2011 March

Review: Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

March 31, 2011 By Lori 3 Comments

Release Date: 2003
Age Group: Adult
Series: Jessica Darling #2
IBSN: 9780609807910
Blurb:
“Knowing that I’ve just done something that will take decades off my parents’ lives with worry, you’ll excuse me for not getting into the fa-la-la-la-la Yuletide spirit this year. . . . The only difference between Christmas 2001 and Christmas 2000 is that I don’t have a visit from Hope to look forward to. And Bethany has already packed on some major fetal flab. Oh, and now Gladdie doesn’t need to ask a bizillion questions about my boyfriend, because she’s already gotten the dirt from you know who.”

Jessica Darling is up in arms again in this much-anticipated, hilarious sequel to Sloppy Firsts. This time, the hyperobservant, angst-ridden teenager is going through the social and emotional ordeal of her senior year at Pineville High. Not only does the mysterious and oh-so-compelling Marcus Flutie continue to distract Jessica, but her best friend, Hope, still lives in another state, and she can’t seem to escape the clutches of the Clueless Crew, her annoying so-called friends. To top it off, Jessica’s parents won’t get off her butt about choosing a college, and her sister Bethany’s pregnancy is causing a big stir in the Darling household.

With keen intelligence, sardonic wit, and ingenious comedic timing, Megan McCafferty again re-creates the tumultuous world of today’s fast-moving and sophisticated teens. Fans of Sloppy Firsts will be reunited with their favorite characters and also introduced to the fresh new faces that have entered Jess’s life, including the hot creative writing teacher at her summer college prep program and her feisty, tell-it-like-it-is grandmother Gladdie. But most of all, readers will finally have the answers to all of their burgeoning questions, and then some: Will Jessica crack under the pressure of senioritis? Will her unresolved feelings for Marcus wreak havoc on her love life? Will Hope ever come back to Pineville? Fall in love with saucy, irreverent Jessica all over again in this wonderful sequel to a book that critics and readers alike hailed as the best high school novel in years.

Ahhhh!! I love this series!! Love, love, love it!! In my review of the first book, Sloppy Firsts, I said that I worshiped Jessica a little. Well, now not only do I worship her, but I sooo wish that I were her! Or that I was her when I was in high school. Faults and all.

And in this second installment we get to see a lot of Jessica’s faults. She is so stubborn and sure of herself. When she forms an opinion about someone, she sticks to it, even if it turns out to be unfounded and completely wrong later. This made me want to shake Jessica throughout this book, but I can’t really hold it against her. Her wit and cynicism more than make up for her pigheadedness. And I think by the end of the book Jessica has really grown as a character.

In Second Helpings Jessica is finally a senior. College plans and avoiding Marcus Flutie take center stage. There are just as many laugh out loud moments and mortifying incidents in this one too! I was a little worried that things were not going to work out like I wanted them to, but by the end I was happy, no, make that ecstatic at the turn in events.

Jessica’s voice gets stuck in my head so bad that it made it really difficult to start another book after this one. So, I can’t wait to read about all her antics in Charmed Thirds! I highly, highly recommend this series! Read it now!!

Filed Under: Adult, Jessica Darling, Megan McCafferty

Waiting on Wednesday (75)

March 30, 2011 By Lori 16 Comments

November 8, 2011 Delacorte Press

Sandinista Jones is a high school senior with a punk rock name and a broken heart. The death of her single mother has left Sandinista alone in the world, subject to the random vulnerability of everyday life. When the school system lets her down, her grief and instability intensify, and she ponders a violent act of revenge.
Still, in the midst of her crisis, she gets a job at The Pale Circus, a funky vintage clothing shop, and finds friendship and camaraderie with her coworker, a boy struggling with his own secrets.
Even as Sandinista sees the failures of those with power and authority, she’s offered the chance to survive through the redemptive power of friendship. Now she must choose between faith and forgiveness or violence and vengeance.
Add it on Goodreads!

August 30, 2011 Henry Holt

Once there were three. Three friends who loved each other—Jenna, Locke, and Kara. And after a terrible accident destroyed their bodies, their three minds were kept alive, spinning in a digital netherworld. Even in that disembodied nightmare, they were still together. At least at first. When Jenna disappeared, Locke and Kara had to go on without her. Decades passed, and then centuries.
Two-hundred-and-sixty years later, they have been released at last. Given new, perfect bodies, Locke and Kara awaken to a world they know nothing about, where everyone they once knew and loved is long dead.
Everyone except Jenna Fox.
Add it on Goodreads!

