On Shelves Today...

Hey guys, just wanted to remind you about some awesome book news! There are some really exciting new books out today!

First and foremost, the book we have all been waiting for since City of Glass... The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare is out today. I can't wait to read this one! So excited. Definitely check it out if you get the chance.

Also released today is Halo by Alexandra Adornetto. I don't know too much about this one but it seems to be about angels as well and it looks really cool, so I'll definitely have to read it ASAP.

Then there's Vanished by Kate Brian, the twelfth (I think? Unless it's eleventh or thirteenth...I've honestly kind of lost count) book in the Private series. Even though I've lost count of how many books there are, I do enjoy the series, so I'll be reading this one when I get the chance too.

Unraveled by Gena Showalter is also in stores today. I haven't had the chance to read Intertwined yet, but it looks quite awesome so I'll have to do something about that soon.

Reading Speed (Like Speed Reading, But Backwards)

Like many other people, I went out and bought Mockingjay on Tuesday this week when it came out. (Actually, I had preordered it and my copy didn't arrive on time, so I went and bought a store copy and then returned the preorder when it arrived, but anyway.) I was all for staying up that night to finish it. Instead, I had to do lots of homework and get a little sleep and then go to school and take lots of quizzes and do work and suchlike...so I finished it after school on Wednesday. (My review is here.)

Four-hundred-page book. Just a few hours' total reading time. No big deal, right?

Then there was Extraordinary. Not a terrible book, not fantastic either (my review is here). I spent several days on this one, and it's a good thirty pages shorter than Mockingjay.

I'm not really surprised that it took me a lot less time to read Mockingjay than Extraordinary. The former had a lot more action, was a lot less predictable, and was one that I'd been a lot more excited for (because really, it's hard to get more excited about a book than I was for Mockingjay - except for the Harry Potter series). But I usually read pretty quickly, and over the summer there were a few days where I had nothing else to do but read, so I could get through a 360-page book in a day and then most of another one, so it was kind of weird to have Extraordinary take me that long. And now John Belushi is Dead is taking a while too.

Then, of course, there are textbooks. It has taken me an hour to struggle through a twenty-page chapter of a history textbook before. Nowhere close to my normal reading speed.

I think it's kind of interesting to note how much faster we read when we're excited for stuff, but some of it may also be the amount of action in the story. I tend to go through a book a lot faster when I'm desperate to find out what happens and spend longer on a story that's more about character development. Is it the same for you guys? What sorts of things affect your reading speed? Let me know in the comments!

Review: Extraordinary

Title: Extraordinary
Author: Nancy Werlin
Publisher: Dial Books
Pages: 400
Rating: 3 stars
From the book jacket:
What does it mean to be extraordinary?

Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school. Soon the two girls are as close as sisters...until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, appears. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe - but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself.

Soon she'll discover the shocking, fantastical truth about Ryland and Mallory, and about an age-old debt they expect Phoebe to pay. Will she be strong enough to resist? Will she be special enough to save herself?

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I had pretty high expectations for Extraordinary, because I really enjoyed Impossible when I read it a couple of years ago and I think the cover for Extraordinary is beautiful (yes, I judged it by its cover. It happens). Unfortunately, I wasn't particularly impressed.

The premise is interesting enough, I guess, although I think the mystery would have been a lot better if not for the prologue and frequent inserts labeled "Conversation with the Faerie Queen" (that's not a spoiler - that's the first chapter heading in the book). The whole thing felt very predictable to me - I knew what was really going on the whole time, so I was just waiting for Phoebe to get it together and figure out what was going on.

My main problem with the book was the characters. I thought Phoebe was really annoying throughout most of the novel because she wouldn't stand up for herself. She had the potential to be an excellent, relatable character - her "psychological battle," as Ryland put it, about whether or not she was special, was actually quite well-done - except that she had absolutely no sense of self. She let herself be defined by what other people said. And Ryland, who was supposed to be the love interest, was an utterly detestable character. I hated him and the things he said to Phoebe. Again, because the plot was so predictable I understood why, but I still didn't like him. Mallory was okay, but like Phoebe, she didn't stand up for herself enough. The one character I really did like was Phoebe's Nantucket friend, Benjamin.

