tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13338137670963934692024-03-19T04:24:52.919-04:00BookspeakThe Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-88984018460380011332012-08-13T16:37:00.001-04:002012-08-13T16:37:06.981-04:00The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer<blockquote> <p align="justify"><img style="display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px" alt="The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell" align="left" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/157390000/157399945.JPG" width="213" height="292"></p> <p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11607446-the-wishing-spell" target="_blank">The Land Of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer</a> <p>Pages: 448 <p>Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers <p>“Alex and Conner Bailey's world is about to change, in this fast-paced adventure that uniquely combines our modern day world with the enchanting realm of classic fairy tales. <p><i>The Land of Stories</i> tells the tale of twins Alex and Conner. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, they leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they come face-to-face with the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. <p>But after a series of encounters with witches, wolves, goblins, and trolls alike, getting back home is going to be harder than they thought.” <p align="justify"><font color="#0080ff"><em>The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell</em> was one of those titles that I wanted to pick up out of idle curiosity. I wanted to see if Chris Colfer could actually write, and the plot sounded pretty good – what bookworm hasn’t dreamed about falling into a book. So when I happened to see it while I was out running errands I decided to give it a go. I’m glad I did, by the way. I will admit that the dialogue can be a little stilted at times, especially in the first chapter, but dialogue is really difficult to write. And the plot really makes up for this minor flaw. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font color="#0080ff">Twins Alex and Connor have personalities that remind me of Hermione and Ron, respectively. Alex has the answer to every question but lacks social skills, and Conner finds himself with a slew of friends and without the ability to stay awake in class. Fairy Tales, however, connect both twins and provide a sense of stability in their lives when personal tragedy strikes – enter a book with the power to take them into the world of these stories.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font color="#0080ff">The plot of this novel is fast-paced and frolicking. It has the special ability to create the simple joy I remember when reading books like <em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</em> as a child. Even though the action has its roots in fables, someone with only a surface knowledge of Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm can certainly enjoy this tale. Still, having a more in-depth knowledge of their works does add to the story. As someone who heard these stories while growing up, I was delighted by every reference to the original tales.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font color="#0080ff">And then there are Colfer’s smart quips. One character exclaims “Son of a witch!” – both a play on the similar colorful metaphor in our society and a reference to <em>Wicked</em>’s sequel? I think so. Connor provides a majority of the comic relief in the story. Although a lot of it is smart and funny, some of the humor can be a bit heavy-handed. All the same, I thoroughly enjoyed the book.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font color="#0080ff">Everything from the expanded title to the set-up at the end of the story seems to suggest a sequel. (Fear not, there is no soul-crushing cliffhanger.)When and if a second book comes out I have no doubt that I will read it, and I hope to see appearances from a few less well-known fairy tale creatures. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font color="#0080ff"><strong>The Big Picture:</strong> This book may have some flaws but it truly is a creative, fun, and rewarding romp. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good vacation read and especially to fans of Hans Christian Anderson, the Brothers Grimm and ABC’s show <em>Once Upon a Time</em> (you will truly appreciate the development of “bad” characters).</font></p> <p align="justify"><font color="#0080ff">Just as a side note,I’m sort of starting over fresh with my blog. This doesn’t really mean anything for anyone reading the blog other than the fact that I am going to start posting reviews again. Thanks.</font></p></blockquote> The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-52069511301977869052011-08-08T10:19:00.001-04:002011-08-08T10:19:42.907-04:00Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wXEoJi3Kq24/Tj_wfd3dS_I/AAAAAAAAARo/YdXFtTUXuxM/s1600-h/DashandLilysBookofDaresbyRachelCohna.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan" border="0" alt="Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-t4ytiCZZQZY/Tj_wfu-Jn4I/AAAAAAAAARs/HLNvkJZ5CpU/DashandLilysBookofDaresbyRachelCohna%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="161" height="244"></a> </p> <p>Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan</p> <p>Pages: 272</p> <p>Publisher: Knopf</p> <p>“Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?” <p><font color="#0080c0">It doesn’t get much better than a love story that starts in a bookstore. At least that’s my opinion. After I finished reading this book, I was dying to find my own little red notebook in my local bookstore – I even considered putting one there myself. For about a nanosecond. While Dash & Lily’s romance is completely adorable and fun, there are just too many creeps in the world for people to do something like this in real life.</font></p> <p><font color="#0080c0">Anyway, enough of the real world. In the world created by Cohn and Levithan, the notebook ends up in the right hands and a wonderful love story ensues. Dash and Lily are both utterly engaging protagonists – and their correspondence makes for an utterly enjoyable read. I particularly like their creative placement of the notebook – of course the bookstore is the best place but the make-your-own-Muppet room comes in as pretty close second.</font></p> <p><font color="#0080c0">While this story takes place around the winter holidays, it’s not what I would call a “Christmas” story. You know what I’m talking about, the ones that make you long for winter if you read them at any other time of year – especially in 100+ degree heat. However, the juxtaposition of Dash and Lily’s attitudes toward Christmas makes for an amusing opening to the book. </font></p> <p><font color="#0080c0">A quick note about the authors: I have to admit that, at least in my mind, a bit of a stigma surrounds books written by two or more people. (Like the Warriors series. I think Erin Hunter is about 500 people now.) Dash & Lily’s book of dares is the perfect co-authored book. The way in which it was written, with one author writing the voice of Dash and the other writing Lily, was absolutely flawless. </font></p> <p><font color="#0080c0"><strong>The big picture</strong>: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares is a cute, well – written romance. The perfect fluff book to take your mind off of the trials and tribulations of writing that looming English essay. </font></p> The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-40349685353440694272011-06-18T16:20:00.005-04:002011-06-21T08:22:07.259-04:00The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kbyJab1XX98/Tf0IoiDYzOI/AAAAAAAAARQ/nSgcdrtmEY0/s1600-h/TheTwistedThreadbyCharlotteBacon4.jpg"><img align="left" alt="The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon" border="0" height="273" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7gOc4Zi9Rno/Tf0IpKbym5I/AAAAAAAAARU/k7OkJyV3GQE/TheTwistedThreadbyCharlotteBacon_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon" width="186" /></a><br />
The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon<br />
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Pages: 352<br />
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Publisher: Voice<br />
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<strong>“</strong>When beautiful but aloof Claire Harkness is found dead in her dorm room one spring morning, prestigious Armitage Academy is shaken to its core. Everyone connected to school, and to Claire, finds their lives upended, from the local police detective who has a personal history with the academy, to the various faculty and staff whose lives are immersed in the daily rituals associated with it. <br />
Everyone wants to know how Claire died, at whose hands, and more importantly, where the baby that she recently gave birth to is a baby that almost no one, except her small innermost circle, knew she was carrying. <br />
At the center of the investigation is Madeline Christopher, an intern in the English department who is forced to examine the nature of the relationship between the school s students and the adults meant to guide them. As the case unravels, the dark intricacies of adolescent privilege at a powerful institution are exposed, and both teachers and students emerge as suspects as the novel rushes to its thrilling conclusion. <br />
With <em>The Twisted Thread</em>, Charlotte Bacon has crafted a gripping and suspenseful story in the tradition of Donna Tartt s <em>The Secret History</em>, one that pulls back the curtain on the lives of the young and privileged.<strong>”</strong> <br />
