Stolen

Stolen
by: Lucy Christopher
http://www.lucychristopher.com/

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost. (from goodreads.com)

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I really liked this book. Written from the perspective of Gemma reflecting on her kidnapping and time in Australia living with her kidnapper Ty, this book is brutally honest in a way that pulls you in. I likened it to a car accident to some of the people I talked to. It's horrible and terrifying, and yet you can't look away. This book looks at a horrible event in Gemma's life, a moment that changed everything for her, and you see it unraveling through this letter that she is writing to her kidnapper, and you kind of want to put it down, and yet you want to see how it ends. I think that is one of the best attributes of Stolen, that it takes a theme that is hard to read about, and makes you want to keep reading.

Both Gemma and Ty are well written characters. Both are flawed and slightly damaged (Ty moreso then Gemma), and yet both remain sympathetic. You want to hate Ty for what he did to Gemma, but the more Gemma reveals about him, you may find yourself feeling sort of bad for him, I know I did. Since the book is in Gemma's perspective, we see it all through her eyes, and I really appreciated the fact that Christopher allowed Gemma to go back and forth in her feelings about Ty. It would be easy to have Gemma simply feel hatred and anger, but by making her question her feelings, and acknowledge the fact that there are other emotions (even one's bordering on love) that come into play, make the whole story more interesting and heartbreaking.

Another thing I really liked was the use of the Australian outback as the third person in this weird relationship. There was Ty the kidnapper, Gemma the kidnappee and then there was the land that held them both hostage. For Ty it was an escape, a sort of freedom that he wanted to share with Gemma. For Gemma it was a beautiful prison, that both captivated her and held her captive. Christopher did a great job of describing the sort of desolation and beauty that can be found in the outback and I liked how this home that Ty tried to create was as much a player in the plot as anyone else was.

The one thing I would have liked was to see what exactly happened to Ty in the end. Without giving too much away, Ty has to make a choice to save Gemma and possibly be caught and sent to prison or to risk losing Gemma to a snake bite- in his case, either way he loses Gemma. The book ends with Gemma debating how she should approach the trial. What does she say when she is called to the stand? How can she justify her conflicting feelings towards the person who kidnapped her to a judge and jury? I wish we could have seen what the outcome was, but I also understand that would be a different story. This book was about Gemma looking back and trying to figure out where she stands in relation to what happened to her.

Overall I really enjoyed the whole story. It was well written and brought out so many different emotions in me as I read it that I couldn't wait to see where it all went, and how it all ended for both Ty and Gemma. If I were going to rank it, and I am, I'd give it a 4 out of 5. I think it's one of those books that everyone should read. Even though the subject matter is tough, I think it's totally worth it.

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While poking around Christopher's website (which you should all go check out here) I came across this book trailer- check it out!

(Review reprinted from Eve's Fan Garden)

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. The idea is to share what books you got your hands on in the last week. This week has been kind of slow as far as getting new books- to be honest I haven't requested anything from the library because I've got a to-read pile that is starting to scare me- two of which I have to finish for reviews. I've blocked off most of June for reading books I already own, no borrowing, no buying, and unless someone surprises me, I don't think I have anything coming in the mail.

So this week I bought one book. I had a gift certificate that was burning a hole in my pocket and I picked this book based solely on title/cover. I'm about 1/2 way through and really liking it so far- my only regret is that this is book one in a series, and there are 5 more book after this one, as well as 9 other books about the same place but not in this direct series. This means my to-read list just grew by 14 :)

Chosen
by Ted Dekker

It has been 13 years since Black, and the Forest Guard is slowly being defeated by the Horde. Thomas Hunter is forced to lower the recruiting age from 18 to 16 in order to find enough troops to train for his armies. Of those new recruits, four are chosen to become squad leaders--two boys and two girls--but first they must pass one of Thomas's tests and bring four cacti back to the group.

