M vs. K: Book Swap Month 2

ok so here we are again ready for our monthly book swap and may i just point out that it is incredibly hot in this town. bad decision for both of us to wear jeans...just saying. anyways, on to the important stuff. you all probably saw the reviews K and i posted involving last months books, so we shouldn't have to recap that.
Why hello there lovely bookworms! I would just like to apologize ahead of time if whatever I type makes no sense because I'm currently running on no sleep (all nighters on school nights may be fun, but my lord...). ANYWHO! Book swapping (thank you M) time! I really hope M enjoys this book because
1. It's one of my favorites.
2. The main character shares something similar to miss M..... ;)
hmmmm....i'm intrigued now. possibly a runner? just guessing. ok sorry carry on.
Well, M will know instantly (hopefully) what the similarity is, but you my darlings are at a disadvantage seeing as you don't know M (therefore not beginning to be able to make the connection). Hahaha sucks for you! Okay sorry....I'll be mature.....or at least attempt to (haha you just missed a priceless look that M gave me while I typed that).....I tried to give M the honor of typing, but she wanted me to continue...Could it be that she just wants to see the book I have brought for her? *pointed silence as the tension in the crowd builds* "tell us what it is K!"
WWWWWWWeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllll, if you insist. However, first I would like to tell you a story about my dog....hehe just kidding I don't have a dog (not like I haven't been trying to get one though-my mom is a tough cookie to break). I guess I'll stop stalling now and announce what book I have to share....Silent drum roll please bubububububububububububububububububu.....(that was supposed to sound like a drum, but i failed miserably) The name of the book is........."and we'll be right back after this brief commercial break" (p.s the breaks are NEVER brief). We're back! The book is Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian :)
This book is filled with humor, romance and all that other jazz that makes a good book. While the book may get a bit predictable towards the end (or if you catch on to things early on then it would be from the start of the book), but it's worth it.
I normally catch on within the first few chapters because i've got practice from watching way too many chick flicks and Lifetime original movies. (THEY ALL END THE SAME WAY! gosh can't writers be original anymore??) oh and a tip for you guys, if you ever find yourself in an abusive relationship or in a relationship with a psychopath, dont convince yourself that its ok. oh and when you finally come to your senses, GET OUT OF THE STATE! he might follow you, but make it hard for him to do so because the crazies always end up killing the sweet innocent, naive girls. just saying. ORRRRRRR you could be really smart and alert the police like no one in those stupid Lifetime movies ever thinks to do! don't just try and handle it on your own (unless you arrange for said psychopath to die a horrible death. oh woops i probably shouldn't condone murder....oh well).
wow. can you say tangent? ok, back on track. my point was, i've seen enough Lifetime movies and chick flicks to know how a book or movie is going to end. (that doesn't mean i enjoy it any less, though). i'm pretty interested in this book after reading the back of it and seeing as how it's one of K's favorites and it was written by Kate Brian (who also wrote the Princess and the Pauper which was a very enjoyable read for me). and that's all i have to say about that. (please someone tell me they got that Forrest Gump reference. if not, that's pathetic. ok sorry)
Wow.......that was an excellent rant you had going there M :)
However, I totally agree. I hardly ever watch Lifetime movies anymore (well the ones with the...."weird" boyfriends-which is usually the majority of them). Right now M is my life line in this blog. pun intended?? Hahaha, nice M. Like I said I'm running on no sleep so keeping my eyes open is quite the struggle. Then add typing grammatically correct sentences (with all the words spelled correctly D:) is even harder. Oh by the way I did get the Forrest Gump reference. I feel very proud of myself seeing as I've only seen it like twice in my life. wow, at least i know that you have a life (seeing as how you have actually seen the movie AND you got my reference). but twice is not enough. just saying....M got frustrated with the computer for the moment and she made a mean face at it....it was quite the sight. Sorry for not being up to your standards on the number of times I'm required to see Forrest Gump.....I'll just go sit in my little corner and cry....I'll never be good enough D,:  Hahahaha, no not really. I'm awesome (there's a song called "I'm Awesome"...just thought I'd share Was it written about your life? Yes, infact it was. I'm glad you noticed!)
Well, as awesome as K is....i shall now get on to the part where i make "The Big Reveal" and tell her my choice. dum dum dum dummmmmmm......the suspense is killing me!....It is The Night Room by E.M. Goldman. This is the book that i was raving about in my last blog post. It is one of my favorites and has definitely got me thinking about life and the future and just everything. It's a sci fi book, which originally turned me off, but once i got into it (and was able to finally keep all the characters straight!) i loved it. There's mystery, romance (always necessary :] ), suspense, and a Breakfast Club-ish sort of circumstance. *for my rant about the Breakfast Club and my raving about The Night Room, click here.
Well this book does certainly look interesting. Slightly creepy, but that's alright. Haha, so I had to force myself not to cringe when I saw the "sci-fi" part, but then M redeemed herself by adding that it also had some romance in it (like she said, always neccessary). Upon reading the back of the book I found myself quite intrigued...I guess I'll have to read and find out *insert my attempt at an evil smile here* well that smile was kinda creepy :P Yay! goal almost accomplished. OH! OH! I told M this on the walk over to the library, but last night I pulled an awesome all nighter (it was only awesome because I was reading). I read an amazing book that I haven't read in ages! ....Well maybe not that long, but just go with it alright? Geesh. It was The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (BEST. AUTHOR. EVER. !!!!) ....thanks M, that was my line :p Haha, but it's okay. I forgive. I mean you have had to put up with my horrible typing for the last half hour? Maybe longer? I didn't really pay attention to the time. Sue me (not really, that would suck). i wouldn't dream of doing such a thing....or would i?? *gives M a slightly curious look* hum......things are starting to get interesting around here (except for the fact that it's DEAD SILENT except for the furious pounding of keys all around us. Oh, and the sighing dude from last time was here too, but i think he left.)  Yeah, they're beating those keys like they stole something (It's a southern saying that I may have twisted to fit the situation....don't hate because you didn't think of it!) Haha seriously??? I didn't even notice. Probably because he wasn't sighing :) um, he was earlier. i can't tell who it was or if hes still in here, but he's obviously not as depressed as he was earlier...Hahaha I guess not. That's good for him! You go Glen Coco! Haha, sorry that just randomly popped into my head while I was typing and I figured "why not???" M is making me type more D: Lol, just kidding (well she is, but I don't mind). I was going to say something really mind blowing, but then I got distracted by the lady leaving the room. I guess we'll never know what I was going to say....such a shame She was probably going to impart her wisdom with the loyal readers (or lack thereof) of this blog because you (if you truly exist, which i kinda doubt by now) are awesome for choosing to spend your time reading the nonsense that we post. Oh, that's so very true....I kinda want to see how many rants we have posted on here....between the both of us I'm pretty sure we racked up a pretty decent number. *I shake my head in a silent agreement (this is the library after all)* That is very true (everytime I type 'true' I end up typing 'ture' first....is that even a word? I should make it one if it's not!) I just looked on Dictionary.com and it is not a word, but in my opinion it should be (btw the sigher just left i think). Ok so here's our unofficial M&K Collegiate Dictionary entry for 'ture':


