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Thursday, April 29, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (7)


Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there to read! You never know what great blogs you can find!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

She's So Money by Cherry Cheva

Title: She's So Money
Author: Cherry Cheva
Published: 2008
Pages: 304
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Question: What do you get when you take . . .

1 overachieving girl + 1 insanely cute guy + 1 massive fine + 1 scheme involving a little dishonesty and a whole lot of cash?

I've always been the good girl—working seriously long hours at my family's restaurant and getting straight As. And Camden King was always just that hot, popular guy I'd pass in the halls, whose ego was probably much bigger than his brain. I didn't think there'd ever be a reason for us to actually, like, interact.

Then again, I never thought I'd mess up so badly that my family might lose our entire restaurant if I didn't come up with a ton of money, and fast. So that's where Camden comes in—he and his evil/genius plan to do kids' homework for cash.

I know cheating's wrong, but it's better than being dead, right? Which is what I'd be if my parents knew about what happened. I never expected things to spin so far out of control. Or that I'd be such a sucker for Camden's lopsided grin. Or that falling apart could be the best thing that ever happened to me.

Answer: The time of my life.

Review: I truly enjoyed reading this book!
 
The book is about Maya who is an excellent student and never really gets in trouble. She never had reason to do something that wasn't right. That is, until her parents decide to put her in charge of their restaurant while her parents are out of time. During that time, many things happen that make Maya desperate to earn some money.
 
I could really relate Maya. Even though she was a student who got straight As, she didn't let herself be dominated by those who weren't exactly the best of students. I loved the comments that she made and the way she reacted to situations.
 
Camden was the guy that thinks that he owns the school and who everyone knows. He was the one who helped Maya get the money she needed and gave her the idea of how to earn it faster. I also liked the things that he said to Maya when she said things.
 
I loved the way that Cheva portrayed those students who got good grades. She didn't make them sound like some nerds who didn't have friends or that didn't really go out much. I can relate to all this since many people may consider me a nerd. Those who know me well know that I may get good grades but that I'm not exactly an angel.
 
I would recommend this book to anyone if they asked me. I think it's a great book to read if you want something light to read and to get a laugh!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

In My Mailbox (12)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. So I did get 2 books from the library. Like I said before, without the library my life wouldn't be the same!

Library:


The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
I read the first one and thought it was okay so I decided to go ahead and read the second one.


The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Some of my friends have read this one and told me it was good. Every time that I ask them what book I should get they always this one so I decided to get. Hopefully it's good!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (6)


Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there to read! You never know what great blogs you can find!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Title: Coffeehouse Angel
Author: Suzanne Selfors
Published: 2009
Pages: 276
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: When Katrina spots a homeless guy sleeping in the alley behind her grandmother's coffee shop, she decides to leave him a cup of coffee, a bag of chocolate-covered coffee beans, and some pastries to tide him over. Little does she know that this random act of kindness is about to turn her life upside down. The adorable "vagrant" is actually a real guardian angel on a break between missions, and he simply won't go away until he can reward Katrina's selflessness. . . .

Review: I enjoyed the feeling of this book. I think that it was a good choice for me to read after The Sweet Far Thing.

It's about a girl who does something good for someone that she finds sleeping outside of her grandmother's coffeehouse. The person insist that he needs to reward her for what she did. The story is basically of how Malcolm tries to reward Katrina and each time something happens so that she isn't rewarded.

At times I liked reading from Katrina's point of view but at others I wished that I wasn't. Sometimes she seemed like she needed someone else to do things and never tried to do anything for herself. Towards the end of the book she realized what she was doing and tried to change that, which I really liked.

At the end of the novel Katrina loved Malcolm even though I never really saw when it happened. I felt that it was something that was missing from the book that influenced how much I liked it. Even though I felt that romance part was missing and that Katrina was at times annoying, I enjoyed this book.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got 2 books! I think that I will always be getting a book from the library. What would I do without the library?

Library:


The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
I've seen this series around but I never picked them up so i decided to give them a try.

Bought:


The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
I've had been hearing good things about this book so I decided to read it and see for myself. I'm glad that it lived up to what I expected!

What did you get this week?

Friday, April 16, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (5)


Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there to read! You never know what great blogs you can find!

