Giving the Moon

Giving the moon - www.givingthemoon.com

“Giving the Moon” is a book of short stories on the thin line between life and dream, between reality and fiction. Several have already been published online and in print, some published for the first time. The book is due to be published in a few weeks, but the site is already up, with some sample stories.

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Muffins and Mayhem

TITLE: Muffins and Mayhem (ARC)

AUTHOR: Suzanne Beecher

PUBLISHER: Touchstone

RELEASE DATE: June 2010

PAGES: 230

MY RATING: (3.5 out of 5)

BACK COVER BLURB: More than 350,000 people have joined Suzanne Beecher's online book club at DearReader.com and her daily column--which offers her candid, thought-provoking reflections on life--has inspired countless readers. But it was on of her readers who inspired her: A forty-three-year-old mother of three who was dying of cancer asked Suzanne for advice on what she could leave behind to help and guide her children after she was gone.

Deeply affected by the woman's story, Suzanne recalled the photo albums and recipe box passed on by her grandmother. She urged the woman to create a similar cache of memories for her three kids--and the idea for this book was born.

Gathering thirty wonderful recipes and the memories surrounding them, Suzanne shows us the author as a child who learned to cook when she was just eight years old while singing backup to the Monkees, a woman who struggled with difficult parents, a hardworking mom who loved making cookies for her kids, a recovering addict, and a writer who has learned much along the way by remembering that love is the most important thing in life.

This beautifully written celebrating of food, friends, and family will nourish Suzanne's numerous fans and those who have yet to discover her simple, homespun magic.

MY REVIEW: I had so much fun reading this book. I love that the book is a compilation of a bunch of short stories all rolled into one bigger story--the story of Suzanne's life. Some of the stories were sad, but Suzanne was able to overcome those situations to become the person she is today. Most of the stories were humerous and made me crack a smile. I loved looking at the pictures at the beginning of each chapter and the recipes at the end of the chapters made my mouth water. I cannot wait to try the cinnamon roll recipe and the candy cane cookies recipe. The only complaint I have about this book is that I wish there was an index in the back for each of the recipes that way I could find them easily.

*I was provided a copy of this book by BookTrib.com.

Before I Fall

TITLE: Before I Fall

AUTHOR: Lauren Oliver

PUBLISHER: HarperCollins

PAGES: 470

MY RATING: (2 out of 5)

INSIDE COVER BLURB: What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High--from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last.

Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

MY REVIEW: I did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I had read lots of greats reviews of everyone loving this book so I had high hopes for it, but it just wasn't great for me. Reliving the same day over and over, while there were some differences, overall the same series of events seemed to happen to often. I thought most of the characters were way too shallow and the ending didn't leave me satisfied at all. On a positive note, I really love the cover of the book :)

Pretty Little Liars 1-4

TITLE: Pretty Little Liars (1), Flawless (2), Perfect (3), Unbelievable (4)

AUTHOR: Sara Shepard

PUBLISHER: HarperTeen

MY RATING: (3 out of 5)

SUMMARY (from Amazon): Among the mega mansions and perfectly manicured hedges of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, everyone has something to hid--especially four very pretty little liars.

High school juniors Spencer, Hannah, Aria, and Emily have been keeping secrets ever since their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, disappeared three years ago. But when the girls begin receiving threatening notes from someone named "A," their secrets--the big ones, the little ones, even the long-buried ones--no longer seem safe.

MY REVIEW: I had been wanting to read this series for a while and I came across the first four books on the bargain table at Books-A-Million so I couldn't pass them by. I enjoyed this series so much. The characters each have their own personality and they are all easy to relate to. My favorite part about the books is the note at the very end left by "A" just for us. I think that's really unique, and it definitely made me want to read the next book that much faster. I hope that I'm able to pick up the rest of the books from this series soon and I'm really looking forward to the TV show that's coming out in June.