Family by Micol Ostow

From the flap:

I have always been broken.

I could have.

Died.

And maybe it would have been better if I had.

It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem.  Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and – best of all – a family.  One that will embrace her and give her love.  Because family is what Mel has never really had.  And this new family, Henry’s family, shares everything.  They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs.  And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do.  No matter what the family does, or how far they go.

From me:

Ok, so I can't say that I was in love with this book.  It was not an easy read for me.  So, because I'm not in the habit of giving bad reviews I have come up with a few reasons for feelings about Family. 

Reason Number One: I think because it's written in poetry (which I normally love), which is not in chronological order.  This can make it confusing.  Creative and fitting for the story, but confusing.

Reason Number Two: The subject matter is crazy.  Literally - crazy.  Mel, the MC, becomes involved in 1960s cult life in order to escape an awful home life.  And that's not the crazy part.  This cult seems to be very similar to Manson's cult.  'Nuff said?

Those are the only reasons I could come up with.  It's an interesting read; it really is.  I can appreciate the originality in both the format and in content. However, it definitely does not make it into any of my "top" lists. 

Has anyone read this and enjoyed it?  If so, why am I wrong?

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

From the flap:
I've seen him on the news.  Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio.  John Smith, out there, on the run.  To the world, he's a mystery.  But to me... he's one of us.

Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us -- if we all still believe in our mission.  How can I know?  There are six of us left.  We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another...but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight.  Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for?  And what about Number Five and Six?  Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams?  The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine?  The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?


They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio -- and failed.

I am Number Seven.  One of six still alive.

And I'm ready to fight.

From me:
I was very pleasantly surprised with this follow-up to I Am Number Four.  I liked the first book, but wasn't really into it.  Like, "can't wait to read after work" into it. 
This book was fantastic!  It had tons of action and was much less confusing than the first.  It also flips between Number Seven's story and John, Six, and Sam's story.  This was a lot of fun and made the story move so quickly.
Number Seven has a very interesting story, and has found herself in a convent with her Cepan, searching for knowledge about any of the other members of the Garde.  John, Six and Sam are still running from the Mogadorians and through their conversations we are able to see deeper into their heads -- John, especially. 
I don't want to say too much more because there are a bunch of twists along Seven and John's journeys --  including a HUGE one that I didn't see coming at all. 
Great read, can't wait for the next one!

Brother/Sister by Sean Olin

Happy Halloween, Readers!  I thought I would post a creep-tastic book I read over the summer.  Enjoy and save some fun-size Snickers for me!

From the flap:

Will and Asheley - Brother and Sister - reveal the story of how and why their lives spun violently out of control.  In the restless summer nights of an affluent California suburb, lines are blurred between love and fear, right and wrong, truth and lies, defense...and murder.

From me:
This book is super creepy, like Christopher Walken creepy.  That, however, did not stop me from devouring it.  It was seriously one of the weirdest books I've ever read (and I majored in English!) and it gave me the chills many, many times.  Again - I could not put it down.

The story is told by Will and Asheley through what seem to be interviews with the police.  You are presented with each sibling's perspective of the events that took place, namely the murders (yes, plural) and how they worked to cover them up.  Throughout the story, Will is shown to be unstable, maybe bi-polar, and definitely the "bad guy," while Asheley is shown to be the innocent bystander in Will's rage.  There are no parents - Mom's in rehab and step-dad/boyfriend comes to check on them once in a while (he can be creepy, too).  I feel like I can't say too much more about the plot because I really don't want to ruin it.  If you start the story (which all of you should), hang on until the end...especially the very last page.  I may have to re-read just because of the last line in the novel.

Sean Olin has done a wonderful job at weaving a story of lies and deceit.  The characters feel real - as though they are explaining their stories to you, personally.  That realistic feeling is probably what makes my skin crawl, but also what keeps me reading.  Fantastic book, can't wait to read everything Olin has written.

The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook

From the flap:

Hailey Kendrick always does exactly what’s expected of her.  She has the right friends, dates the perfect boy, gets good grades, and follows all the rules.  But one night Hailey risks everything by breaking a very big rule in a very public way… and with a very unexpected partner in crime.  Hailey gets caught, but her accomplice does not, and Hailey takes the fall for both of them.

Suddenly Hailey’s perfect life, and her reputation, are blowing up in her face. Her friends are all avoiding her.  Her teachers don’t trust her.  Her boyfriend won’t even speak to her for long enough to tell her that she’s been dumped.

They say that honesty is the best policy – but some secrets are worth keeping, no matter the cost.  Or are they?

