WIBU2 (What I've Been Up To) #1
Well, it looks like I'm not going to get as much reading done this week as I'd hoped. Even though it's summer, I am still working on various projects and things.
On Tuesday, I went away to my lake house with some friends, thinking I would be able to read a lot. As it turns out, I only read about one hour a day since we were constantly on-the-go; I went shopping and bought way more than I needed to, I played many games of mini golf, and I went swimming. Even though I feel a little guilty about not reading all the books I had planned, I'm so happy I got to go on the trip. We had a great time!
Now that it's almost August (ick!) I really have to start buckling down and finishing the pile of work I have to do. I've also agreed to read over a friend's manuscript for her book and give her feedback. It's a relatively long chapter book, so it does take time. It's a science fiction book, and though that isn't the genre I typically read, I'm really liking the storyline!
I've also been working hard on getting all my book reviews onto this blog. This week I've posted about ten books, which is pretty good. I have many books I still have to review and rate on Goodreads as well.
Today we are getting new furniture for the house - I'm soo excited! Speaking of which, I really need to clean the house and oranize my bookshelves.
My question-of-the-week to you is: Do you buy the majority of your books? Or rent them from a library? Or even simply swap them with friends? Let me know! =]
If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, please feel free to either email me or leave a comment here on my blog. I'd love to hear from you!
Celine Parker
email: cpreviews[at]live[dot]com
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Reviews: Books from Various YA Chick-Lit Series
Here are three books, each from a different YA chick-lit series. I've grouped these books together because although I finished reading each of them, they weren't good enough for me to want to read other books in the series. Have you read any of the books in each of the following series? If so, leave a comment - I'd love to hear from you on your opinion of the book(s)!
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Book:The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver (Ruby Oliver, #1)
Author: E. Lockhart
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 229
Ages: 13+
Author: E. Lockhart
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 229
Ages: 13+
This is an accurate telling of what happens when friends and boys mix, which is pretty common in high school. It's an easy and quick read. Not sure if I'll read the next book in the series.
Rating: 3.5/5
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Book: Secrets of My Hollywood Life (Secrets of My Hollywood Life, #1)
Author: Jen Calonita
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 256
Ages: 14+
I expected much more from this; honestly I'm being generous with three stars. For a "quick read" it took ages to finish. It was a struggle to get through some parts of the story and overall this was forgetable. Considering this is a book about Hollywood life, there wasn't as much Hollywood glamour as I had hoped. There are the good parts too, don't get me wrong, but this is definitely something to read when you're about to go to sleep or don't want to have to think very much.
Rating: 2.5/5
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Book: Girls on Film (A-List, #2)
Author: Zoey Dean
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 256
Ages: 16+
I have to be honest, this book took a long time to get through. Girls on Film is book 2 of the A-List series, though I read it without reading the first book. The story centers around Anna Percy, a rich teen who moves to California and interacts with the 'popular' clique and cute boys of her high school. In this book, Anna and a snooty girl are partners for a school project and decide to make a dramatisized (spelling?) film about the lives of the Beverly Hills folk. In the midst, Anna finds herself torn between to guys: The sweet and commited Adam and the unpredictable yet alluring Ben. Deep down, Anna wants to be with Ben but fears he may be no good for her. I found this book very cliche and simply became bored with the storyline. I'm all for books about privaledged teens, but I prefer The Clique series, even though it is targeted at a younger audience.
Rating: 2/5
Review: Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys
Book: Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys
Author: Kate Brian
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 288
Ages: 15+
Author: Kate Brian
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 288
Ages: 15+
Megan Meade has the life every teen girl wishes she had - She lives in a huge house (with seven boys!!!), is awesome at soccer, and all the boys at school want her. But her life isn't as perfect as it seems when Megan faces challenges at school and (accidentally) divides her "family". She comes from a military family and is sick of moving around. So her parents arrange for her to try living with the McGowan's for a year, and Megan leaps at the opportunity to have stability in her life for once. The McGowans, Megan discovers, have seven sons, most of whom are around her age. She has to learn how to go from being an only-child to having seven 'siblings.' I really liked this book because it has a good storyline and interesting plot. I would recommend this novel to any teenage girl who likes realistic fiction.
