Follow Friday & Friday Blog Hop Double Feature

Follow Friday is a weekly event hosted by Parajunkee (Thanks!). A featured blogger (this week it's http://thecaitfiles.blogspot.com/ ) posts a question and we answer it. Then we post our links on Parajunkee's blog, and hop around, follow (and comment on) the ones you like, and see what others are saying. So, here goes...

Q: What's on your current playlist?


Well, since I'm listening to an audiobook at the moment, my current playlist isn't so current... The audiobook I'm listening to right now is The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. As for music? My most current playlist looks like this:

• I'm Yours by Jason Mraz
• All Summer Long by Kid Rock
• Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy
• The One That Got Away by Katy Perry
• Galileo by The Indigo Girls
• Fallen by Sarah McLachlan
• Airplanes by B.o.B. (feat. Hayley Williams)
• Hot N' Cold by Katy Perry
• What a Good Boy by Barenaked Ladies
• Your Love is My Drug by Ke$ha
• Sparkle by Phish

I have a wide variety of musical interests to say the least... What's on YOUR playlist?

Friday Blog Hop is another weekly event.  This one's hosted by Crazy for Books.  Similar to Follow Friday, bloggers answer a question by a guest blogger (this week it's The Paperback Princess) and post your link to the host's site.  Then you hop around, follow the ones you like, and say "Hi!". 

Q: If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by the same author?

Absolutely!! I also stalk that author via their blogs, Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.  I will go on a binge and read all of their books and then watch and wait for anything new.  I kind of most recently did that with Catherine Jinks.  I finished the Evil Genius series and am now on to The Reformed Vampire Support Group, with The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group on my list after that.  Some other authors I stalk include Stephen King, Meg Cabot, Lauren Myracle (on behalf of my daughter), Libba Bray, Cornelia Funke, James Patterson, Holly Black, and Brandon Mull.

Happy Following Everyone!  Thanks for reading!

Catching Up Read-a-Thon

Thank you Bookworming In the 21st Century for giving me motivation to catch up on my Goodreads Challenge!  Currently I am 14 books behind.  I doubt I'll make a huge dent in that (It's Easter weekend and I have three children expecting a visit from the Easter Bunny), but I'm going to try!

If you want to join the Read-a-Thon, go to Bookworming In the 21st Century and add your link.  Let's see if we can catch up to our goals...

You have read 48 books toward your goal of 200 books.

48 of 200 (24%)

You're 13 books (6%) behind.

Right now I'm reading City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare, The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks, and The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder.  I'm going to try to finish these three today and move on to The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan, and Falling Under by Gwen Hayes.

Happy Reading!!!


Updates:
Finished City of Fallen Angels!  Will post my review in the morning!  (It was SOOOOOOO good!)
Finished The Lipstick Laws last night.  Very cute, quick read.  
Finished The Reformed Vampire Support Group Sunday night.  Almost done with The Dark and Hollow Places (AMAZING!).

"Waiting On" Wednesday- Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

"Waiting On" Wednesday is another fun blog event. Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, this event gives us a chance to talk about the books we anxiously await the release of. Since there is ALWAYS a looooooong list of books I'm waiting on (I actually keep a spreadsheet), I figured this is one that I MUST do. So, without further ado, the book I am highlighting this week is....

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs 

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster. 

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though. 

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters. 

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight. 

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

This is the first book in her new series, The Medusa Girls, and I am really excited for it.  I mean, look at the cover!  Stunning!  Then you factor in the fact that I loved Oh. My. Gods. and Forgive My Fins, and you have a very anxiously awaited book.  And did I mention that I love the cover?

Publisher: Katherine Teagan Books

Publication Date:  October 4th, 2011

My Expected Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

WWW Wednesday (April 20th)

W. W. W. Wednesday is hosted by Should Be Reading, a great YA blog that I subscribe to.  Here's how it works... Each Wednesday I will answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you'll read next?

For me this could be a little bit difficult, since I tend to have 4-5 books going at any given time.  I have my proper bound book, my eBook, my audiobook, and whatever I happen to be reading to each of my three kids...  I will try to keep it brief.  Promise!  

SO... Here are my answers:

What are you reading now?   

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare- Ive been looking forward to this book for ages, and it is paining me that time for reading has been such a commodity these days.  I really wanted to read the actual book version of this, but now I kind of wish I had gotten the audio so I could read it while doing other things.  So far it's AMAZING!

