Title: Art Geeks and Prom Queens
Author: Alyson Noel
Publisher/Release Date: St. Martin's Griffin (August 11, 2005)
MSRP (Paperback): $8.95
Pages: 240
Rating: * */5 stars
Summary: Being the new girl is tough- just ask sixteen-year-old Rio Jones. A New York transplant, Rio has no clue how she's going to fit in at her fancy new private school in Southern California. Plus, being late, over-dressed, and named after a Duran Duran song doesn't make the first day any better.
Then Rio meets Kristi. Beautiful, rich, and a cheerleader, Kristi is the queen bee of Newport Beach. And Kristi isn't friends with just anyone, so Rio is thrilled when she's invited to be part of their most exclusive, popular clique. Of course, like with any club, Kristi and her friends have rules: Always smile (even when you don't mean it), always dress cute (and never repeat an outfit) and always flirt (but only with jocks, preps, and rich college guys) .
At first Rio is havign a great time, but as she becomes more immersed in this jet-set crowd, she figures our there is one last rule that her new friends forgot to mention- don't cross Kristi...
My thoughts on the....
PLOT: Oh my, it's been done SO many times before. Totally and completely predictable every step of the way.
CHARACTERS: I didn't feel much of an attachment to any of the characters, including Rio- she actually whined about how hard it was for her to be beautiful and model-like. ALL the time. Something about her just didn't work for me. And the other characters? Didn't click either. I felt like something was missing from them, like they weren't really there (yes, I KNOW it's a book, do you get what I mean though?).
START/ENDING: Slow beginning, but I was pretty happy with the ending. At least she got over herself, and it was cute and sweet.
SETTING: Not much of a setting- this book was pretty bad about using the details that make a book interesting. Mainly, it was a big breakdown of what EVERYONE was wearing. At every second of the day. Not fun, my friends.
WRITING: The writing did have some plausibility- it was respectably funny. But (there's always a but with this book) it was really repetitive, and, as stated in the characters section, whiny. I kept getting distracted and bored, letting my eyes flit around.
OVERALL/ANYTHING ELSE?: I've always shied away from Allyson Noel's books on the shelves- now, I kind of see why. If you're curious and in a serious state of bookdrought, maybe pick up a copy at the library, but don't waste your time otherwise.
Art Geeks and Prom Queens by Allison Noel review
Paper Towns by John Green
Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (October 16, 2008
MSRP (Hardback, also available in paperback): $17.99
Pages: 320
Rating: * * * * */5, absolutely!
OMGOMGOMG readitreaditreadit,nownownow! Is what I really want to use for this review, but that's not what I'm paid (albeit in books) to do, so let's break it down into more sophisticated rant sentences, shall we?'
CHARACTERS: More than anything, I think it was the characters that made me fall in love with this book. Ridiculously cool dorks, each one unique, hilarious, and expertly flawed, as real and layered as if they were existing, they kept me laughing hysterically throughout the book. These are the kind of people you'd want to be friends with!
PLOT: Great plot. It was exciting, and kept you turning pages while at the same time wanting to make it last for a while, just so you can enjoy it's sheer awesomeness for longer. And the whole thing about paper towns, I thought was fascinating, and I loved the little clues Margo left for Quentin.
SETTING: No complaints about the setting. He pretty much nailed it, as he did with the rest of the book: Making you feel like you were there, right beside Quentin and the rest of them.
WRITING: Absolutely phenominal writing. Like I said in the setting section, you felt like you were there, and the sensory details were great. Quentin's voice showed through smashingly too (can you tell that I'm running out of a variety of words to use to describe this book?)- hilarious, honest, and you could tell how much he loved Margo, what he said about her- I loved it.
START/ENDING: Great, fast paced start, with Margo sneaking in and their night, and the ending, while not exactly what I wanted, worked out better than what I wanted (I can't tell you because it'll spoil the plot, sorry), more satisfying.
OVERALL/ANYTHING ELSE?: Overall, readitreaditREAD.IT! One of the best written books I've read in a long time (which is saying something, since I just read If I Stay and Wintergirls!), add it to the top of you're must read list. As to anything else, can I just say how much I want Margo's record collection!?! She had all these great records, practically every one from every band... *sigh* to have that would be to fulfill my life. As soon as I get a record player. Also, as part of anything else, I would like to say what an EXCELLENT movie this would make. Think about it.
UPDATE: I looked up a site in the book, called Omnictionary (check it out, if you're a fan of this book!)- it's an actual site created in '03... and GUESS WHAT I SAW?!?! PAPER TOWNS WILL BE A MOVIE IN 2010! YES! I AM VICTORIOUS! I CAN CONTROL THOSE WHO MAKE MOVIES TO MAKE THIS A MOVIE! I AM ALL POWERFUL! *ahem* Sorry. Caps got stuck.
*hums* I know what I'm featuring for Movie Monday tomorrow...
