The Unusual Suspects

I loved the first one, but this one is even better (and I'm itching to read the third one). This book is creative and entertaining and just wonderful. I can't say enough good things about it.

The second in the Sister's Grimm series, this novel picks up after Sabrina and Daphne have discovered that they are the descendants of the famous Brothers Grimm, who were historians. Not storytellers. Like all their family before them, they must keep things under control in Ferryport Landing, the town where all the ever afters are trapped. Sabrina and Daphne have enrolled at school, but their first day they find Sabrina's teacher.... dead in his classroom after school. The Grimms are on another case, and this time there are lots of deadly magical beasts. And as before, it's all wrapped up with the Red Hand, the infamous group responsible for the disappearance of the sister's parents. Will they be able to solve this mystery?

I love that each story is individual and self-contained, but there is also a long story arc that carries on from book to book. This long story arc isn't too overwhelming. It keeps you sucked in and gives the whole thing a bit of mystery, but each self-contained story makes it so that the far-between clues aren't torture. It reminds me of how television series are set up, and I it really works in this series.

The characters here are great. Buckley has an unlimited amount of source material to pull from for inhabitants of the town, but my favorite, by far, is Puck. The Trickster King likes the Grimms and even enrolls at school in order to be Sabrina's body guard. The way Sabrina and Puck interact is brilliant and helps to make this one of my favorite current series.

Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras

Well, I've finished the latest book in the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series. I'm dying for the next one, but luckily the librarian pointed out this series to me. It's similar in that it is a humorous British diary-style novel, but it is written for a younger audiences than Rennison's books. They are also quite a bit shorter.

Lucy's life isn't the way she wants it. She needs to figure out who she is for a school assignment and has no idea where to start. She does know that she is 14, but looks 12. This fact ruins everything. Her friends can't go out and have fun because she looks so young that she can never get into clubs or even the good movies. She starts to worry that her best friend is replacing her with someone who can do these things. Her diary brings us through her life as she worries about losing her friends, crushes on a new guy (who happens to be her replacements older brother) and starts to explore her love of fashion as a viable future career.

While very similar to the Georgia Nicholson diaries, it is not a carbon copy. It is written in diary form, but even so reads more like a "regular" novel then Rennison's books do. The main character also searches for self-discovery and makes some progress throughout the book. As much as I love Georgia Nicholson, she doesn't have the deepest character arc. Rennison's diaries are mostly written for entertainment, while Mate, Dates, and Inflatable Bras tries to dig a little deeper.

Even so, it must be noted that as ridiculous as Georgia often is, she is a much more realistic character with a realistic life than Lucy is. Some things in Lucy's diary are just a bit beyond my imagining for a realistic book. For example, Lucy is complemented on her fashion designs by a famous designer. While aiding the story and definitely helping Lucy on her road to self-discover, it isn't really realistic. What I love about the Georgia Nicholson diaries is how much Georgia aspires to have something like that happen to her, but it never does. That's reality. At least that's my reality.

Overall, this novel is a quick and entertaining read. Fans of Georgia Nicholson will enjoy it, as well as middle school girls who are struggling with their identities the same way that Lucy is.

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth. What can be said in introduction? It is a classic. It is so full of lessons that you're practically gagging. Yet it is so entertaining, so endearing, that it automatically becomes a favorite.

It all starts with Milo, a young boy who is bored and lazy. He is not interested in school or life or anything. His family is well off, he could do anything. He just doesn't feel the spark of life. Then one day a mysterious toy tollbooth appears in his room, and after setting it up he embarks on a journey through another land to free the princesses Rhyme and Reason. With his new friend, Tock (a watch dog, literally!), he learns a lot about himself and life.

This book has the potential to be cheesy and terrible. Often allegories are just ridiculous. But I always hated people trying to teach me a lesson. A story true to life will teach you without being totally obvious about it. However, this book is amazing and funny and has been one of my favorites for several years now.

If you asked me to pick my favorite part of The Phantom Tollbooth, I just wouldn't be able to do it. This book is genius and every chapter is new and amazing and surprising and funny. So for a list of my favorite parts of the book, please see the Table of Contents at the beginning of your copy.