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder- I'm reading this on my Kindle.  I admit that the reason I picked it was the cover.  That said, I'm only a small way into it, but so far I like it a lot.  Amy Holder gets teenagers, and life within the halls of the average high school.  I expect that I will be writing a rave review on this book.

Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson- I'm reading this to my kids, so it's going to take awhile at one chapter per night.  Its the first of Ridley Pearson's Kingdom Keepers series, and I've been wanting to read it for a couple of years (I'm a Disney fanatic).

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks- I just put this audio on my iPod.  I really enjoyed Catherine Jinks's Evil Genius series and I have the NetGalley for its sequel, The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group.  I'm actually pretty excited to get into this as I start my domestic duties today...

What did you recently finish reading?

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard-  I gave it 3.5 stars.  I liked it well enough, but didn't love it.  I will definitely read the sequel, Never Have I Ever, when it drops.  I just posted my review today, so check it out!  

What do you think you'll read next?

The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan-  I've been waiting for so long to read this, and since I got it, I've been putting it off until I had time to read it in one sitting.  That time is almost here!  I am just too excited for words!  The first two books in the series are two of my all-time favorites, and I hear this is the best one yet!

Where She Went by Gayle Forman- Another long and anxiously anticipated book for me.  I just got notice that it's my turn at the library.  As soon as I finish this post, I'm running over to pick it up.  I thought If I Stay was amazing, and I really hope this measures up.  Keep your eyes peeled for the review sometime next week...

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson- I got an ARC of this and I'm really looking forward to it.  The cover is fabulous, and the synopsis intriguing.  The drop date is not until June 2nd, so the earliest I can publish my review is May 2nd, but keep your eyes peeled.  I think this one is going to be awesome!

Review: The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: December 7th, 2010

I had a life anyone would kill for.
Then someone did.
The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.
Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

From Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of thePretty Little Liars books, comes a riveting new series about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.

Let the lying game begin. (Courtesy of Goodreads)

This book wasn't bad. I'm going to HAVE to read the 2nd book, Never Have I Ever, because the ending was such a cliffhanger. I didn't love the book though. Honestly, I would have liked at least some answers. Even a hint would have been nice. Toward the final third of the book, I thought I was starting to figure things out, but by the end, we were back to "everyone's a suspect". I feel a little jipped. That said, I enjoyed the book. It was a fast paced, easy read, and I'm a sucker for mystery and intrigue. This book definitely had both. The idea was original, and the perspectives it was told from were brilliant. I loved that the ghost of the dead sister (Sutton) was narrating and watching everything that was going on with the living sister (Emma), but that the living sister wasn't aware of any of it and had to sort it all out on her own. I also liked that the Sutton's death was a mystery even to her. When I began reading this book, I was under the impression that the Sutton was somehow communicating with the Emma; that they were working to solve the mystery together. That wasn't the case. They were trying to solve it independently, in a parallel fashion.

The things I disliked about the book have only to do with personal preference. I really don't like "mean girl" books, and this was definitely one. "The Lying Game" was a game that a group of popular girls (Sutton's friends) made up. It consisted of the girls planning and executing elaborate and often VERY cruel pranks. They had done so many horrible things, that even the police no longer believed their lies. They not only play these pranks on other people, but they play some of the cruelest ones on each other. Given the title of the book and and where the story is headed, it is obvious that Sutton's death has something to do with the game. I would say that this is ultimate "mean girl" behavior. I realize that there is a HUGE market for this kind of book, and teen girls that enjoyed Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, or The Clique will love this as well.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

Grade Level Recommendation: This book is NOT for tweens. I would say this is minimally grade 8+. There is a "snuff film" that plays a prominent role in the plot line. I would expect that many teens aren't aware of what a snuff film is, and I would HOPE most tweens aren't. Because of that, I think this book is highly inappropriate for anyone under the age of 14. As I said above, I am also not a fan of "mean girl" books, especially for the more impressionable tween girls. That said, I would say that even if the snuff film doesn't disturb you, the "mean girl" nature of this book still eliminates it from the "tween" section.

Commentary on a Great Post by The Mockingbirds Author, Daisy Whitney!

If you have ever wondered what age is the "right" age to introduce kids to YA literature, read THIS post by Daisy Whitney.

