Lookalikes 5

Not the same photo but similar none the less!

Aberrations by Penelope Przekop

Aberrations is the story of 21 year old narcoleptic Angel and her search for mother. Angel has never known her mother, only her father. Her father tells her that her mother died during child birth but that is all. Angel struggles to learn more from him but he will not budge. All that Angel has to connect her to her mother is a series of cloud photographs her mother took. Rounding out Angel's life are Carla, her father's girlfriend, Mac, her married doctor boyfriend, and her friends Kimmy and Tim, and Tim's cousin Scarlett.

Angel struggles to live a somewhat normal life while dealing with her narcolepsy which makes her dependant on others much more than she would like. She lives in a world where it's hard to tell how awake she actually is at times and what is real and what is not. Through a series of events Angel becomes determined to know the truth about her mother and with the help of her friends and family she finds it. Before her search for the truth about her mother Angel also explores the possibilities of finding the mother feeling elsewhere and is rather unsuccessful. I really really liked the ending, it just made me beam!

I loved this book! It's a mix of mystery, family struggles, and love. I loved the characters so much in this book, especially Angel, Mac, and Carla. Przekop's use of southern slang made me read the book in such a way that I could hear the characters voices in my head, I really liked that. It was really gratifying watching Angel succeed in her quest and also grow up in the process. This is a beautiful, touching story and I cannot give it nearly as much praise as it deserves!

Also wouldn't you agree, a beautiful cover for a beautiful book!

4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by author

Months and Seasons by Christopher Meeks

Months and Seasons is a collection of short stories. In it we meet a variety of people in different stages of life, dealing with different conflicts and life altering events. They all search for happiness for themselves and their loved ones.

Some of my favorite stories include Dracula Slinks Into The Night about a man attending a Halloween party (I really identified with this guy!), The Farms at 93rd and Broadway about a husband and wife attending a hypnotist show, The Sun Is a Billiard Ball, two stories that eventually weave into one, The Old Topanga Incident where a whole man's life burns to the ground, Months and Seasons about one man's perception of what he wants, and Breaking Water about a woman reinventing her life.

I really liked the variety in the stories. Some were humorous where as others were more serious. With some short story collections it ultimately feels like the same story repeated over and over again slightly different each time, this is definitely not the case here. This collection provides peeks into many different lives in way different ways all by the same author!

On a side note, I really enjoy when an author includes a peek at their next book. At the end of this book we get a peek into The Brightest Moon of the Century with the story The Hand. I really like his idea of a collection of stories of one man's life throughout his life, covering 30 years. Meeks compares it to The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing, another book I need to read. I really liked The Hand and look forward to reading the whole collection.

3.5/5 Stars
Review copy provided by author

This Week In Books Or Why I'm Glad We Don't Have Earthquakes In My Part of the Country

I swear to you, one week I won't have any new books. It WILL happen.

Monday: Why I Let My Hair Grow Out arrives from a bookmoocher.

Tuesday: Matrimony arrives from author Joshua Henkin. Thanks for the referral J. Kaye!

Wednesday: The Grift arrives in a very very large stiff envelope!

Thursday: I decide to browse the friends on the library bookstore for 10 minutes between buses. I find practically brand new copies of The Other Boy and Forbidden Boy. Thought it would be fun to try this author. They are both 2 dollar and I also get one for my sister. I think I'll have to make this a weekly ritual! (Thursday is the only day it's open late enough for me to go) Also I come home to find A Great and Terrible Beauty from a bookmoocher.


Friday: Queen of Babble in the Big City arrives from a bookmoocher.

Saturday: Alphabet Weekends arrives from a bookmoocher.

I thought this would be the end of any more bookmooch books for me for awhile. But in the past few days I've had a few mooches. Very excited!

What's new in books for you guys that aren't part of the book ban challenge?

Booking Through Thursday

• Do you or have you ever read books about the Olympics? About sports in general?
• Fictional ones? Or non-fiction? Or both?

And, Second:

• Do you consider yourself a sports fan?
• Because, of course, if you’re a rabid fan and read about sports constantly, there’s a logic there; if you hate sports and never read anything sports-related, that, too … but you don’t have to love sports to enjoy a good sports story.
• (Or a good sports movie, for that matter. Feel free to expand this into a discussion about “Friday Night Lights” or “The Natural” or whatever…)

I don't believe I have read any books about the Olympics/Sports, it's possible I may have in like elementary school but it's washed from my memory. That's when you know it's required reading, I wouldn't be caught dead otherwise reading about sports! I did used to like the Olympics when I was younger, not sure what's happened.

