In My Mailbox (5)

So I haven't done an "in my mailbox" for a few weeks now because I've been slacking. Yes, I know, shame on me. IMM was started by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie :)

Anyway, about 3 or so weeks ago I was at the mall with one of my close friends and we stumbled upon a Borders so I just HAD to go in. I quickly sought out the YA section and once there proceeded to drool. Well almost drool. I feel like I'm in a candy store when I'm surrounded by YA books! We spent a little over an hour there and by that time I had a whole armful of books. Since I had already spent a lot of money that day my friend helped me go through them and I ended up weeding out like three. Which saved me about 30 bucks so that's a good thing. But I still ended up getting a whopping 8 books. Crazy, no? Haha I thought so.

So these are the titles I ended up getting:
- Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
- Crash Into Me by Albert Borris
- Doing It by Henry Holt
- Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
- Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
- Skinny by Ibi Kaslik
- The Boy Book by E. Lockhart
- Zombie Blondes by Brian James

Woo! That's a lot of books. I spent around 80 something dollars. Thankfully I had a 10 dollar giftcard so that helped a teeny tiny bit.

All of these books sounded so good. I just couldn't resist them! Some I've wanted for a while like Zombie Blondes, Skinny, and Crash Into Me. Others were just too nummy sounding to pass up. I've already read The Boy Book and loved it! I had never heard of Doing It before but when I read the back of the book it said that the tv show Life As We Know It was based on this book and I looooved that show when it was on for the very short time that it was so I figured the book would be even better! So there you have it. My IMM from like 3 weeks ago. Hehe :)

Double Life

Review of: Double Life by Dawson Vosburg
Release Date: December 2008
Pages: 173
Publisher: D Productions Publishing
Grade: B

What would happen if you could actually live in your own imagination? Well Josiah finds this out one day when he finds a random pair of sunglasses at a store that just happen to be free. When he gets home he puts them on and as soon as he does he's swept up in to an imaginary world that he believes he has created. Once there he meets two of his imaginary friends that he's had for many many years. At first this doesn't seem real to Josiah but soon he realizes that this is as real as it gets.

When he takes the sunglasses off he's back home and time hasn't even moved the whole time he was gone. A week or so later he decides to go back and this time when he does he sees a girl there that looks familiar. She looks familiar because in the real world she goes to school with him! Soon Josiah and this girl become great friends in this different world and manage to stay friends in the real world as well. Things start to get a bit scary when a sort of war starts between the two different groups in Josiah's imaginary world. The one thing he doesn't quite know for sure is...if you die in your imaginary world do you die in the real world as well?

This book was pretty good. It wasn't something that I was really excited about reading because it wasn't my type of read. But it ended up being pretty good despite all of the action. This book was written by a 15-year-old boy! Which means he wrote this when was probably at least 13 or younger. It's crazy to think about. I think he's a great writer and definitely has a future ahead of him in writing. He could definitely write a sequel to this book. I think readers would like to see Josiah go back to his imaginary world and keep fighting along his imaginary friends and the other friends that he has made there. Overall if you're a big fan of action then this is the book for you. This book is filled with action and some intrigue as well.

New Blogger, check her out!

The other morning I woke up and did my morning ritual which of course involves checking my email. I was surprised to find an email from a really sweet girl named Reggie. I could be jumping to conclusions but I do believe she's a girl, lol. Anyway she very politely asked me if I could promote her blog seeing as she is a new blogger and doesn't have very many followers yet.

Her blog is called The Undercover Book Lover. Isn't that a super cute name? I think it's great. I checked it out and I love it. She has a really awesome grading system for her reviews that really breaks the book down, her layout is adorable, and she's just over all really awesome! I think she has an excellent future in book blogging so I think all of you should check her out! :)

(I've seen a few other bloggers post about Reggie's blog already so sorry if this post seems repetitive. I wanted to be nice and promote Reggie's blog!)

Mrs. Magoo Reads

Alright, so there's this blogger out there in the blogger universe who has excellent book reviews and even more excellent contests! This blogger's title is Mrs. Magoo Reads.

I have to say that I'm a fan of hers. I love her honest reviews and whenever I see a new one up I read it when I have the chance. And what's really awesome about her blog is the fact that she always has more than one contest going on! How awesome is that? Right now she has a few going on and the biggest is that she's giving away 9 books to one person! Just one person, crazy right? You can find the post to the contest here. In the post it mentions which books that she's giving away. And let me tell you, there are some great books on that list.

If I were you I'd head over there ASAP because the contest ends on August 8th I believe. So that would be next Saturday. And if you're smart you'd become a follower so you can keep up on her awesome reviews and the new contests that she posts. Go check her out!

Contest: Geektastic!

Okay you guys, as promised I have a new contest for you! I have 3 copies of Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci courtesy of Little, Brown to give away! Aren't you excited?! I totally know I am.

I'll let this contest run for lets say 2 weeks. I think that's a fair amount of time to get all your entries in. So that would mean the end of this contest will be on August 14th. Midnight, PST.