I am the parent of a very advanced reader, and I have often struggled with what is and isn't appropriate for my daughter.  She started Junie B. Jones at three, and was on to the Little House books by five.  She read the entire Harry Potter series by the time she started 1st grade, and felt like she had read everything in the Juvenile section of the library (that was of any interest to her) by the beginning of 3rd grade.   What do you do with a kid like that?  If you are a good parent, you can't just point to the Teen/YA section and say, "Have at it!".  You have to look at each book individually and decide if it is something that kid can handle based on not only reading ability, but maturity, life experience, and knowledge of the world around him/her.

My love for YA books started because of my daughter's alien-like reading ability.  Even "Juvenile" books are typically written for kids between the ages of eight and twelve, so when she was six, I had to read them for content.  More than once, I have nixed a book because it wasn't content-appropriate.  (Some of those Newbery books should NOT be read by kids younger than 10 or 11.)  When she was seven, she asked to read Twilight, because it fell within her AR range.  That was my first YA novel, and I was hooked... (I said, "Absolutely not! You can read it when you're 12.", by the way.)

These days, Emma is almost 10 and I give her a little more latitude.  She is pretty much free to read anything she wants in the Juvenile section, with a very few exceptions (I really don't like books that glorify "mean girl" behavior).  If she wants to read a YA book, I make sure to read it first.  I really don't have a problem with language here and there, and non-gratuitous violence is okay with me.  Romance is fine to a point (no graphic descriptions or overly intense teenage relationships).  Glorified teen drinking and drug use are a no-no (I sometimes let teen drinking fly if there is a consequence or lesson learned from it).  There are definite "No" books, that have content that is WAY too mature (ex: anything by Ellen Hopkins).  There are the books that I say, "Okay, but first we have to have a discussion about some topics that will come up in this book." (ex.: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin)  There are the ones that we discuss WHILE we read them TOGETHER.  She's still young enough that she likes me to read to her at bedtime, so I read discussion-worthy books to her then. (ex: The Hunger Games)  Right now I am reading Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer to her.  It can be a scary book in a very realistic way, but it is also a great lesson in being grateful for all you have, and realizing what is important in life.  Finally, there are the books that are pretty "clean", but a bit more of a challenge in complexity.  Those I let her read on her own and she bring me any questions she has at her own discretion.  (ex: Matched by Ally Condie and Everlost by Neal Shusterman)

In the end, every kid is different, and they all mature at a different rate.  What's right for my nine year old may not be right for yours (I got A LOT of raised eyebrows over reading The Hunger Games to my daughter).  The important thing is to remember that the age ranges that libraries, bookstores, and publishers give are GUIDELINES and that the best way to determine what is right and appropriate for your child is to talk to him/her.  Then if you have doubts, read it yourself, or go to a trusted source for information.  There are loads of blogs out there (duh!) that have reviews and ratings.  Look for one that fits with your level of conservativeness, or even better, is a bit more conservative than you are.  One website I like is Common Sense Media.  They are much more conservative than I am, so I know that if they say "ages 9+", that I can count on it being "safe" for my daughter.

Review: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date:  April 1st, 2010

I've heard so many fabulous things about Maria V. Snyder, and this book in particular, that I had to read it. I chose this book as m first foray into the works of Snyder because I am huge fan of dystopia and sci-fi, and this one fits the bill better than her other books...

This book was really good in a variety of ways. The writing was excellent. I find a lot of books have good stories and I like them for that reason, but the writing just sucks. Not at all the case here. Snyder knows her craft, and knows it well. It was original, which of course, is always good. The plot was intense, and the storyline easy to follow without being simplistic. The characters were well developed and relateable, which had to be difficult because, as readers, we were deliberately kept in the dark about a lot of the aspects of their lives. Add to that, the fact that the reader could not possibly relate to the characters on an "I've been there" basis, and I have to give the author many kudos. (I expect that many of those answers to my questions about the characters will come in book #2, Outside In.) The surprises came fairly frequently,and when I call them "surprises", I mean it. I would be reading along, thinking I knew what was going to happen next, and Bang!, a twist would be thrown in that would knock me for a total loop.  For 2/3 of the book, I thought I saw a lot of parallels with Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  The ending was pretty good, and not at all what I expected.  Not necessarily happy either, although positive would be a decent adjective.

