My Top Ten of 2010

Can You Believe that the year is already ending!? Well, I can't. My list may be embarrassing (it's less than 50!) but I promise next year's will be better! So without further ado, I give you my top ten favorite books of the year (in no particular order):

Beautiful by: Amy Reed
Audrey,Wait! by: Robin Benway
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by: Stephanie Kuenhart
Going Too Far by: Jennifer Echols
Along for the Ride by: Sarah Dessen
Paul is Undead by: Alan Goldscher
Some Girls Are by: Courtney Summers
Bad Girls Don't Die by: Katie Alender
The DUFF by: Kody Keplinger (review to come)
What's Your Status? by: Katie Finn

You can see my list of books I read this year here.

Happy New Year! :)

Waiting on Wednesday (30)

Waiting on Wednesday (29)

My Pick This Week: Dead End by: Jason Myers

Coming on: June 14 2011 by Simon Pulse

Summary: Dru and Gina are young, in love, and can’t wait to get out of Marshall, Nebraska, a town where bloodline means everything and whoever has the money makes the rules. But all their dreams are shattered when Gina has a monstrous run-in with the son of the richest man in Marshall—an incident that leaves her broken, battered, and violated.

Driven by rage, Dru and Gina take matters into their own hands, and quickly find themselves in over their heads. Without any other options, Dru and Gina are on the run. But there’s more chasing them than they think, and love might not be enough to save them.

This looks really good. I wonder what Dru and Gina did and what will happen next. Plus, some romance is involved!? This looks like a good thriller. I'm going to have to pick this up when it comes out in June. :)

That Was Then, This Is Now by: S.E. Hinton

That was Then, This is Now by: S.E. Hinton

Published: 1971

Other Books In This Series: The Outsiders

Summary: Ever since Mark's parents died, he has been living with Bryon. The boys are more like brothers than mere friends. They've been inseparable--until recently. Something seems to be changing between them, and Bryon can't figure it out. Is it Cathy, Bryon's new girlfriend? Is Mark jealous? Bryon is also tired of the street fighting, but Mark seems unable to quit. And where is Mark getting all of that money? In That Was Then, This Is Now, one of her most admired novels, S. E. Hinton paints a richly textured portrait of two boys at a crossroads in their friendship. With careful, intimate strokes, Hinton reveals a boy struggling over whether to protect his best friend or whether to follow his own beliefs about right and wrong. The ending will surprise readers, challenging them to puzzle over Bryon's dilemma in their own hearts.

Review: Bryon and Mark may not be brothers but they may as well should be. Since Mark's parents were killed when he was nine years old, they have lived in the same house with Bryon's sick mother. Now 16, they seem to be growing apart. Mark has been going out more lately and making large sums of money. While Bryon has been spending more time with his girlfriend, Cathy.

That was Then, This is Now was honestly a huge letdown. The Outsiders was one of the greatest books I have ever read, I was expecting this to be great too, but it went Low below my expectations.

This was my second time reading That was Then, This is Now. The first time I tried reading this I only got up to 40 pages or so and stopped. This starts off really slow,taking about three chapters to really get started. The first three chapters just mainly talk about Bryon's daily life.

The only character I really liked in this was M&M. He was smart and mellow, but not a big part in the book, seen only barely until the end. I just didn't feel for Bryon or Mark. I didn't have any sympathy or even liked them for that matter. I'm not sure how to explain why though. It was just something about them that threw me off of them. I guess they weren't my cup of tea. I also really didn't like Bryon's girlfriend, Cathy. I felt that she was, honestly, a smart-ass. I hated her! Ponyboy was only really in this for about two pages! I really wanted him in this more! :(

The ending...I saw a part of it coming, but not all of it. I felt that while it was still an ending, it was not complete. After reading this I felt very depressed,cold. I really wasn't expecting it.

Overall: 2 stars

I Hate Being Sick!

Yes,unfortunately, I've been bitten by the sick bug. So, please excuse me for a couple of days while I get better. I'm still gonna comment on other blogs, but I'm really not up to reading or writing reviews for now. I'm sorry for this little break. :(

Waiting on Wednesday (29)

My pick for Waiting on Wednesday is:

But I Love Him by: Amanda Grace

Coming out: May 8,2011 by Flux

Summary: Tonight was so much worse than anything before it.
Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved-and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything-and everyone-in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

OH. MY. GOSH. Is all I can basically say about this one. But I Love Him looks amazing and raw. You don't come about this book all the time so this is a rare gem. Honestly, the title is what threw me into this book. I really love it and how creepy it sounds. I will definitely be looking out for this one.

