Jane Eyre (2011)

I saw the latest Jane Eyre adaptation the other day and cannot resist posting about it, because it was quite enjoyable. Because I still can't figure out how to write a movie review, even though I've written hundreds of book reviews, it is time for bullet points:

• I was too fond of the structure. It started with St. John (if you've read the book) and Jane's childhood is told through flashbacks, with a few other St. John scenes interspersed. However, once Jane becomes a governess, St. John totally disappears. Which isn't too bad because who likes St. John, but once he came back I forgot that he was already in the movie.
• THE HECK WERE THOSE BIRDS AND SUCH THAT KEPT POPPING UP? It would be all moody and then BOOM! BIRD! LOUD NOISE! JUMPING ME!
• I've also seen the 1944 adaptation of the book starring Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles, and that one seems even worse compared to this version. In this one, I could actually see why Jane and Mr. Rochester liked each other. Their relationship develop was rather gradual but totally believable. Hooray.
  
• The guy who played Richard Mason was so unintentionally hilarious. And creepy. I've googled him and found out he was that one weird guy in Doctor Who:
  

I think this picture gives you a good idea of one of his scenes in this film.

• Michael Fassbender (Mr. Rochester). Yes. That is all.
• Am I allowed to spoil this movie? It follows the book so closely and once a book has been out for over 150 years I think spoiling it should be fair game. But oh well, I will just say: not enough crazy.
• This movie is so pretty! The clothes are nice even though they are often very hipster (fingerless gloves? why?) but the background/setting/whatever you want to call it is positively lovely. The colors are so bright, even in the spooky scenes, which makes them all the more ~atmospheric.
  
• The ending was rather abrupt. It does pretty much follow the book ending, but it ends before the jump to the future. (Being cryptic is hard.) It just...ends.
  

However, even though the ending was abrupt, I really liked it! I do recommend it, though I'm not sure it's in many theaters any more. But oh well, the DVD will be out eventually, and it's definitely worth a watch.

Have you seen this version? Did you like? Any other versions that do not involve Orson Welles that I should watch?

A Discovery of Witches Giveaway

Thanks to the lovely people at Penguin publishing, I'm giving away a copy of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and a set of buttons!

Here's the book's summary, straight from goodreads:

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

The awesome buttons:



Fill out the form to enter!



Have a nice day.~

Purple Daze by Sherry Shahan

[description from goodreads]

Purple Daze is a young adult novel set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965. Six high school students share their experiences and feelings in interconnected free verse and traditional poems about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, high school, and friendship.

Although there have been verse novels published recently, none explore the changing and volatile 1960's in America-- a time when young people drove a cultural and political revolution. With themes like the costs and casualties of war, the consequences of sex, and the complex relationships between teens, their peers, and their parents, this story is still as relevant today as it was 45 years ago.

Review:

Purple Daze is told in an unconventional manner-- there are six narrators, who all speak in verse or through letters to each other, as well as random interspersed news and speech clippings from the year 1965. While these news clippings and whatnot were helpful to the side of me that wanted to convince myself that reading this book was productive in studying for my AP US history exam, I found them a bit random and disruptive. They did establish a nice and intriguing setting, but because the characters often did not acknowledge the specific events being mentioned, I found the clippings a bit distracting, especially since I was trying so hard to focus on the many story lines. The characters never have more than one page to themselves at a time, and they switch points of view constantly. Some characters, such as Nancy, only seem to appear every twenty pages or so. Because some characters show up so often, and others hardly ever, but all the characters are always limited in how much space they have to say things, I often found it confusing to remember just how they were all related and what was going on in each of their relationships at any given moment.

However, I also found the scarcity of each characters' narration to be powerful and just enough to give me an idea of what they were truly like. Each of the narrators endures difficult situations, whether it be in the war, at home dealing with romance issues, or seeing the people around them living through traumatic events. The poetic nature of their words definitely made the impact of each of these harsh events-- in particular the one on page 128, if you've read the book, oh man that page-- all the more powerful. The sparse writing also allowed me to see the most emotional parts of the characters relationships with each other. They use only what words are necessary, the most powerful ones they can find, and with those I was able to gain a clear picture of what their lives were like.

Purple Daze will definitely not be enjoyed by everyone because of its structure and style, but even when I found the structure detrimental to my enjoyment of the novel, I was more than impressed with the power and depth behind the writing and (most of) the characterization.

Book details: Running Press Teens/Hardcover/$15.95

Source: sent by publisher for review

Waiting on Wednesday: my (other) love

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting for:

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, illustrated by Maira Kalman

I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.

Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.

---

Normally I refer to David Levithan as my author love, but considering this novel is by Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, who I wrote a creepy love letter for, I thought the title for this blog post was fitting.

I heard about this book the other day and promptly freaked out. I haven't read a Daniel Handler novel, but my love for his work written as Lemony Snicket knows no bounds. This book sounds like it will be delightfully quirky and humorous. I CANNOT wait.

Released January 2, 2012. *sob*

Blog-o-versary

Three years ago, I created this blog. Which is really, really bizarre to think about.

Three years ago, I was in eighth grade, with no writing ability whatsoever (I look at my old posts and simultaneously laugh and cringe). Now I'm in eleventh grade, with only slightly more writing ability (but at least I can read more recent posts and not want to crawl into a hole).

Three years ago, I had all the time in the world to read and blog, but spent most of that time wallowing in eighth grade angst, browsing the internet, and only spending a very, very small amount of time reading. Now I wallow in AP student angst, browse the internet slightly less but still far too often, and only spend a small amount of time reading. However, now I wish I could read and blog far more than I wished when I was 13, because the longer I have to stay away from the blogosphere and pay attention to school and whatnot, the more I wish I could return.

Three years ago, this blog had no followers. Now I have about 800, which seems so small compared to other blogs that are the same age, but humongous when I remember that my followers are ten times as awesome as the followers of other blogs (in my totally and completely unbiased opinion).

