The Book Girl Reviews

REVIEW: Fracture by Megan Miranda

2012-01-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Young Adult

ARC (Release Date: January 17th, 2012)

Walker Books for Young Readers

272 pages

Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter

Summary from Amazon:

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine--despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it? Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature--or something much more frightening? For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Review:

That is the summary of the book, but here is the excerpt on the back:

A lot can happen in eleven minutes.

Decker can run two miles easily in eleven minutes. I once wrote an English essay in ten. No lie. And God knows Carson Levine can talk a girl out of her clothes in half that time.

Eleven minutes might as well be eternity under water. It only takes three minutes without air for loss of consciousness. Permanent brain damage begins at four minutes. And then, when the oxygen runs out, full cardiac arrest occurs. Death is possible at five minutes. Probable at seven. Definite at ten.

Decker pulled me out at eleven.

Now just try to tell me that the last line of that excerpt doesn't give you chills. That paragraph is what made me want to read this book so badly, and Fracture did not let my expectations down. This is a book about a girl who should be dead and as a result has been given this ability that is something between a gift and a curse. It is about the way her near death has turned her family inside out, and the way in which she has to put it back together. It is about who you should trust and who you shouldn't and how the line is so thin. It is about an equally thin line, this time between friendship and love. Most of all, it's about the way in which Delaney has to come to terms with the reasons for why she lived, was given her strange ability, and was able to find love right in front of her. One of my other favorite passages from the book was this:

Funny how everything can change in an instant. From death to life. From empty to full. From darkness to light.

Or maybe I just wasn't looking. I hadn't known that a light could be a feeling and a sound could by a color and a kiss could be both a question and an answer. And that heaven could be the ocean or a person or this moment or something else entirely.

I get chills reading that one as well. Overall I think this book is everything I had hoped it would be. Delaney was a fantastic narrator. But more than that, Megan Miranda has a wonderful way with words. A way that can hook you and draw you in, that gives you goose bumps, and that perfectly straddled the line between scientific and emotional. It was the kind of book where I found myself skimming ahead because I just could't WAIT to find out what happened next. Fracture is most definitely a book to watch out for.

REVIEW: Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler

2012-01-12T05:46:00.000-08:00

Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler

Young Adult

Paperback

Candlewick Press

228 pages

Author's Website | Twitter

Summary from Amazon:

Mara Valentine is in control. She's a straight-A senior, a vegan, and her parents' pride and joy. She's neck-and-neck with her womanizing ex-boyfriend for number-one class ranking and plans to kick his salutatorian butt on her way out the door to Yale. Mara has her remaining months in Brockport all planned out, but the plan does not include having V, her slutty, pot-smoking, sixteen-year-old niece - yes, niece - come to live with her family. Nor does it involve lusting after her boss or dreaming about grilled cheese sandwiches every night. What does a control freak like Mara do when things start spinning wildly out of control? With insight, authenticity, and a healthy dose of humor, Carolyn Mackler creates an evolving Type A heroine that every reader will recognize - and root for.

Review:

I have been meaning to read this book since I bought it at the NYC Teen Book Festival a few years ago. Now that I have, I'm kind of tempted to read ALL of Carolyn Mackler's books. Vegan Virgin Valentine was a super quick read--it literally flew by. It was so cute and quirky that you just didn't want to stop reading. Mara was hilarious. The dynamic between her and V, her polar opposite niece, was great. While some of Mara's actions in relation to V in the first half of the book made me cringe, they were also actions many of us would have taken when thrown together with someone we couldn't stand; maybe slightly immature but completely reasonable in our heads at the time. Those are part of what made Mara such a relatable character. VVV is not only a relatable and enjoyable read, it is also filled with dialogue that keeps you smiling and a witty narration that can be laugh out loud funny. This book had everything: humor, a great protagonist, family drama, friendship drama, and romance. Better yet, romance without a love triangle. Also, the cover is adorable, and y'all know how much I love me the covers. So, there you have it. The first review of the year, and I think this book was a great way to start :-).

2012 Blog Resolution

2012-01-02T18:42:00.000-08:00

So, last year's goal was to read at least a book a week. This year, while I would LOVE to be able to make that quota again, I'm going to focus more on the blog end of it--no matter how MANY books I read, I want to review every one of them. We'll see if that actually happens, but it's the plan!

What are your 2012 resolutions? Also, what book are you looking forward to the most? I need to add to my wish list ;-).

Happy Reading!

The Book Girl

New Year Contest!

2012-01-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Hello, all! I decided to bring in the New Year by giving OUT a bunch of awesome books! Check out the four different prize packs you can win, just by filling out the form below. You can enter for more than one pack, but you can only win one. This contest is for US residents only, because I'm poor. I can not take responsibility for lost or damaged items in the USPS. It will end on January 14th at midnight and winner will be announced here on the fifteenth. Good luck!

Pack One

Hardcover of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (signed)

Hardcover of What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

A Touch Mortal bookmark and sticker (signed)

Pack Two

ARC of Girl Wonder by Alexa Martin

ARC of Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

Hardcover of The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

A Touch Mortal bookmark and sticker (signed)

Pack Three

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

ARC of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

ARC of The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

A Touch Mortal bookmark and sticker (signed)

Pack Four

ARC of The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen

ARC of After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

ARC of Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

A Touch Mortal bookmark and sticker (signed)

The End of my 2011 Reading Challenge

2011-12-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

I beat my challenge, y'all! The goal was 50 books for the year, and I got to 55. Ok, so I didn't beat it by THAT much, but that is still way more books than I've read the past few years, which is sad. I've been trying to figure out what kind of post I wanted to do to celebrate, and I decided on this: Picking out a few of my favorites, and then highlighting some fun parts from the rest since I didn't really do too many reviews this year. ALSO, you can expect a contest post within the next few hours, to bring in the new year! So, I bring to you the 55 books I've read this year!

January

+ Deadly Little Games- Laurie Stolarz

+ Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher

+ Five Flavors of Dumb- Antony John

+ The Lover's Dictionary- David Levithan

+ Paper Towns- John Green

+ The Girl Next Door- Selene Castrovilla

February

+ Trickster's Girl- Hilari Bell

+ Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance- Franklin and Halpin

+ Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi

+ I Am Number Four- Pittacus Lore

+ Mad Love- Suzanne Selfors

+ The Iron Witch- Karen Mahoney

March

+ Sean Griswold's Head- Lindsey Leavitt

+ Where I Belong- Gwendolyn Heasley

+ So Much Closer- Susane Colasanti

+ The Dead-Tossed Waves- Carrie Ryan

April

+ The Dark and Hollow Places- Carrie Ryan

+ Babe in Boyland- Jody Gehrman

+ Where She Went- Gayle Forman

+ Before I Die- Jenny Downham

+ Matched- Ally Condie

+ Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

May

+ Bumped- Megan McCafferty

+ Enclave- Ann Aguirre

+ Tempest Rising- Tracy Deebs

+ What Happened to Goodbye- Sarah Dessen

+ The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight- Jennifer E. Smith

+ Flawless- Lara Chapman

June

+ Stay- Deb Caletti

+ Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have)- Sarah Mlynowski

+ Hereafter- Tara Hudson

+ Abandon- Meg Cabot

+ Don't Stop Now- Julie Halpern

+ Haunting Violet- Alyxandra Harvey

+ Forgotten- Cat Patrick

+ Hourglass- Myra McEntire

+ Die For Me- Amy Plum

July

+ Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher

+ Divergent- Veronica Roth

+ Sometimes It Happens- Lauren Barnholdt

+ Love Story- Jennifer Echols

+ Ripple- Mandy Hubbard

August

+ Between- Jessica Warman

+ Cleopatra's Moon- Vicky Alvear Shecter

+ Chain Reaction- Simone Elkeles

+ Blood Red Road- Moira Young

+ Shut Out- Kody Keplinger

+ After Obsession- Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

+ The Power of Six- Pittacus Lore

September

+ Cold Kiss- Amy Garvey

+ The Mephisto Covenant- Trinity Faegen

October

+ Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins

+ Hush, Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick

+ The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

November

Worst Month Ever.

December

+ Deadly Little Voices- Laurie Stolarz

I love that I started the year with Laurie Faria Stolarz's Deadly Little Games, and finished the year with Deadly Little Voices. Now, out of those fifty-five books, my top fifteen were:

Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher

I Am Number Four- Pittacus Lore

The Dead-Tosses Waves- Carrie Ryan

The Dark and Hollow Places- Carrie Ryan

Where She Went- Gayle Forman

Before I Die- Jenny Downham

Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

Enclave- Ann Aguirre

Hourglass- Myra McEntire

Die For Me- Amy Plum

Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher

Divergent- Veronica Roth

Cleopatra’s Moon- Vicky Alvear Shecter

Blood Red Road- Moira Young

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

It might say something about me that not one of these books can really be considered 'happy'. It also seems that all but two or three of these have romance, although those other two or three still have elements of relationships. So I am a hopeless romantic who likes books that make me cry. I'm cool with that.

Now for the rest of the awesome books! I've already done twenty mini-reviews for the first batch, which you can find here. Now for the other thirty-five! THIS is what procrastination does to you, folks. Keep up on your reviews! Anything I've already reviewed, I'm just going to link to. Enjoy!

+ Matched- Ally Condie

I had heard a LOT of good things about this book, and it was just as fun a read as I had hoped! While it wasn't one of my favorites for the year, it was still a highly enjoyable read.

+ Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

+ Bumped- Megan McCafferty

Bumped was an awesome new book from an author I've always wanted to read but never got around to. She created an interesting new world and characters that are easy to love. I can't wait for the next book!

+ Enclave- Ann Aguirre

+ Tempest Rising- Tracy Deebs

+ What Happened to Goodbye- Sarah Dessen

I love everything about Sarah Dessen's books. Everything. This was no exception.

+ The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight- Jennifer E. Smith

I NEED TO REVIEW THIS. I read it months ago, when I got it from BEA. It's adorable. And the cover was love at first sight.

+ Flawless- Lara Chapman

+ Stay- Deb Caletti

I LOVED The Nature of Jade, so I had high hopes for this one. I wasn't sure it was going to be exactly my kind of book, but then I read the first page and fell in love with the narrator's voice. The rest of the book was just as great. The bounce between past and present was a bit confusing at times, but overall this was a wonderful, powerful book.

+ Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have)- Sarah Mlynowski

+ Hereafter- Tara Hudson

I love me some paranormal romance. This book was great and I can't wait for the sequel!

+ Abandon- Meg Cabot

Thought for sure I'd reviewed this one. Well, all in all not my FAVORITE Meg Cabot book (that is reserved for her Mediator series), but it was still a lot of fun--I loved the Persephone myth retelling--and the way it ended makes me NEED the sequel ASAP.

+ Don't Stop Now- Julie Halpern

This book was cute and feel good and the ending drove me CRAZY. I'm a girl who likes to know how things end, and Julie left things VERY open. But it was still a great book.

+ Haunting Violet- Alyxandra Harvey

+ Forgotten- Cat Patrick

The idea of this book is AWESOME-her memory resets every night at 4:33, so she has to keep a detailed notebook just to remember what she wore the day before. And then there is the mysterious boy who wants to get closer. SO GOOD.

+ Hourglass- Myra McEntire

This was one of my favorite books for a reason. Kickass female lead, secret group of x-men-esque people, super hot guy? Check out the book trailer if that wasn't enough to convince you.

+ Die For Me- Amy Plum

This was also an amazing book. A paranormal romance with a brand new kind of super-sexy monster. PLUS a cover to die for. YES PLEASE.

+ Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher

+ Divergent- Veronica Roth

Probably one of my favorite books of the year. Everything about it was awesome. EVERYTHING. I think it was practically flawless. True Story. Plus, check out the cover for Insurgent! (Did I mention there won't be a love triangle? Well, THERE WON'T BE A LOVE TRIANGLE. 'Bout time!)

