Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell

Song of the Sparrow

by Lisa Ann Sandell

This tale, written entirely in verse, is about Elaine of Ascolat, "The Lady of Shallot". After her mother's death, she and her brothers go to live with her father. She grew up the only girl in a sea of men, and so she forgets the proper way to act, and instead runs wild with the other boys. She makes good friends with some of them, and she even falls in love with the handsome Lancelot. But it isn't too long before there is a war with the Saxons, and somehow Elaine finds herself in a mess she never could have imagined.

I finished this book very quickly, partly because it was in verse and partly because I was hooked. Elaine is a likeable and believeable character, and the book had a perfect mixture of romance, friendship, and action. As far as the writing goes, it was absolutely breathtaking. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to anyone looking for something thrilling and engaging.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

Remember Me?
by Sophie Kinsella

This book is about a woman who suffers amnesia after a car accident. Lexi can't remember anything from the last three years, and a lot has changed since her last memories. She's now moved up in her company, so she's the boss of the people she used to work with. And she's now married, to the handsome and amazing Eric. Things could not be better for her. But what happens when she finds out that her so-called perfect life isn't as perfect as it appears to be?


I read this book right after Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac to keep with the amnesia/memory loss theme (it was a coincidence that I had them both at the same time). Despite the similar theme, I would not be able to compare the two books. While Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac was a memorable book, it was more serious and thought-provoking, while Remember Me? was a lighter, more fun read. Sophie Kinsella's latest novel is full of wit, sarcasm, and hilarious laugh out loud moments that kept me interested to the end. While not recommended for heavy, serious reading, Remember Me? is perfect if you're looking to sit down with a good book and just have a good time. Lexi is a genuine character, and you'll find yourself rooting for her throughout her entire journey.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

by Gabrielle Zevin

In this book, Naomi Porter falls down a flight of stairs and hits her head. After the fall, she can't remember anything since sixth grade. She can't remember her best friend, her boyfriend, or her parent's divorce.

This book was definitely written in an intriguing way. From the very beginning, I was hooked. Gabrielle Zevin mixes in the perfect amount of mystery and romance throughout, and I thought that it was an enjoyable, yet thought-provoking book. The character descriptions were flawless, and I was kept guessing until the end. I wasn't sure what Zevin would bring to the story, because I was slightly disappointed with Elsewhere when I read it, but she pulled this book all off in an easy way that makes this novel a quick and easy read, but one that will not soon be forgotten.

Reincarnation by Suzanne Weyn

Reincarnation

by Suzanne Weyn

This book starts out in prehistoric times, with two people fighting over a precious stone that could change both of their lives, and it ends in present time with two teenagers, who just met. The whole book is the many stories of these two people; in love, but unable to be with each other before the end.

I had high expectations for Reincarnation. The cover is beautiful, the story is unique and interesting, and so many people have read it and liked it. Now I'll admit, my expectations were probably a bit too high. Because I was disappointed.

Let's start with the main idea. I love a good love story just as much as the next person. But in the beginning of the book, they die fighting... and suddenly it just seems like they're expected to love each other, just because they met in a past life. The main attraction between them is the fact that they feel an instant connection between them. More of the book is focused on them having met before, and not the actual relationship itself. I don't know as much about these characters as I would have liked.

Each section was written from a different time period, which was a good idea. But was it just me, or did the writing seem a bit choppy? I don't think the stories flowed together very nicely at all... and the dialogue didn't fit right, either. I'm not really sure, it just appeared to be too offhand and obviously set up. I couldn't imagine the characters having them as real conversations.

I know this review makes it sound awful... but it really wasn't terrible. It had it's good aspects. From this book, I get the idea that the author wants to convey the universal idea that love never ends, and that sometimes it may take longer for two people to be together than they can even imagine (in this case, thousands of years).

So, all in all, not bad. Just not as good as I was expecting. The idea was great, but the execution of that idea was poor.

Contest

Kinsmen of the Shelf is having a contest for a signed copy of Magic Study =D Go check it out, because it's definitely worth it.

Te amo,
Chelsie

hmm I've been tagged...

So, I got tagged by The Book Brat. Sounds fun.

The Rules:
1) You link back to the person who tagged you.
2) Post these rules on your blog.
3) Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4) Tag six random people at the end of your entry.
5) Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Six Unimportant Things About Me

1. I hate my hair. Not too long ago, I made the worst mistake ever: I cut it again. Which is stupid, because I regretted it the first time I cut it (although at that time, a little over a year ago, my hair was at a boyish length... I know guys who had longer hair than me. And this is coming from someone who grew up with long, thick, blonde hair. In less than a day my head was probably ten pounds lighter). But back to the present... a few weeks ago I cut my hair and now I'm waiting for it to grow out again. Because it looks ridiculous. I am staying away from the camera until it gets to an acceptable length again.

2. I am a HUGE fan of NSYNC. I love their songs. (I'm not the type of person who judges music by who sings it... or by how popular it is/isn't.)

3. My favorite drink is Dr Pepper. This started over this past summer (2007) when JoLynn- the librarian- would buy Dr Pepper. I got some with her a couple times, and it kind of stuck with me since then. Prior to my Dr Pepper stage, I'd been an obsessive A&W drinker. Now, the thought of drinking A&W makes me almost want to gag.

4. I memorized my library card number. 242260005785**.

5. I used to be an obsessive survey-taker and random blogger on MySpace. Now, I don't take nearly as many surveys as I used to, and I post less than a blog a day on my MySpace, so I'm making major progress. All of my time nowadays is spent book blogging, book reading, or book chatting.

6. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't include Sam in here somewhere. Sam is my first love, and we first talked almost a year ago, on April 13th. He causes way more trouble than he's worth. Me and my almost kind of maybe future stepsister fought over him so much. But now he's going out with her. Surprise surprise. So, moral of the story: never fall in love with your almost kind of maybe future stepsister's boyfriend. It doesn't work.

Hmm. Now, I have no idea who else I could tag...

1. This is a tag to anyone who wants to do this. (I'm copying people, haha) Leave a comment here so that I'll know if anyone decides to take me up on this offer, and so that I can read other people's answers.

2. Stephanie Kuehnert (her MySpace blog)

3. Kelsey (on LJ)

I swear, those are the only two people I can think of...

Anyways, maybe they'll do it, or maybe they won't. *shrug*

Te amo,
Chelsie

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

Story of a Girl

by Sara Zarr

Deanna is caught having sex with Tommy when she is thirteen. It's her dad that catches her, and after that things change. Tommy tells the whole school, and so she's always known just for being slutty, even though Tommy was the first and only guy she'd ever done anything with. Her dad has never been able to look at her the same after what happened, and so her entire life is changed.



Now, a couple years later, Deanna wants things to change. She makes plans in her mind that include moving out with her older brother and his family, and she tries to remain secretive about her feelings for her best friend. In the meantime, Tommy and Deanna are working at the same pizza place.



This book was so powerful and amazing, I can definitely understand how it became so popular. It's amazing how deep it was, and how I could see into Deanna's emotions and understand exactly how she was feeling. I felt like the writing was amazing and all of the characters were realistic, including the minor characters. The story was beautifully written and while it was short, it still touched me in a new way. There really is no book like Story of a Girl.