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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Reivew: The Ghosts of Lone Jack

Jared and his dad are spending the summer in Lone Jack, MI to be with Jared's grandfather. What starts out as a slow summer playing baseball and not having any friends, quickly picks up one afternoon in the baseball field. As Jared lets a fly ball soar over his head, he sees a ghost for the first time. She wants something from him, a key. Jared's not sure if she's real. When he talks to an old caretaker, he realizes that his vision might have been a ghost after all. There's residue left over from the Civil War battlefield in Lone Jack. As the summer moves on, Jared realizes that he's one the few who can see the ghosts. They're starting to become more existent. The townspeople could be in grave danger, and Jared must help solve the mystery of the key and help them find peace before it's too late.


I love the cover of this book. It's an interesting tween tale that will attract boys but reads like a YA novel at times. If Jared had been older, it could have been a crossover. I like the ghosts and the Civil War history.

Spotted: Huge? The Next Big Thing


ABC takes a look at turning this awesome YA book to a cross between Ugly Betty and Glee

Sounds intriguing - plus I LOVED this book

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

review: Ex-Games

Hayden and Nick have a history. Now that their best friends are all dating, is it only a matter of time before they hook up again too? Hayden half wants to believe this could be true, but the other half thinks Nick is just playing her. One minute he's sweet and then the next minute he's cold. So they flirt and then fight - then repeat. But things change when Nick challenges Hayden to a snowboarding competition after making some snarky remarks about girls snowboarding in comparison to guys. Now the gloves are off as the school parts down the middle. It's no longer about snowboarding, it's the battle of the sexes and everyone's taking sides. Will Hayden and Nick's relationship survive the competition?

I LOVED the battle of the sexes plot. The flirty banter between the duo sizzles in this sporty winter tale. The romance stands out, but the secondary plots of friendship, insecurities, fears, and limits really ring true. Plus the title and the cover are both eye catching.



Spotted: Demon's Lexicon (paperback cover)



While I liked the hardcover version,
I LOVE this new paperback cover!


Monday, January 25, 2010

Spotted: Dark Flame




4th book in the series out July 6th!

Looks Amazing!
Thoughts?

Harry Potter Theme Park pics

Check out Hogwarts:



Also check out the site for FAQs - although they're vague on the opening day

Still, it looks wonderful - I really wish a letter was approaching my door as we speak.

Inside Out: from www.teensreadtoo.com


Trella is a scrub – but she’s not your average scrub. She has one friend and prefers to spend her time in the pipes rather than with the overcrowded living quarters of the other scrubs. They’re forced to clean the Inside for the Uppers. Trella doesn’t know much about the world, but when her friend comes to her and says there’s someone who wants to meet her, she’s suspicious. What she discovers is something she never imagined. Unknowingly, she starts a revolution. Now, people who once scorned her are helping her complete tasks, steal food, and giving her valuable information, all for the hopes of a better life. Everyone wants to know what’s on the Outside. Everywhere Trella goes, danger follows. The Pop Cops have captured her best friend. He’s sentenced to die if she doesn’t get to him in time. They’re watching her every move and questioning her acquaintances. Plus, she doesn’t know who to trust. She’s going by her instincts, but the last time a rebellion occurred, the leaders were betrayed. Trella’s hoping she trusts the right people and, with time running out, hoping that they find something that makes all their sacrifices worthwhile.

I reviewed this one for www.teensreadtoo.com
where I gave it a:


Inside Out is an edge-of-your-seat science fiction action adventure ride filled with twists and turns you’ll never see coming.
Maria V. Snyder has quickly become a favorite author of mine. I love her Glass series and her Study series. I can’t wait to see what she and Trella have in store for us in the next book of this series.

Intrigued? Check out the first chapter here

* comes out in April*

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Created: ALA Midwinter

Here's a video I made, still learning the editing process - so it's far from perfect...



what did you get that I missed?







Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Review: Scones and Sensibility

Polly LOVES books, especially romantic tales like Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables. Polly realizes that the world would be a better place if romance lived on as it does it books. So she decides to change the world. She decides that her sister's boyfriend isn't good enough for her. She decides that her best friend's father should not look for love on the internet, instead she will find a suitable woman for him. She also decides that she will pair up two unhappy singletons. She can work on her matchmaking skills while out delivering goodies from her parents' bakery. Will love blossom in the air or stink like her sister's burnt bakery creations?

A cute tale that made me crave chocolate croissants and other goodies. Polly is sweet, funny, and hopelessly out of touch with her world, which only makes her more lovable. A great novel for tween girls or anyone who loves matchmaking!

Winners: Lonely Hearts Club


Winners have been emailed. If you didn't win, there's still hope. There's a TWITTER party happening tomorrow night. Check out the details:

Join Lonely Hearts Club author Elizabeth Eulberg and Amy of MyFriendAmy for a Twitter party Wednesday, January 20, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. EST!

*Be sure to follow Elizabeth @ElizEulberg and Amy @MyFriendAmy before the party!