What saved Extraordinary in my eyes was the ending. In the last fifty pages or so, the plot took a turn that I had not fully expected, which was really nice; also, the characters finally started to seem real instead of a means to a plot-fulfilling end. If not for the last fifty pages, the book probably would not have merited 3 stars, but once I got to those final chapters, I discovered that I actually did not despise the book and actually did want to find out what happened.

On the whole, Extraordinary was not a favorite of mine and not one that I would glowingly recommend, but it did have its moments and the ending made it mostly worth reading. It's not one that I'd advise you to go out and buy now - but it might be worth checking out from the library sometime. (And I do recommend Nancy Werlin's other novel, Impossible.)

Links:
Nancy Werlin's website

Book Blogger Hop!

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted each weekend by Crazy for Books. I really meant to get this post up Friday, but it's technically Saturday now. We'll pretend it's Friday in terms of postingness. (Yes, that's a word in my universe.)

This week's question is: Do you use a rating system for your reviews? If so, what is it and why?

I do in fact use a rating system for my book reviews. I rate books out of 5 stars (and I have yet to rate anything below a 3, because I can usually find at least something that I liked about a book and if I really didn't like a book that I haven't agreed to review, I'll usually just not review it here). Honestly, I set up my rating system when I was getting started (I'm still very new to this blogging thing) because it seemed to be the convention, but it really works for me. I do use a lot of ".5"s on the end of stuff, though, because I'm frequently too indecisive to choose "4" or "5" for a good book.

In other news, I haven't had much time for reading lately because of homework and a science fiction story I'm working on with a friend of mine and more homework, but I'm hoping to finish Extraordinary this weekend so there should be a review of that up before long!

Review: Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 390
Series: Hunger Games #3
Rating: 5 stars. Or, you know, a gazillion or so.
**Warning!!! This review contains spoilers for books 1-2. (I promise no spoilers for this one, though!)**
From the jacket flap:
"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans -- except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the personal cost.

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So, it's been about twenty minutes since I finished reading Mockingjay (I was all for staying up last night to finish it, but unfortunately school stopped that). For all of that time, I have been literally lost for words.

I read the last page and then just stared at the book for a little while. It's over. This is all there will ever be of these characters who took me on this absolutely heart-wrenching journey. And what a story it was.

I'm really not sure what I can say without being mega-spoilery, so I'll just ramble for a while about how much I adore the characters and the story and everything about this book and the whole series. Katniss is seriously one of the strongest, most kick-butt heroines I have ever encountered. Her strength is more physical than a lot of heroines' anymore, but she's got this mental strength too, and Mockingjay tested her in so many ways. We got to see another side of Katniss, which was really awesome. And I think more than anything, it's Katniss's weaknesses that make her such a wonderful character. And then there's Gale and Peeta (both of whom are wonderful characters, regardless of what all the die-hard Team Gale/Team Peeta people say. Although I know whose team I'm on - and always have been - regarding Katniss), and Prim (who's finally a legit character!) and Finnick (who is wonderful) and Boggs and everyone else.

And the villains, too. President Snow, of course, is one seriously bad bad guy. Also I will say that the development of other antagonistic characters was excellent.

I'm rambling a bit. Sorry. I really just do not have the words for this book. And I REALLY don't want to spoil anything. The plot just starts going and never slows down. And like I said...it left me speechless.

So instead of rambling on until I become completely incoherent or inadvertently spoil something, I will leave you with these thoughts: The themes of this book really hit hard. Suzanne Collins can do magic with words. And I approve of the ending. And I'm very, very sad to leave these characters behind as their story ends. Mockingjay made me smile and it made me cry (yes, literally cry. I will admit to this). The Hunger Games trilogy is definitely one of my favorite series ever, and this conclusion is absolutely stunning.

Links:

Suzanne Collin's website

Official Hunger Games fansite, Mockingjay.net

Release Day!!!

Today is the release date for Mockingjay.

I have my copy. I also have more homework than I know what to do with. Aaack. My solution: do homework very rapidly, then read all night. I can sleep through class tomorrow...right?

Just wanted to remind you guys that Mockingjay is out today! Also wanted to tell you that I will be avoiding the blogosphere (and the internet) until I finish. I don't want any accidental spoilers...that might kill me.

Until next time, guys.

~Becky

Mockingjay. *Squee*

I cannot even tell you guys how excited I am that Mockingjay comes out TOMORROW.