Nothing goes as expected on their quest, though. They are pursued by the Horde and Johnis, the youngest of the four, sees both Roush and Shatiki--both of which vanished 13 years ago. The Roush give Johnis a new mission: he, along with the other three recruits, must recover the six missing Books of History. Silvie is the only one willing to follow John's lead, though, and rescuing the other two from the trouble they bring upon themselves only delays the quest for the books. The books have the power to bring about unspeakable evil if they fall into the wrong hands. (from goodreads.com)

Book Blogger Hop

It's the time of the week when we blog hop! The wonderful blog site Crazy For Books hosts each week.

I've had a week or so away from the hop- real life decided to interfere with reading, couple that with coming off my TBF Live high, and I've done a whole lot of nothing blog wise. I did pick up a few books that I'm almost finished with though. One of which is Stolen by Lucy Christpher. Reading this book is like watching a car accident, it's horrible and scary (and gave me nightmares), but it is so well written that you can't look away- you have to keep reading. I had to put it down and take a break, but I'm already wondering what we'll find out about Gemma and Ty next.

Anywho...can't wait to spend the afternoon hopping around some new blogs :)

Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Author Chat tonight!

Please join us over at Eve's Fan Garden tonight at 8:30pm est as we chat with Jillian Dare author Melanie Jeschke.

And don't forget to enter the contest- you could win a book, bookmark and autographed postcard from Melanie!

Dead in the Family signed copy giveaway

Just wanted to do a real quick post and point everyone to a really awesome contest that is going on over at Once Upon A Twilight- she is giving away a signed copy of Charlaine Harris' Dead in the Family. This is an awesome prize- I want it, you know you want it- so head over there and enter!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. The idea is to share what books you got your hands on in the last week. I'm always amazed and jealous of the take that gets shared over at The Story Siren, and it always means that my personal to read list grows exponentially.

This past week I managed to snag two new books. One I bought at the Rochester Teen Book Fest and one I think I got through Goodreads Firstreads. I say "think" becuase those things come with no letters or anything and I vaguely remember reading about this particular book on Goodreads about a month ago.

The Order of Odd-Fish
by: James Kennedy

JO LAROUCHE HAS lived her 13 years in the California desert with her Aunt Lily, ever since she was dropped on Lily’s doorstep with this note: This is Jo. Please take care of her. But beware. This is a dangerous baby. At Lily’s annual Christmas costume party, a variety of strange events take place that lead Jo and Lily out of California forever—and into the mysterious, strange, fantastical world of Eldritch City. There, Jo learns the scandalous truth about who she is, and she and Lily join the Order of Odd-Fish, a collection of knights who research useless information. Glamorous cockroach butlers, pointless quests, obsolete weapons, and bizarre festivals fill their days, but two villains are controlling their fate. Jo is inching closer and closer to the day when her destiny is fulfilled, and no one in Eldritch City will ever be the same.

The Elvenbane
by: Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey

Two masters of epic fantasy collaborate to create a rousing tale. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, Shana is rescued and raised by dragons. Reaching adulthood, she explores her magical abilities and ultimately leads a revolt against the decadent elves.

Rochester Teen Book Fest

So my poor blog has been suffering this week. It's not that I'm neglecting it, it's just that I've been really busy doing some awesome book stuff on another site I work on Eve's Fan Garden. So rather then post in both places- I'm going to take the lazy man's route and do a bunch of links- if something catches your eye, please click away and check out some great stuff that I did in for the Greater Rochester Teen Book Fest. The festival brought together 26 authors and over 4000 attendee's for a day of panels and presentations, as well as a great autograph session. My inner fan girl was in heaven!

Recap of the fest and interview with the fabulous Lisa McMann (Wake trilogy): click here

Interviews with A.S. King (The Dust of 100 Dogs) and Ben Mikaelsen (Touching Spirit Bear): click here

Interview with Lisa Schroeder (I Heart You, You Haunt Me): click away!

