Here Lies Bridget Review

Author: Paige Harbison
Release Date: January 18, 2011
Pages: 219 (e-galley)
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: From netgalley to review
Challenge: Debut Author 2011

Bridget Duke is the uncontested ruler of her school. The meanest girl with the biggest secret insecurities. And when new girl Anna Judge arrives, things start to fall apart for Bridget: friends don't worship as attentively, teachers don't fall for her wide-eyed "who me?" look, expulsion looms ahead and the one boy she's always loved—Liam Ward—can barely even look at her anymore.

When a desperate Bridget drives too fast and crashes her car, she ends up in limbo, facing everyone she's wronged and walking a few uncomfortable miles in their shoes. Now she has only one chance to make a last impression. Though she might end up dead, she has one last shot at redemption and the chance to right the wrongs she's inflicted on the people who mean the most to her.

And Bridget's about to learn that, sometimes, saying you're sorry just isn't enough…. 

 Here Lies Bridget was a short book, and while it's plot had me intrigued enough, I never really connected to it's characters.

The first half of Here Lies Bridget is Mean Girls without the humor, and the second half is A Christmas Carol without the ghosts. It was interesting enough, but for some reason something about it was a bit off to me. I went into the book expecting more of a unique paranormal element than I got, and honestly I think that threw me off.

I never really connected to any of the characters. They were very stereotypical and occasionally a little bland and just unrealistic. I mean, what girl would stay friends with Bridget?

Oh, Bridget. Let us talk of Bridget for a moment.

Bridget was the girl we can't even "love to hate" because we simply refuse to put the word "love" in the same sentence as "Bridget". I just plain hated her. Sure, she's got issues and everything, but everyone does, Bridget. We're just not all byatches about it, K? Yeah, she grows in the end but man I just hated her too much to even care.

The final message that Here Lies Bridget tries to send is an important one and well-received, but it's not one that we haven't heard before. The characters kept me from connecting to this one, in the end. That being said, it was a very fast read, and I'll be on the lookout for more of Harbison's work in the future.

Plot: Kept my attention.

Characters: Eh.

Writing: Promising.

Ending: Very satisfying.

Kid friendly? Pretty. There's some mild swearing and teen drinking.

Overall:

Waiting On Wednesday (45)

This week I'm waiting on...

Sorta Like a Rock Star by by Matthew Quick

Amber Appleton lives in a bus. Ever since her mom's boyfriend kicked them out, Amber, her mom, and her totally loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy (aka Thrice B) have been camped out in the back of Hello Yellow (the school bus her mom drives). Still, Amber, the self-proclaimed princess of hope and girl of unyielding optimism, refuses to sweat the bad stuff. But when a fatal tragedy threatens Amber's optimism--and her way of life, can Amber continue to be the rock star of hope? With an oddball cast of characters, and a heartwarming, inspiring story, this novel unveils a beautifully beaten-up world of laughs, loyalty, and hard-earned hope.

Coming May 3rd from Little, Brown.

 I love that cover and synopsis! Hopefully I'll be able to find a copy of this when it comes out next week.

Nothing Review

Author: Janne Teller
Release Date: February 9, 2010
Pages: 240 (HC)
Publisher: Atheneum
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: From the library

"Nothing matters."


"From the moment you are born, you start to die."

"The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. You'll live to be a maximum of one hundred. Life isn't worth the bother!"
So says Pierre Anthon when he decides that there is no meaning to life, leaves the classroom, climbs a plum tree, and stays there.

His friends and classmates cannot get him to come down, not even by pelting him with rocks. So to prove to him that there is a meaning to life, they set out to build a heap of meaning in an abandoned sawmill.

But it soon becomes obvious that each person cannot give up what is most meaningful, so they begin to decide for one another what the others must give up. The pile is started with a lifetime's collection of Dungeons & Dragons books, a fishing rod, a pair of green sandals, a pet hamster -- but then, as each demand becomes more extreme, things start taking a very morbid twist, and the kids become ever more desperate to get Pierre Anthon down. And what if, after all these sacrifices, the pile is not meaningful enough?

