Friday, November 30, 2012

Review: This is Not a Drill


Emery and Jake never expected this to happened when they signed up to teach French to first grade students. The high school seniors are put into a terrible position when a father comes to pick up his son in the middle of the day.

The father, recently returned from Iraq is in the middle of a custody battle with his wife. However, he's not about to take no for an answer. Worse, he has a gun.

Emery and Jake must help the first graders remain calm. They don't want to do anything to agitate the man. The kids are scared.  Their teacher tries to stand up to the man, but soon she's injured. Can Emery and Jake keep all the kids safe and together until help can arrive?

My Thoughts: The story alternates perspectives between Emery and Jake.  In the beginning of the story, it's revealed that Jake and Emery have a past together. Over the story, bits and pieces of that past come into view.  It's a hard story to read.  On one hand, it's a terrible situation. On the other hand, your heart aches for the man who just wants to see his son, but who is going about it the wrong way. McDowell creates realistic tension, where the fast pace of the book makes it hard to put down. I really enjoyed this story which had the perfect blend of action, danger, emotional drama, and a tiny bit of romance.

Cover Thoughts: Perfect
Source: YA Lit Symposium

Top 10 Tuesday Spinoff

This week on the Top 10 Tuesday, the theme was upcoming 2013 books. I listed ten teen books, but I wanted to do back and revisit this theme for adult books.

So here they are in no particular order:
1. Red Velvet Cupcake Murder
2.  One Good Earl Deserves a Lover




3. House Rules
4. Crystal Cove
5. To Brie or Not to Brie
6. The Ashford Affair
7. Passion of the Purple Plumeria
8.What She Wants (no cover art)

9. Going Going Ganuache


10. Oak and Dagger (no cover yet)



Thursday, November 29, 2012

Holiday Review: The Reader

Now that's it's snowed, it's officially time to read and review holiday books! They will range from picture book to teen books to adult romances.

The Reader is the story about a boy and his dog on a snowy afternoon and together they take a journey. 
My Thoughts: This is the PERFECT picture book. The story is sweet and comforting. The pictures are wonderful. It's simply amazing.  I fell in love with it. I read it to my niece at bedtime and she really liked it.

Cover Thoughts: Great
Source: My Library

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Christmas Book Ideas for Teens


 If you have teens in your life, here's a few suggestions of awesome books,  I read this year that they might like. Please take a close look at the books as the ages range from middle school thru high school. I've read and enjoyed all of these books! Check out last year's edition for double the amount of books!

For those who loved The Hunger Games or Divergent:

For teens who are crafty:

For those who like Sarah Dessen and Meg Cabot:



For those who like Science: 
Science Fair
For those who like mysteries:
For the girls who love enhancing their beauty
For those who like reality:

For those who like romance:



7 Clues to Winning You

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight


For those who loved the 39 Clues series

For those who like fantasy with a strong heroine:



For those who like reality TV
For the smart girls:
For those who want a fun summer read:

For those who love trivia
For those who adore Kate and Will
For those who miss Gilmore Girls


For those who like historical fiction
For tho who like books set in the future
For those who like Paranormal reads: 

For those who love Twilight
Twilight Saga
For those who caught Olympic fever

For those who like time travel
For those who like Steampunk:


For those who need laughs/inspiration