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<span style="color: #0080c0;">May I begin by saying wow? <em>The Twisted Thread</em> exceeded my every expectation; from plot to characters, this book is spot on. I have to say that I’m not usually a big fan of mysteries (sure I went through a Joanne Fluke faze, but that was more about the cookies than the murders). The Twisted Thread, however, does not emphasis the “murder mystery” aspect so much as the impact that the murder has on the lives of the people involved with Armitage. While the investigation into Claire’s murder does proceed throughout the novel, the writing holds a certain air of literariness that seems to pull it out of the ranks of “mystery” and place it somewhere closer to a Jodi Picoult novel. </span></div><div align="justify"><span style="color: #0080c0;">The chapters revolve around four main characters, Madeline, the English teacher who seems to do more sleuthing than the police officers, Fred, the art teacher who wants more art and a little less teaching, Jim, the middle aged and divorced maintenance man who looks after his aging mother, and Matt, the police officer and former Armitage student who is forced to revisit unpleasant memories when Claire turns up dead. The real beauty of this story is the complex web woven between all of the characters, the way their stories all come together and break apart. This method of storytelling allows the reader to experience the novel in the fullest, most fulfilling way possible. Each character brings their own set of experiences, thoughts, and insecurities to the story, creating what I have now dubbed, the uber subplot. I truly enjoy the fact that each character has their own story that unfolds simultaneously to the major plot – this obviously being the ongoing murder investigation. </span></div><div align="justify"><span style="color: #0080c0;">Now on to my one complaint (you knew that was coming, didn’t you). This book has no <em>AHA!</em> moment. I don’t just mean the moment where you find out who the murderer was and all that jazz. Even if you guessed who the murderer was half way through the book (which I did), there should still be a moment where all of the pieces click perfectly into place and everything becomes crystal clear. (For example, my favorite <em>AHA!</em> moment of all time is when Harry Potter discovers the existence of the Deathly Hallows and suddenly everything makes sense, even the title. In other words, the book’s universe has to align and converge into one perfect moment of clarity that alters the course of the novel). Charlotte Bacon tries to create this moment, but falls short – she had some twisted threads, so to speak. Really, the main problem is that she forgot to put the gun she wanted to use in the last act on the table during the first. The introduction of completely new information without hints preceding it deflates the <em>AHA!</em> moment and makes it more of a “well…okay” moment.</span> </div><div align="justify"><span style="color: #0080c0;"><strong>The big picture</strong>: The Twisted Thread is a good, thought-provoking novel with character development that warmed the cockles of my heart. I hate, hate, hate underdeveloped characters (I’m looking at you Stephenie Meyer). </span></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kbyJab1XX98/Tf0IoiDYzOI/AAAAAAAAARQ/nSgcdrtmEY0/s1600-h/TheTwistedThreadbyCharlotteBacon4.jpg"></a></div>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-57985178096852667242011-04-18T09:11:00.000-04:002011-04-18T09:11:18.071-04:00Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4abLF8aKYdhNnRAqOrwV_U-W9_AYLFVIyIZ82IuMOEO9FWfZqolcdB3l6g8b7k47FVkCYqOnA7CQN2dHlB_Y715IgD74VJjyonjHV5Vv095HpBvfhrpjd-2j1xuXndeHXSpHA99mvz4/s1600/Much+Ado+About+Nothing+by+William+Shakespeare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4abLF8aKYdhNnRAqOrwV_U-W9_AYLFVIyIZ82IuMOEO9FWfZqolcdB3l6g8b7k47FVkCYqOnA7CQN2dHlB_Y715IgD74VJjyonjHV5Vv095HpBvfhrpjd-2j1xuXndeHXSpHA99mvz4/s1600/Much+Ado+About+Nothing+by+William+Shakespeare.jpg" /></a></div>Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare<br />
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Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult<br />
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(Yes, I'm branching out here.) Like many of you, I received my introduction to Shakespeare in the form of <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>. I begrudgingly admitted that Shakespeare was perhaps the most prolific author ever and then made a clean break with the story, hoping to never endure such stupid characters ever again. (I mean come on, the story goes to pot because of lack of communication and shear stupidity. Plus the whole thing is based of the Greek myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, so yes, we would have West Side Story without <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>). Anyway, time rolled on and I read <em>Julius Caesar</em>, and (aside from my embarrassing tendency to call him Julius Shakespeare) I enjoyed the play. Then I read <em>Much Ado About Nothing</em>...and I loved it.<br />
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Apparently, comedy is tragedy closely averted. Weird huh? Anyway, <em>Much Ado</em> could have easily gone down tragedy lane. We've got ruined reputations, dastardly villains (the main one's name is Don John, <em>the Bastard</em>), and a Friar. (I have nothing against friars, but the one in <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> messed up big time). The story has two main plots, one being the near disastrous relationship between Hero and Claudio, the other a banter-filled, unlikely romance between Beatrice and Benedick. <br />
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I absolutely fell in love with the characters in this play (Well, almost all of the characters. Claudio is a real butt and Hero deserves better.) My favorite one? That would be Beatrice. How many of you would expect to find a strong female character in a play written before the equality of women was even a blip on most people's radars? Not me. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to meet Beatrice, an intelligent, independent woman who can hold her own against any man. Beatrice rocks! Also, her relationship with Benedick is priceless; it creates some of the funniest, most endearing scenes in the play.<br />
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<strong>The big picture</strong>: <em>Much Ado About Nothing</em> is AMAZING. I recommend it to everyone, but especially to those people who were forced to read <em>Romeo and Juliet</em> and then swore off Shakespeare.The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-27852829621869806982011-03-03T18:01:00.001-05:002011-03-03T18:01:14.203-05:00Red Riding Hood<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TXAdtpJaWxI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/RZ9jYBClWxg/s1600-h/Red%20Riding%20Hood%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Red Riding Hood" border="0" alt="Red Riding Hood" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TXAdudngJnI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/c9Ep8-2erqI/Red%20Riding%20Hood_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="165" height="244"></a> Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright <p>Based on the screenplay by David Leslie Johnson <p>Pages: 329 <p>Publisher: Poppy <p>“Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home. <br>After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town. <br>It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.” <p>"Once upon a time...there was a girl, and there was a wolf." <p>Yes, this is the book behind the thriller <em>Red Riding Hood</em>. Well, actually this is the book based on the screenplay of the movie. At first I was a bit skeptical about this book. A book based on a screen play...ugh. But then I read the book, and OH MY GOODNESS it is so good. The main character is engaging, the premise entrancing, and trust me when I say that they don't make plots more exciting than this one. This novel is charged with an air of mystery and suspense that kept me flipping pages as fast as I could. This is not your grandmother's little red riding hood. <p>Valerie, our "Little Red", is a strong female protagonist (which I absolutely L-O-V-E) who leads us into a world steeped in fear, superstition, and utter...epicness. (Yes I have just used <em>that word</em>.) The raw feel of the world with its twisted, scared characters and its dark impenetrable depths just sends delicious tingles through your mind. It draws you in, slowly, inch by inch, until you are completely absorbed in the story. The village of Daggerhorn is a scary place. (Though nothing can scare me more than the world of Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. A world without books...the HORROR!) Still, the wary nature of the villagers tends to rub off on you a bit - I do not recommend reading this in your yard at night. Trust me when I say that the neighbors gigantic hairy dog will scare you senseless. This, obviously, is because the novel centers around one very big, very hairy, very scary werewolf. This is most definitely not one of those versions where the wolf ends up running a muffin shop with Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother, (by the way, I've read this version and like it very much). I don't think I've ever read a reinterpreted fable darker than this one, and believe me when I say that I read a <em>ton</em> of them. Now, don't let me scare you off. This novel may be dark and creepy and gory and...anyway, it also has romance! Who can't resist a good love triangle set in the middle of a bloodbath, right? <p>Now on to the downside (you just new that was coming, didn't you?), this novel doesn't have a proper ending folks. That's right, in an attempt to milk you for every cent they can, the geniuses behind this trap finish up the book with "Is this truly the end of Valerie's Story? Visit <a href="http://www.redridinghoodbook.com">www.redridinghoodbook.com</a> to find out". Guess what? When you get to the site, there is nada, zipo, zilch more story. So looks like I'm gonna be heading to the movies pretty soon... <p><strong>The big picture</strong>: Red Riding Hood is a surprisingly good novel with some definite entertainment value. You’ll be fine as long as you don’t mind it when people mooch money off of you (which I do mind, but hey…) The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-81415941276101857882011-02-15T17:40:00.000-05:002011-02-15T17:40:49.547-05:00Not My Usual Bookish FodderI saw this great article about a Book Expresso Machine. Yes, you heard me right, a book expresso machine. After reading the article and watching the video, I just had to share it with you guys. This machine literal pops out books. Out of stock books, out of print books, your own books. How cool is that?<br />
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<embed allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="&file=http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp4?http://traffic.libsyn.com/sciencefriday/bookprinter-021011.mp4&height=290&width=480&frontcolor=0xffffff&backcolor=0xeeeecc&lightcolor=0xFFFFFF&showdigits=false&autostart=false&showicons=false&usefullscreen=true&wmode=opaque&image=http://www.sciencefriday.com/video/videoicon/bookprinter.jpg&callback=http://www.sciencefriday.com/test/vidstats.php&id=10363" height="290" src="http://www.sciencefriday.com/tools/players/mediaplayer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" wmode="opaque"><br />
