Waiting On Wednesday (33)

Idea taken from Breaking The Spine

The Beautiful Between by Alysa B. Sheinmel.

If high school were a fairy-tale kingdom, Connelly Sternin would be Rapunzel, locked not in a tower by a wicked witch but in a high-rise apartment building by the SATs and college applications—and by the secrets she keeps. Connelly's few friends think that her parents are divorced—but they're not. Connelly's father died when she was two, and she doesn't know how.

If Connelly is the Rapunzel of her school, Jeremy Cole is the crown prince, son of a great and rich New York City family. So when he sits down next to her at lunch one day, Connelly couldn't be more surprised. But Jeremy has a tragic secret of his own, and Connelly is the only one he can turn to for help. Together they form a council of two, helping each other with their homework and sharing secrets. As the pair's friendship grows, Connelly learns that it's the truth, not the secrets, that one must guard and protect. And that between friends, the truth, however harsh, is also beautiful.

This lovely and memorable debut by Alyssa B. Sheinmel contains many of the hallmark themes found in young adult literature—friendship, coming of age, finding a place to belong, and overcoming the death of a loved one. Emotionally moving from start to finish, The Beautiful Between introduces a strong new voice to the genre, a voice with a long future ahead of it.


Another seemingly retelling of a fairy tale - light, sad and gentle. The cover looks extremely elegant (though I'm not much a fan of it) and hopefully the writing is too. Finding your soulmate and helping each other to get over the harshness of life is great right? Especially with something different. I'm really looking forward to see the new voice of YA, just like the synopsis claims.

Find out more about the beauty of the truth on May 11th 2010

In My Mailbox (34)

Idea taken from The Story Siren

Hello Monday, hello sunshine, hello new books ^^


Girlfriend Material by Melissa Kantor.

If Kate were Lady Brett Ashley, the devastating heroine of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, she'd spend her summers careering around the Riviera in her coupe, breaking hearts by the dozen—because why not? In reality, Kate's never even had a boyfriend, and she'll be spending the summer abetting her mom's lame ploy to make her dad jealous: running off to Cape Cod and crashing at the seaside home of her wealthy friends, the Cooper-Melnicks. To add to the shame, the Cooper-Melnicks' gorgeous daughter Sarah is a bit like Lady Brett, and she seems less than thrilled to hang out with her new houseguest. Any dreams Kate once had of a perfect summer are ruined. That is, until Sarah's cute, witty friend Adam starts drawing Kate into the fold—and seems intrigued. With Adam around, Kate feels like she just might have a bit of heartbreaker potential after all. But when a breezy summer romance quickly grows more complicated can Kate keep pretending her relationship with Adam is just a carefree fling? Or will she take the risk and tell him her real feelings? Suddenly Kate is asking herself a question she never thought she'd stoop to: Is she girlfriend material?


Sophomore Undercover by Ben Esch.

For fifteen-year-old, adopted Vietnamese orphan Dixie Nguyen, high school is one long string of hard-to-swallow humiliations. He shares a locker with a nudist linebacker, his teachers are incompetent, and he's stuck doing fluff pieces for the school newspaper. But Dixie's luck takes a turn when he stumbles across one of the jocks using drugs in the locker room; not only does he finally have something newsworthy to write, but the chance to strike a blow against his tormentors at the school as well. However, when his editor insists he drop the story and cover homecoming events instead, Dixie sets off on his own unconventional-and often misguided-investigation. He soon discovers that the scandal extends beyond the football team to something far bigger and more sinister than he ever thought possible. Once he follows the guidelines of his hero, Mel Nichols (journalism professor at Fresno State University and author of the textbook Elementary Journalism) this high school reporter just might save the world. That is, of course, if Dixie can stay out of juvenile hall, the hospital, and new age therapy long enough to piece it all together. Part social satire, part teen-mystery parody, and wholly hilarious, Sophomore Undercover is a dazzling debut that will make headlines with teens everywhere.