Thanks for following, reading, commenting, and being awesome, everyone. Here's to another year. (:

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison

Spoilers(ish) for the first 9 books in The Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series ahead!

[description from goodreads]

A bit early to get swoony knickers but I have got them on.

For Georgia, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Just when she thought she was the official one-and-only girlfriend of Masimo, he's walked off into the night with the full hump, leaving Georgia all aloney on her owney—again. All because Dave the Laugh tried to do fisticuffs at dawn with him!

Two boys fighting over Georgia? It's almost as romantic as Romeo and Juliet . . . though perhaps a touch less tragic.

It's time for Georgia to get to the bottom (oo-er) of this Dave the Laugh spontaneous puckering business once and for all. It's like they always say: If you snog a mate in the forest of red bottomosity and no one is around to see it, is he still a mate? Or is he something more?

Review:

Everyone seems to have said goodbye to Georgia Nicolson long ago, but I just finished this book and could not resist posting a fond farewell.

Like she has in all other installments of the series, Georgia made me laugh and smile like a loon on loon tablets in Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?. Even when I wanted to punch her for being so silly, or oblivious, or annoying, I couldn't help but be entertained by her crazy antics. Her manic behavior did seem to die down a bit in this book, especially compared to some of the other books in the series, and even though I missed reading about her wild adventures with the Ace Gang, I'm glad she is finally growing up, though she still has a long way to go.

I can't not mention the love triangle in this book, since it's been a part of the series for an (almost unbearably) long time. I think giving away my position on both Masimo and Dave the Laugh would give the ending away, so I'll just say that I am extremely satisfied with who Georgia ended up with, even though the ending was rather abrupt.

Farewell, Georgia! It's been a blast. I'll miss you dearly, but I'm glad you've left in a good place. I'm also glad that I'll get to read the adventures of your cousin Tallulah very, very soon.

Book details: HarperTeen/Paperback/$8.99

Source: gift

A Love Letter for Lemony Snicket

Dear Mr. Snicket,

I have just finished your novel The Composer is Dead, and it brought me such great joy that I felt the need to write this letter, which shall never actually be sent to you but is written like a letter for purposes of this blog post.

I had been meaning to read The Composer is Dead since its original publication, but never managed to possess a copy of the book and the time to read it until now. I was expecting to be amused, but not to love it anywhere near as much as I love the tales of the Baudelaire orphans.

Oh, how wrong I was.

From the very moment I pressed play on the CD that accompanied the book, I was enraptured. The symphony began to play, and I smiled. Your narration began to play along with it, and I smiled even wider. You defined the word "composer," as you had done similarly so many times throughout A Series of Unfortunate Events, and I giggled like I imagine Carmelita Spats may have done when she first received a harpoon gun.

My smiles and laughter never subsided. The dry humor, the parallel structure, the musical jokes, the bittersweet quotations, the unique approach to the murder mystery-- I loved them all.

The Composer is Dead spoke to my macabre, offbeat-loving heart, as all your books have done. You've never let me down (I even liked The End) and I know that you never will, because you just get me and all my eccentricities.

Love, forever and always,

Khy

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

This week, I got a few lovely-sounding things for review:

The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

It's 1952 and the Scott family has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, fourteen-year-old Janie meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows--a fascinating boy who's not afraid to stand up to authority and dreams of becoming a spy. When Benjamin's father is kidnapped, Janie and Benjamin must uncover the secrets of the apothecary's sacred book, the Pharmacopoeia, in order to find him, all while keeping it out of the hands of their enemies--Russian spies in possession of nuclear weapons. Discovering and testing potions they never believed could exist, Janie and Benjamin embark on a dangerous race to save the apothecary and prevent impending disaster.

Together with Ian Schoenherr's breathtaking illustrations, this is a truly stunning package from cover to cover.

I hadn't heard about this before it appeared in the mail, but 1950s setting + London = happy me.


Flawless by Lara Chapman

Sarah Burke is just about perfect. She's got killer blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair, and impeccable grades. There's just one tiny-all right, enormous-flaw: her nose. But even that's not so bad. Sarah's got the best best friend and big goals for print journalism fame.

On the first day of senior year, Rock Conway walks into her journalism class and, well, rocks her world. Problem is, her best friend, Kristen, falls for him too. And when Rock and Kristen stand together, it's like Barbie and Ken come to life. So when Kristen begs Sarah to help her nab Rock, Sarah does the only thing a best friend can do-she agrees. For someone so smart, what was she thinking?

This hip retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac is filled with hilariously misguided matchmaking, sweet romance, and a gentle reminder that we should all embrace our flaws.

I've never actually read the original Cyrano de Bergerac but I've read/seen a few retellings that I like, so I am sure this one shall be good too.

OyMG by Amy Fellner

Jewish girl. Christian camp. Holy moly.

Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she's sure that if she wins the final tournament, it'll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally. His name is Devon and, whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she's confident enough to take on the challenge-until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship's benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity and heritage be worth a shot at her dream?

Debut author Amy Fellner Dominy mixes sweet romance, surprising secrets, and even some matzo ball soup to cook up a funny yet heartfelt story about an outspoken girl who must learn to speak out for herself.

There is a sad lack of camp books in the YA world, and I hope this one will hope fill the void.

Stay by Deb Caletti

[description from goodreads]

Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

Review:

I've been meaning to read a Deb Caletti novel for a while, but this is the first one I've been able to pick up. However, it certainly won't be the last.

The book is structured so that the chapters alternate between the past, when Clara is still in her relationship with Christian, and the present, when Clara and her father have moved to a beach house to escape Christian's interference. I initially disliked the constant point of view switch, because it felt like it took longer to get to the most intense portions of Clara's journey. However, the set-up the two time-lines provide is absolutely essential, and for that I came to appreciate the time they took to get to the intensity. I loved seeing Clara and Christian's relationship develop in the past chapters, even though it was obviously a bit uncomfortable to read about her getting so caught up in their relationship when it was clear that he was so obsessive. It was even more uncomfortable - in a good way - once Clara realizes his problems, because it is then that the tensions between the two begin to escalate until they reach a frightening state. I also enjoyed reading about Clara's describing the past through hindsight, because with her new perspective on the situation, it becomes painfully clear as to how and why she stayed with Christian for so long.

