English Assignment :P

I have NO CLUE what to decorate my comp journal with!!!??? I'm thinking movies on the front cover. I'm covering all the basics- noir, classic Hepburn, '80s brat pack, the best chick lit, old thrillers like Hitchcock ones... Wow. I'm going to run out of space xD The only thing it's proving is how much of a geek I am. BUt awesome, right? (oops. But I'm not old!) ;)

And on the back...

You know how on a lot of book reviewing blogs, they have a button with their name? I'm trying to design one. Piknic should make it easy and fun to do, and I just have to get a background. Do you guys have any suggestions for it? Thx :)

Then, I'll print it out, and glue it in the middle of the back, and paste books around it.

Whaddaya think?

Think Your Voice Doesn't Count? Think Again!

I just saw the post on Em's Bookshelf about the new cover of Liar! A few weeks ago, as you'll remember, the blogoverse was on fire about the cover of Liar, the new book by Justine Larbaliester, which showed a white girl with long hair, when in reality, the character was BLACK with SHORT hair. While publishers tried to cover up the discrimination, no one fell for it, and after many of you email the publisher to let them know what you think, they've decided to change it! Here's the new, PC cover:

I love this one. They kept the themes that draw you in in the first place, and honestly, this one isn't as scary as the other :)

I wasn't going to read this unless they changed the cover. They now have my good word, recommendation and business :) I really and desperately wanted to read it, but I couldn't do that. Now I can though, because... well, problem solved, right? What do you think? Will you buy it now? Aware of the discrimination, would you have bought it anyways with the old cover?

Also, thanks so much to everyone out there who followed us bloggers' lead, and did something about it- you guys are definitely keepers ;)

DBR B-Day Review: The Year of Secret Assignments

Title: The Year of Secret Assignments

Author: Jaclyn Moriarty

Edition: Paperback Reprint

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks

MSRP: $8.99

Pages: 325 pp

(I'm trying out a new layout for reviews, like I saw Sara doing. Do you like it, or should I stick with the old one?)

So far, this is the 2nd book I've read for the B-day challenge, and both have been amazing. Good sign, huh? :)

This book BLEW me away! I don't know exactly what it is about Jaclyn Moriarty's books, but they never cease to blow me away, esp. Bindy Mackenzie. If you haven't read anything by her, well, WHY NOT?

Synopsis (from the cover)- Lydia, Emily and Cassie have always shared everything- guy problems, skipping school, even Significant Secret Assignments. But when they're given pen pals at rival Brookfeild High, they write forth in individual style:

Lydia: "Dear Person at Brookfield: I am a fish. You wouldn't think so to look at me, what with my uniform and the hair on top of my head and all that. But it'a true. I am a fish."

Emily: "My interests: Don't get me started about chocolate! My nickname might be 'Em', but it's also Toblerone! I think this is an angiogram of Thompson, which is my last name."

Cassie: "I always think it's funny when a teacher tries to be cool. I want to sit them down and say 'It's okay, you're a grown up, you're allowed to be a nerd,' and they will look up at me confused but also relieved and teary-eyed."

It turns out their pen pals are just as distinctive. Seb is a sensitive artist with a major soccer obsession. Charlie is a part time car thief and a completely sweet guy. And Matthew... well he's either a psychopath or a figment of Cassie's imagination, neither of which is a good thing. And what starts out as a simple letter exchange leads to spy missions, false alarms, lock picking, legal drama, parental edicts, mistaken identities, and an all-out war between the two schools-- not to mention Dates with Girls and some really excellent snogging (I love that word xD).

Plot: FanTAStic plot. Everything, right down to the tiniest detail, is all connected in a beautiful, exceedingly clever and subtle way, and you have to read really closely to get all the little nuances. It's exciting, romantic, hilarious, and slightly shady at points (best word? No clue :P) :)

Characters: LOVE the characters! I think my favorite was Lydia, and also Charlie. I found myself not liking Cassie that much at the beginning. Well, not that I DISliked her, I just didn't feel that much of a connection at first. But later on you start to like her. The book also has a great range of detailed, unique characters. And the best part? Remember her other 2 books I was raving aobut earlier? The characters are found in here as well! Bindy from The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie was featured in the letters, talking/typing a manuscript, things like that. I LOVED Bindy in her book, and I got so excited when I saw that (yes, I DO get excited too easily :P). Same goes for Elizabeth from Feeling Sorry for Celia (I didn't like that book as much, for the record, but still you should read it!). And I love how all the books tie in together with each others' plots and all. Oops, sorry, I'm done ranting.