Yes, tomorrow, as in, not that many hours from right now.

But see, the thing is...I preordered my copy. For Harry Potter books, that worked very well, because it meant I was at the bookstore at midnight purchasing my copy and I could stay up until I finished reading it, no problem. The issues with that this time are: (1) the bookstore through which I pre-ordered Mockingjay is not having a midnight release party; (2) it's a school-night and I have three quizzes tomorrow; (3) apparently when I preordered it, we did something weird so it's being mailed to me instead of held at the store for me. This means I have to wait on a potentially faulty postal service to get my copy! This makes me very sad. It had better arrive while I'm at school tomorrow or else I seriously might cry.

All that aside though...

We find out what happens to Katniss, Peeta, Gale and the rest IN LESS THAN A DAY.

Are you excited? Because I'm excited.

*fangirl squee*

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I just have one new book this week. Thanks very much Goodreads First Reads for a lovely review copy of John Belushi Is Dead by Kathy Charles.

This one looks really cool - it's about teenagers who find places in Hollywood where famous people died, I think - so I'm excited to read it. It actually goes on sale this Tuesday (as in two days from now), so if anyone else wants to check it out, you can do that soon.

What's in your mailbox this week?

Review: The Replacement

Title: The Replacement
Author: Brenna Yovanoff
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 352
Rating: 4.5 stars
From the book jacket: 
Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, Mackie comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement - left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Macie is slowly dying in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with an oddly intriguing girl called Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.

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I would have loved to sit down and read The Replacement in one go, but unfortunately, schoolwork prevented that. It took me ages to get through this book because I had to keep hiding it from myself until schoolwork was done. But now I've finally caught up on schoolwork, so I sat down and finished it all at once. And since it comes out exactly one month from today, I figure that's just barely close enough to the release date that I can go ahead and put the review up right now.

The Replacement was awesome. I loved it.

What I didn't like was the description on the back cover. I feel like it says too much and not the right things. It  just doesn't quite fit completely with the story. But if you ignore that and just dive into the story...wow.

Mackie is not normal. He can't go to church with his family even though his father is a minister, because the ground is consecrated. He gets physically sick when he comes into contact with iron or comes too close to blood. He can't even kiss the girl he likes, because she has a metal tongue ring. He knows why he's not normal, and so does his family: he's not really their son, Emma's not his biological sister. The real Malcolm Doyle was stolen from his crib as an infant, and Mackie was left in his place. What makes Mackie different from the other Replacements is that he survived.

And now another child has disappeared: the baby sister of a girl from school, Tate. Mackie knows Tate - she's friends with two of his best friends, and he finds her intriguing. But he can't tell her that he knows what happened to Natalie. What he can do is find out what the truth is about who he is and how to save Tate's sister.

I loved Mackie as a narrator. I just connected to him -  he felt so real. His emotions, the way he struggled with his feelings for family and friends and classmates, his desire to fit in and hide his unusualness from everyone else...it was just excellent. It's very difficult to put into words the way I related to Mackie, but it was wonderful. I also really loved a lot of the side characters. Emma, Roswell, Tate, the Morrigan...and the Lady made the perfect villain. So, so awesome. I wish we got to see more of Tate and Emma.

So yes. I love the characters, I love the story (delightfully dark, creepy, beautiful and honest), and I love Brenna Yovanoff's writing style (seriously, it's awesome). The Replacement will be in stores September 21st, and you should definitely make a point of reading it.

Links: 

Brenna Yovanoff's website

Brenna Yovanoff's blog

Update

Hey guys, I just wanted to keep you informed about what my "blogging schedule" is going to be like over the next little while. I'm back in school and am finally getting back into a regular schedule - except with more work. Such is the price of taking lots of AP courses and (hopefully) taking a position as an editor for the school newspaper. So my reading time is still fairly limited, but I will carve out time to read. As if I could survive that long without any fun reading...heh. You can expect to see some new reviews before too long.

In other semi-bookish news, Warner Brothers is apparently suing a new company for making Harry Potter-themed contraceptives. I get that everybody loves Harry Potter - I mean, I'm a huge Potternerd myself, so I know Potternerds are out there - but seriously? I think that's taking it a bit too far. I can't decide whether it's a little scary or really hilarious that a series of books meant for children has become quite so popular.