Belle of the Brawl by: Lisi Harrison

Belle of the Brawl by: Lisi Harrison

Published: October 5, 2010 by Poppy

Other books in this series: Alphas and Movers & Fakers

Summary: Eccentric billionaire Shira Brazille founded the super-exclusive Alpha Academy to nurture the next generation of exceptional dancers, writers, musicians, and inventors. It's a dream come true for one hundred lucky girls, but those not measuring up will be sent home at any time, for any reason. The one left standing will win worldwide fame. Who will it be?



Skye Hamilton arrived at Alpha Academy ready to dance circles around the competition, but she's having a hard time feeling the beat. Her newest HAD (Hope and Dream): less stress, more fun. Now Skye's torn between what kind of Alpha she wants to be, and which über-hawt Brazille boy she wants to be with.



Charlie Deery can invent practically anything--except girlfriends. But now Allie A. is warming to her, and Charlie wants to keep it that way--even if it means helping Allie A. land Darwin. But will hooking up her ex-crush end up crushing her?


Allie A. Abbott is serious-leh relieved she hasn't been sent home yet, especially now that everyone knows she's more faux than a St. Tropez spray tan. Can she prove she's a true Alpha after all? Or will she go from beautiful to beta-ful?



If at first you don't succeed, you're not an alpha.

Review: Skye, Charlie, and Allie have gone through a lot at Alpha Academy, but their adventure has just started. Sydney,one of Shira's five sons, starts liking Skye. But Skye really doesn't like Sydney, she likes Taz, his brother. But if she breaks Syd's heart, Shira will expell her from Alpha Academy. Charlie still likes Darwin. The good news? He likes her back. The bad news? Allie still can't get over Darwin. The solution? Get Allie to start liking Darwin's other brother, Melbourne. Allie is ready to get back to business but the real Allie J is making this very tough on her by making a whole album based on her identity theft and now she is making everybody hate her at Alpha Academy (well except for Skye and Charlie) What's an alpha to do?

Belle of the Brawl may be the third book in the series but it still shows that the Alphas series hasn't lost its spark. It still delivers so many twists and turns it makes your head spin.

In the last book, Movers & Fakers, I wasn't a big fan of the characters,especially Skye, but I really liked them in this. In the last book, Skye was so snotty I really just couldn't take her anymore, but I really liked her in this book. I loved her determination to be the best in her dancing class. Charlie's relationship with Darwin is so Cute! I loved how she made sure Allie was over with Darwin before she made a move for Darwin. I think Allie is my favorite of the three. I loved how she bounced back quickly from the Allie J experience.

I also loved the minor characters Triple, Ophelia, Tweety, and all five of Shira's sons. If I had to pick my favorite son I would have to pick Sydney, I love my poets. :)

I did have a few problems with this though. I thought that some of the stuff Lisi Harrison wrote were very hard believe. I don't know about you, but can you imagine an "A" shaped boat? Also in the book it always describes Allie as having blond hair then why is she a brunette on the cover? Is it her or her when she is Allie J?

Overall: 4 Stars

The last book of the Alpha series, Top of the Feud Chain, comes out in May 2011.

Waiting on Wednesday (28)

Waiting on Wednesday (27)

This week my pick for Waiting on Wednesday is:

Trapped by: Michael Northrop

Coming out: January 1, 2011 by: Scholastic

Summary:

The day the blizzard started, no one knew that it was going to keep snowing for a week. That for those in its path, it would become not just a matter of keeping warm, but of staying alive....

Scotty and his friends Pete and Jason are among the last seven kids at their high school waiting to get picked up that day, and they soon realize that no one is coming for them. Still, it doesn't seem so bad to spend the night at school, especially when distractingly hot Krista and Julie are sleeping just down the hall. But then the power goes out, then the heat. The pipes freeze, and the roof shudders. As the days add up, the snow piles higher, and the empty halls grow colder and darker, the mounting pressure forces a devastating decision....

Oh my gosh this looks so awesome. First off the cover really freaks me out. The school looks scary covered in all that snow. This does not only look awesome but also creepy and kinda reminds me of a horror movie. My school is pretty old so I might get creeped out in about a day. Also, I really want to know what the devastating decision is. Do they play survival of the fittest or try to leave the school? I'm going to have this pick this up once it come out.