However, despite the excellency of the writing and storyline, I often wished more from the characters. Almost as soon as Clara arrives at the beach house, she meets another Potential Boy, Finn. I wish I was able to see her relatively by herself if only for a while, in order to see how she was truly used to behaving. There were so many times in her narration, especially in the past chapters, where she mentioned that she never did things like what she did with Christian, that she never would have acted like she did if she was not around him, but because I never saw that in practice, I had a hard time believing it. Even though I wasn't a huge fan of her finding a new Potential Boy so quickly, I also wish there was more Finn. He often seemed to good to be true, but I did enjoy seeing how he helped Clara on her journey. I was a much bigger fan of the other relationships in this book, particularly that of Clara and her father. I loved seeing how close they were, how protective they were of each other, but still how much they kept from each other, because once they start to tell the truth, many heartbreaking moments occur.

Also, I must say that I loved that there were footnotes in this book. Just thought you ought to know.

Stay wasn't exactly the happiest way to start my spring break reading, but it was an excellent way to start nonetheless. This book is powerful, emotional, intense, and so worth the read. I can only hope that if you read it, you think the same.

Book details: Simon Pulse/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Spoilers for the first three books in the series (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass) ahead!

[description from goodreads]

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever.

Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

Review:

I was perfectly happy with how City of Glass ended and was wary of this new installment to the series before I began. Now that I'm finished with this book, I'm not sure that I like where the series going, but I know I'll be along for the ride until the end.

I haven't read this book's predecessors in a long, long time, but once I began City of Fallen Angels, I had no problem remembering the details of the world of the Shadowhunters. However, I had much more trouble fully returning to it. For some reason, this book felt like it took a while to truly start moving, or maybe I just remember more action in the previous installments. There is plenty of mystery that emerges early on and continues to unfold throughout the book, but I always felt like I was waiting for something more epic or adventurous to occur for the first third of the book or so. Luckily, the middle and end are much more exciting, as the characters finally start to realize what is going on around them and why it needs to be stopped. I'm not one hundred percent a fan of the plot that did unfold, because as of now the enemy seems less intimidating and more "MUAHAHA LOOK HOW EVIL I AM." However, there was plenty of action to keep my attention despite my eye-rolling at the villain.

Similarly, the characters in this book seemed to take on a more one-note persona. Jace, for example, seems like he needs a tumblr account to post vague updates and photos describing his angst and ~inner turmoil. Granted, I've never liked him, but his storyline and attitude in this book were just too whiny and melodramatic. And, obviously, because Jace is complaining, so is Clary. I was a much bigger fan of my man, Simon, and his continuing vampiric adventures. I also enjoyed the new character Simon meets and interacts with, Kyle, as he provides a much-needed fresh perspective to the books.

No matter how many things I dislike about this book, I still cannot help but like it. I enjoyed reading it and eagerly await the next book in the series, but I sincerely hope that the characters will get themselves together in the next installment.

Book details: McElderry Books/Hardcover/$19.99

Source: bought

Waiting on Wednesday: asdfghjkl

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Today I'm waiting on the recently announced 2013 novel by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan.

Vague description, taken from Andrea's blog post on the subject:

Jill Santopolo, executive editor of Penguin Young Readers' Philomel imprint, took world rights to a new YA novel by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer called The Invisibility Curse. Bill Clegg, at William Morris Endeavor, brokered the deal for Levithan, who co-wrote Nick and Norah's Infinite Play-list (and is editorial director at Scholastic Press), and Cremer, author of Nightshade (and history professor at Macalaster College). The novel follows a boy burdened by invisibility who meets a girl that has the power to see him and, possibly, cure him. Publication is currently set for 2013.

ASDFGHJKLQFOU I AM SO EXCITED. David Levithan is only my favorite author ever, and I very much enjoyed Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. I CANNOT wait to see what they will come up with together! I am also insanely excited to see David Levithan tackle a more paranormal story, because most of his books stay away from the supernatural. However, I know he can make it awesome.

5 Things to Read Over Spring Break

Some of my favorite bloggers are posting the books they want to read before Book Expo America occurs, and even though I'm not attending that conference this year, their posts made me gaze forlornly at my TBR pile. I want to play too, but instead of "books to read before BEA", I'm playing the "books to read over spring break" game. Spring break begins tomorrow for me (omgthankthelordicannottakeitanymore) so I will finally have time to read (when I am not studying for AP tests).

Five things that I finally (hopefully) am going to read once break begins:

1. Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

This book has been in my TBR pile for literally years and even though I've heard great things about it, I still haven't read it. (Sidenote: I also hope to watch the movie Ten Cents a Dance [starring the one and only Barbara Stanwyck), which I randomly saw playing on TCM one day but never actually got a change to watch. I don't actually think it has anything to do with this book, but whatever I wanted to mention Barbara Stanwyck.)

2. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

I lovelovelove books centering on families, and I still can't figure out why this book has sat in my TBR pile for so long. Whenever I see the cover I think of Arrested Development and The Royal Tenenbaums, two things I LOVE, so I am eager to see if this book has a family as awesome as the Bluths or Tenenbaums.

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

You know, I've probably already read most of this book because there are an obscene amount of quotes from it posted on tumblr. But, even if I have read a million quotes from it, I still haven't read the whole thing. I also need to read it before the movie starts production so that I can have more information to follow on the internet.

4. The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket

LEMONY SNICKET I LOVE YOUR WORK.

5. Stay by Deb Caletti

Every blog I follow that has reviewed this book thinks this book is great, so I am sure I will too! It sounds like it shall be delightfully emotional.

Top Ten: Paranormal

Yesterday I was procrastinating by looking through my blog tags and realized I had one entitled" top ten" that had only been used once. Today I thought I'd resurrect that tag and post my top ten favorite paranormal(ish) novels, similar to how I posted my top ten favorite contemporary novels back in August of last year.

