I just wanted to remind everyone that the "Perchance to Dream" ARC contest is ending in about 3 hours! I hope no one misses out! Click here to enter.
July 25, 2010
July 22, 2010
Review "Pretty Little Liars"
"Pretty Little Liars"
By Sara Shepard
5
Pub. Date: August 8, 2008
Pages: 304
Synopsis:
Working in a bookstore I had always seen this book on the shelf but was never interested in picking it up. I have to admit that the biggest hook for me was actually the theme song for the show, hearing it on the commercials just made me HAVE to read this book. I feel like these books are guilty pleasures. The characters do all these extreme things from stealing, hooking up with an older man, stealing boyfriends, and more (I don't want to give too much away). I don't know if those things were spoilers, but seriously they are nothing in compared to the rest of the secrets that Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily are hiding. I am dying to know what happened to Ally, who A is, and the secret that would ruin all the girls' lives! I am so glad that the characters are so different, I feel like there is at least one character that most girls can relate to. I feel like now I am an Aria, but in high school I was probably more of an Emily; I don't think I had any secrets nearly as juicy.
Part of me feels that I am way too old to be reading these books, but I seriously could not put down the first book! I am so glad I took a chance on this series and read something that I never thought I would enjoy. I am pretty bummed that I don't get home from work early enough to watch the show on TV. I'll have to see if any episodes are available online... I might just have to splurge and buy them on iTunes.
I don't really know what else to say about "Pretty Little Liars" because it would be so easy to give away some of the plot. If you want to learn more about the series or just want to see a cool website then check out http://www.prettylittleliars.com/. You can make your own character, see hints about some of the secrets in each book, or just learn about the series.
This is the "Pretty Little Liar" doll I made! I think it is time to end this review.
By Sara Shepard
5Pub. Date: August 8, 2008
Pages: 304
Synopsis:
Everyone has something to hide—especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna.
Spencer covets her sister's boyfriend. Aria's fantasizing about her English teacher. Emily's crushing on the new girl at school. And Hanna uses some ugly tricks to stay beautiful.
But they've all kept an even bigger secret since their friend Alison vanished.
How do I know? Because I know everything about the bad girls they were and the naughty girls they are now. And guess what? I'm telling.
Working in a bookstore I had always seen this book on the shelf but was never interested in picking it up. I have to admit that the biggest hook for me was actually the theme song for the show, hearing it on the commercials just made me HAVE to read this book. I feel like these books are guilty pleasures. The characters do all these extreme things from stealing, hooking up with an older man, stealing boyfriends, and more (I don't want to give too much away). I don't know if those things were spoilers, but seriously they are nothing in compared to the rest of the secrets that Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily are hiding. I am dying to know what happened to Ally, who A is, and the secret that would ruin all the girls' lives! I am so glad that the characters are so different, I feel like there is at least one character that most girls can relate to. I feel like now I am an Aria, but in high school I was probably more of an Emily; I don't think I had any secrets nearly as juicy.
Part of me feels that I am way too old to be reading these books, but I seriously could not put down the first book! I am so glad I took a chance on this series and read something that I never thought I would enjoy. I am pretty bummed that I don't get home from work early enough to watch the show on TV. I'll have to see if any episodes are available online... I might just have to splurge and buy them on iTunes.
I don't really know what else to say about "Pretty Little Liars" because it would be so easy to give away some of the plot. If you want to learn more about the series or just want to see a cool website then check out http://www.prettylittleliars.com/. You can make your own character, see hints about some of the secrets in each book, or just learn about the series.
This is the "Pretty Little Liar" doll I made! I think it is time to end this review.
