Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday (22)

Ripple by: Mandy Hubbard

Being Published on July 21,2011 by Razorbill

Summary:
Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. The water calls to her, draws her in, forces her to sing her deadly song to unsuspecting victims. If she succumbs, she kills. If she doesn’t, the pain is unbearable. To keep herself and those she cares about safe, she shuts herself off, refusing to make friends or fall in love—again. Because the last time she fell in love with a boy, he ended up dead.

Then Lexi meets Cole. Against her better judgment, she finds herself opening up again, falling in love when she knows she shouldn’t. But when she’s offered the chance to finally live a normal life, she learns that the price she must pay to be free of her curse is giving him up.

In Ripple, Mandy Hubbard spins a sea-ravaged tale of melancholy beauty, and the choices one girl makes between land and waves, love and freedom, her future—and her heart.

This looks so fascinating. I never heard about a novel like this. It sounds so unique. I mean what are the consequences if she doesn't sing her song? How does she kill innocent people? What happened to her old boyfriend? I love the cover too. The background is gorgeous.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Teaser Tuesday (12)


Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my Teaser Tuesday is from Bad Girls Don't Die by: Katie Alender

"Okay,so I'm not popular and friendly and I don't have any friends. But I wasn't about to let someone stand there and talk smack about my baby sister-who,yes,is sensitive,but,no,is not a violent maniac.
I took a step toward Pepper. She flinched,but she didn't back away."
-pg. 17

I'm really liking this book so far. I haven't really reached that far but the creepiness is great in this. What was your Teaser Tuesday?

Monday, September 27, 2010

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by: Ann Brashares (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants #2)

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by: Ann Brashares
Published: December 24,2004 by Delacorte


Summary: Teens who loved Ann Brashares's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2001) will cheer its equally riveting sequel The Second Summer of the Sisterhood. As in the first novel, four teen girls who have known each other since birth (their moms shared a pregnancy aerobics class) further forge their bond of friendship through a pair of thrift-store jeans that magically, impossibly, fits them all perfectly.

Like the summer before, Carmen, Bridget, Tibby, and Lena share their individual adventures with the Pants collective, creating an engaging, kaleidoscopic narrative of four voices. This summer, Tibby attends a film program in Virginia and Bridget (Bee), whose mother has died, impulsively jets off to Alabama to get reacquainted with her estranged grandmother. Lovely Lena tries to protect herself from the heartbreak of loving her long-distance Greek god boyfriend Kostos, and Carmen deals (poorly) with her mother dating again and having the nerve to borrow the Pants!

The Second Summer, while breezy and fun to read, deals seriously with love lost and found, death, and finding the courage to live honestly. The teens' lessons are often painful, but the Sisterhood prevails. Quotations from luminaries such as Charlie Brown ("Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love") to Nelson Mandela ("There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered") open each chapter and cleverly reflect the novel's many moods


Review: The Second Summer of the Sisterhood was a great sequel that I had great expectations for but it's characters made it fall a bit short.

It's the second summer of Lena,Carmen,Bridget,Tibby,and the magical pants. This summer Lena stays at home and gets a job at a clothing store. Carmen also stays home and watches her mother fall in love with a new man. Bridget heads to Alabama to find out more about her mother and Tibby goes to film school reminding her of Bailey.

TSSS was a great read. It started off right away and most of the time was very addicting. The only problem I had basically were 3 of the main characters: Carmen,Lena,and Tibby.

Let's start with Bridget. I really liked her in this book. There was a few changes with her though such as her hair,cheery attitude,and weight. I found it interesting to watch Bridget find out more and more about her mother.

Carmen was just a train wreck. From the beginning, I didn't like her. She would treat Porter and her mother horribly then feel bad and start all over again. By the end though,she stopped being a bitch and became nicer.

Oh,Lena. I think Lena got the poor end of the stick on this one. I felt very bad for her throughout the book. The middle though she got very annoying. (if you read the book you would probably know what I mean.)

Tibby was my favorite the last book so,what happened? Well, she befriended people she shouldn't have. It's stupid mistakes like these that just annoy me. Then after this she just got so annoying! I hated reading about her feeling bad about what she did.

The last 100 pages were great and so addicting. Of course I will be looking out for book 3.