Dracula

I've been on a kind of vampire kick since I finished The Twilight Saga and decided that Dracula was a great reading choice. Why wouldn't it be? I loved it when I listened to it on tape when I was about twelve. However, I was a very pretentious twelve-year-old who liked things that sounded classy and proper. And that's what Dracula is. It's a bunch of letters and diary entries of people trying to be "proper". Even when they fear a vampire is draining her blood, the men are afraid to go into Mina's room while she is sleeping.

Don't get me wrong, it's a classic, it's a huge deal when you talk about vampire literature, and it's not bad. However, it is kind of slow. They repeat everything a million times and Stoker takes the longest round-about way to every point he is trying to make.

It also didn't quite fit with my modern views of women. Essentially, Dracula is a love story. Jonathon and Mina are in love and they will both face the darkest of evils in order to save their love. However, Mina (and Lucy before she dies) are just plain boring. They are these perfect woman who want nothing more but to help the good, strong, brave, noble men. I couldn't relate to them at all. They deferred to the men even when they had opposing views and were always praised when the men took over telling the story. I want some drama. I want someone to mess up. Give me heartbreak, give me tension. Give me something other than one villian with a "child-brain".

I read somewhere that Dracula is all about dealing with sexual sin. This makes it a little bit more interesting. The first thing that comes to my mind is that Mina is a rape victim. And I think of the scene where the three vampiresses call to her and tell her she's just like them (them=women of the street or the like) and she refuses to accept that. However, it still remains that even though she was violated, she is guilty of sexual sin and can not come into the presence of God. She is ultimately redeemed, but again, she is a helpless woman, who is redeemed by men.

I wouldn't call myself a feminist, but I think that is only because I am young enough that I take my place in the world for granted. This book took me a long time to read. I kept getting frustrated with how unable I was to connect to this "marvelous" and perfect woman, and had to put the book down. I kept picking up books like Lauren Myracle's ttyl or watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (season seven). I needed that strong female character. But that's not to say that I only read books that have heroines. I love books with male protagonists, too. The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix is great and I love Christopher Paolini's character Eragon.

What I need is for men and woman to be on equal footing. You could say that I get this with Mina and Jonathon's marriage, they would both gladly die for the other. But I want more than that. I need realistic characters with doubts and fears, who mess up and who stick up for themselves. They quarrel and apologize and hold grudges and forgive. Reading Dracula, I'm just starting to see how much I take for granted and what my mother and grandmother and great-grandmother had to fight for.

When I first decided to read this I read somewhere that most of the movie adaptations weren't very true to the book. I remember thinking, someone should make an adaptation that is close to the original. Now I'm thinking that someone should write a reinvention of this story where Mina is strong and redeems herself at the end.

Overall, I'm glad I read this book again. It was interesting to see one of the first vampire romances (even if the vampire was bad) and it definitely made me think. It was exciting at points, when all the academic characters stopped talking and went to action, but I'm glad I only borrowed it from the library and didn't buy it. I probably won't read it again for many years, and I am okay with that.

John Green is AWESOME

I was just on Ally Carter's website, which by the way is awesome. It has some of the best advice for would-be writers, as well as an awesome design. However, her incredibly entertaining blog/diary had a link to a speech by John Green. It's about teen literature and it is truly amazing. I'm tearing up a little and it sort of makes me want to be a librarian or a teacher or just someone who influences children and teens. It's inspiring me to take my writing seriously and I think I'm going to print out a copy and hang it on my wall. That's how good the speech is.

By the way, if you didn't know, John Green is the author of several young adult books, most recently Paper Towns, which i had the pleasure of reading this summer. His other books include An Abundance of Katherines and Looking For Alaska, which are both on my LONG and ever growing list of books to read. He is won the Printz award, which means he's great. Not only are his books of very high literary value (Printz award!), but they are good stories and a fun read. And that is exactly what his speech is about. So go read his speech, now!

Some Meg Cabot Goodies

I have yet to read a Meg Cabot book, but they are supposed to be good. She doesn't look that old, but I'm looking at all the books she has written and that woman is PROLIFIC!!! I'm impressed and intimidated.

However, I have some exciting news. First, you can read the ENTIRE book one of the Princess Diaries here. The publisher is apparently promoting the coming release of the final book in the series.

Now I am VERY excited to read this, because I haven't read this before, and also it's free. And I don't know why I haven't read this before, because I am a HUGE fan of the movies. Both of them. They are fun and awesome and I wish I had brought my DVDs to California because I really want to watch them now.

Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers

Number six in this series was one that I was quite excited to read because the last one ended with Georgia learning of a family vacation to the US! Seeing Georgia's take on the States, especially the south, was something that I not only looked forward to, but immensely enjoyed.

Book six beings with Georgia heading to Hamburger-a-go-go land with her family and Jas. Memphis to be more precise. But Georgia's plan is to hop a bus to Manhattan and find Masimo Scarlotti, the Italian Stallion and new front man for the Stiff Dylans. This proves harder that she originally thought, and she returns home having not seen Masimo. Now she is back to normal life where everyone is out to embarrass her. And could she be competing with Wet Lindsay for the affection of ANOTHER Stiff Dylans front man?

I love Georgia! She's so funny. The story doesn't seem to progress much, it's more slice of life style, but as a character Georgia is funny and original and I could read about her life all day! She is just so ridiculous. For example, when she is looking for Masimo, she calls every Scarlotti in Manhattan and ends up ordering food for delivery. Not only is Georgia hilarious, but her friends and family are just as fun.

Startled By His Furry Shorts

I read several of the books in this series very quickly, one right after the other. I laughed for days as my poor roommates tried to sleep. I apologize to them, but do not regret reading this book.

This is like a soap opera, if soap operas were supposed to be hilarious and also realistic. In this book, Georgia and the Ace Gang are being forced to participate in a production of MacBeth. The bright side? Dave the Laugh and the other boys are coming to help out! As always, the school should know better than to let Georgia be involved in anything. Hilarity ensures with Dave the Laugh substituting words in the serious Mac Beth lines with "pants" (Brit-slang for underwear). There is also Georgia's normal boy trouble and the usual Rosie drama, which is anything but usual. This time it involves planning a viking wedding, and Sven actually shows up at one point wearing tight furry shorts!!!!!

As for Georgia's boy drama, she gets herself in lots of messes. Like wearing "gorgy" shoes that are several times too small, then being too tired to take them off before bed. Her feet swell up and her mother calls the (handsome) doctor to come cut them off. Throughout it all, Georgia's relationship with Dave the L grows stronger. Dave is my favorite character, and I hope that this will develop more. Seriously, this book isn't very deep, but if you want to laugh out loud and just enjoy yourself there is nothing better than this series.

Love Is A Many Trousered Thing

Yes. In fact it is. This was by far my favorite in the series so far! Georgia, having spent so much time chasing boys, does not know what to do when she must decide between Masimo, Robbie, and maybe even Dave the Laugh. Georgia doesn't know what to do when she is talking to Masimo and Robbie shows up so she runs away. And she can't ask Dave the Laugh for advice about what to do about Robbie and Masimo, because she might be interested in Dave the Laugh, too. She certainly isn't happy about his girlfriend, at any rate.

I always worry with a series like this that the jokes will get old and I'll just be reading the same book over and over again. But this book is funny. Her relationships have definitely developed and I can't believe how many ridiculous situations Rennison can come up with to put Georgia in. All of my favorite characters make an appearance in this book: Robbie, Dave the Laugh, Sven!!! and Libby. All of the characters are unique and interesting. I really don't want to think about this series ending eventually.

Grim Tuesday

I enjoyed the second book in this series immensely more than the first. I got through it quite quickly and am excited for the third. I picked it up at the bookstore yesterday, in fact.

When we left Arthur at the end of Mister Monday, he had just taken control of the lower house and wanted some time to himself. But after only a few hours after returning to his secondary realm, the special red phone rings, signaling that there is a problem. The original Mister Monday had massive amounts of debt and Grim Tuesday wants to take control of the lower house in payment. But before Arther can figure out what to do the phone is cut off due to lack of funds! Arthur finds himself in another adventure that leads him into Grim Tuesdays territory and eventually a showdown with Grim Tuesday himself for control of Tuesday's domain!

So far this series has been great, the whole world right down to the names like Mister Monday and Grim Tuesday are creative and easy to buy into. But Nix tends to create great fantasy worlds. I loved his Seventh Tower series when I was younger. Particularly in this series, I love that Arthur is a VERY reluctant hero. I love the way he treats people and the idea of someone like Arthur inheriting existence itself.