In no particular order:

1. Vampire Academy (+ sequels) by Richelle Mead

I LOVE this series. Each book is so action-packed and exciting. Plus, Rose, the narrator, is awesome. I was deeply saddened to see this series end, but I'm glad the spin-off comes out this year.

2. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

I'm not sure this book is completely paranormal, but it is so good that I am including it anyway. This book is nine kinds of crazy in the best way possible. It's definitely not for everyone, but in the right hands (like mine) it shall be loved immensely.

3. Peeps and The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

I am very skeptical as to whether these count as paranormal because they contain more science and reality than most of the books on this list, but they have vampires, so on to the list they go. I love the original approach to vampires they take, and The Last Days has some of my favorite book slang. Fexcellent.

4. The Iron King (+ sequels) by Julie Kagawa

This series is probably more fantasy than paranormal, but I do not care. I love the never ending action and adventure in this series. I also love Puck (who is way more awesome than the lame Ash I AM JUST SAYING).

5. City of Bones (+ sequels) by Cassandra Clare

I adore the epic mythological influence in this series almost as much as I love all the fighting in it. I'm reading City of Fallen Angels right now and am enjoying it very much!

6. Tithe by Holly Black

This is one of the first YA novels I ever read, so I have a special fondness for it. It's delightfully dark and gritty in addition to being totally awesome.

7. Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

This book is a much lighter and humorous take on paranormal than anything else on this list, and for that I love it.

8. Devilish by Maureen Johnson

This book is also very grounded in reality and much lighter, but it's also insanely delightful and, well, devilish.

9. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

This is also one of the earliest YA novels I read. I'm lame and still haven't finished the series, but that doesn't take away from my love of this book. It's just so pretty, in all aspects, from the writing to the cover to the Seth.

10. ?

Yeah, I can't pick a tenth. Mainly because as I look through my bookshelves, I am having trouble figuring out what exactly qualifies as paranormal.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

This week, my friend lent me:

The Black Sheep by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

Fed up with her parents and all their ridiculous rules (they keep a binder full of them), fifteen-year-old Kendra Bishop writes away to The Black Sheep, a reality TV show that offers the chance to swap families with another teen. But when the camera crew shows up at her Manhattan apartment, Kendra starts to have second thoughts. Too late. Kendra’s whisked away to Monterey, California, to live with the Mulligans. The carefree household that couldn’t be more different that her own—complete with hippy parents, their five kids, and a pet ferret. And falling for Mitch, the Mulligan's seventeen-year-old son, only complicates things further, especially since Mitch despises the TV show and everything it stands for. But given the chance, Kendra might just be able to juggle first love, her new stardom, and a pushy TV producer who will stop at nothing for higher ratings.

In this hilarious and touching YA novel, Kendra learns to live under a new roof, but finds true refuge in the unlikeliest of places—her own family.

Yay TV!

I also bought:
Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon (no summary because it is ~spoilery)

YAY FINALLY! I've been waiting for this book for forever, it feels like. Now I just need time to read it. AP tests why are you not over so I have time to read?

P.S. If I owe you an email, you should get a response today!

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz

[description from goodreads]

Noah’s happier than I’ve seen him in months. So I’d be an awful brother to get in the way of that. It’s not like I have some relationship with Melinda. It was just a kiss. Am I going to ruin Noah’s happiness because of a kiss?

Across four sun-kissed, drama-drenched summers at his family’s beach house, Chase is falling in love, falling in lust, and trying to keep his life from falling apart. But some girls are addictive....

Not your typical beach read.

Review:

I try not to use the word "interesting" in my reviews very often, but there's really no other word I can think of to describe my feelings on this book.

The summary and cover of Invincible Summer definitely emphasize the romantic aspect, but I don't think that should be the focus, mainly because the "romance" fell totally flat. The book is structured so that only four consecutive summers are described, with nothing in between discussed about in detail. Because of the all the time skipped and the short amount of time spent on each summer, none of the characters is particularly believable. I felt that there was so much more to learn about them, things that would have prevented them from being so obnoxiously enigmatic, things that would have made half of their actions make sense. I thought the worst offender of this flat development was Melinda, the girl both Noah and Chase are involved with, because I did not see her appeal whatsoever. I could not see a personality within her, and she just does not stand out to me in any way.

Far stronger in this book were the relationships between characters, even if the individuals involved often underwhelmed me. I especially liked seeing the relationships between Noah and Chase, as well as Chase and Gideon, their deaf little brother, develop because it was more than easy to see the connection between them. Their seemingly insignificant interactions and discussions definitely made their brotherly bond palpable, as all their small moments added up to something meaningful. Near the end, I wished Chase and Noah's interactions consisted of more than almost exclusively Albert Camus quotations, because I couldn't help but think that there was no way they both could have memorized so many exact quotations and be able to pull them out at any time.

Invincible Summer is interesting. I didn't hate it and didn't love it, but I'm not even sure that I liked it. I appreciated the family bonding but the characters were so flat and there were so many things glazed over that I can't help but be frustrated.

Book details: Simon Pulse/Paperback/$9.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Dreamland Social Club and Imaginary Girls Giveaway

Sometimes, I receive multiple copies of books for review from publishers. Because I have no use for more than one, I thought I'd give them to some of you.

Up for grabs are:

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

With palpable drama and delicious craft, Nova Ren Suma bursts onto the YA scene with the story that everyone will be talking about.

Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando

Jane has traveled the world with her father and twin brother, but it's not until her fractured family–still silently suffering from the loss of Jane's mother many years before–inherits a house and a history in Coney Island that she finally begins to find a home. With the help of a new community of friends, a mermaid's secrets, and a tattooed love interest with traffic-stopping good looks, the once plain Jane begins to blossom and gains the courage to explore the secrets of her mother's past.

Colorful characters, beautiful writing, and a vibrant, embattled beachfront backdrop make this the perfect summer read for anyone who has ever tried to find true love or a place to call home.