Er, I sort of strongly dislike sports. Would rather be doing just about anything besides playing or watching sports. I did dance for 12 years when I was younger but that's really all. I watch just about any movies but there are a few categories I try very hard to avoid and they are: War, Horror, and Sports movies. Most everything else I'll sit through. There are exceptions though, one of my favorite movies is Bend It Like Beckham. In cases where the story outshines the sports I'll watch it. Even with the tv show One Tree Hill, I was unsure if I could take all the basketball but it has faded nicely into the background. A friend told me I'd like Friday Night Lights the tv show, even with the sports. I only watched the first episode a few months ago, so I'll have to pick that up again some other time.

So in general Me+Sports= pure torture. I hated having to play in pep band in high school during sporting events!

Do sports make your brain go numb like me? Or do you love them?

Tuesday Thingers!

Favorite bookstores. What's your favorite bookstore? Is it an online store or a bricks-and-mortar store? How often do you go book shopping? Is your favorite bookstore (or bookstores) listed as a favorite in LT? Do you attend events at local bookstores? Do you use LT to find events?

What isn't a favorite! I guess the only ones I don't like really are the ones that sell maps and really rare books. Those aren't my thing. I have a few favorite bookstores. Borders (for the most part I always have my coupon in my purse, so that sort of keeps me from buying too much, though I go about every week), Half Price Books (have coupons for them too, don't need them as much) I usually leave with a bag of books, Amazon for things I can't find in either of those two places or when I want to buy several books together, art books, anything where the price can't be beat by anyone else. I need to feel like I'm getting some sort of deal or I won't buy. That's probably a good thing. I've been buying a lot more from Amazon this year then past years.

When I'm hard up I'll go to Barnes and Noble. I will browse just about anywhere. Another favorite that I don't get too that much is Book Alcove in Maryland. It's about halfway across the country from me, whenever I visit my relatives I go there and leave with a bag! I love discovering new bookstores, as I've talked about in the vacation post a few weeks ago. Another favorite is Big Brain Comics, best comic book store in my area. They carry a few of my things too!!

I go book shopping at least once a week probably. I'm always browsing Amazon. I have my next two orders worked out in my head to take advantage of their 4 for 3 deal. I'm trying not to place the orders until I make a dent in my TBR pile. But my birthday is coming up... and I always place a Amazon book order for my birthday! It's a present to myself!

I haven't been able to find any of my local stores on librarything and nothing comes up when I enter my city. I've attended a few events at some local stores, most recently the Breaking Dawn Midnight Party and a David Sedaris Reading and Signing. I definitely hope to go to more. I come across signings at Borders since I'm there so much but it's never been anything I was interested in. It's usually local authors. The "famous" authors go to stores closer to the heart of the city.

What's your favorite bookstore? Do you need to leave your purse in the car if you go into a bookstore or take someone with you that won't let you buy anything? Do you need to block Amazon.com on your web browser?

Violet In Private by Melissa Walker

Violet In Private is the third book in Melissa Walker's, Violet series. It picks up when Violet is just about to begin college at Vassar for the Winter/Spring term. She's decided maybe she doesn't really want to be a model anymore and would rather concentrate on being a normal college girl. The modeling world isn't quite ready to let her go though, her friend Veronica is constantly asking her to come to New York to go to parties and appearances with her for their Mirabella campaign and her agent, Angela is constantly calling her. Though she isn't really modeling anymore, a discussion is started in her Sociology class about her Mirabella ad and she's invited to be an Intern at Teen Fashionista magazine, she just can't shed the world of fashion. She's excited about her internship except for the fact that she has to work under Chloe, her best friend/true love Roger's girlfriend, talk about awkward.

This is my favorite in the series yet, they actually got better as they went along! I loved the first one and it has just built and built on this great foundation. I really liked seeing Violet in college, enjoying dorm life, cute boys and new friends. I also liked to see her balance her college life with her modeling life and her friend's from high school/home life. It was very enjoyable to read! My favorite part was her and her best friend/true love Roger. Roger sounds fantastic, where can I find myself a Roger! The ending definitely made me hope for another in the series, if not I'll just use my imagination. It's just great! If you haven't read this series I'd recommend it. I also think this would be a great place to start for anyone that doesn't normally read Young Adult literature but is interested in trying it out. Some YA can be slightly eye roll worthy for people that are no longer young adults themselves but not this series!

4.5/5 Stars
Purchased by myself

What's your favorite new series? Do you gravitate towards series books like I do?

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

I won't write too much about this book since it's either been said or you haven't read the book and I would never spoil it for you!