Midnight for Charlie Bone

This has been a series I have been interested in reading for some time now. I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and wanted something similar. I made myself wait to read this because I didn't want to be constantly comparing it to Harry Potter. No matter how good a book is, it will never stand up next to your favorite book.

As it is, this is a lot like Harry Potter: boy with special abilities goes to a special school for people with special abilities and there is a bad guy who has it in for the main character. More specifically, Charlie Bone discovers that when he looks at a picture he can hear what happened when the picture was taken. This ability lands him at Bloor's Academy, a school for art geniuses and children with magical abilities. As if Charlie hasn't found himself in a weird enough situation, he has suddenly been thrown in to a mystery involving a kidnapped child who he is determined to reunite with her Aunt, and last living relative. But the Bloor's (rich bad guys who run the academy, no Dumbledore here) are keeping a close eye on him and are determined that he won't succeed.

Even though both Charlie Bone and Harry Potter have the same premise, they are different enough to warrant reading this series. First, this series plays to a younger audience. Second, while not especially memorable, Charlie Bone is just fun to read. The story is quite interesting, the characters are likable. There were several times that I found myself smiling ear to ear and laughing out loud. On the negative side, though, sometimes the story seems forced. Things happen the way they do in Interactive Fiction text-based games. For example, people give Charlie information for no reason, just because they feel he ought to know. There were several times that I wished for realistic motivations.

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of Samarkand follows a young magician, Nathaniel, who gets in over his head by summoning a mid-level demon, Bartimaeus, to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from one of the most powerful (and evil) magicians in his country. He uncovers a plot deeper and more sinister than he could ever have imagined and must team up with Bartimaeus to save his government.

The storytelling switches from Nathaniel's point of view to Bartimaeus' and both are unique, lovable story-tellers. Bartimaeus especially is a funny narrator, and the magical world that Nathaniel and Bartimaeus inhabit is extremely interesting. The story is great, this novel having a satisfying self-contained story, while still setting up the overarching plot of the trilogy. I feel that often trilogy's are just one really long book, where really, they should be three separate stories, joined by one over-arching story (Take note Christopher Paolini!). The Bartimaeus Trilogy is a real trilogy, thankfully and all of the interweaving plots are excellent.

As a side note, I'm not sure when I will be reading the rest of the trilogy, for two reasons. One, I bought the book, but it is at my parent's house in Virginia and I live in California now. Two, the second book switches between three points of view: Nathaniel, Bartimaeus, and a girl who only briefly showed up in the first book, but who I hated. I'm sure if i give her a chance, she'll be great, because I love Jonathon Stroud as a writer and my brother promises me that I'll love her. However, I really don't want to give her that chance because she pissed me off in the first book, like Julie Cooper from the OC.

Cathy's Book

Cathy keeps a journal of sorts (with beautiful sketches that physically give this book great character) so that if anything happens to her, her best friend will know what is going on. Cathy has a boyfriend, who she cares about a lot and he seems to care about her too. That is until he suddenly breaks up with her, citing age differences. Cathy breaks into his house and starts stalking him and gets in over her head with what she thinks is Chinese organized crime, but the truth turns out to be deeper and stranger than she could ever imagine.

This book is AWESOME! It is INTERACTIVE, with phone numbers, websites, etc., that work. Parts of the book are sketches, parts are evidence that Cathy finds as she investigates her ex-boyfriend, sometimes her instant messenger conversations are part of the story and we see her conversations. If she has two conversations at the same time, we see them side by side, with time stamps, the way we would if we had two conversations up on the computer screen. I didn't check any of the interactive parts, because I couldn't put the book down, but I am told that everything is still operational. Either way, the story is fine on its' own. I was seriously impressed when I read this book. I read a lot, and tend to love all stories, but I've become better at finding great stories (thanks to two internships that allowed me to read all summer for school credit! Best summer ever!). This is a great story that really modernizes the novel medium. The characters are great, the story is phenomenal, the presentation is excellent. Seriously, read this book.

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister

In book number two, Charlie Bone is back at Bloor's, where strange things always happens. Once again, Charlie and his friends must come together to fix things when they meet Henry Yewbeam, a boy from the past, who was sent to the future with a mysterious time twister.

