Sunday, January 23, 2011
Book Vending Machine
Hey guys! I saw this today when I was browsing the web and I had to share it. It's so awesome! A book vending machine! I'd be worried that the books would get damaged dropping from the top shelf, but maybe there's an arm or something that pulls them down. Check out more at the website here: http://theharperstudio.com/2009/08/a-book-vending-machine/
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Populazzi by Elise Allen (ARC)
TITLE: Populazzi
AUTHOR: Elise Allen
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
RELEASE DATE: 8/1/2011
PAGES: 400
MY RATING: 3/5
GOODREADS SUMMARY: Cara has always dreamed of being a Populazzi, one of the popular crowd. But it’s not until she changes schools that she gets a shot at it, thanks to her best friend Claudia’s crazy plan. The idea is simple: The rungs of The Ladder are relationships. First get a boyfriend who's ranked low, then climb up through more boyfriends until you're not just one of the Populazzi, but the Supreme Populazzi. Yet what starts off as a fairy tale turns into a somewhat dark comedy of errors. Just when Cara reaches the top, her life hits rock bottom. She wonders why she wanted to be popular in the first place—and if there’s any way to live happily ever after now.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a cute fun read. We've all gone through high school so we all know what it's like wanting to be liked by other people and to have lots of friends. The book made me want to keep reading to see whether or not Cara would fit in with the crowd she desperately wanted attention from.
CHARACTERS: I liked the main character, Cara. There were some parts of the book where she wasn't the greatest most selfless person, but she is in high school and she is worried about fitting in with the popular crowd, which is something that I think is pretty common. The two characters that I did not like at all were Cara's mother and Cara's stepfather. I feel that they were way too harsh on her and it was completely out of line the way that they treated her. We all make mistakes, but the way that Karl (Cara's stepfather) handled the punishment was totally unacceptable. My favorite character was Archer. He was just all around a great guy.
COVER: The cover is cute. I love all of the bright colors and the girl on it looks the way I would imagine Cara to look.
*I recieved a copy of this book from netgalley.
AUTHOR: Elise Allen
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
RELEASE DATE: 8/1/2011
PAGES: 400
MY RATING: 3/5
GOODREADS SUMMARY: Cara has always dreamed of being a Populazzi, one of the popular crowd. But it’s not until she changes schools that she gets a shot at it, thanks to her best friend Claudia’s crazy plan. The idea is simple: The rungs of The Ladder are relationships. First get a boyfriend who's ranked low, then climb up through more boyfriends until you're not just one of the Populazzi, but the Supreme Populazzi. Yet what starts off as a fairy tale turns into a somewhat dark comedy of errors. Just when Cara reaches the top, her life hits rock bottom. She wonders why she wanted to be popular in the first place—and if there’s any way to live happily ever after now.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a cute fun read. We've all gone through high school so we all know what it's like wanting to be liked by other people and to have lots of friends. The book made me want to keep reading to see whether or not Cara would fit in with the crowd she desperately wanted attention from.
CHARACTERS: I liked the main character, Cara. There were some parts of the book where she wasn't the greatest most selfless person, but she is in high school and she is worried about fitting in with the popular crowd, which is something that I think is pretty common. The two characters that I did not like at all were Cara's mother and Cara's stepfather. I feel that they were way too harsh on her and it was completely out of line the way that they treated her. We all make mistakes, but the way that Karl (Cara's stepfather) handled the punishment was totally unacceptable. My favorite character was Archer. He was just all around a great guy.
COVER: The cover is cute. I love all of the bright colors and the girl on it looks the way I would imagine Cara to look.
*I recieved a copy of this book from netgalley.
Friday, January 7, 2011
This Girl is Different By JJ Johnson (ARC)
TITLE: This Girl is Different
AUTHOR: JJ Johnson
PUBLISHER: Peachtree Publishers
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2011
PAGES: 288
MY RATING: 3.5/5
GOODREADS SUMMARY: This girl is different… That’s what Evie has always told herself—and it’s true. Home-schooled by her counter culture mom, she’s decided to see what high school is like for the first time—for her senior year. And what a year it is.
As it turns out, it’s not just Evie who’s Different. Lots of people are. Many of her assumptions about others are turned on their heads as she makes friends with kids her own age for the first time, discovers what’s good and what’s bad about high school, and learns lessons about power and its abuse—both by the administration and by Evie herself.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a good book. I have recently started watching the show Gossip Girl, and this book reminded me of it what with the whole online gossip blog. This book was a good example of standing up for what you believe in, but also figuring out the right way to do that without hurting people along the way. Overall, a great story with a good lesson.
