Re-Write? or Re-Wrong?

April 1st, 2010

I wouldn’t normally post a review on a Thursday but today was sort of mandatory (I have read 3 books and haven’t written a review on any of them… I’m afraid I’m going to get them confused in my head) So, in lieu of “It’s a Tween Thing,” I’ll just write a review of a book that involves teens. (Sounds like a fair trade right?)

“Beastly” is a story we have read a hundred time…seen a hundred times… and will most likely read, and see 100 times more before it has been pummeled into little bitty unrecognizable pieces.

Ladies and gentleman, let me introduce you to the latest literary version of Beauty and the Beast.

You would think after so many versions someone would come up with a unique twist right? Apparently not, which I have to say baffles me more than I would like to admit.  Here is an outline for a story that has been handed down for hundreds of years, boy is arrogant, girl is nice/naive, witch thinks boy should learn a lesson, cast a spell and BAM! Ugliness ensues. There are a number of different rules/regulations/requirements to break the spell but the most important is true love…BAM spell broken!

So why is it so hard to shake things up a bit? Regardless of your thoughts, dear authors, you can very easily keep an intended plot line AND explore the alternatives in the quest to get there.

I’m not saying that “Beastly” was uninteresting… the story is a classic for a reason, but the fact that the screenwriters for its up coming movie adaptation had more creativity, in a minute long teaser trailer, than an author (that has 7 novels under her belt) did is almost embarrassing.

“Alex Flinn’s” writing was, in places, exasperatingly juvenile, and there were random chat-room sequences that were awkward, unnecessary, and out of place.  The character development was also top heavy, listing pages of detail for “Beast” but in return only offering the audience a few brief paragraphs for Lindy (the girl.) It is important for authors of YA Literature to understand that even though their novel is “intended” for a youthful audience, their WRITING doesn’t need to reflect it.

Now, keeping all of the negativity in mind, the above rant is not to say the book wasn’t an enjoyable read, it’s just one that has to be read for what it is.  It’s a read that takes a few hours and not much thought, which might be just what the doctor ordered on days of endless stress.

Here is my recommendation… If you are having a bad day and want to relax with a book you don’t have to concentrate all that hard on, buy it, otherwise, wait for the movie. (God I hate saying that.)

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: if there is a will there is a way, sometimes it just takes a fresh perspective.

For a complete book description click image

(2/5)

Movie Trailer

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Hey!! Don’t Dig There!

March 29th, 2010

Dear Mysterious Powers and Angry Evil Dudes… my how I have missed you.

As you know by know (because I’m annoying and have said it about 500 times) I have been slammed with review request over the last month which, coincidentally enough, has left me little time to my OWN devises (aka the multitude of books I purchased that having been sitting on my Kindle like little sad puppies for a while now.)  So, when my husband had to make a sudden trip out of town, and offered to bring the kiddos with him, my first thought was Wahoo!!! I can read ALL NIGHT with no interruptions!!  Well, of course that didn’t happen, instead I went a little overboard with the Netflix, but regardless, I still managed to knock out not 1 but 2 of my lovely little paranormal ditties.

First up is “The Body Finder”

For most of you, you have already seen this book because it was a part of my “2010 Paranormal Book Preview” but for those that haven’t… it’s time to quit stalling and buy it already.

It’s not often that a title of a book and the plot of the book are one in the same (usually the title is much more abstract) but with “The Body Finder” what you read… is what you get.

Violet has a little problem.  Dead people talk to her. Not in the hey-how-are-you-I’m-a-ghost way one would expect, but more the what-is-that-ringing-oh-that’s-right-there’s-something-dead-buried-there way. Since she was a child the echos of the dead have spoken to her, and unless they are properly put to rest, Violet herself will get no sleep.  So, when her sleepy little town suddenly turns into the hot spot for kidnapped and murdered teenage girls, Violet does what she does best, she finds the body and then finds the echo that matches it.  With her best friend and local hottie Jay by her side nothing can go wrong right? Not so much.  When a nightmare, Violet thought had ended, suddenly turns into a game with her being the pawn, can she escape with her life or is she the next to be found beneath the trees?