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Check out the article<a href="http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/watch/10363"> here</a>.The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-38372434725429080322011-02-14T17:17:00.001-05:002011-02-14T17:17:28.541-05:00Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TVmp9N7nikI/AAAAAAAAAQo/IqrofsqFjgM/s1600-h/Revolution%20by%20Jennifer%20Donnelly%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly" border="0" alt="Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TVmp95oGoVI/AAAAAAAAAQs/orO5Hw4wDwA/Revolution%20by%20Jennifer%20Donnelly_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="166" height="244"></a> Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly <p>Pages: 472 <p>Publisher: Delacorte Press <p><i>Revolution </i>completely blew me away. Jennifer Donnelly has without a doubt written the best young adult novel of 2010. With beautifully crafted prose, this novel captures the heart and the mind and entangles them in the life of Andi Alpers, one of the most engaging protagonists to ever grace the pages of a novel. Andi and her eighteenth century counterpart Alexandrine’s struggles leap off the pages and truly draw the reader into the story. This folks is one of those novels that you read under your desk during class instead of balancing equations, even though you risk the wrath of your professor by doing so. It’s that good. <p><i></i>When we meet Andi Alpers, she is lost in grief. Her grades are falling, her heart is broken, and she just doesn’t know what to do with herself, except for playing her guitar. To top it off, she’s on the verge of being expelled. Enter the father that’s been absent from her life for months and months. He got a letter from the school about her abysmal grades, and now he wants to take her to Paris with him so he can make sure that she finishes the outline for her senior thesis. And he’s also putting her mother in a mental hospital. Sounds great, huh? Needless to say, Andi is very angry. Heck, I was angry for her when I read it. But when she gets to Paris she meets an amazing young man named Virgil and becomes entangled in the life of a young woman who died over two centuries before Andi was even born. This young woman of the French Revolution, Alexandrine Paradis, leads Andi on a journey that sets her on the path to healing the wound that has almost pushed her over the edge numerous times. The blend of modern and historical, fact and fiction, all adds up to create a novel like nothing else you’ve ever read. <p><i>Revolutions</i> is so incredibly captivating that my attempt to review the main points of this novel turned into an entire re-reading. The moment I picked it up again, I just couldn’t put it down. The emotions, the history, the relationships, all seem so real. Immediately after finishing this book I began recommending it to everyone I know, from my best friend to my grandmother.<i> </i>The ending of this novel – it’s as far from floppy as you can possibly get. At first, I was a little bit saddened that Andi didn’t really get closure with her dad. But as her guitar instructor, Nathan, sagely tells her “This word <i>closure</i>…it is a stupid word, ja?” It wasn’t until after I read <i>Revolution</i> for the second time that I realized Andi really does make peace with her life and that maybe closure is a stupid word. The more I thought about it, the more I began to see applications in my own life. Everybody has their own pain, including me. I began to see that letting go of past suffering, but never closing the door on it, might be the best way to heal. <p><b>The big picture</b>: Jennifer Donnelly created a masterpiece. <i>Revolution</i> truly transcends time, in more ways than one. Not just with its beautiful writing, captivating characters, or historic details, but with its ability to reach out and touch anyone who has ever felt lost. <p>*On a side note, reading this novel sparked an interest in the French Revolution that allowed me to better appreciate Dickens’ <em>A Tale of Two Cities</em>. After reading Revolution, I encourage anyone who did not like reading <em>A Tale of Two Cities</em> in school to give it another try. The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-46933773282190453912011-02-09T17:00:00.001-05:002011-02-09T17:00:56.545-05:00Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TVMOlDYfWgI/AAAAAAAAAQg/SEIGAVQVu-Q/s1600-h/Girl%20in%20the%20Arena%20by%20Lise%20Haines%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines" border="0" alt="Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TVMOl96XQnI/AAAAAAAAAQk/TSeslkfgoM4/Girl%20in%20the%20Arena%20by%20Lise%20Haines_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244"></a> Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines <p>Pages: 324 <p>Publisher: Bloomsbury <p><i>Girl in the Arena</i> has a good premise. A bit of dystopia, some Roman influence, and a mite of romance. However, (don’t you just hate howevers) the execution was a little lacking and the ending…ugh. To put it nicely, the ending qualifies as one of the floppiest flops of all time, in my very humble opinion. But Wait! I’m not saying you should give up on this book entirely. It’s definitely not a classic, but it does have some entertainment value. And what I consider to be a flop might not be what you consider to be a flop. One woman’s floppy ending is another woman’s not-so-floppy ending, or something like that. <p>To be fair, this book is fast-paced and exciting. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy reading it. From the initial introduction of Gladiator Sports Association (GSA) to heart wrenching deaths and a disturbing final showdown, the plot of this novel moves at the speed of light. So the score is evened up, minus one for floppy ending, plus one for fast-paced plot. <p>Granted, this book does address some of the problems we face in the US and other countries. For instance, violence. You can’t turn on the news or pick up a magazine without news of some war or tragedy slapping you across the face. And it’s hard to hear sirens without worrying that someone you care about is the victim in need of help. As if there isn’t enough violence in the world, people then go see movies where heads roll and pain is entertainment. It brings to mind the French Revolution, when beheadings were an event for the whole family to enjoy. Well, the family can once again enjoy violence together by watching the gladiators duke it out to the death. Sounds pretty coldhearted, right? But when you really think about it, the jump between our society and theirs really isn’t that far. Lyn, the main character, details the evolution of the sport from backyard games to death matches between death-row prisoners to the bloody center of American culture. As is the true purpose of dystopian literature, <i>Girl in the Arena</i> points out a path that society could take, and makes the reader reexamine the world around them. I think that deserves five points in favor of <i>Girl in the Arena</i>. <p>Now on to the main character, Lyn. First impression: I like Lyn, she’s a strong, independent young woman who truly loves her family. But then she had to go and fall for the guy who murdered her seventh father. The guy she was going to be forced to marry. (Okay, I love a good arranged marriage romance, but I like them set on the western frontier during the 1800s. And I don’t like it when the guy in question killed the girl’s father. Although this is the only book I’ve ever read where that happens.) So the romance in this novel, that’s minus two points. If I’m correct the score now stands at 4 for and 3 against. <p>For details on the floppy ending, you’ll really need to read the book yourself, but I just want to say something about willing suspension of disbelief. Magic and all sorts of crazy stuff can be believable in a story as long as it is realistic to the world in which it is created. That’s willing suspension of disbelief. But the ending of this novel…it just doesn’t work. It doesn’t fit into the world that the author created. <p><b>The big picture</b>: Don’t write off <em>Girl in the Arena</em>, but if you’re looking for the next Katniss, you won’t find her here. The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-29678283579471911732011-02-05T09:18:00.001-05:002011-02-05T09:20:29.599-05:00Dust by Joan Frances Turner<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TU1cF0peE7I/AAAAAAAAAQY/TqrhJylz670/s1600-h/Dust%20by%20Joan%20Frances%20Turner%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: 0px" title="Dust by Joan Frances Turner" border="0" alt="Dust by Joan Frances Turner" align="left" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TU1cG7z-QqI/AAAAAAAAAQc/teDx1i5BKMU/Dust%20by%20Joan%20Frances%20Turner_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="165" height="244"></a> Dust by Joan Frances Turner <p>Pages: 384 <p>Publisher: Ace <p>*Readers should note that this is a work of adult fiction. <i>Dust</i> contains frequent use of coarse language and disturbing imagery.* <p>“Jessie’s gang is the Fly-by-Nights. She loves the ancient, skeletal Florian and his memories of time gone by. She’s in love with Joe, a maggot-infested corpse. They fight, hunt, dance together as one—something humans can never understand. There are dark places humans have learned to avoid, lest they run into the zombie gangs. <br></p> <p>But now, Jessie and the Fly-by-Nights have seen new creatures in the woods—things not human and not zombie. A strange new illness has flamed up out of nowhere, causing the undeads to become more alive and the living to exist on the brink of death. As bits and pieces of the truth fall around Jessie, like the flesh off her bones, she’ll have to choose between looking away or staring down the madness—and hanging onto everything she has come to know as life…”</p> <p>To Zombie or not to Zombie, that is the question. When it comes to the characters from <i>Dust</i>, it would be in your best interest not to mention the ‘z’ word. The Fly-by-Nights, the main zombie gang in this novel, live in the woods where they eat <i>very</i> fresh meat, fight amongst themselves, and complain about how much it itches to have bugs devouring their flesh. Sounds like your typical zombies, right? Wrong. <i>Dust</i> is a new zombie novel, one that will have you sympathizing with, even routing for these flesh devouring foes of humanity. In fact, Jessie, the engaging protagonist of this novel, is a zombie herself. <p>Jessie died nine years before this story starts, but she is still very much alive. She eats, sleeps, walks, and feels. She’s even in love. But she and her gang are most definitely not human. They prefer to eat flesh still warm with the heat of the dead animal, they can communicate telepathically, and they’re basically walking corpses. <p>In a grotesque way, the lives of these living-dead are absolutely fascinating. Sure, it takes a little while to get used to all the raw meat, fighting, and decomposing, but who can resist a good zombie novel, especially one with as much heart as <i>Dust</i>. Part one establishes the regular inner workings of the gang, and introduces the cast of characters. Part two is where things start to get fishy. Humans are starting to behave more like zombies and zombies are starting to behave more like humans. It’s unclear if either race will survive. <p>Dust is an adventure. Albeit a slightly disturbing one, an adventure none the less. A faced paced novel (frankly it’s a good one to read on the treadmill because it helps you lose track of time) that will keep you on your toes. Many of the harrowing final scenes had me bighting my nails, hoping against hope that Jessie would receive a happy ending. <p><b>The big picture</b>: While Dust is not a novel for the faint of heart, it certainly brings an intriguing new slant to the world of zombie fiction. <p>Sequel Alert: The author announced that the sequel to <i>Dust</i>, <i>Frail</i>, should be arriving in a bookstore near you sometime during the next two years.