Welcoming the Fall Giveaway WINNER!

Thank you everyone for stopping by for the Welcoming the Fall Giveaway here at resugo reads. I had 215 entries and over 100 new followers. Which is super exciting. So thank you!

Random.org chose #71 which makes the winner Marit. I've sent an email. If I don't hear from you in two days I'll pick a new winner.

Thanks again everyone! Happy reading

review: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

pub date: October 12, 2010
publisher: Delacorte Press for Young Readers
pgs: 496
content: swearing

source: ARC from ALA

Revolution is another book that comes out in October that is so wonderful. Donnelly is an amazing author. I loved her first YA, A Northern Light. Absolutely ADORE it! I listened to it years ago and was mesmerized. I sat in my car one summer evening for two hours to finish the book because I just could not wait any longer! And the reader was amazing so I didn't want to read it myself. Though I can't say why I didn't go inside and listen to it. Maybe I was enjoying watching the setting sun? I don't remember. But for whatever reason, I have a very fond memory of listening A Northern Light and Loving it.


I didn't even know that Jennifer Donnelly had another YA novel coming out until I just happened to pass by a stack of ARCs at ALA. I snatched it up. It was the first book I read when I got home from DC.

Andi is a girl living in present day New York. She is severely depressed. Her brother was killed two years ago and she blames herself for his death. Her father has left the family and is living with his pregnant girlfriend. Her mother has checked out mentally, leaving Andi essentially alone. The only thing Andi has is her music. She is barely surviving.

Then her father shows up unexpectedly and makes her accompany him to France. She really does not want to be there but her father says he'll send her home if she starts researching her final project for school. While researching Andi finds the diary of Alexandrine, a young Parisian who lived during the French Revolution. Their two worlds come together in unexpected ways.


Though both the past and the present are sad, they are also hopeful. As Virgil says, "Life's all about the revolution...the one inside, I mean. You can't change history. You can't change the world. All you can ever change is yourself."*

I did have an issue with Andi's parents in this book, and I am probably being really unfair about it. I feel like in a lot of books I've been reading over the past year or two the dad leaves the family to start a new family and/or the main character's sibling dies, leaving the mom catatonic. I'm getting kind of tired of it. So when there are both parental situations in this book, it kind of bugged. Unfair, I know.

*from ARC and might change

review: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

pub date: September 28, 2010
publisher: Henry Holt
pgs: 224
source: ARC from PLA

Girl, Stolen comes out TODAY. I thought it was a wonderful book. I think you should totally go check it out.


blurb (the blurbs from goodreads and amazon have small incorrect details, so here's the one from the back of the book): 
Sixteen-year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of the car while her stepmom fills her prescription. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, someone is stealing the car--with her inside! Griffin hadn't meant to kidnap Cheyenne; all he planned to do was take the car. But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne's father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes--now there's a reason to keep her. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare? She's not only sick--she's BLIND!


me:
Seven reasons I liked this book (though not in any particular order):

1) The cover is cool. I like how Cheyenne is peaking out between her fingers.

2) It's very suspenceful, but not to the point that I couldn't sleep at night because of the house creaking (I'm wimp when it comes to scary)

3) I learned a lot about what it's like to be blind. I never spent much time thinking about how those who are blind might be treated or how they navigate in a world where most everyone else sees. It was interesting.

4) Griffin's the kidnapper, but he's not just the bad guy. He has depth and character. He had some redeeming qualities.

5) Griffin's dad is rather evil and has no redeeming qualities.

6) Cheyenne is brave and very strong. She's determined to take control of her situation and do everything she can to escape. She doesn't wait around for someone to rescue her.

7) Cheyenne does not suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. Yeah!

review: Jane by April Lindner

pub date: October 11, 2010
publishers: Poppy
pgs: 384 pgs
source: ARC from ALA
content: swearing (including f-bomb), sex

It's almost October! I love October. It's one of my favorite months of the whole year. What makes this October even better are some yummy books coming out that I'm so excited about! IOne of which is Jane. I was lucky enough to get an ARC at ALA in June. Loved it. 

blurb from goodreads:
Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.


my take:Sound familiar? If you know Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, it should. This is an updated retelling of the classic. And from a huge fan of the original, Lindner did a wonderful reworking. I loved it. I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to finish Jane's story even though I knew the basic plot and how it was going to end. It was just too delicious!