Now on to the entries: 1 entry: comment on this post with your name and email :)
2 entries: If you were a follower before this contest. (Please specify)
1 entry: If you become a follower now.
1 entry: For everywhere you post about this contest. Like on your blog, on an update on twitter, etc. You get one entry for each time you post. Up to 3 places only.

So get to entering! You have 2 weeks...ready..set..go! :D

Winners!!!

I didn't think my contest was ever going to end but it finally did! I used a handy dandy random number generator to pick the winners. So here we go...

Grand Prize of the Book and the Harry Potter pin go to..Kathy!

The four remaining books go to..Ninja Fanpire, Liz, elusivestorm, and CrystalGB!

I will be contacting you via email in a little while. Please be sure to send me your snail mail addy within 48 hours or else I'll have to pick a new winner.

Stay tuned because later on I'll be posting a new contest for 3 copies of Geektastic! Yay!

Woah, buddy

I don't check my blog for a couple days and then when I do I see I'm up to 40 followers! Woo, go me! Someone must have posted about my contest or saw one of my comments on Lee Verday's blog. Crazy times. Anyway, I'm happy about this news.

Now for some more news for all of you. I am currently in Oregon. Gearheart, Oregon to be exact. I can see the beach through the balcony window in the hotel as I type this. It's so pretty. I love the ocean. My girls love it too! I'd post a picture but they're all on my cell and I have yet to send them to my email so I can put them on the computer. Plus I'm on my sister's laptop right now anyway so that wouldn't work too well. Oh and some other exciting news. My girls LOVE the pool! They took to it like little fish I swear! They absolutely love the water. I need to get them in a swimming class ASAP!

I've been getting some reading done while I'm here too. I finished The Boyfriend List and have moved on to The Boy Book, soon to be followed by my ARC of The Treasure Map of Boys if I end up getting that far. I love Ruby Oliver, she's the best! I can't believe I haven't started reading this series earlier. I also brought along Zombie Blondes. So if I finish with TTMOB and get really crazy on the 3 hour car ride on the way home I might start reading that too! When I get home I'll have a bunch of reviews to write. So look out for those in another week or two. Yay! I hope all of you are having a great week. And congratulations to Stephanie Kuehnert on her release of Ballads of Suburbia! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy :)

Win an ARC of THE HOLLOW!!!

Okay so if you want to a chance to get your hands on a copy of The Hollow by Jessica Verday then I suggest going on over to her husband's blog here and entering the contest he has going on right now for an ARC of The Hollow! Jessica will even sign it for the winner! *Squeee*

I have to say that I am highly excited about this. Ever since I first heard about The Hollow a couple months back I have been dieing to get my hands on a copy! I know that when it's released it'll be huge. I expect to hear lots and lots of The Hollow talk going around the blogger world :)

Now if you do go over and enter be sure to tell Lee that I (Breanna) sent you. You need to do this because then I will be entered to win one of a very few amount of The Hollow t-shirts that Lee has and for a copy of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving! I'd love to be entered at least once. So if even one of you head over there and leave a comment on the contest blog saying that I sent you I'd have one entry! What's also awesome about this contest is that you can comment as many times as you'd like. Each comment equals an entry. Neat, huh? The number of comments is already close to 3000. Insane! So go head over there and start leaving comments! Remember that the contest ends on July 26th.

In My Mailbox (4)

This was a pretty awesome week for me. I got in the mail...The Treasure Map of Boys, Spring Breakup, A Non-Blonde Cheerleader In Love, and I got The Boyfriend List from the library. I won A Non-Blonde Cheerleader in love off of the Books, Boys, Buzz blog from Stephanie Hale. She also was generous enough to send me a copy of Spring Breakup, yay!

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart. Published March 2005
Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she: lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list), lost her best friend (Kim), lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket), did something suspicious with a boy (#10), did something advanced with a boy (#15), had an argument with a boy (#14), drank her first beer (someone handed it to her), got caught by her mom (ag!), had a panic attack (scary),lost a lacrosse game (she’s the goalie), failed a math test (she’ll make it up), hurt Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends), became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)and had graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom (who knows what was in the boys’!?!). But don’t worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

A Non-Blonde Cheerleader In Love by Kieran Scott Published May 2008
Non-blonde cheerleader Annisa Gobrowski has a major boy problem: The Sand Dune High National Championship cheerleading squad has gone coed, and not everyone is happy about it. As if dealing with her teammates freaking out over the guy cheerleaders wasn't enough stress, her boyfriend, Daniel, just signed up. At first Annisa is psyched to be spending more time with Daniel, and stunting with the guys is pretty cool. But then the battle of the sexes starts to heat up, and Annisa is caught between her squadmates and the guys. Can one non-blonde figure out a way to keep the girls from killing the guys? Or will the battle turn into an all-out cheer-war?

Spring Breakup by Stephanie Hale Published March 2009
Aspen Brooks trades in sand between her toes for shopping on The Strip when she agrees to go to Las Vegas for spring break with her boyfriend, Rand, her bff, Angel, and Angel’s bf, Lucas. Their hotel is hosting the Miss Teen Queen Pageant and surgically enhanced beauty contestants are everywhere. But when Miss Illinois goes AWOL, it’s up to Aspen to represent her home state and find out what’s really going on. Even if it means putting down the suntan lotion and ignoring Angel’s meltdown over breaking up with Lucas.

