Heylo everyone! Today is a long awaited day (well, for me it is :P) on which the first giveaway hosted by ME is starting! The prize is...
This lovely paperback copy of Marlene Perez's brand new August 2009 book, The Comeback!
One lucky person will win the copy of this brand new book
It's international (so many of you are from the UK and all, it's only fair :D)
Last chance to enter is August 20, when the winner will be chosen.
********** How to enter:
How to enter: For a single entry, become a follower, and leave a comment with your:
NAME
COUNTRY
EMAIL ADDRESS
1 entry: Become a follower (this is REQUIRED. Anything for extra entries is NOT required, it just gives you more of a chance :))
2 entries: Post a link on your blog (sidebar)
3 entries: Blog about the contest- the more the merrier :)
For the extra entries, include in your entry the link to your blog so I can see the post and/or link, and say thanks, confirm your entry :) Also, to add you to my blogroll.
******************************************************
Good luck, and thanks for entering!
P.S. If you don't want to leave your email on a public comment, or have trouble commenting on this post, email me at: meggymegmeg96@yahoo.com . You can also email me with questions, comments, or just to say hi, since I love email :D Well, not of the spam variety :D
xoxo, Meggin
Serendipity Reviews' First Giveaway!
Sweethearts Review
Title: Sweethearts
Author: Sara Zarr
Publisher: Little, Brown Teens (2008)
MSRP (Hardback, USA): $16.99
Pages: 217
Rating: * * * */ 5
Sweethearts is a bittersweet novel about Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick. Both social outcasts, Jennifer and Cameron were each other's only best friend in childhood. Their love was something rare- more than just physical. No relationship would ever be enough for what they felt. (Eep, I sound so sappy, don't I?) More than just sweethearts.
But then, one day in fifth grade, Cameron disappears, and Jennifer is led to believe he is dead. Why else would he not call or visit her?
Then, in Jennifer's senior year of high school, he reappears in her life. But Jennifer is a different person than she was- now known as Jenna Vaughn, she's pretty, popular and dating. Everything Jennifer wanted to be but couldn't be. But now that Cam is back in her life, can they be sweethearts again?
(Wow, that was pretty good, considering it's so late and I had to wing that description :D)
********************
My mascara is all smudgy now. I managed not to cry until the end, but then... I just couldn't help it. Bittersweet endings are always what get me :_)
So, let's break it down, shall we?
The characters: Ms. Zarr created a truly wonderful character with Jenna. Personally, I just couldn't, like, get into her like you have to the characters in a book. But that's just me. She had just the right tone- well, most of the time. Sometimes she came off a little too, "Poor me". But you could tell she really loved Cam, but she loved Ethan, her boyfriend, too- just in different ways. The emotions and relationships between the characters were rich, deep, complicated, and really satisfying to read about. You could feel everything they felt, all the love, hurt, pain, joy- that's immeasurably important in a book.
I did, however, feel like Cam was a bit too underdeveloped. He just seemed so... PERFECT.
The plot: SUCH an original, fantastic plot! And I was so glad that Ms. Zarr didn't cop out on the ending. That would have been so easy to do in the situation (I'm trying to be vague so as not to spoil the plot), but she gave it a bittersweet ending- like I said, the best kind :) However, it was a bit vague. So many things were left without answers- what happened with Jenna and Ethan? What about Cameron? Some people might not be satisfied with it, and walk away feeling let down. Not me, but that's just a warning for you. But don't let it keep you from reading the book!
Also, I loved how it handled so many issues, and how gracefully Zarr handled them. It covered everything from eating disorders to abuse to first love to breakups to religion and back again, all without being too graphic and obvious about it. That's not something you see much in books.
The writing: Oh, wonderful writing. It's written in a way that you feel like you are Jenna, and like you do love Cam but you love Ethan too, and don't even know if you can be with Cam. It describes the emotions in detail without getting boring, and it's fresh and original.
*********************
A wonderful, touching (usually I don't use words like that to describe books. It's 11:10- oooh! Make a wish in a minute!- and I can't think of anything better) book, I definitely recommend it if you don't have trouble with endings that aren't so perfect.
By the way, I'm LOVING this cover! Great lettering font, with the bubble letters, great color scheme, and the cookie is mesmerizing- LOL. That's mainly what made me pick it up in the first place- other than the fact that I REALLY want to read Once Was Lost, which comes out in October, by this author and I'd heard she's great. Which is correct!
I'm Published! *Sort of*
Weeeeeellll, the title is kinda misleading. No, I didn't get any of my works published :) I DID however, get a false identity as an author :) I got this from Sara, who got it from Margo, who got it from the recesses of her mind :) I thought it sounded fun, so here it is, steps courtesy of Sara:
1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/The name that appears is your author name.
2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or click http://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.
3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.
4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.
5 – Post it to your site along with this text.
If I were an author, this would be my debut book cover:
I really like this one :) You can actually read it since I used Picnik :) The name is Keena Donelson
I've been trying to redo my photo on photoshop. I hate it, it makes my hands hurt and it's so complicated :( GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Curse you, Photoshop! *Tortured whisper-yell* Curse... you...
Ahem. *pats hair* Just kidding :) Not about Photoshop making me mad, but about the freakout.
Anyways. :D
I know my cover doesn't look that good, but this was my first experience with Photoshop. Now you see why I had Sara make me a button for the ABCA challenge :)
UPDATE: I changed the cover, redid the whole process. I'm going to use Picnik instead, since Margo helped me with how to do it :) Thanks BTW! (Keena Donelson: Pinpoint)
P.S. Sorry I've been posting so much over the summer! I don't have anything else to do, so I have to force my jabberings on y'all :)
P.P.S. Haha, I'm SO addicted to Picnik now :P
Arrrr... Erm Yeah That's My Piraty Talk :) I Won An Award, Basically :D
Theme Thursday #1: Adorkable
Waiting On Wednesday: Splendor by Anna Godbersen
Sorry, I can't find a description for this!
Release Date: October 2009
I haven't finished Envy yet, so I don't have a clue what'll happen either.
