The Best Reader:
history

From Amazon.com...

"Rare-book theft is even more widespread than fine-art theft. Most thieves, of course, steal for profit. John Charles Gilkey steals purely for the love of books. In an attempt to understand him better, journalist Allison Hoover Bartlett plunged herself into the world of book lust and discovered just how dangerous it can be.

Gilkey is an obsessed, unrepentant book thief who has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare books from book fairs, stores, and libraries around the country. Ken Sanders is the self-appointed "bibliodick" (book dealer with a penchant for detective work) driven to catch him. Bartlett befriended both outlandish characters and found herself caught in the middle of efforts to recover hidden treasure. With a mixture of suspense, insight, and humor, she has woven this entertaining cat-and-mouse chase into a narrative that not only reveals exactly how Gilkey pulled off his dirtiest crimes, where he stashed the loot, and how Sanders ultimately caught him but also explores the romance of books, the lure to collect them, and the temptation to steal them. Immersing the reader in a rich, wide world of literary obsession, Bartlett looks at the history of book passion, collection, and theft through the ages, to examine the craving that makes some people willing to stop at nothing to possess the books they love."

Today's Quick Giveaway is "The Man Who Loved Books Too Much." I have shamelessly had this book for months and I just have not been able to get into it. I stuck to my review policy and made it 100 pages in, but this book is not for me. I wish I was more interested in the art of book collec

tion and the passion it involves — but I'm not.

So my loss is your gain: I'd like to give this book to a past Guest Reviewer who has participated in my holiday campaign for reviews.

All that you have to do is email me at google [at] gmail [dot] com:
1. Your Name
2. Your Email Address
3. The corresponding number to the review you sent in according to the Mr. Linky (Look at Mr. Linky, find your name/number — that's what I'm looking for).

Oh, and because this was an ARC review book (and I do feel excruciatingly bad about not finishing it) I will be forwarding an email to the winner from Lydia Hirt about the book so that, after posting the review review, the winner can email the link to her so that she does get a review.

After the first person as emailed me — I will update this post and contact the winner and hopefully get the book sent out tomorrow!

UPDATE: I apologize for my email hot mess. Three people contacted me and the first was Sharon from Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews. Stay tuned for another "Quick Giveaway" early next week!

"A fun, relaxing, educational, one of a kind read!" — Miss Remmers

Check out Caroline's article: 12 Days and 12 Facts for the Holiday Season

From Amazon.com...

"Author Caroline Taggart discovered two things while researching this book and talking with other people: One, everybody had been to school. And two, they had all forgotten entirely different things. Contained in this handy little book are the facts that you learned in school, but may not remember completely or accurately. Covering a variety of subjects, this book features all the most important theories, equations, phrases, and rules we were all taught years ago. Rediscover:
* History: The first president to occupy the White House was John Adams in 1800
* Religion: The seven deadly sins and the names of the twelve apostles
* Literature: In which Shakespearean play "The quality of mercy" speech appears
* Science: The periodic table of elements devised by a Russian chemist in 1889 includes the symbol for lead (Pb), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), and gold (Au)
* Nature: How photosynthesis works

The information-presented in easy-to-retain, bite-sized chunks-is accurate and up-to — date. It will touch a chord with anyone old enough to have forgotten half of what they learned at school. Here is a perfect gift for every perennial student."

This book was a fun, relaxing, educational, one of a kind read. It was extremely interesting reading all of the bits and pieces of random knowledge; I felt proud after realizing I knew a lot in the English and Literature sections, but I was bit embarrassed that I knew little more.

It was fun rediscovering the knowledge that I had forgotten; reading this book was a practical and effective way of learning. I realized that much of what was covered (at least in the English and Literature sections) are covered on standardized tests. Because of this, I will for sure be keeping this book in my classroom next fall. Students will pick it up and 'test their knowledge' — they won't even know they are learning anything! I'm even planning on ordering similar books:

• "i before e (except after c)"
• "Thirty Days has September"
• "My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be Me?)"
  

Continuing today's unofficial theme, here is another holiday article from the author of "I Used to Know That," which I will be reading/reviewing in the very near future. Thanks to Caitlin from FSB Associates for providing me with this article.

12 Days and 12 Facts for This Holiday Season — Caroline Taggart Author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School

Ever catch yourself saying I Used to Know That?

Each holiday season brings another round of cocktail parties, family get-togethers, and corporate gatherings — and invariably, lots of small talk. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when discussing politics, literature, and other intellectual "stuff," especially when what is thought to be general knowledge is often long-forgotten. Enter I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School. From English and Literature to Math and Science, from History and Geography to Religion and Other-Worldly Topics, this book leaves you equipped to handle any topic of conversation.

Here we've cherry-picked twelve fun facts for the holiday season — one for every day of Christmas (or whatever holiday you prefer!) Quiz yourself to see how much "stuff" you need to brush up on before hobnobbing with the boss or office crush.

1. On building sentences: Just what is a "clause"? (Not to be confused with Santa Claus.)

Answer: A clause contains a subject and a verb and may stand alone as a sentence or as part of a sentence (when it is often called a subordinate clause): Santa Claus loves cookies but can't eat them without milk.

2. How many bones is the spine made up of?

Answer: 26 small bones called vertebrae (Be careful lifting all those heavy holiday boxes.)

3. Acclaimed author Charles Dickens (1812-70) wrote which Christmas classic?

Answer: A Christmas Carol. The miserly Ebenezer Scrooge tries to ignore Christmas and is haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Marley, and by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who show him the error of his ways.

4. The fist chapter of this famous book opens with "Call me Ishmael." Name the book and author. (Hint: it makes a whale of a gift!)

Answer: Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Melville is also the author of Pierre and the unfinished Billy Budd.

5. There's a name for the process of watering your Christmas tree? Who knew?

Answer: Grab the kids and give them this science factoid as they nurture the family tree: Osmosis is a form of diffusion that is specific to the movement of water. Water moves through a selectively permeable membrane (that is, one that lets some types of molecules through but not others) from a place where there is a higher concentration of water to one where it is lower.

6. Can you name all 6 wives of Henry VIII, father of the Church of England?

Answer: (Listed in order) Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Catherine, Catherine. They are often remembered as divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Sure makes you think twice when complaining about bad relatives.

7. Who was the 7th President of the United States?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln (R, 1861-65) and yes — he really was born in a log cabin on a winter's day. Notably famous for many reasons including his Gettysburg Address: "Four Score and Seven Years ago our fathers brought fourth upon this continent a new nation conceived in Liberty... "

8. 'Tis the season to be jolly giving! Don’t forget to tip well this season — etiquette coaches will tell you that means no less than 18%. So just how much should you tip on a bill of $50?