The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart Publishing date July 28th, 2009
Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it's her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what's more: Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby's already sucky reputation is heading downhill. Not only that, she's also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavy metal therapy, ecountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances. In this companion novel to The Boyfriend List and The Boy Book, Ruby struggles to secure some sort of mental health, to understand what constitutes a real friendship, and-if such a thing exists-to find true love.

Suite Scarlett

Review: Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Released: May 2008
Pages: 353
Publisher: Point
Grade: A

Scarlett lives in the Hopewell Hotel with her family that consists of two sisters and a brother and of course her parents. Lola and Spencer are a few years older than Scarlett and Marlene is a few years younger than Scarlett. Now people might be led to believe that living in a hotel would be glamorous. Well in this case it isn't really so. Scarlett's family runs the hotel so they all have a responsibility. When the children reach a certain age they become in charge of a suite. Of course on Scarlett's birthday she is given a suite and on the same day a lady checks in to that room. Enter Mrs. Amberson. She's a slightly odd lady who has many stories to tell about back in the day when she tried to be an actress on broadway.

While Scarlett is running around the city doing errands for Mrs. Amberson her brother, Spencer, is trying desperately to find an acting job and quick. He somehow finds one but it's not really a paying job (and that's what he needs). It's a role in the classic Hamlet. His new stage partner is named Eric. Eric has just moved to the big city and immediately takes a liking to Scarlett when they first meet.

When something happens to the rehearsal space that the Hamlet cast needs to rehearse in, and Scarlett suggests that they use the basement of the Hopewell for rehearsal things start to get a little crazy. Especially when Mrs. Amberson ends up covering for them at one point and then appoints herself to be some sort of assistant director. Meanwhile the Hopewell runs out of guests and everything just seems to be falling apart around Scarlett. Will things start to look up and will the play actually end up happening?

This was an incredibly cute read. I love Maureen's writing. I've only read a couple other books by her but I've loved each one. She just has such a creative writing style. Scarlett and Spencer were the perfect brother and sister team in this book. They were so in tune to each other. Even Lola was great and the little spoiled brat Marlene was enjoyable too. I felt so bad for Scarlett in the beginning of the book when she just wanted to find a regular paying job instead of spending the Summer couped up at the Hopewell. Once she met Eric and Mrs. Amberson though I knew she'd end up having an eventful Summer. This book was just all around great. It was a nice light and summery type of read that was full of humor. I have to say I'm really excited for the sequel now!

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi over at The Story Siren. She's an awesome book blogger!

This week I only received one book and it was L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad. I'm super excited to read this one! I will be reviewing it for teensreadtoo. I'm not even a big fan of The Hills or any of those reality type shows that Lauren is/was on. But I'm excited to see if she can write a good book!

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad. (synopsis taken from book jacket)
Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun. When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please! Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara—free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres—and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight. In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

Doesn't this book sound great? I think it'll be a perfect summery type read. :)

Contest! My first :)

Alright guys this is my first contest. FINALLY! As you can probably tell from the picture that the contest is for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in paperback. It's the final book in the series and I have to say that when I read it I definitely enjoyed it. Though I can't remember much of what happened anymore. I think I might need to re-read it.

What's even cooler about this contest is that it's not just for one copy. It's for 5! And the grand prize winner will also win a cool Harry Potter pin (pictured above.)

What better way to celebrate the release of the 6th HP movie coming out this month and the release of Deathly Hallows in paperback? I think this is an awesome way to celebrate!

Here are the details: This contest is only open to those in the US (sorry for those of you that are international!) and for those of you that do not have PO boxes. The prizes can't be sent to PO boxes.

-The contest will end on July 27th, midnight pacific time.

For entries: -For 1 entry you can comment on this post with your name and email address. Please don't forget your email!

-If you're already a follower then you get 2 entries. Be sure to let me know in your post if you were already a follower before the contest.

-1 entry if you become a follower. I'd love it if you started following me!

-1 entry for posting about the contest. You can post about it on your blog, on your sidebar, on twitter, wherever you can think about. You can get up to 3 entries this way. Be sure to leave me a link to where you posted about the contest.

So that's a total of either 5 or 6 entries!

So what are you waiting for?! Get to entering!

In My Mailbox (2)

Okay, so two of these books I actually got in the mail. The other book I ended up buying. It was more like a see-it-sitting-on-a-Costco-shelf-and-snap-it-up-for-11-bucks-book. I'm sure you can tell by the little sticker that is on the Along For The Ride cover. I just couldn't resist. I love Sarah Dessen!

Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen (summary taken from book jacket)
Riding a bike is only one of the many things Auden's missed out on. Even before her parents' divorce, she was cast in the role of little adult, never making waves, focusing on academics to please her demanding mother.
Now she's spending the summer before college in the tiny beach town of Colby with her father and his new wife and baby. A job in a trendy boutique introduces her to the world of girls, their friendships, conversations, romances. And then there's Eli, an intriguing loner. A former star on the bike circuit and a fellow insomnia, Eli introduces Auden to the nocturnal world of Colby. Together they embark on a quest: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she's been denied; for Eli, to put a tragic episode behind him. Combine two lonely people with a charming beach town and an endless supply of long summer nights, and just about anything can happen.