But I think this is my favorite cover of the Luxe series- loving the violet! I also love the name, Splendor. It's so pretty. Oops, I sound a little like a 5 year old :P
Sorry this is such a short post with not much to it, but at least you know to look for the latest installment of this awesome series, right? :D
Bookshelf Blues and A Teaser Too(sday)
Heylo everybody! I almost forgot it was Tuesday. Summer is totally messing with my brain :P
So today's episode of Teaser Tuesday is brought to you by Jaqueline Woodson (said in a cookie monster voice. Erm, veggie monster, w/e ;D) and her 10-year-old book If You Come Softly, page 2:
"Remember what you can, Elisha," Marion whispers, kissing me on the forehead. "Remember what you can."
I close my eyes again.
And I remember what I can.
So far, I'm not sure what to think of this book. It's just weird at the beginning, when the chapter is about Jeremiah? It makes me cringe a bit at times. Like, all of a sudden there'll be this interjection of, "Aw yeah!" or "shoot!" or something. Not like someone's saying it, it's just randomly there. Awkward :(
And now for Bookshelf Blues.
**********************************
So, this cool blog I follow, called Katie's Book Blog, and Katie, the girl running it, moved recently. Her bookshelf didn't make the move, it broke :( SO she posted about that, and guess what happened? A store offered her a FREE huge bookshelf!!!!!!!!!!! I think that's just amazing. So yeah, congrats to her, she's been a great friend in the blogoverse :) A whole bookshelf, like up to the ceiling *dreamy eyes*
Have I every told you about my bookshelf? It's collapsed on one side. It holds about 20 books. It's all scratched and beaten. Most of the books are lame-o kids books. I think it's about to go :(
Then where'll I put my books? They're all over the floor as it is, books of all colors, from everywhere: Australia, the States, one from Ireland, several from the UK... They'll have no where to sit in their pristineness :(
***********************************
So bye for now! Sorry not to leave you on a happy not :P
Wherever Nina Lies Review
Award Time!
Yayness, I've Been Tagged!
Thanks to Imogen- a.k.a. Immi :)- for tagging me! So here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you
*post these rules on your blog*
Share your ABCs
Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs
Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website
Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.
The ABC of me...
Available/Single? Single? Unfortunately so. Available? Not really, who needs the drama?
Best Friend? Don't really have one- I'm really shy, but I just have a circle of friends, no certain one :)
Cake or Pie? You really have to ask? Just give me SOMETHING sweet and I'll love it and you forever :) Though I do more favor pie ever since I watched Waitress :)
Drink of choice? Spiced chai latte freeze, from Bridgeview, but only when the boys make it, since they use more whipped cream :)
Essential item for every day use? My netbook laptop. Ways one and a half pounds, and it's PRETTY. Or my iPod.
Favorite color? Tiffany box blue.
Google? Um, do you mean do I like it, or prefer other search engines? I have 6 engines on here, obvs I'm not that picky. I do Google my name sometimes though, if I'm bored :)
Hometown? Henderson, Kentucky.
Indulgences? Coffee, chocolate, and books. All of which I have a strict regimen of attaining for :)
January or February? January. Everything's all new, it's when it snows here, and I don't celebrate Christmas so I'm not depressed in it :)
Kids and their names? Maybe, if I'm not too busy with my bookstore and all that in Portland :) I love the name Cassandra, but maybe Alice, Bella (no Twilight reference intended!), Lorelai. Obvs I'm watching too much Gilmore Girls.
Life is incomplete without...? Books, my computer and friends :)
Marriage date? A tiny ceremony in Ireland, where it's green, wet and lovely :)
Number of siblings? A very lonely only :(
Oranges or apples? Um, neither. Any other fruit but those :P
Phobias and fears? Spiders, and for some reason I HATE windows being open when it's dark, or when I'm home alone. *shiver* (Sorry Sara, I know this was yours too, but I haven't even seen The Grudge and I've still been scared since I was little :P)
Quote for the day? "Let me be vice president in charge of cheering you up." Say this is early Witherspoon like a surprising amount of people have said it was to me, and I will HURT you- just kidding :) It's a really underrated Thriller of AUdrey Hepburn's, I'm watchign it AGAIN on AMC.
Reason to smile? I was hoping a question like this would come up! I just got my schedule, and I'm finally on the same team as my friend Lacey (well, maybe I do have a BF, butr several :D)
Also, I don't have Ms. Carroll for any classes again. She has somethign against me, I know it :(
Season? Autumn- the clothes, the color, and most of all the rain. Plus all the best books seem to be released around this time!
Tag 3 people? Seeing as Sara, Imogen and Sasha have been tagged already, I'm tagging newer blogging buddies of mine: Jessica, Collegiate Bookworm, and Lolli.
Unknown fact about me? I tend to spill all my secrets on here too, so not much. Erm, my favorite thing to read is People mag!
Vegatable you hate? Tomatoes. The bane of my existence. AND my salad.
Worst habit? I bite my fingernails a lot, and I stutter. My main language is also idiotese when i talk to people I haven't known forever :P
Xrays you've had? None. I wanted to break my arm when I was littler so I could get an x ray, actually :( I thought being injured seemed to have very romantic prospects (not like love, but in the other sense of the word :P I was a very odd child- LOL :)
Your fave food? Stuffed pizza, extra cheese and no sauce :)
Zodiac sign? Um, no clue. I'm a December b-day, though, does anyone know what that is?
And now I shall tag:
Jessica from http://shutupimreading.blogspot.com
Collegiate from http://collegiatebookworm.blogspot.com
Lolli, aka Lolita Marie from http://lolitamariereviews.blogspot.com
GO forth and do learn your ABC's, all :)
P.S. Sorry my answers were a bit long at times :P
DBR Birthday Review: If I Stay
Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers, April 2009
MSRP (Hardback, USA): $16.99
Pages: 201
Rating: A hands-down, no doubt * * * * */5!
I just finished this... I think around 3 minutes ago, the first book I'm reading for Sara's challenge.
If I Stay is a bittersweet, absolutely amazing book about love, loss, family, friends, and most of all choices, particularly the ones Mia has to make after the car crash one day that kills her mom, dad, and baby brother, Teddy.
It starts off with a sweet, almost-too-perfect chapter with Mia and her family, and that made me think, Oh no... this will be just TOO cloyingly perfect to enjoy. But it wasn't!
