Wednesday, December 31, 2008

"Waiting On Wednesday" (6)

This week my pick is:

Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty
April 14, 2009

This Spring, Jessica’s Story Comes Full-Circle

Old flames are reignited in this eagerly awaited fifth and final book in the Jessica Darling series. Captivated readers have followed her through every step and misstep, from a tormented, tart-tongued teenager, to a college grad stumbling toward adulthood. Now a young professional in her mid-twenties, Jess is off to a Caribbean wedding. [SPOILER ALERT! Proceed with caution if you haven't read Fourth Comings.] As she rushes to her gate at the airport, she literally runs into her former boyfriend, Marcus Flutie. It’s the first time she’s seen him since she reluctantly turned down his marriage proposal three years earlier—and emotions run high. Marcus and Jessica have both changed dramatically, yet their connection feels as familiar as ever. Is their reunion just a fluke or has fate orchestrated this collision of their lives once again? Partly told from Marcus’s point of view, Perfect Fifths finally lets readers inside the mind of the only person who’s both troubled and titillated Jessica Darling for years. Expect nothing less than the satisfying conclusion fans have been waiting for, one perfect in its imperfection.

That's all I could find on this on, but, hello? It's Megan McCafferty's final book in the Jessica Darling series. How is it not a book you aren't waiting for? Jessica Darling is like the average, of averages of teen girls out there who grow up and normal life and have a mysterious love life with someone named Marcus. Well, okay, not that last part. Not everybody has a mysterious love life, especially with someone named Marcus Flutie, but, you know what I mean. I just wish I read these books closer to when they first came out, besides the fact that I would of been in like first or second grade when Sloppy Firsts came out in . . . 2001 I think. But still. You can learn a lot from Jessica. Anyway, you can obviously tell I am in love with these books, so yeah. Perfect Fifths is on my list to pre-order.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson

Title: Breathe My Name
Author:
R.A. Nelson
Publisher:
Penguin
Reading Level:
Young Adult
Publication Date:
November 2007
Pages:
314

Rating: A
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 20/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 18/20
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 93/100

Summary: Life should be sweet for Frances Robinson. She has a quirky best friend, lives in a McMansion with a loving, adopted family, and has just met a dreamy new guy from Louisiana, Nix, as charming and exotic as evening on the bayou.

So why is she terrified of ambulances screaming by in the night? And what makes her so uneasy about the coming of spring?

Frances has a secret-the most terrifying secret in the world. A secret that has haunted her for eleven years: her birth mother, Afton Jelks.

Afton is the mother who laughed, sang, and made up stories for Frances and her three sisters when they lived in Fireless, a place of mystery and imagination. A place where Afton led them deeper and deeper into darkness, until one horrific morning in April when Fireless overtook the real world, and Afton committed an unspeakable act.

Now Afton is back, and Frances' secret horror threatens to rip her happy world apart all over again. She sees one chance to regain her life: confront the monster in its lair and find peace-or die trying. She and Nix embark on a desperate clandestine journey that will become the most dangerous quest of her life when she discovers just what it means to finish.

Review:
This book caught me in the instant I realized how different this novel was going to be from what I expected. Which was early on. The first chapter was so raw with emotion, but the type and the feeling you first get from it will surprise you. This novel was really mind-blowing. I kind of part the novel into two sections. The part where she meets Nix, and the part where she goes on the road trip to see her mother.

But . . . first I have to say how much I loved Nix as a character. Just his name sounds cool. It's not his looks or whatever that I love about him, it's his personality and hospitality he has. He's crazy funny, and having this book set in the way south in Alabama and Nix being from Louisiana just makes it even more interesting. You'll see why when you read this novel.

The characters are definitely the most real part of the book and the most part R.A. Nelson succeeds in. Frances is the type of girl who is quiet and she's just doesn't really feel safe and complete in her new household. Even if she doesn't admit it. Her relationship with Nix is so fresh and interesting, unlike the novels out there with the happy-go-lucky and love-at-first site love, this is real and raw. The characters were very three-dimensional and honest.

