Waiting on Wednesday [2]

Okay so the book that i absolutely can't wait to get a hold of this week is...

The Kings Rose

by: Alisa Libby

Life in the court of King Henry VIII is a complex game. When fifteen-year-old Catherine Howard catches the king’s eye, she quickly transforms from pawn to queen. But even luxury beyond imagination loses its luster as young Catherine finds her life—and her heart—threatened by the needs of an aging king and a family hungry for power. Will their agendas deliver Catherine to the same fate as her infamous cousin, Anne Boleyn—sacrificed at the altar of family ambition?
Engaging historical fiction with a throbbing YA heartbeat, this thrilling novel will draw readers into the intrigues and dangers of the Tudor court.

So as I have said before. I am a HUGE history freak. Anything about history automatically makes me go all goo goo eyed. And this one is no exception. PLUS! Tudor England is my favorite chyeah. So I need this book...and soon haha.

I know it will be amazing, and I really can't wait!

Teaser Tuesday [1]

So I've seen alot of different people doing this, and it seemed fun.

Grab your current read, or the book nearest to you, let it fall to a random page and include two sentences, somewhere between lines seven and twelve.

"In fact, I'd love it if he got a real job again. It would mean part of my life would go back to the way it used to be."

Perfect You by: Elizabeth Scott

Lost It by: Kristen Tracy

Lost it

by: Kristen Tracy

From Amazon:

Grade 9 Up–Idaho teen Tess Whistle is having one weird junior year–she, her family, and her friends are all losing it. Her parents, born again following a serious grease fire in the kitchen, take off unexpectedly to a survival camp in the Utah desert, leaving Tess with her grandmother. Tess's best friend, Zena, reacts to her parents' marital troubles by making elaborate plans to blow up a poodle. And Tess herself, who used to be 100 percent certain that she'd wait until she was married before she had sex and is deathly afraid of the wilderness, loses her virginity out of doors with her boyfriend. This book is a great read, hilarious and poignant at the same time. Teens will laugh out loud at Tess and her frank, humorous observations about the outrageous situations in which she finds herself, but they will also empathize with her feelings of not being in control of her life. They will also be heartened by the conclusion of the novel, for even though Tess is unsure of what will happen next, she has finally come to terms with the fact that life offers no guarantees, saying, For the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful. And ready for what comes next.–Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Me:

So I read this book about a year ago, and I'm still not one hundred percent sure how I feel about it. Is it okay? Yes. Deffinately. Did I enjoy it? No. Not so much.

It starts off good, but the relationship between Tess and her boyfriend to me is just unbelievable. I get no real feeling from it at all. I didn't relate to the characters very well (despite me trying to...) It just didn't work out too well for me and this book.

Then the final "Climax" of the story. The big Sha Bang, made me want to throw up. If their relationship is really that strong then....ahhh.

Sorry. No spoilers here.

I could go on about how this book just didn't cut it for me - but it's making me angry and I promised myself I wouldn't put spoilers in here.

So I wouldn't recommend it, but then that's just my oppinion. I know a great deal of people who really liked this book, but for me...it just didnt work out.

I give it a 5.5

-Christina.

Fairest of them All by: Jan Blazanin

Fairest of them All

by: Jan Blazanin

(Due out April 21, 2009)

If life were a fairy tale, Oribella Bettencourt would have a "happily ever after" kind of future ahead of her. A Hollywood producer has come to Des Moines in search of a perfectly modern Princess Rapunzel, and Ori -- a model, dancer, and star of the beauty pageant circuit -- lands the part. And why shouldn't she? With her hardworking, self-sacrificing mother guiding her career, Ori is stunning, dedicated, poised...and then there's her hair. Breathtakingly lustrous blond hair that sets her apart from all the other girls at school. So what if she doesn't have any friends her age, or anyone to talk to other than her mother? She's on the verge of having everything she's ever dreamed of.But in this fairy tale, the beautiful princess wakes up to her worst nightmare -- when almost overnight, Ori begins to lose her hair....