Then comes the car crash that changes it all, and lands Mia in the hospital, where she watches in a kind of ghost like version of herself as people visit her, tell her, Stay, stay, please stay. But Mia isn't sure she wants to stay... So which one does she choose? You'll have to read this fantastic book to find out!
I'm racking my brain for some constructive criticism for this book, something that might make it better. I can't find anything. I really and truly think this one of the best books I've read in a while. Well, I might have one complaint, if you can call it that... the writing was a bit too formal for me at times. And there was this weird thing with Brooke Vega in it that kind of made me cringe a bit. But other than that I loved it.
It did have a rather abrupt ending, and any other time that would have bothered me- and for a few minutes, I was bothered- I wasn't ready for it to be over! But then I thought about it, and I think it really worked best. Had it been even one sentence longer it would have lost a lot of its impact.
Mia was just such a wonderful character. At first, like I mentioned, she seemed just too perfect, but throughout the book, you really get to know Mia better than I've seen in most any other book, all her faults, her feelings, her fears, insecurities. And she had so many layers and so much texture, you felt like you were her, not just reading her words.
And the writing was just fantastic. Forman knew just what to write to convey Mia's emotion, her thoughts, right down to the letter. Mia plays cello, and the writing kind of reminded me of cello music- it flowed wonderfully, and it was sweet, sad and... I really don't know what other word to use besides this, it's one of those annoying irrelevant words on the back of books in the praise part- poignant. That may sound a little sappy, oops!
Another thing I loved about this book was how it interchanged between fond past memories of her family and friends, and the harsh present, and listening to all the stories she had to tell of the past. Also, the fact that music played such a big part in the book. I love music SO much- shocker :P- and that was important to me.
I could rant about this book more to try to convince you to read it, but I think it's better to just take my word :)
What I'm Reading for the DBR Challenge (Mainly for MY Benifit :P)
Hey everyone! So, I decided the books I'll read for Sara's challenge :) Here's just a quick list, mainly for my benifit, as I HAVE to list everything :P,
First of all, thanks to Sara for letting me make some changes in areas. My standards for books are particuarly weird, I know :P
Horror/Mystery/Dark- Silverfin- Charlie Higson
War- The Boy In The Striped Pajamas- John Boyne
Chick-Lit- Finding Cassie Crazy (It's called The Year of Secret Assignments in the US of A- I was planning to reread it anyways!)- Jaclyn Moriarty
Other-worldly (Thanks for letting me replace this with Fantasy, Sara!)-Graceling- Kristin Cashore
Tearjerkers- If I Stay- Gayle Forman
Set in Another Time- Kezzie by Theresa Breslin
Set in Another Country- Ophelia- Lisa Klein
Choose from the 5 of 5 books- Serafina67- Susie Day
SO here's my progress thus far (again, entirely for my own benifit)- In the order of the books and where they are to me:
Library (TBCO)
Library (TBCO)
Library (TBCO)
Library (1st Hold)
Almost finished reading (finished by today!)
In my cart. This one'll be a serious problem :( Since it's shipped from the UK and my dad won't order it yet, it'll be a while.
I'm buying this in my next trip to B and N, in a few days.
I own this, and I already reviewed it... if I reread it and erase my other review for a new one, does it count? That's the only one that won't take about 2 months to get, since I already have it
:(
Thanks again for the challenge and all that, Sara!
In My Mailbox July 25
Hi :)
So here I am AGAIN with another post- I feel like I've been working on this blog ALL day :P- about the lovely selection of books bestowed upon me this week :D
From the library:
Ivy- More and more I'm starting to like books like this, set in Europe in the 17- and 1800's... books like Aurelia, The Reluctant Heiress, Ophelia, things like that? This is one of those, and it looks spectacular :) Summary: An middle child in a poor family, who everyone thinks is too plain to so much as live... until an aspiring artist discovers her and uses her as his muse for paintings.
Two*Way Street- Yay, I finally got it! At first I thought it looked too predictable. Then I picked it up again and read the first and last sentence (a weird habit of mine... does anyone else do that? I know Jessica Secret from Shut Up I'm Reading does... at least I'm not alone in my quirkiness :D) and it looks great.
TTFN- The first of this series (The Internet Girls... how, ah, original :P) is STILL on the Bookmobile, checked out to some girl name Amber ( her tag was still in it, and so was this funky bookmark she made...) but I figure, seeing as it's written in IM's, I'm not spoiling too much for myself for now :P
Art Geeks and Prom Queens- Yay at this one too! I'm reading this for my ABC Authors Challenge, for N (Alyson NOEL). So far, her books haven't appealed to me on the shelves, but I'm willing to give it a try.
The Recieved: Nada :P
The Bought:
Wreck this Journal- My mom got this for me at Barnes and Noble today, actually :) She gets books in the crafts section and this was there. Maybe this shouldn't count as a book, since you, like, scribble in it violently and stuff... good for passive-aggresive people :D (you can't tell but I'm doing an exaggerated smile and thumbs up. Oh yeah, I'm so cool :P)
The Comeback- OMG yayness! I thought this was coming out in September, and then it was on the to-be-shelved cart... sitting there unattended, all those shiny August books... xD so I sneaked one off and bought it. Yeah, that's as close to BAD as I get :)
The Debs- They had one lone copy of this at Borders. I don't like the sterile, buy-something-quick-then-go-away atmosphere, but they do have copies of books I've been looking for when I go there. This one is about Texan Debutantes. Different subject, huh?
Ipods in Accra- And another yay goes to this one! I ordered it from Amazon quite a while ago, all the way from the UK. At first I didn't really like the cover, because it has all these random drawings, but I love it now :) I did a teaser on it on Tuesday.
Perfect- This was another one of those lone copies, but at Barnes and Noble. I was going to get One Lonely Degree or Ophelia, for the DBR BIrthday Challenge, but got this and The Comeback instead :) It's about a girl with bulemia. Usually I don't like books about this subject, eating disorders, but no one does it better than YA authors. This one looks particularly well done :)
So now you know what I got... how about you?
Keep it PC, Bloomsbury!
Well, there's no denying this is a beautiful, eye-catching cover, right? Something that will definitely sell this book.
Which is exactly the reason it was chosen, no matter how much hurt, pain and offense it is causing people.
Here's the description of Liar from the author, Justine Larbaliester:
"I never wanted a girl’s face on the cover. Micah’s identity is unstable. She spends the book telling different version of herself. I wanted readers to be free to imagine her as they wanted."