I still have one more interview to post. Simone Elkeles (How to Ruin series, Perfect Chemistry) was nice enough to sit down for a quick interview, which turned into a great 1/2 hour conversation. I'm still transcribing my notes- hopefully this interview will be up on Sunday at the very latest, so stay tuned!

The Dust of 100 Dogs

The Dust of 100 Dogs
by A.S. King
http://www.as-king.com/

In the late seventeenth century, famed teenage pirate Emer Morrisey was on the cusp of escaping the pirate life with her one true love and unfathomable riches when she was slain and cursed with the dust of one hundred dogs, dooming her to one hundred lives as a dog before returning to a human body -- with her memories intact.

Now she's a contemporary American teenager and all she needs is a shovel and a ride to Jamaica. (from goodreads.com)

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This was a great book. This was another one that I grabbed for the book fest and to be honest I chose it on title alone, well that and the fact it had pirates. It just seemed like a completely original concept and that is always fun to see. King handles what could be a really complicated structure in a way that kept it all flowing and organized and it made for an exciting read.

The book follows two stories about the same person- first is Emer, living in Ireland during the time Cromwell invaded, she is pushed out, her family killed and she is sold as a slave/wife by relatives. She escapes to the Caribbean where she becomes a pirate and weilds increadible power on the sea. She finds her lost love and then loses him again. Right about that time she is also cursed with the "dust of 100 dogs" and has to live 100 lives as a dog before she can return as a human. Which is where Saffron comes in. Emer is reborn with all her memories in tact as a contemporary teen in a poor area of Pennsylvania, who just wants to escape back to the Caribbean and find her lost treasure.

Both stories are great and contain a little bit of something for everyone. Neither Emer or Saffron are terribly well off, but both are survivors and increadibly strong characters. There is action and buried treasure, and of course a little romance. I also really appreciated that a ton of research was done on this book and the history of both Ireland and the Caribbean was spot on. Good books tell a phenomenal story, but really great books teach you something as well, and I think this book accomplished that feat. Not only did you get an adventure, but you also learned a bit about Ireland, what life was like for those who were poor and pushed out, as well as what pirateering was like at that time.

I also really enjoyed the idea that not only was Emer hit with the dust of 100 dogs, but so was everyone else in her immediate vacinity at the time. So there were some great interconnecting storylines and plots that tied it all together in the end.

I'd say that this is one book to grab and read. It's exciting and fun and is genuinely a really great read.

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On another side note- I also had the pleasure of meeting A.S. King at the book fest this past weekend and she is amazing. She is increadibly nice and funny and gave a great presentation with Lisa McMann and Robin Brande about High School Humiliation and how all those terrible moments can make for wonderful and realistic books. She also graciously agreed to an interview, which will be psoted on Eve's Fan Garden in the next few days!

What They Always Tell Us

What They Always Tell Us
By: Martin Wilson
http://www.martinwilsonwrites.com/

James: Popular, smart, and athletic, James seems to have it all. But the only thing James really wants is his college acceptance letter, so he can get far away from Alabama after high school. He's tired of the same old parties; the tennis team; his so-called girlfriend, Alice; his ex, Clare - and especially his quiet younger brother, Alex. In a town where secrets are hard to keep, everyone knows what Alex did at the annual back-to-school party. The only question is why.

Alex: With his friends no longer talking to him and his brother constantly in motion, Alex is prepared to get through junior year on his own. And he would, if his ten-year-old neighbor, Henry, didn't keep showing up, looking for company. Even James seems intrigued by Henry, and by the strange cars that come and go from his house across the street. But what Alex cares most about is running, and when he's encouraged to try out for cross-country, he's surprised to find more than just a supportive teammate in his brother's friend Nathen.

