Life As It Comes

Life As It Comes by Anne-Laure Rondoux

Summary (from the back of the book): Studious and responsible, fifteen-year-old Mado is the family brain. Patty, on the other hand, is a carefree twenty-year-old party girl who lives on her own and has plenty of boyfriends. The two are following divergent paths... until their parents are killed in a car accident and a family court judge appoints Patty her sister's guardian.

Now these two improbable siblings face the challenges of growing up together - but it's Mado who quickly assumes the big sister's role. And it's not a role she particularly wants - especially after Patty announces that she's several months pregnant.

Review: If I had to describe my feelings towards this book in one word, it'd be... Meh. It wasn't great, and it wasn't horrible. So... Meh.

This one really had the potentional to be great, but it never really came through. Maybe it lost something in the translation from it's original French, but it just never hit the right buttons for me, you know? At times it was slightly unrealistic, and it seemed familiar, not because I'd read it or anything, but because it just seemed a lot like many other YA books I've read. Also, some of the characters were... odd. And these were characters we were supposed to like, but some of their behaviour bugged me a bit. The thing that disturbed me the worst *****Bit of a spoiler here**** was that at one point two of the characters drove for like two days with the newborn baby in backseat of the car between some pillows NO CARSEAT, left him ALONE in the car at one point, didn't have a crib for him... but they ****SPOILER, SPOILER, SPOILER**** were allowed by the officials (I'm not sure what it is in France, sorry) to keep him. That REALLY bugged me. ****Spoiler over****

Summary: A Meh book. Maybe a C if I graded books. It has a pretty cover, at least.

Bookshelf Meme

I was tagged for this by TruBlue93 and I actually don't have book shelves, but no biggie, right? So here goes:

1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going! 2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers. 3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer. 4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water...

The book that has been on your shelf the longest:

Buttermilk by Stephen Cosgrove

I got this from my Grandma, I think, before we moved. It's really old because we moved when I was two and a half. And it has library stamps on the inside of the cover. It's a really cute book, too. And the rabbit is just beautiful.

A book that remind you of something specific in your life:

A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin

I took this one with me on the trip to go to my grandmother's funeral.









A book you acquired in an interesting way:

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (Movie tie-in cover)

I got this one when I was in Regina with my art class and the English class of the grade above us and we saw Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories at the Globe Theatre. I'd broughten Monica Hughes' Where Have You Been, Billy Boy? but I finished it on the bus ride up and was BORED and needed something to read and I bought this for like eight bucks in Walmart.

The most recent addition to your shelves:

Across the Pond by Storyheart

This is the first time an author's contacted me about a book. It rocks!!!!








A book that's been with you to the most places:

Cloning Miranda by Carol Matas
The Second Clone by Carol Matas

I'm doing these as one because I never read one without reading the other. They've come with me from Ontario and back a couple times.

A bonus book(s) that you want to talk about but doesn't fit into the other questions

A Little Princess by Frances Hodges Burnett

My fourth-grade teacher gave our entire class books as Christmas presents. This is the one he gave to me. It's now one of my all-time favourite books. And I love the cover, so I searched for like ten minutes to find it for you guys. I actually own two copies of this because my mom bought me one. I didn't mind.



Now on the the tagging. Have fun with this!

Amanda at http://reviewabook123.blogspot.com/
Lizzie at The Book Obsession
Peaches at Peaches' Corner
KD at KD's Library
Lexi at ...another page is used (reading is my life)

And that's it!! I'll leave notes at their blogs later, I have this insane craving to play Roller Coaster Tycoon right now.

Love, Laina

Evidence

So I was cleaning my spare room and I let myself be OCD, and I started organizing the books in my spare room.

These are my mom's books. That is our dining room. (We don't have a dining table.)


Do you all see now why I read the occasional tacky romance?

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging

My dear readers, settle in while I tell you a little story. When I was in grade eight, which would be like thirteen years old, I decided my eyebrows were too close together. Ten minutes or so and a pair of tweezers later, the gap between them was a good centimetre, maybe more, wider. That may not seem like a lot, but you look like an idiot nonetheless. This little story does have a point, as you'll see in just a moment.

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

Summary (from the back of the book): Angus: My mixed-breed cat, half domestic tabby, half Scottish wildcat. The size of a small Labrador, only mad.