Giveaway details are all on the form!

Between Shades of Gray Winner

I just realized I never posted the winner of my Between Shades of Gray giveaway-- oops.

The winner is Melanie at Reclusive Bibliophile. Congrats! I'll email you when I get home from school if you don't contact me first.

And because it's tradition to post my song of the moment on contest winner posts, here is my current jam:



I haven't really listened to Green Day since sixth grade,* but I do very much enjoy the American Idiot musical soundtrack and listen to it often.

*FUN FACT: When I was in sixth grade, I put music on the pages of my neopets (I know, autoplaying music, gross.). One neopet's pages had "American Idiot" and the other had "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Obviously I had some angst in the sixth grade.

Waiting on Wednesday: Oooh, Scandalous

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today I'm waiting on:

The Implostion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin

Sixteen-year-old Aggie Winchester couldn't care less about who's elected prom queen–even if it's her pregnant Goth-girl best friend, Sylvia Ness. Aggie's got bigger things to worry about, like whether or not her ex-boyfriend wants to get back together and whether her mom will survive cancer.

But like it or not, Aggie soon finds herself in the middle of an unfolding prom scandal, largely because her mom, who is the school's principal, is rumored to have burned prom ballots so Sylvia won’t be elected queen. Aggie's own investigation makes her wonder if the election could be dirty on both sides.

---

I've seen this cover in many places but just now read the description. And as I read, I heard the voice of the Ashleys:



This books seems like it will have plenty of drama, but some more touching moments (because of the whole mother thing) as well. Can't wait!

Released August 4.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

[description from goodreads]

What if you knew exactly when you would die?

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant Rhine is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

Review:

I've been eagerly awaiting Wither for months and had nothing but great things before I read it. However, it did not really meet my expectations, but I'm not sure if it's my fault or the book's.

Going into Wither, I was expecting something epic, exciting, adventurous, but now that I've read it, I would not choose any of those words to describe it. The entire time I was reading, I was waiting for Rhine to finally make a move to escape or to truly discover what her father-in-law was testing in his search for an antidote, but neither of those story lines were taken as far as I thought they were going to be. Even when people were getting hurt or being threatened, I was never emotionally invested, because I was always waiting for bigger events to commence. Every time I thought something huge would happen, it amounted to nothing; there was no plot that captured my attention in the slightest. It was the tone that kept me reading. This book has absolutely wonderful writing; it's descriptive without being flowery, and it manages to always carry a reserved, suspenseful tone no matter what is going on.

Luckily, most of the characters were far more compelling. While I found Vaughn, the father-in-law, to be painfully un-intimidating, I at the very least liked most of the characters. I loved the relationship between Rhine and her sister wives most of all, because they were all so different and yet they all adapted to their situation in a realistic, natural manner. I especially enjoyed that new things were revealed about them as the book progressed, making their current actions even more believable. Linden was an unexpectedly likable figure, but because Rhine spends so long trying to avoid him, it was difficult for me to really understand his character. I preferred Gabriel, the other love interest, because even though he too does not appear very often, he was mysterious enough to be intriguing but not annoying. The relationship between him and Rhine also seemed to be much more believable because of the slow, gradual manner with which it progressed, rather than the sudden relationship between Rhine and Linden.

Wither had lovely writing and a (mostly) great cast of characters, but I found it to be so underwhelming in the plot department that I can't give it the love I'm sure others will.

Book details: Simon and Schuster/Hardcover/$17.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Romantic Times Convention Teen Day/Sarah Rees Brennan Appreciation Post

On Saturday, I was able to attend the Romantic Times Convention Teen Day. Here are my adventures.

(Apologies in advance if the pictures look funny-- the rooms were so dark that my pictures came out barely visible, so I had to edit them. And for simplicity's sake, I'll just say the first book of any series the author wrote so you know who they are and I don't have to remember series names.)

My mom and I got to the hotel where the convention was being held at like 7:30 in the morning, because my mom was volunteering. Because there was nothing else for me to do at such an early hour in a room full of people well beyond my age, I took to helping as well. We had to move a ton of boxes throughout the giant signing room, and because the teen author rows were separate, moving all their books was fun because no one in the room knew who the teen authors were. If I had to hear "is this a teen-y book?" one more time, there may not have been any survivors.

Some people had their own table, like so:

(Cassandra Clare's table and some of the gazillion boxes that contained her books.)

Otherwise, the authors were sitting on one giant row:

(Kimberly Derting's seat.)

Once the signings began, I was able to go chat with or get books signed from Alyson Noel (Evermore), Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures), Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy), Carrie Ryan (The Forests of Hands and Teeth), Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Raised by Wolves), and Sarah Rees Brennan (The Demon's Lexicon).

Carrie Ryan said I reminded her of Jennifer Lynn Barnes, which I take as a compliment because Jennifer is pretty awesome and apparently an expert on monkeys. When I was talking with Sarah Rees Brennan, she brought up that Jennifer should write about weremonkeys because of her vast primate knowledge. I agree with the weremonkey idea wholeheartedly.

After I got all my stuff signed, I chatted with Alyson and Alethea for a bit before finding my mom, who was helping Cassandra Clare at her very maddening signing line. Because the line was so long, I was wrangled into helping by cutting off wristbands so no one could cheat and get back in line, as well as writing names down for personalizations. Because I am awkward and do not like speaking with people, these tasks were not very enjoyable. However, I was able to eavesdrop on conversations, which I do enjoy because I am a creeper like that, and found out that the casting of the City of Bones movie is moving along. I think Cassandra Clare said there were about 5 options for Jace, and that Jace will be cast before anyone else (besides Clary, who is already being portrayed by Lily Collins), which saddens my Simon-loving heart.

After the signing was over, my mom and I got lunch, where I was forced to talk to some random adult-writing author whose name I do not care to know. When I said I've never read on an e-reader, she asked "Then what do you read on?" Is there another option besides an ACTUAL BOOK?