Answer: Percent means by a hundred, so anything expressed as a percentage is a fraction (or part, if you prefer) of 100. So 18% is 18 parts of 100, or 18/100 or. 18. If your bill is $50, multiply 50 by. 18 to get your tip total of $9. If you're feeling generous, a 20% tip would require you to multiply 50 by. 20, for a total of $10.00

50.00 x. 18 = 9.00

50.00 x. 20 = 10.00

Percentages can also be holiday-relevant when it comes to figuring out in-store sales. In this case, you want to multiply by the inverse of the percentage listed. So if you have a $50 sweater that's on sale for 25% off, multiply 50 by. 75 for your total of $37.50. That same $50 sweater on sale for 40% off would equate to $30, or $50 multiplied by. 60.

50.00 x. 75 = 37.50

50.00 x. 60 = 30.00

9. Brr, it's cold outside. But just how cold does it have to be to get some snow around here?

Answer: Did you know that the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit? Keep an eye on the temperature and watch your footing for ice on the ground. (See previous fact about those treasured vertebrae!)

10. Everyone knows Santa and his elves live in the North Pole. But what about the South Pole (aka Antarctica)?

Answer: The South Pole was discovered by Roald Amundsen (1872-1928, Norwegian), who was also the first to sail though the Northwest passage, the sea route from Pacific to Atlantic along the north coast of North America. Antarctica is the only continent that contains no countries — instead, it is a stateless territory protected from exploitation by an international treaty. A good place for the elves to protest low wages?

11. Which Ocean is bigger: the Pacific or the Atlantic?

Answer: The Pacific Ocean is larger at 69,374 square miles — that's almost double the Atlantic, which comes in at 35,665 square miles. Making it evenmore astonishing that St. Nick can cross the globe in just one night.

12. Remember the reason for the Season! Can you name a few things that both Judaism and Christianity have in common?

Answer: Both are monotheistic religions that share the first five books of the Christian Old Testament. Both religions view Jerusalem as a sacred site, the former for the Wailing Wall (contains the remains of the temple that was thought to be the place where God resides on earth) and the latter for Christ's burial and resurrection site.

Happy Holidays to all!

©2009 Caroline Taggart, author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School

Author Bio Caroline Taggart, author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School, has been an editor of non-fiction books for nearly 30 years and has covered nearly every subject from natural history and business to gardening and astronomy. She has written several books and was the editor of Writer's Market UK 2009.

"'To Kill a Mockingbird' is full of colorful characters and a timeless plot — it's no wonder that it has lasted 50 years!" — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel—a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice—but the weight of history will only tolerate so much. "

Why I read this: I had to teach it so I guessed I had better read it.

Plot: The plot of this timeless classic, I'll admit, starts slow. Like my students, I struggled with "TKM" in the beginning as well; I attempted to read it several times over the summer after returning from BEA. Finally, I inter-library loaned the audio and finally I was able to get into it. I hate to say it, as an English Major and a teacher, but I don't know if I would have ever gotten through this novel without the audio. Finally, around chapter 10, I started to get into the chapter stories even though I didn't know how there were connected at the time. At the end of the book, I actually picked up the novel to read it because I could read faster than I could listen.

Characters: By the end of this novel I felt completely connected to the characters, especially Atticus. I loved Atticus, like so many others, and everything he stood up for. He is the best fictional parent I have ever read. Many times throughout the novel I found myself thinking of the respect that Scout and Jem had for him as a parent and as a person — how the whole community respected him. I understand now why we have three "Atticuses" in the elementary school this year.

Cover: The cover of this novel, at least the old school version, is outdated (obviously) and I think could deter any reader from picking it up.

Final Thoughts: I can definitely see why this book is a classic and I am so glad I didn't let it's title, language, and reputation as a "classic" deter me from reading it. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is full of colorful characters and a timeless plot — it's no wonder that it has lasted 50 years!

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 7/10
Theme: 9/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 4/5
Tone: 4/5
Cover: 5/10
Overall: 85/100 B

To the FTC, with love: Received at BEA 2010 and through the Library/School

From Amazon.com...

"A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel—a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man's struggle for justice—but the weight of history will only tolerate so much. "

Why I read this: I had to teach it so I guessed I had better read it.

Plot: The plot of this timeless classic, I'll admit, starts slow. My students struggled with "TKM" in the beginning; I attempted to read it several times over the summer after returning from BEA. Finally, I inter-library loaned the audio and finally I was able to get into it. Because of this, my English 9 classes listened to the entire first half of the book in class. While maybe not ideal, I think they were more able to relate to it and "get into" the novel.

Finally, towards the end of the novel, the plot picked up and my students didn't struggle as much. About this point I had a hard time getting my students to actually STOP reading so that the rest of the class could catch up and everyone would be on the same page.

Characters: Next time I teach "TKM," I will make a bookmark for my students with all the character information — many of them seemed to struggle with the characters and keeping them straight. I think my students liked Scout and Jem, but I think Atticus' character completely went over their heads because he wasn't the narrator or (seemingly) the protagonist. I don't think any of them realized the gravity of his decisions and actions.

Cover: The cover on the book that our school distributes could use some updating, I think the cover alone gives kids the wrong impression of this book.

Final Thoughts: Surprisingly, my two of my five classes hated "TKM." No matter what I did they refused to even have a classroom discussion about the novel. Even when I brought outside information in, they just refused to realize how timeless this novel is (there had been a robbery in Sioux Falls the week we finished "TKM." Three suspects tied a man up in his house and taped his mouth shut but did not blindfold him. When describing the suspects all the news broadcasters said were "three black men." The discussion was based on the fact that identifying the suspects as "black" and "men" gave the area really no important descriptions, such as height, weight, build, facial hair, tattoos, etc. As a result, any "black man" in the area was now (metaphorically) a mockingbird). I was extremely proud of the possibilities of this discussion, but in the end it failed horribly with these two classes). These two classes refused to even respect the fact that it was a "classic" and in it's 50th year of publication — talk about aggrivating!

However, the other three classes (towards the end of the novel) loved it. We not only had the aforementioned discussion, but many other discussions that they had come up with on their own. They were the students I had to slow down in order to finish the book as a class! I loved these classes and how surprised they were that a classic could be, oh I don't know, good reading! It was a fun experience to have such great classes who were willing to "hang in there" and enjoy a scholarly activity.

