Suite Dreams by Rachel Hawthorne

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 288
Rachel Hawthorne does it again with another cute teen chick lit book! Her books are such light and fun reads (perfect for the summer) and, like I've said before, even though they may be a little predictable, they're still very, very good.
Actually, this book wasn't as predictable as I thought. There were a few twists that surprised me and the story, near the end, didn't follow her usual form of writing/endings like the rest of her books. So, it was nice to see a change up.
Suite Dreams takes place in Vermont where it is currently snowing up a storm! (Pun intended) Alyssa is currently on winter break from classes at college, but she is still taking an extra class, in the hopes that it will help her graduate early. Alyssa's boyfriend, well not really because they decided to take a break, signed up for the couch surfing program and flew off to Australia where he will crash on people's couches. In exchange for Rick, her (ex)boyfriend, flying there, another guy flew to Vermont to take his place and surf on people's couches. The Australian that comes back is, of course, a really hot guy, and he ends up staying on Alyssa's couch.
She is confused with her feelings towards Jude, the Australian, because she recently "broke up" with her boyfriend, she knows Jude will be leaving at the end of the break, she doesn't know if he feels the same, and she doesn't want to get distracted with boys if she's taking an extra class. However, a lot of situations arise which change her mind about a lot of her dilemmas (Go read it and find out what happens! I don't want to spoil it!)
I really liked this book! Rachel Hawthorne's writing is simple, doesn't require you to think to hard, and the stories are always adorable and have you rooting for the main characters from page one. However, some of her characters could be considered "Mary Sue's" (a character that is not described that well and could fall into any category of looking like someone. Generally used so the reader can relate to the main character and imagine themselves as that character. Bella Swan. Need I say more?). Alyssa was running a little into the Mary Sue category for me. I had to go look up her name!
The same can be said of the boys too. The boys in Rachel Hawthorne's books are all the same pretty much except for one major factor. In this case, he was Australian. However, the settings are described beautifully and really transports you to where the characters are so that kind of makes up for the lack of character descriptions. 
I would definitely recommend her books though! Light, fun, easy, reads that are fairly short! Go check them out!
See you soon!
Paige

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Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 170
This was a really short and really harrowing book. I was deeply moved by it from beginning to end. The entire story takes on a sort of somber tone that is not lifted until the very end, and even then it is still daunted by darkness.
In Living Dead Girl, a girl, we don't know her real name for the majority of the novella, is kidnapped by a man named Ray when she is 10 years old. She was on a field trip with her classmates when she wandered away and he said he would "show her back to her classmates". Eventually, they leave the aquarium where the field trip is occurring and he takes her back to his house. He starts to call her Alice and requires that she stays his "little girl" forever.
Two days after her kidnapping she attempts to run away, but Ray finds her and tells her that if she ever tries that again he will go to her house where her family lives and kill them. Throughout the story we see flashbacks of when "Alice" was first kidnapped and how she dealt with her kidnapper and the circumstances and it really puts into perspective what people go through when they are kidnapped and why they simply don't just run away. We are shown the fear that Alice feels from her kidnapper and all the things she learned to do to obey him and at all costs not make him angry. Ray also has rules for Alice that she must follow like not talking to police, staying silent, and most of all remaining a little girl forever.
However, it is impossible to not grow older and a couple of days before her 15th birthday Ray realizes that she is not as little as she once was and he begins to abuse her even more. He is angry with the fact that she is growing up and he tells her that it is her duty to find a new little girl for him. Alice is sent to the park so that she can find the next "Alice" for him and there is an entire slew of events that follows after she finds this girl.
I would say it's a tale of survival, but at the same time it's not. It's not the perfect story of being able to overcome a situation, but the ending is satisfactory to my standards. This was really eye-opening and kind of scary. It seems like one of those books that parents and adults would not want their kids reading because it's SO true and parents want to protect their kids at all costs. However, I would say that this could be used as a learning tool between parents and kids to show that kids should never talk to strangers and should stay together as a group. Really good book, and definitely pretty dark. I'm going to need a light read after this to brighten my reading mood because this got me pretty down.
Really short book though and I flew through it in about an hour!
See you soon!
Paige

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The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James

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Number of pages: 298
This being the second novel I've read by Syrie James I think I can safely say I love her writing even more now! She writes impeccably and the twist that she added to the way of writing as Jane Austen instead of about her or her books was simply fantastic!
How did Syrie James do this you ask? Well here's what happens in the book; Ms. James writes as Jane Austen writing her diary about her life (the interactions and basic things that happen are made up, but the places she went and the people she met are real!). Jane's life parallels many of her stories and we can see from this fictional piece of work perhaps how Jane got the ideas for her stories (any true Jane Austen fan will notice the similarities between her stories, and Syrie James helps out along the way by adding footnotes that make the whole story a lot more adorable than it already is).
Jane accounts her daily life and how she feels about moving homes, meeting new people, dealing with her family, and the struggles she encounters with her writing. Now, I don't know if this is true or not but it's written in the story, Jane often feels she should give up her writing because she isn't good enough, or because she's a woman, etc. Thankfully for me er the world, she continues to persevere and write her stories with the push and support from her sister Cassandra and Jane's love interest Mr. Ashford (who sounds absolutely charming!).
I love the way this story was written (can't say I loved the ending though...not because of how it was written but because...well you have to go read it! I don't want to spoil it!). There are only so many ways authors can switch up, flip around, and totally change the worlds that Jane Austen has created, but to create a story where Jane Austen herself is put into a slightly fictional world, well, let me just say that it TOTALLY worked! I loved this story from beginning to end and Syrie James' writing always grabs me from the beginning and begs me to read what happens next as quickly as possible.
I would definitely recommend this to any true Jane Austen fan who has read most/all of her works (like me!) because it is such a cool way to view the world of Jane Austen, literally through her eyes, and the way England was in the early 1800's. 
5 out of 5 stars for me! I will definitely be reading this again (if I ever find the time...)!
See you soon!
Paige

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Fallen by Lauren Kate

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 452
This book was...amazing!!! I seriously had my doubts about it, and I'm not really sure why. The story was fantastic! A lot of people think that it's really similar to Twilight but I didn't think they were THAT similar. Twilight does not set the precedent for a book where a girl does not believe a boy is not mortal/human. I'm like 99% positive there were books like that before Twilight came out (Actually I'm 100% sure of it because the Night World series and Vampire Diaries series were written before Twilight, in the 90's so ha!).
Anyways, staying on topic, Fallen was great! And it ended on a total cliff-hanger! I can't wait to go out and buy Torment so I can see what happens next.
So, in Fallen, Luce is sent to a reform school which is really strict, but all the kids get away with doing things that are against the rules anyways (sneaking out of school grounds, holding parties, sneaking in forbidden contraband like food and electronics). So Luce befriends one of the craziest most bizarre girls, Arriane, and a girl that she can really relate too, Penn. Luce's love interest include Daniel who she really likes but he is extremely mysterious with her and sends lot's of conflicting signals. A boy that genuinely shows interest in her is Cam, whom Luce can't decide if she likes or not because of Daniel (yes this story has a slight love triangle but it's not too over the top). The characters were all boat loads of fun too. All of them had so many different quirks and such different personalities that they all meshed together somehow and it worked. The end of the story may have you reaching for some tissues...(I really want to tell you guys!!! Go read this and see what I'm talking about!!!)
Anyways, there are a lot of circumstances that lead too Luce trying to find out more about Daniel and this is how she gets herself in some deep trouble. I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoiling it but there was tons of twists and turns in this story and just when you though one thing was going to go one way...BOOM! It totally veers off in another direction! Very exciting read!
Like I said before it also ended on a cliff-hanger so reading the next book will be a must for me. I can't wait to see how things get resolved. This book had tons of action, romance, twists, and overall just bad ass fun! I hope the next books follow that same pattern too!
Definitely one of my all time favorite books!! (I also like that this isn't about vampires it's about...well you can figure that out on your own too once you read the book!)
See you soon!
Paige

