Must Monday

Its that time again! Monday! Take a look at what I'm waiting for this week.

The Secret Year
by Jennifer Hubbard

Summary: (Barnes and Noble)

Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia's boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can't mourn Julia openly, and he's tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia's journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he's desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

Why?

This story combines two classics that I love so why wouldn't I? Also my best friend and fellow blogger Lexi (anotherpageisused.blogspot.com) gave it a great review and made me want to read it even more!

FTC: I am not getting compensated in any way from the publisher nor the author for linking this book. I am simply showing people what I want to read.

New Policy's- Important

Recently it has become important for bloggers to have a policy in place for contests and such. I would like to thank Kristy from thestorysiren.com for bringing this to my attention. Please take a moment to read this as it is all important.

Contest Policy:

Please read before entering any contests that I host:

• If you leave me an email I will get in contact with you to let you know you have won. If you don’t leave me an email another winner will be selected.
• After I email you, I give you three days to respond. If you don’t email me back I will select a new winner.
• Contests are only open to US residence unless otherwise noted.

Privacy Policy:

I know I have many readers on my blog and that not all of you are 13 or older. In order to enter my contest you need to be 13+ or use a parents email, not your own. This is the general age that all sites use (i.e. Facebook, and web contests).

When you enter my contest you are leaving an email. I do not use your email for anything other then contacting you if you win. I can not promise however that someone else may leave your personal information be. Feel free to use an alias but I need the email. If you are fewer than 13 years of age simply comment and say that you are under 13 but would like to be entered. Then have your parent leave a separate comment with their email.

If you are the winner of a contest you will have to give me your address. If you are under 13 I will need the address to come from your parents. Obviously I can’t prove that it’s them emailing me but please be honest for your own personal safety! After your book or prize is sent I will no longer keep your address or contact info. I will also not give it away nor sell it.

I care for all of my readers so please be careful with the information you share here and on any site. Once I figure out how to use a form I will so your info will be kept protected even more!

You're the One That I Want

Title: You’re the One That I Want
Author: Cecily von Ziegesar
Publisher: Little Brown
Price: $9.99 USD PB
Release: October 2004
FTC: I purchased this novel with my own money. I did not receive it from the publisher and am not being paid in any way to review this book.

Grade: B
Rating: 14+

Summary: Amazon
Enter the world of Gossip Girl -- and watch us drown in luxury while indulging in our favorite sports -- jealousy, betrayal, and late-night bar-hopping. Well, the moment of truth has finally arrived. Everyone's back from a week of apr?s-ski hot tub fun in Sun Valley and cream-colored envelopes from the Ivy League are beginning to drop all over Fifth Avenue doorsteps. The question is: are the envelopes thick or thin? Has Nate's devotion to his misbehaving heiress dimmed his chances of getting into Brown? Is Blair too busy daydreaming in Eric's old pinstriped oxfords to remember her real mission in life -- Yale?? Hopefully Serena can snap her newest-and-oldest-best-friend out of it. That is, if Serena hasn't already become too much of a vapid, celery-eating supermodel to even care. Everyone is so consumed with who's getting in where that they're forgetting an even more important question: will everyone graduate?

My Thoughts:
I use to LOVE the Gossip Girl series, now I just like it. Why, you might ask. The tv show has ruined it for me. I no longer feel the same connection to the story because I watch the show and it has been taken a whole different direction.

As for this Gossip Girl in general, it was average. There have been better books in the series so this just wasn’t A worthy. The Plot was unique and carried on at a good flow but it just bugged me how different it was then this part on the show. I do think everyone should read this series and THEN watch the show. Don’t do both at one time because you will constantly be comparing and it does you no good. Just take some time to enjoy these without a designated cast (:

Random Quote:
*I’m opening to a random page* The random page is 126. *Touching Random spot*

He wanted her to feel like the entire night had been a mistake.

Blogger Interview

Interview with Bianca from http://wickedgoodbooks.blogspot.com/. If you would like an interview email me at princessashley9ATgmail.com or comment with your email here.

1. Do you like supernatural books? If so what creature do you prefer? (Vamps, werewolfs, etc.)
I haven't read a ton of supernatural books, but I have found myself getting more into them. I probably prefer reading about wizards/wizards!

2. Do you prefer single title or series books?
I prefer single titles, because sometimes waiting for the next book in a series can be horrible, if I really like them! At the same time, I do enjoy reading a series with 3 or 4 books, because if it's really good, I always want to know what happens next!

3. Who is your favorite male character in any book? Female?
It's kinda hard for me to pick. I love Charlie from the Perks of Being A Wallflower and Dexter from This Lullaby. I love Hermione Granger from Harry Potter, because I think she is the epitome of a brave, smart girl!

4. Tell us three unique things about you
I am one of the techies for the shows at my school! I absolutely LOATHE math, like it's ridiculous how much I hate it. It is my dream to go to Boston University, once I graduate high school!

5. What book can you not wait for it to be released?
I absolutely can not wait for The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott. *squee*

6. Do you like romance novels? Whats your favorite one?
I love romance novels. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott is AMAZING and This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen was great, too!

7. Do you listen to music well you blog? If so what do you listen to?
I am ALWAYS listening to music. It's pretty much anything from the RENT soundtrack to John Mayer.