Overall: Great novel but fell short of my expectations.

3.5 stars

Books That I Want To Read This Month

Since I want to read books that help keep the mood in for October. I'm planning to read books that have ghosts,vampires,exorcists, and even angels.

My picks this month:
  1. Wait Till Helen Comes by: Mary Downing Hahn
  2. The Vampire Diaries by: L.J. Smith
  3. Jennifer's Body by; Audrey Nixon
  4. Hex Hall by: Rachel Hawkins
  5. The Dark Divine by: Bree Despain
  6. Hush,Hush by: Becca Fitzpatrick
  7. Give Up the Ghost by: Megan Crewe
  8. Bad Girls Don't Die by: Katie Alender
  9. Love Sucks! by: Melissa Francis
  10. Paranormalcy by: Kristen White
  11. Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire by: Tim Collin
My reviews for these will start October 1st!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Legacy by: Kate Brian (Private #6)

Legacy By: Kate Brian (Private #6)

Published: February 8, 2008 by Simon Pulse

Other Books In This Series: Private, Invitation Only, Untouchable, Confessions, Inner Circle, Legacy, Ambition, Revelation, Paradise Lost, Suspicion, Scandal, Vanished, and Ominous.

Summary: The price of power...

After Cheyenne Martin's death, everyone at Easton Academy is struggling to recover from yet another tragedy--especially the girls of Billings Hall. With Cheyenne gone, they need to elect a new leader. And who better than Reed Brennan, the ultimate Billings Girls?

As the new Billings president, Reed suddenly has access to power she never imagined. Gossip is reported to her immediately, she has first dibs on everything from dining tables to dorm rooms, and Billings's most powerful alumnae are at her beck and call. So when Easton's students discover they're the only prep school on the East Coast not invited to this year's all-inclusive Legacy party, everyone turns to Reed to get them back on the list.

Reed is the most powerful girl at Easton.

She revels in her newfound status, but knows better than anyone that the Bilings leaders have a tainted legacy: Ariana was institutionalized, Noelle was expelled, and Cheyenne just died. History has a way of repeating itself at Easton, and now that Reed has everything she's ever wanted, she has everything to lose.


Review:
Legacy was a great book in the Private series that left me off the edge off my seat.

Cheyenne Martin's suicide has hit everyone in Billings in the face especially Reed since she thinks she is the one that caused it. She gets e-mails everyday saying it was her fault from...Cheyenne. On top of the guilt, the Billings girls make Reed her the new president of Billings plus nobody has heard about the Legacy, the yearly party for exclusive private schools which is supposed to happen in a few weeks. Was the Legacy called off or was Billings just not invited?

Why did I ever stop reading this series!? I forgot how amazing and addicting it was!

I love it when a book has a small detail but later it can be a huge, life changing deal. This series always does that and by the time it happens you are like Damn! I should have seen that coming! but you didn't. Normally by now I would have grown tired by a main character in a series, but I really like Reed. She's not perfect she makes mistakes but usually not stupid ones that would make you scream at. She's realistic.

I think every Private book leaves you off with a cliffhanger which is what happens here. It was not the type that would make me go out and buy the next book right away but close to it. Another problem I had with this book was the amount of secondary characters. I understand that the series takes place in a boarding school but there were just so many! Let me list some of the top of my head Portia, Astrid ,Amberly ,Rose ,Vienna, London do I need to go on?

This was a great book in the Private series. I can't wait to read the next book, Ambition.

Overall: A great sequel in the Private series.

4 stars

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Waiting On Wednesday (21)

My Pick This Week Is:
The Stoker Sisters:Daughters of Dracula by: Kailin Gow

Coming out: October 12,2010

Summary: Two sisters... Born during the time of Jane Austen... Set to marry for advancement, but escaped their fates by becoming vampires. Now vampires in the 21st century, hunted by a sect of rogue hunters, the sisters live in a small beach town of California where they meet Keegan Knowles, a mysterious boy. For hundreds of years they've shared clothes, books, and their home, but will they share the same boy or is it there going to be war?

This looks like a great series. I like the idea of horror and betrayal. What was your Waiting On Wednesday??

