Sunday, February 27, 2011

Something, Maybe

Something, Maybe
by Elizabeth Scott

5 hours and 23 minutes listening time
Audio book

Grade C-

I have two words for this book: Totally forgettable. I had to actually think, and think HARD, what this book was about before writing this review. And so here is what I can remember (remember I barely finished it last week on audio), there was a girl, the main character, and her name was Hannah, and I only knew that because I just looked it up. Hannah's mom was/is a soft porn star and her dad is, well her dad is based loosely on Hugh Hefner. She doesn't see her dad very often, but Hannah is known all over her school for her parents.

This book had the potential of being really really cute, and there were parts that were cute, but then crashed and burned. If I didn't know better, I would have thought this was the author's first book.

Anyway, I would just skip it.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Excuse me...


How freaking awesome is my husband? He was at the library at UNLV today, saw this on their "Just In" shelf and he picked it up for me!

Oh I am in nerd heaven right now. Yes, NERD heaven!!!!

I keep trying to tell myself that I really should finish my Obama book, my book for book club this weekend and my Vegas book that I have been reading.....but it's about Harry Potter.....How can I possibly say wait??

Ugh, maybe if I stay up all night to read one of my previously started books, I could start this one tomorrow?

What to do! What to do!!!

Monday, February 14, 2011

Room

Room
By Emma Donoghue

366 pages
Read on my Kindle

Grade B

I can sum this book up in two words, Beautifully Depressing.

The story is written from the perspective of a 5 year old boy. He was born in an 11x11 size room where his mom lived as a captive. There are no windows, there is only one door that is locked and only one person has the combination to the door, and neither the mom or the boy have the combination, only Old Nick.

The beauty of this book comes from the innocence that Jack, the child, holds. The author did an amazing job of capturing how simple and amazing life is through the eyes of a child. AMAZING. That was my favorite part of this book. Jack was so incredibly lovable. Reading it as an adult, you realize the adult issues that are underlying, but you get to live them through the experiences of Jack.

I really can't express the beauty of this book. I know that my Book Club Bitches (it's what we call my IRL book club) didn't like it, but I really really enjoyed it. I really wish I would have finished it before our actual get together so I could tell them how much I loved it. Now I will just have to wait until next month :P

Anyway, it's really good. I don't care what anyone says.

Anna and the French Kiss

Anna and the French Kiss
By Stephanie Perkins

Grade B+

After like a million reviews on this book, I figured I might as well just read this book. A-mazing! Ok, picture this....getting shipped off to PARIS for high school....HELLO!!! I think it would have been incredible to have spent my high school years in another country learning the language, the culture, the everything. As amazing as that would have been, Anna, the main character, only got one year, her senior year.

I freaking loved this book, and I cannot tell you one reason why. But maybe I could tell you 5 reasons. I loved that it took place in Paris. I love that it was a boarding school. I love that were was normal teenage drama. I loved the characters. And last but not least, have I mentioned that it takes place in Paris?

Here is the thing, what I loved about this book is the friendship that grew into a relationship between Anna and Etienne. So much about their relationship reminds me of my husband and I because we started out as friends, just hanging out, and then well.....we got married.

My favorite kind of books are the ones where I feel like I am actually friends with the characters, and that is how I felt while reading this one. I finished it in practically one sitting, staying up until 3 am to finish it. The second I finished it, I wanted to pick it up and start it over.

And since I am completely and totally all over the place with this review......I will just end it now. My review is totally not doing this book the justice it needs, so please, just read it. It is really cute, and I will probably read it again before the year is over.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Just Listen

Just Listen
By Sarah Dessen

400 pages

Grade C

If you haven't noticed, there is a trend in my last couple of books...books about music. Or rather, books with a huge emphasis on music. And of course, they are all YA. I am pretty sure this is my fourth or fifth Sarah Dessen book also, and if you don't follow her on Twitter, you should because she is awesome.

Ok, onto the book. Maybe it's because I have read so many of her books, that I was pretty expectant of what was going to happen next. The super cute lovable girl that of course has her own quirks, falls for the guy she never thought she would, then all of a sudden, there is a terrible issue, the character and her man fight, and 12 pages before it ends, all conflicts are resolved and everyone is happy.

Although the story line is pretty much the same, I really really really iked this one. mainly because I LOVED Owen. I really liked how he just wasn't afraid to be himself, and how he used music to get through so many of his issues. I loved how he could relate to music so completely, an dhow he just wanted to show the world the beauty of all types of music. It was weird reading some parts because found that I do that with people and music. I am always saying "listen to this, and this is amazing, check this song out" etc.

So even though this wasn't my favorite Sarah Dessen book, I would put this in my top three of her books.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
By Morgan Matson

Grade A-

There is nothing I move more than a book about music...well except a book about books (ie The Thirteenth Tale). But books about music....AMAZING!

The story line with this book was cute, it was fluff, but look, the fact that these kids were able to tour the country... I have always wanted to just drive. Get in the car and drive. We used to go on road trips all the time with my dad growing up, and maybe that is where my obsession with road trips have stemmed from. But I found myself just really wishing I could be there with Amy and Roger.

One of my favorite parts was right in the beginning when they are driving through Nevada. They were both getting nervous because there was a whole lot of nothing as they were driving. And that is EXACTLY what driving through Nevada is like. A whole lot of nothing....It's a terribly boring drive, and it's a scary drive too because it really feels like you are just on a conveyor belt with the same scenery with an occasional...nothing. That's right, there is the occasional nothing.

I really enjoyed following the growth of Amy. It really made me feel great to see how she overcame the issues in her life. And I really liked Roger as a character. He was just so.....neat. I don't know how else to put it.

Anyway, the other thing that is awesome about this book, is that each chapter is accompanied by a play list. Yes, each chapter has their own soundtrack. How freaking cool is that! I cannot wait to start downloading!!

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Did I disappear?

In the immortal words of my almost three year old daughter "NAHHH" I am just busy reading. See here is the thing, everyone in my IRL circle last year gave me crap because I listened to a lot of audio books. So this year, I am reading more in print. But I have done, what I normally do, and that is I have started like 8 books, 8 different books than I had already started.....

Currently I am reading:

Anna and the French Kiss
Room
The Potluck Club
Etiquitte
365 days of Good Manners for children
It
Tales of Old Las Vegas

Jeebus I need to get it together. I am hoping I will finish Anna and the French Kiss in the next couple of days. And then I need to finish Room which was actually the book for last weeks book club, and THEN I need to get on the next book for my next book club. I think my problem is this, I just really really love to read, but I also a multitasker. This is why audio books work so well for me because I really have a hard time concentrating on reading when I am not doing 12 other things. BUT, I am working on it.

So there you go. I am here. I am still reading, it's just hard to finish one book when all I can do is start more.