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 8/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 7/10
Theme: 9/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 4/5
Tone: 4/5
Cover: 5/10
Overall: 85/100 B

To the FTC, with love: Received at BEA 2010 and through the Library/School

I'd like to, yes ONCE AGAIN, welcome this week's Guest Reviewer, Leslie from That Chick That Reads! This is Leslie's third week in a row as a Guest Reviewer. Leslie, sincerely from the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping me in my mission of spreading the love of literacy. You are an inspiration.

******************
From Amazon.com...
"How far will Rose go to keep her promise?
The recent Strigoi attack at St. Vladimir’s Academy was the deadliest ever in the school’s history, claiming the lives of Moroi students, teachers, and guardians alike. Even worse, the Strigoi took some of their victims with them... including Dimitri. He’d rather die than be one of them, and now Rose must abandon her best friend, Lissa—the one she has sworn to protect no matter what—and keep the promise Dimitri begged her to make long ago. But with everything at stake, how can she possibly destroy the person she loves most? "

Everyone that knows me knows that Richelle Mead is my favorite author of all time and Vampire Academy is my favorite series ever! So I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this novel! I mean it had me so on edge that I couldn’t sleep the night before! So when the release morning came, I was pretty much first in line at the book store.

The cover of the book is breath taking beautiful and best of all it’s a hardcover! Although it does annoy me a little that the other 3 aren’t hardcover but I think I could get over it.

Anyway so this book is set in Russia, which was amazing! The people she meets, and of coarse the glimpses of the old Dimitri we get throughout the entire novel were very hard to read, well at least for me anyway. He is and will always continue to be one of my favorite characters in the novels, as well as Rose, Lissa and Adrian.

This wasn’t my favorite book of the series but it does come in second. I didn’t want to read it fast as I wanted to be like Georgina Kincaid (reference to her other character in the Succubus series) who read only 5 pages a day because she wanted to savor the characters and events in the books, but after like chapter 10 or so I couldn’t put it down and I ended up just reading the book in like 2 days.

A lot and I mean a lot of the stuff that you end up finding out about you are like whoa! Didn’t see that coming! Now I’m waiting yet again another 8 months for the next installment which is set for May 18th, 2009! Anyway, I don’t want to get into all of the certain events without giving anything away just because I nearly died when I read a spoiler on goodreads before it was even set to release so I’ll just stick with that. Anyway, I’ll rate this book 4.5 out of 5 paws (or should I say fangs;) )

*******************
Thank you so much Leslie for such an AWESOME review! I've been meaning to read this! But I should start at the beginning of the series I think.:)

Make sure to visit Leslie at That Chick That Reads. Check out her original review. Thank you so much!

"I think sometimes that society has become hardened to the atrocity that was Nazi/Jew WWII, but the reality is that there were other victims of WWII as well. This is their story." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: March 22nd, 2011
Publisher: Philomel Books
Challenges: 100+ Challenge, Audiobook Challenge, DAC 2011

"Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.
Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously — and at great risk — documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives."

Forgive me, but I can't exactly remember who raved about this book on Twitter about a month ago, but THANK YOU! I remember this person just exclaiming how amazing this audio was and as a result I interlibrary loaned it without even looking up the synopsis. When I played the first tape I was surprised to see that it was a WWII novel and even more baffled that it wasn't portraying the Nazi/Jew version. No, this book illustrates life from the perspective of a young Lithuanian girl who has been imprisoned by the Soviets with her mother and young brother.

I was at first a bit weary of this plot, as (again) I'm not a big historical fiction person. But I was on a road trip to visit my mother and "had no other choice." A few tracks later I was completely enveloped and by the second disk I knew without a doubt that this audiobook would be one of my favorites. I cried several times throughout my road trip and when I wasn't in my car I was thinking of Lina and her family.

Parts of this book made my insides hurt with hunger, exhaustion, and complete despair (it was that good). It seems like the past couple of audios have really brought me down with annoyances and frustrations (mostly to do with the narrator) but this book (and narrator) did such a fantastic job of bringing me into the story and making it intensely real and horrifying.

The end, I will say, brought me to tears in the classroom. I finished another novel on reading day and still had a period to go so I went to the library and got the book (and felt like I was cheating on the audio). As the last page ended the bell rang, and I didn't even say goodbye or "have a good weekend" to my kids. As the next class trickled in I was still wrapped in the feeling of immense sorrow and elation (at the same time). There were even a few questions (spoilers): how did they get out? what happened next? What about the young Pole who help them? How did Andruis find her? Was her father really alive? But I see now that those things aren't really that important to the story.

This audiobook was phenomenal, almost life changing. If you've been struggling to find a good story or a good audiobook, no matter what your preference of genre is, this book is spectacularly honest and unique. I've never read such characters with such a real plot. I think sometimes that society has become hardened to the atrocity that was Nazi/Jew WWII (until you visit the Holocaust Museum in DC) because of all the movies and the matter-of-factness of history books, but the reality is that there were other victims of WWII as well. This is their story.

-Visit Ruta around the web here: Website | Goodreads
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook

To the FTC, with love: Library Loan

A few weeks months ago I asked for your opinion: what books would you recommend to my students. I had a fantastic response. If my stats for that post are any indication, this question has been asked many times before and people, especially teachers, are still looking for those great recommendations. Well, after asking my mom (a school librarian) and the librarian at my school, I'm finally making public what we have put together. I'm pretty sure everybody can find something on this list; I know that nonfiction is an area I need to work on as well and as I'm expecting one nonfiction read from my students by the end of the semester I've set the same standard for myself.

If you'd like to look at these lists in a Google Doc format: Recs from Readers and Recs from Teachers

Here are the recommendations from other readers:
Title of Book
Diary of Anne Frank
In the Garden of Beasts
Manhunt
Farewell to Manzanar
Graphic Novels: Maus and Persepolis
Half Broke Horses
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed
What is the What
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Freakonomics
Under the Black Flag
Cleopatra: A Life
All But My Life
Freedom Riders
Einstein's Refrigerator
Brothers in Arms
The Devil In The White City
Little Princes
360 Degrees Longitude
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

You Had Me at Woof
Decoded
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
Night
Eat, Pray, Love
I am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee I am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee
The Glass Castle
The Children's Blizzard
Rocket Boys
Stitches: A Memoir

And here are the recommendations compiled by two fantastic school librarians:

for (var i = 0; i < ListCount ; i++) { GenerateNum(); document.write('

I'd like to again welcome this week's Guest Reviewer, Leslie from That Chick That Reads!

