One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin

Amazon.com:

Anything is possible. . . .

Finn has always felt out of place, but suddenly her world is unraveling. It started with The Party. And Adam Porter. And the night in September that changed everything. The only person who knows about that night is Audrey—Finn’s best friend, her witness to everything, and the one person Finn trusts implicitly. So when Finn’s childhood friend Jersy moves back to town—reckless, beautiful Jersy, all lips and eyes and hair so soft you’d want to dip your fingers into it if you weren’t careful—Finn gives her blessing for Audrey to date him. How could she possibly say no to Audrey? With Audrey gone for the summer, though, Finn finds herself spending more and more time with Jersy, and for the first time in her life, something feels right. But Finn can’t be the girl who does this to her best friend . . . can she?

This is the first book I've read by C.K. Kelly Martin, I know for shame, I need to read I Know It's Over. I really liked the idea of this book but it played out a bit differently than I would have hoped. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it and I loved Finn. I mean she wanted to be a graphic designer and move to London or New York, we basically had the same dream!

One thing I was really interested in finding out was what happened at The Party, and I was surprised to find out how soon that information was given out. I figured I would have to wait a lot longer than I did. But at the same time it was kind of nice to know what the incident was because it allowed me to understand why Finn was the way she was without having to do that after I had finished the book, I got to do it during the book.

The parts I enjoyed most of the book were after school had let out and Finn's friend and Jersy's girlfriend Audrey was out of the picture. I really wanted to see how this relationship would develop between Finn and Jersy. How could it happen in such a way that Finn would be horrified with herself when she finally realized what was going on between herself and Jersy. I thought it was pretty believable. Sidenote: these characters have the coolest names! Anyhow, I really liked these parts but the ending left me wanting more. I'm not really certain how it ended, this was a case were I wanted a more concrete ending, I was having trouble imagining for myself where this would go.

All in all an interesting book and I can't wait to read the author's other title, I Know It's Over!

One Lonely Degree will be released on May 26th.

3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

Amazon.com:

Growing up in a world of wealth and pastel-tinted entitlement, fifteen-year-old Carly has always relied on the constancy—and authenticity—of her sister, Anna. But when fourteen-year-old Anna turns plastic-perfect-pretty over the course of a single summer, everything starts to change. And there are boys involved, complicating things as boys always do. With warmth, insight, and an unparalleled gift for finding humor even in stormy situations, beloved author Lauren Myracle dives into the tumultuous waters of sisterhood and shows that even very different sisters can learn to help each other stay afloat.

Let me just start off by saying this is my first book length story by Lauren Myracle so it's hard for me to say if this is similar or different to her other books. Ok so the book... I really liked the idea of a sister story and this book told a pretty good one. Me and my sister are like 6 years apart so we really don't fight about the same things that sisters closer in age fight about, like the sisters in this book. Like a lot of sisters these two are opposites. 14 year old Anna is more into makeup, and clothes, and popularity while 15 year old Carly is sort of going through a hippie phase, basically total opposites.

Carly is just coming back from a summer at camp when she realizes that her sister's body has matured over the summer, A LOT. I've never seen or heard anyone obsess so much over a 14 year old girl's body in all my life. It was a bit too much, and really I hope it was an exaggeration because I would feel just horrible for a young girl that got called out like Anna did, by EVERYONE about her body. It was just too much.

Anyway, I really liked the love triangle in the book. Carly is interested in Cole because well he's cute and they also share a few things in common but he ends up dating another girl. And while Carly is obsessing over Cole her best guy friend Roger doesn't really hide the fact that he would go out with Carly in the blink of an eye if she would have him. I also liked the role that religion played in the book, I liked Carly's take on it. You'll have to read the book to find out what I mean.

I found the big fiasco that leads up to the ending pretty stressful. Boy did I feel bad for Carly and also Anna, it was just too much all at the same time. A pretty emotional situation between these two sisters and I was really glad when it ended and I think they both came out of it ok.

All in all an interesting book and I'm curious to read other books by Myracle.

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks was released on May 14th.

3.5/5 Stars

This Week In Books Or I Managed to Not Buy Anything At the Library Or Anywhere Else But That Didn't Seem To Matter

Monday:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
The Comeback by Marlene Perez
And Then Everything Unraveled by Jennifer Sturman
Slept Away by Julie Kraut
How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

A whole slew of review copies showed up Monday and also two books from Sharon. Thanks Sharon, I will be seeing you soon prepare yourself.... :P

Tuesday:

The Geek Girl's Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance

This came for an upcoming tour I am participating in through Goddess Fish.

Wednesday:

MagicKeepers: The Eternal Hourglass Book One by Erica Kirov

Came for review.

Thursday:

Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman

Came for review.

Friday:

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

This came for an upcoming Traveling to Teens tour. Go check out the action over there, it's really heating up!

Suggestions Wanted Or OMG I'm Finally Going On A Vacation After Like A Year and a Half and it's to NYC and BEA!

