Recipe for Disaster by: Maureen Fergus

recipe for disaster was a hilarious book that i read last night, per recommendation from my little sister, brooke.
this book was SO funny, the main character, francie, is such a fool, and she has the worst luck ever; it seems as if everything that could possibly go wrong DOES. i just loved this book! and it talks about the most delicious sounding food-- i only wish that the author had included some recipes, like for the white chocolate and raspberry scones, the lemon and cranberry muffins, the double fudge chocolate chip nut brownies, and the zucchini and carrot muffins!
this book was hysterical!
read it!!
happy reading :)

The Tenth Circle by: Jodi Picoult

the tenth circle is a beautifully written novel by jodi picoult; i was hardly able to put this book down! jodi picoult has a specific style of writing that grips the reader and makes thoughts unrelated to the story stop dead in their tracks.
the tenth circle was not my favorite novel by picoult; the pact is my favorite. but the tenth circle comes in second place!
i loved the relationship between the father and daughter; it was absolutely heart wrenching!
goodness..you HAVE to read this book..
happy reading :)

If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by: Gennifer Choldenko

i picked this book because of it's insane cover..i love crazy covered books!

it was the story of a girl with fighting parents..but it definitely wasn't a downer, and there is a freaky twist right at the end; you'll NEVER see it coming!

this book may be a little childish and easy, but it was still cute and fun.

happy reading :)

Going Bovine by: Libba Bray

going bovine is currently my FAVORITE book..and the book itself is actually my prized possession because i got it PERSONALLY SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR (see attached photo of the inside of the book)!

so anyway, going bovine is the story of a boy with mad cow disease, a dwarf, and a viking god garden gnome on a mind blowing road trip.

this book made me laugh, cry, and question scientific theories!

READ IT!

happy reading :)

The Scarlet Letter by: Nathaniel Hawthorne

this book was, to say the least, interesting.

it was funny at some parts.

deathly boring at others..

i JUST finished it..and i MUST say that the ending SHOCKED me!

i gasped aloud!

i was forced to read this book for my ap english class, and it could have been worse..

sparknotes decoding this thing literally saved my life..

but anyway, this book was okay.

happy reading :)

p.s. i'm feeling compelled to add that my copy of The Scarlet Letter (which i obtained from a certain Half-Priced Books) had the superpower ability of predicting the weather! i kid you not! if i opened the book to pages 76/77 and sniffed deeply, according to the smell, i could predict the weather for the following day!

The Call of the Wild by: Jack London

i read this book today for a community service project, and i really enjoyed it.

basically, it is the story of a dog/wolf named Buck, and it takes you through his life, and his fight to resist the his inner wolf side.

the ending was pretty shocking, i cried a bit..but don't let that sway you from reading this novel..it was still very good.

i wouldn't say it was good as Old Yeller, which actually made me cry so hard that i was hysterical..

anyway, READ IT!

happy reading :)

The Sister by: Poppy Adams

The Sister was a weird and creepy book about a woman, ginny, who was verrry eccentric; she liked her tea JUST so and she had to know the EXACT time at ALL times.

i enjoyed the information about moths in this book; i know that sounds odd..but it really was quite interesting!

i also liked how the story would shift from past to present, sometimes without warning..which got a little confusing, but i was able to keep track.

the reason i bought this book was because i loved the cover, and i am very glad that i picked this book because it is quite different from anything i have ever read before!

i would recommend this book to you if you like to put thought into what you read; this book is a sort of..heavy book..so don't read it if your in the mood for something light and fluffy.

happy reading :)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by: Sherman Alexie

this novel was one of the funniest books i have read in a VERY long time.

the other day, i was sitting in my math class reading it, and it was so hilarious that i actually laughed out loud!!!!!!!

even though this story was really geared towards boys, i would recommend it to any girl because it was so funny.

i read the beginning of it out loud to my younger sister, and she said that it was so sad that she cried; i thought it was so sad that i laughed!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was a great, quick read, and i think ANYONE would truly enjoy this book.

it is about this Indian boy who lives on a reservation, but hates it because everyone drinks all the time and it is so boring, so he leaves the rez to go to this high school a few miles away and totally changes his life for the better.