My Review:

So I completed this book about two minutes ago and I have to say - it took me on a ride. Everything about it, from the very first page I was captured in the story, I wanted to know what was going to happen, and I needed to know what was wrong with her.

Why was her hair falling out?

That's all I really cared about, and once I found that out - and everything changed, I couldn't help but go through it with Ori as she dealt with it, and I couldn't help but have a significant hatred for all movie studio's afterward.

But this book really is a weird one for me. Normally I don't read books without a smidge of romance - it's just something with me, but I enjoyed this one. It was just about teenage life, and the struggles some teen's face.

Ori came into herself during this book. She had the chance to be a teen through her ordeal. She made friends and by the end of the book she had grown. Those are the types of stories I enjoy, and this one - I recommend :]

I give it a 9.0.

Watch out for this author, I have a feeling she's going to be great. Her writing style is quite enjoyable.

*Now what should I read now?

Shrinking Violet?

The Blood Confession?

Her Notorious Viscount?

Perfect You?

Or

Wake?

Please leave a comment with what you think. I'm struggling to decide :]

Thanks! -Christina <3

Elsewhere by: Gabrielle Zevin

Elsewhere

by: Gabrielle Zevin

From Amazon:

Grade 7-10-This coming-of-age novel by Gabrielle Zavin (Farrar, 2005) has a unique twist. Although Liz is maturing, coping with disappointments, and controlling her anger, she is getting younger. Having been killed by a hit and run driver, she now lives in Elsewhere with the grandmother who died before she was born. After death, the residents get younger until they become babies and are reborn onto Earth again. Initially mad at the driver and sad that she will not have a boyfriend and attend the prom, Liz misses her family and is sullen and depressed. Gradually, she begins to realize that life is not so bad in the hereafter. Although written in the second person, the text and the narration by Cassandra Morris draws listeners into this new world, giving them a sense of immediacy. Morris's youthful, gentle, slightly nasal voice clearly brings out Lizzie's life and frustrations, and her tone becomes harsh to show anger. For the most part, she reads quickly, almost sprightly, but at dramatic moments she slows to heighten suspense. There is no significant voice changes to differentiate between male and female characters. An excellent choice to motivate reluctant readers or just for enjoyment.-Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Me:

Okay so I understand why some people may find this book angering, or find it offensive, and because of this I was relatively apprehensive in reading it. I thought that it might be wrong, because like many other people I am religious and have views on the afterlife - but this is fiction. So I picked it up.

And I'm so glad I did.

Liz was killed by a hit and run driver. This is the beginning of the book and really the main event. Without her death there is no story (isn't that odd to think about?). So she wakes up, and she's not at home, she's not anywhere she has ever been before - but she's on a ship, heading to Elsewhere.

Elsewhere is pretty much the afterlife in this book, except rather then it being a "forever" place, you age down. If you died at the age of 84, then you would age down over 84 years until you were once again a baby, then you would be sent back - and become a baby for someone else.

So the book starts off here and then chronicles all of Liz's troubles. She despairs for her family, her friends, and her life. She now finds herself living with her grandmother who she never met, and struggling to understand.

Then she meets Owen. Owen who died in his thirties (?) and has been there for years. He who was married before on earth and has suffered since he got there. They make an unlikely couple but a wonderful one. He helps her appreciate her time there, and she in return helps him give up his old life.

But what happens when Owen's wife comes back into his life and to Elsewhere? What then?

I recomend this book to anyone and it is a 10 :]

And please Follow. :] Thank you!