+ Sometimes It Happens- Lauren Barnholdt

God I love Lauren's books. Something about her writing just lets you fly through them without realizing how much time is passing. Those are my favorite kind of books. This one was about a topic that has been popular in YA lately, the falling for your best friend's boyfriend, but I liked the characters so much that I didn't even mind.

+ Love Story- Jennifer Echols

Jennifer Echols is the other author who I can't resist. Makes sense that I read these two books in a row ;-). This one was just as awesome as her past two Romantic Dramas. I LOVED the idea of it and the way in which she incorporated the stories the characters were writing was awesome. LOVE.

+ Ripple- Mandy Hubbard

I had been waiting for this one for over a year. I've never really been into the Siren books but this one was awesome. Plus, again, the cover. I loooove me some beautiful YA covers.

+ Between- Jessica Warman

+ Cleopatra's Moon- Vicky Alvear Shecter

+ Chain Reaction- Simone Elkeles

+ Blood Red Road- Moira Young

SOOOOO good! The reviews were right when they said this book could get you out of your Hunger Games withdrawal. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the dialect it was written in, but after reading the poem-like prologue, I was hooked. You don't even notice the dialect after that. It just works.

+ Shut Out- Kody Keplinger

I had high hopes for this book after reading Kody's DUFF. While I didn't love it AS much as her debut, it was still a really fun read! It's quick, fast paced, and has another uber hot guy. Can't beat that!

+ After Obsession- Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

+ The Power of Six- Pittacus Lore

This one started out slow, but by the end I couldn't put it down. It got CRAZY. I wasn't a HUGE fan of the switching PoVs, but I understood the need for it. We get to meet a bunch of new and awesome characters, and the ending will leave you craving more.

+ Cold Kiss- Amy Garvey

This was another gorgeous cover read! (A LOT of the books I pick up are chosen due to the cover... don't judge). There was a bit of a love triangle, but seeing as how one of the guys was kind of out of commission it was definitely more bearable. The idea was awesome and it was a quick read.

+ The Mephisto Covenant- Trinity Faegen

I was DEFINITELY supposed to review this a few months ago. I have the draft saved to prove it. I'm going to try to get around to that at some point today, but no promises. Overall, it was an interesting premise with even more got guys. It was a little heavy on god love, but otherwise, I really enjoyed it!

+ Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins

I LOVED ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS. Like, LOVED it, loved it. One of my favorite contemporaries of all time. Which is why I couldn't bring myself to love this one AS much. That being said, I still really really liked it. Cricket was awesome and Lola was awesome, and the whole story? Also awesome. Stephanie is an amazing writer and I can't wait for the final companion novel!

+ Hush, Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick

I should've read this one a LONG time ago. I finally picked it up because Becca came to MA and I couldn't resist seeing her. The book was great! And it was over so quickly! Now I've just got to get my hands on the other two...

+ The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

This is another book I should have read a LONG time ago. It was beautiful. Poetic. Emotional. I can finally understand why it became such a cult-classic. AND THERE IS GOING TO BE A MOVIE. Out THIS year. I. Can. Not. WAIT.

+ Deadly Little Voices- Laurie Stolarz

Last but not least! Laurie somehow managed to keep the suspense going through yet another book. While this one wasn't as intense as her first book (that one had me checking out the windows at night for a week) it was still great in its spooky goodness. And the ending! Guuuhhhhh. JUST when I was beginning to accept the boy she was choosing from within yet another love triangle, Laurie has to go and do something like that. I can't deal.

So there you have it! The fifty-five books I've read this year. I loved them all in their own ways, and I can't wait for a lot of these author's next books! Here's to hoping 2012 puts out books equally as awesome as these ones!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, book and film

2011-11-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

The other day, I stumbled upon the trailer for a movie called Hugo. I'm sure many of you already knew of its existence, but it was news to me. It looked beautiful, and fun, and made me smile despite not really knowing what was going on. So, naturally I had to find out more.

I had heard of The Invention of Hugo Cabret in passing on a few occasions, knew it was supposed to be wonderful, but had never looked further into it. But now I was intrigued, so on a whim I took a trip to Barnes and Noble to check it out. Imagine my surprise when I found this hulking novel in the children's section, and my further surprise when I opened it up and the majority of it was composed of beautiful pencil drawings, with only brief bursts of text throughout. I was fascinated. And while it was a little painful to spend twenty-five dollars on a single book with only scarce text, I knew I needed it for my collection.

So now I want to spread the love. If you haven't taken the time to pick up this book yet, please do. Take it out from the library, borrow it from a friend, or splurge and buy a copy of your own. And then, let's all go see the movie and see if it can compare to the level of creativity and wonder that is The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

The Book I'm Most Grateful For

2011-11-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, all! Beth Revis is having an awesome contest, in which she shares how grateful she is for the people involved in her debut. Now, she's asking all of us to share the gratitude by posting about the book we're more grateful for.

This question is difficult, but if I'm being honest it's also a no brainer. I'm grateful for every book I read, and have a huge number of favorite books, there is one in particular that changed the reading experience for me.

I never wanted to get involved in Harry Potter. It annoyed me that everyone in my elementary school was talking about it and I swore I'd never become drawn in. But then I saw the first two movies. And I was mesmerized. So, being the nerd I was even then, I decided I had to read the third book before I saw the movie in theaters. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban changed the way in which I looked at all other books. It was instant love. I was obsessed. I devoured the rest of the books and began the anxious wait with the rest of Harry Potter fandom for the remaining releases.

It was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban that made me realize how ridiculous it was to shun these books. Now, everything I read is judged on a scale of one to Harry Potter. I have the Deathly Hallows symbol tattooed on my ankle. I've met countless people through mutual admiration for these books about a boy wizard. And I am SO very grateful for it all.

I'm also incredibly grateful to Beth Revis, for her awesome contribution to the YA community as well as this awesome contest! You can find more details about the contest at this link. What book are you most grateful for?

On Completing my Reading Challenge and Why I Suck at Blogging

2011-11-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hello, friends! I've been back at school for just about two months now! It's hard to believe it's been that long, but I guess time flies when there's so much to get done.

I'm going to start off by saying this: I MISS YOU ALL! I really, really do. I miss posting all the time and reviewing books and interviewing authors and reading YOUR reviews. But right now I'm taking two lit classes, working 20 hours a week, and trying to find time to eat and sleep and relax occasionally in there, too. I've barely had time to read any books let alone review them (this makes me very sad, and I may be going into withdrawal). I have been buying more books lately though, perhaps to overcompensate for my lack of reading them--the YA genre and me need SOME kind of interaction after all! So yeah, this semester is not looking good as far as blogging goes. But maybe I'll go back to posting In My Mailbox and Teaser Tuesday if I can muster up the motivation so there will be some kind of posting at least. We'll see.

Now, if you stuck through that part, you're awesome. And if you skipped to the fun part, you're awesome, too! Drum roll please...

I FINISHED MY PERSONAL READING CHALLENGE!!

I've officially read 52 books this year! (54 as of The Perks of Being a Wallflower--more on this to come.)

I'll post the list below, but you can also see it in my side bar over there -->. That list will be updated if I ever get a chance to read another book this semester. Maybe I can even get to SIXTY books this year! We're gettin' KERAZY.

The Epic List of Books Read in the Year of 2011:

January

1. Deadly Little Game- Laurie Faria Stolarz

2. Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher

3. Five Flavors of Dumb- Antony John

4. The Lover's Dictionary- David Levithan

5. Paper Towns- John Green

6. The Girl Next Door- Selene Castrovilla

February

7. Trickster's Girl- Hilari Bell

8. Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance- Franklin and Halpin

9. Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi

10. I Am Number Four- Pittacus Lore

11. Mad Love- Suzanne Selfors

12. The Iron Witch- Karen Mahoney

March

13. Sean Griswold's Head- Lindsey Leavitt

14. Where I Belong- Gwendolyn Heasley

15. So Much Closer- Susane Colasanti

16. The Dead-Tossed Waves- Carrie Ryan

April

17. The Dark and Hollow Places- Carrie Ryan

18. Babe in Boyland- Jody Gehrman

19. Where She Went- Gayle Forman

20. Before I Die- Jenny Downham
21. Matched- Ally Condie
22. Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

May

23. Bumped- Megan McCafferty

24. Enclave- Ann Aguirre

25. Tempest Rising- Tracy Deebs

26. What Happened to Goodbye- Sarah Dessen

27. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight- Jennifer E. Smith

28. Flawless- Lara Chapman

June

29. Stay- Deb Caletti

30. Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have)- Sarah Mlynowski

31. Hereafter- Tara Hudson

32. Abandon- Meg Cabot

33. Don't Stop Now- Julie Halpern

34. Haunting Violet- Alyxandra Harvey

35. Forgotten- Cat Patrick

36. Hourglass- Myra McEntire

37. Die For Me- Amy Plum

July

38. Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay Asher

39. Divergent- Veronica Roth

40. Sometimes It Happens- Lauren Barnholdt

41. Love Story- Jennifer Echols

42. Ripple- Mandy Hubbard

August

43. Between- Jessica Warman

44. Cleopatra's Moon- Vicky Alvear Shecter

45. Chain Reaction- Simone Elkeles

46. Blood Red Road- Moira Young

47. Shut Out- Kody Keplinger

48. After Obsession- Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

49. The Power of Six- Pittacus Lore

September

50. Cold Kiss- Amy Garvey

51. The Mephisto Covenant- Trinity Faegen

October

52. Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins
53. Hush, Hush- Becca Fitzpatrick
54. The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky

I feel like there should be some sort of reflection now. I'll think something up and it'll give me a chance to create another post later on ;-). I will say that some sort of review will probably happen for Perks of Being a Wallflower. It may just be a spewing of thoughts and feelings. It will probably be spoilerific, so if you're not into that you might want to avoid it.

LOVE YOU ALL! Happy Reading and have a WONDERFUL November. <3

How many of the 100 most popular YA books have YOU read?

2011-10-11T18:51:00.001-07:00

I saw this on Rex Robot Reviews and couldn't help but trying it out myself. We'll see how I do :-p.

The key is pretty simple:

[ x ] - Books I've Read

[ - ] - Books in my To Be Read Pile

So here goes!

[ x ] 1. Alex Finn – Beastly

2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones

3. Ally Carter – Callagher Girls

[ x ] 4. Ally Condie – Matched

[ x ] 5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (book one only)

6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills

[ x ] 7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (book one only)

[ - ] 8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe

10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider

[ - ] 11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings

[ - ] 12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush

13. Silence Brandon Mull – Fablehaven

14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret

[ - ] 15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (ALL)

[ x ] 16. Carrie Jones – Need (ALL)

[ x ] 17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (2+3 read, 1 TBR)

[ x ] 18. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance (1+2 read, 3 TBR)

19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles

[ - ] 20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga

21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart

22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse

[ x ] 23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (book one only)

24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply

25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars

26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere

27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest

[ x ] 28. Holly Black – Tithe

[ x ] 29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (ALL)

[ - ] 30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner

31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride

[ x ] 32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why

[ x ] 33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember

34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid

35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

[ x ] 36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines

[ x ] 37. John Green – Looking for Alaska

[ x ] 38. John Green – Paper Towns

39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus

[ x ] 40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Beautiful Creatures

[ x ] 41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (book one only)

[ x ] 42. Kristin Cashore – Graceling

[ - ] 43. Lauren Kate – Fallen

[ x ] 44. Lemony Snicket - Series of Unfortunate Events (Up until book eight or so)

[ x ] 45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1+2 read, 3 TBR)

[ x ] 46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1+2 read, 3 TBR)

47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

48. M.T. Anderson – Feed

[ - ] 49. Maggie Stiefvater – Shiver

50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children

[ - ] 51. Maria V. Snyder – Study

[ - ] 52. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief

53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger

54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

55. Mary Ting – Crossroads

[ - ] 56. Maureen Johnson – 13 Little Blue Envelopes

[ - ] 57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl

[ x ] 58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator

[ - ] 59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries

60. Meg Rosoff – How I live now

[ - ] 61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling

62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief

63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road

[ x ] 64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (book one only)

[ x ] 65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely

[ - ] 66. Michael Grant – Gone

67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion

68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind

69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline

70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust

71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book

72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night

73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials

[ x ] 74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires

[ x ] 75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy

[ - ] 77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians

78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks

79. S.L. Naeole – Grace

80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip

[ x ] 81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride

[ - ] 82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key

[ x ] 83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever

84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars

85. Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan

[ x ] 86. Scott Westerfeld - Uglies

87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days

88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy

89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern

[ - ] 90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

[ x ] 91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry

[ x ] 92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host

[ x ] 93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga

94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees

95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors

[ x ] 96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games

97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles

98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching

99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl

[ - ] 100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

I've read 33 of the 100, and 19 are in my TBR pile! So, all together that's over 52 of the 100 accounted for! I suppose that's not too bad... :-p. How'd you do?? Link in the comments if you decide to play along!

