The Tarot Cafe Volume 1 by Sang-Sun Park

It's not difficult to guess what happened to my clients in the past.

Four stories that begin with a Tarot card reading to try to solve a problem.

I am both amazed and disturbed at the images. All the characters look female and somehow that seems wrong. However, the artwork is wonderful! The stories are interesting and capture my attention but too short for my taste.

Park, S. (2005). The tarot cafe volume 1. London, UK: TokyoPop, Inc.
ISBN: 1595325557
184 pages

Twilight: A Novel by Stephanie Meyer

I'd never given much thought to how I would die - though I'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

Seventeen year old Bella moves to Washington and falls in love with her lab partner, Edward, a mysterious boy who turns out to be a vampire. Their courtship is interrupted when a "hunter" vampire goes after Bella and Edward and his family fight back.

I read numerous reviews prior which concluded the book was poorly written and dragged in places. With that in mind, I began reading the book. I would agree the writing is not as good as Chris Crutcher's novels. However, I found the story so compelling that I completely forgot about the writing, slow pacing, etc. I read it in one cold afternoon and closed the book wanting to read more. The author has captured that undefinable characteristic of a best seller.

Meyer, S. (2008). Twilight: A novel. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
ISBN: 0316038377
498 pages

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah and James Howe

Harold, the family dog, tells the tale of the introduction of Bunnicula, a rabbit, to the family and the problems that ensue. Chester the cat is convinced that Bunnicula is a vampire and goes to great lengths to prove this to the family with hilarious results.

This book was great fun to read. The author captured the personality of the dogs and cats perfectly. The dialogue is just what I imagine my cat or dog thinking sometimes. The chapters were short, 8-10 pages, and each chapter told of an event that concluded with the chapter end. Few illustrations were used but the story was engaging enough to keep a child interested. The humor was written to appeal to children and adults. I laughed out loud at times while reading the story especially when Chester dons the towel like a cape. A good choice for a child to move to a new level of reading.

Howe, D. and Howe, J. (1979). Bunnicula: A rabbit-tale of mystery. New York, NY: Avon Books.
ISBN: 0380510944
Illustrated by Alan Daniel