Breaking Dawn is the 4th and final book in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. It had it's ups and downs but it's not my favorite by a long shot. Don't get me wrong I liked it but it was no Twilight or Eclipse, those are the best in my opinion. Breaking Dawn starts off basically right where Eclipse left off just a few weeks before Bella's birthday. Er I'm not really going to say anything else, the rest is pretty tied to the plot!

In this book, like in Eclipse, Bella isn't the only narrator, Jacob joins in the task for part of the book. I kind of liked that but at the same missed Bella's voice. I liked Bella at the beginning of the book and after she got through some of her inner issues in the middle of the book. While she was going through this struggle I really didn't like her so much. After she makes it through I like her a lot more though, maybe even more so than in the previous books. I was hoping for more from the rest of the Cullens, maybe some more back story but they pretty much just stayed in the background the whole time which was pretty disappointing to me. Maybe I'll get this in Twilight Official Guide coming out the end of this year, fingers crossed!

For the most part I was pretty happy with the ending, I guess maybe it could have been a little more exciting but besides that pretty good. I'm glad I know how the story ends I'm just not sure about all the plot elements that got us there.

3/5 Stars
Purchased by myself

What are your thoughts on Breaking Dawn, the final installment of the Twilight series?

One More Year by Sana Krasikov

One More Year is a collection of short stories that explore the lives of people from the former Soviet Union. Some have immigrated to the United States and others still live or have returned to Russia. The collection explores all sorts of relationships, from care takers, to husband and wife, to uncle and niece. Many different parts of life are captures as snapshots.

Some of my favorite stories include Asal, about a relationship not normally talked about, Better Half about a young couple that marries too soon so one can remain in the United States, and There Will Be No Fourth Rome about an aunt and her niece.

To me, the stories slowly reveal themselves like peeling back an onion. You know so little in the beginning and slowly more and more information is revealed. I really like this style of writing, it keeps you on your toes and you have to pay very close attention. It's not just laid out from page one.

It is a quiet sort of collection that explores everyday life, but not the life that I'm used to or the struggles I've had to face. For that, I really enjoy it. I feel like I learned things I hadn't really known or thought about much before. I can definitely understand the comparisons to Jhumpa Lahiri. I have read her novel The Namesake, which I also enjoyed.

You can find One More Year, in stores this Tuesday, August 12th.
4/5 Stars
ARC provided by publisher

Do you like short story collections? What is your favorite?

Bookmooch Inventory Bookstack Meme (what a mouthful!)

Over the last few weeks I've been posting pictures of the books I've gotten/received each week. I just love bookstack pictures, taking them, looking at them, thinking about them. I also love browsing people's bookmooch inventories, but for some reason I always seem to miss good books because I'm so visual, I recognize the covers (or spines) much easier than a name when I'm quickly glancing through a list.

I somehow came to the conclusion that it would be amazing to see bookstack pictures of people's bookmooch inventories. It would be fun, you could browse others inventories (though it would only be a snapshot since things can get mooched very quickly) and also maybe get a few people some mooches. Not that I have a ton of points right now....

So I'm asking any bookmooch members that are interested to take a picture of their bookmooch inventory and along with a link to it and maybe a little bit of information, do a blog post of it! A sort of meme.

I'm really hoping someone with an inventory upwards of 100 books will take a picture, I want to see it all inside one shot! We probably won't be able to see the titles but I just want to see people's physical inventories! It sounds so fun to me! If you'd like to play along, leave me a comment with a link so I can come visit and anyone else that is interested can as well!

Here's a link to my inventory (pictured above). A little bit about it, 5 of these books are my sister's. We added them over the last few months, no one has mooched from her yet. I told her eventually if no one does she can go and sell them to a used bookstore! I thought it would be fun for her to take part in! The other books are either ones I decided I didn't want after reading them or sometimes not reading them. I also like to swap out books for ones that are in better condition or a different format than the ones I have sometimes. I'm sure mine is very small compared to a lot of other users!

Tell me a little bit about your inventory! Don't forget a picture and a link!

If you aren't a member of Bookmooch you should join!

This Week In Books Or Why I Need to Read About 4x Faster

This week was a steady stream of books. Cringe.

Monday: well nothing Monday

Tuesday: When We Were Romans appears on my doorstep.

Wednesday: My mailbox is over flowing with packages that include The Wordy Shipmates, The Shiniest Jewel and from bookmoochers Uglies and Peaches. (I have so many first in a series books i need to read but that means I'd have to finish the series... I love series!)

Thursday: The Necklace is waiting on my doorstep and inside of the mailbox is Queen of Babble from a bookmoocher.