WINNER: After Obsession Contest

2011-10-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

And the winner of the After Obsession contest isss...

Christina D!

I'll forward your address to the publisher and your copy should be sent out shortly :-).

Congrats, and thanks to those who entered! Happy Reading <3.

- Renee C.

::Throws Confetti::

2011-09-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

One of my friends and favorite book bloggers, Robby from Modern Romance, was interviewed for Publishers Weekly! Be sure to check it out, and head over to his blog if the urge strikes you--it's very much worth following :-D.

"I’m always looking for recommendations. If I see a person reading a book on the subway, I will get on the floor if I have to, just to see what they’re reading. Word of mouth is the best kind of promotion. To be able to go to a friend and say, “I just read the most amazing book, and I think you’ll love it,” is brilliant."

REVIEW + GIVEAWAY: After Obsession- Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

2011-09-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

After Obsession- Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

Young Adult

ARC (September 13th)

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

320 Pages

Summary from Amazon:

Aimee and Alan have secrets. Both teens have unusual pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when they meet each other, in a cold Maine town, they can't stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening lately, and they both feel that something--or someone--is haunting them. They're wrong. Despite their unusual history and powers, it's neither Aimee nor Alan who is truly haunted. It's Alan's cousin Courtney who, in a desperate plea to find her missing father, has invited a demon into her life--and into her body. Only together can Aimee and Alan exorcise the ghost. And they have to move quickly, before it devours not just Courtney but everything around her.

Review:

I've been a Carrie Jones fan from the start, so when it was announced she was coming out with a new book on top of the Need series, there was much excitement. I definitely think After Obsession lived up to my expectations. This story has all the usual Carrie touches, with strong female characters, close friendships, and intense romance; yet with the addition of Steven Wedel, an adult horror author making his debut in YA, there are plenty of creepy moments too. In fact, there were quite a few times where I had to put the book aside because night had fallen and it was a bit too much. Looking back, it doesn't seem all that scary, but there is one scene of Carrie's that definitely stands out in my mind from the rest of the book because it gave me major chills. I think Steven did a wonderful job with Alan's voice--his transition to YA was smooth and he created a character who is strong, compassionate, and majorly crushworthy. The two authors work flows seamlessly--this is probably due to how much fun they had writing it together. There is an interview in the back of the ARC that I really hope was included in the actual book because it had me laughing repeatedly. All of this led to a satisfying and climatic ending that will have you wishing for more. Overall, another success by Carrie Jones, and a stellar welcome to YA for Steven Wedel!

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--GIVEAWAY--

This giveaway will go until October 4th.

It's open to US Residents only!

WINNER: All These Things I've Done Contest

2011-09-17T14:35:00.001-07:00

The All These Things I've Done contest has officially ended, and the winner isss:

Melissa Vasquez!

I'll forward your address to the publisher and your copy should be sent out shortly :-).

Congrats, and thanks to those who entered! Good night, and happy reading!

Insurgent cover reveal!

2011-09-16T09:38:00.001-07:00

One Choice Can Destroy You

I am speechless. The cover! The tagline! The colors! This cover is even better than that of Divergent! The excitement never ends! Coming spring 2012 <3.

Books I'm Looking Forward To This Month

2011-09-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

It's Friday! And I may or may not have to work! So in celebration I decided a little posting was in order.

Has anyone else noticed how many unbelievably awesome books are being released this month? It's completely unfair since all of my money, and I mean all of it, has gone into getting back into the swing of things at school; Textbook buying and subway riding and We're Reunited, Let's Do Something adventures with friends.

So since I can't buy any of the actual books until my bank account is built black up to a respectable level, I thought I'd post about the ones I'm most excited about so you may have the chance to enjoy them instead.

There be book trailers ahead! (Don't judge some of the books by them, if you know what I mean. I just think they're interesting to look at!)

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The Night Circus- Erin Morgenstern

Now I had never heard of this book before Alice Marveled at it, but it sounds freaking awesome, and it has a beautiful cover. It's about two forbidden lovers whose magic runs the Night Circus, a circus that appears out of nowhere and is only open at night. It sounds beautiful and imaginative and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

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Fateful- Claudia Gray

I've been waiting for Fateful for what feels like years now. I remember that little post Claudia had when she first mentioned it. It was hilarious. And now, the book itself is so very close to my fingertips. For any lovers of the Evernight series, you can rightfully understand why I'm so excited. For those who are not, here is this: A girl falls in love with a werewolf. On the Titanic.

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Circle Nine- Anne Heltzel

I stumbled across this one on Amazon quite recently and was immediately intrigued. I've read a few books where the girl has lost all memory and only the boy can help her bring it back, but it seems that each and every one can put their own unique spin on it, and I love them all. So naturally I'm super excited to see how this one compares! Plus, again, cover love anyone??

No book trailer for this one, so here's a summary!

When your whole life has vanished and only one person knows who you are . . . don't you have to believe him?
Abby doesn't remember what happened the night she woke up in soot-stained clothes, lying next to a burning building with an unfamiliar boy at her side. But her connection with Sam is immediate and intense. And she has no one else: no family, no home, not even a last name.
She and Sam start a new life, just the two of them, and Abby's deliriously happy. Until memories from her past begin to haunt her and suddenly everything she's learned to love turns sinister. It's only a matter of time before her reality cracks apart.

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You Against Me- Jenny Downham

I read Before I Die not to long ago and it was instant love. That book was the kind that tore me apart, but only made me love it more because of it. So when I heard that she had written another book, it immediately went on my To Buy list! It's about a boy whose sister was assaulted and a girl whose brother was accused. About what happens when they come together and discover the truth.

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Vanish- Sophie Jordan

Soo, I admit I haven't read Firelight all the way through. But from what I've read, I really enjoyed it. I also have a friend who has been telling to to read it for the past year. Therefore, it's here with me at college, ready for the reading. So I'm really looking forward to Vanish so they can be read together. And also so they can look awesome next to each other on the desk. (Are you seeing a book cover love trend here? Who judges books by their covers? Not I...)

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The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer- Michelle Hodkins

You've probably heard enough about this book without me giving you the rundown, so I'll just go ahead and say this: Cover? AWESOME. Summary? AWESOME.

Mara Dyer doesn't believe life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed. There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love. She's wrong.

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Lola and the Boy Next Door- Stephanie Perkins

This is the book I'm anticipating most this month. SO MUCH. Anna and the French Kiss was one of my two favorite books of the year, still is, and the thought of another book by her simply makes me squee with joy! This will be the one book this month I DO buy on the release date, bank account be damned. :-p

For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit - more sparkly, more fun, more wild - the better. But even though Lola's style is outrageous, she's a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.

When the family returns and Cricket - a gifted inventor and engineer - steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

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The Girl of Fire and Thorns- Rae Carson

I also hadn't heard much about this one until very recently, but it sounds right up my alley! Despite the seeming addition of another love triangle, this story line sounds good enough to make up for it. Plus those last two lines? How can you not be intrigued?

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young. Most of the chosen do.

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Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson

Maureen Johnson is awesome, and this book is about Jack the Ripper. Enough said? :-p

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A Beautiful Dark- Jocelyn Davies

This is another love triangle heavy book, but doesn't it sound pretty? And look pretty? The dark tones and the beautiful cover have me intrigued.

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

Giveaway: All These Things I've Done

2011-09-09T19:21:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a minute to tell you about a new book, All These Things I've Done. You may have already heard of it, because it's been pretty big news--but now it's out and I've been given the chance not only to share the trailer with you, but to offer one copy up as well! So read the summary, enjoy the trailer, and then take a moment to enter for a chance to win your very own copy!

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidently poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

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This contest will go until Saturday, September 17th. It's open to US residents only. Good Luck!

REVIEW: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

2011-08-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Young Adult

Hardcover

Walker Children's

320 Pages

Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter

Summary From Amazon:

Luis Fuentes is a good boy who doesn't live with the angst that his big brothers, Alex and Carlos, have always lived with. Luis is smart, funny, and has big dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when he falls for the wrong girl, Luis enters a dark world he's never known, and just when he thinks he's got life all figured out, learns some disturbing news about his family that destroys his positive outlook on life. Will that Fuentes bad boy streak come out with a vengeance and lure Luis to live on the edge like his new girlfriend and his own father?

Continuing all the steamy romance of the first two books, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Simone Elkeles gives fans one more satisfying taste of the irresistible Fuentes boys.

Review:

I have been waiting for this book for a very long time. When I randomly decided to pick up Perfect Chemistry in the bookstore (it may have had something to do with that awesome cover), I was immediately hooked. I love how Simone gives both sides of the story through the point of view of the guy and the girl. I love the tension, the drama, and the romance. I love the boys. Rules of Attraction was just as good. And so was Chain Reaction.

I want to start off by saying that I do NOT like the summary on Amazon. Yes, Luis is a good boy in the sense that he has high goals for himself and the drive to go for them. But he's also reckless, an adrenaline junky, and just as cocky and sweet as the first two Fuentes boys--which we all know is why we love them. And I didn't see Nikki as the bad girl--she had a major problem when she was younger, but she overcame it and strived to be stronger because of it. Both of these kids are just doing their best to do what they think is right for them.

I really liked Nikki as a character--She was strong and confident but she also had a lot of vulnerability that made her kind of cynical. Luis was exactly what you would expect from the youngest Fuentes boy--overly confident, slick, kind, and incredibly loyal.

I loved the twist that drove him to make a choice between the LB and his future and I thought the scenes having to do with that choice were incredibly well done. I also really liked the way Alex and Carlos responded to said choice. In fact, every scene where the three brothers were together was wonderful. Their playful and competitive attitudes with each other make for some great comic relief.

I did get pretty frightened at the beginning of the book when there were a few chapters from when the two were fifteen--I know how intense the romance in Simone's books can be and that seemed a little too young for me to handle, but no worries, most of the book takes place when they're seventeen/eighteen.

I really don't know what else I can say about this book. I think Perfect Chemistry will always have a special place in my heart as my favorite of the Fuentes stories, but Chain Reaction is a really great book unto itself. I read the book in one day because the pages simply fly by. It was a lot of fun seeing the characters from the first two books making appearances, and this was definitely a perfect conclusion to the brother's story. I highly recommend this as a quick read, full of suspense, action, and steamy romance. Enjoy!

REVIEW: Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

2011-08-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Cleopatra's Moon- Vicky Alvear Shecter

Young Adult

Hardcover

Arthur A. Levine Books

368 Pages

Author's Website | Twitter

Summary from Amazon:

Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony--the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies--until she reaches out to claim her own.

This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.

Review:

I used to be really into historical fiction when I was younger, but it kind of fell by the wayside once I got into fantasy and such. But this book reminds me of why I loved that genre so much. Cleopatra's Moon is the kind of book that flies by too quickly. It is told over the span of Cleopatra Selene's childhood, only showing the big events from each year of her life. This not only makes the pace of the book speed by, it also keeps you interested from page one to page 368.

