Review: Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford

"Heinie!" "Booger!" "Shut up!" and "Mayonnaise" These are some of the words that are verboten in the Sullivan family. These tiny quirks lead to a crescendo of oddities in Natalie Standiford's The Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters. Standiford is the author of the Cybils award nominated title How to Say Good-Bye in Robot and the quirkiness that makes itself known in that book definitely takes a turn in her second story.

Synopsis:
The Sullivan sisters have a big problem. On Christmas Day their rich and imperious grandmother gathers the family and announces that she will soon die . . .and has cut the entire family out of her will. Since she is the source of almost all their income, this means they will soon be penniless.
Someone in the family has offended her deeply. If that person comes forward with a confession of her (or his) crime, submitted in writing to her lawyer by New Year's Day, she will reinstate the family in her will. Or at least consider it. And so the confessions begin....

The book is broken down into the three Sullivan sisters' confessions: Norrie, a confession of a love affair with a decidedly not so wealthy New York Film Grad Student. Jane, the middle daughter, a confession of a blog that shares family secrets and scandals, and youngest sister, Sassy, and her belief she is unkillable. How these three confessions play out really isn't the point. What made this book enjoyable for me was the three sisters themselves and how unique they were on the page.

That being said, this was a slower read for me. It has the air of an old-fashioned, mid-twentieth century, turn of the ages wealth story, but it is set in the here and now. However, these girls come from a wealthy and respectable Baltimore family and that plays out on the pages in delicate twists and turns. It reminded me a lot of Rory Gilmore's adventures with her grandparents' society in Gilmore Girls. Being as I loved that show, well, I enjoyed the antics of these three sisters.

However, this is not an action-packed story. It is solidly character driven and Standiford takes the time to flesh out the three sisters and their actions. The family is definitely a cast of odd eccentrics but they seemed genuine, even as the parents in particular, were to a certain degree, neglectful of the three sisters and their actions. There certainly were no consequences coming from the parents. It is the girls who realize, through their confessions, the full brunt of their actions and judge themselves.

This book is not going to be for every teen reader out there, that's for certain. But if you have a reader who is looking for something a little bit different, a little bit out of the ordinary, but that still contains concepts they will recognize (love, friendship, revenge, family pettiness, as well as family support), I think handing them this book would hopefully make for a happy reader.

I was not always completely engrossed in this story but at the same time, I did want to find out the confessions these sisters had to offer. And of course, in the end, Standiford does something incredibly humorous and quirky that makes the confessions all worthwhile. The ending itself is fairly open-ended but for me, it fit the book perfectly.

Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters is not your run of the mill teen read, that is for certain.

ARC reviewed from Amazon Vine.

Review: What's your St@tus? by Katie Finn

What's Your St@tus? by Katie Finn is the second book in her Top 8 series, following the book, Top 8. After the hijinks that ensued in book one, where Madison MacDonald had her Friendverse profile hacked and all her secrets revealed, Mad is playing it safe. Sure, she still posts a bit too much information on the school's new social network, Status Q, but she does know when to keep a secret safe! Unfortunately, things aren't going quite as well as she had hoped.

The prom committee is kind of a mess and Mad is right in the middle of it. Then the school's priceless Hayes crown goes missing under Madison's watch and life goes from bad to worse. And to top it all off, Madison may have, most unexpectedly, offered to sleep with her boyfriend for the first time on prom night.

This book is filled with classic teen angst scenes but it's all done with a fun and frothy tone that makes the hijinks lots of fun to read about. The addition of Status Q (basically Twitter) is a great little game change in the book. It help breaks up the longer chapters and give things a more ominous tone when done in a few short words. (It did creep me out a bit that the school's assistant headmaster had such easy access to their Status Q updates and could disable/block accounts when he desired.)

Like the first book, Madison is just trying her best to get along and solve all the problems creeping up in her life. She just wants to spend time with Nate, her boyfriend, but instead she has to think up a way to solve her school's biggest crime of all. I really enjoyed the escapades Mad and her crew got up to. It was fun to read about the heist she devised.

This series is perfect for your teen fans who enjoy social networking in their titles. This would be a great suggestion to someone who enjoyed Liz Rudnick's Tweet Heart, but this has the bonus of being part of a series so you get to follow the characters from book one to two. I know Katie Finn is busy working on another Top 8 title so I'll be interested to see what she comes up with. I'd be willing to read another Mad MacDonald adventure in cyberspace.

And in case you haven't entered yet, there is still time to win Top 8 and What's Your St@tus? in my contest!.

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

This week in books I received:

Mail:
Confessions of the Sullivan sisters by Natalie Standiford (Amazon Vine)
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney (Amazon Vine)
The Year of Living Scandalously by Julia London (for A Romance Review)

Bought:
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren and with some influence from Pop Culture Junkie.

How about you? Did you get anything good in the mail or at the bookstore or library this week?

Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium is Lauren Oliver's second book. I was a bit leery going into this book because I was not a huge fan of her first book, Before I Fall. That was just an okay read for me. Fortunately, Delirium proved to be an interesting and complex story with not nearly as much lag time that translated into boredom (for me anyway).

Synopsis: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

In some ways, this book really resembled Matched by Ally Condie. However, both authors are adroit and talented writers so early similarities at least faded away for me as I got to know and better understand Lena. This book is part love story and even more, the story of a girl finally waking up to the fact that life is not right. What I loved about this book, well its numerous, but to begin with, I liked how each chapter started with a little excerpt from one of the documents or books that make up the United States that Lena is living in. Chapter 20 (from the ARC edition) begins with "Ex rememdium salvae. 'From the cure, salvation.' --Printed on all American currency." That is how deep the act of curing love has been integrated into society. It's on money! Whether it's a twisted Psalm or something from the Book of Shhh, each chapter jumps you squarely into the society that Lena is living with. Love is a disease. It is something to be cured from. It is essentially equal to evil.

Lena is anxiously awaiting the day she will be cured. She has a countdown going and while nervous about her evaluation, is sure the cure is what she needs to live down her mother's suicide. In marked contrast, Lena's best friend, Hana, is starting to get antsy and is questioning the role the government plays in pairing them up and in essentially making all their choices. By book's end, they face a major role reversal.