In about a week I'm going to depart on a vacation I'm so so so very excited about. I'll be going to New York and also Book Expo America. Since I just decided for sure last Monday I'm a little bit behind planning wise. I have barely started to plan what I would like to see and do while in New York sightseeing wise and also BEA wise. I know for sure I want to go to art museums and book stores and maybe some comic or zine shops basically something quirky that I can only find in NY. I would LOVE to hear any suggestions from anyone that would like to share about what I could do while I'm there in New York in general or while at BEA. Seriously this would be a great help and also help get me moving on my plans, I know there is so much to see and do there and I want to take advantage of it! Thank you in advance for any ideas you share!

Lookalikes 49

Fate by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Luna by Julie Anne Peters (paperback)

Luna by Julie Anne Peters (hardcover)

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

This is kind of a combo lookalikes/hardcover vs. paperback, why not right!

So for the first two, the exact lookalikes I'm going to have to go with Luna because of the more natural color palette. And for the two versions of Luna, the hardcover vs. paperback, I'll go with the paperback (which is also the lookalike, confusing enough for you!) When I see the hardcover for some reason I don't see it as a butterfly right away, not sure why. And for the Ice Queen, it looks very very similar, what do you think? Same photo?

Which do you prefer? And hardcover or paperback?? And is The Ice Queen the exact same photo?

Thanks to Krista of Tower of Books and Steph Su for suggesting this lookalike!

Booking Through Thursday: Gluttony

Book Gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you have run out of things to read?

OMG YES! I buy way way way way way way way way faster than I can read. According to LibraryThing my TBR pile is 746 and I know not all my newer books have tags yet so yeah... I try and curb my book buying (a little) but it usually only lasts a few weeks or er days. I can't not go to the Library Book Store on Thursdays! Sometimes I can not go to Borders for a few weeks or put off an Amazon order, but I gotta go to the Library Book Store! My problem is I can't pass up a deal. I rather buy something i'm not going to read for a long time than have to pay full price at a later date. I love the deals! I just can't not buy something when it's like 25 cents. It's impossible! But be proud, I didn't buy anything at the library today and last week, only one book! There is hope for me yet!

Booking Through Thursday

BLOG TOUR: Precious by Sandra Novack

From The Publisher's Website:

The summer of 1978, ten-year-old Vicki Anderson rides her bike to the local park and goes missing. Her tight-knit blue-collar Pennsylvania neighborhood, where children roam the streets at night playing lightning tag, aboveground pools sparkle in backyards, and flowers scent the air, will never be the same.

Down the street from Vicki’s house, another family is in crisis. Troubled by her past, headstrong Natalia Kisch has abandoned her husband and two daughters for another man. Frank Kisch, grappling with his anger, is left to raise their girls alone, oblivious to his daughters’ struggles with both disappearances: Eva, seventeen, plunges into an affair with her married high school teacher, and nine-year-old Sissy escapes to a world of imagination and storytelling that becomes so magical it pierces the reality of the everyday.

When Natalia unexpectedly returns, the struggles and tensions that have built over the summer erupt into a series of events that change the Kisches irrevocably—forcing them to piece together their complicated pasts and commitments to each other.

In this haunting, atmospheric debut, Sandra Novack examines loss, loyalty, and a family in crisis. Lyrical and elegiac, Precious illuminates our attempts to make sense of the volatility that surrounds and consumes us, and explores our ability, even during the most trying times, to remember and hold on to those we love most.

Precious is a portrait of a family, a family going through one of the toughest years of their existence. When the mother Natalia leaves her husband and daughters behind for something new, something with a new man they are left to pick up the pieces of their broken family. When summer arrives the girls are left home to fend for themselves and the older sister Eva takes off most days leaving Sissy to do anything she wants anywhere. Not the best idea when recently another neighborhood girl has gone missing.

I found Precious to be very haunting and heavy. While I did expect that I had hoped for it to let up at least a few more points than it did. I would have liked just a bit of humor or lightness somewhere just to lighten the mood if only slightly. There was one lighter passage that comes to mind though that I really liked, when Natalia and her husband Frank are going for a ride in his car. She remembers back to when they first met and started dating. I really found that passage very sweet. I also really liked some of the imagery described when the circus comes to town. I felt like I was there!

For me it was much easier to identify with the children, Eva and Sissy. I liked reading about Eva and how she was dealing with her broken family. It was interesting to see why she was in the relationship with her teacher and why he was in it with her. I liked that this book was told from the different characters perspectives. Seeing the different sides to the stories. Like others have said, a lot of times I felt worried for Sissy. Left to take care of herself for the better part of a day, who knows what could happen to her. Her imagination was so real to her I felt like it could have been the end of her a few times.

All in all an interesting look at a broken family trying to pick up the pieces that I know will appeal to a lot of readers out there.

Precious was released on February 17th.

3/5 Stars
Review copy provided by author for blog tour

Visit author Sandra Novack's website here. You can read an excerpt of the book here and also view the rest of the TLC tour stops here.

Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti

Amazon.com:

At the beginning of her sophomore year, Marisa is ready for a fresh start and, more importantly, a boyfriend. So when the handsome and popular Derek asks her out, Marisa thinks her long wait for happiness is over. But several bumps in the road—including her parents’ unexpected separation, a fight with her best friend, and a shocking disappointment in her relationship with Derek—test Marisa’s ability to maintain her new outlook. Only the anonymous DJ, whose underground podcasts have the school’s ear, seems to understand what Marisa is going through. But she has no idea who he is—or does she? In this third romantic novel from Susane Colasanti, Marisa learns how to “be in the Now” and realizes that the love she’s been waiting for has been right in front of her all along.

Waiting for You was so easy for me to read. A lot of times I sit down to read and have to stop every few minutes, I think of something I have to do or the writing catches me up and I have to slow down or take a break. But Waiting for You I could just sit down with and read, no if ands or buts.

Waiting for You was a fun yet emotional story. I liked how complex the story was, there was a lot to grasp onto and relate to. I thought I might have a hard time reading about Marisa's parents separation but it actually presented it in a way that was easily digestible. I think my favorite part was Marisa trying to figure out who she wanted to be with romantically and learning more about herself in the process. I also loved the plotline of the mysterious nighttime DJ. I mean, I knew exactly who it was from the beginning but I loved finding the little clues sprinkled through the book as to their identity! It definitely had me grinning.

It came as no surprise to me that Nash, Marisa's friend from childhood would be my favorite character. I'm all about the eccentric dorky boys. Another of my favorite parts involved Marisa's friend Sterling waiting at a park to meet a guy she chatted with online. He turned out to be not what she expected and it was pretty hilarious!

Overall a multi-dimensional book full of family, friends, and love! I can't wait to read more by Colasanti!

Waiting for You is released on May 14th!

4/5 Stars

ARC provided by publisher

Be sure to check out Susane's 8th myth about high school and interview here and also the giveaway for a signed hardcover edition of Waiting For You!

"Waiting On" Wednesday! 30

The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein by Libby Schmais

From Amazon.com:

Lotus Lowenstein's life is merde. She dreams of moving to Paris and becoming an existentialist. Yet here she is trapped in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with a New-Agey mom, an out-of-work dad, and a chess champion brother who dreams of being a rock star. Merci à Dieu for Lotus’s best friend, Joni, who loves French culture enough to cofound their high school’s first French Club with Lotus. At the first meeting, the cutest boy in the world walks in. His name is Sean, and he too loves French culture and worships Jean-Paul Sartre.

At first, Lotus thinks Sean is the best thing to happen to her in years. He’s smart, cultured, and adorable. Unfortunately, though, Joni feels the same way. And having an existentialist view of love, Sean sees nothing wrong with enjoying both girls’ affections. Things come to a head when all three depart for Montreal with their teacher, Ms. G, on the French Club’s first official field trip. Will Sean choose Joni over Lotus? And will Lotus and Joni’s friendship ever recover?

Released December 8th 2009

This sounds like a great book. I too love French culture (but probably not as much as Lotus) and like how her family sounds a bit quirky. And high school love triangle? Count me in! Sounds like a fun book for sure!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Tuesday Thingers: Reviews

Do you add your reviews to the books you add to your library? If so, do you put your full review on there, or a quick review (one - two paragraphs)? Do you find other people's reviews helpful? Do you know of any other ways to enter your reviews (Other than Edit Book, or Quick Edit)?

I add reviews to my books as I read them. So almost always I'll add a book before I add a review and not at the same time. When I first started reviewing a few years ago I put a few sentences here and there for books I had read in the past. They were such short reviews because I hadn't read the books recently. I stopped doing that after like 5 reviews though. I do like to read other's reviews and sometimes it's nice also to see the average rating. I don't know of another way to enter reviews!

GIVEAWAY: Waiting For You Signed Hardcover!

Now that you've read Susane's 8th myth about High School you can win your own signed hardcover copy of Waiting For You!

If you need a reminder, here's a bit of information about Waiting For You (from amazon.com):

At the beginning of her sophomore year, Marisa is ready for a fresh start and, more importantly, a boyfriend. So when the handsome and popular Derek asks her out, Marisa thinks her long wait for happiness is over. But several bumps in the road—including her parents’ unexpected separation, a fight with her best friend, and a shocking disappointment in her relationship with Derek—test Marisa’s ability to maintain her new outlook. Only the anonymous DJ, whose underground podcasts have the school’s ear, seems to understand what Marisa is going through. But she has no idea who he is—or does she? In this third romantic novel from Susane Colasanti, Marisa learns how to “be in the Now” and realizes that the love she’s been waiting for has been right in front of her all along.

Rules: To win a signed copy of Waiting For You leave a comment sharing a favorite high school (or school in general) memory.

This giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S.

Please leave a way for me to contact you if you are the winner!

