In My Mailbox: Week 28

I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it click here. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course. All summaries are from either Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Goodreads.

For Review:

Second Skin by Jessica Wollman ( ARC/ Random House/ July 2009)

Beauty is only skin deep. Popularity goes much deeper. . . .

Appearances can be deceiving. Sam Klein's found that out firsthand. All she wanted was to be popular. But sometimes what we want is the absolute worst thing for us.

Sam discovers that Kylie, It-girl of Woodlawn High, owes her popular status not to her expensive clothes, highlighted hair, and spot on the cheerleading squad but to a magical second skin. Nobody can actually see it - but they can feel it. And if you're wearing the skin, you feel incredible. Invincible. Popularity is yours.

So Sam stole the skin from Kylie. Now she's the most popular girl at school, while Kylie's social life takes a serious hit. Sam can barely recognize herself. Her old geek clique is history - but are her new friends really people she can count on? The skin is clinging tighter to her each day . . . can Sam get it off before it's too late?

This looks so good!! I can't wait to read it.

Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin ( Paperback/ March 2005/ St. Martins Griffin)

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé.

Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness. Something Borrowed is a phenomenal debut novel that will have you laughing, crying, and calling your best friend.

The Borrowed:

Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti ( Hardcover/ May 2009/ Viking)

Derek
Friendly and popular
Style: Cali surfer boy
Awesome at flirting
Future career: landscape architect
Boyfriend potential: high

Nash
Shy but sweet
Style: totally geeked out
Only talks to girls when absolutely necessary
Future career: robotics engineer
Boyfriend potential: none

Derek is clearly the boy Marisa's been waiting for, but there's just one problem. He has a girlfriend. Nash is wrong for Marisa, but he wants to take care of her. As if life wasn't complicated enough, Marisa's also dealing with overcoming a major problem from her past, a family that's falling apart, and a best friend who won't stop talking to sketchy guys online. Only the anonymous DJ, who has the school's ear with his underground podcasts, seems to get what Marisa's going through. But she has no idea who he is - or does she?

I already started this one and it's fantastic!! I love Susane Colasanti books. :)

Do You Know What Day It Is?

It's Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf's one year anniversary and I simply can't believe it! It has been exactly one year since I began the whole reviewing game.

So, to revisit the last year of blogging I've put together a list of firsts.

Lauren's Year of Firsts in Having a Book Blog:

On May 28th, one year ago, I posted this as my first ever post:

"I seen a lot of people start blogs. So, I decided to get one to but make it consist mostly of stuff relating to Young Adult Literature. I'll probably post at least 3 times a week during the summer but less during the school year. ~ Lauren"

Great post, right? Lol, I was so naive then, thinking that I would post less then 3 times a week. Pssh, now I post about 4 or 5 times a week.

My first review was of The Carlyles : A Gossip Girl Novel which was posted on June 2nd, 2008. Wow, what a long time ago.

I got my first ever comment form Steph of Reviewer X, who was an awesome person to get a first comment from. Here's what she said:

"I wouldn't necessarily call Stephenie Meyer one of the best storytellers of our times, haha, but she's certainly got her talent for making people fall head over heels in love with her stuff.

Thanks for adding my link to your sidebar! You're a star. I'm adding you to mine, too. Keeping an eye out for your reviews as well ;) Steph"

I completely agree with her now that I have read a bunch of different types of books. lol. Anyway, I do actually think Steph was the first person to ever check out my blog, just so you all know. :)

On August 14, I got my first comment from a real Young Adult author that goes by the name Melissa Walker! Here's her comment on my review of Undone by Brooke Taylor:

"ooh, i can't wait to read this one!"

On December 7th, I shared with you all the books I had a gotten from a Jillian at Penguin to review. They were my first actual ARCs, which I think is pretty cool.

On December 22, I reviewed first ARC, Beautiful Americans by Lucy Silag.

On January 12, I had my first ever author interview with Nancy Werlin.

On February 5th, I held my first ever contest.

So there you have it my official lists of firsts!

Moving on, I have planned an amazing week filled with a handful of contests. So, I hope you will join me on Monday when I kick it off. Lastly, if you are an author and want to get your book in the mix just send me a quick email. :)

Side Note: I'm thinking of doing a biography like thing about me consisting of questions. So, if you have any, please leave them below in the comments or email them to me.

Waitng On Wednesday: Week 28

My pick this week is:

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Summary:

Hanna is what you'd call mentally ill. She'd call it being totally crazy. After running away to Portero, Texas to find her estranged mother, Hanna thinks this new town can't be any crazier than she is. She's wrong. Portero is haunted with doors to dimensions of the dead, and protected by demon hunters called Mortmaine.

Hanna soon falls for a young Mortmaine named Wyatt, but when her mother is possessed by a murdering ghost, Hanna decides to do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means betraying the boy she loves. In the end no one will be left unscarred.

Why I want this:

~ It's by a tenner, enough said? lol
~ The cover is one word: stunning.
~ Overall, it looks like a pretty great book.

