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Thursday, July 31, 2008

July Book Blowout Wrap-Up

Well, I have finished the July Book Blowout, which you can see my post about here.

I had to push myself a little at the end, but it was actually quite interesting. And now I am going to answer the follow-up questions about it.

1. Did you discover a new author?
Oh, yes. I discovered Laura Ruby, whose book Play Me was probably one of the best I've read this month.

2. Where was the most unusual place you found yourself reading?
Let's see... probably at my friend Justinne's house, in the middle of the night, underneath the covers with nothing but a book light to see by. I have never had to hide like that before, but it was actually fun. =D

3. Did you read more than usual?
Yes! In June I think I read two books... TWO! But I still think I can do better in August...

4. Did you give up anything in order to read more?
A little bit of family time, sleep, and probably a couple good TV shows...

5. If you won the Amazon voucher what would you spend it on?
Um... books?! What else is there?!

6. Would you like to see a 2009 Book Blowout?
Sure. I wouldn't mind doing it again...

---

Now, as an afterthought, I'm going to post the books I've read this month:

1. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
2. Airhead by Meg Cabot
3. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4. The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
5. Rumors by Anna Godberson
6. Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde
7. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
8. Play Me by Laura Ruby

Overall, I'd say this month was an extremely successful reading month. And now that it's nearly August, I get to eagerly anticipate buying my copy of Breaking Dawn...

Rumors: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godberson

Title: Rumors: A Luxe Novel

Author: Anna Godberson

Summary:

After bidding good-bye to New York's brightest star, Elizabeth Holland, rumors continue to fly about her untimely demise.

All eyes are on those closest to the dearly departed: her mischievous sister, Diana, now the family's only hope for redemption; New York's most notorious cad, Henry Schoon-maker, the flame Elizabeth never extinguished; the seductive Penelope Hayes, poised to claim all that her best friend left behind—including Henry; even Elizabeth's scheming former maid, Lina Broud, who discovers that while money matters and breeding counts, gossip is the new currency.

As old friends become rivals, Manhattan's most dazzling socialites find their futures threatened by whispers from the past. In this delicious sequel to The Luxe, nothing is more dangerous than a scandal . . . or more precious than a secret.


Rating: 4.5/5

Good:

Once again I am swept up into the world of the rich and famous lifestyles of the late 1800s. I love the suspenseful way of writing that Anna Godberson has, because it keeps me wanting more and more, so I can read for hours on end. This was such a quick read for me, because I couldn't stop reading, and all the suspense and plot twists were enough to make me fall in love with the writing again. The characters are easy to relate to, and just when I thought that their actions couldn't get any more mischievous, they do, and it makes the book that much more interesting and amazing.

Bad:

This is fun, light reading, and so I don't feel the need to over-analyze everything in it. All I can say is that the one bad thing is that I have to wait forever for the next book, Envy, to come out. =D

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

In the Library?

I have an amazingly awesome question that needs answering.

If you could choose any books to put in your library, which would you choose?

This question is important because the Director wants to order Young Adult books. And, of course, I have so many lists of books that I could give him to order. But I want a second opinion, and since everyone who reads my blog is a bookish person, I figure I might as well ask.

And we shall see if I get any responses... trust me, though, it's worth it to respond =P

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Title: The Looking Glass Wars

Author: Frank Beddor

Summary:

The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss’ parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

Rating: 3.75/5

Good:

I have seen the Alice in Wonderland movie, but have not read any of the books or anything else, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. However, I thought this book was actually pretty decent. I liked the plot and the action, and there were even some humorous bits. I was also extremely satisfied with the ending. Somehow, Frank Beddor managed to end this book with some closure, but he left enough thoughts open to make me curious and want to read the sequel. To which I say, well done.

Bad:

There were some parts that seemed to go too fast for me. The action at the end sort of snuck up a bit on me, coming a bit too quickly. But other than that, the reason I give it a 3.75 rating is simply because it didn't keep me on the edge of the seat like I would hope a book full of action like this would. Also, it's not what I typically read, so I found it to be a little strange. But honestly, it wasn't too terrible, and I'll definitely read the sequel, Seeing Redd.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Title: The Host

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Summary:

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.

Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Rating: 5/5

Good:

Stephenie Meyer has seriously created a novel that is fresh and original and completely captivated. Going into it, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to resist comparing The Host to the Twilight novels. But as I got reading, I realized this wasn't the case. The Host stands perfectly on it's own. The characters are diverse and original and real, and the conflict is so perfectly distributed and resolved throughout the book. The ideas about good and bad and being human were intensified when put into a strange world, but the ideas are universal and I love how much I could connect with the characters. This book was perfectly amazing and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone.

Bad:

This book was amazing, and I can't say there is anything really wrong about it... nothing really stood out to me.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Contests too good for the sidebar

There are technically three contests that I could be talking about now, but to me it seems like much more than that.

Reviewer X is giving away three books in three separate contests.
A signed copy of Undone by Brooke Taylor.
A copy of The Temptress Four by Gaby Triana.
A copy of Backstage Pass by Gaby Triana.

And The Story Siren is having another amazing contest, along with her 20,000 hits contest (see the link on the sidebar). This contest is to win a copy of all four books in the Twilight series, along with a bunch of other Twilight-related goodies. Be sure to stop by her blog!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Title: Airhead

Author: Meg Cabot

Summary:

EM WATTS IS GONE.

Emerson Watts didn't even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heartthrob Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there-along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her-and life as she'd known it-forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

Now getting her best friend, Christopher, to notice that she's actually a girl is the least of Em's problems.

But what Em's pretty sure she'll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that's going to make her dream come true . . . .

NIKKI HOWARD IS HERE TO STAY


Rating: 4/5

Good:

Once again, I have fallen in love with Meg Cabot's books! Airhead was an extremely quick read, and I adore the way that Meg Cabot takes a story that is completely unbelievable and makes it real... and at the same time makes me fall in love with the characters and sympathize with the situations. I love how hilarious and fun this novel was, while at the same time it's completely serious.

Bad:

I can't really say that there's anything really bad about this book... except for the stereotypical view on the popular crowd... it seems like the snobby, bitchy, annoying girls are all the same, and it kind of bothers me. But then again, it doesn't bother me with Meg Cabot's books, since I don't really go read Meg Cabot for deep, insightful reading... it's all fluffy and fun. Perfect for summer reading.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone- Review


Title: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

Author: Stephanie Kuehnert

Summary:

A raw, edgy, emotional novel about growing up punk and living to tell.

The Clash. Social Distortion. Dead Kennedys. Patti Smith. The Ramones.

Punk rock is in Emily Black's blood. Her mother, Louisa, hit the road to follow the incendiary music scene when Emily was four months old and never came back. Now Emily's all grown up with a punk band of her own, determined to find the tune that will bring her mother home. Because if Louisa really is following the music, shouldn't it lead her right back to Emily?

Rating: 4.9999/5

Good:
This book was a real page-turner... after it got past the initial introductory chapter, I was hooked. It was so open and honest and real... there was no sugar-coating, and there was no corny statements or making things seem like they will get better when it's so obvious that it won't. Everything in this book is realistic, and I absolutely love that. The story was interesting, and Emily Black as a character was so interesting and different from anyone I've ever read about.

Bad:
Okay, the first chapter... it bothered me. Starting with the beginning, it didn't jump right into the story... it was an introduction of what happened before. I love learning the backstory, in fact I prefer it, but I've never been a huge fan of detailed descriptions right in the beginning. I suppose this is my own personal preference, but it still bothered me (which is why the book didn't get a perfect 5). However, I must say, the first chapter could have been so much worse... the introduction fit this book better than it would fit another kind of book. So it really isn't a huge problem... just one tiny detail that I could forget about easily as the book progressed.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Fireworks


So people asked for it, so they shall receive. This is an extremely late review for Fireworks.

