I'm Baaaaack!

After a long (3 years) hiatus, I have decided to try my hand at blogging about books again. The reading never stopped, just the writing about it. I have been busy working on several other more personal goals and now that those have either been accomplished (running my first 1/2 marathon) or are a continual work in progress (helping my son), I feel I can put some time back into writing. So, I'll get back into the swing of things by reviewing some of my favorites over the last year or two then jump in to many of the newest titles on the market. Hope you'll join me!

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

Ava and Jackson fell in love without really trying. They had a connection that not even their friends understood. Then Jackson died in a tragic accident that Ava feels responsible for. This is the story of what happens after Jackson dies, and Ava realizes that just when she thinks she can’t possibly go on without him, Jackson comes back.

Girls, this is a love story that any teen can relate to. I mean, wouldn’t it be amazing to have your first true love return to you as a ghost so you would never have to live without him? Think again! Ava soon realizes that maybe being haunted by the boy you love isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. No holding hands. No dates. No secrets. What kind of boyfriend is that? Its only later that Ava realizes Jackson isn’t there to haunt her, but to help her move forward without him, in LIFE.

Class of 2008 first-time author Lisa Schroeder writes an intriguing story of love, friendship, and the meaning of forgiveness. This novel is written in verse (poetry!) and is a beautiful read. Teen readers, I know what you’re thinking and it’s probably something like this, “Poetry? You must be kidding. I HATE poems!” Well, believe me, I am no poetry lover by any means, and frankly the idea of reading one giant poem really wasn’t at the top of my list, but let me tell you, you will love it. The story reads like a novel and I promise you will finish it faster than anything else you’ve read. Who knew poetry could be so entertaining!

CONTEST! READ BELOW!

The Queen of Cool by Cecil Castellucci

Libby Brin is the most popular girl in her hip Los Angeles high school. Her parents let her do just about anything she wants, she dates the hottest guy in school, and has access to all the money she wants to spend on clothes. But she is incredibly bored. Libby decides its time to take a hold of her life and do something, anything, different. She signs on as an intern at the Los Angeles Zoo where she becomes friends with the most unlikely of people: Tina (better known as “Tiny”) a little person who seems to have life on a leash, and Sheldon, a quiet genius with bad skin. Her popular friends have a big problem with Libby working at the zoo; she is too busy with her job to hang out with them every day. With a little help from her new friends, Libby learns that there is more to life than shopping and partying and that maybe she isn’t all that bad a person after all. But will her popular friends accept the new Libby? Or will she have to give up the life she knew in order to live the life she dreams of?

Cecil Castellucci has written an easy to read, fun, and thought provoking teen novel in The Queen of Cool, that I highly recommend for reader’s ages 14+. There are some scenes that involve teen parties, relationships, and language that may be inappropriate for younger readers. This book deals with the question nearly every teen has to face at some point in her life; is she becoming the person she wants to be or being the person her friends expect her to be? Libby feels as though she is losing everything that was once important to her – including her boyfriend - only to realize that she was never all that happy with what she had to begin with. The ending of this novel is sweet, real, and just what teens need to be reminded of as they travel through their own journeys of self- discovery.

Teen readers, if you are interested in winning a free copy of The Queen of Cool, leave me a comment about the problems with popularity in school. A winner will be chosen at random and the book will be sent to you. Happy reading!

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Aislinn is just your average high school junior- somewhat popular, cute, and oh yeah, she can see faeries. Aislinn has had this ability since she can remember, and she has known the rules her grandmother taught her for that long as well: 1. Don’t stare at invisible faeries, 2. Don’t speak to invisible faeries, and 3. Don’t ever attract their attention. These rules have kept Aislinn safe her entire life, until she meets Keenan.

After years of living amongst the faeries and going unnoticed, Aislinn is suddenly being tracked and she doesn’t know what they want. She is terrified to tell her grandmother about the trackers for fear she will then be kept inside where she is safe. That means not seeing Seth, her best friend and secret crush. After some thought, Aislinn breaks another of her grandmother’s rules and tells Seth about her “Sight” and the faeries that live around them. With his help, Aislinn discovers she is being sought after by the Summer King, Keenan. He believes Aislinn just may be the girl he has spent the last five centuries searching for, his Summer Queen. Only problem is, Aislinn doesn’t want to become a fairy and leave her world, and Seth, behind. But without her, Keenan will never regain his full powers and his wicked mother, the Winter Queen, will rule the Earth. Eventually, under the Winter Queen’s rule, all mortals and faeries will die. It’s now up to Aislinn to save them. Will she lose Seth and her grandmother in the process? Can she really be the Summer Queen?

