In My Mailbox (23)

Idea taken from The Story Siren


Ruby Unscripted by Cindy Martinusen Coloma.

Ruby's finding out that life is all about improv . . .

Small-town girl Ruby Madden has moved to Marin County, California; home of high-dollar homes and green living. The girls wear shoes that cost more than her entire paycheck at the Underground Coffeehouse & Theater, and the students are well-traveled and full of life experiences that Ruby can only dream of.

All the stresses of adjusting to her new life have put a strain on her ability to trust God. Yet when mysterious and eye-catching Kaden invites Ruby to join the school's film group, the puzzle pieces start to fit. Her love of art finds perfect expression and the film friends seem to really get her. When a major Hollywood director hosts an amateur film contest, Ruby and her friends are stoked.

But Ruby's old life is tugging her backward and her frantic balancing act throws her new life totally off track. To top things off, Ruby makes a mistake that could cost her the chance of a lifetime.

Life would be so much easier if Ruby just had a script to follow with a happy ending guaranteed. But what's the fun in that?

I like the idea of this book: moving to somewhere new, finding a lot of different things and adjusting your life. The title sounds cute too right? And I could even love the cover if it weren't for the weird skin of the girl. It feels creepy.


Dragonfly by Julia Golding.

Princess Taoshira is appalled when she is ordered to marry Prince Ramil ac Burinholt in order to unite their lands. And Ramil's not too pleased either. They hate each other on sight. So when she and Ramil are kidnapped, they fear there's no escape - either 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 extraordinary adventure - including a circus strongman, a daring rebel leader, a sinister master of spies and the best female fighter they have ever seen - help them or betray them to the enemy..?

This book had a great year back in 2008 in UK and now it finally makes its way to us. I like how it seems both dark and fun. Arranged marriage is my thing and I've not encountered such a book on this subject so I'm thrilled to receive this one. Heart the cover, it's ways more appealing than the UK one.


Rules by Cynthia Lord.

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"---in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors.

But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

I found out about this book at Harmony Reviews site and it's too cute for me to ignore. Even though it's a MG book, it's said to teach us teenagers a lot of things about life in the most natural way. You should check it out someday too.


Thanks to Julia, Cindy and Cynthia as well as their publicists for sending me the books!<3

So what have you got for the past 7 days? Have you read any of the above? Tell me how you think.

Sunday Special (22) A Little Sneak Peek Of 2010

Well I know that we've just gone through the first half of 2009 but some of the books which will be published in 2010 have already won our hearts. Here are some which make me really really excited about next year.



The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard.

Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They've never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia's boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He finds a journal she left behind. But he is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he's kept.

Somehow I really like secret relationship, it's kind of thrilling you know. But this one seems to have more than just that, a lot of drama and the likes. I wonder what she's written in that journal, it's going to be scandalous perhaps.


Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder.

Restless souls and empty hearts

Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams.

Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface.

As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest.

Same concept with Lisa's debut book I Heart You You Haunt Me yet Chasing Brooklyn is more intense and more interesting than the other because two people are haunted. Do you think there's a chance of the two falling in love with each other? I hope so and I hope the book is long because last time IHYYHM ended to so fast for me :(


A Match Made In Highschool by Kristin Walker.

When a mandatory course forces Fiona to “try the knot” with super-jock Todd Harding, she’s convinced life could not possibly get any worse. Until moments later, when her long-time crush is paired with her arch-enemy (otherwise known as Todd’s obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that’s nothing compared to her best friend’s fate – a year with the very shy, very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.

A series of hilarious pranks and misunderstandings leave Fiona wondering: is there something her supposed “best friend” hasn’t told her? Could there be more to Johnny Mercer than a deep voice and an awesome music collection? And perhaps most intriguing of all, is it possible that Todd Harding could actually have a heart – and a brain – beneath his pretty-boy exterior?