July 17, 2010
Review of "A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend"
"A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend"
By Emily Horner
4
Pub. Date: June 6, 2010
Pages: 272
Synopsis: For months, Cass has heard her best friend, Julia, whisper about a secret project. When Julia dies in a car accident, her drama friends decide to bring the project--a musical called Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad--to fruition. But Cass isn't a drama person. She can't take a summer of painting sets, and she won't spend long hours with Heather, the girl who made her miserable all through middle school and has somehow landed the leading role. So Cass takes off. In alternating chapters, she spends the first part of summer on a cross-country bike trip and the rest swallowing her pride, making props, and--of all things--falling for Heather. This is a story of the breadth of love. Of the depth of friendship. And of the most hilarious musical one quiet suburb has ever seen.
I was very impressed by Emily Horner's debut book; it had a lot of depth making it a great coming of age story. It deals with many classic topics such as sexuality, teasing, first love, friendship and grieving. Cass goes on her own journey to escape the past while searching for her identity. Many readers will be able to relate to Cass's feeling and may have gone through similar experiences. I really liked Heather's character and thought Horner did a great job at making her likable even with her treatment of Cass in the past. Even though Julia was dead, she still had a presence in the book and I felt like I knew her.
This book covers a lot of serious topics, but is able to stay upbeat and funny at the same time. Cass has a great cast of friends even if she doesn't realize it at the beginning. They can be goofy while still being good friends when it matters most. The play adds another level of humor, but is also what brings about many of the conflicts. Cass's bicycling trip is just one step that helps her move on with her life having both it's quirky, memorable and scary, "what will happen next" moments.
I am so glad I signed up for the Debut Author Challenge because I may not have picked up this book otherwise. I am attracted to this cover, but I am so far behind on my reading I don't know if I would have picked it up. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy Sarah Dessen or John Green. I think this would make a great Summer Reading book or book club selection.
By Emily Horner
4
Pub. Date: June 6, 2010
Pages: 272
Synopsis: For months, Cass has heard her best friend, Julia, whisper about a secret project. When Julia dies in a car accident, her drama friends decide to bring the project--a musical called Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad--to fruition. But Cass isn't a drama person. She can't take a summer of painting sets, and she won't spend long hours with Heather, the girl who made her miserable all through middle school and has somehow landed the leading role. So Cass takes off. In alternating chapters, she spends the first part of summer on a cross-country bike trip and the rest swallowing her pride, making props, and--of all things--falling for Heather. This is a story of the breadth of love. Of the depth of friendship. And of the most hilarious musical one quiet suburb has ever seen.
I was very impressed by Emily Horner's debut book; it had a lot of depth making it a great coming of age story. It deals with many classic topics such as sexuality, teasing, first love, friendship and grieving. Cass goes on her own journey to escape the past while searching for her identity. Many readers will be able to relate to Cass's feeling and may have gone through similar experiences. I really liked Heather's character and thought Horner did a great job at making her likable even with her treatment of Cass in the past. Even though Julia was dead, she still had a presence in the book and I felt like I knew her.
This book covers a lot of serious topics, but is able to stay upbeat and funny at the same time. Cass has a great cast of friends even if she doesn't realize it at the beginning. They can be goofy while still being good friends when it matters most. The play adds another level of humor, but is also what brings about many of the conflicts. Cass's bicycling trip is just one step that helps her move on with her life having both it's quirky, memorable and scary, "what will happen next" moments.
I am so glad I signed up for the Debut Author Challenge because I may not have picked up this book otherwise. I am attracted to this cover, but I am so far behind on my reading I don't know if I would have picked it up. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy Sarah Dessen or John Green. I think this would make a great Summer Reading book or book club selection.
July 14, 2010
Review of "Broken Birds, the Story of My Momila"
"Broken Birds, the Story of My Momila"
Jeannette Katzir
4
Pub. Date: April 2, 2009
Pages: 378
Reading Level: Adult
Synopsis: World War II has long since ended,and yet Jacyln and her siblings grow up learning to survive it. Having lived through the Holocaust on the principle of constant distrust, their mother, Channa, dutifully teaches her children to cling to one another while casting a suspicious eye to the outside world. When Channa dies the contents of her will will force her children to fight . . each other.