The Outsiders by: S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders by: S.E. Hinton

Published: 1967 by Puffin

Summary: According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser. This classic, written by S. E. Hinton when she was 16 years old, is as profound today as it was when it was first published in 1967.

Review: Ponyboy's life has always been tough. His parents are dead, he and his older brother Darry fight all the time, and their rival gang,the Socs,have been on his gang's tail. Little does Ponyboy know that his and his friends' lives will soon change forever.

The Outsiders is an AMAZING book. Even though it is a bit of an old book, it still feels so real. All of the characters were amazing. By the end, I was at tears. Which I don't really understand since I already read this, while I still thought it was really good, this time it blew me away.

The Greasers (Ponyboy's gang) is made up of Pony, Darry, and Soda-Pop( Pony's brothers) Dally, Randy,Two-Bit Matthews, and Johnny. I have to say I loved them all. But, my favorite characters would have to be Ponyboy, Johnny, Dally, and Two-Bit Matthews. I loved them from Dally's heartless attitude to Two-bit's awesome sense of humor. I also really liked the conversations between Cherry and Ponyboy ( Very Cute!)

S.E. Hinton's writing is amazing. Ponyboy is reallt realistic and so is the other characters. The end had me at tears and wouldn't let me stop reading it. The Outsiders was amazing.

Overall: If it had me cry then it's amazing.

5 stars

Love Sucks! By: Melissa Francis

Love Sucks! by: Melissa Francis
Published: July 27 2010 by HarperCollins

Other books in this series: Bite Me!

Summary: AJ Ashe is moving on. Sure she still has not-so-sisterly feelings for Ryan, her ex-boyfriend-turned-step-brother, but there’s a new vampire in town and his name is Alexander Archer. Caught between the desire to move forward with Sexy Lexy and being drawn to her past with Ryan, AJ thinks life couldn’t get anymore complicated. Yeah, right. When her mother’s pregnancy is threatened, it looks like AJ’s long lost father is the only person who can save her. But Dad’s help comes with a price. AJ is forced join the evil side of her family, and a very creepy shape-shifting demon is there to make sure AJ cooperates. All this and she’s still got to plan the prom. Being a teenager is tough, but being a teenage vampire just flat out sucks. Pun totally intended.

Review: Just when A.J. thought all her worries were over her father comes back into her life. To protect herself and her family her auntie Tave hires her nephews Robbie and Lex, to help train her. But A.J. finds herself falling for Lex while still trying to get over Ryan. With prom just around the corner and a new prophecy brother or sister on the way A.J.'s life is back to being crazy and unexpected.

Love Sucks! was a great sequel to the Bite Me! series. It felt just like Bite Me! but I still had a few problems with it.

I felt that this book was more slower than Bite Me!. I would pick this up and then put it back down and stop reading. Also, I really wasn't a fan of "sexy Lexy" a.k.a Aunty Tave's nephew. I felt that there wasn't any chemistry between A.J. and him. I also found him a bit stalkerish, like reading A.J.'s thoughts? That was a little creepy and annoying. Another character I just did not like was Bridget, A.J.'s best friend. She would just annoy me, but she really wasn't in the book until the end.

Except for those two characters, I loved the rest of them. A.J. is always headstrong and doesn't complain about her problems. What's not to love about Ryan? He's cute, nice, and funny. I also really liked Malia and Robbie. I think they should have been in the book more.

Although this book was slow, it was addicting. Melissa Francis' writing draws you right in. I thought the ending was amazing. It made me laugh one minute and the next made me gasp with surprise. I can't wait to read more from this series.

Overall: Love Sucks! is a slow but great book in the Bite Me! series.

3 stars

Waiting on Wednesday (27)

Waiting on Wednesday
My Pick This Week:

All The Things You Are by: Courtney Sheinmel
Coming out: June 14,2011

Summary: Carly Wheeler lives a charmed life. Her motheris a stylist for the soap opera Lovelock Falls, she lives in a nice house, and goes to an excellent private school. But when her mom is arrested and charged with embezzlement, everything starts to unravel. There are shocking stories about her mother's crimes in the local newspaper. Carly's friends start avoiding her. And her stepfather starts worrying about money. How can Carly put her life back together when it feels like she's missing all the pieces?

Have you ever heard of the phrase "You don't know what you've got until it's gone?" Well, this is exactly what this book reminds me of. I've been hit with this feeling countless times so I really want to see how Carly reacts when her no worries life leaves her worrystruck. I can't wait to read this one.