Teaser Tuesday 10/19/10

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
  • Share the title and author, too, so others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they want

My teaser:

The new guy had dark hair cut Superman style, a deep tan, and teeth so white they should’ve come with a warning label: DO NOT STARE DIRECTLY AT TEETH.  PERMANENT BLINDNESS MAY OCCUR.  He wore a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Western jeans and boots, and he smiled like he was God’s gift to juvenile delinquent girls everywhere.

~The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Bk 1) by Rick Riordan, page 8

I really like this book so far!

Weekly Recap 10/18/10

I didn’t do this last week and forgot to do it yesterday, so here’s a two week recap on a Monday!  At least there isn’t that much to catch up on.  The end of baseball season has been my main focus recently, but now that the Braves are out, I am trying to read more.  I do have a sewing project going on right now, too, though so that is taking up lots of my time.

Books Read:

No and Me by Delphine de Vigan – This book is really hard to describe, but I really liked it.  Lou was insightful and wise beyond her age, but there were still moments that make you remember how young she is.  I warmed up to No as the book went on.  Her story was so interesting.  I loved the impact she had on Lou and Lou’s family.

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles – This was alright.  I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.  I really felt like the book should have been longer because everything happened too fast and some of the twists (which were interesting) could have used more explanation.  There’s another book in the series now, so maybe more is resolved there.

Elixir by Hilary Duff – I will admit that I pretty much only picked this up because of the author.  But I was still a bit disappointed.  I didn’t really know much about the book, but if I had, I probably would have left it.  I’m not going to give it away, but I generally don’t like the type of supernatural that it is.

Tenth Grade Bleeds (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Bk 3) by Heather Brewer – Still loving Vlad and friends, though I didn’t like this one quite as much as I loved the first two.  Vlad was a bit too whiny and there was less action in this book until the end.  But I still love this series and am excited to read the last two in the series!

In My Mailbox

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

Books Received:

  • Slam by Nick Hornby (PBS FIFO)
  • The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (PBS Game)
  • Twelfth Grade Kills (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Bk 5) by Heather Brewer (Amazon)
  • Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill (PBS Game)
  • The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus, Bk 1) by Rick Riordan (Amazon)
  • Beat the Band (Swim the Fly, Bk 2) by Don Calame (PBS Game)
  • The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner, Bk 2) by James Dashner (Amazon)
  • How to Be Good by Nick Hornby (PBS FIFO)
  • Fly on the Wall by e. Lockhart (PBS FIFO)
  • Fire Study (Study, Bk3) by Maria V. Snyder (PBS Game)

Books Mailed:

  • Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates (PBS FIFO)
  • No and Me by Delphine de Vigan (PBS Game)
  • Rich and Mad by William Nicholson (PBS Game)
  • Elixir by Hilary Duff (PBS Game)
  • Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles (PBS Game)

Weekly Recap 10/3/10

Books Read:

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill – This was okay.  I liked it, but it didn’t draw me in or back to it.  I’m glad there were mini bios in the beginning of the book, because I had to keep checking back to remember each girl’s situation when she was the narrator.  Honestly, the nonfiction explanations at the end were the most interesting to me.

Rich and Mad by William Nicholson – This was fantastic!  I really liked Rich and Maddy.  The characters were very real and easy to relate to.  The thoughts on love were interesting and thought provoking.  I liked that the book wasn’t just about romantic love, but also about families.  Parts were pretty funny too!

In My Mailbox

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

Books Received:

  • Skins: The Novel by Ali Cronin (Book Depository)
  • Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja (Book Depository)
  • Big Woo! My Not-So-Secret Teenage Blog by Susie Day (Alibris)
  • The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (PBS FIFO)
  • Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson (PBS FIFO)

Books Mailed:

  • Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan (PBS Game)
  • Lady Macbeth’s Daughter by Lisa Klein (PBS Game)

Weekly Recap 9/26/10

Books Read:

Swim the Fly by Don Calame – This book was awesome!  It was totally 15 year old boy humor, but it was so funny.  I really liked Sean, Coop, and Matt and was kind of sad when the book was over.  I can’t wait to read the next one!

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott – I didn’t like this at all, which was disappointing because I have enjoyed other books by Elizabeth Scott, especially Something, Maybe.  This one just didn’t work for me.  Brianna and Ryan were spineless and Sarah was a manipulative bitch.

Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan – Really interesting book!  There were times when I was really uncomfortable reading it, but overall, I’d say I liked it.  It definitely made me think.  I was kind of sad when it ended because I really wanted to know what happens next, but I liked the way it ended.  (I’m not sure that makes sense, but it does in my head! lol)

In My Mailbox

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

Books Received:

  • Twelfth Grade Kills (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, Bk 5) by Heather Brewer (Amazon)

Books Mailed:

  • Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden (PBS Game)
  • The Thieves of Manhattan by Adam Langer (PBS FIFO)
  • The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott (Goodreads Swap)

Weekly Recap 9/19/10

Forgot to post this yesterday, but I didn’t get a whole lot of reading done this week.  I made two dozen cupcakes from scratch so that took most of Monday/Tuesday and then took them to Community Group on Wednesday.  I did read 1/3 of Tomorrow When The War Began this weekend, but didn’t really like it.

Books Read:

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi – This was okay.  I didn’t love it.  It didn’t hold my attention very much.  Granted, I had a busy week, but this took me 8 days to read, which is pretty strange for me.  Overall, I wanted to care more for Nailer and Nita and I just didn’t.

    In My Mailbox

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

    Books Received:

    • Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi (PBS Game)
    • A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley (PBS FIFO)

    Books Mailed:

    • Della Says: OMG! by Keris Stainton (PBS Friend)
    • Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald (PBS Friend)
    • Innocent In Death by J.D. Robb (PBS FIFO)

    Waiting on Wednesday 9/15/10

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

    The book I am eagerly anticipating this week is The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff.

    Mackie Doyle seems like everyone else in the perfect little town of Gentry, but he is living with a fatal secret – he is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now the creatures under the hill want him back, and Mackie must decide where he really belongs and what he really wants.

    A month ago, Mackie might have told them to buzz off. But now, with a budding relationship with tough, wounded, beautiful Tate, Mackie has too much to lose. Will love finally make him worthy of the human world?

    I think it actually is released tomorrow, so I don’t really have long to wait. :)  It sounds really good, though.

    Teaser Tuesday 9/14/10

    Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

    • Grab your current read
    • Open to a random page
    • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
    • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
    • Share the title and author, too, so others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they want

    My teaser:

    Far out on the horizon, a clipper ship skated the ocean, its high sail unfurled.  Nailer paused in his collections and watched as it carved across the blue water.  So close, and yet so far.

    ~Ship Breaker by Paulo Bacigalupi, pg 74

    Weekly Recap 9/12/10

    Books Read:

    One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt – I liked this.  The story was believable and Eliza was extremely likable.  My one complaint with the book was Clarice and the Southern stereotypes.  That got on my nerves fast.

    Della says: OMG! by Keris Stainton – This book was two of my favorite things – British and angsty.  It is kind of funny that I read two books about a girl getting her diary stolen back to back.  I liked this one, though parts felt a little random.  But very good!  I really liked Della!

    Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald – I liked this, though I have some reservations about it.  Jenna was really annoying at the beginning, though she does get better as the book goes on.  I liked how she used the wilderness guide book as a guide to relationships.  I wish we had learned more about the characters that were not Jenna, specifically Reece, Fiona, and Adam.

    In My Mailbox

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

    Sadly, my TBR pile is now over 200 books long, so it doesn’t fit in my GoodReads widget on my TBR Pile page.  So now my goal is to get it back under 200 and keep it there!

    Books Received/Bought:

    • Ophelia by Lisa Klein (Decatur Book Festival)
    • Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohen (PBS FIFO)
    • Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph (PBS FIFO)
    • Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill (PBS Game)

    Waiting on Wednesday 9/8/10

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

    The book I am eagerly anticipating this week is The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel.

    It’s there at every family event. A little smaller, collapsible, and decked out with paper napkins because you can’t be trusted with the good ones. But you’re stuck there. At the Kid Table. Because to them- to the adults- you’re still a kid.

    Ingrid Bell and her five teenage cousins are in exactly this situation. Never mind the fact that high school is almost over. They’re still eating mac and cheese with a toddler. But what happens when the rules change? When Brianne, the oldest cousin, lands a seat at the Adult Table, the others are in shock. What does it take to graduate from the Kid Table?

    Over the course of five family events, Ingrid and her cousins attempt to finish childhood and send the infamous table into retirement. But as Ingrid turns on the charm in order to manipulate her situation, the family starts questioning her motives. And when her first love comes in the form of first betrayal (he’s Brianne’s boyfriend), Ingrid is forced to consider how she fits into this family and what it means to grow up.

    This book sounds so good!  We still have a “kid table” at my grandmother’s house, even though my generation is college age to early 30s.  We say that we are at the kid table by choice. :)

    Teaser Tuesday 9/7/10

    Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

    • Grab your current read
    • Open to a random page
    • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
    • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
    • Share the title and author, too, so others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they want

    My teaser:

    “You use more calories eating celery than there are actually in celery so then you’ve got calories to spare.”  She waves the peanut butter at us, as if that explains it.

    ~Della says: OMG! by Keris Stainton, page 13