When I was first asked to read this book I wasn't exactly sure what the book was about. The descriptions about the book were pretty vague and I didn't want to read other reviews. I have always found The Holocaust and other genocides interesting to study (yes I know this is a bit twisted), so I just had to accept this offer. I really enjoyed this book, it was very different from the other books that I have read about The Holocaust; it covered two stories of survival, as well as how their experiences effected the characters and their families.
I found it very interesting how the mother and father fears about the past lead to them instilling different ideals into their children that followed them into adulthood. Some of these fears developed into unhealthy behaviors that tore the family apart. I found it heartbreaking that Channa felt that it was her responsibility to bare as many children as possibly to make up for her family lost in The Holocaust and that her fears manifested into an unhealthy paranoia which put severe stress on the family. I'm not saying that her paranoia wasn't understandable, she went through a lot at a young age and it is bound to affect her for the rest of her life, but it was just sad how she had trouble living her life after she got it back.
I really enjoyed "Broken Bird, the Story of My Momila", but towards the end it seemed to move a little slowly. I think some of the family struggles could have been cut out, I understand why they were added, but I'm not sure if they were all necessary.
I know this book isn't a YA book, but Channa and Nathan are in that age group going through The Holocaust, Jeannette also talks about how different things were for her growing up because of her parent's experiences. If that isn't enough, then reading about someone else's dysfunctional family is always interesting. If you want to learn more about Katzir's book there was a great article in "The Huffington Post" about it.
Jeannette Katzir
4
Pub. Date: April 2, 2009
Pages: 378
Reading Level: Adult
Synopsis: World War II has long since ended,and yet Jacyln and her siblings grow up learning to survive it. Having lived through the Holocaust on the principle of constant distrust, their mother, Channa, dutifully teaches her children to cling to one another while casting a suspicious eye to the outside world. When Channa dies the contents of her will will force her children to fight . . each other.
When I was first asked to read this book I wasn't exactly sure what the book was about. The descriptions about the book were pretty vague and I didn't want to read other reviews. I have always found The Holocaust and other genocides interesting to study (yes I know this is a bit twisted), so I just had to accept this offer. I really enjoyed this book, it was very different from the other books that I have read about The Holocaust; it covered two stories of survival, as well as how their experiences effected the characters and their families.
I found it very interesting how the mother and father fears about the past lead to them instilling different ideals into their children that followed them into adulthood. Some of these fears developed into unhealthy behaviors that tore the family apart. I found it heartbreaking that Channa felt that it was her responsibility to bare as many children as possibly to make up for her family lost in The Holocaust and that her fears manifested into an unhealthy paranoia which put severe stress on the family. I'm not saying that her paranoia wasn't understandable, she went through a lot at a young age and it is bound to affect her for the rest of her life, but it was just sad how she had trouble living her life after she got it back.
I really enjoyed "Broken Bird, the Story of My Momila", but towards the end it seemed to move a little slowly. I think some of the family struggles could have been cut out, I understand why they were added, but I'm not sure if they were all necessary.
I know this book isn't a YA book, but Channa and Nathan are in that age group going through The Holocaust, Jeannette also talks about how different things were for her growing up because of her parent's experiences. If that isn't enough, then reading about someone else's dysfunctional family is always interesting. If you want to learn more about Katzir's book there was a great article in "The Huffington Post" about it.
July 10, 2010
Contest for ARC of "Perchance to Dream" by Lisa Mantchev
This is a super simple contest! All you have to do is reply to this post with your e-mail. This contest is only open to U.S. residents and you must be at least 13 to enter. This contest is running through July 25th (11:59 Eastern Standard Time). Check out my contest policies for more information, but I think this is all super straight forward. If anything is unclear just e-mail me and I will get back to you ASAP. I have read this ARC, but it is still in great condition.
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