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Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

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by: Stephenie Meyer

September 06, 2006
The book reminds me of the gospel in reverse. Christ preached you must be willing to forsake all and follow him to be his disciple. Here, if Bella desires to be a good vampire all must be forsaken including all relationships. Satan who was once entrusted with the earth lost his reign to Christ who took from him the keys to hell and death. Jesus silenced Satan on many occasions in the gospel when he performed his works. Ironically, Satan worked through the Jews to crucify Christ. All power that Satan had was given to him by God but he decided to exalt himself and is now on eternal death row. In the mean time he continues to seduce the world any way he can to follow him. That's basically what happens to Bella. Deception all the way.

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New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)

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by: Stephenie Meyer

May 31, 2008
***If you haven't read this book yet, skip this review as there is a bit of spoilers in it***

I did like this book, but I wanted more of Edward and Bella, that is what hooked me on the series...what I ultimately thought it was centered around. It was really sad when Edward left.....but I just "knew" he would be back. What I did NOT expect was that he would be gone for the majority of the book. Because Edward is the favorite character for me, I was disappointed. It was a good read, and I was ecstatic when Edward was reintroduced. Edward is the draw for me in these books and without him it was just....well...not Twilight.... I just found it strange for Stephenie Meyer to write this beautiful love story between Edward and Bella in the ... Read More:

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New Moon

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Stephenie Meyer

June 05, 2008
***If you haven't read this book yet, skip this review as there is a bit of spoilers in it***

I did like this book, but I wanted more of Edward and Bella, that is what hooked me on the series...what I ultimately thought it was centered around. It was really sad when Edward left.....but I just "knew" he would be back. What I did NOT expect was that he would be gone for the majority of the book. Because Edward is the favorite character for me, I was disappointed. It was a good read, and I was ecstatic when Edward was reintroduced. Edward is the draw for me in these books and without him it was just....well...not Twilight.... I just found it strange for Stephenie Meyer to write this beautiful love story between Edward and Bella in the ... Read More:

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Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)

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by: Stephenie Meyer

August 07, 2007
I could not STAND Jacob in this book. Really could not. I agree with the poster who said:

"reading 'Eclipse' (specifically towards the end) was like having a bucket of cold water thrown on me. I was just like, "HUH?!?". 'Eclipse', in my opinion, skews and betrays the true and pure love that Edward and Bella have, and the millions of fans who fell in love with those 2 wonderful, refreshing characters in 'Twilight'."

Exactly how I felt. I read this books for the unbreakable love between Bella and Edward which Stephenie Meyer clearly portrayed in Twilight. With each installment, that love seems to get muddies and trampled more and more. Toward the end, I was feeling better about it and really looked forward to the next book. ... Read More:

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The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition

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by: J. K. Rowling

December 04, 2008
I could not STAND Jacob in this book. Really could not. I agree with the poster who said:

"reading 'Eclipse' (specifically towards the end) was like having a bucket of cold water thrown on me. I was just like, "HUH?!?". 'Eclipse', in my opinion, skews and betrays the true and pure love that Edward and Bella have, and the millions of fans who fell in love with those 2 wonderful, refreshing characters in 'Twilight'."

Exactly how I felt. I read this books for the unbreakable love between Bella and Edward which Stephenie Meyer clearly portrayed in Twilight. With each installment, that love seems to get muddies and trampled more and more. Toward the end, I was feeling better about it and really looked forward to the next book. ... Read More:

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Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Stephenie Meyer

August 02, 2008
The first few chapters were great. The wedding was beautiful, the honeymoon, all that, wonderful and you could feel the intense love between Edward and Bella again. But after that...pft...gone, all gone.

I was REALLY disappointed that she got pregnant. I got hooked on this series because of Twilight, because of the intense, albeit forbidden, love between Bella and Edward. The internal struggle that Edward faced everyday just to be near her. Wanting to be with her so badly, but the intense fear that his love may end up costing her her life. In BD we see Bella become TOTALLY entranced with becoming a mother, and then protecting that baby. I completely understand this as a mother myself....but this wasn't what I was hoping for. I wanted the same, ... Read More:

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The Twilight Saga: Slipcased

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Stephenie Meyer

October 15, 2008
My daugther wanted to read the saga, we went ahead and bought the books. I decided to read them as well although they seem kind of childish to me. I was wrong! These books are well written, descriptions are acurate and vivid, and you can't help to end up hooked by the characters, the story, the sites, etc.

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The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)

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by: Barack Obama

July 15, 2008
Barack Hussein Obama has until tomorrow, Tuesday December 2, 2008, to respond to a lawsuit regarding his status as a natural born citizen. What! That's what I said. It appears the media has been keeping a tight lid on this very hot news. Evidently, he was born in Kenya and his mother was only age 18. If she would have been age 19 he would have been considered a natural born citizen. Shouldn't this have been sorted out at the democratic nominations for president? In the defense of Obama I must admit, who can remember where they were born? We go by the word of others. I didn't see my birth certicate until I was an adult. Did we all just assume when he said he was born in Hawaii it was true? Again, why would we doubt to begin with? But lets all be honest, who could have ... Read More:

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The Shack

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by: William P. Young

July 01, 2008
I loved this book. This is the God that we all instinctively know is the real deal. Although this is fiction and just one person's story the message is pure and honest. I know this may be challenging to people that see the Bible as the only true word of God. At first I wanted to send this to all of my friends and family, but then realized that they may not want to "see" God in this informal way.
The plot moves along quickly and you are not disappointed.

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Outliers: The Story of Success

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Books
by: Malcolm Gladwell

November 18, 2008
I just finished Outliers. I have read other books, Tipping Point and Blink. No doubt that he has been wildly successful, and I think some critics have felt that the public should be warned off that what he says is not necessarily fully supported or correct. Actually, I think the writing is so good, that critics are concerned that members of the public will be unduly influenced by that alone. I understand the criticisms of Gladwell for being glib, under-researched/anecdotal, unoriginal, obvious, cursory, conclusory. Also, he does tend to wander from his basic premises into other areas that have little to do with them. Many probably do take what he says too uncritically.

Nevertheless, I think he is actually underrated. Sure is he often pulling together ... Read More: