Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Okay, I have no idea what was going through Horowitz's mind when he was writing Evil Star but it was definitely not the genius that inspired the character of Alex Rider. The Alex Rider series is so different from Evil Star that I feel like I'm reading a book by a completely different author. Stormbreaker sucked me in and I finished this book within a day, completely and utterly breathless. I was just about to give up on Horowitz but I found some strength in me to pick up this book and I am so happy that I did.

Alex Rider is a kid that I am now in love with, and this is coming from someone who is in a healthy relationship with a real human being. The way he is extremely courageous and daring all because he is practically being blackmailed into doing it. Sure he has no choice in being chosen as an M16 spy but he could very easily stink at his job but he doesn't. He has that knack for getting into the right kind of trouble, something that I have always admired about characters and dreamed that I had myself. It is people like Alex Rider and Nancy Drew that first inspired me to become a detective, a job I would easily do if I wasn't such a chicken. If you're a teenager, especially a guy, pick up the Alex Rider series. They are a great action adventure right next to any of James Patterson's Pageturners.

P.S. It's Christmas Eve so I would like to say MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, HAPPY KWANZAA, and whatever other holiday you are celebrating this holiday season!!!

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

The last manuscript written by this amazing author is just as thrilling as his earliest works. Having read Jurassic Park for a class assignment, when I saw this book on the bestseller list I knew I had to pick it up and I wasn't disappointed. The way Crichton sucks you into the privateering way of life in the New World, it's almost like the reader is taken back on another adventure with the newest Jack Sparrow, Captain Charles Hunter. The same knack for breaking the rules and the loyalty of his crew, Captain Hunter is the good version of Jack Sparrow. He even has a betrayer on his ship that reminds me of Captain Barbosa before he stole the Black Pearl away from Jack.

The action surrounding this story is out of this world but extremely believable at the same time. The expedition to gather treasure from the crown at all costs seems something the English would have done and the way Hunter manages his crew is typical yet original in all ways. I wouldn't even be surprised if Crichton got the inspiration for this novel from Captain Jack Sparrow himself. The way Crichton not only describes the action, but as well as the gruesome deaths can make almost anyone sick to their stomachs but it's this detail that keeps the story going.

I am sad to say that this author is no longer alive and this is probably the only finished manuscript that his family has found but Michael Crichton left a legacy behind him. With writing not only this novel but also Jurassic Park and many others, creating and filming the hit TV show ER, Michael Crichton is still the only writer to have had the number one book, movie, and TV show at the same time. He is missed greatly by the writing world.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Alrighty, as a loyal Twilight fan I have to put up an honest review of the movie. Yes, I talked alot about how amazing and horrible the first Twilight movie was but this one I will speak the truth. While New Moon was 100% better than Twilight, it still wasn't what people would call a "great" movie. Kristen Stewart's acting improved but only marginally, Robert Pattinson's pain I believed 100%, and Taylor Lautner did an amazing job (might I as his body looked spectacular as well), and all the vampires, werewolves and humans did a great acting job. To me it was just Kristen who did't do the best, and it's sad because she's Bella, she's the star. Don't get me wrong, I love Kristen Stewart as person (she is a lot like me, it's kind of scary) but her acting can be better. It constantly seems like whatever emotion she's playing, whether its depressed, in love, happy, sad, or scared, it's always the same expression: blank, vacant, lost, and stuttering constantly. Hopefully Eclipse is better....

P.S. For those of you who don't know, Robert Pattinson is absolutely amazing!! I'm just saying... ;-)

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

Okay, I know I haven't written in a while but the busy schedule of a super involved student is to blame. But throughout this whole time, I tried to read Angels and Demons and when I finally finished I was amazed. Dan Brown amazed me once again with such a page turning thriller that I could hardly put it down. It is thanks to this book that I have become an amazing multitasker. Robert Langon is seriously pulled into the strangest situations that any person can be put into and while The Lost Symbol, the sequel to The DaVinci Code, is still not on my bookshelf I'm sure that adventure is just as strange and definitely not boring. The twist and turns that Brown takes you through tend to surprise you and the way he uses religion and real life facts to make story into ficiton is amazing. Obviously, if this book was based on true events, it would be a work of nonfiction but it is clearly fiction so that is how everyone should read it. I offer the same advice that I did with The DaVinci Code, read it with an open mind and just to have fun. If you are truly strong in your faith you would not have a problem with this book. At least you shouldn't. Anyway, this book is a lot less offensive to the Catholic church, it actually shines both Catholicism and Science in a positive light, but that's only if you truly analyze the book. At first glance, it looks like the book is completely against the church.

All controversies but aside, I truly did love this book. For everyone out there who likes a great thriller please pick up this book and read it. It is truly amazing.