There is a list in the beginning of the book of character's and their relations--I don't recommend reading it until after. Yes, there are a lot of characters, but the way that they're introduced makes it easy to understand who everyone is and how they're related to each other. When I tried to read the list before the book it was a bit overwhelming trying to remember who everyone was without the story to cement it, but it was cool to look back and have it laid out in such an organized way.

I loved Selene and her drive to not only hold on to her honor in the house of her enemy, but also to regain her kingdom. She was a strong character and her choices and actions rang true throughout the book. I found myself properly horrified over the events they'd been through, from their parents deaths to the Roman abuses, and the things they heard when the Romans overtook their home in Egypt. The book seems to be historically accurate while still spinning an original and wonderful story.

The other thing I loved was the backstory in the back of the book. Vicky pulls out the fact and tells the reader what is known and what she put her own spin on.

The summary also mentions having to decide between two boys--for those of you getting sick of love triangles, rest assured that it's not even that prominent a part of the story. There is never an actual romance between one of the boys, more of an unspoken arrangement. The story mostly focuses on Selene's determination, the love she has for her family, and the strength she find within herself to both be strong but also be her own person. The romance is just an added bonus.

So all in all, I really enjoyed this book. It's definitely the type that leaves you wanting more.

VOTE FOR TEAM KILT!

2011-08-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

There are only, like, nine hours left to vote for the Ultimate YA Crush! It's come down to two very worthy boys--Zachary Moore of the Shine series and Jace Wayland of the Mortal Instruments.

I know you're tempted to vote for Jace. Hell, why shouldn't you vote for Jace? He's hot. He's REALLY hot.

But Zach? He's really hot AND he's an underdog. And wanna know what? That makes him even hotter. AND he has an accent. Yeah. And he has some really great poems written about him to sway you to vote Team Kilt.

"But of all his talents we surely can’t miss

Is the way this Scotsman knows how to kiss.

Now take it to the bridge!

Would he, could he, in a box?

Yes, and it’ll rock your socks!

Would he, could he, in a river?

Yes, and it’ll make you quiver!

He will kiss you here and there,

Why, he will kiss you everywhere!"

And I mean, really. Have you been to Jeri Smith-Ready's website? Have you READ the crazy hot teaser scenes she's bribed us with?

"He took my wrists and moved forward, pinning me against the hard, slick wall, arms above my head. Then he kissed me, settling himself fully under the stream of steaming water. Water that flowed from his once-forbidden skin onto mine, its path unbroken by air or space.
With my hands in his grasp and his name on my lips, I could believe that nothing—not even time itself—could tear us apart."

"My pulse pounded with a sudden craving for him. "I wish you were here right now."
Zachary's dark eyelashes flashed as he leaned in. "I am there right now." He lifted his hand to a spot below the camera. "Guess where I'm touching you?"
I held back a moan of frustration and gave him a wicked smile. "Here?" I fingered the top button of my pajama shirt."

That's Hot.

Do you even know how many times I've typed the word 'hot' within the past five minutes? Seven. Seven times, within this very short blog post. Want to know why? I'll tell you. Because Zachary Moore HOT.

YOU HAVE UNTIL EIGHT AM! PLEASE VOTE TEAM KILT! <3 <3 <3

VOTE HERE.

REVIEW: Between by Jessica Warman

2011-08-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Between by Jessica Warman

Young Adult

ARC (August 2nd)

Walker Childrens

464 Pages

Author's Website | Twitter

Summary from Amazon:

There were seven people on the boat that night... and when they awoke, there were six.

Elizabeth Valchar-pretty, popular, and perfect-wakes up the morning after her eighteenth birthday party on her family's yacht, where she'd been celebrating with her six closest friends. A persistent thumping noise has roused her. When she goes to investigate, what she finds will change everything she thought she knew about her life, her friends, and everything in between. As Liz begins to unravel the circumstances surrounding her birthday night, she will find that no one around her, least of all Liz herself, was perfect-or innocent. Critically acclaimed author Jessica Warman brings readers along on a roller-coaster ride of a mystery, one that is also a heartbreaking character study, a touching romance, and ultimately a hopeful tale of redemption, love, and letting go.

Review:

It took me a few days to read this book because I've been so distracted by other things--I would skim forward and then have to go back and force myself to read it through, like I have to do with so many books when I really just want to know what's going to happen. So it took me until the end of the book, when every page had been read in order, with careful inspection, to really appreciate how special this book is. It's beautiful.

Yes, Liz got on my nerves at times. She refers to herself as a prissy bitch at one point and it's not untrue. But the difference between her old self and the self who we're being brought through the story with was done well. There were countless parts that made me cry. The style of writing and the scenes in which you really see what made Liz this way worked together to form a heartbreaking story of loss and a need for control.

I can't really comment on the mystery aspect of it because as I was flipping to the back to see how many pages there were before I began reading, I managed to flip right to the page that revealed the answer. But I do believe that it was probably subtle enough to make for a good suspenseful read. I should mention though that half of this story is told in Flashbacks--I know that can annoy some people, it often annoys me, but it definitely worked in this story. All of the flashbacks were definitely necessary to the story as a whole and gave new insight to each of the characters.

Overall this was a book that I really enjoyed reading. There seems to be a trend in YA books about the afterlife lately, and I've got to say that this one will fit in seamlessly among the best. I kind of feel the urge to compare it to Gayle Forman's If I Stay, simply because of it's strong emotion and beauty, but I don't think that's quite right. If I Stay is a book of innocence and choices whereas Between is more a story of lost innocence and self discovery. Both of them are amazing yet distictly different in their own ways.

The Hunger Games website has been launched!

2011-07-20T07:22:00.000-07:00

May the odds be ever in your favor.

(There isn't a lot of content yet, but I'm sure it'll only be a matter of time!)

My Thoughts on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

2011-07-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

So if you've read my last post, you know that my cousin and I are obsessed with Harry Potter to the point where it's probably unhealthy. We spent the entirety of last week nerding out in anticipation of the final movie, the big conclusion, where it all ends. Naturally our expectations were set at a very high level. And for the most part, I think they were met.

THERE ARE SOME MAJOR SPOILERS WITHIN THIS POST.

There is no arguing that the movie was epic. It followed fairly closely to the book and there was a lot of action. The special effects were amazing as usual and it was awesome to see Dumbledore's Army reunited in the Room of Requirement. So, you say, what could I possibly have had a problem with?

Well, friends, I didn't cry.

I wanted SO BADLY to cry. This movie marked the end of something a lot of us have been loyal to since our childhoods. It marked the end of an epic story where we always had at least one more thing to look forward to. I bawled during the final book. So why couldn't I cry during the movie?

My theory is that it was just too funny. A lot of the things were intentional. Little lines from each of the characters to dispel the tension. Awkward moments that made you laugh. Unintensionally funny things that were supposed to be serious but were kind of out of character or just so far from what happened in the book (final battle anyone? and since when does Voldemort backhand people and give out hugs?) that it made you go 'huh?' Don't get me wrong, there were highly emotional parts too--Snape's death, Harry seeing his parents, Fred. But they didn't allow the tension to build for long enough without throwing in a joke to allow the tears to flow. My friends didn't seem to have this problem, but both times I saw the movie I honestly couldn't stop giggling.

But really I think my biggest problem other than the lack of tears was probably the fact that Ron and Hermione saw Harry heading out to the forrest. They stood together and had a nice little talk about it. And then they LET HIM WALK AWAY. I'm sorry, but no matter how good a friend you are or how aware you are of the importance, you do not let your very best friend calmly walk up to Lord Voldemort with the intent to die. And Ron was completely unemotional about the whole thing! Harry didn't even get a hug. Now that seems kind of unfair, since DRACO even got a hug. From the Dark Lord himself.

I promise I loved the movie! I know I'm having way too much fun making fun of it here, but the parts that I'm complaining about are honestly really small compared to the epicness as a whole. Snape's entire scene was probably the best part of the film though--his death and the memories he gives Harry. The first time you see it is completely shocking.

Overall I'd say the movie was a great success. Then again you probably don't need me saying that seeing as how it pretty much blew other records out of the water for amassing an unbelievable opening weekend sum.

Maybe the third time I see it I'll be able to muster some tears. When I don't have my cousin's giggles beside me setting me off. Maybe one of these days It'll hit me that this is the end. But until then, I'm going to laugh my way through and enjoy every minute of it. :-)

A Farewell Week to Harry Potter

2011-07-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

So, I just wanted to warn y'all that I won't be posting anything until next week. You see, I'm going to be celebrating the awesomeness that is Harry Potter before it's finally all over.

My cousin even came to NY from PA so we can do crazy things together, like photoshop ourselves into HP DH Pt2 posters, making midnight release shirts, and get matching Harry Potter tattoos. That way even when the movie ends, it'll be with us forever.

(our posters:)

Plus I get to make chocolate covered frogs for the release day party my friends and I are having on Thursday. Do you have ANY idea how hard it is to find gummy frogs? There is only one store in all of central NY that has them. Gummy anything else? Fine, they're everywhere. But you want frogs... sorry. :-p

But anyway, that is why you will not be hearing anything from this direction of the blogosphere, unless it is a distant cheer as we watch our childhood obsessions come to life on the screen, or maybe some sobbing when it comes to and end.

Is anyone else this excited about the upcoming release? Because we're pretty stoked. Let me know what your plans are to give Harry a proper farewell! If you link to pictures I will be an incredibly happy camper--I love seeing the awesome that HP fans come up with :-).

REVIEW: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

2011-07-01T20:19:00.001-07:00

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Young Adult

Hardcover

Razorbill

304 Pages

Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter

Summary from Amazon:

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name in it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker--his classmate and crush--who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers

Review:

I just finished 13 Reasons Why, and I knew I had to review this book immediately, before I lost the feeling that closing its cover gave me. I know that this is not an ordinary book and I don't want to give it an ordinary review. Instead, I'll just be telling you my impressions, the feelings I'm experiencing, and the reasons why you should read it too.

I picked it up at 11am today, and it was 11pm when I finished it. Sometimes I set it down. To watch a t.v. show, to eat dinner, to rave about it on Facebook. But now I'm finished. And you would think that while this book has an interesting concept, it would be just any other book. But people are right when they say this book is special.

Jay's writing is simple, but that manages to hit you so much harder. I could hear Hannah, in a way nobody in her story could. Her voice was strong despite her feeling weak, and her story will stay with you long after you finish the book. I know it'll stay with me.

I actually didn't cry nearly as much as I thought I would while reading it--I guess that's because individually, each piece of the story wasn't overly intense. Yes, there were tough parts, but separate, they were bearable. Only now, at the end, as each one of these pieces has piled on top of each other, snow balled, has it hit me. Now, that I'm done, I feel the need to cry. For Hannah, and what happened to her, and for Clay and the hope he finds in the end. And I guess that's the point, isn't it? That there is never any one thing that really causes a person to do what Hannah did. It's all of the little things, piled on until you can't bare the weight anymore.

This is not a happy book. But it is a necessary book. It's a book that I think brings hope, in the end. And a book that will show you just how much the littlest things you do can affect another person's life.

I love this book. I want you to love this book. Please read it.

You can also listen to Hannah's cassettes for yourself. Just head on over to Jay's website. It's really interesting to hear the way that she would be reading the tapes. For some reason I heard her voice in my head as lighter, having finally come to a decision, and letting everything off her chest. A goodbye. So it was cool to see this different tone reciting the same words. Let me know what you think.

Favorites of 2011

2011-06-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

So, this was created by InkCrush, and it looked like so much fun that I decided to do one myself! If you decide to do it as well, please link below so I can check out your 2011 favorites too! Also, you should definitely head over to InkCrush's blog--I hadn't been to it before, but it's really great :-D.

ps. Sorry I was too lazy to find all of the covers!

1. Favourite book read so far in 2011

Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

(This book was way too awesome for words--while the cover would have you think of a fun beach read, this book was intense and beautiful and really captured the closeness between family.)

2. Most powerful book

Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher and Before I Die- Jenny Downham

(These two books blew me away--they were beautiful and heart breaking and, yes, powerful.)

