tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7052810461863905142024-02-06T23:28:16.760-07:00resugo's bookish paradiseI have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library-Jorge Luis Borgesresugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-11318408996072281822012-07-17T16:50:00.004-06:002012-07-17T16:50:39.902-06:00pause<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm sure you will not be surprised when I say:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">"I need to take a break from book blogging." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My blog is getting more and more boring and sporatic. My heart just isn't into it right now. I may come back to it in the future, but for right now this will be my last post. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I am on goodreads and am going to keep up reviews there. If you'd like to be my friend or follow, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/resugo" target="_blank">here I am</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thanks to everyone who has read my blog! It's been a pleasure. I'll be hovering around, reading and commenting on blogs here and there. So I won't completely disappear. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And as for the winners for my giveaways from a few weeks ago, <em>Romeo Redeemed</em> went to Lexie@bookbug, and <em>The FitzOsbornes at War</em> goes to Stephanie. Thanks everyone for entering! </span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-30498138075816861802012-07-03T16:23:00.001-06:002012-07-03T16:23:09.593-06:00ALA recap and GIVEAWAYS!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I went to ALA last weekend. It was wonderful. I got a lot of books signed by cool authors and spent a lot of money buying books and picked up a lot of really exciting ARCs. Probably the highlight was stumbling across Maggie Stiefvator and the two readers for her book, <em>The Scorpio Races</em>. <em>The Scorpio Races</em> is one of my all time favorite audiobooks, and there, on the stage, were the voices of Puck and Sean! They WERE Puck and Sean (or also known as Steve West and Fiona Hardingham). It was surreal. And completely awesome. I am so sad I didn't get a picture taken with them! Really, so sad. Why didn't I? I don't know!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is the best I did: </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSQATf_wg-FmMH2zIXZSO73W0D9HdNSWSpKYTTj95RueSttNUuQMjcnzILGLqn5QPdNKS5fAnrzcLdSfq3EdjYIMNwXb8TKyHg3LuIYRW_lUyR7K_FRwYNALscWFERsqSu3AW7jJizyNP/s1600/DSC00033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSQATf_wg-FmMH2zIXZSO73W0D9HdNSWSpKYTTj95RueSttNUuQMjcnzILGLqn5QPdNKS5fAnrzcLdSfq3EdjYIMNwXb8TKyHg3LuIYRW_lUyR7K_FRwYNALscWFERsqSu3AW7jJizyNP/s400/DSC00033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sean is so handsome. Especially with that voice. Sigh...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I picked out the books I was most excited to read, and here they are:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZi1uFPCWQE4l2VX8ObZ3OIxnni3NmtsGoyEYXpnOKR6V3L3cs1eS_5d1PD13dp2rRvtnaoWnXrERHYqZdvdO2pRcZnExmMeOs5aVjLnUOCUf7OnwF3yLXTiZJ4xsTeeKG4OXnsu1ydTX/s1600/DSC00046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZi1uFPCWQE4l2VX8ObZ3OIxnni3NmtsGoyEYXpnOKR6V3L3cs1eS_5d1PD13dp2rRvtnaoWnXrERHYqZdvdO2pRcZnExmMeOs5aVjLnUOCUf7OnwF3yLXTiZJ4xsTeeKG4OXnsu1ydTX/s400/DSC00046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">They taunt me. Since ALA I've only read three books. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I need more time in a day! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">That brings us to my giveaways. Two of them. How awesome am I? </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0qsggETgykG_80LmdlF8kjFcpwZImBr2Nr8mAWVBNHQ0NijT__ZClBarOmzjjojknDRnQUGPGuqCgiWWHUY08JPDD9G4Ws4bNi5LSL_VMhxNUpBEx0GLIquxUL4kQfkaBgN-fPxbo8z5/s1600/fitzosbornes+at+war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0qsggETgykG_80LmdlF8kjFcpwZImBr2Nr8mAWVBNHQ0NijT__ZClBarOmzjjojknDRnQUGPGuqCgiWWHUY08JPDD9G4Ws4bNi5LSL_VMhxNUpBEx0GLIquxUL4kQfkaBgN-fPxbo8z5/s200/fitzosbornes+at+war.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>GIVEAWAY #1</strong>: <em>The FitzOsbornes at War</em> by Michelle Cooper</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This is the third and final book in the Montmaray Journals, historical fiction that takes place during WW2. I have really enjoyed this series and was so excited to get this book the very first day of ALA. I started it that night when I got back to the hotel. It was so meticulously researched and Sophie is so witty and the story was engrossing. I laughed a lot. I was disappointed in the character's attitudes towards sexuality, sex, and physical relationships. It did not ring true to the 1940s, it felt more like a soap opera from 2010. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">There is a stipulation on winning this book: <strong>You have to have read at least the first book of the series</strong>. This is the third and I really like the series and I want to give it to someone who will actually read it, and won't leave it on a shelf to rot. Especially if I'm paying to ship it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>US only. Ends Sunday July 15</strong></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dE9MR05HSEZ2dGFGVHhjT09ZdXp0Tnc6MQ" target="_blank">ENTER HERE</a> for the FitzOsbornes at War</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWUDSgDEfOFJ_tEoU3gWyi2EG8GdwrGW7QFKDuYthZl6tH0bQn7lPCyJMAsnkA3aZhilvrpU3-MXrr6dwvrTrdOrk9viIu65Px4fzPhFGAIhBtzpABR_MLj0l9WZrpBw-vSUGKqlKmBRW/s1600/romeo+redeemed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKWUDSgDEfOFJ_tEoU3gWyi2EG8GdwrGW7QFKDuYthZl6tH0bQn7lPCyJMAsnkA3aZhilvrpU3-MXrr6dwvrTrdOrk9viIu65Px4fzPhFGAIhBtzpABR_MLj0l9WZrpBw-vSUGKqlKmBRW/s200/romeo+redeemed.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>GIVEAWAY #2</strong> Romeo Redeemed by Stacey Jay</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I'm not sure why I picked this one up before all the others. I didn't like <em>Juliet Immortal</em>, but I got this one at ALA because I was interested to know what happened to Romeo. Where his story leaves off in <em>JI </em>was much more interesting than Juliet's story. So I read it. Liked it better than the first, but now it's time to pass it on to someone who cares. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>Anyone can enter. As long as you live in the US. Ends Sunday July 16.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGhvVlI5QmpRc254Qm02WjFlQ0o1QVE6MQ" target="_blank"><strong>ENTER HERE</strong></a><strong> for Romeo Redeemed </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Stay tuned! If I ever get the time to read the books I brought back from ALA, I'll probably have more giveaways. Unless I love them and want to keep them forever and reread them till they fall apart. Then not. </span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-46047834722039568942012-06-28T12:52:00.000-06:002012-07-03T13:23:57.707-06:00review: The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrafrqOuZNGiapioQo0FTxQfIT0n0x2usWugUBbPz1EUfLdxJSlgGeIv5JK2uyfrf5hGEhFuVWjbYrW2GKm4efTa4QUjDSKePeMqkl8FfbSrbRYWSY4qd6VA4-FhK94DQ2S2uaLx_Ori-/s1600/last+princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrafrqOuZNGiapioQo0FTxQfIT0n0x2usWugUBbPz1EUfLdxJSlgGeIv5JK2uyfrf5hGEhFuVWjbYrW2GKm4efTa4QUjDSKePeMqkl8FfbSrbRYWSY4qd6VA4-FhK94DQ2S2uaLx_Ori-/s320/last+princess.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> May 1, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Little, Brown for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 295</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> ARC from publisher (with my job, not this blog FYI)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>appeals:</strong> dystopic, future, royal family, romance, adventure, family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>content:</strong> some violence and death </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>thoughts:</strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Three main things disappointed me about this book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">First, the writing. I felt like it was a travel log, a brief overview of events. Eliza went here, then there, then somewhere else. There was no depth or growth or excitement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Second, the story. It was a weak plot. There wasn't much to it and by the end it was just a big let down. The characters just Were the way they Were. I didn't understand motivations behind actions beyond the simple fact that they needed to do something to keep the story moving forward. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Third, the romance. The love was instantaneous and unrealistic and boring. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That is all I've got. There isn't much more to say. I had to skim the last 100 pages just to get through it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On the positive--the cover is cool. I just wish that what was inside matched.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year-old Princess Eliza manages to escape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope—and to love—once more. Now she must risk everything to ensure that she not become... The Last Princess.</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-36393801327241099022012-06-27T18:37:00.000-06:002012-07-03T13:24:57.852-06:00review: Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYZja4kcrJoa5p5D_qt4WnCePHDWzZtfia54Nv5mpfnRzbciknrp9dpng0XrPpRm1XvFfRr1q-wNHZNRrv1H-7kpL2cBO5AfIwKpGYTZ3l3-aNr2kubt2E1Gkd5o2F1EH762WG56dJP6H/s1600/raised+by+wolves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYZja4kcrJoa5p5D_qt4WnCePHDWzZtfia54Nv5mpfnRzbciknrp9dpng0XrPpRm1XvFfRr1q-wNHZNRrv1H-7kpL2cBO5AfIwKpGYTZ3l3-aNr2kubt2E1Gkd5o2F1EH762WG56dJP6H/s320/raised+by+wolves.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> June 8, 2010</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> EgmontUSA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 418</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> Library</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>format:</strong> audio</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> wolves, romance, paranormal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> some violence</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Some books should not be listened to. This is one of them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The first two discs NOTHING HAPPENED. Or at least very little happened, besides setting up this world of wolves through the eyes of Bryn, a human girl adoped by the pack as a four-year-old. Boring. And rather tedious. I'm not sure I would feel that the beginning was so tedious if I wasn't listening to EVERY WORD. While reading, I can skim. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Then there was also the repetition. Three different kinds of repetition. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1) Information. Repeated over and over and over and over. Again and again and again and again. Yes, I know you have a mark on your hip, under the waistband of your pants, Bryn. You've told me fifty times already! Yes, I know Callum is your alpha and you must obey. I GET IT.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2) Words. The same words. Blood. Blood, blood, blood, blood. BLOOD! I got the point. There is blood. Survive, survive, survive. SURVIVE! Are you saying you want to survive? That's what I assumed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3) Ideas. Bryn would say something once, then again using different words. THEN A THIRD TIME using more different words. I GET IT. I got it the first time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The repetition drove me CRAZY. It might have in book form also, but not to this extent. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The story did pick up around the ending of the fourth disc. Which I was very grateful for. And then the ending was rather cool and intriguing and for a few moments I thought about picking up the next in the series. But honestly--even skimming I don't know if I can deal with the repitition if it's anything like this book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-64133185806546512152012-06-12T17:30:00.000-06:002012-06-12T17:30:02.782-06:00review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bl9sVSjtTIAGROUBcdHWs7XtcpUP9VjT3iFcCiBBDey3TaHukoHyPPif2zZcP2Oi3BXGi8sR34sfZwHlCq-d5MhdkSkI2ptHNrizeP_VYcVbKTgoq9eJu-AFUmleXmZpj_c2ubdbBpH2/s1600/anna+dressed+in+blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bl9sVSjtTIAGROUBcdHWs7XtcpUP9VjT3iFcCiBBDey3TaHukoHyPPif2zZcP2Oi3BXGi8sR34sfZwHlCq-d5MhdkSkI2ptHNrizeP_VYcVbKTgoq9eJu-AFUmleXmZpj_c2ubdbBpH2/s320/anna+dressed+in+blood.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>pub date:</strong> August 30, 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Tor Teen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>pages:</strong> 316</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>appeals:</strong> horror, male protagonist, friendship, ghosts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>content:</strong> swearing (including a few f-bombs), gruesome dead people, intense scenes</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">For a while now I've struggled getting onto books. And I don't think it's always the book. I think it's me. What is wrong with me? I don't know, but I suppose that is for a different post, not this one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As I mentioned above, this is one of the books I struggled getting into. I think part of it was because I had so much going on and was also reading two other books at the same time. Whatever the reason, I don't really think it was the story itself, and once I got to about page 80, I was hooked. And once I reached the end, I was so bummed I had to wait until August to get the next installment of the story. I wanted more. Series books kill me sometimes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This was a really well written book, populated by great, realistic, charismatic characters that I really liked. What I really enjoyed was the ghost lore. And Anna Dressed in Blood and her creepiness. And the surprises in the plot and the very cool and suspenseful ending. Especially the ending. The romance was a little blah, but I like romantic romance in my books and this didn't get all that romantic, so it's just me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So, that was really vague. Kind of useless, too. But I read this book a few months ago and all I got left is vague. But since I wrote this review, I'm going to post it anyway. Enjoy! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-15530965027629489682012-06-11T18:43:00.000-06:002012-06-11T18:43:02.743-06:00review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLrLl02PHRU9rYrjw0cSf9SK279aXi6PeGBUDqqFHQUU99UNhWpkPySGF72ERqG0hy1iIJ1mjaQ0jrvvaDosOm8a7xCsWphub1htWqEwETmJxq2w_H7tHrXRvMpIRUYzs0sB4mDYHxO4x/s1600/between+shades+of+gray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nfa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLrLl02PHRU9rYrjw0cSf9SK279aXi6PeGBUDqqFHQUU99UNhWpkPySGF72ERqG0hy1iIJ1mjaQ0jrvvaDosOm8a7xCsWphub1htWqEwETmJxq2w_H7tHrXRvMpIRUYzs0sB4mDYHxO4x/s400/between+shades+of+gray.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> March 22, 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Philomel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 346</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> library</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> WWII, family, survival, labor camps, Lithuania, based on a true story</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> harsh treatment</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I read this book months ago, but I didn't know what to write. Based on Truth books always throw me for a loop when I try to write my ideas down. But I've been wanting to write a review for a while, especially because the author, Ruta Sepetys, came to Utah a few months ago and I heard her speak. And </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">WOW. It was amazing.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I knew very little about Stalin and what he did during WWII to the Lithuanians. Which, after reading this book and listening to Sepetys, I know that very few people did know about Stalin's treatment of the Lithuanians. Fantastic book, but also a difficult read. This is real life, based on real experiences. And it's just horrible. All the lives that ended, all the pain and heartache and loss so many people suffered. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I love the message of the novel, though: that there is darkness in the world, but there is also hope. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Like I mentioned, listening to Sepetys speak was a remarkable experience. I got teary-eyed as she shared stories. This book is based on so many different people's experiences, including her family's. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It's been a few months, so I might have some of the details wrong, but her grandfather was in the Lithuanian army and Stalin was arresting military men so he fled. His family thought he was dead, while he and immediate family, including Sepetys' father who was a young boy, were living in a refuge camp for several years before making their way to America. The family left in Lithuania were deported to Siberia because Sepetys' grandfather fled. Sepetys' freedom came at the price of her extended family's enslavement. This is written into the story, because Lina's cousin escapes to America, causing Lina and her family to be arrested. So awful. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sepetys said that as she collected stories from survivors of the deportation, they would say things like, "This is a wonderful thing you're doing, but no one cares. The world doesn't care about us." So the fact that <em>Between Shades of Gray </em>has been <a href="http://www.rutasepetys.com/international/" target="_blank">published in so many countries</a> is amazing and awesome. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you haven't watched this video on the <a href="http://www.betweenshadesofgray.com/" target="_blank">official Between Shades of Gray website</a>, you should. Be warned, it's heart wrenching. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>summary: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously - and at great risk - documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-52718170991643241432012-06-07T18:50:00.000-06:002012-06-08T15:09:43.229-06:00review: 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRMrBfJIeupK7CZ4cMRnp1zUr6EGEV8aAKQDzxwHUDJBoXP8CMgRH10s8Q7cRkNt3CCxfDWnscMVbBKniTliKRtHOorxMlyylxwkXcZ4OQ6FSapddc4i8fVbHshSl6UDHwJewsnwCZz87/s1600/172+hours+on+the+moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRMrBfJIeupK7CZ4cMRnp1zUr6EGEV8aAKQDzxwHUDJBoXP8CMgRH10s8Q7cRkNt3CCxfDWnscMVbBKniTliKRtHOorxMlyylxwkXcZ4OQ6FSapddc4i8fVbHshSl6UDHwJewsnwCZz87/s320/172+hours+on+the+moon.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> April 17, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Little, Brown Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 355</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> for review at </span><a href="http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Kiss the Book </span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> Space!, horror, scifi, suspense, life and death, future-ish</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> some swearing</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In this chilling adventure set in the most brutal landscape known to man, highly acclaimed Norwegian novelist Johan Harstad creates a vivid and frightening world of possibilities we can only hope never come true.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I do not read suspense often, but I'm assuming that suspense books normally focus on story, and not so much on character's development. The first half of this story focused on characters, mostly the three teens who are chosen to go to the moon. But I never felt attached to the characters and there didn't seem to be much to them and they weren't really developed. Since there wasn't much going on, it was a little slow. And boring. It took me a week to get through the first half of the book.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Once the five astronauts and three teens got to the moon...much more interesting. Things were happening, people were dying (was that a spoiler? sorry if you hadn't guessed that already), and the suspense was good. But I also felt like it was rushed. Like I said, I don't read suspense so maybe I don't know what I'm writing about, but I think the suspense would have been more suspenseful if it had built over days, instead of hours. They are supposed to be on the moon for 172 of them, not 20. If between horrific events, the characters stewed about it a while... But, whatever. There was suspense and my interest was held. My impression of the book went up quite a bit. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I read the last of it while I was house sitting...and it rather freaked me out. I was in a strange house with strange noises. It was cool. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As for the premise...sending random teens up into space? Really? I get the publicity aspect of sending the teens (sort of), but I also thought it was a stupid idea. Especially because the higher ups at NASA have top secret information and they have specific goals for going to the moon (I think) and teens would just get in the way. And it's dangerous. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The whole, "what else is on the moon," question...the answer is odd. But cool. And the ending was good. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Let me just say, these "possibilities" will never come true. </span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-70589952263526123902012-05-31T12:11:00.000-06:002012-06-07T20:24:05.874-06:00review: Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicEyg9e-Bc_QJ29nKhYeHye6Ufo5hcyakAeHWUB1MPfosm-n3Rhm2W6VRxspt3aI3ICWeLOMfcaJ_lFXHIGHISj7b2vS2iFU-EHiGXZe3CrxXcd5dUxf4PzMk0FAOA0KZw4hfu1x2v6ZG/s1600/someon+else's+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhicEyg9e-Bc_QJ29nKhYeHye6Ufo5hcyakAeHWUB1MPfosm-n3Rhm2W6VRxspt3aI3ICWeLOMfcaJ_lFXHIGHISj7b2vS2iFU-EHiGXZe3CrxXcd5dUxf4PzMk0FAOA0KZw4hfu1x2v6ZG/s320/someon+else's+life.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>pub date:</strong> Feb 14, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Random House Children's Books</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>pages:</strong> 464</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>source:</strong> for review at <a href="http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Kiss the Book </a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>appeals:</strong> romance, family, mystery, travel</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>content:</strong> off page sex, swearing</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">When 17-year-old Rosie's mother, Trudie, dies from Huntington's Disease, her pain is intensified by the knowledge that she has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the crippling disease herself. Only when Rosie tells her mother's best friend, "Aunt Sarah," that she is going to test for the disease does Sarah, a midwife, reveal that Trudie wasn't her real mother after all. Rosie was swapped at birth with a sickly baby who was destined to die.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>thoughts:</strong> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
