Review: One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt

One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt was a quick and satisfying story. This story takes place in one night and it is a very fast read!

When Eliza realizes she has lost her purple notebook, she is frantic. This is not good. Her purple notebook contains lists of all the things she would like to do someday, the things she is scared to do. She hopes it will turn it up, but when it does, she gets even more freaked out because the person who has her notebook is holding it hostage and will not give it back until she completes some challenges. Challenges that she herself detailed in her notebook! The night only gets more difficult when she realizes that her only ally is the boy who broke her heart, Cooper. He was dating her as an initiation ritual for a high school secret society and when Eliza found out the truth, she was devastated. Now, he is doing all he can to help, but can she trust his motives?

This book was just a very fun read. You won't have to think to hard, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride which is always a good thing! Eliza never thought she would be brave enough to tackle the things in her notebook, things like karaoke, asking a random guy to dance, or kissing her longtime crush. She always put them off for another day, but in the space of one night, she is asked to do all that and more! The challenges are funny but also become a good showcase for Eliza to grow. As she starts to realize that she can conquer her fears, she becomes a more interesting character.

As with any good Lauren Barnholdt story, there is a crush-worthy guy in the mix. Cooper is of course not quite what he seems and he is a definite good guy. He helps out Eliza even as she is determined to do this alone. And hey, he's bringing sexy back!

This book read just like an adventure any high schooler could have. Yes, the challenges may be a bit different, but bring in some friends, a few ridiculous situations, and a boy you are crushing on, and you have a book that is has overtures of realism but still zany enough to work as fiction.

There are two different covers for this book. The top one, which is what I have on the ARC, is the one I prefer personally, but the second cover is the one I think that will be on the hardcover.

This is a breezy and fun story. I think it's perfect for public libraries and would be a fun book to booktalk actually because of the situations Eliza finds herself in. Plus, what person, high school student or not, doesn't have some rather crazy or serious fears? This book just has a very genuine feel to it.

So yes, another win in my fun books read column. I liked this one more than Barnholdt's other coming soon release, Aces Up just because I truly feel like there is something for everyone in this story.

ARC provided from Around the World Tours.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie trailer

In case you haven't seen it yet...

<a href="http://www.bing.com/videos/browse?mkt=en-us&from=msnmovies/64&vid=f2822d1e-af61-45f5-b674-f3f697170e3d&from=en-us" target="_new" title="'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' Trailer">Video: 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' Trailer</a>

I cannot believe that this will be the end for my beloved series. I am a Harry Potter fan to the core. I had the pleasure of meeting JK Rowling on October 19th, 2007 in New York City and it was utterly unforgettable. These movies will truly be the end of a journey because well, no more books, no more movies.

Review: Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt

Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt is the kind of story that is only believable in a fictional world. High school student Shannon Card needs money badly in order to attend her dream college, Wellesley. Unfortunately, her father has been laid off work and money is very tight in their family. Shannon knows she needs a job, but not any job will do!

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old high school senior Shannon Card needs money. And lots of it. She's been admitted to Wellesley, but her dad just lost his job, and somehow she has to come up with a year of tuition herself. But Shannon's dream of making big bucks waitressing at the local casino, the Collosio, disappears faster than a gambler's lucky streak. Her boss is a tyrant, her coworker is nuts, and her chances of balancing a tray full of drinks while wearing high-heeled shoes are slim to none. Worse, time is running out, and Shannon hasn't made even half the money she'd hoped.

When Shannon receives a mysterious invitation to join Aces Up, a secret network of highly talented college poker players, at first she thinks No way. She has enough to worry about: keeping her job, winning the coveted math scholarship at school, and tutoring her secret crush, Max. But when Shannon musters up the nerve to kiss Max and he doesn't react at all, the allure of Aces Up and its sexy eighteen-year-old leader, Cole, is suddenly too powerful to ignore.

Soon Shannon's caught up in a web of lies and deceit that makes worrying about tuition money or a high school crush seem like kid stuff. Still, when the money's this good, is the fear of getting caught reason enough to fold?