Thongs: Stupid underwear. What's the point of them, anyway? They just go up your bum, as far as I can tell.

Full-frontal Snogging: Kissing with all the trimmings, lip to lip, open mouth, tongues... everything.

Her dad's got the mentality of a Teletubby (only not so developed). Her cat, Angus, is trying to eat the poodle next door. And her best friend thinks she looks like an alien - just because she accidentally shaved off her eyebrows. Ergghhhlack. Still, add a little boy-stalking, teacher-baiting, and full-frontal snogging with a Sex God, and Georgia's year might just turn out to be the most fabbitty fab fab ever!

Review: This was possibly one of the funniest books I've ever read. Georgia is a hilarious narrator. At times some of the things she came up with just cracked me up. Like she starts calling her mother "Mutter" (Mutti for short) and her father "Vater" (Vati for short), as she's taking German at her school, and actually continues that throughout the book.

One part that absolutely cracked me up was after she accidentally shaved off her eyebrows and she's hiding from the world in her room. (Just so you all know, Libby is her little sister, two or three years old.)

8:00pm
The only nice person is Libby. She was stroking where my eyebrows used to be and then she went and brought me a lump of cheese. Great. I have become ratwoman.

Absolutely hilarious and the entire book is like that. At times I actually had to stop myself from laughing out loud because I was reading it at night.

My only issue is perhaps some of the subject material is a little old for a girl who's only fourteen, but that could easily be that I'm simply in denial about the fact that fourteen year old girls are dealing with things like that. Otherwise, though, I loved this book and would recommend it without a second thought and I'm looking forward to reading the others in this series.

Conclusion: A good, fun book definitely worth checking out.

So that's all for now. Happy reading guys.
Yours, Laina

Girl in the Attic

Such a pretty cover... Doesn't that just make you happy? I found this one by lurking around the returns counter of my library and seeing what someone else had returned. I know, I'm insane. So what?

Girl in the Attic by Valerie Mendes

Summary (from the back of the book): Thirteen-year-old Nathan is furious when Mum hauls him off to Cornwall for Christmas and then tells him they are to move there for good.

He wants to be back with Dad, with his best friend, Tom, in his London life. But then he finds a cottage - and a girl. The girl in the attic.

Who is she, and what is the family secret that haunts her life?

Review: I liked this one. I liked that it was told from the point of a boy, because that isn't something you come across every day, at least not for me, and I thought most of the characters were well developed and three dimensional. It is for slightly younger readers than me, but nonetheless a good book, with a good plot and very good writing. My only issue is I didn't like a certain part of the ending (just a part, I'm not going to say what because it'd spoil it) but all in all it was a very enjoyable book beginning to end. And the pretty cover helped. Because this was a short book, only 213 pages, that's about it for my review, I think.

Happy reading, guys.
Yours, Laina

Happy Tag

(Sept 2013 edit
 photo removed due to
 not being my photo.
Enjoy this random stock
 photo of a tree instead.)

Happy, happy, happy. (Oh, and I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, but I have four, count 'em FOUR books to review for you guys. So this has to fast, because I want to get to them now.) Back on topic!!) I was tagged for this by Katie at KD's Library.

Rules of the tag:
- Link to the person who tagged you
- List 6 things that make you happy
- Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did so
- Then tell the person who tagged you your entry is finished!

My List!

1. Books. That's always one. :D
2. Music. Without music, I would go crazy, honestly. Books and music keep me sane.
3. My laptop!!! I love it. I paid for it myself, and I love, love, love it.
4. Chocolate. And other candy. I have a sugar addiction.
5. Vampire books. Vampire movies. Dreams about vampires. I'm addicted to that, too.
6. Shoes. Heels, flats, sandals, boots, you name it, if it's a shoe, it'll make me happy. :D

I'm tagging:

Amanda from *Reading is a Drug*
Lexi from ...another page is used (reading is my life) <3 a="">
Rory Wilson at Bookworm Extraordinaire!
Hope at Hope's Bookshelf
The Book Obsession
Liv at Liv's Book Reviews

So that's it!! I'm off to let everyone know, and then review writing time it is!

Bad Girl's Club by Judy Gregerson

Right now I'm reading, listening to music, watching tv somewhat, playing online, talking to someone on msn and because that's not enough, I'm going to work on a review! This is a fine example of my short attention span. I bounce back and forth so much it isn't funny. Anyways, on to the review.

