Must Monday

The Duff

by Kody Keplinger

What?
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

Why?
Stepping away from deep and looking for some laughs. I feel like this should be able to provide just that.

When?
September 7th, 2010

Upcoming Releases? Oh MY (2)

Here are another 4 August Releases I am looking forward to!


Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan (Came out the 1st)

Finn and Chloe have it all figured out. Their school guidance counselor has told everyone that it's not enough to get good grades or do community service anymore - kids like that are everywhere, and colleges are bored of them. So what do you do? Chloe decides they should get attention another way. She and Finn will stage her own disappearance - and then Finn will be the only who finds and saves her. What college wouldn't want them after that kind of attention? It seems like a good plan -- until things start going very wrong.


The Nightmarys by Dan Poblocki (August 24th)

No synopsis at this time on amazon or Barnes and Noble, but look at that cover!


Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger (August 17th)

Brooke loved reading the dishy celebrity gossip rag Last Night. That is, until her marriage became a weekly headline.Brooke was drawn to the soulful, enigmatic Julian Alter the very first time she heard him perform “Hallelujah” at a dark East Village dive bar.Now five years married, Brooke balances two jobs—as a nutritionist at NYU Hospital and as a consultant to an Upper East Side girls’ school, where privilege gone wrong and disordered eating run rampant—in order to help support her husband’s dream of making it in the music world.Things are looking up when after years of playing Manhattan clubs and toiling as an A&R intern, Julian finally gets signed by Sony. Although no one’s promising that the album will ever hit the airwaves, Julian is still dedicated to logging in long hours at the recording studio. All that changes after Julian is asked to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno—and is catapulted to stardom, literally overnight. Amazing opportunities begin popping up almost daily—a new designer wardrobe, a tour with Maroon 5, even a Grammy performance.At first the newfound fame is fun—who wouldn’t want to stay at the Chateau Marmont or visit the set of one of television’s hottest shows? Yet it seems that Brooke’s sweet husband—the man who can’t handle hot showers and wears socks to bed—is increasingly absent, even on those rare nights they’re home together. When rumors about Brooke and Julian swirl in the tabloid magazines, she begins to question the truth of her marriage and is forced to finally come to terms with what she thinks she wants—and what she actually needs.


My Worst Best Friend by Dyan Sheldon

Gracie and Savannah are best friends —and utterly unalike. Savannah is beautiful, outrageous, and irresistible to the opposite sex. Gracie is shy, smart, and would rather be studying lizards than meeting boys. Still, they’ve made a surprisingly great team, and (until now) it seemed as if nothing could come between them. But lately, Savannah’s talent for lying and manipulating is becoming harder to ignore. She’s fallen head over heels for an elusive college boy, and Gracie can’t help wondering: is her friend as confident as she seems? When Savannah gets between Gracie and her crush, the line separating best friend from worst friend is crossed.

Year of Goodbyes

The Year of Goodbyes
Debbie Levy
Hyperion
$16.99
March 16th, 2010
FTC: I received this from the publisher with the understanding that I would provide an honest review for no compensation.

Characters 20/20
Plot 10/20
Setting 20/20
Cover 20/20
Ending 20/20
Total grade: 90% A

Sexual content: none
Violence: moderate (it is a holocaust book!)
Drugs: none
Underage drinking: none
Swearing: none
Total rating: 12+

Summary:
Inspired by her mother's poesiealbum (poetry album), which survived her childhood retreat from Nazi Germany, Levy has created a verse novel slim in length but long on beauty, power, and anguish. Jutta Salzberg lived a normal, happy life until 1938. Although Hitler's reign is in its infancy, Jewish Germans already face severe restrictions in their lives; segregated schools, shops, and curfews are already the norm, with stories of the public humiliation of elderly Jews and concentration camps to follow. This book is comprised of actual entries in the poesiealbum penned by Jutta's friends, interspersed with verses in 12-year-old Jutta's voice that respond to and even challenge the sentiments conveyed within each poem.

My Thoughts:
The aspect of this book that really disappointed me was the length. Since it was written in verse I really would have hoped for a lot more filling. It was more about her relationships with her friends than the holocaust. I think that for a book to accurately portray that time period it needs to focus on that aspect some.

