They're BAAA-ACCCCK... *sob*

Remember this lovely little number pulled by publishers on Wuthering Heights?

Oh yes. The Bella and Edward's favorite book- according to the sticker.

BEHOLD. Here is where I would make more snarky comments. But frankly I'm too bitter at the present moment in time. Feel free to do my job for me in the comments. Don't be shy.

*sigh* But that's not even the worst.

Notice the caption, "The original forbidden love..."

And, of course, I can't leave without another version of the Wuthering Heights.

How much do you want to be some 10 year old picked this up thinking it was Twilight and threw it away upon discovering it wasn't?

{Insert further snarky commentary}

Teaser Tuesday

Hi! I'm finally regularly doing the teaser now :P This week's teaser is from an ARC I just got in the mail a few hours ago, I Am A Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb. Which, for the record, is weird, crazy. insane and hilarious. Just so you know :)

Mmkay, TT rules:

1) Go to a random page of your current read.
2) Choose 2 teaser sentences from it (yes, I break this rule a lot *cough*)
3) Post it here so people can sample the awesomeness of it! Or as the case may be, lameness.
4) NO spoilers. EVER.

This is taken from page 91 of I Am A Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb:

"What is evil?" You ask.
To which I reply, "Who are you? Friedrich Nietzsche?"
To which you respond, "Duh... wha? Me no understand."
Then I put you back in your cage.

I freely admit I am evil. At least, I freely admit it when I'm alone and no one can hear me. That doesn't mean I torture kittens or plot the genocide of entire continents of people; that's insanity, not evil. And insanity is just what we call stupidit when it doesn't make sense.

___________________

Strange. But I like the book so far.

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher review

Title: 13 Reasons Why


Author: Jay Asher


Publisher: Razorbill (ctober 17, 2009)


MSRP (Hardback, USA): $16.99


Pages: 320

Summary: You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret... is to press play.


Clay Jensen doesn't want anything to do with the tapes Hannah Baker made. Hannah is dead. Her secrets should be buried with her.


The Hannah's voice tells Clay that his name is on her tapes- and that he is, in some way, responsible for her death.


All through the night, Clay keeps listening. He follows Hannah's recorded words throughout his small town...


...and what he discovers will change his life forever.



********************************************

I was originally going to do this review as a list of 13 reasons why I loved Th1rteen R3easons Why... but once I tried I saw I loved too much about it to list.

Mainly what I loved so much was the writing- Hannah's voice, regularly flowing throughout the novel, was so sad and earnest. You could tell she had tried so hard- well, thought she had tried- to get help, and was giving up, defeated and beaten down. But even then, she was still sweet, funny and totally likeable. When I first started reading the book, that was something new to me, and basically up until the end my eyes were wet. Another thing about the writing I loved was how Hannah's recordings were constantly sprinkled throughout the story- for the record, the one in the italics. The most of a break you got was 2, and most of the time it was just a sentence or two from Clay. At first, that frustrated me- I'd get so into Hannah's story, wondering and waiting and listening along, that I'd entirely forget about what Clay was doing. Someone would speak to him, Hannah would continue a bit, Clay would respond to said person, I'd have no clue what he was talking about. But it's something I got used to fairly easily.

It was such a good idea on Asher's part to use cassette tapes, in my opinion- it seemed more mysterious and personal than had it been something like CD's.

Speaking of it's mystery, the book really wasn't predictable. I was wondering what every single person had done, what had driven Hannah to her breaking point. And I definitely didn't know what to expect from Clay.

Finally, the characters- even though very few characters made an appearance in the novel, you get to know all the people- Hannah ans her 12 other "reasons"- so much better just by seeing what effect they had on Hannah and what she thought of them, including Clay.

A true page turner- I got so mad whenever I had to be torn away from it. I accidentally missed my bus stop on my way home because I was reading it- it's something worthy of you TBR pile.

Waiting On Wednesday: Dirty Little Secrets

Dirty Little Secrets by CJ Omololu (it's like banana... spelling this authors name made me feel speshul ed :P)

Product Description/Summary (thanks to Amazon): Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.
With details that are as fascinating as they are disturbing, C. J. Omololu weaves an hour-by-hour account of Lucy’s desperate attempt at normalcy. Her fear and isolation are palpable as readers are pulled down a path from which there is no return, and the impact of hoarding on one teen’s life will have readers completely hooked.

Why I Want to Read This SO Much: Um, did you read the summary? It sounds amazing if written in the right way which I'm sure it will be.