I love match making, it reminds me of my precious middle school years. This book sounds nothing but awesome. I expect a lot from it and according to some bloggers who have got ARCs, it's really lovable. And look at the cover, who cannot love it?


Undead Much by Stacey Jay.

Even Zombie Settlers with Super Hot Boyfriends get the Blues...

A few months ago I was a normal girl with a normal life. But that was before my power to Settle the Undead returned and someone tried to kill me with zombies.

Now I work magic and practice kicking butt while trying to find time for pom squad and my boyfriend, Ethan, and trying NOT to think about how freaky my life has become. It can be tough. Still…things could be worse…

Oh yeah, right:
1. Feral new super-strong zombies. Check.
2. Undead psychic hottie predicting a zombie apocolypse. Check.
3. Earth-shattering secrets that could land me in Settler prison for life. Check.
4. Cheerleader vs. pom squad turf war threatening the end of the half time as we know it. Check.

I’m going to need therapy (and a cookie) if I live through the week. Unfortunately I’m learning that’s not something Zombie Queens can take for granted.

I've never a fan of zombies. They're creepy to me >< And I've never read You're So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay either. Still, for some reason I cannot wait for this book to come out. It sounds fun, and crazy in a brilliant way. I swear to check the series out as soon as possible.


Sing Me To Sleep by Angela Morrison.

Beth, an ugly duckling singer, gets a massive makeover when she ousts the soloist in her competitive girls' choir. Beth's great performance lands the choir a place in the Choral Olympics where, Derek, a mysterious star of a neighboring boys' choir, sweeps her off her feet. She gets home to find the sweet boy who has always been her friend now wants to be more than that. Beth is committed to Derek, but she's torn. He's hiding something scary, and she can't get behind his perfect facade.

This book is inspired by Angela's daughter and because I love Taken By Storm, I hope to love this one too. I like music and I like sad books so it must be everything I need from a read.




Apart from these, there're also a few books that I have set my eyes on like Indigo Blues, The Naughty List, Fixing Deliah, By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead ect. So what about you? What do you think of the books above? Anything you love that will come out in 2010? SHARE!

Torched by April Henry

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: March 2009
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 224pp

When Ellie's parents are busted for possession of marijuana, the FBI gives her a choice: infiltrate the Mother Earth Defenders (MED), a radical environmental group, or her parents will go to jail. At first Ellie is more than willing to entrap the MEDics, but the more time she spends undercover—particularly with Coyote, the green-eyed MEDic that she can't stop thinking about—the more she starts to believe in their cause. When talk turns to murder, Coyote backs out, but Ellie is willing to risk everything to save her family—even if it means losing Coyote and putting her own life on the line.


This book offers an okay read, specifically for those who're interested in the hot subject of fighting for environment. Or maybe just suspicion and action. However, I suggest you don't hold your hope up as Torched is not as tremendous as the synopsis might sound.

In some aspect I enjoy this book. The story just revolves around the world of MEDics and their concern for the environment as well as the FIB and their will to stop the so called rebellious kids. It was great to learn about young teeenagers who thought of Mother Earth more than themselves and would do whatever they could to protect it - even though sometimes it turned out to be counter-productive. I liked the "war" between them and FBI too. It, actually, was the hot point of the story.

On the other hand I felt most of the time the book didn't unleash the fullest of its potential. Like everything was brought to the middle and left hanging there, which would definitely make the readers feel uneasy. For example, Ellie never ever wanted to be a spy in MED yet she just came to them willingly a short time after she was asked instead of putting it off and having the agents nag her (that way it would be more persuasive you know). The intensity wasn't enough either. Not until the last few chapters was it all set on fire, and it was such a pity, in my opinion.

Overally, Torched shows us how things get out of hand when goodwill is accompanied by negative actions such as violence and blindness, which, will somehow wake the alertness in us about a lot of things in life. Nevertheless, I wish it could have been delivered in more compelling way.