After hearing so many great things about this book I just had to read it myself, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Wicked Lovely is a fast paced, easy read that I just couldn’t put down. The characters are lovable for their intensity, their love, and their honesty. Aislinn’s struggle to keep
her mortal life and her fear of ignoring who she is destined to be is heart-
wrenching and captivating. The relationships between Aislinn and Seth, and Aislinn and Keenan, are intense and full of the passion of young love and hope. Melissa Marr’s writing is so descriptive, that as a reader you can imagine the wonderful smells of wildflowers and sunshine that Aislinn experiences every time she is near Keenan. You can feel the determination Keenan has for his own personal success in finding his Queen. And you can definitely feel the intense fear and hatred in the Winter Queen’s character. I would recommend this book to all YA readers, but especially those who love fantasy novels. You will love it! The story of the faeries and Keenan continues in Marr’s follow-up novel, Ink Exchange.

In the back of the paperback copy of Wicked Lovely you will find some “Extras” on author Melissa Marr. They include “6 Intriguing Facts about Melissa Marr”, “Chatting with Melissa Marr”, “A Wicked Lovely Playlist”, and “Melissa Marr’s Reading List”. You can read more questions and answers about Melissa Marr at her fansite: http://www.wickedlovely.com/

Writer's Insecurities

Last November, with a little encouragement, I signed on for my first NaNoWriMo. I didn't expect much of myself since writing a novel was really just a fantasy I'd had since childhood. Afterall, I am a mom, mother and a full time teacher, so how the heck was I going to write 50,000 words in 30 days? Anyhow, I jumped in with both feet and boy did I have fun!

Fast forward to today. I sit before you with my 60,000+ words and don't have a clue what to do with it. I think the prospect of revising and editing it is even more daunting than sitting down and writing the ideas on paper (well, ok, more like on Word). I have barely even touched the so-called "work in progress" since around Christmas time when I had two weeks off from school. Today is my first official day off from school for the summer. I have no major vacations planned this year, my kids are old enough to entertain themselves much of the time, and I have no serious work to get done for the upcoming school year. So what is holding me back from my writing? Me!

Anyone else ever get to this point and just give up? I'd hate to see my work just take up folder space in my laptop and never do anything with it. But at the same time, how do you wrap your mind around the fact that most of what I wrote is probably garbage and it will probably take me a lot longer to revise the story than it did to write it?

HELP!

I need your encouragement, advice, and cyber-space hand holding to help me through this. I have the next 7 weeks or so to focus myself and get the job done. What step should I take first?

Your friend in fiction,
Emily

Read My Lips by Teri Brown

Check out this great trailer for a new book READ MY LIPS by class of 2008 author Teri Brown. I think it looks incredible and can't wait to read it myself! Let me know what you think by posting your thoughts on the trailer here.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR1mndok5SY

lessons from a dead girl by Jo Knowles

Leah Green took careful consideration in choosing the girl who would be so lucky to become her best friend back in fifth grade. Now that she is dead, Laine is left wondering why it was that Leah chose her all those years ago; and wishing they had never even met.

This is a story full of the truths of abuse and bullying and the devastating effects they have on the lives of these two characters as individuals and as friends. The circle of deceit between them is never broken even when they are separated by time and distance. The pain of their friendship lives like a third person in this story; one that is a constant reminder of the many losses between them- honesty, youth, frienship, innocence and trust.

I was incredibly moved by the story of Leah and Laine. I wanted answers to so many of the questions I was left asking myself when I finished reading LESSONS. Didn't Laine's sister realize what was happening? Why didn't she try to stop it? Does the circle of abuse have to continue or can one person be strong enough to stop it? How does an abuser draw the line betweent love and hate?

LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL is an intense story that will leave you feeling grateful for the life you live or, for those unfortunate enough to relate to these characters on a personal level, perhaps feeling a sense of belonging in the world. Read it.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

Let me start by saying this is by far one of my all-time favorite YA novels. I think Carolyn Mackler's writing is genius and I can't wait for her next book to come out. Now, let me tell you why this book is so special.

First of all how can you NOT love this title! You have to admit that as far as titles go, this one definitely grabs your attention, so will the main character Virginia Shreves. She is the fat girl living in a perfect family. Or so it seems to Virginia anyway. Her story had me laughing out loud within the first few pages as she tells explains the details of her first true "hook up" with her so-called friend and crush, Froggy. Yep, that's seriously his name and the story just gets sillier from there. Until Virginia starts having to deal with all the issues in her life that her parents and siblings just continued sweeping under their expensive rugs. This is the story of a less than perfect girl who discovers that she is perfect just the way she is-- not a bad lesson for teenage girls to hear these days, don't you agree? Along her road of self-discovery Virginia also realizes that none of her family members are nearly as perfect as she had convinced herself they were. Because of this, Virginia is able to embrace her big round butt and everyone else in her life follows.