********************
From Amazon.com...

"Kevin Curran wants to unite his family, but he's ready to give up on his younger brother, Danny-three years lost to heroin addiction and hard, desperate living on the streets of New York. When Danny shows up on Kevin's Staten Island doorstep, looking clean, fit, and prosperous, Kevin can't help but be overjoyed that his brother has escaped his past life. But at what price? Not even Kevin's worst nightmares could have prepared him for the horrors he'll discover about his brother's dark history. After a brief reunion, Danny offers Kevin a role in an underworld plot revolving around the Bloodroot Children's Hospital, an abandoned juvenile asylum with a nefarious past. Hoping to rescue Danny from his criminal life after years ago failing to save him from his addiction, Kevin accepts. While Danny's plan unfolds, Kevin is drawn into a world of murder, Mafia hit men and dangerous espionage. The halls of Bloodroot reveal one horrifying secret after another: about the building's history, about Danny's life of addiction and crime, and about the true roots of the Curran family. At the end of the maze of monsters, the brothers make a discovery so horrific it may force them to destroy each other."

Lately I’d been reading thrillers and mysteries but this one is by far my favorite, it has all of the elements a good thriller needs to have. A good storyline, unforgettable characters, and, last but not least, some romance.

The storyline was very interesting, throughout the entire novel, I could see why certain things were written a specific way. I also enjoyed a quote Danny said while speaking to his brother Kevin on page 66, “He murders because he’s afraid of the future, of worlds and people he’ll never understand and never be a part of. We call them terrorist because they cause terror but it oughta be because that’s all they feel”. That quote literally gave me chills, because I feel the same way concerning terrorists.

Moving on to characters, we have Kevin, the “scardy cat”, a teacher who lost the fun of it all and lives a boring life, Danny, the ex drug user who comes back clean and sober without much explanation, and, last but not least, Kelsey, the strong female character who gets Kevin out of his shell. The characters were totally unforgettable. My favorite was definitely Danny. He was a tough kid who’s determined to turn his life back around regardless of the consequences.

Ah now it gets good, the love. I’m a sucker for some good loving in a book, I was rooting for those two since day one. The romance didn’t interfere with the main point of the book, which I found so refreshing. It didn’t consume every page but there was enough in there that made me very happy.

Bill is also the author of Fresh Kills, which I noticed was mentioned briefly in this novel. I can not wait to read the Fresh Kills! Overall I give this novel 4.5 out of 5 paws!

*******************
Thank you so much Leslie for such an AWESOME review! This sounds like an interesting read!

Make sure to visit Leslie at That Chick That Reads and share some book love! Check out her original review. Thank you so much! (This is Leslie's second week in a row!)

This week I'd like to (once again) welcome a very good friend of mine, Sheila from One Person's Journey through a World of Books!

*******************

From Amazon.com...

"What really happened to Anastasia Romanov?
Anastasia Romanov thought she would never feel more alone than when the gunfire started and her family began to fall around her. Surely the bullets would come for her next. But they didn't. Instead, two gnarled old hands reached for her. When she wakes up she discovers that she is in the ancient hut of the witch Baba Yaga, and that some things are worse than being dead.
In modern-day Chicago, Anne doesn't know much about Russian history. She is more concerned about getting into a good college—until the dreams start. She is somewhere else. She is someone else. And she is sharing a small room with a very old woman. The vivid dreams startle her, but not until a handsome stranger offers to explain them does she realize her life is going to change forever. She is the only one who can save Anastasia. But, Anastasia is having her own dreams…"
What would you do if your nightmare turned out to be more than just a dream—and the only way to stop it was to believe the impossible? Anastasia Romanov knows she should be dead; she watched her family fall in a hail of gunfire. Instead, something, or someone, saved her. Trapped and scared in a magical hut with a witch who may be friend or foe, she begins to come to grips with the truth about her situation: that some fates are WORSE than death.

In her dreams, sixteen year old Anne Michaelson is somewhere else. She is someone else. The dreams feel as real as her waking life and they terrify her. This is not good for her social life! Aside from that, Anne thinks her life is pretty ordinary – until she runs into handsome, mysterious, and (okay) annoying Ethan on her way to chemistry class. Now Anne has powers she doesn’t understand, a history-altering mission she doesn’t want, and a growing attraction to a blue-eyed stranger that seems to be stalking her! And when Ethan realizes that Anne is the girl he’s been searching for, things start to get a little surreal! Despite her skepticism and reluctance, Anne quickly realizes that you don’t need to be imprisoned to be trapped! Stir in the doomed Duchess Anastasia, who is not quite as dead as the history books say, and the Baba Yaga, a legendary witch from Russian folklore, and you’ve got Dreaming Anastasia by debut novelist Joy Preble.
Joy Preble’s experience with Russian legends developed through her crazy maternal grandmother, who had been one of TWENTY children! The story goes that her grandmother’s family didn’t even notice when she ran off to America at sixteen, married badly, raised four children on her own and was the least grandmotherly of grandmothers a girl could ever hope for (despite her amusing and insane tales of the Bolsheviks and tsars). No warm and fuzzies there, only admonitions for Joy to eat her vegetables so she would be strong enough to survive the impending pogroms!
My Thoughts: This book was a wonderful mix for me – not only as a YA read – but to me it dabbled in so much more. There is history to this book with Baba Yaga and Anastasia Romanov. There is the taste of fantasy and the essence of mystery…. basically it had a lot of my favorite genre’s all roled up into one neat little binding.
I have to say I loved the story line based around Baba Yaga (I love folklore!)

I would rate this a PG13 rating for some language

*******************

Thank you so much Sheila! I hadn't heard of this book! It sounds like a great intriguing read that I will most definitely be adding to my TBR list! Thank you so much!

Make sure to stop by One Person's Journey through a World of Books and share some book love with Sheila! If you have a great read that you would like to share or donate, please see my invitation to Guest Reviewers!