3. The most brilliantly funny

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have)- Sarah Mlynowski

(These characters and their crazy situations had me laughing all the time--even the harder issues were dealt with in an entertaining voice.)

4. Best ache-y, heart-breaking, tear-jerker read

Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher, Where She Went- Gayle Forman, Before I Die- Jenny Downham, and Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

(All of these books had me bawling at parts, yet all of them were also some of the most beautiful books I've read, ever.)

5. Most beautiful story

The Lover's Dictionary- David Levithan

(It may have been the scarce, beautiful way in which it was written, but this book was absolutely gorgeous.)

6. Fave rainy day comfort read

What Happened to Goodbye- Sarah Dessen

(Sarah Dessen books always fill me with comfortable, warm fuzzies.)

7. Best tense, adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award

The Dead-Tossed Waves- Carrie Ryan

(SO INTESE. SO UNPUTDOWNABLE.)

8. The beautiful prose award

Stay- Deb Caletti

(This book was gorgeously written, 'nough said.)

9. most atmospheric and vivid setting

The Dead-Tossed Waves- Carrie Ryan

(As terrifying as it was, I definitely felt like I was there.)

10. i-so-want-to-go-there award

Enclave- Ann Aguirre

(While this was also terrifying, I was strangely drawn to the world. Needless to say, I would only want this to be a brief visit :-p)

11. most original and imaginative

The Lover's Dictionary- David Levithan

(Not so much the story, but the way it was written made it exciting, new, and beautiful.)

12. best under-appreciated, hidden gem book

Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher

(I never heard too much about this book, but it WAS perfect and really deserves to be more widespread!)

13. i-had-no-idea-i-would-love this-so award

Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

(As I said earlier, the cover is deceiving so I never really gave too much though about it until I read a post by Hannah talking about the deceiving cover. Then I was intrigued, but I still had no idea I'd fall so completely in love with it..)

14. most haunting story

Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher

(SUCH an intense, memorable story.)

15. outside of my comfort zone but gosh how i loved it

Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi

(I generally wouldn't have picked this book up, because it's just not something I'd usually choose to read. But it definitely surprised me with how good it was.)

16. series that i'm loving

The Dead-Tossed Waves- Carrie Ryan

(I can't believe it took me so long to get into this series! It's FANTASTIC!)

17. most memorable voice award

Hourglass- Myra McEntire
(I LOVED Emerson's voice! It was completely consistent throughout and her sarcasm added so much fun to the story.)

18. completely awesome premise award

Forgotten- Cat Patrick

(Remembering the future, but not the past? Memory resetting every night at 4:33? Awesome.)

19. would make the best movie

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight- Jennifer E. Smith

(I picked this book just because I think it would make a completely adorable romantic movie. I'd love to see these two come to life, overcoming their problems to open themselves to a love they found in the airport terminal.)

20. want to re-read already

Invincible Summer- Hannah Moskowitz

(Wow, this book has popped up in a lot of categories!)

REVIEW: Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

2011-06-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Young Adult

ARC

Walker Childrens

352 Pages

Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter

Summary from Alyx's site:

1872, London, England
Violet Willoughby doesn’t believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother’s elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose. Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother’s scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she’s known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

Review:

I don't think it's any secret that I love Alyxandra's writing--she has an ability to combine mystery, friendship, romance, and fun witty dialogue into an awesome story that keeps you flipping pages until the end. This particular book was no exception from her Drake Chronicles series--but this time, instead of sexy vampire boys, we were introduced to an irresistible pick pocket with an irish accent and the ghost of a dead girl who really knows how to get her creep on. I admit that I got a bit spooked reading this while being home alone at night, but the image of ghostly antics going on in my bedroom was not exactly soothing. But really it just added to the fun, having this ghostly girl spook violet into believing not only in ghosts, but in the fact that this girl's death was no accident. This sets off a whole investigation headed by Violet and her friend Elizabeth, all the while navigating her mother's terrible schemes on top of the peerage society. While the book was similar in set up to the Drake Chronicles--kickass female narrator, awesome best friend who has to be let in on the life-changing secret, hot boy who doubles as partner in crime and love interest--it was most definitely different enough that you can enjoy this novel just as much. The smart, realistic dialogue and incredible situations Violet gets her and her friends into will have you laughing while you wonder who the killer among them is. Definitely read this book if you love Alyx's other writing, or if you're a fan of historical, ghost, or romance stories. It won't let you down!

This is Teen- Boston

2011-06-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

Scholastic's This is Teen tour is an amazing thing. I was lucky enough to have a few good friends staying in Boston for the summer, and they took me in so I could have a chance to attend this event.

This is Teen is Scholastic's way of spreading awareness of their YA love. They asked three of their biggest name authors to go on a five city tour, talking about their own experiences as teens as well as what makes teen lit awesome.

The event was held at Wellesley Middle School, as there wasn't enough parking available for it to be held at the actual bookstore. When you walked in, they were giving out thumb drives that said 'This is Teen' and had four cool videos of the authors talking about their teen years preloaded onto them.

They also had some cardboard cutouts of the lead titles with places to put your head--these provided a lot of entertainment, despite the fact that I broke one trying to twist myself into the right position for the Abandon one (it is NOT easy to have your head upside down without lying down and while wearing a dress...).The actual event was beyond amazing. Those three woman are so funny! Maggie opened the floor, answering the question 'why werewolves' with a hilarious anecdotal rant about being easily afraid of monsters as a child, growing to have a strong dislike of werewolves, and deeming the 'shapeshifters' in her books metaphors for trying to hold on to your identity throughout your teen years.

Meg then took off on her own story of how she became a writer, which was definitely not due to her skills in math, much to her math professor father's dismay. Instead, she spent much of school doodling in her notebooks and considering what would

happen should aliens descend from the sky and declare she was the queen of their planet.

When it was Libba's turn to take the floor, after a long and quite awesome introduction from Meg, where words such as 'bodacious' were thrown around, she had the audience rolling as she told stories of teen humiliation as her best friend since childhood sat in the audience, laughing louder than anyone.

The three of them had an awesome chemistry, as only three woman who have spent endless hours together over several weeks could have. I couldn't be happier for the opportunity to see them all together!

Hourglass Book Trailer!

2011-06-10T15:00:00.001-07:00

Check out this fun book trailer for Hourglass by Myra McEntire! This is one book I've been waiting a while for--it sounds awesome! I've posted the summary below. And the release date is coming up! Just four more days :-).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut.

REVIEW: Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski

2011-06-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Young Adult

Hardcover

Harper Teen

368 pages

Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter

Summary from Amazon:

2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house – parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery to them.

In this hilarious and bittersweet tale, Sarah Mlynowski mines the heart and mind of a girl on her own for the first time. To get through the year, April will have to juggle a love triangle, learn to do her own laundry, and accept that her carefully constructed world just might be falling apart . . . one thing-she-shouldn't-have-done at a time.

Review:

Honestly, with a summary like that, you kind of really have to love the book immediately. One would think that a book with chapters such as "Buying a Hot Tub," "Harboring a Fugitive," and "Hosted the Mr. Teen Universe Contest" would just be plain silly, but this book just worked. Not a thing about it felt forced--and you know very well that some of these love triangles and parent issue books can feel forced once in a while. But Sarah pulls it off flawlessly. This book is bitter-sweet, laugh out loud funny, and it absolutely flew by. Usually a book that thick takes me a while what with work and all, but I finished it in 24 hours. It was that good. The kind of book where you just keep flipping pages, where someone tells you to do something and you say 'let me just finish this chapter' before finishing the next three. April was absolutely hilarious. I loved her narration. The situations she landed herself in were priceless. But the book was more than funny, it was also very real. There were real problems April came up against that many teenagers find themselves warring with. Problems like sex, love, forgiveness, responsibility, and discovery. And although April didn't handle them all in the best of ways, she did so with a side dish of humor that kept the book flowing. I would absolutely recommend this book--to fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti, and anyone just looking for a great, funny, real to life read.

Favorite First Lines

2011-06-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm bored, and I haven't posted in a while, but I don't have a review ready. SO. I decided to share some of my favorite first lines with you.

With so many awesome YA books coming out every week of every month of every year, it's hard to figure out which ones you should buy and which ones you should wait list. Reading reviews in the blogosphere can be an awesome way to narrow the list, but that list can still be crazy long. So my favorite method? Go to the bookstore and read the first few lines. If the book can catch your attention that quick, you can be fairly certain it's going to be a winner.

So, some of my favorite first lines/paragraphs (in no particular order):

I was born during the second holocaust.

-Enclave by Ann Aguirre

My first memory is staring through a window into a house that isn't mine.

-Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Annalisa Townsend didn't know which terrified her more: the razor-sharp edge of the dagger pressed against her throat or the ruthless glare of the pirate who'd shoved her against the wall with the harsh words, "Hold your tongue or I'll remove it."

-To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

Gram is worried about me. It's not because my sister Bailey died four weeks ago, or because my mother hasn't contacted me in sixteen years, or even because suddenly all I think about is sex. She is worried about be because one of her houseplants has spots.

- The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

It's hard to imagine what my parents were thinking when they decided to name me Shakespeare. They were probably drunk, considering the fact that my father is an alcoholic and my mother gets loopy after one glass of wine. I've given up asking them about it because neither of them is able to remember anything anymore, and the stories they come up with always leave me feeling like it might not be so bad to dig a hole in the backyard and hide out there until I leave for college next year. That is, if I get into college.

-Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner

The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit. Of course, Tally thought, you'd have to feed your cat only salmon-flavored cat food for a while, to get the pinks right.

-Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Phoebe and her friends held their breath as the dead girl in the plaid skirt walked past their table in the lunchroom.

-Generation Dead by Daniel Waters

For the record, I wasn't around the day they decided to become Dumb.

-Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

First off, I've never told this story to anyone. Not the entire thing anyway, and not entirely truthful.

-Stay by Deb Caletti

The story goes that even after the Return they tried to keep the roller coasters going.

-The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

"That's the worst idea I ever heard," I told Eric. Then I took another sip of beer and swallowed. "Let's do it."

-Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World.

-Going Bovine by Libba Bray

All of these lines have one thing in common--they caught my attention. Either because they made me laugh out loud, or they hinted at a world different from our own, or I simply fell in love with the narrator's voice (this is definitely the case with Stay, but you need to read the entire first page to really get the feel for it). I hope they do the same for you.

What are some of your favorite first lines?

Happy Reading!

- Renee C.

Teen Author Carnival and BEA

2011-06-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

So, I was staying with a friend at her grandmother's house for the four days that I was in NYC, and while her lack of WiFi provided us with plenty of time for exploring, talking, and reading, it didn't really provide me with the chance to update throughout the trip. So here is my recap of the Teen Author Carnival and BEA!

Day One: Teen Author Carnival

This was my first year attending TAC and I was SO glad I did! It's organized by three really awesome bloggers (Mitali, Devyn, and Korianne) and they did such a fantastic job with it.

The authors were split into four panels: Kick Ass Females in YA and Otherworldly Adventures from 4:10-5:10, and Teen Angst and the Debut Author Showcase from 5:15-6:10. I chose Kick Ass Females and Teen Angst.

It was really awesome to see so many authors that I love and to meet some that I haven't gotten a chance to see before. Susane Colasanti, Melissa Walker, Gayle Forman, David levithan, and Elizabeth Scott were awesome as usual. And I really enjoyed hearing from Hannah Moskowitz , Michelle Hodkin, and Kirsten Hubbard as well. There were some really interesting questions asked that the authors had awesome answers to. The one that stands out the most in my mind is: If you could change one thing in one of your books, what would it be? Some of their answers:

Gayle Forman: She said she'd change the name of Adam's band because it sounded cool as a little Indie band but as an incredibly successful band known around the world she didn't think it really worked.

Hannah Moskowitz: She'd take out all of the Camus quotes throughout Invincible Summer (but she actually pronounced the name correctly, instead of the phonetical way I've been saying it :-p).