The giveaway will end Tuesday May 19th at 11:59pm Central Time.

BLOG TOUR: Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti (Top 10 Myths About High School)

Welcome to day 8 of Susane Colasanti's Waiting For You Top 10 Myths about High School Blog Tour!

Myth #8. Teachers gossip about students.

Oh, wait. That one is true.

Interview with Susane:

1. What is a typical day like for you?

One of the best things about being an author is that I don’t have to get up when it’s still dark out anymore. Yay for sunlight! I’ve never been a morning person, so I actually do my writing in the afternoon when I feel most productive. Mornings are mostly online time. I blog if I have some news to share (or if I just want to talk about some cute boy or cupcakes or whatever), check in at Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, and respond to emails. I go to the gym about three days a week. I’ll definitely go if someone good is on The View, because that’s what I watch when I’m on the elliptical. My afternoon/evening work time is anywhere between four to eight hours, depending on where I am in the writing process.

2. How do you deal with writer's block? Or maybe you are lucky and never have it?

So far, I have not had writer’s block. I’m grateful to have lots of ideas for many more books. Sometimes I’ll try to incorporate too many ideas into one book, then have to decide whether to delete the scenes altogether or try to use them in another book. It’s cool when the latter happens. I just made a note to add a deleted scene from Take Me There to the current book I’m working on. I’m psyched that I can use it because it’s such a funny scene!

3. How do you name your characters? Do you ever name them after people you know?

I totally name my characters after people I know! That’s probably against the Rules for Writing Books, but I never got a copy of those so it doesn’t matter. Since When It Happens was my first book, most of its characters are named after my friends as a sort of tribute. Of course I only used their first names, though. At this point, I select my characters’ names from interesting names I’ve heard or I sometimes discover them during my research for a book. The main character in my fourth book is part Hawaiian, so I named her Lani. It’s a Hawaiian name meaning “heaven.” I thought that was pretty sweet.


Thanks for stopping by Susane!

But wait... there is more! Check out the giveaway of a signed Hardcover copy of Waiting For You here!

Don't forget to check out the Susane Colasanti sampler here. You can read the first three chapters of all three of Susane Colasanti's books!

To see the rest of the tour schedule click here!

Hardcover vs. Paperback 28

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

Hardcover

Paperback

UK Paperback

Amazon.com:

A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice Lindgren has no idea that she will one day end up in the White House, married to the president. In her small Wisconsin hometown, she learns the virtues of politeness, but a tragic accident when she is seventeen shatters her identity and changes the trajectory of her life. More than a decade later, when the charismatic son of a powerful Republican family sweeps her off her feet, she is surprised to find herself admitted into a world of privilege. And when her husband unexpectedly becomes governor and then president, she discovers that she is married to a man she both loves and fundamentally disagrees with–and that her private beliefs increasingly run against her public persona. As her husband’s presidency enters its second term, Alice must confront contradictions years in the making and face questions nearly impossible to answer.

The US Hardcover and Paperback are very very similar minus the title color change. When you throw the UK paperback into the mix things get interesting! I really like how different they are, the US cover to me, shows a more grown up main character when she's First Lady whereas the UK paperback shows her before she becomes First Lady, at least that's what I think. She kind of looks like Cate Blanchett there on the UK paperback! I also really like the style of photography on the UK paperback. So I guess over all, I cannot choose I like them both!

Hardcover or Paperback?

Retrospective 1

Retrospective (click here to visit Steph's blog and join in) is a recap of what has happened this week on Pop Culture Junkie! I think it's a great way to present everything from a week in a small package, find something you missed or remember something you wanted to look at again. This was organized by the lovely Steph!

*If you are wondering what in the heck that image is. Well, I wanted to use an image for this post and I'm thinking of going to BEA. A few months ago me and my sister were being silly with this stick your head into random picture websites and so there you have it... if it creeps me out too much I might take it down, I just thought it was silly!

Sunday:

Sunday I posted here about the really exciting project, Word Ninjas and also a Undercover Paperback Release contest that Beth Kephart is having. I also posted my review of Airhead the first book in the series by the same name by Meg Cabot.

Monday:

Monday I posted my review of Being Nikki the second book in the Airhead series by Meg Cabot. I wouldn't suggest reading my review unless you have read Airhead because it explains some of the plot of the first book.

Tuesday:

Tuesday I posted Hardcover vs. Paperback 27 which featured Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy. This one was suggested by Hope! Tuesday I also responded to the Tuesday Thingers question about tag and author clouds here.

Wednesday:

Wednesday I posted Waiting On Wednesday #29! It featured School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari.

Thursday:

Thursday I posted my review of an adult title, Prelude by William Coles. It was actually featured in an article the following day as well here. I also participated in the Booking Through Thursday question about graphic novels and comics!

Friday:

Friday I posted Lookalikes 48 which features three covers with the same model. Also Lookalikes got some kind words from author April Henry here, thank you! And I announced the winner of Genesis, who was Riva!