What I also really enjoyed about this book is how Lena changes. It's not just from meeting Alex, the boy who "infects" her with amor deliria nervosa (aka love). Yes, he opens her eyes to some things but it is Lena who is the catalyst for herself too. She watches her aunt's life day in and day out and realizes soon enough that she does not relish that same type of life. She will miss her connection with Hana, which will be wiped out by the cure. Everything she cherishes (running, her cousin Gracie, sleepovers with Hana, laughter) will be gone and that is becoming unpalatable to her. It's as Lena says: (quote taken from ARC edition)

Best friends for over ten years and in the end it all comes down to the edge of a scalpel, to the motion of a laser beam through the brain and a flashing surgical knife. All that history and its importance gets detached, floats away like a severed balloon. In two years--in two months--Hana and I will pass each other on the streets with nothing more than a nod--different people, different worlds, two stars revolving silently, separated by thousands of miles of dark space.

As Lena says herself, she is just an plain and ordinary girl. But her courage and tenacity grow in leaps and bounds in this story.

My one small criticism is that at times, I felt like the threat of the regulators should have been more real. Yes, they are seen on the streets, marching around, making sure everyone has their papers, but essentially their threat is not realized until the end. Even as Lena knows she is breaking the rules and risking things for Alex, they go about their relationship in a type of mist of happiness that does not seem to recognize the supposed threats of the regulators. 

The ending was superbly done. It worked for the story perfectly and matched the tone Lauren Oliver had set throughout the book.

Ultimately, this book was much more engrossing for me than Before I Fall. I'm glad I could have a better experience with this author. While I did skim sometimes the minute detail she put into the book (details that may have, if removed, tightened this story a bit more and took down the huge word count), I was most assuredly engrossed in Lena's survival.

Though as I commented on Twitter while reading this, I would love to see a teen dystopian book where an electrical fence that is supposedly caging everyone in, is all the way electrified and not just certain parts. I think that would ramp up the tension even more. It's become somewhat of a cliche in these books to have an electrified fence but hey, look, that part, it's not electrified! We can sneak through. I realize it moves the story along but at the same time, I'd love to see a more challenging way of escaping into the "other," whatever it may be and in this case, is the Wilds.

Delirium had me captivated. I cannot deny that. Lena and Alex, their story, and Lena's quest for love will remain memorable and alive.

Delirium releases February 2011.

ARC reviewed from Around the World Tours

Other reviews:
The Compulsive Reader reviews Delirium
Gravity Reviews reviews Delirium
My Overstuffed Bookshelf reviews Delirium
   

Waiting on Wednesday

Not that Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian (September 1, 2010)

Natalie Sterling wants to be in control. She wants her friends to be loyal. She wants her classmates to elect her student council president. She wants to find the right guy, not the usual jerk her school has to offer. She wants a good reputation, because she believes that will lead to good things. 

But life is messy, and it's very hard to be in control of it. Not when there are freshman girls running around in a pack, trying to get senior guys to sleep with them. Not when your friends have secrets they're no longer comfortable sharing. Not when the boy you once dismissed ends up 

being the boy you wants to sleep with yourself - but only in secret, with nobody ever finding out.

Slut or saint? Winner or loser? Natalie is getting tired of these forced choices - and is now going to find a way to live life in the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful in-between. 

I'm also waiting for...

Where She Went by Gayle Forman (April 4, 2011), the sequel to If I Stay

The Cover was released on EW.com yesterday. And in case you're not following it, Gayle Forman is hosting the Where She Went Teaser Tour on various blogs! Stop by each one and read the hints.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Review: The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green

The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green is an an easy-breezy and enjoyable story that will appeal to tweens and teens.

Synopsis: When Erin Channing's favorite aunt dies, Erin is bequeathed a pink crystal ball and a set of weird instructions. Granted, Aunt Kiki (aka Aunt Kooky) always lived "outside the box." But now Erin and her two best friends are convinced that the pink crystal ball holds the key to their future-or at least the key to getting dates...

Erin Channing is shocked to hear of the death of her Aunt Kiki. Unfortunately, Kiki and Erin's mom haven't spoken in a year so her sudden death is even more hard to take. Kiki has left something for Erin however. A pink crystal ball with a set of special instructions that Erin has to figure out. Suddenly, Erin's life is filled with the unexpected. Magic and wishes are mixing up her life in a big way and the results are far from what she wanted!

Erin is a studious and nice character. It was fun to see her life being shaken up so much and for her to start experiencing things so outside her norm. She goes to a punk rock concert, her eyes are opened up to unexpected art and she rekindles a friendship and romance with a friend from the past. Of course, there are the downsides too which are funny and fit the context of the book.

This was a very quick read. Once I started, I kept on going. It was just a pleasing and nice story to read about. No real drama or awful situations. Yes, there is death but that becomes the catalyst for Erin to really let go and live. This is a fun and light-hearted read you can hand to teenage girls and tweens even. It's a clean read (though there is some kissing), no swearing, and while there are certainly some unexpected teenage adventures, it will just draw the reader in. Erin has two best friends and they all rely on each other and have a great friendship. That was another pleasant aspect of this book. Of course, there is the obligatory mean girl, and kind of a creepy secondary male character, but they just provided more conflict in the grand scheme of the book.

All in all, The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball proved to be a great read. It's not groundbreaking but it provided me with some laughter and a good way to spend an evening. Sometimes that's all I need in a book!

This book is released by Sourcebooks in September 2010.

ARC provided by Around the World Tours.

Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101

I am not one to rant about politics ever really, I usually don't care enough to do it. And well, this is a book blog and this type of post is the rare, rare exception for me. But because the ballot measures that are going to be on Colorado's ballot this November hit so close to home, I wanted to touch on it briefly in my blog. I will, very likely, lose my job come January if Amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101 are passed in Colorado. These measures will cut my library's funding by 30%. Basically my library's budget is at 8.1 million right now. It will be cut by 2.4 million if not a bit more. That is a huge, huge amount! Yes, libraries are made of books and computers and movies but when it comes down to the budget, more often than not, libraries are made of people, salaries, and benefits. I am not the only one facing a job loss however, let me be clear. Librarians across Colorado will lose their jobs, libraries across Colorado will be forced to drastically cut their hours or even close. And libraries are not the only ones to be hurt by this. Here is the breakdown (taken from Don't Hurt Colorado):

Amendment 60

Schools would lose more than a billion dollars in funding each year. The school districts would be required to cut property taxes by 50 percent. Think of it – school tax revenue cut in half! This would be on top of cuts that have already occurred. Inevitably, there will be more closings and even fewer teachers.

The language in the amendment claims that the state would have to make up the difference, but where would the money come from? The state is already strapped for cash and has cut billions from the budget.

Would overturn hundreds of local elections – commonly called de-Brucings – that have occurred since 1992. Local voters throughout Colorado have chosen to give greater flexibility to their school districts, library districts, fire departments, police departments and other services to meet local needs. If Amendment 60 passes, local control would be usurped by the state, resulting in financial chaos for local communities and especially for our schools.

Amendment 61:

Amendment 61 will collapse Colorado’s economy, robbing us of any chance of economic recovery. It eliminates Colorado’s ability to build or expand its schools, roads, hospitals, college buildings, light rail, water and sewer systems, prisons—in fact, any of its capital infrastructure.

The amendment would severely limit – even prohibit – what it calls “government borrowing.” On the surface, it might sound like a good idea. But in reality, this proposal has nothing to do with problems at the national level like borrowing and deficit spending. Proponents are trying to mislead voters by using words like “government borrowing” when, in reality, they are trying to do away with state and local bonding.

Proposition 101:

Eliminates a major funding source for road and bridge construction across the state. The annual vehicle registration fee would be cut to an arbitrary $10 – no longer based on vehicle size or weight. The registration fee hasn’t been that low since 1919 when the state had only a handful of paved roads. Road budgets would be cut by hundreds of millions of dollars, meaning more potholes and crumbling bridges. Not only would state highway projects be cut, but local projects would be as well, since cities and counties receive a major portion of their road funding from this fee.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) estimates that Proposition 101 would eliminate a quarter of its annual revenue – about $277 million!

The Specific Ownership Tax on cars would be reduced to $2 on new cars and $1 on used cars. This revenue actually helps fund schools districts and other local government priorities. Local revenue would be cut by some $500 million annually.

The state income tax also would be reduced incrementally to 3.5 percent. This would eliminate a quarter of the state’s revenue from income tax when state budget already has been severely impacted by the recession. Such a drastic reduction would mean even more cuts in critical state services.

 
In short, Colorado schools, government, libraries, businesses, and more will lose funding. People will lose jobs and in this economy this is not something the state of Colorado can afford!

I can certainly understand the lure of lower taxes, I also understand that in order to have services, there has to be money coming in! Yes, I'd love it if the government used that money more wisely but on the other hand, I certainly don't want to cut off all funds. That is what these measures will do.

For a different point of view, basically the point of view I am not at all interested in seeing prevail in Colorado, visit Colorado Tax Reforms. (Though I ask you, how is reviving an 1876 ban on state borrowing GOOD NEWS?? 1876! That is light years away from the realities of 2010.)

No matter what side you believe in, if you are living in Colorado this November, please, please remember to get out there and VOTE. It's up to you to decide, this is just one Colorado citizen's perspective and has nothing at all to do with the library where I work and their views. The content of this post (as with the content of my entire blog) is just the opinion of one person.

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

It was an exciting and somewhat unexpected week in books for me.

In the mail:
Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Around the World Tours)
The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green (Around the World Tours)
Relatively Famous by Jessica Park (Around the World Tours)
Matched by Ally Condie from the publisher (I'm offering this to Around the World Tours so if you're interested in reading it, go on over and sign up)

Not included in this picture (because I FORGOT!) but I also received The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney and Sarah Ockler's Fixing Delilah from an online friend who was very kind to send them my way so I could read them. Thank you!

And as long as you're here, if you haven't done so yet, please enter my contest to win Top 8 and What's Your St@tus by Katie Finn!

In My Mailbox is a creation of Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren.

Review: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann her first single title book. It is somewhat of a departure from the Wake trilogy. For me, it was definitely a grand adventure into the world of the scary and creepy. I'll be interested to hear what other reviewers have to say. It left me with some questions in terms of connecting the plot together but overall, really enjoyed this story.

Synopsis: The small town of Cryer¹s Cross is rocked by tragedy when an unassuming freshman disappears without a trace. Kendall Fletcher wasn’t that friendly with the missing girl, but the angst wreaks havoc on her OCD-addled brain.

When a second student goes missing - someone close to Kendall’s heart - the community is in an uproar. Caught in a downward spiral of fear and  anxiety, Kendall’s not sure she can hold it together. When she starts hearing the voices of the missing, calling out to her and pleading for help, she fears she’s losing her grip on reality. But when she finds messages scratched in a desk at school - messages that could only be from the missing student who used to sit there - Kendall decides that crazy or not, she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t act on her suspicions.

Something’s not right in Cryer’s Cross - and Kendall’s about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried.

I must make reference to the above line in red because honestly, this makes it sound like the town is hiding something truly terrible and that just was not the feeling I got from the story. I found this line to be more misleading than anything else.

So, going into this review, you should understand that I do not tolerate being scared very well. I don't watch scary movies (well, hardly ever), I am an incredibly jumpy person at night, and I tend to accentuate noises in my head until I am sure a mass murderer is at my door. So yeah, I scare easily basically. So keep that in mind when I say this book honestly creeped me out. I think some of the scariest things in the world do not have to be people and Lisa McMann proved this theory to me yet again. Think of TVs, telephones, rings, masks, etc. Those can scare me more than a bloody dripping killer. Anyway, this is kind of one of those inanimate stories where I am spooked by the very ordinary. I do not want to spoil it for anyway so I won't really touch too much on this but I think you can guess from certain things about the book what the scare factor is. It's like, being at the safest place you can imagine only to find that something is truly not right.