Double Life by Dawson Vosburg (summary taken from back of book)
Josiah is the name. What if you could leap into your own overactive imagination? And what if you met your imaginary friends there? What if it was real? This all happens to an intelligent, imaginative boy named Josiah Jones, who find a portal into his own world. Now, stuck inside, he has to fight the battle of his life inside his own head. This masterpiece of storytelling is hilariously funny and keeps you engaged into this boy's strange double life between the imagined and the real.

The Emerald Tablet but P.J. Hoover (summary taken from book jacket)
Benjamin and his best friend Andy love being different from the other kids. They like being able to read each other's minds and use their telekinesis to play tricks. In fact, they are getting set to spend their entire summer doing just that when Benjamin's mirror starts talking. Suddenly, he's looking at eight weeks of summer school someplace which can only be reached by a teleporter hidden in his hallway. And the summer only gets stranger.
At schoool, Benjamin discovers he isn't really human but something called a telegen. It turns out the powers he always thought made him special only make him normal. But then the mysterious Emerald Tablet chooses him as its champion, and all chances of an uneventful summer (well, as uneventful as summer school on a hidden, submerged continent can be) disappear.

^^^I won this one from the lovely Book Chic during his second blog-o-versary. Thanks Book Chic! I can't wait to read it! :)

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty

Review: Confessions of A Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman
Released: April 17th, 2008
Pages: 255
Publisher: Dial Books
Grade: A

Amber loves John.
John wants Hero.
Hero loves Claudio.
Geena and Ben are archenemies.
But not for long.

Geena is so excited for this Summer. Her cousin Hero is coming home from boarding school for the Summer and Geena got her a job working at the coffee stand that she works at. She is so excited for Hero to meet her close friend, Amber. Geena believes that all of three of them will become best friends and have the best Summer ever. But her attitude quickly changes when Amber thinks that Hero is a stuck up prissy girl, and has no intentions of becoming friends with her.

Geena is your typical skater girl who hates dresses and everyone believes she strongly dislikes boys, especially Ben Bettaglia. Geena and Ben are always at each other's throats. Both are determined to be valedictorian of their class. Every chance they get they're always picking on each other and pissing each other off. But Geena's friends keep trying to tell her that Ben likes her though she doesn't want to believe it.

Summer basically goes down the drain when Geena, Hero, and Amber go to a party and Hero ends up getting wasted. After she pisses off John (the local ass), he plans payback in the worst way. Geena hates seeing her cousin being taken down and vows to take John down once and for all. He has hurt way too many girls' reputations, including Amber's, and he just has to be stopped! Will the Betty's be able to pull of a major scheme, and still end up having a fabulous Summer?

This book was absolutely delish. It's a delightful Summer read full of coffee, drama, and boys. The main characters were easy to identify with and the book just flowed along at a nice easy pace. I didn't find myself to be bored even once during this book. Jody has a gift for writing for young adults. Each girl (and even the guys) had their own individual voice. The book is told from the lovely Geena's point of view. It's basically her writing in her diary. I love books like that so as soon as I started reading this one I knew it would be a winner. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a cute Summer read. I definitely enjoyed it and I'm sure you will too. :)

Twenty Boy Summer

Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Released: June 2009
Pages: 290
Publisher: Little, Brown and company
Grade: A-

Anna, Frankie, and Matt have been closer than close since they were little babies running around in diapers. The three have been inseperable. Frankie and Matt are brother and sister and Anna is their next door neighbor. For years Anna has had harbored a love for Matt that she has kept very secret. But on her fifteenth birthday alone with Matt he kisses her. After that kiss the two are swept up in a whirlwind of love. Matt doesn't want to tell Frankie until their Summer trip together to California that their family always takes. Anna agrees to keep their relationship a secret.

Before Matt has the chance to tell Frankie though he dies suddenly, and Anna swore to secrecy so she isn't about to tell Anna about her and Matt now. She decides she'll keep the secret forever because she promised Matt she would.

Just a little bit over a year later Anna goes with Frankie and her parents to California. Anna's parents thought it'd be good for them to take a trip as a family again even if Matt wouldn't be there. Frankie being the crazy girl that she turned in to not long after Matt's death decides this will be the Summer that Anna loses her virginity. To make it fun she makes a game she calls "twenty boy summer" the goal being to talk to at least 20 boys during their 3 week vacation. Anna isn't too pysched about the idea but wanting to keep Anna happy she goes along with it. But she has no idea what she's gotten herself in to.

WOW. That was my first reaction. I had heard people raving about this book for a month before I actually got a copy. From the first page I was hooked. I knew from reading other reviews that this was a sad book but I didn't realize how sad! I found myself tearing up every so often over the smallest things. Sarah Ockler truly has a gift for writing. The words just flow together so nicely. One minute you could be sad and the next you're laughing. To me that makes an amazing book. When I can feel two completely different emotions so close to each other I know that I'm reading an amazing story. There were a couple of things that got to me that made me a little frustrated but I still enjoyed the book very very much. I also liked how it ended. I'd definitely recommend picking up this book if you don't mind crying every so often. It's really a heartwrenching story but it has it's funny moments and I just think it's well worth the read. I hope Sarah writes something else for us very soon!