Bleeding Violet will be released January 5, 2010 by Simon Pulse. ( As you can image I'm quite upset about this)

Post Grad by Emily Cassel

Summary:

Post Grad opens up on the eve before Ryden Malby's college graduation, where Ryden and her best friend, Adam, are playing a typical game of "Who would you rather be?" Ryden is anything but nervous about her upcoming graduation, since she has an amazing, if she must say so herself, plan for the future.

First, do a great job in high school. Then, get a fantastic scholarship so she doesn't bankrupt her parents. Next, don't do anything appalling to lose said scholarship. Finally, graduate and get a sweet job at a publishing house in Los Angeles; Happerman & Browning, to be exact.

As the weeks go on, Ryden still doesn't have a job at Happerman & Browning, well, make that at any publishing house. She loses her chance at having a cute little apartment. And last but not least, she has to move back in with her parents. They are crazy people and she's always tried to distance herself from them. Ryden wonders if life will ever be the way she wants it to be.

Review:

To be truthful, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this novel. A sweet quick novel, yes, but not the addicting read that it turned out to be. It had me constantly flipping the pages, laughing at Malby's quirks and wondering what would happen next. The whole Malby family and Adam, of course, were a great set of well rounded characters. I especially liked Ryden because we are both similar in our overachieving ways. Though, the plot was predictable at times, it threw a few twists that I didn't see coming. Overall, Post Grad is a great read for the summer. I look forward to seeing the movie adaption of this, which comes out this summer, as well as reading more by Ms. Cassel.

Grade: B+

* Reviewed for Flamingnet

Post Grad will be released June 14, 2009.

In My Mailbox ( 5/18 to 5/23)

I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it click here. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course. All summaries are from either Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Goodreads.

For Review:

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr ( ARC/ October 2009/ Little Brown)

Samara Taylor used to believe in miracles. She used to believe in a lot of things. As a pastor's kid, it's hard not to buy in to the idea of the perfect family, a loving God, and amazing grace. But lately, Sam has a lot of reason to doubt. Her mother lands in rehab after a DUI and her father seems more interested in his congregation than his family. When a young girl in her small town is kidnapped, the local tragedy overlaps with Sam's personal one, and the already-worn thread of faith holding her together begins to unravel.

In her third novel, acclaimed author Sara Zarr examines the coexistence of affliction and hope, and what happens when everything you thought you believed---about God, about your family, about yourself---is transformed.

I love Sara Zarr! So, I know this will probably the example of perfect.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl ( ARC/ December 2009/ Little Brown)

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that’s what I thought.

Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she’s struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps, and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town’s oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them. In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

This looks great!

Ash by Malinda Lo ( ARC/September 2009/ Little Brown)

Pushed into indentured servitude for her stepmother in the City to pay off her father’s debts, Ash is consumed with grief. She misses her family and her happy life at the edge of the Wood where old magic used to linger in the air like fairy breath. Her only joy comes from the brief, stolen walks in the woods with the dark and dangerous fairy Sideman. Ash’s single, unspoken hope is that someday he might steal her away, as fairies are said to do.

But on the day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, from Alisa she learns the art of the hunt, how to ride and track. Their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, but it grows and changes, and with it, Ash reawakens her capacity for love—and her desire to live.

Entrancing and romantic, Ash is an empowering retelling of Cinderella about choosing life and love over solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

Ooh, I heart the cover!

Demon Chick by Marilyn Kaye ( ARC/ September 2009/ Henry Holt & Co.)

" So...my mother sold me to the devil in exchange for political power. And you are...?"
" Brad. Want some music?"

Jessica may not have the warmest relationship with her mother, aspiring presidential candidate Margaret Hunsucker, but it still comes as a shock when she discovers that her mother has sold her to the devil. Will she have to spend eternity in hell with one of Satan’s minions, a demon named Brad? Brad takes pains to explain that they live in one of hell’s better neighborhoods, and he seems like a nice enough guy—but still! And things only get worse when Jessica learns the full extent of her mother’s evil plans. Can she and Brad come up with a plan to save the world?

These and other pressing questions are all answered in Marilyn Kaye’s delightfully satirical Demon Chick.


Not a big fan of the cover on the ARC, it reminds me of the movie Chucky. Other than that this looks interesting.

The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson ( ARC/ September 2009/ Henry Holt & Co.)

Destiny Faraday makes a point of keeping her distance from her classmates at Hedgebrook Academy. Her number-one rule: Don’t get attached. But one day, unexpectedly finding a car at their disposal, Destiny and three of her classmates embark on an unauthorized road trip.

They’re searching for one fair day—a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just and right. Their destination: Langdon, a town that Destiny’s unsuspecting companions hope will hold simply a day of fun. But, as Destiny says, “Things are not always what they seem.” Only she knows that Langdon holds far more than that—a deep secret she has never shared with anyone.

The Miles Between explores the wonder and magic of a very real world where chance, mystery, and secrets abound.

This looks great!

My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman (ARC/ October 2009/ Henry Holt & Co.)

With Roz and Eva everything becomes a contest—who can snag the best role in the school play, have the cutest boyfriend, pull off the craziest prank. Still, they’re as close as sisters can be. Until Eva deletes Roz from her life like so much junk e-mail for no reason that Roz understands. Now Eva hangs out with the annoyingly petite cheerleaders, and Roz fantasizes about slipping bovine growth hormone into their Gatorade.

