In My Mailbox (30)

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Marisa: Hey guys! I haven't been blogging lately and I miss it so much but I'm trying to be on as much as I can. I received two awesome books in the mail this week. They both sound so cute and fun!


A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

Love the cover! Can't wait to read/review it!


The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty! When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe? The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

Another cute and fun read :D


That's all I got in the mail this week! What did you guys get?

(Briana and Arielle may post later)

Wishlist Wednesday (26)

Briana:



Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard--falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

I've heard AMAZING things about this book! I'll read it eventually, and when I do, I know I'll love it.

Waiting on Wednesday (19)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.



Briana:


The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson



Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This sounds like such a great book! Can't wait for it to be out in stores :)

(Marisa and Arielle may post later.)

Teaser Tuesday (16)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B 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 TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Uglies (Uglies Series #1) by Scott Westerfeld

"Shay's voice pulled Tally from her reverie. 'Come on, I want to show you something.'

Shay cruised to the edge of the buildings, then out over the trees.

'Are you sure we can-'

'Look down.'

Below, Tally saw metal glinting through the trees.

'The ruins are much bigger than they let on,' Shay said.
'They just keep that part of the city standing for school trips and museum stuff. But it goes on forever.'"

Pg. 62

Briana: I read a little bit of this book before and didn't get into it. Hopefully this time I'll like it more :) What was your TT? Leave me your link so I can check yours out!



(Marisa and Arielle may post later.)

Bleed

Laurie Faria Stolarz

Published 2008

240 Pages

Rating: C

Over the course of a single summer day, ten teenagers in Salem, Massachusetts, will discover important truths about themselves and each other.

There is Nicole, whose decision to betray her best friend will shock everyone, most of all herself; Kelly, who meets the convicted felon she has been writing to for years; Maria, whose definition of a true friend is someone who will cut her. Then there is Sadie, a chubby eleven-year-old whose mother forces her to wear a "please don't feed me" sign stapled to her shirt; while Joy, a fifteen-year-old waitress hoping for true intimacy narrowly escapes a very dark fate. Derik discovers that his usual good looks and charm won't help him hold onto the girl he wants, while nineteen-year-old drifter, Mearl, is desperately looking for a place to call home. Sean is torn between his loyalty to his girlfriend and the possibility of finding something more with her friend, while Ginger's single-minded pursuit to bring down her nemesis only proves that they may be more alike than she thought.

I'm trying to think of where to start with this review. Did I love the book? No. Did I really like it? No. Was it okay and not a complete waste of time? Yes. When I bought this book a while ago I expected it to be great since I hear such amazing things about the author. Maybe I should give the Blue is for Nightmares series a shot and judge Stolarz more on that rather than this stand alone novel.

In Bleed, there are 10 different characters that narrate their own section of the book. As different as each of these characters can be, somehow they're all connected in a way. In a way, this was a really good thing since I seem to get bored pretty easily with books... but then at the end of their section, not many of the loose ends seemed to tie together and I wonder what happened with their lives.

I did like how the title connected to each of their lives whether it was a tiny issue or the kind of issue that revolves around their life completely. Some of the characters were definitely more fun to read about than others, but of course that's expected. All in all, the book was okay. I don't recommend you buying it though. Rent it from the library instead.

-Briana

In My Mailbox (30)

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Briana: Hey guys :) This week will probably be the last week for a good while before I get to come on again. I'm going back to school on Friday and I'll be busy, busy, busy! I'll miss this so much though, at least I read a few books while I was home :) I'll try to keep up with reading but I can't make any promises lol. Love you guys! <3





Bought:

The Lightening Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1) by Rick Riordan- I'm not going to lie, I bought this book because the trailer for the movie looks sick! I had to buy this first to see what it's all about.

Tempted (House of Night Series #6) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast- Of course I'm excited for this one ;)

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini- Basically I heard this book is a fantastic piece of literature and I need to buy it... so I bought it haha.

Romeo and Juliet (No Fear Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare, Edited by John Crowther- Go ahead... call me a wimp. I just wanna do good in school when I get to Shakespeare :)

Julius Caesar (No Fear Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare, Edited by John Crowther

Macbeth (No Fear Shakespeare) by William Shakespear, Edited by John Crowther




(Marisa and Arielle may post later.)

The Line

Teri Hall

Publishing March 2010

220 pages

Rating: B+

Synopsis

An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.

Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.

Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

My review

While reading The Line, I had no clue what to expect. I knew it would be different and maybe somewhat weird.

The beginning of the book was a little bit uninteresting and slow. It took me awhile to really get into it but when suddenly something exciting happened, I could not put the book down! It was full of action, twists, turns, romance, etc. The world and the way of the government in the book kept me interested and curious, dying to know what would happen to Rachel. It definitely reminds me of The Giver, although I enjoyed reading The Line more than The Giver.