Deadly Litte Secrets by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

Until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades, an okay relationship with her parents, and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when a mysterious boy named Ben starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.

Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe he's trouble, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. Instead, she's inexplicably drawn to Ben.and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help-but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.



Three more books published by Disney Hyperion to make my last week complete. I guess you can tell which book I'm most excited to read. It's Sophomore Undercover, because the narrator is Vietnamese and I heard he was fun as hell.

Thanks Hallie for Hyperion for the lovely HCs of these.

I hope you got a lot of new books last week too!

Sunday Special (32) Series - The More The Merrier

Let's have a look and see which family wins ;)

Darkest Powers Series

by Kelly Amstrong.

Violet series

by Melissa Walker.

The Immortals Series


by Alyson Noel.

Beautiful Americans Series


by Lucy Silag.


The Naughty List Series


by Suzanne Young.


Dream Catcher Series


by Lisa Mcmann.


Stupid Cupid Series


by Rhonda Stapleton.

Beautiful aren't they? I love the way each book matches with the others. I'm not sure which I prefer, the myterious, dark covers of the fantasy series or charming bubbly ones of the reality/romance comedy ones. But, if I have to choose, I'll pick Dream Catcher Series. It simplicity and elegance amazes me to the max. How about you? Cast your vote and tell us if there're any series the covers of which you're crazy about.

TMI by Sarah Quigley

Publisher: Penguin USA
Pub. Date: April 2009
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 288
Format: ARC
Source of copy: from publisher - Penguin

Friends call Becca the Overshare Queen, but her tendency for TMI never seemed like a problem to her until she blabs about her sweet band-geek boyfriend’s sloppy kisses—and gets dumped! Realizing it may be better to resist the temptation to overshare face-to-face, Becca decides to blog anonymously about everything instead. On her blog, Too Much Information, Becca unleashes her alter ego, Bella. Bella tells it like it is . . . though perhaps with a bit more drama. After all, no one’s going to read it, right???


Meet Becca, the girl who couldn't stop herself from sharing every single detail of her life, the girl who got into a web of trouble because of this bad habit - losing her very first boyfriend, being laughed at and dragging her precious friend into the mess. Hilarious, honest without too much information, TMI was a truly enjoyable teen read. Being unable to stop talking? This may be a humorous warning.

I loved the author's voice in this book quite a lot. It seemed that the story just went on and on and on with Becca's endless stories of everything that happened in her life, even the smallest and most unimportant. The narrator had such a funny view on things. All the times it felt like she took nothing seriously at all. That made the book light-hearted and easy to absorb. Though it was all about telling teenagers to balance between the tells and the not-to-tells, at no time did TMI sound preachy or dull. Surely it didn't reach to the unputdowntable level, still Becca's story was likeable. My favorite part? Her blog. Whoever could keep a straight face reading such entries should be given an award because they were nothing but amusing and dramatic.

Thinking of Becca already made me want to laugh. She was so funny. Even when she was upset or depressed she remained cute. It brought the book such brightness and comfortable breezes of hope. Aside from her TMI habit, I think she was perfect. She worked hard, she stood up for people, she didn't judge Jai. I gave her some good points for giving support for Katie and Matt at the end too. A truly good friend.

Overall this was a quick, pleasant read. A choice you may consider should you seek relaxation from a book.

Rating: 3/5

THE BOOK REVIEW CLUB OCT - Flash Burnout by L.K Madigan

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pub. Date: Oct 2009
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 322
Format: ARC
Source of copy: from the publisher - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him; the other one needs him.

When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic (surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).

In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshot of himself.


To be very very fair, Flash Burnout wasn't one of the best books that would impress its each and every single reader, however; there was something about it that was very provoking and alluring that I couldn't resist. And I'm not saying this because I fell in love with this book at first look either.

Flash Burnout went into the subject of conflicts between love and friendship. If you're wondering whether Blake's story could help you work out all everything to have balanced relationships then I'm sad to say that it won't. L.K Madigan didn't set up a sticky situation and as well tried to find a perfect solution to it. In fact, what I found was simply what a person may go through at least once in their life and how it affected him afterward.

