Hex Hall

by Rachel Hawkins

Grade: Unfinished
Read: To page 20.

Because page 20 is where it says this: "I turned. Leaning against a tree, his collar unbuttoned and tie loose, was a smirking guy. His Hecate blazer was hanging limply in the crook of his elbow."

There's a reason why I don't read chick-lit stuff. I get to the sentence like that, and I simply can't get myself to read any farther, even if the book contains Lord Byron as an English teacher and a mysterious murder. (And yes, I checked the end to make sure leany-smirky guy was the love interest. I'm not stupid enough to skip a book with Lord Byron as an English teacher if there's a possibility that the love interest isn't leany and smirky and handsome and sexy and why-do-I-hate-him-so-much-?-oh-I-guess-it's-because-I'm-really-attracted-to-him-y.)

It's kind of annoying, actually. I mean the fact that I can't read any farther. Maybe I'll grow out of it, and learn to adore the amazingly cute love interests who first appear leaning and smirking. I really do hope I do, because they appear in quite a lot of books, and it really bothers me that I can't continue reading after that.

You know what? I think it's almost all about first impressions for me. In other words, if they first turn up leaning against a tree in a sexy manner, I'll hate them. If they show up more slowly, seeming like they might just be a secondary character, I might even love them despite their sexiness. Maybe. I have to think about this more.