by William Joyce
• The movie Epic starring Josh Hutcherson (2013) was based off of this book. 
4. The Five Love Languages by Gary D Chapman
• I've heard about this book for the last five years or so. I think it would be a good read and would also be something to think about when dealing with my friends and family, not just a significant other.
5. Label Lessons: Your Guide to a Healthy Shopping Cart by Andrea Donsky and Lisa Tsakos
• "Based on our popular book, Unjunk Your Junk Food, we now take it a step further and include not only food items, but other items you might use on a regular basis, including supplements and personal care products."
6. Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional by Dr. Dale Archer
• "A New York Times bestseller that offers a groundbreaking new view of human psychology, showing how eight key traits of human behavior--long perceived as liabilities--can be important hidden strengths."
7. Defiance (Courier's Daughter) by C.J. Redwine
• "While the other girls in the walled city-state of Baalboden learn to sew and dance, Rachel Adams learns to track and hunt. While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice."
• "Defiance by C. J. Redwine is rich postapocalyptic YA fantasy perfect for fans of Graceling and Tamora Pierce."
• I love pretty much anything by Tamora Pierce and am always happy to find something in that genre. 
8. The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
• "An enthralling tale of modern witch Bess Hawksmith, a fiercely independent woman desperate to escape her cursed history who must confront the evil which has haunted her for centuries."
9. Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby
• "Quiet, unpopular, non-cheerleading Mia is blissfully happy. She is dating super hot football god Rob, and he actually likes her and asked her to prom! Enter Samantha -- cheerleading goddess and miss popularity -- who starts making a move for Rob. With prom in a few days, Mia needs to act fast. So she turns to her best friend, Candice, and decides to do a love spell on Rob. Unfortunately, she ends up inflicting a zombie virus onto her whole class, making herself their leader! At first she is flattered that everyone is treating her like a queen. But then zombie hunter hottie Chase explains they are actually fattening her up, because in a few days, Mia will be the first course in their new diet. She's sure she and Chase can figure something out, but she suggests that no one wear white to prom, because things could get very messy.”
10. Blood and Snow by RaShelle Workman
• "Every thousand years the vampire queen selects a new body, always the fairest in the land, and this time she's chosen Snow White."
11. Article 5: Compliance is Mandatory by Kristen Simmons
• "New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned. The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes. There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back. Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different. Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow. That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved."
12. The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger
13. Book 1: Soulless. “Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
14. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
• “It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.” First in the Finishing School series.
• Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.  But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education. Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail's legions of fans have come to adore. 
15. Heist Society series by Ally Carter
• Three books so far in the series: Heist Society, Uncommon Criminals, Perfect Scoundrels
16. Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter
• Six books in the series: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You; Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy; Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover; Only the Good Spy Young; Out of Sight, Out of Time; United We Spy.
17. Insatiable and Overbite by Meg Cabot
• Being single can suck . . . but not as much as being undead. Not only has Meena Harper been cursed from birth with the “gift” of knowing how everyone she meets is going to die, no one will believe her warnings about their impending doom. Until Meena finally meets a guy who doesn’t seem to have an expiration date. Have her dreams come true . . . or her worse nightmare just begun?
18. Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot
• #4 in the Heather Wells Mysteries
19. The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot
• #5 in the Heather Wells Mysteries
20. Elixir Trilogy (Devoted and True) by Hilary Duff
• “Clea Raymond is a talented photojournalist and the daughter of high-profile parents. Usually she’s in total control of her camera, but after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, eerie, shadowy images of a strange and handsome young man begin to appear in Clea’s photos—a man she has never seen in her life. When Clea suddenly encounters this man in person she is stunned—and feels an immediate and powerful connection. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance and discover the centuries-old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fate, together they race against time to unravel their past in order to save their future—and their lives." 
21. Oh. My. Gods. series by Tera Lynn Childs
• Oh. My. Gods.; The Twelve Days of Stella; Phobe’s Fair Valentine; Nichole’s Labyrinth; Goddess Boot Camp; Goddess in Time. 