I thought it was very clever how Lindner modified Bronte's original story to work in today's world. Jane wasn't an orphan growing up, but she did feel very distant from her family. Her brother was cruel instead of her cousin. Nico's wild past was as a rock star. And though Jane doesn't forget her past when she meets the River family, her desire to keep it secret made sense. It all worked.


My one problem was the book was the ending. Jane and Nico are finally together again...and then it's over. So sad to turn the last page. I wanted a longer resolution!  

I read this book back in July, and I've had Jane cravings ever since. Every few weeks I'll want a fix so I just read a couple chapters here or there before moving on to something else. It adds so well into my Jane cannon, which includes the original book and 5 different movie versions (Toby Stephens is the best Rochester ever!). I really enjoyed this book!

in my mailbox (6)

This week I only got two new books:

Neal Shusterman's Bruiser from my friend Jaye as a late house warming gift. Yay! I LOVE this book.

and

If I Stay by Gayle Forman. I bought this one because I love it but also because I'm not a fan of the paperback cover so I wanted to buy it in hardcover while I still could.

Aren't they beautiful and blue? Yay for new books!

In My Mailbox is a meme from The Story Siren.

What's in your mailbox?

book blogger hop! (3)

Book Blogger Hop is a meme from crazy-for-books. This weekend's question is:

When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

I don't write the review until I'm done with the entire book. I don't even really think about a review until I've finished the book. I'm still getting used to reviewing books, it's only been a few months! Once I'm done it's smart for me to write the review asap so that its all fresh in my mind. And it's usually good for me to sit on the review for a few days before I post it. It gives me a chance to really solidfy my thoughts and change or add to the review. Many times it takes a few days for my thoughts on a book to solidify. And I don't write reviews for every book I read. Sometimes I just have nothing to share.

book reference

Last night I went up into the canyon with some friends to have a bonfire and tin foil dinners. I was already hungry and after eating my dinner I was still hungry. So I made a second (which I burned in my impatience). Yeah, still hungry. So when I got home I ate two bowls of Special K cereal. Even after that, I went to bed hungry. As I lay in bed, it definitely reminded me of Katnis and her hollow days. Though I'm sure I ate way more by lunch than she ever got in 24 hours. Still

On the way up the canyon my friend Bex was talking about teeth. (By way of explanation, she works in a dentists office). After teeth she moved on to dentures. For some reason it reminded me of Unwind by Neal Shusterman (I'm a big fan. He's awesome). I began to regal everyone with the intricacies of unwinding, how they wouldn't need dentures, they could just got brand new teeth. (Well, used teeth, but they were only 10 years old, so practically new). And they would have no need for glasses or contacts, because they could just get new eyeballs from a 16-year-old. Bazaar conversation, I know.

I just find it fun when life reminds me of books. Especially when I get to talk about them.  

booking through thursday (4)

booking through thrusday is a weekly meme hosted over at booking through thursday. This weeks question is:

What are you reading right now? What made you choose it? Are you enjoying it? Would you recommend it?

I am reading Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.

Utah has a state book award for teens and children called the Beehive Award. This year I am on the committee to decide on the top ten book for teens to vote on in the 2011-2012 year. (I can hardly believe I'm thinking of 2012 already. eek!) Teens decide the winner. Ship Breaker is on the list of 70 books the committee has picked and I am reading it see if I think it should be one of the top 10. Many people read the books, I'm just one of them. (Can I just say I'm super excited to be on this committee? So much fun!)

I'm only on page 60 right now. I'm enjoying it.

