August in Review

A little late, I know, but what are you gonna do? :)


Blog-wise, I hosted one author interview, two contests, and posted about two library programs. I only posted eight reviews and have currently dropped the Waiting on Wednesday meme. I'm still not sure how I feel about that--I haven't really replaced WOW with anything, and right now I don't have any Wednesday posts for September. I love the WOW meme, but I was finding it so increasingly difficult to keep track of what books I've already posted about and/or read, and to find new books (that everyone else hasn't already posted about), as well. Sigh...I don't know...with my 1st blogoversary coming up soon, I know I want to revamp some of what I've been doing here on the blog--I'm just not sure what, or how!


Anyway. So in August I read twelve books. Ugh. I read two more books for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, and 3 for the YA Contemps Challenge. The 2011 DAC is officially completed, but I'll still keep track of any other debuts I read this year; I have just two more books to read for the YA Contemps Challenge! Then I'll be scrambling to finish my A-Z Challenge, which was sadly neglected this month.


All told, so far this year I've read 127 books--I have to read 76 more this year if I want to beat last year's record!!!


At the library, we wrapped up our teen volunteer program for another summer. We had a record-breaking 43 teens complete 1002 hours of service! It was a fantastic summer, and now things are starting to quiet down again, which means I can dedicate more time to figuring out how to get into the high school!


How was your August?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski

The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski

EgmontUSA, May 10, 2011

Read for 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:

In the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she's decorating a cake. Unfortunately everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable.

But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems - only her dad's about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed.

Using just the right amount of romance, family drama, and cute boys, The Sweetest Thing will entice fans with its perfect mixture of girl-friendly ingredients.

So I finally got around to reading The Sweetest Thing (I have mentioned that if I know I'm going to love a book I'll often put it to the side for the longest time, kind of like a reward). I only got the book way back at BEA in May--here's a picture of me (ugh) with Christina Mandelski and Illegal author Bettina Restrepo (I'm still totally bugged out that Bettina recognized me!):

Bettina, me (ugh), and Christina

Now on to the review! I felt The Sweetest Thing was quite deceptive--you think it's going to be a light, fluffy morsel, but once you get into it you realize it's got a molten hot center and is so much more decadent than you thought it would be. In short, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Especially because I found Sheriden painfully annoying most of the time. I get it, her mom totally abandoned her, and yes, her father and Nanny should have been way more forthcoming about those circumstances, but seriously, some of Sheriden's behaviors were just downright childish. I'm not kidding, I would be pissed if my 9-year-old pulled some of the stunts that Sheriden did.

Even though I know it's so unrealistic for Sheriden to think that her mom's going to come back and the family will be perfect and happy again, I started to really feel for her during those hopeful and hopeless moments. She's just so oblivious to everything going on around her, and would be perfectly content to spend the rest of her life in her tiny little town, never traveling anywhere or seeing the world. It's just so painfully sad, and as you read you'll understand why she feels that way, but you'll also want to just grab her and scream in her face that she needs to see the world. I hope it's not too huge of a spoiler to reveal that my heart broke a little at the end of this book. It was *almost* a tear-jerker.

And can I just say that this book made me so hungry? I knew it was going to be about cakes (duh!), but I didn't realize that Sheriden's dad's career was going to figure so prominently. Christina's descriptions of food and cakes made my real-life dinners pale by comparison. Loved Christina's debut and am looking forward to more from her!

Received book at BEA.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker

July 19, 2011, Bloomsbury

Read for YA Contemps Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:

The story of Lacey Anne Byers, a small town girl who is excited to star in Hell House, her church's annual haunted house of sin, until a childhood friend reappears and makes her question her faith.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, the Goodreads summary really does nothing to explain what this book is about, nor does the book flap, so automatically the book is better than I expected it to be. On the other hand, I found a lot of things in this book absolutely detestable. BUT, the things I found detestable were characters' actions and behaviors, so perhaps because I reacted so strongly that means I really liked it? I'm not sure...it was definitely an interesting storyline. At a pivotal point in her life, Lacey begins to question everything she's believed in, and at the same time she starts to doubt the image of perfection her parents have been portraying.

What I am sure about it that I'm not a fan of small-town thinking, at least as it's portrayed in this novel. Ugh! Almost everyone was so narrow-minded, and the whole idea of Hell House is absolutely deplorable. BUT they exist! Just Google Hell House and see what you come up with. All over America there are churches whose members believe this is the way to save souls! All over America there are girls like Lacey who aspire to one day be Abortion Girl! You can even order your own Hell House how-to kit or individual scene packages! It's just so absurdly ridiculous that of course it really happens. 


My apologies to any devoutly religious followers I have or may soon be losing. I am not the most religious person in the world, but I am a firm believer in letting people make their own decisions. I am NOT a fan of being told what to do, and having that belief crammed down my throat. I won't get into all of my beliefs here, but my husband and I are raising our daughter to know that differences are good--if everyone was exactly the same, the world would be a very boring place. 


This lesson is one that Lacey starts to realize in her quest to become Abortion Girl, especially after some of the things her father says to her. (OMG I wonder if he really believes that it's easier for a woman to abstain from sex? And should a father really be buying his daughter a purity ring? Does anyone else think that's kind of weird?)


