One Word

FINALS!

That is all :) I'll be back up next week!

How I Live Now

How I Live Now
by Meg Rosoff
2004
Age Level: YA/Adult

Summary:

“Every war has turning points and every person too.”

Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent from Manhattan to England to visit her aunt and cousins she’s never met: three boys near her age, and their little sister. Her aunt goes away on business soon after Daisy arrives. The next day bombs go off as London is attacked and occupied by an unnamed enemy.

As power fails, and systems fail, the farm becomes more isolated. Despite the war, it’s a kind of Eden, with no adults in charge and no rules, a place where Daisy’s uncanny bond with her cousins grows into something rare and extraordinary. But the war is everywhere, and Daisy and her cousins must lead each other into a world that is unknown in the scariest, most elemental way.

A riveting and astonishing story.

Review:

Wow. You know those books where you start reading it expecting one thing, and then you finish it an it's completely different than what you thought? This is totally one of those books.

Absolutely incredible. I have nothing but good things to say about this book. The story? Riveting. The characters? Well-developed and very real. The writing style? There was clearly a lot of thought put into this unique writing, and while the unsuspecting reader may think it's sloppy and confusing, there is a reason for every choice the author made while writing this book. If you're not expecting it, the writing can take a little bit of getting used to, but it truly is the most artistic form of writing I've seen in awhile.

While some might find issues in this book, I personally thought that the romance, while not as "acceptable" as it should be, was very true and very well thought out. I also found the imagery in this book to be spectacular and incredibly cinematic.

I'd HIGHLY recommend this book to all young adults and adults looking for a well-written imaginative read.

Jane

Everyday Psychokillers

Everyday Psychokillers
by Lucy Corin
February 2004
Age Level: Adult

Summary:

In Everyday Psychokillers spectacular violence is the idiom of everyday life, a lurid extravaganza in which all those around the narrator seem vicarious participants. And at its center are the interchangeable young girls, thrilling to know themselves the object of so much desire and terror.

The narrative interweaves history, myth, rumor, and news with the experiences of a young girl living in the flatness of South Florida. Like Grace Paley's narrators, she is pensive and eager, hungry for experience but restrained. Into the sphere of her regard come a Ted Bundy reject, the God Osiris, a Caribbean slave turned pirate, a circus performer living in a box, broken horses, a Seminole chief in a swamp, and a murderous babysitter. What these preposterously commonplace figures all know is that murder is identity: "Of course what matters really is the psychokiller, what he's done, what he threatens to do. Of course to be the lucky one you have to be abducted in the first place. Without him, you wouldn't exist."

Everyday Psychokillers reaches to the edge of the psychoanalytical and jolts the reader back to daily life. The reader becomes the killer, the watcher, the person on the verge, hiding behind an everyday face.

Review:

For required reading, this book was actually extremely entertaining, and not at all what I was expecting. The title "Everyday Psychokillers" is a perfect title, but it also made me think the book was going to be much more creepy than it actually was. The basic idea is this: everyone has the potential of being a psychokiller.

That sounds pretty presumptuous, but after reading the book I have been oddly enlightened. Corin did an excellent job combining myths and little anecdotal stories to create a book that explores the idea of the everyday person as a psychokiller. The stories included were all interesting and thought provoking, and the imagery was incredible.

I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to, but I know that if there are definitely some interesting ideas and concepts brought up in the book. If you're feeling inclined enough to read it, I'd say go for it.

Jane

Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books

Top Ten Tuesday

TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's a lot of fun so stop by if you get the chance :)

Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books

This week is TTT Rewind week, so when I looked back at the choices I couldn't resist the chance to share my favorite books ever!

1. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.
This was the very first Sarah Dessen book I ever read, and it is also the first young adult book I've ever read, and so it really sat with me for a long time. After reading it I promptly read all of her books, and then re-read them, until I discovered that hers were not the only good young adult novels out there. However, I still think they are some of the best.

2. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr.
While I enjoyed Story of a Girl, and later Once Was Lost, Sweethearts is the only one of Zarr's books that really... I don't know, inspired me. I couldn't put it down, and I loved the story and the characters and everything about it. Immediately after finishing I knew it'd be a favorite of mine for a long time, and it was one of the few books I bought in hardcover even after reading it.

3. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
I was a bit skeptical to read this book, but when I did I totally understood why I'd heard such good things about it. I can't even begin to explain how much I love it... it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me cringe... It was an instant favorite, and I'm really sad that Summers' second book didn't do the same things for me. I haven't read her third book yet, but I'm hoping it's good like Cracked Up To Be.

4. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott.
Bloom was sweet, I guess, but when I read Perfect You I was completely blown away. It was a regular teen romance but with comedy and some "awe" moments, and this book has total underline potential. In fact, all of my copies of Elizabeth Scott's books have notes in the margins. This book is definitely one of my faves.

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Yep, that has to go on this list. The Hunger Games is so exciting, so interesting, so believable... And to add to it, the social commentary is incredible to think about, especially for someone like me who is just beginning to make those kind of connections in my reading.

6. Looking for Alaska by John Green.
Wow, I was so blown away by this book when I first read it. It was not at all what I was expecting, and it was hilarious and sad and insightful and just overall awesomeness. I recommended it to all of my friends, as well as the book club at my high school. I just think it should be read by everybody.

7. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty.
I felt it appropriate to list Sloppy Firsts, since it's the first of the series, but in reality the sequel, Second Helpings, is my favorite from that series. However, just speaking about the series as a whole, I have yet to read a series that has made me laugh so hard. So many memorable scenes, Laugh-Out-Loud moments, and the most interesting characters I've ever read about. This series is a must-read for teenage girls who are just coming of age and trying to discover who they truly are.

8. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.
After reading My Sister's Keeper (and bawling my eyes out... I have no idea how many tissues I went through that day, and how many times my mom asked me what's wrong) I knew I had to read more from Jodi Picoult. At the time Nineteen Minutes was her newest, and I loved it even more than My Sister's Keeper. It just seemed so horrible and real, like it could happen to anybody.

9. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.
This series has got a lot of awesome stuff going on. It's historical, which is really exciting. It has a hot guy (oh, Kartik!) which is also exciting. But it's wonderful because it's sooo well-written, so suspenseful, and Gemma is just such a badass woman without even knowing it, it's just so awesome to read about her and her adventures with her friends.

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
I often forget about this book, probably because I read it for school, but just remembering it now I realized I had to add it to my favorites. A WWII novel, it's written in a really interesting way, and it is also such a realistic portrayal of what a young girl might go through during the war. It's definitely a must-read for those interested in the subject, or if you're just looking for a tear-jerker.

Jane

It's Monday! What are you reading?! (5)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I'd highly recommend joining this meme and taking a peek at the others who are participating as well!

I Read 2 books:
1. Beloved by Toni Morrison
2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
I actually read Beloved my freshman year of high school, but I really did not understand it at all. It's really nice to revisit it with a fresh perspective, and I've got to say I really enjoyed both Toni Morrison novels. She truly is one of the great American contemporary writers.


This Past Week On the Blog:
1. Review: Favorite by Karen McQuestion

Upcoming On the Blog:
1. Top Ten Tuesday Rewind: I'll be tackling my Top Ten All-Time Favorite Books!
2. Review: Everyday Psychokillers by Lucy Corin
3. Review: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

To Read:
1. Life On Hold by Karen McQuestion
This is FINALLY going to the top of my list. And I'm also going to start it tonight :)
2. Drought by Pam Bachorz

Also, here's something notable: no more required reading for this semester! Woot woot!