R.A. Nelson is a genius writer. He's just incredible with words and he really shine's through with the writing in this book. The ending was so unpredictable ***SEMI-SPOILER*** And it really, really surprised me, I'm only labeling this as a semi-spoiler because if you haven't read this book I really want you to be surprised about what happens instead of expecting it. ***END-OF-SPOILER***So the ending is great and very good and unique.

This novel is a five-star one. Very, highlyhighlyhighly recommended. Nelson's other novel, Teach Me, is one I've heard of, but never really looked into but now that I've read this, I looked at it and it looks extremely good, like this novel, so I'll probably look for that one soon. Just, you know, look out for this author, he's one to look out for, trust me.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Beloved ___ of 2008!

Okay, so I saw The Story Siren doing this and since I haven't given you a review in a while (It's because I've been reading to many ARC's!) that I just thought I'd give you something today and this just popped in my mind from when Kristi did it. So here it goes.

Best Book of 2008:

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

I figure this was a shoo-in.

Favorites books of 2008:

Swimming With The Sharks by Debbie Reed Fischer
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Wake by Lisa McMann
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The Dead & The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
House of Dance by Beth Kephart

Gone by Michael Grant
Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
Model: A Memoir by Cheryl Diamond
I Know It's Over by CK Kelly Martin
Invisible Touch by Kelly Parra
Paper Towns by John Green

Favorite Cover's of 2008:
(Some are books I haven't read, but have desperately wanted to.)

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
I Want to Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
The Elite by Jennifer Banash
Rumors by Anna Godberson
House of Dance by Beth Kephart
Far From You by Lisa Schroeder
Bliss by Lauren Myracle
Undone by Brooke Taylor
Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr


Favorite Writers of 2008:
Sarah Dessen (Lock and Key, Just Listen, The Truth About Forever)
Elizabeth Scott (Living Dead Girl, Stealing Heaven)
Beth Kephart (House of Dance, Undercover)
Stephanie Kuehnert (I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone)
John Green (Paper Towns, Looking For Alaska)
Stephenie Meyer (The Host, Breaking Dawn)


So all in all, this was an excellent year for reading. Just keep in mind for some of the categories, I couldn't remember all of the amazing books and/or authors out there.

I hope everyone has an exciting and awesome New Years!

P.S. I finished You Are So Undead To Me, but the review won't be up for awhile, but I'm in the middle of Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson, so expect a review for the in a few days! And you should expect an On The Outside post sometime this week also!

Friday, December 26, 2008

My Christmas Haul!

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate! Everyone's asking, so I thought I'd share what I got for Christmas, my main things at least.

I didn't get any books this year, which really didn't surprise me, haha. With all the books I've been getting these last few months, I swear my bookshelf is at least twice as big as when I started this blog. But, whatever, I got some great stuff this year.



*Samsung Juke in Teal, which I was a little hesitant about at first because it's so tiny but now that I've been playing with it for a day, I am totally and completely in love with it.
**Creative Zen mp3 player, I had a 1 GB mp3 player from Creative for about two years now, and one GB is just not enough with all the songs I've turned to love these last few years. I had found myself rotating songs I felt like listening to on at that moment, but now this is a 4GB player, plus my dad gave me a memory chip of sorts (I'm not good with that type of stuff, lol.) that is another 4GB. I love the big screen and the vivrant colors to it. I just love it all.
***Twilight Movie Soundtrack, so when my mom and I were heading out of the theaters last November 21, we had just finished listening to Decode by Paramore, which I believe is the last song in the movie, and i told her I wanted the soundtrack for Christmas, and I got it! I've only listened to about half of it so far, but I love it.
****Twilight Shirt which if you can't read it, it say: "It's a Twilight Thing, You Wouldn't Understand." It's pretty much the same story as above except earlier. When we first sat in our seats at the theater there was a big group of girls and I noticed they were wearing Twilight shirts, so I told my mom I wanted one, and Ta Da! I got it!
*****The Hershey's Mint Kisses identify my stocking stuffers. I got a ton of the kisses at the bottom of my stocking, along with a People Magazine, a new wallet because my dog chewed up my old one, some fancy mechanical pencils, a big bunch of hair ties because I'm always losing them, and a few other things I can't remember right now.

