Sunday, 28 June 2009

In My Mailbox

On Monday I got package containing:


Second Skin by Jessia Wollman

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?


Girl to the Core by Stacey Goldblatt

What kind of person is at your core?

Molly O'Keefe's boyfriend, Trevor, is moving too fast, but when she catches him kissing his ex, Molly thinks it might be her own fault. After all, it was her idea to take things slow. In fact, her best friend, Vanessa, recently talked her into buying a neon spandex Halloween costume, and her nine-year-old neighbor, Claire, somehow got her to participate in a sixteen-mile walkathon. Despite Trevor’s apologies and Vanessa’s attempts to hook her up with rebound guys, Molly is utterly heartbroken. Then she finds comfort in a most unusual place: Girl Corps, a club Claire belongs to. As a fifteen-yearold, Molly hardly fits the Girl Corps profile. Still, she can’t deny that being with the little girls in the group gives her a sense of confidence and identity.

But now Molly’s newly enlightened self is at odds with almost everyone in her life. As for Trevor, he won’t leave Molly alone, and that means trouble, because whether she likes it or not, Molly still has feelings for him. Will Molly turn her back on what she has learned, or will she stand her ground and embrace the strong girl at her core?


The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Lara M. Zeises

A warmhearted, delectable novel about what it means to love and be loved.

When Stella Madison's food-loving parents help her land a summer job at the local newspaper, there’s only one catch: she’s expected to write about food. Luckily, Stella has Jeremy, the hot new intern at her mom’s restaurant, who’s more than happy to help. But where does that leave Stella’s boyfriend, Max, who recently dropped the L-word? And could her separated parents be cooking up romances of their own?



Then on Friday I got another package containing a book that I probably won't pick up in this lifetime.

The Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon


The wild ride continues from Vol. 1!


In the war against vampires, mankind has only one hope: The Dark-Hunters. Ancient warriors who died of brutal betrayal, the Dark-Hunters have sworn themselves into the service of the goddess Artemis to protect us.It's a pact with pretty good perks. Immortality, power, psychic abilities, wealth and a cool wardrobe. But it comes with a few drawbacks: fatal sun poisoning and a new, irreparable dental problem. But aside from the fangs and nocturnal lifestyle, it's not so bad.


Kyrian is an immortal Dark-Hunter who just lost his Dark-Hunter powers and along with it, his immortality. Now he is faced with the chance to regain not only his humanity, but his very soul. The problem is, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Desiderius is closing in and if Kyrian and Amanda are going to save humanity then Kyrian must take the war to his enemy or it may be too late.

And last but not least!!!






Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert

Kara hasn't been back to Oak Park since the end of junior year, when a heroin overdose nearly killed her and sirens heralded her exit. Four years later, she returns to face the music. Her life changed forever back in high school: her family disintegrated, she ran around with a whole new crowd of friends, she partied a little too hard, and she fell in love with gorgeous bad-boy Adrian, who left her to die that day in Scoville Park....

Amid the music, the booze, the drugs, and the drama, her friends filled a notebook with heartbreakingly honest confessions of the moments that defined and shattered their young lives. Now, finally, Kara is ready to write her own.

Friday, 26 June 2009

I Can't Believe I Missed It!

Yesterday was my one-year anniversary! I am so upset that I missed it! I was in the car pretty much all day yesterday though because I was taking my cousin back to Alabama, so I probably wouldn't have been able to post anything anyway.

I'm so unimaginatve that I couldn't come up with anything anyway. I'm a sad person. But woohoo! I'm past the one year mark and almost at two hundred posts. I couldn't even believe that I've made it this far but I have and I'm very proud of everything I've done for this blog.

Let's All Give A Round Of Applause...

To Sarah Dessen! Along For The Ride, Sarah's new novel which was released on the 16th, is already number one on New York Times Bestseller List! And I must say that she does deserve it!

Yay Sarah Dessen!

To celebrate, Sarah has added a new bonus challenge for everyone at her community site, Sarah-Land. You could win a copy of Along for the Ride for you and a friend. For more information on the giveaway click here.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009

Review: Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen

Title: Along For The Ride
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pub. Date: June 2009
Publisher: Penguin

Summary:

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

Review:

I have been a fan of Sarah Dessen for years and I have loved every single book of hers (except This Lullaby, I wasn’t a huge fan of that one), so I was beyond stoked when I managed to get a copy of Along for the Ride. Since it was Sarah Dessen my expectation were sky high, but I reached a level of intimacy with this novel that I have never had happen before. For the time that I was reading this the book was like my best friend and everything inside as well; the characters were my best friends, and I’d lived in Colby my whole life, it was so easy to picture everything and everyone in your mind.

Auden has to be Dessen’s best character to date. She was such an easy character to connect with and just so easy to get along with as well. She was so relatable as a person and every reader could connect with her on some level. She was just amazing and she sticks with you long after you’ve finished reading the book.

The second Eli was introduced to the reader, I was smitten. Eli was perfect for Auden, he was so sweet and passionate, so completely adorable! I loved the way he tried to help Auden get her childhood back night by night, it really showed his character and how much he cared for her. He has become my favorite male character…and that’s saying a lot.