Ture- noun- "t-your"
an object that is pure, rare and only found in the deepest parts of the Mediterranean Sea. Usually tangerine or turquoise in color, these objects have been found by divers in the 80's, only to be lost. The divers died soon after discovering them and legend has it that there is a curse associated with the tures and their protecters, the Turwane (for more, see Turwane).


And here is the conversation we typed in a Word Document to each other while debating on this very important task of defining 'ture':

How do you do the little phonetic thingy?? Where you sound out the word?? And if so, how do you make a “u” with the little thing that makes it long? U know what I mean?

I know what you mean, but I have no clue how…

But if you were writing a dictionary, how would you say it’s pronounced??

“ta-ur” the e would definitely be silent

My guess was (don’t make fun) “t-your” like your sock or your jacket, but with a t sound in front.

Hum…..you make an interesting case…..I think I can agree with you this one time

So how do we spell it so that our readers don’t think we’re stupid?

I think they might already think we’re stupid (I mean we are creating a new word….a very weird one at that)…um……..

True,true

And, we're back. "So now you're back! From outer space (that part maybe wrong...)" and now I just forgot the rest of the words to the song. That's quite sad on my part... and this is where i use my resources and find the lyrics because i'm secretly curious about it too....ON TO GOOGLE! (imagine me saying that as if i were shouting "FOR NARNIA!" except that i can't seeing as how i'm in a library....so yeah thats awkward....) the correct lyrics are: and so you're back from outer space. I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face. i should have changed that stupid lock, i should have made you leave your key if I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me....and so on (btw you're welcome for getting that song stuck in your head....muahahahahah.....*insert evil grin here*) Well, i believe that's about all we have time for today, folks. Come back next month and you will be graced with our usual witty selves and hear us rant and talk about books occasionally and act like the nonsensical people that we are :) Sidenote- i'm hoping that someone appreciated me using the word "nonsensical" since it was in Pride and Prejudice.....which we all know is a superior film :) yes, this is propaganda. get over it. I WILL NEVER GET OVER IT!!!! Haha, just kidding. I will...one day...in the future...hopefully....(M said something similar in our last book swap. Score 1 for K with the awesome memory). Anyways I love that movie also so you will hear...or read no complaints from my end of this conversation :) in order to score points for myself, *insert surly head nod and pointed glance here* i shall end on a familiar note.