Thoughtful and moving, What They Always Tell us is a powerful debut novel about the bond between two brothers - and the year that changes everything. (from Goodreads.com)

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I love this book. I realize that I say that about alot of books, but I guess my love of books is wide-flung, because this is another to add to the list. I generally read alot of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, with some historical fiction and pictures thrown in, so this book, a debut by Wilson was slightly out of my norm. I picked it up at the library while I was looking for books to read ahead of the Greater Rochester Teen Book Fest (which was last weekend) and the title and cover caught my eye. I am so glad I picked this book up because it told a really important story in a wonderful way.

Both the lead characters, James and Alex are extremely well written. Through both of them, Wilson took characters that could have become stereotypes, and made them so much more. Instead of being pigeonholed into the role as the "athletic older brother", or the "outcast freak", or even the "gay kid", they were shown as three dementional, well rounded individuals. The same people you pass by everyday. There's what you see on the surface, and then there's the part of you that that is sometimes hidden, only shown to those who you love and trust enough to let in. I felt like both Wilson and his characters trusted us, as the reader, enough to let us see who they really are and it was refreshing and wonderful to read. Wilson didn't shy away from delving into some tough issues like depression and suicide, bullying, love and what it feels like to be gay (and by extension to simply be different) at a time in your life when you are just trying to get by and figure out who you are.

I also have to mention James and Alex's neighbor, Henry, a lonely kid who spends alot of time just hanging around and reading the dictionary. Both Alex and James befriend Henry and it's kind of through helping Henry that they find their way back to eachother. There is a bit of a mystery surrounding Henry and his mother, who don't really fit into their neighborhood. If I have one criticizm of this book, it's that Henry's story felt a little chopped off to me. I don't want to give anything away, but I wish we had learned a little bit more about Henry and his father and how that all resolved itself. It's a small thing that didn't really impact how much I enjoyed the book, but Henry was such a great character that I wanted more.

This story has alot of layers to it, but Wilson handles it in a way that you never feel lost or confused. Also Wilson never shies away from, or tries to sugarcoat, being honest about the special kind of hell that High School is for most kids, but he also reminds us that sometimes you just have to keep your heart open and keep moving forward and that eventually you will find your place in the world. The story pulls you forward and it is a wonderful read that I would recommend to everyone, especially teens, who are dealing with the same issues Wilson writes about.

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On a side note- I had the good fortune of seeing Wilson present at the Book Fest and to talk to him briefly during the autograph session (where, of course, I also got an autograph). It was a great time and I'm extremely glad that I made the drive over to Rochester to attend!

As always- check out Wilson's webpage which has his blog as well as a cute section with Henry's words (he wasn't reading that dictionary for nothing).

Catching up

Boy oh boy- I am falling behind on my reviews. I crammed about 4 books in as I prepared to go to the Greater Rochester Teen Book Fest and I haven't reviewed any yet. I'm working on it though- plus a write up of the awesomeness that was the fest for Eve's Fan Garden. I'm also doing a whole bunch of interviews over at Eve's Fan Garden- I even got to interview Simone Elkeles and Lisa McMann in person at the fest. I was totally nervous (you know the excited kind of nervous), but they were both so down to earth and nice that it was alot of fun.

So stay tuned for new reviews and links to all the stuff over at EFG!

Thanks :)

Book Blogger Hop

It's the time of the week when we blog hop! The wonderful blog site Crazy For Books hosts each week. This is my third week joining in and so far I have founds some great new blogs that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found otherwise.

In My Mailbox

So last week was my first week joining in on Story Siren's In My Mailbox. I hadn't intended on joining in again this week- only because I didn't get anything interesting in my mailbox. I picked up a ton of books at the library, but nothing that neccessarily warranted an entire post. Then I hit the post office today...it was like Christmas! Books everywhere, really interesting looking, exciting books! I got them from Donna, who I work on the BOTM club over at Eve's Fan Garden with and one book in particular caught my eye so much that it's making me want to put down the book I'm reading.

Here's what I got:

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

* This is the one that really caught my eye. I'm really looking forward to getting into this book*

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don't like your best friend's boyfriend.