A Lord of the Flies for the twenty-first century, Nothing is a visionary existential novel -- about everything, and nothing -- that will haunt you. 

Nothing was the most thought-provoking and disturbing books I've read in a long time--possibly ever. The combination will guarantee a Nothing a spot in my head for a long time.

While Nothing was told from the view of one of Pierre's classmates, there wasn't really a main character in Nothing--more of a group of kids we never really got to know. There is no doubt in my mind that this was intentional. While some will find this to be one of the novel's weaknesses, I found that throwing in too many personalities would just make everything in this book too much to process.

This book is not one you'll read it one sitting, this is one you'll want to put down, think about, and pick back up. For YA, this was a very philosophical novel. It will make you look at your own life and look for your own Meaning, and that's definitely not a bad thing.

Book Report:

Plot: Incredibly dark and though-provoking.

Characters: Pretty much nonexistent, really.

Writing: Nice. Sparse.

Ending: That last page... *shudders*

Kid friendly? Eh. I think a lot of this will go over younger teen's heads. Content-wise, there's mentions of sex, child abuse, as well as some...um...dismemberment.

Should I read it? Yeah, you should.

Overall:

In My Mailbox (49) and Weekly Update

Here are the books I got this week:

For review:

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

Nightspell by Leah Cypess

Thanks to HarperTeen and Teen Book Scene!

Borrowed:

Divergent by Veronica Roth--Super huge thanks to Cat!

Won:

The Girl Who Was On Fire edited by Leah Wilson

 

From the library:

Clarity by Kim Harrington

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Whip It by Shauna Cross

Empty by Suzanne Weyn

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Weekly update

Posted this week:

Invincible Summer Review

Hey Look They Did Something Right This Time!

Waiting on Wednesday (44)

Outspoken Review

Books read this week:

Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Bumped by Megan McCafferty (Book 3 out of 3 for Netgalley month. Woot! Goal reached!)

Nightspell by Leah Cypess

This week I plan to read:

This Girl is Different by J.J. Abrams

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Bite Me by Parker Blue

...and possibly more.

Yep, another awesome week for me! Hope you all have a great week and to those who celebrate it, a great Easter.

Outspoken Review

Author: James Vachowski
Release Date: ?
Pages: 117--156 KB (e-galley)
Publisher: Vagabondage Press
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from author

Abraham Lincoln Jenkins is a teenage vandal, social activist, and aspiring revolutionary, but with only four months left until his high school graduation Abraham’s lifelong dream of attending Harvard College is put in jeopardy when he learns that he is still in need of two core credit hours in Physical Education. Unfortunately for Abraham, the only available spaces in a P.E. class are as a cadet in the Army’s JROTC program!

Told almost exclusively through Abraham’s one-sided complaint letters, OUTSPOKEN is the natural result when the War on Terror collides with the War on Christmas.

I really enjoyed Outspoken. With an awesome protagonist and a unique, interesting format of writing, how could I not?

Yes, this novel is written in letters, and while at times it bugged me, mostly because I wanted to know what was going on away from the letters. But overall I liked it, and think it will help the novel stand out in my mind. And it helped that between each letter is a quote. Each of them are fantastic, and because of them I think I'll end up keeping this on my computer to use for future Facebook statuses.

The main character, Abraham L. Jenkins, lives up to the title of the book; he always feels free to openly and sarcastically express his left wing opinions in an extremely right wing town. And while I could never fully connect to his character--one of the cons of the writing format--I had the utmost amount of respect for him. I would love to see more YA characters that are not only smart, but also have such strong political views and applaud Vachowski for doing so.

Outspoken was a super fast, funny read that I'd recommend to anyone with .99 cents and a few hours.

Book Report:

Plot: Well-paced.

Characters: We only really get to know Abraham, but he's really cool.

Writing: Abraham's voice was really authentic.

Ending: Wrapped everything up, but I'll still be hoping for a sequel.

Kid friendly? While I doubt tweens will enjoy this, it's perfectly safe.

Should I read it? Sure. I'm glad I did.