Devastated, Rosie decides to trace her real mother, joining her ex-boyfriend on his gap year travels, to find her birth mother in California. But all does not go as planned. As Rosie discovers yet more of her family's deeply buried secrets and lies, she is left with an agonizing decision of her own, one which will be the most heart breaking and far-reaching of all. <br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I read this book a few weeks ago, so I'm a little fuzzy on the details. But I will </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">start off with: The cover is BORING. I like the UK cover much better--they have some color and personality. With the US cover, just blah. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And now the story...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I was impressed with how surprising this novel was. When I began, I expected the story to go in one direction, and then it went in a new direction and took a few twists along the way. I liked the originality.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">There were really two stories being told, Rosie's and an unnamed girl who had a page here and there between Rosie's narrative. It was interesting how the two girls and their stories met up and how they were resolved. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I thought the writing was interesting, the character's and their stories interesting, and the how twisted it all was. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I will say that Rosie and the mystery girl did get on my nerves at times. Mostly because I wanted them to behave in a different manner then they did. But, not everyone is me so they did their own thing and it worked for the story being told.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I liked. </span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-59765147554159370812012-05-30T13:50:00.002-06:002012-06-07T20:24:05.854-06:00review: Welcome, Caller, This is Chole by Shelley Coriell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU3tKm9vPOL_l6a3T7nyVpWgoQ38M4mYPNChmvAo_kWX4t-kl2IHNtgCyQz4Y1nLhO5_JphsadlvFL0cxkbNldNhZw2lp7LBDuDPtfjX89PwJw87598vY4YPlVsGKQkS_AMxiewgyWHks/s1600/welcome+caller+this+is+chloe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU3tKm9vPOL_l6a3T7nyVpWgoQ38M4mYPNChmvAo_kWX4t-kl2IHNtgCyQz4Y1nLhO5_JphsadlvFL0cxkbNldNhZw2lp7LBDuDPtfjX89PwJw87598vY4YPlVsGKQkS_AMxiewgyWHks/s320/welcome+caller+this+is+chloe.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> May 1, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Amulet Books</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 299</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> radio, romance, friends, family, happy main character</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> clean</span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">summary:</span></strong><br />
<span id="freeText1916977895677020791"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too queenly. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love with the radio station and the misfits who call it home.</span></span><br />
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">thoughts:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is a sweet story with a great main character. What is so appealing about Chloe is she is not angsty or bitter with the difficult things that are happening to her with her friends and family. She makes fun, happy things and takes control in finding the good. She is also very forgiving of those who treat her poorly. Which is really nice and refreshing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Besides all the meanness from many of the other characters populating the book, I liked them. Especially Duncan. He wasn't necessarily heartthrob material, but he was way sweet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Some of the story I found unrealistic--for example her call-in show becoming uber popular in a matter of three weeks. But who cares--it was fun. </span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-56627614509892253882012-05-29T17:41:00.000-06:002012-06-07T20:24:05.842-06:00review: Geek Girl by Cindy C. Bennett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghug8u9QBqqbmBNvl6NxWjRkpsBlf-nfJ_6vKSxoS0z7VHGTP8dI9J-ycb1LwNnAe8eLnouc9DnieBUKN6chwE-09uMLCYGW7-sT8ORh1DldVPqgC01TvKrdyJzAUh4whiARcWwfFqBAJh/s1600/geek+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghug8u9QBqqbmBNvl6NxWjRkpsBlf-nfJ_6vKSxoS0z7VHGTP8dI9J-ycb1LwNnAe8eLnouc9DnieBUKN6chwE-09uMLCYGW7-sT8ORh1DldVPqgC01TvKrdyJzAUh4whiARcWwfFqBAJh/s320/geek+girl.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> December 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Cedar Fort</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 318</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> library</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> clean romance, high school, realistic fiction, contemporary</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> clean </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I came across this book at the library one day this month, had never heard of it before, but after reading the back and a page in the middle I was interested in reading the whole thing. So I took it home and finally read it this past weekend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I must say, it was cute.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Jen, the main character, had a fun voice. A tad self-deprecating, and very honest. She struggled with stuff in her life, had built a wall around herself, and was on a self-destructive path to not much. I thought her growth as a character was real. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I did think the pacing was off. The ending seemed to drag a little, and places in the middle sped by where I would've liked more. It also wasn't very rounded as a story--all the focus was on her relationship with Trevor, hardly any of it was about any other aspect of her life. For example, her relationship with her foster parents/family was undeveloped, so when events happened with them it was very out of the blue and odd. B</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">ut really, the main draw of this book was Trevor and their developing relationship, so who cares about her foster family?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I did really enjoy Trevor and his influence on Jen and the way their relationship developed. I giggled and smiled quite a bit. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So overall, very enjoyable. <span style="font-size: x-small;">I actually went back and skimmed my favorite parts after I'd finished it the first time.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jen's life of partying and sneaking out has grown stale. So on a whim, Jen makes a bet to turn Trevor, a goody-two-shoes geek, into a "bad boy." As she hangs out with Trevor, however, she finds it's actually kinda fun being a geek. But when Trevor finds out about the bet, Jen must fight for the things she's discovered matter most: friendship, family, and, above all, love. </span><br />
<br />
<br />resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-74005920280481536042012-05-25T14:52:00.000-06:002012-06-08T15:11:44.033-06:00classic retellings booklist: a new twist on an old tale<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I've been putting together a YA book display at the library of classic retellings, and thought I would share the list here. I had intended to put pictures and summaries, but the list is long so you just get links to goodreads. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Most are young adult, some are a little younger, some a little older. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is a work in progress, one I'm going to keep updating as I find new books to add, so if I'm missing some please put them in the comments!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Fairy Tale Retellings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><u>Beauty and the Beast</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Tiger's Curse</em> by Colleen Houck (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9284655-tiger-s-curse" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Beauty</em> by Robin McKinley <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41424.Beauty" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Beastly</em> by Alex Flinn (2007) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/544891.Beastly" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Little Red Riding Hood</strong></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Sisters Red</em> by Jackson Pearce (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6357708-sisters-red" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>12 Dancing Princesses</strong></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Entwined</em> by Heather Dixon (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8428195-entwined" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Princess of the Midnight Ball</em> by Jessica Day George (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3697927-princess-of-the-midnight-ball" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Wildwood Dancing</em> by Juliet Marillier (2007) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13929.Wildwood_Dancing" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>The Princess Curse</em> by Merrie Haskell (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9588207-the-princess-curse" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Cinderella</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Cinder</em> by Marissa Meyer (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11235712-cinder" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Cindy Ella</em> by Robin Palmer (2008) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1757580.Cindy_Ella" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Just Ella</em> by Margaret Peterson Haddix (2007) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/162719.Just_Ella" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Shadows on the Moon</em> by Zoe Marriott (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12357615-shadows-on-the-moon" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Cinderella: Ninja Warrior</em> by Maureen McGowan (2001) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9305414-cinderella" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Ella Enchanted</em> by Gail Carson Levine (1997) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24337.Ella_Enchanted" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Ash</em> by Mainda Lo (2010)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6363322-ash" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Snow White</strong></u> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Wicked Jealous</em> by Robin Palmer (July 2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12925358-wicked-jealous" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">] </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Snow White Sorry</em> by Cameron Jace (Oct 2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13557166-snow-white-sorrow" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Snow White and Rose Red</em> by Patricia Wrede (1989) </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5881635-snow-white-and-rose-red" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>East of the Sun, West of the Moon</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>East</em> by Edith Pattou (2005) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/161887.East" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow</em> by Jessica Day George (2008) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1210754.Sun_and_Moon_Ice_and_Snow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Ice</em> by Sarah Beth Durst (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6321845-ice" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Sleeping Beauty</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer</em> by Maureen McGowan (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9407790-sleeping-beauty" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>A Kiss in Time</em> by Alex Flinn (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5266667-a-kiss-in-time" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">] </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Briar Rose</em> by Jane Yolen (1988)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/81153.Briar_Rose" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Enchantment</em> by