I especially appreciated the end where the author mentioned all those in the book and what became of their life. There she mentioned some who were murdered at the hands of the Nazi’s yet they were only mentioned briefly during the book. If there had been more to the story it could have been an awesome book!

Playlist:
1. Carry You Home (James Blunt)
2. Feels Like Home (Edwina Hayes)
3. You Found Me (The Fray)
4. Airplanes (B.o.B)
5. Little Wonders (Rob Thomas)

Wow I had like no music that reminded me of that book on my ipod, so please hang in there with me.

Upcoming Releases? Oh MY

There will be a couple of these as fillers for a few days during my vacation. I had wanted to post them anyways so why wait?

Here are 4 Releases this August I am excited for.

Plus by Veronica Chambers (TODAY!)

The perfect romantic makeover story about an every-girl whose dream comes true . . .

Beatrice Wilson is our lovable Cinderella, who just got dumped by her very first boyfriend and put on twenty-five pounds. But then she's discovered as a plus model. In the eyes of pop culture, Bee is Jessica Alba and then some! Now she must vanquish skinny rivals, fend off sleazy photogs, and banish jealous frenemies in her rise to superstardom. All the while, she's torn between her first love and the surprisingly sincere up-and-coming rapper she tutors in calculus. But what's better than finding your prince charming? Finally learning to love yourself!

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard (TODAY!)

Kayla McHenry's sweet sixteen sucks! Her dad left, her grades dropped, and her BFF is dating the boy Kayla's secretly loved for years. Blowing out her candles, Kayla thinks: I wish my birthday wishes actually came true. Because they never freakin' do.

Kayla wakes the next day to a life-sized, bright pink My Little Pony outside her window. Then a year's supply of gumballs arrives. A boy named Ken with a disturbing resemblance to the doll of the same name stalks her. As the ghosts of Kayla's wishes-past appear, they take her on a wild ride . . . but they MUST STOP. Because when she was fifteen? She wished Ben Mackenzie would kiss her. And Ben is her best friend's boyfriend.

Stalker Girl by Rosemary Graham (TODAY!!)

Carly never meant to become a stalker. She just wanted to find out who Brian started dating after he dumped her. But a little harmless online research turns into a quick glance, and that turns into an afternoon of watching. Soon Carly is putting all of her energy into following Brian's new girlfriend--all of the sadness she feels about her mom's recent breakup, all of the anger she feels over being pushed aside by her dad while he prepares for his new wife's new baby. When Carly's stalking is discovered in the worst possible way by the worst possible person, she is forced to acknowledge her problem and the underlying issues that led to it.


Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt (August 10th)

Seventeen-year-old high school senior Shannon Card needs money. And lots of it. She's been admitted to Wellesley, but her dad just lost his job, and somehow she has to come up with a year of tuition herself. But Shannon's dream of making big bucks waitressing at the local casino, the Collosio, disappears faster than a gambler's lucky streak. Her boss is a tyrant, her coworker is nuts, and her chances of balancing a tray full of drinks while wearing high-heeled shoes are slim to none. Worse, time is running out, and Shannon hasn't made even half the money she'd hoped.

When Shannon receives a mysterious invitation to join Aces Up, a secret network of highly talented college poker players, at first she thinks No way. She has enough to worry about: keeping her job, winning the coveted math scholarship at school, and tutoring her secret crush, Max. But when Shannon musters up the nerve to kiss Max and he doesn't react at all, the allure of Aces Up and its sexy eighteen-year-old leader, Cole, is suddenly too powerful to ignore.

Soon Shannon's caught up in a web of lies and deceit that makes worrying about tuition money or a high school crush seem like kid stuff. Still, when the money's this good, is the fear of getting caught reason enough to fold?


The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

All new girl Raye Archer wants is a way into the in crowd, so when ice-queen Ella Parker picks her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means creating a fake Facebook identity so she can learn enough about Julian to sabotage him. It's a fun and dangerous thrill at first, but Raye hadn't counted on falling for Julian herself--and igniting Ella's rage.

As Raye works to reconcile the temptress Elizabeth with her real-life self, Ella serves up her own revenge, creating an online smear campaign of nasty rumors and trashy photographs. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way out of the web of deceit that she's helped to build, and back to the relationships that matter.