8. Do you snack well you read ocassionally? If so what do you eat? Are you a carrot girl or a candy bar girl? :)
Sometimes I do. If I'm not chewing gum, I'll probably be eating something like cheez-its or some kind of sweets! XD

Thanks for letting me interview you!!

The Lost Sister

Before I begin my review I would just like to say... MY SISTER JUST CALLED MY BOOK REVIEWING STUPID :'( It was very upsetting. I love reviewing and get upset when people put it down. Anyways... Moving on.

Title: The Lost Sister
Author: Megan Kelly Hall
Publisher: Kensington
Price: $9.95
Release: August 2009
FTC: I received this book before December 2009 from the publisher.

Grade: A
Rating: 13+

Summary: (Amazon)
Sisters are born, not chosen. . .

Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery--an insidious clique of the school's most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights-
Beware the sister betrayed. . .

Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts, Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won't stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne--a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials--Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past. . .and the wrath of the sister she wronged.

My Thoughts: I thought that this novel was incredibly well written. The suspense kept me going through the whole thing; I felt that it was written in a way that even those occasional book readers could love it. I think anyone who has read the first book should go buy a copy now!!!

Random Quote: *opening book to random page* It opens on page 151. *Touching random spot*.
For a moment, Maddie could almost feel the tender touch of Tess as she led her out of the store last year.

Second Helpings:
Mrs. Magoo gave it an A. See her wonderful review! http://www.mrsmagooreads.com/2009/08/lost-sister.html
The Book Muncher gave it a 4.25. Here fantastic review: http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/2009/08/lost-sister-by-megan-kelley-hall.html

Wednesday Wishlist

Whats on my wishlist this week? Take a peek!

Summer Girls
by Hailey Abbott

Synopsis
In SUMMER BOYS, Beth, Ella, and Kelsi ruled Pebble Beach. Now it's time for 3 new girls to rock the summer.

JESSICA: Liam is the cutest guy I've ever seen and he loves the beach as much as I do. So how do I show him I'd make a better girlfriend than friend?

GREER I could be tanning on glam French beaches, but instead I'm "family-bonding" in Maine. At least the boys are hot - especially Brady. So what if he has a clingy ex-girlfriend?

LARA: Just my luck. I've fallen hard for the one boy who's totally off limits. If only I could stop kissing him...

Why? I LOVED Summer Boys and Hailey's writing style. It was adorable but also had the romance a teen novel needs.

Blogger Interview

Interview with Carol from http://www.bookluver-carol.blogspot.com/. If you would like to be interviewed please email me at princessashley9ATgmail.com or comment with your email here.

When and why did you start blogging?
I started blogging about a year and a half ago. I don't know why I started blogging. I just saw it as a fun thing to do, so I started my blog.

Who is your favorite author and why?
I don't have one favorite author; I have many. Among them are Cassandra Clare, Kristin Cashore, Courtney Summers, Mahbod Seraji, Lisa Mantchev and Christine Fletcher.

What bloggers inspire you?
Many bloggers inspire me. The list would just go on and on. But I won't include any bloggers here because I don't want anyone to feel left out. (And yes, this is a cop-out :D)

What book is most like your life?
I've yet to read a book that is most like my life, but most books have small aspects that are similar to my life, or have aspects that I wished were in my life.

As a child what book did you love?
When I was a child I loved the Dr. Seuss books, Arthur series, and Where the Wild Things Are. There are many more but I have forgotten them. Even when I was a young tot I read tons of books. So many that I used to have my dad take me to the library every other day. I was so glad that the library was only two blocks away otherwise I wouldn't have gone as much as I did.

Do you want to write a book? If so what’s it about?
Yes, I would like to write a book but I find it hard to keep my butt on my chair and let the words flow out. My book would be about different things, I guess. A YA contemporary with an urban fantasy twist. Or a dystopian novel that focuses on contemporary issues. There are many genres that I would like to write about.

Anything unique about you or your blog?
I think that the only thing unique about my blog is my voice. Other than that, my blog has a lot of things that other blogs have: reviews, interviews, waiting-on-Wednesday, and giveaways.

Do you prefer single title or series books?
Both. I like series' because I have more time to spend with the characters and the world that the author created. I like stand-alones because I don't have to anxiously wait for the sequel to come out.

Thanks for interviewing me!
No problem Carol. Thanks for allowing me to interview you!

Must Monday

This week here is what I'm pining for!

Keep Sweet
by Michele Dominguez Greene

Released March 9 2010. Be ready :)

Synopsis
Alva Jane has never questioned her parents, never questioned her faith, never questioned her future. She is content with the strict rules that define her life in Pineridge, the walled community where she lives with her father, his seven wives, and her twenty-eight siblings. This is the only world Alva has ever known, and she has never thought to challenge it.

But everything changes when Alva is caught giving her long-time crush an innocent first kiss. Beaten, scorned, and now facing a forced marriage to a violent, fifty-year old man, Alva suddenly realizes how much she has to lose—and how impossible it will be to escape.

Why? Well just look at this book! It's super cool looking and also the plot is unique. The cover also makes me want to read it. Very creepy yet seductive.