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

M vs. K: the unusual blog of the month

Do you remember when M said we would be having a book swap once a month? No? Well she said it in the post right below silly goose. Keep up with the trend! Well today is that day. BOOK SWAP DAY!!!!!!!!
Seeing as how we are in the computer lab at our public library and it seems socially unacceptable to talk, we are going to be responding back and forth as a conversation to explain our book swap selections. And so it begins...
Why hello there M! I didn't see you, hahaha yeah. Yes that was my lame attempt to make a joke...just laugh and go with it. Anyways the joke I have selected for you is *insert silent drum roll-hey we're in a library!* ................ When It Happens by Susane Colasanti (I always feel like I spell her last name wrong...huh oh well).
This looks well um...interesting from the cover, but ive always been admonished for judging by that, so instead i'll just smile and nod :) The book i have for you, is one that i'm very glad you will be reading during the winter when it's cold because it takes place in Minnesota and the book revolves around snow. Too bad we don't have any of that here...just cold weather (as we experienced on the walk over here.) *another silent drum roll-we're STILL in the library*...................Icing on the Lake by Catherine Clark. I thought i had already written about it in a former posting, seeing as how i've read it twice now, but upon looking, i guess not.
Icing on the Lake looks...interesting. Haha, I kind of just wanted to copy what M said. What can I say? She's a trend setter ;)  However, in all seriousness this does seem like a pretty good read. On the cover, under the title, it says "Cold feet, and hands, and ears...but warm hearts." I must admit I am a sucker for the romance genre. It just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (if you were here you would be able to see the lovely face I just made while typing that). That's very true...her face was welll....lovely sure. See? M agrees that I made a lovely face :D It's just how I roll. Anywho (hehe I love saying that).....I forgot what I was going to type.....let's just throw it over to M
Ah so i have to be the scapegoat? i see how this is...not cool. whatever, i'm sure i'll get over it. sooner or later. within the next ten years. i hope. sure. well, moving on...I picked Icing on the Lake because of the part of me that, like K, loves romance novels. I'm a sucker for cheesy lines and chick flicks, what can i say? Basically this book is rather predictable, but worthwhile. (there's someone sighing loudly in this room and its rather hilarious...*M and K hold in giggles* just thought you should know...) back to what i was saying. Kirsten, the main character goes to Minnesota to stay with her sister and nephew for a couple weeks and soon gets to know some of the local boys and well, you know, i can't tell you the ENTIRE plotline. that's the point of lending you the book: so you can read it. also, when we finish reading each others books and meet for our next book swap, we will post again and share our opinions of said books. i just hope K likes it as much as i did. i mean i bought it, didn't i? thats saying something for me. the library gets my business 9 times out of 10, not the bookstore. And CUT!
I'm not quite sure if M saw the pointed look I gave her when she stopped talking about the plot, but oh! Believe me, it was there!!! Okaie doks, now on to talking about When It Happens. See, thing is, I can't....Well I can, but I won't....not really at least (hehe M just gave a frustrated *silent* sigh unlike the person over there who is being rather disruptive...) Okay here's what I can tell you:
1. The book is in two alternating points of views (Tobey & Sara)
2. It is in fact a romance book *insert my lovey dovey face here*
3. I just realized that we both chose romance books the day before V-Day *mind has just been blown!*
4. I enjoyed this book very much so. I mean how could I not? However, I must admit I got a little frustrated when....you'll see ;)
5. Oh! Oh! There's a really funny, but rather awkward part that I wish I could see your face when you read it....I would say videotape yourself while you're reading it, but that's just weird...and would take forever.
Well, I didn't give much info. to M, but hey you gotta love me <3
yeah, yeah, yeah. supposedly that sisterly love is there. we'll see as i start reading the book. and no, i will not videotape myself. you would get like 3 hours of me staring intently at a book, occasionally turning a page. it would be A) super boring and B) really disturbing for you to watch. it's like disturbia or something. oh and i must say that the likelihood of both of us choosing romance books was pretty great to begin with. regardless of the fact that tomorrow is a national holiday that neither of us (as far as i know, at least) will be participating in. just saying. anyway, that's about all i've got. i can literally feel the good ideas draining from my brain...a slow drip...i feel like a heart moniter is beeping somewhere about to level off....beep.......beep.....................................
It's not nice to write funny stuff that I cannot laugh out loud at! *pointed look*
Don't deny the love!
I think we're going to have to agree to agree on that one, the whole videotaping thing (haha, see what I did there? No? Oh, well then nevermind....)
Yeah, I will not be participating in the festivites tomorrow mainly because I have never been a big fan of the holiday...I mean they jack up the prices on candy (and I have a mean sweet tooth that needs to be tended to, but I'm a cheapskate so...) and flowers!!! Just saying...anywho, the only thing I did for the "special" (you should be able to hear the sarcasm leaking from my voice...like seriously...kind of hard to miss) day is buy carnations at school for a few friends and that's only because they threatened my life if I didn't (I like living so I spent the buck fifty on it). So um.....yeah I think I'm out of topics to talk about here....how depressing. I guess this is a wrap on M and I's first book swap *cue the applause*
....................................................................beep....................................................................................................................

