Review: How to Ruin My Teenage Life

Title: How to Ruin My Teenage Life
Author: Simone Elkeles
ISBN/Publisher: 978-0-7387-1019-8/Flux
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult

***WARNING...This may contain spoilers because it is part of a series (and it is kind of hard to discuss this book without referring to the previous novel in the series)***

Amy Nelson-Barak is back, but now she's living with her dad and dog in Chicago. Her Aba is a workaholic and Mutt gets into his own mischief at the dog park. Amy's mom re-married, is expecting a baby, and moved to the suburbs. Avi, her non-boyfriend, from Israel is in the Israeli Army and hardly has time to communicate with Chicago-based Amy. Her best friend is having boy problems and a new kid moved into her building and gets on her nerves.

This sounds like regular teenage drama, right? Oh, but lets add in the fact that Amy doesn't want her dad to be lonely for the rest of his life. So she signs him up for an online Jewish dating service...with his credit card and doesn't tell him. Then she goes off kissing the new kid, Nathan, just so she can sort of figure him out. And then Nathan retaliates by kissing her in front of the whole school. But wait, what about Avi...her non-boyfriend? Does Amy forget him and move on???

Yay!!! Our girl Amy is back and at it again. This series is so much fun to read. Simone Elkeles really knows how to make her readers laugh.

There were many awwww moments...Amy learns a lot about friendships and families. Funny moments...she goes out on dates to scope out girls for her dad. And then the "wait, Amy's really going do this?" moments...she almost gets into a fight and then there's the "mission" (you'll have to read it to figure out what the mission is). We can't forget the awkward moments. Amy's dad...a.k.a Aba gives teenage Amy the "sex talk." And boy did it bring back some memories from my teen years. How many of you remember your sex talk? Mine came from my big brother while we were driving to pick up some dinner for his family. Eeeek, I remember wanting to jump out of the car while it was still in drive. And I got the same exact feeling when Aba gave Amy the talk and to top it off he also gives Amy's boy a talk.

Then, Amy is taking her conversion classes. So she is learning a lot about her Jewish culture and as a reader we learn a little bit too. We also get inside Amy's mind and her thoughts on some of the scripts. They are quite funny. Also, Amy puts herself in these weird situations that just makes the book even more fun to read.

I really hope you guys pick up this series because it is great. This series is the reason why I'm a huge fan of Simone Elkeles. I cannot wait for more of her books!!!

Favorite lines...

Chicken soup can help heal you when you're sick. Is there a recipe for healing relationships? page 39 I apologize. Of course it's only to the people who deserve an apology. I guess you can call me apologetically selective. (I think I just made that up, but I like it.) page 110

"Why would I hate you? I may not understand you. I may get mad at you. But I could never hate you." page 139
Surprises are like having your period in the middle of class. Initially you're shocked and confused, then you're embarrassed and have to deal with everyone staring at you. I'm self-conscious as it is; I don't need surprises in my life to make me feel more aware of people gawking at me. page 152-153

I love you. It's not that kind of conditional love...it's the kind that'll be around forever. page 238

My Rating

(This book was bought from a store called FullyBooked).

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea or because it's Maureen Johnson's month, grab her fave: iced tea...or anything with ginger...or mint (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***

Friday Finds (04/09/10)

Friday Finds at the Store is a meme hosted by Jennay at My Tea Time is Book Time. It is totally easy and everyone can join. Basically just post the books you found at the bookstore or library. Now others can see the great finds you had and maybe they will pick it up on their next bookstore/library run. HAPPY readings!!!

From the back cover of Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in fragile bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the thinnest. But then Cassie suffers the ultimate loss---her life---and Lia is left behind, haunted by her friend's memory and feeling guilty for not being able to help save her.

In her most powerfully moving novel since Speak, award-winning author Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's struggle, her painful path to recovery, and her desperate attempts to hold on to the most important thing of all---hope.

From the back cover of Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

In this lyrical, absorbing, award-winning novel, nothing is as it seems, and every clue leads to more questions.

At age eleven, Taylor Markham was abandoned by her mother. At fourteen, she ran away from boarding school, only to be tracked down and brought back by a mysterious stranger. Now seventeen, Taylor's the reluctant leader of her school's underground community, whose annual territory war with the Townies and visiting Cadets has just begun. This year, though, the Cadets are led by Jonah Griggs, and Taylor can't avoid his intense gaze for long. To make matters worse, Hannah, the one adult Taylor trusts, has disappeared. But if Taylor can piece together the clues Hannah left behind, the truth she uncovers might not just settle her past, but also change her future.

What did you find???

(These books were bought from a store called FullyBooked).

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea or because it's Maureen Johnson's month, grab her fave: iced tea...or anything with ginger...or mint (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***

Review: The Bermudez Triangle

Title: The Bermudez Triangle
Author: Maureen Johnson
ISBN/Publisher: 978-1-59514-033-3/Razor Bill
Age Group/(sub)Genre: Young Adult/LGBT

Nina, Mel, and Avery make up the triangle (and it's Bermudez because that's Nina's last name). They've been best friends since childhood and are separating for their summer before senior year. Nina was accepted into a summer program at Stanford University...all the way across the country. And the other two girls will be working in a new Irish restaurant in their Saratoga Springs hometown.