Teaser Tuesdays (1)

My first Teaser Tuesday, Yay!

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to...

1. Grab your current read.

2. Let the book fall open to a random page.

3. Share with us two "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

4. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from. That way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!

5. Please avoid spoilers!

6. Join the list over at Should Be Reading.

Today my "teaser" is from...Twenty Boy Summer by Sarach Ockler! :)

"What's the big deal?" I ask, thinking that if this is as good as it gets, I'll be lugging around the old albatross for quite a while. "The big deal, Anna, is that they're totally staring at us. And we aren't even done up or anything."

I'm loving this book so far. Definitely check it out if you have the chance!

Identical

Review: Identical by Ellen Hopkins
Released: August 2008
Pages: 565
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Grade: A+

Summary taken from jacket flap.

Do twins begin in the womb? Or in a better place?
Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family-on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin.

For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites-and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.

Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept-from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is-who?

Ellen Hopkins has done it once again. Now I have to admit that so far the only book of hers that I've read is CRANK. But I loved it so I figured I'd love this one too. From the very first page I was hooked. Ellen writes amazingly well in verse. The pages just flow together. It's easy to feel what each girl is feeling when they're talking. I just believe it was very well written. When I can actually feel like I'm inside a character's head that's when I know I'm reading a great book. If you've read anything else by Ellen (and of course even if you haven't) I highly recommend picking up a copy of this. Due to some of the disturbing things in this book I wouldn't recommend it to anyone under the age of 16.

In My Mailbox (1)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. Find out all the information here. This is my first actual In My Mailbox post so bear with me! Here we go...

Cathy's book by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman (synopsis from Amazon)

Things weren't so peachy in Cathy's life before Victor broke up with her. Her father died unexpectantly, she's failing school, and her best friend is mad at her. But when Cathy decides to investigate Victor's reasons for ending their relationship, things suddenly go from bad to very, very, very bad as her findings produce more questions than answers. For instance, what does the death of Victor's co-worker, the strange mark that appeared on Cathy's arm, and the surreal behavior of several Chinese elders have to do with it?

Cathy's Key by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman (synopsis from Powell's Books)

In the sequel to Cathy's Book, Cathy is trying to keep a job, her journal is stolen, the cute boy is not who he seems to be, and even Emma's side project/start-up company is about to get caught up in the mystery surrounding Cathy's presumed-dead father.

Cathy's Ring by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman (synopsis from Amazon)

Cathy cannot manage to find more than a few days to relax in her hectic (and mortal) life-she barely has time to put the mystery surrounding her father to rest before she finds herself targeted by a group of Ancestor Lu's professional killers! Recognizing she is a serious threat to everyone in her life, Cathy makes plans to leave town. But her friends, Emma, Pete, Victor, and, surprisingly, Jun, unite to convince Cathy that they must finish Lu once and for all to have any chance at peace-mortal or immortal. In order to defeat Lu, the friends must come together in a way they never have before. (There's more to it but this is enough, haha).

Access Denied (and other eighth grade error messages) by Denise Vega (synopsis from back cover)

Computer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eighth grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first breakup, and the fact ther her mom has been treating her more like an eight-year-old than an eighth grader. Even worse, there's a new girl at Molly Brown Middle School who is determined to remake Erin in her bad-girl image, and former crush Mark "Cute Boy" Sacks has been acting strange lately.

But as Erin's school year once against hurtles toward disaster, a personal tragedy forces her to realise that things, and people, aren't always as bad as they seem. Can she save what's left of eighth grade before it's too late?

ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley (synopsis from back cover)

Charlotte Usher, a.k.a ghostgirl, discovers that the afterlife isn't quite what she expected when she's forced to intern at a hotline for troubled teens. But duty calls when Hawthorne High's leading love-to-hate cheerleader and her gothic little sis suddenly find themselves in dire need. Charlotte's opportunity to help them may prove to be the risk of a lifetime-for all of them.

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler (synopsis from inside book jacket)

According to Anna's best friend, Frankie, twenty days in Zanzibar Bay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy every day, there's a pretty good chance Anny will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie-she's already had her romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

I pretty much never get this many books in one week, ever. So this will probably be my only long In My Mailbox post for a while. But I can't wait to read all of these! :)

Edit to add: About two weeks ago I was mailed a copy of ghostgirl: Homecoming so I now have two copies. Expect a contest for that extra copy pretty soon!

Cathy's Book

Review: Cathy's Book: if found call (650) 266-8233 by Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman
Released: October 2006
Pages: 143
Publisher: Running Press
Grade: A-

After Cathy's boyfriend Victor abruptly breaks up with her she's determined to find out why. It just happened out of nowhere. One day they were together and the next they weren't. It was like he suddenly disappeared and just wanted to be out of her life. Little did she know that there was a reason for Victor to not want to be in Cathy's life.

