The Karma Beat - Juli Alexander

Not every seventeen-year-old girl works part time for the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E., but when you're a genie, you have obligations. I'd rather spend my time rocking with my older brother's band. I've been waiting years to replace the last drummer. Just when it's looking good for me, Leo Fuller shows up, and this bad boy genie's after more than just my drummer gig.

Male genies are dangerous, volatile, bad-boy types, and I'm finding him way too attractive. If we're caught together, we could both lose our powers and be banished to the other realm. I know helping Leo will be a really bad idea. What I don't know is why I'm doing it anyway.

Interesting but super light.

I'd never read a book about genies before so the book was refreshing in that sense, but it was really light. I felt like we were only ever scratching the surface of the characters and the whole genie world. We never got to dig deep.

The plot was entertaining enough to keep me reading, although it was definitely a book I could toss aside mid-chapter for several weeks or months without a second thought.

If you're looking for light-hearted fluff you can speed through in an evening, then check out this book. But if you want in-depth characters, you won't find them here.

Africa In My Blood - Jane Goodall & Dale Peterson

Africa In My Blood is an extraordinary self-portrait, in letters and commentary, of Jane Goodall's early years, from childhood to the landmark publication of In the Shadow of Man. It reveals this remarkable woman more vividly and clearly than anything that has been published before, by her or about her. We see Goodall grow from a schoolgirl into the promising young candidate whom the legendary Louis Leakey sent to a wildlife preserve on the shores of Lake Tanganyika to undertake a revolutionary study of chimpanzees. At Gombe we see her immerse herself in the lives of wild animals as no one had done before. Africa In My Blood is a dramatic, moving, funny, and important book that tells the story of how an English girl who loved animals became one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century.

Before reading this book, Jane Goodall had always just been "that monkey lady" to me - little did I know, chimps and monkeys aren't even the same species! The book taught me a lot about Jane (and chimps), but it could have been far briefer.

The early letters were rather boring and dry, although it was evident from a young age that she was fascinated by animals. Where the book really picked up and hooked me was when Jane was finally sent out to the reserve. After that point, I was engrossed.

Jane's voice and passion shine through in every letter - be it personal or professional. It was hard not to share in her excitement.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to peer in to Jane Goodall's personal life and early career. If you can survive the first half, the second half is well worth it.

A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin

The second book of A Song of Ice and Fire.

Throughout Westeros, the cold winds are rising.

From the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding lands of Winterfell, chaos reigns as pretenders to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms stake their claims through tempest, turmoil and war.

As a prophecy of doom cuts across the sky - a comet the colour of blood and flame - five factions struggle for control of a divided land. Brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, the price of glory is measured in blood.

A book of war.

With such chaos and fighting, the story was very intense.

I really enjoyed all the different perspectives. It's great seeing a tale from several different angles, and it really allows you to better understand the characters and their motives.

However, at times the story did lag a bit and some of the fighting ran a bit long.

I am very thankful for the appendix at the back, with the lists of characters and who's related to whom. Very helpful. Things got rather confusing at times and my brain is still a little muddled about some of events that occurred.

Overall, not my cup of tea. Although I am still anxious to read the next in the series.

Brighton Belle - Sara Sheridan

As Britain huddles under the grey mantle of post-war austerity, broken-hearted ex-Secret Service employee Mirabelle Bevan moves into semi-retirement in Brighton. But intriguing details keep intruding on Mirabelle's lonely existence and it isn't long before she's asking dangerous people difficult questions and challenging the mysterious shadows of World War II that begin to rock her new life.

Not terrible, but nothing spectacular either. I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It had its interesting moments, but overall it just wasn't there. In reading, you feel like you are just skimming the surface of what could possibly been a much more fascinating story. The book failed to envelope me.

The premise of the book was quite intriguing, all the ins and outs of it. But at times I found it a bit confusing.

I must applaud Sheridan's writing style, as it absolutely thrusts you into the 1950s. It can be difficult to get the tone of an era across in this manner, but Sheridan has achieved it well.

Mirabelle and Vesta were definitely redeeming aspects of the story. These women were simply wonderful characters. I truly enjoyed them.

Overall, if a friend asked me about this book I'd reply with a shrug and a "Yeah I guess you might like it. Maybe."