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Gossip Girl: The Carlyles by Cecily von Ziegesar

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 243
Wow! Another fantastic book by Cecily von Ziegesar! I think I'm going to like this series more than Gossip Girl! Not really sure why, perhaps the characters were a little more relatable and the story moved along a lot more quickly. There was also a lot less main characters to keep track of. Much easier for the story to move more quickly because then you don't have to keep going back to one character and then another, and another; in general the story will move much more slowly.
Anyways, so a group of triplets, the Carlyles, move to New York from Nantucket and basically take on the Upper East Side (this is a spin-off series from Gossip Girl, obviously, so there are references to the old characters. For example, the Carlyles live in Blair's old penthouse). Avery and Baby go to Constance Billard, just like Serena and Blair did. However, this time the girls start out as the nobodies with a famous, dead, grandmother who used to wreck havoc on New York back in her day. 
Avery is trying to become one of the popular girls at Constance Billard and is vying for the position of Student Liaison (the Student Liaison, makes decisions for the rest of the class). Her enemy Jack, short for Jacqueline, is also campaigning for the position, and the girls go on a rampant of back stabbing. Oh fun!
Baby hates the fact that she had to leave Nantucket behind, along with her boyfriend, and is trying to overcome heartache in Manhattan. She is also trying to break as many rules as possible (cussing in French class on the first day? Awesome!) to get kicked out of Constance Billard's so she can be transported back to home sweet home. However, her views begin to be questioned when she meets some very interesting people...
Owen, the last Carlyle triplet, goes to St. Jude's and is attempting to get over a girl he had a fling with over the summer in Nantucket. He's also trying to make some new guy friends, because he didn't have many before he moved because he was always going after girls and the guys didn't want to compete with him. Surprise, surprise, however, the guy that Owen befriends has some shocking circumstances that will put Owen in a tight place.
I adore Cecily von Ziegesar's writing and I can't wait for the next book. Yes, there is the typical partying, drinking, and overall, misbehavior by teenagers, but you can't hide this from teens forever! Let them read these books and look at is as a learning tool to show that after the party is over, there's ugly hangovers to deal with and ruined reputations (doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but to a teenager it is).
Five out of five stars for another name-dropping, trash talking, overall guilty pleasure of a novel! Can't wait for the rest of the series! I've already ordered the next one's!
See you soon!
Paige

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The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 108
You would think that because this is such a short book, I would get through this book fairly quickly, but no. It was a fantastic book but it's one of those where you have to take your time and devour every word to really absorb the story to its fullest extent.
So here's what happens; The Time Traveller, as he's called in the story, takes his Time Machine and basically transports himself into the future. He lands 800,000 years in the future and then describes how the world is different and the adventures he went on. The Time Traveller is telling this story to a group of men, who, in the end, must decide for themselves whether or not to believe him.
What I really liked about this book was that it took off right from the beginning; literally. There wasn't much time spent setting up the scene, characters, etc. and the story built upon itself as it grew and progressed. Actually, by the end of the story I knew more of what the Time Machine and the future looked like than the actual Time Traveller himself. However, this was good because I think the story was less biased, somehow, like his physical attributes didn't take away from the story. I was able to enjoy the world as it was, through my eyes, not the attributes of another.
The scenes were painted so vividly and described so carefully and this really helped enjoy the future as it was (will be?). It was also scary to think "Will this ever happen? Will the future really be like this?" Just a heads up to someone living 800,000 years from now let me know (because by then you probably really will have time travel).
This was such a great classic and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in perhaps super natural, or dystopian worlds. It's a fairly short read so check it out!
See you soon!
Paige

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The Giver by Lois Lowry

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 179
This book captivated me from page one. I know that sounds totally cliche but it did! The Giver is the story of a dystopian world where everything is the same and the citizens are governed by people who monitor everything they do and say. These people are taught from a very young age to not be rude, to say things precisely as they mean them, and to be honest (there's many other rules, but those are some of the main one's). Jonas is an eleven year old boy when the story starts and he is very wise, that's the impression I got from him. Apparently so does the so-called government he lives under because at his ceremony of becoming twelve he is given the job of The Receiver, which is a very honorable position in the community.
From here, Jonas' whole life turns around, he is encouraged to lie, be rude (ask questions) and not accept things as they appear. Throughout the story we see how Jonas grows and learns from The Giver. There a couple of plot twists that completely caught me by surprise but they really helped the story move and grow.
I loved this book. It was flawlessly written and is so simple, yet so complex. There is a lot of deeper meanings and messages. It also makes a person think about "What if we had to live that way? How would we survive without simple basics like creativity and choices?".
I can't wait to read the next three books in the series although they are not necessarily sequels, but companions. This book ends on a sort of cliffhanger so you'll be guessing until the very end and have to come up with your own conclusion.
Overall, an amazing book, which I initially had my doubts about, but I would know recommend to anyone! This is also a fairly short read so check it out!
See you soon!
Paige

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Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 346
I wish this book had been a lot better. It was good but it didn't completely grip me, pull me in, and make me want to spend hours upon hours reading its pages.
The story follows Alexis as she tries to cope with whether or not her sister Kasey (I hate that name so I'm glad they cast her as the sort of villain in this book) has become possessed. Alexis realized that this slight possession started when they moved into their new, grand, and Gothic house a few years ago. However, lately the possession has started to become more violent and controlling of Kasey's body. Alexis wants to get to the bottom of this sort of mystery of who's possessing her sister and why before Kasey begins to harm any more people or herself.
I have to admit, based on the way Kasey treats Alexis while she's possessed it's a miracle that Alexis wants to help her sister. Any normal person would think they're sibling is going crazy, would tell their parents, and attempt to get them diagnosed with some mental disorder (By the way I found that a little unrealistic about this book; there was hardly ANY parent interactions. Yes, her mom worked long nights and her dad was in the hospital but that's beside the point).
This book was written a little strangely. I don't think I really liked Kate Alender's writing style. The way things are described and told leaves a lot of room for you to fill in the blanks yourself and I typically don't like doing that when I'm reading because I might assume something and then find out later it was wrong, so it changes the whole dynamic of the story.
Either way I gave this book three stars out of five, but I was being liberal so it probably deserved a 2.5. I will not be reading the next books because this one ended really solidly so I don't feel the need to have to know what happens next.
See you soon!
Paige

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May 2012 Book Haul!

