Waiting on Wednesday

"Chloe’s older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can’t be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby’s friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns home two years later, a precarious and deadly balance waits. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Imaginary Girls is a masterfully distorted vision of family reminiscent of Shirley Jackson, laced with twists that beg for their secrets to be kept" 



Oh my gosh! This cover is gorgeous! Also, I love books with a ton of juicy secrets, so this is right up my alley. I'm excited for this one! It comes out on June 14, 2011.

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

"Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with every one out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love." (from goodreads.com) 

Info:

• 374 pages
• Published October 1, 2008 by Scholastic 
• 9.5/10

Review:  


     The Hunger Games is amazing. I'm kicking my self for not picking this book up earlier. I think I'm the last person in the world to read this book. I don't know why I waited so long to pick this up, it's probably because I judge books by their covers. (I know it's bad, but I do!) The cover to The Hunger Games did not appeal to me at all, and I think the synopsis doesn't capture the book very well. But, I'm so glad I gave it a shot. 

     The Hunger Games is written so well. The writing is so vivid and descriptive. I think it's written with more descriptions and detail than any other book I've read. If it wasn't so well written I think it would be very confusing and hard to follow. Suzanne Collins gets a huge thumbs up from me! 
  
   I have to say there were a few pot holes in the plot, which is why I could not give it a 10/10. They were so minor compared to the world Susan Collins has developed. The plot is what makes this book so amazing. If you haven't read this book, go read it!
      

Happy Reading! 

2011 Debut Author Challenge

Hey guys! I will be participating in the 2011 debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

Some books I might be reading for the challenge are...

• Warped by Maurissa Guibord (January)
• XVI by Julia Karr (January) 
• Across The Universe by Beth Revis (January) 
• The water Wars by Cameron Stracher (January) 
• Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison (February)
• Haven by Kristi Cook (February) 
• Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley (February)
• Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton (February) 
• Exposed Kimberly Marcus (February) 
• Falling Under by Gwen Hayes (March) 
• Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard (March) 
• The Liar Society by Lisa and Laura Roecker (March) 
• The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder (April)
• Bumped by Megan McCafferty (April) 
• The Pull Of Gravity by Gae Polisner (May) 
• Saving June by Hannah Harrington (May) 
• Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky (May)
• Popular by Alissa Grosso (May)
• Possession by Elana Johnson (June) 
• Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer (June) 
• Forgotten By Cat Patrick (June) 
• Bad Taste In Boys by Carrie Harris (July) 
• Populazzi by Elise Allen (August) 
• Broken Wings by Helen Landalf (September) 
• Flawless by Lara Chapmen (Date unknown)
• Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic (Fall, the exact date is unknown)

What books are you planning on reading?

Happy reading!

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Here is my review for If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

Synopsis:
"Gorgeous boyfriend who was madly in love with you?
Quirky hip parents who totally got you?
A musical talent that could take you anywhere?
What if your biggest problem in life was choosing which path to take?
Follow your first love--music-- to New York City?
Or stay with your boyfriend, friends, and family?


What if one day, you went out for a drive...

And in an instant everything changed?

What if suddenly all the other choices were gone?

Except for one--the only one that truly mattered?

What would you do?

A sophisticated, layered, and heart achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands." (from Goodreads.com) 

Book Info:

• I give this book a 9/10 
• 272 Pages 
• Published 2009 by Penguin  

The Good: 
If I Stay is an amazing, one of a kind, moving book. This book is extremely sad and brought tears to my eyes, which is good! If a book can make me cry then the book gets some extra points. I loved the way Forman's writing just flowed and I had to keep flipping the pages to find out more. You want the best for Mia and while you read you will be asking yourself the question of if she should stay or go. This was a book I did not want to put down,which is refreshing because I haven't read a book like that in a while. The sequel Where She Went is coming out in 2011 and I will be getting my hands on that as soon as possible. This was a book that will leave you thinking long after you've finished the last page.

