Okay, so getting behind on In My Mailbox is not that big of a deal because I can look back at Goodreads and PBS and figure out what I’ve mailed and received. Getting behind on Weekly Recaps is bad though! Now I have to remember what I liked or didn’t like about stuff I read a while ago. Here goes nothing! This is 3 weeks worth of reading and I’ve been reading a lot trying to win a YA Reading Challenge on PaperBackSwap.
XVI by Julia Karr – Review coming (Debut Author)
Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors -This was okay. It was pretty cute, but not super memorable. I liked Alice and liked how she was trying to keep everything together. I was kind of frustrated by how much she didn’t believe Errol was Cupid, especially towards the end. I thought she was on board and then bam! She didn’t still didn’t believe. It got a little old.
Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg -This was adorable! Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite books ever, so I was probably a little bit predisposed to liking it, but I thought it was a lot of fun. The way the original story was meshed into a new setting was really interesting. I liked the way the characters were portrayed. Even though they were basically the same characters, I liked that they weren’t just exact replicas of the original characters.
Me, The Missing, and The Dead by Jenny Valentine – This was just okay. Lucas was strange and I had a hard time getting really invested in him. I liked his grandparents the most. (This is a UK author, but I am not counting it towards my UK author total because I started skimming after a while.)
The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson – I loved this! I liked all three of the sisters, but May the most, followed closely by Palmer. I loved that they were all named after baseball players. ;) I laughed with them, I cried with them, but most of all I just loved them. (Third person limited multi-perspective)
Violence 101 by Denis Wright -It’s hard to say I liked this book because it’s about a kid that does all kinds of bad stuff, but I definitely found it very intriguing. It was really interesting to see Hamish’s justifications for what his actions. I definitely liked the first section more than the second section and though it wrapped up a little too neatly. (International Author [from somewhere other than US, Canada, UK, or Australia])
Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph -I was pretty disappointed in this one. I liked Shrinking Violet a lot, so I was looking forward to this book. Indigo is annoying, self centered, and just all around unlikeable. There were times I did like Adam, but especially at the beginning beginning, he was whiny and way too obsessed with Indigo.
Fat Cat by Robin Brande – I liked this a lot! I occasionally found Cat annoying and I wanted her to actually stop and listen to herself sometimes, or listen to Matt or something! But I really related to Cat and really enjoyed the book.
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder – I liked this! Maria V. Snyder is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. I really liked Trella, Cogan, and Riley. I loved discovering the secrets of Inside and Outside with the characters. The book totally sucked me in. I was kind of sad when it was over. I can’t wait to read Outside In!
Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott – This had sat on my shelf for a really long time and I’m glad I finally picked it up. It wasn’t my favorite book by Elizabeth Scott (that would be Something, Maybe), but it was a really enjoyable read. I really liked Dani. She was easy to relate to and her struggle was really interesting. I liked her relationships with Greg and Allison. I couldn’t stand her mom! She was frustrating.
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs – This was fun. In terms of books about children of Greek/Roman gods, Percy Jackson was way better, but I did like the differences in this one. I can’t say I loved it, but I enjoyed it.
The Heart Is Not a Size by Beth Kephart – I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. I found the writing a bit frustrating. I can’t really put my finger on why exactly, but I just felt like I was being talked at instead told a story I was part of. I’m not sure that makes sense. LOL But I just never got to the place where I cared about the characters and found the book a bit disappointing.
Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi – This book didn’t blow my mind, but it was enjoyable. I kind of related to Maddy in some ways, like how it’s easier to be honest and “yourself” on the internet than it is in person sometimes. It was a really cute book.
Devilish by Maureen Johnson – After reading and loving The Key to the Golden Firebird, I had high hopes for this one, but I didn’t love it. It’s another book where I never really felt invested in the characters and more felt I was just reading to get to the end.
The Deathday Letter by Shaun David Hutchison – I almost always like books with a male protagonist, but I was a little unsure about this one at the beginning. I know teenage boys are all about sex, but I was starting to think it was going to be too much for me to continue reading. But I’m glad I did. That aspect toned down somewhat. The premise of the book was really interesting. What would you do if you knew you had a day to live? I really liked Ollie, Shane, and Ronnie by the end of the book.