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Laina
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
And we have a winner!!!
(Chosen by random.org)
Congratulations to....
DELTAY!!!!!!
You win a signed copy of Across the Pond by Storyheart. And guess what? There's more than just the signed book, as if that wasn't cool enough. You'll also receive a "little piece of England", in the words of the author, whose wife put together an extra prize pack of some real English tea and maybe one or two other things. So I'll send you an email letting you know you won, and the author should email you soon. Thanks to everyone for entering!!
Laina
Congratulations to....
DELTAY!!!!!!
You win a signed copy of Across the Pond by Storyheart. And guess what? There's more than just the signed book, as if that wasn't cool enough. You'll also receive a "little piece of England", in the words of the author, whose wife put together an extra prize pack of some real English tea and maybe one or two other things. So I'll send you an email letting you know you won, and the author should email you soon. Thanks to everyone for entering!!
Laina
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Question for my readers...
Which is easier to read, this or the purple I usually use for reviews? I was reading something yesterday that was a black background and white writing and noticed it was murdering my head. Do my colours bother anyone? I also use that pinky colour sometimes, and I could use a brighter purple if the one I use now bugs anyone. Opinions?
Laina
Laina
Monday, February 16, 2009
Roastbeef's Promise by David Jerome
Roastbeef's Promise by David Jerome
Summary (from amazon.com because the one on the back of the book is really long): When Jim "Roastbeef" Hume embarks on a quest to sprinkle his father's ashes in each of the forty-eight contiguous states, he has no idea that a series of bizarre and ridiculous adventures await. But nothing will deter him from fulfilling the promise he made to his dying father--not a brief incarceration in Iowa or a punctured lung in South Dakota. As he travels across the country, he picks up numerous new friends, presides over the ultimate party, poses as a lesbian's boyfriend, and gives away a very pregnant bride in a Las Vegas wedding. And who could have dreamed that somewhere amidst the craziness of dropping ashes from a crop duster and finding Elvis's toenail, Roastbeef would stumble upon a lucrative new career?
My review: This one actually surprised me a bit in how much I actually liked it, because I honestly wasn't expecting to. The title is a little bit different, after all, and this isn't the usual thing I read. Usually I'm a YA and tacky romance reader, and that can be unfortunate, because if I hadn't taken a chance with this one, I would have missed a very, very good book.
I loved it. It was just so good. Now, I have to admit I have a bit of a soft spot for books about road trips, because that's one of the things I really want to do myself. But as we all know, no matter how much you like an idea, that doesn't mean you'll love a book about it, and the fact that I did tells you how good it was, how well written it was, and how interesting and just plain cool the characters were.
As for plot, some of the most outrageous things happened to Roastbeef. At one point, he was being paid to drive a pink Cadillac from Illinois to Utah, and it was stolen by bikers. Later, he might have accidentally killed a pig with an oxygen tank (he couldn't check, he didn't want to be attacked by the other pigs). Roastbeef's Promise made me laugh so much, but also at times nearly made me cry, which is one of the marks of a great book, in my opinion.
Conclusion: This was a great read, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good book. Oh, and on a side note, this wasn't a YA book, but it was clean and definitely appropriate for teen readers, which I think is very cool, and endears it to me even more. Four out of five roses.
Oh, and this isn't part of the review, but there's this thing at the back of the book that if you blog about the book and send them the link, they'll send you a free Roastbeef's Promise T-shirt, and you know I'm doing it!!
Summary (from amazon.com because the one on the back of the book is really long): When Jim "Roastbeef" Hume embarks on a quest to sprinkle his father's ashes in each of the forty-eight contiguous states, he has no idea that a series of bizarre and ridiculous adventures await. But nothing will deter him from fulfilling the promise he made to his dying father--not a brief incarceration in Iowa or a punctured lung in South Dakota. As he travels across the country, he picks up numerous new friends, presides over the ultimate party, poses as a lesbian's boyfriend, and gives away a very pregnant bride in a Las Vegas wedding. And who could have dreamed that somewhere amidst the craziness of dropping ashes from a crop duster and finding Elvis's toenail, Roastbeef would stumble upon a lucrative new career?My review: This one actually surprised me a bit in how much I actually liked it, because I honestly wasn't expecting to. The title is a little bit different, after all, and this isn't the usual thing I read. Usually I'm a YA and tacky romance reader, and that can be unfortunate, because if I hadn't taken a chance with this one, I would have missed a very, very good book.
I loved it. It was just so good. Now, I have to admit I have a bit of a soft spot for books about road trips, because that's one of the things I really want to do myself. But as we all know, no matter how much you like an idea, that doesn't mean you'll love a book about it, and the fact that I did tells you how good it was, how well written it was, and how interesting and just plain cool the characters were.
As for plot, some of the most outrageous things happened to Roastbeef. At one point, he was being paid to drive a pink Cadillac from Illinois to Utah, and it was stolen by bikers. Later, he might have accidentally killed a pig with an oxygen tank (he couldn't check, he didn't want to be attacked by the other pigs). Roastbeef's Promise made me laugh so much, but also at times nearly made me cry, which is one of the marks of a great book, in my opinion.