So, yes I loved my Christmas Haul this year and am very happy with it.

Tell me what you got in the comments or tell me if you made a post like this and have a link there!

I'm off to get something to eat and get ready to go see Marley and Me in theaters today!

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Marley and Me by John Grogan

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is having an awesome Christmas! To celbrate Christmas, here is a review of the book, that is the inspiration behind the movie that is released today! Have an awesome day!


Title: Marley and Me
Author: John Grogan
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Reading Level:
Adult
Publication Date:
October 2005
Pages: 305

Rating: A+
Plot - 20/20
Characters - 20/20
Writing - 20/20
Originality - 20/20 (Because it is a memoir.)
Entertainment - 10/10
Recommendation - 10/10
Total: 100/100

Summary:
Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans.

John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same.

Marley grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, and stole women's undergarments. Obedience school did no good -- Marley was expelled.

But just as Marley joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. Marley remained a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

Review:
This is my first every 100% read. Marley and Me is a must read for everyone. Marley, Marley, Marley. How can I write this review of you and give a itty bitty bit of justice at all?

Marley and Me is the story of Marley, the dog. As a dog lover, this book is extremely close to my heart. Marley is that neurotic dog at the park, the dog that is always grinning, the dog that is always happy to have a new friend, the dog that would be easily to fall in love with. Marley is that dog.

Marley and Me is really the story of a young couple who get a puppy before they start parenthood. But the puppy turns out to be more trouble then the children. This is the story of thirteen years of a dog told through the eyes of his owner, John Grogan. This is the hilarious story of the dog that changed lives, that was once believed to be the worlds worst dog, if not just as lovable. This is the story of the dog that breaks your heart to see the change from pup to adult to senior citizen to a dog that hurts from old age.

This dog, Marley, made me laugh. He made me cry, for sadness and happiness. This is the unforgettable story of Marley the dog. I could not write a review for this book as much as it deserves, so this will not be a review, more so as a post about my feelings about this extremely memorable and heart warming book.

I started reading this book awhile ago, but hadn't gotten past page one hundred because I got busy. But I desperately wanted to read it before I saw the movie, which comes out today. So I started it, and yes, it took me almost a week to read, but it was a book so excellent it overpowers many.

I cannot express my wide and tall feelings of this book for anything. Being seen through the eyes of John Grogan, who, let me tell you, is a fantastic writer, was an incredible experience. So just let me tell you these last words: Marley and Me is a book that you have to read. As you have read so far. Trust me, read it.

Marley and Me, the movie, stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston and is to be in theatres Christmas Day, my only hope is that it's not just a comedy all the way through, as we all know Owen Wilson is a fan of. I just hope they get the essence of the heart-breaking ending as it was in the book.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

"Waiting On" Wednesday (5)

This week my pick is one I recently discovered while talking with the author about something. I generally like to choose books maybe not so many people haven't heard of so I thought this one would be good since I have heard nothing about it yet, but I hope to start the buzz up today with this post, because it sounds, amazing!

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
June 1, 2009
16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

I love coming-of-age, mysterious, romance stories, so this one sounds perfect. I've only read one of Aimee Friedman's books, the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy one of hers, A Novel Idea, which I really enjoyed. But I have had her novel, The Year My Sister Got Lucky on my wish-list for at least a year now, and am still determined to get it.

What do you think? Interesting enough? And, come on, look at that gorgeous cover, that alon has to draw you in, right?

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Pretty Face by Mary Hogan

Title: Pretty Face
Author: Mary Hogan
Publisher: Harperteen
Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: March 25, 2008
Pages: 224

Rating: C-
Plot - 13/20
Characters - 14/20
Writing - 16/20
Originality - 13/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 71/100

Summary:
Hayley wishes she could love living in Santa Monica, blocks from the beach, where every day—and everybody—is beautiful and sunny. But she just doesn't fit in with all the blond, superskinny Southern California girls who have their plastic surgeons on speed dial. Hayley is smart and witty and has such a pretty . . . face. Translation: Don't even think about putting on a bikini, much less dating superhot Drew Wyler. A bikini will never be flattering, and Drew will never think of her as more than a friend.

