My Top 20 Books of 2010 and Contest

2010 was an AMAZING year of books. I read so many amazing debuts, continuations of series, and books not enough people have heard of. So what better way to wrap up the year than round them all up? (Note: these list are in NO ORDER. I'm far too indecisive to put all of these in order.)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Goodreads page-My review
The conclusion to one of--if not my top--favorite series.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Old release I read in 2010)

Goodreads page-My review

Words cannot describe my complete and total love for this heartbreaking and -warming book.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Goodreads page-My review
Full of poetic writing, naked rock stars, and tub-fearing emos. What's not to love?

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

Goodreads page-My review

An epic dystopic tale with a heroine only Voldemort couldn't love. (Why yes, I am watching Order of the Phoenix.)

The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M Campbell
Goodreads page-My review
This was one of the most hilarious books I've ever read, and it had amazing characters and a fantastic plot to go along with the humor.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Goodreads page-My review

With a killer plot, characters, and romance, this fresh and unique paranormal sets the bar for upcoming werewolf novels.

Gone by Lisa McMann
Goodreads page-My review
The conclusion to a fantastic, thrilling series.

The Iron King and The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Goodreads page-My review

With fantastic writing, world-building, and humor, Julie Kagawa has created one of the hit series of 2010! I cannot wait for The Iron Queen.

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Goodreads page-My review

Another one that I just want to hold onto and never, ever stop reading. This one's full of awesome music references, excellent romance, and a unique and captivating world

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Goodreads page-My review

Fun, mysterious, and full of wonderful characters, this is one you don't want to miss.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Goodreads page-My review

This book was so FRUSTRATING...and awesome. And probably even better than Hush, Hush.

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Old release I read in 2010)

Goodreads page-My review

I am officially a Scott Pilgrim fanatic. This unique, quirky graphic novel series astounded me with it's greatness.

The Last Saint by Bree Despain

Goodreads page-My review

This suspenseful, page-turning sequel was even better than The Dark Divine!

Looking for Alaska by John Green (Old release I read in 2010)

Goodreads page-Review coming soon

No words I say can do this book, or my love for it, justice. It was amazing. Fantastic. Stu-freaking-pendous.

And while these didn't quite make my favorites list, I definitely feel like the following books deserve a mention:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Goodreads page-My review
A fantastic debut that I still, to this day, think about.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Goodreads page-My review

This was such a fun, fresh read and I'm so excited for the sequel.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Goodreads page-My review

This one was so thrilling and swoony. I am DYING for the sequel, Desires of the Dead.

Struts and Frets by Jon Skovron (2009 release read in 2010)

Goodreads page-My review

A great book full of music and awesome characters that develop really well.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder (2008 release read in 2010)

Goodreads page-My review

I loved this storyline and concept, and it was executed (and written) very well.

Hourglass by Claudia Gray

Goodreads page-My review

I love this series so much, and this installment brought on so many new exciting twists.

And here are three 2011 titles I've had the opportunity to read this year that will be on my Best of 2011 list next year:

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Goodreads page-Review up in February
An exciting, gory, romantic, AWESOME book!

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins

Goodreads page-Review up in early 2011

Ho-ly craaaaaap this was good. Even better than Hex Hall!

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Goodreads page-My review

An addicting tale of love, loss, and super creepy stuff.

If 2011 is half as good as 2010 was, it'll still be better than a double rainbow.

OK, so Mockingjay was HIGH up on the list of my favorites from this year, and I have one copy to give away to a very lucky person. US and Canada only (sorry! I'm living off allowance here). Ends Jan 14. FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER. Good luck, happy New Year, and I hope you all have another excellent year of reading!!

What I've Learned About Blogging This Year and 2011 Goals

So, 2010 year was a huge year for this blog. I gained so many readers, friends, and contacts, each of which I'm incredibly grateful for. And with another year comes some new knowledge, which I figured I'd pass along to others, and as a constant reminder to myself:

1. Don't take on too much. This is one lesson that I learned the hard way. I was signing up for book tours left and right, and they all ended up coming in really close to each other. With all of the other books I had to review, it quickly became too much very fast. When life is hectic, I can usually get a book a week read, so when you have three books one week, you can see how this would be a problem. Now, I only rarely sign up for ARC tours. (I do not blame the tour site runners in ANY way, just to be clear. This was completely my fault.)

2. Read a book that isn't for review once in a while. At one point this year, blogging had me SO STRESSED. I was ready to take an indefinite hiatus, it was getting so bad.