After she breaks in to what she thought was his uncle's million dollar home she finds out a few things about Victor. When she's almost caught in the house she steals almost everything that she touched and flees. Back home she starts going through his planner and old pictures and notes that she found. Things aren't quite adding up. She tries to get her best friend Emma involved. At first Emma doesn't want anything to do with finding Victor. But after something she changes her mind and wants to get more involved than even Cathy does.

Soon Cathy finds herself in a dangerous situation after having run in to Victor a few times. He told her to stay away from him but of course Cathy wouldn't listen. Now Cathy's life could be in danger all because she wanted to find out the truth from Victor. What will end up happening? Will the truth be as shocking as she ever imagined it to be?

First off, I finished this book in two days. It was one of those books that I just couldn't put down. From the first page I was sucked right in. Cathy's sassyness and attitude towards everything is awesome and makes the book so great. There were times I was a bit confused but after re-reading a few certain things I was right back on track. Basically the voice of Cathy makes this book. I couldn't wait to find out what happened at the end. It ended sort of abruptly but left a nice opening in to the next book, Cathy's Key. I'd suggest this book to anyone who's put off by reading. This book makes you want to read. It's written in a journal sort of format with a bunch of doodles all over the place. It feels like you're reading a diary. Overall it was just a great book that I highly recommend. It's a great mystery.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Best Friends and Drama Queens

Review: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Best Friends and Drama Queens
Author: Meg Cabot
Released: March 2009
Pages: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Ages: 8-12
Grade: A

Allie thought her life was going pretty good during holiday vacation. Her family got a new game system and she was anxious to share it with her friends when they came home from vacation. Right before school starts up one of her friends tells her that their teacher said they are going to have a new student when they come back. At first Allie isn't too excited about this. But once she finds out that the new student is a girl and from Canada the excitement sets in.

Though on her first day back Allie is asked to sit in the back of the classroom with all the annoying gross boys so the new girl, Cheyenne, can sit up front with the girls and feel welcome in her new class. Not long after Cheyenne starts going to Allie's school Allie and her friends realize that she isn't that great. Mostly she's just bossy and rude. She thinks that all the girls in the fourth grade should be "going" with boys because that is the mature thing to do. Pretty soon she ends up getting most all of the girls to even go with all the boys, but not Allie. Allie is determined to stand her ground and to not be bullied by this bully.

This was a really cute third book in the Allie Finkle series. Meg Cabot has the perfect voice of a girl in the fourth grade. I can just picture little Allie and her friends. I thought some parts of this book were a little out there. Like the new girl Cheyenne forcing all the girls to "go" with the boys. It just seemed a little off the wall. But even so it was a cute read. I'm sure young girls (and even boys) around the world will enjoy this book, and the rest of the Allie Finkle series. I love all the little rules she makes up. My favorite in this book was: "Boys can seriously be so stupid sometimes. Also deeply thoughtless." So true!

*Reviewed for TeensReadToo
Check out my reviews for the first two Allie Finkle books...Moving Day and The New Girl

Yay, Lookie!

I finally have an adorable layout! And it's all thanks to Kelsey of Just Blinded Book Reviews and her new site Just Blinded Blog Makeovers. So if you need any help making your blog look amazing talk to her! She came up with the idea for my blog out of pretty much nowhere and I loved it! She's so awesome. I'm so happy to have a regular and nice looking blog now. Yay! So for the record, Kelsey rocks and now my blog does too! Yay! :)

Obsession (ARC)

Review: Obsession by Donny Stephens
Release Date: July 10th, 2009 (I believe)
Pages: 206
Publisher: Idea Publishing Company
Grade: B-

Amy Brantley is a normal 16-year-old girl. When her parents divorce her mother, Claire, and Amy move to a small town that is located a couple hours away from their old home. This town is called Andersonville. Amy's father, John, is a private detective and never had any time for his family because of his work which was the main cause of the divorce. Amy has always taken great interest in her father's work and wants to be a private detective too someday. When Amy and Claire first get to Andersonville Amy meets a nice old man who owns a little gift shop. She talks to him a few times and he tells her that Andersonville isn't a very nice place. He tells her stories about how the town was built and about an evil man who he thinks took over the starting of the town.

On Amy's first day of school she meets a boy named Joshua Freedman. Right away he takes a liking to Amy and asks her out. Amy of course accepts because Joshua seems like a nice enough guy and he's also attractive.

Claire gets a job as a bank teller at the local bank. Her boss is Bobby Freedman, Joshua's father. Not long after being hired Claire realizes that Bobby has taken a liking to her. Of course Bobby's wife realizes this too and all of this drama is starting to confusing Claire.

After only a couple dates with Joshua Amy realizes that he may be becoming obsessed with her. He starts to be really controlling and more demanding. Whenever another guy even tries to talk to Amy Joshua will either beat him up or get someone else to do it.

After a bad date with Joshua one night Amy comes home to find her mother watching the news. When she asks her mother what is going on Claire tells her that the old man from the gift shop is dead. She says that everyone thinks it was a suicide but Amy knows better than that. She's determined to put her detective skills to work and dig up the dirt on this town. If she doesn't who knows what could happen to her or her mother...