Bad Girl's Club by Judy Gregerson

Summary (from the inside cover of the book): Destiny has a secret. She's been told not to tell anyone what happened to her, her mom, and her little sister at Crater Lake. She also can't tell anyone that sometimes her sister is covered in bruises. Her friends all want her to report her parents, but Destiny won't tell the school counselor. If she does, it could cost her little sister's life or possibly her own. When the secret becomes too much to carry and the truth she knows becomes a lie, Destiny has to make a decision. Will she find the strength to speak the truth or will she drown in the lies? Will she discover her own worth and the voice she needs to cry it out, or will she remain what her mother has always called her - a bad girl?

Review: One word. Wow. I could stop there and be done. And wouldn't you all just hate me? But, since I'm nice, I won't stop there.

To be honest, though, I'm not one hundred percent sure what to say about this one, other than READ IT!! It isn't an easy book to read, not because of the way it's written, because it's very, very well written, but because it's at times shocking how deeply attached Destiny is to her mother. A time or two I thought that it wasn't completely realistic, but that could easily be because I just can't imagine that this is the reality for some people. My only complaint would be that she sometimes used capitals in dialogue, which I'm not a fan of in books, but that's a personal oddity of mine and didn't detract from the book.

Conclusion: Bad Girls Club is at times a shocking read, sometimes it catches you right in the stomach, sometimes you even want to put it down because it's so much, but you can't because of how well it's written, and the characters are so developed and intense that you just can't stop reading.

As a side note, at the back of the book Ms. Gregerson has a list of websites for more information about dealing with abuse and the effects of it, and you can find them at her website http://www.judygregerson.com/

Happy reading, guys.
Love, Laina

Butterfly Award!

I got this from Neve, from Amanda (again, lol), and Katie (who I gave it to, which amuses me).

Rules for passing this award along:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Award up to ten other blogs.4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.

So because I'm lazy, I'm going to say that whoever wants this, it's yours!!

Love, Laina

Author Interview!!!!!!!!!

Today I'd like to welcome Annette Curtis Klause. Annette is the author of The Silver Kiss, (you can read my review of that here), Alien Secrets, Blood and Chocolate, and Freaks: Alive on the Inside (review here), and more.

Me: I read that you are originally from England. Does that effect where you set your books? Have you ever consider setting a book where you grew up?

Annette: Since I am marketing my books in America, I tend to set them here so kids can relate to them more, although Simon, in The Silver Kiss, was originally from England and when he tells his tale, his story starts there. I did set a story in Newcastle upon Tyne in the North of England where I lived for six or seven yaers before I came to America. The story is called "The Hoppins" and was published quite a while ago in a collection called Short Circuits, edited by Donald Gallo. It's a spooky story set at a vast carnival that happens there every year.

Me: Where do you get your ideas? What inspires you?

Annete: That is a really hard question to answer because ideas can come from anywhere at any time--from a cool line in a song, from a strange picture, from something someone says, or just from ideas bouncing off one another. I tend to tell myself stories to explain things I see or hear--sometimes these turn into stories. I'm inspired by the books I loved growing up, and occasionally little tributes to them creep into my books. The cats in Alien Secrets are named after characters in Robert Heinlein science fiction books, for example.

Me: Do you have a favourite of your characters?

Annette: I suppose Vivian in Blood and Chocolate is one of my favorites because there's so much of me in her--not the hairy part, though. LOL I am very fond of three fierce little girls in one of the books I'm working on right now. .

Me: What are some of your favourite books and authors? Are you reading anything good right now?

Annette: I'm listening to the sequel to Larklight by Phillip Reeve right now--Starcross. It's hilarious. It's a science fiction adventure set in a parallel universe where Great Britain discovered space flight in the 18th century. The story is set in a Victorian time period but with spaceships and the style of the author perfectly mimics that of boys' adventures from the early part of the 20th century, and I can detect tastes of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells, etc.Margaret Mahy and Diana Wynne Jones are two of my favorite fantasy writers, and I love the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris. I'm sure there's lots more, but my mind seems to go blank when people ask me this question.

Me: Do you have anything new coming out soon or that you're working on?