Until next time,
Becky

Waiting on Wednesday + News!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

So I dunno about everybody else, but I'm completely psyched that The Clockwork Angel, the first of Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices series, comes out in less than two weeks. (How can anyone not be?!) I, like most of the world (with the exception of a few lucky bloggers who have been at this much longer than have), did not get an ARC of The Clockwork Angel and I totally can't wait to read it:

Description from Goodreads:
Magic is dangerous...but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.


Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.


Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa.


As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.


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So yeah, I'm definitely excited. I love love loved The Mortal Instruments series, so this should be great. And now, the news!

An exclusive book trailer for The Clockwork Angel has been released online. And you can watch it here. I tried to embed the video, but apparently I'm technologically un-savvy and also I just got home from my first day of school, so that didn't happen. But click the link and watch the video! It's awesome. Definitely can't wait to read the book!

Tuesday Twins

The covers of Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson and Wish You Were Here by Catherine Clark just remind me so much of each other. I confess that I have not actually read either of this books but every time I see the cover of one I think of the other one. They're not super-identical or anything...just very similar:

With the faces cut off just below the eyes, the bluish backgrounds, the titles that call up images of travel, the placement of the authors' names and "Author of..." statements, even the outfits aren't terribly different (they both have dark jeans and have their weight on one leg). Oh, and the titles are both pink and in similar places, and the hair is blondish.

What do you guys think? And if you spot any twin covers that you think I should feature here, let me know!

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers can share what books they received during the week - for review, from the library, at a bookstore, whatever. I have three this week.

For Review:
Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

From the Library:
Flawless by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars #2)
Perfect by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars #3)

And of course, I still have some other books to read from before that I haven't been able to get to because of schoolwork. But school starts this Wednesday - which means two things. One, I will have homework more regularly, so it may be more difficult to post often; two, I will not be able to procrastinate on homework as much, so I'll have to get it done in a timely manner and then I'll have a leftover time so I will be able to post more often.

It's a weird balance. It'll work out. I'll still be around and posting. And *fingers crossed* with any luck I'll have a new review up by the end of this week!

What books did you guys get this week?

Review: Shade

*This review was written on a personal blog before the creation of Bookworm Boulevard. It has been reformatted and reposted here for archiving purposes and because homework is mean so it'll be almost a week before I can get any new reviews up (which is sad).

Title: Shade
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 309
Series: Shade #1
Rating: 4.5 stars
Description (from Goodreads): 
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing at a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura has wanted nothing more than to find out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding -- and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.
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I found Shade when I went on Simon & Schuster's PulseIT website, saw a book that looked interesting, and opened the e-book to read the inside jacket and see what it was about. I swear I never meant to get sucked into it and just keep reading...but I did.

The book about which I am speaking is shade by Jeri Smith-Ready. It's an absolutely fantastic book and you will not - repeat, will not - want to put it down. The premise is this: Almost seventeen years ago, on the night of Aura Salvatore's birth, a mysterious event called the Shift occurred. Everyone born after the Shift - "post-Shifters" can see ghosts. Ghosts can only interact with the living, and they contact post-Shifters so that they can accomplish whatever they need to do to be at peace. Most of the post-Shifters are more annoyed and/or frightened by their violet visions than interested in helping. Aura included. Until her boyfriend, Logan, dies.

While Aura is mourning Logan's death and attempting to carry on a relationship with ghost-Logan, exchange student Zachary Moore arrives and is assigned to be Aura's partner on her thesis project (another school that requires senior thesis projects! Yay for relating to the characters!), which is about megaliths. Aura wants to find out more about the Shift. Which means finding out more about Zachary as well. Throughout Shade, Aura struggles to balance her relationships with the living and the dead, all while searching for clues to the event that has made her and all the other under-seventeens of the world able to see the dead.

I think what I really loved about this book were the characters. While the premise is, of course, blatantly fictional - people don't see ghosts, definitely not everyone under seventeen - the characters were hauntingly (haha, bad pun) real. Aura's grief, Logan's frustration, Zachary's frustration, Aura and Megan's friendship - all of it is wonderfully, painfully real. I also love that the readers aren't being hit over the head with the fact that "YES. THIS WORLD IS WEIRD. THERE ARE GHOSTS." The ghosts and the supernatural aspects of it figure in significantly to the major plot - there'd be no book without the Shift and the ghosts - but it's all just there. It's part of the world. There are no lengthy explanations of why this world is so different; it just is, and we understand that. Time is not spent on "oh-em-gee why are there ghosts? Look, paranormal!" Plus, okay, Zachary is kind of great. I think I want one. (I'm definitely Team Zachary.)