I don’t know if I could rave about it enough and still do it justice! I always thought that Sarah Dessen’s writing got better over time and this book really proves it. I can’t fathom Dessen do any better than this because it was the best book she has ever written and it was the perfect book for me.

This was the best book for me to start my summer reading with!

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

What Did I Do Yesterday?

Oh, nothing really. My whole day just revolved around a booksinging...a Lauren Conrad booksigning to be exact. Yes, yes I went to an LC booksinging! But I only went to meet up with the girls and also to meet Eli of The Tainted Poet for the first time, who was so much fun.

I showed up last (stupid traffic) and about forty-five minutes after Vania got there. She is such a dedicated fan! The line was already snaked around the side of the building! I didn't think it was going to be that bad, but it definitely wasn't as bad as the Stephenie Meyer signing they had a couple of years ago. Yes, I went to that but it probably isn't something that I should admit.

After we got our tickets we went across the street to the mall to devour some food because we were all super hungry. Mmmm, Sbarro's pizza! We hung out there for about, gosh, two hours! Just being loud and chatty.

When we left we went straight back to the bookstore and waited in line, which was stupid long! I have never seen so many girls dressed like hookers (which was the word of the night!), short dresses, high heels, cocktail dresses, and tube dresses (like the bathing suit cover-ups). Oh, and while I was off taking pictures the girls saw this chick wearing--I am not kidding--a jumpsuit! Gross, right? Where did these girls think they were? Hello, we weren't at a street corner or a fancy restaurant! Sorry, about the clothing rant!

They had so many place in the store, like barred off and so that made it really hard to get some good pictures! You will get to see them later.

While sitting in line we took some fun pictures!

Vania and Shalonda loving their copies! Vania is in love with the back cover!

We got free rings! And candy...get it?


I was the 'official picture taker' so you guys are in for a treat! The place was absolute chaos with girls trying to take pictures! Books were piled on the floor and girls were using them as step-stools, trying to get better pictures. Bottom shelves were empty and girls were also standing on them! It was so sad to see the bookstore shredded apart like that. Those girls had no respect for the books.





Eli got a really good one! So clear!


Yes, there were police at the booksigning. Really? That isn't necessary.




















Here is the setup they had behind her table. I think the candy is a little cheesy, but it works.

I know I have been neglecting my blog lately, but I hope this makes up for it! Plus, I hope to have the Along For The Ride review up either today or tomorrow!

Monday, 15 June 2009

Another In My Mailbox Vlog!

Yay, I got another one up! Sorry it's a little late you guys! I am making it my mission to get next week's up on time!



Books Talked About:

Blog Makeover Sites:

For more information on In My Mailbox click here.

Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Title: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Author(s): Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Pub. Date: April 2009
Publisher: Quirk Publishing

Summary:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton-and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers-and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.

Review:

Since my In My Mailbox post two weeks ago my opinion has radically changed about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I thought that since it had zombies in it I would automatically love it, but I was incredibly disappointed with it. I’m just going to pick at a couple of things in the summary on the back of the book first.

“…all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem.”

Uh, not exactly. I think one of the reasons that I was so disappointed with this book is that there weren’t a lot of zombies in it! They also never went into detail enough for me; it was as if they would just skim over the zombie scenes, just enough for you to get the idea but never really going in-depth. I was expecting “bone-crunching mayhem” but I never got it.

“…Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.”

Now I know I’m not the only who finds this offensive. I mean, this sentence itself is a contradiction! If it’s a “masterpiece of world literature” then obviously some people want to read it! Aren’t they kind of bashing the book they’ve ‘created’?


The whole book was incredibly choppy as well. Even though I haven’t read the original (I know, I know!) I could tell when things were being changed, even if they were small things here and there. The whole entire scene where she visits Mr. Collins and Charlotte is completely cut up! I mean, it’s been changed so drastically and you can tell. It seems like Seth Grahame-Smith had a hard time trying to fit the scenes that he wanted in there because he had to place them in a book that was already written.

With that said, the characters seemed like they were two different people at times. Like you had the ‘Jane Austen Elizabeth Bennet’ and then you had the ‘Seth Grahame-Smith Elizabeth Bennet’ and they were both so different from each other that it was hard to believe that they were supposed to be the same character.

Needless to say, the book just didn’t flow well. I probably would’ve liked it a lot more if it had but it was too choppy for my taste.

I am still excited for Grahame-Smith’s newest project because it will be something he has written himself, so it will be nice to see what he can do when he isn’t trying to fit his character to match someone else’s.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009

In My Mailbox

I tried doing a vlog this week but my camera decided that it would be difficult so it didn't work out. Hopefully it won't take me this long to get to it next week. Sorry guys!



The Hollow by Jessica Verday

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is deadâ?¦and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. It only makes things worse that everyone now treats Abbey like either a freak show or a charity case. Thank goodness for Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.



Mwahahaha! I'm so excited to read this!



The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father alaudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.

The Order—the mysterious group her mother was once part of—is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence's burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for.

I actually got the UK paperback version of this book. The only difference is that the green pattern is just a dark purple.

For more information on In My Mailbox click here.