In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is hosted by the story siren.

Books:

Delirium | Jane Eyre* | Impulse

Pretty Little Liars | Flawless | Perfect

 Thank you Jenny from Into the Morning Reads for this copy of Delirium!

I purchased Impulse and the first three books in the Pretty Little Liars series from Target.

*Jane Eyre has many, many different covers and editions, so I  do not know if mine is the original or not. I also could not find an image of my edition, but I bought it from Costco and the cover has flowers and a girl's face.

Review: Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

Title: Such a Pretty Girl
Author: Laura Wiess
Publisher: MTV Books
Pub. Date: January 2, 2007
Length: 212 Pages
Summary (from goodreads):
They promised Meredith nine years of safety, but only gave her three.

Her father was supposed to be locked up until Meredith turned eighteen. She thought she had time to grow up, get out, and start a new life. But Meredith is only fifteen, and today her father is coming home from prison.

Today her time has run out.

My thoughts: I expected some great things from this book, mostly because Ellen Hopkins said "This is the first book in a very long time that made me say, 'Wish I'd written this.'"But while I was reading this book, I didn't see anything that really stood out or made me think "I really loved that." I had a hard time getting through it and even skimmed some parts because they bored me. I did enjoy reading Such a Pretty Girl because Laura Wiess tackles a  unique subject that most authors shy away from and I wanted to see  how it ended up, (the last quarter or so was pretty good) but  unfortunately that's where my fascination with the book ended. 

Meridith was promised nine years of safety, safety from her father who got sent to jail for child molestation. She was supposed to be long gone by the time he returned home, but when they let him out six years early for good behavior, her hope vanishes. She’ll have to endure being with him for three years, and she's terrified he will try again, and she can’t suffer through it anymore. But how can she escape him without the guilt that by doing so he will only go after someone else?

One of the biggest problems I had with this story was the characters. I give Laura Wiess credit for her writing, because I was so into Meridith's head that I disliked everyone she did, but I also disliked the people I was supposed to like, including her. Her mother's denial almost went so far that I didn't believe it and found it to be fake. The rest of the characters were unhelpful even though they were supposed to be wanting to help Meridith so much and cared for her. I don't know if this was because Meridith was a poor character or because everyone else was. 

There were a few flaws in the plot that weren't very easy to ignore. But to avoid spoilers, I won't mention any of them. I had some of same problems with Wiess' other book, Leftovers. Overall, Such a Pretty Girl was an okay read, but I don't know if I would recommend it or not.

Rating: 

2 Moons

Review: How to (Un)cage a Girl by Francesca Lia Block

Title: How to (Un)cage a Girl
Author: Francesca Lia Block
Publisher: Joanna Cotler
Pub. Date: September 1, 2008
Length: 128 Pages
Summary (from goodreads):

The pain of wanting to fit in

The joy of being consumed by love

The shame of not feeling at home in your body

The strength in learning you're beautiful

These are moments that every girl knows . . . for they are part of growing up, of uncaging yourself, from your childhood, your environment, your view of yourself. Francesca Lia Block follows the journey from girlhood to womanhood in this three-part poetry collection that channels girls' innermost feelings and experiences and celebrates women everywhere. It is a call to embrace the girl within, to heal her and set her free.

My Thoughts: This is the first book I've read by Francesca Lia Block, and it won't  be my last. Not many people  have heard of How to (Un)cage a Girl, but its great nonetheless. Although it is short (128 pages) I still found myself  satisfied with the overall affect of it and the poetry. It's not a  novel written in verse but more of a collection of poems that tie  together to tell a story. The only problem I had with it was that some  of the poems did not have the punctuation they needed and therefore made it kind of hard to understand. I loved this book, but for different reasons than most.

In How to (Un)cage a Girl we follow the author, Francesca Lia Block, through her life as a young adult and a grown woman. Divided into three parts, Years in the Asylum, In the Lair of the Toxic Blond, and Love Poems for Girls, How to (Un)cage a Girl is a captivating and honest tale of growing up. Each section was full of lovely poems that touched me in one way or another. I also loved reading the extras in the back, such as the origin of the cover art  and the play list that went along with the novel.
If I could, I would carry this book with me everywhere I go. I would pick it up whenever I'm feeling sad or depressed and read it to help make me feel better. This is a perfect novel for any girl or woman who has ever felt unworthy or like they don't fit in. We are all our own  beautiful person, and this book celebrates that. 