Over in California, Nina dislikes her weirdo roommate, but falls for the environmentalist, Steve. But over in New York, Mel and Avery also find a romantic relationship...with each other. Mel and Avery decide to keep their relationship a secret...1. No one knows that Mel is gay 2. Avery's not sure if she's gay 3. They're not sure how Nina will react to it all.

Well when Nina shows up, she is caught by surprise, but is supportive. However, she now feels like an outsider in the triangle. And the whole long distance relationship with Steve is a struggle. Will their triangle survive such changes during their final school year together???

The characters in this book are likable, even lovable. There were times when I got upset when bad things happened and extremely happy when the great things happened. But I wished that Nina was involved more, or maybe better developed. The title is Bermudez Triangle and I felt like she was left out way too much.

Well, you know how in almost every YA book, there's that one boy that the reader likes a lot. That is Parker, the boy that liked Mel and then Nina. I wish we got to know him better too. He seems like such a great guy and provided a whole lot of funny scenes, but the story revolved more around Mel and Avery. Which wasn't too bad. It was refreshing to read a story about a young lesbian girl that wasn't so stereotypical. And the relationships with their parents seemed realistic as well.

You should probably know that the story was easy to read and overall it was a great coming-of-age story involving friends and the changes that happen when high school graduation is close. (I know I experienced a lot of changes my senior year. Heck, it all changed after I came back from studying in D.C. for a month).

So if you want a quick read, then this one's for you. I would more likely recommend it to girls that are juniors in high school.

Favorite lines...

*Mel's description of her dad made me laugh...*

Underneath that rugged contractor's exterior beat the heart of a sixteen-year-old girl. page 221

My Rating

(This book was bought from a store called FullyBooked).

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea or because it's Maureen Johnson's month, grab her fave: iced tea...or anything with ginger...or mint (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***

Thursday Cover Throwdown (04/08/10)

I'm sure that I've seen something like this on other blogs (so if you can direct me to the one that is hosting it, I would be really happy). But anyways Thursdays will be the day that I compare book covers for one book and we decide which ones we like best. So here we go...

Because it is April and Maureen Johnson's month on my blog, I thought I can start off with her books....

vs.

I actually prefer the one on the left. I'm glad this was the one I saw at the store. I'm not a big fan of the color purple, so the one on the left wins for me.

What about you...which one do you like???

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea or because it's Maureen Johnson's month, grab her fave: iced tea...or anything with ginger...or mint (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***
***don't forget to enter my contest to win a signed copy of Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder***

Review: You Know Where to Find Me

Title: You Know Where to Find Me
Author: Rachel Cohn
ISBN/Publisher: 978-0-689-87859-6/Simon & Schuster
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult

Seventeen year old Miles is devastated when her 17 year old cousin/best friend kills herself. Now Miles feels even more alone than normal and falls deeper into her depression with drugs. Miles hates, but is afraid to talk about the fact that Laura left her behind and did so without even a goodbye. Miles is really hating life.

To top it off, her mom flies out to London to live with her bf, leaving Miles behind. Oh, and her best guy friend, whom she really likes starts dating a girl she would never think he would date (heck everyone is surprised with this new girl). The only one's left behind at home are Laura's dad and Miles' dad (he showed up for the summer). Except, Miles doesn't really like her dad since he is now a recovering alcoholic and now wants to be part of her life (is it too late?).

So who will come and find Miles to help her...or is it too late???

Wow, this is not a regular, fun Rachel Cohn book. This one really hits a dark side to teenage life...suicide and drug addiction. The book was good and Cohn even had some pretty descriptive scenes about drugs. From a person that never experienced them, it was interesting to read and even seemed authentic.

But, there were times when the writing just didn't flow well. Sometimes I had to re-read lines to understand what was being said. Then, there were the political rants about Washington D.C. and whether or not it should have representatives in office. Now as interesting as this topic is (I studied in D.C. for a summer, so I know), the rants seemed too long and sometimes unnecessary.

I would have to say the ending and the fact that Jim (Laura's dad) was an awesome character saved the book. There were some moments when I went, "awwww" but overall, I wish I held out for the paperback instead of buying the hardcover. So, if you want to read it...maybe just get it at the library or from a friend.

My Rating

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea or because it's Maureen Johnson's month, grab her fave: iced tea...or anything with ginger...or mint (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***
***don't forget to enter my contest to win a signed copy of Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder***

Review: Rampant

Title: Rampant
Author: Diana Peterfreund
ISBN/Publisher: 978-0-06-149000-2/Harper Teen
Age Group/Genre: Young Adult

Sixteen year old Astrid Llewelyn grew up hearing stories about killer unicorns from her mom. And how killing them was part of their family history. But she never believed them. Why would she believe stories about venomous and hard to kill unicorns? But then one night one attacks her boyfriend out in the woods.

Now, Astrid's mom sends her to Rome to train with other virginal descendants of Alexander the Great to kill the re-emergence of the supposedly extinct unicorns. Here she will meet new friends, make some enemies, and learn about the powers that she was born with. Oh, and she has to figure out if being a unicorn killer is worth being a lonely girl for the rest of her life or if it's worth compromising with her virginity to get out of the cloisters.