After that debacle, I went to an author speed reading panel session thing, which featured Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Holly Black (White Cat), Kimberly Derting, Carrie Ryan, Ann Aguirre (Enclave), Rachel Vincent (My Soul to Take), Rosemary Clement Moore (The Splendor Falls), and Kristi Cook (Haven).

I think the unintentional theme of the reading turned out to be "smut," though some people had completely smut-free things to read. Not Sarah Rees Brennan, however. She introduced her passage from The Demon's Lexicon by saying that before the book was completely finished her editor said she could add more romance-y bits, if she wanted. When Sarah thought about what kind of hot romantic scene she could add, she said she thought, "Seasickness? That's hot!" Thus, the seasickness scene of The Demon's Lexicon was born.

(Rosemary Clement Moore, who read a very humorous and apparently based-on-true-events [minus the hotness of the cowboy] excerpt from the beginning of Texas Gothic.)

(Jennifer Lynn Barnes, who read excerpts from a soon-to-be-released short story from the Raised by Wolves universe and part of her story in the Enthralled anthology. Sadly, weremonkeys made no appearances in either excerpt.)

(Rachel Vincent, who read from either a short story set in the Soul Screamers universe or If I Die -- I can't remember which. Either way, there was an asylum involved, so I was a fan.)

After the readings, there was a short Q&A. All I remember from that Q&A was that Kimberly Derting switched to wanting to be a writer when "foxy lady trucker" turned out to not be a lucrative career choice. I think that if I had to remember only one thing from that panel, I would have chosen that fact.

Then came a panel all about world-building, moderated by Holly Black and featuring Jeri Smith Ready (Shade), Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, Alyson Noel, and Ally Carter (I'd Tell You I'd Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You).

This turned out to be quite a fun panel, mainly because Sarah Rees Brennan was a surprise panelist and was the only one who did the pantomime promised in the panel description.

Here she is, acting out some of the research she did:

(She was doing a mock sword fight, as in The Demon's Lexicon [I think] there is a sword fight on the wires of the bridge. Sarah went to said bridge and climbed on the wires just to make sure it was possible to get up there, when a random man came after her and told her not to jump. He was assured of her safety when she revealed that she was writing a book, not jumping off the bridge.)

Sarah also discussed that her least favorite thing other authors do in world-building is when things come out of nowhere. There is a term she has for this action, but it is of questionable appropriateness. But no matter! The story shall continue without the name. She used an example from The Dark is Rising movie, in which Christopher Eccleston's villainous character tells the hero "Did you know you have a brother? Did you know I've kept him in prison all these years? Did you know he is in THIS SNOW GLOBE? *pulls out snowglobe*" Or something like that happened in the film. There was definitely a snow globe involved, because Sarah then expressed her desire for authors to "put the snow globe on the mantelpiece early on."

Other things discussed included the emotions authors have when writing the intense portions of their books. Alyson Noel discussed that there was a particularly intense scene in Shadowland that brought her to tears because she feels like Ever as she is writing. Cassandra Clare discussed her hatred of villains messing with the hero's love lives for no particular reason. Ally Carter discussed how it's alright to use things in your book's world if they are genre-wide ideas, such as the funny naming of heists and capers in Ally's book Heist Society and other crime books and films.

And because this post is already very long, a short recap of the rest of the night:

• Went to the Teen Party
• Got some books and swag
• Got to meet and talk with lovely people, like Lauren from 365 of Reading and Janelle
  
• Talked with Jennifer Lynn Barnes about the need for her to write about weremonkeys. We also discussed the fact that milkshakes always turn up in her books, and the only reason she remembers is because copy editors always try to make it "milk shake" instead of "milkshake."
  
• Talked with Sarah Rees Brennan about the fact that maybe if Christopher Eccleston stayed on for more than one series of Doctor Who, the whole snowglobe debacle could have been avoided.

...among other social interactions.

It was a fun day, but perhaps next time I should write a recap the day it occurs, rather than the day after, because remembering things requires great difficulty.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie.

Too lazy to do summaries and covers for everything today, but a list should be enough:

For review:

• Scars by Cheryl Rainfield (Sounds intense!)
  

Bought:

• City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (Yessss)
  
• The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan (Finally!)
  

From Romantic Times swag bags:

• Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Haven't read the first book, but I've heard good things!)
  
• The Clearing by Heather Davis (Character in 1944 = yay)
  
• Abandon by Meg Cabot (Yay Meg Cabot!)
  
• Pretty Bad Things by C.J. Skuse (ROAD TRIP!)
  

And now to pretend to be productive. Have a nice day, all.

5 Favorite Teen Movies

(It's my blog and I can go off topic if I want to. It's just for today, move right along if you wish.)

In honor of the fact that all I want to do lately is watch Heathers, a list of my five favorite teen movies, in no particular order:

1. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

This movie brings me such joy! It's funny and serious and lovely and has young Joseph Gordon Levitt, so really it never goes wrong. I also love the television version, which I originally thought was going to be terrible, but it's AWESOME and I'm still mad it was canceled.

Favorite moment:



2. The Outsiders (1983)

The Outsiders is one of my favorite books, and this is such a wonderful adaptation. Like the book, it makes me cry every time.

Favorite moment: "We'll do it for Johnny." Excuse me while I go and sob.

3. Splendor in the Grass (1961)

I watched this randomly on TCM (aka the channel of the gods) one day and it is AWESOME. There are some cheesy parts but it's so intense that I do not care. I love movies where people go crazy.

Favorite moment: Natalie Wood going mad. So good.

(This movie is actually on TCM tonight! 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific, if you want to watch.)

4. Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

There's a reason James Dean is the symbol of teenage hoodlums everywhere. This movie speaks to my angst.

Favorite moment: Anything involving these three together:

(Sal Mineo, James Dean, Natalie Wood)

They are adorable and I love them.

5. Heathers (1989)

I'm pretty sure this movie would not be enjoyed by 97% of people. You must be a little twisted (or maybe a lot twisted) to enjoy it, and I LOVE it. It's so morbid but so hilarious and has some of the best quotes.