Can't wait for summer!
Jane

Favorite

Favorite
by Karen McQuestion
April 2011

Summary:

Five years have passed since Angie Favorite’s mother, Laura, disappeared without a trace, and Angie still hasn’t recovered. Sure, things look normal on the surface—she goes to school, works her summer job, and argues with her older brother Jason—but she can’t shake the feeling that Laura didn’t leave by choice. Angie’s dad does the best he can, but his work as a musician keeps him on the road and away from home, where it’s up to Angie’s grandmother to keep an eye on the kids. She can’t be with them all the time, though, and she can’t help Angie when she is snatched from a mall parking lot by Scott Bittner. The girl narrowly escapes, and Bittner is arrested, but he takes his life in jail before he can offer an explanation for his crime. When his mother contacts Angie, begging forgiveness on her son’s behalf, the girl agrees to meet with her in hopes of finding answers to the seemingly random attack. But when she arrives at the massive Bittner estate, she is overcome by an unshakeable sense of foreboding…

Part thriller, part coming-of-age tale, Favorite is an engrossing young adult novel in which nothing—and no one—is as it seems.

Review:

This book was an extremely quick read, and on top of that I was also extremely anxious to finish and figure out everything that was happening.

While Favorite was a suspenseful read, I can't say that there is anything entirely wonderful about it. The story itself was interesting, but it also seemed a little bit out there and so it was hard to think of it as a realistic event. The one thing that I can say is that it stuck in my mind: the night after finishing this book I had a dream that was very clearly influenced by the events, and it was actually kind of freaky and so I can definitely say the book had a chill factor.

Overall, I can see that Karen McQuestion has talent as a writer. In case you're unfamiliar with her, she self-published for Kindle, and now she's got a contract with AmazonEncore and so her books are being published in print. I'm very glad that she has this amazing opportunity, and I also believe she deserves it. However, I didn't enjoy Favorite as much as I thought I would, but I am looking forward to reading Life On Hold. It seems to be a book that I would really enjoy.

But don't let my review of Favorite turn you off... it really is a good book, just not exactly my cup of tea.

Jane

It's Monday! What are you reading?! (4)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I'd highly recommend joining this meme and taking a peek at the others who are participating as well!

This is up a little late today. I'd planned on doing it yesterday because it was supposed to thunderstorm, but it didn't start until late at night and I spent my entire day outside in the 80 degree sunshine! Feels like summer!

I Read 3 Books:
1. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
It's our book club pick for April; I finished it in less than a day.
2. Everyday Psychokillers by Lucy Corin
This was actually required reading, but I'm going to review it like a normal book because I enjoyed it enough.
3. Cloaked by Alex Flinn
Got this through Amazon Vine, and so I sort of jumped it ahead of some of my other books. It took me less than a day as well, though, so that's pretty sweet.

This Past Week on the Blog:
1. Last week's It's Monday! post
2. Top Ten (er, Two) Book Covers I Wish I Could Redesign
3. Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
4. Review: The Angel by Nastasha LaBrake

Upcoming on the Blog:
1. Top Ten Books I Want to See Made Into Movies
2. Review: Favorite by Karen McQuestion
3. Review: How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

To Read:
1. Beloved by Toni Morrison
I read this my freshmen year of high school- it wasn't even required, I was just such a book nerd that I decided to read it anyways. I'm definitely ready for a refresher, and I'm also doing a group project on Toni Morrison so of course I've gotta read her most well-known novel.
2. Drought by Pam Bachorz
Another Amazon Vine, so that's going to be after Beloved.
3. Life on Hold by Karen McQuestion
For review- I've gotta keep putting this one off. Hopefully things go well this week.
4. TBD- Another Toni Morrison novel. I'm not sure which it will be yet- that's up to me and one of my group members to decide.

I think it's most likely that I'll get through Beloved and then maybe one other novel this week, but hopefully I get ambitious and make it through three.

Jane

The Angel

The Angel
Nastasha LaBrake
May 2010

Summary:

Seth Salvadore-Knight knew that his family wasn't exactly "normal," but he didn't think his life was really all that different from other seventeen-year-olds'. There were no unusual difficulties in his life, just the average problems all teenagers experienced. That was, until he and his family moved to the town of Madison. Almost instantly the hatred began to show, through violent attacks against him, his family, and his friends. It is this violence, this hatred, that will forever change his life and the lives of those closest to him.

Review:

This book was much better than I was expecting! The summary, being very vague, didn't give me much to go on, but I took a leap of faith and decided to give it a try. And I'm really glad I did.