Instead, I went to my bookshelves and picked out a book that I'd won from a contest a while ago. Meaning: I did not read a review book. For the first time in a long time I read a book for me and no one else, and it helped so much more than I would've thought. It just goes to show that you have to read for yourself too, otherwise this thing becomes very un-fun very fast.

3. Don't spend three hours a day going through blog posts. Yeah, there was a point that I would wake up, eat, then go to the computer for a couple of hours to catch up on blog. I wasn't even commenting on blogs, just looking at what had been posted, and it was slowly taking over my life.

Now, I use Google Reader, and I have a folder with a couple of my favorite blogs. I still don't get the chance to comment as often as I'd like, but this way I actually get to READ blog posts and it only takes a half hour a day, usually.

4. Stay organized! Dude. This is probably the most important lesson on the list. I cannot tell you how much staying organized is important. I'm homeschooled, and with me driving around for me AND my sibling's activities, I'm always on the go. So I usually pre-schedule posts. It's not always super reliable, but lately I haven't had too many issues with it.

I also find help in keeping a calender for the month in a folder. This includes books to read, when to read them, when to put up the review, etc. It actually helps a lot. It just keeps me focused, I guess.

With review books, I keep a spreadsheet. When I posted about review books taking over my life, a commenter recommended this, and I love it! Though I don't update it as much as I should, it lets me know who sent what first and stuff like that.

And I've got a few blogging and reading goals for next year. They are:

Read more!!! (I'd LOVE to average two books a week instead of 1)

Read more blog posts and leave more comments

Host more interviews

Read one Harry Potter book a month (I've never read this series and I'm dying to!)

Read more books I own (as you've seen, there's a lot)

Get my review pile under control

What are some things about blogging you've learned this year? And what are your goals for 2011?

Waiting On Wednesday (37)

This week I'm waiting on....

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Sometimes there's no turning back.
 
Amber's life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of her family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell that he's also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she's drawn to him. And the more she's troubled by his darkness. Because Cade's not just living in the now--he's living each moment like it's his last.

Coming June 28, 2011 from SimonPulse

I've only read one of Lisa Schroeder's novels, I Heart You, You Haunt Me, and I really enjoyed it, so I'm definitely looking forward to this one. It sounds so good!

Winners!

I've got two winners to announce. Let's start with the winner of The Lost Saint and nail polish. The winner is....

Nicole Block

Congrats! And the winner of Entice and a bookmark is....

Teri C/ Teril

Congrats! I'll be emailing you both. If you didn't win, don't worry, I've got quite a few upcoming contests, so keep checking out my Current Contests page.

Blog Tour: Out For Blood Review+Giveaway

Author: Alyxandra Harvey
Release Date: Dec. 21, 2010
Pages: 292 (ARC)
Publisher: Walker Books
Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from publicist
Other titles in series: Hearts At Stake, Blood Feud

Hunter Wild is the youngest in a long line of elite vampire hunters, a legacy that is both a blessing and a curse at the secret Helios-Ra Academy, where she excels at just about everything. Thanks to her friendship with Kieran Black, Hunter receives a special invitation to attend the coronation of Helena Drake, and for the first time, she sees the difference between vampires that must be hunted and vampires that can become friends—or even more. When students at the academy fall victim to a mysterious illness, Hunter suspects they are under attack from within. She will need someone she can trust to help her save the future of Helios-Ra . . . help that shockingly comes in the form of Quinn Drake, a drop-dead gorgeous vampire. Who said senior year would be easy?

Out For Blood is told in two points of view, Quinn Drake's and Hunter Wild's. Both of their narrations were equally grabbing, entertaining, and full of clever humor, and the plot refused to slow down.

So. Quinn. I started out not liking him. He fit the hot player type perfectly, which is not a personality that I find appealing at all. Luckily, he grew on me so much that I couldn't see not loving Quinn Drake. (Though, in all honestly, the guy on the cover freaks me out and doesn't look anything like how I imagined Quinn.) Hunter was a level headed, logical, with incredible fighting skills that I think it'd be impossible to not relate to.

And when you put Quinn and Hunter together?

Sparks fly.

I was fascinated with the world of the vampire hunters, the Helios-Ra. Thought obviously it lacks the mythology the vampires have, it's still a really cool world to read about, and I hope we get more looks into it through the series.

I do have a few very minor complaints. Mostly with Hunter's friends. Though they each had some original traits, I never really got much personality from any of them. They were just kinda...blah, I guess. Also, the big mystery of the novel never really got going until the last 80 pages or so.

Luckily, those two things I noticed didn't take away from my reading experience with Out For Blood, and this is still a book--and series--that I'd highly recommend.

Book Report:

Plot: Exciting and original.

Characters: Awesome.

Writing: Witty and just plain good.