So, I really enjoyed the movie 21 with Jim Sturgess. Mostly because hey, Jim Sturgess is hot as hell. It's not exactly a stellar, awe-inspiring movie, and this book isn't one that is going to stick with you for a long time, but it's fun while you read it!

Shannon gets in way over her head with poker and it's definitely not good and the readers will see that immediately. Cole Porter, her contact with Aces Up, is definitely not on the straight and narrow but he does promise big things, money wise, that Shannon cannot pass up. I will totally admit, this is where my interest in the poker plotline ended. What I enjoyed more in this story is Shannon's attempts to keep up with life, to be sneaky, to buy a fake birth certificate, and well to definitely decimate her seemingly good-girl image. I liked seeing how complicated her relationships with her family and friends were becoming.

This book was a quick and breezy read. You quickly become enmeshed in Shannon's troubles, including those of her heart. Max, her best friend who she really hasn't talked to since an almost kiss last summer. Seeing them grow closer was sweet.

Aces Up was a quick and fun read. Lauren Barnholdt does teen angst, drama, and trouble  very well. I thought the casino setting was the perfect setting for all the foibles Shannon fell into, not even related to the poker trouble. High end drama, it works perfectly in the high stakes world of gambling.

The cover is different than the ARC version I read but I like the change. The other cover just didn't seem very teen friendly but I like the flirtatious appeal of the new cover.

This book was received from Around the World Tours.

In My Mailbox

Last In My Mailbox for June??? I can't believe how fast this month has gone by.

Anyway, it's Sarah Mail time!

For review:
Aces Up by Lauren Barnholdt (Around the World Tours)
The Duff by Kody Keplinger (Around the World Tours)
One Night that Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt (Around the World Tours)
Mackenzie Blue books 1-3 by Tina Wells (via publisher)
The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams (via publisher for my first ever author blog tour!!)

Bought:
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (B&N, so overpriced but I'll live with it. Supporting authors is good!)
The Melendez Forgotten Marriage by Melanie Milburne (eharlequin.com ebooks)

Look at the really neat cover for The Space Between Trees:

And because my cat, Stella, wanted to get in on the camera fun this week:

In My Mailbox is created by The Story Siren with kudos to Pop Culture Junkie.

Review: The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz is a book I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I did. It kept me turning pages at a rapid rate and I had a blast reading it.

Synopsis: Summer is here, and 16-year-old Allie, a self-professed music geek, is exactly where she wants to be: working full-time at Berkeley’s ultra-cool Bob and Bob Records. There, Allie can spend her days bantering with the street people, talking the talk with the staff, shepherding the uncool bridge-and-tunnel shoppers, all the while blissfully surrounded by music, music, music. It’s the perfect setup for her to develop her secret identity as The Vinyl Princess, author of both a brand-new zine and blog. From the safety of her favorite place on earth, Allie is poised to have it all: love, music and blogging.
      Her mother, though, is actually the one getting the dates, and business at Allie’s beloved record store is becoming dangerously slow—not to mention that there have been a string of robberies in the neighborhood. At least her blog seems to be gaining interest, one vinyl junkie at a time…

First off, the cover is wonderful! Eye-catching and fits the book very well. I don't think the girl on the cover really matches Allie and from what I could understand of her hair in particular, but that's a minor quibble. This cover stands out and makes you take notice.

Next best thing: Allie herself. What a great character! Self-deprecating, a bit sarcastic, awkward around guys, and a passion for music that will make you take notice. She knows bands, she knows their history and she uses that knowledge to start a music blog. Allie has never really found her niche. She's kind of an outsider at school and while she has a really great relationship with her best friend, she still feels like a bit of an outsider. Music is her passion and it brings more into her life than she ever expected.

I really enjoyed the slowly emerging attraction between Allie and a guy she never expected to like. It was just what she needed and it felt true to her character. It was sweet and just a little hot. I also liked reading about Allie's adventures with her newly divorced parents. Allie is drifting from her father, who has a new girlfriend and hey, a baby on the way. At the same time, Allie's mom is dating up a storm and Allie is helping her in these hijinks. The divorce was not smooth sailing but I liked that no one was really the bad guy in the situation and that Allie realized her relationships with her parents couldn't stay the same. They were not hurtful necessarily but some things in life do grow more distant.

