Quik reviews of my May reads

I am going to try to at least give a quick review of the books I read from now on. Bear with me! you can find my ratings of the books here

*Dancing in my Nuddy Pants & Away on a Laughing Camel are two more installments in the Georgia Nicolson series. They are still just as funny as the first ones I read. They are written journal-style and tell the story of British teen Georgia as she deals with typical kid stuff. fun reads

*Blue is for Nightmares & White is for Magic are the first two in a series that deals with a teen who, through her dreams, can see when some one in her life is in serious danger. She is also a wtich. These are pretty good books. They kept me on the edge of my seat at times. I am going to have to get the next books in this series.

*To Kill a Mockingbird is one that I have had for a long time but just now got around to reading. I think I put it off because I thought it was going to be your typical courtroom drama/John Grisham type book, which I don't like. It was much better than I thought it was going to be. The "southern speak" got on my nerves a lot.

*Burned is one that I had been wanting to read. I have heard a lot of good things about Ellen Hopkins books. This one tells the story of a a girl from a Morman home that has many skeletons in the closets. Her alcoholic father is abusive and she starts to question everything. When her father sends her to live with an aunt in Nevada she starts to descover who she is. I loved this book until the end. I absolutely hated the book ended.

*Fight Club- I watched the movie forever ago and Mark kept telling me I needed to read the book. The movie stays pretty true to the book except right at the end. As for the book itself, I am not a fan of his writing style. I didn't like how he abruptly jumped scene. I am also not a fan of people beating the crap out of each but I knew what I was getting myself into there.

*The Fashion Disaster that Changed my Life- I love Lauren Myracle's books. She writes to the "tween" set and really gets them. As a middle school teacher I see and hear a lot of things that she writes about in her books. The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life is no exception. 7th grade girls want to fit in and be popular and sometimes they forget what is important. I've been there myself. I still feel bad for ditching a long time friend when I moved to the junior high building and she was still in the elementary building. Lauren's characters are so easy to relate to and real. I would recommend any of her books to the girls in my class

May Books

May

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants~Louise Rennison

Blue is for Nightmares~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel~Louise Rennison

To Kill a Mockingbird~ Harper Lee

White is for Magic~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Burned~Ellen Hopkins

Fight Club_Chuck Palahniuk

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my life~Lauren Myracle

so far this year- 38

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

March
Geektastic ~Edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Oh My Goth ~ Gena Showalter
Hunted~PC & Kristen Cast
The Thirteen Treasures~Michelle Harrison (this one of the best written books I've read in a while)
Wit~a play by Margaret Edson
Angus, Thongs, & Full frontal Snogging~Louise Rennison (this book is HILARIOUS!)
Twilight Director's Notebook~ Catherine Hardwick

Books read so far this year- 20
Goal for the year-100

February
Kingdom Keepers:Disney at Dawn~ Ridley Pearson
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl~Barry Lyga
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Night World vl 1: Secret Vampire
Daughters of Darkness
Spellbinder ~LJ Smith
Zombie Queen on Newbury High ~ ~Amanda Ashby
Prophecy of the Sisters ~Michelle Zink


January
The Tales of Beedle the Bard~JK Rowling (Brilliant!)
Kingdom Keepers:Disney After Dark~Ridley Pearson (A must read for any Disney fan)
Fade to Blue~Sean Beaudoin (not released until Spring 09) (This one had me guessing until the end)
My Sister the Vampire:Switched~Sienna Mercer (Vampire books for the Middle school set. Really cute books)
My Sister the Vampire:Fangtastic~Sienna Mercer

More book contests!

Here is your chance to win some books. Go here to win a copy of the Reformed Vampire Support Group

and here to win a copy of Kiss of Life, the hilarious and heart breaking follow up to Generation Dead

April books

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

March
Geektastic ~Edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Oh My Goth ~ Gena Showalter
Hunted~PC & Kristen Cast
The Thirteen Treasures~Michelle Harrison (this one of the best written books I've read in a while)
Wit~a play by Margaret Edson
Angus, Thongs, & Full frontal Snogging~Louise Rennison (this book is HILARIOUS!)
Twilight Director's Notebook~ Catherine Hardwick

Books read so far this year- 20
Goal for the year-100

February
Kingdom Keepers:Disney at Dawn~ Ridley Pearson
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl~Barry Lyga
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Night World vl 1: Secret Vampire
Daughters of Darkness
Spellbinder ~LJ Smith
Zombie Queen on Newbury High ~ ~Amanda Ashby
Prophecy of the Sisters ~Michelle Zink


January
The Tales of Beedle the Bard~JK Rowling (Brilliant!)
Kingdom Keepers:Disney After Dark~Ridley Pearson (A must read for any Disney fan)
Fade to Blue~Sean Beaudoin (not released until Spring 09) (This one had me guessing until the end)
My Sister the Vampire:Switched~Sienna Mercer (Vampire books for the Middle school set. Really cute books)
My Sister the Vampire:Fangtastic~Sienna Mercer

Adventures in book signing

Those of you who know me know how much I LOVE meeting authors. I have been very fortunate the last few years to get to go to the conferences where authors come. Last night, though, hubby took me to Nashville (about two hours away) so that I could meet Melissa Marr. She is one of my favorite authors (she wrote Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, & Fragile Eternity) We got there early and I chatted with another book nerd about the different books we like to read.