Find out what others think:
Hope's Bookshelf

I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it in my blog. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course. This week I went to the Oak View Library Sale in Sioux Falls, and after hearing all of Sheila's stories at One Person's Journey Through A World Of Books I was somewhat prepared for the hot mess that was "The Sacred Library Sale." It reminded me slightly of BEA (on obviously a much smaller scale) — there were SO many people pushing and shoving for books! Used books! Books with broken spines, missing pages, and YEARS of germs all over them! It was fantastic! I think I did rather well for myself. At $2 a bag I spent $6 on a trunk full of books! I'm very excited to put them add them to my classroom or private shelves! For Review: Won:

From the library: Purchased from the library sale:

• "The Clique: Massie"
• "Gossip Girl: Would I Lie to You"
• "Notorious: An It Girl Novel"
• "Lucas"
• "Dial L for Loser: A Clique Novel" (three copies)
• "PS I Loathe You: A Clique Novel"
• "Gossip Girl: You Know You Love Me"
• "Gossip Girl: Nobody Does It Better"
• "SPEAK" — VERY EXCITED
• "Perfect"
• "Vampire Academy"
• "The Little History of a Star"
• "Spells and Sleeping Bags"
• "The Au Pairs"
• "Cut Back: Impact Zone"
• "Princess in Waiting"**
• "666: The Number of the Beast"
• "The Princess Diaries"**
• "This Lullaby"
• "The Book Thief"
• "L8r, G8r"
• "What Girls Learn"
• "Dr. Franklin's Island"
• "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle"**
• "Teen Idol"
• "Hunger"
• "Goddess Boot Camp"
• "Donorboy"**
• "Jason's Gold"
• "I Was a Teenage Fairy"
• "Princess in Love"**
• "Tangerine"
• "The Ransom of Mercy Carter" — I ADORED this novel when I was younger. I was going to name my daughter Mercy I loved it so much!**
• "Frostbite: A Vampire Academy Novel"
• "The House Next Door"

Before we entered the Sacred Library Sale

After the Sacred Library Sale: Three Bags Later I'm practicing the "guilty" look I'll be giving my fiance when he gets home from work!

Purchased:

• "The Bride's Book of To-Do Lists"

From Amazon.com...

"Amanda Price is sick of the modern world. She yearns for the romance and elegance found in the books by her favorite author, Jane Austen. But she's about to get a rude awakening as one fateful evening, she is propelled into the scheming 19th century world of Pride and Prejudice while that book's Elizabeth Bennet is hurled into hers. As the book's familiar plot unfolds, Amanda triggers new romantic twists and turns within the Bennet family circle as she clumsily tries to help the sisters nab husbands and even captivates the tantalizing Mr. Darcy herself. But what about Elizabeth... and what will become of one of the world's greatest love stories?"

When I first started this movie I thought it was absolutely ridiculous and I couldn't wait for it to be over! And then I realized that I was barely forty minutes into it. Once I finally sat down and started breathing slowly, I got into it, especially once things started diverting from the book. At first I felt as though Amanda was simply watching things live out — and then it got good.:)

I don't want to give too much away, but I ended up liking it — a lot. I love the Amanda's voice and I loved the words, it's a wonderfully written movie. I also loved how things were different than in the book — Wickham! Gah! He's so... wow. He was definitely my favorite part of the movie (ironic, I know). I loved how they redid his history and his story, I think (don't chastize me) I liked Wickham more than Darcy. (GASP!)

I'd definitely recommend it (I think I may even purchase it!). Just be prepared and expect some twists.

From Amazon.com...

"Painting a vivid and terrifying picture of war-torn Europe during World War II, this tale chronicles the lives of Anna, a Krakow University professor, and her husband Jan, a Polish cavalryman. After they are separated and forced to flee occupied Poland, Anna soon finds herself caught up in the Belgian Resistance, while Jan becomes embedded in British Intelligence efforts to contact the Resistance in Poland. He soon realises that he must seize this opportunity to search for his lost wife, Anna."

This is the first 'historical war fiction' book that I've ever read. I was a bit skeptical at first, but I wanted to try something new. This book is the perfect choice for someone venturing out into a new genre.

From the first page Jacobson pulls readers into the plot and characters. Fast paced and full of action — I was never bored. I found myself remembering things from high school history classes about the Holocaust that I thought I had forgotten years ago. This past summer, Momma Remmers and I went to Washington, DC, and visited the Holocaust Museum. I drew on this past events in my life to relate to Anna, Jan, and Justyn.

For those of you who keep track of what I'm reading (don't all shout out at once haha!) — you know that I had a hard time getting through this book. But it wasn't at all because of the book's contents, it was entirely because of my situation. I started reading this the day I left for school. Then two weeks full of non-stop RA training and what not... it's a crazy life for college students! The book is a great fast read for those who are interested in historical war fiction (I hope this is a legit genre — I just made it up).

If I had to pick one thing that I struggled with — it would be the characters. The main characters were easy to keep straight and follow along with. But there were so many 'secondary' characters that would pop in and out of the story that I found myself confused on more than one occasion.

I will be keeping this book for my classroom — sorry everyone. While I don't know if I'm for any more "historical war fiction" anytime soon... I think my more advanced readers who are interested in World War II would really enjoy this book. But I highly encourage you to check this book out or purchase it. Find out more at the "Night of Flames" Blog!

BBAW is finally here and I am so excited to welcome Chachic from Chachic Book's Nook.

You're from the Philippines! That is so cool! Are there other book bloggers in your area? If so, what are they! I'd love to visit their blogs!
I'm so glad you think it's cool that I'm from the Philippines! There are actually a number of book bloggers here. I only started blogging this year but I noticed that there have been Filipino book bloggers for several years and more and more are popping out lately. I noticed that we didn't have a site that brings together all Filipino book bloggers so I decided to create Filipino Book Bloggers (http://filipinobookbloggers.wordpress.com/) . I know the name isn't that creative but I'm happy to get to know some of the book bloggers out there. We're having our first meet up soon and I'm really excited for that.

That's so awesome about the meet up! I hope it goes awesome! Because English is your second language, is it hard to read YA novels written in English? What about writing the reviews? Here in the Philippines, we actually use English as the medium of instruction. The Philippines was colonized by the United States and it was Americans who established education in the Philippines. All of our subjects, starting from nursery up to college, are taught in English except for Filipino and a couple of other History subjects. That's why English books aren't translated to Filipino over here and I'm comfortable with reading books and writing reviews in English. Also, I've never mentioned this on my blog but I actually work with Americans. I'm a research analyst for a Business Process Outsourcing company and I report directly to people in the US.

As an international book blogger, what differences in book blogging have your noticed between international and US book blogging?
One of the main differences is we don't get review copies. International shipping is really expensive so I understand that publishers would have a hard time sending review copies and it also takes a couple of weeks for the books to get here. I've never received a copy for review and most of the other Filipino book bloggers that I've talked to also haven't received any review copies. The books that I review on the blog are given as gifts, bought, or borrowed.