Roz has a suspicion about Eva. In turn, Eva taunts Roz with a dare, which leads to an act of total insanity. Drama geeks clamor for attention, Shakespearean insults fly, and Roz steals the show in Lauren Bjorkman’s hilarious debut novel


I'm halfway through this and it's awesome so far!

ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley ( ARC/ July 2009/ Little Brown)

Heaven couldn't be a phone bank, could it?

Charlotte Usher discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she pictured when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. Before she can officially cross over, she'll have to be a source of guidance for one such teen. The problem is she doesn't have much advice to offer since dying hasn't exactly boosted her confidence level.

But when Hawthorne High's leading, love-to-hate cheerleader Petula and her gothic little sis' Scarlet find themselves suddenly resting-in-peace in comas, Charlotte's opportunity to save them will prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley ( Hardcover/ August 2008/ Little Brown)

Now I lay me down to sleep,I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
And if I should die before I awake,I pray the popular attend my wake.
Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible.

Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is. In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we'll go to be seen.

I haven't heard the greatest things about this, though I thought I would give it a try.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly ( Hardcover/ May 2009/ Henry Holt & Co.)

Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones.With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

Debut author Jacqueline Kelly deftly brings Callie and her family to life, capturing a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit.

This looks quite interesting. The said things is that if I hadn't received this book randomly I probably never would have seen it and if I had I probably wouldn't have given it a chance.

Sprout by Dale Peck ( ARC/ May 2009/Bloomsbury Publishing)

How many secrets can you hide in plain sight? Sprout Bradford has a secret. It’s not what you think—he’ll tell you he’s gay. He’ll tell you about his dad’s drinking and his mother’s death. The green fingerprints everywhere tell you when he last dyed his hair. But neither the reader nor Sprout are prepared for what happens when Sprout suddenly finds he’s had a more profound effect on the lives around him than he ever thought possible. Sprout is both hilarious and gripping; a story of one boy at odds with the expected.

Ooh, this looks quite good. Also, I read the first chapter when I got it and it has a pretty good start.

Darkwood by M.E. Breen ( ARC/ May 2009/ Bloomsbury Publishing)

A shining debut novel set in a land of haunting darkness

Darkness falls so quickly in Howland that the people there have no word for evening. One minute the sky is light; the next minute it is black. But darkness comes in other forms, too, and for Annie, the misery she endures in her uncle's household makes the black of night seem almost soothing. When Annie escapes, her route takes her first to a dangerous mine, and later to the king's own halls, where a figure from Annie's past makes a startling appearance. All the while, reported sightings of kinderstalk-mysterious creatures that prowl Howland's dark forests-grow more frequent.

This looks unique.

The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley ( ARC/ Harper Teen/ June 2009)

When her adoptive mother dies, Katherine Bab takes the chance she has been waiting for her whole life: she moves from her country village to London, to uncover the secret of who she really is. Before long, Kat has become a favorite of Queen Elizabeth herself, and rumors are swirling - could fiery-haired Kat be the secret daughter of the Virgin Queen? Kat's got plenty of other things to figure out, as well . . . such as how to choose between her childhood love and two handsome men at court vying for her affection. This smart, sensual novel drips with intrigue, period detail, and drama and will resonate with anyone who has ever longed to find his or her place in the world.

I absolutely love the girl's hair on this cover. It actually reminds me of the hair of one my friends, but it's brown instead of red.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe ( Hardcover/ June 2009/ Voice)

Spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history-the Salem witch trials.

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.
As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.

The Salem witch trials have always fasnatied me.

Wow, what an amazing week. The only downside is that I have a lot of books to read, books that I WANT to read, badly I may add, though finals are coming up shortly which means study, study, and more studying!! :(

Winner of How to Buy a Love Of Reading

The winner of How to Buy a Love of Reading is:

Steph Su from Steph Su Reads!!

Congrats Steph. I just sent you an email, so be sure to respond in the next 72 hours or I'll have to pick a new winner.

Traveling To Teens Tour for Dull Boy

Traveling To Teens Tours are a way for us bloggers to get the word out about fantastic upcoming novels, that may be a great add to what you are currently reading. You can find out more about this all here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dull Boy by Sarah Cross


Author Bio:

Sarah Cross is a Taurus born in the year of the Monkey. She is four inches taller than Wolverine, but does not have adamantium claws ... yet. Fierce but cute Pallas' cats are her favorite animals--and if you don't think that is relevant, then you really don't know her. She grew up in Ohio and now lives in New York. DULL BOY is her first novel.

Review:

Summary:

Sometimes I wish I didn't care what would happen if anyone knew the truth about me. But I do care. I have to keep this - super strength, flying - a secret. No one can know - not my parents, not my friends... It's just that it's getting harder to hide it.