Annette: I am working on two books but I'm not ready to talk about them yet. I have a story coming out in an anthology from Candlewick at the end of next summer. The story is a sort of sequel to my book, Freaks: Alive, on the Inside. The story is called "The Mummy's Daughter" and the book is called Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists and Other Matters Odd and Magical.

Me: When did you first start writing?

Annette: Ever since I could write.

Me: In The Silver Kiss, Zoe's mother is very sick. Was that at all autobiographical?

Annette: Not at all--my mother is alive and well. I needed a reason for Zoe to be so vulnerable that she would feel empathy for a vampire.

Me: Blood and Chocolate was made in into a movie. Personally, I really liked it, but I know it did vary quite a bit from the book. How do you feel about it?

Annette: Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's about it. I probably would have liked it more if it hadn't been supposed to be my book--but I was so let down by what they did. I wish they had followed the story more--I knew there wouold be differences,I just didn't expect it to be THAT different. Sigh!

Me: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Annette: Read a lot, and pay attention to what it is the writers you admire do to capture your attention. Understand that a story isn't perfect the first time you write it--revision is a good thing.

Me: Lastly, a random question. What's your favourite candy?

Annette: Godiva Chocolates, but no blood centers. *evil grin*


Thanks to Annette for taking the time to answer my questions!!! You can visit Annette at her blog, The Human Oddity.

In My Backpack 2

I went to the library!!! It was nice and not too cold and I could actually go outside without, like, dying. And I got a ton of books.

This is going to be long, so go grab a snack, put on your fuzzy socks, turn on some music or something. Relaaaaaax.

I'm not going to put summaries, or this'll take up a mile, but I'll probably review a lot of them, cool? Just be patient with me.

Little, Little by M. E. Kerr
Star-Crossed by Linda Collison
Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz
Kissing Vanessa by Simon Chesine
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Tweaked by Katherine Holubitsky
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Savvy Girl by Lynn Messina
The Ribbajack by Brian Jacques
The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt
Life As It Comes by Anne-Laure Bondoux
Naomi and Elly's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Maya No. 1. Diary of a Teenage Girl: A Not-So-Simple Life by Melody Carlson
The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Finding Hollywood Nobody by Lisa Samson
Goodbye Hollywood Nobody -//-
Girl in the Attic by Valerie Mendes
Vamps by Nancy A. Collins
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan
Beauty Queen by Linda Glovach
Shylock's Daughter by Mirjim Pressler
The Invisible by Mats Whal
The Secret Circle: The Initiation and the Capitve Part I by L. J. Smith
The Dream of the Stone by Christina Askounis
Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

And that's it! I have a big green bin of books now, so I should get reading. I'm giddy!!!

Happy reading, guys.

-Love Laina

In My Mailbox!!!

Dudes and dudettes, welcome to my first in my mailbox post. Although, technically, it's more like an in my post office thing, because I have a PO Box, not a technical mailbox, but, hey, it works! Now, it's probably not going to be a regular thing, simply because I don't get books that often, but it's cool while it lasts, right?

So the books I got are:

Poseur: The Good, the Fab and the Ugly by Rachel Maude
(description from Amazon.com)

Fashion isn't everything.

It's the only thing.

Halloween comes to Winston Prep and the newly named teen fashion label POSEUR introduces this season's must-have accessory: a red-hot handbag called the Trick-or-Treater. But whose design is sweetest? Janie, Petra, Melissa, and Charlotte all insist: Mine. You see the problem?

Good thing, then, for the sweetness of revenge. Time to dust off that costume and put your best mask forward. 'Tis the season for candy, conflict, and couture.


The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks:
(from amazon.com as well)

In his 14th book, bestselling author Nicholas Sparks tells the unforgettable story of a man whose brushes with death lead him to the love of his life.

Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks's new novel believes he's found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he's never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.

So the Posseur novel, which was a holiday giveaway thing from Book Divas, isn't my usual thing, but hey, I'll try it. The Lucky One, I'm really excited about. It looks really good. And thanks to the friend I suckered - ahem, I mean, convinced to join Book Divas to get me a free book. Poor guy...

Since I went to the library today (technically yesterday because it's after midnight, but who's splitting hairs that fine?), look for a long post about all the books I got there. There's a lot. Yay!!!

Okay, so that's it. My first In My Mailbox post. That was fun.