I believe so much in this book and it's message, I wish every teenage girl could have a chance at reading it. Mackler and her novel were honored with the Printz award for excellence in young adult literature.

the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I read this book because I heard so much incredible talk about it on another site that discusses books for teens. It literally took me weeks to get my hands on a copy because they were always sold out at the Barnes and Noble stores near my home. I was a bit confused at first because one store kept the book in the YA section and another store shelved it in adult fiction. On top of all that when I finally got my copy I realized the book was published by Mtv and that really piqued my interest. Needless to say, I was really looking forward to reading it.

Now I don't want to push any buttons here, but I was sadly disappointed when I finished this novel. This is Charlie's story as told through a series of letters he writes to someone who is never named. Charlie is a confused teen who is in the middle of that horrifying stage of trying to figure out just who the heck he is. His life is interrupted by teen dating, sex, drugs, friends, and even repressed family trauma. As much as I wanted to like Charlie, I found myself just feeling sorry for him. I kept waiting for something major to happen to him, for one of those lightbulb moments when Charlie finally figures something out, and it never came. I wanted to see Charlie take hold of his life and make something of it but in the end he was just a teen without any drive or direction.

Some people compare this novel to the classic novels THE CATCHER IN THE RYE or even A SEPARATE PEACE. I wouldn't necessarily agree, however, if you like either of those books I would suggest you give WALLFLOWER a try.

Guest Blog

I am posting a blog I wrote last month for YA Enchanting Reviews. It was fun writing this piece because it took me back to my earliest days of reading. What was your first experience with books?


What YA Books Mean to Me


I learned to read before I had even started kindergarten. My dad was a special ed teacher and a book lover who managed to instill that same love in me at the tender age of four. The first book I read was a big old text book that I’m sure my father took from some old closet at the school he was teaching in at the time. I remember sitting on the gold shag carpet in our living room reading aloud about Dick and Jane running. That is a great memory for me.

By the time I was in 6th grade I was mad for all things Judy Blume. I thought I had stumbled upon a major discovery when I read novels like Are You There God Its Me Margaret, Deenie, and Tiger Eyes. I remember telling all of my friends in those very impressionable pre-teen years all about these incredible books that seemed to be told from the mind of someone who was just like us.

For me, though, these books provided a personal support system. By the time I was starting 4th grade, my parents had divorced and my mother had moved out. The year was 1978 and fathers didn’t generally get custody of their children. The circumstances were unusual, my mother was suffering from schizophrenia, and it seemed I had lost my mother for good. I could no longer go to her to talk about my friends, the boys I liked, or later, to ask her questions about what it meant to be a girl during those pre-teen years. I had no one to ask about when it was the right time to buy your first bra. What it was like the first time you get your period. How it might feel to fall in love for the first time. So I turned to Judy Blume. In her books I found the answers to so many of my questions. I understood through her stories that I was “normal”, that all the things I was going through were ok, and that one day everything I then found so confusing would actually make sense to me.

Is it any wonder that now as a 39 year old woman, I am still drawn to reading the best YA novels?

Today I am working on writing my first book for teens. It is a personal story that includes parts of my own young life. Even my mother makes an appearance, but I am able to create a world in which we are still able to have some kind of a relationship. Now, I don’t claim to be any kind of writer like the great Judy Blume (heck, I don’t even have an agent yet!), but I can dream right? Maybe one day my story will provide a little comfort for another girl who was as lost as I was. Maybe my words will bring one reader the hope she needs to continue moving forward when she feels there is no one to talk to.

These are the things that well written words and a truthful story can bring to a teen reader. This is what YA books mean to me.

Win A Free Book!

For those of you like me who just love winning free books, check out the contest on this site. Who wouldn't want a free signed copy of any of Meg Cabot's books?! Leave a comment with your email and maybe you'll be the lucky one to win =) Good luck!

http://livsbookreviews.blogspot.com

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Nineteen minutes was all it took to change the lives of hundreds of students, teachers, families and friends -- forever.
In nineteen minutes you can cook a frozen pizza. In nineteen minutes you can watch an entire half-hour show on TiVo. In nineteen minutes you can run two miles.
In nineteen minutes your child can take a gun to school and kill all of the classmates who had ever bullied him.
Nineteen minutes can change the world.

The idea that in such a short period of time, one person can seemingly find revenge for all the wrong’s ever done to him is the driving force behind Jodi Picoult’s latest release. This story shares the agony of what it’s like to live in the shoes of small town boy, Peter Granford. Since kindergarten Peter has been bullied, teased, and told that he was different, weird, and just not good enough. On the other side of the story is the beautiful Josie Cormier. Josie hangs in the popular crowd at school. But it wasn’t always this way. Josie and Peter used to be friends. Best friends. But popularity got in the way of Peter’s only friendship and now Josie’s friends are the people responsible for making Peter’s life miserable. No one seems to notice that Peter has finally been pushed too far. He quietly and carefully devises a plan to end the lives of everyone who ever made it their personal mission to make Peter’s life a living hell.