And that brings me to the lovable and confused Kendall. She suffers from OCD but is trying her best to cope with it in life. Yes, she still has routines that she has to adhere to, she does count things to calm herself down, but honestly, she was pretty darn normal. She loved soccer, to dance, had just discovered theater, and her best friend and guy she likes, Nico, is the world to her. But then that is all changed when he goes missing and Kendall's safe world, her world of OCD routine, is shaken to the very core.

I couldn't help comparing Kendall to Janie (I'm sorry, I couldn't!!). I like Janie quite a bit but I was glad to see that Kendall was a bit happier, a bit more normal I guess. She had a steady home life, had lived in the same community her entire life, and was basically for all intents and purposes, normal. But that normalcy is thrown asunder with Nico's disappearance, the second in her extremely small community.

There is also another change in Kendall's life: a new boy. Jacian (thank you Ms. McMann for putting in pronunciation.) He is angry at leaving behind a promising soccer future in Arizona to come to a school that can barely put together a soccer team. He is creating new feelings in Kendall she is not ready for, not so soon after Nico's disappearance. She can only hope he will return.

But ah, the creep factor. It is a slow and steady build, at least for me. Maybe it's easier for me to believe that something not breathing could be evil (why I don't know) but I totally believed the sinister presence in this book. I did not however totally believe in the story that was thrown at the end. It seemed almost mundane in its simplicity and not quite the reason for the evil I was expecting, even though there had been hints throughout the book. That being said, I guess I expected a truly unreal scare but instead, McMann adroitly combines a truly scary real life situation, something teens and kids across the world are facing.

And did I mention there is a scene involving a grave and dirt and maggots and oh man, I'm getting chills again. Truly well done Ms. McMann! You had me creeped out and I know this is a book I'm going to be promoting as a spooky read. I also love the fact that it's a single story. It ended just where it needed to be and I am happy that a sequel is not planned (as of yet anyway.)

Unfortunately this book doesn't come out until February 2011, but it's a good one to look forward to!

Other reviews:

Princess Bookie's Goodreads review of Cryer's Cross 

ARC provided by Around the World Tours

Review: The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur

I'll be honest, I think this is a book you're either going to like/love or a book you just aren't going to get and enjoy. Me, I fall into the former category and thoroughly enjoyed The Ivy. Keep in mind, I also love Gossip Girl, Dawson's Creek, and Pretty Little Liars (TV version all, not necessarily books). I relish drama and backbiting and mixed-up love affairs. So, that's where I'm coming from when I say I enjoyed this book.

Synopsis: Freshman year at Harvard--glamorous parties, blossoming friendships, steamy romances, and scandalous secrets. Skip the campus tour and get right to the good stuff: classes are for scoping guys (and their Facebook profiles), not taking notes. The library is for study dates (the medieval history stacks get a lot of action), not studying. And success is a 4.0 GPA... plus getting into the most exclusive parties. How will Callie--a California girl with brains, beauty, and big dreams--and her three roommates survive?

Get admitted to The Ivy, the first book in a provocative new series about the world of the Ivy League.

Callie Andrews is a girl from California who is starting her freshmen year at Harvard. She is excited, nervous, and apprehensive. She wants to study hard but she also wants to get in with all the right groups. Two of her roommates, Mimi and Vanesssa, can help her on the right group part, but it will be up to Callie to truly understand who her friends are and who her enemies are.

This book is pretty fluffy, I'll be perfectly honest. Don't go into expecting an in depth look at these characters' emotions. Instead, everything is glossed over with the privileged wand that is Harvard. However, this isn't a bad thing, at least for me. I truly loved the different hijinks that Callie and her roommates, and potential crushes, all got into. The old-fashioned Pudding Societies, writing competitively against upperclassmen, and of course, conversing with the rich and privileged. Loved it all!

Part of what I loved so much is a character named Gregory Bolton who I am rooting for enormously! But I will let you read the book and find out why. He's definitely a jerk and I'm falling into the category of reader who likes a guy that treats women not all that well admittedly, but he's also immature and grew up wealthy. I could cut him some slack.

I'm already anxious for book two! I cannot wait to find out how Callie's scandal is about to play out, if she will mend certain fences or have to go her own, finally, against all the wealthy who have somewhat welcomed her into their closed ranks. Yes, I basically devoured this book.

I think if you enjoyed Gossip Girl, The Luxe and other books of that nature, where the characters are embroiled in gossip, where relationships shift at the speed of light, and where girls are more frenemies than friends, you will certainly enjoy The Ivy. I'm on tenterhooks for more and according to the authors, I won't get book two until May 2011!

ARC reviewed from Around the World Tours.

Other reviews:
Angieville reviews The Ivy
The Book Vixen reviews The Ivy
Bookalicio.us reviews The Ivy  Freshman year at Harvard--glamorous parties, blossoming friendships, steamy romances, and scandalous secrets. Skip the campus tour and get right to th ...more

What's Your St@tus? Contest!!

I'm really excited today to bring you a very cool contest. Here's your chance to win Katie Finn's Top 8 and What's Your St@tus?, her new book in the Top 8 series.

Sixteen-year-old Madison still loves logging on to Friendverse to see what her BFFs and her cute new boyfriend Nate are up to. But the latest social networking craze is Status Q, which is all about rapid-fire status updates. When one of Mad’s friends has to pull off a high-pressure heist, the gang relies on Status Q to send code messages to each other…all in the middle of a school dance! Will up-to-the-minute social networking save the day…or lead to good old-fashioned disaster?

A little bit about author Katie Finn...
Katie Finn is the author of Top 8 and What’s Your St@tus?. She lives and writes in Los Angeles. Friend her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @katiefinnwrites and visit her online at http://www.katiefinn.com.

Need some more information?
Visit Katie Finn's Book section!
Read more about it at the This Is Point website!
Read the entire second chapter online!

Now I'm sure what you really want to know is what will you win??? Well...

One lucky winner will win a copy of Top 8 AND What's Your St@tus?

To enter, you just have to do TWO very simple things:

1. Fill out the contest entry form here!

2. Since this is a twitter-centric giveaway I'm also asking that you tweet from your twitter.com account "Just entered to win a copy of Katie Finn's What’s Your St@tus http://tinyurl.com/285otmw @truthuniversaly"  and then paste the link to that specific status update in the entry form. Something sounds confusing? Leave me a comment and I can try to help you out!