4.5 Moons

Waiting On Wednesday: I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

new cover

I'm Not Her
by Janet Gurtler
Published by Sourcebooks Fire
320 Pages
Release: May 1, 2011

“For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel envy…”
Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?
Janet Gurtler tests the bonds of sisterhood in this moving debut that readers of Jodi Picoult and Sarah Dessen will savor.

old cover

The topic isn't very original, but I have a feeling I'm Not Her will be very good. 

I admit it. I tend to judge books by their cover. I'm Not Her originally had a different title (The Weight of Bones) and a different cover, on the right. I like both the new and the old, but the old had a creepier feeling to it which I loved compared to the plainer new cover.

Daily Dose #3

Daily Dose is hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly.

 

 

  

 

 

 All images taken from we ♥ it except the third one, which was taken by Athena at Lets Fly Away Now ♥

Review: The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

Title: The Secret Year

Author: Jennifer R. Hubbard

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Pub. Date: January 7, 2010

Length: 192 Pages

Summary (from goodreads):

Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia's boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can't mourn Julia openly, and he's tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia's journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he's desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

My Thoughts:  I understand how someone could completely hate The Secret Year. Julia could seem like a total bitch because she is demanding of Colt to keep their relationship a secret, there's a lot of sneaking around, and the teens are participating in 'more adult' activities. It didn't seem that way to me. I love books from guy perspectives and 'after' books such as The Secret Year. Still, it just wasn't what I had expected it would be.  
The Secret Year is  one of those books you have to pay complete and total attention to; which means reading in a quiet place when you don't have much on your mind. Of course, I'm saying this because that happened to me. I had started writing the review, basically saying how much I wanted to love this book and how sad I was that I didn't, when I decided to give it another chance. So, I locked myself in my room and read the whole book straight through. Overall, I did enjoy this book; but it was hard to understand at times.
The characters. Oh, how I loved the characters.  Colt and Julia were together for a year, a whole year no one else knew about, a year that started as a physical desire and turned into something much more. With Julia gone, Colt has to deal with the emotion and grief her death provoked alone and hidden from the outside world. I just loved Colt. His personality got to me (I admit I developed some sort of a crush on him) and I found myself living inside his head time and time again. Though Julia was dead from the start, she exists within her letters and Colt's memories; where we get to know and understand her. Besides Colt, she is the star of the novel. I really liked her because although she was rich and popular, she wasn't shallow and stupid; instead she wrote brilliant poetry, was really smart, real, and strong. 
The plot of The Secret Year was beautiful and Hubbard's writing was great, but (I'm very sad to say) it didn't outshine the flaws of the story. I found myself disappointed with the ending, as well as a little confused.  Despite this, I'm eagerly looking forward to her next novel.

Rating:

4 Moons

In My Mailbox #2

In My Mailbox is hosted by the story siren.

Books:

Hold Still | Here Lies Bridget | Love Drugged

Paper Towns | Slice of Cherry | Such A Pretty Girl

I received Slice of Cherry as a gift from a friend.

I purchased Hold Still, Love Drugged, Here Lies Bridget, and Paper Towns from Barnes and Noble. I will not be writing a review for Hold Still because I already reviewed it a few months ago. Click here to read my review.

New Books For New Bloggers

New Books For New Bloggers is hosted at Into The Morning Reads. The goal of this is to give new bloggers the chance to read and review newer books they may not have the money to buy and ARC's. I personally think this is amazing, and a very kind thing for them to do. Click over to the blog for more info.