Overall:

  
 

Waiting On Wednesday (44)

This week I'm waiting on....

On The Fringe by Courtney King Walker

Claire is struggling to overcome the murder of her childhood friend and secret crush, Daniel. Everyone else seems to be moving on with their lives, but she's still trying to cope. The fact that she finds herself alone and drowning on her 16th birthday isn't helping.

Neither is thinking she sees Daniel's face in murky water as she mysteriously resurfaces. But something happened during those four and a half minutes that will make her realize it was not just her imagination.

As Claire and Daniel try to grasp a possible reconnection, other grudge-holding beings have plans of their own. Now, the two of them have to decide if their fleeting relationship is worth the possibility of Claire being trapped on the fringe forever.

Beautifully told, On the Fringe intertwines fresh ideas about devotion, revenge, and the consequences that come with life and death.

Coming October 19th from Lands Atlantic Publishing 

 This one sounds gooooooooood. I have some kind of morbid fascination with death ghosts and the afterlife and stuff (just ask anyone who read my writing) so this one definitely sounds up my alley.

Hey Look They Did Something Right This Time!

The actors that are going to play Rue and Thresh were announced today!

Amandla Stenberg and Dayo Okeniyi

 

 

 

 

 

 

I LOVE THEM!! Amanda has that perfect sweet-yet-strong look that I always imagined Rue with, and Thresh looks super tough.

But--as always--I wanna hear your opinion on the new casting!

Invincible Summer Review

Author: Hannah Moskowitz
Release Date: April 19, 2011
Pages: 288 (E-ARC)
Publisher: Razorbill
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: For review from Galley Grab

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss? 

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart.  But some girls are addictive....

OK, firstly: this description sucks. It makes it sound like some chick-lit romance, but it's so far from anything like that. Invincible Summer isn't a love story, it's a raw story about a beach, a family, and tragedies.

Chase, our main character is an Everboy--forever a boy, never wanting to grow up. Half of the book seems to be him nostalgically remembering the past, when he and his siblings were young and everything was simple. As a nostalgic teen who still watches Rugrats with her little brother to relive her youth, I related to this really easily.

Moskowitz's writing is addicting. I zoomed right through this book, and I'm sure most of the reason for that is the quick unique writing style. I quickly knew that I'd have to pick up Moskowitz's first novel, Break, cause it's clear the woman has a gift.

So, Chase and his older brother Noah get addicted to the author Camus one summer, and after that they quote him constantly. While pretty, a lot of the quotes went over my head and made me feel kinda stupid. And that wasn't fun.

For some reason I just couldn't love this one, but I did really like it. I can't say much else without spoiling it for you, so I won't. I'll just say that this is a powerful read about a screwed up family and a really screwed up couple of summers, and that it will linger in my mind for a while.

Book Report:

Plot: Well done.

Characters: Likable, annoying, and realistic.

Writing: Really impressive.

Ending:Wrapped everything up really well.

Kid friendly? There's some sex, drinking, and mentions of rape.

Should I read it? If you're in the mood for a dark read, definitely.

Overall:

Other opinions:

Electrifying Reviews

The Story Siren

Frenetic Reader

In My Mailbox (48) and Weekly Update

I didn't get a whole lot this week, but what I did get looks really good!

For review:

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Exile by Anne Osterlund

Ebooks for review:

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Happy Birthday To Me by Brian Rowe

(Thanks to RandomHouse, Anne Osterlund, Netgalley, Harperteen, and Brian Rowe!)

Posts that went up this week:
Monday: Across The Universe Review
Tuesday: Interview: Beth Revis, author of Across The Universe
Wednesday: Waiting on Wednesday
Friday: Fang Review
Saturday: Contest for Scorpia Rising: The Final Alex Rider (I fixed the link to the form! Sorry about that.)

Books I read last week:

Shift by Jeri Smith Ready

My Misadventures as a Teenage RockStar by Joyce Raskin (Book 1 of 3 for Netgalley month)

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (for British Literature class)

Pink by Lili Wilkinson
Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison (Book 2 of 3 for Netgalley month)

Books I plan to read this week:
Glass by Ellen Hopkins
Bumped by Megan McCafferty (Book 3 of 3 for Netgalley month)
Wrath of the Bloodeye: The Last Apprentice book 5
and hopefully more.