Then there is the music aspect of this book on its own. I really wanted to go out and listen to all the bands and albums Allie mentions. Her top five lists are a great read and are really going to get you into the spirit of the Vinyl Princess.

All in all, Allie just felt like a real character to me. Her story was filled with real issues that, while not over dramatic, were important to her. She has problems but she also has a lot of good things going on in her life as she slowly starts to realize. This is not a downer of a book but at the same time, it tackles issues that are not necessarily light and fluffy. Humor also abounds so it's a really nice combination.

So yes, I really enjoyed this book. It's perfect for your music listening teens but honestly, it's just a plain old good read. Solid story, strong main character, and an energetic story. I'm glad I checked this book out!

Also, be sure to check out The Vinyl Princess Website.

Some other reviews:
YA New York reviews The Vinyl Princess

Book borrowed from my library.

Waiting on Wednesday

 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (December 2, 2010)

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris — until she meets Étienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home. 

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna — and readers — have long awaited? 

Romance, Paris, contemporary setting, I am so there!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Romance Roundup

Romance Roundup: Here are the romance novels I reviewed in the past month or so.

Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas
His at Night by Sherry Thomas
Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl
The Night She Got Lucky by Susan Donovan
Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

Favorite of the bunch: His at Night, most definitely!
Least favorite: The Night She Got Lucky. I wish Susan Donovan would go back to the stories she used to write.

Lots more reviews in the works. Fortunately I can breeze through most romance novels.

Have you read a good romance novel in the past month or so? Anything you'd like to share?

Review: This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas

This Gorgeous Game by Donna Freitas is a book that creeped me out from start to finish. I'm not sure if that is praise or not but it makes it memorable because frankly I was having creepy goosebumps pop up on my arms during certain scenes.

Synopsis: Olivia Peters is over the moon when her literary idol, the celebrated novelist and much adored local priest Mark D. Brendan, offers to become her personal writing mentor. But when Father Mark’s enthusiasm for Olivia’s prose develops into something more, Olivia’s emotions quickly shift from wonder to confusion to despair. Exactly what game is Father Mark playing, and how on earth can she get out of it?

Olivia Peters is seventeen and a fantastic writer. A story she submitted has been chosen by a local celebrity and priest, Mark D. Brendan, who will act as her mentor and help her explore her writing. She is also invited to participate in a prestigious summer writing seminar at a local college. It all sounds great and Olivia and family is over the moon about this opportunity. Who wouldn't be? It's definitely the chance of a lifetime but unfortunately it takes a chilling turn.

Mark is obsessed with Olivia and it begins from almost the first page. The author does a good job of slowly building the obsession he is feeling. He takes her to inappropriate places (bars where she is not at all comfortable), is giving her endless gifts, and look, he's showing up again and again! Not the actions of a normal man. This is not even throwing in the fact that he is a priest really. The fact of the matter is, he is an adult who is acting way over the line.

Olivia is a bit slow to realize this of course, even as the reader (at least this reader) was more in tune with how Mark was behaving. Olivia is excited to win, she wants to be learn from this famous writer and yes, she does like the attention he bestows on her at first, even to the exclusion of her friends and family.

Soon there are too many next times to count and each new day has me waking up wondering, What else will he bring me, give me, ask me to do now?

But it slowly starts to change for when she realizes Mark's behaviors are not quite right, that something is off. It hits her in particular when a guy she likes, Jamie, stops to visit Mark's office unexpectedly.

    I realize somehow that to Father Mark, Jamie is not a visitor but an intruder. And next... next I wonder whether I have some bit of power to fix this awkward situation, that maybe if I acknowledge Jamie, then Father Mark will, too, and the hostile feeling emanating from him will disappear because Father Mark listens to me--he pays attention to what I think as if it's the most important thing he has ever heard in his life.