Rating: 5/5
Reviews: What If... #1 and #2
Book: What If . . . Everyone Knew Your Name (Choose Your Destiny #1)
Author: Liz Ruckdeschel, Sara James
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 352
Ages: 14+
The books goes by pretty fast; easy to read in less than a day. Despite the length, I love the choose-what-to-do aspect of the book and can't wait to read the next one! The first book in the series, it centers around a sophomore in high school named Haley. As she is new to her New Jersey school, you get to set her up for her high school years and choose who she becomes friends with, what parties she goes to, what after school activities she does, etc.
Book: What If . . . All the Boys Wanted You (Choose Your Destiny #2)
Author: Liz Ruckdeschel, Sara James
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 288
Ages: 14+
This one went way too quickly! It was good, but barely lasted any time on the way I wanted to go. The good thing about this type of book is you can read it again and again and each time can be different.
Author: Liz Ruckdeschel, Sara James
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 352
Ages: 14+
The books goes by pretty fast; easy to read in less than a day. Despite the length, I love the choose-what-to-do aspect of the book and can't wait to read the next one! The first book in the series, it centers around a sophomore in high school named Haley. As she is new to her New Jersey school, you get to set her up for her high school years and choose who she becomes friends with, what parties she goes to, what after school activities she does, etc.
Rating: 4.5/5
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Book: What If . . . All the Boys Wanted You (Choose Your Destiny #2)
Author: Liz Ruckdeschel, Sara James
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 288
Ages: 14+
This one went way too quickly! It was good, but barely lasted any time on the way I wanted to go. The good thing about this type of book is you can read it again and again and each time can be different.
Rating: 4/5
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Reviews: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson #7 and #8
Book: Startled by His Furry Shorts (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #7)
Author: Louise Rennison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 278
Ages: 13+
In the seventh installment of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series, Georgia anxiously awaits Masimo's answer to whether he wants to be exclusive with Georgia. In the meantime, she finds herself falling for Dave the Laugh though can't admit it. And in the end, without trying to spoil anything, she gets a surprise visit from someone from her past.
Georgia "Gee" Nicolson is a hilarious and lovable character. But I do have a few bones to pick with this story. I really, truly wanted to like it. But it went soooo slowly, all the way through! And I thought this would be a quick read. Unfortunately not the case.
Her English words (or are they unique to Gee? Hmm) are funny and quirky, but the suffix "ocity" is used a little too often for my liking. As for plot, some of the paragraphs or journal entries, I had to just skip. Nothing interesting or contributive to the plot in them. I also have to say that the writing format wasn't particularly great and thus caused a book to have too little substance for its length. There were many journal entries with a single sentence or two.
But there were many positives in the story and I would reccommend anyone ages 13-15 to read this book - you may enjoy this more than I did. Perhaps this book wasn't as good for me because I jumped in at #7 in the series. At this point I don't think I want to read the earlier books, but you never know.
I think Louise Rennison is a fantastic and witty author, and she clearly has a near perfect understanding of the mind of many teenage girls. Georgia is such a relateable character!
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Book: Love is a Many Trousered Thing (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #8)
Author: Louise Rennison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 271
Ages: 13+
Summary: Georgia finds herself in the "oven of love" once again as she has feelings for three different guys. Who knew it would be so hard to have three gorgeous men liking you at once? Throughout the book Georgia flip-flops from guy to guy, trying to figure out how she really feels about each one. Later, Georgia goes on a camping trip with her class. Her friend Dave shows up and Georgia realizes she might like him more than a friend.
I didn't think it possible for me to like #8 in the series this much more than #7! But I did, and though you can skip many paragraphs and at times it can be a bit slow moving, this part of the Georgia Nicolson series is not one to miss! Well, you could read the next one and understand what is going on, but this one is a pleasure to read. There were no quotes for this book, which was shocking because I found the pages were littered with fantastic quotes. Here's one of my (many) favorites:
"biology
The film turns out to be about bees. It is a film about a bee center. How crap is this going to be?
an hour later
That was the best thing I have seen for ages. We made Miss Wilson rewind the bit where the two queens were having a bitch fight."
Overall, about a 4.5. One complaint is that Georgia NEEDS to stand up for herself against Lindsay. Georgia is so witty, yet every time Lindsay makes a rude remark, she doesn't say or do anything about it. Other than that, great storyline in this one. I'm reading the books out of order but it really doesn't matter because they are quite easy to follow. I'm someone who doesn't like realistic fiction that much, but I loved this book and thought it was a great improvement over the last Georgia Nicolson book.
