Saturday, June 5, 2010

48 Hour Book Challenge

I wasn't planning on doing this but I finally just decided to do the 48 Hour Book Challenge hosted by Mother Reader.
*Sorry that the titles are reversed!
The books I'll be reading:
Rules of Attractions by Simone Elkeles (also using for POC challenge)
The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell (also using for Graphic Novel challenge)
I'll be starting tomorrow at 7 AM and ending on Monday at 7 AM (Damn. I also start summer school, too! UGH) I hope I can finish all of these books by then! I also have to go to piano lesson, make time for a couple of runs (to get in shape for cross country practice on Tuesday,) and who knows what else.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
HarperTeen/June 1, 2008/Young Adult/320 pages

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best—her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends—a real life.

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She's making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani—because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they've targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she's always known—or the one she's always wanted.

Review: If you have not read any of Elizabeth Scott's book, you are most definitely missing out!

Dani is known to the people of Heaven as Sydney and throughout her whole life she has had many different alias' because she is not like most people. Dani has been going town to town and stealing things out of houses for as long as she can remember. Her mom has taught her all she knows about stealing (especially of silver) and she doesn't really know much else.

Soon they head to Heaven where Dani meets Allison, a girl that befriends her and who is also the daughter of a wealthy woman that Dani's mother wants to steal from. To make matters worse, Dani soon begins to fall for Greg...a cop. Elizabeth Scott creates relationships that are believable and easy to get sucked into. Also, I know people have said that the ending was sad and although I agree, I rather liked it.

The only thing I found myself being confused about and not liking was the involvement of this James character. James is Allison's brother and I'm still not quite sure if he really liked Dani or what?

Rating:
Characters: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
Overall: 4 stars
Favorite character(s): Allison who was a girl that Dani meets when she arrives at Heaven and Greg, the cop that Dani falls for. I loved these characters personalities.
Cover: C. Eh, the cover isn't bad but I don't really care for it.
Overall: This is a great book about being true to yourself!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Waiting On Wednesday 26

Her and Me and You by Lauren Strasnick
Simon Pulse / October 5, 2010
"First love, broken friendships, and heartache all play a part in this evocative, voice-driven novel about Alex, a girl whose world is ripped apart when her father’s affair splits her family in two.
Alex moves with her mess of a mother to a new town, where she is befriended by hot, enigmatic Fred—and alternately flirted with and cold-shouldered by Fred’s twin sister, Adina. Others warn Alex to steer clear of the twins, whose sibling relationship is considered abnormal at best, but there’s just something about Fred—and something about Adina—that draws Alex to them and makes her want to be part of their crazy world…no matter the consequences."
Why I want this: Well, Nothing Like You is on the top of my bookshelf just sitting there and whenever I see it I am seriously thinking 'Man, I wish Lauren Strasnick would write another book.' I read Nothing Like You in the beginning of this year and really enjoyed it. It was a fast read and her writing is amazing. I am so excited for this book! I love the sound of it AND okay, THE COVER IS SO GORGEOUS. It really is.
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking The Spine

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman
Putnam Juvenile/January 12, 2010/Young Adult/288 pages
Looking for a new beginning after a terrible mean girl past, Charlie Healey realizes there’s no escaping high school drama. Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life. Middle school was brutal. But high school is Charlie’s big chance to start over and stay out of drama, except that on her first day she runs into Will, her ex–best friend, who had moved away.
Now a varsity athlete and hotter than Charlie remembered, Will hangs with the crowd running the school. But Charlie doesn’t understand their power until an innocent delivery guy falls victim to a near-deadly hazing prank.Torn between doing what’s right and her secret feelings for Will, Charlie must decide whether to turn in her very best friend or live with the guilt of knowing what he did.
Review: Rosalind Wiseman, whose acclaimed book Queen Bees & Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence was the inspiration for the movies Mean Girls, knows about high school students as this books deals with many different issues all relating to things teenagers deal with often.
Charlie Healey comes to Harmony Falls High School hoping for a new, fresh start. During middle school she was friends with girls that were stuck up, popular, and mean, which resulted in all of them getting in trouble. Charlie joins the school newspaper and befriends with the other freshman (who, coincidentally, is the girl her middle school friends caused trouble for.)
This books deals with hazing and the measures people will do to fit in. Will, Charlie's old neighbor friend whom she sees again on the first day of school, makes the varsity soccer team as a freshman and all of the underclassmen must do outrageous things to please the upperclassmen players. Wiseman does a fantastic job at writing about the seriousness of hazing, peer pressure, and staying true to yourself.
Sometimes I felt that the book was predictable, however the writing was good and that made up for it. I'm glad that Charlie stayed true to herself and the friendship with the other girls was nice to read about! Looking forward to more YA books by this author.
Rating:
Characters: 4/5
Originality: 3/5
Ending: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Voice: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Enjoyment: 4/5
Favorite character(s): Sydney! She and Charlie become good friends at the start of the school year and I loved her personality! I liked that she was sportive, it really added to her character.
Cover: D. I don't like this cover, it's misleading! However, I really liked the ARC cover. I'm sad that it was change.
Thoughts: 3.5 Stars Good high school book about making the right choices.
*Source: Stacey from Penguin! Thank you so much!

Saturday, May 29, 2010

In My Mailbox 31

The Light (Morpheus Road, #1) by D.J. MacHale
"Marshall Seaver is being haunted. In the first installment of this chillingly compelling trilogy, sixteen-year-old Marshall discovers that something beyond our world is after him. The eerie clues pile up quickly, and when people start dying, it’s clear whatever this isit’s huge. Marshall has no idea what’s happening to him, but he’s soon convinced that it has something to do with his best friend Cooper, who’s been missing for over a week. Together with Coop’s sister, Marsh searches for the truth about what happened to his friend, ultimately uncovering something bigger than he could ever have imagined"
Won it from Books By Their Cover. Thanks!
Perchance To Dream (Theatre Illuminata, #2) by Lisa Mantchev
"Act Two, Scene One
Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world. Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between— Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril. Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.
When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?"
In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Wishlist for Upcoming Books

Here is my wishlist for upcoming books! Titles that have a link are my 'Waiting on Wednesday' posts. Will be adding more really soon!

January:
1 - The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman
1 - The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson
6 - XVI by Julia Karr
11 - Timeless by Alexandra Monir
25 - What Things Look Like by Angela Johnson

February:
1 - Delirium by Lauren Oliver Thanks, HarperTeen!!
1 - Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
8 - Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
8 - Four Seasons by Jane Breskin Zalben
8 - So Shelly by Ty Roth
8 - Will Work for Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris
15 - Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
15 - Rival by Sara Bennet Wealer
22 - Haven by Kristi Cook
Dead To You by Lisa McMann

March:
1 - Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
3 - The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin
31 - Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

April:
1 - Then I Met My Sister by Christine Hurley Deriso
5 - City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
5 - Where She Went by Gayle Forman
19 - Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz
26 - Bumped by Megan McCafferty
26 - Carmen by Walter Dean Myers
26 - We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

May:
1 - The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
3 - So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti
8 - But I Love Him by Amanda Grace
8 - Popular by Alissa Grosso
10 - Bitter End by Jennifer Brown
10 - What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
24 - Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

June:
7 - My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

July:
12 - Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
12 - Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

August:
23 - Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

September:
1 - The Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
Delinquents by Suzanne Young
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

October:
8 - Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

No specific month:
Return to Me by Justina Chen Headley
Miss Fortune Cookie by Lauren Bjorkman
C-Side Tales by Tara Kelly
Tris and Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison
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