Now we move on to Rachel. The story follows Rachel and her mother Vivian. I happen to really adore reading The Line from Rachel's perspective but the odd times where the book would be read in another character's perspective were different and enjoyable. It answered some of the questions I had about the book. One reason I do like Rachel is for the simple fact that she is strong and brave. Her determination throughout the book is fantastic. Most times, I find female characters to be weak, vulnerable and boring in books so it was nice to go through this marvelous journey with Rachel.

Throughout the book there were a lot of loose ends but they all got tied up near the end. I loved reading about all of the characters' background stories, especially Vivian and Ms. Moore's. They were interesting and were very crucial to the story's plot and ending. The end of the book was awesome and very surprising. I'm DYING for the sequel to this futuristic novel.

I fully recommend this book to all readers. It's captivating, passionately written, mysterious, romantic and suspenseful. Kudos to Teri Hall for a magnificent debut.

-Marisa

The Truth About Forever

Sarah Dessen

Published 2006

400 Pages

Rating: A+

Macy's summer stretches before her, carefully planned and outlined. She will spend her days sitting at the library information desk. She will spend her evenings studying for the SATs. Spare time will be used to help her obsessive mother prepare for the big opening of the townhouse section of her luxury development.

But Macy's plans don't anticipate a surprising and chaotic job with Wish Catering, a motley crew of new friends, or . . . Wes. Tattooed, artistic, anything-but-expected Wes. He doesn't fit Macy's life at all&150so why does she feel so comfortable with him? So . . . happy? What is it about him that makes her let down her guard and finally talk about how much she misses her father, who died before her eyes the year before?

Wow. This is hands down my favorite Sarah Dessen novel as of yet, hell it's one of my favorite novels hands down! Do you know the feeling when you read a certain book it just seperates itself from everything else you've ever read? Like it has it's own category, it was just that good! Well, that is exactly what The Truth About Forever did for me.

Macy is probably one of the coolest and most alike character to myself that I've ever read about. Maybe that's why I enjoyed this book so much... no, that's not the only reason though. I loved Delia, Kristy, Bert, Monica, and of course... WES! I'd like to meet someone who has read this book and not fell in love with Wes. Honestly, I'd be shocked if there were someone that didnt fall in love with his character.

I definitely feel like every character had such depth and was never lacking in any way. It's actually kind of depressing for this book to end. I feel like I'm losing my best friends in a weird way. I've just never felt so connected to a group of characters than the ones of The Truth About Forever. Would I recommend this? Duh! :) Go buy it. Right. Now.

-Briana

Catching Fire Review by Briana

You can read Arielle's review of Catching Fire, here.



Suzanne Collins

Published 2009

391 Pages

Rating: A-

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

I was so excited to finally read this book when I picked it up! It was sitting on my bookshelf for a good while, while I was at school reading textbooks (ew) instead. There's no question that I adored this book and the suspense...

The first hundred or so pages of the book were average, as they were in The Hunger Games. But if Catching Fire was anything like The Hunger Games, I knew that the next 300 pages or so would definitely make up for any sort of average-ness (that definitely can't be a word). Once the book finally picked up, I was in it for the next few days... eating, sleeping, and dreaming Catching Fire with all of the free time I could find.

I wish I could discuss so many things in this post but I know how much it sucks to be spoiled, so I won't (and never will) do that to you guys. So instead, I'll just say that everything new (characters, surprises) in this sequel deserves all the recognition that Catching Fire got and more!

You might be wondering why I gave this book a little minus sign at the end of the A... As much as I loved this book, I almost felt like I was getting a headache from so many things happening at once. Once something crazy and shocking happened, 5 seconds later something else happened. I didn't really have time to soak in what just happened let alone everything else being thrown at me... that's just me though.

-Briana

Wishlist Wednesday (25)

Briana:

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

EVERYTHING. CHANGES. NOW.

Imagine you wake up and the world around you-life as you know it-has changed in an instant. That's what has happened to Whit Allgood and his sister, Whisty. They went to sleep as normal teenagers, and woke up as wanted criminals. Accused of holding incredible powers they'd never dreamed possible. And now, just how different they are-special, even-if just beginning to be revealed in a strange new world.

It begins...now.

So I've never read anything by James Patterson but every book he comes out with ends up getting a load of publicity for how amazing of an author he is. Friends of mine even love him... and I still haven't gotten to one of his books yet. Maybe I'll try this one eventually?

Waiting on Wednesday (18)

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.

Briana:

Boys, Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

Release Date: January 12th, 2010

Looking for a new beginning after a terrible mean girl past, Charlie Healey realizes there's no escaping high school drama.

Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life. Middle school was brutal. But high school is Charlie's big chance to start over and stay out of drama, except that on her first day she runs into Will, her ex-best friend, who had moved away. Now a varsity athlete and hotter than Charlie remembered, Will hangs with the crowd running the school. But Charlie doesn't understand their power until an innocent delivery guy falls victim to a near-deadly hazing prank.

Torn between doing what's right and her secret feelings for Will, Charlie must decide whether to turn in her very best friend or live with the guilt of knowing what he did.

This sounds like a pretty entertaining book. Everyone always says that they hate drama, but I don't! As long as I'm not involved in it... :)

Teaser Tuesday (15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B 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 TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!




The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

"'Okay,' Wes said, his voice so low I would have leaned closer to hear him if we weren't already about as close as we could get. 'It's all in the timing.'"

Briana: I'd give you guys a page number but being the genius that I am, I closed the 400 page book right after I took the quote from it.

A while back I had a little poll up to say which book I read next and then review copies came so I did those... and then Catching Fire came so I had to read that. But here I am, finally reading this book which I'm sure I'll adore. It'll be nice to read something more light after finishing Hush, Hush and Catching Fire.

By the way, I have a few questions about Catching Fire before I review it if any of you wouldn't mind talking to me about it :) Just leave something in the comments about your email or MSN name! Thanks tons<3

In My Mailbox (29)

In My Mailbox was created by The Story Siren. Click here to learn more about it.

Briana: Sorry about the bad quality of the picture. I had to take it from my blackberry instead of my digital camera since I ran out of batteries for it. :( I adjusted it to make it look a little better lol.

Bought:

Fashionista (Bradford Series) by Micol Ostow- Goldengirl by Micol Ostow was amazing, so when I saw the next book in the series under the new releases section, I had to pick it up. I can't wait to read this girly chick lit :)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan- I've heard so many amazing things about this book and finally decided to buy it when I found I had a leftover gift card from Christmas.

Everything Sucks by Hannah Friedman- Supposedly this book doesn't hold back and says everything that everyone else is too afraid to talk about. That's the kind of stuff I love, hehe.

The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods Series #4) by Melissa De La Cruz- Eep! Can't wait to read this one :D

What did you guys get this week? Leave your link in the comments so I can check out your IMM!

A-Z Challenge

Sorry for the extreme amount of challenge posts! I'll be keeping track of my alphabet with this post :)



#

A

B - Bleed

C - Catching Fire

D

E

F - Flawless

G - Girl Parts

H

I

J

K

L

M - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

N

O

P - Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Q

R

S - Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens, The

T - Truth About Forever, The

U - Uglies

V

W

X

Y

Z

100+ Reading Challenge

I'll be updating in this post for the books finished! :) I feel like a cheater for doing this, but I think I'm only going to aim for 50+. I barely have time to read in school and honestly, I'll be surprised if I get that much read. Anywho, click on the button above to find out more about the challenge.

-Briana

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

3.Bleed by Laurie Faria Stolarz

4.Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

5.Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

6. Burned by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

7. Flawless by Sara Shepard

8. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

9. Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

10. The Secret Diary of Ashley Juergens by Ashley Juergens

11. Salvaged by Stefne Miller

12. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

10 in '10 Chick Lit Challenge

1) Grab the official 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge logo above and put it on your site with a link back to this page to let people know you’re playing.

2) Choose 10 teen chick lit books to read in 2010. Or select the ones you know you want to read and leave the rest of your list open to see what comes your way in 2010. (We’ll be talking about the great teen chick lit books we’ve read each month, so you may find some new ones that catch your eye!)

3) Click on the Mr. Linky button below to share your list if you’ve posted it on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, simply comment below with your choice of books and let us know you’re in like Flynn.

4) Each month, Jessica and Kay will alternate hosting the official check-in post where you can share the books you’ve read for the challenge. And be sure to let us know what you thought of them!

This is the post where I'll be updating for this challenge :)

1. Private (Private Series #1) by Kate Brian

2. Forever by Judy Blume

3. Pure by Terra Elan McVoy

4. Beautiful Disaster (Privilege Series #2) by Kate Brian

5. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

6. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

7. The Luxe (Luxe Series #1)

8. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

9. Pretty Little Liars (Pretty Little Liars Series #1) by Sara Shepard

10. Fashionista (Bradford Series) by Micol Ostow

Bold- Finished

I'm not positive if all of these books qualify as "chick-lit"... I'm doing the naughty and judging books by their covers. Sorry! Hehe.

-Briana

2010 Challenges

Briana: First of all, I'd like to wish you all a happy new year! I plan to make each day of this year as amazing as the rest. I'm going to participate in a few challenges and if Marisa and Arielle decide to, they'll post theirs :)









& I don't think there's a button for the A-Z challenge so I'll just tell you. I'll be making individual posts for the challeneges for myself and Marisa and Arielle can do the same.