Friday: I quickly walk over to the downtown B&N (even though I'm a Borders girl) between my express bus and transfer bus to seek out Death By Bikini (I've been thinking of doing it the entire week and finally did) and when I get home, out of the mailbox pops Meet Delaney.

Saturday: I think I'm going to try and avoid Borders this week. We will see how that goes!

Booking Through Thursday

Are there any particular worlds in books where you’d like to live?

Or where you certainly would NOT want to live?

What about authors? If you were a character, who would you trust to write your life?

I'm not sure that I would want to live there, but I would love to visit Harry Potter's world and specifically Hogwarts! I'd also like to visit the Cullen's home from Twilight, to witness some of their powers.. wouldn't want to stay long! I'd like to drop in on the characters of Ghost World, again, wouldn't want to stay too long, too depressing.

I'm sure there are places I wouldn't even want to visit but right now I can't think of any.

I have a hard time choosing favorite authors so I'm not sure who I would trust to write my life.

Who would you want to write your life?

Tuesday Thingers!

What other weekly memes or round robins do you participate in? Is this the only one? Why Tuesday Thingers and not some other weekly Tuesday meme? Or do you do more than one?

The only other meme I participate in is Booking Through Thursday. I may participate in more in the future but only these two for now. I've started doing a "This Week in Books" for myself but that's just me LOL! I guess it's sort of like what some people do for the Sunday Salon, which I would be interested in participating in sometime. I like them because it keeps me posting at least two times a week and it doesn't take a ton of time to do. I also just really like answering these sorts of questions! I like Tuesday Thingers because I love love Library Thing and love interacting with the other members be it the groups/forums or something like this. I also like learning more about Library Thing :)

What weekly memes do you participate in? Which others should I join?

Book Vault’s Birthday Contest Riddle

This is the next leg of The Book Vault’s birthday book riddle contest! For more information on the contest, go here: http://the-book-vault.blogspot.com/2008/08/birthday-contest.html

Each correct answer counts as an entry into the drawing on August 29^th!

Riddle:
Discovered during her shift at the local movie cinema, this starlet is flown to NYC for the first time and is soon the new face in fashion.

But an older model, whose name begins with the same let as the starring character, is not too pleased with this new threat. And this new starlet realizes fame has a darker side too…

What book is this?

Know the answer? Send Dominique an email at bookvault@yahoo.com with:

“BDAY CONTEST” in the subject line

and:

Name:

The Riddle: Discovered during her shift at the local movie cinema, this starlet is flown to NYC for the first time and is soon the new face in fashion.

But an older model, whose name begins with the same let as the starring character, is not too pleased with this new threat. And this new starlet realizes fame has a darker side too…

What book is this?

Answer: (full book title + author)

The name of the site where you found the riddle:

Your site’s URL: (if you have one)

Please send a separate email for each riddle you answer!

Good luck!!

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani

Schooled is a look inside the tutoring/private school world of Manhattan. Anna Taggert is a new graduate from Columbia. She is beyond excited to begin her career as a teacher and is invited to teach at Langdon. Though her parents don't exactly support her choice and her best friend is living in the luxury that Anna knows she will never be able to afford on a teacher's salary she starts the year optimistic.

She quickly learns that this is no ordinary school, giving homework and giving in class assignments get her phone calls from mothers, having lunch with the mothers gain her friends, and doing just about nothing in class but assigning the students to do research in the library gives her high praises. Anna soon realizes that her students for the most part are being tutoring, and she's unsure if any the homework her students turn in is their own true work. Anna vows to not let the children, parents, and tutors get away with this "tutoring" but it quickly gets taken out of her hands. Eventually Anna finds her way into the world of tutoring sort of accidentally and does exactly what she was previously fighting against. It's her journey through the highs and lows of the tutoring world.

I really enjoyed this book. I could relate to Anna, wanting to do something good in the world but also wanting to have fun, and have a little bit of money. She wanted her dream to come true of teaching but also living a great life with a nice apartment and time for friends. I could sympathize with her choices, thinking she could really tutor these kids and help them without just doing the work for them. It was also really funny. I especially liked the part about Tweebles the robot (you'll have to read to find out about this one), also the crazy teachers and parents and Anna trying to create lessons her students would like. It was very very fun! I didn't go to private school but always wondered how it was different then public school. I believe they have different things to offer but also just like with anything it is what you make of it.

You can find Schooled in stores tomorrow!
4/5 Stars
Review copy provided by publisher

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone that entered my first giveaway! It's been a lot of fun!

Random.org has chosen: Lenore!

Congratulations!

I have emailed you so please email me back with your contact information so I can send the book to you!