David Levithan: He wouldn't have included so many musical numbers in Tiny Cooper's show because now he's trying to write said show and it's proving difficult.

So, yeah, TAC rocked something major. And what was even cooler is that I ended up sitting next to Reagan from Miss Remmer's Review! It's always fun meeting bloggers in person :-D.

Day 2-4: BEA

I feel like condensing BEA Day 2-4 into one section is a good idea because after seeing how much I typed about TAC I don't think three more of those would be doing the post any favors :-p. So I'll try to keep it short(ish). (Also, I stole the picture to the right from Carolyn Mackler :-p).

I think I did BEA wrong on the first day. I know that's not really possible, but I pretty much just kept to myself, and paced the rows of publishers to see what was happening, grab a book if it caught my eye, and then paced some more. I didn't really talk to many people at all or get many books signed.

The next day, I figured out what I wanted to do--Find out all the times there would be signings, and then stand in lines. This worked out much better for me because not only did I get to meet some really awesome authors, but I also seemed to be standing next to book bloggers in every line.

Throughout the last two days of BEA, I met quite a few really cool people, mostly book bloggers, that made waiting in line so much fun. It was also fantastic to be able to walk around and see them from time to time throughout the conference and be able to stop and say hi. I'll link to all of them below.

So, yeah, overall BEA was a great success for me. I didn't talk to many industry people, simply because I'm incredibly shy and therefore didn't know what to say. But I was still able to make different connections with some great people and that is enough for me :-). I also got to meet one of my all time favorite writers, Sarah Dessen, and Duff from Guns and Roses (LOVE Guns and Roses...) so that was incredibly cool.

Hopefully since I was more selective with my book grabbing at this event than I have been at past events, I'll be able to keep on top of all the releases and get some reviews out for you guys :-).

But until then, enjoy the pictures, and Happy Reading!

Cool People I Met:

Reagan from Miss Remmers' Review

Danielle from With a Book

Aryanna from A Maze of Books

Brittany from Looksie Lovitz: Books and Witz

Rebecca from Rebecca Reads

Florinda from Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness

Julia from Rex Robot Reviews

Emma from The Thirteenth Chime

Just a few things...

2011-05-31T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hello, Sunshine! I hope you're all enjoying the warmer weather. Every day I think to myself, hey, let's go read a book in the park! But then it gets to be, like, 93* out and I'm like screw that, I'm parking my butt in front of the fan and trying not to move too much. Oh well. Reading can be done just the same!

By the way, I'm looking for some fun summery titles--what is your favorite book to read during the summer?

But anywho, I just wanted to update y'all on a few things:

1) I'm trying something new with my reviews, where I post some details beforehand, a few links, and a summary that is not written by me. I've done this for a few reasons, one being that I've seen a lot of other bloggers do this and it always looks so pretty, two being that writing summaries annoys me :-p. Feel free to let me know if this working for you or not!

2) No, I have not posted about BEA yet. Yes, this is because I suck. But I promise the post will be up within the next few days ;-).

3) I'm also debating whether or not I should bring Teaser Tuesday back to the blog. What do you guys think?

Well, that's all for now! Love y'all :-). Happy Reading!

- Renee C.

REVIEW: Flawless by Lara Chapman

2011-05-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

Flawess by Lara Chapman

Young Adult

ARC

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

272 Pages

Author's Website | Twitter

Summary from Amazon:

Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.

Review:

So I'm sorry to say that I had no idea what Cyrano de Bergerac was--but this story was fun to read just the same. Sarah was a likable character who was fiercely loyal and slightly misguided. She was highly protective of the two people who were most important in her life, her mother and her best friend, Kristen. Throughout the story she constantly put them before herself in an attempt to make their lives flawlessly happy with little thought to her own. Part of the reason she did this was because she felt so grateful to them for loving her unconditionally, despite the one thing she saw as her greatest flaw--her huge nose. But by the end of the book, she comes to realize that there is a such thing as being able to make the ones you love happy while still leaving room to care about yourself as well. This story was a very quick and fun, light read. While it did focus a lot on the size of her nose and whether or not that was a flaw, it did so in a funny way that kept the story moving. It's probably all of these writing and lit classes I'm taking in school, but I did have a slight problem with how quickly everything came together in the last thirty pages or so. I liked the idea that her and Kirsten were good enough friends that Kristen was understanding about Sarah wanting to date Rock, but it seemed as if she would be a *little* upset after having been so obsessed with him herself. But overall, I thought it was a good story, one that managed to show the lengths friends will go for each other and how important it is to accept yourself and others, flaws and all, in a fast-paced and entertaining way.

Tempest Rising Winner!

2011-05-27T12:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you to those who entered to win a copy of Tempest Rising! I'm sorry I didn't get this post up earlier, but apparently Verizon was failing at life and my internet connection was down for the better part of the day. So, without further ado, the winner of Tempest Rising is...

Trish (Just a YA Girl)!!

Congrats, Trish! I'll email you shortly :-).

Happy Reading,

Renee

REVIEW: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

2011-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Young Adult

Hardcover

Feiwel and Friends

272 Pages

Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter

In the Enclave, you only earn the right to a name if you can survive until the age of fifteen. Deuce is honored to have done just that, and to have achieved her goal of becoming a Huntress for the Enclave--hunting for the people she lives with and protecting them from the flesh eating monsters they call Freaks. Her world is one of ignorance and obedience. Everyone is to have blind faith in the elders, who are approaching the ends of their lives at age twenty-five. But then Deuce is partnered with Fade, a boy not much older than herself, but who has seen so much more. Having survived alone for four years in the underground tunnels, he is strong and sure, and he doesn't believe in following the Enclave's orders. Working together, Deuce's eyes are opened to the workings of the Enclave, the danger they're all in, and the truth about life above of the tunnels.

This book was fantastic--it's fast paced and intense: full of suspense, action, and a brand new dystopian world of brutality and a fight for survival. Each character had their own strengths and weaknesses and nobody was really black and white. Deuce definitely followed the trend of hardcore female characters who aren't afraid to get a little dirty. She had a combination of compassion and strength, yet she was still naive in the ways of the world outside of the Enclave. The world the story was set in is a deteriorated New York City in the not too distant future. I loved how in this world, the people knew nothing of the world above ground, not having questions what they were told about Topside being destroyed and uninhabited. The setting of the dark 'safe' tunnels was a great contrast to the open and bright world above ground. I thought Ann handles Deuce's reaction to the differences wonderfully. The only problem I had with the book, at first, was that the monsters were called 'Freaks'. I know that's a tiny little thing, but it just didn't sound original to me.I showed the summary of the book to a friend and she actually had the same response. Yet after having read the book, I realize that it really couldn't have been any other way. These people are not educated, they are not original--they are kept in the dark, literally and figuratively, and live to please the Elders. Of COURSE they would call them Freaks. Other than that, I loved everything about this book. It really is a wonderful choice for fans of the Hunger Games, being a dystopian story where those in charge will do anything to stay in charge and children are brutal and deadly. Often times I would picture the gangs or the Elders as much older than Deuce's fifteen years, and then have to go back and re-read complete chapters with the image of children in my head. It was tough to do, but the story is told in a really great way that somehow makes it all believable if not okay. I highly recommend this book to all dystopian fans. It's definitely a good one!

And the winner is...

2011-05-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

So, the winner of the So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti giveaway has been chosen! I was very sad because I couldn't find my Super Cool Emerson hat to put the entries in and my normal name chooser was off at work, so instead it was me choosing out of a green cereal bowl. (I tried to get my dog to choose, but once he realized it wasn't food he gave me a disgusted look and went back to sleep on the other couch. Jerk.) But now, without further ado, the winner of the SIGNED and FINISHED copy of So Much Closer is...

Kristina Shields!

I'll be emailing your shortly for your mailing address, Kristina!

Thank you SO much to everyone who entered! I wish I could have given out more copies :-(.

If you didn't win but are interested in entering another contest, the Tempest Rising giveaway is running through next friday, I believe. You can find the link right below this one, or in one of the colorful sentences directly below the page links.

Happy Reading!

- Renee C.

Tempest Rising Review and Giveaway!

2011-05-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Tempest is dreading her seventeenth birthday, the time at which she will have to make a choice--stay on land, or become Mermaid and give herself to the sea, like her mother did six years before. Tempest has never been able to forgive her mother for leaving and never looking back, definitely never wants to follow her below the water; not when her life above is so wonderful--her little brothers, her life of surfing, love of painting, steady boyfriend. But as the day draws closer, Tempest can't help but feel drawn to the depths of the Pacific, even as she become more weary of the water that calls so strongly to her; especially when a mysterious guy appears on the beach who seems to know much more about Tempest's change than she does.

Tempest Rising, by Tracy Deebs, is actually the first Mermaid book I've read, so I went into this not really knowing what to expect from it. It turns out that I enjoyed it immensely! I know next to nothing about Mermaids, other than they have pretty tails and live underwater, so this new paranormal world was fascinating to me--I loved learning all of the little tid-bits about the many underwater mythological creatures. The reading was really fast paced, although it did take me until about half way through to get so hooked that I had to isolate myself in my room and read the last 180 pages without pause. The book was intense and there were a lot of things that I didn't see coming, which is always exciting. Tempest's voice throughout the entire book was fantastic; the whole book pretty much read like a friend telling you the story. It was very funny at parts too, especially since Tempest is a fairly sarcastic seventeen year old. There is also a lot of romance within this book--Tempest is torn between her on-again off-again boyfriend of two years and this mysterious surfer guy, Kai. I've honestly been getting pretty sick of the love-triangles, but in this book I didn't seem to mind. Possibly because there was so much going on that the it didn't really harp on the two boy aspect of the story. This book is also the first of a trilogy, so beware that there are unanswered questions by the end. All in all, I really do suggest this book, especially if you're looking for a new type of paranormal story to sink in to! Tempest Rising just may be the gateway into the Mermaid genre :-).

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Tempest Rising is currently in stores, but you can also enter right here to win an ARC of it! Just leave a comment below with your email address and why you are interested in reading Tempest! This contest will run until Friday, May 27th. It's open to US only. Happy Reading!

Blogger Fail = Contest Issues

2011-05-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

Soo, the posts have been restored, yet the comments have not. I think we lost about six entries for the Susane Colasanti giveaway--I don't know if Blogger will be correcting this or not. I'm sorry to everyone who has had their entry deleted and I really hope you see this and re-enter! I posted the link below. Happy Reading!

Post your entry here!

Win a copy of Vanish!

2011-05-11T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Good Choice Reading is giving away a copy of Vanish by Sophie Jordan! I'm well aware of how much everyone has fallen in love with Firelight, so this is a chance you won't want to pass up ;-). The giveaway runs through the 21st, so head on over and check it out! Best of luck :-D.

Enter Here.

Susane Colasanti Blog Tour Stop and Giveaway!

2011-05-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today I'm hosting Susane as a part of her So Much Closer blog tour! I have some major Susane love, so I'm completely honored to have been a part of this. So Much Closer was an amazingly fun read and it was awesome to be brought along on this epic New York City adventure with Brooke--which makes it even more fun to have Susane share her own personal connection to these places with us! I hope each and every one of you picks up your own copy of So Much Closer, but until then, enjoy this little sneak peak of awesome provided by Susane!

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Greetings, friendly neighbors! I'm stoked to share some of the inspiration for my fifth book, So Much Closer.

Realistic fiction is my thing. I like incorporating details inspired by my own experiences to make my books feel as realistic as possible. So Much Closer takes place in my neighborhood, the West Village. I had lots of fun including my fave New York City places and things in this book. For my blog tour, we thought it would be fun to share some of them with you. So here we go!

7. Joe the Art of Coffee

You know how some places instantly feel like home? Joe is one of those places. It’s my fave coffeehouse – which is saying something in a city of hardcore coffee drinkers. Joe started out around the corner from my place. Now there are several popular locations. But the original Joe on Waverly Place will always be home to me. It would feel strange to write a book set in this neighborhood without including the creator of the most delicious granita you will ever drink.