From what I read in the synopsis, I assumed that there would be a kind of intensity I had to brace for but no, it wasn't even close. The mood of the book, surprisingly, was fun and light. There were plenty of jokes, smiles and hugs and kisses - those that made you feel good instead of heavy-hearted or painful. The girlfriend and the friend, most of the time was never on bad terms with each other. There was mostly no jealously, catfight so if you expect those thing, you can get them out of your mind now. The story just went on like a life should, if anything, there wasn't really a major problem waiting to be worked out.

The characters of Flash Burnout was the part that got me thinking the most. I thought that I understood them, then again, like I didn't know them at all. At first Blake struck me as a curious and fun teenager who loved to entertain people and couldn't get his thoughts (or hands) off his girlfriend. But as things progressed he seemed very deep. Sometimes I thought he cared a lot of about people, sometimes he was overwhelmed with his own feelings he might act selfish and mean. And his love for Shannon, even thought he kept repeating to himself that he was truly deeply in love with her, I wasn't quite convinced. Blake was, in other words, very inconsistent. He was this and then he was that. Perhaps that was what made him so interesting. I liked Marissa too, I just wished that she wouldn't be too sweet and vulnerable. Shannon's personalities felt flat for me, though.

The ending was...Well, I don't think I have a way to put it into words. It was exactly on the line separating the breathtaking endings and totally-mess-up-the-whole-story ones. It didn't contain a lucid message like "I finally realized that blah blah blah blah." Personally, I thought the whole book was to portray a small but not less important part of life - how we grow up from our decisions, our mistakes and all the things we had with the people that we've crossed path with.

If you trust me, I think you should read this book (and will like it). And did I mention that the photography was fun and inspiring?

Rating: 4/5

Waiting On Wednesday (32)

Idea taken from Breaking The Spine

For Keeps by Natasha Friend.

For sixteen years, Josie Gardner and her mom, Kate, have been a team. It’s been the Gardner Girls against the world, and that’s how Josie likes it. Until one day, in the pet food aisle of Shop-Co, they run into the parents of Paul Tucci, Kate’s high school boyfriend—the father Josie has never met. If Mr. and Mrs. Tucci are back in town, it’s only a matter of time until Paul shows up. Suddenly Josie’s mature, capable mother regresses to the heartbroken teenager she was when Paul moved away. Meanwhile, Josie’s on the verge of having her first real boyfriend, while her free-loving best friend, Liv, begins yet another no-strings-attached fling. When Josie learns some surprising truths about Paul Tucci, she finds herself questioning what she’s always believed about her parents—and about herself. In FOR KEEPS, Natasha Friend tells a fresh, funny, smart story about what happens when a girl gets the guy she always wanted and the dad she never knew she needed.


If you've paid attention, I talked about this book a while ago in one of my Sunday Special post. I adore it so much. It has such a heartwarming concept as well as a dreamy cover. I've grown into stories with strong bond between mother and daughter and this one sounds like a perfect read. As if Josie was living once again the life her mother'd experienced. I hope For Keeps will be fun, heartwrenching and has a happy ending ^^


For Keeps hits stores on April 6th, 2010.

In My Mailbox (34)

Idea taken from The Story Siren

Another week, some other books.


Give Up The Ghost by Megan Crewe.

Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad—and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….

If I Have A Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince? by Melissa Kantor.

Mrs. McBloom, clean up your room!"For nearly fifty years, that's been the refrain of janitors, principals, and students who enter the chaos of Room Five. Now the beloved Mrs. McBloom-who has taught nearly everyone in the town of Up Yonder, even Principal Pumpernickel-is about to retire. Finally, she must clean up her classroom.But where to begin? Years of science experiments have left all kinds of critters hoppin' and cluckin' and flyin' around. Giant sunflowers droop over desks; vines with fat green beans climb the walls; and a full-grown apple tree grows smack-dab in the middle of the floor. There are more books stacked in Room Five than in the Up Yonder Library. And who knows what else lurks in the piles of papers or the lost-and-found box?


Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley.

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

And if I should die before I awake,

I pray the popular attend my wake.

Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is invisible. Even worse: she's dead. And all because she choked on a gummy bear. But being dead doesn't stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular; it just makes her more creative about achieving her goal.

If you thought high school was a matter of life or death, wait till you see just how true that is. In this satirical, yet heartfelt novel, Hurley explores the invisibility we all feel at some times and the lengths we'll go to be seen.



I got another copy of Give Up The Ghost but this time it's a shiny hardcover. Makes me want to read the book again now although I know I will never have time to reread anything. Ghostgirl is also a nice read about spirit and If I Have A Wicker Stepmother, Where Is My Prince is just so cute I couldn't but have to request. The cover rockssss.

Thanks to Megan (again), Maura and Hallie for these three smooth copies of books.


Happy monday everyone :)

Dragonfly by Julia Golding

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Inc
Pub. Date: October 2009
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 400
Format: ARC
Source of copy: from the publisher - Marshall Cavendish Inc

Princess Taoshira of the Blue Crescent Islands is appalled when she is ordered to marry Prince Ramil of Gerfal in order to unite their lands. And he's not too pleased, either. They hate each other on sight. So, when Tashi and Ramil are kidnapped, they fear there's no escape - from their kidnappers or from each other. Can they put aside their differences long enough to survive ambush, unarmed combat, brainwashing, and imprisonment? And will the people they meet on their adventure help them or betray them to the enemy?


Providing one of those rare stories of arranged marriage, Dragonfly was an adventurous ride with an elegant taste of love. Want to go back in time a little bit to the period of loyalty, conspiracy, war to discover lives of the teenagers? Here Dragonfly will show you a way.

The story was told in third respective, a perfect choice for this kind of fiction in my opinion. Julia Golding slowly introduced the main characters - the very opposite of each other, then unfolded the reason why they were forced together against their wills. Her writing style was very delicate so even though sometimes the formality made me feel uneasy, I was still attracted to Ramil and Tashi's fateful adventure.

There were a lot to read in Dragonfly, it covered quite many subjects, heavy like war, betrayl, evil, slavery, brainwashing or religion; close to heart like love, friendship and the urge to make people of the country happy. It was fine-paced, the events kept on coming, building excitement within the readers. Although the journey to rescue themselves and the countries was very long and during that time Ramil and Tashi met lots of characters, every part fitted perfectly together.

Ramil and Tashi, though not very impressive, were nice people. Frankly speaking, I was very annoyed by Tashi at first. She seemed very formal, girly and she took offense in almost everything everybody did. But then page by page, she showed a lot more of her determined and unbeatable side. She was smart and was willing to sacrifice for whoever she trusted and love. Ramil, who was silly and rebellious at the beginning, also found this true selfless person inside him through all the danger and almost death. The two fell in love slowly and the situation they were in made it realer. They were really sweet together at the end.

You'll love this beautiful and actionful novel for sure. Don't forget to look out for the meaning of the dragonfly, it's very cute.


Rating: 3.5/5

Friday Flavor (1) A.S King & Glass & Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Friday Flavor says hello to all the readers of Serene Hours today. To kick everything off, this week we have A.S King - the author of The Dust Of 100 Dogs - here with us. Since this is the week of banned books, her post is dedicated to one of the unfortunate titles.


Last month, I picked up a copy of Ellen Hopkins’s CRANK and was immediately hooked. (I have since read the sequel, GLASS, and it’s just as brilliant.) It’s a very real look at the life of a girl who has fallen for crystal meth, and I loved it for so many reasons, I’ll have to only list four, or else I’ll go on forever.

1. It’s well-written and real. The dialogue is perfect. As a writer, this means everything to me. Especially the real part. More on that in #3.