On a positive note, I love it when US book bloggers are amazed with some of the things that I mention in reviews like how I've never seen snow or how we don't have public libraries over here. You don't have public libraries! Wow, that really makes me appreciate my library.
You host a meme called "Want Books?" where readers can highlight books that they want but can't have either to it not being released in their country yet, not having the money for it, a far-out release date, etc. Where did you come with the idea? When is your weekly post up? How many bloggers generally participate? I love the photo too! Are you familiar with the meme Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), which is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine (http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/) ? In WoW, you can feature upcoming releases that you're eagerly waiting for. I used to use that meme but then I realized that it would be better if there's a meme that lets you feature books that have already come out that you can't get for some reason. Instead of complaining about books not being available here, I thought it would be better if I could create a meme to highlight them. So that's how I came up with Want Books. I put up a post every Saturday and anyone can participate. It isn't a popular meme though and only a handful of book blogger friends have participated. I don't mind because I don't think I'll ever run out of material for the meme, there will always be books in my wishlist.:)

I see that you have a giveaway ending TOMORROW! What is it and who is eligible? Yes! I have a Mortal Instruments giveaway but sadly, it's only for residents of the Philippines. All you need to do to enter is tell me what review of mine is your favorite and why. Learn more about it here. We both read a lot of YA, what books would you recommend to struggling young adult readers? Oh gosh, I have so many recommendations! Here you go:

Fantasy
The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner
Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
Sasharia En Garde duology by Sherwood Smith
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
The Changeover by Margaret Mahy

Fairy Tale Retellings
Beauty by Robin McKinley
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

YA Contemporary Fiction
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
Jessica Darling books by Megan McCafferty

Historical Fiction
Sunbird, The Lion Hunters, The Empty Kingdom by Elizabeth Wein
A Countess Below Stairs, The Reluctant Heiress and A Company of Swans by Eva Ibbotson
Thanks for all the great recommendations! Wow! I'm going to steal one of your questions because it was so good! What is your "good read" preference — contemporary YA, epic fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction or dystopian? I read read books from all of those genres but I have a special place in my heart for epic fantasy.

What are your comfort reads? Books that you go to on a rainy day for a reread when nothing seems to be going your way. The books that I listed in the recommendations section are my favorites so they're really my comfort reads. I've reread most of those several times already.

What book are you pinning for — that you can't wait to get your hands on? Oh so many! Check out my Want Books meme because I have weekly posts on books that I'm pining for. Although if you're asking for books that are yet to be released, I can't wait to get Bayou Moon and Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews, Pegasus by Robin McKinley and Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier.

Chachic, thank you so much for stopping by! It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and discovering your blog. Readers, please remember to stop by and visit Chachic at Chachic Book's Nook.

Again, I'd like to welcome Sharon from Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews as this week's Guest Reviewer.
*******************

Now and Then — Jacquelin Sheehan

From Amazon.com...

"Former lawyer Anna O'Shea becomes a time-traveling ex-wife when she returns from a vacation in Ireland and is enlisted to pick up her brother Patrick's son from jail in Newark after Patrick is severely injured in a car accident. Anna retrieves troublesome 16-year-old Joe and sets him up at her home, then wakes in the middle of the night to find him rummaging through her luggage. Joe's intrigued by a mysterious swath of cloth Anna picked up at a tourist trap, and when she tries to take it from him, the two are zapped back 164 years to pre–potato famine Ireland. Sheehan vividly depicts Irish-British conflicts as Anna becomes involved with an Irish smuggler's group and falls for a rebel cartographer."

With the overwhelming popularity of books with other-worldly themes, such as vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, etc., it's not too farfetched to find a novel about a contemporary heroine getting caught up in time travel. In Jacqueline Sheehan's latest novel, "Now and Then," she hones this quirky subject to a finer edge with a brilliant tale that will captures reader's imaginations.

Anna O'Shea was at a point in her life where things had to get better, because they couldn't get much worse. A recent divorcee, Anna had just returned from a harrowing flight from Ireland when she learned her only brother had been in a horrendous accident resulting in massive head injuries, and her 16-year old nephew, Joseph, needs to be picked up from jail.

After checking on her brother and retrieving her errant nephew, Anna hopes to be able to squeeze in a few hours of sleep before hitting other family crises head on. But her plans go awry when she wakes up to find Joseph going through her suitcases. As Anna and Joseph tussle over a partially opened package, the two suddenly find themselves hurtling through time and space to wake up separated in 19th century pre-potato famine Ireland.

Anna is found injured along the coastline, and is taken in by the local blacksmith, Tom, and his wife Glennis. As she struggles to recover from her injuries and confusion, Anna is desperate to find out what happened to Joseph, who seems to have disappeared during their "journey."

Joseph ended up miles away from Anna, and was discovered by an wealthy Englishman's servant and brought to the manor house for recovery. The wily teenager leads the household into believing he is a highly educated young man, and they treat him with the highest honor and respect. Quite the change from his reality back home where he was at the bottom of the high school pecking order

As Anna and Joseph adjust and adapt to their new situations, they both soon discover new strengths and qualities about themselves that had long been buried. But as fate and circumstances work to pull the two visitors from another era together, both find that it will be hard to return to their lives in the 21st century, if they can get back at all.

Jacqueline Sheehan has taken the subject of time travel, and combining it with an indepth look at Irish/British history to deliver a novel that is thoughtful, passionate and fascinating. There is an element of romance, as Anna and Joseph both find love in the most unlikely place, but bear in mind — this is no flighty romance. "Now and Then" is an amazing work of literary fiction to be savored and enjoyed.

*******************

Thanks again to Sharon from Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews. I have never heard of this book so I am extremely glad that this is the review you decided to send in. The cover is absolutely amazing! I'll definitely have to add this to my TBR List. If you're interested in becoming a Guest Reviewer — please find out how.

"By the end, I really felt as though I had grown this connection with Pietr and Jess when, in the beginning, I hadn't liked them either very much; that progression was exciting and refreshing." — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"Everything about Jessie Gillmansen’s life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing. Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she’s about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent—he’s a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie’s small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can’t avoid…"
Why I read this: First of all, Shannon Delany's a big reason I survived BEA! I wouldn't have been able to make all the cool events without her reminder tweets! Second, I loved the premise and the cover. This is the first book in quite awhile I've went out and bought the week it came out.

Plot: While it took me about half way through the book to get "hooked," once I was the plot was captivating and fast-paced. This plot was different than any other werewolf novel because of the difference in the wolves, their history, and that the realization of what they really were didn't happen until the last part of the novel. At first this really bothered me because readers know it's a story about werewolves but the heroine doesn't until the end. Now that I've had a couple hours to reflect, I like it and find the difference refreshing. The subplot with Jess's mom and best friend was really interesting and only more captivating with the integration of Pietr. I wish this would have been more developed in the end. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole mafia angle... but it'll definitely keep me reading. I love the twist at the end (last two pages), but I sure had to read it about eight times to make sure I understood what has being said. It will definitely test my students comprehension of the novel as a whole. Also the whole Derek subplot went undeveloped.