Conclusion: This was a great read, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good book. Oh, and on a side note, this wasn't a YA book, but it was clean and definitely appropriate for teen readers, which I think is very cool, and endears it to me even more. Four out of five roses.
Oh, and this isn't part of the review, but there's this thing at the back of the book that if you blog about the book and send them the link, they'll send you a free Roastbeef's Promise T-shirt, and you know I'm doing it!!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Across the Pond by Storyheart
(It's signed, how cool is that? My copy, I mean. Thank you, Storyheart.)
Across the Pond by Storyheart
Summary (from the back of the book): Finding himself packed off to friends in the USA, fifteen-year-old English-born Fred Squire is not happy.
Then he meets Brittany.
Struggling with his feelings for Brit and the language, Fred is further confused when he meets Brit's flirtatious friend, Angel.
Escaping from a confrontation with Steve Harris, the neighborhood bully, Brit tells Fred her dark secret about Harris, and Fred's world is turned upside down.
Life continues to throw Fred a curveball when he catches a baseball worth a small fortune. Further run-ins with Harris, a crazy family barbecue, and a chase through a mall all add to Fred's American adventure.
"Brit and her Brit" know that their young love will be followed by heartache when Fred has to return to England but not before some final twists in the tale.
Review: This one was quite a cute book. I'm a sucker for a love story, and this one is a heartstring tugger, in a sweet way.
The comparison between American words and British words is fun. I rather like doing that myself with people I talk to online, so it was cool to see that in a book. (On a side note, it made me realize Canada's slightly insane. Some of the things that Fred said that were odd to Brit, we say, too, but the States don't.)
There were, however, a couple things I didn't like. Mainly the girls. Angel and Brit both acted a lot alike, and not in a good way. Under emotional duress, they both fell apart and leaned on Fred and that really quite annoyed me. These girls were so NOT strong characters. And honestly, sometimes they over-reacted and that annoyed me slightly.
Conclusion: It's a nice, short read, cute and worth winning. You can enter to win it and you should, because it's good. Three out of five roses.
Across the Pond by Storyheart
Summary (from the back of the book): Finding himself packed off to friends in the USA, fifteen-year-old English-born Fred Squire is not happy.Then he meets Brittany.
Struggling with his feelings for Brit and the language, Fred is further confused when he meets Brit's flirtatious friend, Angel.
Escaping from a confrontation with Steve Harris, the neighborhood bully, Brit tells Fred her dark secret about Harris, and Fred's world is turned upside down.
Life continues to throw Fred a curveball when he catches a baseball worth a small fortune. Further run-ins with Harris, a crazy family barbecue, and a chase through a mall all add to Fred's American adventure.
"Brit and her Brit" know that their young love will be followed by heartache when Fred has to return to England but not before some final twists in the tale.
Review: This one was quite a cute book. I'm a sucker for a love story, and this one is a heartstring tugger, in a sweet way.
The comparison between American words and British words is fun. I rather like doing that myself with people I talk to online, so it was cool to see that in a book. (On a side note, it made me realize Canada's slightly insane. Some of the things that Fred said that were odd to Brit, we say, too, but the States don't.)
There were, however, a couple things I didn't like. Mainly the girls. Angel and Brit both acted a lot alike, and not in a good way. Under emotional duress, they both fell apart and leaned on Fred and that really quite annoyed me. These girls were so NOT strong characters. And honestly, sometimes they over-reacted and that annoyed me slightly.
Conclusion: It's a nice, short read, cute and worth winning. You can enter to win it and you should, because it's good. Three out of five roses.
Friday, February 13, 2009
I rant too much...
Well, this isn't a really a rant so much as a random question because I'm annoyed. I'm reading Vamps by Nancy A. Collins. Ahhhh, picture? Sure, why not...
There you go. Pretty cover, but so far I'm not loving it. I do not like Lilith, not one bit, there's too much smut so far (yes, smut, and yes, this is from the tacky romance addict, but hey, that isn't YA) and it's sloooooooooow.
So do I go read something else (bear in mind here I have the first two books of the Gemma Doyle trilogy in my room, not to mention a book I have to review for Book Divas) or stick it out? And also keep in mind that I've been trying to get though this one for... a full week now and I haven't been able to really get into it.
What do you guys think? What do you guys do when you just can't get into a book, but you want to read it because... well, it's a vampire book, need I say more?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
There you go. Pretty cover, but so far I'm not loving it. I do not like Lilith, not one bit, there's too much smut so far (yes, smut, and yes, this is from the tacky romance addict, but hey, that isn't YA) and it's sloooooooooow.So do I go read something else (bear in mind here I have the first two books of the Gemma Doyle trilogy in my room, not to mention a book I have to review for Book Divas) or stick it out? And also keep in mind that I've been trying to get though this one for... a full week now and I haven't been able to really get into it.
What do you guys think? What do you guys do when you just can't get into a book, but you want to read it because... well, it's a vampire book, need I say more?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
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