The Pursuit of Happiness by: Tara Altebrando

The Pursuit of Happiness

by: Tara Altebrando

From Amazon:

Dressing up as an eighteenth century farm girl is not how Betsy Odell imagined spending the summer before her senior year of high school, but her history professor father insists she take a job at Morrisville Historic Village. To make matters worse, Liza Murphy, only the biggest freak from school -- piercings, tattoos, bleached hair -- works as a farm girl too. As far as Betsy can tell, her summer will be miserable and any chance of ever being popular is doomed.
When tragedy strikes Betsy close to home, her boyfriend and 'friends' are nowhere to be found, and her job becomes a welcome escape from the real world. James, a Morrisville employee from the next town over, is probably the greatest -- not to mention cutest -- guy Betsy has ever met, and Liza is surprisingly normal and fun. Caught between two worlds -- old and new -- Betsy is soon struggling with two versions of herself. Combining backdrops of historic Morrisville with the normal teenage world of beach parties, learning to drive, and broken hearts, Tara Altebrando writes a hilarious and fun novel of one girl's search for love and happiness?and the unlikely places she finds them.

From Me:

Okay - let me just say it. I am a history junkie. Everything history related immediately enthralls me, and this book was no exception.

I read it because it's about a girl with my dream job. For years I have longed to actually go and work at say, Mount Vernon (this place is actually doable considering my great-grandmother lives on a portion of the land.)

This has always been a dream - call me a loser, at least I'm an honest one.

So I read it because of this reason, but I was not dissapointed at all.

It's about a girl named Betsy who's mother has recently died. It's about her struggle for normalcy afterward, from getting rid of her no good boyfriend to accepting other people for who they are, and not who they seem to be.

She learns so much about herself in this book its crazy. We literaly watch her transform from sad and timid, to strong and accepting.

Seeing this process is what I mainly adore about this book - actually feeling part of her transformation, and seeing who she becomes was just great and had me smiling when I put it down. She learns to put her pain into outlets - like art. Which is exactly what she does.

And then there's James. James James James. He is a really great character, not only does he love history, and help Betsy along the way, but he likes to carve cute things out of wood :]

He's one of my favorite leading "Men."

This book gets a 10 because it's great. I would recommend it to anyone.

*Review by Christina

Sunday's at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Sunday's at Tiffany's

by: James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

FROM AMAZON:

AN IMAGINARY FRIEND Jane Margaux is a lonely little girl. Her mother, a powerful Broadway producer, makes time for her only once a week, for their Sunday trip to admire jewelry at Tiffany's. Jane has only one friend: a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael. He's perfect. But only she can see him. Michael can't stay forever, though. On Jane's ninth birthday he leaves, promising her that she'll soon forget him.

AN UNEXPECTED LOVE Years later, in her thirties, Jane is just as alone as she was as a child. And despite her own success as a playwright, she is even more trapped by her overbearing mother. Then she meets someone-a handsome, comforting, funny man. He's perfect. His name is Michael . . .

AND AN UNFORGETTABLE TWIST This is a heartrending story that surpasses all expectations of why these people have been brought together. With the breathtaking momentum and gripping emotional twists that have made James Patterson a bestselling author all over the world, SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY'S takes an altogether fresh look at the timeless and transforming power of love.

FROM Me:

I never expected to enjoy this book so much. Never did I think that I would absolutely adore it, and read it in a matter of hours. I loved the characters - I loved the story - I loved the location, I loved EVERYTHING.

It is kind of reminiscent of Breakfast at Tiffany's, just simply because of Tiffany's calming aspect, and me being a huge Audrey Hepburn fan, that had to help. But it takes place in New York, and we first meet the eight year old Jane and her imaginary friend Michael. She's eating a coffee chocolate sunday and the two of them are playing the "Jane and Michael game" which just involves making up stories about the people they see. It's very cute. Their interaction is entertaining from the get-go.

But it doesn't carry on so happy go lucky forever. Jane isn't staying 8 forever - and so on the day of her ninth birthday, he has to leave. But he claims she will forget him, that when she wakes up, she won't remember.

But he was wrong.