2. It’s written in verse, but manages to hook as well as—or better than—most novels do. I read and write poetry, but nothing that could achieve what this does as a gripping continuous story. I don’t mean to single this written-in-verse thing out, but it’s important to note that this type of novel, one that takes risks in form, is a hard sell in any genre or market. This form, mixed with the challenging subject matter, is genius. Rock on Ellen Hopkins.

3. The realities of drug addiction are not pretty and I think CRANK and GLASS did an amazing job portraying the effects an addict has on a family, and gave a chilling first person account of being completely chained to the monster of crystal meth. Ellen Hopkins didn’t hide anything, and I’m happy about that, because addiction is a serious topic and it’s important to understand how things can turn ugly. It’s important to know The Truth. This brings me back to how real these books are. Young adults have been watching TV and movies about substance abuse for years, and they know the subject. But CRANK and GLASS journey deep into the inner thoughts of an addict and thoroughly explore the awful decision-making that accompanies addiction, and by doing so, these books are an amazing education for teen and adult readers who may not yet grasp the realities of drug addiction. The best part about this is: these books are not preachy or didactic. They serve, instead, as a visual map of a road open to all of us, and show us that down that road lies horror.

4. Did I mention that I read it while vacuuming? Because I did. That’s got to be the best mark of a good book ever. And it’s a heavy book, too, so the one handed vacuuming-reading was not easy.

Because I’m only catching up with my to-be-read pile, I bet most of you out there have already read at least one of Ellen’s books, but if you haven’t, you have to pick up CRANK. It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.

A.S King with her beloved copy of GLASS.

Have you ever read any stories by Ellen Hopkins? What's your view on banned books? Share your thoughts with me and Amy.

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Publisher: EgmontUSA
Pub. Date: September 2009
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 256

In the model community of Candor, Florida, every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks. The son of the town’s founder, Oscar earns straight As, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause. But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant–perfect–through subliminal Messages that carefully correct and control their behavior. And Oscar’s built a business sabotaging his father’s scheme with Messages of his own, getting his clients out before they’re turned. After all, who would ever suspect the perfect Oscar Banks? Then he meets Nia, the girl he can’t stand to see changed. Saving Nia means losing her forever. Keeping her in Candor, Oscar risks exposure . . . and more.


One of the most awaited debuts in 2009, Candor was also, to me, one of the most creative YA novels of the year.

The story had a light touch of science - brainwashing, something usually drives me zillions of miles away from a book. Surprisingly, it sounded very interesting and not quite heavy. The author chose music - a pleasant outlet- to be the most frightening thing in Candor ever. It appeared as a kind of wise irony, besides, it also helped make the whole thing less dry. This premise was the best Candor could offer and it would unfailingly suck the readers into the story.

If you asked me what was most outstanding feature of the book I would definitely say the atmosphere. Pam Bachorz's writing was beautiful - she successfully created an extreme town - it felt so cold and haunted throughout the chapters. Everything seemed fine but deep down there were so many secrets. Even when a lot characters made their appearance, I still felt like they weren't real at all and all the time it was Oscar alone. The mood was hopeless, futureless.

I have to say I wasn't thrilled about the leads - Oscar lacked something that was realistic and relatable; his love for Nia was too sudden, when he talked about her he seemed mature and naughty yet when she was around he acted like a boy needing comfort from an adult. As for Nia, she was claimed to be strong, different and rebellious but I felt that her personalities weren't strong enough. In fact, I don't think I knew enough of her. Having said that, both of them had brought me through lots of emotions when the story reached its climax. I especially liked the part when Oscar fought alone to bring Nia back to her own self, how he managed to keep on going in an unequal battle. It was herotic and plain awesome.

Have you ever come across a book one chapter of which excelled the rest? If not, there I introduce Candor to you. Its ending was fabulous. It was beyond prediction. The whole story was more meaningful and unforgettable because of it. That chapter made the ratings for Candor go higher in fact.

A movie-like story with a twist. Doesn't matter if you like science or not, pick it up.

Rating: 4/5