I read this a long time ago, and it all kind of runs together. These books are good and fun to read, not great, but definately enjoyable. This book continues Charlie unraveling the mystery of the Red King and the endowed children, as well as Charlie finding his father and dealing with his aunts. This is probably the worst review ever, but I'm planning on reading the rest of the series and don't want to just skip several of the books.

Lord Loss

Darren Shan switches from Vampires (Cirque du Freak series) to Werewolves, and I love it! Scary and funny with plot twists and great characters, this is a great introduction for a new series for Shan. It all starts when Grubbs Grady discovers his entire (chess-obsessed) family dead, their bodies being played with by demons and a demon master, Lord Loss. He soon finds out that his bloodline has a genetic disease, where teenagers often become werewolves. And this isn't howl at the moon once a month werewolves. Transformations occur around the full moon, but they are permanent and the child must either be killed or controlled. Lord Loss is the only one with a cure, but you'll have to play his game first. One person fights off his demons, one person plays him in five simultaneous games of chess. If either one of these people looses, then Lord Loss gets them both... and the child. As if that weren't enough, if the person playing chess manages to win three games, it still isn't over. The fighter and the child can go free, but the person playing chess is taken to Lord Loss's demon dimension, where they must fight for their life. Lord Loss killed Grubbs' entire family and now Grubbs must decide if he is ready to face Lord Loss in order to save a new-found family member.

Well, this plot description was longer than I intended, but seriously, this book was good. I like it better than the Cirque du Freak books, and just bought the second one and am itching to read it. The characters are easy to like, real, and funny. To be honest, I was worried that Shan would give us Darren, the narrator in Cirque to Freak, all over again but with werewolves. However, this didn't happen. The writing is conversational, first person like the Cirque du Freak, but Shan gives us an entirely different narrator and shows that he really is the master of horror and a great writer. This book reads a little older than the Cirque du Freak, and is just real. Shan doesn't shy away from teenage pregnancy (Cirque du Freak), or adult infidelity (Demonata). The horror elements are fantastic, but Shan's success comes from being able to ground them in the real world.

Flawless

This is the second book in the series. Is it confusing that I'm updating this blog backwards? I apologize. Soon all will be caught up.

So what happens in this very soap-opera-like series? A continues to torment the four former friends with dark secrets. This time they delve into the Jenna incident and we get some answers on this. Each character's situation gets worse and worse and we have another Red Herring for who A is. But Ally is definitely dead, and Ally was definitely a bad kid. But we're yet again left with absolutely no idea who A could be.

There are a lot of awesomely trashy moments in this book, but they are few and far between. The plot develops excruciatingly slow. This is why I don't watch Lost. I have a short attention span, and the author is just being spiteful. What we really want to know is going to be drawn out over several years worth of books and then when we get to the reveal it's never going to be worth it.

I kind of want to know who A really is, because I hate not knowing how a mystery turns out. However, I doubt I'm going to waste money on another book from this series. I just can't take it. There are too many other books that will give me just as much story in a single book rather than a series. If you read the rest, let me know, because I am a little curious about how this all ends up.

The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things

Virginia's life is... complicated: She's the overweight, youngest child of a perfectly beautiful family, she fools around with a guy named Froggy and kind of likes him, but is afraid to act on that, because that's not what good fat girls do, her best friend has moved to the other side of the country, and she's obsessed with making lists. But then her brother is kicked out of Columbia for date rape. Her whole family is thrown off balance and Virginia must learn to deal with the family she always thought was perfect and never felt a part of. And hey, maybe she'll learn to love herself and maybe get a guy too.

Seriously, I doubt that summary does this book justice. Every girl should read this book. Not only does Mackler know how to create amazing characters and tell a good story, but if you're interested in the thought process of an overweight 15-year-old, this is your Bible. As a character, Virginia could have easily been a pathetic, self-obsessed fat girl, but she's not. She's a real person and she learns how to stand up for herself. This book has such a great message, but it is also an enjoyable, well-told story.

If you don't believe me, take a look at the picture. Right at the bottom is a silver metal. For being a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. That's a big deal. But the thing about compelling, well told, realistic stories is that often they offend us. Real life offends us and the best books are true to some sort of life and challenging. If you didn't know already, I'm a fan of banned and challenged books. I make it a point to read them. Now, I understand it's a complicated issue, so now is not the time for me to discuss my views. However, for an interesting article on the Maryland challenge on this novel, see this article, which also talks a little bit about Guyaholic.

