Overview: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilence and redemption; and a revalatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brillant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibly of raising a family. The Walls kids learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered. It is truly astomishing; a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar yet loyal family.
My Thoughts: The Glass Castle was truly interesting to me and I found myself unnaturally engrossed in each page. I believe Jeannette's words to be very ethical and educational; I felt like she was telling me a story that I can learn from for my future. I felt a connection with the book that lacks in most others; I knew this was the book for me, and probably you too!
Four Stars: ****
Overview: Jenny Humphrey, formal Gossip Girl character has been kicked out of her private NYC high school Constance Billard for rumors Jenny isn't exactly denying. However, Jenny decides this is a time for a new Jenny; a fresh start. And what's a more glamorous start then at boarding school? Soon, she gets into Waverly Academy where everything seems a little more sophistacated, a little more pretty, and a little more cool. However, it seems like gossip is spreading around like wild fire; and they're all about Jenny's past. Soon, she finds herself in trouble with her secret crush Easy and new roomie Callie, and risks being expelled. Brett, their other roomie, is dating their new teacher. Plus, many students are getting ponied. While drama the drama unfolds, we get to watch. And we are loving it.
My Thoughts: The book had the feel of Gossip Girl but the essence of Private. I have a thing for boarding school books because the concept is so delicious! Also, I loooved the owl-net convos between Waverly students. I ate up all the romantic tension between Easy and Jenny, I wanted them to end up together so bad! But I guess that is why they make sequels:D So basically, this was one of the best novels I've read this summer, and you can see the list of them on the reviews page. It was perhaps THE best.
Four Stars: ****
Overview: Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna have one thing in common: their super cool best friend Alison. Their bond, as Alison had said, would be forever held by each others' secrets. But then, Alison goes missing, and the girls are left with an even bigger secret to hide.
Spencer: An overachiever at everything she does, falls in love with her perfect sister's boyfriend.
Aria: After moving back to Rosewood from Iceland, falls in love with her English teacher and battles the haunting thoughts of her father's infadelity.
Emily: A swimmer that questions her sexuality after hanging out with her new lesbian neighbor, Maya.
Hanna: A beautiful girl with an eating disorder, keeps getting herself in trouble with the police.
These girls have secrets. And A knows them. And she's still watching.
My Thoughts: The book was definietly different from most I've read recently. It tackled almost every possible secret a teenage girl could have. I was stunned by Emily's urge to switch teams, and the way Spencer's family reacted when they found out she was with Wren. I loved every minute of it. And I was dying to find out who A is! This is soooo a series I am going to continue. It was beyond interesting, you should deff read it!
Four Stars: ****
Overview: Halley and Scarlet are best friends, and have been since they were eleven years old. Halley could always could count on Scar for anything; until Scarlet's boyfriend dies in a motorcycling accident, sending them both into shock. Now, Scarlet is the one who needs to lean on her best friend. When Halley gets a call from Scarlet at sisterhood camp, she knows this is serious. After getting back to Halley's home town to see Scarlet, the book takes off into an emotional rollercoaster.
My Thoughts: I found the book to be quite pleasing; Halley and Scarlet are wonderful characters and very hard not to like. I thought the book was very realistic and fasinating. The crazy home life Scarlet survived in and the odd relashionship between Halley and her mother was somewhat addictive. I loved it, and would suggest it to anyone who would read it.
Three stars: ***
Overview: Anna Percy is a twelfth grade honor student and all around good girl flying to L.A. to work at an internship her father had arranged for her. Things start great; she meets her dream guy, Ben, on the plane in and scores an invite to a superstar's wedding. Until they show up. Cammie, Sam, and Dee all show up, that is, and secretly have crushes on Ben. Throughout the book, they try to destroy his relashionship with Anna. And of course, when Anna isn't exactly making friends, Ben ditches her in the middle of the night on his father's boat, and she catches her father smoking pot in grungy clothes. What else could go wrong? Now, she decides she is ready to start a new life, new rules. And she doesn't need this.
My Thoughts: I finished the book in one night, I barely went to the bathroom until it was done. I would consider it to be 'literary crack'. I was hooked. Something about Anna made me want to read more - her suddel sophistication, it might have been, and her willingness to be bad. Also, I really liked hearing about Sam's life. It seems like Hollywood isn't as smooth as it looks like it is. Overall, I thought it was a really good book. I wished really hard for Ben to be a good guy, and I hope he is innocent. I guess I'll be reading the next in line!