Saturday:

Saturday I posted my This Week In Books post which featured another trip to Half Price Books, twice in less than a week!

BLOG TOUR: The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Welcome to the first ever Traveling to Teens book blog tour! Created by the lovely Yan and lovely Carol! Traveling to Teens is shaping up to be a really exciting venture and I'm very excited to be a part of it!

The first touring book and author is The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams! Check out the rest of the tour stops here!

CAROL LYNCH WILLIAMS, a four-time winner of the Utah Original Writing Competition and winner of Nebraska’s Golden Sower Award, grew up in Florida but now lives in Utah with her husband and seven children. She has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and helped develop the conference on Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers at Brigham Young University.

From Amazon.com:
Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much---if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle---who already has six wives---Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever.

From page one it was evident that The Chosen One was going to be a raw and brutally honest book. It takes us to a world that many of us don't even think about let alone live in and pulls us in so far that there is no way we could not be invested in Kyra's well being. It takes out all the stops and by the end you need to take a seat and regroup.

The Chosen One isn't something that can be "enjoyed" exactly but it was so powerful and intense that I couldn't get enough. I admired Kyra's strength and her insistence on doing what was right for herself no matter the cost.

As others have said, I loved how much reading and the bookmobile played a part in the story. It illustrates just how much of an effect that reading can have on a person if only they will let it. I also really liked Kyra's pure and innocent relationship with Joshua, a young man from the compound.

All in all a very powerful book. Honestly I dare you not to be captivated by it.

The Chosen One is released on May 12th!

4.5/5 Stars

ARC received from publisher for blog tour

And here's an interview with Carol Lynch Williams!

1. How did you go about creating the character of Kyra?

I just knew that I had to have a girl who would be able to be tough. So I looked at a couple of my girls who are tough and took a few of their character traits. Like my daughter Kyra plays the piano beautifully. And she started plunking out songs when she was little. I borrowed that from my Kyra. But the characters in my novels do become their own selves, so I looked at places Kyra Carlson could become who she is: from the family she loves, the music she loves, and even her ‘sins’—all three things make her strong.

2. What would you like readers to take away from The Chosen One?

A good read. I want readers to feel worried and to wonder what will happen next to Kyra. I guess I want people to think that compassion and kindness are some of the most important parts of life—you know to feel for another that you may not understand.

3. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, since I was a little girl. I’ve written since I could hold a pencil, told stories since I could boss my sister and cousins around and make them act in my plays. (I am the oldest of the cousins and I was pretty bossy. But hey, the alcoholic guy who imagined a girl dancing around in my grandmother’s nightgown? That was a good play! My Nana enjoyed it.)

4. What is your writing process like?

When I sit down to write, I try to get through a first draft as quickly as possible. I always get stuck in what I call the Icky Middles. So I whine about the middles for a while and then I attack the book again. Once I have gotten the book completed, I rewrite a couple of times, send the novel to my critique group (I have a terrific group that I work with) and let them read it. Then I make appropriate changes per their suggestions. Finally, I have my last readers go through the book. My last readers are my children. When they give me their comments I do another rewrite. Then the novel goes off to my editor or agent. Yup—that’s a lot of rewriting! And it starts again with the editors!

5. What is one of your recent favorite books?

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers. Or Ann Dee Ellis’ Everything is Fine. Or a novel-in-progress that I heard just a bit of when I was in school—by the wonderful Martine Leavitt. That one isn’t published yet but it’s amazing. Or . . . wait, I could be doing this forever! I better stop!

This Week In Books Or I Went to Half Price Books Again But This Time Only Bought 4 Books!

Monday:

Donuts Days by Lara Zielin

This came for review! Oh and if you haven't seen this, check out Laura's video Editing Letter!

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday:

Forget About It by Caprice Crane
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Haven't had a bookmooch book in awhile but there is one! Strange Angels also came for review.

Thursday:

How to Ruin My Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles
Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker
Beach Trip by Cathy Holton
Exclusively Chloe by J.A. Yang

The library book store all of a sudden has a little shelf of signed books! That's where I found How to Ruin My Teenage Life (which was also featured in a Lookalikes post)! The rest came for review. Two specifically for tours, one for TLC Book Tours and the other for Traveling to Teens.

Friday:

An Off Year by Claire Zulkey
Leftovers by Heather Waldorf
The Season by Sarah MacLean
Ninth Key by Meg Cabot
American Beauty by Zoey Dean
Some Like It Hot by Zoey Dean
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

Two review copies, one which is from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. And OMG when I got The Season in the mail I thought it was my own copy coming back from being signed (thanks Irish!), turns out it's more special than that! Hehe. BIG THANK YOU to Sarah MacLean and HUGE THANK YOU to Irish for making it happen! You guys are the best! And thanks for finally revealing the secret! :P And then of course had to go back to another Half Price Books. But look at the restraint, only 4 books this time! I totally thought the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book was the first one in the series... oops!