Superpowers are awesome - unless you actually have them, like Avery does. There's only so much he can pass off as "adrenaline" before people start to get suspicious. Probably it's best to lie low, so guys in white lab coats don't come to carry him away, to find out what makes his freakish body tick. Who wants to be vivisected? But flying under the radar becomes a whole lot harder when you can actually fly. It's dangerous to be different, so for now he'll pretend to be normal, unremarkable Avery - a dull boy - anything to keep his secret safe.

What he doesn't expect is the horrifying truth about where his powers came from, who else might have them, and the madness of one villain's plan to turn this superpowered dull boy into something even more powerful and amazing.

Review:

I have to admit that since I was little I've always kind of had a slight obsession with superheros. I loved the Spider Man and X-Men movies. Oh, and Push, too, though that may not count. Anyway, getting back to Dull Boy, I was stoked when I found out that there was going to be a book coming out about superheros, since there's not many YA books on that topic. Luckily, Dull Boy was a pretty awesome book.

As soon as Dull Boy opens up you are drawn into Avery's complicated life. Since, how fast do you think that you'll get sent to a lab if you admit that you have a superhuman qualities? I would say extremely fast. Avery was a unique and heartwarming character. Since, you could imagine how hard it was for him not to know anyone who he could really relate too. The other characters, such as Sophie and Nicolas, were the same way, which made me happy that they all united together with their shared bond of superpowers.

One of my favorite parts of this novel was the in depth look Sarah gave you on the characters' superpowers. To what they could do to how when they first found out that they had superhuman abilities, it was all covered. Overall, I found it all extremely interesting and I think many others will to.

Sadly, I felt that the plot was kind of lacking. Since, it seemed that there wasn't one main struggle that the characters were trying to go against besides Cherchette, but that didn't hit up until the end. I know that many of you will argue that the teens coming to grip with their powers was the main focus. Though after a while that subsided a bit, leaving the book to become a bit boring.

Other than that, I felt that Dull Boy was a great debut novel from Sarah Cross. I look forward to reading more by her in the future. Also, does anyone else want a Dull Boy sequel, because I certainly do!

Grade: B+

Dull Boy in now out!

Author Guest Blog:

I will be posting this at later date and in a separate post. Since, Sarah schedule has been hectic lately, leaving her to not finish the guest blog. Sorry, for the delay.

Waiting On Wednesday: Week 27

My pick this week is:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

What if you had only one day to live?

What would you do?

Who would you kiss?

And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all—looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12th should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it’s her last. The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. In fact, she re-lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she had ever imagined.

Praise:

“This story races forward, twisting in a new direction every few pages, its characters spinning my emotions from affection to frustration, anger to compassion. You’ll have no choice but to tear through this book!”
– Jay Asher, author of the New York Times bestseller, Thirteen Reasons Why

My thoughts:

Wow, this book looks simply amazing. I think the cover will definitely pull people to the book no matter what. Also, JAY ASHER, the man who wrote Thirteen Reasons Why , commented on this and if Jay thinks it's worthy of his time, then it's most likely to be worthy of your time too! By the way, doesn't it seem like there are a lot of books about death coming out soon?

Before I Fall will be released sometime in Spring 2010.

Fairest of Them All by Jan Blazanin

Summary:

If life were a fairy tale, Oribella Bettencourt would have a "happily ever after" kind of future ahead of her. A Hollywood producer has come to Des Moines in search of a perfectly modern Princess Rapunzel, and Ori -- a model, dancer, and star of the beauty pageant circuit -- lands the part. And why shouldn't she? With her hardworking, self-sacrifi cing mother guiding her career, Ori is stunning, dedicated, poised...and then there's her hair. Breathtakingly lustrous blond hair that sets her apart from all the other girls at school. So what if she doesn't have any friends her age, or anyone to talk to other than her mother? She's on the verge of having everything she's ever dreamed of.

But in this fairy tale, the beautiful princess wakes up to her worst nightmare -- when almost overnight, Ori begins to lose her hair....

Review:

First of, I absolutely love MTV books. So, I was ecstatic when I got the chance to read Fairest Of Them All, because I knew I was in for a great read.

Fairest of Them All opens up just when Oribella's modeling and movie career is just starting to go well. Though, soon she begins to loose her hair causing drama and suspense about what is happening to her throughout. I thought Jan Blazanin perfectly captured how it feels to be diagnosed with cancer in Oribella. Also, I give props to Jan for getting this little know disease out there. Since, I certainly knew nothing about alopecia until I read this and I know there are many people out there in the same deal as me.

The other main characters such as Phil, Oribella's mom, and the girls from volleyball, were great adds to the story. Since, even though the main focus was on Oribella, you got to find out their back stories. The only problem I had with a character was with Oribella's mom. I understand that she was scared for Oribella, but also mad about how Oribella wouldn't be able to start her career again for a while. Though, she treated Ori like crap once she was diagnosed.

Jan's writing was endearing and compelling. She definitely wrote a cute little story with many layers of well developed characters, plot, ex. I'm looking forward to reading more by her.

Overall, Fairest Of Them All was great debut that I'm sure many teen girls will come to enjoy.

Grade: B+

Fairest Of Them All is now out.

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

Summary:

It's been seventy-five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her. And she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone, and Amy doesn't want to talk about it. No one knew Julia like she did. No one gets what life is without her.