I'm not sure what about it makes it not quite a five-full-stars book; there was something about it that just kind of annoyed me in a couple of places. I wish I could say more clearly what, but I can't quite place it. Still though - definitely a great book. Read it if you get the chance! It's a wonderful, well-written book that I absolutely recommend. I will caution you that there is some strong language and some sexual content so it's probably not good for younger teens, but I think it only makes sense for the story and I don't think it distracts from the rest of the book too much.

Shade does wrap up a complete storyline in and of itself, but it also leaves a lot of unanswered questions about the Shift and Aura's past that could(/should) lead to a sequel. Plus I really don't want to give up Aura and Zach and Logan just yet. So, I'll definitely be reading the sequel, Shift, when it comes out in early 2011.

Links: 

Jeri Smith-Ready's website

AuthorMix

I can't believe I didn't post about this already. I could have sworn I did a post about this when I first found out about it. Silly Becky. But anyway...

AuthorMix is a cool online show type thing in which authors talk about...well, everything, really. So far, there are five episodes out, and they talk about everything from getting published to high school to favorite foods. The authors on the current series of videos are Katie Alender (Bad Girls Don't Die), Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures), Melissa de la Cruz (Blue Bloods), and Cecil Castelluci (Boy Proof, The Queen of Cool, Beige).

It's very cool, and you can (and should!) check it out here.

Waiting on Wednesday: Fearscape

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm waiting on Fearscape, the third Devouring book by Simon Holt. I absolutely loved the first two books, The Devouring and Soulstice - delightfully creepy and full of action that kept me turning pages because I had to find out more. (Actually, a mini-anecdote: I read the first one while I was at a friend's house, and I said "oh my goodness this would make such a good scary movie" pretty much every other sentence until she eventually told me that she got it and I should just write the screenplay already.) If you don't like scary stories, these may not be for you, but if you do...definitely read these! But anyway, on to Fearscape:

Description from Goodreads:
***Beware of spoilers for Books 1 and 2!!!***


The Vours: evil, demonic beings that inhabit human bodies on Sorry Night, the darkest hours of the Winter Solstice.


It's been a year since Reggie first discovered the Vours, and the Winter Solstice is approaching once again. It will be another night of unspeakable horror for those unlucky enough to be taken by the Vours, because this time, she won't be able to stop them. The Vours have imprisoned Reggie in a psychiatric hospital, where she is subjected to a daily routine of unfathomably sadistic experiments. Her life is a living Hell, but she won't give up. They attacked her brother. They killed her friend. And Reggie will never stop fighting back.

I'm really excited to read this one. Fearscape comes out October 5 of this year and I'll definitely be looking forward to it!

What are you waiting on this week? Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments!

Blog Award Version 2.0

Thanks very much to Julie at Manga Maniac Cafe who just passed me the Versatile Blogger Award! I'd never even heard of this award and then I received it twice in two days - wow, guys! I'm honored. Thanks very much!

I just did this yesterday and I haven't found any new blogs in that short time span, so I don't have anyone to pass this one to. :( But I can tell you another seven facts about me...although they may be brief, because I'm tired and I have schoolwork that I'm supposed to be doing.

1. I love roller coasters.

2. I decided last night that I am going to learn German. One of my real-life friends who lived in Germany once upon a time has agreed to help me. My father, who took German in high school, has also agreed to help. I'm very excited. (Fact #2.5: I may be a very good speller in English, but in German, my spelling is pathetic.)

3. My bedroom has green walls and a blue ceiling.

4. I never know how to answer the question "what's your favorite color?" because I really like anything at the blue-green-purple end of the spectrum, and there aren't any colors that I particularly dislike except for certain shades of orange. Not sure why I have this problem with certain shades of orange, but there you go.

5. I adore British accents.

6. The song that is stuck in my head right now is "Love, Save the Empty" by Erin McCarley. It's a really good song. I suggest you listen to it. (The link goes to a YouTube video of the song, but if you like it, please take the time to download it legally.)