Just when Hayley feels doomed to live her life in the fat lane, her parents decide to send her to Italy for the summer—not for school, not for fat camp, just for fun. It's there, under the Italian sun, that Hayley's vision of herself starts to change. She's curvy, not fat. Pizza isn't evil. And life is so much more than one-size-fits-all. Who knows? Once Hayley sees herself in a new light, maybe the girl with the pretty face will finally find true amore.

Review:
This novel started out as a light, quick read. And, it stayed that way. Hayley was a girl, chubby, and never belonging in her family, school, city. Never really fitting in. So when she got the chance to spend her summer in Italy with a family friend, she took it. The novel went by really fast. It was light and there wasn't much meaning in it. There was a girl who didn't feel comfortable in her skin, got to go to Italy for the summer, met someone who liked her the way she was, and happily ever after.

Hayley was an . . . average character. There wasn't anything special about her, and her journey through the book really. It was all just average, originality, plot, characters. And the relationship between Hayley and Enzo was quick and there wasn't any emotions in it, therefore making it feel unrealistic.

Hogan's writing was really the high point of the novel, but still . . . average. She did a good job a expressing Hayley's feelings, the desriptions and scenery were good and the imagery was okay.

So all-in-all this was just, I feel repetitive here, average. Nothing special, interesting, and exciting about it that would make this novel stand out. But it's still recommend for a day read or something along that lines. But don't expect it to be moving.

Monday, December 22, 2008

On The Outside: Laurie Faria Stolarz (My New Feature!)

I finally found a name, thanks to Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag for the idea!

Laurie Faria Stolarz is the author of numerous books for the young adult genre. Mostly going int the area paranormal and suspense supernatural novels. Her newest novel is the first in The Touch Series called Deadly Little Secret. Laurie Faria Stolarz very nicely accepted to do an On The Outside guest blog with me about the work to get Deadly Little Secret it's fantastic title
.
Deadly Little Secret
December 23, 2008


Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes far from ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead she's inexplicably drawn to Ben...and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help – but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something...but he's not the only one with a secret.

~~~

How did you come up with th
e title for DEADLY LITTLE SECRET?
Titles are always tough for me. I spend a long time thinking about them and usually come up with several mediocre titles before the right one finally surfaces. My working title for DEADLY LITTLE SECRET was KNEAD. I liked the idea of having a play on words. Knead is the name of the ceramic studio where Camelia, my main character, works. But, because of the novel’s romance angle, there’s a definite “need” there – the need for Camelia to be with Ben. In the end, however, I wasn’t sure KNEAD as a title was intriguing enough. It also didn’t convey the suspenseful angle of the novel.
Ben, who’s rumored to be responsible for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, saves Camelia’s life at the beginning of the novel by pushing her out of the way of an oncoming car. When he touches her, he’s able to sense that she’s in danger. Ben has an extrasensory power called psychometry. People who have psychometry are able to touch objects and sense something from them. So, as far as titles, I was also thinking about incorporating “touch” in some way, and so I came up with “Hold Me” and “Take my Hand” – neither of which played up the whole mysterious/suspenseful angle.
After a while, I just started googling words that came to me. Somehow I found “dirty little secret,” since there are a lot of secrets in the book. I decided to change it to DEADLY LITTLE SECRET, finally getting the mystery in there. That’s the title that stuck.
DEADLY LITTLE SECRET is the first book in the TOUCH series and will be released December 23, 2008. Check out the book trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fzMpVMy2fQ
Also, check out the contest I have going on, the winner of which gets a minor character in DEADLY LITTLE LIES, the second book in the TOUCH series, named after him or her: http://www.lauriestolarz.com/news.html

~~~

Thanks Laurie!