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Title: The Sweet Far Thing
Author: Libba Bray
Published: 2007
Pages: 819
Rating: 5/5
Summary: IT HAS BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father a laudanum 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.

Review: This book was amazing!

This book continues the story of Gemma Doyle. The story starts off a couple of months after Rebel Angels ends. Gemma must now figure out to do with the magic by trying to give some magic to the creatures of the realms. She goes through many difficult situations before she knows what to do.

Again I have to say that both Felicity and Ann annoyed me. I felt that they only wanted to be with Gemma for what she could offer them. It was surprising to know the truth about Felicity even more than what I learned in Rebel Angels. I started to like Ann a bit more when she started to take control of her life.

I really liked how Gemma found out stuff that she hadn't known before. I think this helped her know more of what she was doing and of what she had to do. I loved reading about Kartik. He kept keeping secrets that at times I didn't know whether to trust him. It was fun to see how some the other characters were different when they let themselves be seen.

Overall, I really liked how the series ended even though I may not have finished it how Bray did. Even though it was a pretty long book I didn't even notice it because I was really into the story. I would totally recomend this series to others!

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Title: The Bad Beginning
Author: Lemony Snicket
Published: 1999
Pages: 176
Summary: Just as they are enjoying a day at Briny Beach, the three Baudelaire children--- 14-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Klaus and baby Sunny--- receive some bad news. Mr. Poe, a friend of the family, comes trekking across the foggy beach to tell the Baudelaires that their parents have died in a fire that also burned down the family mansion. Now orphaned, the Baudelaires face an uncertain future. They are soon packed off to their new guardian--- the icky Count Olaf, who is a distant cousin. But when they move in with the Count, the Baudelaire children are certain that he does not care about them--- he only wants to get his hands on the fortune Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire left behind. See if they are right, as you read this exciting and humorous tale of mystery.

Review: The reason that I started reading this book was because I had seen the series around.

The Baudelaires were a happy family until their parents died in the fire that took them and their house. After, they don't have a place to stay and they are forced to go with Count Olaf who only wants their money. All three of the children go through many hard things while they are forced to stay there.

Violet was the oldest which made her want to take care of her siblings, which I think was a good thing. Klaus was the smart sibling who liked to read books and apparently had read many more books than most people. Sunny didn't know how to say anything but sort of understood what was happening around her. I thought that all of the sibling had something that distinguished themselves.

Count Olaf greatly annoyed me and made me mad. I couldn't understand why someone would go to the extremes that he did for the money that the siblings had. He also had friends that were creepy and that said bad things about the children.

I don't really know what I was expecting but it wasn't what I got. They were very unique in the way that the story was told and how the narrator talked to the reader. Something that I found different was that it sometimes gave you definitions for words that were used. I will continue reading the books to see were the story goes.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I only got 1 book. And yes, you guessed right. From the library!

Library:


She's So Money by Cherry Cheva
I've been wanting to read this one for a while and when we went to the library I saw it and I got it!

So what did you get?

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

Title: Brightly Woven
Author: Alexandra Bracken
Published: 2010
Pages: 354
Rating: 5/5
Summary: Just as the rains come after ten long, dry years, a young wizard, Wayland North, appears, to whisk Sydelle Mirabil away from her desert village. North needs an assistat, and Sydelle is eager to see the country- and to join him on his quest to stop the war that surely will destroy her home. But North has secrets- secrets about himself, about why he chose Sydelle, about his real reason for the journey. What does he wanr from her? And why does North's sworn enemy seem fascinated by Sydelle himself?

Review: I loved this book! It's what I would say if anyone asked me what I thought of it.

I absolutely loved this story. It starts off with Sydelle in the mountains playing a game with others. Then she feels what she hasn't felt for years, water. She meets a person who wants to talk with her dad. After this, the story takes off in an adventure that you won't want to stop reading about.

I loved how Sydelle was a female character that didn't give up and didn't depend much on the help of North and I also loved how she always tried to find how exactly why it was that the wizard had chosen her. I liked the way how she took decisions that maybe weren't easy but that she thought were necessary. Books that have a strong heroine and not one that depends on others for help are the kinds that I will most likely end up loving.