• “Phoebe Castro is ready for her senior year to go exactly as planned… until her mom remarries and moves them halfway around the world to a tiny Greek island. Goodbye California, goodbye lifelong best friends, hello life in the middle of nowhere and going to school with the real life descendants of the gods.”
22. Forgive My Fins series by Tera Lynn Childs
• Quartet, so far: Forgive My Fins; Fins are Forever; Just for Fins; Pretty in Pearls. 
• “When mermaid princess Lily Sanderson learned she was half human, she decided to try land life. She moved in with her aunt and started human high school. She wasn’t supposed to stay, but a crush on the school swim god, a first kiss gone wrong, and a bond to her biker boy neighbor has Lily rethinking where she belongs.”
23. Sweet Venom series by Tera Lynn Childs
• Three in this series. “Medusa wasn’t a monster, she and her gorgon sisters were guardians who protected the world of man from mythological beasts. Grace, Gretchen, and Greer are her descendants, triplets separated at birth who must reunite, fulfill ancient prophecy, and take up their legacy in a world where monsters lurk in plain sight.”
24. Maggie Quinn -- Girl vs. Evil series by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• Prom Dates from Hell: Maggie Quinn, Girl reporter. Honors student, newspaper staffer, yearbook photographer. Six weeks from graduation and all she wants to do is get out of Avalon High in one piece. Fate seems to have different plans for her. High school may be a natural breeding ground for evil, but the scent of fire and brimstone is still a little out of the ordinary. It’s the distinct smell of sulfur that makes Maggie suspect that something’s a bit off. And when real Twilight Zone stuff starts happening to the school’s ruling clique—the athletic elite and the head cheerleader and her minions, all of whom happen to be named Jessica—Maggie realizes it’s up to her to get in touch with her inner Nancy Drew and ferret out who unleashed the ancient evil before all hell breaks loose. Maggie has always suspected that prom is the work of the devil, but it looks like her attendance will be mandatory. Sometimes a girl's got to do some pretty undesirable things if she wants to save her town from soul-crushing demons from hell and the cheerleading squad.
• Hell Week: Maggie Quinn is determined to make her mark as a journalist. The only problem? The Ranger Report does not take freshmen on staff. Rules are rules. But when has that ever stopped Maggie? After facing hellfire, infiltrating sorority rush should be easy. It’s no Woodward and Bernstein, but going undercover as the Phantom Pledge will allow her to write her exposé. Then she can make a stealth exit before initiation. But when she finds a group of girls who are after way more than “sisterhood,” all her instincts say there’s something rotten on Greek Row. And when Hell Week rolls around, there may be no turning back. If there is such a thing as a sorority from hell, you can bet that Maggie Quinn will be the one to stumble into it.
• Highway to Hell: Maggie Quinn was expecting to find plenty of trouble with Lisa over Spring Break. Give a girl a bikini, a beachfront hotel, and an absent boyfriend, and it’s as good as a road map to the dark side. But Maggie doesn’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble has started looking for her. One dead cow and a punctured gas tank later, she and Lisa are stuck in Dulcina, Texas—a town so small that it has an owner. And lately life in this small town hasn’t been all that peaceful. An eerie predator is stalking the ranchland. Everyone in town has a theory, but not even Maggie’s psychic mojo can provide any answers. And the longer the girls are stranded, the more obvious it becomes that something is seriously wrong. Only no one—not even Maggie’s closest ally—wants to admit that they could have been forced on a detour down the highway to hell.
25. Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
• "We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper. Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same. So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening."
26. Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski
• "If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them." 

Yes, I understand most of these are Young Adult (YA) novels. I like them and there's nothing you can do about it. I should probably put the Sookie Stackhouse books back on here, too, but I'm not entirely sure I'd like to reread them. The show has gone quite far off the path, I'm not sure I would be able to stay quiet while watching it with my roomie. 

Let me know if there are some books I should definitely read which aren't on my list!

Cheers!

LC

Breakfast Problems

A few days ago I decided to try using up our quick oats since I was hungry, in a hurry, and craving oatmeal.

Big mistake.

I could barely stomach a few bites of it! How on Earth had I grown up eating this slop? I guess I've just been super spoiled these last few years -- my favorite hot breakfast cereal is steel-cut oats. They take about 30 minutes to cook but they're so nummy!

This new-found problem is quite an issue. On the PCT, nearly everyone eats those packaged quick-oatmeal for breakfast. That's one of the staple diet foods. I can't even stomach it for one sitting so I absolutely cannot eat it for six months!

That being said, I'm going to do some experimentation on steel-cut oats, Bulgar, quinoa and flax, millet... I'll have to do some more research, I'm sure.

I'll be sure to let you know how things progress.

Cheers!
LC