From me:

I really enjoyed this book.  I probably wouldn’t have picked it up off of the shelf, had I not had a small selection of books to preview for our Media Center.  From the cover ( I know, I know…shouldn’t judge), it seemed like it was just going to be a sweet “girly” book.  And it was that, but it was definitely more.  I thought that it gave the reader a glimpse into Hailey’s very affluent world – a world in which she is still unhappy.  Hailey has to make tough choices about friends, family, and her own rebellion against the rules.  She also has to deal with the consequences, something that definitely is not easy for her.  These consequences, however, are what introduce her to Drew and to a whole new perspective on what is important in life. 

I thought that the relationship between Hailey and Drew was interesting and sweetly awkward.  I loved that he taught her all about how the rest of us live (gasp! Wal-Mart!).  And I loved that his “status” was fairly unexpected.  If you are looking for a fun book, I highly recommend The Education of Hailey Kendrick.

Seriously?!

Hi All,
I'm back.  This time my month-long vacation from the blog was TOTALLY NOT MY FAULT!  Thanks to my old ISP, I had zero Internet service for the entire month of August.  Nice, huh?

Totally lost my chance to win any goodies from The Contemps.  Totally had my blogging schedule interrupted.  Totally not excited about said ISP's "customer service" (notice the quotation marks).

Anyway, I'm connected once again, thanks to a new ISP and will be back to blogging sometime this week.

The Contemps Challenge #2 - The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

From the flap:

Seventeen year old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot.  She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush.  In fact, Bianca hates him.  And when he nicknames her "the Duff," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction.  She ends up kissing Wesley.  Worse, she likes it.  Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry.  It turns out Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too.  Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

From me:
I love this book.  I have loved it since I read the title - how could you not?  First, I have to give major cool points to Kody Keplinger for being in COLLEGE and having two books published (Shut Out comes out in September). I was just happy to have my laundry done when I was in college.  The writing is great - Bianca and friends sound like real high schoolers, which is always a huge selling point for me.

Not only did the characters sound real, they sounded hysterical.  This was really, really funny most of the time.  I wish that I could come up with lines that made readers break into laughter.  While it is super funny, Bianca is dealing with some really big (un-funny) issues, but feels that she shouldn't burden her friends with her problems.  So, she decides to use Wesley Rush to ease her pain, which is maybe not the best way to solve one's problems, but she seems to have a lot of fun, so...  Anyway, I'm happy that Wesley is a broken kid, as well - again, it shows readers that "cool" kids have problems, too. 

I think that this book, while being hysterical, teaches us a very important lesson - everyone is the duff.  It drives me nuts at school when I hear kids, girls especially, comparing themselves to other kids (girls).  But it's not just middle/high school girls!  Adults do it too!  I'm super guilty of this crime!  This book has helped me to realize that everyone sees flaws in themselves and that we should embrace those flaws because they are what make us, us.  And, if our friends or boyfriends/girlfriends can't get past our flaws, then we need to find better people to be around.  A very "teacher" thing to say, but I can't help it- blame Kody Keplinger.  And read The DUFF. 

One more thing...

Have you seen this???

It's totally the movie poster for The Hunger Games!!!  I saw it hanging in my local theater last night!!  IMDB says it supposed to be released March 23, 2012.  I'll see you all at the movies!

Movie poster: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

Contemps Challenge #1 - Freefall by Mindi Scott

From the back cover:
Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend, Issac, alive, and the first to find him dead.  It was just another night, just another party, just another time when Issac drank too much and passed out on the lawn.  Only this time, Issac didn't wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend's death, Seth is torn between turning his life around...or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he's ever known.  But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn't the only one who needs saving...

From Me:
Although this book could be pretty dark, I enjoyed it a lot.  Watching Seth go through his emotional recovery after losing his best friend was very interesting - agreeing and disagreeing with the choices he made, rooting for his relationship with Rosetta, and genuinely liking Seth as a person/character made reading this book very easy.  This is not to say that the subject matter was always easy to digest. 

At the time this story opens, Seth's best friend, Issac, has died from suffocation - he drank too much and choked on his own vomit.  Seth blames himself for Issac's death, which is what he struggles with throughout the whole story.  I think that this book should be offered to all high schoolers, but especially those with a love of partying.  It shows us how uncontrolled drinking and underage drinking can devastate many lives - Issac died and everyone who didn't was left picking up the pieces and coming to terms with his death.  At the same time, Seth and Rosetta are trying to begin a relationship, which seems to be very sweet.  Throughout reading, I felt like Seth - on an emotional rollercoaster.  One chapter I would be up and excited for Seth and Rosetta, and the next I would be cursing Issac for bringing Seth down.  But that's what makes this novel so great - I felt like I could understand Seth and the emotions he was going through. 

I would highly recommend this book, but just know that it can be a heavy story to read.

In My Mailbox 2

Hi All,

Summer book list update: 10/71 books read.... I'm thinking I might be a little behind in my quest for reading greatness...

