The Book Brat

Readers Forgive Me For I have Sinned...

2012-01-26T09:08:00.000-05:00

...It's been over 24 hours since I've finished reading a book and I haven't posted my thoughts on this blog.

Hey guys! It's me --the Book Brat-- back again to review more books. I was looking over my past reviews and realized that this blog has suffered in the past --as is (obviously) evident in the archives-- every time my life gets...well...hectic. and last year was the worst. I only posted.7 times last year 4 of those posts were actual reviews. My apologies to everyone. I know I suck as a blogger but I'll be trying harder. You have my word. Erm, that's all i wanted to say;

I'm back

I'm very, VERY sorry for bailing again
(without any reason)

And I'll do better this year

Cool Stuff! The Hunger Games Widget

2011-07-23T11:13:00.000-04:00

I was on the ClevverTV web blog (Website/blog or website in blog form) Checking out Ashley Benson's Kimmel interview out of (seemingly) nowhere there was this annoying roaring sound that was interrupting the interview. So, naturally I had to go eradicate the problem. Now imagine my surprise when I came upon what you are witnessing at this moment this awesome widget. I was going to post it immediately but an idea struck me. Why not post this widget on the 23rd of this month and every 23rd until the movie is released on March 23, 2012. So here you go guys revel in the digital beauty that is this widget and I apologize if it eventually becomes a nuisance.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: The Warlock by Michael Scott

2011-06-10T08:27:00.005-04:00

Alcatraz:
Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will loose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Francisco, thereby triggering the end of the humani race.

Danu Talis:
The Shadowrealm that Scatty and Joan of Arc have entered is far more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And they haven’t landed here by chance-the warriors were called for a reason. So were Saint-Germain, Palamededs, and Shakespeare. The group was summoned because they must travel back in time to Danu Talis and destroy it. For the island of Danu Talis, known in humani myth as the lost city of Atlantis, must fall if the modern world is to exist.

San Francisco:
The end is finally near. Josh Newman has chosen a side, and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or with the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He will fight alongside Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare. Unless Sophie can find her twin before the battle begins, all is lost – forever....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Warlock picks up moments after the events of The Necromancer ends plunging you right back into the excitement (which was dying down). There isn't much to say about this book—besides the fact that there wasn't much action, that wouldn't end up spoiling you. Seeing that The Warlock is the first to last book in the series, everything was just one major history lesson and briefing of what's to come and what role each character was to play in the main event, rolled into one. For a person who likes learning about the characters in a story especially one as mysterious as this one is, you would find this book to your liking. For the person driven by action there isn't much but don't there is enough to wet your appetite until the big finale.

Me, personally, I am the former of the two. I like to quarter-heartedly joke that my nosiness is what drives my desire to learn what makes characters (and people) tick. So i enjoyed it for the oodles of info this book packed. However, that desire became my undoing. Why? Two words; major cliffhanger. A regular cliffhanger I could have dealt when. I would have liked it but I would have been fine. What happened? Well, I can't exactly tell you where it all went tumbling downhill but I will tell you this. Something big happened, there was a moment or two for you to catch your breath then a bombshell was dropped the end That's. How. It. Happened. No exaggeration. When I visualize the way I felt at the end of the story only one image comes to mind and it is in no conceivable way pretty; but I'll tell you anyway.

I was going to warn you against reading this next part of my review but it doesn't affect the plot of the series it was taken from.

There is a character in The Last Apprentice/Spook's Apprentice/Wardstone Chronicles a series by Joseph Delaney (A really awesome horror series just so you now). Anyway, the character—whose name is Grimalkin, had a child with The Devil. A beautiful baby boy for those want to know. When The Devil met his son he sensed that the boy wasn't going to be evil and "dashed his head against a rock" JD's words not mine. Nasty isn't it. Well, that's how I felt; like Grimalkin seeing her beautiful baby boy brutally bludgeoned.

You can roll your eyes and call me drama queen but you'd be highly annoyed too if you have to wait a year for what happens next.

::Taking a moment to breathe::

Crazy rant aside. If you've already read this novel and want desperately to analyze the hack out of the events of the story, I strongly suggest you head of to the forums at Flamel's Immortal Portal(.com) and joint in the discussion there.

On an entirely separate note; I just want to point out that this is my first post in almost three months. I would apologize but i see this happening again (life is always getting in the way). Most people would admit defeat and quit but i love blogging too much to stop. Like I mentioned before even If I'm not blogging I am still reading. If you're curious to know what I'm reading you can view my Good Reads profile (it's on the right below my email). Until next time—hopefully very, very soon.

Save The Date(s)...

2011-05-04T22:43:00.001-04:00

Hey guys I got an email today from Flamel's Immortal Portal, the official fansite of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott, so I (naturally) wanted to shared the contents with you. Warlock the latest book in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series will be in stores May 24, 2011; so to commemorate the book's release Michael Scott will be touring the US.

The confirmed stops are:

May 23rd @ 4:00 pm
POLITICS & PROSE
Washington, DC

May 25th @ 7:30 pm
Baileys Crossroads - BORDERS
Baileys Crossroads, VA

May 26th @ 7:00 pm
ANDERSON'S BOOKSHOP
Naperville, IL

May 27th @ 7:00 pm
THE MAGIC TREE BOOKSTORE
Oak Park, IL

May 28th @ 1:00 pm
BLUE WILLOW BOOKS
Houston, TX

May 29th @ 2:00 pm
Woodlands Mall - BARNES AND NOBLE
The Woodlands, TX

June 1st @ 2:00 pm
Crossroads Commons - BARNES AND NOBLE
Boulder, CO

June 2nd @ TBA
THE SECRET GARDEN
Seattle, WA

June 3rd @ 7:00 pm
Alderwood Mall - BARNES AND NOBLE
Lynnwood, WA

June 5th @ 4:00 pm
POWELL'S BOOKS
Portland, OR

June 7th @ 6:00 pm
West Jordan - BARNES AND NOBLE
West Jordan, UT

June 8th @ 7:00 pm
CHANGING HANDS BOOKSTORE
Tempe, AZ

In other news Sarah Dessen NYT bestselling author will be making an appearance at the MCPL (Montgomery County Public Library) in Bethesda on June 16, 2011 5 PM, to kick of the Teen Summer Reading 2011. Click here for more info.

Another Faust by Daniel And Dina Nayeri

2011-03-23T02:36:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the Marlowe School, where some very gifted students are having a hell of a year.

One night, across four cities, five children disappear. Years later, five enigmatic teenagers appear at an exclusive New York holiday party with their strange but beautiful governess, Madame Vileroy. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust children to the elite Marlowe School, where their presence brings unexplainable misfortune.

Using a series of “gifts” given to them by Madame Vileroy, the children are able to soar to suspicious heights at Marlowe. The gifts seem child-like in their simplicity. The governess teaches them to cheat, steal, hide, and lie; ‘harmless’ she calls them, though they are much more. For the vicious over-achiever, reading an unsuspecting mind is simply to cheat. For the reclusive pariah, the gift of stopping time is just another way to hide. And who but an aspiring writer can weave a convincing lie?

Soon, Madame Vileroy’s gifts become darker and more complex. Living in a gray home designed to cultivate and corrupt them, they are enveloped in the side effects of their own addictions. They live cursed lives, making deals with the devil as they claw their way toward their goals….that is until two of them begin to uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I actually finished reading this book a few months ago. After reading this book I decided to go online and check out what other people were saying about it. They were either really for the book or thought it was very boring. For me personally, I actually found the story very intriguing. The idea of five children going missing was a really fascinating plot and made me pick up the book, but Madame Vileroy’s (the main antagonist in the story) true motives made me want to read more. I’d rather not going to details about “her true motives” in case I end up spoiling the story for someone, so I’ll just move on the next topic: the characters.

I’m not sure if you are suppose to hate or “love to hate” these characters but I couldn’t help but love two of them, Victoria and Bice (pronounced: BEE-CHAY). Victoria’s need to be the best was so desperate that it became very comical. She became a caricature of an overachiever. As for Bice, she became the one that I could relate to. She was sort of the voice of reason (and the one who questioned everything). As for the others, they weren’t completely useless. At the end of the story I couldn’t help but feel very sorry for Valentin, Christian, and Belle; especially Valentin because I found that his circumstance was most sad of all (if you focused on the future outcome). What made me sad was Vileroy’s constant warping of the good things he did for people.

I know I keep mentioning how sad everything is but, I consider this story to be a dark comedy of sorts. Even though there are some serious undertones (messages) in this story I found it very comedic. Everything – every situation – up until the end was just very….funny. I don’t know why I found it so hilarious, I guess it’s because I constantly try to find the humor in darkest of situations. I really enjoyed this story and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel Another Pan. If you are considering reading this book please be patient with it, the outcome of the story is so very worth it.

Before I go I just have to mention something. The characters from left to right are: Christian, Victoria, Valentin, Belle, and Bice. Belle and Bice are Identical twins. However, Belle wants to be beautiful; so Vileroy made Belle into an in image of herself (as in Vileroy). What I find while looking at the depiction of the characters in various promotional pictures (especially this one) and the book trailer, Bice is just as beautiful as Belle (possibly even more so). I find it a tiny bit unnerving that she couldn't see that.

House of Night: Awakened by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast

2011-02-20T17:09:00.003-05:00

Exonerated by the Vampyre High Council and returned to her position of High Priestess at Tulsa’s House of Night, Neferet has sworn vengeance on Zoey. Dominion over her immortal consort Kalona is only one of the weapons she plans to use against Z.

But Zoey has found sanctuary on the Isle of Skye and is being groomed by Queen Sgiach to take over for her there. Being Queen would be cool, wouldn’t it? Why should she return to Tulsa? After losing her human consort, Heath, she will never be the same – and her relationship with her super-hot-warrior, Stark, may never be the same either…

And what about Stevie Rae and Rephaim? The Raven Mocker refuses to be used against Stevie Rae, but what choice does he have when no one in the entire world, including Zoey, would be okay with their relationship? Does he betray his father or his heart?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey people what's up! As you can [probably] tell from my greeting I'm in a very chipper mood this Sunday evening (and I'm extra wordy too). Today's book House of Night: Awakened took me a while to get over and another week or so to bring myself to review. Don't worry I won't go into details but I'll say this for those of you HoN fans who finihed Awakened you can probably guess why I was a bit depressed after reading this book. A bit dramatic I know, but what can I say.

Depression aside, I really enjoyed this book — I had a slight panic attack after reading this book because I thought the next book was the last and the events from this book made it unlikely that the Cast duo would neatly wrap up the story. However, I was gladly mistaken there will be 12 books in the series making it 4 book left. Anyway, where was I? I really liked this book; a lot of things were brought to light, but then we (readers, authors, characters, and plot) took 2 maybe 4 steps back and trip over a rock. Just kidding about the rock part, however, it did feel as if the amount of progress Zoey and company made to keep darkness and evil at bay Neferet swooped in and screwed it all up. I'm not complaining because it makes for a good read—except when characters get hurt.

My conclusion? Awakened lived up to it's 8 7 predecessors and delivered a great plot, delicious drama and a twisted ending. Simply put, it was very entertaining and even though certain events made me cry It was worth reading. Now It's your turn.

PS.: Here's another funny little story I forgot this book was out when I came across it.

Bookish Quiz: Are You Fiction or Non-fiction?

2011-02-18T17:13:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! I came across another book themed quiz on Blogthings.com. Here are my results.

You Are Nonfiction

You are mentally sharp and clear-minded. Facts matter to you, and you remember them well.

You are curious about the world, and many subjects interest you. You have a real thirst for knowledge.

You are willing to listen to any point of view, as long as it's backed up with facts and logic.

You have nothing against fiction, but you definitely feel like the real world is interesting enough as is!

So, are you fiction or non-fiction? Find out here and post your results after.

Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell

2011-01-18T12:31:00.000-05:00

Calling all Gleeks!

Get more of your favorite characters in this official Glee prequel!

All great performances deserve a warm-up! Enroll early at McKinley High--before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr. Schuester's eye. When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club function without a fearless leader? Hint: It wasn't exactly a perfect melody.

Break out the gold stars and refill the slushies: It's time to find out what happened to all your favorite characters before the show-mance began.

Now I don't know how many of you are Gleeks but I do know that a majority of you have heard at least a murmur about this hit show. But for those of you who aren't aware of the show plot here's a very quick run through of what the show is about.

Glee is a musical television series (NOT to be confused with High School Musical) about a select group of students/teachers who all attend/work at the fictional McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio where the glee club (or chorus group) is considered the bottom feeders of the social hierarchy. The show basically chronicles their struggle to make a name for themselves and to win some much needed R-E-S-P-E-C-T in a school where only there is only room for clubs that actually bring in funding. There are also themes of self acceptance, tolerance, and learning to march to your own beat despite what the masses say (I'm not too sure that the last one was a theme but I had to put it in).

Glee: The Beginning takes place approximately two weeks to a month (or two) before the very first episode. And similarly to the show it gives you a glimpse into everyone's life. However, the main focus was on Rachel (Berry) and Quinn (Fabray) [seen in the photo above]. And yes the book stays very true to the energy and flow of the TV show. I really have no complaints except for the fact it was sort of weird reading about Glee instead of watching it. Also there were a few inconsistencies where book clashed with the TV show. Nevertheless, I won't go into details because I'm slightly afraid of spoiling some of you.

If you haven't caught onto Glee and you're curious to know what it's all about; go check out the book then watch the very first episode (or vice versa it doesn't matter). And for the rest of you Gleeks out there the show returns with a special episode after the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 6 on FOX.

MERRY (BELATED) CHRISTMAS!!!

2010-12-27T05:16:00.000-05:00

Hey guys I'm back after a very crazy week. I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas on Christmas day but I was up at 8 after 5 hours of sleep and was cooking and helping my mom to cook. So I was really busy. Plus I still didn't get a chance to wrap my Secret Santa present yet so that had to be done also. My family's Christmas party was a blast. There was dancing, eating, even more dancing, and just so much fun.

The main event, though was our annual Secret Santa. OK so the deal with my family's Secret Santa is you can't just come with your gift present it to the person, give them a hug and take your seat. That's no fun at all. We liked being entertained so you've gotta get creative. For example:

My cousin (let's call him J) was my cousin L's Secret Santa. Her name was called, She took her seat on the Secret Santa "throne" made her three guesses didn't call J. He got up and approached her with a gift bag:

J: L I wasn't sure what to get you so...here's a banana. Merry Christmas.

Awkward Pause (Giggles, Snickers, Soft Laughter) while L searched the bag for her actual gift; a Sephora Gift Card.

Cute right. Now it gets interesting J is now in the running for the Secret Santa prize (which was $50 this year I think)

My cousin (here forth known as Evil Santa) has been winning for the past few years. I got her name this year. So naturally I wanted to knock her down a few.

The plan:

Get someone (who hasn't revealed themselves to be someone else's Santa) to give Evil Santa a letter.

The letter:

A riddle I found it through Google on Yahoo Answers it went like this:

Your *Secret Santa* works to please you,
It won't be long, before my job is through.
My age is not important, it could give me away,
But, as long as I'm here, I hope you enjoy my stay.
The gift I seek, I hope you like,
But, I promise you 1 thing, it's NOT a bike.
I wish for you, Good memories and cheer,
and hope you have a wonderful new year!
This cute little riddle is almost done,
and now the wondering and shopping has just begun.

My revision:

dear evil santa this person didn’t pick you
now guess again here’s a riddle to help you through

your secret santa has worked so hard just to please you, now it won't be long, before my job is finally through. my age is not important, it could give me away, but, as long as i'm here, i hope you enjoyed my stay.

the gift you seek, i hope you adore, if not, hand it back i’ll return it to the store i wish for you, good memories and great cheer, and here’s to a wonderful and happy new year!

i know it’s entertaining having the spotlight on you, but this cute little riddle is almost through you’d better guess quickly, you better be right because your Santa’s tired, I don’t have all night

I enlisted two People to help me my Mom and Aunt L. My mom is the one who over sees the whole Secret Santa operation. So when Evil Santa's name was called she was gonna shout Charmaine. Upon hearing the codeword Aunt L was suppose to approach Evil Santa and give her the letter.