Orson Scott Card (1999) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7973.Enchantment" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Wide Awake Princess </em>by E.D. Baker (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7197913-the-wide-awake-princess" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Other</strong></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Sweetly</em> by Jackson Pearce--Hansel and Gretel (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9415956-sweetly" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Book of a Thousand Days</em> by Shannon Hale--Maid Maleen (2007) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248484.Book_of_a_Thousand_Days" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Goose Girl</em> by Shannon Hale--The Goose Girl (2003) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179064.The_Goose_Girl" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Blue Castle</em> by Lucy M. Montgomery--Blue Beard (1926) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/95693.The_Blue_Castle" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Brixen Witch</em> by Stacy DeKeyser--The Pied Piper (2012)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [</span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12988047-the-brixen-witch" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>A Curse Dark as Gold</em> by Elizabeth Bunce--Rumpelstiltskin (2008)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1743390.A_Curse_Dark_As_Gold" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Zel </em>by Donna Jo Napoli--Rapunzel (1996) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54356.Zel" target="_blank">goodreads</a>] </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>The Frog Princess</em> by E.D. Baker--Frog Prince (2002) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65091.The_Frog_Princess" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Fairytale Mashups</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Enchanted</em> by Aleathea Kontis (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12180248-enchanted" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Kill Me Softly</em> by Sarah Cross (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12680998-kill-me-softly" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>A Tale Dark and Grimm</em> by Adam Gidwitz (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7825557-a-tale-dark-and-grimm" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Shakespeare Retellings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u><strong>Romeo and Juliet</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Juliet Immortal</em> by Stacey Jay (2011)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9972882-juliet-immortal" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Saving Juliet</em> by Suzanne Selfors (2008)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2095336.Saving_Juliet" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Son of the Mob</em> by Gordon Korman (2002) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/536250.Son_of_the_Mob" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Romeo's Ex: Rosalind's Story</em> by Lisa Fiedler (2006) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/761849.Romeo_s_Ex" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>When You Were Mine </em>by Rebecca Serle (2012)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12022765-when-you-were-mine" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Temptation</em> by Karen Ann Hopkins (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13223243-temptation" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<u><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hamlet</span></strong></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Falling for Hamlet</em> by Michelle Ray (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9415959-falling-for-hamlet" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Ophelia </em>by Lisa M. Klein (2006) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/293583.Ophelia" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>A Midsummer Night's Dream</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>This Must Be Love </em>by Tui T. Sutherland (2005) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/872762.This_Must_Be_Love" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Wonderous Strange </em>by Leslie Livingston (2008) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10145929-wondrous-strange" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>The Loser's Guide to Life and Love</em> by A.E. Cannon (2008) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2518380.The_Loser_s_Guide_to_Life_and_Love" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Macbeth</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Enter Three Witches </em>by Caroline Cooney (2007)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/601436.Enter_Three_Witches" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Much Ado About Nothing</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty</em> by Jody Gehrman (2008) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1248692.Confessions_of_a_Triple_Shot_Betty" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: Georgia;">The Tempest</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Ariel </em>by Grace Tiffany (2005) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238120.Ariel" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Twelfth Night </strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Illyria</em> by Elizabeth Hand (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6659604-illyria" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jane Austen</span> Retellings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Pride and Prejudice</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Prom and Prejudice</em> by Elizabeth Eulbert (2011)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8369681-prom-and-prejudice" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Prada and Prejudice</em> by Mandy Hubbard (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5301920-prada-and-prejudice" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">] </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Epic Fail</em> by Claire LaZebnik (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9266776-epic-fail" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Enthusiasm</em> by Polly Shulman (2006) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/595397.Enthusiasm" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</em> by Seth Grahame-Smith (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5899779-pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Pride and Popularity</em> by Jenni James (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12092005-pride-popularity" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Persuasion</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>For Darkness Shows the Stars</em> by Diana Peterfreund (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8306761-for-darkness-shows-the-stars" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><u>Sense and Sensability</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Sass and Serendipity</em> by Jennifer Ziegler (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9458672-sass-and-serendipity" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love</em> by Rosie Rushton (2006) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/147866.The_Dashwood_Sisters_Secrets_of_Love" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Northanger</span> Abby</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Northanger Alibi</em> by Jenni James (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7271563-northanger-alibi" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><u>Emma</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Espressologist </em>by Kristina Springer (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5576654-the-espressologist" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Classic Retellings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u><strong>Jekyll and Hyde</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Jekel loves Hyde</em> by Beth Fantasky (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6377326-jekel-loves-hyde" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Sherlock Holmes</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Death Cloud</em> by Andrew Lane (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7600676-death-cloud" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Robin Hood</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Scarlet</em> by A.C. Gaughen (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11983940-scarlet" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">] </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11182074-pretty-crooked" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<u><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Peter Pan</span></strong></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Tiger Lily</em> by Jodi Lynn Anderson (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7514925-tiger-lily" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Peter and the Starcatchers</em> by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (2004<span style="font-size: x-small;">) [</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1033662.Peter_and_the_Starcatchers" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>King Arthur/Merlin</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Avalon High</em> by Meg Cabot (2006) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/187812.Avalon_High" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u><strong>Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Jane </em>by April Lindner (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7826117-jane" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>A Breath of Eyre</em> by Eve Marie Mont (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12267739-a-breath-of-eyre" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Flight of Gemma Hardy </em>by Margot Livesey (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11522750-mister-creecher" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u><strong>Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Catherine</em> by April Lindner (2013) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11266086-catherine" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Frankenstein by Mary Shelley</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>His Dark Endeavor</em> by Kenneth Oppel (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9779094-this-dark-endeavor" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Mister Creecher </em>by Chris Priestley (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11522750-mister-creecher" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Don Quixote</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Going Bovine</em> by Libba Bray (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6512140-going-bovine" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Turn of the Screw</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Tighter</em> by Adele Griffin (2011)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8887240-tighter" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Poe's The Raven (poem)</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Nevermore</em> by Kelly Creagh (2010) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7129598-nevermore" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>New Girl</em> by Paige Harbison (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12085568-new-girl" target="_blank">goodreads</a>] </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Faust</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Another Faust</em> by Daniel and Dina Nayeri (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6378237-another-faust" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">]</span><br />
<br />