Rating: 2.5/5

Waiting On Wednesday (21)

Idea taken from The Breaking Spine

Ex mas by Kate Brian.

There has yet been any summary for this title but according to my instinct, it's going to be a super duper fun read. My imagination also tells me that it might be about exes reuniting at Christmas and having some interesting fight...what do you think? I really really adore the cover and how the author plays with words too. I definitely have to check this out; by the way I seem to be the last person to know of Kate Brian =.=


It's kinda weird for S&S to publish this book on Oct 6th, 2009. It's supposed to be out in Xmas, at least it makes more sense right?

In My Mailbox (22)

Idea taken from The Story Siren

I'm supposed to post this yesterday but I was too lazy haha. Anywho here's what I've got last week.


By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters.

Dear
___mother
___father
___other

There was nothing you could do to stop me because:
___I’d already made up my mind
___I have been suffering my whole life
___ you were too slow to notice

I offed myself because:
___my life sucks
___the world sucks
___ you suck

Good-bye,
Daelyn

Y'all ready know how much crazy I am for this book. I gotta say I'm so so so so lucky to have an ARC this soon. After I caught a glimpse of this, I contacted Julie and she happened to have an extra ARC to share. I think I'm gonna save this book for later since it's so thin :( Anyway, it's my first 2010 review book too. Jealous? You gotta be *winks*.


Anatomy Of A Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky.

Before this all happened, the closest I'd ever come to getting physical with a guy was playing the board game Operation. Okay, so maybe that sounds pathetic, but it's not like there were any guys at my high school who I cared to share more than three words with, let alone my body. Then I met Wes, a track star senior from across town. Maybe it was his soulful blue eyes, or maybe my hormones just started raging. Either way, I was hooked. And after a while, he was too. I couldn't believe how intense my feelings became, or the fact that I was seeing—and touching—parts of the body I'd only read about in my Gray's Anatomy textbook. You could say Wes and I experienced a lot of firsts together that spring. It was scary. It was fun. It was love. And then came the fall.

I don't think anyone who passes this book in a bookstore can have the heart to go away without taking it home. It looks so cute and so funny. I bet I'm going to have so many laughter. Just the cover itself makes me crack up. Also, the story seems fun: the couple get together, experience things and then trouble comes. I hope that it has a happy ending.


Ten Cents A Dance by Christine Fletcher.

With her mother ill, it’s up to fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski to support her family. But in the 1940s, the only opportunities open to a Polish-American girl from Chicago’s poor Yards is a job in one of the meat packing plants. Through a chance meeting with a local tough, Ruby lands a job as a taxi dancer and soon becomes an expert in the art of “fishing”: working her patrons for meals, cash, clothes, even jewelry. Drawn ever deeper into the world of dance halls, jazz, and the mob, Ruby gradually realizes that the only one who can save her is herself. A mesmerizing look into a little known world and era.

Normally fictions set on time back in the past is not my thing, but, Ten Cents A Dance is different. It sounds captivating and just right for a teenager. I found out about it from Reviewer X's blog and had been dreaming to get my hands on a copy until Christine Fletcher answered my email a few weeks ago. I also got Tallulah Falls, Christine's second book, which sounds just as awesome.


Thanks to Julie, Daria and Christine who got me the great books<3


Another week full of book packages to my lovely blogger fellows!

Sunday Special (21) Aus vs. US part 2

The battle continues...


Round 5&6:

Frenemies by Alexa Young.



Fakestatic by Alexa Young.

Much as I love the elegance of the models in the US covers, I have to say I love the Aus ones way more. They look fun, energetic and kind of mean. The designs look fantastic too. They make me want to read the books right NOW.

Way to go, Aus covers~!


Round 7:

Paper Towns by John Green.

The Aus edition has a really great impression on me. I like how it's dark, strong and vague (couldn't make out all the parts of the photo). However, the US cover wins more love from me because of its brightness and gentleness. Also, I love the girl's facial expression, it draws my attention.