Setting: It doesn't really have a setting, seeing as it's written in emails, letters, etc. But I LOVE that!

Start/ending: The beginning is Lydia's writing notebook, which her dad got her as a last minute b-day present. I think that those Notebook bits, sprinkled throughout the book, were my favorite parts. HILARIOUS! (Oops, sorry I keep doing that xD)

Overall: One of the best books I have read in quite a while. It has something for just about every one- crime, love, chick-lit, etc. Once again I'll shout FANTASTIC!

Ok, so 2 books down for the challenge, 6 to go. 1/4 done :)

BACK!

HI! Oops, sorry, I'm just so excited because...

a) I am no longer grounded (the reason for my MIA in the blogoverse)
b) I won Six Steps to A Girl from Sara! (I hope it's not too late to claim it though :P)
c) I actually have class with my friends at school for once, and an awesome writing class!

Here's a moment where II would do a happy dance, but I'm cooler now. *Cool dance* ;)

Anyways, I finished so many books while I was gone. So be prepared for a flood of posts today (I accomplish a lot when I'm not loafing around on my computer, huh? Insight)

And now for my first review of the day, Heaven Looks A Lot Like the Mall, by Wendy Mass:

BEHOLD! The Latest Twilight Crap!

Witness, all, the latest- or is it lamest?- marketing attempt since Team Edward Burger King crowns and Twilight themed Jesus tee's with " Jesus is 'Thelight'" on them (well, maybe that ad was the other way around, adverting church, but still)!

Now, for you Twilighters out there, I have nothing against Twilight (erm... maybe a bit). But what shall be said by me throughout this post is rather snarky in nature. Prepare yourselves :)

What am I talking about, you ask? Witness also the button. See that red circle on the cover? Anyone care to read it for us?

Fine, I will:

"Bella and Edward's favorite book!"

0_o EXCUSE me? One more time please?

It says that the classic, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, that wonderful moody romantic awesome enduring work, is Bella and Edward Cullen's, fictitional vamps everyone but me and a few select others seem to be obsessed with, favorite book. Therefore, you have to read it. Or they shall come suck your blood (though apparently, some tween girls may have that on their wishlist for Christmas. Anyone see that E! News segment last week?).

I just need to step back from this computer and take a deep breath, turn to the person next to me (in which case that would by my dog Maddi. Well, things that can't talk tend to be good listeners to of my snarkalicious comments, eh?) and get it all out.

But I won't. Because I want to get my opinions out (as per usual- anyone out there schocked by this? :P) and I REALLY want to hear your thoughts too.

My first thought that comes to mind to share with you lovely people? Ready? Crank your hearing aids up everyone.

*Deep breath*

W.

T.

F.???????!!!!!

I can't believe that somewhere in the UK, Marketing and Sales people thought this would be a good idea. So putting a now-cliched cover on a book and slapping a sticker on there saying some fiction characters SO many people are wicked obsessed with now, like it, so no matter the quality of it and without knowing what it's about, will make teens crazy and buy it?

Apparently so. It's selling like hotcakes.

Wuthering Heights is one of my favorite books, and it's really sad that people are taking this great classic thing and using it as just another ploy to sell ANOTHER vampire romance remake. Again, no offense to Twilighters.

So, what do you think? Can't wait to see these comments. I bet some obsessed 9 year old will stumble upon my blog and rant :P I can see it now... "Um, Meggin! Edward is hotttttt with like 5 t's and a a and... a w. So why you hatin' on Twilight? Next you'll be digging on Hannah Montana. Riduculous." Of course, it'll be much more hilarious than that *devious smile* And as to the Hannah Montana digs? I think we all agree this'll be much, MUCH to easy. (Which reminds me, look for my post about Wings tommorrow. I'll put a review in between for your protection from my ranting ;)) BTW, I totally ripped this nine year old stuff off from Margo's awesome comment- sorry, Margo :)

P.S. Hope none of you are offended? :D

UPDATE: Me again. So I was reading and replying to your lovely comments and I looked at the cover again. Notice the caption:

"love never dies..."

...like vampires? Is that what was to be implied? That Heathcliffe and Cathy are like vampires, therefore read it? *sigh* Here we go again...

Doesn't it say something to that affect on the cover of Twilight?