The Bad:
One thing about this book is I felt some of the characters were a little undeveloped, especially her boyfriend Adam. Adam was such a big part of Mia's life but I did not feel like I even knew anything about him, except that he was in a band. I'm hoping we will get to know Adam better in Where She Went. I also feel like some of the terminology was out dated and she didn't really capture teenagers in this era the way I had hoped for. 


Overall: 
Overall, the bad things about this novel are so minor compared to the good. Go read this book, you will be glad you did.



 

Review: Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Here is my review on Pretties by Scott Westerfeld.

Synopsis:

Tally has finally become pretty. Now her looks are beyond perfect, her clothes are awesome, her boyfriend is totally hot, and she's completely popular. It's everything she's ever wanted.

But beneath all the fun -- the nonstop parties, the high-tech luxury, the total freedom -- is a nagging sense that something's wrong. Something important. Then a message from Tally's ugly past arrives. Reading it, Tally remembers what's wrong with pretty life, and the fun stops cold.

Now she has to choose between fighting to forget what she knows and fighting for her life -- because the authorities don't intend to let anyone with this information survive." (From goodreads.com) 

Book Info:

• I give this book a 8.5/10 
• This book is the second in the Uglies series  
• Published on November 1, 2005 by Simon Pulse
• 370 pages 

The Good:

I will start by saying that in some ways I liked this book better than Uglies but in other ways I liked this one better. Scott Westerfelds writing style is amazing; and I don't think he gets enough credit as an author.  I love the way he created the plot and how unpredictable it is. When reading this book I felt like I really got to know the characters. This book is very exciting and action packed and it kept me wanting more. 

The Bad: 

I do not like when books take a long time to get good, and that is the only bad thing I have to say about this book. This was also the only bad thing I had to say about the Uglies, but in the Pretties it takes a little longer.

Overall: 

Overall, this book is just as good as the first one. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.  I would recommend this series to anyone so far. Happy reading! 

 

Review: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

I read this book on Pulse it. For more information go here.

Synopsis:
"Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road--diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself." (from goodreads.com)


Book Info: 

• 344 pages 
•  Simon & Schuster 
• Published May 4, 2010 
• Morgan Matson is a debut author 
• I give this book a 8/10

The Good: 

I will start off by saying this book was very original. I was never bored with this book and it made me want to keep reading. I love that they were going on an adventure with no clue what was going to happen. Amy and Roger were both very well developed characters. I loved them so much. This book is funny when it needs to be even though it has very sad topics in the book. Also, this book has fun things in it like maps, pictures, play lists, and much more. All of that extra stuff added makes a lot more interesting. 

The Bad: 

Honestly, there isn't many bad things I can say about this book. I wish the ended wasn't so rushed and you found out what happened  to Amy and Roger. I feel like the book wasn't really finished. 

Overall: 
This book is very good and I definitely recommend it.

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfelds

Hey guys! So I have a review of Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. I read this book for my book challenge.

Synopsis:

"Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license—for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever."  (From goodreads.com)






Book Info:

• 425 pages
• Published Feb 8, 2005 by Simon pulse
• Part of the Uglies series ( Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras) 
• I give this book a 8.5/10

The Good: 
This book is so interesting and nothing like I have ever read before. It will definitely grab your attention with all of the action and things that go on in the book. There is a love interest, which I really like in a book, but it doesn't take away from the idea of the book. This book takes place about 300 years in the future. We are referred to as The Rusties and we lived in The Ruins. The plot in this book is brilliant and the ending leaves you wanting more. 



The Bad: 
The beginning was just a little slow for me to get into and I felt like it took a little longer than I would have liked it to for it to pick up and get into the good stuff. But other than that this book is wonderful.



Nice To Know: 
This book has a lot of futuristic items in it and a lot of futuristic ideas that can take a little to get used to and learn about everything, Once you grasp everything it is a lot of fun to have all of them in the book and imagine them. 


Overall: 
This book is fantastic, and I really recommend it to anyone. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Thanks for reading!