Favorite moment: TOO MANY. Some favorite quotes (SPOILERS!): "Did you hear? School's canceled today because Kurt and Ram killed themselves in a repressed homosexual suicide pact." "This isn't just a spoke in my menstrual cycle." "My teen-angst bullsh!t has a body count." "Are we going to prom or to hell?"

5 Random Things

1. Still thinking about how amazing Where She Went by Gayle Forman is. Have you read it yet? GET ON THAT. It's so freaking good.

2. I saw this book cover yesterday:

It is pretty and grabbed my attention, but then I read the summary of the book on goodreads. Zombies, Victorian/steampunk, AND future setting. GIVE IT TO ME.

3. I'm pretty sure the only paranormal-ish stuff I can handle any more is zombies and books in series I already like. I've noticed that since I went on my paranormal break, I have not been disliking or meh-ing many books. (Well, and I never get to read anything nowadays, so there's not much opportunity for dislike.) It's so lovely!

4. But, because I haven't read many books with things I want to complain about, I've kind of been blanking on discussion-y post ideas. Alas.

5. I'm going to the Romantic Times Convention tomorrow! Anyone else attending?

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Spoilers for this book's predecessor, If I Stay, ahead.

[description from goodreads]

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Review:

I've been quietly wary of this book's very existence since it was first announced; I thought If I Stay ended perfectly, that its ambiguous ending, the book itself, would lose its magic if someone knew beforehand that this book exists. However, I read this book anyway, assured by many that it was worth it. And, oh man, yes. It so is.

There's no question that If I Stay was a whirlwind of emotions, but when I read it, there were times where I felt disconnected from it all. Not the case with Where She Went. Everything in this book hit me hard. I was in tears by chapter four, and every time after that when I thought I was going to be fine, Adam would say something that brought me down all over again. It's easy for me to see why someone might be annoyed by his narration-- he does complain, a lot, yes, but do I care? Nope. It's not only because his complaints were warranted, but because they were delivered with such beautiful writing and emotion that I couldn't help but hang on to every word.

I really do not know what else to say about Where She Went, if there's even anything I could say that could do my feelings about it justice. I debated not even posting this review because it's so short and unsubstantial, but I could not resist telling you about how much I love this book, even though I haven't found the right way to tell you yet.

Book details: Dutton/Hardcover/$16.99

Source: sent by publisher for review

Waiting on Wednesday: Phone Problems

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Descriptions and such from goodreads.

Today, I'm waiting on two books that both involve phones:

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

It's been a year since Luna's mother, the fashion-model wife of a successful film director, was hit and killed by a taxi in the East Village. Luna, her father, and her little brother, Tile, are still struggling with grief. When Luna goes to clean out her mother's old studio, she's stunned to find her mom's cell phone there—charged and holding seven unheard messages. As Luna begins to listen to them, she learns more about her mother's life than she ever wanted to know . . . and she comes to realize that the tidy tale she's been told about her mother's death may not be the whole truth.

---

So, the dead mom thing is not a new story, but a mom who may have died in fishy circumstances? Much more exciting. I hope this book is creepy, but I need more creepy and less romance in my books.

Released September 13.


---

Going Underground by Susan Vaught

Del is a good kid who’s been caught in horrible circumstances. At 17, he’s trying to put his life together after an incident in his past that made him a social outcast—and a felon. As a result, he can’t get into college; the only job he can find is digging graves; and when he finally meets a girl he might fall in love with, there’s a whole sea of complications that threaten to bring the world crashing down around him again. But what has Del done? In flashbacks to Del’s 14th year, we slowly learn the truth: his girlfriend texted him a revealing photo of herself, a teacher confiscated his phone, and soon the police were involved.

Basing her story on real-life cases of teens in trouble with the law for texting explicit photos, Susan Vaught has created a moving portrait of an immensely likable character caught up in a highly controversial legal scenario.

---

I've seen this cover on a few other blogs and it catches my eye every time; I think it's hilarious. The book also sounds like will have a bit of humor involved (with that whole grave digging-only thing) as well as some intensity! Can't wait.

Released September 13.

The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black by Eden Unger Bowditch

[description from goodreads]

In 1903, five truly brilliant young inventors, the children of the world's most important scientists, went about their lives and their work as they always had.

But all that changed the day the men in black arrived.

They arrived to take twelve-year-old Jasper Modest and his six-year-old sister, Lucy he with his remarkable creations and she with her perfect memory from their London, England home to a place across the ocean they'd never seen before.

They arrived to take nine-year-old Wallace Banneker, last in a long line of Africa-descended scientists, from his chemistry, his father, and his New York home to a life he d never imagined.

Twelve-year-old Noah Canto-Sagas, already missing his world-famous and beloved mother, was taken from Toronto, Canada, carrying only his clothes, his violin, and his remarkable mind.

And thirteen-year-old Faye Vigyanveta, the genius daughter of India's wealthiest and most accomplished scientists, was removed by force from her life of luxury.

From all across the world, they've been taken to mysterious Sole Manner Farm, and a beautiful but isolated schoolhouse in Dayton, Ohio, without a word from their parents as to why. Not even the wonderful schoolteacher they find there, Miss Brett, can explain it. She can give them love and care, but she can t give them answers.

Things only get stranger from there. What is the book with no pages Jasper and Lucy find in their mother's underwear drawer, and why do the men in black want it so badly?

How is it all the children have been taught the same bizarre poem and yet no other rhymes or stories their entire lives?

And why haven't their parents tried to contact them?

Whatever the reasons, to brash, impetuous Faye, the situation is clear: They and their parents have been kidnapped by these terrible men in black, and the only way they're going to escape and rescue their parents is by completing the invention they didn't even know they were all working on an invention that will change the world forever.

But what if the men in black aren't trying to harm the children? What if they're trying to protect them?

And if they're trying to protect them, from what?