I've decided that I'm going to participate in The Story Siren's meme "In My Mailbox" for at least this week.  Instead of these books being delivered to my door because I'm a really popular YA book blogger, I picked these books up at the library.  These are all part of the Contemps Challenge, which I am about halfway through (yay!).

So, the books that are "in my mailbox" are:

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
Trapped by Michael Northrop
Pearl by Jo Knowles
Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith
Family by Micol Ostow
Rival  by Sara Bennett Wealer
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

Have you read any of these books?  Which one should I choose first?

Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

From the back cover:

"What did you feel?" says Virgil.
"I don't know," I say, wondering myself.  "I felt, I feel, different."
Virgil stands next to me in the dark, close but far away.  He laughs softly, "So, what, you're Wolf Girl now?"
I laugh, too.  "Shut up, Virgil."
But I do feel different.
My mind hums.  The spell of the day is wrapped around and inside of me.  Eloise says wolves aren't people, but I wonder if people can be like wolves.

From me:
Ok, the most important thing to know about this book is this. is. not. a. werewolf. book.

Good, now that that's out of the way - this was a really great read.  I actually did think it was about werewolves when I began reading, and honestly, I was not looking forward to yet another werewolf book. (Not that I'm not counting down the days until The Savage Grace is released!!!)

KJ, the main character, is an accidentally strong, crusading, determined, hysterical teenage girl who turns a town upside down in order to save the wolves that have made her town their home.  She's not alone in her quest - super hot new kid, Virgil  and his mother, Eloise are wolf-lovers too and they help KJ understand and appreciate the wolves.  They also stand by her when her plans go awry...which is a lot of the time.

I thought that the characters, including the wolves, were great, interesting and easy to like (or not, in some cases).  Many of the "supporting roles" added tons of humor, mystery, and action.

There was something for everyone - romance, action (gunshots!!), and animals.  I know "animals" isn't exactly a genre, but some people are drawn to books about nature/animals, so there.

I would highly recommend this book and hope to read more from Kristen Chandler! 

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

From the back cover:
New to town, Bea is expecting her new best friend to be one of the girls she meets on the first day: very cheery, very friendly, very average.  But instead, the alphabet seats her next to Jonah, aka Ghost Boy, a quiet observer who hasn't made a new friend since third grade.  He's not a big fan of people in general... but he's willing to make an exception for her.  Maybe.

Bea and Jonah are not going to have a friendship based on gossip and parties and what everybody else thinks.  Instead, their friendship comes from truth-bound conversations, shared secrets, and late-night calls to the same old-timer radio show.  They help each other and hurt each other, push away and hold close.  It's not exactly romance - but it's definitely love.  And it means more to them than either one can ever really know.


From me:
I will start by admitting that I am a little biased in my opinion of this book because it's set in BALTIMORE!!  The setting was huge for me because I recognized streets, neighborhoods, and the various places that Bea and Jonah visit.  So, so fun! 

If you are not from Baltimore, or you are not as easily excited as I am, maybe this will not be so super cool to you.  That's ok - there is plenty more to love about this book.  One of the best ways to describe the story comes right from the back cover - it's not a romance, but it's definitely the story of Bea and Jonah's love for one another.

Although I found Jonah to be a hard character to like during parts of the book, but I almost found him hard not to like... if that makes any sense.  Since the story is told from Bea's perspective, I think that I couldn't really get into his head until the end of the book, yet I still felt drawn to him and his own story.  Bea seemed to be caught in the middle of a lot of different conflicts for most of the story (ok, maybe two big ones) - having to choose between Jonah and the "normal" kids from school, having to deal with her mom's brand of crazy, while her dad works very long hours as a professor (at Hopkins!).

While the story was kind of strange in some parts, it was mostly a cute and awkward (in a fun to read) story of two people in love.  

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Hi All,

Have you seen this?

It's gorgeous, right?  And it sounds like a crazy good book - just look at the summary from Goodreads:

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Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she...moLast spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen. 

Totally looking forward to reading this in January.  If you haven't checked out Brodi's blog, you must!  She's hysterical! www.brodiashton.com

On to today's review:

 From the flap:
My first impulse is not the grab her or kiss her or yell at her.  I simply want to touch her cheek, still flushed from the night's performance.  I want to cut through the space that separates us, measured in feet - not miles, not continents, not years - and to take a callused finger to her face...

It's been three years since Adam's lave saved Mia after the accident that annihilated life as she knew it...
...and three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is L.A. tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend.  When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night.  As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

From Me:
I went into this book questioning its ability to measure up to If I Stay.  And the truth is, it really did. 

