Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at
Parajunkee’s View and Alison at Alison Can Read. It is a great way for bloggers
to make new friends and find new blogs to follow. Go to either blog, follow ALL
the instructions and then add your link to the list. It’s just that easy!
This week’s question:
Activity!!! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most...
Yay, fun! I love the picture taking questions!
Here is where I do most of my reading:
This is my corner of the couch. Blanket, pillow, light, and the laptop close by. I read here all the time. This is probably the one place I can read in peace. If my husband is snoring, or my kids have taken over my room, I can come here and read. And despite being only about 3 feet from the sub-woofer and a speaker from the surround sound system, I can tune out the TV and read until my heart is content. But, I also read in bed before going to sleep, at the kitchen table, in the car while waiting for my kids and even in line at the grocery store (thank goodness I have a Kindle). I am in an equal-opportunity reader!
Where do you read the most? Leave me a link in the comment section and I will stop by and take a peek!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish
meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
·Grab your current read
·Open to a random page
·Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that
page
·BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what
you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for
others!)
·Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser
Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your
teaser!
"The fire constricted, concentrating inside that one remaining human organ with a final, unbearable surge. The surge was answered by a deep, hollow-sounding thud. My heart stuttered twice, and then thudded quietly again just once more." page 384 Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Yes, I am reading Breaking Dawn....again. The Twilight Saga is my favorite series, and sometimes, I just feel the need to re-read it. I was extremely ill last week and needed something familiar and comforting, something I didn't have to think about or critique. And this was it. And I am enjoying it just as much now as I did the very first time I read it.
Please leave a link to your Tuesday Teaser in the comment section and I will stop by and take a look!
Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel at
Parajunkee’s View and Alison at Alison Can Read. It is a great way for bloggers
to make new friends and find new blogs to follow. Go to either blog, follow ALL
the instructions and then add you link to the list. It’s just that easy!
This week’s question:
I like unique names for characters and am looking forward to coming up with some when I start writing. What's the most unique character name you've come across?
Eeeeek, this is a tough question. I don't know that I have found one specific character name that I found unique. I do think that Suzanne Collins came up with some incredibly unique names in her Hunger Games series. I also like the names of the characters in the Matched series by Ally Condie. Very original and I feel unique.
How about you, what names do you find unique? Leave a link to your Follow Friday in the comments and I will stop by and take a look!
Title:
Freshman Year and
Other Unnatural Disasters
Author:
Meredith Zeitlin
Genre:
Young Adult
Contemporary
Publisher:
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Format:
Ebook (provided by
publisher)
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she
tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her
impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with
her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are
going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet
Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and
make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.
Things start out great—her arch-nemesis has
moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on
the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon
enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a
series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because Kelsey has a plan
for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it (summary courtesy of Goodreads).
Kelsey just really wants her first year of high school to be the year; the year she shines on the
soccer team, the year her crush finally realizes she’s alive and the year that
everything will change for the better. She
is determined to make her dreams come true. But first she has to contend with
her mom—well-meaning but clueless and constantly embarrassing, a junior who
seems to have put Kelsey at the top of her “people I love to hate” list, a
newspaper photographer with a knack for taking the wrong picture and the
changing dynamics of her long-time group of friends. Maneuvering her way
through the first year of high school may be more difficult than Kelsey ever
imagined.
Once in a while, a book comes along that makes you smile and
leaves you with a good feeling deep in your soul. Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters is that book. I fell in
love with this book almost immediately. Kelsey Finkelstein is the perfect
teenager; she is bitingly sarcastic, funny and absolutely convinced that
everything is about her. Zeitlin is able to completely grasp the concept of an
awkward teenager making her way in the world and she accurately portrays
exactly what a fourteen-year-old high school student is thinking and
feeling. Because of Zeitlin’s
outstanding writing, the reader can practically hear what Kelsey’s mom refers
to as “Typical Adolescent Behavior” coming through the pages. It’s been awhile
since a book actually made me laugh out loud, but Freshman Year did just that. I am pretty sure the lady in the car
next to me who saw me laughing hysterically while I waited for my son to get
out of school thought I had recently escaped the insane asylum. No, that was
just me enjoying the heck out of this book!
Kelsey Finkelstein just might be my new hero. She spouts some
of the best one-liners I’ve ever read. Two of my favorites: “Well, isn’t that the cherry on my sundae” and
“Goody gumdrops. Pardon my elbows as I shove to the front of the line for that
choice opportunity.” Kelsey is perhaps
one of the most dynamic characters I’ve read in a long time in a young adult
novel. She actually learns from her mistakes and obviously grows as a person
throughout the course of the novel. She’s not stagnant and unchanging; she
makes mistakes, figures out what she did wrong and tries to make it better. The
dynamic of Kelsey’s group of friends, Em, Cass and JoJo, is also played out
very well. Zeitlin manages to show the reader what a real group of girls in
high school is like as friends. They argue, they disagree and they sometimes do
stupid things to each other, but in the end, the real friendships shine
through.
Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is that Zeitlin
doesn’t pull any punches or try to sugar-coat the high school experience. Guess
what? Sometimes crappy things happen to good people who have the best
intentions. Sometimes things work out for the best and sometimes they don’t.
Life isn’t an episode of iCarly or Victorious, it’s not always fixed in half an
hour. Zeitlin gives the reader a chance to see what life is like for a real
girl who is dealing with real problems, and she does it in such a way that we
as readers actually forget we are reading the story of a fictional character.
Kelsey Finkelstein connects with the reader on a personal level, especially
with the teenage girl who doesn’t think anything ever goes right in her life.
Reading this book will not only make that teenage girl laugh, but it will give
her someone she can relate to as well.
I found Freshman Year
and Other Unnatural Disasters to be a fun, quirky and entertaining read. It
was extremely funny, yet poignantly realistic. There is some mild language, teen
drinking (which, coincidentally never ends well) and minor sexual content
(kissing mostly). I recommend this book
for ages 14 and up. I do have one question, though. Where has Meredith Zeitlin
been hiding and when can we expect more from her?
My grade for Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin:
Title:
What’s Wrong With
Me?: A Girl’s Guide Book of Lessons Learned, Inspiration and Advice
Author:
Daree Allen
Genre:
Young Adult/Self-Help
Publisher:
Kharacter
Distinction Books
Format:
Paperback/Provided
by Author
Release Date: February 14, 2012
*book was provided by author in exchange for an
honest review and participation in a blog tour*
“What’s wrong with
me?”It’s a question we’ve all asked
ourselves. Today’s age of everything-goes media messages and in-your-face
sexuality has led many teenage girls grappling with self-esteem and self-worth.
Author Daree Allen, MS guides girls through their young adulthood by teaching
lessons shared from her own experiences in her debut offering, What’s Wrong
With Me?: A Girl’s Guide Book of Lessons
Learned, Inspiration and Advice. She offers self-empowering building blocks
designed to strengthen young women’s inner truths in the face of relationships
with themselves, others, and God. Fundamental to the inner truths are the
foundational blocks that allow them to learn to love the skin they’re in,
realize their dreams and make a positive impact on the world (synopsis courtesy of author/publisher).
Ms. Allen has
written a self-help book intended to show older teens that there is someone out
there who understands what they are going through, sort of a “been there, done
that” handbook for teens. I admire her tenacity and ability to admit the
mistakes she made in her life in an effort to show young ladies that there
really are people who are able to understand them and their problems. Allen packs this easy-to-read, informative
book with advice about just about everything, from body image, dating and sex
to personal finance and discovering one’s life purpose. And she doesn’t pull
any punches; she tells it like it is. That was refreshing. What’s Wrong With Me? also has a strong religious message, and uses
scripture to help point girls in the right direction.
There were some
really great things in this book. I liked Allen’s “Further Reading” at the end
of each chapter. It gives the reader an opportunity to expand on the message of
that chapter. I also liked the various sidebars contained throughout the book;
in particular the advice about taking care of oneself through diet was
well-written. I felt that chapter six was the best chapter in the book, with
some really solid advice about choosing your friends wisely, and letting go of
toxic friendships. My favorite quote in
the book is contained in chapter six:
“Don’t underestimate the value of having the right people in your life.
Toxic relationships, friendships, and family members drain your energy and—if
you’re not careful—can make you lose sight of your focus, distorting it. With some people, there comes a time to stop
trying to be their friend and let them go. Toxic people will only bring you
down.” Very well said and very
true.
There were also
some things about the book that I felt needed some work. There were a few
instances in the book in which Allen skimmed over some issues that I felt
should not have been skimmed over. I believe
subjects such as anorexia, bulimia and suicide are problems that deserve a bit
more attention than a mention at the end of a chapter (though I appreciated the
addition of hotline numbers for the aforementioned). I also felt that Allen
took a rather negative view of marriage. I understand that she was approaching
the subject of marriage from the perspective of a divorced, single mother, but
in a self-help book for young woman, other perspectives should be explored.
There are marriages that are stable and lasting, not all (or even most) men
leave. The other side of the coin should have been shown. Finally, I was a bit put off by the frequent
references to “White folks,” as was my 17-year-old daughter, who read several
chapters of the book. To quote her: “Teenage girls are pretty much the same, no
matter what our skin color is. We all have a lot of the same problems.”