Now, to be perfectly honest I’m not sure if I liked this book so much because of my recent paranormal absence or because I was expecting another “preview” let down, but the fact remains… this was one of the best YA books I have read so far this year.  “Derting” (this was her debut) was not flawless by any means, the first couple of chapters were sloppy and repetitive, and the character development was extremely lopsided; but by the time the action crept in her writing smoothed out enough for it to be enjoyable.  Her YA angst techniques were in full force and very well executed (loved the party scene) and the suspense towards the end of the book was not only dead on, it was surprising.  The one thing that discouraged me however was a misinterpretation about 70% through when I thought “Derting” had chopped the ending bluntly and unnecessarily, but have no fear… I was wrong, which made the last 2 chapters even more exciting.  I’m not sure what “Derting” has up here sleeve for her next novel, but lets just hope that she learns from her mistakes, tweaks them,  and runs like the wind… her knack for story telling is obviously natural, now all she needs is a little more focus and a mission.

There were bells in the cemetery, evil blondes, oil like substances in the lake, flat tires, over-protective boys, crutches, man hunts, unintentional cliff diving, and a chase through the woods that left several people breathless.

This one is a must read for paranormal lovers, I’m just glad the media finally got one right.

Happy Reading my fellow Finders and remember: peace and quiet is often over-rated…use the closest bathroom available.

For a complete book description click image.

(4/5)


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Expect The Unexpected

March 19th, 2010

So today I am going to do something I wouldn’t normally do but… hey hey… I’m a rebel so watch out!

“Leaving Paradise” is not only a book I read 2 weeks ago and did NOT write a review on, but it is a book that a review has already been written on; by my guest reviewer Nicole.  Don’t worry, I don’t plan on doing this on a regular basis, but I didn’t want to leave y’all hanging for the weekend, and since I haven’t had time to (bows head in shame) even start my next book (due to Spring Break with my kiddo’s) this has turned into my fall back plan.

I wanted to read this novel the second I read Nicole’s review of it for 2 reasons.

1.  The synopsis sounded different and very engaging.

2.  I have personally seen the effects of BOTH sides of this particular plot. (Naturally it didn’t turn out so peachy in the end, but hey… this is life, not a book.)

Caleb had it all, he was the high-school dream boy and all that that entails; sports, girls, weekend beer fest with the boys, but in the blink of an eye all that changed.  A few bad decisions and a couple of cop cars later Caleb is carted away to jail and Maggie, his neighbor, is rushed to the hospital.  A year later both are trying to regain their ground, Maggie is learning how to walk again, and Caleb is learning how to cope with the inevitability of his decisions.  Both lives are upside down and inside out and only fate can help them fix it.  Who can they trust? Who can they love? And what happens when what you thought was the whole truth is nothing but a snip-it of it?

“Simone Elkeles” is by no means new to the YA world, and over the last several years she has proven herself more than worthy of the fans she has acquired. Her skill for angst building is spectacular and her plots are surprisingly original in a “copy cat” filled genre.  The most beautiful thing about her writing structure is that she doesn’t always end her novels the way “society” would expect, but more the way SHE sees it.  They aren’t always happy, but they are warm and heartfelt, which sometimes means more than the generic happy ending.  The only flaw I can give you is that her attention to characterization is great. Why is this so bad you ask? Well, because she wraps you up into a nice little emotional cocoon and then hits you with the hard stuff;  “Leaving Paradise” is only book number one. (You see my problem.)

I am definitely slating this as a must read for lovers of the YA genre.  You never know where you are going to learn lessons and in what form they come it… but this one has a good one.  Get it, Live it, Love it…pass it on!

Happy reading my fellow Inmates and remember: Some people can change, sometime you just have to look past external appearances.

For Complete book details click image

(5/5)

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Poetry In Motion

February 22nd, 2010

I stumbled upon “I Heart You, You Haunt Me” while doing one of my research quests at a local bookstore (aka spending hours in the stacks taking pictures of book bindings) and thought… ok this sounds interesting, but for some reason it just lacked that “Oomph” that made me buckle down and read it.