So yeah, Small Town Sinners will definitely bring up some thinking points. I'm still getting all kinds of aggravated by some of what I read (in a FICTIONAL novel LOL), which, to me, is one of the components of a great book--the ideas and thoughts stay with you long after you've finished the book. I guess what I didn't like about this book is that it brought to my attention, once again, that in many places the narrow-minded way of thinking is the only way of thinking. 


Borrowed book from library.
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Clean by Amy Reed

Clean by Amy Reed

Simon Pulse, July 19, 2011

Summary from Goodreads:

Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They’re addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. But they’ll all have to deal with themselves and one another if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there’s nowhere to go but down, down, down.

Here's another book that's been on my to-read list forever. Clean is the story of five teens attending an adolescent rehab together. Over the space of just a few weeks, these teens get to know each other and themselves in ways they never thought possible.


These five teens are like the Breakfast Club gone horribly wrong. Jason is the local bad boy, Christopher is the lonely nerd, Eva is the bad ass girl, Kelly is the popular rich girl, and then there's Olivia. She's a hot mess, what with an addiction, eating disorder, and a mother who wants Olivia to be perfect, no matter what the cost.


Strangely enough, Olivia is what pulls this motley crew together. Slowly these teens are able to come to terms with what they did while under the influence, and the consequences these actions have brought about. The chapters are told in alternating points of view, but there are also chapters told in screenplay format, and others that consist of excerpts from the teens essays. The differences in point of view allows readers to get more of a complete picture instead of just one person's view.


What I enjoyed about this story was its realistic components. These are some messed-up kids, and Amy Reed doesn't attempt to cure them within the confines of this book. There are some dramatic moments, but there's nothing overly so. You really feel as though you're a fly on the wall of a rehabilitation center, and can understand the feelings and fears this teens face. Tough questions are asked, questions that there aren't easy answers to, and that's OK. That's real life.


Borrowed book from the library.


Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (50)

In My Mailbox is an Internet meme hosted by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed.


Not much in the actual mailbox this week--just Stephen King's newest eBook, Mile 81 that I'd pre-ordered, and some contest winnings from Elaine over at I Live in a Fictional World (thank you!):

A finished copy of Vampire Empire, Book 1 and an ARC of Book 2!

However, we came back with Universal with some goodies...Daughter got herself a Ginny Weasley wand, a Hogwarts shirt, and a Gryffindor pin and keychain. We got a small package of Bertie Bott's Beans and all I have to say is EWWWW!! Yes, the rotten egg jelly bean tastes like rotten egg--I almost puked! I got a Snitch ball for my desk at work and a coffee plant that, in several years LOL, should actually sprout beans. It's not book-related, I know, but I thought it was pretty cool nonetheless.


What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Mommy-Daughter Adventure!

Just wanted to drop a line and let you all know I won't be posting for a few days. Daughter and I are off on another adventure. This time we're heading down to Universal Studios Orlando!

We're HUGE Disney fans and make a trip down to Walt Disney World every year--actually, we have a November trip scheduled. We can never seem to tear ourselves away from Disney long enough to head over to Universal (and actually, taking time out of a Disney trip to GET to Universal--rental car, tickets, etc., can get pretty expensive). SO, figured, why not make a special trip down to Florida JUST for Universal? It wasn't really that expensive, and while I know it will be hot hot HOT, I'm hoping that because many schools are already back in session, it won't be that crowded.


We're looking forward to the Harry Potter section, of course, but also Seuss Landing, Jaws, the Simpsons and Spiderman rides, too!


I was going to schedule some posts to run while we were gone, but then I figured that I should make it like a real vacation, so the blog will be quiet the next few days. Rest assured that posts will be back up in full force next week! I'm hoping to finally get to Rival and Like Mandarin this week--both have been on my nook forever, and I'll be *almost* done with the YA Contemps challenge after I read them. I have other unread books on my nook, too, just in case I find myself with tons of time to read.


Hope you all have a great week! I will post a full trip report when we get back!


Enjoy the last week of August, and your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (49)

In My Mailbox is an Internet meme hosted by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed.


So here's what I got this week!


Purchased: Andye over at Reading Teen was getting rid of some books, 
so I snapped up her signed copy of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray!

(I figured that everyone knows what the book cover looks like, so I only included a pic of the signature.)

Purchased from Ript Apparel: The. Best. Shirt. Ever:

Won in a contest over at Hooked to Books: an audio of Blood Red Road by Moira Young (thanks, Michelle!):

Won in a contest over at The Bookery: The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (thanks, Nora!):

Won in a contest over at Alison Can Read: Walk the Wild Road by Nigel Hinton (thanks, Alison!):

Won in the Great ALA Giveaway over at YA Librarian Tales (thanks, Sarah!): arcs of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, Boy 21 by Matthew Quick, and Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John!

I broke my self-imposed eGalley ban this week. Both Galley Grab & NetGalley had some stuff I was really interested in reading! Time to bust out the nook!

From Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab:

• Past Perfect by Leila Sales
• Isle of Blood (Monstrumologist #3) by Rick Yancey

From NetGalley:

• Stick by Andrew Smith
• Prized (Birthmarked #2) by Caragh O'Brien

What did you get?

Enjoy your reading!

Christi