7. The most recent movie I saw in theaters was Inception. It was amazing. If you haven't seen it, you absolutely should.

Versatile Blogger Award!

I know, I know, just a couple of hours after I say that I'll be posting less, I post again. BUT it's for a very special, very awesome reason, so I think it's okay.

Alissa at The Grammarian's Reviews passed me the Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you so very much, Alissa! I'm honored.

There are some rules that go along with this award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3. Pass the award to 15 recently discovered blogs.

4. Contact the bloggers to let them know about the award.

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Seven Things About Me!

1. I am a horrible procrastinator. Right now, for example, I have oodles of summer homework that needs doing but instead I am on the internet.

2. I spend way too much time playing flash games, usually when I'm procrastinating. The most recent one is Achievement Unlocked 2, recommended to me by one of my real-life friends. (Fact #2.5: Yes, I do have real-life friends.)

3. Usually, I only reread books if a) it's one of my favorite books/series ever, b) there's a new one coming out soon and c) I haven't read the others in a long time. The one exception is the Harry Potter series. I have lost track of how many times I have read those books. It's kind of scary how much of a Potter nerd I am.

4. I love to write, and I write all the time. I'm also a bit of a grammar snob. (I know, I know.)

5. I love learning languages. Once school starts back, I'll be taking AP Spanish and I really love the language - but I only took it because my school only offers two languages. I've always wanted to learn German and Italian. I also think it would be cool to learn French and Chinese and just about every other language ever.

6. I love to travel, but the only time I've been out of the country was to Canada once when I was too little to remember it. I plan to study abroad in college and I've considered being a travel writer because it combines getting paid to see awesome new places and writing about said awesome places.

7. I once got into a debate with a boy two years younger than I am about whether or not I'm a nerd. I said I was, he said I wasn't. I won.

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Passing Along the Award!

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be new blogs in general or just new-to-me blogs, but here we go with a mix of both (in alphabetical order, because I'm weird like that):

1. An Avid Reader's Musings

2. Book Fare Delights

3. Chasing Words

4. Inkcrush

5. Katie's Book Blog

6. Not Enough Bookshelves

7. Potter, Percy, and I

8. Reading Angel

9. The Serpentine Library

10. Supernatural Snark

11. Tales of a Teenage Book Lover

12. YA Addict

I didn't quite get to fifteen. :( If I saw that someone had already gotten this award, I didn't give it to them, but there may be duplicates on here because I couldn't always tell. Also, I'd include The Grammarian's Reviews on here except that she's the one who gave it to me in the first place. :) Definitely check these blogs out! 

Educational Decree Number 24

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that it may be a little quiet around here over the next few days. I'll still be posting semi-regularly (Tuesday Twins, Waiting on Wednesday, that sort of thing), but because I have so much schoolwork that I need to get done between now and the eighteenth, I probably won't have much time for reading fun books.

It's actually really sad. I hate not being able to read. My copy of The Replacement is sitting there taunting me...I really want to read it. But sadly, with five AP classes to prepare for and a senior thesis to complete, I have to put school first for the next ten days.

I may post some older reviews that I wrote before I started this blog (which I've done a few times before), but if there's a dearth of new reviews, now you know why. And I'll be back to new reviews and fun books as soon as possible!

~Becky

P.S. If you got the reference in the post title, 50 House points for you!
P.P.S. If you didn't get it, it's from Harry Potter.

Book Blogger Hop + Awesome News

It is once again time for the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Crazy for Books. This week's question is: Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?


My answer: I have two younger brothers who like to make a lot of noise, so having noise while I'm reading doesn't bother me at all - but having music on usually does. I love music, and I'll tend to get distracted and pay more attention to the lyrics (or the actual music, if it's instrumental) than what I'm reading.


And now, some awesome news!


One of my favorite series is the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare (if you haven't read them, go do that now. Seriously. Don't finish reading this post, go read City of Bones). And she announced the night before last in a web chat that there are going to be more TMI books!


City of Fallen Angels, a Simon-centric fourth book, was already in the works, scheduled for release on April 5, 2011. But now there are going to be two more after that. City of Lost Souls will be released in May of 2012 and City of Heavenly Fire in September of 2013. The Infernal Devices trilogy, a prequel series to TMI, is also going to be released during that timeframe, beginning with The Clockwork Angel at the end of this month.