The Sharp Time sounds great and I am in love with that cover!! I am thrilled about The Fox Inheritance!! I LOVED The Adoration of Jenna Fox, so I cannot wait to read this one!

Filed Under: Waiting on Wednesday

Interview with Lindsey Leavitt!

March 29, 2011 By Lori 10 Comments

I posted about my love for Sean Griswold’s Head a couple of weeks ago and now I am extremely excited to have Lindsey Leavitt here for an interview!

Can you tell us a little bit about Sean Griswold’s Head?

It’s a story of first love, first loss, and… spandex. But not too much spandex, just enough to be tasteful.

What was the inspiration behind this story?

I’m awful at this question, to be honest. I don’t think there’s ever one thing that inspires a story. It’s this mix of memories and observations and themes and random thoughts. I suppose I wanted to write a story of an ordinary girl experiencing a time of extraordinary emotions in her life. Which is most stories, but hey. That’s conflict.

Was Sean Griswold’s Head the title of the book from the beginning, and if so, how did you decide on the name Sean Griswold?

I new the title of the book, and the character Sean Griswold, before I knew anything else, even the main character. I don’t know WHY his name was Sean Griswold, it literally just came like that and any other name never felt right.

There was a time when my editor and I considered changing the title, but in the end nothing seemed to work as well as SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD. And when you read the book, I think it’s clear why.

What is the best book you have read so far this year?

I loved THE DAY BEFORE by Lisa Schroeder. I read it on a long airplane ride and cried and the guy next to me offered his napkin with the blue and red southwest map. It amazes me how much emotion is packed in so few of words.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently finishing up the third book in the Princess for Hire series. The second book, THE ROYAL TREATMENT, will be out May 3.

And I just sold another YA contemporary called AUTHENTICALLY VINTAGE. It’s about a girl who gives up 21st century technology when she finds her boyfriend cheating on her with his cyber wife. I think it’ll be out early 2013.

Thanks sooo much to Lindsey for taking the time to do this interview! Make sure to visit her at her website, and her blog. And you MUST read Sean Griswold’s Head!! It’s awesome!!

Filed Under: Interviews, Lindsey Leavitt

Review: Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

March 28, 2011 By Lori 15 Comments

Release Date: August 28, 2001
Age Group: Adult (I think…)
Received From: Bookstore
IBSN: 9780609807903
Blurb:
“My parents suck ass. Banning me from the phone and restricting my computer privileges are the most tyrannical parental gestures I can think of. Don’t they realize that Hope’s the only one who keeps me sane? . . . I don’t see how things could get any worse.”

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyperobservant sixteen-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy- and shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad’s obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany’s lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

A fresh, funny, utterly compelling fiction debut by first-time novelist Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts is an insightful, true-to-life look at Jessica’s predicament as she embarks on another year of teenage torment–from the dark days of Hope’s departure through her months as a type-A personality turned insomniac to her completely mixed-up feelings about Marcus Flutie, the intelligent and mysterious “Dreg” who works his way into her heart. Like a John Hughes for the twenty-first century, Megan McCafferty taps into the inherent humor and drama of the teen experience. This poignant, hilarious novel is sure to appeal to readers who are still going through it, as well as those who are grateful that they don’t have to go back and grow up all over again.

Why, why WHY! Did I not read this book in 2001 when it was released!? I was 15 then and I would have absolutely worshiped Jessica Darling! I would’ve wanted to follow in all of her footsteps, even the mortifying ones. I would have wished that Jessica were real so she could be my best friend! Even now, at 24, I kinda worship her.

She is completely misunderstood by most of her peers. She’s full of angst and snarky opinions. She’s depressed, angry and lonely. She’s a teenager! I loved every second of it! The book is told in Jessica’s diary entries, so you get a completely uncensored look at her day to day life. She has a love hate relationship with everyone, including herself. Her cynical outlook on the world was something I connected to right away! And her observations and opinions will have you laughing nonstop!