Characters: The characters were very intriguing. It got a bit old just knowing bits of the story at a time, especially in regards to the relationship between Sara and Jess; but this only added to the suspension. It was crazy how my view of Pietr developed from the beginning of the novel to the end. By the end, I really felt as though I had grown this connection with Pietr and Jess when, in the beginning, I hadn't liked them either very much; that progression was exciting and refreshing.

Relatability: I found it a bit hard to relate to Jess simply because of her martyr attitude. I thought it was a tad over done.

Cover: I really like it — it's very eye catching. I still don't understand "13 to Life" as the title though, another part of the plot that was unanswered.

Random Thoughts: I really liked the vampire versus werewolf discussions between Jess and Pietr; the irony was perfect. I really disliked the text abbreviations on page 234. It was only one page. One line. But it really bothered me. I had to google it to understand what was being said. BCNU and BFN are acronyms that I don't feel are familiar enough to the YA generation to be put in print. I may quiz my students to see if they could tell me what they were. I could kind of guess BCNU... but BFN — no idea. Google it. See for yourself.

Final Thoughts: An amazing author and a great read that my 9th graders will devour. I can't wait to put this book in my classroom.

Favorite Quote:
"If this were my red pill — blue pill moment, would I choose the comfort of my bed or the journey down Wonderland's rabbit hole" (272).

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 98/100 A

To the FTC, with love: Bought

Release Date: August 26th, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Challenges: Off the Shelf, 100+ Reading Challenge

"I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me... he's one of us.
Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another... but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together? They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed. I am Number Seven. One of six still alive. And I'm ready to fight."

A year ago today I actually reviewed "I Am Number Four " — how crazy is that! I can't believe it's already been a year!

"The Power of Six" was a book that I had been looking forward to for months, probably since a year ago today! I loved the first book, the movie was okay, and "The Power of Six"... well, "The Power of Six" was definitely surprising. There were several times throughout this book that I couldn't help but say "Shut up!" or other such responses. I enjoyed the two different perspectives (John and Marina) but I will warn you, it is a bit confusing at first who is who. Your hint is that there are (slightly) different fonts between the two — at least in the ARC.

I enjoyed Six and Sam even more than before although the various romances throughout the novel did get to be a bit tiresome. I just wanted something to happen — anything! But I digress...

In all aspects, "The Power of Six" was great. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, and I fell in even more love with the history of Lorien. But for some reason, I'm just not as passionate about this novel as I thought I'd be. Again, I loved it — but I'm not racing to tell everyone about it. I think this book may be a victim of the Series Syndrome (post to come next week). With all the different series out right now (it feels like every book I'm reading is the first of a trilogy or something like that), I am finding that I adore the first book but by the time the second book comes out my overwhelming passion and love has some how subsided into this indifferent subtlety. And this makes me sad. I mean, I hate that that happens to great books and fantastic series. Does this ever happen to you?

-Visit Pittacus around the web here: Goodreads
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook

To the FTC, with love: ARC from Publisher and Gift from Michelle at Hooked to Books

From Amazon.com...

"Schuyler Van Alen wants an explanation for the mysterious deaths of young vampires. With her best friend, Oliver, Schuyler travels to Italy in the hope of finding the one man who can help--her grandfather. Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the Four Hundred Ball, an exclusive gala hosted by the city's wealthy, powerful, and unhuman--a true Blue Blood affair.
But it's at the after-party, a masquerade ball thrown by the cunning Mimi Force, that the real danger lurks. Hidden behind the masks is a revelation that will forever change the course of a young vampire's destiny." I loved Masquerade just as much as Blue Bloods. Many of the same flaws were there though — the family tree was very intricate and confusing — but the last page of the novel helped a lot. I found myself looking at that map many times. I was bummed in with the romance part of the book — nothing really happened and it could have just been left out. I'm disappointed in Jack and Oliver. But anyway... Like in Blue Bloods, when it came down the explaining what was going on with the Silver Bloods — it was all at once. I kept having to reread because I would skim over something because I was so excited.
Maybe I was right in comparing Aphrodite to Mimi — although, I still think Aphrodite is way cooler. I like how the surprises just keep coming — if you've read it, you know what I mean. There were at least three times when I was gasping out loud and Pippin would look up and look at me with the "What?!" expression. I have no idea where this book is going and I can't wait to find out. The ending definitely leaves you with a sense of, "Oh my gosh I need to read Revelations right now!"
I love how the history is so detailed and I love the little newspaper clippings, much like I liked the diary pages in Blue Bloods. I can't wait to see what Revelations has in store for me! If I rated books and if I forgot about the classics when I rated books, I would give this book 5/5 stars. For Goodreads I gave it 4/5 — which is the highest I go unless I'm reading Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, or something like that. PS: I still think of Schuyler as Shuler.

From Amazon.com...

"De la Cruz has revamped traditional vampire lore in this story featuring a group of attractive, privileged Manhattan teens who attend a prestigious private school. Schuyler Van Alen, 15, the last of the line in a distinguished family, is being raised by her distant and forbidding grandmother. Schuyler, her friend Oliver, and their new friend Dylan are treated like outsiders by the clique of popular, athletic, and beautiful teens made up of Mimi Force, her twin brother, and her best friend. What they have in common is the fact that they are all Blue Bloods, or vampires. They don't realize that they aren't normal until they reach age 15. Then the symptoms manifest themselves and they begin to crave raw meat, have nightmares about events in history, and get prominent blue veins in their arms. Their immortality and way of life are threatened after Blue Blood teens start getting murdered by a splinter group called the Silver Bloods."

The cover persuaded me to pick up this book and the fact that I wanted to slow down my Twilight Rush. It worked. I really enjoyed reading Blue Bloods and can't wait to start Masquerade tomorrow. The exposition was extremely long and took up most of the book, but the constant hints of climatic plot kept me intrigued. Despite this insane amount of exposition, major parts of the book seemed to be rushed — for instance, it took all of one page for Schuyler to accept she was a vampire — page 152 to be exact. I also wasn't feeling the connection between Schuyler and Jack Frost — er, Force.

The climax — I'm not really sure I could pick it out for you. The last ten chapters were amazing. I couldn't put it down and my mind was racing and I couldn't read fast enough. But it was a sour case of 'show don't tell'. Some (SOME!) of those climatic hints I mentioned were explained, but whole new cans of hints were opened and never addressed. Hopefully these 'hints' will all be addressed in Masquerade. The rush of information was very intense — probably due to the 'telling'. In a paragraph of dialog huge 'hints' emerged. I don't really know how to describe it better than this. It was annoying — I felt like I was constantly missing something. And I was continually trying to map out a 'family tree' and it just wasn't happening.