Author: Louise Rennison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 278
Ages: 13+
In the seventh installment of the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series, Georgia anxiously awaits Masimo's answer to whether he wants to be exclusive with Georgia. In the meantime, she finds herself falling for Dave the Laugh though can't admit it. And in the end, without trying to spoil anything, she gets a surprise visit from someone from her past.
Georgia "Gee" Nicolson is a hilarious and lovable character. But I do have a few bones to pick with this story. I really, truly wanted to like it. But it went soooo slowly, all the way through! And I thought this would be a quick read. Unfortunately not the case.
Her English words (or are they unique to Gee? Hmm) are funny and quirky, but the suffix "ocity" is used a little too often for my liking. As for plot, some of the paragraphs or journal entries, I had to just skip. Nothing interesting or contributive to the plot in them. I also have to say that the writing format wasn't particularly great and thus caused a book to have too little substance for its length. There were many journal entries with a single sentence or two.
But there were many positives in the story and I would reccommend anyone ages 13-15 to read this book - you may enjoy this more than I did. Perhaps this book wasn't as good for me because I jumped in at #7 in the series. At this point I don't think I want to read the earlier books, but you never know.
I think Louise Rennison is a fantastic and witty author, and she clearly has a near perfect understanding of the mind of many teenage girls. Georgia is such a relateable character!
Rating: 2.5/5
Book: Love is a Many Trousered Thing (Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, #8)
Author: Louise Rennison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 271
Ages: 13+
Summary: Georgia finds herself in the "oven of love" once again as she has feelings for three different guys. Who knew it would be so hard to have three gorgeous men liking you at once? Throughout the book Georgia flip-flops from guy to guy, trying to figure out how she really feels about each one. Later, Georgia goes on a camping trip with her class. Her friend Dave shows up and Georgia realizes she might like him more than a friend.
I didn't think it possible for me to like #8 in the series this much more than #7! But I did, and though you can skip many paragraphs and at times it can be a bit slow moving, this part of the Georgia Nicolson series is not one to miss! Well, you could read the next one and understand what is going on, but this one is a pleasure to read. There were no quotes for this book, which was shocking because I found the pages were littered with fantastic quotes. Here's one of my (many) favorites:
"biology
The film turns out to be about bees. It is a film about a bee center. How crap is this going to be?
an hour later
That was the best thing I have seen for ages. We made Miss Wilson rewind the bit where the two queens were having a bitch fight."
Overall, about a 4.5. One complaint is that Georgia NEEDS to stand up for herself against Lindsay. Georgia is so witty, yet every time Lindsay makes a rude remark, she doesn't say or do anything about it. Other than that, great storyline in this one. I'm reading the books out of order but it really doesn't matter because they are quite easy to follow. I'm someone who doesn't like realistic fiction that much, but I loved this book and thought it was a great improvement over the last Georgia Nicolson book.
Rating: 4.5/5
Review: All's Fair in Love, War, and High School
Book: All's Fair in Love, War, and High School
Author: Janette Rallison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 192
Ages: 13+
This was one of those books I started but never finished. Now that I have finished it, I regret not reading it sooner! The story centers around Samantha Taylor, a popular cheerleader who is carelessly rude to everyone, including the people she loves. One day at work, Samantha's friend Logan makes her a bet that she can't go two weeks without insulting anyone. Samantha manages to be kind to people instead of rude, and learns that you must treat people the way you would want to be treated. After all, Samantha had lost a best friend and the boy of her dreams due to her exigency.
The plot is simple, the theme is simple, but All's Fair will leave you wanting to be a more positive person. I found this book to be better than I expected.
Author: Janette Rallison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 192
Ages: 13+
This was one of those books I started but never finished. Now that I have finished it, I regret not reading it sooner! The story centers around Samantha Taylor, a popular cheerleader who is carelessly rude to everyone, including the people she loves. One day at work, Samantha's friend Logan makes her a bet that she can't go two weeks without insulting anyone. Samantha manages to be kind to people instead of rude, and learns that you must treat people the way you would want to be treated. After all, Samantha had lost a best friend and the boy of her dreams due to her exigency.
The plot is simple, the theme is simple, but All's Fair will leave you wanting to be a more positive person. I found this book to be better than I expected.
Rating: 4.5/5
Monday, July 26, 2010
Review: The Clique series #1-5
Book: The Clique (The Clique, #1)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 224
Ages: 12+
I read this book when I was a teen, and I loved it. But as a forewarning, the drama is petty and a little immature. There are many pop culture and fashion references throughout the book; in fact, I bought some clothes mentioned in the book just because Massie and her friends said they liked it! Haha; embarassing but true.