So everything was great she didn't' guess my name mom shouted out Charmaine. Aunt L didn't respond. She shouted again, and again. Then everyone joined in. Finally, Ms. Wilson my mom's guest tapped her on the shoulder. She got up and approached Evil Santa who at first was reluctant to take the letter rightly not believing that she was her Secret Santa. She read the letter out loud everyone laughed. She guessed again didn't pick me. There was a pause and I jumped up shouting, "IT'S ME!" the expression on her face was priceless.

The Gift:

A big box wrapped in Winnie the Pooh Christmas paper. She opened it and on the very top was a note that said START DIGGING. So she did. She dug through the Styrofoam packing chips right up to the middle and found a present she opened it up to find a Seventeen Perfect Prom Scrapbook (which was actually from my mom but was donated for a very good cause)

and at the back of the book was another note NOT EVEN CLOSE. so she dived back into the Styrofoam all the way to the bottom where she found a layer of cardboard she moved it to find her actual present, a navy blue tote.

So that was my big plan but I didn't win the prize. Let's just say that I was knocked out of the running by a newcomer. But I'll have to tell you about it in my next post. So stay tuned.

New Quiz: Are You a Hardcover Book or a Paperback Book?

2010-12-17T16:20:00.002-05:00

I practically tipped over this one on blogthings.com. I needed a pick-me-up after dealing with my Christmas planning. I took a quiz about gift wrapping paper (or something like that). I guess I'll post that too. Anywho, here is the book quiz. Oh and there are others on left sidebar of this blog (where this one will be after I'm done posting it) check those out also.

You Are a Paperback Book

You are an avid reader, and you probably buy a lot of books. And nothing beats an inexpensive paperback you can carry around.

You read whatever you feel like reading. You aren't a snob, and you aren't ashamed of your tastes.

You always have a stack of books to get through, and it seems to be constantly multiplying.

You don't mind waiting for a book you want to come out in paperback. You have plenty to read in the meantime!

Are You a Hardcover Book or a Paperback Book?

Here's the other one it's called: The Present Wrapping Oracle

You Are Confident

You go all out when you give gifts. You want to give a present that will wow, even if it's a little over the top.

You are spontaneous and impulsive. You tend to do things quickly, and you're quite impatient.

You are very organized and together. No one would ever accuse you of being a slob.

Your style of dress is classic and chic. The clothes you wear will never go out of style.

The Present Wrapping Oracle

Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine

2010-12-12T05:29:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Morganville, Texas. Just don't stay out after dark.

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.

When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey guys; Season's Greetings! I hope the weather outside isn't too frightful! Uh, so, this series [The Morganville Vampires] is one of the series I've been reading behind the scenes. I'm actually up-to-date with all the books. I finished the latest in the series, Ghost Town and I wasn't disappointed. Rachel Caine is quickly climbing the list of my top favorite supernatural/horror authors. I love this series.

You know I have to give you the story behind our meeting; So here it is. I first encountered The Morganville Vamps series when I was in the Borders bookstore one day after finishing one of Tamora Pierce's Tales of Tortall books (I believe I was just starting Kel's story) when I came across the second book in the MV series Dead Girls Dance and went a little fan-girl crazy. Actually, now that I remember, That wasn't the first time I heard of the series it was our official introduction. The first time I heard of the series was when I was researching the different published teen series for TLC {back then it was CLC but that's another story for your history books}. Anywho, so we met (officially) that day and I filed the series mentally in my save-for-later pile. About two years after I was hunting for something new to read in my libraries online catalog and I discovered that they had the digital audio book on file to download. taking advantage of the opportunity I decided to download and read the first book Glass Houses. Needless to say I loved it.

We're back on track now so let's move on. Now, for some reason I keep comparing Morganville to House of Night. I know, i know they are parallels between the two series but I just find myself doing so. There's no criticism involved just whenever I think of HoN I Morganville comes to mind. Weird? Kinda? No? Alright never mind.

Hears why I love the series. The characters; all flawed but all lovable even the some of the vamps. Plot; great, intriguing plot lines even when you think that the situation the synopsis described couldn't possibly be that dramatic it turns out to be just as good as the last book. Dialogue; really really good banter, witty comebacks and jokes that makes you guffaw then snort with laughter.

So for those of you still Sitting on the fence wondering if the series is worth reading please take my advise and go read about The Morganville Vampires.

Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck

2010-12-06T08:27:00.005-05:00

Kerry is chosen by the coolest clique in school and so she thinks life has finally begun.

But then it seems all over when her three friends are killed in a shocking car accident.

Or are they?

Only weeks after the accident, Kerry receives a text from one of the girls:

We're all 3 here at my aunt's in the city. Take the 3:50 train. B there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was my first Richard Peck story. Like many authors, I've often come across his books but always put them in my save-for-later pile. So, I was very happy and excited that I was taking the leap and finally reading one of his books. Three Quarters Dead is your typical girl-gets-a-chance-to-roll-will-the-most-exclusive-clique-in-school-and-soon-finds-out-that-she-can't-handle-it story. Keeping what you've read in the synopsis in mind you can basically come to the conclusion that all isn't what it seems in this story.

While I was reading this book I kept trying to figure out what the supernatural slant to the plot would be. Throughout the story I thought the girls in the clique were witches but as it turned out they weren't (don't worry I won't spoil you. I want to say I enjoyed the story (in a way I did), but despite the fact that it as fun to read about Kerry coming into her own, and realizing that not because it says designer means that it looks or smells good on you. I mean, when written well stories like that are always fun. However, what was lacking for me was the supernatural plot line. Yes it made me feel as if what happened Kerry could easily happen to me, but (call me jaded or greedy) I felt that there could have been more to the story-- supernatural wise. If you're interested in reading Three Quarters Dead please do so and tell me what you think.

Despite my mixed feeling towards this book I really want to try reading another Richard Peck story, and thinking about it is making me excited to do just that. So if you have any recommendations at all please do not hesitate to point me in that book's direction.

Book2Movie: Tangled

2010-12-02T18:55:00.000-05:00

Movie: Tangled

Based on: Rapunzel

Story by: Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm

Screenplay by: Dan Fogelman

Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, and Donna Murphy

Storyline Written by Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)

After receiving the healing powers from a magical flower, the baby Princess Rapunzel is kidnapped from the palace in the middle of the night by Mother Gothel. Mother Gothel knows that the flower's magical powers are now growing within the golden hair of Rapunzel, and to stay young, she must lock Rapunzel in her hidden tower. Rapunzel is now a teenager and her hair has grown to a length of 70-feet. The beautiful Rapunzel has been in the tower her entire life, and she is curious of the outside world. One day, the bandit Flynn Rider scales the tower and is taken captive by Rapunzel. Rapunzel strikes a deal with the charming thief to act as her guide to travel to the place where the floating lights come from that she has seen every year on her birthday. Rapunzel is about to have the most exciting and magnificent journey of her life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw this movie Saturday night with my cousin. It was kinda impromptu. I'd just watched the trailer on TV for the umpteenth time; wondering what the movie really was about I decided to check out Wikipedia and read the plot. Needless to say it is nothing like the movie trailer would lead you to believe. So one thing lead to another and we found ourselves at the movies catching the last showing (which happened to be in 3D) which was at 10 pm and cost us $30. I'm not a fan of 3D not because I think it's a waste of money (I personally think that it's one step closer to interactive movies) but for me watching a movie in 3D is the same as watching it normally; so I'm not getting into detail about the technical aspect of the movie in 3D.

The movie was what a really good Disney movie should be and then some. There was action, romance, comedy, and a disneyfied princess. But like other Disney princesses: Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, Pocahontas, Mulan (yes, Mulan too), and Giselle (I don't know know about the other Disney princess, Tiana (from the Princess and the Frog) because I haven't been able to watch the movie, yet). Rapunzel actually pulled her weight in the movie. I could go on and on about how and why that relates to the feminist beliefs of this time but I won't.

So instead think about your first Disney princess movie; mine was Beauty and the Beast-- she was a BBL too, but as it turned out it was also my mom's favorite as well. She'd come home from a long hard day at work and watch it over and over and over again (of coarse I'm exaggerating a bit My Fair Lady was another favorite that she watched too) so you can how I'd find her unappealing after a while. Then in 1998 there was Mulan, in 2007 Enchanted wormed it's way into my jaded Disney heart but it didn't leave the impression that Mulan did.

That intense Disney feeling that I mentioned was rediscovered while watching this movie. The lantern scene (that's what I'm calling it) was so beautiful. You can see it in the movie poster above but it is nothing like movie. So I have not one bad thing to say about this movie. Everything from why Rapunzel was trapped in the tower to how she save her "prince" in the end was true to the books. And as an added bonus they were able to weave the parents back into the story. as a little girl I've often wondered (worried) what became of Rapunzel's parents so to see them there on screen apart as the story throughout was reassuring to me.

OK, so I've told you all I can about the movie Tangled now it's your turn to go see it or if your not into going to the movies put it on your to rent/order on pay-per-view list. It's a really good movie and for you criers like me keep some tissue nearby.

The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins

2010-11-23T21:57:00.000-05:00

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This book has been stalking me for the past 2 years. Teasing me at every turn. But I've steadfastly and stubbornly ignored the calls of Suzanne Collins' trilogy.What changed my mind? Well....many things but let's just chalk it up to my nosiness and the fact that I don't like being out of the loop especially when there's a potential literary gold mine at my finger tips. And what a let me tell you this series is everything I couldn't imagine it would be.

The number one thing future readers should know about this series is not to get attached to any character. Ms. Collins isn't shy about ending the life of a beloved character. It was very painful to see some of my favorites die. Second, this a dark series with a very sweet moments scattered in. There are a lot of themes in this series mainly political and moral themes and (for me at least) nothing was entirely black or white.

As always I'm struggling very hard not to blurt out major details of the books. I loved this series and I am really happy I decided to read....well....listen to the audio book. Speaking of-- part of what made this story so enjoyable was listening to Carolyn McCormick, narrator for The Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro, narrate this series. So for all of you who are still on the fence about reading The Hunger Games trilogy (trilogy not series like I've been saying throughout this review), count me in as one of the many raving fans of these books. And to Suzanne Collins you really made an impression on this book lover.

Blue Bloods: Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz

2010-11-14T07:02:00.001-05:00

After inheriting the dark Van Alen Legacy, Schuyler fled to Florence with her forbidden love, Jack. Now the two of them must embark on the mission Schuyler was destined to complete: to find and protect the five remaining gates that guard the earth from Lucifer, lord of the Silver Bloods.

Back in New York, Mimi has been elected Regent of a crumbling coven. Struggling with her heartache over the loss of Kingsley and with her overwhelming desire to destroy Jack, she must focus all of her energy on a perilous new threat. Vampires are being abducted and their captors are planning to burn them alive online…for all the world to see. Help arrives in the form of Deming Chen, a Venator from Shanghai, who must untangle the web of deceptions before the killers strike again.

As the young vampires struggle for the survival of the coven, they uncover a deadly secret, a truth first discovered by Schuyler’s mother during the Renaissance but kept buried for centuries. And as the Blue Blood enclave weakens yet further, fate leads Schuyler to a terrible choice that will ultimately map the destiny of her heart.

I checked over my blog posts twice and found that I've never reviewed or mentioned that I read the Blue Bloods series. Well, I do read the series and I like it; Especially now since finishing Misguided Angel the latest in the series. I have to say MdlC is really good not that I thought she wasn't before it's just that...well...she shocked me ok. This book is by far the best in the series and even that position is tentative seeing as the action/drama to come would probably blow what happened in this book out of the way.

For those of you who either never heard of this series or if you have heard of the series but turn up your nose or other body parts at this series and you're currently refusing to read this book I suggest you go to your local library or bookstore and read this book. I have to warn though The first four books in this series are about how Schuyler loves Jack, and Jack loves Schuyler but they can't have each other and the impending threat of the Silver Bloods and who is can possibly be. It's a bit tedious but you shouldn't skip to the end and read this book first. Why? Because, it's always good to know the full story. Now that you guys finally know about this series this review ends here for you. So run along and start reading then you can finish reading this post.

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

For those of you who are up-to-date with this series please continue on I have a few things I have to mention or I start talking to myself about them .

Mimi and Oliver: I'm loving that Melissa paired them up. They're like an odd couple. I know they aren't in love but they're friends and I like that. I'm also warming up to Mimi she isn't so one sided, coldhearted or clueless anymore. She's like Cordelia Chase from Buffy; she's seeing the bigger picture and is out to make a change. Does anyone else see were they headed? To Egypt. Where Schuyler is also headed. Eep?

Deming (spellcheck please): I love her and I want to be her. Since Bliss isn't in the picture anymore she is my new fave. Bliss is a reluctant second and Oliver is sadly third. everyone else is a jumbled mess of fourth, fifth, and so on. Back to Dee I'm calling her Dee because I'm not sure how her name is spelled. She is no nonsense and she didn't even flinch when she had to kill the guy she loves. That alone demands respect. And yeah I know she's probably gonna need therapy after this but that day hasn't reached us yet so let's just continue to dwell in her awesomeness. P.S. can't wait to meet her twin.

Jack and Schuyler: There isn't much to say about them. I'm actually glad because I was actually getting really bored of the series because of them so the less I read about them being together and in love the better.

Looking forward to the next book aren't you?

And the Winner is.......

2010-10-28T08:10:00.003-04:00

WDEBO aka electricalbookcafe@yahoo.com

Congrats to you Wdebo.

And for the other participants I'd like to thank you for joining in on my giveaway.

I truly hope you'll participate the next time I'm giving something away.

Thanks again.

The Waking: Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall

2010-10-10T11:39:00.153-04:00

Kara’s afraid to go to sleep—until the nightmares come when she’s awake....

Sixteen-year-old Kara Foster is an outsider in Japan, but is doing her best to fit at the private school where her father is teaching English for the year. Fortunately she’s befriended by Sakura, a fellow outsider struggling to make sense of her sister’s unsolved murder some months ago.

No one seems to care about the beautiful girl who was so brutally murdered, and the other students go on as if nothing has happened. Unfortunately, the calm doesn’t last for long. Kara begins to have nightmares, and soon other students in the school turn up dead, viciously attacked by someone . . . or something.

Is Sakura getting back at those she thinks are responsible for her sister’s death? Or has her dead sister come back to take revenge for herself?

I have to confess. I didn't find this isn't that scary not like The Last Apprentice (The Spook's Apprentice to the UK/Europe readers); I realized this after reading Dreams of the Dead I was so into the mystery of the story to realized I wasn't scared. However, this book is a definite favorite of mine. Kara is a delightful character to read about. The only thing I believe is a definite negative of this story is that Kara is a Mary Sue. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term; a Mary sue is a female character of any story that has not flaws all she has is good character traits and always means well. I've been coming across the term a lot this past month and I've been hyper aware of them. As for the way this character discovery has affected my view on the story; it hasn't in either way. Kara herself gave the reason why. In some part of the story she mentions how different her approach to the situations in her life is based on what she would have done if back home in the U.S. I have to say that my reasoning is similar. I've read books where character growth is noticeable by the end of the book. Since this is a series I tend to be a little more lenient and wait for character growth in the rest of the series which is what I plan to do for The Waking.

This is my pick for the first ever Halloween Giveaway.

One lucky person will be winning a free copy of The Waking: Dreams of the Dead.

The rules are simple:

Post your name and email address in either the Comments or Cbox areas on this blog.

Entries are accepted the second this post is published until FRIDAY 29TH OCTOBER @ 12:01AM EST (Eastern Standard Time)

The winner will be picked randomly.

Good luck to everyone.

And It Begins (Again)

2010-10-08T05:54:00.001-04:00

Hello again readers of this blog. It's me The Book Brat. Popping in from yet another intromptue hiatus. By now you you're probably staring at your screen unfazed thinking, "Oh look, she's back," in flat monotones. Yes I know I'm rambling but how else do I announce my umpteenth attempt to make this blog (for lack of a better word) "work".

A few updates then:

Tomorrow I will be posting a review in honor of the spectacular holiday, Halloween.

Along with this review I will be hosting a giveaway. Where one lucky person will win a copy of the book I'm reviewing. I'm hoping that will be the start of a holiday tradition of sorts maybe even something more.

Next TLC short for Teen Lit Central my YA Fiction site that you've probably heard me mention in passing a few times. It is officially on it's way. I'm looking at late spring, early summer for the official release. This is part of the reason I've been away a lot and it's kind of a relief seeing it almost done. I be explaining everything (the dream, what to expect, and so on.) in another post.