Saturday:

The Rough Guide to New York City

This was suggested to me for a possible trip I'm thinking of taking. coughbeacough. Thankfully Borders had it!

Genesis Winner!

Congratulations to Riva! I emailed you this morning so please get back to me with your address!

Lookalikes 48

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Crashed by Robin Wasserman

Poseur by Rachel Maude

Another cover model lookalike. The first two are pretty obvious, being the same series and all but check out the last girl on the right of Poseur. I'm about 95% sure that's also the same girl!

My vote is going to go to Skinned, I'm not fond of the yellow eyes or tattoos in Crashed and the bizarre colors of Poseur.

Which do you prefer?

Booking Through Thursday: Graphic

- Do you read graphic novels/comics? Why do/don’t you enjoy them?

I do! I do! And I love them! I'm more of an indie comics girl than super hero comics. Well I love them because they combine two of my favorite things, reading and art!

- How would you describe the difference between “graphic novel” and “comic”? Is there a difference at all?

I'm not sure if this is technically correct, but to me a comic is much much smaller, usually much cheaper and not built like a book. But a collection of comics can form a graphic novel. And graphic novels are usually bound like a real book because they are a lot thicker. Rambling over...

- Say you have a friend who’s never encountered graphic novels. Recommend some titles you consider landmark/”canonical”.

Well, I haven't read it, but apparently Watchmen is the greatest graphic novel ever. I would tend to suggest authors like Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve) , Daniel Clowes (Ghost World), and Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan- still need to read this one.) I'm actually participating in the Graphic Novel Challenge this year to try and read some of the comics/graphic novels I've purchased over the last year or two!

Booking Through Thursday

Prelude by William Coles

Amazon.com:

Seventeen-year-old Kim is a student at one of Britain's most extraordinary institutions, Eton College-crammed with over a thousand boys and not a girl in sight. His head is full of the Falklands War and a possible army career, until the day he hears his new piano teacher, India, a beautiful but pained young woman, playing a prelude from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Kim's life will never be the same again. An intensely passionate affair develops between him and his twenty-three-year-old teacher, and he wallows in the wild and unaccustomed thrill of first love. Twenty-five years on, Kim recalls that heady summer and how their fledgling relationship was so brutally snuffed out-finished off by his enemies, by the constraints of Eton, and by his own withering jealousy. Prelude is the bittersweet story of a life-changing love.

Prelude was a beautiful and heartbreaking story. It really tried to pull my heart out towards the end. While it was a slow start for me, by the end of it I was hooked and didn't want to let go.

While other student/teacher relationships in books seem to have one character taking advantage of another I didn't feel that so much in this book. I felt like they were on equal footing and were really there for each other. I never saw India as a predator and I found their relationship rather sweet. It actually seemed to me that Kim was stronger than India, I guess you could say in that way she used him, to prop herself up but it worked for me. I thought the choice to use music as a way to connect them (student to teacher) added a beautiful theme to the story.

I loved how the story was told, with Kim looked back on the events from 25 years later. It was nice having his reflections rather then just being in the moment with him. I also liked how upfront we know that this love doesn't last. And that Kim was able to admit that his own jealousy and paranoia helped end their relationship.

Overall I thought this was a beautifully told story that shows how one summer can change your life forever!

Prelude was released on May 1st!

4/5 Stars
ARC received from publisher

"Waiting On" Wednesday! 29

School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari

From The Publisher's Website:

Everyone is afraid of something...

Madeleine Masterson is deathly afraid of bugs, especially spiders.

Theodore Bartholomew is petrified of dying.

Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces.

Garrison Feldman is terrified of deep water.

With very few options left, the parents of these four twelve year-olds send them to the highly elusive and exclusive School of Fear to help them overcome their phobias. But when their peculiar teacher, Mrs. Wellington, and her unconventional teaching methods turn out to be more frightening than even their fears, the foursome realize that this just may be the scariest summer of their lives.

Released September 1st 2009

A few months back when I was reading the author's adult title, The Makedown I heard about this book. There wasn't too much information back then but now I've found a full synopsis! It just reminds me a lot of some of the wacky but humorous stuff I read as a child, perhaps Sideways Stories From Wayside School. It just sounds great! It also sounds like it's on it's way to be coming a movie! I wish I could share the cover art with you (it's fantastic) but it's too blurry! Hopefully sometime soon it will be available online. Carrie Gifford has done the illustrations, check out some examples of her work here! Can you say awesome!

What can't you wait for to be released?

"Waiting On" Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Tuesday Thingers: Clouds

(click to enlarge)

Have you looked at your LT Clouds? Were you surprised at any of the larger tags within the Tag Mirror? Any thoughts on the clouds in general?

I've looked at my clouds from time to time. They always make me feel bad though. The huge TBR tag and also all the huge author name tags when I've yet to read one of their books. Just reminds me how much more I buy than I read, ahh! See that HUGE Meg Cabot tag, I've only just read 2 books by her, what's wrong with me!