Rating: 5/5
Book: Best Friends for Never (The Clique, #2)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 208
Ages: 12+
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Book: Revenge of the Wannabes (The Clique, #3)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 224
Ages: 12+
I think this is one of my favorite Clique books so far. The Clique starts unraveling, and major changes happen for each girl. After sabotaging Massie's chances of winning the Octavian Day uniform design contest, Alicia has been exiled from the clique and is trying to start one of her own. Massie is relentless in trying to defeat her efforts, however. And at last, Claire is starting to fit in with Massie and her friends. But can she keep her good values and kind personality, and maybe even snag a hot guy Massie is also after?
Rating: 5/5
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Book: Invasion of the Boy Snatchers (The Clique, #4)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 256
Ages: 12+
This great addition to the Clique series is full of catty competition (in the best way), from boys to clothes to social status. Claire temporarily moves in with Massie, which is slightly more bearable for Massie now that her and Claire are friends. But even school starts to feel more crowded when Alicia's cousin Nina takes the hottest boys by storm. There can only be one queen bee, so the question is: What will Massie be willing to do to protect her place as OCD's #1?
Rating: 4.5/5
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Book: The Pretty Committee Strikes Back (The Clique, #5)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 272
Ages: 12+
This fifth installment of the Clique books has much more girl/boy interaction and romance, and I love that Claire is now an official member of the clique. I don't know if this book moves slower than the previous four, or if I've just outgrown this series. Since book 1, I've been older than the age group that generally read this series, yet I kept an open mind and loved these books. I don't like the cattiness anymore, and I think (dare I say) that the behavior of these girls isn't a good influence for girls going through middle school. Being mean will NOT earn you best friends. The Clique has been a good series, but I don't think I'll read the next ones.
Rating: 3.5/5
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 224
Ages: 12+
I read this book when I was a teen, and I loved it. But as a forewarning, the drama is petty and a little immature. There are many pop culture and fashion references throughout the book; in fact, I bought some clothes mentioned in the book just because Massie and her friends said they liked it! Haha; embarassing but true.
Rating: 5/5
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Book: Best Friends for Never (The Clique, #2)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 208
Ages: 12+
This was a great sequel to "The Clique." Massie throws a Halloween party, and of course, drama ensues. New girl Claire is still trying to become a member of Massie's school-ruling clique, after all they are next door neighbours. I sympathized with Claire and wanted her to become popular, however she is one of the only kind characters, so I hoped that wouldn't change.
Rating: 4.5/5
Rating: 4.5/5
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Book: Revenge of the Wannabes (The Clique, #3)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 224
Ages: 12+
I think this is one of my favorite Clique books so far. The Clique starts unraveling, and major changes happen for each girl. After sabotaging Massie's chances of winning the Octavian Day uniform design contest, Alicia has been exiled from the clique and is trying to start one of her own. Massie is relentless in trying to defeat her efforts, however. And at last, Claire is starting to fit in with Massie and her friends. But can she keep her good values and kind personality, and maybe even snag a hot guy Massie is also after?
Rating: 5/5
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Book: Invasion of the Boy Snatchers (The Clique, #4)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 256
Ages: 12+
This great addition to the Clique series is full of catty competition (in the best way), from boys to clothes to social status. Claire temporarily moves in with Massie, which is slightly more bearable for Massie now that her and Claire are friends. But even school starts to feel more crowded when Alicia's cousin Nina takes the hottest boys by storm. There can only be one queen bee, so the question is: What will Massie be willing to do to protect her place as OCD's #1?
Rating: 4.5/5
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Book: The Pretty Committee Strikes Back (The Clique, #5)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Genre: Chick-Lit
Pages: 272
Ages: 12+
This fifth installment of the Clique books has much more girl/boy interaction and romance, and I love that Claire is now an official member of the clique. I don't know if this book moves slower than the previous four, or if I've just outgrown this series. Since book 1, I've been older than the age group that generally read this series, yet I kept an open mind and loved these books. I don't like the cattiness anymore, and I think (dare I say) that the behavior of these girls isn't a good influence for girls going through middle school. Being mean will NOT earn you best friends. The Clique has been a good series, but I don't think I'll read the next ones.