This story is, sadly, a very realistic account of what it could be like should you find yourself walking the halls of your high school only to be confronted by a fellow student gun in hand, and a trail of blood and destruction left in his wake. Nineteen Minutes is so disturbing, at times you feel you have been reading a true account of one of the many school shootings our Country has seen in the last ten years. The tale is spun with truth and feeling so the reader cannot determine just where, exactly, her heart lies in the end. With Josie? The dead student’s families? With Peter’s parents? This is Picoult’s finest work. Read it and you will be hooked.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire

I realize this book was originally published thirteen years ago (1995), but I couldn’t resist writing a review on one of the most brilliant books of recent times. If you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up on your next visit to Barnes and Noble.

Wicked is the untold tale of Elphaba, best known to us as the Wicked Witch of the West. Had you ever even wondered what her story was? How did she end up being so mean? Why did she really want those ruby slippers anyway? Well, Gregory Maguire has unfolded the sordid details of the green witch, who we all grew up watching on television as she tried desperately to destroy sweet Dorothy and her friends. Little did we know that underneath that lizard-like skin lived an intelligent, unique, and loving woman who was always misunderstood.

Wicked shares with us the story of Elphaba’s birth, her years as a college student at Shiz where she is roommates and friends with Glinda (yes, that Glinda!), how she ends up in the Emerald City working against the great Oz, and finally falls in love only to lose him in her fight against evil. You will meet her sister, the Wicked Witch of the East, and finally understand the meaning and importance of those slippers (which, by the way, aren’t really ruby at all!) Remember those creepy flying monkeys? You’ll meet Elphaba’s favorite monkey and the reason why she decided to give them wings.

Wicked is a winding tale that weaves the threads of Munchkinland, the Yellow Brick Road, our childhood memories and the magic of friendship, family, and forgiveness together, to enhance the story we grew up loving as kids. Trust me; you will NEVER look at The Wizard of Oz in the same way again.

How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro

How to Hook a Hottie a novel by Tina Ferraro

Kate DelVecchio is known as the smart girl in her school. She is neither popular nor especially pretty, but somehow she manages to hook the most popular guy in her school. Other girls in school decide that since she’s so smart, Kate must have had some plan, some cosmic design, on how to win over the heart of super hottie, Brandon. Next thing she knows Kate is selling her “skills” as a matchmaker, using her 6-Point Plan, otherwise known as the “Hottie-Hooking Hexagon”. Kate manages to get her best friend, and secret crush, Dal, to help her out and they start raking in the dough. That is, until even their best laid plans start to crumble around them. Kate has to decide how to save her reputation, her new found popularity, and all the hard earned cashed she has made. Most importantly, Kate has to figure out how to win the heart of the one guy she really wants most.

This is a fun, quick read for girls from seventh grade on up. You will love Kate and her relationship with Dal. There is a surprising twist involving the money Kate earns with her match making, her part-time job carting the local “brat” to and from skating practice, and even with her own mother. Kate is a typical high school girl trying to find her way with the popular crowd, and yet remain true to herself. I think that is something nearly every girl can relate to at sometime or another, don’t you? Read How to Hook a Hottie, you won’t be disappointed.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer


Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of years, you can probably ask any teen reader if she’s read any of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight books and she’ll squeal in delight. These books have been on top of the New York Times Bestseller’s List and on the must-read lists of nearly every teen in America. Welcome to the world of Bella Swan and her vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen.

Bella moves from Phoenix to Forks, Washington where she is going to live with her dad for the first time. Little does she know that Forks is the home to a family of vampires. Gorgeous, intelligent, and powerful vampires. Enter Edward, Bella’s lab partner and the most incredibly handsome human being she has ever seen. Bella is instantly drawn to Edward but she can’t figure out why he seems so distant and almost rude. When Bella’s life is in danger and Edward miraculously manages to save her, he is forced to share his
secret. They slowly fall in crazy, mad teenage love, which brings them both a great sense of belonging as well as a whole lot of trouble. Bella and Edward have to work very hard at being together when the scent of her blood alone is enough to make him want to bite her. In the end, Bella can’t bear the thought of living without her vampire, even at the cost of her own possible death.

Readers of Twilight will join Bella, Edward, and the entire Cullen family on a twisted tale of fate, terror, and timeless love. Meyer’s characters are as alive and as much a part of today’s teens lives as energy drinks and horror films. Parents and teachers, if you are looking for a book to get your teen hooked on reading, I would highly recommend Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight.

*This series continues with New Moon and Eclipse.
*Interested teens and their parents can find more information on Stephanie Meyer’s books on myspace.com and stephaniemeyer.com.
*Twilight is currently being cast as a movie!