I only got a couple of books this month so here we go!
Crank by Ellen Hopkins


Thrill Ride by Rachel Hawthorne


Anthem by Ayn Rand


Yepp, so not a great book buying month, but I plan on getting a ton more over the summer and I'm trying to lower my (literal) To Be Read pile.
See you soon!
Paige

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Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 537
Another great book by Ellen Hopkins! I didn't like this one as much as Tricks but it was still wonderful. Ellen Hopkins' writing is so dark but it is also heartfelt and makes you really connect with the narrator and see what they are going through. So, this story follows a girl who becomes addicted to "crank" or meth. Throughout the book we see how Kristina personifies her inner bad girl to become "Bree", a girl with no shame, and this results in her downward spiral of addiction, depression, and a whole mess of other problems.
Whenever I read these books I always see how horrible these situations are and it makes you kind of realize that the world isn't perfect and stuff like this happens to teenagers and adults alike, every single day. Kind of a harrowing thought, but it happens. I would recommend these books to a lot of teenagers for that reason because it really shows you how catastrophic the consequences can be once you become addicted to drugs, or, really, anything else.
I also like how the books are written in a sort of verse that doesn't rhyme. If the books rhymed, I don't think I'd like them half as much but since they don't to me the words just look like they are put into funny shapes on the page. If this was written as a full story too, I think there would have to be a lot more detail, but since it's in verse the story is a little more loose, but it works.
Definitely would recommend this one for people 14 and up, because there are some sensitive subjects, but after the 14 year old mark this should be read by teens. Honestly, reading Ellen Hopkins' work, makes me think "I'll never make the same mistakes these kids did. I don't want that to be me." And I think that's part of the point Ellen Hopkins is trying to make with her work; to spread awareness and prevent other teens from getting messed up in the wrong stuff.
I can't wait to read the next two books because this one kind of ended at a cliff-hanger!
See you soon!
Paige

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Thrill Ride by Rachel Hawthorne

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 297
I love all books by Rachel Hawthorne. There so sweet, cute, and innocent, and this one was no different. Sure, they're a little predictable but that's half the fun! (Especially if you predict it wrong and get a total shock at the end!)
So, in this short book we follow Megan as she works at an amusement park over the summer, away from her family arguing over her sister's wedding (Pro as Megan would say) and also away from her boyfriend of 3 months (Con).
Megan describes her conflicted feelings over leaving her home, to adventure out at the amusement Thrill Ride! and how excited she is to meet new people, but that she's going to really miss her boyfriend Nick. Once Megan gets to the park she is excited to start working as a cashier in the Hansel and Gretel store (where she has to dress in a hideous outfit) but there's a plus! There's a cute co-worker who works at the biggest roller coaster in the park. Megan doesn't like roller coasters and is constantly explaining to people why she doesn't want to ride them, and this co-worker, Parker, tries unsuccessfully to not only get her on the roller coaster but also to win over her heart.
From there on it goes through a whole story of trials and tribulations of both Megan and Parker of containing their feelings and working hard.
It was such a cute story, and like I said before a little predictable but I like these books that way. It makes your root for the right characters right from the beginning. What I liked about this book was Megan didn't become a Mary-Sue at all! She was her own person with great characteristics.
I gave this five out of five stars on Goodreads because I love these novels! Check it out! And there's some great quotes too like, "That relationships were a lot like roller coasters, filled with highs and lows, terrifying split seconds, and awesome moments when you simply enjoyed the ride."
See you soon!
Paige

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Remember Me Omnibus: Remember Me, The Return, and The Last Story by Christopher Pike

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 789
Seeing as this is an omnibus of three stories, I will give a general plot of the first one and then talk about what I did and didn't like.
In Remember Me, Shari Cooper is a teenager in high school and for the first half of Remember Me recounts the events leading up to her death. (Going to a party and at the party attempting to contact the dead with 5 or 6 other friends. At the party she becomes upset with what she hears from the "realm beyond" and goes out to stand on a balcony where she finds herself plummeting to her death)
Once Shari "wakes up" she follows around different members of her family to discover what really happened to her. She has a hard time accepting the fact that she was dead and she learns that everyone in her town thinks that she committed suicide. Shari knows that she did not and goes on an adventure to avenge her death and find out who really killed her.
I liked the first book Remember Me, I thought it had plenty of action, even if it was a little slow at times. It was also an original plot that I thought was almost believable in a sort of supernatural sort of way. However, after finishing Remember Me and starting the second book The Return, I immediately thought that the story was being extended, way to far already. Then, I started The Last Story and realized that this whole omnibus should have been made into just one story. It kept going on and on, and most of the time I kept thinking "When is this going to be over??". (This is why it took me so long to put a review up; the story was just boring! However, I wanted to finish it because of course, I wanted to know how it ended and I figured I came this far I might as well finish)
Maybe my expectations were a little high (I thought this would be more like the Night World series by L.J.Smith) but it was just far to long! The books also had large paragraphs about more biblical and spiritual topics that I honestly skipped over because I felt they were unnecessary for the story.
I wish I could have liked this story more, but it just was too long and too...boring. The first story is great and if you don't feel like reading an entire trilogy then I would say only read that one, otherwise, you're in for the long haul.
Now that I think about it, it almost seems as if the author was pressured to write another two stories to make more money. (This is only a guess, I have no idea if that's true!!) I gave this a two out of five stars on Goodreads, but I would say at least check out the first book.
See you soon!
Paige

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Anthem by Ayn Rand

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 105
Wow, wow, wow. I read this as a recommendation from my teacher and it was awesome! It took me only about a half hour to read mainly because it was so short, but also because it was so amazing!
The writing is a little hard to get used to at first (the way that the characters refer to themselves is "we" which confused me because I thought there was always a group of people) but once you get past that, you are able to enjoy the book so much more!
So, this is considered a dystopian novel because it takes place in the future, but it never specifies what time, exactly. In this world, men are separated by how they look and are sent to different schools after they are born. None of the children ever see their parents and boys are separated from girls immediately. For fourteen or fifteen years, the boys are then given a job by a committee who decides their fate for the rest of their lives.
Our main character "Equality 7-2521" (because no names are given in this world) is given the job as street cleaner. He goes to a school to learn more about this trade then enters the real world and for everyday of his life cleans streets. No one in this world lives past 45 and all of the people do as they're told and keep their heads down. However, Equality 7-2521 does not keep his head down and is curious about things that occur in other parts of his city that he is not being told about. Eventually, he finds a hole where, within this hole/cave, he finds something magnificent. What is this item? Well, the book never really says, and I only made my own assumptions but it seemed powerful because when Equality 7-2521 brings it to the highest people of intellect, they threaten to jail him, but he runs away.
The story continues from there but I don't want to ruin it for you. There's also a love interest for Equality 7-2521, which is an adorable sub-plot.
This book is a really quick, short, read and if you can get past the strange writing it is really fantastic. I would recommend it to those who want to challenge their intellect and thoughts, but not for younger kids because they might not understand it.
Overall, it was wonderful and I would totally read it again!
See you soon!
Paige

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Jake, Reinvented by Gordon Korman