Recommend? Yes. It is amazingly well written. Super original world building depicting a rather bleak future in America's Gulf Coast. I am excited to find out where it's going!

review: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway

pub date: August 3, 2010
publisher: Razerbill
pgs: 281
content: underage drinking, swearing (including the f-bomb)


blurb from goodreads:
Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?


April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other. Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.


me:
Isn't the cover awesome? Though not how I pictured the sisters looking, it is definitely very beautiful and eye catching.

I loved the writing in this book. Three distinct sisters with very different personalities and voices. The pov of the chapters rotate between the three, and they all have a different perspective on what is going on. They're also just like normal sisters: they fight, protect, and love each other. I could relate to all of them at different times. I mean, who needs a superpower to feel different or strange?

Each sister has their own story going on, but the main overarching plot of the book is this disaster that April sees in the future and she is hell bent on making sure it doesn't happen. She's the older sister and she just wants to protect her family. But in trying to do so there are of course misunderstanding and tempers flair. It's a fun book. It has a good pace and a lot of character.

May's my favorite sisters. She's sarcastic, funny, and angsty. Though I liked the other two, they got annoying at times.

There were even a few sweet kisses at the end. And I like kissing.

Welcoming the Fall Giveaway--Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Hey everyone! To celebrate the beginning of fall Good Choice Reading is hosting the Welcoming the Fall Giveaway. I'm so excited to participate! I'll be giving away a signed hardcover copy of Nancy Werlin's book Impossible (and possibly some cool swag). How cool is that? This is US and INTERNATIONAL. Ends September 29th--just one week! All you need to do is fill out the following form. Thats all!

 When seventeen-year-old Lucy discovers her family is under an ancient curse by an evil Elfin Knight, she realizes to break the curse she must perform three impossible tasks before her daughter is born in order to save them both.



And make sure to visit the other blogs participating in the Welcoming the Fall Giveaway fun!

review: Zombies vs Unicorns, Black vs Larbalestier

pub date: September 21, 2010 (tomorrow!)
publisher: McElderry Books
pgs: 432
source: ARC from ALA

I went into this book Team Unicorn. I've read quite a few zombie books before I finally allowed myself to admit the truth: I don't like zombies. I've only read one unicorn book and I liked it. Unicorns win! But I did read every story in this book, which were half zombies. So now what team am I on? Mmm...let me think...

UNICORN -- The Highest Justice Garth Nix: Wicked King, vengeful daughter, hopeful ending.

ZOMBIE -- Love Will Tear Us Apart Alaya Dawn Johnson: Defective brain. Yum...braaaaainssss. Love story.

UNICORN -- Purity Test Naomi Novik: homeless girl, kidnapped baby unicorns, chocolate milk. Happy ending.

ZOMBIE -- Bougainvillea Carrie Ryan: Isolated island, pirates with plans, dictator as governor. The ending is very thought provoking. I liked it, but kind of wanted it to end differently...sorta...

UNICORN -- A Thousand Flowers Margo Lanagan: drunk villager, half naked princess, dire consequences. I found it kind of gross. As in Ewwww, I don't even want to think about how thats possible. I guess it's happy? But gross.

ZOMBIE -- The Children of the Revolution Maureen Johnson: broke traveler, babysitting gig, rich famous lady. Funny. But not happy.

UNICORN -- The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn Diana Peterfreund: freak show, baby unicorn, hot best friend. Liked it a lot!

ZOMBIE -- Inoculata Scott Westerfeld: marijuana compound, zombie drills, grand theft auto (of a Benz!). I want to know what happens next...

UNICORN -- Princess Prettypants Meg Cabot: seventeenth birthday party, hot best friend, crazy aunt. Hilarious. And definitely happy. Favorite out of the collection because it's so light and funny.

ZOMBIE -- Cold Hands Cassandra Clare: cursed town, power hungry uncle, epic love story. Maybe hopeful? I thought kind of sad.

UNICORN -- The third Virgin Kathleen Duey: crazy unicorn, depressed girl, rather hopeless.

ZOMBIE -- Prom Night Libba Bray: prom night, teenage cops, bleak future. But there are fireworks!