The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S. only.

The giveaway will end Sunday, September 5 at midnight.

Book prizes courtesy of marketing firm! Thank you so much.

Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti is the kind of book I adore. Cute romance, friend issues, and a character who knows herself fairly well.

Synopsis: Best friends Lani and Erin couldn’t be more different. Lani’s reserved and thoughtful; Erin’s bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There’s no possible way they could be interested in the same guy. So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can’t believe she feels such a deep connection with him—and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it’s her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can’t have? 

I really enjoyed Lani's dilemma. She did not want to hurt her friend with good reason but at the same time, she met this guy who she connected with instantly. It was definitely hard for them to stay apart. And I was rooting totally for them to get together so I was definitely on Lani's side.

And I know I wasn't supposed to truly hate Erin, but I didn't like her much at all. I thought she was selfish, self-absorbed and I didn't see any of the bond Lani did in their friendship. Erin was pretty much all for herself. I truly didn't like her and I thought her vengeful actions were terrible. You don't treat friends like that, no matter what. I don't care if you're a teenager or an adult. Not that Lani's actions were totally innocent either. She knew Erin like Jason and yet, Lani wouldn't stay away (neither would Jason). So, there was definitely imperfections on both sides of this friendship, all of which Colasanti did a great job of depicting. I really did hurt for these characters and their friendship just because Lani put so much stock into it.

I zoomed through this book in a matter of two hours and wanted more! I wish there had been an epilogue (I love epilogues). The postcard at the end didn't cut it for me. But yet again, Colasanti does a great job of showing the various sides and facets to an issue. I love how her books start with something fairly simple, a basic premise in YA land: a crush and new relationship, and kind of turns it on its head into something a little bit different but makes for a great reading experience.

Colasanti's next novel, So Much Closer, will be out in May 2011 according to her website. I can't wait to read it.

Book reviewed from library copy.

Other reviews:
Presenting Lenore reviews Something Like Fate
The Compulsive Reader reviews Something Like Fate
Frenetic Reader reviews Something Like Fate

In My Mailbox

Sarah Mail!

This week in books I received:

Dark Song by Gail Giles
Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Top 8 and What's Your St@tus by Katie Finn (look for a contest on my blog on Monday to win your own copy!)

Not pictured: Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare (for romance review site)
The Ivy by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur (for book tour site, but already mailed off)

Really excited to read all these books but especially Plain Kate!

What did you get this week? Any recommendations on what I should start first?

Review: Karma Bites by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas

Karma Bites by Stacy Kramer and Valerie Thomas is a fun story that reminded me of Sabrina the Teenage Witch in some ways. However, Karma Bites is plenty unique enough to stand on its own.

Synopsis:
Life seems to have it in for Franny Flanders.
Her best friends aren’t speaking, her parents just divorced, and her hippie grandmother has moved in. The only karma Franny’s got is bad karma.
Then Franny gets her hands on a box of magic recipes that could fix all of her problems. It could even change the world! Finally, life is looking up.
But Franny is about to learn that magic and karma aren’t to be played with. When you mess with the universe, it can bite back in unexpected ways.
Ouch!

Franny has two best friends: uber-popular Peak, Joey, and socially non-existent beek, Kate. Joey and Kate only share one thing in common: Franny. Franny has the unique seventh grade privilege of being able to float between the various social groups in school but she is tired of it. She has to devote so much time to floating back and forth that she has no place in middle school and she is darn right tired of it. When her wacky grandmother uses a magic tincture on her hair, it transforms Franny in other ways and it leaves Franny wondering, what else the magic could accomplish when it is used with only the best of intentions. But as her grandmother cautions her, the universe changes when magic is used. And Franny is about to see the results of her machinations, well-intentioned or not.

Karma Bites is a fun read, particularly for the tween set I think. It tackles several issues tweens face in middle school: fitting in, the social hierarchy, crushes, and friendship. Even with its magical plot thread, this is a book grounded in the realities tweens are facing in school.

I will say, I sometimes felt parts of the book were over the top. The multitude of cliques at school was mind-boggling and it just seemed too much. I also felt like Franny's grandmother was a bit over the top too. Though at least towards the end she changed into the voice of reason. On the other hand, magic is over the top and makes things seem bigger than life so it did fit the book. As an adult, I just couldn't always buy into it.

The best part of this book was by far seeing Franny struggle, adapt to new situations, and watch her magic go awry. She is just trying to find a place for herself in school and does not want to go about it the hard way. I liked that she seemed to find herself by book's end. She wasn't just a best friend for Kate or a best friend for Joey, she was Franny, a girl with interests of her own and the decision to finally do some of the things she wanted to do.

Karma Bites isn't a magically perfect read but it is a genuine book where the main character stands out for both her courage and the mishaps she experiences along the way.

Other reviews:
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy reviews Karma Bites
The O.W.L. reviews Karma Bites

ARC received from the Amazon Vine program.

Review: The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride wasted no time in pulling me into the story and keeping me hanging on. Truly, this is a title that lived up to the tension within its main character, Tessa.


Synopsis: When Tessa's best friend Noelle disappears right before the start of eighth grade, Tessa's life changes completely—she shies away from her other friends and stops eating in the cafeteria. Now, two years later, Noelle has escaped her captivity and is coming home, in one piece but not exactly intact, and definitely different. Tessa's life is about to change again as she tries to revive the best-friendship the two girls had shared before Noelle—now Elle—was kidnapped; puts up a futile resistance to the charming new guy at school; pursues her passion for photography while trying to build the bravado to show her photos to the public; and tries to balance her desire to protect and shelter Elle with the necessity to live her own life and put herself first.

From the moment we meet Tessa, she is already in limbo. She has lived with the fact that her best friend has been missing for two years and suddenly, she hears the news that miracle of all miracles, Tessa has contacted her family and this nightmare is going to be over soon. But of course, as everyone will instantly realize, the nightmare is far from over. Tessa immediately is excited, giddy in fact, for her best friend's, Noelle, return. Unfortunately it's not that simple because Noelle (or Elle as she prefers) wants no contact with Tessa. This is not the homecoming Tess envisioned but it is reality.