She goes on to say in the post:
"One of the most upsetting impacts of the cover is that it’s led readers to question everything about Micah: If she doesn’t look anything like the girl on the cover maybe nothing she says is true. At which point the entire book, and all my hard work, crumbles." Larbalestier strongly prefers the Australian cover:
In the book, Micah is protrayed as a black girl with short hair. So why is it that the cover shows a WHITE girl with LONG hair?
The answer: It's called a "white wash" cover. For some reason, people at Bloomsbury Sales and Marketing think people just won't buy a cover with a girl of color on it. Here's a PR statement from Melanie Cecka, the publishing director of Bloomsbury who worked on Liar: “Clearly, our striving for ambiguity with this cover, and for it to be interpreted as a ‘lie’ itself didn’t work for everyone. But again, if this jacket proves a catalyst for a bigger discussion about how the industry is dealing with its books on race, that’s a very large good to come of this current whirlwind.”And here's what Justine has to say about this:
"... we can’t know if it’s true that white people won’t buy books about people of colour. All we can say is that poorly publicised books with “black covers” don’t sell. The same is usually true of poorly publicised books with “white covers.”"
I just don't know what to think of this. Maybe this wasn't meant as a political statement, but just to go along with the plot? Like, she's a compulsive liar, so she's lying about her appearance? That's what I originally thought when I saw the post by Allison on Read Into This, but then you consider the things Marketing are thinking. And either way, it's terrible disrespect to the author, whose "hard work just crumbles" from the readers questioning it.
So what I want to know is, what do you think? Rascism or just going with the plot? I really want to know (oops, that sounds sarcastic but I want to know what you think! Please? :D)
So here's some things you can do to make a difference (I'm copying this directly from Allison's site- sorry, Allison! Is it ok? Leave a comment if it isn't):
Here are some things you can do:
E-mail Deb Shapiro at Deb.Shapiro@bloomsburyusa.com. Let her know that this is wrong and you care about it. No matter your race, your opinion should matter!
Blog about it! The more word gets out, the more of an impact we, as readers, can make!
Be more aware of the books you read! Join a multi-cultural book challenge here. You'll never know what kind of a change you can make until you try.
Participate in the C.O.R.A. Diversity Roll Call meme, which is bi-weekly! You can find this week's here.
Also, you can read Justine Larbalestier's blog post here, and the PW article here.
SO thanks so much to Allison for the info and ways to help! I love how you use your blog to inform others of things like this, and what we can do to help. I think I see a new award in your future :) As soon as I can figure out how to MAKE an award. Is it like Foto Flexer or something?
Anyways, check out Allison's post here, and make sure you do what you can to gelp the cause :)
I'd Like to Thank All the Little People For This Award... ;)
So apparently, I give this award to 1 person. I THINK. So here's my one person:DBR Birthday Contest!
Yay, Sara is giving away books in her first contest for the DBR Birthday Challenge! Sorry Sara, but I'm copying and pasting your post from there. So ignore the I's and think of them as Sara's :)
The first DBR birthday competition I have for you guys is this:The lovely people from Bloomsbury have sent me these four books to use for competition :) I'm jealous, as they look really good and I haven't read them yet. I hope the winners enjoy them!Rules:
You can submit an entry for each book - but only once for each. If you spam entries, only one will be counted, so it's a waste of time :)
To enter, e-mail me at dragonflybookreviews(at)gmail.com with the title of the book you want in the subject and your name and country in the message. Comments don't count, sorry!
This competition is out to people all over the world so you can enter no matter where you live :)
There will be a winner for each book, and they will be picked at random - no bribery :P
No entries will count after the deadline of 31st July 2009.
#1 Shadow Web, by N.M. Browne
Summary from Amazon.co.uk: Jessica Allendon is bored and Googles her name. Weirdly, she finds another girl, same age, same name, also living in London. They arrange to meet. At the designated time and place, Jess sees the girl, shock registering on both their faces as they realise they look identical. They shake hands and in that instant are catapulted into each other's worlds. Jessica finds herself somewhere which looks like the London of 50 years ago, but the year is still 2008. In this parallel London, the history is different, key war memorials are missing, and the Jessica whose life she now inhabits was involved in a dark and sinister conspiracy. Jess must convince everyone she is the same girl, at all costs, if she wants to get back to her London - alive.
#2 Hunted, by N.M. Browne
Summary from Amazon.co.uk: Karen Fox is attacked on her way home from school and left in a coma by her attackers. While she lies in her hospital bed an extraordinary thing happens - her spirit journeys to another world. In this parallel world Karen inhabits the body of a fox and becomes the guide to a young man called Mowl who is caught up in a complex and dangerous mix of politics and religion. A world in which old feuds are long fought over and not easily settled. And Mowl is caught up in this intrigue far more extensively than he could possibly imagine. In this world tribal allegiances hold great power, and religion, politics and old beliefs are in conflict. It is not easy to be neutral. But time is against both Karen and Mowl and their desperate attempts to survive are fought out against the knowledge that animal guides have a very short time to exist. Will Karen the fox survive? Meanwhile Karen Fox's grandmother keeps a 24 hour vigil by her bed holding her hand and willing her to come back. But will she, can she, recover from her coma?
#3 The Spellgrinder's Apprentice, by N.M. Browne
Summary from Amazon.co.uk: An orphaned boy escapes from the terrible dark cellar where he is apprenticed to grind spellstones, stones which can be shaped to wield great magical power. Escaping this shadowy world is punishable by death, but when captured the boy claims a stay of execution under an old and almost fogotten law. If he can reach the coast and flee the country within eight days, he will be free. But the boy's daring escape has also come to the attention of the most powerful man in the land, the Protector, and he believes there must be far more to the boy than his humble spellgrinding background. The Protector is convinced that the boy possesses some skill in earth magic, the magic which the Protector tried to irradicate and replace with the unnatural and unstable spellstone wizardry of his own. If this boy can wield earth magic, then maybe others can too. The boy must be captured at all costs - the Protector must learn what the boy knows, and whether he is the harbinger of the Protector's downfall. The chase begins. The characters are vivid, the world NM Browne creates - the politics, religion, the landscapes are utterly convincing, and the many layers of sophistication to explore, are tied together brilliantly.