And thus the cycle of obsession grows and strengthens until Olivia feels alone on every front. Who can she go to when everyone adores this man and thinks she is the luckiest girl in the world to have his guidance?

Yes, this book creeped me out. That's the pervading thought I have about it. Olivia's struggle was well portrayed, and in my mind, felt authentic. Most teens do want to try to struggle through something alone and that was the road Olivia was choosing, even as she felt helpless.


What was equally creepy and made some of Olivia's terror worse was the fact it wasn't physical or even verbal. It was just... being liked, being admired, which started out as something to be proud about but devolved into something unfortunately dirty. There is a scene in which the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal is being discussed and Olivia feels like her issues, when in relation to that, are minor and of nothing of importance. After all, she isn't being raped or molested or anything like that. But even the strongest girl will break under the kind of pressure she faced from Father Mark.

This is a gripping story with a very dark undertone. It will leave an impression, that is guaranteed. I was both repelled and drawn in by this story. Olivia truly had no idea what she was getting into when she won this contest.

Review copy received from publisher.

Other reviews of This Gorgeous Game:
Steph Su Reads reviews This Gorgeous Game
Bildungsroman reviews This Gorgeous Game
The Neverending Shelf reviews This Gorgeous Game

Review: Kiss It by Erin Downing

Kiss It by Erin Downing left me wanting a whole lot more from this story.

Synopsis:
Chastity Bryan has never been shy about going after what she wants. And when sexy, mysterious, so—not—from—this—town Sebastian walks into Chaz's life, she knows in an instant that what she wants next is him. Chaz has no intention of playing for keeps —but she most definitely has intentions. Who needs true love when you've got true lust? Sebastian has no idea what he's in for —but maybe neither does Chaz.

Chaz lives in a small town in northern Minnesota. Nothing happens in Milton and most of the residents always end up coming back to the town. Chaz wants nothing whatsoever to do with that life, but yet, she really does not have a clearly defined future either which was actually refreshing to see in a teenager. Contrary to many YA books, not all teens want to immediately go to college or really even have an idea what they want to do after high school. So, Chaz is actually quite normal.

She is also crazy for sex. Or at least, she wants sex badly. Another plus in the book's favor. Here is a girl who is not afraid of intimacy and who actually wants to experience sex and revels in it. I don't think she necessarily wants sex for all the right reasons, but it was good to see a healthy teen girl who was also feeling the hormones and wanted to move beyond kissing, and in fact, DOES move beyond kissing in this book. This is not a story for your twelve year old teens, though I wouldn't describe it as graphic.

Chaz meets Sebastian who she is immediately attracted to. He is very different from the guys in her small town and she wants him. Unfortunately he is not getting the hint. At all, no matter what Chaz says or does. So, she tries to force her feelings on a few other guys, and along the way starts to better understand sex and love.

This all sounds well and good but I have to say, I was just really bored in this book. The writing didn't really catch my attention and while I liked Chaz, I just wanted something to happen. This book is a lot of talk and feelings, and not nearly enough action despite how much Chaz wants it. There are a few other plot threads woven in that contrast with Chaz and her worldview. I enjoyed the plot with her family the most just because I really liked seeing them start to open up to each other, even infinitesimally. But that being said, I skimmed a lot of this book. I didn't find the dialogue particularly humorous or witty or anything to make it spark for me. I think a lot of people are going to really enjoy this story, and while I didn't dislike it, it's not a story that's going to stick with me.

Other reviews:
Pop Culture Junkie reviews Kiss It
Persnickety Snark reviews Kiss It
My Overstuffed Bookshelf reviews Kiss It

ARC reviewed from Around the World Tours.

Waiting on Wednesday

Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala
This comes out next week actually but for some reason I am just finding out about it and it looks really good!

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

Can't wait to read it!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Review: The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted ended up being a book I anticipated a tad too much because it didn't quite live up to my hopes. However, there is still an interesting and enjoyable story within the pages.