US cover!


Round 8:

The Last Summer by Ann Brashares.

Well what can I say? They both look nostalgic, summery, peaceful. Both are turning their backs to us and looking out to the ocean. Not much difference actually. I cannot tell which one I prefer.

So we have a tie.


Round 9:

Love The One You're With by Emily Griffin.

This is super duper hard to pick one. Each of the covers is cute in its way and I love how both designers picked green as the main colour. So nice!

Another tie.



Which cover do you prefer of the two? Tell me your judgment<3

Signed copies found their owners!

I'm sorry for the delay. I should have announced the winners on Monday or so but finals are killing me with stress :( Anyway, the luckiest ones, each of whom will receive a signed copy of Death by Denim directly from Linda Gerber are...

*drum rolls*

SUNKISSED

&

WINDY

Congratulations you guys. Please drop me an email with your mailing address so Linda can get the books to you as soon as possible. Also, thanks for everyone who entered the contest, check back for a new one next month (hopefully)

:)

Violet On The Runway by Melissa Walker

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: September 2007
Age Range: Young Adult
Pages: 240
Format: paperback
Source: from publisher - Penguin

A wallflower in the spotlight can do one of two things: wilt, or blossom...

Violet Greenfield's life changes forever when a lady in giant Chanel shades tells her she could be IT, the next Kate Moss-but taller, and without the PR problems. That's how Violet winds up with a business card in the front pocket of her jeans on her first day as a senior in high school. Angela Blythe from Tryst Models in New York City wants to put Violet on a plane and whisk her into the world of high-heeled boots and oversized sunglasses. Tall, skinny Violet, who's been P-L-A-I-N practically forever.

And guess what? She's going.


If you're a girl whose dreams are so big you think they're beyond your reach, then let me tell you what you should do. Befriend Violet Greenfield. With her dreamlike but still so real story of turning from zero to hero, she'll prove to you that everything can happen if you're determined and hardworking enough.

This debut book by Melissa Walker, also the first one of Violet series is so beautiful. It creates a world of fashion with fame, money, extreme thrill as well as loneliness, frustration and exhaustion. With elegant writing which somehow still gives out craziness and passion of a teenager, the book will win your love, whether you're a fashion worshiper or not.

Violet On The Runway made me feel like I was having a novel edition of America's Next Top Model on my hands and, apparently, I liked it really much. Even though the glamorous world Violet first stepped into had two sides of it, the good and exciting one totally ruled. The sneak peek will firstly get your curiosity and as more and more of the model's life is revealed, you find yourself can't help but want to know everything of it. Violet's journey from being nobody to being on top didn't have much troubles thus it kind of sounded unconvincing to me. However, the side issues were super fun. Violet unexpectedly lost herself in the middle, pushing her family and friends away and getting involved with people who never spared a thought of how she felt or what was good for her. Sound pretty familiar doesn't it? Still, there was something that made a difference, either was the BK girls or Roger the best friend.

In my opinion, Violet was really fun to be with. I liked the change in her personalities when she became a real model. She went from shy to confident, from humble to wild but what completed her was her toughness, strength and her courage to support whoever she loved, especially Veronica. Veronica is my favorite character too - she appeared typical but she also got depth.

Overall this book is a great start for the series. It's just the beginning of the real story so there will be lot of things you'll wonder after you finish this, and of course, not many characters have fully developed. But it promises so much greater and more eventful details in the next books that the readers just have to rush to the stores. and pick up the rest.

Rating: 3.5/5

Waiting On Wednesday (20)

Idea taken from Breaking The Spine

Scones and Sensibilities by Lindsay Eland.

Polly Madassa is convinced she was born for a more romantic time. A time when Elizabeth Bennet and Anne of Green Gables walked along the moors and beaches of the beautiful, wild land. A time when a distinguished gentleman called upon a lady of quality, and true love was born in the locked eyes of two young lovers.