Yep, after reading every story, I am still solidly TEAM UNICORN!!!! Though, I'm surprised to find, I did like many of the zombie stories, they didn't change my mind. I mean, unicorns wont eat my brains, they wont resurrect me as one of their own, they are majestic and beautiful and like rainbows and have nice smelling farts. Overall, they were a little more hopeful and happy than the zombies. I like happy and hopeful. Unicorns! yay!

the carnage! Who will win? Team UNICORN of course!

in my mailbox (5)

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. I'm too tired to actually type out what the books are and link them to somewhere cooler, so the pics will have to do.


Bought
I went a little wild at bookcloseouts.com at the beginning of the month and the books finally came! With shipping and everything, each book cost just under $2 each. I was happy.

I also stopped by my friendly neighborhood secondhand store, DI, and picked up a few books for $.50 to $1 a book. Sweet!

Mailbox

I actually got books in the mail that I didn't buy. Doesn't happen often.

I won What's Your Status and Top 8 by KatieFinn from Stacked. I don't even remember entering, but I won!

And that is all. I've practically filled up a whole nother shelf. I'm running out of room, which is a fun problem to have.

Until next week!

review: 7 Souls by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando

pub date: July 13, 2010
publisher: Delacorte
pgs: 371
content: swearing (including a number of f-bombs), underage drinking, violence, drugs
goodreads

Blurb:
Inexplicable things have been happening to Manhattan socialite Mary since she awoke on her seventeenth birthday, and by the end of the day she has been killed, inhabited the bodies of seven people close to her, and faced some ugly truths about herself.
 
me:
First off, the cover is UGLY. I judge books by their covers all of the time. If I hadn't gone the extra mile to read the blurb, I would never have picked this book up. I'm also not a fan of the title. It's boring. It doesn't even make sense until the last fourth of the book.  This is a contemporary supernatural teen, and it does not look like that from the cover. Which is sad since I liked the book.
 
I expected Mary to die pretty close to the beginning. She's going to be inhabiting 7 souls and I assumed she would relive the whole day through different people, like Before I Fall, sorta. But the whole first half is Mary living her day, she doesn't die until pg 179. And then she only sees snippets of the day through her seven visits to other bodies. So I got a little impatient for her to die since I expected it to happen so much sooner.

Also, I'm totally into plot, just set up the basic scene and I'm good. There was a lot of description of places and people that I just didn't care about, so I thought it lagged a little. More impatience.

Mary isn't a very sympathetic character. She's a selfish jerk. Which is the point of the plot. And even though she isn't a great person, I still felt rather badly for her. Especially when she ends up dead at the end of her birthday.   

But, the overall plot is awesome. I really liked the twists and turns. Reading through the day through Mary's eyes the first time I had assumptions and ideas of what was going on, and sometimes I was right and other times I was completely off base. I liked seeing the day through her friend's eyes and the memories that came a long with the habitation. It was a ride. It was a fun ride that I enjoyed a lot.

The ending confused me, but not in a way that distracted from my liking. I actually liked it better than Before I Fall, though this is a great read alike for Before I Fall, too. Same concept, different execution. (haha, get it?)

review: things I know about love by Kate le Vann

publisher: EgmontUSA
pub date: June 22, 201
pgs: 160
content: no swearing, no sex

blurb from goodreads:
Livia's experience of love has been disappointing to say the least. But all that is about to change. After years of illness, she's off to spend the summer with her brother in America. She's making up for lost time, and she's writing it all down in her private blog. America is everything she ever dreamed of - and then she meets Adam. Can Livia put the past behind her and risk falling in love again?

me:
Livia is a very appealing character. I loved reading her voice. She's a shy girl who's a little awkward and doesn't like attention. Very close to her mother and brother. I could totally relate to her first few experiences with boys and love. And Adam is so sweet. Their romance is darling. I was loving this book.

But then, the ending. I have issues with the ending. BIG issues. I keep fluctuating between loving the book because I love Livia and hating the book because I hate the ending. Why did it have to end that way? Huh?