I'm off to hunt for change to make sure I actually have money for it when February comes around :)

Teaser Tuesday: An Abundance of Katherines

(Wow, when's the last time I did this!?)

This week my teaser is from An Abundance of Katherines by John Green- which I LOVE. John Green is amazing! Yet another 5 star review coming soon- sorry it's a bit long. It has foot notes in the book explaining the French, but you're in your own using Google Translate- which is worth doing, this is the most hilarious part.

"Okay, they're coming," Said Hassan. "What's your name?"
"Pierre."
Okay, I'm Salinger, pronounced SalinZHAY."
"Y'all are here for the tour, are ya," Lindsey's boyfriend said.
"Yes. I am Salinzhay," Hassan said, his accent passable if not magnificient. "This is my cousin Pierre. We visit your country for first time, and we wish to see Archduke, who started our- how you say- first Earth war." Colin glanced at Lindsey Lee Wells, who surpressed a smile as she smacked her orange gum.
"I'm Colin," the boyfriend said, his hand extended. Hassan leaned over and Pierre/Colin and whispered, "His name is Other Colin." Hassan then said, "My cousin, he speak very little English. I am his man of translate." The Other Colin laughed, as did the other two boys, who introduced themselves ("We will call Chase, Jeans Are Too Tight, and Fulton shall be Short One Chewing Tobacco," Hassan whispered to Colin.
"Je m'appelle Pierre," Colin blurted out. "Quand je vais das le metro, je fais aussi de la musique de prouts."
"We get a lot of foreign tourists out here," said the only girl besides Lindsey [...]
"Amour aime aimer amour!" Colin announced quite loudly.
"Pierre," said Hassan. "He has the disease with the talking. The, uh, with the bad words. In France, we say it Toorettes. I do now know how you say in English."
"He has Tourette's?" Asked the girl, Katrina.
"MERDE!" shouted Colin.
"Yes, same word both language, like hemorrhoid. The one we learned yesterday because Pierre had the fire in his bottom. He has the Toorettes. And the hemmorhoid. But, is good boy."
"Ne dis pas que j'ai des hemorroides! Je n'ai pas d'hemorroide," Colin shouted, trying to continue the game and get Hassan on another topic.
Hassan looked at Colin, nodded knowingly,and then told Katrina, "He just said that your face, it is beatutiful like the hemorroid."

******************

:D

Hunger Games Paraphenalia For the Masses!

I lovelovelove the Hunger Games, and I was surfing around the internet looking at blog when I found one called Galleysmith. And on it, Hunger Games buttons! She even made a Team Gale button, just out of kindness to that minority :) I'm Team Peeta myself. But if you want Katniss to just be friends with both of them there's a button for that!

Here they are, for you to proudly display on your sidebars/ print and cut out and glue to your forehead!

Review Policy Change and Change of Email Address!

Hey all! I was thinking about things I could do to make SBR better today, and I started thinking about how publishers are- unfortunately, since I hardly got to enjoy its prime- starting to cut back on ARC's. One of my favorite parts of reviewing is review copies, it's so exciting! So I'm changing my review policy. Previously, I only accepted physical copies. Now, seeing as I have a laptop that is extremely portable, I'm accepting e-books. If any publishers or authors would like me to review their book- which I'd be more than happy to do!- but are unable to give me a physical copy, I will most likely accept an e-book.
BUT I still STRONGLY prefer physical copies.

Also, up until now my email has been meggymegmeg96@yahoo.com . I'm all paranoid that publishers see my email title and don't take it seriously, thinking it's just from an individual reader who was misinformed. So I'm changing it to serendipityreviews@yahoo.com. I don't have it up and running yet- my dad has to make it, he doesn't give me the password. He always has to log in for me [INSERT ANGRY RANT AT DAD]- so tomorrow. Also it might be google mail instead.

Mmkay, that's all, bye!

In My Mailbox

Hey everyone! I had a fantastic book week, thanks to my library (-ies...). Both of them have gotten such good books in the teen section all of a sudden- esp. the one I can't get to as much and have a lot of overdue fines at. Obviously I'm the one supporting them majorly :P Anyways, my haul:







Mail:







Oh! I actually got one this week!







Six Steps to a Girl by Sophie McKenzie











I won this a little while ago from Sara at DBR- I forgot I had even won it until my dad gave it to me. I love getting books in the mail, and this was even better since it was won! The first thing I ever won :) And it's the UK version- with the different cover and different currency thing and all :) It's apparently the first book in the All About Eve trilogy- I just hope it stand alone well because I have no way of getting them :P



(I'm kind of running out of time right now, so no pictures sorry!)