An amazing story about the wonders of science and the still greater wonders of friendship, The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Mysterious Men in Black , the first book of the Young Inventors Guild trilogy, is a truly original novel. Young readers will forever treasure Eden Unger Bowditch's funny, inventive, poignant, and wonderfully fun fiction debut.

Review:

Historical fiction and middle grade are two genres/categories/I-do-not-know-what-to-call-thems that I usually enjoy but do not read very often. This book combines them both, but I'm not entirely sold on how this book put them together.

The book overall is average sized, clocking in at 339 pages, but it feels like so much more. Because there are so many children, there is also so much back story. While the back story does take a break every few chapters or so in the beginning, there is still so much to know and still so many pages spent on it. Because of all the background, the book moves at a rather slow pace. The pace never really speeds up, either. There are definitely plenty of exciting and mysterious moments, as well as some delightful historical ones. I prefer my historical fiction to be setting-heavy, and while this book wasn't, I did love the invention and route this book took with the historical aspect, as it was rather unexpected. I also enjoyed the mystery included at the end. While it was a bit annoying because it was written as intentionally mysterious and constantly referenced as being unknowable, I was intrigued by what was going on and was left with more questions than answers when I finished reading.

The children were far more pleasurable to read about. While some of the children seemed to get far less attention-- or maybe they just didn't stick out to me-- than others, I did at the very least like them all. They all managed to have their own voice and personality despite the time that is spent focusing on all five of them as a group (much like I am doing now, oops?), and I loved seeing them adapt to their environment.* Seeing their scientific process in action was a delight, especially when they worked together. Arguments would nearly always occur, and with their arguing came plenty of humor. I also loved seeing them learn about things they knew nothing about, simple things like Alice in Wonderland or the hidden meanings of songs their parents taught them.

The Atomic Weight of Secrets or The Arrival of the Mysterious Men in Black does have a rather slow beginning (and middle, really) but the mystery and lovely cast of characters made me willing to read the sequel, whenever it comes out, and convinced me that younger YA readers will enjoy this one.

*What is this, a biology review?

Book details: Bancroft Press/Hardcover/$19.95

Source: sent by publisher for review

my bookish dreams

• So, on Sunday I had a dream that I was a WWII soldier in Siberia, and I was in an underground bunker thing attempting to become warm but it wasn't working. I initially thought this dream occurred because I was attempting to do history homework before I went to bed, but 1) it wasn't WWII homework and 2) I am pretty sure my textbook doesn't even mention Siberia. I am going to assume this dream was brought about by the book Between Shades of Gray, which I was thinking about before bed (for some reason. I can't remember why.) Or maybe it's just because I am sick. WHO KNOWS.
• That dream reminded me of the dream I once had where Edward Cullen tried to kill me. I'm not sure if I've told this story before, but I shall do it now anyway: Edward and I were in jail because we apparently lived in the world of the Shadow Children series, where it is illegal to have more than two kids. Because Edward and I were the third children in this dream, we were imprisoned. And then the guards came out and questioned me, and apparently Edward thought I told them he was a vampire because they started being nicer to me afterward. And then Edward went crazy, broke out of the cell, and then the dream fast forwarded to where me and the police were at my house. Edward was inside, attempting to throw stuff out of the windows to kill me, but it didn't work, because eventually he came out of the house and just walked away. There was no retribution for this heinous attempted crime, sadly.
  

And these are the only things I can think of worth posting about when I have fever-brain.

Have you ever had any book-related dreams?

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox was started by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie. Descriptions and such from goodreads!

This week, I received a few things for review, huzzah:

Moonglass by Jessica Kirby

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.

While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

This book arrived at my house in a gloriously shiny blue package, so it obviously caught my attention even though I had not heard of it before it showed up. It sounds like it will be a very pretty book!

Luminous by Dawn Metcalf

As reality slips and time stands still, Consuela finds herself thrust into the world of the Flow. Removed from all she loves into this shifting world overlapping our own, Consuela quickly discovers she has the power to step out of her earthly skin and cloak herself in new ones-skins made from the world around her, crafted from water, fire, air. She is joined by other teens with extraordinary abilities, bound together to safeguard a world they can affect, but where they no longer belong.

When murder threatens to undo the Flow, the Watcher charges Consuela and elusive, attractive V to stop the killer. But the psychopath who threatens her new world may also hold the only key to Consuela's way home.

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS BOOK? Years. I am so, so excited that it is finally in my possession!

Also, if I owe you an email, I will hopefully get to it today! I've been sick this entire weekend and have gotten absolutely nothing done, but I am going to try to be super productive today. We'll see how that goes.

5 Nice Things on the Internet

1. Steph Su's post about love in YA. Best post ever, I agree with it all, etc.

2. Dead Like Me streaming on Netflix. I never get anything done because of it, but still. I love it. (Not as much as Pushing Daisies, but it is rather awesome nonetheless.)

3. Great tumblr, or greatest tumblr?

4. 13 Little Blue Envelopes will soon be available for you for free! I love all of Maureen Johnson's books, and 13LBE is one of the first YA novels I read. I am rather excited that more people will be able to read it because it is quite, quite awesome.

5. Jane Eyre videos.



I want to see this movie already, agoaeiufhaou. (Even though if we are talking Bronte books, I am firmly on Team Wuthering Heights. YEAH, I SAID IT.)

HELP!

So, the US History AP exam is in about a month.

Cue the screams of terror from me and thousands of students across the country.

The date of the exam happens to fall the week after my spring break (ugh, I know) so all of spring break I will be in my room, studying for this exam, along with two others.

I already know that any moment I spend not studying will make me feel guilty, but there's no way I'm studying every single minute of the week.

I was wondering if anyone could recommend me books (preferably YA) set at any point in American history so that the reading I do that week will at least relate to what I should be doing. American Revolution, Civil War, 1940s...doesn't matter as long as they are set in America (I can't find many on my own. Everything is set in Europe!)

Or if you know of any awesome movies set in American history. I've a feeling I will be watching Gone With the Wind a lot during spring break.