Sarah has had a crush on Ryan for years. He's easy to talk to, supersmart, and totally gets her. Lately it even seems like he's paying extra attention to her. Everything would be perfect except for two things: Ryan is Brianna's boyfriend, and Brianna is Sarah's best friend.

Sarah forces herself to avoid Ryan and tries to convince herself not to like him. She feels so guilty for wanting him, and the last thing she wants is to hurt her best friend. But when she's thrown together with Ryan one night, something happens. It's wonderful...and awful.

Sarah is torn apart by guilt, but what she feels is nothing short of addiction, and she can't stop herself from wanting more...

Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel- Fattah

At school I'm Aussie-blonde Jamie -- one of the crowd. At home I'm Muslim Jamilah -- driven mad by my Stone Age dad. I should win an Oscar for my acting skills. But I can't keep it up for much longer..."

Jamie just wants to fit in. She doesn't want to be seen as a stereotypical Muslim girl, so she does everything possible to hide that part of herself. Even if it means pushing her friends away because she's afraid to let them know her dad forbids her from hanging out with boys or that she secretly loves to play the darabuka (Arabic drums).

But when the cutest boy in school asks her out and her friends start to wonder about Jamie's life outside of school, her secrets threaten to explode. Can Jamie figure out how to be both Jamie and Jamilah before she loses everything?

(all descriptions from Goodreads.com)

And just for the records- here's the rest of the books I got from the library. I've got lots of reading to do!

Gimme a Call by Sarah Mlynowski

Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King (this is another one I can't wait to get in to)

Linger Trailer

Check out this awesome stop motion trailer for Maggie Steifvater's upcoming book Linger. It is absolutely beautiful.



and if you need the youtube link for some reason:
Linger Trailer

And as always- go check out Maggie's awesome website, which is currently running a pretty sweet contest. For which this post is my entry :)

We Were Here

We Were Here
By : Matt de la Pena
www.mattdelapena.com

The story of one boy and his journey to find himself.

When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live.

But Miguel didn’t bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting to the border to where he could start over. Forget his mom. Forget his brother. Forget himself.

Life usually doesn’t work out how you think it will, though. And most of the time, running away is the quickest path right back to what you’re running from.

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I loved this book. I picked it up ahead of the Rochester Teen Book Fest (May 15th) as de la Pena is one of the authors attending and I'm glad I chose this book. This book is written in something close to journal form, with Miguel having to fill in a journal as part of his court mandated punishment for the crime he comitted. We don't find out the exact nature of his crime until the end of the book, which I really liked, because it allowed me to really get to know Miguel without having a preconcieved notion about him related to his crime.

Miguel is a great character. He find himself a criminal, one who's actions, albiet accidental, have left him an outcast from his family and in a group home for troubled boys. Even there he doesn't fit in. He just reads books, and tries to keep to himself and finish his time. When Mong, a fellow group homer who Miguel has a negative relationship to asks him to break out with him, Miguel agrees, taking his roommate Rondell with him. The trio, each vastly different from eachother, form an unlikely bond as they try to make it down the coast to Mexico.

Throughout their trip they encounter alot of obstacles. How to get food, how to deal with people prejudices and even how to deal with death. By the time they reach Mexico, they realize that it may not be the right path and have to decide what is the best course.

I really liked this book because it didn't shy away from some really tough issues. It had damaged characters, one with a serious illness, one suffering from the long term effects of his mothers drug use, and one trying to come to grips with a horrific accident. This book never asks us to pity them though, it simply shows us who they are as they try to navigate a world in which they don't quite fit in. I thought every character was well written and in the end I was really proud of the progress they made and the way they turned out. Overall, great book.

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Matt de la Pena's next book, I Will Save You, is out October 12, 2010 and I for one can't wait.