#4 The Story of Stone, by N.M. Browne
Summary from Amazon.co.uk: Nela's father is a Findsman, seeking clues to unlock the mysteries of the past. He hears of an eerie place by the side of a lake which could hold the answers he is looking for. Taking Nela and a small group of men, they discover nothing but an unusual stone, but when Nela touches the stone a connection is forged which reveals glimpses of an incredible and disturbing story of a life many many years before. A story of jealousy, power and love, which Nela begins to realise is disturbingly linked to her own. Utterly gripping and incredibly imagined, N. M. Browne has created the most spellbinding world in a mix of myth, fable and fantasy.
-- So, that's your lot. Remember, you can enter wherever you are, and just by sending your name and country to dragonflybookreviews(at)gmail.com, with the book title as the subject. I will randomly pick a winner for each book on 31st July 2009. You can enter for more than one book.Good luck!
*************************************
SO thanks again Sara!
*************************************
I'll be posting what I'll read for the challenge soon :)
How D'ya Like the New Style, Everybody?
Hey everyone :) So, sorry I missed Waiting on Wednesday yesterday, I would doone today but honestly? This was a really bad day- my dad just got home from the hospital because he was in a carwreck at 3:30 today, I'm hopped up on Benadryl because I had some kind of allergic reaction, stuff like that- so I don't want to go look for a book for an hour to feature... oops I sound so crabby don't I? :P
I've been trying a LOT, most ifr not all of which people haven't seen... but tell me what you think in the comments or make some suggestions if you have any, 'k?
Buh-bye for now,
Meggin
Teaser Tuesday & A Quick Note to Sara L :)
Hey everyone! First of all, before the Teaser, I want to thank Sara L from Dragonfly Book Reviews for this lovely new award, which I got as a thanks for posting about her challenge( if you want to check it out- which you definitely shoud :)- it's thepost below this one)...
Ooooooh.... shiny :)
So, thanks Sara! :)
Anyways, this weeks Teaser is..... *drumroll, please!*
...from Ipods in Accra! YAY! Excuse me while I rant... I was going to dpo The Debs which I got today, but my dad just walked in the door with a package from Piccadilly Press... I've been waiting for this for weeks to come, yay! *happy dance* *is embarrassed as I usually don't do happy dances* Awesome shopping day in general, not just books. I got awesome shirts from Aeropostale! And I WENT TO SEPHORA for the first time! OMG my mouth fell open. Givenchy... Prada... Chanel.... Marc Jacobs... they were all there waiting for ME... can't wait til I'm 14 and can wear makeup for REAL. And got crazy zeon nail polish. *ahem* My ranting is done. Sorry :)
So here's the Teaser for today, from page 67:
"Woah, dramarama," I said, surprised.
"Seriously, Makeeda, I was furious! Um... but I wanted to kiss him too." Bharti whispered.
And with that I leave you :)
DBR Blogoversary Challenge!
Sara L from Dragonfly Book Reviews is hosting the DBR 1st Birthday Challenge! Here's the summary, links, rules and all that good stuff for your veiwing pleasure, as well as the button:
Summary:I have chosen 8 categories and each has 5 books in it, with the plots relating to the name of the category. I have read and reviewed all these books (you can read the reviews by clicking the titles of the books). I have tried to make it possible for bloggers overseas to join in by putting up books I think aren't just published in the UK, although I know some are. If you can't find any of the books I've chosen for a category in your area, then e-mail me (dragonflybookreviews(at)gmail.com) with the book you would like to read for that category instead, and I'll verify that it belongs to that category. Hopefully this challenge will let you discover some good reads and push you towards reading that book you've always wanted to. For the first 7 people that complete the challenge (the deadline is 11th November 2009) I will award a prize, and there will be random competitions and offers throughout the next fortnight as celebrations for DBR's birthday.
Rules:
You must read at least one of the books for each category, in no particular order.
No matter when you start, the deadline for everyone is 11th November 2009 - you can finish before then.
The first 7 people to finish (including bloggers from the US, Canada and Austrailia) will get a random book sent to them. Please e-mail me when you are finished so I know - dragonflybookreviews(at)gmail.com
You must write a quick review of the book on your blog as proof that you read it, and mention the challenge on your site too - the more the merrier!
You have to e-mail me if you want to read another book for a category - only if none of the books listed are availiable in your area.
Please send me a link to the review/summary when it's posted - dragonflybookreviews(at)gmail.com
Because of the fact you have to post when you've read the books, etc, this challenge is only open to Bloggers, Wordpress-ers and owners of a blog-type site, but you can still take part at home! Or you can quickly make your own blog - http://www.blogger.com/home
You can only read a book for one category - even if it's listed in two.
Have fun - it's a celebration challenge!!!
And then, here are the categories:
Horror/Mystery/Dark
My Swordhand is Singing - Marcus Sedgwick
Jude (also known as Framed) - Kate Morgenroth
Silverfin - Charlie Higson
Crossing The Line - Gillian Philips
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
War
Then - Morris Gleitzman
Once - Morris Gleitzman
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne
Remembrance - Theresa Breslin
Shrapnel - Robert Swindells
Chick-lit
The Pretty Committee Strikes Back - Lisi Harrison
Extreme Kissing - Luisa Plaja
Finding Cassie Crazy - Jaclyn Moriarty
Gossip Girl - Cecily von Ziegesar
Young, Loaded and Fabulous - Kate Kingsley
Other-worldly
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Marked - P.C. and Kristen Cast
Fragile Eternity - Melissa Marr
The Hunted - Alex Shearer
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury (you can't choose this if you've already chosen it for Horror/Mystery/Dark)
Tearjerkers
If I Stay - Gayle Forman
Then - Morris Gleitzman (you can't choose this if you've already chosen it for War)
Ethel and Ernest - Raymond Briggs
Ways to Live Forever - Sally Gardener
Brilliance of the Moon - Lian Hearn
Set in another time
The Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale
Dragonfly - Julia Golding
Kezzie - Theresa Breslin
Carbon Diaries 2015 - Saci Lloyd
Double Cross - Malorie Blackman
Set in other countries
Tokyo - Graham Marks
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne (you can't choose this if you've already chosen it for War)
Kumari: Goddess of Destiny - Amanda Lees
Ophelia - Lisa Klein
Dragonfly - Julia Golding (you can't choose this if you've already chosen it for Set in another time)
Choose from the 5/5 books
Zelah Green, Queen of Clean - Vanessa Curtis
Big Woo! - Susie Day (also known as Serafina 67 *urgently requires life*)
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
Rain - Kate le Vann
Princess Academy - Shannon Hale
NOTE - I know I'm pushing it a bit with some of the books, but they're good books. Enjoy the challenge!