Thanks to The Neverending Shelf for thinking to merge In My Mailbox and What Are You Reading? Monday!

Hope you all have a great week!

Contest: Scorpia Rising--Final Alex Rider book

A couple weeks ago I got Alex Rider: Scorpia Rising from the good people at Penguin. And since I've never read an Alex Rider book and don't really have time to read up to the ninth right now, I figured I'd give it to someone who has.

Scorpia has dogged Alex Rider for most of his life. They killed his parents, they did their best to con Alex into turning traitor, and they just keep coming back with more power. Now the world's most dangerous terrorist organization is playing with fire in the world's most combustible land: the Middle East. No one knows Scorpia like Alex. And no one knows how best to get to Alex like Scorpia. Until now.

The chases have never been more intense, the fights more treacherous, or the risks so perilous to mankind. And this time, Alex won't get away.

Since I'm mailing this myself, this contest is only open to the US and Canada, and will end on midnight, April 30th. Fill out THIS FORM to enter. (Comments--while appreciated--will not count as entries.) Good luck!

Fang Review

Author: James Patterson
Release Date: March 15, 2010
Pages: 336 (HC)
Publisher: Little Brown
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: Borrowed
Other titles in series: The Angel Experiment, School's Out Forever, Saving The World and Other Extreme Sports, The Final Warning, Max

Being a kid with wings--constantly on the run--has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the flock makes her fear the worst. Then, a cryptic message from a young girl arrives, warning them "The sky will fall." And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die.

Max's desperate desire to protect Fang brings the two closer than ever. But can the team weather the storm, or will the turmoil rip them apart for the last time?

I started the Maximum Ride series when I was ten, and they were my favorite books (and only books I'd read) for years. So of course I have to stick with it, even though The Final Warning--as much as it hurts me to say it--sucked, and Max was better but still not nearly as good as the first three. So these day, when I cuddle up for a few hours with the latest installment in the series (yes, only a few hours, these are QUICK reads) the only things I've come to expect are great characters, a fun and sarcastic voice, and a decent romance. A good plot? The last thing I expect from these books anymore.

I was surprised with how much I enjoyed Fang.

Unlike the last two books, we actually have a decent VILLAIN with actual MOTIVES. Our beloved Flock has an actual GOAL. HALLELUJAH! HOUSTON, WE HAVE A DECENT PLOT!

*clears throat* Sorry. Kind of freaked out on you there.

Yes, there are things that still irk me: Who's the Voice? What does it mean when it tells Max that she needs to save the world? Is Jeb good or bad? These are questions that we've been asking since book 1, and in book six we STILL don't have answers to these questions.

With Fang being a noticeable step above the previous two books, I can't help but be excited for the last two books (yep, it was announced, only two books left).

Book Report:

Plot: Existent, and--as always--wonderfully fast paced

Characters: At this point, they're as colorful and familiar as my favorite cartoon characters. (Except Angel. I've always hated Angel.)

Writing: It's James Patterson writing. Need I say more?

Ending: Sad, but I'm excited to see how the new plot twist works out.

Kid friendly? Completely. (In fact, a little too kid friendly for my tastes. As awesomely bad as Max is, you'd think she'd at least occasionally swear.)

Should I read it? If you've read the earlier books, then definitely. Don't give up on the series yet!!

Overall:

 

Waiting On Wednesday (43)

This week I'm waiting on....

Wherever You Go by Heather Davis

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?
As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side? 

Told from the perspectives of Holly, Jason, and Rob, Wherever You Go is is a poignant story about making peace with the past, opening your heart to love, and finding the courage to move forward into the light.

Coming November 14th from Harcourt.

I love a good ghost story, and this one sounds just like that! It is on Netgalley, but sadly I keep getting declined. Anyways, it sounds pretty awesome, and I love the cover.