Dead in the Family

Dead in the Family
By: Charlaine Harris
www.charlaineharris.com

Sookie Stackhouse has finally settled into a relationship with the Viking vampire Eric, and her errant brother Jason seems to have his life in order, too. But all the other people in Sookie’s life – Eric himself, her former lover Bill, her friend and boss Sam – are having family problems. Eric’s maker shows up with Eric’s ‘brother’ in tow, the ailing Bill can only be healed by a blood sibling, and Sam’s brother’s marriage is about to take place... or will it? The furor raised by the coming out of the two-natured has yet to settle; some people are just not ready to sit down to dinner with a man who turns into a dog. And Sookie herself is still recovering from her last ordeal. She’s definitely improving, physically and mentally, but she’s always going to have some dark moments now. The werewolves tell her that there have been strange and ominous passers-by in the Stackhouse woods; now Sookie is about to come face-to-face with one of her more distant relatives...

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So this is going to be one of my rare *meh* reviews. I love the Sookie Stackhouse series. LOVE. This book however, just didn't do it for me. There were some things that were great, which I'll mention later (end on a high note right?), but the vast majority of the book was kind of blah to me.

A few negatives before the positives. I thought this book ahd way too much crammed into it. WE had Sookie's recovery, her relationship with Eric, Eric's maker and brother (who happens to be a Romanov), the Were's issues, Claude moving in, Dermot showing up, two dead bodies, FBI agents, Bill's long lost vampire sister/lover, Tara's pregnancy, Jason's new relationship, Sam dating a were, and old lady Bellefleur on her death bed. Did I forget anything? This is the problem for me. So many little story lines, but nothing felt cohesive to me. I missed having the big mystery for Sookie to solve, or challenge for Sookie to overcome. Everything seemed a little too easy, and I felt like it was because there was so much going on that we never really got enough detail on any one thing.

Some positives: I liked that we got little insights into the history of some of the vampires. Seeing Eric's maker and the effect that he has on Eric was interesting. As Eric is seen as strong and flappable, it was a nice change to see him on the edge of losing control. Getting a little bit more about Bill's past and where he came from was great too. I felt like this book was setting him up for a new relationship, which is good because it free's Sookie up to really explore what her feelings are with Eric (outside of the bond).

I'm hoping this book is just serving as a bit of background history and filler before the next book. Answering a few questions so that we can move forward in the storyline. This probably could have been accomplished through outtakes on the website, or a few short stories, instead of an entire book though. If I had to sum it up I'd say that this was a good book, but not a great one. I'm glad I own it because it is part of the set, but I kind of wish I had waited to buy until it was out in paperback.

Book Blogger Hop

It's the time of the week when we blog hop! The wonderful blog site Crazy For Books hosts each week. This is my third week joining in and so far I have founds some great new blogs that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found otherwise.

Check out these new-to-me blogs that I found last week at the hop:

Imagination in Focus whose to read list essentially mirrors my own- I love to see what other readers thought of books that I loved (or hated depending on the book) The site also has this as a tag line, which I immediately loved and wanted to steal: "Close your eyes. Open your mind. 'You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus' - Mark Twain."

The Nook Nack which is another blog that focuses alot on YA books, but she had a lot of books that had not yet crossed my radar, as well as some great reviews of some books that I've been pushing down the list for months that I may need to find some time to pick up!

Fragments of Life who focuses on YA as well, but with a mission in life to read "all angel/fallen/nephilim books"- which is pretty awesome (if you ask me)

Do you judge a blog by it's cover?

You know that saying right? "Don't judge a book by it's cover, it's what's inside that counts". Sage words, but hard to follow. With so many books out there, the cover art is a quick and easy way to pick a book. I do it- I see a cover I like and I'll pick it up, see what the jacket says, see if the interest that the cover generated extends to the description. Of course, if the jacket fails to keep my attention the book goes back. I wouldn't buy a book based solely on the cover, but I won't deny that the cover is what pulls me in initially. I've been perusing alot of blogs lately- participating in memes, looking for new books to add to my to-read list and getting ideas for new authors to check out. I've come to find, that first blush way of picking books seems to extend to the way I look at blogs.