Lastly if for some reason this post looks weird to you. It's because it's because I'm testing out blogging by ipod. Personally I find it very uncomfortable and I'll probably won't do it often, but if I find out some bookish news that I just have to share I will be reaching for my pod even if it takes me 50 minutes to an hour to post what I've gotta say.

Well guys it's been fun catching up. TTYT!!!

P.S.: You can check out some of what I'm doing by going to the TLC YouTube channel. It has mainly book trailers but I'm sure you'll like it.

Pretty Little Liars: The TV Series So Far

2010-07-16T01:43:00.001-04:00

So, after almost 2 years of anticipation, the Pretty Little Liars series has finally become a reality for fans of the book. From the actors to the script we agonized over how the producers would interpret Sara Shepard's masterpiece and who would portray our girls: Ali, Emily, Spencer Hanna, and Aria.

I know we're on episode 6 going onto 7 now and bloggers all over the web has more than shared their opinions on...well...everything, but since this is a show I've been excited to see I decided to reserve judgment until the fifth or sixth episode. So here are my thoughts on the show.

First of all, let me say I'm so over the way they look; it's not important even though at first I was disappointed that Emily wasn't a redhead [Love redheads].

Spencer: Troian Bellisario portrays her really well. I know a lot of people say things like "she looks so old" but personally I like her. I think she brings Spencer to life, and with the combination of Troian acting and the writer's portrayal of Spencer I find her to have more of a softer personality than she did in the books. As for her family life; I find it to be less aggressive and brutal than it was in the books. Her parents were horrible [I my opinion] in the book series and I was worried about going through that again on the small screen.

Aria: I've been seeing a lot of Lucy Hale over the past year or two and have found myself, on occasion enjoying watching her performances. Lucy as Aria....well, I never liked her hooking up with Ezra I always seeing ending horribly and like his [Ezra's] friend said, "She''l l be getting her diploma while you'll be getting a pink slip and and orange jumpsuit". I'm praying that the writers change the outcome for them [I really, really do hope so]. As for Aria's Fam; I'm loving that Holly Marie Combs is portraying her mom. I loved as Piper in Charmed and was so happy when I read that she was cast as Ella. I'm also loving that the writer are giving their marriage a second chance.

Emily: Shay Mitchell [personality wise] is doing Emily justice, Em and Aria were my favorite people in the book series. So to see Em brought to life [almost] the way I imagined her adds a double plus in the Liking-The-Show column. Her conflicts of interests Toby and Maya are also fun to watch. I know this is Em's "moment" but I have to talk about Bianca Lawson as Maya St. Germain. She has been a fave of mine since I first saw her in Save the Last Dance as Julia Stiles' competition for Sean Patrick Thomas' heart, then again in season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Buffy's replacement, and even more recently as Emily Bennett Bonnie's witchy ancestor. This girl no woman has been around since...well...forever and still looks good enough to play a 15/16 year old girl. It was a total shock for my sister, cuz, and mom when I told them. And I just had to point it out to you especially since these days it's getting easier to spot the 20 something playing the teen. Looks aside she plays a near perfect Maya in my opinion.

Hanna: Ashley Benson forever the mean girl; well, most of the time. Ashley's another I've seen around, a lot. And personally I'm loving as Hanna. I never really felt for Hanna except when it came to her family life and the accident (book fans you know what I mean). But I find she's moving up there next to Em and Aria. She's also another whose personality has been softened a lot on screen.

I'm really curious to see where the writers are taking this story. I'm especially curious to see where they're going with Jenna Cavanaugh. She's being awfully aggressive on screen; she never seemed that way to me in the books and like my sister pointed out she's kind of bullying the girls which is sort of funny and creepy at the same time.

As we get into the last four episodes of the original ten episodes of the show I'm really excited for the revelation of A and other things to come full circle.

That's it for now I'll be back with more after episode 10. For those of you who's been missing the shows both on ABC Family and Hulu, you can catch up on YouTube and Tvduck. And I suggest you do because I'm bringing spoilers to the table mext time.

All Unquiet Things by by Anna Jarzab

2010-07-06T23:11:00.002-04:00

Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.

Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.

Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.

As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.

All Unquiet Things reminded me of a review I did when I first started this blog. The book was called What Ever Happened to Cass McBride?; after reading that book a floodgate of emotions opened up. Similarly, this book did the same thing for me. I staring at my blinking cursor thinking about where to start with this book. And it's crazy because this book [after reading it] moved me: to my laptop write this review, and to IMDb where I found myself looking for my dream cast-- I'll share that with you at the end of this review.

I'll start at the top... At first I found this book really slow and difficult to get through, but I was prepared for that based on the reviews I read on Amazon[.com]. Knowing what I did made me serious about sticking through 'til the end with this one and it was worth it. I often mention how predictable a story was or how I saw a certain event coming; and I know it makes me sound jaded, but I'm not. While reading this book I had a character in mind pegged for the killer but I was so unsure about why and/or how it could be that person. I was insecure and I liked that feeling....a lot.

Besides being slow, a lot of people described the book pretentious due to the fact that there was a quote at the beginning of the story. But for me it didn't matter; I never really pay attention to quotes. Sorry authors whose books I've read in the past who probably had a quote as the opener to your story. Quotes neither add nor subtract points to or from a story. It was the same for this story. What made this story so delicious for me besides the mystery, was the characters: Neily, Audrey, and Carly they were so tragic. With such tragic characters and the mystery so obscure no wonder I was attracted to it.

I really do suggest this book to readers looking for something dark and broody this summer. (IT"S HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!)

MY DREAM CAST

CARLY-Brie Gabrielle

Sad to say that I didn't pick her based on her acting prowess. The only people who were considered based on their acting abilities were my Pick for Audrey and Cas. You can see Brie as a brunette here and you'll probably see Carly after you've read the book, probably.

NEILY- Nicholas Braun

He just looked the part to me...

AUDREY- Ayla Kell

I've watched her on Make It or Break It as Payson. She's one of my fave actresses and I believe that she can pull off this role. It doesn't hurt that she's gorgeous too.

CAS- Michael Welch

The "good guy" in the Twilight movies. He auditioned for the role of Edward Not sure if he was convincing but he may be as Cas.

ADAM- Jesse James

He could also play Cas. But I like him for Adam. Dunno why just do. Here's the pic I saw.

That's it. I believe in the power of make up when bringing a charater to life on the big screen; so please look beyond their pictures and try to see what I see. BUT read the book first!

Book2(TV)Movie: Seven Deadly Sins

2010-05-10T22:59:00.003-04:00

Remember this series by Robin Wasserman-- author of Hacking Harvard, Skinned, and Chasing Yesterday? I haven't read it [Seven Deadly Sins] myself but I've come across it on occasion when looking for a new book to read or scouting for a series to add to TLC back when it was a MSN Group.

According to Wikipedia* the series is about:

...seven morally bankrupt teenagers in a small California town. Each novel revolves around one of the sins and each character's transgressions specific to that sin. They follow the lives of Harper Grace, Beth Manning, Adam Morgan, Kane Geary, Miranda Stevens, Reed Sawyer, Katherine (Kaia) Sellers, and their French teacher, Jack Powell.

The series will be made into a four hour mini-series set to debut on the Lifetime Movie Network. The mini-series is showing on May 23 to May 24 at 8pm EST/5pm PST.

It's very short notice I know but I'm posting this new for the fans (and/or future fans) of the book series who hasn't heard the news and would be very interested in this ~~movie~~ mini-series.

For those of you who wants to read the series before the premiere date check your local library or bookstores (I've seen the books on the shelves of Barnes & Noble and Borders up until a few weeks ago). To make finding and reading the books easier the picture above shows the order of the book.

*Wikipedia - an information site where I have [so far] gotten very accurate information on a wide variety of subjects even though many people have mentioned how unreliable the site is.

Mates, Dates, A Secret Story by Cathy Hopkins

2010-05-10T12:37:00.001-04:00

At last the full story of Tony and Lucy’s romance can be revealed...

Lucy
Dad slowed down the car as the traffic lights changed and it was then that I saw him. A vision of boy babeness. Dark. Handsome. Chiselled jaw. My heart sped up. It did a boom banga bang in my chest.

Tony
‘So what do you think of Lucy and Izzie?’ asked Nesta.
‘Sweet,’ I said.
‘Both of them?’
‘Which is which again?’

Tony has no idea that he is about to fall for the lively, elfin Lucy. But the course of true love never did run smooth – and reading his side of the story as well as hers is an irresistible treat for all Mates, Dates fans.

YAY!! I am very, very, very, very, VERY proud to say that I am one of the hundreds, thousands (hundred thousands?) Mates, Dates fans who actually own this rare book. This is one books released especially for the World Book Day celebrations.

For those of you who haven't yet read any of the Mates, Dates books; the [Mates, Dates] story is about Lucy, Izzie, Nesta, and later on TJ. They are four girls living in Northern London. The 12 books in series (3 for each girl) chronicles their lives so far.

What makes this book so special is that fans of the Lucy/Tony relationship get to read Tony's POV, learning what exactly about Lucy made him like her so much. You also get to see what happened to Lucy & Tony when the focus was on Iz, Nesta, and/or TJ.

I have to warn you though; the book covers EVERYTHING from Mates, Dates and Inflatable Bras to Mates, Dates and Sizzling Summers. So I strongly suggest that you read the series first before attempting to procure this book.

I'm saying this because I've read a few reviews where the reviewer complains that the book jumped from one event to the next; and the way I see it is it makes sense to write the book that way. After waiting at the most six months for each Mates, Dates book to be released; who wants to go over every event (not gonna list them) that at times had nothing to do with Lucy and Tony. This is their story, no one elses.

Moving on... This book was a treat like I probably said before. It was nice reading Tony's POV and know what lead Lucy and Tony to where they are today.

Star Crossed: Aries Rising by Bonnie Hearn Hill

2010-05-08T12:06:00.001-04:00

Aquarius Logan McRae is a high school sophomore in Terra Bella Beach, CA and has been working all semester to impress her teachers in order to get into the summer writing camp she desperately wants to attend. But when this ordinary girl finds an extraordinary book, Fearless Astrology, her life is changed forever. Applying what she’s learned about the zodiac, she lands her own column in the school paper and a date with the hottest guy in school

But when Logan threatens to catch the members of a secret society called The Gears, who have been vandalizing school property by reading the stars, she quickly learns that she is in over her head. Will Logan be able to catch The Gears, save her love life, keep her newspaper column, and get into the writing camp of her dreams all through the use of astrology?

I've always been interested astrology (even though I love numerology more) and I absolutely love mysteries; so it was kind of a treat to find a new series about a girl who uses astrology to solve mysteries. I have to say I enjoyed getting to know Logan. She's the type of girl I see myself liking if she were in this reality. I liked how Bonnie Hearn Hill teaches readers (through Logan) how exactly astrology works. For me it was understanding that even though I'm a Leo I tend to feel like a Cancer.

The book isn't just about learning astrology. It's also about how Logan learns about herself; using her positive traits to become more assertive and also learning to overcome the not-so-great part of herself. All this and more makes this a coming of age book where you'd actually see character growth by the end of the first book of the series.

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

2010-05-06T23:11:00.001-04:00

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn't enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson's the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad—turned—spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn't be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty!

When Tessa's own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa's sneaky ways end in catastrophe?

The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

The Naughty List was actually a fun read. What attracted me to this story was the parallel plot to Jennifer Lynne Barnes' The Squad series where the cheerleaders also have a double life.

The story started out very awkward at first because Tessa --the main character, was always so peppy, and happy-happy so much so that her bubbly-ness well, bubbled over into the way she talks. Instead of using the mainstream cuss and swear words (come on don't play coy you know what they are). Tessa prefers phrases like: "Holy cannoli ", and "strawberry milkshake". It's all sweet and refreshing, but when you've grown accustom to reading YA books where they are cuss/swear words frequenting every page it's weird not to see it.

However, there is a reason that Tessa acts (and talks) the way she does. And it makes her story a bit sadder than it is. Now throw in your typical snarky teen girl and her lovestruck older brother and you get 240 pages full o' drama. Voila!! Fun Read!

Anyways, I'm blabbling. The Naughty List is a really good read if you love books about cheerleaders, spies, and/or double lives (I know I do); this is the series for you.

House of Night: Burned by P.C. Cast

2010-05-05T11:31:00.000-04:00

When friends stop trusting each other, Darkness is there to fan the flames….

Things have turned black at the House of Night. Zoey Redbird’s soul has shattered. With everything she’s ever stood for falling apart, and a broken heart making her want to stay in the Otherworld forever, Zoey’s fading fast. It’s seeming more and more doubtful that she will be able pull herself back together in time to rejoin her friends and set the world to rights. As the only living person who can reach her, Stark must find a way to get to her. But how? He will have to die to do so, the Vampyre High Council stipulates. And then Zoey will give up for sure. There are only 7 days left…

Enter BFF Stevie Rae. She wants to help Z but she has massive problems of her own. The rogue Red Fledglings are acting up, and this time not even Stevie Rae can protect them from the consequences. Her kinda boyfriend, Dallas, is sweet but too nosy for his own good. The truth is, Stevie Rae’s hiding a secret that might be the key to getting Zoey home but also threatens to explode her whole world.

In the middle of the whole mess is Aphrodite: ex-Fledgling, trust-fund baby, total hag from Hell (and proud of it). She’s always been blessed (if you could call it that) with visions that can reveal the future, but now it seems Nyx has decided to speak through her with the goddess’s own voice, whether she wants it or not. Aphrodite’s loyalty can swing a lot of different ways, but right now Zoey’s fate hangs in the balance.

Three girls… playing with fire… if they don’t watch out, everyone will get Burned

Whoa! What a rush this book was. Even though the synopsis made it seem as if the main contenders were Zoey, Stevie Rae, and Aphrodite. It wasn't exactly so.... It's hard trying to sort through my emotion. On one hand I'm bursting to go into the explicit details of this story on the other [hand] I'm fighting to play it calm and not spoil my easily spoiled readers out there.

Vague it is. Like I mentioned before; the book isn't centered around Zoey. When I say centered I mean you aren't reading her POV (Point Of View) for about 95% of this book. I have to say though, I loved how the Cast duo* has been writing these past books (Tempted and Burned) where you read Zoey's POV which is in the first person POV (meaning you read a lot of: "I feel", "I said", "I watched"). Where as, when it was say, Stevie Rae you'd read her POV in the third person ("She felt", "She said", "She watched") I'm pointing this out because I think that it's a nice way of keeping the story Zoey's while, including the other main players for that moment.

Ok, I've been dodging actually talking about Burned. After reading this book you may have one or all of these feelings/realizations:

the book didn't cover much of the story
the book was way to short
is it just you or are these books getting shorter
the Cast duo is purposely feeding you cliffhangers
if each book keeps ending in cliffhanger you'd go ape poopy crazy
the events of this story happened under a seven day time period
the Cast duo could have squeezed 100+ more pages into the story
You absolutely CANNOT wait 6-7 months for the next book

Those were just my base feelings after reading Burned. Burned was fun, exciting, sad, sweet, exasperating, and overall bittersweet. The death of one of our heroes (NOT heroines) was finalized in this book, which unlike the sweet candy bar which isn't said hero's namesake, left a bitter taste in the end of Burned.

That's It For Now.

*Duo- favorite scrabble word a la moment. Got me out of a lot of jams that word.

Private: Revelation by Kate Brian

2010-04-21T09:14:00.000-04:00

The biggest mystery of all...and Reed is dying to learn the truth.

Two months after Cheyenne Martin was found dead in her Billings House dorm room, exclusive Easton Academy is rocked by another stunning revelation: Cheyenne was murdered. No one knows who the killer is, but everyone agrees that Reed Brennan, who took over Cheyenne's role as Billings's president, gained the most from her death. Once the most powerful girl on campus, Reed is now powerless to stop her classmates' accusing whispers. Rumors begin to swirl that she killed Cheyenne.

And just like that, Reed is kicked out of Billings.

She's lost everything — her friends, her home, her boyfriend — and Reed knows the only way to get it all back is to figure out who really murdered Cheyenne. And she has to do it fast because the killer is still out there. The more Reed investigates, the more she uncovers. And as any Billings Girl knows...secrets can be deadly.