Twilight

(Note: This is the original post from my previous blog on 25 October 2008. That means that it was posted before the movie came out and before I read the rest of the series.)

This book has a lot of fans and a lot of hype, so clearly I have to add my two cents. Actually, I bought this book back in November, because the back was intriguing. A girl falling for a Vampire who lusts for her blood? Fantastic. I bought it and read it before I realized how much of a phenomenon it is. So, clearly, there is a lot to talk about here.

First, what's it really about? Bella moves in with her father and at school meets a boy named Edward Cullen. He is tense around her always, like he hates her, but she can't help but fall in love with him. Well, it turns out he actually loves her too, but he's a vampire and the scent of her blood is the most beautiful blood he has ever smelled. They are in love, but soon another vampire meets Bella and he wants her blood, too. Edward and his vampire family (who are all gorgeous by the way and also, they don't drink human blood) fight to protect Bella from the other vampire, who wants to kill her.

Alright, I LOVED this book when I first read it. Sure it was really cheesy, but it made me giggle and was exciting, and Bella is actually a really interesting narrator. Plus, the premise is kind of great. This isn't a great piece of literature by any means, but it is a fun read. I don't think it deserves all the hype it's getting. Seriously, the story flows well and is anything but boring, but there isn't much conflict between Bella and Edward. It all happens so fast. They meet, he's a vampire, oh and now they're in love. There are plenty of other books that deserve the hype this book is getting.

As for what comes next, there are a few things to mention. First, the series is growing, which should be obvious because Meyer would be stupid to stop writing about Bella and Edward with the fan-base she's got. I just bought the second novel and am excited to read it. There are two other books in the series out, the last having come out recently (within the last month, I think). I will buy them when they come out in paperback or try to get them from the library. I'm excited to read this story, but not excited enough to pay hardback price.

Finally.... the MOVIE!!!! It's coming out November 21st and I'm very excited to see how it turns out. It might be total crap, but I'm hoping that it's not. They have a female director, so if the film is any good, it might do good things for women in the film industry. I'm mixed on the casting. Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen: FANTASTIC. Kristen Stewart, I'm not so sure about. However, the girl CAN act, and that is what is most important. I am very excited to see how this shapes up.

Vegan Virgin Valentine

Another novel from Mackler (The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things), that shows she can create great characters. Mara Valentine is a type A personality. She's been accepted to a prestigious college and is competing for valedictorian with her ex-boyfriend. She's even got a part time job and everything seems to be going perfect. But then V, Mara's niece who is only a year younger than her, shows up and V and Mara couldn't be less alike. V smokes pot, is into acting, and hooks up with Mara's ex-boyfriend. But Mara is about to figure out who she really is and not who she thinks her parents want her to be. With a not-always-easy relationship with V, a new (and older) boyfriend, and lots of trial and error, Mara may just learn how to really live.

Mackler make some really good characters. I love Mara and V, and Mara's boyfriend too. I love the journey she takes and feel the tension. There is lots of conflict and lots of emotions and it was just a good story. It isn't how I would have resolved Mara's situation, but then I am very different from Mara and her decision is true to herself and the journey she takes throughout the novel.

There is actually a quasi-sequel to this, called Guyaholic. I call it a quasi-sequel because, yes, it is the same characters, same fictional world, and happens after Vegan Virgin Valentine, but it is from V's perspective and all about V. As far as I can tell Mara is off at college being the new liberated Mara. This is V's story and I intend to read it.

Stop In the Name of Pants!

I was very excited for this book to come out, but only just managed to buy and read it 2 months after it was released. Which brings me two months closer to the release of the next one, which I can't wait for. A recap on the series: Basically, Georgia writes a diary about her encounters with boys and life in general. The main three boys are the Sex God, Robbie, who left her to study the environment in New Zealand, but eventually came back for her; the Luuurve God, aka The Italian Stallion or Masimo, who took over for Robbie as lead singer of The Stiff Dylans when Robbie went to New Zealand; and Dave the Laugh, who was originally a red herring to make Robbie jealous, but who Georgia can't stop kissing or thinking about even when she was dating Robbie or Masimo. All throughout there are her hilarious friends and don't forget Wet Lindsay, the annoying girl who always dates the same guys as Georgia (except Dave).