I am so excited. *fangirl joy*

Waiting on Wednesday: The Lost Saint

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

As you may or may not remember, I recently read (and loved!) The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (you can read my review here). So this week, I'm waiting on the sequel, The Lost Saint.

There's not a flap copy or anything yet, so far as I know, but there is a cover with a very pretty blue color... Anyway, I'm definitely very excited about this one. I can't wait to find out what happens with Grace, Daniel, and Jude (and April). The Lost Saint is scheduled for release on December 28 of this year. Here's hoping I can wait that long. ;)

What are you waiting for this week? Leave a link to your WoW post in the comments, I'd like to see what everyone else is excited about too!

Good Books vs. Thoughtful Books

As school approaches (two weeks from tomorrow, eeek), I'm having to admit that I really do need to get my homework done and stop reading "fun books" all day long. I've just finished The Things They Carried, the third and final "required reading" book for my AP Lit class, and it's kind of left me thinking about something.

I didn't especially enjoy any of the assigned school books; I found 1984 to be kind of dry and repetitive, A Prayer for Owen Meany went on for too long and I didn't particularly like the writing style, and The Things They Carried had too much gore and swearing with too little concrete plot. None of them were horrible, but none of them made me think "ooh this is really good" like a lot of the YA stuff I enjoy.

But while I would not have told anyone "these are fantastic books and you should read them 'cause they're awesome," they have all made me think. 1984 is a lot about solipsism and the idea of what reality means, plus a lot of stuff about the role of government. Owen Meany has a really original take on faith and believing in something. The Things They Carried is about war. They have these ideas that just get in your head and make you keep thinking about them. They'd be great books to discuss - just not exactly "fun" reading.

Has anyone else ever noticed this? Books that you don't necessarily enjoy but that you would still like to talk about? Let me know what you think. :)

Review: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour

Title: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 343
Rating: 5 stars
From the book jacket: 
When you're on a road trip, life is all about the detours.

Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move across the country and needs Amy to get their car from California to Connecticut. There's just one small problem: Since her dad died this past spring, Amy hasn't been able to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger, the nineteen-year-old son of an old family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute...and dealing with some baggage of his own.

Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father's death are not what Amy had planned for this trip. And traveling the Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado mountains, crossing the Kansas plains, and visiting diners, dingy motels, and Graceland were definitely not on the itinerary. But as they drive, Amy finds that the people you least expect are the ones you need the most - and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.

I read this book on Simon & Schuster's PulseIt site over a couple of hours (when I should have been doing summer homework. This was much more interesting, though). It absolutely kept me hooked - even though I predicted pretty much by the end of the first chapter what would happen, I still was excited to find out how it happened, and it's really more of a character novel than a plot novel anyway. And the characters are great, so it's awesome.

Amy Curry's father died in a car accident three months ago. For the last month, she's been on her own in their California home: her mom is in Connecticut, and her twin brother is in rehab in North Carolina. In all that time and then some, she hasn't driven. Amy doesn't drive anymore, not since the accident. So when she has to get the car from Cali to Connecticut, her mom calls in the son of an old family friend: Roger. Roger's driving the car for her, because he'll be staying at his dad's house in Pennsylvania for the summer, but he only agreed to drive the whole way because he's hoping to encounter his ex-girlfriend, Hadley. What neither of them realize is how much they'll end up helping each other with their issues.

The characters are really relatable; I especially related to Amy, because even though she's very different from me in a lot of ways, her feelings are so real and understandable and human. And Roger, too - he's flawed, he's sweet, he's one of the most real fictional male leads I've encountered in a long time, which makes him really quite awesome. And the story is simple and sweet and cute, just like a fun summer read should be, but it also deals with a lot of deep dark issues.

The five words I would pick to describe this book: heartbreaking, heartwarming, sad, sweet, and smiley.

The phrase I would use to describe what you should do now: Go read this book ASAP, because it's awesome.

Oh! And I almost forgot to mention the playlists! Amy and Roger spend a lot of time on their road trip making playlists. Roger's playlists include Jack's Mannequin - a band I really like that hardly anyone at my school/church/etc ever seems to have heard of - as well as other alternative bands that are awesome (and some I don't know - new music yay!) and Amy's are comprised of show tunes and Elvis. Need I say anything more about how awesome this is?