</p> The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-53363842419193972562011-02-03T15:37:00.001-05:002011-02-03T15:38:40.556-05:00Whisper My Name by Jane Eagland<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TUsSHOtZciI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/51Uqpmr2JQQ/s1600-h/Whisper%20My%20Name%20by%20Jane%20Eagland%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Whisper My Name by Jane Eagland" border="0" alt="Whisper My Name by Jane Eagland" align="left" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TUsSHioAfkI/AAAAAAAAAQU/RliQbfGZ19M/Whisper%20My%20Name%20by%20Jane%20Eagland_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="162" height="244"></a> Whisper My Name by Jane Eagland <p>Pages: 395 <p>Publisher: Macmillan <p>Jane Eagland is one of the best historical novelists, ever. Her first novel, <em>Wildthorn</em>, blew me away, and <em>Whisper My Name</em> is even better. Both of her works have such twists and turns, such mystery – you just never know where the next page will take you. Her novels remind me a bit of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s books. High praise indeed as they were very important to my childhood. I have no doubt that <em>Whisper My Name</em> is a novel that will pass the test of time. Its portrayal of Victorian London, its shocking mystery, its intrepid heroine, all create a book more than worth its weight in gold. <p><i>Whisper</i> <i>My</i> <i>Name</i> achieves an amazing feet by appealing to both lovers of historical fiction and those who tend to avoid it. The plot is so enthralling that it’s easy to forget the genre of the work. However, it still contains various historical nuances that will appeal to the history lover. As the novel begins, Meriel, the heroine, has just lost her mother, been sent away by her father, and is now journeying to live with a grandfather she has never met. While her grandfather turns out to be just as cold and distant as he is odd, Meriel finds a friend in a maid named Sally and a medium named Sophie. With their help, she begins to unravel a mystery that could change her life… <p>Meriel is the perfect protagonist for this novel, flawed, but with her heart in the right place. It’s easy to take her side against the injustices dished up by her grandfather and to cheer her on in all her endeavors. Behind her stands a memorable cast of characters who truly enrich the story. I have to say that Sophie, the reluctant medium, is my favorite character in this novel. She is just one of those people who are truly, truly good at heart. Sophie offers quiet support and friendship to Meriel, even when she might face unpleasant consequences for her actions. She just might be the most perfect friend who ever existed (besides my BFF, of course). <p><b>The big picture</b>: <i>Whisper</i> <i>My</i> <i>Name</i> is historical fiction for the most ardent history lovers and those who avoid the genre at all costs. It has an intriguing plot full of twists and turns and well-crafted writing. Jane Eagland is an author to watch. The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-27516882161310865352011-02-02T16:14:00.001-05:002011-02-02T16:14:19.374-05:00Delirium by Lauren Oliver<p>Delirium by Lauren Oliver <p>Pages: 448 <p>Publisher: HarperCollins <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TUnJIEJPuvI/AAAAAAAAAQE/ySqUlU0pse0/s1600-h/Delirium%20by%20Lauren%20Oliver%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Delirium by Lauren Oliver" border="0" alt="Delirium by Lauren Oliver" align="left" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_vaUIox3j3Ts/TUnJKqwAM9I/AAAAAAAAAQI/qO1ahMVtQ9I/Delirium%20by%20Lauren%20Oliver_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="163" height="244"></a>“Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love - the deliria - blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. <br>But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.” <p>With this novel, Lauren Oliver has perhaps perfected the genre of dystopia. <i>Delirium</i> contains the perfect balance of classic dystopian traits and wholly unique storytelling. Though <i>Delirium</i> is only one in the plethora of recently released dystopian fiction for young adults, it centers on a theme left behind by many, love. Many of you are thinking that <i>The Hunger Games</i> or perhaps <i>Matched </i>deal with love, but <i>Delirium</i> takes the topic to a whole new level. In the cities, a medical procedure has almost entirely eradicated love in citizens eighteen years and older. Love, or <i>amor</i> <i>deliria</i> <i>nervosa</i>, is regarded as a disease. And so the stage is set for the entrance of our heroine, Lena Haloway. <p>Lena is no Katniss, but she certainly gained my respect. Reared to fear love, Lena must reevaluate everything she believes in when she begins to exhibit signs of the <i>deliria</i>. Lauren Oliver portrays the conflicted emotions that plague Lena so vividly that readers truly experience her journey as if it were their own. Fear, elation, wonder, sadness, all of these feelings and more leap from the page. <p>This novel may focus on love, but adventure isn’t far behind. Lena weaves in and out of many a dangerous situation. From narrowly escaping a few brushes with the law, to entering the scariest prison short of Azkaban, Lena’s adventures will keep anyone on their toes. <p>Delirium is truly a well-crafted novel. The depth of emotion and the spot-on writing set this novel apart. My only complaint is the cliffhanger ending. There is nothing more irritating than being left hanging after you have become entirely engrossed in a story. On the bright side, the cliffhanger means that a few more novels will be coming our way. <p>In October, Lauren Oliver announced that the next two titles in the Delirium trilogy will be Pandemonium and Requiem. I can’t wait for the next installment in Lena’s story! <p><b>The big picture</b>: Delirium is the best dystopian novel since Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451. With vivid prose, an engaging character, and a plot that could set a dead man’s heart racing, Delirium goes above and beyond the average teen novel. <p>*A huge thanks to HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC of this fabulous novel. The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-58496399875669451422010-12-31T13:17:00.000-05:002010-12-31T13:17:49.678-05:00The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN1glW9SKf1YnoJbKzdkje2JlBggvoPoFLkqFxpxbkP89OjyVq9TWTthA0e21FH9Pe7WPdJr08_ch8qX00UPWDE-6U3NURaVNkbq7-Ue92pktnxZjNYiJN83GwAoqz0f4NOdZhh5kX50/s1600/The+Iron+Daughter+by+Julie+Kagawa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN1glW9SKf1YnoJbKzdkje2JlBggvoPoFLkqFxpxbkP89OjyVq9TWTthA0e21FH9Pe7WPdJr08_ch8qX00UPWDE-6U3NURaVNkbq7-Ue92pktnxZjNYiJN83GwAoqz0f4NOdZhh5kX50/s1600/The+Iron+Daughter+by+Julie+Kagawa.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pages: 359</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: Harlequin Teen</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><blockquote>"Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. <br />
Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart."</blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Iron Fey is one of the best series I’ve read in a very long time. It is so fresh, imaginative, and exciting. Every twist and turn, every new character, every reunion and heartbreaking parting is like a jewel to pick up and savor. This is one of those books that I’ve been recommending to friends and family of all ages. It has a plot to die for, depth of character development, and engenders real emotions. Our heroine, Meghan Chase, is smart, funny, and not afraid to get her hands dirty. In short, it’s the best kind of book. The kind that picks you up and carries you away to a place where magic and fairies are real.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This story picks up after Meghan Chase has arrived at the court of the Winter fey. All the events that occur within the first few chapters could be a novel within themselves. Betrayal, murder, deceit, theft, it all occurs in such a short time that it will leave your head spinning, in the best sense. After Meghan and Ash escape the palace of the Winter Fey, things get even more complicated, if that’s possible. The duo find out that some of the Fey have defected to the Iron Fey, and seek to create trouble in Faerie. As the journey progresses, Meghan reunites with an old friend, teams up with a former enemy, and trudges through layers of deceit that threaten to destroy both the world of the Fey and the world of the mortals. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The first book in The Iron Fey series impressed me so much that I wasn’t sure The Iron Daughter could live up to my expectations. However, this installment proved my doubts to be completely unfounded. The Iron Daughter blew me away with its vivid<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>depiction of the world of the Fey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so easy to find yourself completely lost in the story, caught up in the adventure, excitement, and beautiful detail. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As with many books these days, The Iron Daughter features a love triangle. The triangle in this book features Ash, the Winter Prince, and Puck, the best friend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I started reading the series, I was firmly in the Team Puck corner, but the farther I read, the more I wanted Meghan to end up with Ash. The problem with love triangles like this is that both of the boys are good guys. It's so hard to choose between them, knowing that one of their hearts will have to be broken. So, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter. Are you team Ash or Team Puck? Why? Leave me a comment below.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The big picture: </b>The Iron Daughter is a fairy tale for those of us who have matured beyond Cinderella and Snow White (or at least those of us who pretend that we have), but long for a tale with the feel of those old stories. It has magic and wonder in spades and always keeps you on your toes. This novel is a must-read. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don't forget to leave a comment telling me if you are Team Ash or Team Puck!</span></div>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-67106784525993821922010-12-31T12:59:00.001-05:002010-12-31T12:59:49.990-05:00The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUAcqaLlBL1h8T23E8Jzl2SO9axkyl4C3Oo0F5u5S40mufirGUTBuFnMdFnDoV_1m_cDnMQjIS_1Rh1IrTekyefcYvhuAcOZiEDz0TiE_qUzYtLOPhdZaBoKIFoWXtZ_HBR1tuXNV1gE/s1600/The+Ghost+and+the+Goth+by+Stacey+Kade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUAcqaLlBL1h8T23E8Jzl2SO9axkyl4C3Oo0F5u5S40mufirGUTBuFnMdFnDoV_1m_cDnMQjIS_1Rh1IrTekyefcYvhuAcOZiEDz0TiE_qUzYtLOPhdZaBoKIFoWXtZ_HBR1tuXNV1gE/s320/The+Ghost+and+the+Goth+by+Stacey+Kade.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pages: 228</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Publisher: Hyperion </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