Synopsis: When Will and Bet were four, tragic circumstances brought them to the same house, to be raised by a wealthy gentleman as brother and sister. Now sixteen, they’ve both enjoyed a privileged upbringing thus far. But not all is well in their household. Because she’s a girl, Bet’s world is contained within the walls of their grand home, her education limited to the rudiments of reading, writing, arithmetic, and sewing. Will’s world is much larger. He is allowed—forced, in his case—to go to school. Neither is happy.

So Bet comes up with a plan and persuades Will to give it a try: They’ll switch places. She’ll go to school as Will. Will can live as he chooses. But once Bet gets to school, she soon realizes living as a boy is going to be much more difficult than she imagined.


Bet is a girl who fits into two worlds. She was raised by a wealthy man named Paul Gardener, alongside his great-nephew, Will. Bet and Will are like brother and sister, only the fact is, Bet is a girl and her mother was a maid. She is not exactly high class and does not quite know where she fits into the world. Not quite a lady, but not a maid either. However, Bet is smart and loves learning, loves reading, and articulating her thoughts. Will on the other hand detests his education and wants to join the army. That is where Bet's grand idea comes into play. They will switch places! Bet will become Will while Will goes off to join the army.

Such a scheme seems surely improbable of course but I was willing to grant the story and its characters a little creative license so I could enjoy the ride. Will teaches Bet "everything" there is to know about being a boy: how to walk, how to talk, how to smoke and drink. It is all very well and good, and somewhat of a game, until Bet leaves her home to attend "Will's" school, Betterman Academy and is forced to room with a boy. Bet is forced to be around boys constantly and as she is about to discover, that is by far the more difficult part of being a boy. Education is one thing of course, but she is about to be educated in ways she never imagined and is not sure she wants.

While I enjoyed the escapism factor of the story, I didn't quite always believe in Bet's story. Something about it didn't ring wholly true to me. That being said, I enjoyed Bet's struggles, the scrapes she got in with her fellow classmates and how she didn't just take the bullying of some of her classmates. Bet was courageous and brave and certainly had more brains than some of the boys at the school. Unfortunately, a love story is thrown into the mix and I guess I would have just preferred that this story was all about Bet. Of course, Bet falls in love with her roommate. It seems so obvious and cliched to a point and the actions revolving around the love story just were not the strongest part of the story. I admit, usually I'm all for romance but this romance just didn't work for me.

However, there were many fine points to this story and it was certainly a pleasant read. I liked both Bet and Will and their determination to see their dreams through no matter how impossible. Determination and courage is something any young person needs and I applaud the author for making those facets shine through in her characters.

One more minor quibble: while I think the cover is beautiful, I would have loved something a bit more action-packed, to fit with the character Bet was turning into: a person who takes action. This is a very stationary, in some ways, unsatisfactory cover.

The Education of Bet is not quite what I expected, despite knowing the plot in advance, and it didn't fulfill all my hopes for the story, but I came away knowing something about a memorable character and that made the journey worth it.

Book courtesy of Amazon Vine.

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!


(Left my camera at work so no picture today unfortunately.)


Bought:
Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Carter's Big Break by Brent Crawford
So Many Boys by Suzanne Young


For review:
Countdown by Deborah Wiles (from publisher)
Kiss It by Erin Downing (Around the World Tours)


Prize Win:
Ashes of Dreams by Ruth Ryan Langan


Even more I need to add to my reading list. It's neverending. Plus I received a $50 B&N giftcard this week from work so I get to spend that and I cannot wait!


In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Review: Countdown by Deborah Wiles

When I was approached by the publisher to review Countdown by Deborah Wiles, I was a bit hesitant because it seemed outside my normal reading habits. However, as soon as I started reading, all I could think was, what was I thinking?? I adore history (was a history and english major in college), I LOVE primary documents, I love digging into an era, and well, I love revisiting a past era. All that plus more is present in this engrossing story.

Synopsis: It's 1962, and it seems everyone is living in fear. Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Amidst the pervasive threat of nuclear war, Franny must face the tension between herself and her younger brother, figure out where she fits in with her family, and look beyond outward appearances. For Franny, as for all Americans, it's going to be a formative year.