But I did say I loved it right? Right! I couldn't put it down. I found the characters strong, independent, and different! Yes, Mimi was a little like Aphrodite from House of Night. But I ended up LOVING Aphrodite! Schuyler is a great protagonist — much better than Zoey, in my opinion. I loved how all the characters had a strong voice in the book — Schuyler, Mimi, Jack, Bliss, and even Oliver towards the end. The descriptions of high society were more than believable — I could see it all! Especially in Mimi's presence.

And the story line! So intricate and detailed — I mentioned my struggle (in vain) to piece it all together! Melissa De la Cruz thought this out very well! It's such a nice relief to read a well though out book/series. Good stories can come out from writers who start and don't know where they will end up. But it's very refreshing to see that a lot of thought went into a book. That's why it's so easy for me to push aside all of the above reasons why I should not like the book — to say that I cannot wait to start the second book Masquerade.

Also worth mentioning — I really liked how she brought in the archangels and Lucifer and all that jazz (all that jazz!!). While I am still extremely confused, it brought a different aspect to this Vampiric novel that I haven't seen before. Plus, I loved that the familiars for Vamps are canines — much different than in the HON novels. Refreshing details to another series about vampires. It's the small things that make the difference anyway.

Funny Fact: Throughout the whole book I pronounced Schuyler in my head like [sh — u — ler] Sh — like shark. u — like ugly. ler — like learn without the n. I was wondering about it on Twitter and Debbie from Debbie's World of Books googled it! It is pronounced Skyler — learn why Melissa De la Cruz spelt it so 'funny' here. I will, undoubtedly, continue to prounounce Schuyler like Shuler in my head throughout the rest of the series — but that's just me.

It's official. I've caught the bug. Only took me a day to finish this (started around 6pm and stayed up all night then read the final four chapters in the morning — always a sign of a good book). Beware of mild spoilers.

From Amazon.com...

"Recovered from the vampire attack that hospitalized her in the conclusion of Twilight (Little, Brown, 2005), Bella celebrates her birthday with her boyfriend Edward and his family, a unique clan of vampires that has sworn off human blood. But the celebration abruptly ends when the teen accidentally cuts her arm on broken glass. The sight and smell of her blood trickling away forces the Cullen family to retreat lest they be tempted to make a meal of her. After all is mended, Edward, realizing the danger that he and his family create for Bella, sees no option for her safety but to leave. Mourning his departure, she slips into a downward spiral of depression that penetrates and lingers over her every step. Vampire fans will appreciate the subsequently dour mood that permeates the novel, and it's not until Bella befriends Jacob, a sophomore from her school with a penchant for motorcycles, that both the pace and her disposition begin to take off. Their adventures are wild, dare-devilish, and teeter on the brink of romance, but memories of Edward pervade Bella's emotions, and soon their fun quickly morphs into danger, especially when she uncovers the true identities of Jacob and his pack of friends."

I know I kind of threw a Twilight fit a week ago — but here I am the prodigal reader. I read and liked Twilight when it first came out. Then I tried to read New Moon, but for some reason (that I can't think of now), I just hated it. I was mad at Bella and I was furious with Edward — so I abandoned it... only for it to become a phenomena years later. In 96 hours I picked up Twilight and finished it, then I watched the movie, and finally I read New Moon. I think it's safe to say I caught the bug.

I don't quite now how to compare Twilight to New Moon — probably because I read them so close together that they kind of bleed together (haha — pun). New Moon was... oh wow, I can already tell this isn't going to be a very good review!

What I didn't like was that I felt like Bella was purely using Jacob and then all of a sudden he's her best friend? I feel like that relationship wasn't built strong enough for me to believe. He was her crutch — we've all had one. I felt bad for Jacob — because Bella was so clearly not over Edward. Maybe I'm missing something, or maybe it's in the next two books, because from what other readers have told me — Bella and Jacob are a big deal. And I just didn't get that from New Moon. I think it would have made a difference if Bella could have stopped pitying herself all the time and would have been more attracted to Jacob right away rather than RIGHT before all heck broke loose.

Again, wow I seem to be a Bella hater, it bothered me how Meyer constantly had to remind us that Bella is a klutz. I gotta ask, why is this so important? Her character is built on her 'attracting trouble' and being uncoordinated. In my opinion, that's all her character is good for — getting into trouble and then being saved by Jacob or Edward. This damsel is getting on my nerves. Also, now I can't say I've ever been in love — but people move on from loss everyday. I think about the little old man who sits in the second pew at church who lost his wife fifteen years ago (made up story, but still — you get my point). Life goes on. Is Bella's love for Edward more than the love he had for his wife? I just can't fathom living in a shell and ignoring everyone for that long! Yes, a couple weeks, maybe a month, for the sake of argument let's say two months — but really four months and you're still catatonic? I just... I can't imagine.

But really, that's all I disliked — well and the whole Edward bit. I loved how Alice played such a pivotal role. Like I mentioned before, I love the Cullens. While I love that Alice has a bigger role — I am sad that the other Cullens are almost nonexistent. Sad day. This will depress me when I go to the movie — I've already mentioned my slight crush on Jasper.

I absolutely loved the Romeo and Juliet analogy — I mean, wow! Stephenie Meyer definitely thought that one out — perfect!

And while I didn't totally buy into the relationship between Bella and Jacob — I really liked Jacob (and think he could do SO much better than Bella). Even when he's tortured, he's a great guy. Edward's attitude, behavior, and down right demeanor gets kind of 'glum' after while — reminds me of Eeyore. So Jacob brought a great fun and lightheartedness to Bella's life (and in case she didn't notice, to my reading experience). It's hard to constantly be reading about how depressed and angry Edward is. But anyway — Jacob was just a fun character to read. Bella was kind of... coquettish with Jacob — holding his hand etc. And the boy didn't even get a kiss!

I liked how it expanded on the Vampiric history and what not. Although, those last four chapters (I'll admit) I did a lot of skimming to find out what happened. I also liked how it ended — with the vote. And Bella's epiphany — that was a very honest part of the book. Despite how I feel about Bella — I know what it's like to know that you don't deserve someone and then have him leave you. A guy can tell you he loves you a million times, but it takes just one sentence for you to see that it was a lie. Wow — I'm getting depressed.

Again, just for good measure — I loved the Romeo and Juliet analogy! Just loved it!

I've got to read a couple ARC books and slim my library pile down a bite... I mean bit... before I pick up Eclipse. But hopefully by Monday I can start back in with my 'recreational' reading!