This was a pretty intense read. The first few chapters are a little slow but it soon picks up after that. The ending is especially action packed. It literally had me on the edge of my seat. The only thing that I wasn't too crazy about with this book was some of the writing at times. Some of the times when the characters were talking it just didn't seem like words they would really say. Other than that this was a great book. It's great for anyone who likes mystery and action. I loved how determined Amy was to find out what was going on in the town, and I really liked how Claire handled everything with her boss and his wife. Overall I think this was a pretty good book. Also, due to some mature topics especially towards the middle and the end of the book I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under the age of 16.

Reviewed for teensreadtoo :)

Blog-o-versary and Blog Award!

Today I have officially been blogging for a year! I feel kind of lame seeing as I only have like 40 something reviews up but oh well. At least I'm still here. I plan to have a lot of reviews up this Summer so be sure to check back! I may have a contest or two as well so keep your eyes peeled :)

Today I was also nominated for my first blog award, yay!!!! Jo from Ink and Paper nominated me for The Lemonade award. Thanks Jo!

Rules are...Link back to the person he/she received the award from.
Nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award.
Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog.

And here's who I'm nominating...that one girl emily
In Bed With Books
Wondrous Reads
The Book Obsession
GreenBeanTeenQueen
Readingjunky's Reading Roost
Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf
And Another Book Read...
Reading Keeps You Sane
Mrs. Magoo Reads

Yay for the blog award. Thanks Jo! Keep an eye out for my review of Obsession that will hopefully be coming within the next couple of days. :D

Bad Girl's Don't Die

Review: Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender
Released: April 2009

Pages: 346

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Grade: A+

Alexis thought she was leading the typical life of an angsty teenager (pink hair and all). Her friends are a group of people that she refers to as "the doomsquad" and she has a younger sister who of course tends to annoy her at times. All the popular kids at school hate her for things she's done in the past. Her life was pretty normal. But then one day her sister, Kasey, starts acting strange. She'll have spells where she doesn't even seem like herself. She'll use words that she'd never usually use, and has weird attitudes towards things. Her eyes will even go from her usual blue to a strange emerald green.

Pretty soon things around the house start to get scary. The brakes in her mom's car get messed with and her dad gets into an accident because of it. Soon Alexis starts to believe that Kasey had something to do with it. She really believes it when Kasey actually tells her that she did do it. But soon after she doesn't remember a thing about even telling Alexis. When Alexis and Kasey have a run in with a cheerleader named Megan at Alexis' school Megan informs her that there is evil in Kasey, and from there they try to solve the mystery...

Holy crap this book almost scared the pants off of me! It's been a long time since I've read a creepy book like this. It's one of those page turners that keeps you guessing until the very end. I didn't find it predictable in the least bit. Every few minutes I could feel a shiver go down my spine. Seriously, it was that creepy to me. Keep in mind that books don't tend to scare me that easily. Other than the obvious creepiness this book has all the elements of a great book. The characters are awesome and full of life, the story line never lagged for a moment, and there was a hot guy! I just thought everything about this book was good. The ending didn't even disappoint me. I thought it was a good wrap up to everything. All in all I'd highly suggest this if you're looking for a type of mysterious and/or spooky read. My advice though: Don't read it at night, alone in the dark. :)

Worst blogger ever..

Okay so I haven't reviewed a book in like over 2 months now. I'm such a loser! But right now I'm in the middle of Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender. Let me just say if you're looking for something to scare you then this book is definitely for you. I've gotten chills many times in the first like 200 pages.

Anyway, so on the 11th (in 2 days) I'll have had my blog for a year already. Crazy! And since my last final is tomorrow I'm planning on catching up on my reading as soon as possible. I want to be a good blogger again! Speaking of being a good blogger has anyone noticed how my blog sucks? Yeah, it needs a major makeover but I suck with html and everything. So if there's anyone out there that is willing to do a makeover on my blog I'd totally appreciate it! I want it to look nice like all the other reviewer blogs out there. I'd owe you for life so please consider it!!!!

So there's my lame update for now. Expect a new review soon though. :)

Oh and one more thing I'm changing my rating system. Instead of the boring 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 stars I'm switching to grades of A, B, C, D, or E. Of course I'll add in a - or a + if need be. I think grades would make more sense so expect those from now on.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Released: March 2008
Rating: 5 stars

Frankie Landau-Banks is a 16-year-old girl who attends a boarding school called Alabaster Preparatory Academy. To her family she's known as "Bunny Rabbit". Her mother thinks she can't do anything by herself. Everyone considers her to be a young girl who basically can't do much of anything by herself. Frankly Frankie is sick of this.

This year at APA Frankie is returning as a sophomore. She has her eye on a senior, Matthew Livingston. She also wants to find out more about the secret all male club at APA called The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. This little so called club has been around for many years. Frankie's father was a member and is very proud of that fact. Frankie would love to be a part of the loyal order but of course because she's a girl this isn't possible. She knows Matthew is involved and once they start dating she starts following him around to try to get details. Soon Frankie finds herself in love with Matthew. She wants to be accepted by him and the only way she thinks that can happen is to be a part of the loyal order.