Bought:

Blue Plate Special by Michelle Kwasney

Bad Kitty by Michelle Jaffe


Library:

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Skinny by Ibi Kaslik

Gorgeous by Rachel Vail

Looking for Alaska by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Crowned by Julie Linker

The Sweet Life of Stella Madison by Laura M. Zeises

Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Long Wait for Tomorrow by Joaquin Dorfman

*****************

As you can see, extremely great book week! Oh yeah, what'd everyone else get?

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones review

Title: What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know

Author: Sonya Sones

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (June 5, 2007)

Pages (Hardcover edition): 304

MSRP (Hardback): $16.99

My Rating: * * * * */5



(Can I give 6 of five stars? I want to...)



I loved What My Mother Doesn't Know when I read it last week, and I just had to get this sequel as soon as possible- which I did around an hour ago.

This book was so absolutely amazing! I think I loved it even better than the first, if not as much. Robin is definitely my favorite character I've read about in a long while, male or female. His character, along with Sophie's, were both perfectly crafted- their dialogue was believable and cute, and you could tell they really loved each other. I only wish I could write like Sonya Sones.

Upon getting these 2 books at the library, I figured it would just be your average typical love story in poem form. It really wasn't. Yes, it was a love story, but it was more than that- it was about him breaking out of the stereotype worthless nerd people had formed him into, when he really wasn't- he was smart, funny (despite his love of puns :P), and completely loveable.

Another thing I love is how creative Sones is with her writing. It's not like most- it's clever, subtle, and totally true to life.

In short, readitreaditreadit, nownownow! And if you can buy it. I wish I had, because it's a book I'd love to be able to loan to my friends (or random strangers on the street. Hoboes need edjamacation too).

P.S. Though this is a sequel, it stands on its own just as well and strong as if it was a totally seperate thing. However, it helped me get more out of the book having read What My Mother Doesn't Know- it isn't totally nessecary to read it first, but it helps majorly :)

In My Mailbox

Hi! I was busy yesterday (my 2 great aunts and my cousin Steven- who is the only other person I know who loves every band I love, and knows who bands like The Jam or Melt Banana even are- came. We went to every antique store known in a 3 hour radius... I got 4 books and records, the books are included on here.), so for once I'm excused.

Mail: None.

Library:

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones (I loved the novel before it. This is the sequel from Robin- a.k.a. Murphy-'s point of view, starting in the final scene of WMMDK. I love this one even more... Murphy is my all time favorite guy character in a WHILE.)

Marcelo In the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (I love it's cover, and the storyline sounds interesting.)

Looking for Alaska by John Green (I finally got it! You know how much I loved Paper Towns. I hope this one lives up to it.)

Are U 4 Real? by Sara Kadefors (I almost bought it the day before I saw it on the shelves!)

Bought:

Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates (I love this blog! Check it out.)

Blue Plate Special by Michelle Kwasney (I lovelovelove this book so far!)

Models Don't Eat Chocolate Cookies by Erin Dionne (I had to venture into the children's section for it *gasp*. But it was WORTH IT!)

Then, these are bought from the Pedigo's antique store- the place we went to with the records and books:

I Couldn't Help Laughing by Ogden Nash (I love his poetry. It's an anthology of prose and poems, and my copy is this lovely Tiffany blue color and was printed in 1957 (I checked the front. I always do that, for whatever reason, where all the copyrights are!) The best part? It's signed by P.G. Wodehouse!)

Lucile by ??? (I couldn't find who it was by. Or what it's about for that matter :P It's kind of a playbook. That rhymes. Like a poetry novel but... not. *cough*)

The Many Worlds of Science Fiction (I usually don't like SF... but this has been great!)

So, that all! What'd you guys get?

My Favorite Couples and Guys in Literature: Part I

I was looking around my favorite blogs a while ago, and on Kira's blog I found a list of her favorite couples in books she's read. Then Jessica rom Shut Up I'm Reading made a list of her favorite guys in literature, so I'm doing it too! (Long list... xD)



Couples (In no particcular order)

___________



1) Katsa and Po from Graceling (I haven't finished it yet... but I LOVE them as a couple)



2) Katniss and Peeta from The Hunger Games (I'm not sure if I can include them in this or not. For anyone who has read the Hunger Games, you know what I mean, right?)