Another spine tingling mystery solved at Easton A. The "Revelation" wasn't really one for me. It was more of a confirmation of all my theories. All my guesses as to who the killer was and his/her motives were was spot on. But enough about that let's get down to the meat of the story.

As you know from the synopsis, Reed is back to negative one on the social radar that she loves (and hates) so much. I have to admit that it was really painful to read her tragic fall from grace and the way she was treated but it made for a pretty good read. Her fall from grace was sort of a blessing in disguise because without it she wouldn't have gained the allies she did or secure the necessary clues to help her find the killer.

This would (possible) be my last book read for this series. I believe anything more is like fanning a flame that's about to go out. It's sad but I believe it's time to move on.

RESULTS FOR THE MY SOUL TO SAVE GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-02-08T15:57:00.005-05:00

And the lucky winners are:

Alicia aka bloggyig@gmail.com

Nickolay aka Jason@allworldautomotive.com

AND

Brend H aka pksanddancer@yahoo.com

CONGRATS to the lucky winners I'll be emailing you to get your mailing addresses.

As for the rest of you; Thank You so much for participating in this giveaway. This has been my first hugely successful giveaway and I really have no one but you guys to thank for it.

Thanks again all of you and I hope you participate next time.

Triple Book Review: Soul Screamers Books 1, 2, & 3

2010-01-26T11:01:00.001-05:00

Seeing that I'm hosting a giveaway for My Soul to Save I decided it was time for me to finally read the series. After all, you can't giveaway something you know nothing about because you'll eventually be missing out.

Back to Soul Screamers...

MY SOUL TO LOSE

THE E-BOOK PREQUEL

Available online 4 free

It was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.

Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.

She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities....

This is a very quick read. It took me a little under thirty minutes to read and for a quick intro to the series it was pretty good. At first I was annoyed that I was left with a lot of unanswered questions but when I actually started the series they were all answered. Again this is a quick read you can read on your: computer/laptop, so there isn't much else I can report on.

MY SOUL TO LOSE

SOUL SCREAMERS BOOK ONE

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh. She doesn't see dead people, but...

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to be a normal girl, basking in the joy of having caught the attention of Nash, the hottest guy in school. But getting through a first date isn't easy when he seems to know more about Kaylee's need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only she knows who'll be next...

The first book in the series. Very intense, very entertaining, so much fun to read. Ok I am not giving you any ideas [except one clue] as to what it is about. Here's the clue:

It's supernatural [of course] something mentioned in passing in quite a few series but has never been a central focus...until now.

Any guesses. Well I can't tell you, it'll spoil the story. But I can tell you that I really like this series. I see amazing plots to come. Kaylee is a cool character but in this book she is [for lack of a better word] a bit clueless. Most everything has to be spelled out for her which is necessarily a bad thing. It leaves no room for guessing no gray areas. But again that's fine.

MY SOUL TO SAVE

SOUL SCREAMERS BOOK TWO

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls for a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

Another very intense, very entertaining book; even more so than the previous one. Kaylee is so much more different than she was before. The word I meant to use is aggressive. I was seriously scared for her while reading this book. I swear if I didn't know there was a next book to come I'd have "pegged her a goner". There a different literary atmosphere in this book sort of like yesterday's weather bright and sunny with an underlining of darkness and cold. Which, in my case, for a supernatural book is a very good thing.

There isn't anything negative I can say about this book or the series so far for that matter. But I can say that Rachel Vincent made a remarkable transformation from adult fiction to teen fiction and I'll give this series a solid 8 stars out of 10 because I see more books to come and there's room for improvement.

PS: I especially liked book two because it brings up a certain subject of the entertainment industry that I found smirk-worthy.

My Soul to Save Giveaway

2010-01-25T00:25:00.000-05:00

My Soul to Save

BOOK RELEASE

ONLINE GIVEAWAY

Three (3) winners will receive:

Book #2 in the Soul Screamers series: My Soul to Save

To enter this giveaway, enter your:
Name
Email Address

This giveaway ends February 8, 2010 at noon EST (Eastern Standard Time)

Books are valued at $ 9.99 each

Giveaways are open to US mailing addresses only.

ABOUT THE BOOK
When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks on stage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

Soul Screamers: The last thing you hear before you die.

You can learn more about Kaylee by downloading the free Soul Screamers prequel My Soul To Lose here!

VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE
http://www.soulscreamers.com

CHECK OUT THE BOOK TRAILER

GOOD LUCK!!!

The Lonely Hearts Club

2010-01-18T11:04:00.001-05:00

Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it.

And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . .

This book was a learning experience for me, music wise. The Beatles was the musical soundtrack for this book and since I thought that I didn't know that many Beatles songs and because I figured that It'd be fun to have the songs mentioned in the book playing in the background while I read to get the literary atmosphere stirring with new ingredients in the mix. Enough about the music onto the book.

The Lonely Hearts Club is full of positive, non-preachy messages of unbiased female power and being a better girl-friend to your girl-friends. I love and respect this book because it cover some things I'm currently going through with my friends and my younger family members. Nothing negative to say all positive. the only thing left to say is check out this book. Also, try the musical soundtrack it isn't hard to find the music I used and when to play the songs.

January Giveaway: The Lonely Hearts Club

2010-01-15T09:04:00.013-05:00

The Lonely Hearts Club

BOOK RELEASE

ONLINE GIVEAWAY

Three (3) winners will receive:
The Lonely Hearts Club book

INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOOK
Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating, so she vows: No more. She’s had one too many bad dates, and has been hurt by one too many bad boys. It’s a personal choice…and soon everybody wants to know about it. It seems that Penny’s not the only girl who’s tired of the way girls change themselves (most of the time for the worse) in order to get their guys…or the way their guys don’t really care about them. Girls are soon thronging to The Lonely Hearts Club (named after Sgt. Pepper’s band), and Penny finds herself near legendary for her non-dating ways – which is too bad, since the leader of The Lonely Hearts Club has found a certain boy she can’t help but like…

How can you enter?

Just post your:
Name
Email Address

All entries most be submitted by noon EST (Eastern Standard Time) January 29, 2010.

Winners will be selected randomly.

Curious to learn more about the Lonely Hearts Club?

VISIT THE AUTHOR'S WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION

http://www.elizabetheulberg.com

WATCH A VIDEO FEATURING THE AUTHOR

GOOD LUCK!!!

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

2010-01-12T09:30:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn't know how lucky I was.

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends - her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

In the past I've tried reading Elizabeth Scott's books but could never get past the first few chapters. But this story had me captivated from beginning to end. I'm not one for excessively sad stories about abuse [of any kind] but this story left a lasting impression not only on me but on the friends and family i've loaned this book out to.

I liked Elizabeth Scott's inside look at what living with your kidnapper and abuser would be like. As for the characters: Ray was everything i imagined a violent pedophile would be; and Alice she wasn't just your typical Grade A+ victim. She didn't choose to be the martyr. And that didn't make me love or hate her. It made her...human.

So Ms. Scott, awesome book. I'm hoping that I'll love any book you've written after this one, as much as I loved A Living Dead Girl.

New Year, New Books, New Book Brat

2010-01-06T21:28:00.004-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Betcha thought I gave up on this lil' blog here.

Well I didn't... I was off dumping my creative energy into a little site called Teen Lit Central (TLC for short).

It's been a crazy 3 moths for me filled with web building, family "feuds", new roomies, meetings, school, meetings about school and very recently, surprise engagements (NOT MINE!!!).

Yup that's my story.

OH! By the way I got BOOKCASES!!! I got them from Ikea and they're red. And EVERYONE loves them.

OK for those of you who are either starting at your screen blankly or snorting with scornful laughter, let me explain. My books have been lying containers or boxes for the past 3 years so it's a HUGE relief to not only have one but two...

MOVING ON...

So, give or take a week or two, about two years ago I came on the blogging seen two New Years resolutions, a need to creatively express myself, a really crappy name (it's OK even I cringe at the name The Book Brat), and a lack of knowledge about this bloggossphere.

Now two years later after disappearing and reappearing constantly. I, The Book Brat, have entered this new year with a new (positive) attitude, new ideas, and tons more books to review.

So, if you're interested. Join me.

THE BOOK BRAT'S NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS FOR 2010

BE A GOOD BLOGGER!
Try to blog more frequently
Finish and launch Teen Lit Central
Attempt steps to starting a YA Podcast. (this one's more of a 2010/2011 resolution)

Another Chance To Win Books!!!

2009-09-04T20:13:00.005-04:00

The James Patterson Maximum Ride Book Promotion

ENTER TO WIN A SET OF JAMES PATTERSON PAGETURNERS!

MAXIMUM RIDE – IF SHE LIVES, THE WORLD LIVES, IT’S THAT SIMPLE.

Read “MAX” - the newest book in the bestselling Maximum Ride series.

On sale in paperback 09/01/09!

Still reeling from their most recent adventure, Maximum Ride and the rest of the flock must head out to sea to uncover the secret behind a brand new series of disasters—fish are dying off the coast of Hawaii, hundreds of ships are being destroyed. As if that weren’t enough, they’re also being tracked by a criminal mastermind with, oh yeah, an army of mercenaries. Can the flock save themselves and the ocean, and the world, from utter destruction?

The Prize Pack Contains

Maximum Ride: Max (paperback)

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (paperback)

Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever (paperback)

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (paperback)

Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (paperback)

Maximum Ride: Manga (paperback)

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (paperback)

Daniel X: Watch the Skies (hardcover)

Two (2) winners will receive a James Patterson Prize Pack!

All you have to do is post your name and email address either in the comments sectionor on my Cbox.

You names will be randomly selected.

!!GOOD LUCK!!

The Fine Print:

The Maximum Ride: Max Promotion is open to legal US residents who are at least 13 years of age as of August 24, 2009. There will be two prizes for each Promotion. Each prize consists of the following eight (8) books: Maximum Ride: Max (paperback); Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment (paperback); Maximum Ride: School’s Out – Forever (paperback); Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (paperback); Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (paperback); Maximum Ride: Manga (paperback); The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (paperback); and Daniel X: Watch the Skies (hardcover). The approximate retail value of each prize is $72.00. Winners will be confirmed on or about September 28, 2009 by email. Prizes will only be shipped to confirmed winners with addresses in the US. Prizes will be shipped within 30 days after a selected entrant is confirmed as a winner.

September + October = Book Giveaway Month

2009-08-24T14:41:00.007-04:00

September is right around the corner; do you know what that means?

2009 NATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

Where: Washington, DC; on the National Mall

When: September 26, 2009

What's so exciting about this Festival?

Well, not only are we celebrating the joy of literature and the way books have impacted our society. We're celebrating how much reading has again become a great love of ours in this millennium.

It's also a chance for everyone of all ages to meet their favorite authors (last year I was this close to meeting both Neil Gaiman and R.L. Stine two of my favorite authors). Authors such as:

Richard Peck
R.L. Stine
Neil Gaiman
Holly Black
Walter Dean Meyers
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Meg Cabot
Stephenie Meyers
Sharon Draper
James Patterson

Have attended the celebrations in the past.

This is the 9th annual celebration. The 4th year I've known about it; and the 2nd year I'll be attending.

This is a big deal and I want to share it with you.

So until say the 15th of September I'd really like it (if you're interested) to check out the list of authors and post whose autographed book you'd like.
The author/authors with the most votes will be the ones I'll be approaching for autpgraphed books.
I believe you can only take a maximum of 2 to 4 books to an author, depending on their popularity.
I can't get autographed copies for everyone so there will be random drawings based on your choice author and their books.

For example:

Author A and B are your choices.

Author A's fans asked for books 1, 2, and 3.

10 asked for book 1. 5 asked for book 3. and 20 asked for book 2.

That means 10 people will be in the drawing for book1. 5 for book 3 and 20 for book 2.

As for Author B. 50 people asked for his/her bestselling book, book 4.

Since this is the only book requested, I'll secure the maximum amount whether it's 2 or 4.

Out of those 50 2 or 4 people will be in the running for book 4.

You do not have to limit yourself to just one author or book.

This is my second giveway but my first really big one. So I'm really happy right now.

To qualify for the drawing post your:

Name
E-mail
Choice Author(s)
Choice Book(s)

on this and/or future posts predating September 15th 2009.

Or you can post your entry on my Cbox located on my sidebar.

OR you can e-mail me at thebookbrat@gmail.com with the subject:

Septober Giveaway!

Good Luck!!!

PS: If anything confuses you just shoot me an e-mail and I'll get back to you.

R U Watching Private???

2009-08-19T17:45:00.005-04:00

Well? Are you?

Come on guys it's only 6 minutes and they're airing episode six next. The show started August 11th (last week Tuesday). So it's going by fast.

I understand if you're tentative about watching the web show because it's a web show (lack of funding for better actors, props, great scenic locations). But it's not bad (for a web show--my first I should add).

The story's different from what we know of the books. Reed is assigned to Billings sort of like Sabine and those other girls...........As a matter of fact Reed's situation follows the beginning of the second part of the Private book series.

The episodes go by fast so don't blink, yawn, answer the any calls, check any IMs or Texts. Don't even go to the bathroom--you can hold your pee for 6 minutes, right?

Since it would be a disservice to you guys if I go into detail about each episode, I'll just Talk about my reactions to.....

The Characters:

Reed: Love her. not who I envisioned but she passed due to likability.

Noelle: This was a bit difficult since she is my favorite character. Still snarky.....she passed.

Taylor: A bit annoying.

Kiran: Since there was a whole web show dedicate to her I really don't have much to say. I'm happy though.

Arianna: Whoo!! What a creeper.

Thomas: Gag!! Stop with the corny pick up lines!! After watching him try to put the move on Reed Taylor wasn't so annoying.

Blake: Um you are......

Remember, each episode is 6 minutes long and there are 5 so far. 6 minutes x 5 episodes = 30 minutes of your time (less if you don't like what you see).

Lastly. PLEASE post your reactions!! I have no one to talk to about this series. My sis refuses to watch the show because the girl girl they chose for Kiran isn't her idea of pretty.

ghostgirl & ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley

2009-08-19T07:11:00.002-04:00

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
And if I should die before I awake,
I pray the popular attend my wake.

Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

Heaven couldn't be a phone bank, could it?

Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level. But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.

First of all I'd really like to thank Lisa Sabater for these books it was definitely one of the many things that made my last two days.

Ok, I have a confession. I wasn't really interested in ghostgirl. I've seen it around a lot but it didn't spark an interest. But after a while I became curious. So when I was offered the books I just couldn't say no. I like the first book, ghostgirl; it was like reading the novelized version of a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) pre Lizzie McGuire era and if Disney wasn't so kid consciencious. It was refreshing. I loved the characters especially Scarlet and was glad I took Lisa's offer.

As for Homecoming; well, I closed the book with the feeling that I had this huge dinner with all my faves but I was still ravenously hungry. I do not know why but I didn't like the book. The idea of having Charlotte continue to grow psychologically, mentally and emotionally. Is a great idea. and the introduction to the flip side of Heaven and Marley (is that her name?) and an antagonist for Charlotte is also great, but it didn't do it for me.

Even though Homecoming left me feeling empty I have to say that I am intrigued by this series and will check in to see what's going on in the world of ghostgirl.

Maximum Ride: Saving the World by James Patterson

2009-08-06T22:36:00.002-04:00

The time has arrived for Max and her winged "flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution"--a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Listening to this audio book was a treat. Valentina de Angelis' portrayal of Max and co. was definitely entertaining. It sort of brought Max to life a bit for me. You see, even though I've been reading (and enjoying) the series Max's adventures were a bit surreal and I've had a slight problem connecting the series on that level Anyway, let us move on to this book's review. Like I mentioned before, I really enjoyed reading this book. This....chapter of Max's adventures was fun to read; a few conflicts were (in my opinion)a bit staged but it helped to move the story/series along. The series moves forward--after a two book rise to the literary climax of the series. A lot of issues were wrapped up in this book so neatly and efficiently that it was hard to imagine what would come next for the Flock. I have to say that I like James Patterson's (btw: who was on the pilot episode of Castle) style of writing. He uses short chapters (this book was 100+ chapters which were approximately 2.5 pages long) and to the point dialogue. I don't think I've ever seen before. However, I'm very certain that he is one of my favorite authors. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

2009-08-02T22:33:00.004-04:00

"There is little more likely to exasperate a person of sense than finding herself tied by affection and habit to an Enthusiast."