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 213
When I first read The Great Gatsby in class I LOVED it!! I thought I wouldn't because it was part of the required reading but I ended up jumping ahead of the rest of the class and finishing it up rather quickly. When I stumbled across this alternative take on the story I was thrilled! I quickly checked this out from my library and devoured it within a few hours.
In this modern-day retelling, Nick (our main character in The Great Gatsby) is called Rick, Tom is Todd in this story, Daisy is DiDi, Jay Gatsby is Jake Garret, Jordon is Jennifer, and Wilson is Nelson. (Kind of confusing but you can read my review of The Great Gatsby here to get a better take on what I'm talking about)
I really liked this retelling. Rick was a refreshing character who wasn't ashamed to say that he had flaws. Often times we see characters who are immortalized and the authors make them out to be the best a person could possibly be, but in this book Rick readily admitted that he wasn't popular and (at certain points) people did not like him. This really made me feel as if I was getting to know a real person, which is, surprisingly, hard to find in the book world. Most of the time characters are extremely superficial.
The story followed pretty closely to what happened in the original book. I thought it was a really good retelling, and the story flowed very quickly. You really do get swept up in the parties, the gossip, and all the general madness associated with Jay Gatsby...er Jake Garret.
In the original book, Jay throws these amazing parties to catch the eye of one girl and the same thing happens here. Although the ending in this retelling isn't as dramatic as the original (I don't want to give anything away because if I spoiled either book you would be upset). I would definitely recommend that you read the original Gatsby book first because it provides a much needed background for the basis of this retelling (which is like most retellings but I felt this one especially because many people haven't read The Great Gatsby, so it's not a well known story like Pride and Prejudice or Romeo and Juliet).
Overall, a great read! (I gave it four stars out of five on Goodreads) and I thought it was extremely well written. Maybe I'll try another book by Gordon Korman! (I know you should!)
See you soon!
Paige

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Why We Love Reading Tag!

I stumbled across this tag on Youtube and really liked it so here we go!
1. What's your favorite genre?
Well obviously Young Adult but within that (like a sub genre) I would choose dystopian, romance, historical fiction, and retellings (like classics). The YA genre is so broad so really my answer encompasses a lot of topics but those sub genres are my absolute favorites.
2. At the current moment what's your favorite book or series?
Gahh this is such a hard question to answer! So, I'll just list my favorite series' of all time because I love these not just at one specific point...I think that makes sense, anyways here's my favorite series':
-Maximum Ride by James Patterson
-Night World by L.J.Smith
-Leaving Paradise series by Simone Elkeles
-Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles
-MissMatch series by Erynn Mangum
-Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts (technically these are adult books but I love them)
-L.A. Candy series by Lauren Conrad
-Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar
-The A-List series by Zoey Dean
-Talent series by Zoey Dean
-Secrets of My Hollywood Life series by Jen Calonita
-The Daughters series by Joanna Philbin
and my all-time favorite series ever: The Clique and The Alphas series by Lisi Harrison
3. Are there any books you dislike reading? Why do you feel the way you do about them?
I'm not a huge fan of adult books or nonfiction because they're just too serious for me. I also don't really like middle-grade books, but I can't really pinpoint why. Children's books are awesome though, they're adorable. Also, I'm not really into the whole paranormal sub genre of YA. I like it, if it's done really well like the Night World series but if it's not then I don't like it. I can see why people like it but it's not for me.
4. In your opinion, what's the best thing about reading?
Wow. What a loaded question! I would have to say that the best thing is you can just escape this reality for as short as a half hour or as long as a few hours, and just devour a book. It sounds cliche but reading can take you so many places and it's good for you too! (Like eating your vegetables!)
5. Are there any disadvantages of reading?
Some people might say that reading corrupts, and I've definitely read books where my view on certain things has changed but I don't think there are any disadvantages. Well, unless you're like me and is so obsessed with reading that it got in the way of my schoolwork. Oops! It's funny because my sister is always telling me to stop reading when we travel in the car somewhere (I have a horrible sense of direction) because then I'll have a better idea of the landscape and streets around where I live.
6. When did you get into reading?
I've been reading my entire life. My parents used to read to me when I was a kid and I remember always begging them to go to the library and going home with tons and tons of picture books. And then I was able to move up to independent readers and I remember feeling so accomplished because I was able to choose books for myself. Then I quickly moved up the reading levels at my school and started really reading YA when I was starting middle school. But, I have been reading for all my life it's not something I just picked up on one day.
7. In your life, what have you got out of reading? Has it impacted or changed you at all?
*insert extended happy sigh here* What have I got out of reading? Wow. So, so much actually. It's definitely improved my vocabulary, writing skills, and general studies in school. I can't imagine not reading or not liking reading. It's too hard for me to comprehend because I've been doing it all my life. It's also definitely changed me because ever since I really started reading YA and learned about editing, I discovered that that's what I want to do with my career. Reading is something I love doing so why not get paid to do it!
8. How often do you buy books and what do you enjoy about being around them and buying them?
When Borders was still in business I would buy books every week, but now that they're gone, it's definitely decreased. I just can't afford to pay full price! :( So now, I try to get at least one new book a month, but my TBR list never seems to shrink so I'm really trying to finish that up and then buy more books. I do love going into the bookstores though. I love the atmosphere of the quiet, the smells of books and coffee, and just being surrounded by books that I've never even heard of that could be potentially taken home with their new owner (me!).
9. What got you started on book vlogging here in the Youtube book community? Did anyone in particular inspire you?
Since I stole this tag from Youtube, I'm obviously changing the "Youtube book community" to blog community. Basically, I watched other people on Youtube talking about books they've read and I thought to myself well I can do that! I'm better at writing than speaking to a camera, however, so I started my blog and really took off with it from there! (And I just want to say that I LOVE blogging!) However, the main people I watch on Youtube are:
-ChapterChicks
-TheReadables
-MaxieMagyx
There's probably a lot more but I'm drawing a blank right now.
10. Who are your favorite booktubers?
Oops! See question above!
11. How many books do you have? Do you ever think you have too many?
I have 264 YA books, but in total (including books from my childhood) I have 316. Do I ever think that I have too many? Haha sometimes when I'm running out of bookshelf space! But in general I feel quite the opposite, I feel that I can never have enough! As a little kid it was always my dream to have a huge library in my house when I grew up (kinda like the one in Inkheart). Will that ever happen? We'll see!
12. Will you ever run out of room for all your books? What will you do if this is the case?
Ohh I'm not sure! Ever once and while I like to rearrange my bookshelf (I actually just did this last weekend) and I always end up having more space! I have two bookshelves so shelving isn't an issue right now, but I can see it becoming one. If this happens I have storage space under my bed (I have a really high bed with cabinets and shelves underneath) so I can store some there I suppose? Or on the floor? Although I cringe to think that it might come to that.
13. What books would you save in a fire and why do these mean so much to you?
I have this really fantastic copy of Pride and Prejudice that my grandparents gave me for Christmas one year and I adore it so I'd probably save that first and then maybe just as many as I could from my favorite series'. I would hate to see books burn :( And if you're wondering if I've read Fahrenheit 451, then yes I have, and it was so sad for me!
14. Anything else you want to add about your passion for reading?
Like I said before reading can take you so many places and it's so good for you. You can achieve so much, and get so much out of reading and I think it's great that people can have vlogs and blogs where we all just talk about our love for books. Because love a book or hate it, someone out there probably shares your opinion and it's so awesome that we can all talk about books in the book community.
15. Who are you tagging?
Everyone!
Hope you enjoyed!
See you soon!
Paige