**************************************************
Now everyone- don't you have a challenge to get to? ;)
Later,
Meggin
In My Mailbox July 18
First, thanks to The Story Siren for this awesome meme!
I'm so excited over the books I got this week, things I've been wanting for a while... but next week will be even better since I'm getting Graceling and Pretty Face *cheers!*!
Anyways, so this week I got:
The revieved for review: None
From the library: None. First time all summer I haven't been to the library... weird!
The Bought: This week, I went to my monthly/bimonthly (depending on whenever I go to the other library, about an hour away) visit to Books-A-Million, where I get really uber-irked over the organization- actually, lack there of. I find copies of the same book sprinkled throughout the shelves... authors aren't even alphabetized, and their books aren't to geth in one shelve or place... haha, see? Even when I'm not there, I'm bugged!- but forgive them immediately, since they always have copies of books I want but can't find anywhere else. Anyways:
Beige: Yay! I've been wanting this for a while, but since it isn't brand new, and I mainly hit the new shelves for books, it's always been pushed back to the corners of my mind, forgotten, lonely :c Summary: Kate goes to live with her father for two weeks- but her dad is a famous rock star. I love the focus on music and general... ARTINESS!
Lucky: For a while I ignored this when it was on the shelves... just seemed too, like, perfect. But then I looked at it, and so far, I'm loving it :) I really hope there isn't this easy solution thing to the money problems, with them being rich again... I HATE book like that :(
...Fabulous: I just call it Fabulous because of the exceedingly long title. I'm really picky about books about body issues/image. Sometimes, they're terribly wrong- anyone read Big Fat Manifesto? Notice that the author was STICK SKINNY? That made me pretty mad... how does she know? She doesn't. But this one seems true, and so far really great :) I love the attitude Riley has! I wish I was like that, outgoing and all... but I'm definitely not :(
LLL: Yay! I ordered this from Piccadilly Press a month ago, and it crossed the world, over land and sea and air and all that good stuff, just specifically for my enjoyment :) I read a lot of UK blogs, and people from the UK read a lot of books from Piccadilly... they always look so good- now I have one! :) I'm also getting iPods in Accra soon... I may be hooked on Brit Lit :) This is like a modern updating of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a book I LOVE.
I know, a lot of books bought... but don't they look so WORTH IT?
So now you know what I got... what about you?
Bye for now,
Meggin
The Girls Review
Title: The Girls
Author: Tucker Shaw
Publisher: Amulet Books, published in 2009
MSRP: Hardback: U.S. $16.95
Pages: 208 pp
Rating: * * * */5
The general idea, courtesy of Amazon:
Meet Mary: She’s beautiful, and her ski-star boyfriend is cheating on her.
Meet Crystal: She’s a townie, and she’s cheating with Mary’s boyfriend.
Meet Sylvia: She’s nasty, and she’s got something up her Prada-designed sleeve.
Meet Amber: She’s a flake, she’s the barista at the hottest coffee shop in Aspen, and she serves up gossip even hotter than grande skim lattes.
Meet Peggy: She’s Mary’s best friend, and she has no idea how to cope with all these girls.
A modern retelling of the classic play The Women (which featured not one male in the cast), The Girls is a quick-witted, stylish comedy about friendship, love, and most important, gossip! An elite Aspen prep school sets the stage for jealousy and intrigue as the lives of many girls tangle into a wickedly fun mess (in which no boys ever appear).
Oh my gosh, this book is SO much fun to read! I especially love then ending- pretty hilarious :)
I thought this was going to be these girls all best friends, going to the same school, but it's actually more spread out than that. Like, all over Aspen. Which brings me to one of the things i disliked about this: It just seemed too coincidental. All these random girls, and they're all linked in this too-perfect way? I usually can accept far-fetched stuff, but this time it bugged me.
Peggy was a little annoying at times, but I've recently learned that sometimes, authors do that on purpose, show flaws in characters, and it's something that's actually sometimes a good thing for the book (doesn't mean I have to like it though!). But I thought she was really easy to relate to, and I liked her personality more often than not. I also thought it was interesting that she wanted to be a chef- by the way, it has the recipes in the back of the book for all foods featured in the book- since it's not something you see a lot for some reason.
The characters were quirky, which I love in a book! They always had a certain thing they did, and they were... charmingly weird. Like, you wanted to be annoyed by them, but you couldn't because they were just so darn adorkable! :)
Another great thing I enjoyed in this was the fact that no boys were appeared at ALL- it was just all about the relationships between the many girls in this book, and it was fun to get to know about that and helped you feel closer to the characters.
A really great book, I recommend it!
Let's Be Friends Award!
Thanks so much to Allison from Read Into This for this award! I'm taking the quote about it from Allison (sorry, I don't know if this is the official quote or something you made up!), sorry!
Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and befriends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.
So, I'm giving this to 8 bloggers who have been great friends to me, commenting and following and reading... Thanks guys :) But I have a lot more than 8 people that have helped me, so I'm acknowledging them too :)
1. Sarah from Dragonfly Book Reviews
2. Collegiate Bookworm
3. Katie from Katie's Book Blog
4. Bookalicious85
5. Angela and her friend from Book Reviews- The Club
6. Imogen from Write About What? and Novel Ideas
7. Kira from Kira's Book Paradise
8. Sasha from The Sweet Bonjour
Thanks for all your comments and reading guys!
Waiting on Wednesday: Double Feature
Sorry, but I've looked and looked and looked... then I looked one more time just to be sure... then AGAIN... and it's too early for the cover of Heist Society :( Here's the info though:
Heist Society by Ally Carter, to be published in February 2010 by Hyperion Book CH.