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"After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck as a spirit in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High. <br />
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Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?" <br />
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If you asked me to sum up this book in one word I would say cute. If you gave me three I would say cute but predictable. However, this is my standard assessment of just about every work of romantic, for lack of a better word, comedy. <br />
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The basic premise of the story is that Alona Dare (your typical it girl with a secret) takes a fatal step in front of a bus and ends up as a ghost, spirit, or whatever term you’d like to use. In her incorporeal form she learns that her friends were never really friendly and that the entire school hates her, etc. So far, just a typical plot. Enter Will Killian. Will is Alona’s exact opposite, for one thing he’s goth (hence The Ghost and the Goth) and he despises all things popular. But you know what they say about opposites. After meeting up with some of the other spirits haunting the school, Alona realizes that Will can see and hear her. One thing leads to another and the two are practically joined at the hip because of certain agreements and arrangements, some voluntary and some quiet unexpected. So, the pair work together to free Will from the hoards of ghosts asking him to help them find the light, settle some unresolved issues, and manage to keep Will from getting locked up in the loony bin. Sounds good, right? The problem is Alona keeps disappearing, and one time, she may not come back. <br />
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The Ghost and the Goth is a very quick read, practically one sitting. It has some exciting moments, and it definitely holds your interest, but it’s no classic. The story line is, as I said, cute and predictable. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re anything like me, you need a break between those hard-core murder/assault/death novels. The Ghost and the Goth is the perfect filler, or as I like to say “fluffy”, novel to clear the mind before tackling another serious subject. <br />
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This novel is nice the way it is, but I wish that the plot had received a little more development. It could have had some real elements of exciting action. The seeds of the idea are there, but they didn’t sprout or grow. <br />
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The big picture: The Ghost and the Goth is a cute romantic story. It doesn’t require deep thought, and it has no anxiety ridden moments. I would recommend that you take this book on vacation with you. It’s a perfect beach read, quick, light, and funny. </blockquote>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-82114662324375008292010-12-18T19:45:00.000-05:002010-12-18T19:45:20.860-05:00Guest Post: Sybil Nelson in the Voice of Priscilla the Great<div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hey everybody, I've got a real treat for you today! Sybil Nelson, the author of <em>Priscilla the Great</em>, has provided me with a blog post in Priscilla's voice. The topic: Twilight. As you can probably imagine, this is a topic that provides numerous laughs. </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But first, let me introduce you to Priscilla.</div><blockquote><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKzFbvBQ3IsC2ScHV8YBP6nlGfI2NQTnOqnjL4I4YSa4mWNtTdzp2EBJOsy9UscxMrs_9Mjj_cc58jnf-nI26LvP6bA4FvpLgQweCTNy_g-g88e7FUChjb0yYchajWdxjBXhFdyowJ40/s1600/Priscilla+the+Great.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKzFbvBQ3IsC2ScHV8YBP6nlGfI2NQTnOqnjL4I4YSa4mWNtTdzp2EBJOsy9UscxMrs_9Mjj_cc58jnf-nI26LvP6bA4FvpLgQweCTNy_g-g88e7FUChjb0yYchajWdxjBXhFdyowJ40/s320/Priscilla+the+Great.jpg" width="206" /></a>"Meet Priscilla Sumner, an ordinary seventh grader with extraordinary gifts. As if middle school isn’t hard enough, not only does Priscilla have to fight pimples and bullies, but genetically enhanced assassins trying to kill her and her family. Armed with wit, strength, and a genius best friend, Priscilla must defeat the Selliwood Institute, an organization dead set on turning children into killing machines.<br />
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Add an older brother annoyingly obsessed with Christina Aguilera, mischievous baby twin brothers who could scare the sin off of Satan, and parents more puzzling than a Rubik’s cube in the Bermuda triangle and expect a smoking page-turner!"</div></blockquote><br />
<blockquote><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">You can find out more about Sybil anf Priscilla <a href="http://priscillathegreat.com/prissy-fit/">here</a> or <a href="http://www.priscillathegreat.com/">here</a>.</div></blockquote><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAw-61BcBPtAvk3sIv6ciYAy3zgIoYTvLxQXgGBVGmAJPH5jTKxnZTyPk8wsXHiTZJc-PeN-0tXCLP0-b9BnPl4bnkDzF_z_tMjicMPLnTxuhdiJeQAnzQ2AR5Ud5ZBDnaX9u45mYbAqU/s1600/Priss+the+great.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAw-61BcBPtAvk3sIv6ciYAy3zgIoYTvLxQXgGBVGmAJPH5jTKxnZTyPk8wsXHiTZJc-PeN-0tXCLP0-b9BnPl4bnkDzF_z_tMjicMPLnTxuhdiJeQAnzQ2AR5Ud5ZBDnaX9u45mYbAqU/s320/Priss+the+great.jpg" width="238" /></a><span id="internal-source-marker_0.4284506108413106" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Twilight Book Review by Priscilla Sumner a.k.a Probably the Last Person on the Planet who has Neither Read the Book Nor Seen the Movie.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I admit it. I’m probably the only 13 year old girl who has completely stayed away from Twilight. I’ve never read a single sentence of the book, and God knows I have not seen any midnight viewings of the wildly popular movies. But I still wanted to give my summary of a book that I’ve never read to see how close I come.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Okay, so Bella is a small town girl who apparently never smiles and who obviously can’t get a date with a normal boy thus her only two options are a vampire and a werewolf. Seriously, are there no jocks at her school? Anyway, she meets Edward and it’s love at first sight or something. Or maybe she’s blinded by his skin which I hear glitters in the sunlight. A hot and heavy romance begins with probably some really awesome make out scenes. Maybe I should read the book just for the make out scenes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now Edward is not all he seems to be. He’s hundreds of years old, but apparently he has the same sort of syndrome as Matthew McConaughey’s character from Dazed and Confused where he has a thing for teenage girls. He “keeps getting older, they stay the same age.” Gross.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Edward’s family doesn’t like Bella. They probably want to eat her or drink her blood or whatever. But Edward has found a soul mate in this girl who is a fraction of his age and I’m sure he swears to protect her or whatever.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Enter furry little Jacob. I think Jacob is poor and homeless or has an upper body allergy to clothing, thus his lack of a shirt in all the Twilight promos I see. Anyway, I think Bella at one point had a puppy she loved as child and therefore she feels some sort of attraction to a werewolf. Just so you know I’m not completely out of it, I know that later on he turns out to be a shapeshifter. I think that is even less appealing to me as the only shapeshifter I know is that weird looking guy from Star Trek Deep Space Nine.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jacob and Edward hate each other. I’m not sure why. I guess Vampires and Werewolfs have some kind of long standing rivalry like the Red Sox and the Yankees or maybe they just don’t enjoy the taste of each other’s saliva on Bella’s tongue.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So a bunch of stuff happens but what it really comes down to is that Bella has to choose between Edward and Jacob. Of course, she chooses Edward and they live happily ever after on his retirement benefits.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So that’s Twilight from the perspective of a girl who has not read the book. Am I close? Let me know. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">____________________________________________________________________________</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Priscilla is a character from the new book Priscilla the Great by Sybil Nelson. Visit her website </span><a href="http://www.priscillathegreat.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">www.priscillathegreat.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> for more info.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-67623048867335982982010-12-01T21:24:00.000-05:002010-12-01T21:24:32.551-05:00It's Time to Pick Some Winners!Hey everybody, it's the moment you've all been waiting for (or at least I flatter myself by imagining that you've been waiting for it). I am about to pick the winners for my 100 Followers Giveaway and my Speak Up Giveaway. Drum roll please!<br />
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The Winners are....<br />
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Speak UP! - Kiara Vos<br />
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Prize Pack #1 - Jacinda (jacmom)<br />
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Prize Pack #2 - Lily M<br />
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Prize Pack #3 - brandileigh2003<br />
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Prize Pack #4 - jessica b<br />
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Prize Pack #5 - Lisa loves to read!<br />
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I have e-mailed all the winners. You have a week to respond before I draw new winners. Congratulations!The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-81007315653335464302010-11-29T12:17:00.000-05:002010-11-29T12:17:12.897-05:00100 Followers Giveaway Part IIFirst, I would like to thank everyone who is currently following my blog. I can't tell you how much your support means to me. In recognition of that support, and of the recent spike in followers, I have a couple more prize packs for you!<br />
