In My Mailbox (39)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. 

A note from the author:

It's easy to forget that we spend our early teens afraid. We're afraid of fitting in, standing out, or being ignored. We worry that we'll never get a date, never get into college, and never amount to anything. Just like everyone predicts.

It's also easy to discount these fears. Looking back, it seems impossible that we would have stayed awake all night worrying about what someone else thought of our clothes or that we ever doubted our abilities, our potential. But that's only because we know how the story ends. 

I wanted to write a book that started with these fears as givens, bottling them in tight and capping them off with that artificial indifference genetically required of all teens. Kyle Chase is not a bad kid. He's not a good kid, either. He's a typical kid. He's any kid. And, at one point in your life, he was you.

I got this book for review. Thanks HarperTeen!

Book Recommendations Wanted!: Books That Deal With France

Okay. I need help with something. I am asking for Young Adult or Middle Grade books that either take place in France or are French oriented or books by French authors or books that deal with high school foreign exchanges. Only they have to be in English!

Here are some titles that I already have on my list:

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag
Wanderlust by Lucy Silag
Experienced by Lucy Silag
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

(I've only read The Count of Monte Cristo but I hear that the rest are really good! Anna and the French Kiss is actually one that is a deb2010 book and is on my wishlist!)

Also if you have any ideas French movie (with English Subtitles) please let me know! I already have Amélie, La Vie En Rose...

The reason I ask is because, if my mother agrees, I might get a once in a lifetime experience to study abroad in France for the 2011 Spring semester (late January - mid July). I'll be a junior and would love the opportunity to do this! I've been in French class since high school started and love the French culture and language!

Anyways, money is tight right now and I am planning on doing a lot of fundraising (and hopefully I get a scholarship/financial aid) and one thing that came to mind was to do a contest where one lucky winner would get a box of books and other little things that had a French theme. The only thing I'll be asking is for a donation of at least $1 through pay-pal to be entered. I'll also have another contest where the winner can win Anna and the French Kiss (if I can acquire an ARC of it or maybe I'll do a pre-order contest) or some other French theme book without having to donate any money.

Also, if you have any advice and tips on fundraising ideas or for me to raise money for France please go to the forms below!

Please fill out THIS FORM for book suggestions/fundraising suggestions.....

Please fill out THIS FORM if you want to donate something for this contest.

Thanks!

Fill free to leave the book suggestions and fundraising suggestions as a comment!

YA Books That Will Be Movies

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life -- getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job -- Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.

At his new school, Craig realizes that he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping -- until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

I think I was in 7th grade when I read this book. I definitely will need to reread this because I can not remember much about it! And yay! for the Ida Maria song in the background.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen Flipped is a romance told in two voices. The first time Juli Baker saw Bryce Loski, she flipped. The first time Bryce saw Juli, he ran. That’s pretty much the pattern for these two neighbors until the eighth grade, when, just as Juli is realizing Bryce isn’t as wonderful as she thought, Bryce is starting to see that Juli is pretty amazing. How these two teens manage to see beyond the surface of things and come together makes for a comic and poignant romance.

How cute does this look??! I've seen the book around but have never picked it up. I will now!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Fear not, you will find no spoilers in our review--to tell the plot would ruin the journey, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans have not yet seen, and are not likely to forget. But we would be remiss if we did not offer one small suggestion before you embark on your final adventure with Harry--bring plenty of tissues.

AHHHH! DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1! I am so, so excited for this. Holy crap, I can't even begin to describe it. I'll be rereading all the books late October - the midnight premiere!

Waiting On Wednesday (34)

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

February 8, 2011/Simon Pulse

The small town of Cryer's Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn’t that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain.

When a second student goes missing - someone close to Kendall's heart - the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and anxiety, Kendall¹s not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she’s losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school - messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there - Kendall decides that crazy or not, she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t act on her suspicions.

Something's not right in Cryer’s Cross - and Kendall’s about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

I've read the Wake trilogy and really enjoyed all the books! I am so excited for this. It sounds very intriguing! Here are my reviews of WAKE, FADE, and GONE.

