Follow (My Book Blog) Friday!

Follow (My Book Blog) Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkee.com and alisoncanread.com. Its basically a meme where you share reading love... by following other bloggers! Here are the rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - The Book Addicted Girl & The Little Book Blog
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say "hi" in your comments and that they are now following you.
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

1. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Question:

LET'S STEP AWAY FROM BOOKS FOR A SECOND AND GET PERSONAL. WHAT T-SHIRT SLOGAN BEST DESCRIBES YOU?


Nuff said.

Friday Firsts: After by Amy Efaw

Friday Firsts is a meme where you share the first line of the book you are currently reading. Let's get right into it!

The TVs on, some lame morning show.

What is the first line of the book you are reading?

Love,

Sierra

Review: Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky

Released: January 9th, 2007
Published by: Delacort Books for Young Readers
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Kindle
Page Amount: 272
School Rating: B (76%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body.

Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love.

And then came the fall.

First Line:

My best friend, Amy, wants to wait until college to ‘do it‘, but until then she’ll do ‘everything but’ with boys she thinks are cute and have good bodies.

Review:

I was talking on twitter with a long time Internet friend of mine, Felicia (follow her on twitter @Felicia970) and she asked if I would like to loan one of her Kindle books. I said yes, loving the opportunity at a new good read. She gave me a list of three books that she could loan, and I chose ANATOMY OF A BOYFRIEND. I started reading it as soon as it was sent to my Kindle, and it only took me about a day and a half to read this book.

Although I didn’t like ANATOMY OF A BOYRFRIEND as much as I thought I would, I still really enjoyed it. Its one of those books that it’s a quick read whether you are enjoying the book or not.

This is a warning right here. This book was a lot more graphic than I expected. Felicia warned me it was going to be weird, but some of the scenes in the book where a little much.

Dominique was a very interesting character. There were times in the book where you loved her to death, and then other times where you just want to slap her. Wes was the same way, but I came to a decision where I decided that I never LOVED him during the course of this novel. I kind of knew how it was going to end, but there were times in the novel where I really doubted what I though. As it turns out, I predicted the whole ending by halfway through the book.

I loved that the book was set in Florida. I love Florida with all my heart! The setting just made me connect to the book more, which made me happy. I love when I can connect to the book!

Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel, but it wasn’t my favourite.

Cover Comments:

I really hate the cover, to be brutally honest. I just find it disturbing and just… I don’t even know how to explain it. Sometimes when I look at it, I just have to look away.

Parental Corner:

This novel includes excessive sexual content and mild cussing.

Love,

Sierra

Review: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Released: May 4th, 2010
Published by: Viking Juvenile
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Overall Rating: 2 out of 5
Source: Present From Family Member
Page Amount: 268
School Rating: D+ (59%)
Age Group: Young Adult Fiction

Best friends Lani and Erin couldn't be more different. Lani's reserved and thoughtful; Erin's bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There's no possible way they could be interested in the same guy.

So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can't believe she feels such a deep connection with him and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it's her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can't have?

First Line:

I never meant for it to happen like this.”

Review:

I was not impressed with this novel. Not at all. I was hesitant before going into this novel because I have been warned by more than one person that it wasn’t the greatest read. If you remember (you probably don’t), I read and reviewed THE UNWRITTEN RULE by Elizabeth Scott a while back. This book is almost like a carbon copy of that novel, and they were released within the same month. Anyways…

This novel was very high school cliché. Don’t get me wrong, contemporary novels are probably my favourite out of the whole YA genre, but this was just too high school cliché.

Although I read this novel very fast, I felt as though it was really boring in a lot of places, as though the author put the scene in there just for word count purposes only. I think this novel could have been better if she took out those boring scenes and put more important things to help build the plot a bit more.

I really wish I liked this novel, I really do. I think I will pick up another one of Susane’s novels, just to give them a chance. Maybe it was just that I read THE UNWRITTEN RULE before this novel and I found it as though they were almost the same novel. I think I may have liked it a bit more if I hadn’t read that novel before this one.

Cover Comments:

Oddly enough, I really love this novel’s cover. I think its very simple, yet girly and fit’s the novel perfectly.

Love,

Sierra

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

Grab your current read

Let the book fall open to a random page

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Lets get started!


Novel: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
Page Teasers Are From: 53
Teasers:

The annual kite festival is one of the best things about spring. Aside from school ending in less than two months and the weather getting warmer.

Lots of people bring their own kites to fly for fun, but unless they're homemade you can't enter them.

What are two teasers from the book you are reading?

Love,

Sierra

Friday Firsts -- Really Late!

I've been so busy this summer that I've rarely been able to keep up with blogging and the memes that need to get done, so lately blogging has been the last thing on my mind. I hope you guys understand if some of the memes that I do are late, I honestly don't want to have them go up late, its just I've been all over the place this summer. Anyways, here is Friday Firsts, which is a meme that you share the first line of the book you are currently reading! I have two first lines to share with you. What is the first line of the book your reading?