Like books, blogs come in all shapes and sizes. Some are minimilist, giving you the facts and nothing but the facts. Some are works of arts, combining their reviews with music, art and high quality design. Some, like mine I'd argue, are somewhere in the middle- a premade background, a banner that was cobbed together by the blogger and a hodgepodge of information- aimed mostly to entertain the author of the blog. I'd have to argue that that first glance you get when you open a blog really affects whether you read on or not. I've closed many blogs without even reading what they have to say, simply because the layout and design didn't catch my attention. Totally unfair probably, but completely true.

Why do we do that? I'm probably missing a ton of good blogs just because the design didn't appeal to me. I should try to break that habit. What about you guys, anyone else make the msitake of judging a blog (or a book) by it's cover?

In My Mailbox

This is my first week joining in on "In My Mailbox" hosted by The Story Siren. The concept is pretty simple- write about the new (or new to you) books you've aquired this week.

I'm book poor, so I've been Library-ing it more and more and that's where most of my books come from, but everyonce in awhile I get a review copy or contest win book in the mail (those are happy, happy days). This week I'm revving up for the Rochester Teen Book fest by reading as many books as I can from the authors who are attending. Most came in this week from the library, on the pile we've got:

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What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson

James: Popular, smart, and athletic, James seems to have it all. But the only thing James really wants is his college acceptance letter, so he can get far away from Alabama after high school. He's tired of the same old parties; the tennis team; his so-called girlfriend, Alice; his ex, Clare - and especially his quiet younger brother, Alex. In a town where secrets are hard to keep, everyone knows what Alex did at the annual back-to-school party. The only question is why.

Alex: With his friends no longer talking to him and his brother constantly in motion, Alex is prepared to get through junior year on his own. And he would, if his ten-year-old neighbor, Henry, didn't keep showing up, looking for company. Even James seems intrigued by Henry, and by the strange cars that come and go from his house across the street. But what Alex cares most about is running, and when he's encouraged to try out for cross-country, he's surprised to find more than just a supportive teammate in his brother's friend Nathen.

Thoughtful and moving, What They Always Tell us is a powerful debut novel about the bond between two brothers - and the year that changes everything (from goodreads.com)

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We Were Here by Matt De La Pena

When it happened, Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge gave him a year in a group home—said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he actually did Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened, his mom can’t even look at him in the face. Any home besides his would be a better place to live.

But Miguel didn’t bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting to the border to where he could start over. Forget his mom. Forget his brother. Forget himself.

Life usually doesn’t work out how you think it will, though. And most of the time, running away is the quickest path right back to what you’re running from. (from goodreads.com)

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The last book I recieved as a review copy from the Cadence Group- it's a bit of a departure from my usual YA or western books, but I'm excited to get something new and different in.


Revenge Served Cold by Jackie Fullerton

Kathy Spence awakens in the middle of the night and finds herself in a living nightmare. Her husband has been run down and she is the primary suspect. With an eyewitness to the crime and proof that her car was the murder weapon, it appears to be an open and shut case. Terrified for her future, Kathy turns to amateur sleuth Anne Marshall for help. Believing in Kathy s innocence, Anne launches her own investigation, uncovering proof of a conspiracy that reaches from Kathy s past and threatens her own life. In a race against time, Anne must count on her close friends and even the ghost of her father to help her bring a killer to justice before it s too late

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Last thing on the list are some goodies I got for a contest we are running on Eve's Fan Garden. Jillian Dare by Melanie Jeschke is one of our May books of the month. We will be hosting a author chat with Jeschke on May 26th at 8:30 and closer to that date we will be posting some info regarding a contest. Even though I have a bit of time before the contest, etc., I always get excited to see goodies show up in the mail!