This is a tense book and it starts off that way, with an air-raid siren going off at school. The students are not prepared because they don't have desks to cover with so there is complete chaos in the school yard. This basically reflects what the US is going through during the Cuban Missile Crisis, that fear of being obliterated any day. Franny is frantic, sure she is never going to see her mom or dad again. Fortunately, it proves to be a drill and the day ends with no nuclear explosion.

This book, though set in such a turbulent and divisive era in American history, is actually the story of a little eleven-year-old girl growing up, starting to notice boys, losing friends, and feeling rejected from other classmates. These are all common themes in contemporary settings so the book as a whole reads really well. I loved Franny's adventures in the gravel pit, trying to help, but yet being embarrassed by her Uncle Otts, a WWI vet who is old and dealing with PTSD. Her college age sister is starting her own life, holding secrets of her own from Franny that she just wants to discover immediately.

Many od these ideas and plot threads readers will recognize from any book but it is the setting of the 1960s that brings this book its own unique edge. The setting comes alive in a truly original way in this book because much of this book is taken up with pictures, advertisements from the era, song lyrics, and bios of famous people. I really enjoyed seeing the Bert Duck and Cover ads, the various ways to build a fall-out shelter, and these truly famous moments of history interspersed with Franny's tale of just growing up and trying to survive in a world where it feels like today may very well be your last day on earth.

There were two scenes in particular that stuck out to me and I just want to share them with you because well, they were wonderfully well-written!

McDonald's is brand-new, and we've got one right outside Andrews Air Force Base, so how it usually works in my family is: We all go in the car to drop Daddy off at Andrews, and then Mom, if she's in a good mood or wants to do something at home, like yard work instead of messing up the kitchen, takes us to the Golden Arches. We go inside, Mom orders five hamburgers, five French fries, and five cokes. We eat. OH, how I want to try the fish sandwich! The chocolate shake! The apple pie! "NO," Mom says. Fine.

Imagine if McDonald's was new, if you were just trying your first hamburger for them. I just feel like this scene really set the stage for a new type of America coming up and about. McDonald's is so common place now, is often looked down on as being a demeaning job, but here, in 1962, it is all about the excitement of eating off a tray.

Then there was this scene which just seemed so nostalgic to me:

Sunday afternoons when Daddy is home are fun. We come home from church, have tuna or egg-salad sandwiches and potato chips and big glasses of milk. I read the funny papers with Uncle Otts. Daddy reads the newspaper, then he and Mom work on a project, or Daddy disappears into his little office downstairs, where he edits home movies or organizes slides or reads from the forty-eleven million books he has on the shelves. Drew and I play with our friends.

Late in the afternoon, we pile into the station wagon and go for a drive. We just drive. Nothing's open but gas stations and 7-Elevens. We stop at model homes and walk through them in all the new neighborhoods that are being built around us. Mom and Dad talk about ideas for our house. We get ice cream. Sometimes we go to the Club for dinner, on base. We watch Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color at 7:30, then I go to bed.

Sometimes I think how refreshing it would be to have a day like this. Where nothing is open and you just spend it with your family. I rarely feel like I have a chance to sit down and relax and be not connected in some way so this passage just really touched me. I realize not everyone in the 1960s grew up with such a strong base of support but I liked how it fit Franny and her family.

I feel like this book would make a wonderful ebook on the iPad! If it was possible to incorporate music in each chapter, in moving commercials from the time period, little snippets of famous speeches, this book would become even more alive. I loved the inclusion of the multiple photographs and ads but I think the potential for this book is even stronger! Hopefully something like that is planned for the future.

My one minor caveat with this book is that I think some eleven and twelve year old children may find the length daunting, even as a lot of it is photographs. They will see that thick spine and want to reach for something else and in the meantime, miss out on a fabulous story. If you can booktalk this book and really make it come alive, I think this book is going to do really well at your library. It's a perfect book for all those kids who come up and say they need a book of historical fiction.

This is the start of a trilogy and I am excited to see where the author takes Franny (assuming she uses the same main character). This was a refreshing read for me I must say: despite the historical setting, the themes it represented seemed more alive and present than ever.