Twenty three years later Jane is grown, and works for her mother - the Broadway play producer who owns her own company,but Jane has recently produced her own show Thank Heaven

which is the story of a girl - and her imaginary friend.

Then they meet again - after twenty three years, that's when the story really starts and get's amazing.

Throw in a actor boyfriend and a crazy yet sentimental mother and you have the ingredients for one awesome story.

It was amazing, and here's a quote because I am a crazy book underliner - yes I know some will say I ruin the book but it's okay. :]

"Why do things this beautiful make me want to cry?" I asked Michael as I leaned into him. It was an ungaurded question, one I'd never have asked of Hugh

"I don't know," said Michael. "Maybe beauty, true beauty, is overwhelming, it goes straight to our hearts. Maybe it makes us feel emotions that are locked away inside." He blinked and gave a bashful smile. "Sorry. I've been watching Oprah again."

*Review by Christina*

Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock

Princess Ben

by: Catherine Murdock

From Amazon:

Benevolence is not your typical princess and Princess Ben is certainly not your typical fairy tale. With her parents lost to unknown assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia, who is intent on marrying her off to the first available “specimen of imbecilic manhood.” Starved and miserable, locked in the castle’s highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire . . . But Ben’s private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat facing the castle and indeed the entire country. Can Princess Ben save her kingdom from annihilation and herself from permanent enslavement?

From Me:

Okay so I got this book for Christmas and I was uber excited - I mean look at the cover? Plus I am a huge fairy tale enthusiast, you have no idea. So when I finally got to reading I expected to be caught up immediately and be taking my brain on an adventure.



Ummm...



Well...



It was good. I enjoyed it, but I did have a hard time with it, alot of it was just unbelievable...and I know that's weird to say considering it's fantasy aspect but nothing had a good enough explanation for me. Everything just happened - and at the perfect time. It was like all of these things happened too conveniently, and maybe I'm suffering from insanity but that's how it was for me. I think that's partly just my flaw moreso then the stories though - I mean I tend to overthink things, and this was one of those cases.



Ben is a great heroin though. I really liked her. She has her flaws, but yet she's a Princess. She's expected to be all of these things for all of these people, but yet she's just not. I like that about her, she's outspoken, determined, and over all a very interesting main character.



The story seemed to be somewhere between a Sleeping Beauty and a Cinderella as far as Ben goes. But with a twist that involves a delightful pinch of magic.



And the Prince Charming - arrogant at first but then amazing at the end, I just wish we had seen more of him. We don't meet him till halfway through and then the good him barely shows himself.



But It was a good book all in all, it had a good amount of adventure, fantasy, a wee bit of mystery,and some romance all thrown into one hardcover package :]



I give it a hmmm I can't really decide. An 8? Yeah that sounds about right <3




Review by Christina*

Waiting on Wednesday [1]

Along for the Ride

by Sarah Dessen

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.
A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

Honestly though - who doesn't want this book? Now I will say that Sarah Dessen is my favorite author and this book...just fits me perfectly.

It's funny how that has happened with her last books. With Lock and Key I was transitioning, and moving (away from my mom as a matter of fact) as I read it, and now...I have officially been diagnosed with Insomnia due to stress from my parents divorce.

Amazing huh? When I read the description I freaked out. I just love it when I can relate :]

But anyway. It just looks so good, and this may be my favorite of her covers - which is saying something because they're all cute!

Here's hoping I can make it till June!

By Christina :]

The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares

The Last Summer (of You and Me)

by: Ann Brashares

From Amazon:

Riley and Alice, two sisters now in their twenties, and as fiercely different as they are loyal, have spent every summer at their parents’ modest beach house on New York’s Fire Island. Each year, they return to the house and community they have known since they were children—and to Paul, the boy next door. But this summer marks a season of change: budding love and sexual interest, an illness, and a deep secret force all three to confront the increasing complexities of their lives and friendships.