This novel starts after Georgia becomes Masimo's official girlfriend, but when he goes to Italy for a month, she kisses Dave the Laugh (who has a girlfriend!). There is a lot of romantic tension between Georgia and Dave the L, but the beginning is honestly, kind of slow. It really got good during the last 100 pages, when Masimo gets back from Italy. Lindsay is trying to break up Masimo and Georgia because she is spiteful and Masimo gets jealous when he keeps finding Georgia with Dave the L. He doesn't even know about the kiss. It all escalates at the end when Dave the L and Masimo step outside of the club where The Stiff Dylans are playing to fight over Georgia, leaving me ACHING for the next installment.

I didn't like Masimo when he was first introduced, but he really comes alive as a love interest for Georgia in this installment of the series. But I still love Dave the Laugh more. I'm sure that this isn't the best idea for the target audience, but what I want to see is Georgia continuing to date Masimo, while having Dave the L on the side. I love her developing relationship with her mom and Sven is also one of my favorite characters. I think a real confrontation with Wet Lindsay would be amazing to read. In the end, really, I want Georgia to get with Dave the Laugh. I think that this will happen, but probably not until the very last book. I want more books, so I suppose I'm okay with Rennison dragging the story out some more as long as there is some more really good D the L snogging in them.

And...... MOVIE TIME. July saw the release of Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging, an adaptation of the first novel. I have finally got around to (trying to) watch it. I made it ten minutes. You may like it, but I couldn't stand it. I didn't like the way it was directed, I didn't like the writing. Part of what made Georgia so funny in the books is how whiney and melodramatic she is, but in the film it just came off annoying. I also forget how young all the characters are in the books, and trying to watch the movie made me feel old. There was a lot of good casting (some not so hot, like Mr. and Mrs. Nicholson, Libby, and Dave the L), but all of the acting felt wrong. All in all, I didn't like it and hope it hasn't ruined the books for me.

City of Ashes

The saga continues! Clary is unable to wake her mother and is dealing with the attraction she feels to her new-found brother. Jace is being investigated by the Clave and feels like he is losing everything. As if that weren't enough, Valentine, who now has the Mortal Cup, steals the second mortal instrument, the truth sword. Clary and her new friends must do everything they can to stop him when the Clave refuses to listen to their warnings.

Yeah, this whole series is sexy. The dialogue is mostly great. The story is excellent. There is action and romance and generally, just a good time. As for the Jace/Clary thing, I think it's quite sexy that they want each other even though it is forbidden (for now), because I think they will end up being not related. This installment was filled with clues that they might not be related and I really hope that it turns out to be the case. Either way, this issue is handled amazingly by Clare.

As for what's coming next, there are a few things to be excited about. The third, and final installment of this trilogy, City of Glass, comes out in March. I'm not sure how long I'm ready to wait for it, but I guess I have no choice. City of Glass should finish the Valentine saga and clear things up about Jace and Clary. Clare is not planning any other books, so I hope she doesn't kill Jace. Seriously, that would break my heart worse than when Dumbledore died. Maybe. Even though City of Glass, will end this story, Clare will continue writing about shadowhunters (the nephillum who hunt demons). But she's going to set in a few hundred years ago. It should be interesting. I'm not personally a fan of historical fiction, but I'll probably read it anyway.

City of Bones

Wow. This book is sexy. A fantasy set in modern day New York City, City of Bones starts when 15 year old Clary can suddenly see vampires, werewolves, and demons. After her mother is kidnapped, she discovers that she was lied to her whole life. She is a nephillim, a being with human and angel blood, and her mother hid her away from that world to escape a man named Valentine. But now Valentine is back and after The Mortal Cup, a powerful object that Clary's mother took from him and hid. Now Clary must band with Jace, Isabel, and Alec, three new friends who grew up learning to fight demons, and her very ordinary best friend, Simon, in order to save her mother and stop Valentine.

The book is actually way more complicated than that. There are big reveals and fun arguments. The characters are all well developed and great. There is so much romantic tension that I loved it, but at the same time was full of action. Fights with demons, werewolves, vampires, where Clary and her friends are outnumbered. It is a fun read. And oh yeah, stop reading if you don't want it ruined, but Clary finds out that the guy she has come to love is actually... wait for it... her brother! Yeah, she kisses her brother. This book is a little fearless. And the author is great with being true to the characters emotions and experiences. She really presents her story well.