Julie knows from bitter experience: her best friend, Ashleigh, is an Enthusiast. Ashleigh's current fancy is also Julie's own passion, Pride and Prejudice, and the heroine's quest for True Love. And so Julie finds herself swept along with Ashleigh, dressed in vintage frocks and sneaking into a dance at the local all-boys' prep school. There they discover several likely candidates for True Love, including the handsome and sensitive Parr. And Julie begins to wonder if maybe this obsession of Ashleigh's isn't so bad after all. . .

Even though it took me a while to get through Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice it has become one of my favorite classic books. Polly Shulman captures the similar literary atmosphere Austen exudes through her books. I like that Shulman only uses Pride & Prejudice as a foundation for Enthusiasm instead of modernizing it. Ms. Shulman wasn't the only one who made this audio book enjoyable; Jennifer Ikeda, narrator, made listening to this story pleasant and relaxing for me. In closing I'll say that this book will (hopefully) be on my future library bookshelf.

NEWS: Private to be a Web Series

2009-08-01T18:00:00.002-04:00

It's official I am definitely behind in the book news. Apparently, our beloved Private book series is on it's way to becoming a web tv show. I'm not too sure on the details but I do know that the show premiers on August 11th 2009 and that there will be 20 episodes covering the first four books of the series. Kelsey Sanders (who's been in show like: Wizards of Waverly Place & iCarly) plays Reed. Also on the cast list is Brant Daugherty as Thomas, and singer/songwriter Evan Taubenfeld as Blake (Kieran's secret forbidden love interest). Speaking of Kieran there is a promotional web series called Private: The Casting Call where three contest winners-- who had auditioned for the role via a previous contest (again that I did not know about) Nicole, Janine, and Sanna. compete ANTM style to win the coveted role. You can see the episodes (4 out of the 6), and the web series online at privatenovels.com.

Hercule Poirot: Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

2009-08-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

What do a movie star, an archaeologist, a French maid, a prime minister, a wealthy dowager, and an Italian count have in common? Half of them have fallen victim to a terrible crime. The others have fallen under suspicion. Leave the deductions to Hercule Poirot.

If you’ve always heard of and wanted to read books written by Agatha Christie but you don’t know where to start. I highly recommend this book of Hercule Poirot short story mysteries. You’d be able to sample Agatha Christie’s work without making a commitment to a novel. Each story is good but I prefer her novels. I hope that isn’t confusing. The Short stories are more like samples in my opinion more for people who are just checking out Ms. Christie’s work.

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer

2009-07-31T22:28:00.001-04:00

Everyone knows Dr. Watson is Sherlock Holmes' right-hand man-so when he goes missing, it's a shock. Even Sherlock hasn't, well, the slightest clue as to where he could be. Enola is intrigued, but weary; she's still hiding from her older brothers-and getting involved could be disastrous.

But when a bizarre bouquet shows up at the Watson residence, full of convolvulus, hawthorn, and white poppies, Enola must act. She dons her most discerning disguise yet to find the sender-and quickly, for Enola knows the blossoms symbolize death!

This was a bit creepy. But I most say it's always great to see psychology and science in the early 20th century and back. The way people operate is fascinating. Yes I know this tangent I'm is confusing and out of the blue, but when you read the Enola Holmes books you'd get what I'm saying. This book in particullar is interesting. The language of flowers (which is a constant in this series) big element to what made this book delightful especially towards the end.

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer

2009-07-25T18:27:00.002-04:00

Enola Holmes is hiding from the world's most famous detective-her own brother, Sherlock Holmes. But when she discovers a hidden cache of bold, brilliant charcoal drawings, she can't help but venture out to find who drew them: young Lady Cecily, who has disappeared from her bedroom without a trace. Braving midnight streets where murderers roam, Enola must unravel the clues-a leaning ladder, a shifty-eyed sales clerk, political pamphlets-but in order to save Lady Cecily from a powerful villain, Enola risks revealing more than she should . . .

Another interesting tale by Nancy Springer. Again, I'll mention my ignorance about Sherlock Holmes, the Great Detective. But I'm learning a bit every time I read an Enola book. The Left-Handed Lady is another great story I found it very entertaining as mysteries go and most important I didn't see the outcome of the story at the end of chapter one. As for the narrator, Katherine Kellgren, I love her voices. Enola loves her disguises; so when she becomes someone new it's a treat hearing Ms. Kellgren's portrayal of said characters. Everything mentioned adds to the appeal of the Enola Holmes books; I cannot wait for the next one.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

2009-06-14T09:45:00.000-04:00

No one cooks up a delectable, suspense-filled mystery quite like Hannah Swensen, Joanne Fluke’s dessert-baking, red-haired heroine whose gingersnaps are as tart as her comebacks, and whose penchant for solving crimes one delicious clue at a time has made her a bestselling favorite. And it all began on these pages, with a bakery, a murder, and some suddenly scandalous chocolate-chip crunchies. Featuring a bonus short story and brand new, mouthwatering recipes, this limited edition of the very first Hannah Swensen mystery is sure to have readers coming back for seconds.

Hannah Swenson already has her hands full trying to dodge her mother’s attempts to marry her off while running The Cookie Jar, Lake Eden, Minnesota’s most popular bakery. But once Ron LaSalle, the beloved delivery man from the Cozy Cow Dairy, is found murdered behind her bakery with Hannah’s famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, her life just can’t get any worse. Determined not to let her cookies get a bad reputation, she sets out to track down a killer.

Who would have the sheer audacity and the motive to kill the most punctual delivery man Hannah ever had? Topping the list is the high school football coach. What exactly was his wife doing, making the rounds with the milkman? Could Max Turner, owner of Cozy Cow Dairy, have had a secret he didn’t want to share with his top employee? The more Hannah snoops, the more suspects turn up. Why has Lake Eden’s most prominent prodigal son, Benton Woodley, just resurfaced? And what about the mysterious Mr. Harris who seemed interested in buying the property next to the dairy, but then disappeared? This is one murder that’s starting to leave a very bad taste in Hannah’s mouth. And if she doesn’t watch her back, Hannah’s sweet life may get burned to a crisp.

WARNING!!!
DO NOT READ THIS BOOK ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!

This was a fun and enticing read. I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Fluke is an awesome mystery writer and an even more awesome cook. First there's the setup for the story; Lake Eden. Not a real town but a simple small town where everyone knows person they just happen to pass by on the street. There's no Desperate Housewives type scandal just the ocasional homicide. I like Hannah. She's the milder version of my mom with my love of baking. Speak of [baking] did I mention that the cookies in this novel can be duplicated in your kitchen. Yes, Joanne also gives you a run down of Hannah's creation for you to create also. It's genius! Apparently, this isn't the first series to do this but it is for me so please excuse my starstruck behavior. the sad part is that since this is yet another audio book (read by Suzanne Toren-- beautifully I might add) I listened to I currently do not have copies of these recipes. But no worries there's the internet more specifically Google and if that doen't work the Library works really well too. I really reccomend this book and the rest of the series (even if I haven't read the other books yet). So check out your local library and read and copy Hannah's books.

Heartbreakers by Pamela Wells

2009-06-12T11:25:00.000-04:00

THREE BREAKUPS

Sydney's longtime steady, Drew, unexpectedly bails. Raven can't decide between Caleb and Horace. They decide for her, and suddenly she's left with a sum total of zero boyfriends. Kelly's kinda-sorta boyfriend, Will, has plans for Valentine's Day. Just not with her.

FOUR FRIENDS

Alexia's never had a broken heart, but that's because she's never had a serious boyfriend. So when her three BFFs turn up boyless, she's sympathetic...but maybe secretly-selfishly-glad. She has her friends back. She just has to help them get over their heartaches.

TWENTY-NINE RULES

How else to get over the breakups but follow a few simple rules? It all goes well at first: There are girly sleepovers, cold shoulders, and the destruction of sentimental items. But even as the girls rediscover their friendship, rules are broken left and right. Soon the formerly heartbroken are on their way to becoming heartbreakers themselves.

Especially Alexia.

First (before I forget), this is an audio book review. the narrator Stina Nielsen did a good job narrating this story and actually made this novel a bit more enjoyable than it was. Yes, I didn't enjoy this story. I thought it would be a lot more fun and funy than it was. Instead it was unnecessary drama after unnecessary drama. A lot of the issues in this book could have been solved by simple communication. The choices characters made were predictable (I could see the outcome from chapter 2). To be fair, I did like the character Kelly I felt more sympathetic to her plight. Not because I went through something similar-- in the matters of the heart I'm more of a Alexia and that is why the novel was so unenjoyable to me because she caused most of the unnecessary drama and was obviously sabotaging her relationship. Anyway, as I was saying, I was more sympathetic to Kelly and her relationship drama because it's always a sad thing when (whether you're a guy or girl) you're more in love with someone and they just don't care about (or respect you) enough to let you go. As for the other two girls I barely remember their story lines. But I'm not so disappointed that I didn't enjoy this novels, which in itself something sad.

Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

2009-06-10T10:23:00.002-04:00

When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers-all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother's strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?

Here's another mystery series that I'm currently enjoying. I was never a Sherlock Holmes fan. Never read any of his books. But you know what; that isn't a prerequisite. with Set in the beloved Victorian Ages, this story brings back the simplicity of a Nancy Drew mystery with (I'm guessing here) the aspects of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. As for the audio book narration; Katherine Kellgren did a great job with the voices. She was believable as each character. Nothing much else to say except I really enjoyed this novel and cannot wait to read the other books in this series.

Big Boned by Meg Cabot

2009-06-09T05:20:00.000-04:00

Life is reasonably rosy for plus-size ex-pop star turned Assistant Dormitory Director and sometime sleuth Heather Wells. Her freeloading ex-con dad is finally moving out. She still yearns for her hot landlord, Cooper Cartwright, but her relationship with "rebound beau," vigorous vegan math professor Tad Tocco, is more than satisfactory. Best of all, nobody has died lately in "Death Dorm," the aptly nicknamed student residence that Heather assistant-directs. Of course every silver lining ultimately has some black cloud attached. And when the latest murdered corpse to clutter up her jurisdiction turns out to be her exceedingly unlovable boss, Heather finds herself on the shortlist of prime suspects—along with the rabble-rousing boyfriend of her high-strung student assistant and an indecently handsome young campus minister who's been accused of taking liberties with certain girls' choir members.

With fame beckoning her back into show business (as the star of a new kids' show!) it's a really bad time to get wrapped up in another homicide. Plus Tad's been working himself up to ask her a Big Question, which Heather's not sure she has an answer for . . .

Another fun mystery book by Ms. Meg Cabot. Who knew she is such a good mystery writer. I didn't. Ok so the stakes where higher in this book. Heather finds herself to be a suspect in this murder mystery. That's basically her motivation for taking on this case. I do not have any complaints about this book. The story was fun but not as exciting Size 14 Is Not Fat Either. Justine Eyre perform well in this audio book adaptation (no complaints there either). While writing this review there was a sense of cool calculation-- I don't think that the right words for the mood I'm in. This book I guess didn't wow me. It was hot but too mild to be on Mary Murphy's "Hot Tamale Train".

Finals, and Web Sites, and More (OH MY!!)

2009-05-15T10:07:00.000-04:00

EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! So kerayzeee...... Ugh! Cannot, cannot, can not believe a month has passed. It's finals week at UMD. YAY!!! School's almost out!

Anyway just popping in to deliver a long overdue review and to tell you wants goin' on with TLC the website I mentioned in one of my previous posts. I found the perfect web hosting site (free of course) and I'm rounding the corner on completong the site. There were a few bumps and bruises, hits and misses but now it's all coming together nicely and will be ready for browsing by mid June.

I don't think I mentioned it earlier; but TLC (Teen Lit Central) is suppose to be a place to find out what's going on in the teen lit world. The main attraction is the series and novels database. but I'm also adding things like a media page and a blog and site page. and that just the beginning. So. Yep. I'm almost done and a bit anxious excited to see what you guys think.

Airhead by Meg Cabot

2009-05-14T18:02:00.000-04:00

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.

I've been neglecting to do something that I should have been doing in my previous posts. I listen to a lot of audio books. some digital, some taped, and some on CDs. But I haven't been mentioning them in my reviews. It's worth mentioning since almost half of these books I talk about are audio books. So from now on you'll be seeing a lot of audio book commentary.

Yay!! Meg Cabot is back on my list of faves. This book was original, fun and just like I remember MC's YA Books to be. I don't have anything really negative to say about this book. The only really annoying thing about this book was Gabriel Luna, Mr. British rock star. I find him to be a nuisance and an unnecessary plot device placed only to cause an uneeded conflict in the story-- as if Em/Nikki doesn't have other issues to deal with. As usual, I hesitate to go into a more in depth discussion of this story in order to avoid spoiling anyone who hasn't read Airhead yet. So I'll KIS (Keep It Simple) and say that this novel was a surprising joy to read after so many misses (even my mom liked it). I'm Really looking forward to reading the next book Being Nikki.

Oh! Almost fogot to mention the audio book aspect. It was good no complaints. Stina Nielsen did a good job.

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either by Meg Cabot

2009-04-08T11:41:00.000-04:00

Former pop star Heather Wells has settled nicely into her new life as assistant dorm director at New York College--a career that does not require her to drape her size 12 body in embarrassingly skimpy outfits. She can even cope (sort of) with her rocker ex-boyfriend's upcoming nuptials, which the press has dubbed The Celebrity Wedding of the Decade. But she's definitely having a hard time dealing with the situation in the dormitory kitchen--where a cheerleader has lost her head on the first day of the semester. (Actually, her head is accounted for--it's her torso that's AWOL.)

Surrounded by hysterical students--with her ex-con father on her doorstep and her ex-love bombarding her with unwanted phone calls--Heather welcomes the opportunity to play detective . . . again. If it gets her mind off her personal problems--and teams her up again with the gorgeous P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives--it's all good. But the murder trail is leading the average-sized amateur investigator into a shadowy world. And if she doesn't watch her step, Heather will soon be singing her swan song!

Another good book by Meg Cabot. The stakes are higher in this book and the baddies are even more dangerous. I'm loving the storyline for this novel. Heather isn't as naive as she was in the last book. She seems to have her head partially out of the clouds. It seems that MC likes writing about these kinds of heroines (the ones like Princess Mia and Lizzie aka Queen of Babble who tend to get carried by their daydreams). The things Heather deals with in this story; her dad coming back, the gruesome murder, and other things I think help her to grow as a character and a fictional person. And the mystery part of the novel was entertaining as the first book. I'm really looking forward to book 3.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

2009-04-06T17:42:00.001-04:00

First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.

Do You remember those thriller books and movies where a group of strangers -- sometimes friends (sometimes strangers) are stranded on an island and everyone gets murdered one by one. Well, meet the story that started it all. This book left me in shock. The ending was so unexpected. I think this is my favorite Agatha Christie novel to date. If I say anything else I may just go on a rampage and blurt the whole story out and I really don't want to do so. I'll just say that this novel was captivating and fun (not that murder and the whole topic of this story is a funny thing to giggle about). I wasn't expecting this novel, this classic piece of mystery writing to have a twist that I didn't see. I seriously and highly recommend you read this book.

Book2Movie: True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet

2009-03-30T18:26:00.000-04:00

Movie: True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet
Starring: JoJo, Valerie Bertinelli, Lynda Boyd, Justin Louis, Ian Nelson, Melanie Leishman, Leah Cudmore, and Shenae Grimes
Book written by: Lola Douglas
Teleplay written by: Elisa Bell

Plot: Fresh out of rehab, teen star Morgan Carter is taking a step out of the spotlight. She just doesn't realize how big a step. Morgan's mom sends her to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to recover. Even with a makeunder, an assumed name, and a fake identity, Middle America is going to mean a serious lifestyle adjustment for this Hollywood starlet.