In So Much Closer, some drama goes down at Joe. Let’s just say that Brooke learns how much of an impact we can have on other people without ever realizing it. Which is a good lesson for all of us.

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For more of Susane, you can find her on her website and on her Twitter.

If you still want to know more about the book, I highly suggest watching this super-cool book trailer:

And to check out an excerpt, the Susane Colasanti Sampler:

Susane Colasanti Sampler

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And if all of that wasn't enough, I'm able to offer one of you lucky readers one finished, signed copy of So Much Closer! All you have to do is comment below with your email address and the number one reason you are looking forward to reading So Much Closer. I will pick the winner out of my super cool Emerson College hat next Tuesday, May 17th. Sadly this contest is only open to U.S. Residents. I wish you all the best of luck and Happy Happy Reading! :-D

Forever Book Trailer!

2011-05-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so HOW cool is this trailer? Maggie is made of some serious awesomesauce for not only making this stop motion but the music as well. I hope you guys enjoy the trailer--I definitely did. And if you'd like to preorder your copy of Forever, head on over to this site. Also? It's autographed. That majorly ups the already sky-high cool factor. Enjoy!

What are you reading?

2011-05-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! How's it going? I felt the need to post something today, but since I don't have a review ready I decided to see what everyone is reading!

I've been reading Bumped by Megan McCafferty for a while now. This isn't because I'm not interested, but because it is just so very, very bizarre... It's hard to take in large doses because with every few chapters you're just like wow, I think I need to set this down for a minute and process. But I am getting there, almost half way through, and a review will be here in the near future.

So, what are you reading? What do you recommend? Or just feel free to give a shout out to your favorite book. I *love* hearing about people's favorite books and the reasons behind that special place it has in your hearts. This summer will be The Summer of Awesome Books and I am in need of titles. Not to mention I'm still trying to read at least a book a week, so recommendations are much appreciated ;-).

Thank you, and Happy Reading!

- Renee C.

The New Layout :-)

2011-05-03T13:22:00.000-07:00

So as you can see I've decided to bring a new layout to The Book Girl Reviews. I made this decision for a few reasons--
1) I get bored easily and the last layout had been around for quite a while.
2) The colors of the old layout did not inspire happiness.
3) The sidebar was getting cluttered which made me want two sidebars, but I could not achieve said sidebar number through the old layout.
4) I wanted the blog to be more personal. And what is more personal than my hands, holding a book, and photoshopped to look slightly diseased? (This is only noticeable if you stare too long, so I don't recommend doing so :-p ).

Overall I'm incredibly happy with the new layout. I love the colors and the patterns and the general fun feel it has. I think it's both brighter and cleaner, with the plain white background for the sidebar and text. It just makes me want to post stuff to see how it looks with the layout. This is probably not healthy, but it will maybe inspire new updates, at least for a few days ;-). So, yeah, I love it. I hope you love it, too.

Happy Reading!
- Renee

REVIEW: Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

2011-04-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

I don't even know how to summarize this book. I don't want to summarize this book. All I want to say about it is that this is a book about a family. It is a book that takes place over four summers, and that the choice to write it that way was not only completely necessary but that it was absolutely perfect. That it felt like summer was the only time these characters existed and that was both beautiful and sad. That there are relationships in this book, but there is no romance. That this story is unbearably beautiful and heartbreakingly sad and it is all so, so very wonderful. And that you need to read it.

I also don't know what else to say about this book other than what I just said above. I loved it. I don't usually like books that only revolve around family or books that are written in time lapsing parts such as this was. But I loved everything about this story. I love that the summer was the only time that Chase felt his life was real and I love that this was supposed to be the place that nothing changed yet everything did and I love that I was able to love yet be so very frustrated with so many of these characters. I loved the way they interacted and I love the decisions they all made and I love Chase's voice, and his siblings, and his story. I posted the book trailer for this book below, and in it he says he doesn't want this to be a story about a girl, he wants it to be *his* story. Well, it is. Melinda is nothing to me but a part of his story. I love that Hannah told us that it is Claudia on the cover. That I feel like I've gained siblings. That I feel like with the end of this book I've lost something too. This book has a beautiful cover. It has an intriguing summary. But it is so much more than what its binding leads you to believe.

Fun Things to Come

2011-04-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

My semester ends on May 6th, but between now than then I've got two writing workshops to revise for, a final and paper to write for my literature class, and a final project to complete for personal genetics and identity. Needless to say, it's going to be a very busy week and a half. But, there are many fun things on the horizon!

I will be participating in a few blog tours this May, so be watching out for that. Especially since I can promise two exciting giveaways for two really great books!

For any of you in the Central NY area, the Rochester Teen Book Festival is coming up and you won't want to miss that. Check it out at TBFLive.org -- there is a really great line up this year.

BEA has until the end of the day to deny me as press, so I'm very much hoping to meet a lot of you there this year! It'll be my first time going so I'll need somebody to show me the ropes. :-)

And Scholastic's This Is Teen campaign is bringing three very talented authors on a five city tour this summer. The kickoff of the campaign is tomorrow, and I here there will be a lot of fun things going down, so check them out on facebook. And if all goes as planned, I'll be at the MA signing, I believe June 16th, to see Libba Bray, Maggie Stiefvater, and Meg Cabot! I hope you will be too.

If there is anything I missed please let me know! And also let me know if you plan on attending any of these events! I'd love to meet up :-). T'will be a good summer for book nerds, indeed.

Happy Reading!

Wow, that's SO cool!

2011-04-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this has absolutely nothing to do with books, but I thought it would be a fun thing to post anyway. Some of you probably already know about it, but I just figured it out from one of my friends the other day and I'm *still* excited about it. What is it that I am talking about? The imprinting of words on your fingernails!

So, here is a vaguely step by step tutorial of how to do so. It's super cool. Just check out the picture if you need confirmation. See? Told you.

Here's how it goes:

First off, you must paint your nails a very, very light but opaque color. White works best, but don’t put too many layers on—I made that mistake and it was chipping left and right by the end of the next day. Let that dry completely.

Now take a newspaper and rip it up into small pieces so it’s easier to handle. I used my friend’s copy of the last issue of my school paper (who needs to read it when it serves such better purposed??) Take these little pieces of paper and set them aside.

Pour a small bit of either rubbing alcohol or Vodka into a bowl (you know, whatever you have handy. Personally I used Vodka but that’s only because my suitemate likes to drink yet apparently isn’t too concerned with first aid).

Now take one of the little pieces of newspaper and submerge it in your liquid of choice. Take it carefully out and press it onto the first nail. My roommate and I were under the impression that the longer you kept it there, the darker it would get, but I don’t think that’s what matters. Instead, try pressing on it really hard and making sure you hit all points of the nail with equal pressure—otherwise you’re going to get an uneven imprint. The harder you press I think the darker it’ll get.

When you’re done with that, carefully pull the newspaper away like you would a temporary tattoo. There should be an imprint of words, backward words, but words just the same. Repeat this for each nail.

The final step is to put a coat of clear nail polish over your work to keep the words from rubbing off.

You’re done!

Twenty Mini-Reviews

2011-04-15T19:45:00.000-07:00

Since I've been so busy and easily distracted I've realized that there is NO way I'm going to be able to review every book I read this year. In fact, I've only reviewed like six of the twenty I've gotten through so far. So I've decided every once in a while I'll post something that lists all the books I've read and a few thoughts on them. And so was born The First 20 of 2011. Enjoy!

1. Deadly Little Game- Laurie Faria Stolarz

This book was everything you could hope for- it stuck perfectly with the mystery/thriller/romance combo that is found throughout the first two books. And I *loved* the crosswords!

2. Almost Perfect- Brian Katcher

There aren't even words for how much love I have for this particular book. It's so different from anything I've ever read before. It's intense and emotional and incredibly sweet at the same time. It totally deserved the award it won and I recommend it to *everybody*.

3. Five Flavors of Dumb- Antony John

This was an incredibly fun read with a side of sarcasm. Not only does it have an amazing cover but Piper is a kickass character who you can't get enough of. The book is hilarious and the characters are all super fun- it was great to watch all of these clashing personalities learn to fit together in such an epic way.

4. The Lover's Dictionary- David Levithan

This book was just awe-inspring. To tell such a complete story in so few words is impressive. Especially since I feel as if I learned more about the relationship through these brief glimpses at moments of their lives than I ever would have from a full narrative.

5. Paper Towns- John Green

John has such an awesome way of telling great stories with intriguing characters in such a simple and straightforward way. Margo was great. I fell in love a little bit with Quentin. And I *loved* learning about paper towns. If you don't yet know what those are (I didn't), don't look them up! Read the book and be amazed.

6. The Girl Next Door- Selene Castrovilla

I don't know what to say about this book other than it's a tear-jerker for sure. But throughout it there are also many tender, sweet, and funny moments. I think Selena did a great job capturing what it must be like to be young and losing someone you love so very much. It was a great read.

7. Trickster's Girl- Hilari Bell

This was different from anything I'd read for a while- it focused much more on developing friendship than relationship and it was a new twist on a dystopian future. I loved the incorporation of mythology as well with Raven and the Earth's leys. It was a fun adventure story that fans of her Farsala trilogy will enjoy.

8. Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance- Franklin and Halpin

This was such a fun read! It's a story about an on screen couple who must play their roles throughout real life as well, except they hate each other. The story was funny and I loved the alternating points of view- it's always interesting to get both sides of the story and it was very entertaining (and slightly frustrating, in a good way) to see the two character's very different interpretations of various scenes.

9. Ship Breaker- Paolo Bacigalupi

Ship Breaker is a dystopian you don't want to miss- this world is unique and incredibly intriguing. It was full of suspense and some pretty intense actions scenes. Bacigalupi does a great job of bringing us into this future world and having us live the story along with Nailer. Despite how dirty and barren the setting is, it's a beautiful book. A must read for sure.

10. I Am Number Four- Pittacus Lore

So. Very. Good. I had high hopes for this book and it didn't let me down in any way. It's fast paced, full of action, and every bit is exciting. From the very first page Lore jumped right in to the story and I found it very hard to put the book down until I finished that last page. I'm anxiously awaiting The Power of Six.

11. Mad Love- Suzanne Selfors

Mad Love is a really interesting take on the Cupid and Psyche story- it's told through a story of a girl who needs to write a book for her mother, who has been checked into a mental health facility. The book is cute and funny and goes by in a flash. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a different kind of romance, as well as fans of Suzanne's Coffehouse Angel.

12. The Iron Witch- Karen Mahoney

I really freaking love reading about the fey. And there was just so much more in here- the elixer of life, secret cults, moving iron tattoos, fairies, witches, other worlds. Yet while that sounds like a lot, Karen was able to do it gracefully, clearly, and in only a few hundred pages. There will obviously be more books to come, not only because amazon has (series) listed after the title but because there are a lot of loose ends. But don't let that discourage you from reading this book now, because it's a great story in itself.

13. Sean Griswold's Head- Lindsey Leavitt

This book was so cute! I loved how easily Lindsey seemed to weave together first love and the more serious matter of a very ill father. She managed to go back and forth between each seamlessly and it made for a great read. I loved Payton- she was funny and sarcastic and acted just as a fifteen year old should. This book very much makes me want to read Lindsey's other books, pronto.

14. Where I Belong- Gwendolyn Heasley

I've got to start out by saying that the cover for this book is *gorgeous*. And the rest of it is pretty good too! I loved the look we got at country life and the journey we got to take with Corrinne from stuck up city girl to proud recessionista. A fun, quick read.

15. So Much Closer- Susane Colasanti

I think it's pretty clear that I have major Susane Love. This book easily took second place for my favorites of her five novels (nothing can top my love for When It Happens). I feel like Brooke was a different character from what we usually see in her protagonists, which I loved. I also loved the major NYC love going on throughout (there's a lot of love going on here), and the idea of Always Looking Up. It really made me want to go sit on the high line and look at water towers. Just saying.