Skinned

Skinned
By: Robin Wasserman

http://robinwasserman.com/

Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular -- until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life.

Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime -- for which they must pay the ultimate price. (from goodreads.com)

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I picked this book up on the recommendation of fellow bookie Sara who uses it in her classroom as a modern option to Frankenstein. I thought this was a great book. It really had a lot of different facets that resonate, from the normal outcast teen, to how we deal with loss and change to the big idea of technology and how far it will let us go in terms of controlling the world around us.

In Skinned, we see the world as it is after a devastating, nuclear war. Cities have been destroyed, people are divided into those with the means to stay "linked in" through the vast network and those who don't. Those who don't suffer in the cities or corp-towns, just surviving. The "have's" on the other hand, want for nothing- they genetically engineer their children to screen out deformities and disease and screen in the desirable attributes, down to hair color and athletic ability. Their car's drive themselves and they live linked in to the network. The use of drugs to alter moods is socially acceptable (even for kids)- and if you should suffer a horrific accident, then the medicine and cures (for the "haves" at least) knows no bounds.

Which is where we find Lia- who after a terrible car accidents awakes in the hospital to find she has been downloaded. He brain sliced and diced and uploaded into a new body, making her effectively a machine with Lia's memories and personality. From there we see Lia lose everything as she goes from Ms. Popular to outcast as her sister Zo's status rises. Lia struggles to figure out where she fits in now that she is not human, but still retains a piece that is.

What I liked about this book is that it works on many levels. Take away the technology and we still see a girl struggling with fitting in. She is ostracized for something she can't help (and didn't choose to become), she faces humiliation at the hands of fellow students, disgust from her sister who feels guilty about Lia's "death", and outright hatred from the "faithers" a religious group who feel that Lia's situation is a sin and shouldn't be allowed to exist. It all brings up feeling of discrimination, stereotyping and bullying- which are issues that kids deal with on a day to day basis. Add in the technology and you see where we could be heading as we get more and more advanced in what we can do with computers.

I really liked Lia because she felt real to me- she lost everything and wasn't sure where she fit in anymore. I liked that she was willing to experiment with her new circumstance, allowing fellow outcast (but still very much human) Auden to be a shoulder to lean on and a cohort in seeing what the new Lia could do.

I also liked the "Mech" group Lia finds herself immersed in. They are shady at the outset, seeming to revel in what they can get away with as people who were downloaded. They literally push their bodies to the limit, jumping off waterfalls and getting shot, just because they can. It's only later that you see they are a group of kindred spirits who are searching for a way to feel something again, even though they preach forgetting the past (beacuse for most, the past wasn't as wonderful as Lia's), they are still trying to catch a moment of real feeling and emotion that eludes them in their new bodies. One little tidbit I was surprised to see, and which I liked and hope we hear more about in the sequel, was that some of the "skinners", who the public were told volunteered, really did not- and that despite their outword apparence as caucasion, were really from minority families in the city (like Chicago). I hope this goes somewhere, just because I really think Wasserman did a great job showing the parallels to real life in what Lia experiences in school and I feel like she could really show a parallel to race and poverty descrimination if she goes into how and why these kids were taken into the download program.

One thing I wasn't too happy with was the way the book ended. We see Lia make a decision as to what she needs to do and where she needs to be. We see a confrontation with her sister, Zo. Then it just kind of ends. I turned the page expecting to see more, but instead I got the preview for the next book. I know that many books use this as a cliff-hanger (especially when they know it will be a series), but I still felt it was kind of a let down. It didn't take any thing away from how I felt about the book's contents neccessarily and it certainly won't stop me from reading the sequel Crashed, but again, it was a bit abrupt and not really my cup of tea as far as endings go.

Overall though- great book. I definitly see how it could be used really effectively in a classroom setting, and I'd definitly going to go reserved Crashed and then settle in to wait for Wired (book 3).