The girl was the first to hear the loud pounding on the door.

I never meant for it to happen like this.

Review: Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Released: June 12th, 2007
Published by: St. Martin’s Griffin
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Borrowed from Family Member
Page Amount: 293
School Rating: A (86%)
Age Group: Adult Fiction

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her
family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002:
On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to
retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv, to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

First Line:

“The girl was the first to hear the loud pounding on the door.”

Review:

SARAH’S KEY is a novel that I find hard to place words for. Its one of the most tragic and horrifying books I’ve ever read in my life. I’m having a hard time explaining this novel, just because I just can’t believe what really happened to all these Jews.

Before reading this novel, I had never heard of the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup that the French police did. I always thought that it was the Germans that had everything to do with hating the Jews, but the Germans had very little to do with the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup.

Tatiana has serious talent. Her writing is deep and full of meaning, but doesn’t get you bored at all. You can tell she did endless research on the Vel’ d’Hiv before writing this novel.

I thought I was going to seriously dislike Julia’s story - it just doesn’t seem interesting from the summary, but I really surprised myself and I really enjoyed it. I still think I enjoyed Sarah’s story more.

SARAH’S KEY is a novel I think every reader should read. it’s a fast read, but it is a story that will stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

Cover Comments:

I think the cover is beautiful, having Sarah and her little brother running. I think it has a big meaning to the story, and I love that it isn’t bright, and it almost looks like its sad.

Love,

Sierra

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. My Waiting on Wednesday read is....

The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it's the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago.

Soon “Rippermania” takes hold of modern-day London, and the police are left with few leads and no witnesses. Except one. Rory spotted the man police believe to be the prime suspect. But she is the only one who saw him. Even her roommate, who was walking with her at the time, didn't notice the mysterious man. So why can only Rory see him? And more urgently, why has Rory become his next target? In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, full of suspense, humor, and romance, Rory will learn the truth about the secret ghost police of London and discover her own shocking abilities.

I've read Maureen's THIRTEEN LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES and I really liked it, so I can't wait for THE NAME OF THE STAR to come out! (:

What are you waiting on Wednesday?

Love,

Sierra

Teaser Tuesday... ON WEDNESDAY!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:


Grab your current read

Let the book fall open to a random page

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!


Here are my teasers:



Novel: Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Page Teasers are From: 47
Teasers:

''Why was this happening to her? What had she done, or her parents done, to deserve this? Why was being Jewish so dreadful? Why were Jews being treated like this?''

''At recess, all the girls with the stars huddled together. They were pointed at by the other pupils, by all of those who used to be their friends. Mademoiselle Dixsaut had made a point of explaining that the stars should not change anything. All the pupils were to be treated the same way as before, star or no star.''

I know those were longer than a sentence, but I just thought I would share the entire thought of the teaser, just so that it would make a little more sense. Hope you enjoyed!

Love,

Sierra

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

IT'S MONDAY! What are you reading? This is a blogging meme to talk about some of the books that you read this week and the ones you are currently reading this week. Let's get started!

Books I've Read This Week-


The Juliet Club by Suzanne
Harper

So Over You by Gwen
Hayes








Books I'm Currently Reading-



Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay










Hope you enjoyed. (: What are you reading on this Monday?

Love,

Sierra

Review: The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper

Released: June 1st, 2008
Published by: Harper Collins
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Chapters
Page Amount: 416
School Rating: A- (81%)
Age Group: Young Adult

Italy . . . Shakespeare . . . but no romance?

Kate Sanderson inherited her good sense from her mother, a disciplined law professor, and her admiration for the Bard from her father, a passionate Shakespeare scholar. When she gets dumped, out of the blue, for the Practically Perfect Ashley Lawson, she vows never to fall in love again. From now on she will control her own destiny, and every decision she makes will be highly reasoned and rational. She thinks Shakespeare would have approved.

So when she is accepted to a summer Shakespeare symposium in Verona, Italy, Kate sees it as the ideal way to get over her heartbreak once and for all. She'll lose herself in her studies, explore ancient architecture, and eat plenty of pasta and gelato. (Plus, she'll be getting college credit for it—another goal accomplished!) But can even completely logical Kate resist the romance of living in a beautiful villa in the city where those star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet met and died for each other? Especially when the other Shakespeare Scholars—in particular Giacomo, with his tousled brown hair, expressive dark eyes, and charming ways—try hard to break her protective shell?

"In fair Verona, where we lay our scene . . . "

THE JULIET CLUB was one of those novels that I picked up on a whim - I had never heard of this book before I saw it sitting in the bookstore. I thought it sounded good, so I picked it up. I am so glad I did because THE JULIET CLUB was one of those novels that I could not put down.

Kate was a character I liked from the beginning - she was tough, yet she wasn’t mean. I also liked Giacomo from the beginning - even if he was a player.