In My Mailbox (38)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

For Review: Annexed by Sharon Dogar thanks Houghton Mifflin! Won: Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter (It's signed too!) contest was at The Hiding Spot. thanks! From Library: How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Louise Rennison The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan Other: Look Again by Lisa Scottoline

Waiting On Wednesday 33

Delirium by Lauren Oliver HarperTeen/February 1, 2011

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that one love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

Why I want this: How cool does this sound? I haven't read anything like this and it's intriguing. Although I still don't have a copy of Before I Fall (which I need to read very soon!) I heard so many good things about Lauren Oliver's writing! And how awesome is that cover?! Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

The Huge TBR Readathon

Kristen at Bookworming in the 21st Century is hosting The Huge TBR Readathon that started yesterday, Monday the 20th and will run until Sunday the 25th. I wasn't planning on doing this since I'm miserable at keeping up at readathons but I'll give it another go and this time only put down 6 books - my goal is to read one book a day and review each one by the end of the week. If I get done with these then I'll add more.

Books To Read:

Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone

Dramarama by E. Lockhart

Shug by Jenny Han by Louise Rennison

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

On The Bright Side, I'm Now The Girlfriend of a Sex God

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

Unexpected Development by Marlene Perez

Unexpected Development by Marlene Perez Roaring Brook Press/September 2, 2004/Young Adult/176 pages

"I'm not sure you really want to get into what I did this summer, Mrs. Westland. Sex. Sex is how I spent my summer vacation." Megan knows twenty different words for "breasts," and can recite them alphabetically-but she can't remember the last time a guy looked her in the eye first, not the chest. Size matters, as Megan found out in the 5th grade, when she developed the largest breasts in the class. Now she's 17 and wearing her twin brothers' baggy sweatshirts can't hide the fact-two facts, really. When her summer job at Pancake Palace puts her in close touch with Jake, who smells like "temptation and Ivory soap," Megan wonders if he can like her for herself, not just her body. Can lusty, busty Megan learn to trust Jake -and herself? Megan tells about her summer of sex in somewhat poignant and very funny journal entries to her favorite teacher

From the beginning we find out that Megan's teacher has asked her class to do the assignment, 'how did you spend your summer vacation?' and, I don't know about you but, I don't think I would ever be comfortable enough to write what she did to her teacher. And I'm pretty close with quite a few of my teachers. What really caught my attention about this book was that the main character, Megan, has big breasts and she is very self-conscious about it t0 the point where she wants to get a breast reduction. I thought that the book was good overall but was lacking in a couple of parts. I think that the book kind of ended suddenly and that there could've been more, especially with Megan and Jake's relationship at the end of the book. I would like to say that Marlene Perez does an amazing jobs with subjects such as sexual harassment, body issues, and other sexual issues. I could definitely relate to Megan and would recommend this book for anyone who wants to read a book dealing with these things. * And this is really, really weird but as I was reading the book I kept feeling that Megan didn't sound like a Megan. Has this ever happened to anyone? Or is this just me. Haha.

RATING

Writing: 4/5

Originality: 4/5

Characters: 3.5/5

Voice: 4/5

Ending: 3/5

Overall: 3 stars

Favorite character(s): I didn't really have a favorite character but I'll say Megan because I could relate to her a lot. Cover: C+ Uhh. Well. The cover is definitely out there. I mean, look at where the author's name is placed. Haha. This is one of those covers that I wouldn't want to be seen with because of it's revealing nature (and I get embarrassed easily) but its also one of those covers that I'd be intrigued by and want to pick up!

Put-down-ability: 3. This book is less than 200 pages, so it's a really fast read.

*Source: public library.

In My Mailbox 37 & Recap of Author Event

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

For Review Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma Thank you!!! Borrowed From the Library Shug by Jenny Han When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead The Boy Book by E. Lockhart The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson Dancing In Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone Unexpected Development by Marlene Perez (review) Dramarama by E. Lockhart Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman Triple Shot Bettys in Love by Jody Gehrman Bought *Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger * Audrey Niffenegger was in Kansas City on Wednesday and although I haven't read any of her books I quickly reserved a spot! I went to Wal-Mart and got a copy of Her Fearful Symmetry (they only had 2 copies of this book left) but I couldn't find a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife there. I called the bookstore hosting the event and asked if Audrey Niffenegger would be signing books and they told me, "Audrey will only be signing books that are bought through us," so I just picked up The Time Traveler's Wife at the library. I had just bought my copy of the book and so I was pretty upset about that. Audrey Niffenegger's even was pretty awesome! I went with my friend and we got really good seats. I didn't get far into Her Fearful Symmetry but it was okay. I am happy to say that Audrey signed my book and tons of others that weren't bought with the bookstore. I just wished I would've known that she would be signing these because I would've went out and bought The Time Traveler's Wife. Oh well, it was still a really pleasant experience. Audrey is really nice!