Four Stars: ****
Overview: Reed Brennan fantasied about attending the Easton Academy, an ultra exclusive and expensive private school in Connecticut. Suddenly, she is overjoyed when she is awarded a scholarship there for her academic and athletic ways. Hoping to leave her miserable home life behind, she packs up her things and leaves her town with a smile on her face. However, she soon realizes things are much different on campus then in the halls of Croton High. In this fabulous world of designer clothes and perfect hair, she sees the Billings Girls; poised and gorgeous with stellar grades and popularity like Reed has never seen before. However, the realization that the picture perfect walls of Billings may be hiding something ugly sets in; and Reed doesn't know whether she wants to become apart of it. Meanwhile, her boy toy Thomas Pearson seems like the ideal boyfriend; until she sees him dealing prescription pills to some of the upperclassmen. From there on, the lies one by one become exposed. But hey, things are looking up; she becomes a Billings girl.
My Thoughts: The book was clever and overall really good. I found it hard to put down. The romantic tension between Reed and Thomas was addicting; I was constantly prying to read about it. However, it really disappointed me when Kate tossed in all the crazy scenarios; like the party in the woods chapter where he had asked her to come to talk. Instead of talking, he went on a drunken rant. I felt sorry for her. He is an obvious schmoozer and all talk. I was somewhat relieved to know that he dissapeared at the end of the book. My thoughts on the Billings Girls are mixed. I know for a fact that you cannot trust them, but I wanted too so bad. I found myself saying, "If I was in that situation, which I'm glad I'm not, I wouldn't be able to handle it." Just when I thought Reed won them over, they were challenging her with something that was obviously against school codes. I was so happy, yet eerily worried when at the end of the book, Noelle and the other Billings Girls except her into their inner circle. I have a feeling the next novels will give this awesome book a run for it's money.
(Are you a Private Fan, too? Go to www.privatenovels.com to watch exclusive online private shows & chat about the book!)
Four Stars: ****
Overview: When her and her enemy/cousin team up together, they put they're minds to destroy Alicia's twin cousins' dream of being in the music video for !i! Where, all along, the dream that Alicia wanted to come true, (meeting & shooting with the hawt spanish star) seemed vastly overrated when you discover @ the end, her annoying stalker LBR Nigel, is actually !i!, in which case she obviously admits she is crushing on him, too.
My Thoughts:Forgive me, Alicia is the only Clique book that seemed to slip my mind, but I just finished it & decided to write a review. I thought it was the ultimate truimph; to watch her cousins follow around some fat stand in for !i! as her, Nigel, & Nina watched. Ha. Take that, bitches!
Three Stars: ***
Overview: This truly original tale about Zoey Redbird's journey as a special vampyre, (not vampire) fledgling. After battling a harsh home life with a demanding step father and weak mother, she learns she is marked while at school and the book takes off into a fantasy land at the House of night; the vampyre school that Marked kids attend. While going through the dreaded vampyre 'change' Zoey hopes to make all her classes and try not to die. There is romance, an arch enemy, a human admirerer and new friendship.
My Thoughts: I could tell you that Marked was just another vampire book, but to be frank, I would be lying. It isn't a twilight repeat or Interview with a Vampire take off. Although the book was obviously fiction, Zoey seemed very relatable and releastic, as well as the other characters. I'd say it was my vote for best vampire novel I've read this year. It was a breath of fresh air from the Twilight craze.
Four Stars: ****
Overview: The story about an early 19th century family growing up in the Brooklyn slums. It is a heart touching novel with all the twist and turns of life squeezed into five hundred pages. Francie, an impressionable little girl and her brother Neely are subject to poverty, sickness, a hard-working mother and an alchoholic father.
My Thoughts: Overall, reading 'A tree grows in brooklyn' wasn't a bad experience. If you don't think about the overdrawn story line and slow moments, you enjoy the humorous and some-what intriguing experiences Francie and the Nolan family endure. For A 500 page book about the life of a 19th century brookyln girl growing up in the slums from birth to college, this is as good as it gets. It was a cute and charming tale; it was life. Nothing other than pure realness. I tip my hat to Betty Smith because she did an awesome job. She made me fall in love with the modest characters of the story - Sissy imperticulary. I thought she had the most sad, yet positive outcome by the end of the book. I enjoyed reading about her the most. And of course, when Francie became older and started taking up dating and such. It was a decent summer read.
Three Stars: ***
Overview: Dangerous minds is a very inspirational story about a teacher teaching in an inner city high school with high hopes and aspirations for all her students. Between using tricky methods like writing 'good' notes for home & pulling off the image of a rough and tough Marine, she steals the hearts of many of the young kids in her classes.
My thoughts: I read this book in a period of three days, and it ripped my heart out to put it down. Although it was a hit movie, the book is a muchmuchmuch better. You fall in love with the twisted and complicated lives of her students and her methods of winning them over for them to become better kids. Don't let the cover fool you, this is a tale of joy and love as a teacher reaches out to save and make better the lives of her young high school students.I enjoyed it, and you should read it, too!(:
Three stars: ***
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