Mini Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Title: Across the Universe
Author: Beth Revis
Publisher: Razor Bill
Pub. Date: January 11, 2011
Length: 398 Pages
Series: Across the Universe #1
Summary (from goodreads):
A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone-one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship-tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

My Thoughts:  I'm sorry this is such a short review! AtU was such an amazing book, but when it came to writing the review, I was stuck. So sorry to those of you who were expecting a longer review! When I heard about Across the Universe, I knew I had to have it.  Why? I've always been a fan of futurist books: sci-fi, dystopian, you name it. So Across the Universe sounded like a perfect read for me. It's part sci-fi and part dystopian. I just never expected to love it as much as I did. 
There's so much to say about Across the Universe; I can't possibly cram everything into this one review, and my review cant possibly describe how much I loved this book. It was just A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. For some reason, whenever I read sci-fi or dystopian, there is always something missing that keeps the books from reaching 5 stars. Finally, I've found one that's five star worthy.
The plot was wonderful. Godspeed is a world so like ours, but at the  same time not. I definitely have not read anything like It before.  There were the normal parts, and then there were the things  that made it unique; the whole story felt real. It was as if with Elder and Amy the whole way. There's one race, one man in charge, and everyone is kind of empty headed. And then there's Beth Revis' writing, and oh my goodness it was spectacular! She certainly has a way with words. To put it short, Across the Universe  was amazing, and I cannot wait for the next installment in the series.

Rating:

5 Moons

Waiting On Wednesday: Love Story by Jennifer Echols

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme host by Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating. 

 Love Story
by Jennifer Echols
Published by MTV Books
Release: July 19, 2011

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW.
Erin Blackwell is headed to college in New York City to study creative writing and earn a living as a romance novelist. Her grandmother has other plans: she approves of the college, but she wants Erin to major in business and then come back home to Kentucky to run the family’s famous racehorse farm. There is no way Erin will agree. Studying in New York and writing her way into a career is her escape from the farm and the family tragedy that happened there. So Erin’s grandmother decides Erin really will live life as a starving artist. She takes Erin’s future job running the farm, her inheritance, even her college tuition, and gives them all to Hunter Allen.
Hunter has lived on the farm for years. He’s Erin’s age, he’s the stable boy, and he’s the romantic dream of every girl in her high school. But he was involved in the family tragedy. Erin has always given him a wide berth. And he’s a slick opportunist. She’s furious that he fooled her grandmother into giving him Erin’s birthright and sending him to Erin’s college.
At least she’s free of him in her creative writing class. So she pens a story that has haunted her lately, in which the horse farm heiress at the very first Kentucky Derby starts a forbidden affair with the lowly stable boy. Unfortunately for her, the day she’s sharing this story with her New York classmates, Hunter walks in. He’s switching to her class. And after reading about himself in Erin’s story, he writes his own sexy assignments that lure Erin into dangerous fantasies about what could have been between them, and what might be.

I just heard about Jennifer Echol's new book last week. I'm a HUGE fan of her so, naturally, I am very excited about it.

Sweet Venom Cover Revealed!

Tera Lynn Childs is the author of the series Oh. My. Gods and Forgive My Fins, both of which I've read and enjoyed. She has a new series coming out in October about Greek mythology; and I'm a sucker for that stuff. I LOVE THE COVER. It's kind of haunting, and the braid reminds me of a scorpion tail.

In My Mailbox #1

In My Mailbox is hosted by the story siren. This is my first time doing this meme and I don't know how often I'll participate, but here it is (I was planning on taking pictures myself but my camera broke!):

Books:

Love You Hate You Miss You | How to (Un)cage a Girl | The Secret Year

I Know What You Did Last Summer | The Dead Tossed Waves | Across The Universe | How I Live Now

Movies:

Silent Hill

 I ordered Across the Universe, How to Uncage a Girl, and Love You Hate You Miss You from Barnes and Noble.

I bought The Secret Year, I Know What You Did Last Summer, How I Live Now, and The Dead Tossed Waves from Bookmans.  

I also recieved the movie Silent Hill from Netflix. I've already watched it and it's very scary; probably one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. I recommend it to fans of scary/horror movies.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall

Author: Lauren Oliver

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pub. Date: March 2, 2010

Length: 470 pages

Summary (from author's website):
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

My Thoughts:  You know when you find a book that's so amazing you just want to pick it up and read it over and over again? Before I Fall is one of those books. I've already read this one twice, so I don't exactly have the big urge to rave about it to anyone and everyone anymore (I did the first time I read it. Unfortunately, I didn't have a blog at the time), but its almost as if I've come to think of this one as a classic. Its like when you find out someone has no clue what Romeo and Juliet is, your like what!? Its the same with Before I Fall.