Breathless by Jessica Warman Review
Title: Breathless
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher/Release Date: Walker Books for Young Readers, August 18 2009
MSRP (Hardback): $16.99
Pages: 320
Rating: * * * */5
SUMMARY (from Amazon): When Katie Kitrell is shipped off to boarding school by her distant father and overbearing mother, it doesn’t take her long to become part of the It Crowd. She’s smart, she’s cute, and she’s an Olympic-bound swimmer who has a first class ticket to any Ivy League school of her choice. But what her new friends, roommate, and boyfriend don’t know is that Katie is swimming away from her past, and from her schizophrenic older brother, Will, who won’t let her go. And when he does the unthinkable, it’s all Katie can do to keep her head above water.
CHARACTERS: The characters were remarkable developed and layered for a first novel (for any novel, really!), and you got to know them on a really deep level- Warman did an excellent job of that, but still, I didn't really feel a connection with them. There really was only one character I truly liked, and that was Mazzie Moon- even though she was really awful sometimes, and mean, I loved the relationship she and Katie developed. It was something everyone wants in a best friend, and it was magnificiently real. All of the relationships were intricate, as well, which is also something to give her much credit for.
PLOT: To quote the accolade on the back from a fellow author of hers, it was predictable but totally unexpected. I know that makes no sense- I'll try to explain as best I can: It was full of surprises and turns, like real life is, but at the same time so true and relatable to our own lives, in the "predicable" sense.
SETTING: Her small town from where she just wants to escape was detailed greatly, and it was always believable, to the point that you felt you were reading a biography.
WRITING: The writing was really excellent for a debut, deep and thoughful, and with lots of details- but not to the point that it got boring.
START/ENDING: At first, I wasn't sure if this was going to be something I liked- this really awful thing with a cat being dropped almost made me throw up in math class- but then, once you get used to it all, and know the characters, it gets better with time.
OVERALL/ANYTHING ELSE?: Something I would recommend, very memorable, and true to life.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending this to me.
In My Mailbox, August 30
Slow week, bookwise. So slow, in fact, that I have NOTHING to show you for In My Mailbox *gasp*! Sorry, dudes. Can't wait to see what you got though :)
Now, I'm off to post 4 book reviews. Yes, 4. Those are the books I've finished TODAY. Marvel at... my ability to turn library books in on time??? :)
What Is It You Guys Want Me To DO Exactly?
So, some of you left comments on a recent post about how you wish I didn't "approve..." something? I don't understand what you want me to do. Have I done something that made you upset? Do you mean the comment moderation? The only reason I do that is so I know when I have comments and can reply to them and read them. But if it's bothering you guys, I'll take it off right away!
Just tell me in the comments, ok? I'll go haunt the dashboartd now. :)
A Cool Meme I Found
Hi! I was browsing the internet, my favorite hobby on weekends (I know I should go do my chores and read, but oh well :P), and I found this cool little summer reading questionairre! It was on The N, one of the articles... I thought the article was pretty funny too, so I'm copying and pasting (thank God for that little piece o' technology!). So please disreguard all "I"s and "me"s in it. The only thing mine is the answers to the questions, coz I'm lazy like that!
"Holy vampire-loving mobs! So, as I write this, there are approximately 3 twazillion crazed Twilighters camping outside our offices -- sitting on the filthy, pee-stained sidewalks of Times Square -- waiting to get into tonight's sold-out Breaking Dawn Concert Series (which, fear not, we will all be able to watch live and streaming on the Internets right here. In fact, I actually tripped over some such fangirl on my walk back from lunch, and (SMACK! Whoahohoa.) almost spilled burrito all over her DIY "Mrs. Edward Cullen" t-shirt. Not cool! But it's cool. My burrito and I and the young "Mrs. Cullen" survived the incident unscathed. And in the end I was just really really psyched to see so many people so passionate about... books.
So here. A questionnaire about 'em. Post your answers in the comments and compare, for the sake of fun." [End of article, now for the Q and A!]
My answers in bold:
1) Name a book you recently read, or are in the middle of reading. Breathless, by Jessica Warman
2) Who wrote it? Jessica Warman. Remember?
3) Explain the story in 15 words or less. Katie Kitrell's schizophrenic brother threatens to wipe away her new life at boarding school, with a boyfriend and as a member of the elite popular croud.
4) How many pages long? 311
5) Hardcover or paperback? Hardcover.
7) When was it written? August 2009, released the 25.
8) Describe the book's cover in 10 words or less. A gorgeous aquamarine with a girl swimming, showing just her face, hidden behind her hair. (oops, that was more wasn't it?!)
9) Rate the book on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = snoresville, 10 = geniustown) 6.5 or 7. Still deciding.
10) For fun or because you have to? For fun!
11) Bookmark, folded corners, or what? I grabbed the form letter the book came with from the publisher as a bookmark. Dogearing is a federal offense in my book!
12) Do you underline/highlight? Nooo...?
13) Name one word in the book that you don't understand. Look it up. And define it here. I'm pretty well versed in my vocab, thank you very much!
14) Stick your nose in the book and flip through it. Describe what you smell. Paper? ANd cinammon. Some cinammon fell in it... long story :P
15) Take the DAY of your birthday and flip to that page number. Take the MONTH of your birthday and go to that sentence number on the page. Copy down that sentence. Will doesn't say anything. (That's the sentence, not me telling you!)
K, bye all! Hope you like meh meme.
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