<br />
<u>Prize Pack #4</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvBmvD9r2CP1qNPYg4tnHD3xM1lDKwV8qu71FrWIYsHH511jDMJt5b8rVZOOEZLHicjTKiZdEmOWT1vQVhpXT1eYnedybrSuZOhf0gQVc1NkonEDfdCCme2b9K452BenOk3YNWI4eUiI/s1600/DSC03986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvBmvD9r2CP1qNPYg4tnHD3xM1lDKwV8qu71FrWIYsHH511jDMJt5b8rVZOOEZLHicjTKiZdEmOWT1vQVhpXT1eYnedybrSuZOhf0gQVc1NkonEDfdCCme2b9K452BenOk3YNWI4eUiI/s320/DSC03986.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare<br />
The Snowball Effect Bookmark (signed)<br />
The Pace Bookmark (signed)<br />
Guardian of the Gate Bookmark<br />
Ruin Temporary Tattoos<br />
Beautiful Darkness Button<br />
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<br />
<u>Prize Pack #5</u><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghY85uyY6UdOMFJHh5aWh03zqnpI7I9PAkYzuVIJHM0KUHGRNzC9DrYYWpKAzIA9oi-EfpT-HKW7bAl8YaxAgrfgXVKhlxcmh3v_N5beoH4Q4yvdFsuNa03OKMmol7QdDjXQb_dj4t9n4/s1600/DSC03987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghY85uyY6UdOMFJHh5aWh03zqnpI7I9PAkYzuVIJHM0KUHGRNzC9DrYYWpKAzIA9oi-EfpT-HKW7bAl8YaxAgrfgXVKhlxcmh3v_N5beoH4Q4yvdFsuNa03OKMmol7QdDjXQb_dj4t9n4/s320/DSC03987.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>A Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce<br />
Rain Postcard<br />
The Pace Bookmark<br />
Fairy Tale Bookmark (signed)<br />
Shade Bookmark (signed)<br />
We hear the Dead Poster (signed) <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><u>The Rules</u></div><ul><li><div style="text-align: left;">you must be 13 years of age or older</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">this contest is for residents of the US only (sorry, I don't have money to ship this stuff internationally right now)</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">you MUST be a follower </div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">you can earn extra entries by spreading the word</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">the contest ends on December 1, 2010</div></li>
</ul>*People who have already entered this contest do not need to re-enter. As long as you selected "Please enter me in any other prize packs that you post!", you will be entered to win these prizes as well. <br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="1047" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dDhkN1huU0k4c3BpVndrV2UyeEpQSGc6MQ" style="height: 1043px; width: 521px;" width="760"></iframe>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-35770566249444611862010-11-24T16:55:00.000-05:002010-11-24T16:55:39.395-05:00Nightshade by Andrea Cremer<span class="reviewText" id="freeText13592694671187804877"></span><br />
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<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VhreX978TTUwWwMS3ZaFNP7bTKbaHnvM-UqIrH14dVVupELkKho2tqJkWCTrSZyc7QcYFWKDJMX3tKxEDM-0-EDjC12Gf5CYZEpU0uAhDYkPZZoHrvs5OKpCY_OvGZjOxHw_GYGE-S4/s1600/Nightshade+by+Andrea+Cremer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VhreX978TTUwWwMS3ZaFNP7bTKbaHnvM-UqIrH14dVVupELkKho2tqJkWCTrSZyc7QcYFWKDJMX3tKxEDM-0-EDjC12Gf5CYZEpU0uAhDYkPZZoHrvs5OKpCY_OvGZjOxHw_GYGE-S4/s1600/Nightshade+by+Andrea+Cremer.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything— including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?"</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">First of all, I have to say that the cover of this book makes me really, really happy. Not the look of it, the feel of it. It isn't made of that super shiny material that makes you squirm cuz you're so afraid of leaving finger prints on it and it isn't that dull, lifeless cardboard cover either. It has this amazing texture that practically made me do a happy dance. Not to mention the page edges. Usually I don't like that rough-edged, jagged paper, but it just works on this book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only down side to this book: the smell. I like the smell of almost every book, but his one, ahhh not so much... Enough of my blabbering and on to what you really want to hear about.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nightshade is a good book. It's exciting, has a bit of character development (exponentially more than Twilight, if you want a comparison), and certainly grabs your attention, but overall I was a bit let down. This book has been building and building hype for so long that I expected more of it. The beginning of the novel makes it seem like it is going to maintain a fast pace, but it really doesn't. Some events were abrupt and didn't make sense. Also, I don't understand Calla's attraction to Ren... at all. Even worse, the ending is an abrupt cliffhanger. (On a side rant - why does every book end in a cliffhanger nowadays? Don't any authors know that books in a series are supposed to be able to stand alone?)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While I certainly have some (a lot) of issues with this book. I do have to say that I like Calla Tor. I am a HUGE fan of strong female leads, and even though Calla doesn't always take initiative, she certainly qualifies. I like Calla's leadership skills, her curiosity, loyalty, honor, and drive. And even though it may annoy me at some points, I like the way she puts others before herself. However, it isn't until Shay Doran shows up that she begins to think for herself. Shay teaches her independence and gives her the strength to stand up for something. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This book does delve a little bit into some deeper meaning. It speaks to the way that people blindly follow leaders and traditions without question. I'm not trying to say that all leaders and traditions are bad, or that people always follow them without question. On the contrary, many traditions are beneficial, and the people of our fair country certainly question their leaders. And the book also addresses this. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Too many mixed messages? Well, here is the bottom line. Nightshade is worth a read, simply as that. However, if you want a book about wolves, I recommend Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. If you want a book with a similar (but better) plot to Nightshade, try Firelight by Sophie Jordan. You can read my review <a href="http://bookspeakblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/firelight-by-sophie-jordan.html">here</a>. </span></div></span>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-44324836687186591322010-11-21T11:40:00.000-05:002010-11-21T11:40:29.906-05:00Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King<span style="font-family: Arial;"> <blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW3wrXqZU8WqndlCq35-GJ9nYa3cSKYfM87PFxoguNQkym9CqicmtTLuMk3GY4br5ff4VIxgcBoqnfcLg1wV1I4XoyHfd2Z2MfX0FWr0MwGUrDI9IZyx6ksTIpqv1irSjlkB49myW6DY/s1600/Please+Ignore+Vera+Dietz+by+A.S.+King.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOW3wrXqZU8WqndlCq35-GJ9nYa3cSKYfM87PFxoguNQkym9CqicmtTLuMk3GY4br5ff4VIxgcBoqnfcLg1wV1I4XoyHfd2Z2MfX0FWr0MwGUrDI9IZyx6ksTIpqv1irSjlkB49myW6DY/s1600/Please+Ignore+Vera+Dietz+by+A.S.+King.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.<br />
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So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?<br />
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Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising."</span></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Please Ignore Vera Dietz has not received even half the praise it deserves. This book is smart, funny, and all around wonderful. I've never read a novel that combined so much life and laughter with death and sorrow. A.S. King is sharp as a tack and has a wicked sense of humor. This book was such as pleasant surprise. It isn't just your basic run of the mill realistic fiction. It has elements of the supernatural, not wizards, vampires, or werewolves, but subtle references and occurrences (watch out for the pickles).Please DON'T Ignore Vera Dietz. She is so wonderful, so quirky, so lovable and relatable, that she will worm her way into your heart on the very first page. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Vera loves her best friend Charlie, and she also hates him. The only problem is that he's dead, and Vera is the only one who may know the truth about why. This book combines the perspectives of Vera, her father Ken, Charlie, and the Pagoda (the Pagoda may be my favorite character, sorry Vera). Each view point helps build the story up and make it special. As a reader, you get to really explore every characters' thoughts, feelings, and motivations. Even though the characters act really stupid sometimes (or a lot of the time) you can understand why they do (for the most part). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This novel is heartwarming and heartbreaking. It makes you want to laugh and cry and scream (believe me, you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will</i> laugh out loud). At some points I got so frustrated that I didn't want to read any farther, and at others I couldn't put the book down. In short, this book is everything a book should be. It is captivating, character-driven, and combines the past and the present in a plot that will capture your heart and mind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once again, Please Don't Ignore Vera Dietz. (By the way, A.S. King is not a pseudonym, isn't that so cool!)</span></div></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-32375271604101043272010-10-31T16:33:00.000-04:002010-10-31T16:33:30.268-04:00Restored Hope by Brenda Youngerman<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText8580292952796082863"> <br />