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Well Hello There!

So I owe an apology (as usual). I haven't been on in a while (things have been pretty hectic for me). Oh, and on behalf of myself and M we are very sorry for not having our book swap on the 13th. However, to make up for it we will do our book swap tomorrow (Monday). Anyways to make up for my total lack of writing I'm going to make this a long post (especially since there is a lot I would like to talk about).


1. I tried to get my mom to take me to the bookstore today to get Out of Sight, Out of Time, but she knew what I was up to and said no :p
Although I will continue asking her until I come out victorious!


2. I'm reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte for an English assignment (we got to pick the book off of a list our teacher gave us). I was super excited to read it, but now that I've started it I'm not all that pumped about it. Granted I'm only on page 18, but that's not the point. I'm seriously considering just switching to reading Jane Eyre.


3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver-
Honestly one of the worst books I've ever read (I'm sorry if you enjoyed it, but I didn't). To make this easy I'm going to do a comparison of what I didn't like about the book to what I did enjoy.

What I didn't like:
-The main character
-The main characters friends
-The choices the main character makes


What I liked:
-The cover of the book
-Kent (a character in the book <3)
-I got it for $2 at Good Will instead of the $17 if I was to buy it from a bookstore


Yeah so I'm pretty sure the rest is self explanatory.

4. THE HUNGER GAMES!!!
I finished the whole series in a week. I was very reluctant to start the series because of all the hype about the book and I was afraid of being let down. From enough peer pressure I finally caved and I fell in love. Suzanne  Collins knows how to make you love almost every character even when you shouldn't because of what you know is going to happen to them. I cried several times throughout each of the three books. That is actually a shocker too because I normally can hold back from crying (I blame hormones haha). Despite my love for the books I'm still not quite sure on how I feel about the ending of the books. Anyways I highly recommend everyone reading the series. It's amazing and worth reading <3
Now, I'm extremely excited to go see the movie when it comes out! Hopefully it won't let me down.THE HUNGER GAMES


5. Icing on the Lake (long over due review on the book from book swap)
Overall I enjoyed the book. The main character reminded me a lot of myself so she was easy to relate to.
It was kinda predictable and I'm a bit iffy on the ending of the book, but it was very cute and fun to read when there was snow still on the ground here.


6. I've spent a long time on the computer today looking at books I want. It's amazing how excited I get about books. Like whenever I walk into a bookstore I just feel this calmness, and belonging wash over me. Yeah I know, I'm a bookworm. I've come to terms with that a long time ago haha.


Hum...anyways I think that's about it. Until tomorrow (the book swap with M!) my fellow bookworms!

10) Hope Was Here and 11) The Night Room and my ranting about My Sister's Keeper

Wow! That was a really long title....ok so i've got a very short amount of time to get this typed up, so this is gonna be short and sweet:

• Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer has become number 10 on "The List." It's a great little short read about life, love, loss, and politics. Hope, a waitress lives with her aunt, who is a cook. They are always moving around from place to place for various reasons. Hope likes to write "Hope Was Here" descreetly in places that she's lived right before moving. It's her way of leaving part of herself behind and showing that she made a difference there. Hope and Aunt Addie's most recent move is to Wisconsin. Hope isn't too thrilled because she considers herself a city child after living in NYC. That's all i'm telling. It's a great book, even if it IS a little predictable at points.