It was advertised that Melissa was going to read but she did a question and answer session instead(that was ok! she answered so many questions). She is so personable! I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say on writing in general and about her books. I planned to tell her about a certain part in book three that I had to read twice because I misunderstood the intentions of one of the characters....but I was so befuddled that I forgot the character's name! (It's Sorcha) Throughout the talk she would grab a bracelet that had a jump drive with some extras and throw it into the crowd. I really really really wanted one of these....and ended up with one whacking me in the nose. :)
Afterward she signed copies of her books. I made one girl's day today when I gave her a personalized copy of Wicked Lovely. I wish I could buy books for people every time I go to signings. (maybe one day I'll be independently wealthy, then I will)

If you like faerie books, check these out.

READ THIS BOOK!

It's been awhile since I did a READ THIS BOOK entry. But I have to tell you about this book and you HAVE To read it!


Ginny was sent a package when her aunt died containing 13 letters. The first contained $1,000 and told her to get a passport and a one way ticket to London, setting up her first task. Ginny was to open a letter after a task was completed. She ends up on a whirlwind journey that changes her life.

13 Little Blue Envelopes is a fantastic book. What an exciting and terrifying idea- running off by yourself across the globe, relying on letters from a dead aunt to get you through.

It kind of makes me want to take off on a journey of my own.

READ THIS BOOK! (but you can't borrow mine because it's signed by the author and I'm stingy with those)

Win some books!

Go HERE to enter for a chance to win an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Ghostgirl:Homecoming or Eyes Like Stars.
And if you win and I don't you have to let me borrow it! :)

March Reads

Geektastic ~Edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Oh My Goth ~ Gena Showalter
Hunted~PC & Kristen Cast
The Thirteen Treasures~Michelle Harrison (this one of the best written books I've read in a while)
Wit~a play by Margaret Edson
Angus, Thongs, & Full frontal Snogging~Louise Rennison (this book is HILARIOUS!)
Twilight Director's Notebook~ Catherine Hardwick

Books read so far this year- 20
Goal for the year-100


February
Kingdom Keepers:Disney at Dawn~ Ridley Pearson
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl~Barry Lyga
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Night World vl 1: Secret Vampire
Daughters of Darkness
Spellbinder ~LJ Smith
Zombie Queen on Newbury High ~ ~Amanda Ashby
Prophecy of the Sisters ~Michelle Zink


January
The Tales of Beedle the Bard~JK Rowling (Brilliant!)
Kingdom Keepers:Disney After Dark~Ridley Pearson (A must read for any Disney fan)
Fade to Blue~Sean Beaudoin (not released until Spring 09) (This one had me guessing until the end)
My Sister the Vampire:Switched~Sienna Mercer (Vampire books for the Middle school set. Really cute books)
My Sister the Vampire:Fangtastic~Sienna Mercer

ooo! Another shout out!

Author Marie Rutkoski gave me a shout out in her blog
http://www.marierutkoski.com/journal/283!


She is the author of Cabinet of Wonders, which I am currently reading, and it is really really good so far. She is one of the authors I met in NY at the signing and a fellow Battlestar Galactica fan :) Fellow sci-fi nerds unite!


How cool!

NYC 2009

A group from the school where I teach went to New York over spring break. Being the NY fan that I am, I went as well. On these trips you pack as many things in as possible and in some cases you get just a fleeting glimpse. It was a fun trip but we spent waaaay too much time on shopping excursions and very little time in Times Square and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A few highlights:
*We got to go out on the observation deck this year at the Empire State Building (it was icy last time). NYC is gorgeous at night at that height.


*The Statue of Liberty is an awesome sight regardless of how many times I see it.

*Instead of going with the group to Chinatown and eat at Puglia's in Little Italy, I went to the Books of Wonder bookstore to an author signing. There were about 45 authors there. I bought 7 books (bc I had to pay full retail I couldn't afford many more). The authors signed in three shifts and it was a madhouse trying to find the author you wanted.
The authors I found:
Aimee Friedman -The Year My Sister Got Lucky
Maureen Johnson-13 Little Blue Envelopes
Barry Lyga- Boy Toy (he also wrote The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl, which is fantastic)
Carolyn Mackler-The Earth, My Butt, & other Big Round Things
Justine Larbalestier-How to Ditch Your Fairy
Maryrose Wood-Why I Let My Hair Grow Out (she was kind enough to sign my book even though it wasn't her time. I had to leave in order to ride the subway to meet the others fot Mary Poppins)
Marie Rutkoski-The Cabinet of Wonders (she is also a fellow Battlestar Galactica fan!)


*We saw Mary Poppins. It was a good show & the sets were amazing. I didn't get to stagedoor afterward like I wanted to but I did buy the poster with the cast signatures that they were selling for charity.

*We spent THREE HOURS shopping on 5th avenue. #1 I am not a huge shopping fan. #2 I don't have the money to spend in stores on 5th avenue. #3 I would have preferred to have spent that time in Times Square. But I did buy socks and camis in H&M. And I saw a beautiful sapphire and diamond necklace in Tiffany's that I want if I ever become stupidly wealthy (as in more-money-than-sense wealthy.)

*We saw Mario Lopez filming a segment for Extra. AC SLATER!

*We took the NBC tour and saw the studios for Saturday Night Live (it's so small!) and the Today Show.

*We stood outside the Today Show and got on tv. If you were watching at 7:30 Tuesday morning you might have seen me!

*We had only one hour in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That was barely enough time to find the part I wanted to see and run through that tiny section. I needed more time!

*I made my way to the Nederlander, where RENT was, to see what the theatre looks like now. I was curious about how different it would look.

Over all it was a great trip. Few people griped about things, most people were on time and when we did have to wait it was only a couple of minutes. It is hard to please everyone on trips like this, but I think they did a great job planning this one. So far I've made four trips to NYC in two years. Wonder when my next one will be.....