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Teaser Tuesday (11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This Week I chose P.S. I Hate It Here! : Kids' Letters From Camp selected and edited by: Diane Falanga

Dear Mom,
We got a chance to hang out with our camp sisters. If you got my message before I'm not a big fan of mine. She is so much older than me 1. She copys me 2. she spits in your face when she talks 3. And four she was coughing and sneezing in my face. Plus, whenever she isn't talking (spitting) she was sniffling!! (Listen to how gross this is, sometimes it even gets in my mouth when she spit!!) I'm kinda scared to let her see me!!
From a very very very sad:
Rose
From page 16


This book is so cute! I just finished it but I thought it was so cute so I shared it with you! What was your Teaser Tuesday?

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Some Girls Are

Some Girls Are by: Courtney Summers
Published: January 5,2010 by St. Martin's Griffin
Other books by this author: Cracked Up to Be and Fall for Anything

Summary: Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard--falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be

Review:
This book was amazing. It felt so real and it didn't hold back on the bullying. Regina got hit HARD with the bullying from locker painting to a I hate Regina Afton group online. It was real and gritty but it did have a few problems with it.

This book was so addicting. I started reading this book right before my school started so it did stay with me and it still is. It also took you in so many directions you didn't know what was going to happen next. Which I didn't expect with this.

I really liked Regina and Michael. I felt really bad for Regina but some of the decisions she made were just stupid and sometimes she would start feeling bad for herself when she did the same thing to many other people. Michael was your typical quiet guy who was also a writer. The only thing that I didn't like about him was that he forgave Regina too fast. It was like "I know you ruined my life,but your hot, so I forgive you."

The whole fearsome foursome made me sick. But especially Anna and Kara. They were the biggest bitches and let's just say they better get karma thrown back at them. I hate them! I really did! I wanted to just go away and never come back.

Overall: An amazing book filled with a lot of twists and turns.

4.5 stars

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Paul is Undead by: Alan Goldsher

Paul is Undead by: Alan Goldsher
Published: June 22,2010 by Pocket

Other books by this author: Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams, Modest Mouse: A Pretty Good Read, In a Single Bound: Losing my Leg,Finding Myself,and Training for Life,Hard Bop Academy,Dancing to Music in my Head: A Memoir of the People's Idol, Jam, and The Record Haus

Summary: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME TO REALLY MEET THE BEATLES.

For John Lennon, a young, idealistic zombie guitarist with dreams of global domination, Liverpool seems the ideal place to form a band that could take over the world. In an inspired act, Lennon kills and reanimates local rocker Paul McCartney, kicking off an unstoppable partnership. With the addition of newly zombified guitarist George Harrison and drummer/Seventh Level Ninja Lord Ringo Starr, the Beatles soon cut a swath of bloody good music and bloody violent mayhem across Europe, America, and the entire planet.

In this searing oral history, discover how the Fab Four climbed to the Toppermost of the Poppermost while stealing the hearts, ears, and brains of smitten teenage girls. Learn the tale behind a spiritual journey that resulted in the dismemberment of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Marvel at the seemingly indestructible quartet’s survival of a fierce attack by Eighth Level Ninja Lord Yoko Ono. And find out how the boys escaped eternal death at the hands of England’s greatest zombie hunter, Mick Jagger.

Through all this, one mystery remains: Can the Beatles sublimate their hunger for gray matter, remain on top of the charts, and stay together for all eternity? After all, three of the Fab Four are zombies, and zombies live forever. . . .

Review:
And you thought you knew The Beatles. Alan Goldscher takes through the Beatles amazing career in the sixties in a new take.
If you really thought John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison were human then you were wrong! They are actually brain-eating zombies and on top of that Ringo is a ninja! Mr. Goldscher takes you on a wild ride through the sixties that include battles with Mick Jagger and Yoko Ono, wild concerts and of course, eating brains.

I have to give it to Alan. He was very creative with this book. I mean who would have ever thought of zombies and ninjas being classified with the Beatles! I loved this idea. Any scene with Mick Jagger who in this book was a rabid zombie hunter who would stop at nothing to make John, George, and Paul human then kill them. I also really liked the interview layout of the book. I like it when books shy away from the usual book layout and I really thought it made the book more interesting. The writing was also very well done. I wasn't really expecting to be that addicted to this since I know they break up in the end but I was literally prowling through the book until the end. Speaking of the end, I thought it was brilliant. I never saw it coming.