It was definitely different.  It wasn't as "big" emotionally - there is no tragic accident in this one - but seeing the rest of the story from Adam's heartbroken point of view was quite interesting.  His story is tragic in its own right and you still feel that pull in your heart as he's telling it.  He's certainly much gruffer in his language and, presumably, his lifestyle than Mia was, but you still get to see his sensitivity and definitely his vulnerability, which really makes you root for him. 

I didn't feel as emotionally traumatized by the story as a whole (If I Stay left me stunned and sobbing... in a good way), but that could be because I devoured it in a matter of hours...  It could also be because the choices the characters make in this book are much less... I can't even come up with a word to describe the choice Mia made in If I Stay.  The choices in Where She Went are more universal; everybody has to go through something similar (don't they?).  But that's not a bad thing - it just brings the book down to a level where we can imagine having to decide.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book.  It definitely satisfied my need to know what happened after Mia's choice.  Forman has a very simple, understated, yet totally powerful and beautiful way of telling Mia and Adam's story.  And I truly hope to read many more books by her.

Everneath cover art:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9413044-everneath

Forman, Gayle.  Where She Went. Dutton: NewYork, 2011.

My Crazy Summer Reading

Hello Friends of the Blog,

I have come up with a pretty good plan to stay on track with the blogging, so I feel confident in my ability to keep up with it throughout the summer and next school year and beyond.  I have already begun my summer reading, which is a pretty daunting task.  I took a picture of the books staring at me from my end table.

                                        See the crazy for yourself.  Notice the already overfilled bookcase in the background...

Yeah, I know.  I'm crazy.  There are 51.  51!  And I don't even have the Contemps Challenge books yet!  That's another 20!  (For you English majors, like me - that's 71 books total) 

Can I do it?  Probably.  Will other tasks, like productivity at the summer job and cleaning the laundry before it can walk out of the hamper, be accomplished?  Absolutely not.

I've already finished a few books in my first week of summer vacation, but not sure when I'll be blogging about them - as part of my master plan, I'll be saving some reads to blog about throughout the year.

I'll be posting at least once a week, but who knows which day that will be.  Check in often :)

So, what is your master plan for the summer?  Got a book list?  Like the new look for the blog? 

Still a loser.

Hello Reader Friends,
Yes, it's painfully obvious that I am totally a loser at this blogging thing.  Working on making this better, but it may take a while for me to figure it out.  In the meantime, tell me what you're reading!  I need to start my summer list o' good books.

Back when I've got it all figured out... :)

I Suck at Blogging and Entice by Carrie Jones

I know what you’re thinking.

I’m a loser-blogger.

I have no real excuse, other than my laziness. I can’t even blame my lack of blogging on my new addiction to Glee, even if said addiction is borderline scary.

So, Readers, I apologize… to all 2 of you.

Although I have not been blogging, I have been reading. A lot. In fact, I have read all of the sequels that I planned on blogging about during “The Season of Sequels.” So, I am going to continue with my season, and will try my hardest to get all of the sequels blogged before the first day of spring (eep! So excited! Warm weather! No snow!).

Wish me luck!



First up: Entice by Carrie Jones


From the flap:

The clock chimes the end of an hour and a shudder breaks through me.


“What if he’s dead, really dead?” I suck in the air, trying not to give in and cry. “Gone- forever dead, you know? And I changed for nothing.”


The clock downstairs keeps chiming midnight. “You don’t believe that, do you?”

Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that’s not how things have worked out. For starters, well, Nick is gone. He’s been taken to some mythic place for warriors called Valhalla, where Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. It’s just not going to be easy.

Meanwhile, Bedford needs its warriors more than ever, since a group of evil pixies is devastating the place, with teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent. But even if Zara and her friends can find the way to Valhalla, there’s that other small problem: Zara’s been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to leave with her? Especially considering she hasn’t turned into just any pixie…She’s Astley’s queen.



From me:

I liked this latest addition to the Need series. Carrie Jones’s characters are funny, sarcastic, and, most importantly, real. To me, they sounded like actual teenagers – y’know actual teenagers who fight pixies, who are pixies, and who can morph into animals. Zara is a heroine that the reader can root for, usually. She is strong and independent, and is rarely whiny. All good qualities in female characters. We see Zara and Astley become closer…Zara even meets the ‘rents…kind of. And I found myself wanting Zara to forget about Nick and to stay with Astley and become his real queen. Not that I wanted Nick to rot away in Valhalla. Not at all. But, Astley is such a neat character. I hope he finds a nice girl pixie to fall in love with in the next book.

As much as I enjoyed this book and the others in the series, I think that I’m ready for something new. Not quite sure how I feel about reading another book in the series. I’m finding that I might be a trilogy kind of gal. Stretching the story out beyond three books feels too long, too much story. But, then again, maybe not. We’ll see.


Jones, Carrie.  Entice.  Bloomsbury: New York, 2010.