16. The Dead-Tossed Waves- Carrie Ryan

I don't know how I've missed out on this series for so long. I don't usually do horror, and this had me completely terrified and convinced that zombies were going to pop out of my dorm room closet, but I couldn't put this book down. When I wasn't reading, it was all I could think about. Be assured that I am now among the rank of those preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

17. The Dark and Hollow Places- Carrie Ryan

And I loved this book even more. Not only because I got to see more of the characters I had grown to love, but also for the same reasons I loved Mockingjay so much-- this book managed to become even darker than the previous book. It made it clear that even the good guys weren't to be trusted, that in order to survive you have to find the strength within yourself. It was intense and thrilling and it didn't hurt that there was some great romance (you should see a theme within the books I read- you can't go wrong with me if there's romance :-p).

18. Babe in Boyland- Jody Gehrman

What a fun book! I haven't actually read anything by Jody before this, but I sure intend to now! Natalie was hilarious and the situations she put herself in were highly entertaining. The book reminded me a lot of She's The Man, but that didn't bother me in the least since I've always wanted a book version of that ;-). But that being said, Babe in Boyland had it's fair share of originality and overall greatness. I loved it.

19. Where She Went- Gayle Forman

I'm often concerned that a sequel won't be able to live up to my love of the original book. That was not the case with Where She Went. This book blew me out of the water. Hearing from Adam gave a whole new level of understanding to If I Stay and Gayle managed to answer questions in this book that I didn't even know I had asked. It may be against protocol, but I think I loved this book even more than the first.

20. Before I Die- Jenny Downham

I've read plenty of books from the point of view of people who have loved ones dying. I've rarely read books from the point of view of the person who *is* dying. This book was well written, believable, and incredibly beautiful. The language, the voice, the broken prose toward the end. Everything about it was perfect. HIGHLY recommended.

Wow, that was a bit over the top, eh? Maybe from now on I'll go by fives ;-). Ta-ta for now and Happy Reading!

Enclave Book Trailer

2011-04-12T09:26:00.000-07:00

This sounds like a great new dystopian book! And the best part is that it was released today :-).

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

2011-04-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Brooke has loved Scott for years, but it isn't until the end of their junior year that she gets up the courage to tell him. This is going to be it-- they'll have the entire summer together and then senior year as well-- except before she gets the chance to make it all happen, she finds out that Scott is moving to New York City. The combination of always having dreamt of one day living in the city and knowing deep down that her and Scott were meant to be together drives Brooke to a radical decision-- to drop life as she knows it and go live in the city with a father she has refused to talk to since she was a child. Despite the obstacles piled up against her, Brooke is determined to make her dreams come true. So when she gets everything she's always wanted, she doesn't understand why it doesn't seem to be enough. But she's going to learn that sometimes, you don't know what it is you truly want until it finds it's way to you.

I loved this book. Brooke is a fantastic character, someone who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. In the first chapter alone I knew that she was the kind of person I could see myself wanting to be friends with and it made the book that much greater to read. But even better, she also had flaws which made her an incredibly well rounded and believable character throughout. The summary, which admittedly had me slightly concerned (the line about her following him to the city inspired a double-take), is in reality about SO much more. Anyone who has read Susane's other books won't be surprised by this-- she has a way of writing stories that seem to focus around finding true love but always include so many other things, primarily finding yourself and who you'd like to become. In So Much Closer, Brooke finds out a lot about herself, about her relationships with family and friends, and about what she's really looking for out of life. She meets a few wonderful people along the way who help to open her eyes and are there to remind her to always look up. There were just so many parts throughout the entire books, lines and quotes and passages, that had me going "yes, this is what it's about." I loved that. I loved the fact that I wanted to highlight all these little things so I'd be able to go back later (although I obviously couldn't do that since it would be defacing the book- sigh). I guess that means that I'll just have to go back and read it again. Honestly, I can't wait.

It's finally here!!

2011-03-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

It began with Eragon. It ends with Inheritance.

Eagerly awaited by millions around the world, the triumphant conclusion to Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle will arrive November 8, 2011.

It's about time!! I feel like we've been waiting FOREVER for this announcement to come! I'm loving the green cover, and the title is the perfect fit for the last book in the series, is it not?? I absolutely can not wait to get my hands on this book-- November 8th needs to hurry up!

Things Made of Awesome

2011-03-21T19:35:00.001-07:00

There are several things that are made of awesome that I am incredibly grateful for at the moment-

1) I attended the NYC teen author festival yesterday and I got to see so many amazing people again! Susane Colasanti, David Levithan, and Mitali Dave are only a few of them :-).

2) The relative calm of Boston. After spending a weekend in NYC, which was unbelievably fun, don't get me wrong, it's just nice to be back in a city where I don't need to fight to walk down the sidewalk or cross the street ;-).

3) While in NYC I saw the high line. I even went under the high line. But sadly I did not get to go up there and see what I'm sure would be a crazy beautiful view.

4) My friends and I at school got confirmed for our six person suite on campus next year. Last year we got denied, so this is majorly happy making.

5) I now have a whole bunch of absolutely wonderfully exciting books just begging to be read! This is one of the best parts of going to signings- new reading material.

So yeah. Those were my past few days. And now I'm off to continue reading my shiny new copy of So Much Closer- I'm only on page three and I've already got major love for the MC and her crazy cool confidence (how's that for a tongue twister?) Happy Reading!

The completely necessary annual picture of me and Susane at Books of Wonder <3.

Anna and the French Kiss book trailer

2011-03-10T18:25:00.001-08:00

So, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins has wormed its way into my heart, and it is now among my absolute favorite books, right next to The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. But The Sky is Everywhere has a book trailer, Anna and the French Kiss does not. Soo, I was bored and procrastinating on homework as usual, and I decided to make one for Anna. Mind you it's not very high tech [it's pretty much just a slideshow with music, made on iMovie ;-) ]. But I figure something is better than nothing! Now, without further ado, enjoy the very first book trailer for Anna and the French Kiss!

Sean Griswold's Head- Lindsey Leavitt

2011-03-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

Fifteen year old Payton is a control freak. So when something happens that is very out of her control, specifically her father getting MS, she doesn't know how to deal. Especially since it turns out everyone in the family but her knew about it. All of a sudden, life doesn't fit so nicely into her color coded scheme. So her school guidance councilor assigns her a focus journal in the hopes that focusing on something that isn't her father's illness will help her to be able to come to terms with it in the future. The object Payton picks? Sean Griswold's head. He's been sitting in front of her for years due to their alphabetical connection but she's never actually gotten to know him. And through these exercises, and with the undesired help of her overly enthusiastic best friend, Payton may just get to know him really well. And she might just find out that Sean and his head can help her in ways she never began to imagine.

The back of this book describes Sean Griswold's Head as "a hilarious and heartfelt story of first love- a love that's literally sitting right in front of you!" I adore this description- it fits the book so well. Yet Sean Griswold's head is also about a lot more than first love. It's about betrayal and overcoming fears. It's about family and how you love them even when they let you down. It's about accepting people, even if you don't understand them. And it's about friendship, the hardships it encounters, and the way it can work through the tough spots when it really matters. Payton is not a typical fifteen year old girl- she is wise beyond her years. Yet she also reacts in a very fifteen year old way to the news of her father. She gives the silent treatment and slams doors and cries when nobody is looking. But she's a fantastic main character because throughout all of this she's also able to remain funny and sarcastic and self deprecating, bringing a light tone to what could otherwise be a heavy subject. Although she makes some decisions that kind of make you want to reach into the book and smack her, it's always easy to understand her reasoning and the fear driving her choices. I loved the strength she developed through the many other characters, and that eventually, she was forced to stand on her own two feet. This book is not only a story of first love- it is a story of growth, development, overcoming obstacles, and learning how to smile about it along the way.

Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin

2011-02-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

Charlie and Fielding are not in love, they just play a couple on T.V. But in Hollywood, the ratings go up when the charade continues, so they take their Jenna and Jonah counterpart's on screen romance into their real lives. This makes life a little difficult seeing as how they can't stand each other. But when they're found out by the paparazzi, the two teen stars must disappear completely so some major damage control can be done. Will the two kill each other while they're alone and disconnected from the world they're so engrained in, or will they see something in each other that they've never noticed before?

This book is the perfect light romance that long spring and summer days so often call for. Neither Charlie nor Fielding are exactly what you'd expect from teen celebrities. While both have their less desirable qualities, they also have a certain something that makes you want to root for them until the very end. The book is told from both of their perspectives and this definitely gives the reader an odd combination of happiness to be in the know yet frustration because you understand what was really happening and the characters are constantly misinterpreting situations. Somehow, this only adds to the delightfulness of it all. The book is a fast read, that almost reads like three separate stories: pre-relationship discovery, off the map bonding, and the scheme for their comeback. This combined with the multiple points of view makes the book feel like a lot is going on, but it all works out and I didn't notice any loose ends. Overall, the book is sweet and funny, frustrating and endearing- a fun and fast read.

Suzanne Selfors

2011-02-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Suzanne Selfors is the author of Saving Juliet, Coffehouse Angel, and the recently released Mad Love. You can find out more about Suzanne at her website and you can read my review of Mad Love here. Enjoy!

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What's something most people don't know about you?

I'm a science fiction geek.

What's the funniest/weirdest thing that's ever happened to you?

So many. But I was just telling a friend yesterday how weird it was when I was visiting Vancouver Canada. It was early morning and we were sleeping in. I turned on the TV and there was a John Cusack movie playing--I love him! And I was telling my husband how I have this huge crush on John Cusack, and then we went for a walk and I took a sharp corner and guess who I bumped right into? Physically bumped into? Yep.

If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring and why?

I answered this question for my college essay to Bennington College. And I remember writing that I'd take a book titled, "How to Survive on a Deserted Island." I got accepted.

What was the first story you wrote? What was it about?

The first story, that had a beginning, a middle and an end, was in first grade and it's called The Pet Store, about a girl who can't make up her mind which animal to take home. I drew the pictures for it, too.

Mad Love is a unique spin on existing characters- was it difficult to write Errol's voice? What made you decide to write his story?

I'm crazy about Greek and Roman mythology. In Coffeehouse Angel, I reimagined the messenger to the god, Hermes. I knew I wanted to do something with Cupid. It took me a long while to create him. He formed over several intense revisions. He's been my most difficult character yet. I'm not sure why. But I'm very happy with the results.

Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors

2011-02-20T17:04:00.000-08:00

Alice's mother is the Queen of Romance- that is, until the fluctuating mood swings she's been dealing with for most of her life are diagnosed as Bipolar Disorder. Alice is left to leave her boarding school and return home to take care our their four family apartment as well as all of the other financial situations. Everything is going fine, until she gets a letter from her mother's publisher, saying to turn in the next book or return the $100,000 advance. The only problem is, all of that money has gone to her mother's medical bills and the Queen of Romance is in no shape to feed herself breakfast let alone write the next great romance novel. Enter Errol. Errol is a boy not much older than Alice and he claims to have a story for her, if only she'll write it- the greatest love story of all time, his own, the story of Cupid and Psyche. Here is the answer to all of Alice's problems- but how can she trust a boy who believes he's Cupid? Is it worth the risk, when everything in her life depends on its success?

Mad Love is a great twist on the average romance. I loved the story within the story- I spent the majority of the book wondering how Errol's tale would continue. While Errol was a bit cocky, you really can't help but fall in love with him a little bit when you find out everything he's been through. Alice was a strong character and I loved hearing the story from her point of view. She was incredibly funny and I found myself giggling quite a few times, despite the weird looks I got from my roommate. The balance between the humor and the more serious tones of the story worked perfectly- it was neither too light nor too heavy and the combination of the two kept the story moving quickly. I feel like there was a lot that went on in this book, but somehow it didn't feel overbearing. Suzanne does a great job of keeping track of the loose threads and tying them together by the end. Overall this is a fun, slightly sad, mostly entertaining, quirky love story of a book that you should most definitely try out!