The synopsis was intriguing, girl and guy in love, guy dies, girl cries, guy comes back to haunt her, but even with the promise of a haunting I still couldn’t make myself “want” to read it.  Maybe it was that I was on psychological thriller high and didn’t want to break it with a potential cry fest, or maybe it was the fact that the entire book was written in verse form, (as in “Well howdy Mr. Shakespeare! How’s it going) but never the less… the point came where I sucked up my lack of motivation and started the journey.

My first impression was less than spectacular…the writing style made the story feel so disjointed that it was hard to focus on the plot and what was actually happening to the main character, the writing was beautiful, yes, but having it so torn apart made it feel less important to me.  Now, keeping all of that negativity in mind, about 30% of the way through, the patterns finally found their rhythm, and the story came to life.

Ava just lost her boyfriend, and it was entirely her fault….or so she thinks.  Ava and Jackson had that storybook kind of love…the destined meeting, the happy kisses and a zest for life…with each other, but when Jackson decides to take Ava up on a dare and go cliff diving, happily ever after is suddenly shattered into a million pieces.  Ava is a zombie…caught in her own world of self pity and guilt she finds it hard to do even the smallest of things…until one day she hears music. Stuck in the in-between Jackson faces struggles of his own…trying to free himself while trying to free Ava at the same time.

“Lisa Schroeder’s” decision to write her novel in the form of a poem was not only inconceivable for YA, but in some cases could be considered a literary death warrant. Think of the targeted audience for a moment; teenagers as a whole are subjected to a vast array of “Old English” poetry from the time that they enter high school, and by the time their love for reading is fully developed, having to decode more “underlying” meanings is the last thing they want to do.  Thankfully, however, “Schroeder” skipped the subtext and went straight for the jugular.  The plot was easily determined, the base line of the story flowed beautifully and in the end, instead of feeling like you just read 240 pages of Emerson or Wilde you felt as though you read…just another book.

I will warn you that the books pace is unimaginably fast.  I read it from cover to cover in less than 3 hours, and that included potty and email breaks.  I will also tell you that this book is NOT for the Kindle… yes… you can buy it for the Kindle and if you are desperate enough to read it that way then more power to you, but the formatting is a little shweck and the poems run together. (It took me a while to not be annoyed by this.)  My advice? If you want to read it… head to your local bookstore or library and pick up a printed copy.

All in all the book was beautiful and the meaning was more than worth the apprehension I first had for it.

Get it, Live it, Love it, Pass it on.

Happy Reading my fellow Ghost and remember: sometimes you just have to let it go.

For a complete book description click image

(3.5/5)

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Guest Review – Leaving Paradise

February 15th, 2010

Guest Reviewer-Nicole


After reading “Perfect Chemistry” and thinking that “Elkeles” didn’t have other books out. I was over-joyed when I read reviews on several book sites, but I still couldn’t quite believe that any other book could reach my love of what turned out to be her most recent novel- Perfect Chemistry.

“Elkeles” may not always have the best writing, but her vivid plots, and dazzlingly raw emotions simple sparkle, daring the reader to dig in.

In “Leaving Paradise”, Maggie Armstrong has been hit by a drunk driver, with a horrible limp, ruining her tennis scholarship to Europe. Caleb Becker is the guy that hit her after a lapse in judgement, he is just getting out of Juvenile detention and is seeking redemption, but no one sees him the same way they did before the accident.

There might not be much in this book that keeps the reader guessing, but I will add in that there are at least two that are guaranteed to catch you unaware.

This book follows the paths of these two characters (alternating chapters) as they seek out humanity in hope that someone-anyone will see them as a fellow human, not a convict, not a cripple.

This book and everything by this author as far as I know, is sheer perfection for those of us out there looking for that nice cushy and rich reading after a harsh and stressful week at school. I absolutely adored this novel, and for the easily frustrated, the sequel is not out yet and the ending will (there is no if) leave any reader drooling for the sequel.