From Me:

This book was incredible in so many different ways...I don't know even where to begin. Yes call me a loser. This was the first book I ever read by Ann Brashares...and remains to be the only one. Why? I couldn't really tell you. I have high expectations for the Sisterhood...but I just haven't read it.

This was Ann's very first novel written specifically for adults, but that doesn't mean you have to be an adult to enjoy it.

The entire novel (just about) takes place on this small island right outside of New York called Fire Island (yes this island actually exists...and it is a new goal in my life to one day live there.)

We have Alice, Riley and Paul who have all three spent almost every summer there since they were children, they grew up together and seemed to never be seperated during these summers. But Paul for some reason has been absent to the island over the past three summers, but he comes back, and that's where the story begins.

From the beginning there's a tension between Alice and Paul. Why? We don't really find out at the beginning, but we have Alice and Riley, two sisters who are so different - but yet also the same. During this transition stage we learn alot, particularly about their families, Paul's being pretty much non-existent while Alice and Riley's being constantly there.

It's a very gradual change from friend to more then that with Alice and Paul, but yet we expect it. When it finally comes full circle it's like we alway's knew, like it was the most natural thing in the world. They care about eachother so deeply, it's like it was a mutual feeling since childhood that was just then recognized.

But then tradgedy strikes.

This book is one so full of love, friendship, and even loss. It's beautiful in everyway, lyrical even. Reading it is like visiting an old friend and it is one of my favorite books.

It had me laughing, smiling, crying, and finally never wishing for it to end. I wanted to stay on Fire Island forever, but alas. That's just what amazing Fiction does sometimes.

It's a 10. For sure.

ALSO-

On a different note - please submit any and all questions you may have for Suzanne Selfors, or Cheryl Rennee Herbsman please let me know. I will be sure to ask them in the upcoming interview. Just leave an e-mail or a comment and I'll be sure and add it to the list :]

Thanks guys.

Oh and Favoriters...are my favorite! haha. <3

Review by Christina! :]

Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson (1 of many blogs today :] )

Alright so I'm anticipating my first books to come in the mail...I'm super excited about exactly what will be in my mailbox, as I'm not entirely sure but look forward to that.

Also Cheryl Renee Herbsman (author of the upcoming "Breathing" which looks absolutely amazing!) And Suzanne Selfors (author of Saving Juliet, Fortunes Magic Farm, To Catch a Mermaide, and the upcoming Coffeehouse Angel, which may be in my mailbox soon...) have both agreed to do an interview with me in the upcoming months.

Having that said. If there anything you want them to be asked, just e-mail me or leave a comment with the question and it will be added to my list :]

Thank you!

Scribbler of Dreams
by: Mary E. Pearson

From Amazon:

It's the Crutchfields v. the Malones in this lush Romeo and Juliet story about two related California families that have hated each other for generations, even though (or perhaps because) they own adjacent tracks of ocean-view land. Like the rest of her family, 17-year-old Kait Malone blames the Crutchfields for everything, particularly now that her father's in jail for killing Robert Crutchfield in what the Malones claim was an accident. Money is short, because the Malones refuse to sell any of their land, so Kait and her sister must transfer to the public high school under assumed names. And then the unthinkable happens: Kait falls head over heels in love with a beautiful boy named Bram--who turns out to be a Crutchfield. As their romance deepens, Kait's lies about her identity grow ever more complicated. She clings to her conviction that the Crutchfields are monsters--except for Bram--although this belief grows harder and harder to sustain as she meets his family. When Bram's mother loans her the crumbling journals of one of the two sisters who began the feud, Kait finds the truth is a source of compassion. Yet she still postpones her revelation to Bram, as tension builds and the situation finally escalates out of her control. But all ends well, and teen romantics will heave a satisfied sigh at the happily-ever-after ending. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Review:

Romeo and Juliet anybody? For those of you who are like me and love all things related to this classic tale of tragic love, The Scribbler of Dreams is for you.