<strong><u><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Flawless </em>by Lara Chapman (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7664735-flawless" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>At Face Value </em>by Emily Franklin (2008) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3557672-at-face-value" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Lysistrata</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Shut Out</em> by Kody Keplinger (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10757771-shut-out" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>The Humming Room</em> by Ellen Potter--The Secret Garden (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9975313-the-humming-room" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Ten </em>by Gretchen McNeil (Sept 2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11958033-ten" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Beowulf</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>The Coming of the Dragon </em>by Rebecca Barnhouse</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Marly's Ghost </em>by David Levithan (2005) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/94077.Marly_s_Ghost" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><u>Little Women</u></strong> by Louisa May Alcott</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Mother-Daughter Book Club</em> by Heather Vogel Frederick (2007) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/318016.The_Mother_Daughter_Book_Club" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-large;">Myth Retellings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><u><strong>Persephone</strong></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Abandon</em> by Meg Cabot (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9397967-abandon" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;">]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Radiant Darkness</em> by Emily Whitman (2009) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5323390-radiant-darkness" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Everneath</em> by Brodi Ashton (2012) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9413044-everneath" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>The Goddess Test</em> by Amie Carter (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9681214-the-goddess-test" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Helen of Troy</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Starcrossed </em>by Josephine Angelini (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9462795-starcrossed" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Nobody's Princess</em> by Esther Friesner (2007) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/640029.Nobody_s_Princess" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong><u>Odysseus</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>King of Ithaka</em> by Tracy Barrettt (2010)<span style="font-size: x-small;"> [</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7993013-king-of-ithaka" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">goodreads</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Torn from Troy</em> by Patrick Bowman (2011) <span style="font-size: x-small;">[<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10049854-torn-from-troy" target="_blank">goodreads</a>]</span></span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-81773914771585227722012-05-14T15:52:00.000-06:002012-05-14T15:52:00.112-06:00audio review: Stolen: a Letter to my Capture by Lucy Christopher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrk2epxl5dMLDwWF_x0rwtJ02W0GWGXPKhvlsw6SNxQ8cRFk4doDOoYpl8720FkD1dH3Pr9tQigZ3_indziZQmblkD_LRnd5HE-0fvETro48S0p2M21wqmuvnq4qSaYLkF0uoJiwO3EeJc/s1600/stolen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrk2epxl5dMLDwWF_x0rwtJ02W0GWGXPKhvlsw6SNxQ8cRFk4doDOoYpl8720FkD1dH3Pr9tQigZ3_indziZQmblkD_LRnd5HE-0fvETro48S0p2M21wqmuvnq4qSaYLkF0uoJiwO3EeJc/s320/stolen.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> May 4, 2009</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Chicken House</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 301</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> library</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>audiobook reader:</strong> Emily Gray</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> kidnapping, Australia, England, letter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> there is swearing, including the f-bomb. Besides that, it's been so long, I don't really remember. But it is about a girl who is kidnapped by an older man, and it is emotionally brutal</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts: </strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It is now May, and I listened to this book back at the beginning of March. A loooong time ago, so my thoughts on the book are a little fuzzy. I debated about writing a review on the book since it's been so long, but decided I really wanted to. This book left me dazed and confused and a tad upset. It packed an emotional punch that lasted a few days. I wasn't lying when I said it was emotionally brutal. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I listened to the audio of this book. I like to listen to audio books in my car, and usually when I select audio books I just browse the shelves for what's checked in. Which means the audios I listen to are ones that I normally wouldn't read. If there is a book I really want to read, I read it in days. Audio books take me a few weeks to listen to, and I'm usually too impatient for that when it's a book I'm excited about. Sometimes the audios I pick up are duds, but sometimes it's a serendipitous find, like <em>Stolen</em>. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The day I picked this book off the shelf, it was the only teen novel that wasn't too long (I try to stick with audio books that are only 6-7 discs), and I knew it was a Printz honor. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">It grabbed me from the get-go. I loved the premise, that this was a letter written by Gemma, to her kidnapper, Ty. She wrote as if she was speaking to him face-to-face and it made it more personable, more real. Though there were times Gemma really got on my nerves, I understood her motivation for everything she did/didn't do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Ty takes Gemma to Australia. Christopher does such a wonderful job at describing the landscape, the life led on the outback. It was so rich and real. It build a world for this story that was truly remarkable. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The ending sort of traumatized me. It ended the way I thought it needed to, but the way I didn't want it to. Gemma and Ty felt so real to me that I wanted their stories to be different, to end different. I had to remind myself that it was fiction, not nonfiction. It was just a story. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Emily Gray, the reader for the audio, was also fantastic. She had a voice that sounded young and innocent and angry and scared and lost, but not all at the same time. It added to the story.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A really superb book. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It happened like this.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was stolen from an airport. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Taken from everything I knew, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">everything I was used to. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Taken to sand and heat, dirt </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">and danger. And he expected </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">me to love him. This is my story. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A letter from nowhere. </span></div>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-79964043037790986182012-05-09T14:23:00.000-06:002012-05-09T14:23:00.656-06:00audio reviews by Jaye: The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU29LOQeybtM6j4puAG5FgPc1_sm9nZtn-z5Uo_QZRu8fCNnrq_QJtDjK6-jVvvm8F8MJ_MYg6OpNFF17ZUzXTVF_AiLfmcDteSC2KUrtv2zte6ol6mgueaTOVLjhJgrvlRmsMPAp2OmMB/s1600/A+REVIEWS+BY+JAYE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU29LOQeybtM6j4puAG5FgPc1_sm9nZtn-z5Uo_QZRu8fCNnrq_QJtDjK6-jVvvm8F8MJ_MYg6OpNFF17ZUzXTVF_AiLfmcDteSC2KUrtv2zte6ol6mgueaTOVLjhJgrvlRmsMPAp2OmMB/s200/A+REVIEWS+BY+JAYE.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yay! another review by Jaye! This is a book I listened to first, then gave to Jaye because I enjoyed it so much. I agree with everything Jaye wrote, or I would've written one of my own, too. </span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfPi2A5LIVO2j_9j-CrEf6wwhYs0oTRXhuQ6aiPSCBY4c33-TzEAAmS4NN1LX9su5K9uqF93sDsGpBxsS4054WejMVHEOhtbhUkclXL6FDePPr_ViqlO08Ytev8yg7xrIGq39X-3D1JnO/s1600/year+of+secret+assignments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfPi2A5LIVO2j_9j-CrEf6wwhYs0oTRXhuQ6aiPSCBY4c33-TzEAAmS4NN1LX9su5K9uqF93sDsGpBxsS4054WejMVHEOhtbhUkclXL6FDePPr_ViqlO08Ytev8yg7xrIGq39X-3D1JnO/s1600/year+of+secret+assignments.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> April 1, 2005</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Scholastic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 340</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> A light, humorous romance; School serves as the main backdrop; Told entirely through correspondence; The girls are the main characters, but the guys are heavily involved, stealing the spotlight at times; Multiple, diverse characters that are pretty well-drawn, but not deeply so</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> Some language and innuendo, no sex or graphic situations</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Jay's thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wealthy Ashbury 10th graders Emily, Lydia and Cass were not excited to start the “pen friend” program with “low-life” Brookfield students. However, once Em began corresponding with Charlie, and Lydia with Seb, things started to look up. Cassie, on the other hand, has an unexpected and frightening experience with Matthew.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This book is composed entirely of written correspondence, whether it is letters back and forth, notes from parents, or entries in Lydia’s Notebook<span style="font-size: xx-small;">TM</span> (she’s an aspiring author). It was confusing at first, trying to get a solid hand on who was writing who and each of their situations. It did settle down a little further into the book. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The beginning was chronological, but as I got further in, it took turns focusing on one “couple” before going back and showing what other characters had been doing at the same time. Maybe that helped in keeping the characters straight, and I did get to follow each drama to its conclusion. However, it was confusing in its own right, and I would have liked everything to follow along without the inadvertent time travel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I listened to the audio, which had a cast rather than a single narrator, and that helped define characters as well. Everyone performed very well, and made the characters their own. It takes place in Australia, so the accents were enjoyable, too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The characters had distinctive voices, and it was nice to learn about the girls’ friendship, and get to know the guys they were writing. They all had faults, but I liked them anyway, even if I did roll my eyes at Emily’s snobbishness, or Seb’s over-the-top flirting. Favorite character: Charlie, and even he wasn't without fault. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">They were all surprisingly willing to break the law. The main difference was that the girls mostly managed to avoid getting caught, but the guys were pretty familiar with the form master’s office. I was laughing out loud at parts, wondering how their antics were going to play out. Sometimes I was outraged on someone’s behalf, and a few times I had to cheer them on, even when what they were doing was stupid. There were some definite surprises.