This book was sent from the publisher for review.

Other reviews:
GreenBeanTeenQueen reviews Countdown
The OWL reviews Countdown

Update

This has been an extremely busy week for me because summer programs started this week and I traveled to all of my library's locations to help get them off and running. The program consisted of a boatload of water games: balloon toss, several water relays, a duck race, hot potato, "dribble dribble drench" (duck duck goose or as I have always known it from growing up in Minnesota, duck duck gray duck). The weather was great, if sizzling, but all that water definitely helped! There was about 20 or so at each program which is pretty good for a kick-off. Usually as the summer goes on, the attendance goes up. I'm exhausted as of now but really excited to see what the summer brings.

That being said, all I've read this week are re-reads of some favorite romance books so I could just pick out my favorite scenes and not have to worry about following the plots when I was so tired. But, I have a few reviews in the works including one for Countdown which I'm really, really enjoying! It's set in the same period as Mad Men, one of my favorite TV shows, only told from the viewpoint of an eleven year old girl, mixed in with lots of photographs, song lyrics, and advertisements. It's really, really great. I can't wait to sit down this evening and finish it.

So yes, I'm definitely still around, if a bit more tired this Friday. But you can't beat three days and four programs of fun water games so what can I say, worth it!

And on Sunday, True Blood premieres! So all in all, good week. Also, got my $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble for being employee of the month so guess where I'm going this weekend, and what I'm going to buy, well SEA for one probably, not sure what else.

Have you been reading anything amazing you want to share? Any BEA titles I need to add to my list of neverending books?

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

This week in books was small but quality!

Amazon Vine:
The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Whoopie Pies (can't wait to try one of these recipes.)

Bought:
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Yay for mail! Hope you all had a good mail week too.

Review: Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Girl, Stolen by April Henry is the harrowing story of a car theft gone very, very wrong.

Synopsis: Sixteen year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription at the pharmacy. Before Cheyenne realizes what's happening, their car is being stolen--with her inside! Griffin hadn’t meant to kidnap Cheyenne, all he needed to do was steal a car for the others. But once Griffin's dad finds out that Cheyenne’s father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there’s a reason to keep her. What Griffin doesn’t know is that Cheyenne is not only sick with pneumonia, she is blind. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare, and if she does, at what price? 

When Griffin discovers Cheyenne in the back of the car he has stolen, he freaks immediately. And he can't seem to think of a good way out of this situation, even when he learns that Cheyenne is blind and therefore cannot identify him. But unfortunately, his decision-making was already not so great, what with the car theft, so he decides to bring her back to his father's house, where Roy is not happy. That is, until he learns that Cheyenne is the daughter of a very wealthy man.


The tension in this book comes from several key plot points. Griffin, a teen just doing what he has been taught by his dad, makes a horrible decision and watches his world fall apart even more. Then there is Roy, TJ, and Jimbo, the very obvious bad guys who are cruel and frightening. The reader is left to wonder, will Griffin be able to find a way to help Cheyenne, a person he is seeing as a friend.

Cheyenne's blindness also poses an obvious threat to her and ratchets up the tension even more. What I really liked was how well researched this book was, at least from my point of view. I honestly do not know much about what is like being blind, how guide dogs for the blind truly work and communicate with their owner, and I obviously do not know what it is like being blind. April Henry helped me understand it to a small degree however. It is still foreign to me considering I can see, but I felt like I got a bit of a look at what it must feel like being blind. Empathy and understanding came through in that respect for me in particular.

I think the author did a great job of building Cheyenne's character and making her never let her guard down, not even with Griffin. Cheyenne knew she could only rely on herself, much as Griffin wanted to help. I also enjoyed the slow buildup of semi-friendship these two shared. I don't want to call it friendship or trust or anything that goes along with friendship because they weren't friends. They were both just trying to survive and a bond was formed in that moment.