8) Paper Covers Rock and 9) Cold Tangerines

Wow, well now i feel like such a slacker (which i am) since K posted and i haven't posted in a while. To be honest, i'm kind of tired of apologizing for my long and unexcused absences, so i'm just going to say now that i don't know when i will next post, but it probably won't be soon. i know me and my laziness--just putting that out there. so, to start this post, i'll give you some background just for the heck of it...

wearing: plaid pj pants and a sweatshirt
location: bed

listening to: "O Children" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (this song was in the movie HP Deathly Hallows Part1 when Harry and Hermoine start dancing in the tent...i looked up the name of the song and put it on my Grooveshark). This will change throughout the post and i'll probably make references to what song i'm listening to, but thats simply because i really like music.

Ok, so onto important business. I have a book to add to the "55 Books in a Year List"!! Finally.

8) Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
It's her first novel and i think she did an impeccable job. I originally grabbed it off the shelf for three reasons:
1) i needed a fun, short read to get my mind off of finals
2) it was on the New Books shelf in the Young Adult section, which i was casually looking at.

3) the cover really caught my attention (yes, i know, how shallow)

Let me just say that it exceeded my expectations, yet was very surprising. It's more complex than one review can include, but here's a link to a review i wrote over this book (yes, i'm being lazy and don't want to type it again...). It's going on the list because it has made it into my Top 10 Books of All Time, and that's pretty hard to do, so congrats Jenny Hubbard. Oh and i would like to apologize for the typo in the review in the link (it should be "running" not "rinning"). i didn't type it; i hand wrote it and then someone typed it and put it up on the website. so, not my fault. i'm just so OCD about things like this that i just had to point it out.

I'm currently reading Pride and Prejudice con mi madre and we are talking through it as sort of a book club and watching clips of the movie (Keira Knightley version). Also, as a free reading book i'm re-reading Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (for like the 2nd or 3rd time). Also, for Biblical Literature (Bib Lit) class, i'm reading parts of the Bible. For example, for last class, i had to read Exodus 13-19. Also, for English class, we were reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, but we finished and turned in our papers (thank goodness!) and are now starting a new book, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. If you ask me, it's a very weird book to read for an English class. i feel especially bad for all the guys in my class seing as how it's kind of chick lit. Anyway, my point is, i'm juggling a lot of literature right now and my backpack is guaranteed to have at least two books in it at any given time :) Also, i'm trying to figure out whether to take AP Lit or regular English next year.
Oh! So K and i have come up with an ingenious idea to execute. Every month we will meet at the public library and have a book swap. She will bring a book and i will bring a book and we'll talk about the book we just got finished reading and why we think the other person should read the book we brought. We will meet on the 13th of every month. So, next Monday we will have our first swap, and who knows, we might blog about it and let ya'll know how it goes. This is going to be very experimental at the start, but i'm sure we'll figure it out eventually.
Also, i got to go to a book store today and got two new additions to my collection of books: Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen and Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson. Both of these books i've read twice already, but they are just so good that i needed to own them for future readings.

9) Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist

While i was there, i looked for Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist. I read her other book, Cold Tangerines, and i loved it. It was a book of short stories about her life and it was very entertaining and enlightening. I highly recommend it. When i heard she had a new book, it immediately went onto my list, but i still haven't gotten to it yet and i'm not sure if my public library would have it or not.

Oh, and i do own Sarah Dessen's newish book, What Happened to Goodbye, but i'm saving it for Spring Break so i can read it on the beach :)

Oh and i forgot to mention it, but i would also recommend the book Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia. It was another New Books Shelf acquisition and it was decent, but not as wonderful as Paper Covers Rock. I think it's worth you reading, but i warn you, because there's some slightly innapropriate content that you should be aware of, so if you're not 14 or older, i wouldnt want you reading this and neither would your parents. On that note, i bid you all adieu.
Happy Reading,
M

P.S. I was the one that added the countdown to the release  of the next Gallagher Girls book. K and I are very excited about this, if you hadn't noticed!!!!!!

Mission M

Hello, my loves!
I'm greatly sorry for my lack of posting. School has been taking up a lot of my time and it sucks! Anywho to make up for my disappearance I'm going to have different postings back to back in the next few hours.
This one is about M, my co-blogger and awesome friend :)
Have you all read the Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare? Well I'm absolutely in love with it!!! Clare is a fantastic writer and her books are beyond amazing. Recently I have been trying to convince M to read it (and failing). I am highly aware that this is usually not the type of book she would go for and enjoy, but I think Clare's writing can change M's mind. Yes I do admit that one of the main characters (Clary) annoys me almost to the brink of insanity, but it's not always from Clary's POV and I love all the other characters. I think that if M reads at least the first book she'll be hooked like I was. However, I'm not going to try to force her to read it, but I will be at her front door in 2 minutes flat if she ever shows any interest in reading the series.
For those of you who were reading this and thinking "Well I haven't read the series either," GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GO GET THE SERIES....please?
P.S- Quick note for you on that. Read the books in this order and I promise it will make life much easier:
City of Bones (1st book), City of Ashes (2nd book), City of Glass (3rd book) *Clockwork Angel (1st book in her newest series-Infernal Devices), City of Fallen Angles (4th book), Clockwork Prince (2nd book of Infernal Devices series).

