Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine- head to her site to see what everyone else is eagerly awaiting.

This week I'm waiting on A.S. King's Please Ignore Vera Dietz

18-year-old Vera's spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie. And over the years she's kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything. So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone. Will she emerge and clear his name? Does she even want to? (from as-king.com)

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Teaser Tuesday & Top Ten Tuesday (2)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:



* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!




I knelt next to her "You're right. I can't stop fate, but I can stay one step ahead of her."
She squinted at me. "Can you really do that?"
"Already have." I winked

pg 293 Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder

I resisted the urge to tease you all with an excerpt of my fabulously interesting management text book, but I figured no one would really be tempted to go pick that one up, so I went with Spy Glass instead. You're welcome ;)



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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at Broke and Bookish Here is what they have to say: Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time..just post what you can!

This week they are looking for your Top Ten Words, so here are mine- I went with both words I like because they are fun to say and words I overuse on a regular basis.


1. Fontrum: The embarrassment one feels on behalf of people who do not know they should be embarrassed for themselves.

We've all felt this way, we just didn't know what to call it. Now we do.

2. Schadenfreude: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.

Another one of those words I didn't know existed, but once I heard it everything made sense.

3. Dude: Sometimes used informally as a term of address.

aka- word I picked up while in middle school back in the day and have not been able to purge from my vocabulary.

4. Serenity: the quality or state of being serene

Something I wish to attain, but fail at repeatedly. "Serenity Now!" as Frank Costanza would say.

5. Doppelganger: a ghostly counterpart of a living person

They say everyone has a doppelganger out there- I want to know who mine is, because if she happens to be rich and successful i may want to switch places.

6. Copacetic: very satisfactory

Because we obviously needed a 4 syllable word to tell someone it's "okay"

7.Cantankerous: difficult or irritating to deal with

The dictionary used the example of a cantankerous mule, but I'm pretty sure I've met more people who are irritating to deal with then any of the mules I've worked with.

8. Frontier: the farthermost limits of knowledge or achievement in a particular subject.

Who doesn't want to reach the farthermost limits...plus I wish I had lived on the frontier circa 1880 and wear awesome clothes.

9. Wild: living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated.

Again, the dictionary picked the very apt example of "wild ducks"- not sure that's what I would have gone with, but at any rate, I love the idea of living in a state of nature and not being tame.

10. Tomfoolery: playful or foolish behavior

Because really, who doesn't love a little follish behavior?

Alright, you're up, what are some of your favorite words? How about a teaser from the book you're reading.

Review: Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter

Summary: You'd think Polly Martin would have all the answers when it comes to love—after all, her grandmother is the famous syndicated advice columnist Miss Swoon. But after a junior year full of dating disasters, Polly has sworn off boys. Now she's just trying to survive her summer job at Wild Waves Western-themed water park (under the supervision of ex #3, Sawyer Holmes) and focus on herself for once. So Polly is happy when she finds out Grandma is moving in for the summer—think of all the great advice she'll get.

But Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy sexagenarian! How can Polly stop herself from falling for Xander Cooper, the suddenly hot skateboarder who keeps showing up at Wild Waves, when Grandma is picking up guys at the bookstore and flirting with the dishwasher repairman? And why, despite her best intentions, does Polly keep letting boys get in the way of her relationship with her best friend, Jane?

No advice column in the world can prepare Polly for what happens when Jane persuades her to go on a group camping trip with three too many ex-boyfriends and the tempting Xander. Polly is forced to face her feelings and figure out if she can be in love—and still be herself. (from goodreads.com)

Review: this was a great book that kind of sneaks up on you. On the surface it's a funny, lighthearted summer read about a girl named Polly who is dealing with her numerous ex-boyfriends and her new crush. Look a little closer though and you quickly realize that this book is about much more. Polly is also dealing with an absentee father, a mother who is trying to make it all work, and a grandmother who is seeing her livelyhood slip away. For Polly, trying to find a match in a boyfriend in a way to compensate for the craziness that exists elsewhere in her life.

Polly was a great charecter and I especially love how Salter looks at high school romance with a humurous eye, but without dismissing the real issues that lie therein. Even though Polly's escapades with her boyfriends led her to become an outdoor enthusiast, a car buff and a student council member- she also realizes that she can't just keep becoming whatever it is the boy wants, if she does she will lose herself. Which is where Xander comes in. A former outcast himself, he sees Polly for who she is, and likes her. He sticks by her as she tries to work it all out for herself and I love that.

This is a great summer read, it's not too heavy, but it isn't fluff either (it's just right...). I'm looking forward to reading more of Salter's books!

About Sydney Salter:
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