I REALLY want to go to Verona, Italy now. Italy sound beautiful, and I loved that this novel was set there, I think it was perfect for the story. Why would you want to go to a Shakespeare seminar for Romeo and Juliet if it WASN’T set in the exact place they fell in love?

On the back of this book, it says “a perfect summer read”… and THE JULIET CLUB truly is an amazing summer read, one that I think every YA lover needs to read sooner or later.

Love,

Sierra

Review: So Over You by Gwen Hayes

Released: April 25th, 2010
Published by: Gwen Hayes
Series: Stand Alone Novella
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5
Source: Kindle
Page Amount: unknown
School Rating: C+ (67%)
Age Group: Young Adult

Layney Logan, girl reporter.

That's all she's ever wanted to be. This year, her senior year, not only does she have to share the coveted Senior Editor position with her arch nemesis, Jimmy Foster, she also has to figure out how to keep the school paper alive. With the local paper closing and the school cutting Journalism from the budget, it's a long shot. Working side-by-side with Foster, the guy she likes to call Lucifer, makes it even worse.

The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is Jimmy Foster think he got the best of her, so she takes
his ridiculous newspaper assignment--to go on twelve blind dates--to prove his powers of darkness won't work on her. The trouble is, the more she learns about herself on her journey of bad blind dates, the more she wonders if maybe Foster has known her better than she knows herself all this time.

And maybe she should have trusted him with the secret she’s kept for four years—the secret that broke them up to begin with.

I read this book on my Kindle because it was under my “suggested books” section and it was only two dollars. Great deal, right? Well, I didn’t have high expectations for this, just because it was so cheap. I can say I was surprised on how entertaining it was.

This book wasn’t the best that it could have been, but it was a really fun read! I read it in about three or four sittings, which is pretty good for me (this novel is also very short, though).

Layney was an… interesting character. When I first started the book, she seemed like, well, almost like a stuck-up snob, but once I got into the book a little bit more and learned her back-story a bit better, I realised that she was actually a pretty good character. I never really liked Jimmy, until the very end of the book. I loved Micah from the moment he was introduced, though.

I loved the whole idea of the dates. I think Layney learned a lot of what she needed to learn on those dates, which made her character that much better.

I would have liked to see it end in a different way, but unfortunately it didn’t, so there isn’t much I can do about it. I guess what happened was meant to happen.

SO OVER YOU is a story about love, loss, learning more about yourself, and learning that you should never let go of what is the most important thing in your life.
Cover Comments

I think this cover is pretty… standard. I do think it’s a nice cover, and portrays the story very well, its just every love story has a cover like this.

Love,

Sierra

Review: What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Released: May 10th, 2011
Published by: Penguin Young Readers Group
Series: Stand Alone Novel
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Source: Chapters
Page Amount: 402
School Rating: A
Age Group: Young Adult

Summary -

In the past two years, Mclean Sweet has moved four times. At each stop, she assumes a new persona, but it never quite works. Whether she's an effervescent cheerleader or an intense drama queen, nothing can permanently dispel the turmoil and rage at her mother since her parents' divorce.

Sarah Dessen's novel about a teenager and her restaurant manager father captures the vulnerability that young people often experience after the dissolution of their family. A compelling story; strong characterization; and with a touch of romance.

Review -

I waiting forever to get my hands on WHAT HAPPENED TO GOODBYE, since I turned to the very last page of her previous novel, ALONG FOR THE RIDE. I’ve been a huge fan of Sarah Dessen for about three years now, and I’ve read every single one of her novels. She has done it again!

Mclean was a character that had to grow on me. She wasn’t one of those characters where I loved her from the beginning. After she grew on me a bit more, she became one of my favourite characters from a Sarah Dessen novel. On the other hand, Dave was one of those characters that I loved from the beginning, from the very moment he was introduced.

I loved the storyline that Dessen came up with for this novel - one of her most creative. I loved the whole idea of changing yourself, and how it isn’t as easy as its cracked up to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I think it’s the perfect summer read, a book about love, changing, and how important it is to be yourself.


Cover Comments -

When this cover was first revealed, I wasn’t a huge fan of it, but after reading it, I really like it! I think it fit’s the story perfectly, but I got a lot of comments from my friends of what Mclean was trying to do.
Ratings -

Plot 9/10
Like able Characters 9/10
Problem Development 8/10
Solution Effectiveness 10/10
Writing Style 10/10
Character Development 8/10
Cover 8/10
Setting 10/10
Ending 9/10
Beginning 8/10
=
89%

Love,

Sierra

In My Mailbox: 30 (A Couple of Days Early!)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren. Her and her blog are too awesome for words. She is one of my biggest blogging inspirations.

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Right now I don't have a video for In My Mailbox, but if I do end up filming and posting one on Youtube, I will add it to the blog. The books I got this week were:

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller by Sarah Miller

So... I ask you... What did you get in your mailbox?