Also, I think this will be my last visit to the library for awhile now, except to get 2 or 3 books that I need for a challenge.

Book Blogger Hop (2)

This week's question is: RIGHT THIS INSTANT, WHAT BOOK ARE YOU DYING TO GET YOUR HANDS ON (PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE)? I'm going to narrow my answer down to, oh, 14 books. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger - Top of my wishlist! I need this book NOW. Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick - Read Nothing Like You earlier this year and loved it! Can't wait to read Lauren's new book. Fallout by Ellen Hopkins - Um. Ellen Hopkins is amazing. I read Crank and Glass (which, I need to reread) and they are phenomenal. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver - LOVE the sound of this. This is at the very top of my wishlist. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - With every review I read of this, I get so envious. I want this! Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - I'm reading Beautiful Creatures now and it is awesome!

Matched by Ally Condie - How cool does this sound?!

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney - Daisy is so sweet and I really love the sound of it.

Fixing Deliah Hannahford by Sarah Ockler - Read Twenty Boy Summer and really liked it. Sarah Ockler's writing is amazing!

Teenage Waistland by Lynn Biederman & Lisa Pazer - I'd read this book on the title alone. I like plots like this.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick - Read Hush, Hush and it was really good! Can't wait to read this.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I haven't seen a lot of reviews but what I have seen have gone on and on about how fantastic this is. It sounds wicked good and I need it!

Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers - Read Cracked Up To Be and I love the way Courtney writes.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King - Reading The Dust of 100 Dogs and loving it! PIVD sounds great.

Waiting On Wednesday 32

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

Amelia O'Donohue Is So Not a Virgin by Helen Fitzgerald November 1, 2010/Sourcebooks Fire At this boarding school, even the wildest rumors don't measure up to what's really going on... Rachel Ross is asthmatic and "more bottled up than ketchup," but that's fine. Nothing will prevent her from graduating at the top of her exclusive new boarding school and getting into Oxford. Rachel refuses to be distracted by the present until she uncovers a shocking secret on campus. She realizes that someone is in desperate need of help and that she actually has something to share-and more friends than she knew. With an utterly original, hilarious, and honest voice, Amelia O'Donohue delivers a sexy new boarding school tale with true heart-and a surprise ending you won't forget.

Why I want this: Sounds very interesting AND set in a boarding school!

The Dark Divine Trailer

Bree Despain is having an awesome contest on her blog! A seriously awesome contest. The winner could receive a book-bag filled with up to eleven books, including an ARC of THE LOST SAINT (sequel to The Dark Divine.)


All you have to do is watch the trailer and spread the word! 

Mini Challenges for Once Upon A Readathon

Here is where I'll be posting all my mini-challenges for The Once Upon A Readathon! The The Eager Readers challenge for part one was to post our favorite fictional characters. 3 of My Favorite Fictional Couples (in no particular order): Dexter and Remy from This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen Alice and Patrick from The Alice Series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Lily and James from The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling Part 2 was to post a crossover couple you would love to see. This is hard for me! I don't like crossover characters but rather, I like seeing characters from the same book that aren't together already. Book Crazy challenge said:

We all have a favorite book, right? We all have a favorite character, right?What I want you to do, since I am a lover of all things music and photo related is to pick one - or both- and put them together!!

One of my favorite books is THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER the song that remains me of this book is Blackbird by The Beatles. Yes, this song is also a song that is mentioned in the book. I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read challenge:

Rules!

~In a comment: 1. Choose a song (sung or instrumental) that represents a chapter that you are currently reading or have read during the read-a-thon thus far. If the book was turned into a movie, and this chapter was shown, what music would you want in the background to convey the emotion or environment.

2. List the book/author/chapter that you choose along with the song(s) you choose.

3. Give a quick synopsis about the chapter (No SPOILERS please!) or the circumstances that take place and why you chose the song to represent it.

1. The song I'm choosing is Schadenfreude from Avenue Q. Yes, the musical! WARNING: If you don't like cussing or crudeness or whatever, don't listen to this song. 2. The chapter I am going to use is from the wicked good book, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau - Banks by E. Lockhart. 3. In order not to give away spoilers I am going to very vaguely explain why I chose this song. In this chapter Frankie Landau - Banks (who is a brilliant character) and another character talk about where they are at and mention that it remains them of the German word, schadenfreude. Happiness at the misfortunes of others (this is actually sung in the song, by the way.)

For Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf challenge she wanted us to write a review of the favorite book we've read so far. I'm planning on writing a review of all the books I read anyway, so I'll just link my reviews back here once I've written them. I didn't read any of my books until last night when I read The Disreputable History. This will probably be my favorite book, because I loved it SO much.

Push by Sapphire

Push by Sapphire Knopf/June 11, 1996/Adult/179 pages Summary Claireece Precious Jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect. That is the device deployed in the first novel by poet and singer Sapphire. "Sometimes I wish I was not alive," Precious says. "But I don't know how to die. Ain' no plug to pull out. 'N no matter how bad I feel my heart don't stop beating and my eyes open in the morning." An intense story of adversity and the mechanisms to cope with it. Review I saw the movie earlier this year (known as Precious) and you know, I always hate how movies don't exactly stay true to the book but, because of the many graphic and terrible parts, for once I am glad that this is the case for PUSH ! Goodness, right from the beginning the book is incredibly raw and intense.

The book is about Precious, who is an obese and illiterate 16 year old living in Harlem. I have to say, Sapphire really gets into the voice of Precious. Sometimes it is hard to read because the book is written in 1st POV and since Precious can not read or write, she writes words like 'father' as 'fahver.'

My heart went out to Precious, it truly did. Getting rape by her father and having kids by him (one with Down Syndrome,) being held back in school, disease, abused by her mother, etc. SO MUCH. I applaud Sapphire for writing this book. Some people might not believe that these things happen but, they do.

From seeing the movie, I pretty much knew a lot of what was going to happen but there was something that I was surprised about. Throughout the book Precious talks about Louis Farrakhan, who is the Head of the Nation of Islam. The book takes place in the 80's and I know that Farrakhan was living in Harlem at that time (I think) but there are quite a few references to him. I'm not sure if the character is supposed to be of the Islam faith. She also names her son Abdul so, maybe. Not a big deal or anything, I just wasn't expecting that.

Overall: Like the movie, I thought that book was an eye opener and great but it's too emotionally horrible for me to read more than once!

Overall Rating: 4 stars(I'

(I'm not following my usual rating system because I find this book difficult to rate but, I will say that the voice gets a 5!)not going to do my usual rating because I find it really hard to rate this book. Although, I have to give the voice a 5!) Cover: B. I like the simplicity of it. I have no idea what I would put on it if someone wanted an image instead of just text on the cover. PS. My father wanted to read this book after I finished but now that I read it, I feel that it will be wicked awkward if I give it to him to read so I'm just going to return it to the library...

Once Upon A Read-a-Thon

The Once Upon A Read-a-Thon starts tomorrow and runs through Wednesday! The great thing about this read-a-thon is there is no specific amount of books you have to read and you can go at your own pace! Here are the list of books that I hope to read: Going Too Far by Jennifer EcholsThe Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King (about 70 pages in)Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger*The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Not going to read it, can't get the book in time. I wasn't planning on reading the last two books but Audrey Niffenegger is coming to my city for an author event and so, I thought I'd go. Now I just need to buy those books! The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells (about 30 pages in)The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. LockhartLove, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (about 50 pages in) * I might not actually start The Time Traveler's Wife since the author event is really about her 2nd book. EDIT: Won't be getting the TTTW until after the readathon is over. I did get Her Fearful Symmetry today, though!

In My Mailbox 36

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

For Review: What I Learned From Being a Cheerleader by Adrianne Ambrose Haint Misbehavin' by Maureen Hardegree Thanks Bell Bridge Books! Won: The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells Thanks Teen Fire!

I also won a Mockingjay necklace (Hunger Games Inspired) from Candace! Thanks!

Burrowed from the Library: Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande Fat Cat by Robin Brande The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart Fly on the Wall by E. Lockhart The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart Forever by Judy Blume Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson On The Bright Side, I'm Now The Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nungas by Louise Rennison How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han Looks by Madeleine George City of Glass by Cassandra Clare Dramacon, Volume 1 by Svetlana Chmakova (for library book club discussion)

Not Pictured (from the library):

Push by Sapphire

Riot by Walter Dean Myers (Review) Whew! I got a lot of great books this week! Luckily, The Once Upon A Read-A-Thon starts Monday, so I'll be motivated to read a lot of books! Also, it seems I'll be having a really lazy and depressing week, so I see myself reading and reviewing a lot of books!