No one understands what it's like to know that it's all your fault.

Amy's shrink thinks she should keep a journal but instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia. And as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past holds its own secrets--and that the present deserves a chance.

Review:

It seems that with every two or three books that Elizabeth releases a year there is always one or two cute stories that are all about love. Then there's the serious one that grips you to the story from page one and doesn't let you go until the last one. This year Something, Maybe was the crowd pleaser while Love You Hate You Miss You was the serious one, though while not being as serious or heartbreaking as Living Dead Girl. To be completely honest, I love both types about the same, though with Love You Hate You Miss You, Elizabeth Scott defiantly went the extra mile to obtain a spectacular story.

Basically this was amazing, heartfelt, and sarcastic which made it a wonderful novel. The plot was interesting and fast paced while still being detailed. Also, I loved how Love You Hate You Miss You switched between the past and present. Since, it gave you a basic understanding of how great Amy and Julia's friendship was while still focusing on the future.

The characters were awesome ,too, because each was well developed, funny, and extremely real, especially Amy. Since, she felt everything that I would think someone who has just lost her best friend would feel: regret, sorrow, guilt; while still being a sarcastic and funny character. Also, the dialogue and situations between each of them flowed smoothly.

Another thing I loved about this was Elizabeth Scott's writing. She definitely has talent and Love You Hate You Miss You proves how easily she can make the words flow and develop an interesting plot from one that has been used over and over again. It seems, at times, that Elizabeth is one that you can ALWAYS except a great and true story from.

Overall, Love You Hate You Miss You was a fantastic read that lived up to it's amazing cover and title. I absolutely suggest to fans of Scott's previous novels and to people who love Sarah Dessen, Meg Cabot, and Susane Colasanti.

Grade: A+

Love You Hate You Miss You will be released on May 26, 2009 You can find out more about it here.

* Much thanks to EM, once again, for sending me this lovely book. :)

Winner of Rules For Life

The winner of Rules For Life is

deltay

Congrats! I just sent you an email, so be sure to respond in the next 72 hours or I'll have to pick a new winner.

Didn't win?

Well, I have a contest for How To Buy A Love Of Reading still going on. ( see sidebar for link) Also, I have a something huge coming up in June. So, watch for it! :)

In My Mailbox ( 5/11 to 5/16)

I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it click here. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course. All summaries are from either Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Goodreads.

For Review:

The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison ( Hardcover/ April 2009/ Harper Teen)

He was once a king, turned into a bear as punishment for his cruel and selfish deeds.

She was a once a princess, now living in the form of a hound.

Wary companions, they are sent—in human form—back to a time when magic went terribly astray. Together they must right the wrongs caused by this devastating power—if only they can find a way to trust each other.

But even as each becomes aware of an ever-growing attraction, the stakes are rising and they must find a way to eliminate this evil force—or risk losing each other forever.

It's actually funny that I got this. Since, the day before I received The Princess and the Bear in the mail, I saw it in Barnes and Noble and was instantly intrigued. Intrigued to the point were I almost bought it, though it's good I didn't or I would now have two copies.

Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted ( ARC/ September 2009/ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt )

In an explosion of his own making, Lucius blew his arms off. Now he has hooks. He chose hooks because they were cheaper. He chose hooks because he wouldn’t outgrow them so quickly. He chose hooks so that everyone would know he was different, so he would scare even himself.

Then he meets Aurora. The hooks don’t scare her. They don’t keep her away. In fact, they don’t make any difference at all to her.

But to Lucius, they mean everything. They remind him of the beast he is inside. Perhaps Aurora is his Beauty, destined to set his soul free from its suffering.

Or maybe she’s just a girl who needs love just like he does.

Oooh, this book looks SO good. I love the idea of hooks for hands.

Slept Away by Julie Kraut ( Paperback/ May 2009/Delacorte Books for Young Readers)

Laney Parker is a city girl through and through. For her, summertime means stepping out of her itchy gray school uniform and into a season of tanning at rooftop swimming pools, brunching at sidewalk cafes, and—as soon as the parents leave for the Hamptons—partying at her classmates’ apartments.

But this summer Laney’s mother has other plans for Laney. It’s called Camp Timber Trails and rustic doesn’t even begin to describe the un-air-conditioned log cabin nightmare. Laney is way out of her element—the in-crowd is anything but cool, popularity seems to be determined by swimming skills, and the activities seem more like boot camp than summer camp.

Splattered with tie dye fall out, stripped of her cell, and going through Diet Coke withdrawal, Laney is barely hanging on. Being declared the biggest loser of the bunk is one thing, but when she realizes her summer crush is untouchably uncrushable in the real world, she starts to wonder, can camp cool possibly translate to cool cool?

Summer camp might just turn this city girl’s world upside down!

This looks like it's going to be super cute.

Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe ( ARC/ September 2009/ Henry Holt Books for Young Readers)

Cass McKenna much prefers the company of ghosts over "breathers." Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody... and Cass loves dirt. She's on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school. But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass's whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees. As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim's life, she's surprised to realize he's not so bad--and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it's time to give the living another chance...