Well that's all for this post my loves. Until next time.

Why Hello There

So, how many sorries do I have to say for you to forgive me on my unexcused absence?
I am indeed incredibly sorry! Things have been pretty hectic due to school and other stuffs. So, I do apologize, but hey I'm back!
Anyways, I do have a few books I want to talk about.
Going to Far by Jennifer Echols:
I absolutely loved this book. It was amazing. Going to Far is the perfect book to read on a rainy day and you just want to curl up on your bed with something good to read.
HARRY POTTER SERIES!!!!:
Recently (meaning like a few weeks ago) I started on the Harry Potter series....I fell in love! Okay, so at first I refused to read the series because I thought it would ruin my view on the movies (because that's usually what happens when I read the book after I see the movie), but oh my gosh! No, my view on the movies have not changed at all (so far). I still love the movies, but I slightly love the books more. I'm currently on the third book and I get excited like a little kid on Christmas morning whenever I pick the book up.

Okays, for now I bid you good-bye and I promise I'll try to get better at posting more stuffs on here! Love ya and stay lovely my dears!!!
-K

Hello, Old Friend...

So, it's been a while. A really long while. That's what happens though when life gets hectic. Blame school. That's all I have to say about that. (if anyone got my Forrest Gump reference there, I will be a happy girl.) last time I posted, I was reading the Harry Potter books and in a competition with my friend to see who could watch all the movies in order and read all the books in time for opening weekend. In case you were wondering, I won :) she didn't have time to watch movie #6, so she skipped it and watched 7.1....therefore I won since she did t watch all the movies in order. Boom! Ok anyway, lately my reading slump (which I realize has been a constant topic from me in previous posts) has extended and ive lost hope in reading new books bc I assume they won't live up to my expectations. However, I'm trying to break that mindset. I've basically been doing a lot of rereading bc I havnt made it to the library in a while, so Ive been reading stuff here at home. I read an Agatha Christie which took forever to get through and was pretty disappointing in the end and sort of a waste of my time. I also reread Secrets of a First Daughter by Cassidy Calloway and then read (for the first time) the sequel, Confessions of a First Daughter. They were both very pleasing. Then, I reread Just Listen by Sarah Dessen bc I wanted to read a satisfying piece of chick lit. After reading it, two things went thru my head: 1) I want to start listening to more music, especially stuff I would nvr think to listen to and 2) i wish this book never had to end bc its so addicting and entertaining (and lets be honest,I wanted to see Owen and Annabel's relationship blossom more). I have to say that it's possibly my favorite Dessen book, but Along for the Ride gives it a run for it's money. Anyway, then I found a book on my shelf that I got several yrs ago for my birthday but had nevr gotten around to reading and decided it was time to give it a
shot. It was awesome. You probably want to know what this awesome book was, right? Leap Day by Wendy Mass. I'm glad I waited to read it bc the main character is 16 and I can relate more now than I ever could've a few years ago. The book follows a day in the life of Josie Taylor, an outgoing teen who was born on Leap Day and is, therefore, technically only 4 yrs old since her birthday only comes around evry four yrs. The book takes place on the day of her sweet sixteen and all the drama that could possibly unfold in just 24 hrs. I loved how the book was set up in time intervals throughout the day and the first part of the chapter is from Josie's perspective and the second half is everyone else's POV and we get to figure out people's inner thoughts and motivations.I read this book in two days bc A) it was relatively short and B) it was impossible to put down and I found myself reading at all possible chances. I highly recommend it to y'all bc it got me thinking about perspective and how we judge people and their actions too quickly without really knowing what they are like. In case you couldn't tell, that was one of the 55 (since it was beast and I wrote a rather medium-lengthed summary and evaluation of it). Well, I will keep reading and hopefully make it to 55, altho I doubt it is possible to make it to that goal by January 1st. I'm currently reading Black by Ted Dekker since ive read one of his other books, Kiss, and liked it so figured I would start his most famous series. 'Night all.
-M

Elixir

Well hiya there! I just wanted to do a real quick post on the book Elixir by Hilary Duff. Yes, Hilary Duff as in the actress/singer. I wasn't expecting too much out of her book, but picked it up anyway because it was on sale for a good price. However, I quickly realized I did good by getting the book. I'm not going into any details (in hope that you'll get curious and go get the book), but it was rather shocking how good it was. It was no Sarah Dessen book, but it was still good in it's own way. When you get the free time check it out and let me know what ya think!
That's all for now. Adios!
-K