Happy reading, guys.

Love, Laina.

WHY???

Why, when there are so many GOOD books out there, do I have so many bad, boring, NOT GOOD books in my room? I just literally threw a book across my room (note to self, need to find that, it's a library book) ... and boy, did it fly... but, really, WHY???? Grrr, sorry, just needed to rant for a moment. I'm done now, going to try to find something better. I need to go to the library. I would have yesterday, but I fell asleep... plus it was like -45*C, and sort of blizzarding, so I couldn't. Today, though, nothing will keep me away from (hopefully) good books!!

Rant done!
-Love, Laina

Change of pace

Normally I just review YA, but that's not all I read. I am... I am... I am a tacky romance addict. I'm so ashamed!

Actually, no I'm not. A book is a book is a book. So here's my review of the last book I read.

The Healer by Sharon Sala

Summary (from the back of the book): All his life, Jonah Gray Wolf has had an uncanny connection to animals and the power to heal the sick and the wounded. Driven from the only home he's ever known by those who wish to harness his gift for profit, he becomes a drifter, working in out-of-the-way towns, never staying long. It's a lonely life, but Jonah knows he's still being hunted - he can't afford to get close to anyone who might learn his secret.

In West Virginia he finds Luce, a touch but beautiful loner who knows all about keeping people at a distance - a kindred soul with whom he might dare to make a life. But the hunters have caught Jonah's scent again. Danger is coming to their mountain refuge - a confrontation that will be decided only by a force of nature.

Review: There are some books out there that are a relief to read. You know, when you've started a book and tossed it aside because it's just so not working for you, and you find one that's not bad, but not great (see my last rant for details about that :P) and you force yourself to read it, but then you get one that you just sink into and completely ignore the world for a couple hours. This was one of those books. I didn't want to put it down for anything.

One of the things I loved was that the main characters were both well developed and interesting, which doesn't always happen in books like this. Also, there was minimal.... ah, shall we say adult situations. I've read more in YA, actually, and unlike in those, both these characters were responsible adults. Sorry, bit of a rant there.

Conclusion: A good book, with quite a good story and very well written, plus a gorgeous cover (and you have to agree that's nice). And now you know something new about me.

Happy reading, guys.
-Love, Laina

Rowan of the Wood

I got this from Book Divas, my first review book!! It took fifteen days to ship. Can you believe that? It's because I live in Canada. Anyways, here's the review!

Rowan of the Wood by Christine and Ethen Rose

Summary (from http://www.rowanofthewood.com/about.htmlabout.html): An ancient wizard possesses a young boy after a millennium of imprisonment in a magic wand. He emerges from the child in the face of danger and discovers Fiana, his new bride from the past, has somehow survived time and become something evil.

My review: I was so excited about this one. It's a heavy book for a paperback, and so far in my life of reading, that's gone well for me. Plus isn't that an awesome cover? I wanted to love this book with a passion, especially when I got an e-mail from one the authors saying that they looked forward to my review.

I'm really sad to say I didn't love it. Honestly, I really am. But I didn't, so I'm not going to lie and say I did. It was actually pretty hard for me to read, very slow going, and I normally read fast.

Now, I may be a bit of a book snob, but personally I could tell that this was a first book, like it wasn't as smoothly written as the books I usually read in this genre are. The dialogue sometimes seemed unrealistic to me, things real people would never say, and other than Cullen, Fiana and Rowan, the other characters seemed rather undeveloped. There's even a lot about Cullen himself the authors didn't elaborate on, and his foster family seemed like the stereotypical mean family, almost like a copy of the Dursley's from Harry Potter. They were very descriptive in the beginning of the book, and seemed to flesh out the characters, but as the book came to an end, it was like they were rushing to the end, and forgot to let the characters really be themselves if they weren't one of the main three. The point of view switched around a lot, and it may just be me, but I found that slightly confusing, and at times unnecessary. Last... *SPOILER ALERT* I hated the ending. It left things untied, almost unfinished in ways, and you could tell that they're planning on writing a sequel. And there wasn't a happy ending and that sucked! *DONE*

However, it could have been a lot worse and was a good story, well written for a first novel. I'm glad I read it.