read this and LOVE it!!

happy reading :)

Vegan Virgin Valentine by: Carolyn Mackler

another excellent recommendation by morgan; this book was just as hilarious as mackler's other novel, The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things.

i laughed very hard many times!

the main character of this book, mara elizabeth valentine, is an uptight teenager who's current aspiration is to become valedictorian over her ex-boyfriend.

this book basically followed the same premise of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, where the main character is an uptight student who begins to realize that her dreams aren't her own, but the dreams of her parents..and the girl rebels..i lapped this up..i love a cliche just as much as any other teen girl out there! ha ha ;)

happy reading :)

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by: Carolyn Mackler

this was a witty and hilarious novel about a girl with body issues; she tries diet after diet..but always ends up sneaking food and gorging at any chance she gets.

the voice of the main character in this book reminded me very much of one of my best friends, kelsey, they are both so sarcastic, warm, and clever..i loved it!

i want to say thanks to morgan for this excellent recommendation! i love a book that makes me stay up all night to read it.

happy reading :)

The Hardy Boys: The House on the Cliff by: Franklin W. Dixon

there is something about ready Hardy Boys that makes me feel like a little boy scout!! i learned that if and when you are being tied up by a smuggler, flex your muscles so that when you relax, the ropes will not be very tight and you can wiggle your way out. i had learned this a few years ago from watching a documentary about Houdini..but i didn't really think i would ever be able to apply it to my real life! now i know i can..if i ever get taken as a hostage..

The House on the Cliff was a wonderful Hardy Boys mystery!

i was desperately searching through the library today looking for the third book in the Hardy Boys series, but alas..it was checked out :( oh well..i will continue the search tomorrow and friday.

happy reading :)

The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure by: Franklin W. Dixon

while doing community service in my local library i happened to stumble upon this ancient copy of The Hardy Boys: The Tower Treasure. now, i am a Nancy Drew girl through and through..but i was VERY bored..so i started reading..and let me tell you..i am now a Hardy Boys girl!! the mystery was funny and a little scary..i'm going to try to read all the Hardy Boys that my library has to offer!

read it and then tell me who you like better; frank or joe ;)

happy reading:)

Tales of the Unexpected by: Roald Dahl

there is nothing very PROFOUND about this book..but it was very amusing and basically impossible to put down.

Tales of the Unexpected is a collection of short stories, there are about..20-30 stories in there.

i loved Tales of the Unexpected because each story immediately was good, there wasn't 10 pages wasted on a boring description of a town or a person or something like that. in the opening description, dahl would keep it short and sweet; 1 paragraph max!

Tales of the Unexpected was a very humorous book. i laughed out loud mannnny times!

if you enjoy other books by roald dahl, i think you will like this as well..it has that..chill factor..that kind of thing that freaks you out a little bit! and it is funny, and believable at times!

i just completely loved this book!!

read Tales of the Unexpected!

or watch it; Tales of the Unexpected was turned into a tv show

happy reading :)

Along for the Ride by: Sarah Dessen

call it amazing, or call it chicken salad..this book was SOO great!!

Along for the Ride had everything i ask for in a book: friends that are real, romance that is sweet and not too gross, family with problems, and a small town to fall in love with and will have you packing up your bags to move there.

the story line for Along for the Ride is that a girl named auden spends the summer with her father and step-mother in colby, a small, beach front town, and life changes drastically for auden when she meets eli, the brooding and handsome retired (or so they think) bmx rider. eli takes auden on a quest to get her childhood back because she never had fun as a child. along the way of their quest (which is all done at night because auden and eli are insomniacs, so they go bowling and to the gas/gro at night) eli's sad heart begins to heal and then........THAT is where i shall stop because i don't want to give anything away.

as i have said about sarah dessen before, i think she is an amazing writer..and i have now read every book that she has ever written! quite the accomplishment?! i know!

but back to sarah dessen; she has this wonderful style of writing that completely immerses you into her little world of characters and for the three or four days that it takes you to read the book, you ARE a part of that world, living and breathing with the people there.