This story is based around this one thing - the two familys, the Crutchfields and the Malones hate eachother. Thats how things have been - and that's how they will remain to be, or at least that's how it seems until Kait Malone, and Bram Crutchfield meet.

It's an unlikely pair Kait's father being in jail for murdering Bram's father and the simple fact that their family's are sworn enemies....so what does Kait do? She keeps those details a secret. What Bram doesn't know wont hurt him right? No.

But when Kait falls in love with Bram, and he falls in love with her, she see's no way around it. If she tells who she really is, he'll hate her, and that is something she is NOT willing to let happen.
This book takes you on a whirlwind of emotion. While I read it I was constantly fighting the urge to skip to the end, just to see and reassure myself it did have a happy ending - but I'm so glad I didn't.

The fight for the end was worth it, for every twist and turn that went against this couple it was worth it - but saying anything more would be giving it away.

This book is a Deffinate 10!

This book is available at all major book sellers I think (Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, etc)
And of course Amazon.com :]

Review by Christina :]

Georgette Heyer!

Okay so I just finished The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer...and it was AMAZING!

I'll have more information, and a review tomorow, but woah.

She's like Jane Austen with a huge sense of humor...it was wonderful and I had to voice it

Thanks guys.

I'll actually probably have a couple posts tomorow.

The Convenient Marriage
The Last Summer (of You and Me)
and perhaps
The Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

but we'll see. I may try to space out the updates more. Who knows.

Thanks!

By Christina! :]

Bloom by: Elizabeth Scott

Alright guys so here's another post today! geez I'm on a roll. haha. Please leave a comment if you have anything you'd like to say or add to this. And also if you were a follower you would make my day :]

Bloom
by: Elizabeth Scott

In a style reminiscent of the work of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti, Scott tells the story of Lauren, a not-so-popular high school junior who is dating the secretly celibate most popular boy in school. Without warning, Evan, the loner son of her distant father's former live-in girlfriend, returns to town and stirs up confusing emotions for Lauren, who once believed that a popular boyfriend was all she needed to secure happiness. Soon, she invents extra band-practice time as an excuse to avoid her boyfriend, her super-stressed best friend, and her empty house, and spends more time with the decidedly not celibate Evan. While the setup is fairly standard fare for YA romances, Lauren's inner conflict over her affair with Evan, and the various lies surrounding it, rings true, and the novel has enough drama to keep readers interested.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This book surpassed all of my expectations. I opened it and then it seemed like only two minutes later I was closing it up again - not because it's short but because I was so enthralled with the story, so caught up in the stories reality that I couldn't think of anything else.
We have Lauren who makes okay grades, and is the all american girl plus she has a heart throb for a boyfriend, but she's not happy. So in walks Evan Kirkland who she hasn't seen since she was a child, who's mother actually dated her father and from the moment he steps back into her life nothing is the same.

Suddenly the only true happiness she finds is with him, but what about her loyal boyfriend? What happens when he starts wanting a future that she can't give, Who does she choose?

This book as I said went above and beyond all I expected. I never wanted it to end...but then it did. It dealt with things I didnt expect and took the story to a completely different level then most Young Adult books tend to. This isn't the kiddy version of a love story where everything is perfect - and that doesn't mean there's anything "bad" in the book but it takes the relationship to another level, and makes it real. They both have flaws...but it adds to the appeal.

But I must say this book doesn't have many flaws and its a grade A book with a grade A story. Anyone who loves love stories must read this remarkable story.
This book is available at al major booksellers and Amazon.com :]

*Reviewed by CHRISTINA :]

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen. :P

Keeping The Moon
by : Sarah Dessen

This book is one of Sarah Dessen's best, and that is saying something. Sarah Dessen is a very popular writer for Teen's and this one deals with subjects that are no less pressing, or

entertaining then her other's.