Interview: Beth Revis, author of Across The Universe

Today, I'm interviewing Beth Revis--the lovely author of Across The Universe. We're gonna talk about writing, characters, and Captain Mal's butt. So, you know, all the good stuff.

Where did the idea behind Across The Universe come from?

It all came from the twist at the end--I wrote the entire book, came up with the setting and characters--just to write the end scene.

What books and TV shows would you recommend to sci-fi newbies?

My absolutely top number one recommendation of all time is Joss Whedon's TV series FIREFLY and the accompanying movie, SERENITY. It is so. Brilliant.

I've also just started watching BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA in part because I was impressed with seeing the women actors at NY ComicCon. One thing that really stuck out to me was that they said the writers of the show never prescribed a gender to a character--they found the right actor, despite the gender.

Firefly IS amazing. Joss Whedon is THE MAN. Aside from reading and writing, what other activities do you do?

I LOVE to travel! I'm always trying to come up with my next trip. While I was a teacher, I chaperoned students in European trips--I probably miss that aspect of teaching the most!

Oh, I'd love to go to Europe! What are some of your favorite characters (from anything)?

-Aerin from Robin McKinley's THE HERO AND THE CROWN for being so beautiful and kick-butt.
-Cimorene from Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest Chronicles for being so hilarious and smart.
-Captain Mal from FIREFLY for having a cute butt.

I thought my friend's mom was the only one who noticed Nathan Fillion's butt. Guess not. What was your favorite part of writing Across The Universe? Least favorite?

My favorite part was getting to the end--I had it plotted out for so long, and it was just brilliant getting to it. My least favorite? Honestly....I loved it all. I don't *enjoy* revising and editing, but I love the way it makes everything better. It's like, I don't enjoy cleaning the house, but I love having a clean house.

Thanks for the awesome interview Beth! If you haven't already, add Across The Universe to your TBR pile.

Across The Universe Review

Author: Beth Revis
Release Date: January 11, 2011
Pages: 398 (ARC)
Publisher: Razorbill
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: For review from publisher
Challenges: Debut author challenge

A Story of Love, Murder, and Madness Aboard an Enormous Spaceship Bound for the Future

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to wake up on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

Across the Universe is Titanic meets Brave New World.

I think my expectations for Across The Universe were too high or something, cause I just didn't love this book like everyone else has. Not that I hated it, but, well...

It started with a bang, but then somewhere along the line it just slowed down. The mystery was there but no progress was ever made, and nobody seemed to demand answers to any of the super-creepy stuff that went down on the ship. I found it too easy to put down, and I'll be honest and say that I almost took a break from it.  

However. The last 100 pages? Yeah, they were awesome. So awesome that they redeemed the book and made me want to read the sequel.

I'll be honest again and say that I might have enjoyed this book more had I read it a different time. I was suffering from a major Good Book Hangover, so it might've just been me.

I give props to Beth Revis, cause this is a promising start to a trilogy, as well as a good debut. But I expected to be blown away by this one but--while I thought it was good--I didn't think it was amazing.

Reviewers who were blown away:
Sophistikatied Reviews
The Hiding Spot

Book Report:

Plot: Well thought out, but doesn't really get going until the end.

Characters: Likable, but they never really came to life for me, you know?

Writing: Good. Very easy to read and descriptive, and the world-building was really well done.

Ending: BAM... That's the sound of the explosive ending.

Kid friendly? There's some pretty graphic (and really creepy) sex scenes.

Should I read it? If you're a fan of sci-fi, dystopia, or mystery, then yeah.

Overall:

I'll be interviewing Beth Revis tomorrow, so look out for that.

In My Mailbox (47)--1st Vlog

OK, so before you watch the vlog let me just warn you that it's bad. And I don't mean this in the, "oh, I'm so boring and my nose looks bigger on camera" way (...though this is also accurate). No, I mean this in the "my mouth doesn't move with the words right" way. I would fix it if I knew how, but I don't. So if you do watch it, be prepared to feel like your watching a crappy old kung-fu movie. And then please do tell me your thoughts, since I'm a baby to the vlogging world.

Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway

Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers

Zombies Vs. Unicorns by everyone and their dog

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

Blood Red Road by Moira (the most unpronounceable first name EVER, apparently) Young

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Aurelia by Anne Osterland

Blood Ninja by Nick Lake

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Dash&Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan

 People mentioned:

Maggie Stiefvater (the blog post that convinced me to get Ship Breaker)

Harmony's Radiant Reads

Katie's Book Blog

Thanks to The Story Siren for hosting IMM!

An Abundance of Katherines Review

Author: John Green
Release Date: September 21, 2006
Pages: 272 (PB)
Publisher: Dutton
Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: Gifted from family


When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy–loving best friend riding shotgun—but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

After reading Looking For Alaska and loooooooooooving it, I needed some more John Green ASAP. And while incredibly different from Looking For Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines was an awesome book and definitely satisfied my craving.

This book was the funniest one I've read in a long time. I actually used a piece of scrap paper to write the page numbers of my favorite quotes, because I'm sure I'll want to re-read them...and the entire book...but especially those particular quotes.

A thing I loved about this book was that it wasn't just a funny book. This was a classic and very well-done coming of age story, full of lovable, layered characters and a wonderful moral. I even learned a couple of cool facts that stuck with me after I read it.

Question: how I could find Colin to be whiny and selfish and STILL love his character? He was flawed, but not annoyingly so, and I found him to be an awesome protagonist. Lindsey and Hussan were both fantastic characters as well. Basically, I just want to invite them all over for a pizza party or something.

An Abundance Of Katherines was everything I'd hoped for a then a little extra. I didn't think my John Green love could grow, but I guess I was wrong....

Book Report:

Plot: Fun and well-paced.

Characters: Woo hoo, woo hoo hoo hoo.

Writing: It's John Green. He's an a.m.a.z.i.n.g writer.

Ending: Absolutely perfect.

Kid friendly? Eh, not entirely. There's a sex scene, and a little language.

Should I read it? Yeah, fo sho.

Overall:

Waiting On Wednesday (45)

This week I'm waiting on....

Amplified by Tara Kelly

When privileged 17-year-old Jasmine gets kicked out of her house, she takes what is left of her savings and flees to Santa Cruz to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Jasmine finds the ideal room in an oceanfront house, but she needs to convince the three guys living there that she's the perfect roommate and lead guitarist for their band, C-Side. Too bad she has major stage fright and the cute bassist doesn't think a spoiled girl from over the hill can hack it. . . .

In this fresh new novel by critically acclaimed author Tara Kelly, Jasmine finds out what happens when her life gets Amplified.

You know when a book's about music, I'm gonna be waiting for it. Plus I've heard nothing but great things about Kelly's debut, Harmonic Feedback.

Maybe If We Ignore It, It Will Go Away...

So Peeta's been cast for The Hunger Games movie, and it's Josh Hutcherson.

I'm trying to stay positive about this, but this guy is NOT anywhere near how I pictured Peeta. Not in the face, or in the body. He's just NOT. I'm very disappointed.

Oh, and the part of Gale was taken by Liam Hensworth.

I thought I wouldn't really care who they cast as Gale, but I don't even like him for Gale. He's OK, but definitely not who'd I would've picked.

Anyways, I'm not telling you guys this cause I think you haven't heard. I know you probably have. I'm telling you because I just wanted to shout about Hutcherson some more without my mom yelling back at me, "YOU'RE ALREADY HATIN' ON THE MOVIE AND YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN IT."

Now I'm starting to get worried about the movie. I'm definitely not dying to see it anymore. I think who they cast as Haymitch will be a huge deciding factor for me. (Yeah, I realize I'm being a bit over-dramatic but it's PEETA. PEETA. One of my best boyfriends favorite characters.)

But I can't be the only one, right? What do you guys think about the boys who were cast? Do you hate the new additions to the cast as much as I do?
 

The Book Blogger and Mail Carrier Relationship

The relationship between a book blogger and the mail carriers are...well, I've made a graph:

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

(FYI, at the moment my mail lady is my ARCH NEMESIS. But my UPS guy's pretty cool.)

Am I the only one? Please tell me I'm not.