Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J. In photographs of course I’m always in the background . . .
But it turns out other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who’s keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she is done with, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway . . .
 
Readers first fell in love with straight-talking D. J. Schwenk in Dairy Queen; they followed her ups and downs both on and off the court in The Off Season. Now D. J.steps out from behind the free-throw line in this final installment of the Dairy Queen trilogy

The thing I love about this series is how real it is. D.J. is a down to earth tomboy who loves her family, her dog, and sports. She even makes me love sports, and I'm the least athletic person in the world. D.J. is one of those characters that you instantly love even though you can't exactly figure out why, honestly I think my favorite thing about D.J. is her relationship with Curtis, we only see little snapshots of it but every time we do I love it! Best siblings ever!

This book was definitely a great end to the series, we saw resolve in D.J.'s relationships and a glimpse at where her future was going (well more than a glimpse, the whole book is basically her planning her future). While it wasn't a tear jerker like the second book in the trilogy it had some awesome emotion in it, I thought Murdock did a great job of capturing the panic that teens go through while thinking about college.

A great end to a great series! I'll miss you D.J., good luck! From one Wisconsin girl to another :)

Cover: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending 5/5

In My Mailbox

In my mailbox is a weekly MeMe hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers share what they've gotten to read this week.

From the library:

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

I've been wanting to read this for awhile, I think the whole ghost love story thing sounds fun.

Matched by Ally Condie

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this one, but the storyline sounds good to me!

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell

I really like the cover, the plot kind of reminds me of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, which I enjoyed.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Super excited about this one! I LOVED the Percy Jackson series and I'm so excited to be revisiting Camp Half-Blood!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly MeMe where bloggers share the books that tget can't wait to read.

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

Release Date: April 26th, 2011

This book sounds ridiculously good! I can't wait to read it!

In My Mailbox

In my mailbox is a weekly MeMe hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers share what they've got to read this week.

From the Library:

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

 I've been wanting to read this series for awhile, I always really enjoy vampire books.



A Novel Idea by Aimee Friedman

I love these cheesy love stories, they always have a happy ending!

Not very much this week, but still a ton in my reading pile!

What did you get in your mailbox?

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly MeMe hosted by Breaking the Spine where you share one of the books you are currently waiting on.

What I'm waiting on this week:

Fury of the Phoenix (kingdom of Xia #2)

Cindy Pon’s debut novel Silver Phoenix was called “fluid and exhilarating” in a starred review from Booklist, and Meg Cabot called it “an addictive gem.” In this companion novel, seventeen-year-old Ai Ling—her powers stronger than ever—stows away aboard a cargo ship in order to protect devastatingly handsome Chen Yong during his quest to locate his father. Masquerading as brother and sister, Ai Ling and Chen Yong face demonic predators on the ocean voyage, but their biggest threat comes from the kingdom of the dead. Part supernatural page-turner, part love story, and altogether stirring, Fury of the Phoenix further heralds the arrival of Cindy Pon as a stellar author of paranormal romance and fantasy.
O.K. I know I gave Silver Phoenix a so-so review, but I can't wait to see what happens between Ai Ling and Chen Yong!

What are you waiting on this week?



For those of us who love Sarah Dessen

If you don't know who Sarah Dessen is and you frequently read YA then you might be living under a rock, but just in case I'll give you a brief description of who she is. Sarah Dessen is the author of nine YA novels including, The Truth about Forever, Someone Like You, and Just Listen (my personal favorite). While some may say that the plots in the last couple of books she has written are sort of the same, which they are, I won't argue, they contain some great writing, awesome characters, and interesting teen issues. Her upcoming novel is entitled Whatever Happened to goodbye and she recently posted an excerpt of it on her live journal, so I thought I'd post the link for it on here so people could enjoy.

The Link: http://writergrl.livejournal.com/527210.html

The Cover:

If the link above doesn't work you can go to www.sarahdessen.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page where you'll find a link to her live journal.

Happy Monday everyone! :D

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly MeMe hosted by The Story Siren where bloggers share what they've gotten to read this week.

From the Library:

hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I've heard a lot of good things about this one. A little hesitant to read it, i'm not the biggest fan on the whole fallen angel storyline (Blue Bloods series not included).

Pies & Prejudice by Heather Vogel - Frederick

The Fourth book in the Mother-Daughter book club series. Love these books!

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

A dystopian novel, enough said.



Violet Eyes: A retelling of The Princess and the Pea by Debbie Viguie

Part of the once Upon A Time series, short reads but always good.

What did you get in your mailbox?

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Synopsis

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade-a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up-the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
Usually I fall in love with dystopian novels, I devour them and then I freak out about what would happen if the world was actually like that. I'm sure that's not normal, but I do it anyways. That didn't really happen with this book, I liked it but I didn't fall in love with it.

Thomas was a good character, but I didn't really connect with him right away. I thought his reaction to the maze was a little unrealistic, although it did say later that he felt comfortable there, which might have been alluding to the rest of the book. However one character I did really like was Teresa. She was sassy, I wish she hadn't come in so late in the book.

I liked the plot, but I found it really confusing in the beginning, I guess this was a way for the author to get us to relate to Thomas more, since he's so confused but I thought he could have made us relate to Thomas in a more obvious way.

My favorite part of this book was the last couple of chapters, the action really revved up and I liked some of the information we got at the end (sorry if that's a little vague, but i don't want to spoil the book), I am looking forward to reading the next book The Scorch Trials. I have a feeling this is one of those series that gets better as it goes on.