Keeping The Moon is the story of Colie, who has a image problem.
She is the daughter of a recent Exercise enthusiast (seriously...she's famous) and is struggling to switch her lifestyle, from that of an overweight girl living with her ecentric overweight mother, to the new thin Colie who's mother is famous for her weight loss.

So what happens? Her mother goes on a tour and she must go live with her Aunt Mira who is just as ecentric as her mom, but is someone totally different as well. She doesn't care what other's think of her and doesn't let rumors bother her.

So Colie gets a job working at the last Chance Cafe where she gets to know Norman, the artist/cook/her aunt's tenant. She comes into herself here, learning how to truly become herself and to live her life without worry of other's oppions.

This book by Sarah Dessen is special. I don't know why but this one was special to me. The story of Colie and her struggle with self-esteem helped me with my own struggle with this very issue.
This is something most teenagers deal with and I couldn't think of any book that sums it up better. 10.

This book can be found at Books-A-Million, Borders, Barnes and Noble, pretty much any book store you can think of, and of course...Amazon.com :]

Reviewed by CHRISTINA :]

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Poison Study

by: Maria V. Snyder

This book is one that will keep you up at night. Not from fright, or from the scare of something scary jumping from your closet, but from pure suspence and expectation. Through out this book I found myself frustrated with the fact the page wouldn't turn quick enough. It has all the elements, and for those of us who like everything (such as myself) they will enjoy this mixture of Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, and a really strange new obsession with certain Assasin named Valek :]

The book opens up with our heroin in a dungeon. Yelena was placed there awaiting execution for murder. Yes. Murder. But Valek, the commander's "Chief of Security" offers her a new chance. Either she can take the death penaly now, or become the Commander's new food taster.
So Yelena embarks on a new adventure, learning the tastes of various poisons, and taking her daily dose of "Butterfly's Dust" to ensure she doesn't escape when she comes into a world and life she truly didn't expect.

This book is amazing. I have read Twilight, I have read Harry Potter, and this book (including the rest of its Trilogy, Magic Study, and Fire Study) is just as good as either. The character's

are real and the feelings are ones that remain with you even after you have read it. I find myself still sometimes thinking of this story. I give it a 10 because its just simply amazing :]

And also, I have never seen an author take so much interest in their readers before, as Maria V. Snyder does. I have e-mailed her, and always gotten a reply and the contests on her page are just amazing. I will forever support this author and everything she takes on in the future.
This book has several copies, these two being the ones in circulation currently i do belive. They can be bought at Borders, Barnes and Noble (you may have to order them...not sure), and Books-A-Million.

And of course Amazon.com :]

Reviewed by CHRISTINA :]

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

The Truth About Forever

by: Sarah Dessen

The book The Truth About Forever is one of those rare books that take you from the very first page and forces you to love the characters and care about the outcome of the story. The writing is personal and in some cases beautiful and the characters feel real and by the end are more like your friends then fiction.

The book takes place, as most of Dessen's books do in her classic area based on her home town in North Carolina. For those who have read Dessen before they may recognize some places and common themes in the book.

The book's focus is this girl named Macy who struggles with perfection and has recently had to deal with the death of her father. The book opens up with Macy packing with her close to perfect boyfriend Jason who is going off too what she calls "Brain Camp" for the summer. We see from early on that Macy is a very complex character but she struggles not to be. She has feelings and issues that she hides and overall has a need to be perfect, and this need to be and feel perfect is a main theme throughout the book.

But what happens when Macy begins to feel the weight of perfection? When she joins the Wish cattering group and starts spending time with Wes, who finds flaws good rather then bad she finally begins to see what she's missing from life and discover the person who she has been trying to become.

Its an exceptional book that will not be forgotten easily.
It remains to be a book that I find myself looking for and constantly wanting to read certain sections over and over. On a scale from one to ten. It is a perfect 10.

It is available at most books stores (including Wal-Mart) and online at Amazon.com