In My Mailbox (2)

I just got back from a 3 day camping trip (and I'm leaving for a week tomorrow), so I haven't got any books in the past three days, but I got a couple before that, so I'll share those (which is still a lot, surprisingly, though not too surprisingly because we know I love to get books!). I also ordered a couple of books online, but they're not in yet so I'll share them when they come in next week!

From the Library:

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker (see my review here)

Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman

Bought from the used book store:

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

(I've actually already read both of these but they were super cheap and I love them so I had to add them to my collection. :))

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else got in the mailboxes, libraries, bookstores, etc!

Book Review: A Match Made In High School by Kristin Walker

Title: A Match Made In High School

Author: Kristin Walker

Series: none

Publisher: Razorbill

Release Date: Febuary 4 2010

My Source: Library

My Rating: 3/5

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: Jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer. Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

The premise of this book is that the principal decides that all the seniors in East Columbus high school have to participate in marriage education, where they are randomly paired with another student and have to "pretend" they're married. They have to do a job together, and make real world money, then multiple it to be their household income. They choose what kind of house and luxuries they want and try to budget their money. As is obvious from the description, everyone gets paired up with the most unlikely people, and many results follower. I thought the marriage "match up" sounded creative and funny. When I heard of this book, I immeadietly thought about how awful and funny something like that would be at my own high school, and so I really wanted to read this book.

The main character, Fiona, I found to be annoying but at the same time I admired her a bit. She didn't care what anybody thought about her appearance or behavior. She was unpopular, but she got paired with a popular jock, Todd. Their "relationship" and feuding was very interesting and I enjoyed reading about it. Fiona was extremely obnoxious and loud, and some of her actions and thoughts drove me a bit crazy sometimes. I found it hard to relate to her. I didn't like her character too much. All the characters were all typical high school stereotypes. Fiona is the girl who doesn't care what others think, Todd is the popular jock, Amanda is his popular girlfriend, Johnny is this mysterious guy who turns out to be really cool, and Gabe is the hot guy who Fiona is obsessed with then realizes he's not that great in the first place. Not the most original characters, but at the same time they did develop (to some degree).

I did enjoy reading this, it was fun light entertainment, but I could recommend other books that I would describe that way that I liked a lot better. The characters in this book weren't that great, even though I loved the plot idea.

Overall, there were things I liked and things I didn't, but I would still recommend it if you like stories set in high school!

On Vacation!

Hey everyone, just letting you know I'm on vacation from now until August 14th!

I know what you're thinking, another vacation break for her! Fortunately, I know how to time posts now, so you'll still see a few updates, but if I'm not responding to comments or emails, that's why. There also won’t be all of my regular memes, such as It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? (though I will post a Waiting On Wednesday).

I'm going to be camping with NO INTERNET for a week and a half! I leave Thursday morning for one trip, then I get back Saturday night and leave again for another trip Sunday afternoon, through the next Saturday evening. So, if you were following all that, you'll notice I have a gap I'll actually BE HOME (super happy about that :)) for a time gap between Saturday and Sunday. I will be posting an In My Mailbox post Saturday evening! And I'll be checking emails, replying, etc. But after that, it's no more contact with the online world until Saturday August 14th. Sorry if I'm not replying or anything!

Have a great end of summer everyone! Enjoy the vacations while you can!

Waiting on Wednesday: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm excited for Halo by Alexandra Adornetto.

Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings. But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls in love with the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realize they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There′s a new kid in town and he′s charming, seductive and deadly. Worst of all, he′s after Beth.

Isn't that cover stunning? I love it! And from the summary, it looks intriging. Angels are getting pretty popular in YA books, but I'm excited to read this one!

What's your pick this week?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (2)

Before I go into this post, I need a quick opinion. As readers, do you think I participate in too many memes? I've been doing Waiting on Wednesday, Blog Hop/Follower Friday (though I might not do that one again), In My Mailbox, and It's Monday, What Are You Reading?. Does this clutter my blog, or is it interesting? Just wondering...

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Journey. Head on over there to sign up! (Even though Monday is almost over, here anyway...)

Anyway, now onto what I read last week.

Reviews I posted:

• Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld


• One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt


• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
  
• Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
  
  

Currently, I'm reading Fallen by Lauren Kate. (I also have it on tape that I've been listening to a little, but I prefer to read it.) I'm almost done and it's good so far!

I have quite an extensive pile of books from the librar, so these are just a few I'm planning to read next. I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't actually read ALL of these this week, but I will eventually! (If you look at last week's post, notice I listed 3 books I wanted to read last week and I only read one of them!)

To Be Read:

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

A Match Made In High School by Kristin Walker

Book Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Leviathan

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Series: Leviathan #1

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: October 6 2009

My Source: Library
My Rating: 2.5/5

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.
Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.
With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Being a fan of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, I was excited to read this book. I hate to say it disappointed me a lot. I didn't hate it, but I just found it really hard to get into for a lot of reasons. The setting was really neat though- I liked the "alternative history" of World War I, that seemed almost futuristic, but not quite. The machines and hybrid animals they had invented were mind blowing at times, and I liked the idea of riding around on a giant whale in the sky, it was intriging.

Unfortunately, I thought the two protagonists, Alek and Deryn, seemed too young to be typical YA fiction. Even though they were fifteen, I think this book would've applied a little more to Middle Grade readers just from the way they thought and acted. Also, this book had A LOT of details about the military fighting and machines, which honestly got a little bit boring for me, and I had a tendency to tune out, then lose my place. Overall, this book didn't make sense because the machine stuff was more for older readers and the characters seemed for younger readers. The first half of the book was also incredibly slow! Practically nothing happened, I assume it was just giving background, but it took forever for me to get through. I almost just quit reading it, but I had heard so many good things about this book, and plus, I rarely ever quit reading a book without finishing it. I try to finish everything because you can't fairly judge a book without reading the whole thing. Anyway, tangent aside, this book definitely picked up in the second half when the two characters actually MET each other. But then by the end, there was almost no resolution, and there was still hardly a relationship built between any of the characters. Deryn was a pretty cool girl character, she was really smart and brave and I did admire her a bit, but at times it was hard to believe she was even a girl! I wished I would've understood the characters feelings more, and it would've been deeper, but like I said before, it was sort of like they were twelve years old.

I didn't hate this book, I just didn't really like it either. It was just okay for me, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it, if you're a fan of steampunk and machines or alternative historical fiction, read this, but if you're just a typical YA fan, I wouldn't put this one at the top of your TBR.

In My Mailbox (1)

Welcome to my first In My Mailbox post! IMM is hosted by The Story Siren. Here's what I got this week:

These are all from the library.

Hunger by Michael Grant

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

I didn't buy anything... and I'm kind of proud of myself actually! I've been trying to save money. :)

Look for reviews of all these books coming soon!