So, just three apples. Which when I'm hating the book I find really generous.

booking through thursday (3)--day and night

Do you divide your books into day and night reads?

How do you decide?

I've tried to split up my books by time/location, but it just doesn't work for me. For a while I had a book at work that I read during lunch and a book at home that I read at home, but usually one overtakes the other. If the one at work is wonderful, I usually take it home with me. If the one from home is fantastic, I usually read that one during lunch. Since I finish a book in 1-3 days  (unless I find it less than steller it might take me longer since I'll usually start a different book) it seems pointless to read more than one at a time.

So, in a round about way, my answer is No. I don't have night and day books. I have one, maybe two books, that I take with me everywhere and read whenever I get the chance.

I was talking to a teen volunteer at the library a few months ago and he had a different book for practically every location/time of day: at school, walking to/from school, afternoon, at night, ect. He was reading 4-5 books at at time. I was astounded and rather impressed. I couldn't do that.

meme from booking through thursday

teaser tuesday (5)

This week's teaser comes from things i know about love by Kate le Vann.

"If you're ready for another recap of the 'Things I Know' list, you'll have to wait, because I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT LOVE."
pg 59

TEASER TUESDAY is a meme from should be reading. To join in:
Grab your current read

Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

review: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

pub date: April 1, 2010
publisher: HarlequinTeen
pgs: 384
source: ALA
content: no sex, no swearing, no drugs


from goodreads:
I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.


me:
This book took me a week to read. Though I was enjoying Trella and her rebellion, it didn't grab me and make me want to find out what was going to happen next. I was happy to pick it up whenever and got easily distracted.


I liked Trella. I liked how she grew and that her opinion of other scrubs and the uppers changed. I bought into her world view shift. And the whole cube where she lives is brilliant. The way they count time, the organization, the differences between the uppers and scrubs. Cool.


Yet, Trella's romance fell flat. I love romance in my novels, kissing scenes are my favorite. I didn't buy into her and Riley and worst of all, the kissing was Wimp.


So between the lack of romantic tension and low excitement for the plot (though it was cool), I was going to rate this book a solid 3.


BUT THEN I read the ending and it was awesome. In the context of what is going on outside of their cube, it's an awesome premise. It got me REALLY excited to read the next in the series, Outside In.


So, I give it a solid 4.

in my mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme from The Story Siren.

I actually haven't participated the past four weeks which is super sad because I've been getting a lot of good books. And I want to share them all, so here's a month's worth of catchup.

For Review:
(for the blog Kiss the Book--content reviews for school librarians)
Things I know about Love by Kate le Vann
7 Souls by Barnabas Miller and Jordan Orlando
The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
Girl Parts by John M. Cusick
Party by Tom Leveen
Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney
The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
Boom! by Mark Haddon
Dark Song by Gail Giles
Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway

Purchased:
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Mortal Instruments Trilogy by Cassandra Clare
Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I've decided not to list my library books anymore because I get so many of them a week and don't read most of them that it seemed a little silly.

So here are my wonderful books! Yay!

book blogger hop (2)

Post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the past three months.

In July I was putting together a booklist and I was looking for books that boys would like. Here's the post. I'd love recommendations of recent boy books is you've any ideas.

meme from crazy-for-books

teaser tuesday (4)--inside out

Today's teaser is from Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
"I pressed past some scrubs until I found a heating vent near the floor. After sliding inside, I replaced the vent cover and rested in the warm metal tube, catching my breath." pg 36

Teaser Tuesday is a meme from Should Be Reading. To join in just:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

book review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

pub date: August 31, 2010

publisher: HarperTeen

pages: 352

source: Barnes and Noble

rating: 5 stars

product description:

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

me:

I loved Paranormalcy. I could hardly wait to leave work last Wednesday so I could go home and finish Paranormalcy. I made my mom read Paranormalcy this weekend and she stayed up till 3am. Haha. Paranormalcy rocks.

Evie is awesome. She's this girl who wants to go to high school and have friends and a life like she sees on her favorite TV show, Easton Heights. But even though she can't have that cause she stuck at IPCA, she makes the best of the situation. Awesome.