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Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 352
Okay, I liked this book....I just didn't love it. And I wanted too! I love Christmas and it's my favorite holiday, but these three books kinda fell flat for me. I know summer's around the corner and I'm reading a Christmas book, and I liked that this had a lot of the Christmas feeling in it, but the stories themselves? Eh...
The stories didn't seem to have a lot of development. I wished they could have been made a little longer so that more could happen. I also felt that in each book it was drawn out to the last possible second, and then completely rushed together at the very end. Although I did like how all three were somehow semi-connected which I did not realize when I started.
They were cute stories, and I'll probably read this again during Winter Break sometime, but it wouldn't be the first Christmas book I'd go for. I think they would have been better as a series where all three co-wrote the books because I really think the books were extremely limited. A lot more could have happened!
Also, I dont' want to say too much about the books' plots since they do sort of cross over to one and other, especially the last one.
I would recommend this, and I gave it four stars on Goodreads but I definitely felt it could have been a lot better and maybe with more effort? I love all three of these authors so it seemed sort of a let-down to have such a mediocre book, but that's just my opinion! Check it out for yourself and see what you think!
See you soon!
Paige

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April 2012 Haul!

I only got one book this month!Since I went to the L.A. Times Festival of Books and met Syrie James I just had to order her book from Paperbackswap so I got...

I really loved Forbidden so I'm hoping this one will be just as good!
What did you get this month?
See you soon!
Paige

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Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 330
Such an amazing book! I really like historical fiction novels and this was a very interesting take on the sinking of the Titanic. I thought the book would start out from being on the Titanic and then a long, drawn out story of the sinking, but it wasn't like that at all!
The book centers around Jane, the second oldest of 5 sisters and her life in a town called Spirit Vale. Her mother, and everyone else in the town, are people who can summon, or talk too, the dead. There are a lot of different circumstances that lead to her ending up on the Titanic (but I don't want to give too much away) and then the sinking is described in about a paragraph. I can't say why though! You have to read and see for yourself!
Like I said it was a totally different take on the tragedy of the Titanic, but I loved it! It wasn't a sappy romance about being abroad the ship either which I liked *cough cough James Cameron cough cough* and it wasn't completely action filled with racing to find a way off the ship.
The whole story flowed really well! (As my English teacher would say; the flowing of the story is like the flowing of the ocean where the Titanic was on its voyage)
I would definitely recommend it! I don't usually find a lot of well written historical fiction books, and it was nice to find that this was one of the few that was extremely well done. I also liked that Suzanne Weyn added a sort of "What's real?" at the end of the book. You get your own personal, short and sweet, history lesson!
Very good book! Check it out!
See you soon!
Paige

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The Daughters Take the Stage by Joanna Philbin

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 273
This is the third book in The Daughters series and I thought it was the most....not disappointing but repetitive. It's not repetitive of the other two books (not at all! They're all different!) but I felt the story line was dragged out a little too long.
So, in this book we follow Hudson as she tries to step out of her mom's spotlight. Holla Jones is a multi-platinum singer and Hudson wants to start her own album, but her mom always intervenes and changes the sound of the album. Hudson is tired of being under her mom's rule so she assigns her self a "life-coach" (another girl who goes to her school) to help her overcome some of her fears.
Hudson starts off by rebelling her mom in small ways and eventually joins a band without her mother's knowledge. (This is after the fact that Hudson dropped her album because she was so frustrated with her mom)
I don't want to say to much more for fear of spoiling the story, but it goes from there on Hudson's adventures of hiding the band from her mom and coming to terms with the fact that she should stand up for herself more.
It was a great story, don't get me wrong, but I just felt that it could have been sped up a little and some parts could have been left out. I also connected with this book the least (I think the one before this is by far my favorite so far, but I'm still waiting to read the fourth one in the series!!)
Can't wait for the next book, I love this series more and more with each book that is produced!
See you soon!
Paige

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Forbidden by Ryan James and Syrie James

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 410
This book was AMAZING! It was super easy to read and I finished it so quickly because, time just flew by while I was reading. The story follows Claire through her adventures of meeting Alec, an angel at her high school and she discovers the powers that she has as well.
Typically, I'm not drawn to books like this because they're usually all the same; girl meets immortal/fantastical boy, they fall in love, they are separated, girl mopes around, get together in the end. This story went sort of a different route. Claire wasn't a "Mary-Sue" (no description of character, is made so that any person reading feels they can be this person, she has no emotions it seems, and complains a lot about the boys in her life-think Bella from Twilight)
Anyways, Claire actually interacted with her friends and told them what was going on in her life, and they supported her and believed her! This was totally new for me because no other books I've read like this have taken that approach. Claire also stayed true to her schoolwork which was refreshing because in many of these books people seem to blow off school a lot. She also didn't become completely self-absorbed with Alec, she participated in other school activities, and even seemed so human to me when she was confused whether she even liked him or not (Mary-Sue's typically fall immediately in love with the male counterpart).
Alec, was also an amazing character and he seemed so adorable. The pair's relationship seemed totally believable despite the unbelievable circumstances, and the way they worked through different obstacles was very...refreshing. The whole way the book was written seemed to take a different stance than most teen paranormal romance novels and I really appreciated that.
Overall, I loved this book and I can't wait to buy it and have it for myself (I checked it out from the library). Also after meeting Syrie James, herself at the L.A. Time Festival of Books, I loved this book even more! Definitely 5 stars!! Check it out for a good quick read!
See you soon!
Paige

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The Daughters Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 276
Once again Joanna Philbin does an excellent job with her writing! In this second installment to the Daughter series, we follow Carina Jurgensen around on her adventures. Carina is the daughter of the billionaire Karl Jurgensen, and when Carina puts some incriminating information about him on the Web he sends her to California. Once in California, however, her mother's attorney alerts Karl that he cannot move Carina according to court order so they travel back to New York where he cuts her off; no credit cards, no money, no driver, nothing.
She starts out with a $20 a week allowance, and it's actually quite hilarious to see how she has to deal with being "penniless" (I think this book has some underlying tones of money management in it, and kind of shows people that money isn't everything).
So, Carina gets a job as a party planner and we see how she hides from people the fact that she's penniless and can't afford to hire people for this party. It was also nice to see how she dealt with the social pressures of her high school; even though she is famous, she is portrayed as an everyday girl who has to go through the same things that other girls go through everyday.
This book had a lot more ups and downs than the first book and it was just as fun to read. It also focuses more on just Carina and not so much the other girls. There's more cat fights between the friends too which I wasn't expecting at all. However, it was nice to see that they are human, and have fights just like the rest of us.
Overall, a great read and I can't wait for the next one (actually, I already started it!!). I can't wait to see how the characters grow even more in the next two books!
See you soon!
Paige

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Random Thoughts #3/L.A. Times Book Festival!