This movie was originally released last summer but I didn't get to see it (was out celebrating my cousin's 11th bday) then but i did recently through YouTube. And I have to say it was really good. Though the movie didn't discuss why Morgan started drinking (If you read the book you'd realize it's sort of a big thing) this was a bit disappointing to see that issue unaddressed. That was about the only thing I didn't like. As for the actors, well, JoJo, Valerie, Ian and Melanie weren't who I'd picture Morgan, Trudy, Eli, and Emily to look like. JoJo was good, it was...wierd (a good wierd) seeing her in this role but she handled it fine. Valerie. Valerie, Valerie, Valerie. I (HEART) her so I have nothing negative to say. Ian and Melanie. Again not what I pictured but they passed as the real deal so i'm happy. In conclusion, all I have to say is that I hope there is a sequel because they didn't touch on the matter most important. The reason why Morgan started drinking. It may seem like I'm just harping on this for no reason but it is important. It's like telling thestory of Sleeping Beauty and leaving out the part of why the evil fairy hated the princess. Again Cause and Effect, except this time they forgot the cause.

Privileged

2009-03-27T16:03:00.012-04:00

Twenty-three-year-old Megan Smith (Joanna García, Reba) has a Yale education, a relentlessly positive attitude, and a plan to conquer the world of journalism, despite the fact that she is slaving away at a tabloid rag. Megan's plan is thrown off course when, in one whirlwind day, she gets fired, meets cosmetics mogul Laurel Limoges (Anne Archer, Ghost Whisperer), and becomes the live-in tutor for Laurel’s twin teen granddaughters in the heady Palm Beach, Florida, a world of wealth and power. The girls, Rose (Lucy Hale, Bionic Woman) and Sage (Ashley Newbrough, The Best Years), are beautiful, rebellious, and less-than-thrilled with their new tutor, but Megan is determined to win them over as she enjoys the perks of her new job: breathtaking private suite, gorgeous convertible, and live-in chef Marco (Allan Louis, Stomp the Yard). Even the neighbors are fabulous in Palm Beach and Megan quickly catches the eye of Will (Brian Hallisay, Bionic Woman), the wealthy and extremely hot dilettante who lives on the estate next door and just happens to be dating Megan’s estranged sister, Lily (Kristina Apgar, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Completing this romantic quadrangle is Megan's best friend, Charlie (Michael Cassidy, Smallville, The O.C.), who is secretly in love with her. Despite her own complicated romantic and family relationships, Megan is committed to making a difference in the lives of her two headstrong charges as she navigates the treacherous waters of high society in Palm Beach.

After watching the first half of this season, I realize where this show stands in my tv list, under the heading Show To Watch When REALLY Bored. Sad but oh so true. I like my movies and TV shows full of adventure, comedy, mystery, and suspense not necessarily in that order or combination. Romance and drama are two variables that I enjoy when the mood strikes me but when any of those previously mentioned variables become part of the mix it makes for a really good or great story. The shiny newest of Privileged has slowly vanished and my attention is being pulled elsewhere. It was fun but I’m bored now and I feel like I’m watching the same thing in repeat every time. So I’m moving on.

How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls by Zoey Dean

2009-03-24T10:45:00.001-04:00

Recent Yale graduate Megan Smith comes to Manhattan with big plans for a career in journalism and even bigger student loan debt: $75,000. When she flails at her trashy tabloid job, she's given an escape hatch: tutor seventeen-year-old identical twins Rose and Sage Baker--yes, the infamous Baker heiresses of Palm Beach, Florida, best known for their massive fortunes and their penchant for drunkenly flashing the paparazzi -- and get their SAT scores up enough to get into Duke.Impossible job -- yes. But if she succeeds, her student debts are history. Unfortunately for Megan, the Baker twins aren't about to curtail their busy social schedules for basic algebra. And they certainly aren't thrilled to have to sit down for a study session with dowdy Megan. Megan quickly discovers that if she's going to get her money, she'll have to learn her Pucci from her Prada. And if she can look the part, maybe, just maybe, she can teach the girls something along the way.

I really wasn’t impressed with this story. It was just too predictable the ending was a treat though. But you see I had to read this story before the TV show Privileged premiered or before I even watched an episode. And despite the story’s disappointment the show is appealing at least it will be for a while. I really don’t have much to say on this book. I know many people liked it but I just didn’t. Maybe the audio book would be released and I might give it another go and like it then…but I doubt it. It’s harsh I know but it is what it is.

The Clique Summer Collection: Claire by Lisi Harrison

2009-03-22T12:14:00.000-04:00

Will Claire's Florida BFFs become former BFFs?

Back in Orlando for the summer, Claire is reunited with her Florida best friends, Sarah, Sari, and Mandy, after a long year apart. Her FBFs haven't changed at all. Too bad they think Claire has . . . and not for the better. Claire sets out to prove her loyalty by entering Kissimmee's Miss Kiss pageant. But when a very special visitor shows up and vows to win the crown, Claire finds herself torn between Keds and couture. Will Claire finally kiss-immee her past goodbye-once and for all?

I’ve been waiting a long while to read this book. Happy and grateful to be reading it but the high of reading a book you’ve waited so long to read faded way to fast for me. Of course, this book did NAWT disappoint. Claire faces what I’ve been waiting for her to face ever since Massie and the PC accepted her, the reaction of her Florida bffs when they see the new, Massiefied Claire. I wasn’t disappointed (you’ve gotta read to find out—or you can guess—but I’d prefer if you’d read the book). Claire’s solution was an obvious disaster from the get go and I figured it wasn’t gonna end pretty; and I was dreading it.

Let me stop for a minute to explain something. You know how sometimes when I say that a story is predictable but I loved it. It’s just that what ever happened between the CAUSE and EFFECT isn’t what I expected. And that’s what is most important to me in most stories. It could be a big thing or something as small as stepping on a butterfly. If everything is too much like I envisioned it between the CAUSE and EFFECT then the story even though it was full of adventure and so on becomes bland to me…

So Claire’s story was bittersweet not what I expected. She constantly surprises me. Yes I know that many people think that Claire is a weakling for donning the Massie flag and most importantly for wanting to do so. But it’s like Lisi says; Claire is comfortable with who she is on a level that Massie isn’t and Massie sees it and is very threatened by it. Also, it may seem like Claire is being a mindless Massie follower doing what Massie says et cetra, and that Massie has control of her but she really doesn’t. Think about it:

o She eats what she wants (gunny bears, candy heart, whatever)

o She hangs with who she wants (Layne)

o She sometimes wears what she wants

She still has a mind of her own. That’s why I believe she’s stronger than she seems. But I tend to forget and have to be reminded like in the case of this book.

Wow. I went off on a tangent there. I guess in less words what I’m trying to make you see is that when I say a story is predictable it isn’t always so. And it’s also my way of saying that whatever lies in between the cause and the effect (the details) is what I anticipated. And even if I almost always see the ending coming in a certain way I’m often surprised as to what goes down. Oh and if you haven’t guessed. I liked Claire’s story but it was an uncomfortable experience having Massie there but not knowing what she’s thinking.

Miss Marple: The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

2009-03-21T22:44:00.001-04:00

Lymstock is much like any other English village. Those that live there enjoy the peace of rural life until a series of poison pen letters destroy the safety they took for granted. When one villager commits suicide and another is murdered, the village is plunged into suspicion and terror. Once a village of trust, now all inhabitants are on the brink of accusations. Who could be writing the letters and why? Perhaps Miss Marple might be of help...

This is a really good story. However, it seems more like a romance than a mystery. I like it though. This story had a different flow to it—I guess it’s because I’ve read mainly Poirot mysteries with him being the central focus; knowing what he sees what he doesn’t see and especially, most of what he’s thinking. While in this story Miss Marple’s character isn’t even in the foreground we’re not sure what she sees or what she’s thinking until the very end when she reveals all. Instead it is the visitors of Lymstock who notices all but isn’t too intrigued by the goings on of the sleepy town. In a way it’s a case of the stranger visiting a household seeing what the family doesn’t want to or just truly isn’t seeing. In the end The Moving Finger was a good story but it probably wouldn’t be fave among Agatha Christie’s books.

Away Working on a BIG Project....

2009-03-20T15:47:00.004-04:00

Hey guys; I'm finally back after over two months of trying to be a very good student (due to a New Years resolution). I missed wishing you Happy Valentines Day -- I had a really cool/cute layout-- and I don't even think I wished you a proper Happy New Year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and/or Merry Christmas. So, Happy Belated:

Valentines Day
New Year
Kwanzaa
Hanukkah
Merry Christmas

And there was the Birthday celebration for the blog (another cool layout wasted). ::Sigh:: It's done and in the recent past; and Granddad always says, "The past is past. It doesn't do us much good to dwell on it too much. So move on."

Moving on. If you haven't noticed, there are a few changes (more like two soon to be three).

First there's the BOOKS I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON slide show which is an improvement to the BOOK (singular) I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY HANDS ON picture posted from time to time. Why the change? It's like my mom and this season of Dancing with the Stars, there's just too many favorites to choose from.

There's also the music. Yes I added music. The story; my mom was checking out my blog and a few others one night and after checking out about two/three blogs with music in the background she turns to me and asked;

"Why doesn't your blog have music?"

Being the snarky, smart-alec child I sometimes am I replied;

"Because I don't want music on my blog."

Matching my tone she said;

"Well. Without the music your blog is boring. The music makes it interesting"

I could go on and on what was said afterwards but I'd rather not. I thought about what she said and realized she had a point. But I wanted to have the music have something to do with the blog. Then I had it.But I'm not telling you. I want you to figure it out. There may even be a prize involved. A book (of course) of your choosing.

If you have caught on I just stated the terms for my very first contest.

The Dare: Figure out how the music (on the blog) is related to the blog. Yes there is a connection.

The Reward: Any book of your choosing. Whether it's out or not. My Treat!!

As for the big project mentioned in the title of this blog. It's a revised version of the former Teen Lit Central (TLC) MSN Group that was handed to me the day before MSN dropped the bomb that they were closing MSN Groups. So I'm working on rebuilding it on Angelfire a free web hosting site. It should be up by summer of this year. I'm keeping it there until I can find a suitable web space that I can afford.

There's also a comment I want to rebut on.

From EXTREMELY Late Halloween Book Recommendations


Noelle Lange said...: i was wondering why you keep comparing vampire books with twilight, which isn't even a vampire book. twilight was poorly written.

all of these books should be stand alones instead of constantly being in a lineup with twilight. the author has a big head and only writes for herself - big mistake if she calls herself a real writer, which she definitely is not.

Well Noelle; you have a point. Stephenie Meyer isn't a good writer everyone knows it. But it's not her writing we, Twilight fans, are in love with it's the story she's telling. And as for comparing the other two vampire books to Twilight I do it to other books and in other posts like; The Ashleys by Melissa de la Cruz, Book2Movie: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, and most recently Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot. If a story reminds of another I've read I'm gonna say so it's something I do sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Vampire Kisses was published way before Twilight was if I'd read that story before Twilight I would saying; "Twilight. A story similar to that of Vampire Kisses..."

Is that all? OH. I haven't stopped reading if anyone is wondering; remember BBL that means you can make the girl focus on nothing but school and read nothing but text books but you can't stop her from reading non-related school books on the bus to and from school. So I have A TON!!

Still months behind but determined to catch up. TTYL guys. Thanks for hanging in.

Hercule Poirot: Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

2009-01-12T11:04:00.004-05:00

Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

2009-01-06T10:32:00.003-05:00

HEATHER WELLS ROCKS!!

Or, at least, she did. That was before she left the pop-idol life behind after she gained a dress size or two -- and lost a boyfriend, a recording contract, and her life savings (when Mom took the money and ran off to Argentina). Now that the glamour and glory days of endless mall appearances are in the past, Heather's perfectly happy with her new size 12 shape (the average for the American woman!) and her new job as an assistant dorm director at one of New York's top colleges. That is, until the dead body of a female student from Heather's residence hall is discovered at the bottom of an elevator shaft.

The cops and the college president are ready to chalk the death off as an accident, the result of reckless youthful mischief. But Heather knows teenage girls . . . and girls do not elevator surf. Yet no one wants to listen -- not the police, her colleagues, or the P.I. who owns the brownstone where she lives -- even when more students start turning up dead in equally ordinary and subtly sinister ways. So Heather makes the decision to take on yet another new career: as spunky girl detective!

But her new job comes with few benefits, no cheering crowds, and lots of liabilities, some of them potentially fatal. And nothing ticks off a killer more than a portly ex-pop star who's sticking her nose where it doesn't belong . . .

I was beginning to worry that I was losing interest in Meg Cabot’s stories. I haven’t read and enjoyed any of her books since Avalon High. This story was nothing I expected. After the Stephanie Plum series, anything remotely close to the series makes me skeptical. However, Heather Wells holds her own. Size 12 is NOT Fat is equal parts romance, comedy, and drama; with a big serving of mystery to bind everything together making it a well balanced read.

Book2Movie: Twilight

2008-11-22T13:39:00.003-05:00

Movie: Twilight

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, and Kellan Lutz

Book by: Stephenie Meyer

Screenplay by:Melissa Rosenberg

Plot: Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balance precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

For those of you who already saw the movie; "How awesome was it?" All together now: "Totally AWESOME!!" Yes. I saw the movie last night; and YES I loved it. I love everyone's performance; Ashley Green is the perfect Alice,I do NOT have any complaints. I honestly liked it. Everything was as expected. My mom still thinks that Robert Pattinson is ugly about even she agreed that his performance was borderline perfect. I don't have anything else to say except; GO SEE IT.....NOW!!!!

Book2Movie: The Clique Movie

2008-11-20T11:07:00.001-05:00

Before I get down to business I believe that I should inform you that I didn't get the advanced screening tickets. My worst fears came true and I didn't see it. Anyway, no worries it's cool (at least that's what I tell myself to keep from moping) I'll be seeing Twilight tomorrow like the rest of the people who isn't seeing it at midnight. Moving on to the point of this post.

Movie: The Clique
Starring: Elizabeth McLaughlin, Ellen Marlow, Samantha Boscarino, Sophie Anna Everhard, and Bridgit Mendler
Series Written by: Lisi Harrison
Screenplay Written by: Liz Tigelaar

Plot: Claire Lyons, the new girl from Orland(ew), Florida, has the nerve to show up at Octavian Country Day school (OCD) wearing Keds and two-year-old GAP overalls. She is clearly not top Clique (aka the Pretty Committee) material and Massie, Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen have no problem letting everyone know it. Unfortunately, Claire’s family is staying in the guest house on Massie’s family's huge estate and the girls are stuck with each other. Claire’s future looks worse than a Prada knockoff. But with a little luck and a lot of scheming, she might just stand a chance.

Yay! I saw The Clique movie. Sorry had to get it out of my system. Because I am currently broke (as in no spare change to rent or possibly buy this movie) I believed that it would be a while (sometime next year) before I saw this movie. And from my "Yay!" you can guess that I really loved what I saw. The movie stayed very true to the novel. and-- I don't remember if I felt this way about Elizabeth (Massie), Bridgit (Kristen), and Samantha (Alicia), but Ellen (Claire), and Sophie (Dylan) Were very believable as the characters they played. Also, Vanessa Marano, who plays Layne, is exactly as Lisi Harrison described; she brings a more mature, dark but fun Layne to life not the wacky girl we got to know in the series. The only thing I didn't like--and this was something I just realized as I was typing the first part of this review; the movie seemed to go by really fast. It didn't give me the feeling of gradual progression; I don't know if I'm explaining it correctly but it felt like they were just zipping through the days. It's hard to explain (which is surprising). Over all from what I've seen online I wasn't the only person who liked it. non Clique fans (the open-minded ones) liked it too and gave it at least 3.5 stars or 8/10 rating. Me? I give it 4 stars.

If you want to see this movie, check your local search engine or pick up the DVD where ever they are rented or sold. And as a request from me. I'd like you to read the book before or after you watch this movie (preferably before though).

Major, MAJOR News!!!

2008-11-14T11:24:00.003-05:00

My mom's friend may be getting tickets for the Twilight movie advanced screening. If there is anyone in the Maryland/DC area (or if you will there be sometime next week) interested I can possibly get a ticket for two--you and a friend/family member/anyone you want to see it with (tickets are one for two people).