But alas, she was not.

This however does not stop our young heroine from finding romance wherever she can conjure it up. So while Polly is burdened with the summer job of delivering baked goods from her parents bakery (how delightfully quaint!) to the people in her small beach town, she finds a way to force...um...encourage romance to blossom. She is determined to bring lovers, young and old, together...whether they want to be or not.


Reasons why this book rocks:

-1. The title got something to do with a classic book I kinda love - Senses and Sensibilities Sense and Sensibility (thanks for pointing out, robin_titan). Don't you just love how it sounds? Prada and Prejudice now Scones and Sensibilities.
-2. I love love romance. Especially things that deal with cakes and stuff.
-3. I just know of Lindsay Eland and I want to check her writting out.


Want something hot to eat on a freezing day like December 22nd? Get some scones from this lovely novel.

In My Mailbox (21)

Idea taken from The Story Siren

I can't believe I've reached my 20th week of this feature, meaning lots of books to read and reviewed ^^


The Red Queen's Daughter by Jacqueline Kolosov.

Orphaned as a young girl because of the imprudent marriage of her mother, Queen Katherine Parr, Mary Seymour vows never to fall in love-and under no circumstances will she marry. Lady Strange, her mysterious guardian, offers the young woman an extraordinary alternative to marriage: Mary is to become a white magician who will join Queen Elizabeth's court and ensure the success of the Virgin Queen's reign.

Accompanied by her magical hound, Perseus, Mary sets out to learn the properties of different stones and the art and precision of natural spells. Soon after her sixteenth birthday, she joins Elizabeth's court as a lady-in-waiting. Upon her arrival, Mary realizes that Elizabeth's court is rife with men and women who are vying for power. The most dangerous of all is Edmund Seymour, Mary's disturbingly handsome cousin. From the moment she meets Edmund, Mary has to fight her growing attraction, especially once she discovers that he is a black magician, the dark mirror of her own self. But, despite the threat Edmund poses to Mary, he seems to be the only one who truly understands her. When Edmund becomes involved in a plot against the Queen, Mary finds her beliefs tested in ways she never could have imagined.

The very first book I received from Harper Teen. Usually I'm not really into books that set back in the past but this one sounds kinda nice, esp the "I won't get married" thing. Besides, I really like the cover.


I Know It's Over by C.K Kelly Martin.

Pure. Unplanned. Perfect. Those were Nick’s summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents’ divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs. All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he’s neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn’t mind in the least. But Nick’s world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then weeks later, while Nick’s still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she’s pregnant, and Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can’t stop caring for, the girl who insists that it’s still over.

This book is a contest prize I won from Laura's Review Bookshelf. I've been lusting for this book forever. As if he subject of teen pregnancy hasn't intrigued me enough, I Know It's Over has to be written in the guy's POV. I so want to start it right now. You should own a copy too, seriously.


Ballads Of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert.

Kara hasn't been back to Oak Park since the end of junior year, when a heroin overdose nearly killed her and sirens heralded her exit. Four years later, she returns to face the music. Her life changed forever back in high school: her family disintegrated, she ran around with a whole new crowd of friends, she partied a little too hard, and she fell in love with gorgeous bad-boy Adrian, who left her to die that day in Scoville Park....

Amid the music, the booze, the drugs, and the drama, her friends filled a notebook with heartbreakingly honest confessions of the moments that defined and shattered their young lives. Now, finally, Kara is ready to write her own.

I've won signed copies of this one as well as I Want To Be Your Joey Ramone and some little love prizes from Stephanie Ballads Promo Contest. Great isn't it? The ARC doesn't have a cover yet but it's still so cool. I love Emily, so I think I'll love Kara as well. Love the title!



Thanks to Jacqueline, Laura and Stephanie for getting and sending me the books.

So what have you got? Enough for to read everyday of summer?
<3