I'm not a very big fan of sex in books. I kinda saw it coming that there would be sex in this book but there was a lot more than I expected. Sometimes they would go like five pages just about zombie sex and it kinda just got awkward and annoying. Another thing I didn't really like was I thought there would be a lot more illustrations. I think some parts of the book could have been illustrated brilliantly but he never illustrated it but instead with other scenes that didn't really need one.

Overall: A great read for Beatles fans!

4.5 stars

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday (20)

Waiting on Wednesday

Mostly Good Girls by: Leila Sales

Coming out: October 5,2010 by Simon & Schuster

Summary: It’s Violet’s junior year at the Westfield School. She thought she’d be focusing on getting straight As, editing the lit mag, and making Scott Walsh fall in love with her. Instead, she’s just trying to hold it together in the face of cutthroat academics, Scott Walsh’s new girlfriend, and the sense that things are going irreversibly wrong with her best friend, Katie.
When Katie starts making choices that Violet can’t even begin to fathom, Violet has no idea how to set things right between them. Westfield girls are trained for success—but how can Violet keep her junior year from being one huge epic fail?


So,let's see the problems here. School is really starting to get her, her crush has a girlfriend(ouch) and her best friend is going down the wrong way. This books sounds really good! What do you think?

Friday, September 10, 2010

Along for the Ride

Along for the Ride by: Sarah Dessen
Published: June 11,2009 by Viking Juvenile

Summary:
It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.


Review: Auden's dad and mother separated when she was little but that still doesn't hide the fact that she heard the fights they had in her mind. Thanks to those fights she stays up all night and sleeps during the day. The summer before her college year she must go down to Colby, the new town her father,her new step-mother and sister live. Colby changes Auden's schedule of studying and essays and gives her a new way of life.

This was my second Sarah Dessen book and I was thinking this is going to be my 5 star book of the year for me but instead it fell a bit short. While I still loved this book and thought it was awesome I had a few problems with it.

One thing I could not stand about this book were Auden's parents. I don't think I could live if I had Auden's parents. Her mom was a cougar and kinda a bitch. Toward the ending though I did start liking the mom a bit more. Her dad was just a big douche really, any scene with him I could not stand.

I really liked Auden, sure I got a bit annoyed with her for being so judge-mental about people like her step-mother and her co-workers. Speaking of her co-workers, I really liked Maggie,Leah and Esther. I thought they nice and sometimes made me laugh out loud. I also really liked Adam and Eli (Eli was so swoon worthy!)

I thought Along for the Ride moved along a bit slowly at first but then it became fast and very hard to put down. I really did like this book. I always liked Sarah Dessen and I still do. Her writing is amazing and her characters felt so real. I know I'll be picking up more from her
!

4 stars

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

My pick this week is:
Prom and Prejudice by: Elizabeth Eulberg
Coming out: January 1,2010 by Point

Summary: From the much-buzzed-about author of THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB (already blurbed by Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle, and Jen Calonita), a prom-season delight of Jane Austen proportions.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single guy in his spring semester at Pemberly Academy must be in want of a prom date.

After winter break, the girls at very prestigious, very wealthy, girls-only Longbourn Academy are suddenly obsessed with the prom, which they share with the nearby, equally elitist, all-boys Pemberly school. Lizzie Bennett, who attends Longbourn on scholarship, isn't exactly interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.

Lizzie is happy about her friend's burgeoning romance, but less than impressed by Will Darcy, Charles's friend, who's as snobby and pretentious as his friend is nice. He doesn't seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it's because her family doesn't have money. It doesn't help that Charles doesn't seem to be asking Jane to be his prom date, or that Lizzie meets George Wickham, who tells her that Will Darcy sabotaged his scholarship at Pemberly. Clearly Will Darcy is a pompous jerk who looks down on the middle class--so imagine Lizzie's surprise when he asks her to the prom!

Will Lizzie's prejudice and Will's pride keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? From Elizabeth Eulberg comes a very funny, completely stylish prom-season delight of Jane Austen proportions.