I really like Lend, too. He's such a dreamy boy. And their first kiss...so sweet. (did i spoil anything with that comment?). I had to read the scene for a second time. And a third. Possibly a fourth. *sigh* Their friendship in the beginning is so well built and then when they kiss...anyway, I like their relationship.

One of many favorite quotes:
Evie: "But--oh no!...You're grounded! Are you gonna climb out the window and steal a car?"
Lend: "Yes, because I'm insane and this is one of your television shows."

The story is original and exciting and hilarious. Who wouldda thought, a containment agency for paranormals? But of course there is another side to every story...and we get it. 

I'm excited for the next book because there is so much more story to tell. Ahhhh! Can't wait.

There are a lot of things that I liked about this book, a lot of plot points that really made this book wonderful to me. But I don't want to give spoilers. So just know that it's awesome. Besides, if you're like me, going into a book without knowing much of anything is the best because it's all a surprise.

A couple weeks ago I started reading Kiersten White's blog, and she is hilarious, just like her book.

book review: low red moon by Ivy Devlin

pub date: Sept 14, 2010

publisher: Bloomsbury USA

pages: 196 (ARC)

source: ARC
rating: 3.5

from goodreads:
Avery Hood is reeling from the loss of her parents--and the fact that she can't remember what happened to them even though she was there.
She's struggling to adjust to life without them, and to living with her grandmother, when she meets Ben, who isn't like any guy she's ever met before.
It turns out there's a reason why, and Ben's secret may hold the key to Avery finding out what happened to her parents...
But what if that secret changes everything she knows about--and feels for--Ben?
 
my review:
I gave it an above average rating because it was an enjoyable read. I didn't get bored, in fact I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. The romantic tension was great. There were some nice kissing scenes. The writing style is original. The forest as it's own character was cool. There's red print on the inside pages that just pops. But...

I wanted more.
I wanted Avery and Ben to get to know each other before getting physical. They've hardly talked but because of this mysterious "connection," they can't keep their hands to themselves.
I wanted a more mysterious mystery. By half way through I thought it was pretty obvious what was going on.
I wanted Avery to be braver at the end and not do what she did, which was accuse the wrong person. I thought she was stupid and it was annoying.
I wanted more about Avery's relationship with the forest. I thought it would have been awesome if the forest had helped her remember what happened the night her parents were murdered, instead of having to be told by the murderer. Why does the murderer always feel the need to explain their action before murdering their next (and last) victim?

What I really wanted was a longer, more fully developed story. I liked what was there, but finished feeling like there was more to tell in this story, not just in the next.

Content:
heavy making out.

booking through thursday (two weeks later...)

This meme was on Booking Through Thursday a few weeks ago. I wanted to fill it out sooner, but I haven't had a chance. It's long, so I didn't answer all of the questions.


1. Favorite childhood book?
I have a lot of them, so here's just a few: Mara Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Dark Horse by Mary Herbert,  and Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster.

2. What are you reading right now?
Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

4. Bad book habit?
Checking out too many books from the library at one time! I don't get a chance to read enough of them.

6. Do you have an e-reader?
No. If I do ever get one, it wont be for a while. I love the actual book. Even if I did have an e-reader, I'd probably have to buy the book twice so that I could have the actual book on my bookshelf.  

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
It usually takes me 1-3 days to finish a book so there really isn't a point. Though occasionally I do read mulitiple books at once. Usually if I've lost interest in a book and want to try another.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Yes, because I'm blogging instead of reading.

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Bruiser by Neal Shusterman and Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan


11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not very.

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
Pretty much any genre of YA

13. Can you read on the bus?
I don't ride the bus, but I'm sure if I did I would. I like to read on road trips, as long as I'm not driving. Then I just listen to an audiobook.

14. Favorite place to read?
couch, snuggled in a blanket.

15. What is your policy on book lending?
Books are meant to be read, not sit on my bookshelf. Though I have lost books this way.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
no. but I do write on the title page, in pencil, where I got the book and date. I think it's fun to look back and see where I aquired books and when.