Wednesday, December 17, 2008

"Waiting On" Wednesday (4)

Say The Word by Jeannine Garsee
March 17, 2009

Summary:
Dredging up the past can knock the present right off balance.

The world expects perfection from seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher, and for the most part, that’s what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father’s every rule. But when her estranged lesbian mother dies, it’s more than perfect Shawna can take. Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna’s embarrassment over her mother’s other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions from the past, Shawna realizes there’s a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the right thing.

Shawna’s honest and relatable voice will draw readers in and hold them until the last page in this coming-of-age story. Jeannine Garsee has delivered a compulsively readable second novel, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson.

This book sounds really good, especially when the publisher compares them to Sarah Dessen and Laurie Halse Anderson. I love coming of age stories. This sounds great and I can't wait for it to be released!

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

New Feature! But I Need A Name!

I haven't done a review in a while, one for Pretty Face by Mary Hogan will be here soon! Soooo, I thought I'd do this new feature I've been planning now.

This is a new feature I'm hoping to start weekly or once every two weeks, depends, where there will be authors talking about there covers and how they came to be, I need a name. I first came up with The Cover Chronicles, but then, when I was getting authors to do this with me, some said they really never had a choice with it and suggest we did titles also, so, this feature will be a guest blog from an author talking about there titles and covers and how they came to be and what they thought. So, I need a name. Any ideas of a way to combine Cover and Titles together to create a creative and fun name for this feature?

Today, we have the very amazing and talented author, Beth Kephart, talking about the cover of her forthcoming novel, Nothing But Ghosts, which will be out June 23, 2009. I loved Beth's books, Undercover and House of Dance. They were both beautiful books. Beth is also a very sweet person!

Nothing But Ghosts
June 23, 2009

(Couldn't find a summary yet!)


~~~

Here’s what happened: I wrote a book about love and loss, about a rising high school senior, Katie, whose mother has died and whose father, an art restorer, is barely dealing with her passing. Katie’s world is an ordinary world, but it is full of mysteries, too. There’s a finch that keeps appearing at her window, for example, madly fluttering its wings, seeking attention. There’s a recluse at the garden where she works in the summer. There’s a garden dig being orchestrated by a guy named Old Olson, who doesn’t seem that old and whose rationale for the dig seems iffy at best. There’s a box of abandoned things at the library that begin to tell a story.

There are these things. There is this story. There was a book, NOTHING BUT GHOSTS, that needed a cover.

(The picture on the right is the inspiration of the house of the recluse.)

The acquiring editor for the book, Laura Geringer, had left HarperCollins before the cover was created. Jill Santopolo, a senior editor with whom I’d also worked on all my YA books (she’s smart, she’s dear, I’m lucky), stepped in to work with
the uber talented (and supremely patient) Carla Weise at HarperCollins for a cover that would fit my story. They tried several approaches, from what I understand. Tinted bottles on a windowsill catching the sun. A montage of photographs. A girl on a horse. None of which ever quite got through the marketing committee, sending poor Carla back to the drawing board.

The days were ticking down. There was one more shot to craft a cover before the advanced readers copies would have to be printed. Oh, I seriously didn’t want to send the book out to early readers without a cover. Oh, my heart sank at the prospect. Oh, I sent good energy on, but truly, there was nothing I could do but hope.

(The picture on the left is of the inspiration of the garden in the novel.)

I was several hours north, at my son’s college campus, when an email came through on my blackberry. It was from Jill. It said an approved cover was attached. It set my heart a-pounding. But of course there was a glitch in my phone system and I couldn’t see the attachment, and I sent a frantic email back: Can you please send the cover to my husband’s phone?

Which Jill did.

So that he saw it first.

So that what I heard was my husband saying, “Nice. Nice. Very nice.” Before I saw the cover at all.

I love this cover. It captures so perfectly the mood of the book, its essence. For this is a book, in the end, about windows—about shutters shutting and opening, about curtains being drawn back, about light being let in. I could not be happier, or more grateful.