Ending: Very nice. No cliffhanger.

Kid friendly? Yeah. There was some swearing and gore, but nothing too bad.

Should I read it? Yes. I don't think you'd even need to read the first two in the series to enjoy this one.

Overall:

 

Thanks to the awesome people at Walker Books For Young Readers, I have one copy of Out For Blood and a bookmark to give away to one lucky winner! This contest will end on Jan. 10, 2011 and is open to only residents of the US. FILL OUT THIS FORM to enter. (While comments are greatly appreciated, they don't count as entries.) Good luck!

In My Mailbox (40)

Merry Christmas, and happy holidays!! I got so many awesome books for Christmas this year, some that I've read and LOVED, some that I still need to somehow find the time to read, and a few pre-orders too!

For review and giveaway:

Loser/Queen by Jodi Lynn Anderson (two copies. Be on the look-out for a giveaway soon!)

Presents:

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (My review)

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (My review)

Matched by Ally Condie (My review)

The Scott Pilgrim Boxed Set by Bryan Lee O'Malley (My review)

More presents:

Swoon by Nina Malkin

Little (Grrrl) Lost by Charles De Lint

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Won from Courtney Allison Moulten, author of Angelfire:

Vampire Diaries Vol 1: The Awakening by L.J. Smith

miscellaneous swag!

The Lost Saint Review

Author: Bree Despain
Release Date: Dec. 28, 2010
Pages: 404 (ARC)

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from publicist
Other titles in series: The Dark Divine

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process.

Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot, a newcomer to town. But as the two grow closer, Grace’s relationship with Daniel is put in danger — in more ways than one.

Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her — not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

Bree Despain delivers sizzling romance and thrilling action in the heart-pounding sequel to The Dark Divine.

2010 will be the year known as, "The Year of Amazing Sequels". I mean, seriously, it's like a bunch of YA paranormal authors (Julie Kagawa, Becca Fitzpatrick) took some kind of awesome class or something! Well Bree Despain clearly took it too, because The Lost Saint was absolutely no exception.

This book was completely and utterly infuriating. The plot twists and turns like nobody's business, the characters make you wanna scream at them (which I actually did), and NOTHING GOES RIGHT. But that just made this book all that more addicting. I mean, seriously, this one is so un-put-downable that it's not even funny.

Speaking of funny, April continues to crack me up. Her not-too-up-beat personality always managed to put a smile on my face. And, while we're talking about characters, I need to get something straight just so everyone's clear: Daniel is amazing. He is so much more than just the average pretty-faced werewolf and I love his character so much. Talbot, while he could possibly be an interesting character in the books to come, can never hold a candle to Daniel in my opinion. As for our awesome main character, Grace...ugh I just want to hug her and comfort her throughout the entire book!

OK, it pains me to admit it, but parts of this book were just a little cheesy. It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book, but it was noticeable.

Even with the tiny bit of cheesiness, I completely loved The Lost Saint, and I absolutely can't wait for the sequel.

Book Report:

Plot: So exciting and heartbreaking.

Characters: Love love love.

Writing: Awesome.

Ending: AAAAAAAAAAAH!

Kid friendly? Yeah. Only a little bit of swearing.

Should I read it? Read The Dark Divine first.

Overall:

 

Waiting On Wednesday (36)

This week I'm waiting on:

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Coming April 26th, 2011 from HarperCollins

This one sounds awesome, and I've heard nothing but amazing things about this author and her series, the Jessica Darling series (which I've yet to read).

See What I See Review

Author: Gloria Whelan
Release Date: Jan 1, 2011
Pages: 208 (ARC)

Publisher: HarperTeen

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from publisher

Kate Tapert sees her life in paintings. She makes sense of the world around her by relating it to what she adores—art. Armed with a suitcase, some canvases, and a scholarship to art school in Detroit, Kate is ready to leave home and fully immerse herself in painting. Sounds like heaven. All Kate needs is a place to stay.

That place is the home of her father, famous and reclusive artist Dalton Quinn, a father she hasn't seen or heard from in nearly ten years. When Kate knocks on his door out of the blue, little does she realize what a life-altering move that will turn out to be. But Kate has a dream, and she will work her way into Dalton's life, into his mind, into his heart . . . whether he likes it or not. 

See What I See was a quick read, but I felt like it could've been so much more.

The plot moved along at a good pace and definitely kept me interested, even though I don't know that much about art. (But this book did make me want to learn more about art, mostly so I can go to art school, because it sounds COOL..)

This book lacked the emotional punch I was looking for. While I liked Kate's character a lot, I felt like I there was this barrier keeping me from loving her. Sure, I wanted her to succeed and be happy, but she almost seemed much like a character instead of a person. Also, I kept waiting for some giant, incredibly emotional ending that I just never got.