Another new tension in her life is Max, a new boy in town she meets unexpectedly and who shares her passion for photography. He is definitely interested in Tess, and she is interested in him, but Tess has gone so long with putting herself last that it is hard for her to reconcile a relationship where she can be happy while Elle is still living in a nightmare. And of course, while Tess only wants to help Elle, it's not that easy.

This is a story that is truly gripping. Every page in fact. Not only is the imagery of photography vivid, but it provides a great backdrop against the reality of what Elle and Tess are feeling. One moment captured in time is never a true picture as Tess finds out. It is as everything builds up and is forced to come to some kind of resolution that some kind of image emerges.

This is a powerful novel that you can hand to your teen readers who liked Speak, Living Dead Girl, and other novels of great emotional turmoil. I'm fairly sure I had read on one of the author's interviews that she had originally planned to set the novel from Elle's point of view but switched to Tess and I'm so glad because I got a chance to see not only Tess's happiness but her selfishness in wanting to know what happened to her friend, in wanting her friend back instantly. Tess didn't seem to realize quite how unrealistic those expectations were. She was also disappointed in Elle but I think it can be sad that Elle was disappointed in Tess too. Their reunion cannot be called a happy one by any means. Meloncholy and sort of half-hearted would work better.

I liked seeing Tess slowly but shyly recognize her interest in Max and finally, finally start living her life again. Truly, both Elle and Tess had their lives on hold for different reasons. Opposite but connected. And I did like the romance. I thought it provided a nice counterbalance to the realities that Elle had to face when dealing with sex and men. One healthy, one not so much by a longshot.

I read this book quickly and was satisfied with how it all played out. There's something to be said about twisting real events and I think author Kristina McBride did a great job with incorporating fact and fiction into her characters and plot. This was a book where I felt like the main character was honestly genuine and authentic. Curious and scared for her friend but also wanting to make things better. It's a tension that is developed so well throughout this story. Definitely a must read for 2010.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick

Tweet Heart is an easy, breezy read. It goes super fast since the bulk of the book is composed of tweets. If you're not a twitter user, you may have a hard time with this book. I on the other hand am a mega-twitter user and was able to decipher quite a bit about the characters through the tweets.

Synopsis:
Claire is a #hopelessromantic. Lottie is determined to set up her BFF with Mr. Perfect. Will wants his #secretcrush to finally notice him. Bennett is a man with a plan.
Claire can’t believe it when her dream guy starts following her on Twitter. She never thought he noticed her, and suddenly he seems to understand her better than almost anyone.
But the Twitterverse can be a confusing place, especially when friends act differently online than they do in person. Things get even more complicated when Claire realizes she’s falling for someone else, the last person she ever would have expected….
Told in an innovative format combining tweets, emails, and blogs, Tweet Heart is a contemporary romantic comedy that will set your heart atwitter.


One of the strengths of the book is how well debut author Elizabeth Rudnick (lizrudnick on Twitter) manages to convey an entire school year, the highs, lows, and drama, all through tweets, some emails, and a few blog entries. DMs (direct messages in Twitter speak) are conveyed on the page in blue, while regular twitter updates are in white. I enjoyed following Claire's school year and love life, even as I couldn't help but groan when Claire's male pals, Will and Bennett, decided to pretend to be her crush in order for Will to get closer to Claire. Not a good idea, but a classic plot that set up plenty of happenings for the core characters.

The major weakness in this book for me was the constant pop culture references. Miley Cyrus quitting Twitter, the Hills, etc, things that have not stood the test of time yet. Bennett is a die-hard sci-fi fan and I enjoyed his comical geekiness but the movies and other things he referenced really are understood by a wider audience than just the teen crowd. I feel like much of the laughter I got from this book, some due to the pop culture references, will not stand the test of time. That's not a bad thing I suppose but it made me wonder how many circs I would be able to get out of this book past a year or two when teens aren't even going to remember some of the events referenced.

I'm also a bit concerned because I know in my community, the teens I know really don't do Twitter. To me, Twitter is for the twenty and thirty-something crowd. (This is just my opinion of course and it could very well be that there are tons of teens out there using Twitter, but I haven't seen it where I live.) So, for some teens, getting the whole tweet thing may not work for them.

This book was light read. Due to the nature of the tweets, there isn't strong character development necessarily but then, there really didn't have to be. I felt like the author did a good job of handling her characters, getting them in the situations they needed to be in, then watching what happened. I finished this book easily in my hour and a half plane ride. It's a great one you can talk about to teens who don't want a heavy book to read, who are looking for something that will not take long to read in fact. I think it has good reluctant reader potential, particularly for girls looking for something a bit romantic.

When it is all said and done, I found Tweet Heart to be an average read. It helped me pass the time but I'm not sure if I'd read another tweet based book.

Other reviews:
Dear Author reviews Tweet Heart
Pop Culture Junkie reviews Tweet Heart
Katie's Book Blog reviews Tweet Heart 

Book reviewed from library copy.

Author Interview: Morgan Matson

I'm so, SO excited today to bring you an interview with YA debut author Morgan Matson who wrote the amazing Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. This is by far one of my top 10 books of 2010 and certainly my favorite book I've read this summer. And I truly mean that. I've actually read it TWICE now and let me tell you, I very rarely do re-reads of books anymore because I don't have the time.

In case you don't know about her book yet, you can read my review. But basically it's the story of an amazing road trip and two characters who are suffering in different ways but find friendship and healing on the trip. I think I'm making it sound all saccharine but rest assured, it is amazing! If you can't get away this summer to travel, let your mind go along with Amy and Roger. You won't regret it. So with that, I bring you, the very fabulous Morgan Matson!

1. I've made no secret on my blog about how much I love your debut book, Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. How did you come up with the idea for the book? Was it always meant to be a road trip book? Did some of their destinations surprise you?