I asked those who entered to tell me the funniest book they have read this summer, here are the suggestions I got!

Toni McGee Causey's two Bobbie Faye books
Model: a memoir
Guide to Pirate Parenting by Tim Bete
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
Bobbie Faye's Very (very, very, very) Bad Day: A Novel by Toni McGee Causey
Tan Lines by J. J Salem
Wild & Hexy by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Brain Droppings by George Carlin
The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
Perfect on Paper
Shining City by Seth Greenland
When you are engulfed in flames by David Sedaris
A Little Less Talk and A Lot More Action by LuAnn McLane
Meg Cabot's YA "How to be Popular"
"How LaJuanita Mumps Got to Join Augusta National Gold Club Real Easy!" By Todd Sentell
bennett madison's "the blonde of the joke"
Garfield, Calvin & Hobbs, and Foxtrot
Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty
Aisling Grey series by Katie MacAlister
Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen
A Twin Novel by Avi and Rachel Vail
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
The Wouldbegoods by Edith Nesbit
princess diaries IV
Me & Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
"Fifteen Minutes of Shame" by Lisa Daily
Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega
SCHOOLED by Anisha lakhani
Megan McCafferty's series - Second Helpings is my fave
P.G. Wodehouse books
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
One Butt Cheek at a Time by Amber Kizer
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Pratchett's "Nation"

Thanks again to everyone that entered and helped promote this giveaway!

This Week In Books Or Why I Didn't Think This Post Would Happen

This week was pretty under control when it came to book buying/books coming in the mail that is until this afternoon... I actually didn't think I had enough to post!

Monday: The Summer of Naked Swim Parties arrives from a bookmoocher.

Thursday: The Liar's Diary arrives from J. Kaye (I'll be reviewing this book for her site)

Friday: Got Breaking Dawn at the midnight release.

Saturday: Pop over to the library for a quick look where I spy on the for sale shelf, The Memory Keeper's Daughter and two V.C. Andrews books, with "holes" as Melissa Walker has talked about recently! In the mail comes Just Listen from a bookmoocher, and Garden Spells from Marie at the Boston Bibliophile, which I recently won and a postcard telling me that my copy of Violet In Private is ready for pickup at Borders! So I go back and get it! Then after getting my sister at work we stop over at the new used bookstore to check it out. The first time I went they didn't have much they had just opened. This time they had a lot more! I picked up Trudy, from a local press, and Laguna Cove, both YA books.

What did you buy this week? Did you buy Breaking Dawn? Did you have to fight someone for the last copy in the store?

Breaking Dawn Midnight Release Video and a Thank You!

Me and my sister went to the midnight release of Breaking Dawn last night. She was kind enough to get my wristband when the store opened in the morning so we were in the first group! It actually went so fast we were out of the store and home by 12:15! We live about 5 minutes from the store but still! Very quick! I'm only 100 pages into the book so far but it's pretty good! I was hoping to be further but ended up doing a bunch of errands and some er, book shopping...

Did you go to the midnight release? Or did you pick your copy up during normal business hours. While I was making the rounds today I noticed Barnes and Noble had no extra copies, Target had a healthy shelf full and when I went back to Borders, the had about 20 boxes behind the counter! They were the most prepared!

A big thank you to Ambeen at the Ravenous Reader and The Bookshipper for nominating me for a blog award!

Nick and Norah's Infintie Playlist (my probably newest favorite movie)

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist


This book really got me into my YA spree. The movie looks like it will pretty good too! What fall movie are you excited for? Remember Harry Potter and Twilight are winter movies! ;)

This Year In Movies: July

This was an even worse month than June. It's just darn right pathetic! I guess I was away for an entire weekend and had some unplayable dvds from Netflix that held up my tv show watching (gotta watch them in order!) but still! It's horrible!

Speak- based on the YA novel. Someone pointed out that this was a movie so I rented it. Oh it made me cry! It was very good though.

WALL-E- the Pixar movies keep getting better and better. This was really really good.

Semi-Pro- He just needs to stop making sports movies, worst one yet. I do want to see Stepbrothers still.

The Tracey Fragments- Weird in a bad way. This made about no sense to me and had no conclusion that I noticed. If you want to see an Ellen Page movie just watch Juno, again if you have to.

Mamma Mia!- This was fun! I wanted to re experience the excitement of last year's Hairspray. It was pretty good, but Hairspray still wins.

Mad Men Season 1- Love it!

My Blueberry Nights- The beginning was best.

Love Songs- A French Musical! This was a different sort of movie, usually musicals are really over the top this wasn't, it's very hard to follow subtitled singing, it happens too quickly. I really like the main guy!