Fab Friday!

This week we have Hope of http://www.princess2293.blogspot.com.

I asked her why she started Hope's Bookshelf and she gave me a great answer. "I started Hope's Bookshelf and reviewing YA books because I loved to read! And what's better than discussing books with other people who love to read?"

She had 51 subscribers at the time of the interview. That's a lot!!!

She had some fabulous advice for new bloggers! "Just to stick with it. Don't get discouraged. Also, get your name out there. Ask for link exchanges with other bloggers, comment on other people's blogs. The YA blogging community is a really nice one. If you want help with an idea or need advice, e-mail someone whose blog you love. I'm 99.9% sure that they'll help you out with whatever you need and give you wonderful advice."

Her favorite, recent review was of Everything is Fine by Ann Dee Ellis. Here's what she had to say, "I have very mixed feelings about this book. I can't decide whether I really liked it or hated it. I think I stand right on the middle line, where i didn't really like it, and didn't really hate it, I just tolerated it, I guess a word for it is.

In some ways this book is wonderfully crafted. You get bits and pieces of Mazzy's life in the present, while learning things from the past: about what drove her mother into a depression, why her dad moved away, and about Olivia. The way Mazzy deals with things seems somewhat normal for what she had been through. The writing style is also almost like a verse novel, which I enjoy, so I liked that part of it.

On the other hand, though, there were parts of this book that I didn't enjoy. The first is that you never really get a real description of Mazzy. You never find out how old she is, or what she really looks like. I didn't like that, because I couldn't picture the story going on in my head as I read because of that. You get descriptions of all the other characters, just never really Mazzy. The way Mazzy dealt with some things also seemed. . . out of sorts for teenagers. Since you never really find out her real age, it's hard to understand if she's a younger teenager, or even a pre-teen. Some of her actions make her seem like a pre-teen, but the back of the book says teenager.

Overall, this book was okay -and just okay. Not good, not bad. Just in the middle. I might still check out Ann Dee Ellis's other novel, This Is What I Did, but it's not too high up on my list of books to get from the library.
Everything Is Fine is released March 1st."

"Thanks again for asking me, Ashley."

Thanks to Hope for coming! If you'd like to be spotlighted email me at princessashley9@gmail.com