Conclusion: If I were to grade books, this would be about a B-

So leave a comment if you want, and happy reading, guys.
Love, Laina

Butterfly Award

Looky at that! Isn't that pretty? I got that from Amanda at Reading Is A Drug. And now it's my turn.

1. Ashley for great reviews.
2. Katie for her cool taste in books.
3. Kelsey for just having an awesome blog in general.
4. Allie for such fair reviews (but I wish she'd post more often!)
5. Ellie for her rocking blog.

The rules for passing on the award are:
1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Award up to ten other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.

La la la la

Ever start reading a book that starts slow and you think "Oh, it has to get better, it's got potential, beginnings are hard to write." And then maybe it picks up a little, but then the characters kinda start irritating you, but you keep reading it because you haven't read a werewolf novel in a long time and you rather miss them. And then you're on freaking CHAPTER SEVENTEEN and the only reason you're still reading it is because you're halfway done it and you'll go nuts if you don't know how it ends, but the book is starting to bug you and you wonder why you read tacky romances that you steal from your mother at all?

Anyone else ever feel like that?

Author Interview!!!!

Guess WHAT?? For the very first time ever, I'm having an author interview!! And guess who it is? ANNETTE CURTIS KLAUSE!!!!!

As you can tell, I'm a little excited! Annette is the author of The Silver Kiss, (you can read my review of that here), Alien Secrets, Blood and Chocolate, and Freaks: Alive on the Inside (review here), and her blog is The Human Oddity.

Look for the interview in a few days!!!

In My Backpack

Well, I can't do "In My Mailbox" because... well, the only things that came in my mailbox lately was a calender from some cheese company, and a Reader's Digest. So I'm going to do what I got from the library (a while ago, but who cares?) and I use my backpack to carry them home.

The Bad Girl's Club by Judy Gregerson

(from Amazon.com) Destiny has a secret. She's been told not to tell anyone what happened to her, her mom, and her little sister at Crater Lake. She also can't tell anyone that sometimes her sister is covered in bruises. Her friends all want her to report her parents, but Destiny won't tell the school counselor. If she does, it could cost her little sister's life or possibly her own. When the secret becomes too much to carry and the truth she knows becomes a lie, Destiny has to make a decision. Will she find the strength to speak the truth or will she drown in the lies? Will she discover her own worth and the voice she needs to cry it out, or will she remain what her mother has always called her -- a bad girl?

Oooh, this looks good! Look for the review soon!

Freaks

How many of you remember what my first review was? No, no, no, don't go check, that's cheating. Okay, I'll let you off easy. It was The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause, and I loved it. She also wrote Blood and Chocolate (good movie, off-topic, but true), which is an amazing book, too. I didn't review it, though, because it was on a special order from my library and VERY overdue.

Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause

Summary (from the back of the book): Though Abel Dandy was born to circus performers and grew up in a troupe of odd and inexpicable people, he has never felt limited by his normalcy - until now. Realizing he's never going to be more amazing than the talented oddities around him, Abel can only dream of living a life richer than his own.

But in his dreams a mysterious woman beckons him, calling him passionately by a name he doesn't know and speaking in a language he's never heard, but fully understands. Compelled by these visions and yearning to be more than ordinary, Abel embarks on a journey more frightening and wonderous than he ever imagined...

Review: At heart, I am a true romantic. I do not like sad endings. I'm too empathic, and I feel them too close. Of course, I'm the person who bawled my eyes out over the last couple chapters of the seventh Harry Potter book... but that's another story. My point was (and I know it took a while to get here, I shouldn't write reviews when I'm tired, I babble) that Freaks was one of the most beautiful romances I've ever read. Romance isn't even the right word. Love story is more like it. Yes, one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever read. But I can't tell you much about that, or I'll give away too much.

It's always interesting, to me, at least, to read a book told in first person, by a boy. Their minds are just very interesting. It takes talent for a female author to write from that perspective, too, so I very much admire that.

Conclusion: Very good book, as always from Annette Curtis Klause, at least in my experience. Definitely a new favourite, and going onto my recommend list.

Love,
Laina

Challenges

So I have Jolly Ranchers and Doritos and some free time on my hands, so I thought I'd post about the reading challenges I'm going to do this year. I found them all here. Very cool blog, indeed.

I need a link, so I'm going to post this and then edit it. Back in a moment.