So yesterday and today was the Los Angeles Times Book Festival and I decided to go this year because I haven't been since I was a little girl. I didn't go both days, only today, but next year I'm definitely going to go both days. So here's how the day went!First off we (my mom and I) got there kind of early, before a lot of the booths were open and before events were up and running. So we wandered around to get a feel of where everything was and then the first thing that we saw while waiting for our first event was part of the Trojan marching band (since we were on the University of Southern California campus) which was super cool!
Then we went hopped over to the Young Adult stage where we saw a panel of 3 authors (Alyson Noel, Cornelia Funke, and John Stephens). The panel was amazing and all of the authors were amazing. I've read Alyson Noel's books and Cornelia Funke's, but I'd never heard of John Stephens before (he has a new book out now, I think it's more geared for teenage boys...). Either way all three were wonderful and seemed extremely nice.
After that we went to a panel session called "Future Books: Media in the Digital Age" which was a bust. There was just a few people there trying to push their books. Oh well.
Our next panel session was called "YA Fiction: The Wide Lens" which had Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle, Maggie Stiefvater, and Jacqueline Wilson. I've read books by all of them except Jacqueline Woodson, but I think I may check out some of her books now! All four of these lovely ladies were super awesome and hilarious. We were laughing through the whole hour with them. Within the panel, the authors discussed issues in YA writing such as race, sexuality, and violence. The authors also discussed how parents sometimes react to what their kids are reading and a lot of them said they receive hate mail from parents because of something they've written. (So sad..)
After this panel session ended we rushed back to the YA Stage and saw Deb Caletti, Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan, and Joanna Philbin (!!!!) on a panel. We didn't listen in for this panel because I wanted to wait in line to get my book signed by Joanna Philbin.
Eventually the author's came over and I got to talk to Joanna Philbin for a bit. She was super sweet and nice and so easy to talk to!! I got to snap a quick pic with her and here's what she wrote in my book:"To Paige, Keep breaking the rules! Joanna Philbin xoxo"(She wrote that because she signed the second book in her series, The Daughters Break the Rules)
It was a very surreal moment for me! I've never had a book signed before, let alone met the author!
We also wandered around the booths and I met the author Syrie James (she was at the Jane Austen Society booth so when I was in there I ended up talking to her somehow). Anyways she was extremely nice and was telling me all about her books and she has a new one that just came out for YA that I will definitely be picking up sometime it's called Forbidden and she co-wrote it with her son Ryan M. James.
The last panel we went to was called "Publishing A-Z" which was very informative for me as an aspiring book editor. It really gave me some great insight and tips about all things publishing.
Overall, I had a wonderful time, got to meet some amazing authors/people and I can't wait until next year! If you're in the area next year I definitely recommend it! There was other stuff going on too like poetry readings and Betty White and Kareem Abdul Jabbar were there (I stood just a few feet away from each of them!). It's free so come check it out next year!
See you soon!
Paige

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The Daughters by Joanna Philbin

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 275
This is actually my second read through of this book! (And it was just as good as I remembered!) I read this last year or the year before, but the sequels weren't out yet so when I did purchase the second and third books I had to reread this because I couldn't remember what happened.
So The Daughters follows three teenage girls who are the daughters of famous people. Lizzie Summers is the daughter of a supermodel (Katia Summers, I imagined her like Heidi Klum), Carina Jurgensen is the daughter of a multi-billion dollar father (Karl Jurgensen, I imagined him like Bill Gates..? Or someone else as equally rich), and finally Hudson Jones the daughter of a multi-platinum singer Holla Jones (I imagined her like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion).
Throughout the story we see how the three girls deal with everyday obstacles like school, boys, and their parents but there's always an exciting twist about how the girls will go to Fashion Week or drop thousands of dollars while shopping like it's chump change. (As you know I absolutely love stories where there's tons of name dropping and famous starlets.)
This book in The Daughters series primarily follows Lizzie as she goes through finding herself as a writer and possibly model. We see how she deals with the ruthless individuals in the fashion industry but also manages to stay true to her friends and schoolwork.
The characters seemed so honest in this book. They weren't superficial at all and I felt like I could totally relate to them. It seemed like a true insight into being the daughter of a famous person...(as it should because Joanna Philbin, daughter of Regis Philbin wrote the books!)
The writing style is fantastic and I hope the other books live up to my expectations! I can't wait to continue the series! If you're a fan of The Clique or Secrets of My Hollywood Life series' then you will love this!
See you soon!
Paige

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Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 656
I can't tell you how good this book was (but I will try!). I've never read a book by Ellen Hopkins before, and this was excellent! I will definitely read her other books!
I've also never read a book in this format before, meaning, a book in poem. At first I kind of struggled with it and I had to get used to the way the text looked on the page (I know, weird) but after awhile I just flowed through the book.
There's this huge misconception that poems should rhyme, and this is one of those books that break that stereotype. The poems don't rhyme, but it creates a beautiful story about 5 teens.
So, the 5 teens are all going through an assortment of problems and throughout the story some will meet each other,  which is actually kind of cool the way that you can see how all of them intertwine. This book specifically deals with the problems of teen prostitution. I didn't know what a horrible problem this really was until I read this book. I think it does a great job of spreading awareness about tough issues that people don't really want to talk about. I would definitely say this is for older kids and kids who are at least in high school, because there was some stuff in here that even I was a little shocked by and once or twice I thought, "Wow, should I be reading this?". But then I realized something. Every teenager should read this book to help prevent the stuff that happens in here, from happening out there in the real world.
It's scary to think about, and even scarier to think that that could be you or one of your friends. It was really eye-opening I think. Parents may not want anyone to read this book, and I can see why, but at the same time I think teens should so they know of stuff that really happens outside of their own little perfect bubble. Life is not perfect and neither is anyone living in it and I hope that many people will read this to spread awareness and help prevent teen prostitution.
Let's just say this: it's worse than you think. Read this book. Find out.
See you soon!
Paige

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Random Thoughts #2

Hello everyone!
It's Teen Lit Day!! Didn't know this? Well it is! It's probably one of the single coolest and most important days for bloggers, advocates, and of course, young adult readers like me! So in honor of Teen Lit Day I'm going to say my little shpeel on why I love YA and just a couple of other things.
I've been reading since I was a baby, and my parents have always placed more and more books into my hands as a growing child and then when I got older, and could manage my own money, I bought my own books. All through elementary, middle, and high school I was/am that girl with a book in her hand or her nose in a book. My family always tells me I miss out on important topics because I'm always lost in a book and I've escaped from their reality.
As a little girl I devoured books like chocolate. Every week we went to the library to pick up more and more picture books and then I was able to move onto the independent readers and soon after that it was books like the Little House on the Prairie series, the Box Car Children and others, that started me on reading longer and longer books. I was also, the kid that could always read the fastest and I was way ahead of my peers with my reading level. In 3rd grade I remember having a 6th grade reading level. I think when I was younger that is the memory that sticks out the most: reading, going to the library, and getting books for holdiays and birthdays.
Once I hit middle school, on came the required reading, which, of course, I didn't mind at all, but there was less time for reading. Also, I remember my reading material becoming a lot darker due to more adult subjects, so I read books that were slightly below my reading level so I could hang onto my childhood days. There was also less time for reading and I always enjoyed winter, spring, and summer breaks where I could spend weeks on end devouring one book after another. Middle school I also accomplished great reading feats such as reading my first Jane Austen book, Pride and Prejudice. Even today it is still one of my all-time favorite books. I also read Gone With the Wind in 8th grade, also another extreme favorite, and still is the longest book I've ever read (at 1,024 pages!!).
Now, in high school there's even more required reading, which I don't see as a burden like my fellow friends and peers do. I see it as an opportunity to broaden my realm of reading and branch out to other genres that I've never been exposed to before (Plus it always makes me feel a lot more intellectual to say that I've read Oedipus Rex or To Kill a Mockingbird and actually liked it).
As I progressed through high school and started to take note of what I wanted to do for college and what career I wanted to take, I realized a career with books would be an absolute, perfect dream. Then I realized, I couldn't write. I had the imagination for it, but just not the will power or want. No, I wanted to do something else, I wanted to read and EDIT. And I wanted to edit only young adult books to help increase teen literacy and help the YA market grow. I honestly believe a lot more teenagers could and should be reading but they're not because there just aren't that many YA books to choose from! I want to make a difference, even if it's a small one, for the Young Adult community.
Reading has affected every single part of my life and it has totally defined who I am and what I want to become (of course this would never have happened if it weren't for my parents who bought me books instead of toys, so thanks Mom and Dad!).
So, if you can even get one person or child to read it could make a huge difference! And adults too! Adults! Read, read, read! And tell your children to read!! It makes them a better learner, gives them a bigger vocabulary, and generally makes them more interested than, say, a bad habit they could pick up later on! (For me, my bad habit is reading when I should be doing my homework and I'd take that over something else any day!)
Happy Teen Lit Day to you all and I hope you enjoyed a little more background on me!
See you soon!
Paige

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Witch Season 2: Winter and Spring by Jeff Mariotte

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 584
Finally I finished this series! It was a good series but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to someone. The last two books had the same exact writing style of the first two (obviously) but I felt that these last two books moved a little faster. There was more action and more occurrences between Mother Blessing, Kerry, and Season.
I love how we got to know some characters a lot more and it was cool to see how Kerry grew and developed as a witch. Overall, as a series thought it kind of fell flat for me.
I'm not exactly sure why, like I said there was lot's of action but there was just something missing. Maybe that was just me (read it and find out for yourself!)
It was a good series, I just didn't fall totally in love with it like I thought I would. Out of the whole series I liked the first one the best.
I don't want to say much more about this book because I don't want to give anything away, but overall, I felt that it was a really good conclusion to the series and it tied up all loose ends and didn't leave any open ended questions.
Try this series out for yourself!
See you soon!
Paige

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Random Thoughts #1

I decided from time to time I'm going to do these Random Thoughts Posts, related to books because sometimes I just want to have a little discussion with you guys.
So I've been off Youtube from 48 days (I gave up Youtube for lent-I'm not religious I just did it as an experiment to see if I could because my friend was giving up Facebook) and at first it was really tough; no book reviews, music, and other skits that I like to watch. However, I was able to read a lot more and get a lot more work done because I didn't have this constant distraction. Anyways, so I've been catching up with my favorite Book-Tubers and for awhile I've been struggling with this idea of "Why don't I like the same books as most of these people?"
Most of the time I agree with them but it's books like The Hunger Games, Looking for Alaska, Vampire Diaries, just to name a few that I don't like that much, that everyone else seems to LOVE.
Then I kind of had an epiphany today which made me realize...why? Why do I care and why do I feel the need to associate myself with these people that I've never met, never will meet, and why do I have to be like everyone else? So what if I like mystery books and trashy teen chick lit novels, and old books like Jane Austen's novels and other classics. This defines me as a person and sets me apart from everyone else. Why should I group myself in with the masses of people that LOVE vampire books, while the only one's that I like are the Night World series by L.J.Smith.
It kind of made me realize that I don't need to fit in with these people. Isn't standing out a good thing? And the more people that stand out the better right? Society is all about promoting individualism, but most of the time people follow the status quo and don't differentiate themselves from others.
I think what I'm trying to say is I'm proud that I'm different and I'll continue reviewing the lesser known books in the hopes of maybe having someone else become interested in reading or being affected by literacy in SOME way; even it's a small contribution, it's MY contribution and that's all that matters. What do you think?
See you soon!
Paige

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March Book Haul

Hello everyone! I hope y'all had a great book buying month!! I sure did! Here's what I got:
Used bookstore:
(All the books I get at my used bookstore are half price)

Witch Season: Summer and Fall by Jeff Mariotte ($3.50)

Witch Season 2: Winter and Spring by Jeff Mariotte ($3.50)

Remember Me omnibus: Remember Me, The Return, and The Last Story by Christopher Pike ($5.00) And the great thing about this trip was the Christopher Pike book is brand new!
I was on vacation this past week and when I was we stopped in this library and they were having a library sale!! Here's what I got:

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins ($3)

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa ($3)
Both of those were brand new too! So, technically I got them for 70% off because they were both originally $10
Lastly we stopped at another used bookstore on vacation and I only got one book which was:

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle ($4)
This one wasn't quite half off since the original price was $7, but I figured it's three books in one for only $4 and it was brand new!
What did you get this month?
See you soon!
Paige

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I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 271
When I started this book I actually thought that the main character (John) was much older, but he's actually a sophomore in high school. Here's the basic premise of the book; John and his mother live/work in a mortuary and John is fascinated by serial killers and believes that it is his fate to become one. He goes to a therapist so that he can talk about how he suppresses himself and his thoughts about wanting to kill people. John has a variety of rules for himself to keep the demon inside of him, and to prevent himself from turning into a serial killer. Soon a serial killer comes to town and John is in awe with trying to figure out who it is, why they're making the killings, etc. The rest of the story goes on this great adventure of how John deals with his own inner turmoil and tries to solve the mystery of who the serial killer is.
I had my doubts when starting this book because I thought it would be an adult book, but actually it's not. It's written flawlessly and I kept wanting to read more and more and not put it down. I love seeing how John grows and keeps himself in check throughout the story. It's really an awesome thing to read about.
There's two more in the series and I will definitely be picking those up because this one was so good. It's different from what I usually like but it's kind of inspired me to read more books sort of like this one! Five out of five stars on my grading scale! And I would recommend it to a lot of people too (I think adults and highschoolers and above would enjoy it).
See you soon!
Paige

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Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 183
Out of the three books that I've read by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan I'm surprised that I don't like this one the most. I've heard a lot of other reviewers say this one is the best of the three but actually I liked Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List the best. I don't know.
As usual, this story is super fast paced, and the writing is extremely distinct, but this book had a LOT more cussing, drinking, partying, and sex than the other books (Just a warning for younger readers!). If you're not in high school I would not recommend this book.
The whole story takes the span of one night where Nick needs a girl to pretend to be his girl friend for 5 minutes and that girl happens to be Norah who is friends with the girl Nick is trying to make jealous. The rest of the night consists of an awesome adventure the two go on. It's not a funny book, it's actually kinda sobering but it's great! (I gave it four out of five stars on GoodReads)
Like I said before, the writing is really distinct and you can tell it's a Cohn/Levithan book, but that's great! It really works! They let go of traditional writing and grammar laws and just write and it's awesome! I would recommend this to people who won't get offended by the amount of language and other bad things these teens get into, but hey! That's life that's what really happens out there! If anything, spread the word.
See you soon!
Paige