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was a solid, enjoyable read with romance, drama, and a hint of danger. Plus, a hilarious “courtroom” scene near the end.</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-73719430647576482232012-05-03T13:24:00.000-06:002012-05-03T13:24:00.371-06:00review: Wonder by R.J. Palacio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhHt_WJ0Uio8Ac7VHWIex1An57laIWvqI6RZHBi8tOVKNA1XeUR3vpajclEWudRXZd_gImdLvkeEtOGbot4UZu8fcrjXrpsjeBi1q4fSMuR9DbSFYGQUZ4AvMvXpQ2AzfS_1_1Jpim78R/s1600/wonder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhHt_WJ0Uio8Ac7VHWIex1An57laIWvqI6RZHBi8tOVKNA1XeUR3vpajclEWudRXZd_gImdLvkeEtOGbot4UZu8fcrjXrpsjeBi1q4fSMuR9DbSFYGQUZ4AvMvXpQ2AzfS_1_1Jpim78R/s1600/wonder.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> February 14, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Random House Children's Book</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 313</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> for review at </span><a href="http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Kiss the Book </span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> mulitple narrators, male protagonist, facial deformity, school, bullies, contemporary fiction, friendship, family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> clean</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm not sure why I picked this book up, since it's for a younger audience then I usually enjoy reading and I didn't know much about it beyond knowing it had gotten good reviews from professional reviewers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But I'm glad I picked it up and I'm glad I then read it. It was amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The story is told through 5 points of view, first person. Auggie has the largest 2 sections, the first and the last. But in the middle we get to read Auggie's story through four other people as well, his sister Via, Via's friend, and two of Auggie's friends at his new school. It gave a more complete picture of Auggie and really showed how remarkable this ten-year-old boy was. The multiple view points were one of the reasons I loved the book so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The novel is also extremely well-written and populated with real, flawed, and amazing characters. This is one of those books where the characters have these insights into their lives like a light bulb flashing on, but they're also insights into life in general. Just a really amazing book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I am curious about the audience. Has anyone else read this book? Who do you think it's for? Auggie is ten, he's in fifth grade. But the level of reading for this book seems more like sixth or seventh. But would a six or seventh grader read this book about a fifth grader? Any opinons on that? I do think a teacher would need to direct students to this book. Doesn't seem like one they'd just pick up read on their own, and they should! It is a fantastic book. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels.</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-60654977574312580632012-05-02T19:06:00.000-06:002012-05-02T19:06:00.426-06:00reviews by Jaye: My Sister's Stalker by Nancy Springer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUvBUBxbpssVVQBorWzWVsAP7U9KUKzN66E3WBChjfwNvgrAmKje3-ey126lJYhRMXueHxZwqxpj4HqwWjVMiV58UnYo1lngtPaUuqfI2GigSFUQZJMlYnWRCRJBfO6UTGT3zOGIsVfzB/s1600/A+REVIEWS+BY+JAYE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUvBUBxbpssVVQBorWzWVsAP7U9KUKzN66E3WBChjfwNvgrAmKje3-ey126lJYhRMXueHxZwqxpj4HqwWjVMiV58UnYo1lngtPaUuqfI2GigSFUQZJMlYnWRCRJBfO6UTGT3zOGIsVfzB/s200/A+REVIEWS+BY+JAYE.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I convinced my friend Jaye to write some reviews for me. And here is her second review. Enjoy.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirh1uzq-mg0Q6bQc4GPSJdRpJQbOiZTroXnFFrTudledd8WdKhjNO0Pgy7TZD5wNjaBZFRnVO0mpyyLVpWTq3evI9YU5b4jWOAhvE4u9gpJyr9RaqWXHsyRH7vHnRfaV3xCgS6jwuDvxht/s1600/my+sisters+stalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirh1uzq-mg0Q6bQc4GPSJdRpJQbOiZTroXnFFrTudledd8WdKhjNO0Pgy7TZD5wNjaBZFRnVO0mpyyLVpWTq3evI9YU5b4jWOAhvE4u9gpJyr9RaqWXHsyRH7vHnRfaV3xCgS6jwuDvxht/s320/my+sisters+stalker.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> February 20, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Holiday House</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 128</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jaye's Thoughts:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This book is almost a novella, and that may be part of the reason for its being so different than many teen books around today. It comes in at a whopping 93 pages, and pretty much every one of them moves. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Synopsis: Rig discovers a stalker-ish website about his sister, who is away at school and gets worried. From there, it diverges from typical teen books, in that the first person he thinks to go to is his dad. In my experience, parents—most any adult, really, is the last person teens go to for help, and parents are generally largely absent. But hold on, it gets better—his dad believes him, and they start working together. Even his absentminded, sweetly naïve mom gets involved. And drives him crazy. I liked that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I like how Rig’s character was drawn. 93 pages isn’t much time to flesh out the characters, but with thrillers, that’s not usually a high priority. Still, I found Rig a sympathetic hero, someone to root for. He went through a bit of self-discovery, too, which was interesting, though I would have liked more development and exploration with it. One aspect of this self-discovery was revealed at the very end, and it didn’t seem to fit. Came straight out of left field, and left me wondering, “Huh?” </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Other than that, a fun, short read. One for an afternoon. At least an hour of one, anyway.</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">summary:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When 15-year-old Rig, a loner, discovers that his popular older sister is being stalked while away at college, he sets out to save her, with unexpected help from his divorced parents. </span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-16979231748137745972012-04-30T15:14:00.000-06:002012-05-01T22:05:45.561-06:00review: Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1NmepQoyaEAxIUR_nhvX_3Ekr4SOnm0qcIeUK9_oS1fdbfyb-9aZfROqglOfpfU_f3kgjIiUNLh8xaDNMjEaXlXwek7_BQC21yKH9hJJu8dSbT4EjF5iwXA420kW8dpeJgp5A7LI32Mq/s1600/bitterblue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1NmepQoyaEAxIUR_nhvX_3Ekr4SOnm0qcIeUK9_oS1fdbfyb-9aZfROqglOfpfU_f3kgjIiUNLh8xaDNMjEaXlXwek7_BQC21yKH9hJJu8dSbT4EjF5iwXA420kW8dpeJgp5A7LI32Mq/s320/bitterblue.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> May 1, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Dial</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 545</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> LibraryThing Early Reviewers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> it's a continuation of Cashore's Graceling. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> violence, innuendo, a lot of boring parts</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I loved the book <em>Graceling</em> when I read it years ago. <em>Fire</em>, meh. I was intrigued with <em>Bitterblue </em>because I wanted to read about the little princess from Graceling. I was happy when I received the copy from LibraryThing, until I saw how big it was. Did you see the page count? Five-hundred-forty-five pages! A very Looooong five-hundred-forty-five pages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I would like to say the reason I didn't enjoy the book much was because it was all so political. Bitterblue is queen of Monsea, trying to navigate a kingdom that has been deeply scarred by her father's rule. There is so much politic that I found the story Tedious to read. Yet one of my all time favorite books is <em>The King of Attolia</em> by Megan Whalen Turner and that book is full of politics. I've read it at least five times, and I've never been bored with Gen's story. But Bitterblue's? A snooze fest. Maybe not the politics so much? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Maybe the fact that I didn't care for Bitterblue? I didn't dislike her, but I didn't love her either. Maybe her impossible romance with a romantic interest that I wasn't too thrilled with, either? Maybe the mystery that wasn't even a mystery until half way through and when it was apparent, kept going in circles, round and round, but never actually went anywhere? Maybe the nonexistent plot? Whatever it was, this book wasn't all that interesting to me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Add to all of that how much I got sick of Leck and his history and Bitterblue's determination to learn more about how wicked Leck was. There were times Leck seemed like the main character of this story, not Bitterblue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I must say that I thought the actual writing stellar, like always. Cashore is an amazing storyteller, even when the story she's telling isn't all that interesting. And she did a great job giving reminders for what happened in <em>Graceling </em>for those readers who read it years ago (like me), without going overboard. (Except for all of that about Leck, of course).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">When I keep reading books that I should really just give up on, I have to wonder why I keep reading them. Sometimes, like in this case, I just feel like I have to complete it so I can check it off my list. And, when I get a copy for review like I did <em>Bitterblue,</em> it makes me that much more compelled to keep going. I really need to learn how to stop. Especially when the book is five-hundred-forty-five-freakin pages (too) long. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-85078404168161181962012-04-30T12:21:00.000-06:002012-04-30T12:21:00.184-06:00read-a-thon<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">I had my own little read-a-thon this past weekend. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">I finally had the time to focus on the three books I started this month but wasn't able to finish, but now they are finished. Hallelujah! </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">I really enjoyed both <em>Wonder</em> by R.J. Palacio and <em>Anna Dressed in Blood</em> by Kendare Black. <em>Bitterblue</em> by Kristen Cashore was a disappointment, but it's one that is now finished and it's a relief!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">I'm writing reviews and will post one later today. Yippy!</span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">I know it isn't much, but after everything that has happened this month, I am very please with getting just this little bit done. It feels like a large accomplishment. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">So stay tuned! May will be a much better blogging month. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000; font-family: Georgia;">I hope. </span></div>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-70704724861908034232012-04-26T09:34:00.000-06:002012-04-26T09:34:00.624-06:00reviews by Jaye: A Million Suns by Beth Revis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUvBUBxbpssVVQBorWzWVsAP7U9KUKzN66E3WBChjfwNvgrAmKje3-ey126lJYhRMXueHxZwqxpj4HqwWjVMiV58UnYo1lngtPaUuqfI2GigSFUQZJMlYnWRCRJBfO6UTGT3zOGIsVfzB/s1600/A+REVIEWS+BY+JAYE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTUvBUBxbpssVVQBorWzWVsAP7U9KUKzN66E3WBChjfwNvgrAmKje3-ey126lJYhRMXueHxZwqxpj4HqwWjVMiV58UnYo1lngtPaUuqfI2GigSFUQZJMlYnWRCRJBfO6UTGT3zOGIsVfzB/s200/A+REVIEWS+BY+JAYE.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Because I've been such a horrible blogger the past few months, I convinced my good friend Jaye to write some reviews for me to post on my blog. Which is awesome because I get to be a horrible blogger and still post reviews. Yay! Here is the first of Jaye's reviews, hopefully more will follow. I'm crossing my fingers for one a week. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpua-eo16QMHBLizyeS7zL5s2G-kLqIv61tIEeI0kARbJKyZMiH7mN6TawfTTUYVYR7jHk4G7Hz0ccktj6vaGWjnL2tBhAEBuGbefnh4VY7deYQ7w1AWTxSLIDgSIgG0tpsP43qFKkfqvm/s1600/million+suns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpua-eo16QMHBLizyeS7zL5s2G-kLqIv61tIEeI0kARbJKyZMiH7mN6TawfTTUYVYR7jHk4G7Hz0ccktj6vaGWjnL2tBhAEBuGbefnh4VY7deYQ7w1AWTxSLIDgSIgG0tpsP43qFKkfqvm/s320/million+suns.jpg" width="218" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> January 10, 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Razerbill</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>pages:</strong> 386</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Jaye's Thoughts:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Book two of a trilogy, Suns suffers from that horrible middle-book symptom, filleritis. I really enjoyed book 1, Across the Universe. In this second book, though, Amy seems designed to annoy. She goes back and forth, saying she can’t have feelings for Elder because they’re the only teens on the ship, then flipping back to, “Wait, Elder’s mine!” and not having a problem with it. Plus, she acts incredibly selfish the entire book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In fact, there are several things like that in the book. On one page, a certain thing will be said, or explained, or whatever. Then, maybe two paragraphs later, maybe two pages later, the real truth comes out, which is the complete opposite of the earlier bit. I got more and more frustrated.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As for plot structure, it was illogical to me. It turns out that Orion (a main player in the first book) has planted clues around the ship for Amy to follow, because she is the only one who can make The Choice. But he never tells her what The Choice is. Also, because of other things going on (like people fighting against Elder because he shut off the phydus machine to let them think for themselves, and the murders that have started up—more on that later) time is kinda of the essence. Orion knew other things, too, but they would be spoilers, so I won’t say them here. Suffice it to say, it makes no sense to send Amy on a scavenger hunt for clues when he knows there’s no time for it. If it’s so important—and it is—just tell her straight up! He can still send her off to see these things, but don’t make her hunt—what if she can’t find one of them? It’s still a choice that needs to be made, but because of the scavenger hunt, she could easily miss out on an important part. It all seemed designed to take up a few hundred pages before the third book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Okay, the murders. This is a later development, but I’ll try to avoid spoilers. People start getting killed. Gasp! Anyway, there’s always a message with the body. The same message every time. I guess the murderer felt the point wasn’t getting across. The thing is, when we find out who the murderer is, and why they were killing people, it still doesn’t make sense. It was about a secret very few people knew, and leaving the cryptic message was never going to resolve anything.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Overall, it was a second book that struck me as a 386 page tour to get us to the start of the concluding volume. I’ll still pick up the last one, but it’s going to be a skimmer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos. It’s been three months. In that time, Amy has learned to hide who she is. Elder is trying to be the leader he’s always wanted to be. But as the ship gets more and more out of control, only one thing is certain: They have to get off the ship</span>.resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-5616757589605777472012-04-24T17:52:00.001-06:002012-04-24T17:59:02.667-06:00the month so far...<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...has been crazy! I'm so full of excuses, but really what it means is that this blog has been neglected (again), but even more so my reading has been practically nonexistent. For example:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">the number of books I've finished this month --<span style="font-size: x-large;">1</span> <em>The Fault in our Stars</em> by John Green</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">the number of books I've listened to this month --<span style="font-size: x-large;">1</span> <em>The Year of Secret Assignments</em> by Jaclyn Moriarty</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">the number of books I am currently in the middle of and have yet to finish --<span style="font-size: x-large;">3</span> <em>Bitterblue</em> by Kristen Cashore, <em>Anna Dressed in Blood</em> by Kendare Blake, and <em>Wonder</em> by R.J. Palacio. I'm struggling getting into them, and lack the time to finish them. They have become a task to me, something hanging over my head that just needs to be completed. Not a nice feeling when it comes to books. Hopefully this week I'll get some time to finish them. Or at least one of them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Will you believe me if I recommit (again) to being a better blogger?</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-46411581886477851862012-04-11T18:18:00.001-06:002012-04-24T19:09:28.272-06:00review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXaeXaCVS7novBQuAylOIEY7LfCzwY71zJy8hB1-8DK9X80RkwBkLOgNkMrw_7B0qey4v21LyeiAq4-SUilqyFAyVX1KdFM7H3aUuEmTKB1-PH9rJajmddu639Crn4sm02pdSiWnPqsdU/s1600/fault+in+our+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXaeXaCVS7novBQuAylOIEY7LfCzwY71zJy8hB1-8DK9X80RkwBkLOgNkMrw_7B0qey4v21LyeiAq4-SUilqyFAyVX1KdFM7H3aUuEmTKB1-PH9rJajmddu639Crn4sm02pdSiWnPqsdU/s320/fault+in+our+stars.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> January 10, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Dutton Books</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 313</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>source:</strong> library</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> swearing (at least one f-bomb), off page sex...that's all I remember</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is my first John Green book. Well, sorta. I tried to read <em>Looking for Alaska</em> long, long, ago, but there was so much swearing within the first chapter that I never read any further. I can handle <em>some </em>swearing, but the beginning of that book was excessive and I decided that no story was worth wading through that, so I put it down. I never tried another Green book, though I always thought I might be missing something since he's such a superstar in the YA world. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Which is why I decided to try again with <em>The Fault in Our Stars</em>. It had been sitting in my book basket for a few weeks and after a particularly stressful experience last week, I needed to think about something else and stop dwelling on this stressful experience.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">A word from the unwise--don't read <em>The Fault in Our Stars </em>as a way to escape life. It doesn't work. First, the subject matter. Teens dying of cancer is not good escapism. Second, it's a smart book. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I liked this book. It leaves a powerful impression and packs an emotional punch. It has humor, it's smart, it has a road trip (or plane trip, really), the swearing was minimal (yay!), it has depth and also an amazing and strong protagonist who I loved. All the characters were great.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But with all that, I didn't love the book. Because I didn't love it, I feel like I need an excuse for my lack of love. Everyone else loves it! Why not me? Am I wrong? Does that make me stupid? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Because really, this book made me feel a little stupid. It was just so very smart. So I want to blame my unlove (and unsmartness) on the fact that my mind was only 70% focused on this book, while the rest of my mind was focused on my life. I needed all my mind focused on this book so that I could understand the conversations of these smart teens, who are so much smarter than I was at 16. And, apparently, smarter than me even at the age of 32. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So a fantastic book, well written definitely, but not my kind of book. I didn't enjoy all the philosophical converstations. There was so much talking talking talking, and I wanted more action. More doing. Maybe if I had been completely focused on the story, I would've loved it? Or not. I will never know. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I did definitely cry multiple times during the story. I was attached to the characters and their struggles. I cared about them. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Diagnosed with</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-58254877763161756372012-04-04T20:41:00.000-06:002012-04-24T19:08:58.413-06:00review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jcrMYFN8yVLsqR7URBjfLRgCUHC8q3R65MliQJy7AcAoYjDMQlCjH2ErU81-61dKArL4b5UFJQcaEnbEu2Rl6UaBih8-Vh2A7pnQhGll8Sviu0l3zT1h13Sl_T1qUCs2bkhHCOlzZmE9/s1600/hunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jcrMYFN8yVLsqR7URBjfLRgCUHC8q3R65MliQJy7AcAoYjDMQlCjH2ErU81-61dKArL4b5UFJQcaEnbEu2Rl6UaBih8-Vh2A7pnQhGll8Sviu0l3zT1h13Sl_T1qUCs2bkhHCOlzZmE9/s320/hunt.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> May 8, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> St. Martin's Griffin</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pgs:</strong> 304</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> LibraryThings Early Reviewer program</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> dystopic of sorts, evil vampires, a little romance, end of the human race, a hunt!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> some gore and violence</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I wish I'd written this review the moment I finished the book. I had some great thoughts about it. But I didn't write this review the moment I finished the book, it's actually been almost two weeks since I reached the last page. So all I have left are some vague thoughts. I'm sorry. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Vague thought #1</u>: I should've liked this book. I should've LOVED this book. The premise (below) sounded exciting and the blurbs from authors were so promising. I should have found it exciting and unputdownable. Let me just say, it did not live up to my expectations. The last thirty pages, the climax of Gene's story, took me five days to finish. When faced with going to bed or finishing, I went to bed. When the choice was between washing dishes or finishing, I washed the dishes. Obviously, it was a struggle to finish. So why did I finish? So that I could write this review. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Vague thought #2</u>: The world building left something to be desired.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In the beginning I was intrigued with the quirky social behavior of the vampires. It was bazaar and original and wierd. Really wierd. Which made it interesting. (Though how they named each other was pretty odd and would be totally confusing outside of school). Gene just accepts their behavior as normal so when he's describing the vampires, it seems normal in this world. Though it really is wierd. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">But there were parts of the world that didn't make sense to me. First, a</span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"> human boy hiding around super fast and strong vampires without getting caught out? I didn't buy it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Second, where did the vampires come from? Gene had been alone for many years (7?), but before that he had his dad and before that he had his mom and sister. They're gone because the vampires ate them. Gene is the last free human. But his dad remembered a time before the vampires. Or at least the dad understood what being "human" meant, which Gene doesn't understand. I just didn't understand when the world went from human to all vampire, and how. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Aslo, did the humans really give up so easily that they all became meals in less than a generation? Okay, that last question is going to be answered in the next book, I'm sure, but I doubt that the vampires would overcome so many humans in such a short time, even with their uncontrollable bloodlust. We humans are experts at weapons and survival. So what happened?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Vague thought #3</u>: Gene was a very unsympathetic character. He was fine in the beginning because he was all about surviving by not making waves. I found it interesting that he hated being human. He wanted to be "normal." But later, he was rather wimp. He didn't DO anything. He just went a long with the flow until someone else came along and told him what to do. I wanted him to think for himself. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And when he went on the hunt and met the hepers (vampire word for humans) he's just a jerk. I understood why he thought and acted the way he did. It made sense. But it also made me not like him. At all. Which is why the ending drug on and on for me. I didn't like the progagonist, a sure bet that I wasn't so interested in his survival. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><u>Vague thought #4</u>: the romance rather stunk. But that's because I'm a girl that likes girly romance. If you like more manly romance, then you probably wouldn't agree. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Okay, so that wasn't as vague as I expected. I take my apology back. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>EDIT 4/11/12:</strong> I just reread this review and it is very negative. Which is why I should reread reviews <em>before</em> I post them. But I wanted to point out that there were good things about this book, too. It was well written, there was a lot of suspense, the vampires were interesting. I think it will definitely have an audience who will love it. I enjoyed most of it, up until the part I thought Gene was a jerk and and a wimp didn't care so much for him. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Don’t Sweat. Don’t Laugh. Don’t draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Gene is different from everyone else around him. He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood. Gene is a human, and he knows the rules. Keep the truth a secret. It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him. He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-14983055148133783052012-04-02T15:24:00.001-06:002012-04-24T19:08:13.045-06:00review: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXCVSTL1V_Yqr9b7T4TWYLMZYsTUjD-UvjjmlZ6NOD_fuvYkttY7RVhYsoYzvjcN5iKGLOFX1NjwAl6CmAP8OcosNv9yjTMwj-onU1PuFhGO0sD_2DBNZXABK3IdFlrVY_ClqZFHGXgCf/s1600/enchanted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJXCVSTL1V_Yqr9b7T4TWYLMZYsTUjD-UvjjmlZ6NOD_fuvYkttY7RVhYsoYzvjcN5iKGLOFX1NjwAl6CmAP8OcosNv9yjTMwj-onU1PuFhGO0sD_2DBNZXABK3IdFlrVY_ClqZFHGXgCf/s320/enchanted.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> May 8, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Harcourt Children's Books</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>pages:</strong> 305</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>appeals:</strong> fairy tale retelling, romance, fantasy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>content:</strong> clean</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>thoughts:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I have a stack of ARCs and I picked this one up because it was short. But the moment I read those first few pages, it grabbed my attention. It had a fun, light tone and there was a talking frog. How great! However, my attention was soon lost. In three words: I got bored. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The premise of the book is fun. In Sunday's (that's our main protag) world, fairy tales are reality. She and her family take part in a whole slew of different tales, most importantly the Princess and the Frog. It was interesting to see how everything connected, and there was a lot of original story involved, too, notably at the end. Yet however fun and original the story concept...it just didn't work for me. It was too cluttered, too much going on and not enough character development.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Like I mentioned earlier, I got bored. I didn't care much for the characters. I didn't feel invested in their stories and how those stories would end. Mostly, I didn't like the love interest, Prince Rumbold. I found him bland and weak and boring. Which made it hard for me to care if Sunday would get a kiss at the end of the book. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I made myself pick this book up on numerous occasions even when I didn't want to. Not sure why. I should have left it unfinished, but I guess I cared enough to want to know how it ended. FYI--It was happy. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlMLPXOJTsPg2cMI0jOWt_g5nfQ9EXLK4pix9nMduyZLpnipqSAnRPjYg8YzIvX5Q9D-pxlhNzUm5zpF4xzhXQvf9ESqdISPUNr8XGpO1qFmnl1Z3s9dcWsLoqu7ioK5lEI_dTY5gy2W3/s1600/2+apple.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlMLPXOJTsPg2cMI0jOWt_g5nfQ9EXLK4pix9nMduyZLpnipqSAnRPjYg8YzIvX5Q9D-pxlhNzUm5zpF4xzhXQvf9ESqdISPUNr8XGpO1qFmnl1Z3s9dcWsLoqu7ioK5lEI_dTY5gy2W3/s320/2+apple.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>summary:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-61471225717422008052012-03-29T11:56:00.003-06:002012-03-29T13:12:56.170-06:00Help! I need "clean" book recommendations!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I need help. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm putting together a list of <strong>clean reads for teens</strong> for my library. I have a quite a list of older books (published over 2 years ago), but am short on the newer books (published within the last 2 years or so). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">They need to minimal violence, no sex, drugs, drinking, sex, or swearing. Just a nice, gentle read for teens. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Any suggestions?</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-53910582843812315192012-03-28T19:16:00.000-06:002012-03-28T19:16:12.106-06:00long time no post<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hey all. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I've been horribly negligent of late. March has been a busy/fun/stressful month. I threw a Hunger Games party at the library, presented at a library conference, participated in Writing for Charity, and stayed at my brothers house for a week watching my nephew and their two dogs. All while battling a cold. I haven't much felt like blogging on books. But I have been reading! Next week I'll start posting some reviews again. They'll probably be a little thin since I haven't actually written any of them yet and many of the books I read a few weeks ago. But I'll do my best. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">On a sidenote, I'm so excited for spring!</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281046186390514.post-76830038230359786102012-03-01T12:23:00.000-07:002012-03-01T12:23:00.429-07:00review: Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ojLFx7A8-nvzRCgIFVzpDldJv09OLVRKYGUHh2hAYSFelFO6-5UWHdN4t1O-h0eC7U6YWboST8gv0BB47ORHNMoWw022BrwQ4xyhU_5b8AYRHjvuq13s-Rl-t9YyDWySLVud5MiJlb7H/s1600/wonderlove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" naa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ojLFx7A8-nvzRCgIFVzpDldJv09OLVRKYGUHh2hAYSFelFO6-5UWHdN4t1O-h0eC7U6YWboST8gv0BB47ORHNMoWw022BrwQ4xyhU_5b8AYRHjvuq13s-Rl-t9YyDWySLVud5MiJlb7H/s320/wonderlove.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pub date:</strong> March 13, 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>publisher:</strong> Delacorte</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>pages:</strong> 352</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>source:</strong> NetGalley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>appeals:</strong> travel, romance, strong characters, adventure, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>content:</strong> drinking and swearing (about 4 f-bombs)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">thoughts:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">(I finally get to post this review! I read Wanderlove in August last year and wrote the review soon after. It's been patiently waiting for this day. And it's finally here!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I LOVED this book. I finished it at 2 am and the next morning I went back and reread my favorite parts. Which proved difficult since it was from NetGalley and on my nook. It wasn't so easy to browse, but that didn't stop me from trying. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I enjoyed Hubbard's first book, <em>Like Mandarin</em>, but this one I LOVED. I think it has to do with the older character and the romance in <em>Wanderlove</em>. But now I say with certainty, I am a Hubbard fan. I look forward to more of her books in the future. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I loved the characters. This novel has flawed, strong, real, and wonderful characters. Especially Bria. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">From the very first page I was drawn in by Bria's voice. Like I mentioned, I stayed up waaaaay too late finishing it. But I just wanted to stay in Bria's adventures. I didn't want it to end. But then it did--all too quickly! She really grows as a person and I loved reading it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rowan's a great love interest. It's a romance that begins as an awkward companionship, developes into friendship, and deepens from there. Sigh. There were so many other characters that were just as real and wonderful as Bria and Rowan and I loved them all. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I loved the setting. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I loved the art. I wanted more sketches. I looked forward to them showing up in the story and was so glad they made it into the digital</span> ARC. I've really been wanting to reread the book, so I'm glad that in just a few more weeks I can. I can't wait! It's one I will be rereading again and again over the years. It was just that good. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">summary:</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">No, but 18-year-old Bria Sandoval wants to be. In a quest for independence, her neglected art, and no-strings-attached hookups, she signs up for a guided tour of Central America—the wrong one. Middle-aged tourists with fanny packs are hardly the key to self-rediscovery. When Bria meets Rowan, devoted backpacker and dive instructor, and his outspokenly humanitarian sister Starling, she seizes the chance to ditch her group and join them off the beaten path. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bria's a good girl trying to go bad. Rowan's a bad boy trying to stay good. As they travel across a panorama of Mayan villages, remote Belizean islands, and hostels plagued with jungle beasties, they discover what they've got in common: both seek to leave behind the old versions of themselves. And the secret to escaping the past, Rowan’s found, is to keep moving forward. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">But Bria comes to realize she can't run forever, no matter what Rowan says. If she ever wants the courage to fall for someone worthwhile, she has to start looking back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Kirsten Hubbard lends her artistry into this ultimate backpacker novel, weaving her drawings into the text. Her career as a travel writer and her experiences as a real-life vagabond backpacking Central America are deeply seeded in this inspiring story.</span>resugohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14752171235738496801noreply@blogger.com1