I already finished this and it was so good! You definitely have to go pre-order it sometime soon. :)

The Duplicates:

After The Moment by Garret Freymann-Weyr ( Hardcover/ May 2009/ Houghton Mifflin Books for Children)
Maia Morland is pretty, only not pretty-pretty. She’s smart. She’s brave. She’s also a self-proclaimed train wreck.Leigh Hunter is smart, popular, and extremely polite. He’s also completely and forever in love with Maia Morland.Their young love starts off like a romance novel—full of hope, strength, and passion. But life is not a romance novel and theirs will never become a true romance. For when Maia needs him the most, Leigh betrays both her trust and her love.Told with compassion and true understanding, After the Moment is about what happens when a young man discovers that sometimes love fails us, and that, quite often, we fail love.

One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin ( Hardcover/ May 2009/ Random House)

Fifteen-year-old Finn has always felt out of place, but suddenly her world is unraveling. It all started with The Party. And Adam Porter. And the night in September that changed everything. The only person who knows about that night is Audrey—Finn's best friend, her witness to everything and the only person (under thirty) Finn trusts implicitly. So when Finn's childhood friend Jersy moves back into town—reckless, beautiful boy Jersy, all lips and eyes and hair so soft you'd want to dip your fingers into it if you weren't careful—Finn gives her blessing for Audrey to date him. After all, how could she possibly say no to Audrey?

With Audrey gone for the summer, though, Finn finds herself spending more and more time with Jersy, and for the first time since September, for the first time in her life maybe, something feels right—absolutely, stunningly right. But Finn can't be the girl who does this to her best friend...can she?

From Contest:

Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters ( Hardcover/ May 2009/ Hyperion )

The phenomenon that's been sweeping the country seems to be here to stay. Not only are the teenagers who have come back from their graves still here, but newlydeads are being unearthed all the time. While scientists look for answers and politicians take their stands, the undead population of Oakville have banded together in a group they're calling the Sons of Romero, hoping to find solidarity in segregation.

Phoebe Kendall may be alive, but she feels just as lost and alone as her dead friends. Just when she reconciled herself to having feelings for a zombie -- her Homecoming date Tommy Williams -- her friend Adam is murdered taking a bullet that was meant for her. Things get even more confusing when Adam comes back from the grave. Now she has romantic interest in two dead boys; one who saved her life, and one she can't seem to live without.

From Library:

Fragile Etenrity by Melissa Marr

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone—but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.

Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her—but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined.

In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.

The Bought:

Wings by Aprilynne Pike ( Hardcover/ May 2009/ Harper Teen)

Aprilynne Pike's WINGS is the first of four books about an ordinary girl named Laurel who discovers she is a faerie sent among humans to guard the gateway to Avalon. When Laurel is thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to both worlds.

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker

Summary:

Austin music fest
Yay, summer in Austin!

Good food, good times. Fun for everyone!
Okay, living with my sorority-brainwashed cousin, who willingly goes by "Party Penny," is not exactly what I had in mind.

All your favorite bands
But the cute musicians I've met totally make up for it . . . like Sebastian. Swoon.

All ages welcome
So why can't I stop thinking about Penny's friend All-American Russ and his Texas twang??

Saturday & Sunday, from noon to midnight
Don't wait up!

Review:

Lovestruck Summer is the perfect example for why I adore Harper Teen's summer romance paperbacks. Since, it provided a well developed story with unique characters, unlike the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies which mostly leave me with the bad kind of chills after reading them. Though, with saying that I still like some of them well enough.

Going back to Lovestruck Summer, I simply loved this book. Actually, I kind of liked it better than Melissa's Violet series.

This novel was a quick read, but it still proved depth to it. One of my favorite parts was the funny and surprising characters. Since, I loved how Quin's cousin Penny had a cross dressing dog. Then there always was funny Quinn and sweet Russ.

Also, unlike most teen summer romances it delayed the romance of Russ and Quin. Since, whenever you thought they were finally going to be together an obstacle erupted and then another. Leaving your eyes to be glued to the pages waiting for the moment they would be together at last.

Overall, Lovestruck Summer is one sweet and cute ride. I suggest to fans of Sleepless by Terri Clark and Save The Date by Tamara Summers.

Grade: A+

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker is now out!

* Much thanks to Melissa and the people at Harper Teen for this book! :)

Waiting On Wednesday: Week 26

My pick this week is:

The Sky Always Hears Me: And the Hills Don't Mind by Kirstin Cronn-Mills

I borrow the car again from Grandma and drive out to my hill. I scream I AM A BIG FAT ZERO, plus I AM SWEARING OFF KISSING FOREVER, and I HATE BEING A SECRET SEX FIEND, about sixteen times each. Then I sit very still and watch a hawk swirl over the fields. I have to get a new life before I go crazy.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan lives in a hick town. Her mom was killed in a car accident when she was two, her dad drinks, and her stepmom is a non-entity. Her boyfriend Derek is boring and she can't stop staring at her coworker Rob's cute butt. Then there's the kiss she shared with her neighbor Tessa . . . But when Morgan discovers a devastating secret about the one person she completely trusted, her entire world crashes and she must redefine her life and herself.

