Textual Healing by Eric Smith

Paperback: 280 Pages

Publisher: AuthorHouse

ISBN: 978-1-4520-6245-7

My Rating: 4/5

Few people have to deal with a haiku-speaking flower-shop-owning ninja every day on their way to work. Unfortunately for Andrew Connor, he is one of those people.
And poor Andrew, his week has been a rough one. His former bestseller, Chasing Fireflies, is on clearance at Barnes & Nobles for only $1.37, his girlfriend left him for a corporate America action figure, and he's been tricked into joining Textual Healing, a support group for writers who can't seem to write anymore.
Dealing with his employees at his failing used bookshop, a strange new love interest from the Midwest, and a pet sugar-glider that has somehow managed to destroy his entire apartment...when will he ever find the time to put pen to paper again?
A quirky comedy set in present day New York and New Jersey, Textual Healing follows the story of Andrew, a self-depreciating, once famous author, his small bookstore in Hoboken, and the colorful characters that surround him.

'Textual Healing' is a romantic comedy set in New York City and Hoboken, New Jersey. It's a really enjoyable, quick read. I found myself continuosly laughing throughout at the main character, Andrew (or Ace), who is completely full of quirky jokes and one-liners. I found it was easy to relate to most, if not all, of the characters. I liked all of them, literally. Which isn't a usual thing for me. I tend to find myself annoyed with at least one character but that wasn't the case with 'Textual Healing.'

The story is told through Andrew Connor, or as his friends call him, Ace. This guy has THE worst luck ever. I mean, it's not bad enough that he's down but you have to kick him too! He gets his heart broken, terrible news, loses his business, has writer's block, it just goes on and on. Andrew is a former best-selling novelist. He hasn't written anything in three years and it's due to lack of inspiration. When you're surrounded by bad people, or one person in his case, it's hard to get inspired to do anything! Andrew is a great character, very well developed and pronounced. He definitely stands out...he's not like any other characters that I've read in books so far!

Andrew isn't the only character that has serious depth, they all do! Every character has a completely separate  personality and attitude. Daniela, Andrew's ex, is an egotistical bitch! She's stuck up, snobbish, and she's only worried about herself and where that next dollar's coming from. Hannah is amazing! I mean, she easily became my favorite character in 'Textual Healing.' She's so "matter-of-fact" and just tells it like it is. And I love that about her. It doesn't matter who she's dealing with or how sensitive they are, she gives it to them straight and tells them exactly what they need to hear! The side story of Brian "the Pantara" and Valerie was incredible! I found myself cracking up about so many things involving them. Oh, and we can't forget about the haiku speaking ninja. I know that she speaks in 5-7-5 haiku's so I counted it almost every time she spoke. I couldn't help it!! lol. I was waiting for her to mess up, or like, all of a sudden just start talking normally or something! lol. I'm glad she didn't!

The only bad thing I can say about 'Textual Healing' is that the jokes can seem a little overwhelming. At some points they are a bit...excessive. But, for the most part, Smith knows when to draw the line and enough is enough. Maybe I don't have a great sense of humor...Other than that, 'Textual Healing' was absolutely fabulous! I loved every minute of it. So, I'd suggest it to almost everyone. I mean, it's not a YA but it's still amazing. If you like a fun, humorous, quick read, then absolutely check out 'Textual Healing' by Eric Smith.

100 followers!!! : )

Ok, so I just want to let everyone know that, first of all, I'm super stoked to say I have 100 followers!!! YAY! lol. In celebration of all my fabulous followers I am going to be having a follower giveaway. I don't have the prize yet BUT I'm going out tonight (I hope) to pick it up. And I should be posting it by Monday. So please make sure you watch out for that! It will be good I swear. Unless you don't like it...then it will be bad lol.

To recap, I want to say thank you to all my followers, I'm so happy, thank you thank you thank you! And watch out for a giveaway just for my followers in the next couple of days, ok? Thanks guys, you rock! : )

Friday Book Blogger Hop

Friday's Book Blogger Hop is a weekly even hosted by Crazy for Books!

This week's Hop question is:

 "Who's your all-time favorite book villain?"

My favorite book villain...that's a tough question for me to answer lol. I can really only think of a few right now...but if I had to pick one, it would have to be Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter series. I mean, he's pretty bad right? He kills people, torments kids, feared by the entire wizarding world. So, he is definitely my favorite villain!

What's yours? Please leave me the link to your blog so I can check out your answers! : )

Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback (ARC copy): 288 Pages

Publisher: Hyperion

ISBN: 978-1-4231-4571-2

Release Date: May 17th, 2011

My Rating: 5/5

Mercy is an exile from heaven with shattered memories of who and what she used to be. She's doomed to "wake" repeatedly on earth in a new body, assuming a new life each time, only to move on again and again. During the day she survives in the human world on instinct, and at night her dreams are haunted by her lost love, who pleads with her to find him. Mercy's heart would know him anywhere. By her memory refuses to cooperate.
But this time is different. When Mercy wakes up she meets Ryan, an eighteen-year-old reeling from the loss of his twin sister, Lauren, who was kidnapped two years ago. Only Mercy and Ryan believe his sister is still alive. For the first time since she can remember, Mercy has a purpose: she can help. So she doesn't understand why the man in her dreams cautions her not to interfere. But as Ryan and Mercy come closer to solving the mystery of Lauren's disappearance, danger looms just one step behind. When another girl goes missing, Mercy knows they must act before time runs out. Will she be able to harness her extraordinary power in time?

I wasn't sure whether to give 'Mercy' a 5/5 or a 4/5. There were a couple of things that I didn't really like about the book but I don't think they were important enough for me to take down my rating of the book to a 4. So I ultimately gave it a 5. 'Mercy' wasn't a book that I loved right away. But I liked it and I was intrigued. The more I read, the more I liked it. I think it will be one of those books for people that you either love or hate. I want to say now, that because this is an ARC copy, I won't be revealing too much about the actual book.

The book starts off with someone ( who we later learn to be Mercy) being completely disoriented. Because she is not really who she is...if that makes sense. She is Mercy, but the body she is inhabiting, is Carmen.  She is not really sure what is happening to her, but she makes a lot of speculations. Mercy's transformation throughout 'Mercy' is amazing! She definitely became one of my favorite female characters in a series. She is a strong, confident girl and we need a lot more of those! : )

'Mercy' is very different from a lot of the other YA books that I've read. It does have some similarities to other YA books in this genre-impossibly gorgeous guy, average girl scenario-but it's still different. Carmen (or Mercy) is a choir girl. She's not pretty but not hideous either. Her and Ryan are trying to uncover the kidnapping of Ryan's twin sister, Lauren.

'Mercy' is very well written. The ending of the book was really good. There were some unexpected twists and turns along the way. There isn't too much of a romance story there, but there's still....something. I think the ending of the book and the character development-especially Mercy-are really what turned this book around for me. I can't wait for the sequel! I would definitely recommend this book to lovers of other YA books like 'Fallen' or 'Hush, Hush.' Definitely pick up 'Mercy' by Rebecca Lim on May 17th, 2011. It's a great read and I highly recommend it!!