~~~

Thanks so much Beth! I can't wait for Nothing But Ghosts! And I think the cover of Nothing But Ghosts is gorgeous!

So, what did you think? Thought of a name? Whatever you think, comment! And if any authors would like to do this with me, don't hesitate to email me (Left Sidebar)!!!!

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

"Waiting On" Wednesday (3)

Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman
April 16, 2009

Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town working at the library and lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she’s convinced he’s the one—her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama’s strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he’s called away to help his family—and seems uncertain about returning—Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.

This book sounds fantastic. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Cheryl is very sweet and it's great that this is her first YA novel. Plus the cover is gorgeous!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Teen Tuesday: Tenth Edition!

Hi. This will be quick.

This week I've read:

Finished Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag
2/3 of Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Willow by Julia Hoban
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
1/3 Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

So, yeah, EXCELLENT reading week for me. and 4/5 of those are ARC's which is just CRAZY. I've never been surrounded by so many ARC's in my life. I've been by so many ARC's that I've had a few questions:

How many ARC's do you usually get in the mail in a week, month, whatever? Also, how do you pronounce ARC? I've heard it pronounced like Arc/Ark and A.R.C/A-R-C. How do you pronounce it?Myself? I pronounce it A.R.C./A-R-C.

Okay, enough about that. This week I hope to get to:

Finish Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Finish Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin
Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson
and/or
Pretty Face by Mary Hogan
and/or
Take Me There by Susane Colasanti

So, yeah. Arrivederci (That's Italian)

~Kelsey

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag

Title: Beautiful Americans
Author:
Lucy Silag
Publisher: Penguin--Razorbill
Reading Level:
Young Adult
Publication Date:
January 8, 2009
Pages:
304

Rating: B
Plot - 17/20
Characters - 18/20
Writing - 18/20
Originality - 16/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 8/10
Total: 84/100

***This book will be released January 8, 2009***

Summary:
Pretty Little Liars meets My So-Called Life in this story of four American teens in Paris and the scandals that haunt each of them.

There’s rich New York girl Alex; Cali-born dancer Olivia; closeted Memphis boy Zack; and finally PJ, an elusive beauty from Vermont who’s hiding a dark past.

Studying abroad for their junior year of high school, they run wild in the Tuileries, hold clandestine parties in their host families’ luxe apartments, take over tiny crowded cafes and generally live the glamorous life.

But in the end they all must face the lies they’ve told and secrets they’ve kept when the unthinkable happens.

Review:
I think the summary I found is really bad, and I would've typed up the summary on the back of the ARC, but I have a few other reviews to right up today and wanted to save my fingers . . .

I thought this book was really good. Very enjoyable. All the characters had a mysterious past, some known, or at least half of it, others were only hinted at and hidden until the next book. The characters were very three-dimensional. See, the chapters alternate between Alex, Olivia, PJ, and Zack and a problem I had was when you saw the characters through the other characters eyes. They seemed shallow when you weren't inside their head. Alex was the rich girl, she was shallow and catty especially towards some other characters. She was spiteful and rude and her determination to get a boyfriend so many times toward this one person just got old. Olivia, PJ, and Zack were the characters that when their chapters ended, I couldn't wait to get back to them.

The writing in this book was really good. It was soft, mysterious and soothing words that had a deep meaning behind them. The setting was great and the hint of french words used throughout the novel was romantic. The ending was a tiny, itty bitty cliff-hanger for the next book coming in the fall of '09. I recommend this book. It was very enjoyable.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Happy Mail!