*Join the fun! No one expects you or your tweets to be perfect; we’re just happy you made it to the party!

*Anyone who tweets during this hour using #LonelyHeartsClub is entered to win a limited edition Lonely Hearts Club t-shirt!

*Watch for questions from @MyFriendAmy and win awesome prizes including an iPod shuffle, $50 iTunes gift card or $25 VISA gift card!

*To join the party, you can use our official party tweetgrid or just search #LonelyHeartsClub on Twitter.

*Ask Elizabeth questions or chat with other partygoers about how excited you are to read LHC—just use the tag #LonelyHeartsClub in all of your party tweets! (This is added automatically in TweetGrid.)

Please don’t post any spoilers and don’t forget to pay attention to the time zones, the party starts at 8:30pm EST

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Reminder!


Just a quick note to remind you all that the LONELY HEARTS CLUB contest ends Monday Jan 18th at midnight. Get your entries in!

ALA Midwinter


Tomorrow I'm headed to Midwinter in Boston
I'll be at the YALSA Happy Hour and the Twitter Meet up
Love meeting bookish people, maybe I'll see you there :)

Spotted: Red Pyramid


Rick Riordan's new book cover REVEALED with animation!
(picture above = background picture)

Thoughts on the cover?
I really like it and am eager to pick this one up!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Reivew: Little White Lies (with spoilers if you haven't read the series)

Sasha's torn after Jacob's announcement. It's not that she doesn't adore Eric, but the questions still linger in her mind of what might have been. Still, she's made up her mind and wants to be with Eric. It's been a little difficult not seeing him all summer. Plus her summer wasn't the greatest as she didn't perform as well as she would have liked at YENT camp. Now, her head's a mess. She can't tell Callie, but she wants to tell Paige until Paige has boy troubles of her own. Soon, she just starts lying to everyone about talking to Jacob. Will all the lies eventually catch up with her?

I *Love* this series, but couldn't believe the ending of the book - proving that friendship means more than boys in an odd sort of way. Waiting for Rival's Revenge to find out what happens next...

Monday, January 11, 2010

Sherlock Holmes: a review


I found this enjoyable - witty, clever, loved the banter between Holmes and Watson, liked the superior intelligence of Holmes. Rachel McAdams was charming and amusing. The double crossings and knowledge sharing reminded me of the Ocean's 11 movies. I adored the scenery, the quaint English city and buildings. Plus, the ending's left for a sequel or two.

This will be one to show in the library.
Have you seen it?
What do you think?

Friday, January 8, 2010

Luv Ya Bunches

Katie Rose doesn't have any friend at school. She's really hoping that over the summer popular girl Milla will ditch her not so nice friends and want to hang out with Katie Rose. Mila's not too sure who she wants to be friends with, her friends aren't always nice, but she doesn't want to be a social nobody either. A new girl Violet enters and she's waiting to see which social group she should join. She's not afraid of resident mean girl Modessa. Soon Katie Rose befriends Yasaman who loves computers. She's made her own website where firends can chat with each other. When Milla's good luck charm disappears, the outcome changes everything. Will the four girls find their way navigating through social pressures?

The first book in a new tween series mention Myracles's characters from her other popular series TTYL. Luv Ya Bunches reads as a younger version of that series and will contain three more books. It's a very cute book - with IM chat and mini screenplays included. Tweens will love this one, I sure did!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Review: Demon's Lexicon

For as long as Nick can remember, his family has been on the run from evil beings and demons. His father died saving Nick's family so it's just Nick, his brother Alan, and his mother who hates Nick. Life sucks for Nick, but he attempts to make the best of it until his school world collides with his home life. When a brother and sister show up looking for help from strange dreams and markings that allow demon power, Nick wants them to go away. Alan, on the other hand, show sympathy and agrees to help the siblings. Nick knows that part of Alan's reasoning includes a crush on Mae. He reluctantly goes along with Alan's plan only because in trying to help them, Alan becomes marked as well. They need find a way to erase the markings. Just when the answer might be in sight, nothing goes to plan and suddenly everything is at stake. Will the brothers come out of this mess alive and still speaking to each other?

I know, I'm late reading this one as everyone talked about it months ago, but that how it goes. A dark chilling alluring tale with demons galore and a huge twist at the end of the tale. I'm interested in seeing where the next book will take us.

* picked up an ARC from publisher at a BEA *

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Thoughts on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Last night, I finished watching Buffy
There were parts that were amazing:
I love that it was a girl kicking butt show
I loved the relationships - between Buffy and her friends
and usually between Buffy and her relationships
I (obviously) adored Giles
I liked how Faith came back into play
There were times when I felt the show go off track
There were definitely things I didn't understand - like the monsters at the end being the same that took Buffy ages to kill just one...
But overall it was snarky, clever, funny, exciting, and enjoyable!

Spotted: Sneak Peek


Looking forward to book 2?
Get a preview here