I am looking for book with surprising endings.

I have been in a mood to read books with a twist at the end. I was trying to think back to books that I've read with these types of ending and I couldn't come up with very many! The last one I read, which probably sparked up my interest, was Life of Pi. The Jodi Picoult books I've read so far have all had a not so expected ending.

Please share your book recommendations! Preferably books that are in the 14-20ish age range!

OH! And Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!!!!! This isn't exactly my most favorite day, but ah well....

The Giant LINGER Giveaway!

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget. Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here. Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Wishlist Wednesday

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

"As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face? It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper. She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path? Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty."

I've heard fabulous things about it! The plot sounds amazing.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Publisher: Harvest Books (May 1, 2003 for paperback)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Paperback: 326 pages

Summary: "The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional--but is it more true?"

Review: This book was assigned to my English 10 honors class and initially my first thought of this book was that it was going to be completely horrible. However, I am happy to report that it was actually a great story!

This isn't your typical English class book. It is fairly recent, written only a couple of years ago instead of the usual book that was published before 1960! The first part of the book is set in the late 70's in Pondicherry, India. Its about a boy with an unusual name; Piscine (sounds almost exactly like pissing), which is French for swimming pool and because kids teased him about it he shorten it to Pi once he got to high school.

Religion plays a major part in this book, even claiming in the beginning that it will make you a believer in God. Pi's family isn't particulary religious but he starts practicing not one but three religions. Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. All he wants to do is love God. Another major part of the story is that his father is a zoo keeper. Pi knows all about animals and which ones are dangerous and whatnot. Later on, Pi and his family decided to move to Canada and so, his father sells what animals he could to other zoos and some of the other animals ride on the ship with the family to Canada.

We get to the second part. The ship sinks. Without giving away all what happens. I'll say this. I couldn't believe all what Pi has to go through on a lifeboat. With a 450 pound BENGAL TIGER! It really is something to read. And although it was good at that point, I'll admit I didn't keep up with my reading after awhile. One of my reading quizzes proves it!! It was getting closer towards the major test (actually, the night before) and I had to read a little more than 100 pages. I do not think I would have actually read all of it if I hadn't heard the others talking about it in class.

Once Pi gets saved (and don't worry, I'm not giving anything away, because you know he lives as there are present tense scenes, which are confusing at first) we learn of a second story that happened while Pi was on the boat. So, its a story within a story and you're left with a question. What story is the truth?!

*oh in case anyone wants to know what I got on the test. 95/100! WHOO!

Rating:

Characters: 9/10

Originality: 9/10

Ending: 10/10

Writing: 9/10

Voice: 8/10

Plot: 10/10

Favorite character(s): Pi! Such a unique character! I loved his courage and his good heart.

Cover: B. I think the cover definitely fits the book! I think it works for a heroic tale.

Overall: Amazing book! So glad we read this for school. 4 stars.

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott Publisher: Simon Pulse (March 24, 2009)

Hardcover: 224 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult

Summary: "Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad's girlfriends and is now the star of her own website. After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar...and that's just how she likes it.

Of course, that doesn't help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah's sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she's going crazy. Yet she's determined to make things work out the way she wants -- only what she wants may not be what she needs....

Once again, Elizabeth Scott has created a world so painfully funny and a cast of characters so heartbreakingly real that you'll love being a part of it from unexpected start to triumphant finish."

Review: I have only read two other books by Elizabeth Scott: Perfect You and Bloom and they both have been amazing! I was eager to read Something, Maybe and Elizabeth Scott does it again!

The book starts off with, "Everyone's seen my mother naked," and you absolutely have to continue reading after that! Having parent's like Hannah's would be difficult for anyone. Her mother sits in front of her computer with hardly anything on and she has a father whose old enough to be her grandfather, that lives in a mansion with women like her mother.

The romance isn't overly the top. She works at BurgerTown, a popular fastfood place, with the guy she has a major crush on, Josh and the boy who annoys her, Finn. I thought Finn was sweet and didn't like Josh that much. I liked reading about Hannah's friendship with Teagan. I thought it was a really nice touch to the story!

I enjoyed the book! It was sweet and I think Elizabeth Scott has a knack for creating belivable characters which is awesome! I'd reccomend this if you're looking for a nice, realistic book to read!

Rating:

Characters: 8/10

Originality: 7/10

Ending: 7/10

Writing: 9/10

Voice: 9/10

Plot: 8/10

Favorite character(s): Finn. I can't help it. I love sweet guys like him.

Cover: D. I just do not like the cover.

Overall: 3 stars. Cute book. PLUS Hello! It's Elizabeth Scott! I need to read The Unwritten Rule!

In My Mailbox (18)

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

WON:

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

"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. . . ."

*Yah! I'm so excited for this one. Is also apart of my debut author challenge!

FOR REVIEW:

Titus and Atreus by Meridi Myers

"Grief-stricken by the loss of his parents, Titus Attwater is convinced his life will never improve. His older sister ignores his calls, his grades in school have plummeted, and his house, once a place of warmth and security, is now lonely, cold, and alien. But when a young man appears one night in Titus's house, claiming he came in upstairs through the full-length mirror, Titus's life gets turned upside-down. For, as Titus soon discovers, this intruder is not from Earth. Against his will, Titus is kidnapped and taken to another world, a place like Earth but markedly different. It is here where he will befriend angels, face assassins, and help a young prince unravel a prophecy that proves much darker and more twisted than any of them had imagined."

*The author also sent me some bookmarks and such! Will be hosting a contest later on for the book.

LIBRARY: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

"For nearly a century, the original version of Upton Sinclair's classic novel has remained almost entirely unknown. When it was published in serial form in 1905, it was a full third longer than the censored, commercial edition published in book form the following year. That expurgated commercial edition edited out much of the ethnic flavor of the original, as well as some of the goriest descriptions of the meat-packing industry and much of Sinclair's most pointed social and political commentary. The text of this new edition is as it appeared in the original uncensored edition of 1905. It contains the full 36 chapters as originally published, rather than the 31 of the expurgated edition. A new foreword describes the discovery in the 1980s of the original edition and its subsequent suppression, and a new introduction places the novel in historical context by explaining the pattern of censorship in the shorter commercial edition."

*Reading this for AP US History. I've been warned not to eat food before I read this book!

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

"Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons.

Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story -- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, "Can I ever feel okay about myself?"

*Yah!! I'm so happy that I got this book!

"Waiting On" Wednesday. (14)

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Release Date: March 2, 2010

Summary: "Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her."

Why I want this book:

• The plot is soo interesting! I can't even describe how much I love plot.

• Debut author!

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