Compelling and complex, The Sky Always Hears Me is a fast-paced narrative with raw humor and a heart-wrenching twist.

why I want this:

The Sky Always Hears Me: And the Hills Don't Mind looks amazing!! I absolutely can't wait to read this. Oh, and isn't the cover really pretty?

This will be released by Flux books in September.

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R.J. Anderson

Summary:

Forget everything you think you know about faeries. . . .

Creatures full of magic and whimsy?

Not in the Oakenwyld. Not anymore.

Deep inside the great Oak lies a dying faery realm, bursting with secrets instead of magic. Long ago the faeries mysteriously lost their magic. Robbed of their powers, they have become selfish and dull-witted. Now their numbers are dwindling and their very survival is at stake.

Only one young faery—Knife—is determined to find out where her people's magic has gone and try to get it back. Unlike her sisters, Knife is fierce and independent. She's not afraid of anything—not the vicious crows, the strict Faery Queen, or the fascinating humans living nearby. But when Knife disobeys the Faery Queen and befriends a human named Paul, her quest becomes more dangerous than she realizes. Can Knife trust Paul to help, or has she brought the faeries even closer to the brink of destruction?

Talented newcomer R. J. Anderson creates an extraordinary new fantasy world and weaves a gripping tale of lost magic, high adventure, and surprising friendship in which the fate of an entire realm rests on the shoulders of one brave faery rebel.

Review:

Going into Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter I was expecting a lot. Since, it had been getting fantastic reviews and it had to do with one of my favorite topics in young adult fiction: faeries. Faeries are seriously the one thing that will always draw me to a book, no matter what type of hype it gets. Luckily, R.J. Anderson certainly provided an amazing new look into what it means to be a faery in this enchanting new series.

The world created in this was spectacular, causing you to always be turning the pages to find out more about the world Knife lived in. One of my favorite aspects of this was that you learned along with the characters the secrets to Oakenwyld. Like, why did they have so little magic and what had caused there world to be so uncreative?

Knife was a spunky and brave character that I came to love by the end. I loved how she would go to the end of the world to help the people that she loved, even if it meant the risk of death. Plus, I have to give her kudos on her name, which I absolutely adored. The other characters such as Thorn and Wink were charming and entertaining . I look forward to reading more about them in future novels. Last but not least, Paul. Knife and his relationship was another favorite part of mine in Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter. Since, it always had you on your toes with the drama that occurred.

Anderson's writing was compelling and done extremely well. While the beginning took a while to warm up to, the middle and end provided much drama and secrets to come unraveled, which overall upped the pace of this novel. Also, I liked how Faery Rebels could be for any age group. Since it limited sexual content and cursing for the middle grade set, but still providing a well worded drama for the older set.

Overall, I adored Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter greatly. I deeply suggest you go pick this book up from your local bookstore immediately, because I know for a certain you will come to love it as much as I did.

Oh and R.J., I'm definitely looking forward to reading more about Oakenwyld!

Grade: A+

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter is now out. Be sure to check out R.J.'s awesome website, too, if you have the time.

* Much thanks goes to EM for sending me this fantastic book! :)

Contest for How to Buy a Love of Reading

How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson

To Carley Wells, words are the enemy: the countless SAT lists from her tutor, the “fifty-seven pounds overweight” assessment from her personal trainer, and most of all, the “confidential” Getting To Know You assignment from her insane English teacher (whose literary terminology lessons include “Backstory is Afterbirth” and “Setting is Nobody’s Slut”). When he tells her parents that she’s answered “What is your favorite book?” with “Never met one I liked,” they become determined to fix what he calls her “intellectual impoverishment.” They will commission a book to be written for Carley that she’ll have to love—one that will impress her teacher and the whole town of Fox Glen with their family’s devotion to the arts. They will be patrons—the Medicis of Long Island. They will buy their daughter The Love Of Reading.

Impossible though it is for Carley to imagine ever loving words, she is in love with a young bibliophile who cares about them more than anything. Anything, that is, but a good bottle of scotch. Hunter Cay, Carley’s best friend and Fox Glen’s resident golden boy, is becoming a stranger to her as he drowns himself in F. Scott Fitzgerald, booze, and Vicodin.

When the Wellses move writer Bree McEnroy—author of a failed meta-novel about Odysseus’s voyages through the Internet—into their mansion to write Carley’s book, Carley’s sole interest in the project is its potential to distract Hunter from drinking and give them something to share. Instead, as Hunter’s behavior becomes erratic and dangerous, she finds herself drawn into the fictional world Bree has created and begins to understand for the first time the power of stories—those we read, those we want to believe in, and most of all, those we tell ourselves about ourselves. Stories powerful enough to destroy a person. Or save her.

How To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post. Also, if you don't have a blogger profile be sure to leave an email address, too.

For Extra Entries:

+4 for following/ subscribing to my blog

+2 for becoming a follower/ subscriber to my blog

+3 for posting a link to this contest somewhere on the Internet ( blog, Myspace, Twitter, ex.)