One of the great things about debuts is that you don't know what to expect. Unlike picking up a book by one of your favorite authors, you have no idea if the book is going to be absolutely amazing or if its going to leave you unsure about reading the author's next book. In this case, Lauren Oliver's debut knocked my socks off! In Before I Fall, we follow Sam as she relives February 12 (the day she died) seven times, Groundhog Day style.

At the start of the novel, I didn't like Sam or her friends very much. They were popular, and like most popular people, they did some things that were just mean. I continued to read on and after a short while I became very fond of Sam and her friends. The thing is, its true. There is always going to be someone who gets picked on, someone getting laughed at. I don't like saying it and it doesn't make it right, but it is true. I could still find myself relating to Sam and her friends.

As Sam relives February 12, we watch her grow and change as a person. She has many layers, and I appreciate that the author made her this way. I loved how she slowed down and took time to notice all the little things that affect her everyday life; and I loved how everyday she tired a different way to cope, and how  even the smallest actions had a ripple effect. As a teenager myself, I found myself relating to Sam time and time again, even when she did "bad" things, like ditching class and cheating. I empathized with her through it all.

Lauren's writing style was another thing that made me love Before I Fall. The plot was addicting, and I felt as though I were there living through Sam's eyes the whole time. This book is an emotional roller coaster and an addictive story. And, I know I can't write about all the amazing things that made Before I Fall, but I can tell you it is a wonderful book, one that may even change your life. I was going through a rough time the first time I picked up Before I Fall. I read it, and things started to change. Its kind of hard to explain, so you may not understand what I'm trying to say, but it helped me through my rough time.

 Before I Fall is a must read for teens and adults both. If you have not read this one yet, go buy it right now. You won't regret it.

Rating:

5 Moons

Lauren Oliver is also the author of Delirium,  released February 1. Click here to read the first chapter.

Waiting On Wednesday: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme host by Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating.

 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

by Michelle Hodkin

Published by Simon & Schuster

372 Pages

Release: September 27, 2011

Mara Dyer believes life can't get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her strangely unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

 

She's wrong.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is one of my most anticipated books of 2011, and the cover is absolutely beautiful.

Free E-Book

I was on my blogger dashboard a few minutes ago and noticed Reading Teen posted about a free ebook. I clicked over to their site and this is what I found:

 Mara Purnhagen's Novel, Raising the Dead is currently available for free on the kindle and as an ebook!
Her series, Past Midnight, is in my TBR so reading this one will be a great introduction to the series. Click here to view the original post and to find out where to download.

Review: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

 Title: Elsewhere

Author: Gabrielle Zevin

Publisher: Square Fish

Pub. Date: May 15, 2005

Length: 304 pages

Summary (from goodreads):

Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice.
Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?
This moving, often funny book about grief, death, and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.

My Thoughts: The thing about Elsewhere is that you've probably already read something similar to it, because the topic just isn't very original. It's been done before. Someone wakes up and discovers that they are dead yadah yadah yadah. Well, the good news is that out of all the books I've read about the afterlife, Elsewhere is truly unique.

Like Pretties, Elsewhere really made me think. I never really liked the idea that when you die, you go someplace else to live forever. Elsewhere isn't like that. From the moment you die, you start to age backwards; and once you are a baby, you return to Earth as someone else. I really love that idea, the whole premises of the story and what it revolves around. Sadly, while the idea of Elsewhere was just Amazing, the rest of it was kind of a letdown.
 Elsewhere is a place that would be compared to heaven. It is, afterall, the place you go to after you die. But Liz doesn't know this (or, she does but doesn't choose to accept it, at the beginning). She is only fifteen, too young to have had all those "life experiences" such as going to collage and having children. So, when she arrives in Elsewhere, the only time she interacts with people is to ask for money or whine. And, honestly, I   found the wining to be quite annoy from third person. If it had been written from Liz's view, I probably would have had more sympathy for her.
Zevin writes third person very well. Usually, I have trouble getting into a book from that point of view,  but Gabrielle nailed it. Still, there were certain ideas in Elsewhere that didn't add up. For example, Marilyn Monroe runs a  psychiatric practice, but by the time Liz enters Elsewhere, shouldn't she have returned to Earth? And new paintings by Picasso?-he would have already returned to Earth and come back as a different person a few times.The last quarter of Elsewhere wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped. As my English teacher would say, this book was more of a line than a mountain. I found the almost-very-ending was to be best part. I won't ruin it for you by telling you the quote, but it was one that got a few tears out of me.