I know by looking at the tag mirror that other people get a lot more detailed with their tags than I do. I really only usually use a handful of tags. I also sometimes like to tag how much I paid for a book lol, yes weird I know!

Do your tags tell you anything surprising?

Hardcover vs. Paperback 27

Looking For JJ by Anne Cassidy

Hardcover

Paperback

From Amazon.com:

Three children walked away from the cottages on the edge of town toward Berwick Waters. Later that day, only two of them came back. . . . Alice Tully knows exactly what happened that spring day six years ago, though it's still hard for her to believe it. She'll never be able to forget, even though she's trying to lead a normal life--she has a job, friends, and a boyfriend whom she adores. But Alice's past is dangerous, and violent, and sad . . . and it's about to rip her new life apart.

I'm not sure if either of these are fitting the synopsis in my opinion. The hardcover looks like a true-crime story, very serious and very ugly and the paperback almost seems comical. So I'm not really sure. I guess if I had to pick, I'd go with the paperback. I guess when reading the synopsis I see maybe like a forest or something.

Hardcover or Paperback?

Thanks to Hope for suggesting this hardcover vs. paperback!

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

WARNING: Do not read if you haven't read the first book in this series, Airhead.... spoilers ahead!

Amazon.com:

Things aren't pretty for Emerson Watts.

Em was sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a brainiac the body of a teenaged supermodel.

But it turned out she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's gone mysteriously missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, a former best friend who's intent on destroying Stark Enterprises to avenge the death of his lost love, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts.

How can Em balance all that with school, runway shows, and weekend jaunts to St. Johns - especially when she's got ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op; a sister who is headed to the high school cheerleading championships; a company she represents that seems to be turning to the dark side...

Not to mention trying to convince the love of her life that models aren't really airheads after all...especially one model in particular.

But then, nobody said it was going to be easy being Nikki.

*SPOILERS from Airhead*

Being Nikki basically picks up where Airhead left off. Emerson is trying to lead her own life and Nikki's at the same time. Going to high school but also working as a model. How does this girl have time for anything?? I think it's beyond hilarious watching Em try and be herself in the body of a teen supermodel, talk about polar opposites. But you know, I feel like she eased into the transition a little easier than she could of. Especially where the boys are concerned. She sure learned to use Nikki's moves to her advantage a little quicker that I would have expected. I would have liked to see Em's awkwardness explored a little more.

While the beginning of the book seemed like just a continuation of Airhead, (the first book in the series) everything sets off on a new path with the introduction of Nikki's brother Steven and the case of his missing mother. It opens up a can of worms leading to a lot of questions and conspiracies and answers! (yay answers!)

I really like how all the players from the first book remain (Frida- Em's sister, Gabriel Luna- the British singer/songwriter, Christopher- Em's best friend/crush etc, Brandon- Nikki's boyfriend and LuLu- Nikki's Celebutaunte roomie) but several new characters are introduced into the mix. Oh my goodness, by the end of the book I was practically screaming with excitement, that was by far my favorite part of the series so far!

Em continued to repeat herself a lot in this book, just like in Airhead. Since I haven't read Cabot's other series I can't say if this is just something she does. Anyone know?

The ending sets up a really great plotline for the third book in the series, Runaway and I cannot wait to see what happens next! All in all a strong second installment in the Airhead series!

Being Nikki is released on May 5th!

4/5 Stars

ARC received from publisher

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Amazon.com:

EM WATTS IS GONE.

Emerson Watts didn’t even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heartthrob Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there—along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her—and life as she’d known it—forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

Now getting her best friend, Christopher, to notice that she’s actually a girl is the least of Em’s problems.

But what Em’s pretty sure she’ll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that’s going to make her dream come true….

NIKKI HOWARD IS HERE TO STAY.

For about a year since the release of Airhead I was in the dark as to what the big twist was in Airhead. And now that I know I think it's a great and clever concept! And can you believe it, my first Meg Cabot book ever and what a fun one to start with!

I loved the character of Emerson Watts, she and I, we would definitely be friends. She doesn't mess with all the girly primping and rituals and it sure baffles her little sister Frida (great names in this family). She has a best friend that she might want to be a little bit more with if only he would notice she was a girl. Thrown in the videogame Journeyquest and they are happy as clams.

Both to Em's and Frida's annoyance they set off to the Stark Megastore ( I sort of see it as a cross between Virgin Megastore and Walmart) and something horrible and very very unexpected happens. When Em comes to she doesn't yet know it but her whole entire world has changed and that's all I will say about that....

Meg Cabot writes in such a way that my face was glued to the page, when I was reading I wasn't aware of anything else around me and all of a sudden released I had read 50 pages! (And that's a lot for me in one sitting) I really liked how many different things were happening in the story, it was a mix of romance, living the high life, high school, sci-fi, humor, and taking down the man. What a fun story she weaves!