After she finds out which guys are in it and how lame the whole thing is she decides to take things in to her own hands. Frankie takes on a whole new identity (well, not completely new) and comes up with some crazy awesome ideas for pranks. Pranks that are intended to make people think. But soon Frankie may find herself in over her head. Will she ever get the attention that she wants from matthew or will it all blow up in her face?

This book was pretty amazing. It's told in third person narrator which was a switch from the first person narrator that I'm used to, but it made the book that much better. I forgot how awesome third person can be. Frankie's character was great. I'm sure there are girls out there that could relate to her. Every girl wants to be loved and accepted by her boyfriend and Frankie just knew that the only way to really be in with Matthew was to be in the Loyal Order. So she just had to do something. And of course she was sick of the old Bunny Rabbit name that had been following her around since she was little. This would be the perfect book for most any teenage girl I think. E. Lockhart's writing is truly just amazing (for lack of a better word). This was the first thing I've ever read by her and I can definitely say that the rest of her books are going on my "to read" list asap. :)

Mackenzie, Lost and Found

Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel
Released November 2008
Rating: 4 stars

15-year-old Mackenzie Hill is still recovering from the loss of her mother when her father announces that they're moving to Israel because he was offered a position at a university there. Being torn away from the only home she has ever known in Toronto, Canada is not Mackenzie's idea of a good time. Her father promises that if after three months she still doesn't like it there she can move back to Canada, and she plans to do just that.

But soon Mackenzie meets an American girl named Marla who has lived there for a few years. She helps to show Mackenzie around and in no time at all the two become best friends. Also, Mackenzie discovers an amazingly cute boy named Nasir that works at a little shop near her apartment. Soon (even though Nasir's parents would forbid it if they knew) Mackenzie and Nasir start dating little to the knowledge of Mackenzie's father and Nasir's parents. Soon the 3 month period is up and Mackenzie doesn't mention going back home. Things are going so well and Mackenzie is actually happy with her life. But one day something happens that will quickly change everything..

First off I have to say that this book was pretty intense. There was indeed a point where I cried. The whole book moved at a pretty fast speed and near the end it was pretty action packed which was a surprise but it was a good surprise. Not one part of this book was dull to me. After the first few chapters of just Mackenzie talking it switches and most every other chapter after that is a chapter based on Nasir. So the story is told from two different point of views which I always like. Deborah is a strong writer and I definitely look forward to reading something else by her. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's interested in what's going on in the Middle East and to people who don't mind a heartwrenching a story.

The Debs: Love, Lies, and Texas Dips

The Debs: Love, Lies, and Texas Dips by Susan McBride
Release Date: June 9th, 2009.
Rating: 5 plus stars!

Well they did it. Laura, Mac, Ginger, and unfortunately Jo Lynn were four of the handpicked girls to become rosebud debutantes of The Glass Slipper Club. But the only thing harder than getting in to the GSC is staying in it...

Laura's dream is finally on it's way to becoming true! Or at least that's what she thought at first until an awfully nasty lie was spread around about her by who she can only assume was Jo Lynn or one of her followers. She just seems to keep getting herself in to more and more trouble by talking to Dillon and Avery and Jo Lynn just won't have it anymore. Will this heinous lie get Laura kicked out of the GSC for good?

Mackenzie aka Mac still isn't psyched about becoming a rosebud. Now that she actually is one she keeps referring back to her late mother's letters for inspiration and guidance. She especially needs the extra guidance now after realizing how shallow girls can really be what the whole Laura and Jo Lynn stuff going on. To top it all off the new girl in town, Cindy Chow, has her eyes on Mac's oldest pal Alex who has always been there for her. Now that he's spending time with Cindy Mac may be starting to feel a little bit jealous. But will she ever be able to confront Alex about how she thinks she may feel?

Ginger having finally put what happened with the college boy behind her is ready to move on to bigger and better things like of course being a rosebud, social activism, and fine art. But when her grandmother wants her to sit for a portrait in her gown by the son of a local artist she realizes that she already knows the guy. And what she remembers isn't good at all. Why oh why must she attract the bad guys? But wait, is he really as bad as Ginger can remember him to be?

All Jo Lynn wants to do is take down Laura once and for all. After finding Laura's number in Dillon's phone she has just had it. According to Jo Lynn the girl has to go down. There is no way that Laura is taking Dillon from her, and she sure as hell is not getting back with Avery yet again.
She just has to think of the perfect rumor that will get her kicked out of the GSC and ruin her reputation for good.

This is the second book in THE DEBS series and I have to say that it is amazing! It's even better than the first. In THE DEBS you're introduced to Laura, Mac, Ginger, and Jo Lynn but this book goes much deeper in to their relationships and of course there's scandal. Each chapter draws you more in to the story, and each chapter is told by one of the four main characters so you get a different point of view in each. It's pretty easy to sympathize with Laura, Mac and Ginger. And Jo Lynn is just a girl you love to hate. She is the perfect bad girl in this story and despite her witchiness I love her character. I'd recommend this to anyone who has read THE DEBS of course, and for anyone who likes to read about teen girls, relationships, and scandal. I bet if you pick up this book you won't be sorry.