The Angel had me hooked from the beginning: I have read LGBT books, but this book takes it to a whole new level. Seth's parents are a gay married couple who adopted him when he was a baby. Seth, being straight, still has to deal with the harassment and prejudice that comes with having gay dads. When he comes to a new school, in a new town, he learns just how prejudiced people can be.

This book (or, more specifically, the main character) was so sweet, almost to the point of being painful. Seth has so much love for his parents, his sister, his friends... I found myself completely rooting for him through his struggles. It's upsetting to know that people like Brian Archer (the antagonist of this story) exist. In fact, the crazy things that Brian does seem almost unbelievable. However, I know that hate crimes happen more often than people would like to admit. This book is exploring the very dark side of prejudice, and it's definitely something that should be taken seriously.

While there were a few minor spelling and grammar mistakes, I was able to overlook them because the story had me so intrigued. There are a few self-published novels that I almost regret accepting for review, but The Angel stands above those. Nastasha LaBrake is clearly passionate about the subject, passionate about writing, and I know that she has the potential to go far with her writing.

Jane

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Stieg Larsson
May 2010

Summary:

The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy

Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

Review:

Oh, my. How do I even begin to write this review?

Personally, I find it hard to write reviews for books in a series, simply because I feel like I'm expressing the same opinion over and over again. While this wasn't the case between the first book and the second book (if you recall, I enjoyed the second one much more than the first), it is true when comparing the second and third installment. Picking up right where The Girl Who Played With Fire left off, I found myself completely riveted from beginning to end. I can't really describe what draws me into these books... maybe the characters? Lisbeth, of course, who is the driving force. And then Mikael, of course, who helps her on the way. And add to that a huge government conspiracy theory and I'm sold.

That being said, I'm not going to ramble too much. This series is really good for mature readers (adults, mostly, but being a mature teenager I'd also recommend it to others like myself). Highly recommend this series.

Jane

PS. I heard that there is a fourth novel that Larsson was writing when he died, and that someone (a relative, maybe?) was going to finish it up and it's going to get published. Not sure where I heard that or how credible it was, but I sincerely hope that happens :)

Top Ten Book Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

Top Ten Tuesday

TTT is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's a lot of fun so stop by if you get the chance :)

Top Ten (er, Two) Covers I Wish I Could Redesign

I'm sure if I had the time to go through every book I've read and consider ideas for "better" covers, I'd be able to make this list. However, I'm just going to have to settle for the two covers that need to be completely redone.

1. Nailed by Jennifer Laurens: This is referring to the first cover. It didn't show who the characters really were AT ALL. The main character looked old, and the guys were creepy looking. Then the second cover was released, which makes me much happier.

2. Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock: Ben is referred to throughout the book as being a heavier girl. In fact, this is one of her defining characteristics. Why isn't she shown on the cover this way? I suppose that her outfit is meant to "disguise" this, but there is nothing about her that gives the impression of being heavier. This really bothers me, and I'm sure there are plenty of books out there that portray the main characters as different from who they are described to be. Probably because people won't read books with an "unattractive" girl on the cover. Whatever. That's all I've got to say on the matter.
Jane

It's Monday! What are you reading?! (3)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. I'd highly recommend joining this meme and taking a peek at the others who are participating as well!

I Read 2 Books:

1. Favorite by Karen McQuesion
2. The Angel by Nastasha LaBrake

Required Reading (in case anyone is interested):
1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
(see a mini review here)
2. King Lear by Shakespeare
(I actually kind of liked it, but no review will be posted)

This Past Week On the Blog:

1. Top Ten Authors That Deserve More Recognition
2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Movie Review

Upcoming on the Blog:

1. Top Ten Book Covers I Wish I Could Redesign
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest: Book Review
3. The Angel: Book Review

To Read:

1. Life On Hold by Karen McQuestion
2. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff


Also: Enter my giveaway to win a copy of A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend! The deadline has been extended to April 30th because I haven't been around much, and I'd like to have more entries!

Hope everyone has an awesome week!
Jane