I think my only complaint would be that Cabot repeats herself A LOT. It seemed like every chapter or so Em would list all the problems she was having and I'm not really sure what the point of it was, in that sense Em came off as a little whiny.

All in all an exciting and humorous start to a fun series!

Airhead was released in paperback on April 7th.

4/5 Stars
Purchased by myself

Fun-ness!

Word Ninjas!

Maybe you have heard some of the whispers around the blogosphere or maybe on twitter? Here's a little bit about Word Ninjas:

Word Ninjas, Ink is the first collaboration of its kind between authors and online bloggers, and we look forward to working with you to support authors as they launch their books and to communicate collectively our love of a good book!

I'm excited to be a part of the Word Ninjas and can't wait to start! Sounds like a very fun and unique way to interact with authors and other bloggers!


Undercover Paperback Release Contest!

Beth Kephart's book Undercover is coming out in paperback very soon with some additional features at the end of the book like poetry by the main character! Visit Beth's blog to enter to win a signed copy of the book by sharing your best blogged poem!

I also have my own contest going on now for an ARC of Genesis by Bernard Beckett, check out this post to enter and to also read 1/3 of the discussion between myself and Lenore and Sharon!

This Week In Books Or Oh Nooooooos But It Could Have Been Worse

Monday:

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

This arrived for the first ever Traveling to Teens book tour which started yesterday!

Tuesday: nothing

Wednesday:

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama
The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises
Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner
Alyzon Whitestarr by Isobelle Carmody

These came for review.

Thursday:

Darkest Hour by Meg Cabot
Code Name Cassandra by Meg Cabot
Sanctuary by Meg Cabot
When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot (this might be in the running for ugliest cover i've ever seen)
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Princess in the Spotlight by Meg Cabot
Princess in Training by Meg Cabot

Um er, went a little crazy at the library! I always see the Princess Diaries series around here and there and figured maybe it was about time I got my hands on a complete set!

Dull Boy by Sarah Cross

This came for the third Traveling to Teens book tour happening at the end of the month!

Friday:

Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer
I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I want to be your Class President by Josh Lieb
After by Amy Efaw
Hold Still by Nina LaCour (WoW post)
Wanderlust by Lucy Silag
Fire by Kristin Cashore

These came for review. Most of them were surprises and book surprises are the best kind!

Almost Single by Advaita Kala (WoW post)
Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Yeah... had to go back to Borders. I had The two BEST coupons I can get. a 40% of coupon and also a $5 off coupon! You don't say no to that!

Saturday:

Princess of Gossip by Sabrina Bryan and Julia DeVillers
Tess of The D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne
Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz

So, went to the Half Price Books warehouse sale and it was extremely crowded and the line looked just TOO LONG to stand in, so we wandered around for like 10 minutes and left. It was very near a Half Price Books store location so of course I had to pop in there. I had my trusty 15% of coupon and got the 5 books above! Can you believe it, only 5! Usually the clearance section does me in but they didn't have a very good one thankfully!

Me? Interviewed!?

Why yes..... Steph over at Hey, Teenager Of The Year has posted an interview with me! My first ever I do believe! How fun! Click HERE to read it if you are interested! I'm the 16th in her series of Book Blogger Interviews! Thanks Steph!

Lookalikes 47

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

What I Saw And How I Lied By Judy Blundell

So the lookalike in this case is the cover model! I thought it might be fun to talk about which of their covers we liked better! When I saw the Devoured cover over at The Story Siren's blog, I just about died! The combination of the colors, font and that striking image make one heck of a cover. Doesn't mean I also don't like What I Saw and How I Lied but Devoured really makes an impact, I think the eye contact really makes it.

Which do you prefer?

This Year In Movies: April

This month I watched 6 movies and 2 tv shows on dvd. I'm getting more and more pathetic every month! But really, I think it means I'm reading more which can't be bad!

The IT Crowd- This was hilarious and I highly suggest it for fans of The Big Bang Theory. Check out my full review here.

Slumdog Millionaire- Good but not great. I think The Curious Case of Benjamin Button should have gotten the Oscar. See my full review here.

Doubt- I was expecting a bit more from this movie. And it was very obvious to me that this was originally a play (i didn't know until after i had watched it but had a feeling). I think they could have done more to bring it off the stage and more to life.

Hulchul- Ok, not one of my favorite Bollywood movies. Not enough cheese (singing and dancing) and too much seriously family drama.

The Spirit- Kind of disappointing. I much prefer Sin City. This almost seemed like a less serious spoof of Sin City. It was ok but the quality wasn't up there with Sin City.

Pineapple Express- Funny and a little more violent that I expected. It got a little too silly at times but I enjoyed it. Wasn't my favorite by this group though.

10 Items or Less Season 1- This just happens to share a name and location (grocery store) with the movie 10 Items or Less. It is really funny and I can't wait to watch more.

The Secret Life of Bees- I expected to like this movie but I actually LOVED IT. Wow just wow. Makes me glad I also have a copy of the book to read!