For a complete book description click image

(5/5)

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Snow Shoes Are The Devil

February 6th, 2010

After 2 relatively disappointing paranormal books in a row, I was starting to wonder if I had lost my knack for picking them…then…the tide finally turned.

I have wanted to read “Need” for a few months now, but much to my disappointment there was no Kindle release for it.  Now, I’m not sure what made the publishers change their minds…maybe they finally came to their senses and realized that ebooks had a prominent place in society now and that they were missing the boat, or maybe it was because they just couldn’t wait to hear my always captivating take on things, regardless of the reasons, the end result (of course) was that I finally got to read it…and I was more than pleased with what I found.

“Need” is the story of Zara, an everyday high school girl who feels “hollow” after the loss of her step-dad. Her mother, seeing the funk that she has uncharacteristically slipped into decides that she needs a change of scenery and ships her off to the very unpleasant arctic woods of Maine to live with her grandma.  After a bit of a rough start (being cut off while trying to get to school and finding it hard to maneuver on ice) she meets a group of kids that soon become her best friends in the world. Zara, thinking that everything will be OK if she can just stick in out and suck it up decides to make the best of her new situation, its just to bad the town isn’t quite as sleepy and slow as she had originally thought. 2 boys go missing while another 2 start to fight over her, and in the end the world in not exactly what she thought it was.  She quickly learns that some people are “literally” more than they seem and her love for animals is going to be tested in a whole new way.

“Carrie Jones” did exactly what every YA author should, she set up the scene, she explained the characters and just when you thought you finally got it all straight, she proves you wrong and everything changes.  Flip!  The awkward moments were masterfully executed and the “moment of truth” was spun out into a beautiful web of emotional acceptance and the inability to give up on your beliefs.

There were moments of anger management issues resulting in a trashed house, an injured puppy, a hyper boy in a wheelchair, a smart mouthed grandma, 2 very cold moments in a ditch thanks to some irresponsible driving, hundred of pointy teeth, gold dust, and 1 very VERY pissed off daddy who is tired of waiting.

Get it, Live it, Love it and pass it on….this one is a good one kiddos.

Happy reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: If it walks like and duck and talks like a duck…chances are his name is Daffy.

For a Complete Book Description Click Image

(4/5)

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Bird Bones and Shrinks

February 5th, 2010

The paranormal world is one of ups and downs…For example, you can read 6 or 7 fantastic books in a row and then BLAH you run into a swamp. You would think that over the years my love of reading and my somewhat educated mind would learn that anticipation is a horrendous habit, yet there I was 12:30am Monday morning, hopped up on caffeine and waiting not so patiently for the Kindle faeries to bring me a prize.

“Light Beneath Ferns” was supposed to be a smash, I didn’t just decide this for myself, it has been splashed across the literary world for a few months now making several (including mine) lists of what to read in 2010. So as I sat on the edge of my bed, freezing my ass off cause my husband steals the covers, I opened the well worn cover on my Kindle and began to read.

The first chapter was brilliant. Spouting warnings like…”If death and the dead make you afraid, you better just stop reading and go take a nap.” and I loved the heroin of the book, she was brooding, witty, sarcastic and an overall pain in the ass (kinda like me) but as for the remainder of the book? Yes, thanks….I think I’ll go take that nap you suggested.

The concept of this book was captivating…very quiet girl who would rather spend time with bones than live people moves to town and meets mysterious disappearing boy. Great right? Just reading that sentence alone could spin a million different scenarios into your head, unfortunately…the book spent more time focusing on the emotional instability of Elizah and her screwed up family than it actually did with the “supposedly” scary scenarios.

Elizah likes to be alone, to her, talking is unnecessary and “fitting in” is the last thing on her list. After her father gambles all of the family’s money away and then jumps trial, Elizah and her equally as quirky mother hoof it out of town only to turn around and take up residence in a old house that borders a cemetery. Elizah, wanting nothing more than a little peace and quiet wanders the property eventually running across a human jaw bone. With bones on her mind and a mother on her back Elizah set out to find the truth, but instead finds Nathaniel, a boy that speaks like a fortune cookie and dresses like a pauper.