CHARACTERS: I liked all of the characters in this book. While they got into some petty arguments, they were all honest with each other for the most part.
COVER: 3/5 This was an okay cover. I'm not sure if it would catch my attention on a shelf next to a bunch of other books, but it definitely ties into the story line.
*I received a copy of this book from netgalley.
AUTHOR: JJ Johnson
PUBLISHER: Peachtree Publishers
RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2011
PAGES: 288
MY RATING: 3.5/5
GOODREADS SUMMARY: This girl is different… That’s what Evie has always told herself—and it’s true. Home-schooled by her counter culture mom, she’s decided to see what high school is like for the first time—for her senior year. And what a year it is.
As it turns out, it’s not just Evie who’s Different. Lots of people are. Many of her assumptions about others are turned on their heads as she makes friends with kids her own age for the first time, discovers what’s good and what’s bad about high school, and learns lessons about power and its abuse—both by the administration and by Evie herself.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: This was a good book. I have recently started watching the show Gossip Girl, and this book reminded me of it what with the whole online gossip blog. This book was a good example of standing up for what you believe in, but also figuring out the right way to do that without hurting people along the way. Overall, a great story with a good lesson.
CHARACTERS: I liked all of the characters in this book. While they got into some petty arguments, they were all honest with each other for the most part.
COVER: 3/5 This was an okay cover. I'm not sure if it would catch my attention on a shelf next to a bunch of other books, but it definitely ties into the story line.
*I received a copy of this book from netgalley.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Silent Echoes by Carla Jablonski Review
TITLE: Silent Echoes
AUTHOR: Carla Jablonski
PUBLISHER: Razorbill
PAGES: 344
MY RATING: 4/5
INSIDE COVER BLURB: Sixteen-year-old Lucy Phillips lives with her father in nineteenth-century Manhattan where together they concoct schemes and cons to make a living. Then Lucy hears a real "spirit" speak to her at a seance packed with wealthy socialites, and she quickly gains fame and fortune as a talented medium who can share valuable knowledge about the future.
In modern-day New York City, Lindsay Miller is terrified by the girl's voice she's started hearing in her head. Worried she's losing her mind, Lindsay finally admits what's happening, and she's hospitalized for schizophrenia.
But when the two girls realize they are hearing each other's voices across time, they begin to see possibilities that will change both of their lives forever....
Author Carla Jablonski weaves together the riveting stories of two girls who live centuries apart into one unforgettable novel.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: I loved this book. It was so much fun to read. I loved the way the author wove the two stories together and that we got to see the story from two different sides. It was really interesting to be able to compare the life that I am more familiar with to the life from back in the nineteenth century. The ending of the book made me really happy too. I don't want to give anything away, but I'm glad it ended the way it did.
COVER: I'd give the cover a 3/5. I'm not sure who the girl on the cover is supposed to be, but I like to think it's a combination of the two girls, which I think is a great idea if that is the case.
CHARACTERS: I loved both the characters of Lucy and Lindsay. They had a lot in common both being teenage girls, but they were also so different because of the things they've grown up around.
AUTHOR: Carla Jablonski
PUBLISHER: Razorbill
PAGES: 344
MY RATING: 4/5
INSIDE COVER BLURB: Sixteen-year-old Lucy Phillips lives with her father in nineteenth-century Manhattan where together they concoct schemes and cons to make a living. Then Lucy hears a real "spirit" speak to her at a seance packed with wealthy socialites, and she quickly gains fame and fortune as a talented medium who can share valuable knowledge about the future.
In modern-day New York City, Lindsay Miller is terrified by the girl's voice she's started hearing in her head. Worried she's losing her mind, Lindsay finally admits what's happening, and she's hospitalized for schizophrenia.
But when the two girls realize they are hearing each other's voices across time, they begin to see possibilities that will change both of their lives forever....
Author Carla Jablonski weaves together the riveting stories of two girls who live centuries apart into one unforgettable novel.
OVERALL IMPRESSION: I loved this book. It was so much fun to read. I loved the way the author wove the two stories together and that we got to see the story from two different sides. It was really interesting to be able to compare the life that I am more familiar with to the life from back in the nineteenth century. The ending of the book made me really happy too. I don't want to give anything away, but I'm glad it ended the way it did.
COVER: I'd give the cover a 3/5. I'm not sure who the girl on the cover is supposed to be, but I like to think it's a combination of the two girls, which I think is a great idea if that is the case.