So while See What I See was definitely enjoyable and I'd probably recommend it, it lacked just a little something for me.

Plot: Well-paced and intriguing.

Characters: I liked them. I didn't love them. (Except her dad. I didn't like him.)

Writing: Very nice

Ending: Expected, but pretty good.

How kid friendly is it? Completely. I don't think there's anything "bad" in this book at all.

Should I read it? Sure, it should only take you a little while.

Overall:

 

I Am The Lamest Person Ever/Cryer's Cross Winner

Yeah, I kind of just realized my contest for an ARC of Cryer's Cross ended a few days ago...whoops.

Hey, does anyone know what's up with this creepy chipmunk that I found on Google Images? 0.o

Anyways, the winner is........

A Canadian Girl! 

Congrats! I'll be emailing you shortly to get your address. If you didn't win but still are craving some awesome free books (who isn't?) check out this page.

Blog Tour: Entice Review and Giveaway

Author: Carrie Jones
Release Date: December 14, 2010

Pages: 264 (ARC)

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: From publisher for review
Other titles in series: Need, Captivate

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that’s not quite how things have worked out. For starters, well, Nick is dead. Supposedly, he’s been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it’s taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla? And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there’s that other small problem: Zara’s been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn’t just turned… She’s Astley’s queen.

 I found Need to be good (once I got into it), and I really liked Captivate, so I'd set pretty decent expectations for Entice. I was shocked and saddened when I ended up kind of disappointed.

My main problem was the plot and the pacing. It starts off pretty well, with Zara and her friends dealing with her turning pixie, and everyone thinking and plotting how to save Nick.

The only problem is, this is the entire book.

Nothing else happens until the ending. Well, except a friendship blossoming between Astley and Zara, which was nice, but not enough to make me justify the repetitiveness of the plot. Personally, I felt like everything that was in these 260-some pages was enough to be in about 5 chapters or so if it was done better. It was almost like it was just filler, and like this was just a set-up for the next book in the series. It really bothered me.

Also, I remember loving the side characters more. I think this was a book in which everyone was sad, and grieving, and losing hope in their cause more and more with each day. Or at least that's what I'm hoping. The one character I did love was Astley. He's like a combination of the sweet guy, the bad-but-actually-good guy, and the tortured soul with major momma issues. And I still love Zara. It is hard not to love Zara.

In short: I didn't love this. I'll definitely read the next book in the series, because I like the characters and I love the world and the writing. But, as of right now, I think this is my least favorite book in the series so far, sadly.

Book Report:

Plot: Slow and repetitive.

Characters: I only really loved two.

Writing: I still stand by my statement that "Carrie Jones has that teen voice." (From my Captivate review.)

Ending: Another cliffhanger. Grr.

How kid friendly is it? Very. There may have been one or two swear words, and only one or two mentions of sex.

Should I read it? Yeah, despite it's slowness, it sets up for the next installment in the series pretty well.

Overall:

 

For all of you loyal Need series fans, I have one copy of Entice (and I believe a bookmark) up for grabs thanks to Bloomsbury (because it's from the publisher, this contest is US only). Contest ends midnight on December 26. Fill out THIS FORM to enter. Good luck!

 

The Lost Saint Giveaway

Thanks to the super awesome people at EgmontUSA, I have one ARC of The Lost Saint, the sequel to The Dark Divine. (I've read it, and trust me, it's pretty frickin' AWESOME.) I've also got one bottle of nail polish that matches the cover to go along with the ARC. Here's more about the book:

The non-stop sequel to The Dark Divine delivers an even hotter romance and more thrilling action than Bree Despain's first novel. 

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi.  She gave her soul to the wolf to save him and lost her beloved brother. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven. 

Desparate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot - a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero.  But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel begins to crumble. Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace becomes prideful in her new abilities - not realizing that an old enemy has returned and deadly trap is about to be sprung. 

Readers, raveous for more Grace and Daniel, will be itching to sink their teeth into The Lost Saint.

Just fill out THIS FORM to be entered.(While comments are appreciated, they do NOT count as entries.) I can only manage to ship to US and Canada right now. (Sorry.) Let's end it on December 26. Good luck!
 

Waiting On Wednesday (35)

This week I'm waiting on...

Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.

Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

Coming June 1st, 2011 from Scholastic

Sounds awesome, right?