This book is aptly short and tight on plot twists and intensity. I enjoyed going along for the ride, even as I felt the ending was somewhat abrupt and to an extent, even anticlimactic for me. However, the characters themselves did not let me down and that is what I enjoyed most about this book. I think this would be an excellent book to hand to teens who need a fast-paced and action-filled story because this book moves quickly. Short chapters, intensity and a good mix of action and inaction to build the suspense of the kidnapping thread. I was scared for Cheyenne so I think that's a mark, in my mind, of this story's success.

Girl, Stolen comes out in October 2010. This ARC was provided from Around the World Tours.

Review: The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells

The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells was a very uneven story for me.

Synopsis: After getting dumped by her boyfriend, Mia is looking forward to spending a relaxing summer in the Hamptons with her glamorous cousins. But when she arrives she find her cousins distant, moody, and caught up with a fast crowd. Mia finds herself lonelier than ever, until she meets her next-door-neighbor, Simon Ross. And from the very first time he encourages her to go skinny dipping, she's caught in a current impossible to resist. 

This story explores a summer at the beach through the many layered problems that come from just growing up. Mia is no longer as close to her cousin, Corinne, and really, she barely recognizes this cruel person that her cousin has become. Mia just wants to relax and have fun but she quickly realizes there are some deep problems going on beneath the surface of her perfect summer.


Part of the problem for me with this book is Mia herself. She seemed to follow the up and down moods of her cousins too much that I could not get a handle on her as a reader. I guess this could be authentic for a teen character because teens are of course constantly changing who they are, but in this case, it just annoyed me more than endeared me to her.

I did enjoy the emerging friendship between Mia and Simon however. He was so comfortable in who he was that I think Mia benefited from her friendship, then, something more, with him. She became comfortable in her own skin, rather than feeling like the outsider even more.

I found it sad that Mia was portrayed as such a goody-good girl because she was not into drugs, fashion, she hadn't lost her virginity, and she was not a danger junkie. I realize that some teens would mock her for something like this but I felt like it gave a really negative feel to her character instead of enhancing her character. There is something to be said for being the voice of reason, for being a more mature teen and I don't think her character received enough credit for those facts. And you know what, I was basically a goody-good girl growing up, academic, school involved, etc, and I had a great time growing up. I wish that positive side had been shown more rather than making Mia envious for what she wasn't.

This is a very summer-esque story though. It goes very fast and you definitely feel like you're at the beach, like you can admire the moon at night, and feel the sand in your toes. Even when I didn't always like Mia, I still enjoyed her story. So like I said, a very uneven story for me.

As for the ending, I'm glad the author wrote it the way she did. It felt like the most authentic piece of the book to me. While I didn't totally fall for this story, I like the writing style and I would definitely be willing to explore more of Amanda Howells' books in the future.

ARC received from Around the World Tours.

Jennifer Echols Contest Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered my Jennifer Echols contest. It was a nice showing for my second ever blog contest.

And with that, the winner is...

April W!

Congratulations April, the book you chose will be in the mail this week. I hope you like the story!

Month in review: May

Who can believe it's June? Because I know I can't. Yikes. Summer is here!

Here is what I read in May:

58. Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl (5/1/10)
59. Lover Mine by JR Ward (5/3/10)
60. Forget You by Jennifer Echols (5/7/10)
61. The Mark by Jen Nadol (5/8/10)
62. You Wish by Mandy Hubbard (5/9/10)
63. His at Night by Sherry Thomas (5/13/10)
64. The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell (5/14/10)

65. Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols (5/16/10)

66. Sinful by Charlotte Featherstone (5/18/10)

67. The Karma Club by Jessica Brody (5/19/10)
68. Insatiable by Meg Cabot (5/24/10)
69. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (5/28/10)
70. Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas (5/29/10)
71. Girl, Stolen by April Henry (5/29/10)
72. The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells (5/31/10)

Total books read: 15. Not too shabby. I'm finally in the 70s at least. Maybe I can make 100 before July (probably not however, lol, that's 30 books in June and I know that won't happen.)

Favorite book this month: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

There were no books I didn't like this month which is a pleasant surprise. Can't say I'll re-read all of these but most of them were easy enough to get through.

Was May a good reading month for you?