As for movies, I hope this gets made. These would be amazing movies, if done well. They would need decent budgets, because lame special effects would ruin everything (also, shooting in NYC, pricey), but if they cast sexy actors who are actually quite skillful, then this could be huge. I'll be waiting to see what happens!

The Dark Is Rising

I read this a few months back and have been meaning to post about it for a while now. I like Susan Cooper. Seriously, The Dark Is Rising Sequence is a great introduction to fantasy for young readers. The Dark Is Rising is actually one of only a handful of fantasy novels given a Newbery Honor. That means it has literary value and you don't have to take my word for it.

The story introduces us to Will Stanton, who learns that he is a Guardian of the Light. He must collect the four things of powers in order to fend off the dark. Well, that's pretty much a summary of the entire series. In this book he is only acquiring one of the things of power: The circle of Light. In order to do this he must collect the six signs.

Will is 11 years old, on this major quest discovering things about the world around him, and being chased by The Black Rider. It's certainly enough of an adventure story, but it's deeper than that. We learn more about Merriman, who trains Will in how to be a guardian of the Light. Merriman is not the perfect Uncle we meet in Over Sea, and Under Stone. He is deeper here and it is a startling look into the sacrifices that have to be made in order to keep the world safe from the Dark. We also meet Will's family, since his quest doesn't take him completely away from them.

Overall, it is a great story that has depth. I had forgotten how much I actually enjoyed reading it, and am now excited to read the next one in the series. As a side note, I have no idea if the movie is any good, although I remember being excited when I watched the trailer. They made a sequel so it couldn't have been too horrible. Well, one can hope anyways. As another side note, I am a little shocked to discover that my spell check has the word "newbie" but not "Newbery". What is this world coming to?

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know

Since this is the first entry that I am moving from my old blog, you may not know yet that I am a fan of Sonya Sones. The first book of hers that I picked up was What My Mother Doesn't Know. Solely because of the title. As you can probably guess, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know is the sequel.

It picks up after Sophie's decision to publicly date Robin, the biggest loser in school. What is different about this novel in verse, is that it is from Robin's point of view. It's fascinating. He loves being with Sophie, but he's broken hearted for her because she has become just as much of an outcast as he has always been and he hates seeing her friendless. When one of her best friends does eventually come around it completely changes their relationship. Not that she likes him any less, but before that moment it had only been the two of them against the world.

Robin also starts going to a college art class, where he suddenly finds himself "cool". As he struggles to make things right with Sophie, he finds himself sought after by a girl in his art class. He has a sort of romance with her (that involves alcoholic jell-o), but he loves Sophie and ends it with her. He kisses her goodbye and ends it once and for all (they never went very far to begin with), but as he turns around, Sophie just happens to be standing in the street. This is a little unbelievable, but the story is so beautifully told that it is easy to look over it.

At the end they kind of make up and we think they have the potential to still be together. It wasn't a very satisfying ending and even though I loved (LOVED) reading it, I just can't shake that there is more to this story. They get in a fight so close to the end of the book that I never felt satisfied with how it was resolved. Hopefully there will be a third. If there is, at least one person will buy it.

Books for Nerds

Welcome to Books for Nerds. Basically, it's a discussion of books I'm reading, which are usually nerdy books because... I'm a nerd!! I'll slowly be updating this from my old blog (which sucked/was on a different e-mail account which was annoying). So expect entries about lots of books, maybe a post about what I'm writing, articles about books and reading, and generally anything else that vaguely fits into this category.

Also, if you like the books I'm posting about, then you should consider joining my book club. We are starting in January. Now this isn't your normal book club. First of all, none of the members live remotely close to each other. Second, it's not a monthly/weekly thing. It's a challenge. We will post (during the last week of January) a list of 26 books. One book to correspond with an author who's last name starts with every letter of the alphabet. The goal is six months. There will be a page for each book and a discussion going on. No prizes, but if you finish, then we may let you have some input on the next challenge (this is a long shot--I'm very selfish with the book picking). So let me know if you want in on the awesomeness that is my (and Rose Marie's) book club.