Rating:

3.5 Moons

Daily Dose #2

Daily Dose is hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly. This week my theme is books. Enjoy :)

  

 

New Name!

As some of you may have noticed, my blog is no longer titled Sarah's Lost in a Book. Surprise! I've decided to change the name to A Lovely Little Book Blog. The address has also changed to alovelylittlebookblog.blogspot.com. The old title was just too boring and this one seems a little more interesting, so lets hope it works out.

Review: John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles

Title: John Belushi is Dead

Author: Kathy Charles

Publisher: MTV Books

Pub. Date: August 24, 2010

Length: 320 pages

Summary (from goodreads.com):

IN THE END WE ALL FADE TO BLACK.

Pink-haired Hilda and oddball loner Benji are not your typical teenagers. Instead of going to parties or hanging out at the mall, they comb the city streets and suburban culs-de-sac of Los Angeles for sites of celebrity murder and suicide. Bound by their interest in the macabre, Hilda and Benji neglect their schoolwork and their social lives in favor of prowling the most notorious crime scenes in Hollywood history and collecting odd mementos of celebrity death.

Hilda and Benji’s morbid pastime takes an unexpected turn when they meet Hank, the elderly, reclusive tenant of a dilapidated Echo Park apartment where a silent movie star once stabbed himself to death with a pair of scissors. Hilda feels a strange connection with Hank and comes to care deeply for her paranoid new friend as they watch old movies together and chat the sweltering afternoons away. But when Hank’s downstairs neighbor Jake, a handsome screenwriter, inserts himself into the equation and begins to hint at Hank’s terrible secrets, Hilda must decide what it is she’s come to Echo Park searching for . . . and whether her fascination with death is worth missing out on life. 

My Thoughts: You know from the (amazing) cover and title that this story isn't going to be all rainbows and unicorns. And it isn't. Not at all.

 Hilda and Benji aren't like other teenagers. Instead of going to the mall and hanging out with friends, they spend their time visiting the death cites of celebirties. You could say they have an obsession with dead celebirties, particularly the ones who have committed suicide or have died a gruesome death.They spend most of their money on artifacts from these sites, which leads them to meet Hank. Hank is a cranky, old, lonely man who is wary of the two, but Hilda sees something in him. When Benji starts acting strange, it is his apartment she escapes to. 
Soon, Hilda meets Jake: Hank's neighbor, a screenwriter, and a high school dropout. Although they are pretty much completely unlike each other, they start spending more and more time together. Then everything seems to crumble. Hank is  hiding some kind of secret and Benji is acting so creepy that Hilda doesn't feel comfortable around him anymore.
The beginning felt kind of slow, but by the end I was left with an amazing feeling. John Belushi is Dead is so different from any other novels I've read. It was full of unpredictable twists and unique characters. Each character was well thought out and displayed, so I knew enough of each one's personality enough that they weren't a mystery to me. At the start, I didn't feel very fond of Benji and Hilda, but they grew on me and  by the second chapter I was hooked.
John Belushi is Dead isn't for everyone. Its pretty gruesome and creepy; however, I still suggest it for those of you who like these types of books.

Rating:

4 Moons

Waiting On Wendesday: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event host by Breaking the Spine, that features upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Anna Dressed in Blood

by Kendare Blake

Published by Tor Teen

Release: September 2011

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story. . .
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.
So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.
And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

Ohhhh, this looks real good. Just look at the cover! It's really awesome, isn't it?