This was a very fast read. Once I got used to Jessica’s voice, I was unable to put the book down. I had to know what completely insane things she was going to do next, and once Marcus Flutie was introduced I couldn’t get enough. Marcus Flutie is the complete opposite of Jessica. He’s the ultimate bad boy…turned good guy. The tension between the two had me shouting inappropriate things like “JUST DO IT!!!” at the book. I was just a tiny bit obsessed with Marcus, just like Jessica, and I NEED to live vicariously through her…

One other thing I LOVED about the book is that it takes place in 2000. Jessica is just a couple of years older than me, so all the pop culture things that are mentioned are things from my teenagedom too!! I was just a tad bit obsessed with BSB back in the day and they are mentioned a lot! Along with funny Real World tidbits like Ruthie being an alkie! (Do you remember that one?)

All in all I just LOVED the book!! So much so that when I finished it I started reading Second Helpings right after, even though I had a ton of review books to read! So, READ THIS SERIES! But be warned it is highly addictive!

Filed Under: Adult, Jessica Darling series, Megan McCafferty

In My Mailbox!!

March 26, 2011 By Lori 31 Comments

In My Mailbox was inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie and created by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Review:

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

Bought:

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann (Review here!)

Darklight by Lesley Livingston (Review here!)

Random acts of Kindness:

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller (Review here!)

Filed Under: In my Mailbox, Vlog

Saturday Situation (27) Link Up Your Reviews and Giveaways!

March 26, 2011 By Lori Leave a Comment

Happy Saturday everyone! It’s time for a new Saturday Situation, hosted by Candace at Candace’s Book Blog and myself. So, here’s the scoop: I’m going to set up two Mister Linky’s. One for Giveaways that you want to promote and one for Posts that you want to promote. The posts can be reviews, discussions, rants, events you are planning, anything that you want people to read! I know there’s so many great posts out there that often go unread. Here’s your chance to tell the world! Feel free to link up to other bloggers posts as well! Let’s spread the love!

Reviews/Posts Linky!

In this Linky please link directly to any posts you want to share with the world! Example: Name: Fallout Review URL: http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/2010/09/review-fallout-by-ellen-hopkins.html

Please do not post giveaways in this Linky! They go in the bottom one!

Book Related Giveaways Linky!

In this Linky please link directly to any book related giveaways you have! Example: Name: Middle Grade Giveaway-It’s Raining Cupcakes and other Ends 9/30 URL:http://www.pureimaginationblog.com/2010/09/middle-grade-giveaway.html

Filed Under: Saturday Situation

Review: Red Glove by Holly Black

March 25, 2011 By Lori 10 Comments

Release Date: April 5, 2011
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: Curse Workers #2
Received From: Publisher
IBSN: 9781442403390
Blurb:
After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov’s retribution and finding out that Lila, the girl he has loved his whole life, will never, ever be his now that his mother has worked her, Cassel is trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life. That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family tied to one of the big crime families and a mother whose cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is also coming to terms with what it means to be a transformation worker and figuring out how to have friends.

But normal doesn’t last very long–soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past. A past he remembers only in scattered fragments and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive.

The second installment in the Curse Workers series was just as fantastic as the first! I’m still pretty much in awe of this world that Holly Black has created. There’s nothing like it out there! Its full of suspense and mystery. Holly doesn’t hold anything back.

Cassel is one of the most unique characters I have ever read, and I have a very mixed up relationship with him. He is stuck in such a horrible situation. He gives a whole new meaning to ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’. On one hand I think I’m a little in love with him, He has the bad boy vibe down to a T, and I’m always a sucker for a bad boy. But on the other hand he is so lost. He doesn’t have anyone who can truly help him out. He was born into this dangerous lifestyle and I want nothing than to save him from it. I feel very protective of Cassel. I’m not sure weather he would appreciate that. I also love that Cassel is so strong but not afraid to show his emotions.He’s such a interesting and layered protagonist!

All the side characters were just as compelling in Red Glove. Cassel’s mom especially! I did miss Cassel’s granddad, though. I think he is such a interesting character. Sam, Daneca, and Lila played a major role in this book and I can’t wait to see where their story lines end up in the next one.

Let’s not forget the plot! The twists and turns in this made me devour the book, I don’t think there’s any other way to read it except devouring! The ending was extraordinary! It made me love Holly Black even more! And I need the next book…NOW!