Wednesday Wishlist

Project 17

by Laurie Faria Stolarz,

What?
High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. On the eve of the hospital’s demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their experiences. For Derik, it’s an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents’ diner. For the others, it’s a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a dare quickly escalates into a nightmare. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

Why?
It sounds hella creepy but I am starting to really enjoy books about things being "haunted". I think from what I've seen that this is another good one.

Glimpse

Glimpse
Carol Lynch Williams
Simon and Schuster
$16.99
June 2010
FTC: I received this book from the publisher with the understanding that I would provide a review for no compensation.

Characters 15/20
Plot 15/20
Setting 20/20
Cover 20/20
Ending 15/20
Total grade: 85% B

Sexual content: moderate
Violence: moderate
Drugs: mild
Underage drinking: n/a
Swearing: mild
Total rating: 14+

Summary:
Sisters Hope and Lizzie are also best friends; Lizzie, the elder sibling, has looked after Hope since she was an infant. When Lizzie suddenly becomes suicidal, though, Hope is bewildered, but she gradually realizes that she may have some insight into the roots of Lizzie's depression. Glimpses into her memories and her dreams unfold a story of neglect and abuse that will haunt both Hope and the reader alike.

My Thoughts:
This book was not as good as I expected to be honest. Usually I devour books written in verse as well as ones where a character suffers the trauma Lizzie does. I will not tell you what she faces but I will tell you it is flat out disgusting and may very well piss a few readers off. I don’t want to say I enjoyed that part of the book because that just sounds wrong. I will say that is what made me read it in the first place and what kept me reading.

The plot was gappy and predictable at times. I had figured out Lizzie’s problem long before Hope did. I know that the issues facing Lizzie were gruesome but they should have been addressed a bit more. I also feel that there should have been more focus on the suicide attempts, not just brief mentions.

The ending was okay but not really happy. It leaves you fearing for the girls again. This time it is for their emotional development. The situation they are left in seems bad but at least it is only a “temporary” kind of thing.

I recommend this to fans of abuse books. Readers looking for a passionate story of the bond between sisters will enjoy this!

Playlist:
1. Candle “Sick and Tired” (White Tie Affair)
2. Fearless (Colbie Caillat)
3. Where’d You Go (Fort Minor)
4. Dance in the Dark (Lady Gaga)
5. Secret (The Pierces)

Must Monday

Winter Longing

by Tricia Mills

What?

When Winter's boyfriend is killed in a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness, she's robbed of the future she'd only just allowed herself to believe might be hers. Winter and Spencer had been destined for one another. And after his death, Spencer's presence continues to haunt her.

But when her next-door neighbor becomes an unlikely friend, Winter begins to accept all that she can't change. Can she open herself to a new future . . . and a possible new love?

Why?
This week is another deep book. Can you tell I am really craving deep? This has death and romance in one package. I can tell this is bound to be great.

When?
August 12th, 2010

Invisible Boyfriend

My Invisible Boyfriend
Susie Day
Scholastic
$16.99
April 1st, 2010
FTC: I received this from the publisher with the understanding that I would provide an honest review for no compensation

Characters 10/20
Plot 15/20
Setting 20/20
Cover 20/20
Ending 15/20
Total grade: 80% B

Total rating: 13+

Summary:
Heidi has the perfect solution to her popularity problems - a fake boyfriend. She's even made him an Internet profile that makes him look like a motorcycle-riding, poetry reading bad boy. *swoon* Heidi's friends are so impressed they start emailing Heidi's fake boyfriend with their problems . . . including their problems with Heidi.
As if that weren't bad enough, a delicious and possibly single person called "A Real Boy" emails Heidi to say he knows the truth. Can Heidi escape from her world wide web of lies? Or will her chance at romance disappear faster than you can type gtg?

My Thoughts:
There was just something about this book that I could not swallow. It was a good book BUT I did not like Heidi. She just bugs the heck out of me. How can you enjoy a book when you don’t like the main character? She just seemed very immature and kind of rude.

I liked the aspect of a “fake” boyfriend. It’s something one of my friends and I did in 6th grade. Maybe not with an online page but close enough. I feel that if Heidi had seemed more mature it would have added to the plot but because she was not it took away.

I recommend this to female readers between 13 and 14.

Playlist:
1. Breakeven (The Script)
2. The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)
3. One Step at a Time (Jordin Sparks)
4. Secret (The Pierces)
5. Live Your Life (T.I)