This seems pretty good and I really liked The Lonely Hearts Club by Ms. Eulberg. I can't wait to read it! What was your pick?

Monday, September 6, 2010

In My mailbox (9)

In My Mailbox was made by thestorysiren!

Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire by: Tim Collins

Summary: Nigel Muller isn't you typical teenager...He's a vampire!
But unfortunately,when Nigel transformed,he didn't become all broody and interesting,and as for super strength and speed...well,forget it! Nigel got acne,a voice that sqeaks, a tendency to break out into a rash (not sparkles!) when exposed to the sun,and still had absolutely no idea how to talk to girls. Nigel just may be the first and only lame vampire on record.
When a beautiful new girl comes to school,Nigel is determined to impress her. Of course,that would mean actually speaking her...and he will...eventually. But until he can win the girl and the respect of his family, Nigel will just be utterly lame.


The Band Book by: Simon Spotlight
Summary:
How many silly, crazy, zany, funky, wacky bands do you own?? Didn't think you'd see these crazy bands in school ever again? Well, get redy to get silly! Band fans will laugh out loud at these outrageous scenes: bands in history class, bands in gym, even bands in the cafeteria! With more than twenty-five of the cleverest and most hilarious band QUIZ questions, and the most extensive band CHECKLIST imaginable, this book is the silliest, funniest, zaniest book of bands you'll ever read!

I'm really looking forward to reading Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire. The crazy part of thiese books though is where I got them. I got them for free at a movie theater! They just gave them to me for free for buying popcorn! Anyways,what did you get this week?

Friday, September 3, 2010

Jumping off Swings by: Jo Knowles

Jumping off Swings by: Jo Knowles
Released August 11 by Candlewick Press
Other books by this author: Lessons from a Dead Girl and Pearl

Summary:
Tells, from four points of view, the ramifications of a pregnancy resulting from a "one-time thing" between Ellie, who feels loved when boys touch her, and Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life.

Review: I guess the best way to start this review is to talk about the characters since it is told from four points of view:

Ellie: starting in I really hated Ellie. I thought she was a slut but getting into it more I really started liking her more. Ellie was a hopeless romantic who thought boys wanted her for more than just sex. But that's all they really used her for. After about 70 pages I started liking her more.

Corinne: Oh god,where do I begin with this girl? Corinne is simply a horny ass bitch. There I said it. I HATED her! She would listen to her sister having sex with her boyfriend and would bombard Ellie with questions every-time after she had sex. She would want details which just freaked me out. She could be a HUGE bitch sometimes. It was a torture to read when it came to her POV.

Josh: I didn't really get into Josh that much. He didn't really have a lot of POV. I think he only had 7 chapters out of 41!! I did like Josh,though. He didn't mean to have sex,mainly he just wanted to get the other guys off his back.

Caleb: Caleb was my favorite character in this book. He rocked. He was nice and not a pervert liked the other guys in the book.

One major problem I had with this book was the only person you really got to know was Caleb. You don't really find about the other characters. I really wanted to like this book and I've been wanting to read it for a while. I'm very disappointed in this.

2.5 stars

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting on Wednesday

This week my pick is Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon coming out September 24 by Hyperion Books.

Summary:
A haunting love story about desire, danger, and destiny.
After Renee Winters discovers her parents lying dead in California’s Redwood Forest in what appears to be a strange double murder, her grandfather sends her off to Gottfried Academy in Maine, a remote and mysterious high school dedicated to philosophy, “crude sciences,” and Latin: the Language of the Dead. It’s here she meets Dante, a dark and elusive student to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they get to know each other better, Dante can’t seem to control his attraction either, and their desires gradually deepen into a complex and dangerous romance. Dangerous because Dante is hiding a frightening secret. A secret so terrible, it has him fearing for Renee’s life.

Dante’s not the only one with secrets, though. Turns out Gottfried Academy has a few of its own… Like, how come students keep disappearing? Why are the prefect-like Monitors creeping around campus during the night? And what exactly are the Headmistress and Professors really up to? Renee is determined to find out why.

Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.


This looks amazing. First off right off the bat there is murder!! Then a romance with dangerous secrets! Plus a creepy Academy! I will be definitely picking this one up!