After the first chapter the plot becomes a tangled mess of witty but sloppy writing. All the questions are… in the end answered, (some very abstractly) but with the book being so short (it took me only a few hours to read it) there was hardly time for proper character developement leaving me with a somewhat distant or lost feeling. “Spollen’s” YA moments were lacking the push/pull that is necessary to keep an audience enthralled and the so called “scary” was almost completely non-existent. What was supposed to be a bright shining mark in this years literary catalog was nothing more than a mild jog through the woods with an overbearing guidance counselor and paragraphs of sloppy descriptives.

My suggestion? Save your money…if you require substance in your reads than this book is just to short to make any sort of lasting impression.

Happy reading my fellow Outcast and remember: if you find a random human bone in the ground just leave it there… picking it up and turning it into your pet is just plain weird.

For a complete book description click Image

(2/5)

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Fish Need Love Too

February 1st, 2010

So…the story goes: Girl goes to a new place, meets mysterious boy, meets not so mysterious boy, of course decides she really likes the one everyone disapproves of, thinks there is something “fishy” going on with him, freaks out, runs away, goes back to boy…the end.

Yes-ok-I-know…there has got to more to it than that. Well, sorry there really isn’t that much more but I’ll try to be a little more positive or at least descriptive.

I decided to read “Sea Change” not because it called to me, or because I heard wonderful things about it. I decided to read “Sea Change” because I was overwhelmed by the massive list of literature that was flashing on the screen in front of me, so I clicked on the first thing I saw. Guess that’s what I get for not taking my time.

The book wasn’t bad…per say…It was just a little disappointing. “Aimee Friedman” taunted her audience with the possibility of a fantastic book and then in the end just…dropped the ball, or pen…however you would like to see it.

The writing was actually decent, if you don’t take into account how fast she had the plot moving along (girls love a good tease with their story) but in a book that has no for seeable follow-up, I think it’s necessary to tie up loose ends. In that regard, this book was all over the place.

“Friedman” simply had too many plot lines going at once and only chose to resolve a few of them, and naturally not the one that was the most important. (It was implied.. but lets face it…implied just doesn’t sooth the mind.)

Miranda is a science geek, bred of 2 very intelligent parents it was bound to happen, but she never thought her scholarly mind would take a backseat to boys and mythical legends. After the sudden death of her estranged grandmother “Isadora” Miranda and her mother are shipped off to a Southern version of the Hamptons to deal with the logistics of selling the family mansion, but after riding over on a ferry, complete with a creepy captain and his even creepier stories of sea monsters, Miranda isn’t so sure of herself anymore…or her surroundings. Her mother suddenly morphs from prestigious New York City plastic surgeon to Southern Matriarch of the Eastern Seaboard, triggering Miranda to do what any other girl would do….she runs… in total panic and finds herself in the arms of a cute but very secretive local beach boy. After struggles with mom and a very tearful chat with hottie number 2 she decides that life is complicated…and she should just suck it up and deal with it. (No… I’m not kidding… that was the outcome.)

There were pretty teenage socialites, a narcissistic boy who loved his own reflection, a mysterious trunk in the back of a closet, very enlightening love letters, and 1 moment of underwater clarity/confusion.

Overall the book was ok. It was a quick read (1 day max) so if you do decided to read it it wont take to much effort or time. I’m not going to say with certainty that you will not like it, because I’m a little on the fence… I think the end just irked me more than I’m willing to admit. Here is my advice…when you have read everything else that you “just can’t wait” to read…then chomp into this one.

Happy reading my fellow Fishermen and remember: If you feel an overwhelming need to swim in the surf at night… be sure to wear your floaties.

Click Image For Complete Details

(3/5)

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Look Out Spiderman!

January 28th, 2010

Hello my fellow Kindle-ites! Hope everyone is having a fantastic week.  Tomorrow I will post the review for “The Lovely Bones” but to quench your literary appetites until then… here is this weeks addition to “It’s A Tween Thing.”  Happy reading and remember: When THIS worlds got you down…pick up a new one!


Click Image For Complete Details



Amazon.com Review

Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2010 They don’t call it middle school for nothing. Reggie McKnight (aka “Pukey”) is trying hard to stay under the radar after a really embarrassing start to the school year. But, he’s somehow been drawn into the middle of a big school election, a volunteer project at the local homeless shelter, and the role of “Big Buddy” for a kid in the neighborhood. How will he ever find time to finish his comic book, Night Man? Reggie might see himself as a wimpy kid, but he’s anything but as steps up to new challenges and confronts big questions about doing the right thing in a tough world. Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich’s debut novel is a smart and satisfying read for teens and ‘tweens. –Lauren Nemroff


Product Description

Ever since a deeply unfortunate incident earlier this year, Reggie’s been known as “Pukey” McKnight at his high-intensity Brooklyn middle school. He wants to turn his image around, but he has other things on his mind as well: his father, who’s out of a job; his best friends, Ruthie and Joe C.; his former best friend Donovan, who’s now become a jerk; and of course, the beautiful Mialonie. The elections for school president are coming up, but with his notorious nickname and “nothing” social status, Reggie wouldn’t stand a chance, if he even had the courage to run.

Then Reggie gets involved with a local homeless shelter, the Olive Branch. Haunted by two of the clients there–George, a once-proud man now living on the streets, and Charlie, a six-year-old kid who becomes his official “Little Buddy”–he begins to think about making a difference, both in the world and at school. Pukey for President? It can happen . . . if he starts believing.

 

 

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Its A Greek God Pissing Match!

December 9th, 2009

LitethiefWhen I was in the 3rd grade I discovered my love for reading. I was forced (as in pushed down the hall by my teacher) to go to the library and pick out a book. I thought (at that time) that it was the cruelest kind of punishment for a child that routinely finished her class work early, but what I learned in the end was infinitely better than what any additional worksheets, or gossiping with my friends could have taught me. What I learned was that inside a book was a whole new world. A world where dragons and princesses actually existed, where bullies got due justice and frogs could talk. What I learned was that the imagination is a beautiful and splendid thing.

I can still remember the book I picked out that day, I can remember the characters names, and every detail of their plot for childhood survival. That book will always be the best book ever. That book is what helped me form into the person I am today, and after reading “The Lightning Thief” I realized that this is that same book only 20 years later. A book that will capture the attention of adults due to its interesting plot, but will transform a child with its ability to make them feel alive.

Percy Jackson is the son of a Greek God, only he doesn’t know it. What he knows is that he has been shuffled from school to school for the past 6 years only to be asked at the end of each year.. “Not to return.” After discovering his fate he enters a summer camp for Demi-gods… what better way to discover your powers than to surround yourself with other Greek God offspring right? But things aren’t quite that simple for Percy…he has an entirely different destiny to fulfil, he has to find Zeus’s missing lightning bolt before he goes all WWE on Poseidon for snatching it. With the help of his only 2 friends (The daughter of Athena, and a Satyr) he treks across the US to confront Hades and bring Mount Olympus back to working order.

The book, although obviously written for a younger audience, was refreshing, and I am happy that I read it.

There were creepy teachers that sprouted wings and turned into bats, a best friend that just happened to be half goat and loved to each Diet Coke cans, a 7 foot tall car chucking bull, dogs the size of rhinos, very picky water-beds, a game of capture the flag…weapons welcome, and 1 shocking moment of treachery involving flying shoes.

This book is what every great novel should be…it was an adventure, and one I am sure to repeat in its follow up books.

Spend the money, buy the book, and then spend some quality time reading it to your kid. Let THEM discover a whole new world.

Happy reading my fellow Half-Bloods and remember…if you run across a garden gnome that looks like your Uncle Frank, cover your eyes and run like you have a fire in your pants.

For a complete book description click image

(4/5)

P.S. In case you are interested they are making a movie out of this book… here is the trailer to help entice you to read the book first.

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