Sound too good to be true right? Well, it sort of is [too good to be true]. You see, it's a 55:45 chance this doesn't happen. I didn't want to say anything at first in case nothing falls through but I started thinking about the amount of time I'd have spreading the word and decided to take a gamble, so I'm telling you now so you'd have the weekend and maybe one or three days to let your friend/family member know. Keep this in mind though if You don't get a ticket I don't get a ticket (we usually get enough for four people so that's two tickets). So just be on the look out and inform anyone you know that lives in the Maryland/DC area. And please let me know.

Book2Movie: Advanced Screenings and More

2008-11-02T16:24:00.006-05:00

Now that it's November, I'm on high alert for Twilight advanced movie screening tickets.

My mom works next door to a movie theater (AMC) and the businesses around her receive advanced movie screenings on an almost weekly basis. While seeing our forth or fifth movie someone told us about a few sites that give away tickets for free. Among these sites was Filmetro.com which is the best site we've seen so far. And just 15 minutes ago my mom handed me flyer that advertises free advanced movie screening tickets for Soul Men. With a web site called Gofobo.com.

Getting back on track here. The reason why I'm posting is because I found out that Filmetro.com is giving away screening tickets for Boy in the Striped Pyjamas to be shown in the following cities:

Novi, MI - Wednesday 5, November
Denver, CO - Wednesday 5, November
Philadelphia, PA - Wednesday 5, November

Also, I have a poll on the side of the blog (between Great Blogs Similar to Mine and Authors with Blogs ) check it out and check back for other polls.

Book2Movie: November is Bursting.....

2008-11-01T16:29:00.000-04:00

.....With a ton of book to movie line ups, three to be exact. Yes three is a lot. First we have:

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Author: John Boyne
Starring: David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, and Jack Scanlon
Released: 7, November 2008 (limited release), 14, November (possible national release)

Book/Movie Plot: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But, Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than what meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

Trailer:

I do not know how many of you have read this book. I know I haven't. But if you're interested in this story you would have six possibly thirteen days to locate and read this story then see the movie if it's showing at your local theater.

The Clique
Author: Lisi Harrison
Starring: Elizabeth McLaughlin, Ellen Marlow, Samantha Boscarino,
Sophie Anna Everhard, and Bridgit Mendler
Release Date: 18, November 2008 Direct to DVD

Book/Movie Plot: When new girl Claire Lyons moves to Westchester from Orlando, she immediately finds out that fitting in is going be a lot harder than she thought it would be. exactly Claire isn't rich girl with designer duds and expensive shoes or handbags...but unfortunately, every other girl at the prestegious Octavian County Day School is. What's worse is that Massie Block, the most popular girl at OCD is out to make Claire's life miserable...and it doesn't help that Claire is living in her guest house. Massie and her friends Alicia Rivera, Kristen Gregory, and Dylan Marvil, will do whatever it takes to destroy Claire. What they don't realize, however, is that Claire won't take all their tormenting lying down, and when she finally has enough, Massie just might lose her throne at OCD.

Trailer:

This has been creating quite a buzz among the fans of this series. Every fan of the series is excited (including me). And cannot wait to watch the movie.

Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, and Kellan Lutz
Release Date: 21, November 2008

Book/Movie Plot: Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balance precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Trailer:

Hands down the most anticipated movie of the year. Because of this movie more people are scrambling to read the series before the movie is released. It's like a fast spreading fever that's hitting the nation and everyone from the author, Stephenie Meyer, to the fan who's being drawn into the series as I type this post, Benefits from this phenomenon that is Twilight.

EXTREMELY Late Halloween Book Recommendations

2008-10-31T00:01:00.004-04:00

So. This is REALLY short notice but I have some book recommendations for you on this awful, spooky holiday. With the help of TLC (that's Teen Lit Central to you) Barnes & Nobles, Borders, and of course Amazon.com I have compiled a list of books you should definitely read on this day of horror, pain, and sorrow. These books will be separated into three categories: Down Right Freaky, Hilariously Scary, and Heart Poundingly Romantic. Let us begin.....

DOWN RIGHT FREAKY
Series:
Fear Street
Readers Beware!! You're in for a scare!! Wait.... that's Goosebumps. But I'm justified to otter those words because for this 1990s series the same rules apply. R.L. Stine's series for the kids who got bored of Goosebumps but not the author's style of writing (ahem, me) this was a nasty treat. That was swallowed up faster than a zombie eating brains.

The Last Apprentice
This series is my NFHBSFN (NEW FAVORITE HORROR BOOK SERIES...FOR NOW). Those of you who hated R.L. Stine would hate this series, and those of you who didn't, well, you'll begin to hate it too. The series is set in the olden days somewhere between the The Medieval Ages and the time of King Henry VIII (Almost thirty or years--give or take a decade or two--before the first Queen Elizabeth ruled England). in a place similar to the UK. The series follows Thomas Ward, a 12 year old boy who, due to his lineage (he was born the seventh son of the seventh son) is chosen to be the next Spook. The series follows Tom throughout his training as he battles ghosts and ghasts, boggarts and witches.

HILARIOUSLY SCARY
Series:
Braced2Bite
Colby Blanchard is the popular cheerleader with the grades, the hunky boyfriend, and the homecoming crown in the bag. Then things go bad as in turning-into-a-vampire bad. And complicating things is the fact that her orthodontist father has removed her canine teeth to give her a perfect smile, so she can't even do the vampire thing properly. Luckily, he's fitting her with some new headgear so she can feed. So now she's not just a vampire but a dork.

The Salem Witch Tryouts
Prudence Stewart had it all at Beverly Hills High: straight A's, the cutest crush, and a sweet gig as captain of the cheerleading squad. Then poof! Mom and Dad announce they're moving to Salem, Massachusetts. Turns out, Pru comes from a long line of witches and it's time for her to learn the craft. Buh-bye, Beverly Hills High -- hello, Agatha's Day School!

Novels:
Hex Education
Sophie Stone doesn't want to leave the bright lights of LA for the dreary little burg of Mythic, Massachusetts. So why, then, does she feel eerily drawn to the place? And why, after she crosses the county line, does she begin having headaches, accompanied by strange and frightening visions? At least school is a bright spot-Sophie is immediately accepted by the coolest, most popular, best-dressed girls at Mythic High. But what she doesn't know is that her new friends don't buy their couture-they conjure it! they're a coven of witches, formed to save the town from an evil that is rising, an evil that was foretold decades ago. And Sophie is their leader! will Sophie embrace her powers and save the town? Or is Mythic totally hexed?

HEART POUNDINGLY ROMANTIC
Series:
Twilight
The world's current favorite read. Everyone (from Great Grandma Lydia to little cousin Billy who practically just started to read chapter books) is reading this series. And why not? It is after all the best tragic romance since Romeo and Juliet. Some say it's even better.

Vampire Kisses
Not as popular as the Twilight series but a few have read and hated series. This isn't a heart wrenching romantic story our heroine would have none of that. But it is funny. sort of like a horrific romantic comedy.

Novels:
Tantalize
Another Twilight-esque story about a girl, her werewolf best friend/boyfriend and the vampire who ruined her life. Not exactly Twilight but close enough that some would fear or even run away screaming from this story.

OK so that's it!!! My recommendations for this year's All Hallows Eve. Have a nasty time reading

PS: If you haven't caught on. Halloween is also Opposite Day. So anything that is bright and sunny becomes dark and dreary. But anything originally horrifying stays that way. What do you expect. On Halloween nothing is fair.

The Last Apptrentice: The Wrath of the Bloodeye by Joseph Delaney

2008-10-26T10:27:00.000-04:00

Thomas Ward has spent two years as the Spook's apprentice. He's faced unimaginable peril, and survived. But a new danger has emerged: an ancient water witch, Bloodeye, is roaming the County intent on destroying everything in her path. To strengthen his skills, Tom is sent to the far north to train with the demanding Bill Arkwright. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh, and his training methods prove to be harsh and sometimes cruel. Will Tom's new bag of tricks be enough to overcome a critical mistake that leaves him confronting Bloodeye on his own?

Imagine if you will, walking around your favorite bookstore, checking out prospective reads; when you see the newest book in one of your favorite book series. You didn't know know that there'd be a new book and you're so excited that you start to freak out. That's what happened to me when I saw The Last Apptrentice: The Wrath of the Bloodeye on the new releases shelf at Barnes & Noble. The story was awesome!!!! Remember the prophesy I spoke about in the previous post about this series? well it seems to be coming true but in the way I feared it would. I'm not going to go into details like I did the last time. But I wiil say this again If you haven't started reading this series then you are missing out.

Book2Movie: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

2008-10-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

By now you have probably have seen this movie or at least seen the trailer on tv. I saw an advanced screening on September 9th (compliments to filmetro.com) and was recently able to discuss my thoughts.

As you've probably know; Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a book turned to movie about Norah, a girl who is farced to insinuate a temparary, fake relationship with Nick, a guy she just met, to proove to her frenemy Tris who is convinced that she (Norah) is a prude who doesn't know how to have a good time. To her entense mortification, Nick is Tris's most recent cast off (ex-boyfriend) and Nick isn't over her yet. Norah is about to go dig a hole to bury herself in it, but a little coaxing from Nick's friends and band mates convinces her to hang out with Nick for the rest of the night.

In the movie the relationship between Tris and Norah was altered making Tris a one sided character. I found that a bit sad because Tris, even though she's a bit bitchy, had a moment where she was really nice to Norah in the book. They also made the movie more of a slight epic by having Nick and Norah go through some pretty hilarious misadventures, while building up the "love triangle" between Tris, Norah, and Nick.

I enjoyed the movie. I found it really hilarious. However, I couldn't help but notice the similarities it had with both Juno and Charlie Bartlett, which (Surprise, surprise!) stars both the leading actors in this movie. However, towards the end of the movie I found my eyes glazing over and I began nodding off, so I guess the Movie left me hot and cold. I still like it though it was interpreted well enough. So I'm not too disappointed.

Miss Marple: The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie

2008-10-10T07:16:00.001-04:00

Year: 1932
Location: Multiple

The unifying premise for this short story collection is the Tuesday Club: six people who meet socially one evening at Jane Marple's home and then decide to meet regularly each Tuesday night to solve a mystery which a group member must relate.

I've actually read a Miss Marple mystery without realizing it in high school. It was a short story for a final or possibly mid term exam. I found it very fascinating and was curious enough to want to read more of her books. The Tuesday Club Murders, now called The Thirteen Problems, is like a stepping stone to the Miss Marple series. They give you a taste of what her mystery solving is like without actually having you dedicate yourself to the whole book. i liked all the stories and Miss Marple's brand of mystery solving, using the knowledge of people's characters as opposed to Hercule Poirot's use of psychological profiling. Dame Agatha Christie's works of fiction are extraordinary; each book is a constant reminder of why she is so loved in the world of mystery.

Hercule Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express

2008-10-09T06:08:00.000-04:00

Year: 1934
Location: On a train

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of year. But by the morning there is one less passenger. An American lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside…Red herrings galore are put in the path of Hercule Poirot to try and keep him off the scent but in a dramatic dénouement he succeeds in coming up with not one, but two solutions to the crime.

Murder on the Orient Express was the first Agatha Christie book recommended to me, I was thirteen-years-old and never got around to reading it. Now that I've finally read it eight years later I regret not doing so when it was first recommended to me. I've recently started reading Hercule Poirot books: Black Coffee, The ABC Murders, Hickory Dickory Dock, and Death in the Clouds, are the only four Hercule Poirot (pronounced: ER-CUE-L PWAH-ROW) books I've read so far; and to me the Hercule Poirot series had a very black and white view of crime. But in this story it is the total opposite. There is a huge gray area that couldn't be overlooked. I now realize why many people love this book and why there are so many *pop culture* references to it. I really enjoyed this story and I'm really happy I decided to read it after all this time.

The Secret Rites of Social Butterflies by Lizabeth Zindel

2008-10-08T11:53:00.000-04:00

When does truth become gossip?

Maggie’s parents have just split up, and she’s moved from New Jersey to New York City with her mom. Desperate to make new friends and to distract herself from troubles at home, she falls in with a group of social butterflies at the ritzy private school she now attends. These girls keep a top-secret record of their classmates’ most intimate details on a wall in one of their apartments. Maggie’s friends insist they are collecting the truth—not gossip—about the lives of today’s teenagers. But she soon learns that certain information in the wrong hands can do irreparable damage.

This was a very Mean Girls-esque story. New girl comes to town and wants to fit in. She finds the popular clique and (you'll have to read to find out what happens here) then they become friends. But the girls are very different from your average uber popular clique is that they do not distinguish themselves from others for being mean. It's their exclusivity. The plot is original but predictable and I felt as conflicted as Maggie did in the story about the issues she had to face. This feeling of conflict was the story's savinggrace and I ended up liking it in the end.

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

2008-10-07T22:41:00.000-04:00

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .

Compared to it's predecessor, Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange was a bit boring which was very disappointing. I don't know exactly what made the story less exciting to me. I guess that compared to there wasn't much going on. However, I did like that the story focused on someone different this time. There isn't much else I want to say about this book. The plot is great but not enticing. i wish I could have enjoyed it more.

Death by Bikini by Linda Gerber

2008-10-06T21:14:00.000-04:00

A fun, sexy, murder-mysteryromance for all teen sleuths!

Aphra Behn Connolly has the type of life most teenage girls envy. She lives on a remote tropical island and spends most of her time eavesdropping on the rich and famous. The problem is that her family’s resort allows few opportunities for her to make friends—much less to meet cute boys. So when a smoldering Seth Mulo arrives with his parents, she’s immediately drawn to him. Sure, he’s a little bit guarded, and sure his parents are rather cold, and okay he won’t say a word about his past, but their chemistry is undeniable. Then a famous rock star’s girlfriend turns up dead on the beach—strangled by her own bikini top—and alarm bells sound. Is it too great a coincidence that Seth’s family turned up just one day before a murder? As the plot thickens, Aphra finds that danger lurks behind even the most unexpected of faces. . . .

Even though it was a predictable mystery, I found Death by Bikini to be a very original story. Aphra is a bona fide amateur sleuth with her somewhat endless knowlege of information on varying subjects. I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read Death by Latte.

Pretty Tough by Liz Tigelaar

2008-10-05T23:36:00.000-04:00

Bubbly, blond Krista brown is pretty and popular. Her sister, Charlie, is more interested in braving the Malibu waves than the halls of the school that Krista rules. but when Krista and Charlie are both recruited to the school’s soccer team, they are forced to face their differences. Can these two sisters become teammates, and friends, in time to make it to the championships?

It's very interesting, this book, because as I read it I could not help thinking how much like a movie it is. The irony is that the author, Liz Tigelaar, is a successful script writer for shows like Brothers & Sisters, and Dirty Sexy Money, and the upcoming Clique movie. This book felt like a novelized movie script. Even if it was cliched and predictable, I really enjoyed this book. I love the alternating between the two sisters POVs. It gives readers a chance to see their part of the story.

The Clique Summer Series: Alicia by Lisi Harrison

2008-10-04T21:33:00.000-04:00

Alicia takes on Mission Spalfa: Spanish Alpha!

Back in Spain to visit her relatives, Alicia discovers that Spain's newest pop sensation ¡Ignacio! is searching for a true Spanish beauty to star in his new hit-single video. She can't believe her luck! If Alicia is cast as a true Spanish beauty, Massie will never call her fake-Spanish again. The only trick: She'll have to beat her super-bonita cousins to win the coveted spot. Adios, bimbos!

I was never a fan of Alicia due to her backstbbing ways. However, I found this book very entertaining. Predictable, but entertaining. After reading both Dylan and Alicia's books I find that the girls really look up to Massie as a leader. The books are about them channeling Massie to get what they want. I find that somewhat funny in Alicia's case since she is always butting heads with Massie.

The Clique Summer Series: Dylan by Lisi Harrison

2008-10-02T09:29:00.001-04:00

Game, Set, Match... Dylan?

Dylan and her TV-host mom are off to Hawaii's Aloha Tennis Open. While Merri-Lee interviews tennis's wild child Svetlana "Tennis the Menace" Slootskyia, Dylan lets the tropical sun melt away the memory of getting dumped by two guys at the end of seventh grade. But between avocado mud masks and poolside naps, she falls in love with a preppy, tennis- obsessed hawtie. Dylan soon realizes the only way to score a date with him is to master the game. Can she convince moody Svetlana to spill the secrets of her tennis success, or will she end up oh-for-three in summer love?