All in all, What Wrong With Me? is a good book. It
is filled with some really solid advice for dealing with the different problems
that arise in a lot of teenage girls’ lives. I think this book would be great
for church youth groups, teen bible studies or girl groups. Having an adult
mentor to guide the girls through the book would be very beneficial.
Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Rachel atParajunkee’s View and Alison at Alison Can Read. It is a great way for bloggers
to make new friends and find new blogs to follow. Go to either blog, follow ALL
the instructions and then add you link to the list. It’s just that easy!
This week’s question:
What would your prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why?
Sadly, as of late, I have read a bunch of mediocre books and some books that I really did NOT enjoy. In fact, earlier today, I was thinking about how I really just want to pick up one of my trusted, often-read books and snuggle up with it. And lose myself. For me, reading is a form of escape. When I read a mediocre book, I don't lose myself and I don't get that escape. I think that is why I read books I love over and over. They allow me to get away from my world for a little while. So, I guess my answer is: read my favorite book over and over again.
How about you? Leave a link in the comment section and I will stop by and check out your hop.
After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on
harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the
watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves Halflings.
Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe
while hiding their deepest secret-and the wings that come with it.
A growing attraction between Nikki and two of
her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart,
Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries
behind the boys' powers, as well as her role in a scientist's dark plan,
unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire
race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly
world (summary courtesy publisher via
NetGalley).
My initial reaction to Halflings:
This book left me scratching my head, for a variety of
reasons. Not one single question put forth in this book was answered at
the end. Usually when a book gives you some type of mystery or question to be
explored and answered, even if sequels are planned, the author will give you some answers. I knew about as much when
I finished the book as I did when I started it. Too many things were left
unexplored and unanswered. Another thing
I had a difficult time with was the occasional slip from third person to first
person. The first couple of times it
happened, I assumed it was because I was reading an ARC and it was simply a
mistake. But it kept happening. I finally realized about half way through the
book that those occasional slips were actually the characters thinking to
themselves. To me, it just looked like an editing mistake. Quotations marks or
a simple “she thought” would have fixed that problem. Sometimes, the story line
was a bit difficult to follow because time didn’t flow consistently throughout
the story. It would jump forward and back in time, leaving me stumped as to
what exactly was happening. A lot of this could have been solved with editing.
I also found it difficult to connect with any of the
characters. The boys and their personalities were built solely on their looks.
Every time any of them appeared in the story, the reader heard about “muscles
under shirts, muscles flexing, and muscles rippling” or their hair and how it
flowed around them. The one character I felt had the most potential to be
interesting was never given any other characterization other than a description
of what his long, blond hair was doing while he fought, or walked, or ran. Oh,
and he liked candy. After about ten chapters, I was beyond tired of hearing the
boys being described. I know what they look like, move on! The main character Nikki, was really hard to
figure out. Sometimes she seemed confident and put-together, other times she
seemed wishy-washy. Other times, she came across as a petulant brat. Burch
seemed to put action before characterization, which was disappointing. A little bit of character-building could have
gone a long way toward making this a better book.
Unfortunately, I had a bigger issue with this book than some
unanswered questions, editing issues and lack of character development. Let’s just
say that I have read this book before. Only that time, its title was Twilight. Maybe this book should have
been called Twilight 2.0—The Angel
Version. I thought maybe I was just imagining things, but then I decided to
jot down the similarities I found between the two. It was definitely not my
imagination. Similarities to Twilight
(*may contain spoilers*):
·Paranormal boy(s)
·Girl that needs protecting
·Boy breaks the rules to see the girl.
·They are “inexplicably drawn to each other.”
·The boys are gorgeous, often referred to as
“Greek Gods.”
·The boys move with unnatural speed,
·One of the boys can “pick up a thought or two.”
·Almost a direct quote from Twilight (and one of the most famous): “…there was a tiny part and
she wasn’t sure how powerful that part was…”
·The boys can drive really fast because their
reflexes are better than a humans.
·The girl feels “a gaping, empty hole” in her
chest after a break-up, clutches her chest to keep the pain in.
·The boys have fantastic hearing, can hear things
others can’t.
·The boys move faster than the eye can see, they
even say “You can’t outrun us.”
·One of the boys struggles to achieve goodness
despite what he is.
·Girl loves both boys.
Do you see what I mean? I’m sure it’s flattering to Stephenie
Meyer that so many authors copy her, but we as readers want to see something
new. Halflings is definitely not that
something new.
I tried to enjoy Halflings,
I really did. I tried to ignore the fact
that it was really just a blatant rip-off of one of my favorite books.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t overlook it. Writing a book that follows a formula
(Paranormal Hot Guy + Girl Who Needs Protection = Bestseller) is not
entertaining or original. As readers, we’ve been there and done that. We want
originality, not a re-worked version of a previous bestseller. Sadly, Burch doesn’t give us that
originality. I wish she had.