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2009

This looks so fun. And I like the buttons. :D

1. A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
2. Rebel Angels -//-
3. The Sweet Far Thing -//-

No I haven't read these. But I'm going to!

Chick Lit Challenge

Someone once told me I never read Chick Lit, so I thought I'd try this one. Adorable button, too.

I need ten books here. Have no clue what they're going to be! Wish me luck!

1. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
   
2. On the Bright Side, I am Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God -//- (UK - It's Okay, I'm Wearing really big knickers)
3. Knocked Out of My Nunga-Nungas -//-
4. Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants -//-
5. ...And That's When it Fell Off in My Hand (US - Away Laughing on a Fast Camel - not sure which I can get, 'cause of the whole Canada thing.) -//-
6. Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers -//-
7. Startled by His Furry Shorts -//-
8. Luuurve is a Many Trousered Thing -//-
9. Stop in the Name of Pants! -//-
10. The Luxe by Anna Godberson

Read Your Name Challenge

Does this not sound fun?? I think I'll read "Laina".

1. L: Little, Little by M. E. Kerr
2. A: Audrey, Wait! Robin
3. I: Irreversible by Liz Maverick
4. N: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohen and David Levathin
5. A: Airhead by Meg Cabot

My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge 2009

I couldn't resist that one. With a title like that, how could I not do it?

My list:

1. The Host by Stephanie Meyer (I don't usually read science fiction, and anything by her non-Twilight related is slightly scary to me.)
2. Moonheart by Charles de Lint (Just not my usual type of book)
3. Dracula by Bram Stoker (I tried to read this once, and never finished it.)
4. Eldest by Christopher Paolini (I read Eragon a couple years ago and never got around to reading this one.)
5. Girl in the Attic by Valerie Mendes (This one has just been on my list for the longest time. For some reason I've put off reading it, but no more!!)
6. Lyra's Oxford by Phillip Pullman (I loved His Dark Material, so this one is a nervous read for me.)
7. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (I've wanted to read this one for a while, but I've been a little nervous about ordering it from my library, just because of the title... they give me weird looks sometimes. Also, it's a challenged book in 2008, a theme I'm going for here.)
8. Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger (A challenged book.)
9. Prep by Curtis Sittenfield (A challenged book.)
10. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (A challenged book.)
11. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (or maybe Pride and Predjudice, depending on which is better. Dangerous because of what a classic it is.)
12. Flowers for Algernon by David Keyes (A classic, I've heard, and what I've read about it made me a little nervous about it, so here it is.)

100+ Reading Challenge

My reading has slowed down since I got my computer, but I'm hoping this'll help with that. Besides, it's just fun.