Today is a Happy Mail Day! Which is kind of like Christmas from the mailman, but of course it's not really from the mailman. I actually got the name from my mom who is a scrap Booker and when she and her other friend get a scrap booking kit or something they call it Happy Mail. For me it's books. Let me share with you what I got this week courtesy of the amazing Penguin. (All are linked to Amazon page):



I also got three books from BookSwim.com on Monday:


So, yes, I think this is definitely like an early Christmas for me. Now, all the ARC's i won't post reviews for until right before, on, or after the release date, so you might not get that many reviews from me because I'll be eating these yummy things up! Also, I have already read Audrey, Wait! and have my own copy, along with Beautiful American's....so, do you know what that might mean? Hint, hint. :)

~~~On another note, Happy Birthday Dad!!!!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

I *Heart* Your Blog Award

Okay, I was nominated for this award some months ago by two people I think and I can't remember who! I'm sorry, but I love you! Thank you! Also, the award has been going around this book community and in the past two days or so and I was nominated eight times! Wow, It's just amazing, you have no idea! You guys make my day, seriously. It just makes me feel so much better after a rough day to know I have some fantastic friends on here I can come to. *tear.*

I was nominated by (besides the two or so people I can't remember!):
Maggie of Bean Bag Books
Megan of Simply Books
Lexi of Another Page Is Used (Reading Is My Life)
Kelsey of Just Blinded Book Reviews
Allie of Just Listen Book Reviews
Nadine-Stella of Starry Night
Ashley of Ashley's Bookshelf
Kristin of The Fox Reads

Thank YOU! I feel really loved right now.

Now, for the nominations:

Allie of Just Listen Book Reviews
Kristi of The Story Siren
Chelsie of Read, Read, Read
Liv of Liv's Book Review
Steph of Reviewer X
Kayla of Midnight Twilight's Book Blog
Rachael of The Book Muncher

To everybody I nominated, you know why. And to everybody else, I love you and you totally deserve it!

Thank you!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

"Waiting On" Wednesday (2)

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
April 16, 2009

Anke’s father is abusive. But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she’s just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell “Mine!” to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn’t know existed. For the first time, Anke is seen and heard. Soon, she’s imagining a day that her voice will be loud enough to rescue everyone at home—including herself.


This book caught my eye from the cover and the strength from the summary, Anke seems like she is a strong person, she just doesn't know it yet. I think I might get an ARC of this book and I CANNOT wait, it sounds amazing. And as an added bonus Thalia Chaltas is a debut author, and I love reading debut books for up and coming authors!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Secrets of My Suburban Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Title: Secrets of My Suburban Life (Paperback)
Author:
Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Reading Level:
Young Adult
Publication Date: January 2008
Pages: 240

Rating: D
Plot - 14/20
Characters - 13/20
Writing - 12/20
Originality - 14/20
Entertainment - 7/10
Recommendation - 6/10
Total: 70/100

Summary:
Everything changed for Lauren ("Ren") after Harry Potter killed her mom. No,it's not what you think--Harry Potter didn't come to life and stab her or anything. A stack of those thick books crushed her. Now Ren is stuck out in the suburbs of Connecticut, dragged out there because her father is too grief stricken to continue living in New York. Ren tries to fit in at her new school, but the most popular girl, Farrin, keeps icing her out. Then Ren discovers that Farrin has a secret: She's been communicating online with an older man, and they are actually planning to meet! Ren can't let Farrin go through with it--she's witnessed enough tragic events as it is. So she comes up with the perfect plan to stop the perv. But then she finds out who he is...

Review:
This book was definitely not what I was expecting.Rengave a very bad first impression. She came off as a snobby rich, spoiled kid, and she kind of is, minus the snobby part. Her mom's death was completely unreal, and Ren's and her fathers emotions didn't go through well enough about the death.

Ren's character was developed pretty badly. The scenes were constructed okay, but not great.
The whole layout of the novel felt staged and unreal. The ending was definitely predictable. The dramatic irony in the story of us knowing and Ren not, because of the predictability, made her seem clueless. Farrin was the stereotypical rich, popular, snobby girl. Jack and Ren relationship was cliched.

Baratz-Logsted's writing was good, but not great. She didn't give enough emotion in her writing, and it was like reading from the outside looking outside. The only good thing about this novel was
that the plot was semi enjoyable. The fact the she goes after a pervert, the fact that Baratz-Logsted detailed a serious issue into this book was a plus. Because it was, pretty enjoyable.

Overall, this novel was enjoyable, kind of boring, and very predictable. It was good, but it could've been much better.