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviews: 2 - Biography and Memoir
Book: The Glass Castle
Author: Jeannette Walls
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 288
Ages: 16+
This is an autobiography like no other. Jeannette Walls has taken memories of the hardships and struggles of her own life and woven them into this compelling memoir in story-telling fashion. The reviews of The Glass Castle are either amazing or bad, there is no in between, and I truly believe that this is also a testament dividing the people that have read the book. Many of the people who did not enjoy the book could not even imagine the struggles the Walls had faced, and review the book without a care, living a sheltered life. It is easy for the reader to feel hatred toward many characters of the novel, such as Erma, but the powerful yet underlying message is that everyone has a past. Before you judge someone you must know that things are the way they are for a reason, and even the seemingly perfect of people have their skeletons. This is not a book to pass up, even for someone who, like myself, isn't a huge fan of autobiographies and memoirs. The Glass Castle cannot be praised enough, and I vouch for it every day. I even have a line of friends wanting to borrow the book next! Although I cannot relate to the extremity of Walls' circumstances, this is a truly inspiring and dare I say life-changing book.
Author: Jeannette Walls
Genre: Memoir
Pages: 288
Ages: 16+
This is an autobiography like no other. Jeannette Walls has taken memories of the hardships and struggles of her own life and woven them into this compelling memoir in story-telling fashion. The reviews of The Glass Castle are either amazing or bad, there is no in between, and I truly believe that this is also a testament dividing the people that have read the book. Many of the people who did not enjoy the book could not even imagine the struggles the Walls had faced, and review the book without a care, living a sheltered life. It is easy for the reader to feel hatred toward many characters of the novel, such as Erma, but the powerful yet underlying message is that everyone has a past. Before you judge someone you must know that things are the way they are for a reason, and even the seemingly perfect of people have their skeletons. This is not a book to pass up, even for someone who, like myself, isn't a huge fan of autobiographies and memoirs. The Glass Castle cannot be praised enough, and I vouch for it every day. I even have a line of friends wanting to borrow the book next! Although I cannot relate to the extremity of Walls' circumstances, this is a truly inspiring and dare I say life-changing book.
Rating: 5/5
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Book: J. K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter
Author: Marc Shapiro
Genre: Biography
Pages: 128
Ages: 14+
This is a biography about the author of the Harry Potter series and how the books became so successful. It starts from Rowling's childhood, when she was clearly more imaginative than the rest of her friends and classmates. It then goes through her yound adulthood when she experienced a family death and had her first child. She then became very poor and wrote the Harry Potter series on whatever scraps of paper she could find. I'm not one that usually reads biographies, but this was very well-written and Rowling's story is awe-inspiring. After all, she went from being poor to extremely successful with only a creative mind, a pencil, and paper.
Author: Marc Shapiro
Genre: Biography
Pages: 128
Ages: 14+
This is a biography about the author of the Harry Potter series and how the books became so successful. It starts from Rowling's childhood, when she was clearly more imaginative than the rest of her friends and classmates. It then goes through her yound adulthood when she experienced a family death and had her first child. She then became very poor and wrote the Harry Potter series on whatever scraps of paper she could find. I'm not one that usually reads biographies, but this was very well-written and Rowling's story is awe-inspiring. After all, she went from being poor to extremely successful with only a creative mind, a pencil, and paper.
Rating: 4.5/5
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Review: The Princess Test
Book: The Princess Test
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 96
Ages: 8+
Ages: 8+
Lorelei is a blacksmith's daughter who has every allergy imaginable. However luck is on her side when Prince Nicholas rides through town, catches sight of Lorelei, and instantly falls in love. Lorelei and Nicholas meet again when the king and queen call for a country-wide search for a fiancee for Nicholas. They want to test every princess in the land to see who is the most suitable for their son. Lorelei isn't a princess, but she manages to enter the competition anyway, and her allergies actually prove to be an advantage.
The Princess Test is a quick and fun story that is a re-telling of The Princess and the Pea. If you are a fan of Gail Carson Levine's other princess stories, you will love this book. The plot and characters are very well-developed and I found the king's dialogue to be quite comical.
Rating: 4.5/5
New Poll!
I have many more reviews that need posting, but it does take time! There are over one hundred books I still have to post to my blog, which should be done by the end of this week.
Also, there is a new poll called "What Is Your Favorite Book Genre"! Scroll to the bottom of the home page to vote. I hope everyone's having a great summer!
-Celine
Also, there is a new poll called "What Is Your Favorite Book Genre"! Scroll to the bottom of the home page to vote. I hope everyone's having a great summer!
-Celine
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