2011 Debut Author Challenge+City of Fallen Angels Cover

I didn't sign up for the 2010 Debut Author Challenge, and I've regretted it ever since. So this year I'm proud to be a participant in the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren. I know that I'm dying to read Wither by Lauren Destefano and XVI by Julia Karr, but other than that I'm not sure exactly which debuts I'm reading this year... So, yeah, this post was kind of pointless, but you should go sign up.

Oh, and while I've got you here check out the newly released City of Fallen Angels cover if you haven't seen it already:

I like everything about it...well except Clary. I mean, come on, they couldn't find a younger model? She looks like she's in her late 20s/30s. (I actually still need to read City of Glass...)

 

In My Mailbox (39)

During Thanksgiving break, I read like 4 books. I really felt like I was FINALLY making a dent in my review pile.

Then these past two weeks happened.

Not that I'm complaining.

AT ALL.

For review:

Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

Entice by Carrie Jones

Out For Blood by Alyxandra Harvey

The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins

Drought by Pam Bachorz

Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster

The False Princess by Ellis O'Neal

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

From RandomBuzzers:

The Splendor Falls by Rosmary Clement-Moore

Christmas break, HERE I COME!

(Sorry for the excessive amount of all-caps words. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED THERE.)

Judging A Book By It's Cover: Bitter Frost

The cover I'm judging this time is:

While I don't really like the choice of photo used for this cover, I really love the colors and basic layout of it. The fonts, especially the title font, are really eye-grabbing and pretty much save this cover, in my opinion. The cover immediately makes me think of two possible genres for the book: vampires (super pale skin), or Gossip Girl-type books (weird lip color).

Now that we've judged the cover, here's what the book's about:

All her life, Breena had always dreamed about fairies as though she lived among them...beautiful fairies living among mortals and living in Feyland. In her dreams, he was always there the breathtakingly handsome but dangerous Winter Prince, Kian, who is her intended. When Breena turns sixteen, she begins seeing fairies and other creatures mortals don t see. Her best friend Logan, suddenly acts very protective. Then she sees Kian, who seems intent on finding her and carrying her off to Feyland. That's fine and all, but for the fact that humans rarely survive a trip to Feyland, a kiss from a fairy generally means death to the human unless that human has fairy blood in them or is very strong, and although Kian seemed to be her intended, he seems to hate her and wants her dead.

 

Struts & Frets Review

Author: Jon Skovron
Release Date: November, 2009

Pages: 304 (Hardcover)

Publisher:Amulet Books

Most Appropriate For Ages: 14+
Where I Got It: Library

Told in a voice that’s honest, urgent, and hilarious, Struts & Frets will resonate not only with teenage musicians but with anyone who ever sat up all night listening to a favorite album, wondering if they’d ever find their place in the world.

Music is in Sammy’s blood. His grandfather was a jazz musician, and Sammy’s indie rock band could be huge one day—if they don’t self-destruct first. Winning the upcoming Battle of the Bands would justify all the band’s compromises and reassure Sammy that his life’s dream could become a reality. But practices are hard to schedule when Sammy’s grandfather is sick and getting worse, his mother is too busy to help either of them, and his best friend may want to be his girlfriend.

When everything in Sammy’s life seems to be headed for major catastrophe, will his music be enough to keep him together?

This isn't my normal type of book, and I hadn't heard much about it. I just randomly saw it at the bookstore, and decided that I needed to read it. Maybe I had some kind of contemporary craving, I don't know. But it must have been just what I needed, because I really enjoyed it.

I know I've mentioned this once or twice (or twenty times...), but I love music. So when my love of music and books combines, it usually agrees with me. I like indie rock, but I don't know that many bands, so Struts & Frets gave me a few to look up, which is always really nice. But band references aren't the only reason I love books about music, it's the passion behind the music. The descriptions of how it makes you feel, think, react. This book was dead-on in that area, for sure.

And while we're talking about things about this book that were dead-on, let us move on to the characters. Each one was full of their own unique life and quirks, and I want to hang out with them forever and ever. Sammy's passion and confusion really resonated with me, as it should with teens everywhere. He really found himself throughout the novel, and not just him. I think just about every side character did as well, at least a little, which I found extremely cool to witness.

Struts & Frets even proved to have a quality that I, personally, find usually difficult to find in contemporary: it was addictive, and hard to put down. In a nutshell, I was pretty darn impressed by this one. Jon Skovron really knows how to make a story come to life, and I'll definitely be reading whatever he puts out next.

Book Report:

Plot: Really well paced and realistic.

Characters: Awesome with a side of awesome.

Writing: Really clever and easy to read.

Ending: Wraps things up nicely.

Kid friendly? Hmmm...well, there's teen drinking as well as sex, swearing, and smoking.

Should I read it? Yeah, I think you should.

Overall: