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Monday, October 10

Quick Review | Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

256 pages, St. Martin's Griffin, (2010-01-05)

$9.99 (Amazon.com)

Procurement

Purchased on Amazon.com as a bargain book for $4.

Quick Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve read so many good reviews of this one and all of Courtney’s books I thought I’d give it a try. And at $4 I didn’t feel that I’d lose anything by trying.

Regina is a mean girl and her mean girl posse freezes her out for a horrible night gone wrong. She tries to redeem herself, not really, what she attempts to do is get revenge. What she finally ends up accomplishing is much, much more.

The writing was awesome. Regina was a deeply emotional and thoughtful girl. I hated her at times but understood her completely.

Regina befriends Michael, a guy she helped sabotage his reputation. Their friendship grows—regrows—to something unforgettable.

I was never a mean girl in high school. I also wasn’t the focus of any mean girls either. And boy am I glad. Anna, Kara and Regina are such bitches. I honestly don’t get why girls can be so mean to each other. It’s horrible. Regina gets it right when she finally understands that there’s a real world out there. That high school bullshit doesn’t matter once you graduate.

Some advice to high schoolers: don’t let it get to you. Get over it. Move on. Tack on a smiley face and suck it up. There’s no reason to get revenge on someone failing at life so bad that they act out against you. Be the bigger, better, person!

Shelfability

Buy and share it with all high school girls

Sunday, October 9

In My Mailbox | Week 40

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Here’s what I’ve received over the past 3 weeks.

Review

Dreamland (Riley Bloom) by Alyson Noël

224 pages, Square Fish, (2011-09-13)

$7.99 (Amazon.com)

I will be giving this away. I didn’t mean to request it, I was running on autopilot that night. Look for a giveaway of this soon.

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith

304 pages, Square Fish, (2010-08-03)

$8.99 (Amazon.com)

Life Is But a Dream by Brian James

240 pages, Feiwel & Friends, (2012-03-27)

$11.55 (Amazon.com)

When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen

304 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), (2012-02-28)

$10.98 (Amazon.com)

Misguided Angel (Blue Bloods, Book 5) by Melissa De La Cruz

272 pages, Hyperion Book CH, (2010-10-26)

$6.80 (Amazon.com)

Lost In Time (A Blue Bloods Novel) by Melissa de la Cruz

352 pages, Hyperion Book CH, (2011-09-27)

$9.58 (Amazon.com)

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow: Four Novellas by Daniel Nayeri by Daniel Nayeri

432 pages, Candlewick Press, (2011-10-11)

$11.16 (Amazon.com)

Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

400 pages, Feiwel & Friends, (2012-01-03)

$10.98 (Amazon.com)

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter

192 pages, Feiwel & Friends, (2012-02-28)

$11.43 (Amazon.com)

After the Snow by S. D. Crockett

304 pages, Feiwel & Friends, (2012-03-27)

$11.55 (Amazon.com)

NetGalley

Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore

240 pages, Bloomsbury USA Childrens, (2011-10-25)

$10.98 (Amazon.com)

Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

400 pages, Feiwel & Friends, (2012-01-03)

$10.98 (Amazon.com)

 

Purchased

Madapple by Christina Meldrum

416 pages, Knopf Books for Young Readers, (2010-03-09)

$4.00 (Amazon.com)

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

256 pages, St. Martin's Griffin, (2010-01-05)

$9.99 (Amazon.com)

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones 4-Book Boxed Set: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin

pages, Bantam, (2011-03-22)

$19.77 (Amazon.com)

What did you get this week?

My Baby Boy Riley

I realized that I haven’t posted about my little man for quite a while now!

He’s 5 months and 2 weeks old today.

Thought I’d compare the last 3 months of pictures, even if he’s not smiling!

100_2262100_2311100_2362

Such a cutie!

Here are some from yesterday!

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I’ll be working on my current In My Mailbox post shortly! I’ve been slacking.

Friday, October 7

100 Most Popular YA Books

I saw this list over at Bites and thought I'd participate! I don't know where or how the list was compiled but it's a great list of fantasy and paranormal titles. Not too many contemporary titles on there. Books in BOLD GREEN I've read. Books I own but haven't read are in RED. Books I want to read but don't own are in BLUE. Alex Finn – Beastly Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones Ally Carter – Gallagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4) Ally Condie - Matched Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4) Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4) Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3) Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2) Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4) Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3) Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3, 4) Christopher Paolini – Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4) Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3) Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2) Cornelia Funke - Inkheart (1, 2, 3) Ellen Hopkins – Impulse Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3) Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere Gail Carson Levine – Fairest Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3) J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2) James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4) Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas John Green – An Abundance of Katherines John Green – Looking for Alaska John Green – Paper Towns Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4) Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2) Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3) Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2) Lauren Kate - Fallen (1, 2, 3) Lemony Snicket – Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3) Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3) Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) M.T. Anderson – Feed Maggie Stiefvater - The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3) Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3) Markus Zusak – The Book Thief Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mary Ting – Crossroads Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2) Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2) Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) Meg Rosoff – How I live now Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4) Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4) Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion Neal Shusterman – Unwind Neil Gaiman – Coraline Neil Gaiman – Stardust Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ) Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3) Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4) Sabrina Bryan and Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) Scott Westerfeld – Leviathan (1, 2) Scott Westerfeld – Uglies (1, 2, 3) Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days Shannon Hale – Princess Academy Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4) Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3) Stephanie Meyer – The Host Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4) Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3) Suzanne Collins - Hunger Games (1, 2, 3) Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4) Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3) Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped I've read 30/100, own 11 more I haven't read yet and would like to read at least 5 of the titles listed (not including the rest of the series). So 46/100 books I've read, own, or are willing to read of the most popular YA books. Not too shabby. What's my favorite read of out of this list? I'd go with the Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles, then the two awesome series: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. :) What about you?

Monday, October 3

Trailers | Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow by Daniel Nayeri

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow: Four Novellas by Daniel Nayeri by Daniel Nayeri

432 pages, Candlewick Press, (2011-10-11)

$11.75 (Amazon.com)

What a cool book! I love this title and this cover! And what’s even better than those? The trailers for the 4 short stories! You MUST go watch them!

Summary (Goodreads)

Written entirely on an iPhone, this quartet of YA novellas by Another Pan and Another Faust author Daniel Nayeri showcases four different genres. This bold collection of novellas by Another series author Daniel Nayeri features four riveting tales. These modern riffs on classic genres will introduce young adult readers to a broad range of writing styles that explore universally compelling themes such as identity and belonging, betrayal and friendship, love and mortality. Straw House: A Western sizzling with suspense, set in a land where a rancher grows soulless humans and a farmer grows living toys. Wood House: This science-fiction tale plunges the reader into a future where reality and technology blend imperceptibly, and a teenage girl must race to save the world from a nano-revolution that a corporation calls "ReCreation Day." Brick House: This detective story set in modern NYC features a squad of "wish police" and a team of unlikely detectives. Blow: A comedic love story told by none other than Death himself, portrayed here as a handsome and charismatic hero who may steal your heart in more ways than one. With humor, suspense, and relatable prose, this hip and cutting-edge collection dazzles.

 

Trailers

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow - Toy Farm Commercial from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow - Doom With a View Commercial from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow - Wish Police Commercial from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow - Our Lady of Villains Commercial from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Trailer and Giveaway | My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

320 pages, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), (2011-06-07)

$11.96 (Amazon.com)

The lovely folks at Zeitghost Media have another awesome trailer and giveaway combo!

What an interesting synopsis for this book! Would you put your fate into the hands of blog readers?

Summary (Goodreads)

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment.
Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure.
But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else be the one to decide which book I read for English. Or whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich Maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: Chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated!
Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever.
But don’t take my word for it, read the book and decide for yourself. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll scream in frustration. Or maybe that’s just me. After all, it’s my life.

Trailer

More Links

Website with latest news, book excerpts, blog and the chance to win a signed copy:

http://www.jessicabrody.com/index.html

"My Life Undecided" website, inspired by the book:

Would you put your fate into the hands of blog readers? http://mylifeundecided.com/

See Jessica Brody on tour now:

https://www.facebook.com/penfataletour

Giveaway

Macmillan would like to give a copy of My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody to one of my readers! To enter please fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below!

Please read the Terms & Conditions at the bottom of the entry form before completing any entries!

NOTE: Since this widget relies on Cookies, you may have issues doing the daily Tweet. If so please just put TWEET in the mandatory entry field. Questions? Email me!

Friday, September 30

Review | A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies 400 pages -- HarperTeen (Sep 27, 2011) $10.98 (Amazon.com)

Procurement

eARC from NetGalley.

My Grade

Plot: 3 Setting: 4 Writing: 4 Originality: 3 Characters: 3 Romance: 3

Overall: 20/30 = 66% D :(

Title/Cover Bonus: 5

Overall

A subpar love triangle with the light and dark forces represented by two teenaged boys and one special girl.
Shelfability  - NEW Category!
(Thanks to Kristi at The Story Siren) Borrow.