Plot: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Ending: 4/5
Cover: 5/5

Top ten hottest book hotties

10. Raf Kosravi from the Magic in Manhattan series: A guy who can dance and doesn't care about popularity? sign me up!

9. Henry Schoonmaker from The Luxe series: I love Henry! The whole storyline between him and Diana was one of my favorites.

8.  Ezra Fitz from the Pretty Little Liars series: Yes, the whole student teacher relationship thing was creepy but Mr. Fitz's hotness definitely made it significantly less creepy :).

7. James Easton from The Agency series: You can't help but love a guy who helps out the girl he likes, especially when hes risking his life for it!

6. Jack Force from The Blue Bloods series: Hot, a vampire, rich, nice, need I say more?

5. Alex Fuentes from Perfect Chemistry: Okay so technically he's in a gang and that's not really something to go gaga over but come on, how sweet is he? He does it for his family people!

4. Wesley Rush from The Duff: So truthfully I would hate a guy like him in real life, but I love him in this book! Cocky characters are awesome.

3. Owen Armstrong from Just Listen: I love Owen! I love love love him! This is definitely my favorite Sarah Dessen book and Owen contributes a lot to that. He's a music lover and he doesn't care what people think. Perfect!

2. Cam Fisher from The Clique series: I know what your thinking, The Clique? Really? But I love them! They're kind of a guilty pleasure for me, and I love Cam and Claire, cutest middle school couple ever!

1. Rob Wilkins from the 1-800-Where-R-You series: Rob is that mysterious bad boy with a motorcycle that we all want to come into our lives, so how could you not love him when he comes into Jess's?

The books are in a random order, not in a least favorite to favorite format.

Who are your hottest hotties?

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly MeMe hosted by The Story Siren where you share what books you've bought, checked out from the library or received in the mail this week.

From the Library:

Still Sucks To Be Me: More All True Confessions of Mina Smith, Teen Vampire by Kimberly Pauley

The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock







Dear Pen Pal (Mother-Daughter Book Club #3) by Heather Vogel Frederick

This is a very fun series, I've followed it for a couple of years now and I still haven't lost interest. The books center around four girls, Emma, Jess, Megan, and Cassidy.The girls are all from different backgrounds and have different interests and personality's but are brought together through a mother daughter book club. In this installment the girls are in eighth grade (in the first book the girls are in sixth grade, in the second book they're in seventh grade).

Let me just say that I am a junior in high school and I still find enjoyment in these books. They are aimed toward more middle grade girls but I think that they have themes and plots (and fun characters!) that will interest anyone. I really liked seeing how the girls matured in this book. Jess goes off to a private boarding school (but is still in Concord) and Cassidy deals with a family surprise, and of course there's a little boy trouble!

However what I think makes this book really endearing is the girls friendships with each other and their relationships with their mothers. It's really nice to read about friendships that I've experienced, with different people of course, in my life, and to see an accurate portrayal of a teen daughter and her mom.

You know what I found surprising about this book? How much it made me want to read Daddy Long Legs! I had never heard of it before reading this book and it really peaked my interest. I think that Heather Vogel does a great thing for classic literature in these novels. She makes the books into something fun you actually want to read, and the discussion questions in the back of the book for your own mother-daughter book club, how fun are those? I almost want to start one just so I can use them!

This is a fun light read, where everything always end happily. Who doesn't want to read a book like that once and awhile?

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Cover: 4/5

The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel) by Michael Scott

He holds the secret that can end the world.
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.
The records show that he died in 1418.
But his tomb is empty.
The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.
Sometimes legends are true.
And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

Yay! Another series about magic that I can follow and be excited about! I love books like this, books that mix ancient magic and the modern day world. Think Rick Riordan.

I really enjoyed the idea of the elder race in this book. It's something I've never seen before in a book, and I love when things are original. There are a lot of book series these days that have similar plot lines, which can get kind of obnoxious, or maybe that's just me.

Another thing I really liked was how Sophie and Josh interacted, I'm glad that they were siblings who actually liked each-other, it would have been annoying to read about two siblings who fought the entire book. I also thought that Dee was a great villain, you hated him but you could still see his motivation for doing the things he did and that Nicholas Flamel, was it just me or did he seem a little shifty at times?

I'm interested to see how this series turned out, it seems like it will be a fun ride.
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 2/5
Ending: 3/5

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly MeMe hosted where book bloggers share a few sentences from the book they're reading. This week my teaser is from The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

"Things were bad enough - no way he'd make it worse by telling people about the voices in his head. The only problem was Newt."

What's your teaser of the week?

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers. When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

So all of the reviews I had read for this book had been great so I was a little nervous about reading it, I didn't think it would be as good as they said, but it was!

From the description I thought that I wasn't going to like Brittany. I was wrong. From the second page of the book I loved her, you could immediately tell that she was a nice person from the way she acted with her sister. Alex I had mixed feelings about, but he definitely grew on me. Talk about a hunky bad boy!

One thing I liked about the book was how the author didn't immediately have Brittany and Alex hook up, they had plenty of tension filled moments first. I also loved the looks into Alex's life in a gang, they really beefed the book up for me, elevated it to a level above a silly teen love story (even though I love silly teen love stories).

I only wish they had made the cover a little steamier. The covers of the other two books in the trilogy are HOT, but I do think that the cover models accurately portray Alex and Brittany.

I can't wait to read book two!

Cover: 3/5
Plot:5/5
Characters: 5/5
Ending: 5/5 ( I loved the Epilogue! So cute!)

In My Mailbox

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren where you share what you've gotten to read this week.

Bought:

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard

I'm really excited about this one. I LOVED the pretty little liars series.

From the Library:

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

What did you get in your mailbox this week?