The general idea of it all, courtesy of Amazon: Since she can remember, Katarina's relatives have been grooming her for the family business--thieving. But when Kat tries to go straight and leave the Life for a normal life, she's promptly kicked out of her new school for stealing the headmaster's car and mounting it on the school fountain. Although she could have done it without breaking a sweat, ironically, this time, she's innocent.
In fact she was framed--by another highly-skilled thief. Her friend and brother-in-trade Hale, with his mischievous smile and limitless bank account, has appeared out of nowhere to bring her back to the Life, back to the family Kat tried so hard to escape. Hale has a good reason: A powerful mobster has just been robbed of his priceless art collection and he wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have cracked this vault, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he IS the list. Now, caught between Interpol and a far more deadly predator, Kat's dad needs her help.
For Kat, a consummate thief in her own right, the solution is simple: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and maybe just enough misguided pride to pull off the biggest heist in history--or at least in her family's (very crooked) history.
************************************************************
Doesn't this just sound amazing? I can't WAIT! Before you ask, no, this is NOT another Gallagher Girls book. This is her first YA novel not in that series, and I can't wait to read it anyways :) Right now I'm reading the Gallagher Girls series, and they're pretty great... :)
Now, since I missed WOW last week, I'm going to feature another :)
*************************************************************
The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler, to be published in September 2009 by Dutton Juvenile!
The general idea, also courtesy of Amazon: ***When her mother moves them from the city to a small town to open up a cupcake bakery, Penny’s life isn’t what she expected. Her father has stayed behind, and Mom isn’t talking about what the future holds for their family. And then there’s Charity, the girl who plays mean pranks almost daily. There are also bright spots in Hog’s Hollow—like Tally, an expert in Rock Paper Scissors, and Marcus, the boy who is always running on the beach. But just when it looks as though Penny is settling in, her parents ask her to make a choice that will turn everything upside down again. A sweet novel about love, creativity, and accepting life’s unexpected turns.***
So Heather Hepler's finally going solo... I LOVED Scrambled Eggs at Midnight, and Dream Factory was okay... still waiting to read Jars of Glass looks amazing!)... Can't wait to see how she does on her own :)
What is NOT to love about this book? It's pink, it has cupcakes on it, it's full of southern, small-town charm... did I mention IT HAS CUPCAKES? Yummy... ;)
Late 2009-all of 2010 is going to be an excellent book year, my friends. Best we've had in a while... PLUS Runaway, 3rd book of the Airhead series, is coming out... Ooh, and let's not forget the fourth of the Heather Wells mystery series by Meg Cabot (not YA just a regular mystery- but I love it, anyone ever read it? Anyways, it's fantastic, if you haven't you totally should... go on, I DARE you ;))... *sigh* Can't wait!
Teaser Tuesday
I almost forgot to do a teaser- this summer (omg it's over in about 2 weeks! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!) is all strung together, and I get the days confused xD
So anyways, this weeks teaser is from Girls by Tucker Shaw, page 134:
"Why?" I asked. "At this point, don't you want to know what really happened?"
Mary said, "I don't want to hear him lie to me."
That the closest thing to intriguing I could find in this book... It's more of a chick-lit thing and only good when you have all of it together :)
*Yawn* Night everybody :)
Megs
ANYways,
Anna Banana's Pledge!
Peace, Love and Baby Ducks Review
Whew, 1:47 in the morning and I'm wide awake. Finally finished PL&BD, after many renewals and fines for being due many moons ago... painted nails, removed polish, painted them again, am watching a whole marathon of Gilmore Girls (moment of silence in sadness of the end of a great thing... *sniffle*) Awww, how sweet are Luke and Lorelei together? I thought of the perfect song for them: Losing Streak by the Eels. LOL sorry, TV freak over here :P ANYways, enough of my personal life... let's review this book shall we?
Title: Peace, Love & Baby Ducks
Author: Lauren Myracle
Publisher: Dutton Books
MSRP (Hardback): $16.99 USA
Pages: 296 pp
Rating: * * */5
If I did halves in my system, this would be a three and a half. But since it's not, it's not worthy of a four so there you go :)
The general idea (courtesy of Amazon): Fifteen-year-old Carly has a problem—two, actually: her younger sister Anna’s new “real live Hooters-esque boobs.” While Carly was away getting self-actualized at a back-to-nature camp, Anna was busy turning into a hottie, a state that makes “granola-girl” Carly uncomfortably jealous. Now back in her privileged Atlanta suburb, Carly is struggling with feelings of insecurity as she tries to reconcile her newly acquired bohemian belief system with the incredible wealth in which she has been raised. In addition, her crush hardly notices her, she feels trapped between her rival best friends, and her parents seem to be growing more distant with each other by the day. Writing for an older teen audience, Myracle empathetically explores issues of socioeconomic class, sibling rivalry, and parental influence in Peace, Love and Baby Ducks.
This was actually a very good summer read. Carly, the main character, was multi-layered, there was the right amount of characters, *some* of the characters were also well developed, and I really liked some of the plot. It was really funny sometimes, and it was so absolutely believable! I loved the focus on sisterhood and friendship, too. But when it came to the romantic part of this book, I really wasn't impressed (more on that in a second)... :(
I did have a lot of problems with this book, though- like, when Carly first saw Cole at Holy Roller, the private high school she and her friend Peyton attend, and where Carly's sister Anna will be starting her freshman year- the cliches that arose made me so mad! "Head over heels"? "Falling and hard?" Inane stuff like that.
And as for the characters, they often came off the wrong way. I really liked Vonzelle- she was sweet and a good friend, funny and honest. But Anna? Anna was more like a spoiled baby. I really didn't like her throughout the whole book. And Carly, though she was supposed to seem real and different, beyond all the poor-little-rich-girl problems (another thing I had issues with!)- like, she loved disco, she wore stuff like dashikis, she laughed at people who weren't so extremely different like her. She just seemed like she was trying too hard to be different, and it was really annoyingly hypocritical when you think about her behavior throughout the book...
I also wish Roger would have been more developed. He was hardly in there, and he was REALLY important! However, the parts he was in were done fantastically.
Another thing is that the book delves a LOT deeper than the cover would lead you to believe. It deals with a lot of issues, like rascism, love, faith, beliefs, body image, and many other difficult issues. I really liked that- it dealt with them in just the right way.
But overall, it was an original, goofy read that really showed perfectly the dynamics of sisterhood. A great summer read.