+1 for adding me to your blogroll

Ends:

May 22 ( feel free to leave comments a day or two after, because it takes me awhile to count up all the entries)

Good Luck!! :) Also, this is US ONLY. Sorry, international readers.

In My Mailbox ( 5/4 to 5/9)

I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it click here. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course. All summaries are from either Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Goodreads.

For Review:

The Uninvited by Tim Wynne- Jones ( Hardcover/ May 2009/ Candlewick)

Mimi Shapiro had a disturbing freshman year at NYU, thanks to a foolish affair with a professor who still haunts her caller ID. So when her artist father, Marc, offers the use of his remote Canadian cottage, she's glad to hop in her Mini Cooper and drive up north. The house is fairy-tale quaint, and the key is hidden right where her dad said it would be, so she's shocked to fi nd someone already living there - Jay, a young musician, who is equally startled to meet Mimi and immediately accuses her of leaving strange and threatening tokens inside: a dead bird, a snakeskin, a cricket sound track embedded in his latest composition. But Mimi has just arrived, so who is responsible? And more alarmingly, what does the intruder want? Part gripping thriller, part family drama, this fast-paced novel plays out in alternating viewpoints, in a pastoral setting that is evocative and eerie - a mysterious character in its own right.

I've been wanting to read a scary book for a while now and The Uninvited looks like just the right choice.

Donut Days by Lara Zielin (ARC/ August 2009/ Putnam Juvenile )

Emma has a lot going on. Her best friend’s not speaking to her, a boy she’s known all her life is suddenly smokin’ hot and in love with her, and oh yes, her evangelical minister parents may lose their church, especially if her mother keeps giving sermons saying Adam was a hermaphrodite.

But this weekend Emma’s only focused on Crispy Dream, a hot new donut franchise opening in town, where Harley bikers and Frodo wannabes camp out waiting to be the first ones served. Writing the best feature story on the camp for the local paper might just win Emma a scholarship to attend a non- Christian college. But soon enough Emma finds the donut camp isn’t quite the perfect escape from all her troubles at Living Word Redeemer.

In a fresh, funny voice, newcomer Lara Zielin offers up a mesmerizing, fast-paced narrative full of wit and insight.

This looks like it's going to be great! Plus the author was nice enough to send two coupons to Dunkin Donuts which I think is a cool idea. Oh, and she had this funny sticker on the package that said " Fresh Tasty Novel Inside"!

Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker ( Paperback/ May 2009/ Harper Teen)

Austin music fest
Yay, summer in Austin!

Good food, good times. Fun for everyone!
Okay, living with my sorority-brainwashed cousin, who willingly goes by "Party Penny," is not exactly what I had in mind.

All your favorite bands
But the cute musicians I've met totally make up for it . . . like Sebastian. Swoon.

All ages welcome
So why can't I stop thinking about Penny's friend All-American Russ and his Texas twang??

Saturday & Sunday, from noon to midnight
Don't wait up!

This look likes it's gong to be so cute. Plus, I loved Melissa's Violet series!

Exclusively Chole by J.A. Yang ( Paperback/May 2009/ Puffin)

Chloe-Grace can't help it—she's spectacular. How could she not be with celebrity parents who have been the queen and king of Hollywood for years? And Chloe is a celebrity all unto herself as well— she's the first celebrity-adopted kid in Hollywood. But now Chloe's sixteen, and she is tired of every undesired moment of the world's attention. She wonders what it would be like to be a "normal" kid in a regular school. To really understand it, though, she would need to go undercover. So after getting a "make-under" at the hands of her mother's fabulous stylist, she enters the "real" world. But she soon finds out that there is just as much drama there as there is in Hollywood....

Oooh, I love these types of Hollywood novels!

Snap by Carol Snow ( ARC/ September 2009/Harper Teen)

Madison Sabatini thought she knew who she was. Then, in a flash, everything changed.

Now Madison finds herself stuck in a strange, sleepy beach town, and she throws herself into her one passion: photography. But when bizarre figures start appearing in her photos—people who are later reported dead—Madison begins to question everything about who she is...and who she wishes she could be.

Both chilling and relatable, this is the story of a normal girl who finds her life spinning strangely out of control. Carol Snow once again deftly blends teen-angst realism with paranormal suspense.

This looks so good!

The Bought:

Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon ( Hardcover/May 2009/ Harper Teen)

No one wanted Ai Ling. And deep down she is relieved—despite the dishonor she has brought upon her family—to be unbetrothed and free, not some stranger's subservient bride banished to the inner quarters.

But now, something is after her. Something terrifying—a force she cannot comprehend. And as pieces of the puzzle start to fit together, Ai Ling begins to understand that her journey to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams isn't only a quest to find her beloved father but a venture with stakes larger than she could have imagined.

Bravery, intelligence, the will to fight and fight hard . . . she will need all of these things. Just as she will need the new and mysterious power growing within her. She will also need help.

It is Chen Yong who finds her partly submerged and barely breathing at the edge of a deep lake. There is something of unspeakable evil trying to drag her under. On a quest of his own, Chen Yong offers that help . . . and perhaps more.

The cover of this is one of my favorites of '09.

I got some fantastaic books this week! :)