1. Rowan of Woods by Christine Rose & Ethan Rose (YA)
2. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (A)
3. Dawn’s Awakening by Lora Leigh (A)
4. Twisted Creek by Jodi Thompson (A)
5. Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas (A)
6. The Bride of Time by Dawn Thompson (A)
7. The Healer by Sharon Sala (A)
8. Mum’s the Word by Kate Collins (A)
9. Slay it with Flowers -//- (A)
10. Dearly Depotted -//- (A)
11. Snipped in the Bud -//- (A)
12. Acts of Violets -//- (A)
13. A Rose from the Dead -//- (A)
14. Shoots to Kill (A)
15. Girl in the Attic by Valerie Mendes (MG)
16. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Lousise Rennison (YA)
17. Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (YA)
18. Life As It Comes by Anne-Laure Bondoux (YA)
19. Bad Girls Club by Judy Gregorson (YA)
20. Ever Ride a Dinosaur by Scott Corbett (MG)
21. Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (YA)
22. Tweaked by Katherine Holubitsky (YA)
23. Across the Pond by Storyheart (YA)
24. Roastbeef’s Promise by David Jerome (A)
25. Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke (A)
26. The Invisible by Mats Wahl (YA)
27. Beauty Queen by Linda Glovach (YA)
28. White Heat by Cherry Adair (A)
29. My True Love by Cherly Holt (A)
30. Priceless by Christina Dodd (A)
31. Thigh High -//- (A)
32. Too Wicked to Wed by Cheryl Holt (A)
33. A Dangerous Love by Brenda Joyce( A)
34. Little Little by M. E. Kerr (YA)
35. A Dangerous Man by Janmarie Anello (A)
36. The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan (YA)
37. Irreversible by Liz Maverick (A)
38. Star-Crossed by Linda Collison (YA)
39. The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt (YA)
40. Ace is Wild by Penny McCall (A)
41. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland (A)
42. Phenomenal Girl 5 by A. J. Mender (A)
43. Hot Mama by Jennifer Estep (A)
44. The Dream of the Stone by Christina Askounis (YA)
45. Red by Jordan Summers (A)
46. The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands (A)
47. Wait til Your Vampire Gets Home by Michelle Bardsley (A)
48. The Darkest Touch by Jaci Burton (A)
49. I’m Your Santa by Lori Foster, Dianne Castell & Karen Kelley (A)
50. Passions of the Ghost by Sara Mackenzie (A)
51. Key of Light by Nora Roberts (A)
52. Key of Knowledge -//- (A)
53. Key of Valor -//- (A)
54. Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz (YA)
55. Suite 606 by J. D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas (A)
56. Salvation in Death by J. D. Robb (A)
57. Promises in Death -//- (A)
58. Walk by Faith by Rosanne Bittner (A)
59. Cleavage: Breakaway Fiction For Real Girls Edited by Deb Loughead & Jocelyn Shipley (MG - YA)
60. Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard (A)
61. Water Witch by Deborah LeBlanc (A)
62. Night Fall by Cherry Adair (A)
63. Someone Like You by Leigh Greenwood (A)
64. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (YA)
65. The Tarnished Lady by Sandray Hill (A)
66. Hot Night by Shannon McKenna (A)
67. To Seduce a Bride by Nicole Jordan (A)
68. Dragon Lovers by Jo Beverly, Mary Jo Putney, Karen Harbaugh, & Barbara Samuel (A)
69. Shadow Music by Julie Garwood (A)
70. One Bite with a Stranger by Christine Warren (A)
71. Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA)
72. Rebel by Heather Graham (A)
73. The Stone of Alexandria by Lleu Christopher (YA -A)
74. The Austin Family Chronicles 1: Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle (YA)
75. The Austin Family Chronicles 2: The Moon by Night -//- (YA)
76. The Austin Family Chronicles 3: The Young Unicorns -//- (YA)
77. The Austin Family Chronicles 4: A Ring of Endless Light -//- (YA)
78. The Austin Family Chronicles 5: Troubling a Star -//- (YA)
79. Hawk's Way: Carter & Falcon by Joan Johnston (A)
80. Bloodline by Maggie Shayne (A)
81. The Angel and the Highlander by Donna Fletcher (A)
82. Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke (A)
83. Paisley Hanover Acts Out by Cameron Tuttle (YA)
84. Joker by Ranulfo (YA)
85. Airhead by Meg Cabot (YA)
86. Eternal Lober by Hannah Howell, Lyndsay Sands, Jackie Kessler & Richelle Mead (A)
87. Tall, Dark and Deadly by Lorie O'Claire (A)
88. Forbidden Nights with a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks (A)
89. This Is Me by Stephanie Craig (YA)
90. Love Bites by Lyndsay Sands (A)
91. Scandolous by Lori Foster (A)
92. The Sins of Lord Easterbrook by Madeline Hunter (A)
93. How to Buy a Love of Reading by Tanya Egan Gibson (A, YA crossover appeal)
94. Three Songs for Courage by Maxine Trottier (YA)
95. Luna by Julia Anne Peters (YA)
96. Tales From the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird by Vivan Vande Velde (MG)
97. Ricky by Eric Walters (MG)
98. Lucas by Kevin Brooks (YA)
99. Becoming Ruby by Kathy Stinson (YA)
100. Sing a Song of Tuna Fish by Esmé Raji Codell (MG)
101. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks (YA)
102. The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James by Gillian Shields (YA)
103. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA)
104. Dustin Grubbs: One Man Show by John J. Bonk (MG)
105. The Immortal Hunter by Lyndsay Sands (A)
106. Sleepless in Scotland by Karen Hawkins (A)
107. Jingle Boy by Keiran Scott (YA)

Done!! At least that one. :P

So, leave me a comment telling what challenges, if any, you guys are doing. (Also, some suggestions on the Chick Lit one would be nice. As you all know, I don't know that genre very well.) Happy reading!

Love, Laina