Posted on 1 Comment on Weekly Recap 12/5/10

Weekly Recap 12/5/10

I had this all typed up and totally forgot to post it yesterday.  I am useless!  :) This week I was back in maniac reader girl mode, which is good because I had PBS Swap reading to do and I am really really close to finishing my 2010 Challenge!  I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do it, but here I am.  As of right now, I need to finish a book that starts with X for the Alphabet Challenge (I am halfway through X-Isle), read 1 Historical Fiction book (Annexed, also need to read it for a swap), and read 2 more Newbery Award winners (The Graveyard Book and The Tale of Despereaux).  Totally doable!  I also had a goal of reading 150 books this year, which I think I will miss, but that’s okay.  I’ll probably be closer to 140 books for the year, and that is not too shabby at all!

Books Read:

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen – I liked this a lot!  I swear there’s crack dusted in Sarah Dessen books.  On the surface, they seem like they should be light reads, but they always end up entertaining and thought provoking.

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John – This was really good.  There were a few times I felt like it was missing that little something that would make me LOVE the book, but overall, I still founding it really interesting and enjoyable.  I really liked the band and all the drama associated with that, and just that could have been a good book.  Adding in a deaf girl and her family drama just made it even better.  Piper’s parents drove me nuts, but I loved her brother and their relationship.

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler – This was okay.  It was entertaining, but I had high expectations for it based on how much I liked Twenty Boy Summer, and it just didn’t live up to them.  I never really connected with Delilah and her relationship with Patrick seemed rushed into.  Patrick having a crush on her as a 12 year old shouldn’t have automatically meant they were in love at 18.  It just didn’t feel real.  I also felt that the end didn’t have as much resolution as I would have liked.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – This book was totally swoonworthy!  I really liked all the characters and how real they felt.  The book made me feel like I was in Paris and now I really want to go!  It was also really hard to put down.  I didn’t mean to read it all in one evening, it just happened!  I definitely recommend this!

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead – I read this for my Newbery Award challenge.  It was a pretty easy read and was entertaining.  I liked the concept and how everything tied together in the end.

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Books Recieved:

  • Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John (Amazon)
  • Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz (PBS FIFO)
  • American Born Chinese by Gene Yang (PBS FIFO)
  • Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler (Borders)
  • Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (Amazon)

Books Mailed:

  • Fear Is No Longer My Reality by Jamie Blyth (PBS FIFO)
  • The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (PBS FIFO)
  • Let It Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle (PBS FIFO)
  • Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ocker (PBS Friend)
  • Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John (PBS Game)
  • Anna and the French Kiss (PBS Game)
Posted on No Comments on Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.

A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.

I really liked this book!  I loved Auden.  She was occasionally frustrating, especially at the beginning, but I really liked watching her come out of her shell and grow.  The rest of the characters were great too.  I loved Eli and how he opened up to Auden.  I liked how at one point Auden said that if they had gotten to know each other during the day, they wouldn’t know each other as well.  I liked that they stayed up all night and found fun things to do.  Maggie, Esther, and Leah were really fun teen girls and really believable.  I liked that they helped Auden grow and experience normal teen girls.  And I loved Heidi and Thisbe!

I did not like either of Auden’s parents.  They were both so pretentious and selfish.  They got a little better towards the end of the book, but it didn’t surprise me at all that Hollis and Auden were pretty screwed up after being raised by those two.

This book made me laugh and cry and wish it was summer.

Posted on No Comments on That Summer by Sarah Dessen

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

Picture 1That Summer by Sarah Dessen

For fifteen-year-old Haven, life is changing too quickly. She’s nearly six feet tall, her father is getting remarried, and her sister,the always perfect Ashley,is planning a wedding of her own. Haven wishes things could just go back to the way they were. Then an old boyfriend of Ashley’s reenters the picture, and through him, Haven sees the past for what it really was, and comes to grips with the future.

This is the first Sarah Dessen book I’ve read (and her first book, I think).  I liked it, but didn’t love it.  Haven was occasionally annoying.  Parts of the book seemed a little random.  Sometimes they fit back into the story and made sense, but in a couple of instances, they didn’t really.  I guess they were supposed to serve as things that pushed Haven over the edge, but parts just didn’t quite make sense to me.

Overall I liked it and will definitely read more Sarah Dessen.  I have 3 or 4 of her books on my shelf.