Title:
Fireworks

Author: Niki Burnham, Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, and Erin Haft (I can't believe I remembered all of those off the top of my head...)

Summary:

Hot sun. Soft white sand. Bejewled flip-flops. Crashing surf. That shirtless blond lifeguard...Summertime is the essence of sexiness, sass, and fun. In this juicy collection, four fabulous, bestselling teen authors each show us a different side of summer romance, from the first flush of a seaside crush to the sting of a breakup on a traveling teen tour. Get out your sunscreen, slip on your shades, and prepare to be dazzled by these sizzling stories.

Rating: Rating varies from story to story, I'll explain in the review.

Review:

I'm writing this review a bit differently than the rest... which I think is perfectly fine, since it's a book of short stories. I'm going to share a couple thoughts about each story and then say a little something about the book as a whole.

1st Story: Miss Independent by Lauren Myracle
I think this story was alright. Not exactly memorable, but really cute for what the whole book is about... summer. I think I really liked how I could relate to the main character and I really liked how there was a cute, happy ending, even if it was a bit predictable. My third favorite story.

2nd Story: A Nice Fling is Hard to Find by Sarah Mlynowski
I think this was my second-favorite story out of all of them. It was really corny, but it was still extremely cute and funny, which is what kept me interested. I also used a quote from this story in a real-life situation, which always scores a book some brownie points. Still, like I said, it was corny, but it was cute. Which worked in this case, where it wouldn't work if this were a full-length novel.

3rd Story: Cabin Fever by Erin Haft
My least favorite story out of the four, but it was by no means bad. I liked the formatting, and the way it was written made an entirely unbelievable story into an only semi-unbelievable story. However, it was corny and predictable, which may have worked with the Sarah Mlynowski story, but it did nothing for this one. Still, it wasn't bad.

4th Story: Night Swimming by Niki Burnham
This story completely blew the rest out of the water... it was by far my favorite, and I'll tell you why. In one fourth of the book I found myself actually caring about the characters and what was going to happen. I also loved the way Niki Burnham put some sort of conflict in there that was a bit deeper than a summer fling, but still found a way to incorporate the fling into it. I could also relate extremely well to the main character, and overall I was just really amazed with the story.

So, as an overview, the fourth was my favorite, and I fully intend on reading something else by Niki Burnham as soon as I am able to check a book out from the library and not let it sit on my shelf for three months. Either that, or I'll buy something when I go to Barnes and Noble tomorrow...

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Sad to Say

I am sad to report that reading-wise, this summer has been extremely slow. I have only read two books this summer. TWO! In a whole month, I could only read two books...

And I've only written a review of one of them.

(Side note: Did anyone particularly want a full review of Fireworks? If so, just tell me and I'll see if I can write one up. But if not, then that's fine too... I just didn't want to write one because it was four short stories and all)

I told myself that this summer would be a great summer for reading, because I was determined to read constantly... but instead I've been doing other random things and not even thinking about reading, except to say that I should be doing more of it... like I'm doing now. I should be spending this time finishing one of the two books I'm reading. But instead I'm posting a blog about how much I suck for not reading.

Has this happened to anyone else this summer?

Thursday, July 3, 2008

A Contest too Good For the Sidebar

There is a contest going on.

That's giving away 14 books.

FOURTEEN!

EEK!

They aren't young adult, but I'm still practically hyperventilating over here. =D

Click here! =P

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Quick Contest Updates:

Well, the first exciting news is that the Stephanie Kuehnert/I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone contest grand total prize is up to $110.

Okay, if you thought that buying the book was great before, you should be even more excited now. If you win, just think of how much you could buy with $110 dollars!

Also, Kelly Parra guest blogged on Shooting Stars Mag to celebrate the release (the blog is all about books and music-- two things that are completely made of awesome), and she's giving away a $10 iTunes gift card to a lucky commenter. So go comment on that as well! =D

-Chelsie-

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Obsessive Blogger. Obsessive Reader.