18. Not even with text books?
I don't have text books anymore! yippy-yay! But when I did have them, I did write in them. All the time.

20. What makes you love a book?
First, the characters. Next, the plot and pace.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If I can't put the book down and obsess about what's going to happen when I do put it down and keep thinking about it long after I've finished it, I recommend it to anyone who will listen.

22. Favorite genre?
Anything YA, but I love dystopic and fantasy and realistic fiction

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Non-fiction

28. Favorite reading snack?
Almonds craisins craisins, maybe with chocolate chips.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don't like to. So I usually don't.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Spanish. It would be so helpful!

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
30-20. I wish I could read them all! But I'm just not that fast. I do have a large selection to pick from, though

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Every week

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I have no idea. I usually have a book with me everywhere I go. It might take me a while to finish a book, but I'm always reading

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The Lord of the Rings (though some things REALLY bugged me, I still love it)

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. UGH!

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
My bookshelves are organized by size. Which causes a lot of random neighbors on my shelves.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
If it's a book I'll read over again, I keep. If it's one I wont read again, I give it away.

52. Name a book that made you angry.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

book review: Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer

pub date: August 16, 2007 
pages: 182
publisher: Speak
source: library

from goodreads:
Junior high really sucks for thirteen-year-old Vladimir Tod. Bullies harass him, the principal is dogging him, and the girl he likes prefers his best friend. Oh, and Vlad has a secret: his mother was human, but his father was a vampire. With no idea of the extent of his powers, Vlad struggles daily with his blood cravings and his enlarged fangs. When a substitute teacher begins to question him a little too closely, Vlad worries that his cover is about to be blown. But then he faces a much bigger problem: he's being hunted by a vampire killer.

my review:
A fun book. For a younger audience than I usually enjoy reading. I didn't find it as fast pace as I usually like books. It took me over a week to finish since I kept picking up other books between chapters. But fun. Vlad is a great character trying to survive middle school (ugh) as a boy, but also a vampire. His aunt is great. I loved Henry. He's a great best friend. Though I don't know if I'll read another in The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, I am definitely curious about what is going to happen next. Anyone want to give me some spoilers?

will you sign my book?

Something that I really enjoy doing is listening to authors talk. Two weekends ago I went to the evening event of Writing for Charity in Sandy, UT. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to go for the writing workshop in the morning/afternoon. I've gone the two previous years, and it's a lot of fun. I contented myself with just the evening because, like I said, I love listening to writers talk. Its fascinating for me to hear about their experiences in writing, getting published, how they write, why they write. Authors are the coolest people in the world. Really. The Writing for Charity Evening Event was different than I expected. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to hear more from the authors, but they had already had a long day so I guess I'm over it.

Afterward they had author signings.

Something that I've been thinking about a lot lately is getting author signatures. I have a lot of books that authors have signed as I have gone to different events at libraries and bookstores to hear them speak. But I've begun to wonder why I care. What does a signature really mean?
I've been to Shannon Hale events at least six different times so every book I own by her (which is all of them) has her signature. A few years ago I watched her kids when she did an assembly at my mom's school. But does it mean anything, really? I might be able to prove I met her or that I stood in line forever to get a signature, but that doesn't mean I know her. She definitely doesn't know me. I'm one of thousands. It's a very superficial connection. So why do I care? Because I do care.

Just because I think these things about signatures doesn't mean I'll stop waiting in line to get them as I stalk my favorite authors. If nothing else, it's just a lot of fun. And good memories.

What about you? How do you feel about getting authors to sign your books?

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

The book I am waiting for is Firelight by Sophie Jordan. Comes out in less than a week! yippy-yay!!
Though I will be waiting longer than that to get it through the library.

from goodreads:
"With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms. But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness leads her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is Will, whose family hunts her kind. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret."

doesn't that just sound amazing? Can't wait! Releases September 7, 2010

WoW is a meme at Breaking the Spine.