• The Night Room by E.M. Goldman has now been added as number 11 on "The List." Another very short read, but it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I read it in one day (which is saying something seeing as how i have school and homework and such) and was very pleasantly surprised by how much i liked this book. My brother had to read it for an English class when he was in middle school and it was lying around our house when we were cleaning for a garage sale. I saved it from being sold because he'd told me about it and i was interested in reading it someday. Apparently, my "someday" was Thursday. After finishing Hope Was Here, i was trying to figure out what to read next and so i scoured my bookshelf for something new to read and came across The Night Room. I've never been a fan of science fiction novels, so i was very skeptical at first, but i kept reminding myself to keep an open mind. However, as soon as i started it, i got sucked in. My mind was constantly occupied with the plotline and i couldn't quite pay attention in class because i wanted to read so badly. It was even affecting my mood because when i was worried about a character, i would start feeling all sad and depressed and then when they were happy, i was happy. I haven't come across a book that made me react this way in a long time and it definitely deserves a spot on "The List." This, ladies and gentlemen, is what reading is all about. So, brief summary: Ira (average guy), Sandra (popular girl), Tess (school newspaper's reporter), Joy (actress), Mac (football jock), Barbara (brainiac), and Graham (slacker) are all selected to take part in a project called Argus at the local university. It's a computer program that gives a possible projection of each person's future selves. These seven classmates have been programmed to meet at their tenth high school reunion. However, there are twists and turns both in the future and the present as attitudes and decisions change. It truly is a great, and kind of reminds me of The Breakfast Club in that all the stereotypical groups are represented, which makes it all the more enjoyable (just ask K....we've had a discussion before about how Bender is so attractive and awesome because of his bad boy attitude despite the fact that everyone else we know think Bender is just a jerk and a criminal. to those people i say "shut up". ahhh young judd nelson :) ok ok i'm done now....i swear....maybe? ok lemme just say that at the end when Bender and Claire get together i was like jumping up and down with excitement and then the fist pump just made me happy inside. ok i'm done now.) This book has intrigue, sci fi, romance, and mystery. It's awesome and I'm considering making this K's book swap book...hmmm....we'll see. Darn, now i really want to watch The Breakfast Club....:) what can i say? it's awesome.
• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult doesn't even deserve to be underlined like a real book title. i'd heard it was really sad and i knew the gist of it before starting it and i really didn't want to read it. at all. however, it was assigned by my English teacher. thanks a lot. i will now list the things i didn't like about it:

1. there were different POVs every chapter, which would've been fine, except that they alternated between soooo many different characters that i got really confused and halfway throught the chapter i would forget who was talking so i'd have to go back and look at the start of the chapter. also, some of the chapters went back in time, which was even more confusing to keep track of the past vs. the present.
2. it was too reliant on the side topic of astronomy. no one cares about supernovas and nebulas.
3. Anna was such an unlikable yet likable character. she was irritating the entire book because she simply couldn't make up her mind and was being immature.
4. Campbell was such a conceited jerk.
5. Anna's mom, Sarah. she needs to learn to listen to her kids and stop obsessing over Kate bc she's obviously neglecting to care for the other two. she's such a controlling person.
6. It was SO FREAKING LONG!
7. I wanted more chapters from Jesse's POV.
8. the ending was depressing and made me want to cry...in a bad way...not like The Notebook crying, but One Day crying (if you haven't seen this movie, i would say watch it but be warned now YOU WILL CRY, but theres something calming about the depression of it. plus, it's anne hathaway and who doesn't love her? exactly my point.)

Now, i shall list the things i liked about the book:

1. how ultimately Anna had a voice
2. Jesse :) he was such a likable bad boy (see above about Bender....hehehehe)
3. the romantic tension between Julia and Campbell. it was very entertaining with all their banter and denial.
4. we didn't have to do a project or report on it for class, which was definitely a plus.

Yup, so you can obviously tell that the Dislikes list heavily outweighs the Likes list. Therefore, it got a measly one star from me. I know, that's harsh, but it was deserved. Jodi Picoult is a jerk for writing such an ending. How dare she?! For those of us that were emotionally involved in the book, you can't just do that to us. It's like a dagger in our backs. thanks a lot, Jodi.

• I figured i should probably write about the book swap book i read, When it Happens by Susane Colasanti. When i was reading it, i texted K and told her that Ms. Colasanti should've ended it at Chapter 29 and i wouldve been happy. Then, i agreed with myself again when i finished the book. It. Should. Have. Stopped. At. The. End. Of. Chapter. 29. Everything after that was unnecessary...they were just being sex-crazed, if you ask me. That sort of stuff is not what i like reading about especially since i have pledged to remain a virgin until i'm married. That's my belief, sorry. The only good thing that came out of the the chapters after 29 was *SPOILER ALERT* when Tobey recreates the Say Anything boombox scene. i really appreciated that and thought it was cute and there was that little place inside of me that was screaming "why can't that happen to me?" So, that was why i only gave it three stars. The first half of the book was fine and good, but i lost respect for it due to the second half. However, i really liked the alternating POVs. That's one of my favorite things in a book, especially when it's a guy and a girl. I always like to know what's going on in their minds and what their motives are. It's like an insight into the guys in my life...or at least i like to imagine that it is. I thought it was really cute how Tobey was pursuing Sara...once again "why can't that happen to me?" Ok i'm done pitying myself because, as we all know, "the number one killer of teenage girls is self pity." (i'm hoping someone got my The Kid reference...if not, then i came off as a creeper, but whatever.) In conclusion, it was a great 1st half and had some moments of greatness in the 2nd half, but it was for the most part unnecessary.

ok, i'm done now. enjoy your lives. enjoy your reading.
-M