First of all, thank you so much having me and for you kind words and tweets about the book!  The story of A&R was always centered around a road trip.  I love to drive, and just love road trips. Before I started writing the book, I’d driven cross-country twice – first, to get my car from home in Connecticut out to college in California, and then, five years later, back again to the East Coast.  After the second trip, I started thinking about the idea of a physical journey matching up with an emotional journey – and how a road trip could be the perfect way to tell a story of change.  I wrote the first draft drawing on the experiences of my first two road trips, but included a lot of places I hadn’t yet been but wanted to go – like Colorado, Kentucky, Graceland.  So after writing the first draft, I took a month-long solo road trip, re-tracing the path of the book – but of course, a lot changed in the book after that trip!

2. I love the format of this book! The inclusion of state facts, postcards, receipts and more made their trip come alive for me. Was that your idea?

I’m so glad you liked it! Actually, in my first incarnation of the story it was ALL postcards, emails, letters, etc.  My editor, very wisely, pointed out that we needed a narrative, but could keep the physical stuff as extras.  And I’m always collecting stuff like that from trips, so I loved being able to include it in the book.

5. I noticed from your book biography that you attended the New School. I've noticed several of my favorite YA writers have received their MFA at the New School. Do you have any words of advice for those seeking to get into a prestigious writing school?

The best advice I can give is to write what you want to write, not what you think people want to read.  Stick to your voice, and your stories, because that is what you can offer that nobody else can.  That’s what will make you stand out. 

6. One of my favorite scenes in the book was when Amy and Roger drove down the Loneliest Road in America. Have you traveled that road yourself? Did anything crazy happen?

Yes! That was one of the things that got added in my revision after I experienced it – totally by accident.  Unlike Amy, I am terrible at reading maps, and didn’t realize that it would be the worst idea ever to leave California by way of Yosemite.  Like Amy and Roger, I had no idea what I was getting into until I was about five hours into the Loneliest Road in America.  It ended up taking almost two full days to cross it.  All the photos in the book are ones I took on my road trip, and you can see in the pictures of that section just how desolate it is.  Since I was traveling by myself, it was really scary while it was happening – there’s just nothing there, very few other cars, and I had no idea how to change a tire, etc.  Also, as I came to the Nevada-Utah border, it started to snow.  In April.  And I was driving a Hyundai Sonata, with no snow tires or 4-wheel drive.  But once I was through it and back on the interstate, I realized that the experience had to go in the book.  But I don’t recommend going down that road unless you have a traveling companion – preferably one skilled in auto maintenance!

7. The music is such a huge, important part of this book! From Elvis to my personal fave band right now, Passion Pit, and of course, Broadway! I was entranced with the playlists and I've been getting them together in my iTunes. Do you listen to all these bands? What do you think about the role of music in conjunction with your book?

Isn’t Passion Pit great? I do listen to all those artists – I just raided my iTunes library to come up with the playlists.  I stuck to the slightly more indie and more guy-friendly stuff, though, just so that it would be believable for Roger.  There was an Ani DiFranco song I was dying to get on one of his playlists, but I just didn’t think it would be believable for a 19-year-old guy!  In high school, I was a total musical theater geek, like Amy, but began to expand my musical tastes in college, and remembered what a great experience it was – to suddenly find all this music I’d never heard before.  I wanted to give Amy a version of that. And in terms of the book, I think it was just a part of Amy’s beginning to experience the world again, and to go beyond what she’s always known and stuck to.  I also think that music is just such an essential part of the road trip experience.  When I take one now, half the reason is for the soundtrack!

8. I'm not usually one for sequels but I'd love to hear more from Amy and Roger. Any chance that will ever happen?

I’ve been getting that question from some readers, and am so happy that people want to know more about them! But I had never even imagined a sequel – it had always seemed like their story was kind of a one-book thing.  But I hope we’ll be able to peek in on them in future books, because I’d love to keep exploring – with different characters – the world of this book.

9. Time to confess: are you a topiary artist?

Ha! No, not at all! The town that Lucien lives in is fictional, but very loosely based on another small, wealthy town in Kentucky.  When I was doing research on the town, I saw a picture of some animal topiaries along the side of the road, and just loved the idea of them.  But I have never had any experience with it myself.

10. Best place in the United States to get a hamburger?

Such a hard question! That’s pretty much the reason that Amy and Roger were always eating burgers on the road, because I love the regional American burger.  I think it depends on where you are. If you’re out West, you can’t do better than In-N-Out.  I always go to NuWay when I’m in Kansas.  And I just fell in love with Krystal when I was in Tennessee.  Don’t make me choose!

12. Your best road trip advice and cannot miss location:

It’s helpful to have a destination, but I think the best road trips come from putting aside the itinerary and taking some side trips! Go see even the cheesy roadside attractions.  The best BBQ I ate in the Midwest came from a side detour to go and look at the World’s Largest Hand-Dug Well.  It’s SO hard to pick one location! But I absolutely fell in love with Memphis.  If you’re anywhere near Tennessee, you should go! The food, the music, Graceland, folk art, the Civil Rights Museum – it was all amazing. 

And here's a little bit about Ms. Matson's next project...
I just finished the first draft of my new book.  It should be coming out next summer, if all goes according to plan.  It’s currently untitled, but takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania, over a weekend where the main character’s life gets totally turned upside-down.  And there’s a road trip in this one too…but just a short one. 

Thank you so much for this interview Morgan! Your answers shine as much as the book itself. And seriously people, get thee to a bookstore and read this book! I don't think I've been this enthusiastic about a straight YA contemp in ages.

Romance Roundup

Here is what I've reviewed for August:

Veil of Night by Linda Howard
Such a Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb
White Heat by Brenda Novak
Divine Redemption by Jory Strong
Crazy for Love by Victoria Dahl
All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins
Hot Finish by Erin McCarthy
Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt
Shadows at Midnight by Elizabeth Jennings

Favorite book: All I Ever Wanted and Hot Finish were both fantastic. Also, Linda Howard finally wrote a decent story again!
Most disappointed: Nothing really. These stories were all readable.

Review: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June is Robin Benway's second novel, following up on one of my favorite YA titles, Audrey, Wait! and this book is another exciting adventure.

Synopsis:
Three sisters share a magical, unshakeable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents' divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?
April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone's but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they'll always have each other.