Also, they're blatantly copying Twilight's cover. From the font to that caption to that WAY too obvious button to that flower. Ok, I have to get away from this and just take a break. I'm getting a bit... ANGRY. LOL, sorry, just kidding :)

Y'know, I like this ranting posts. It's cathartic. And I have so much book-related material to work on :) Like that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies thing, for example. Anyone else slighty angered or irked by that?

In My Mailbox August 1

Wow. I just looked at that date, and guess what? I only have 4 DAYS until school! EEEEEEK! At least I have band 2nd period, at least 1 friend on the same team (finally :P) Oh well, at least I'm armed with plenty of books to read. I always have more time to read, too. :)

And now for my haul!

The received: None

From the library:

Girlfriend Material: I can't believe this was at the library! I saw it and I almost did a happy dance. Not something I usually do in public (you can't tell but that sentence was laced with sarcasm. Engorged with it, I would venture to say :P).

The Year of Secret Assignments: I'm rereading this for Sara's DBR B-day challenge. It's absolutely fantastic, by the way! Review should be up soon :)

Carbon Diaries 2015: Also for Sara's challenge. I didn't expect this to be there, either. But my library is fantastic (well, most of the time :P) about keeping up on the latest teen reads, and we also had a lot of UK books there too. So that's good :) The cover made me a bit skeptical but then I read some of it, and it looks great.

The bought:

T

Other Side of the Island: This looks awesome, but creepy. "Earth Mother is always watching." GAH! How Big Brother (no, not as in the show you UK people are obsessed with ;D What IS that show, anyways?) *shivers* But I'm starting to love dystopic fiction like this, so a good part of my requiem. And I'm lovin' this cover. Something about snow globes on books catch my attention- like Elsewhere. I guess it's just that I'm attracted to shiny objects :P

Heaven Looks A Lot Like the Mall: For some reason, I LOVE books written in verse like this. They're always so fantastic, and I don't even like poetry much otherwise. This one is also Elsewhere-esque (plot AND the cover, you'll notice!).

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

So now you know what I got, what about you?

xoxo, Megs (thanks to Margo for the nickyname :D)

All American Girl Review

It's pretty late, but I HAVE to write reviews for books immediately after I finish them sooooo... here it is! (It probably doesn't help that I'm hyped up on coffee and coca cola, huh?)





Title: All American Girl
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: HarperCollins, first published 2002
MSRP (Paperback, USA): $7.99
Pages: 416 (sounds like lot but it's one of those tiny compact PB's)
Rating: * * */5

Description, courtesy of Amazon: While waiting for her ride home from an after-school art class, Samantha Madison, a sophomore at John Adams Preparatory School in Washington, DC, inadvertently saves the President's life by jumping on the back of a would-be assassin. Suddenly, she is a celebrity, invited to the White House for dinner, named the teen ambassador to the U.N., and revered by her fellow classmates. Yet, even her new star status doesn't allow her to get what she really wants-a date with her sister's boyfriend, Jack. Hoping to make him jealous, she asks out the President's son. The plan backfires, but Samantha discovers who she really is in the process. Cabot uses vision as a metaphor for how a budding artist grows to "see" herself and others more clearly.

Something about this book didn't really work for me. I really love Meg Cabot's writing, how ditzy and fun it is, but this was a little disappointing to me.

Samantha wasn't someone I liked much. She was kind of... depressing. She walks around acting like she is just SO much more intelligent, creative, and generally BETTER than the rest of the world- she "mourns for her generation, whose main concern is what will happen on 'Friends' this week," as she says in the book (first of all, what does the girl got against my fave TV show? :P). She dyed all her clothes black to show it, too (gah!). That REALLY bothered me- she just drove me absolutely crazy sometimes with her whining! But, thinking back, it was probably written that way purposefully so she realizes at the end how pompous she's being. (Still...)

Actually, my favorite character in the book was, for some reason, surprisingly her sister Lucy. I don't know why- probably for the same reason my favorite character in Peace, Love and Baby Ducks was Peyton, for how crazy they are :)

So let's do a checklist on this book:

Is the plot ridiculously far fetched? Definitely.
Is the main character pretty dang annoying? Yup.
Is it a well written read anyways? Yes to the well written. It DID have excellent subplots, and (advance warning: I'm about to sound like one of those annoying old people who look for "lessons" in the books their kids read- GAH) had meaningful lessons. I was also really glad that she finally realized- to a certain degree, at least- how ridiculous she was being.

So overall, not Meg Cabot's best work, and not something top-recommended by me, but still a funny, interesting-enough read.