Wayland North was simply. . . Wayland North. The reader knows that something is wrong when they start meeting other wizards that keep saying their ranks while North avoids it. He seemed to be having some real conflicts that made me love him even more as I kept reading.

For me this was one of those stories that you just have to read. From the beginning of the book to the end there was something that was happening. There were characters that I liked and others that I didn't. It had some of the elements that I most like to see, which I think influenced me a lot to really enjoy it! Overall, this will be one of the favorites of mine!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (4)


Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there to read! You never know what great blogs you can find!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The Icebound Land by John Flanagan

Title: The Icebound Land
Author: John Flanagan
Published: 2005
Pages: 288
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Kidnapped and taken to a frozen land after the fierce battle with Lord Morgarath, Will and Evanlyn are bound for Skandia as captives aboard a fearsome wolfship. Halt has sworn to rescue his young apprentice, and he will do anything to keep his promise— even defy his King. Expelled from the Rangers he has served so loyally, Halt is joined by Will's friend Horace as he travels toward Skandia. On their way, they are challenged again and again by freelance knights—but Horace knows a thing or two about combat. Soon his skills begin to attract the attention of knights and warlords for miles around. But will he and Halt reach Skandia in time?

Review: I have been reading this series and I'm glad to say that this book lived up to what I expected.

The story changed perspectives so the reader can see what is happening. Will and Evanlyn are on a ship were they will be taken to Skandia. Both Will and Evanlyn go through many things during this time and even harder times when they get to Skandia.

While Will and Evalyn are living their hardships, Halt and Horace are also going through many complicated times. Halt has been banned from Araluen, so that he can go rescue Will, as he promised him. Horace takes the part of facing all those that get in their path.

Something that I really enjoyed was that it showed that the characters weren't perfect. Even though Will has always been a character that doesn't give up and always does what is right even when it's hard, in this book he did something that went against all that. I also enjoyed that Halt did something that also went against who he was supposed to be.

Even though there wasn't as much action as in the second book I still enjoyed it. I thought that this book was a good addition to the series and so far I'm really liking how this series is progressing.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

In My Mailbox (9)

In My Mailbos is hosted by The Story Siren. This week I got 2 books! And I went back to my old ways and got a book from the library.

Library:


Nobody's Prize by Ester Friesner
I don't really know much about this one. I've seen it before and my friend helped me pick it so I'll give it a chance!

Bought:


Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
I had heard very good things about this book. I've read it already and I'm glad they weren't wrong!

What did you get this week?

Friday, April 2, 2010

Book Blogger Hop (3)



Book Blogger Hop is a fun new meme hosted by Crazy For Books. Enter your link and go hop around other blogs that are out there to read! You never know what great blogs you can find!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Crash by Jerry Spinelli

Title: Crash
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Published: 1995
Pages: 162
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Everybody knows Crash Coogan, seventh-grade football sensation. He's been mowing down everything in his path since the time he could walk- and Penn Webb, his dweeby, vegetable-eating neighbor, is his favorite target. After all, Webb's not just a nerd, he's a cheerleader too.
Crash and his best buddy, Mike, can't think of anything more hilarious than making Webb's life miserable. But Crash starts to realize that Webb has something he may never gain, no matter how many touchdowns he scores. And when Mike takes a prank too far, maybe even for Crash, the football star has to choose which side he's really on.

Review: I really enjoyed reading this book! I had no idea what to expect and I'm glad that it wasn't bad!

Crash is about Crash Coogan who's in 7th grade and his friend Mike. He sees himself as better than most of the kids at school and who do pranks on others. There is also Penn Webb who he sees as someone who isn't really smart and who he takes advantage of. Both Crash and Mike make his life miserable and think that nothing bad can come of it.

I didn't really like the character of Crash and Mike at the beginning of the book. I thought that they were bullies who didn't care for what others felt. After an event in the book I was glad to see that he started to change who he was. I really enjoyed reading of this change and about Penn. Sometimes I felt frustrated that he didn't see that it was them who were doing all of those things to him. Throughout the whole book I didn't like Mike because of who he was and because he didn't change his ways.

I can understand the change that Crash went through after what happened. I can also see how something like that can change a person in real life. I was really glad that by the end of the book he understood what it was that was wrong and that he tried to do the right thing. It was a really short book to read and I'm glad that I took a chance to read it!