In My Mailbox July 11
"Girls" is a bit too disturblingly pink for me, but I'll read it anyways- I need something totally chick-lit :)
Waiting On Wednesday
I've been wanting this forever, and it's coming soon but here's my problem: I DON"T KNOW WHERE TO GO TO FIND UPCOMING BOOKS! Can anyone tell me? I've tried googling, I've looked on Amazon, all that. :(
This is a book about a girl who has it all, including the perfect boyfriend and the lead in the school play- until new girl Annie comes and steals it all! So Sophie (said girl) plans a major comeback of high school proportions...
I love that dress. So kitschy-vintage!
*Yawn* I'm sleepy... dream of awesome books, everyone :)
Huggles,
Meggin/Megs
The One Where Megs Educates Readers On Music and Does A Teaser (W0ot!)
I know this is a book reviewing site, but today is a boring summer day that I've chosen to psned listening to music instead of reading *gasp!* So I thought, why not give the people some music? So here it is, my soundtracks for you!
P.S. I'd appreciate no mocking where Fergie is involved.., I know, I know ;)0
Rainy Day Soundtrack- Soft Music
Big Girls Don't Cry- Fergie
Dear Jamie... Sincerely Me- Hellogoodbye
Again- Natasha Beddingfield
Sorry, Blame It On Me- Akon
Remembering Sunday- All Time Low
Vertigo- Anya Marina
Flacana 16- Melodium
Bubbly- Colbie Caillat
Oh, It Is Love- Hellogoodbye
Here- Hellogoodbye
Outside Looking In- Jordan Pruitt
February Air- Lights
Fell In Love Without You (Acoustic)- Motion City Soundtrack
Bigcitydreams- Nevershoutnever!
Hey There Delilah- Plain White T's
Where Do We Go- Sandrine
Bottle It Up- Sarah Bareilles
And then you end the CD with something ridiculous and embarrassing, but fun:
Fabulous- High School Musical Cast
I know... Remember what I said about the Fergie thing? That goes for me knowing that song by heart, okay? ;)
And then this one, shorter but fun to dance to, and everyone knows the songs:
Bubblegum Dance Mix- Poppy Songs
Circus- Britney Spears (Remember the rule, my friends)
Forever- Chris Brown
Because I'm Awesome- The Dollyrots
With Love- Hilary Duff (RULE!)
I'm Yours- Jason Mraz
No Air- Chris Brown and Jordyn Sparks
Waking Up In Vegas- Katy Perry
Hot n Cold- Katy Perry
My Life Would Suck Without You- Kelly CLarkson
Goodbye- Kristinia DeBarge
Just Dance- Lady GaGa
Poker Face- Lady GaGa
Fashion- Lady GaGa
Please Don't Leave Me- P!nk (Rule, people!)
So What- P!nk
When I Grow Up- The Pussycat Dolls
I Hate This Part- Pussycat Dolls
SOS- Rihanna
That's Not My Name- The Ting Tings
I know this post is a bit long now, but here's my fave playlist:
Independant Indie Soundtrack
Summer Hair=Forever Young- The Academy Is...
Coffeeshop Soundtrack- All Time Low
The Beach- All Time Low
Dear Maria, Count Me In- All Time Low
There's A Class For This- Cute Is What We Aim For
Losing Streak- Eels
America's Suitehearts- Fall Out Boy
She's A Lady- Forever the Sickest Kids
Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn- Hellogoodbye
Bruised- Jack's Mannequin
La La Lie- Jack's Mannequin
Ruby- Kaiser Cheifs
Daylight- Matt & Kim
Natural Disaster- Plain White T's
When Did Your Heart Go Missing?- Rooney
Radio Song- Superbus (This is a French group, BTW, so lyrics are mostly French)
Butterfly- Superbus (French again!)
Decode- Paramore
I definitely recommend listening to these songs- They're all my faves, esp. the last playlist!
Okay, Teaser Tuesday Time! (Say THAT five times fast, everyone!)
*Grab your current read.
**Open to a random page.
***Choose 2 sentences somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
****NO spoilers!
Here is a teaser from Envy, by Anna Godbersen, page 18:
Any of the women surrounding her would have been shocked to hear that she'd once been a maid in service to the kind of girl she now pretended to be, or that she had until recently been known by the plain-sounding name of Lina Broud.
I know that's one sentence, but the other sentence is a bit of a spoiler, soooo... that's whatcha get, folks!
Hugs and kisses,
Megs
Being Nikki Review
Finally, I finished Being Nikki... WHY can't 2010 come sooner!? I need to read the third book, Runaway, RIGHT. NOW, please!
Title: Being Nikki
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Point Publishing
MSRP: Hardback: $16.99 US
Pages: 342 pp
Rating: * * * */5
*WARNING: SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ AIRHEAD*
Summary, in my own words: When Em Watt's brain was transplanted into Nikki Howard's body, she was sure life couldn't get much worse. How wrong she was.
Suddenly, she has Nikki's brother back in her life, she can't get over Christopher (who apparently can't get over Em-ooh, intrigue!), and Nikki's mother is mysteriously missing. Could Stark have something to do with this? Christopher is determined to get revenge on Stark for what happened to Em (who doesn't know Em is still alive- YET, anyways (; Oops...) recruits his cousin, Felix to help find out more about Stark... and *pardon the cliche, folks* they all find everything they know is a lie (I KNOW, cliches are AWFUL, but it's so darn late and I can't think of anything else. That's watcha get, people :P).
Overall: OMGOMGOMG! The plot was a zillion times better than Airhead (though Airhead was still truly awesome, mind you!)! So much drama, secrets, espionage, Big Brother-ness... I loved it. The thing that made me not give it a perfect rating, however, was that it was a bit slow moving at times... and sometimes, it just wasn't as funny as Airhead. But it was still hilarious. I just didn't like the writing at times, Nikki/Em seems to have become a bit self centered. But once you got to reading it, it got muuuuuuuch better.
Though not quite as good as Airhead, it went beyond the expectations you would normally have for a sequel, and didn't at all ruined the previous book. You must read this!
Mmkay, now off to feed my nocturnal habits, surfing the internet aimlessly. Plus- what else?- some reading.
Hugs and kisses, Megs
My Blogoversary!