CHARACTERS: I loved both the characters of Lucy and Lindsay. They had a lot in common both being teenage girls, but they were also so different because of the things they've grown up around.
Nothing But The Truth by Avi Review
TITLE: Nothing But The Truth
AUTHOR: AVI
PUBLISHER: Scholastic Inc.
PAGES: 177
MY RATING: 1.5/5
BACK COVER BLURB: Ninth grader Philip Malloy has one thing on his mind: running. When a failing English grade keeps him from joining the track team, he believes his teacher, Miss Narwin, has it in for him. One morning during announcements, he disregards the school's policy of observing "The Star-Spangled Banner: in respectful silence and hums along, hooping to get transferred out of her class. Little does he know that his minor infraction will make him the subject of national media attention. What truly happened that morning in Miss Narwin's class? Examine the events and reach your own conclusion. But--can you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?
OVERALL IMPRESSION: I did not enjoy this book at all. The only reason I finished it was because it was short and a very quick read. The plot angered me and the story never really went anywhere. I just feel like more could have been done with the storyline. It was boring and nothing got accomplished.
COVER: I do like the cover of the book. I love that it's simple and that they used the word to The Star Spangled Banner in the form of a flag; I think that's pretty clever.
CHARACTERS: Philip was an okay character. I understand that he is young and doesn't fully grasp the severity of the situation, but I feel like he could have spoke up at the end of the story. I did not like Philip's dad. It seems like this whole situation could have been avoided if Philip's dad did not push him so hard to talk to their neighbor when obviously Philip was reluctant to do so. I also did not really enjoy the character of Miss Narwin. I feel like she should have tried a little harder to stand up for herself instead of just rolling over and taking it.
*I won this book in a contest at www.teenreads.com
AUTHOR: AVI
PUBLISHER: Scholastic Inc.
PAGES: 177
MY RATING: 1.5/5
BACK COVER BLURB: Ninth grader Philip Malloy has one thing on his mind: running. When a failing English grade keeps him from joining the track team, he believes his teacher, Miss Narwin, has it in for him. One morning during announcements, he disregards the school's policy of observing "The Star-Spangled Banner: in respectful silence and hums along, hooping to get transferred out of her class. Little does he know that his minor infraction will make him the subject of national media attention. What truly happened that morning in Miss Narwin's class? Examine the events and reach your own conclusion. But--can you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?
OVERALL IMPRESSION: I did not enjoy this book at all. The only reason I finished it was because it was short and a very quick read. The plot angered me and the story never really went anywhere. I just feel like more could have been done with the storyline. It was boring and nothing got accomplished.
COVER: I do like the cover of the book. I love that it's simple and that they used the word to The Star Spangled Banner in the form of a flag; I think that's pretty clever.
CHARACTERS: Philip was an okay character. I understand that he is young and doesn't fully grasp the severity of the situation, but I feel like he could have spoke up at the end of the story. I did not like Philip's dad. It seems like this whole situation could have been avoided if Philip's dad did not push him so hard to talk to their neighbor when obviously Philip was reluctant to do so. I also did not really enjoy the character of Miss Narwin. I feel like she should have tried a little harder to stand up for herself instead of just rolling over and taking it.
*I won this book in a contest at www.teenreads.com
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Dakota Child by Linda Ford Review
TITLE: Dakota ChildAUTHOR: Linda Ford
PUBLISHER: Steeple Hill
PAGES: 270
MY RATING: 3/5
*I received this book from Tellharlequin.
BACK COVER BLURB: Trapped in a North Dakota blizzard, single mother Vivian Halliday's prayer for herself and her child is answered. Rescue comes in the seemingly terrifying form of Billy Black, the hulk of a man feared by all the townsfolk. Yet in the home he shares with his ailing mother, the handsome, gentle giant warms her baby's bottles and sings sweet lullabies that lull even Vivian to peaceful sleep.
When the storm abates and it is safe to leave, will she seek the life that led her back to the village or stay where she's found an unexpected family for herself and her Dakota child?
Overall Impression: This was a pretty good read. I found myself cheering for the two main characters throughout the book hoping that they would be able to figure everything out.
Cover: I loved this cover compared to most other romance novel covers. The cover was very sweet and made me feel warm and cozy.
Characters: I really like the character of Billy. I love his protectiveness of his mother and how he was determined to be nice to everyone and always do the right thing. I was also very intrigued by the character of Billy's mom. Her story really interested me and if I could have it my way another book would be written about what happened to her when she was captured and how she handled living through everything.
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