At first, I really didn't like Trella, the protagonist at all. She was cold, moody, and rather stuck-up. Not in a "I'm better than you" way, but in a "I can't be bothered with you because it's all about me" way. Throughout the story, as she grew as a person, I grew to like her. She reminded me a whole lot of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. I really enjoyed a good number of the supporting characters. Affable and generous Cogon, of course, was a favorite. As was Riley, the Upper Trella befriends, and Logan the Tech-No. Jacy was another one I didn't like at first, but redeemed himself in my opinion. Then there were the characters I didn't like. Broken Man/Domotor was one of them. I know he's supposed to be a hero of sorts, but I felt like his motives weren't right (another unanswered question at this point). Of course, you MUST hate LCs Karla and Vinco. They were cruel and manipulative, but I think that goes without saying.

Overall, I gave this book four stars. The beginning was necessarily slow, but slow nonetheless. It left more questions than it answered, and there were a few things that happened that I felt didn't need to happen. I'm glad it look me eight months to mark this off of my To-Read list, because now I won't have wait for the sequel, which I will most definitely read.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Grade Level Recommendation:  Mature 4th graders and older.  There is some talk about birth control as a means to control population growth, so a reader would have to understand where babies come from, and I know that some 4th graders haven't necessarily been educated on that.  There are also themes of inequality between different classes of society, so a certain amount of understanding in that regard, is necessary to enjoy this book.  There's some mild violence, but nothing worse than what's in Star Wars.

Check This Out!

I wouldn't exactly call this a "post".  I'm actually trying to stay away from here today so that my house can look less like a bomb hit it, but damn you Twitter and your evil distracting ways...

If you know me, or have read my earlier post about books I'm looking forward to, then you know that If I Stay, by Gayle Forman, is one of my favorite books.  Anyway, I came across something related to that book that is REALLY COOL, and wanted to share....

So... Click HERE, and check it out!

Operation Rock the Drop in Honor of Teen Lit Day!

  

Today, April 14th, is Support Teen Lit Day.  In honor of this event, Readergirlz and Figment have created Rock the Drop!, a program to get teens reading.  This is such an easy thing to do:

1. Go through your bookshelf.  Find any gently-used books that you loved (or even go buy some if you're loaded), and paste in the "Rock the Drop!" bookplate (click the button above to get it).
2. Drop the book(s) in public places where teens would likely pick them up.
3. Snap a pic of your dropped book and email it to Readergirlz.
4. Feel really good about doing a great thing to promote teen literacy.
5. *Optional*  Tweet about it so everyone knows you did it.  Hashtag #rockthedrop

I'm dropping a bunch of books today.  I plan to drop a few at the ballpark (in the dugout) after my daughter's softball game (12U and 14U play after she does),  Starbucks, Town Center Park, and the Mall.  Books I'm dropping:

       








  


   

Review: The Magnolia League by Katie Crouch

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 3rd, 2011

I really enjoyed this book!! It was a fast read, which was a really good thing, because I couldn't put it down.

For starters, the plot and characters were great. Perhaps one reason I liked it so well is that I am a Georgian (a transplant, yes, but I love it here, so it's my home). I relate to the references to Southern culture, and Savannah, plus I just adore the GA coast. (It's where I want to retire someday if I can ever convince someone to pay me to read books.) The author describes the area so well that I could picture myself there. Even someone who has never been there would be able to picture it and get a feel for it's charm. Another reason I loved this books is that the protagonist, Alex, is a total earth-girl-intelligent-hippie, which was exactly who I was in HS and college (and beyond, to some extent). I know that won't appeal to all, but I loved that! What will appeal to all, that I loved was that she was well read and quite witty, but rather naive. It gives her an endearing quality that you can't help but embrace. Despite Alex's naivety, she manages to keep the "mean girls" in check and grow A LOT as a person throughout the book. By the end, not only are you totally pulling for her, but you want to find a way to jump in there and help her out.

This book is full of a particular type of magic, called Hoodoo, which is a type of black magic, much like Voodoo, but without the religious undertones. The magic is woven into the story in a subtle way at first, and although you know it's related to this Magnolia League, and the power the women have, you really don't see the gravity of it's role until well into the book. There were also several little twists that I didn't see coming. I am looking forward to a book #2 because this book seriously leaves you hanging, which is not a bad thing because it was done in precisely the right place.

The last reason I liked this book so well is that it was well written and the story flowed well. Sometimes I will really like a book for it's story, but will find myself annoyed with the writing, which is always frustrating for me. This wasn't the case here. Author, Katie Crouch, clearly knows what she's doing. I'm very happy that she ventured into the world of YA books, and am quite looking forward to reading more by her.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Grade Level Recommendation: 8+ There are quite a few references to drugs, teen drinking, and sex. While not graphic, this book would best be suited for ages 13 and older.