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 362

Updated Review (February 1st, 2014): I now like this book so much better. I didn't appreciate it at first because I was forced into reading it by my friends, but now I appreciate it so much more. Katniss is an amazing heroine who is a true force to be reckoned with. As I said in my Mockingjay review, she shows so much strength and adversity, and is always looking out for her family and friends.
She has the ability to win people over even though she often lacks charm and the usual niceties. She is one of the first strong female heroines of this time period (in real life) and, frankly, is not given enough credit for that. 
I have to admit the first movie was not that good, but the book is always better right? I think this is one of those books that everyone should read. It teaches young kids about hope and standing up against something that is oh, so wrong. 
This is definitely one of my all time favorite series.

Original Review (March 25th, 2012): Can you believe I just now finished this book?? It's been on my TBR list FOREVER but I just haven't had time, but my friends were all reading it at school so I said I would finally read it.
Honestly, I thought it would be a lot better. For all they hype it gets I thought it would be the most amazing story but honestly it's not. (Please don't hate me!!) The beginning quarter, maybe even half, of the book drags on and on. All my friends told me to just wait until the Games started but my thinking was okay, a book needs to reel you in from the first page not half way through. But I continued on.
Once the Games did start I felt like there could have been a lot more action and was it just me or did Katniss annoy you too? She was extremely self-deprecating, ("Oh two boys possibly like me but I'm SO ugly!!") and I felt like she didn't kill enough people in the Games. If anything she got lucky. As a heroine I expected a LOT more out of her.
Moving on to Peeta and Katniss' relationship. It's built on lies!! How is that okay?? I was finally happy at the end of the book when Peeta realized this and brushed her off and then KATNISS got upset!? Oh boy I have a bone to pick with this girl if I ever met her.
I have to admit the last day of the Games was probably the most exciting but other than that the story kinda fell flat for me. I will be reading the rest of the series though just to see if they are any better and to see how the story ends.

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Witch Season: Summer and Fall by Jeff Mariotte

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 593
This book (as you can see above) was REALLY long!! It is a big hunk of a book! It is a omnibus and has the first two books (Summer and Fall) of the Witch Season series inside. These two books were also pretty good! I was expecting a story kind of like the L.J.Smith omnibuses but it wasn't like that at all! Jeff Mariotte's writing is pretty distinct and has a lot of descriptors. I can totally imagine the scenery in these books, but he doesn't describe the characters really well. I don't connect to a majority of them because he didn't give too much of a background on them.
Summer starts out with a group of 6 kids living in a house together in La Jolla, CA and then a mysterious stranger lands on their doorstep half dead and the central character of the story, Kerry, decides to take him in and nurse him back to health. Eventually he leaves once he's better but he does come back and the group finds out that he is a witch and is battling an evil with, Season, and she happens to be in La Jolla as well. The first book is basically a hunt looking for Season and then the second book Fall describes the aftermath of Season and Daniel's epic battle which occurs at the end of Summer.
I really liked the books, but sometimes they was just too many words and they could have been cut back on a tad. I also didn't like some of the characters attitudes after the battle. (I don't want to say too much on that, because I don't want to give anything away) Also, there was a lot of grammar, spelling, and pretty much just common errors in the book (Bad editing on the editors part!!).
Would I recommend this to a friend? Probably not but it was a good book to pick up and flow through fairly quickly. There is another omnibus that follows this one and I will be reading/reviewing that one too.
See you soon!
Paige

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A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair

Read a synopsis here!
This is not one of my usual YA book reviews. I took a break from YA to read one of my cozy mysteries that I've had waiting on my shelf for me for...forever it seems!
First off let me just say that this cover is adorable!!! The cover is really the reason I bought the book in the first place. I was at my used bookstore saw this and thought I have to have it! And it was a steal at $4.00 so how could I pass it up? (I also got books 2 and 3 in the series too!)
So the story itself was....okay. Good not great. I would recommend this but I've enjoyed other cozy mystery books a lot more. However this cozy mystery is also a lot better than other one's I've read so it sort of falls in the middle category of average.
Maddie is our main character and she can see ghosts and talk to some of them. She sees the ghosts by touching pieces of vintage clothing and fabric. When there is a murder in her home, her supernatural ability helps her put the pieces together of the murder.
I liked the supernatural take on this story because it took something that could possibly never happen and put it into a cozy mystery, something I've never seen before! But I liked it! It's called fiction for a reason! Give it a fantastic element!
I will be reading the next 2 books in the series because I already own them but I probably won't continue on from there. This book can be read as a stand alone because it doesn't have some cliff hanger ending where you have to rush out and buy the next book.
Like I said before; good not great! See you soon!
Paige

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Star Power by Zoey Dean

Read a synopsis here!
Number of pages: 257
I think out of the whole series this one was the most disappointing. As an ending to a series it was very open ended. Through the entire book we see how Mac struggles to keep up her friendships with the Inner Circle while still maintaining her friendships.
With Emily, she is onset with her constantly and the leading actor, Davey, that Emily has had a crush on forever, starts to crush on Mac. Mac doesn't want to hurt Emily but really likes Davey too. In this way, she says she is going to try to avoid Davey but in actuality, she spends a lot of time with him! (She's a little hypocritical which I didn't like)
Mac also gets Becks into the Dixie Gals (a campaign for surfing), but ultimately ignores her friend and rarely helps her out because she's so buys helping Emily on set. Becks befriends the other Dixie Gals, and they seem nice but there's a twist at the end of the story that makes your heart really go out to Becks.
Finally, Coco. Coco is still trying to get out of her mothers superstar spotlight and she tries to perform her music in little known coffee shops so that people won't recognize her. However, this doesn't work and she goes undercover to attempt to see what people really think of her before they already judge her for simply being her mothers daughter.
The book was a little dry. I wished there had been more details about Emily on set, Coco performing, and Becks surfing and hanging out with the Dixie Gals. In the first couple of books I really liked Mac but she was so dull in this third installment. I needed some action! And I sadly never got it. Like I said before there was also a lot of open ended questions and problems that were never resolved from the first two books and I definitely felt there could have been one more book.
If I was rating this book I would give it 2 out of 5 stars but the series itself was a 4 out of 5 for me. Check it out for some easy reading!
See you soon!
Paige

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Februay Book Haul

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great February and are looking forward to a great March!
Here's what I got this month! (Click on the books picture for a synopsis!)



List Price: $7.99 (paperback)
(I got it from PaperBackSwap so, free!)


List Price: $9.99 (paperback)
(I got a brand new copy from Half.com and only paid $5!)


List Price: $17.99 (hardcover)
(I paid $7.99 because I had a half off coupon for Barnes and Noble!)


That's all I got this month! :) See you soon!
-Paige

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