read, enjoy, and LIVE this book.

it will have you talking, laughing, crying, and of course with all of sarah dessen's books..falling in love with the main boy character..

happy reading :)

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by: Julie Andrews Edwards

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles is a book geared towards children

i loved this book because of that reason!

there was so much imagery and adjectives! it was amazing!

the story line is so sweet: a science professor teaches three children how to properly use their imaginations to get them all the whangdoodleland, upon getting there, misfortunes and tribulations happen.

it was beautifully written

i would LOVE to see this book turned into a cartoon movie, i think that would be awesome

happy reading :)

The Bean Trees by: Barbara Kingsolver

The Bean Trees is a beautiful story of love, life, family, new experiences, and friends.

it taught me valuable information about:

-motherhood

-rebirth

-respect for the environment

-tribulations of illegal immigrants

-burdens and beauties of being a woman

-cilantro making or breaking your salsa

The Bean Trees was a very quick read, it was easy for me to get into..the writing style may be hard for some people to dig though..it was written in a southern state of mind, so if you don't enjoy that, i wouldn't recommend this book to you!

i think i loved this story so much because it mainly took place in arizona, which is actually a place i have never been, but the way barbara wrote about arizona, i felt as if i was on a two day vacation there!

i am going to tell everyone i know about this book in hopes that it will become very popular and possibly become required reading for the average high school student.

The Bean Trees is a book that i will not get tired of reading over and over and over. it is probably now in my top 10 favorite books along with The Outsiders and Little Women.

please read The Bean Trees!

happy reading :)

Lock and Key by: Sarah Dessen

Lock and Key was one of those amazing novels that actually gives you some introspective on yourself. i find that to be the case with all of Dessen's novels.

if you would like a synopsis of Lock and Key..i'm not exactly sure what to say!

when i think of the book, i just feel happy and excited..yet kind of sad because it's over!

Sarah Dessen is the type of writer that brings you into her world.

when i am reading a book by her, it seems as if i am friends with the characters in the story, and it feels real to me!

reading is my life, and Sarah Dessen makes my reading life come to life..if that makes sense..

i recommend ALL Sarah Dessen books to any woman or girl, age 13 and up. there is nothing inappropriate about her novels, its just that the emotional things in the stories may be a bit advanced and complicated for anyone under 13.

before i end this post, i want to say..i am a writer, and sometimes, i can't think of the wordings for things to say..Sarah Dessen seems to be in my mind and writing down what i think about things like family, boys, and school, but the way she says it is so wonderful and comical and amazing..i aspire to be just like Sarah Dessen.

happy reading :)

The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and Dark Reunion by: L.J. Smith

The Vampire Diaries is actually a really great series, no matter how cheesy or tacky it sounds. it is not a "Twilight Wannabe" as some people call 'certain books'..it is actually an excellent series all its own. the first Vampire Diaries book came out in the 90s; Twilight came out in 2005. so, as you can see, The Vampire Diaries OBVIOIOUSLY came out first!

The Fury and Dark Reunion was a great book full of action and romance. stefan, one of the main character vampires, is in love with elena, who has a tragedy happen to her, which i will not mention because i don't want to ruin the story for you! i personally think that L.J. Smith should have stopped at this book because it really just ended perfectly, and there was no need for a third installment. as soon as i finish the third one, i will report all about it!

READ IT!!! but be sure to start with The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle first, because it it the first book in the series. there are three books in all in this wonderful series. please, give them a chance! they are completely different from the communist Twilight impersonator stories. i won't name names..but i think you know who i'm talking about.

happy reading :)

ACL 2009 Lineup

ACL 2009 Lineup

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hence forth

hence forth, this blog will solely be the vessel through which i discuss each book i have read thus far in the summer.
that is all.
oh, and i am feeling compelled to add that..today was my last full day as a sophomore at my high school. tuesday and wednesday will be half days..and then i'm done!

my last week

next week will invariably be the last week of my sophomore year in high school. i am very excited to have a relaxing summer in which i will read and lay by the pool.
what books will i read? you ask..
well, i will be reading...
Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart
and many more, the likes of which, i will read, and then post some quip about here.