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fS5eNVUmh7DAXvCjgVVuwzzgTyiRg-rDCWUc8gzGg8rjzBBs02__il28CbgQpKZw83Tqpn_kD6aYWT7o_CUYG3zbZaN_dYyurFX8T1D3aVH5kFr4bwvyAyaYYcL6oQSFHWmyszPfwxk/s1600/restored+hope+by+brenda+youngerman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1fS5eNVUmh7DAXvCjgVVuwzzgTyiRg-rDCWUc8gzGg8rjzBBs02__il28CbgQpKZw83Tqpn_kD6aYWT7o_CUYG3zbZaN_dYyurFX8T1D3aVH5kFr4bwvyAyaYYcL6oQSFHWmyszPfwxk/s320/restored+hope+by+brenda+youngerman.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText8580292952796082863"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Peter and Tara Miller are the image of perfection. They have three beautiful children, live in a wonderful neighborhood, and are still each other's best friend. When their world completely disintegrates within a short period of time, their daughter must survive the aftermath. Creating a new persona, Samantha finally breaks free and discovers that the real world is not much kinder than her dysfunctional family. Emotionally shattered, the solace of the ocean, and a loving dog, carry her on her way. Samantha meets Timothy Bleak, who was raised in a seemingly kind, loving family, but is virtually invisible to them. His voice goes unheard, his needs are unmet, and his emotions are squashed. Timothy summons the strength to leave his family, and discovers Samantha in his journey. Restored Hope follows these two bereft young people as their lives intertwine and they face the challenges of life, love and happiness together."</span></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As I was reading Restored Hope, I really felt the author's heart and soul behind the story line. I could tell that she truly invested herself in the lives of these characters. While the work and love that went into this book is quite apparent, it did fall a bit flat. I truly believe that this book has good bones, but it seems like it got somewhat deformed as it grew. The characters are often awkward and unrealistic with flat dialogue. Some of the scenes seemed very forced and contrived. Furthermore, tragedy followed tragedy followed tragedy, and not in a good way. Half the family dies or tries to kill themselves using the same old oak tree for goodness sake! Overall, I didn't like this novel. I feel terrible about saying that, but it's the truth. However, I am grateful that the author, Brenda Youngerman, entrusted me with a copy of her book to review. I'd like to say that just because I disliked this book doesn't mean that the rest of you will. That being said, if anyone is interested in reading Restored Hope, shoot me an e-mail and I'll gladly send it to you. I hope that this book will find I home that can give it a little more love than I did. </span></div></span></span>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-72709237243778498082010-10-31T13:32:00.000-04:002010-10-31T13:32:55.962-04:00In My MailboxIn My Mailbox is a meme hosted by <a href="http://www.thestorysiren.com/"><span style="color: #888888;">The Story Siren</span></a>. The purpose of IMM is to share the books that we have purchased, won, bought, borrowed, etc.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpvq-85Y2-xa-pm8_H2sVbqMbKtAp4OySNMbN-yl09LZm-UCAXe6tCyUfXvxk_JKBBaFhDtp7bnXoVzbxQVF9AyMJFK1MzT3gOYIkwDOsrskH4L8gb2H8Txj1sAr9M08lZqL4viayCro/s1600/DSC03940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpvq-85Y2-xa-pm8_H2sVbqMbKtAp4OySNMbN-yl09LZm-UCAXe6tCyUfXvxk_JKBBaFhDtp7bnXoVzbxQVF9AyMJFK1MzT3gOYIkwDOsrskH4L8gb2H8Txj1sAr9M08lZqL4viayCro/s320/DSC03940.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bought:<br />
-Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink<br />
-The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King<br />
-Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King<br />
-Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly<br />
-Nightshade by Andrea Cremer<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlliJiTiDVSsNtgGlrT_I5IE_F-S8XAngIRBBl9P5O4SRhyphenhyphenXb_Lz-G6gzYakSRRKqJr1cuAzZ4ADs9AJdu2ndVw1unDJndCPPDwqkvXYtZ3t3kf29-qc4xt5kYBoOFNfYuRwvtHgfM3XU/s1600/DSC03943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlliJiTiDVSsNtgGlrT_I5IE_F-S8XAngIRBBl9P5O4SRhyphenhyphenXb_Lz-G6gzYakSRRKqJr1cuAzZ4ADs9AJdu2ndVw1unDJndCPPDwqkvXYtZ3t3kf29-qc4xt5kYBoOFNfYuRwvtHgfM3XU/s320/DSC03943.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Gift:<br />
-Harry Potter Film Wizardry<br />
-Fallen by Lauren Kate<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Won:</div><div style="text-align: left;"> -Hush by Eishes Chayil (not pictured)</div>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-66644468187594414472010-10-30T20:28:00.000-04:002010-10-30T20:28:29.921-04:00The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText17745712906786497395"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0fxQLZxR3_foH-BwjvA4KXPbPCpxAEFUYAz63E1wqW7VOCKXoQg7QXhmx8EBbxf0pbIhheiIzCrZa20NDQsol_9t4IVc0NcJR0-q8XlR1LhCkN0jlWHQV13WWJwQaca1XMdl-tPZiis/s1600/The+Twin's+Daughter.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0fxQLZxR3_foH-BwjvA4KXPbPCpxAEFUYAz63E1wqW7VOCKXoQg7QXhmx8EBbxf0pbIhheiIzCrZa20NDQsol_9t4IVc0NcJR0-q8XlR1LhCkN0jlWHQV13WWJwQaca1XMdl-tPZiis/s320/The+Twin's+Daughter.bmp" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span class="reviewText" id="freeText17745712906786497395"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Lucy Sexton is stunned when a disheveled woman appears at the door one day... a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Lucy's own beautiful mother. It turns out the two women are identical twins, separated at birth, and raised in dramatically different circumstances. Lucy's mother quickly resolves to give her less fortunate sister the kind of life she has never known. And the transformation in Aunt Helen is indeed remarkable. But when Helen begins to imitate her sister in every way, even Lucy isn't sure at times which twin is which. Can Helen really be trusted, or does her sweet face mask a chilling agenda? <br />
Filled with shocking twists and turns, <em>The Twin's Daughter</em> is an engrossing gothic novel of betrayal, jealousy, and treacherous secrets that will keep you guessing to the very end."</span></span></span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Twin's Daughter is the exact opposite of what you're thinking right now. Trust me on that. This novel is one of those books that you pick up thinking 'this looks good' and put down a sleepless night later thinking 'oh my gosh that was incredible'. Speaking as a person who has encountered her fair share of literary twists and turns, I never saw the ending of this novel coming. In fact, I felt all high and mighty because I believed I figured out what was really going on before the main character. Then WHAM, the novel slapped me over the head and crushed everything I thought I knew about the characters and the story. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not only does the story leave you hanging on every word, the prose is vibrant, with a perfect balance between details and action. It lays the foundation for a story full of intrigue, excitement, pain, loss, and love. The plot combines murders and mysteries in ideal proportions with a coming of age story and first love. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lucy Sexton, the protagonist, truly has her heart in the right place. When her mother's twin Helen shows up on the doorstep, Lucy almost immediately welcomes her with open arms. I say almost because she does have an understandable and expected period of shock. (If my mother's twin suddenly showed up, I doubt I'd be half as gracious as Lucy). The two women form a bond. They sleep in rooms across the hall from each other and attend classes with the same tutor. I have to admit that I was suspicious of Helene from the beginning. With the book jacket's ominous statement, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...until it becomes a deadly obsession", how could I not suspect her of performing dark deeds? I won't tell you whether or not my opinion of her changed, but I will tell you that you will never see theses twists and turns coming.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As I discovered the web of lies and dark deeds that took place in the Sexton household, I was completely and utterly dumbfounded. The twists were not only unexpected, they were brilliantly executed. I have to admit that I am incredibly jealous of the author's ability to create such a suspenseful, exciting plot. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because I do enjoy a good romantic subplot, I have to give you a little information about Lucy's incredibly adorable relationship with Kit. When Lucy first meets Kit at her parent's party, she thinks of him as "the bored boy". Soon, their acquaintance grows into friendship, and their friendship into something more. With Victorian sensibilities, the relationship is slow, sweet, and perfect. They are each other's best friends and sweethearts. However, one of the personality traits of Lucy's that does bother me is her disbelief that Kit really loves her. She always doubts herself, thinking that other girls are smarter, prettier, and better. More than once she approaches Kit to 'release him from his obligation to her'. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So what am I trying to tell you? Read this book. Even my friends who barely read at all are caught up in this book's spell.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div></span></span></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-55824347306182439432010-10-27T15:49:00.000-04:002010-10-27T15:49:35.442-04:00It's Giveaway Time Again! (100 Followers Giveaway!)Yes, you heard me right. It's time to share some amazing books and swag with my wonderful followers! This giveaway will celebrate the exciting benchmark of reaching 100 followers. As such, the one hundredth follower of my blog will automatically receive a prize. To my other followers, do not despair! I have three (possibly more) other prize packages to give away. The more new followers I get, the more prizes will appear!<br />
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*A note to the patient entrants of my <a href="http://bookspeakblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/bookspeak-speaks-up.html">Speak Up Giveaway</a>. I hope to meet Laurie Halse Anderson at a book signing during the second week of November. At that time, I will get a copy of Speak signed for you guys. If you think a signed copy of Speak is worth waiting for, then I will pick a winner on November 10. That means anyone else who's interested still has time to enter my Speak Up Giveaway.<br />
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<u>Prize Pack #1</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowe4tIasMdHG-dQxLZMOwdUzhbLFTA-B79A5LvWdPm-9zShYYZRUk2gr2lqjYvKPGftSkRRjYtmjEAMJvVCIKvrdKxOkkgvI9Yi51wHmN_dCTRkMTgiJoCLcrrURxxqOxbz2O5r_g-tc/s1600/DSC03927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowe4tIasMdHG-dQxLZMOwdUzhbLFTA-B79A5LvWdPm-9zShYYZRUk2gr2lqjYvKPGftSkRRjYtmjEAMJvVCIKvrdKxOkkgvI9Yi51wHmN_dCTRkMTgiJoCLcrrURxxqOxbz2O5r_g-tc/s320/DSC03927.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia (signed)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Angel Star Postcard (signed)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Angel Star Bookmark</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Angel Star Sticker</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness Bookmarks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rain by Kieryn Nicolas Postcard</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Prize Pack # 2</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLWa4e7NZrpEaIKfvHy1n1KvumfDHY70o94tBnhgOEN9QG_cVcETd2XP7OhjpKeTDwFLiXnASxFqKvqpgjjVj9SJwaggp20DKJi3Yb9pxrzlDQipatsD_TIzq0fI4hCk0CJrJFOOUHK4/s1600/DSC03929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLWa4e7NZrpEaIKfvHy1n1KvumfDHY70o94tBnhgOEN9QG_cVcETd2XP7OhjpKeTDwFLiXnASxFqKvqpgjjVj9SJwaggp20DKJi3Yb9pxrzlDQipatsD_TIzq0fI4hCk0CJrJFOOUHK4/s320/DSC03929.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>13 to Life by Shannon Delany (signed)<br />