I really, really wanted to love this book. The idea of killer unicorns seemed so awesome and different. However, the story was pretty slow. I understand that the slow start off the book was needed so the reader can learn the history and get to know the characters. But it was too slow for me. It took too much time to get into the story. It wasn't until the end that the action started, and then it seemed a bit rushed at times.

But, when the story was good, it was good. There were times when I wished I can jump in the book and help kick some butt. And then there were the parts where I was so upset with some of the characters and then parts where I wanted to protect them from some boys that wanted to date them.

This is the first book of a series and it will be interesting to see how the rest of it will play out, but I'm not going to head to the bookstore to purchase the next one right when it comes out. So, if I were you, I would just borrow it from the library or friend. I don't think it's worth buying.

Favorite lines...

"Are you saying you're a superhero? You're like Wolverine or something?" page 337

"Ti voglio...ti voglio tanto bene. [...] It means everything. It means I love you. It means I want you. It means I want you to be okay. It means everything." page 348

My Rating

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea or because it's Maureen Johnson's month, grab her fave: iced tea...or anything with ginger...or mint (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***
***don't forget to enter my contest to win a signed copy of Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder***

Questions and Answers with author...Maria V. Snyder

(picture taken from Goodreads)

Maria V. Snyder is the author of the Glass series and Study series. Right now, she has a new book out called Inside Out and she was nice enough to do a Q&A with me.

Inside Out is your new book; describe the book in two short sentences.

A dystopian, science fiction novel for ages 12 +. Action packed with lots of twist, turns, and surprises.

Inside is such a fascinating place. How did it come to you?

A dream! I dreamt the whole story, the world, the characters, the Pop Cops, and even the twists! When I woke up, I wrote it all down before I could forget it. I haven't ever done that before and haven't since - I wish I could remember what I ate for dinner that night ;)

Many books are now being adapted into movies and television shows. So out of curiosity…if you could pick the actors for Inside Out who would they be?

In order to answer this question, I would need to be up to date on movies and TV shows :) My kids watch TV and I've seen the show iCarly that is well written and funny. The girl who plays Sam, Jenette McCurdy has the toughness to play Trella - she would need to dye her hair brown, though :) Logan Lerman (of the Lightning Thief Movie) would work for Riley. I don't know who would be good to play Cog - he'd need to be about 20, muscular and loveable :) Sigourney Weaver would be good as Lieutenant Commander Karla Trava.

Some authors listen to music while they write…do you? And if you do, what’s on the Playlist?

I didn't. Before my dog passed away this past summer, I never listened to music when I wrote - it was too distracting. But after she died, the house was so quiet (she snored!). Inside Out was already written before I started listening to music, and I began with classical otherwise I would listen to the song and not get any writing done.

If you had to leave our world, but can live in any book (yours or someone else’s), which one would it be? And why?

I'd live in Ixia in Poison Study. I like the Commander's way of thinking. I don't mind wearing a uniform and I would strive to be an upper level official or advisor.

I find that many readers develop crushes while they read books. Do you have a crush on any book characters???

I had a crush on the main hero in the book Jaran by Kate Elliott. His name is Ilya.

Who are your favorite characters to read about from your own books and/or other authors?

I like to read and write about Valek from my Study series. Janco is another fun character and he is also in the Glass books. As for other authors, I've been enjoying the Morganville Vampire books by Rachel Caine - those four main characters are wonderfully fun.

If you can co-write with any other author…dead or alive…who would it be?

No one. I'm not really interested in co-writing. I like to have control of my world and characters :)

Are you working on any projects right now so we have something to look forward to?

I'm working on Outside In right now. It's the next book after Inside Out and it's coming out next January.

Any last thoughts to share with us?

I like to add that because the layout of Inside can be hard to imagine, I posted maps of all four levels of Inside on my website. Here's a link: http://www.mariavsnyder.com/maps.php I was hoping my publisher would print them in the book. But they are excited about the book and have created a website just for it: http://www.whatsinsideout.com On the website is a personality quiz to see what type of scrub job you're suited for, and a video book trailer for the book.

Last question…You go to a Starbucks or Coffee Bean (or any coffee/tea serving place)…what do you order???

I usually order a mocha with whipped cream :) I am a big tea drinker, but I have all the cool tea stuff at home, so when I'm out, I find something I can't make at home.

Thank you so much to Maria for answering these questions. You guys should check out the sites she added to her answers...they are great to look out. And don't forget to check out her other books after reading Inside Out...I know I'm looking for her two series right now. I cannot wait for Outside In to come out!

***And if you read Inside Out...I'm also curious to find out who you would cast***

Now, Maria is offering a signed copy of Inside Out to my readers. Unfortunately, it is only open to U.S. & Canada residents. The contest will end on April 18, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. PST and is only open to followers (if you're not a follower, just click the button on the sidebar). Fill out this form and GOOD luck!!!

***Now go and grab your fave cup of tea (or whatever beverage you prefer) and HAPPY readings***