I really liked this book. It was everything a clique book should be: light, funny, and entertaining. I'm glad that Lisi H. decided to write some books focusing on an individual PC member. I gave me a chance to get to know them better. Even though I'm really waiting to read Claire's book (because it answers a question I've always wondered about.) it's fun reading about the other PC members. Dylan is fun as always. I'm glad Svetlana is giving her a workout. I always beleived that she needed one--she's always dieting and not exercising and they go hand in hand (in the case of dieting at least). As for the book; very fun, entertaining read, a bit predictable but I enjoyed it.

Book Brat's Gone Wireless

2008-09-30T15:43:00.003-04:00

Yay!! I'M BACK!!!! I have SO MUCH to tell you. First the reason I failed yet again to post on a timely basis. I was bed ridden. Seriously! It was a Thursday-- the 4th of September to be exact. It was just after 8 and I was stepping off the bus with two hands and a backpack full of groceries (I decided to go on a grocery run for my mom). Apparently the bus driver didn't pull up where she was suppose to. So I stepped off the bus and into a small, shallow hole and twisted my ankle. I've twisted my ankle before but not like this.

Usually after about three to four days I'm back on my feet. But this time it's different it's almost a month later; even though I'm back in school after missing a week of classes (a no-no in College) and all caught up in all my classes (It was a ton of work especially Calculus) I'm still in pain. I can't walk down steps can't run for the bus, I can't jump out of bed without gasping in pain then limping to the bathroom.

Okay enough complaining. I haven't been able to spend more than 10 minutes at the computer. So I stuck mainly to Book Divas. So I'm still behind on my books.

As for the title of this blog; I have gone wireless as in wireless Internet. About two weeks ago my mom finally talked me into letting her get me a laptop for college. Today the guys (more like guy) at the cable company changed our plain ol' high speed Internet to high speed Internet with wireless capabilities. So I am flexible now that means no more delays unless I haven't been reading. LMAO not likely.

The last bit of news. Hope from Hope's Bookshelf will be hosting The 1st Annual YA Book Awards on her blog. This is really cool. She's accepting nominations so head over there to check it out and nominated some books!!

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

2008-09-03T23:57:00.004-04:00

Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn. Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions. White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups. This is Manhattan, 1899.

Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone—from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud—threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.

With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan's most celebrated daughter disappear...

In a world of luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of innocence is anything but innocent.

This book was better than I expected. The classic tale of forbidden love, betrayal, jealousy, and deceit was the key elements in this story. The plot wasn't original, but I found that it didn't make the story any less enjoyable; and the fact that is was set in the Victorian era didn't hurt either. Most the characters were likable -- yes even the conniving Penelope Hayes. Anna Godbersen weaves a tangled web of a story and I cannot wait to read the Next installment.

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

2008-08-31T19:14:00.001-04:00

A modern girl’s comedic odyssey in a school filled with the descendants of Greek gods.

When Phoebe’s mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe’s plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. Now she must attend the uberexclusive academy, where admission depends on pedigree, namely, ancestry from Zeus, Hera, and other Greek gods. That’s right, they’re real, not myth, and their teen descendants are like the classical heroes—supersmart and superbeautiful with a few superpowers. And now they’re on her track team! Armed only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.

I have been in love with mythology ever since I was ten (or so) years old. I was infatuated with the Greek Mythology more than others. So much so that when the teacher'd asked, "Who was the God and Goddess of love?", while everyone else was screaming, "Venus and Cupid", I was screaming "Aphrodite and Eros", because those were the true gods of love. Ever since then I've been into anything with a hint of Greek Mythology. So that was the appeal of this book. Even though it was really cute and funny it was really predictable-- too obvious. So instead of focusing on where the plot was headed I was focusing on things like; the possibility of in breeding. Don't ask! I really do not want to explain. But if you read the book you'd probably get it. Summing it all up cute story but too predictable. Three stars!!

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

2008-08-30T19:31:00.002-04:00

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.

The Order - the mysterious group her mother was once part of - is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

...And we have come full circle.... I usually cry and whine when a series ends, but when I finally finished The Sweet Far Thing I felt very content. I wasn't sad (much) I was happy. Libba B. did an amazing job ending this series. There weren't a lot of questions left unanswered-- at least for me, everything was wrapped up neatly which is how a story and a series should end. the story itself was a pleasure to read (there's no other word that could describe the experience). I loved all the terrifying moments, the small victory and that seriously shocking discovery (for those of you who read the book you know what I'm taling about). It was just a lot of fun reading this book. Yes I'm still sad and yes I wish the story never ended but this was just such a really good story that I not so upset about it...ending that is.

Hercule Poirot: Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie

2008-08-30T19:12:00.003-04:00

Year: 1955
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Location: London

An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel is not normally the sort of crime that arouses Hercule Poirot's interest. But when he sees the bizarre list of stolen and vandalized items - including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring found in a bowl of a soup - he congratulates the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a 'unique and beautiful problem'. And, reasons Poirot, if this is merely a petty thief at work, why is everyone at the hostel so frightened?

Ah!! I struck gold again. Hickory Dickory Dock was absolutely....fun. It was a bit confusing because I couldn't keep the names of the male characters straight. Who-was-who was completely lost to me. But I loved every second of this story. I baffles me how Mr. Poirot (pronounced: P-WAH-ROW) figures out his cases. he says it's through Psychology but it's crazy (the conclusions he comes up with). Moving back on track; Hickory Dickory Dock is an amazing story. you guys should check out her books (most of them) they are amazing.

Hercule Poirot: The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

2008-08-29T21:11:00.002-04:00

Year: 1936
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Location: In a country house

A serial killer is on the loose, murdering his victims in alphabetical order, leaving an ABC Railway Guide beside each body... and playing a dangerous game with Hercule Poirot. He alerts Poirot in advance of the locations of the murders, but Poirot always arrives too late. Intrigued by the psychopath’s mind and methodology Poirot, with the help of Hastings and Japp, travels the length and breadth of England - determined to track down this ruthless killer before he strikes again.

Wow!! A serial killer? Crazy!! those were my thoughts when I read the synopsis for this book. When I saw this Agatha Christie book on the shelf at my library I didn't even bother to read the synopsis; I just put it in my basket along with the other books I found and headed to the checkout machine. So, while listening to the opening chapter I decided to see what it was about. Serial Killers. Well, one serial killer to be exact. But as remarkable as the story was like Black Coffee (check Death in the Clouds Review) it didn't leave an impression.

Hercule Poirot: Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie

2008-08-29T19:10:00.003-04:00

Year: 1935
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Location: On a plane

On the short flight from Le Bourget to Croydon the woman in seat number two dies from a wasp sting. Hercule Poirot is also on the flight and he is not convinced that a wasp sting caused the death. Poirot has a large cast of characters to choose from in this ‘locked-room’ mystery and working with Scotland Yard and the Sûreté he sets out to discover the truth in his very methodical way.

I can see why Agatha Christie is so revered in the mystery world. Even though her books are so old, her stories are so original that they can catch even the most die hard mystery fan off guard. That's was this book did. This isn't the first Agatha Christie book I've read. It is the second; the first was another Hercule Poirot (prounced: ER-CUE-L P-WAH-ROW) called Black Coffee; it didn't leave an impression on me for some unknown reason. But Death in the Clouds did. It is remarkable how everything fit together. I found this book very ingenius and I was really impressed. And as I said before I see now why Agatha Christie is well loved.

Secrets of My Suburban Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

2008-08-28T23:07:00.004-04:00

And you thought your life had a dark side....

Everything changed for Lauren ("Ren") after Harry Potter killed her mom. No,it's not what you think--Harry Potter didn't come to life and stab her oranything. A stack of those thick books crushed her. Now Ren is stuck out inthe suburbs of Connecticut, dragged out there because her father is too grief stricken to continue living in New York.

Ren tries to fit in at her new school, but the most popular girl, Farrin,keeps icing her out. Then Ren discovers that Farrin has a secret: She's beencommunicating online with an older man, and they are actually planning tomeet! Ren can't let Farrin go through with it--she's witnessed enough tragicevents as it is. So she comes up with the perfect plan to stop the perv. But then she finds out who he is...

This book was a bit predictable from the get go. As a die hard mystery fan I've learnt at an early age never to suspect (verb) the first suspect (noun) in a novel, TV series, or movie. So even though I knew is wasn't who she thought it was I decided to read Secrets of My Suburban Life out of curiousity. The plot was ok and the story was a bit surprising. however, I found the story to be very average. As in it was neither really good nor really bad. It was just okay.

Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder

2008-08-28T19:06:00.002-04:00

The apprenticeship is over— now the real test has begun.

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before.…

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.

Ok. How do you know when your summer is officially over? When you find that all your favorite book series are ending. I finshed three and I'm on my way to finishing four. This is the case with Fire Study. As the last book it was both thrilling and fun. Even though this book was hardly suspenseful, I laughed twice as hard and freaked out about the suspense twice as much. I think I will add this series to my wishlist on Shelfari. The Study series was a blast to read. Yelena is a great heroine. I'm really gonna miss this series.

Talent by Zoey Dean

2008-08-27T22:46:00.002-04:00

It’s all about talent in LA: who has it, who doesn’t, who wants it, and who can find it first!

When thirteen-year-old Mac Armstrong witnesses newcomer Emily Mungler’s stellar lying-to-gain-entry performance during a movie premiere party at the Roosevelt in Hollywood, it dawns on her that her own talent is to discover it in others! So Mac and her BFFs set out to prove it by turning fresh-from- Cedartown-Iowa Emily into a box office bombshell. They’ll make deals, throw parties, crush on boys, all on the way to discovering that no matter how famous or important you are, friendship always comes first. Well, almost always.

So, you've been hearing about this new series by Zoey Dean called Talent about tween girls running around in Tinsel Town and you think, The Clique, that other book Ashleys [is it?] and other books about twen girls who act like the PG-13 version of Gossip Girl and Co. Then you think; "What's the diff?". Well there isn't. But if you want to look at it in another way, this series is about:

A girl who feels that in a town where just about everyone is talented she isn't and sets out to find her's (talent).
A girl who realizes that she does have talent and gets a once in a lifetime chance to show the world.
A girl who knows she has talent but no one seems ready to let her showcase what she can do.
A girl who just wants the boy next door to notice her.

So you see, this series is standing out from the rest. That is why I really enjoyed this story and cannot wait to read the other books in this series.

The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson Part 1

2008-08-27T20:13:00.002-04:00

Twenty-year-old Ruth Berger is desperate. The daughter of a Jewish-Austrian professor, she was supposed to have escaped Vienna before the Nazis marched into the city. Yet the plan went completely wrong, and while her family and fiancé are waiting for her in safety, Ruth is stuck in Vienna with no way to escape. Then she encounters her father’s younger college professor, the dashing British paleontologist Quin Sommerville.

Together, they strike a bargain: a marriage of convenience, to be annulled as soon as they return to safety. But dissolving the marriage proves to be more difficult than either of them thought—not the least because of the undeniable attraction Quin and Ruth share. To make matters worse, Ruth is enrolled in Quin’s university, in his very classes. Can their secret survive, or will circumstances destroy their love?

I wasn't able to finish most of this book (I had to return it :-\) but so far I have to say that it is a really sweet story. I don't know, but so far after reading A Company of Swans and (almost finish reading) The Morning Gift I find that. Ms. Ibbotson's heroines have the same free spirited-ness that that Anne of Green Gables' Anne Shirley possesses. With characters like these I tend to enjoy reading their stories even more than I expect to. So since I haven't read this book throughly--yet. I am unable to give a proper recommendation. However, I will ask you to consider checking out this book It was really enjoyable...well the parts I read so far.

Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

2008-08-26T20:13:00.001-04:00

In 1837 London, young daughters of viscounts pined for handsome, titled husbands, not careers. And certainly not careers in magic. At least, most of them didn’t.

Shy, studious Persephone Leland would far rather devote herself to her secret magic studies than enter society and look for a suitable husband. But right as the inevitable season for "coming out" is about to begin, Persy and her twin sister discover that their governess in magic has been kidnapped as part of a plot to gain control of the soon-to-be Queen Victoria. Racing through Mayfair ballrooms and royal palaces, the sisters overcome bad millinery, shady royal spinsters, and a mysterious Irish wizard. And along the way, Persy learns that husband hunting isn’t such an odious task after all, if you can find the right quarry.

I did not enjoy this book as I originally hoped I would. What I thoguht to be an intriquing plot filled with twists and turns that I wouldn't see turned out to be transparent. Everything was so obvious that it felt as if I didn't gain anything after shutting the book.

The Year My Sister Got Lucky by Aimee Friedman

2008-08-26T09:58:00.002-04:00

When Katie and Michaela Wilder are uprooted from NYC and planted in rural Fir Lake, Katie is horrified by their new surroundings: the too-friendly neighbors, the local uniform of sandals paired with socks, the very idea of milking a cow. But while Katie suffers through shopping withdrawal, Michaela transforms into a small-town social firefly, flirting with the hot quarterback and soaking up nature with her new hick-town friends. As in, people who think camping is *fun*. Does Katie even know her sister anymore? And after Michaela hides a jaw-dropping secret from her, does Katie even want to?

New girl stories are another of my faves. But that wasn't what attracted me to this book, it was the title. It was frustrating to read Katie this book because it was from Katie's POV, and she was very ignorant of the oppurtunity she had in front of her. I guess I'm being biased because I'm almost always up for a good adventure. I did, however, like the sisterly bond the book stressed. But was annoyed with the comment Mick-a-ay-la (I think that's how it's pronounced) about sisters and friends. To sum it all up; The Year My Sister Got Lucky was a good read. I was disappointed.

Principles of Love: Lessons in Love by Emily Franklin

2008-08-25T11:56:00.002-04:00

It's Love's senior year at Hadley Hall, and she's stuck sharing a dorm with the evil Lindsay Parrish, who's imposing way too many rules during her reign as head monitor.

On top of that, her handsome boyfriend, Charlie, has gone back to Harvard, and her ex, Jacob, still insists on giving her the cold shoulder. On the bright side, Love's mom is offering her the chance to work for an indie music label in New York City. Suddenly, Love's future's looking bright again. Until, that is, the newspaper publishes a photo of Charlie on the gala circuit- with another girl. Obviously it's time for some lessons in love...

Ah Love. She's my favorite female character at the moment. But I am very sad to say I found this book a bit repetitive. Love's Issues are the same in my opinion. This made the book a little boring and monotonous for me. I guess in a sad kind of morbid, depressing way it okay. This way when the series ends I won't be sad. I need some cheering up now.

Heaven Looks A Lot Like The Mall by Wendy Mass

2008-08-25T09:53:00.002-04:00

When 16-year-old Tessa suffers a shocking accident in gym class, she finds herself in heaven (or what she thinks is heaven), which happens to bear a striking resemblance to her hometown mall. In the tradition of It's a Wonderful Life and The Christmas Carol, Tessa starts reliving her life up until that moment. She sees some things she'd rather forget, learns some things about herself she'd rather not know, and ultimately must find the answer to one burning question--if only she knew what the question was.

I always loved those stories where a person gets to explore they lives. I gues that's why I love things like Numerology, Astrology (even if I don't check my horoscopes), and other ologies that explore your inner person. For the protagonist (who is also the antagonist) of this story, life has been one bad decision after another which lead to a very sad life for her. I think the reader is suppose to feel sorry for her but I didn't. I find it hard to feel sorry for people who put themselves in avoidable conflicts. However, that doesn't mean I enjoyed this book. It had me thinking of all the wrong turns I had in life. Wendy Moss writes a great story that sends a message (or more) that speaks loud and clear; "The good and the bad you do in life while always come full circle.". As for the other messages, you have to read the book to find them for yourselves.

Lemon Meringue Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

2008-08-24T23:08:00.000-04:00

Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar and Lake Eden, Minnesota's own amateur sleuth extraordinaire, returns in "Lemon Meringue Pie Murder" to track down the killer of a neighbor with a sweet tooth.It's summer in Lake Eden and Hannah's younger sister Michelle is coming home for a visit. But before the family reunion can get under way, Hannah discovers the body of a local resident in the woman's basement. The only clue is one of Hannah's luscious lemon meringue pies on the kitchen counter with only one slice missing...even though from the looks of the victim's kitchen, she was planning an intimate dinner for two.

Suzanne Toren