13 to Life Bookmark (signed)<br />
13 to Life Postcard (signed)<br />
13 to Life Buttons (2 - one square and one circular)<br />
Rain by Kieryn Nicolas Postcard<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Prize Pack #3</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8JPJhcVFJhyphenhyphenpurUX9bKKHQhUthPqNRsOX5fiebXCjx2xcx1hU7N5g17k5PgfDhT8kqVORamaTcO9S_omD3QNY2iwnhNoZpCKzlOvlkXHLoi8JiqC2AntEViAGHJaVnlfCBkApEpqFKU/s1600/DSC03933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8JPJhcVFJhyphenhyphenpurUX9bKKHQhUthPqNRsOX5fiebXCjx2xcx1hU7N5g17k5PgfDhT8kqVORamaTcO9S_omD3QNY2iwnhNoZpCKzlOvlkXHLoi8JiqC2AntEViAGHJaVnlfCBkApEpqFKU/s320/DSC03933.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rae by Chelsea Rae Swigget </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rae Bookmark (signed)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Pace Series Bookmark</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Watersmeet Postcard (signed)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness Bookmarks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Rain by Kieryn Nicolas Postcard (signed)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>The Rules</u></div><ul><li><div style="text-align: left;">you must be 13 years of age or older</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">this contest is for residents of the US only (sorry, I don't have money to ship this stuff internationally right now)</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">you MUST be a follower </div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">you can earn extra entries by spreading the word</div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">the contest ends on December 1, 2010</div></li>
</ul><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="1022" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://spreadsheets.google.com/embeddedform?formkey=dGxOaXRpYm40N2FMUG9iSkwzS1RYVFE6MQ" style="height: 1022px; width: 529px;" width="760"></iframe>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-33544699730021187352010-10-24T09:04:00.001-04:002010-10-24T09:06:44.503-04:00Jane by April Lindner<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtK0F5j0NHptx2JhjpAaxVCK6Hr5EKmJ5RUpN0Gnv6Tvbm3tXtzTCUW0wGWij9BeG21Wo6jzQWBA_vye7jS4GPawUPrGKV-eWZQusYGU39jGv4oUi3SKSwWXpgs8igRtBZosW7OOHbSxE/s1600/Jane+by+April+Lindner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtK0F5j0NHptx2JhjpAaxVCK6Hr5EKmJ5RUpN0Gnv6Tvbm3tXtzTCUW0wGWij9BeG21Wo6jzQWBA_vye7jS4GPawUPrGKV-eWZQusYGU39jGv4oUi3SKSwWXpgs8igRtBZosW7OOHbSxE/s1600/Jane+by+April+Lindner.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<blockquote><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">" </span><span class="reviewText" id="freeText13862618793407989690" style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, an iconic rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer, and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance. But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is tested by a torturous secret from his past.<br />
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Part irresistible romance and part darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic <em>Jane Eyre</em> promises to enchant a new generation of readers."</span></span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane</i> is a charming modern version of the classic novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane Eyre</i> (which happens to be my favorite book). Unlike the inundation of rather unremarkable <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pride & Prejudice</i> updates, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane</i> is more than just readable. This is high praise indeed considering that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pride & Prejudice & Zombies</i> is the only book I haven't finished reading in years. A beautiful old story takes on a fresh new life in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane</i>'s pages. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>April Lindner transplants the story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane Eyre</i> into a modern world with great care and attention to detail. While some events can be directly connected to its predecessor, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane</i> also takes on a life of its own. It does not follow the original novel in a blatant and clumsy way. Some similarities are so subtle that I did not even notice them at first. Ms. Lindner's ability to overcome the obstacles that occur when trying to bring the past and the present together may be the most remarkable part of this novel. She solves the problem of creating a class difference between Jane and Mr. Rathburn, deals with the issue of the mad woman in the attic, and even evokes some of the beauty and feeling of the original novel.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane</i> is such an enchanting read that I had it finished within twelve hours of purchasing it (yes I let it jump to the head of my TBR pile, but can you really blame me?). Jane (the character) is endearing, sweet, and interesting. She has a complicated past and a rich inner life. From the moment I met her in the lobby of the Discriminating Nannies Inc., I knew we were going to be good friends. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;"> Bottom line: read <em>Jane</em>. It doesn't matter if you love the classic or you've never heard of it, you will enjoy this novel.</span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; line-height: 200%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-54021587259214353862010-10-22T19:27:00.000-04:002010-10-22T19:27:43.083-04:00Book Blogger Hop (I'm back!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book Blogger Hop" src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" /></a></div>Hey guys! I'd like to apologize for my rather lengthy absence from the blogosphere. The good news is that I have read several books since my last post, and those reviews will be appearing any day now! To top it all off, I will be posting a really cool giveaway (if I do say say myself) during the next couple of days. The giveaway will celebrate the fact that I am close to one hundred followers (I can't believe it!). <br />
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And now on to the main attraction:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><span style="color: #888888;">Crazy for Books</span></a>. The purpose is for book bloggers and book lovers to connect.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<strong>What is your favorite place to read?</strong><br />
Hmm... that depends if you want my favorite <em>real</em> reading place or my favorite <em>imaginary</em> reading place. If you want a <em>real</em> place, it would have to be sprawled across my bed ( I've tried reading while sitting in a tree, but I have to say that no location is whimsical enough to make up for the pain caused by sitting on a branch for a few hours). My favorite <em>imaginary</em> reading place is a bit more interesting. This spot would be a window seat overlooking a beautiful sunset filled woods with a lake in the distance...Oh, and there would be a curtain that I could draw between myself and the room so that it would just be me, my book, and a lovely view... Ah well, no such luck.The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1333813767096393469.post-33152708334339685212010-10-12T20:54:00.001-04:002010-10-23T08:48:54.562-04:00Matched by Ally Condie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTnPJTLNwFNfqGjoujfXtryiql4ZlcmJGnkEu2cAiAP-40g-LKp5QtE-reOKFPanKENv6lGuPN58kp1K54-9QIHwQ0yXoFve3TFLefssJ7gb2uaS2MP4e6orxJ2HJ_wNI9oaeJ8GyHCI/s1600/Matched+by+Allie+Condie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTnPJTLNwFNfqGjoujfXtryiql4ZlcmJGnkEu2cAiAP-40g-LKp5QtE-reOKFPanKENv6lGuPN58kp1K54-9QIHwQ0yXoFve3TFLefssJ7gb2uaS2MP4e6orxJ2HJ_wNI9oaeJ8GyHCI/s1600/Matched+by+Allie+Condie.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-family: inherit;">November 30, 2010</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dutton Books</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family: inherit;">384 pages</span></div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion. </span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic."</span></div></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Once you start reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Matched</i>, there is no going back. The world that Ally Condie has created is so engrossing, so entirely captivating that there is no escape to the obsession. Yes, I said obsession. If I could create my own award show for books, Matched would win Best Dystopian Novel, Best Romance, Best Characters, Best Writing, and Best Cover. The world, the characters, the fabric of the reality that Ally Condie has created dance around you until they are part of your thoughts and dreams. I lived and breathed this book while I was reading it, and I continue to do so afterward. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cassia, our wonderful female protagonist, endures so much during the novel. Everything she believes to be true - that the Society is always right, that they never make mistakes, that they do what is best for the people - crumbles down around her. She is left to stand in the ruins and, where a lesser person would surrender, she finds the strength to go on. Although the Society matches her with her best friend, Xander, Cassia follows her heart to a young man named Ky. The two teens embark on the most intriguing forbidden romance since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Romeo and Juliet</i>. Navigating both the rough waters of the Society and her new found love, Cassia grows and becomes an individual instead of another member of the collective. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Society itself plays a large role in the events of this novel. In fact, it is really the foundation of the story. The injustices that most citizens cannot see, the restrictions placed on everyone's lives, the way they are told whom to love, when to marry, when to die, are as integral to the story as water is to life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Matched</i> has so much to offer. There are so many layers, each one a beautiful gift. The detail, time, thought, and talent that went into each word truly makes this novel stand out. Not only that, but the story is satisfying. Even though it leaves some loose ends to tie up, the last note contains hope, not despair. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of the most anticipated books of 2010, Matched does not disappoint. Read it, live it, love it!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The Book Speakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04502132695619200612noreply@blogger.com2