3) Finn and Kate from Something. Maybe (I loved Finn, and the dialogue and events between them were adorable)



4) Kevin and Ginny from 13 Little Blue Envelopes (They traveled around the world together- what's not to love about that?)



5) Sophie and Katie in What My Mother Doesn't Know and its sequel, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones (My favorite, hands down!)

And guys:

Brendon from Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (He's tall, slightly geeky, and hilarious. What more can you ask for? Not much, beyond askign for him to be real :) Also, his life is so awesome- he's destined to be an actore, and he lives in a hotel.)

Murphy from What My Mother Doesn't Know and its sequel, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones (Like he and Sophie were my favorite couple, he's my favorite guy. If I went to school, I would go to him immediately, not caring if he WAS considered a loser. He loves music and knows EVERYthing about it, he's an artist, he's hilarious, and adorkable. Sones created the perfect imperfect boy.)

*************

Not much, I know. That's why this is only part one- I'll be back next week with another installment after looking over books I've read!

Theme Thursday: Fairy Tales Retold

Heylo! I know it's technically Wednesday still, but it's minutes to midnight (that's a song/band, right? *sigh* that's gonna bug me, my Google never wants to cooperate so I can find out...) (also, when this is published it might be past. Oh well, no need to be so technical!)so CLOSE ENOUGH.

Theme Thursday is a weekly showcase of books that all share similar somethings- themes and issues, covers, titles, characters, basically any kind of tie-in, created in August by Serendipity Reviews (this blog).

This week's theme is...

Fairy Tales Retold!

BOOKS FEATURED ON TODAY'S POST:

Fairest of All: A Tale of the Wicked Queen by Serena Valentino (A retelling of Snow White)

The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy (I can't WAIT for this to come out... I should go do my WoW post on it :P)

Ash by Malinda Lo (This have a marvelous cover that makes me want to cry a bit. According to the author it's a retelling of Cinderalla too, but beyond that I have no clue what it's about.)

Beastly by Alex Flinn (A retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I adore this cover as well!)

Geek Charming by Robin Palmer (The snooty, chick-lit version of Snow White that I bought forever ago and can't bring myself to read)

Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer (From the title you can tell it's a retelling of Cinderella!)

A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (A retelling of... what's that one about the girl who spins gold and this freaky gnome thing helps her? That one. It'll come to me :P I've been wanting to read this forever, since early last year :P)

There was a myriad of other Cinderella remakes... one I've read, Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I'm not at all impressed with her books.

Showcase time!

That's all for this week, bye!

IMPORTANT: All book reviewers read this!

Donna from Lit Bites has just (well, I just got the email, it's from about 5 days ago most likely!) informed me that the FTC, starting December 1st, is passing a law making bloggers disclose that their review copies were for free. I don't really understand this so much, so I'm going to post the MSNBC article with all the facts and information:

"
By Deborah Yao and Emily Fredrix
updated 5:02 p.m. CT, Mon., Oct . 5, 2009
function UpdateTimeStamp(pdt) {
var n = document.getElementById("udtD");
if(pdt != '' && n && window.DateTime) {
var dt = new DateTime();
pdt = dt.T2D(pdt);
if(dt.GetTZ(pdt)) {n.innerHTML = dt.D2S(pdt,((''.toLowerCase()=='false')?false:true));}
}
}
UpdateTimeStamp('633903769717070000');

PHILADELPHIA - The Federal Trade Commission on Monday took steps to make product information and online reviews more accurate for consumers, regulating blogging for the first time and mandating that testimonials reflect typical results.
The FTC will require that writers on the Web clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products. The commission also said advertisers featuring testimonials that claim dramatic results cannot hide behind disclaimers that the results aren't typical.
The FTC said its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final guidelines, which had been expected. The guides are not binding law, but rather interpretations of law that hope to help advertisers comply with regulations. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could result in various sanctions including a lawsuit."

END OF ARTICLE

*sigh* No comment. I'm too tired. Check out Lit Bites for more information!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins review

I finally have my computer back! *sigh* She didn't even use it :P

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Publisher: Scholastic Press, September 2008

MSRP (Hardback; US): $17.99

Pages: 384

Rating: * * * * */5

Extremely short review because I have NO critisicm for this book- only for myself for stalling on reading it! I always saw it on the shelf, picked it up, and then at the last minute put it back. I thought it would be gory and violent, which is something I'm not a fan of in books- but it wasn't!

I could go on and on about how much I loved it, but that would only delay you reading this amazing novel, and keep me from reading Catching Fire, the second book (they had it in!)!