Each chapter is told in a different character's voice. They are all very unique girls so you will usually recognize pretty quickly who is telling the story at different points in the book. May was my favorite of the trio just because I really identified with the feelings she had of being an outcast or really different in high school. And well, who wouldn't want to disappear at some point in high school? Though I have to say, I didn't think May's power was quite as cool as her sisters' powers, that is until the end of the book when it truly came in use. However, her power definitely fit her personality, as did the other powers of her sisters.

This is really a fairly ordinary high school story: three sisters dealing with high school problems, trying to fit in and be part of a certain crowd, having guy issues, and of course, arguing amongst themselves. The three girls are also smarting from the recent divorce of their parents so they definitely have the "issues" card all played out. But that being said, I really enjoyed the interactions of the sisters. They had their moments of sisterly bonding but also plenty of anger and sadness between them. They truly felt like ordinary sisters and that was a good thing in light of their extraordinary powers.

And can I say, I really enjoyed the romances?? I know that isn't a main thrust of the book but both Julian and Henry were stellar guys, though I had to laugh with May at Henry's Stanford get-up. I could easily picture that in my head.

This really is a book about three teen girls trying to cope with ordinary life events, with a few extraordinary powers thrown in. In fact, the extraordinary was messing up their lives way more than they thought possible! Each of these sisters was unique and a great narrator. I think any teen will sympathize with June's quest to find the right crowd to fit in with, just as they will see April trying to be the big sister she thinks she has to be.

I had a total blast reading this book. I was frustrated that work kept interrupting! Robin Benway proves that she's more than a one hit wonder herself with this book. I thought it was a good combination of light paranormal but also contemporary teen situations. This is a fun summer read! I was more than satisfied with the mixed-up lives of these girls. I'd welcome another adventure with them because there is a "when" I really want to find out about April and Julian!

Other reviews:
The Book Fanatics reviews The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June
The Compulsive Reader reviews The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June
Chick Loves LIt reviews The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June

ARC provided by author Rachel Cohn after I basically begged Robin Benway, in a very good-natured way, to hook me up with a copy! I can't wait to get the finished copy since I like the cover so much.

Review: Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala

Tell Me a Secret is pretty much a must-read debut. I was completely engrossed in Miranda's dilemma and the choices she subsequently made.

Synopsis:
It's tough living in the shadow of a dead girl. . . .
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.
When two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears, Miranda is stripped of her former life. She must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister's demons and her own. 

 Miranda has never gotten over the death of her sister, and neither has her family. They are still struggling and have reached out in different ways to find some sort of resolution or forgetting. Rand's dad is a workaholic. Her mom is a control-freak, and Rand, well she is just struggling. She has made a new friend, has a boyfriend, and just trying to live her life. But it all goes horribly wrong when Rand discovers she is pregnant. From then on, she has many choices to make, none of which are easy.

I think what made this story so powerful for me was seeing Rand's choices and decisions set against the flashbacks of her older sister, Xanda, a girl who tried her best to be a holy terror but who was adored by her family. Xanda was completely imperfect but Rand has always carried this almost idealized picture in her mind of her sister. But suddenly, now Rand is on the outs with her family. She gets no support and no emotional help from either parent, particularly her mom, as she decides what to do.

That being said, Rand is strong. I was very impressed with how she handled being pregnant. She knew she had a tough road ahead of her and it started immediately when she was shunned from her peers while her boyfriend, the father, kept living his life. And even knowing he was getting away scot-free, Rand still wanted him, wanted that bond with him. This really is the story of two girls facing similar situations to a degree and how they each choose to deal with it. I was amazed at the insight Holly Cupala gave Rand. This is a character who was looking for something and did not find it the way she expected, instead, she started to connect with people and with herself, in new ways.

When first reading the ending about Kamran's decision to be part of Rand's life again, I didn't believe it at all. However, upon reflection I decided I'm as guilty as Rand was of putting expectations on him from a previous character. He was trying to right a wrong and make an effort and deserved some recognition for that. Just like Rand and Xanda, Kamran was far from perfect.

This was a honest and harsh book all at the same time. I read it in one sitting and was both intrigued, repulsed, and captivated by the characters and their situation. Holly Cupala gave me no room to breath as I immersed myself in this story. This is going to be a crowd-pleaser with teens because of the tough topics it discusses but it is really a great way to connect with teens too. I know in my community, which is populated by a very high ratio of teen births, this book is going to fly off the shelves.

Other reviews:
Green Bean Teen Queen reviews Tell Me a Secret
Steph Su Reads reviews Tell Me a Secret

Book received from publisher for review.

Month in review: July

Despite being abnormally busy with work, attending RomCon, visiting a friend one weekend, and just life in general, I somehow got a lot of reading done in July. Go figure. Here's what I read in July:

88. Mackenzie Blue: Friends Forever? by Tina Wells (7/1/10)
89. All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins (7/4/10)
90. The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams (7/5/10)
91. Grace by Elizabeth Scott (7/7/10)
92. Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh (7/7/10)**
93. Do you take this Cop? by Beth Andrews (7/10/10)
94. Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt (7/14/10)
95. Shadows at Midnight by Elizabeth Jennings (7/16/10)
96. Matched by Ally Condie (7/18/10)
97. Stork by Wendy Delsol (7/19/10)
98. Veil of Night by Linda Howard (7/22/10)
99. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (7/23/10)
100. Liberating Lacey by Anne Calhoun (7/23/10)
101. The Bikini Car Wash by Pamela Morsi (7/24/10)
102. Rules to Rock By by Josh Farrar (7/24/10)
103. Divine Redemption by Jory Strong (7/25/10)
104. The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June by Robin Benway (7/27/10)
105. The Shy Bride by Lucy Monroe (7/30/10)
106. Tell Me A Secret by Holly Cupala (7/30/10)
107. Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (7/31/10)

Total books read: 20
Favorite book read: It's a tie: All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins and Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Disappointed: Nothing too disappointing this month actually. I really enjoyed everything I read.

How about you? How many books did you read? Did you have a particular favorite you want to share? Let me know in the comments!