The Best Reader:
retro

"When I think of 'Silence' this is what I remember: a grown woman hiding out in closet-sized Study Room with a book about Fallen Angels and not being able to put it down." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: October 2011
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Challenges: 100+ Challenge

"The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past... bridged two irreconcilable worlds... faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust... and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever."

I read "Hush Hush " two summers ago and "Crescendo " less than a month ago. Between "Hush Hush" and "Crescendo " I lost my enthusiasm for this series. After reading "Hush Hush " I was just amazed and astounded — wanting more! Do to all the other books that needed reading, I didn't get to "Crescendo " until recently. As I opened "Crescendo " for the first time I wasn't really sure how I felt about it. I didn't remember the characters. I didn't remember the plot. I didn't remember Fitzpatrick's created reality. In retrospect, I think that's why I didn't really care for "Crescendo " — I was spending most of my time trying to figure out what was going on.

"Silence," on the other hand, reminded me what I love about this series. While I wasn't as lost as Nora, I loved rediscovering this reality along with her. As her memory returned in fragments and flashes — so did mine! "Silence" is exactly what I needed to rekindle my love of Nora, Patch, and even Scott!

This book was a complete page turner. While at school during my plan period and lunch I kept sneaking away to find a quiet place to read. I felt like I was back (actually attending) at high school again! I found a little study room that was nice, but it's between two classrooms and I was so nervous about being caught! I may (or may not) have even hid out in the staff bathroom during passing time between classes waiting for the other teachers to clear out. Finally, my nerves were spent and I couldn't take feeling like a rebel anymore so I settled for the school library (which isn't nearly as relaxing or quiet). I can't explain it, but I felt as if I were breaking the rules or doing something I shouldn't be when all I was doing was reading! It was the most peculiar thing! It's not as if I didn't get my work done but I didn't want to be chastised either.

Anyway, when I think of "Silence" that is what I will think of: a grown woman hiding out in closet-sized Study Room with a book about Fallen Angels. Like the other novels, "Silence" is fast paced and a book that, right when I had it all figured out, the plot twisted. It was fantastic! I ended up reading it in two days and cannot wait for the fourth installment (I hope my memory holds).

-Visit Becca around the web here: Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter
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To the FTC, with love: Library Loan

"I can't help but relate to and feel apart of this wonderful family." — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"Da Cajn Critter is a gumbo of old family, friends, and personal recipes from Louisiana, Europe and all over the U.S. It is a way of life for someone who wants to eat good food, be with real people and make cooking simple and easy so you actually want to cook. This collection of cajun and creole favorites is a must for anyone looking for authentic Louisiana flavors!"

I thought that this would be the perfect book to follow the Thanksgiving holiday. I know, we are all extremely full... actually, in retrospect, perhaps a Work Out book/review would be better suited... nah! I figure, this past weekend kitchen's everywhere were exhausted with the traditional Thanksgiving feast, now their ready for something new, exciting, and "Cajn"!

"Da Cajn Critter" is the first ACTUAL cookbook I've reviewed — I'm not counting "The Recipe Club." The first thing that grabbed my attention upon opening this book is the tone — yes, the tone — of the book. The tone, or voice, is so unbelievably vibrant and alive! Probably due to the fun font, interesting illustrations, and uplifting voice — I may like the tone of the book better the actual recipes (gasp!)... okay, maybe not...

Along with tone, I love the little stories (if you can call them that) — for instance, the very first recipe, "Mama Bea's Cheese Cookies," is followed by a brief explanation of where the recipe came from. After reading these explanations — I can't help but relate to and feel apart of this wonderful family.

Full of all different kids of recipes and successfully separated by "Appetizers," "Breads, Breakfast, and Brunch," "Soups, Salads, and Dressings," "Meats, Fowl and More," "Seafood," "Vegetables, Potatoes, Pasta and More," "Desserts," and "A Little Something Extra," this recipe book is a great addition to my future kitchen (and Momma Remmers' until I graduate and actually have a kitchen).

The last section of the book, "A Little Something Extra," includes an awesome pronunciation guide for Northerners like me, a guide to decorating with candles to create the mood you want, and, for the inexperienced cook (again, like me), there is a section full of UBIs (Useful Bits of Information).

"Da Cajn Critter" includes traditional recipes with a twist, like "French Toast," and fun family recipes, such as "Aunt Norma Blintzes." If you are looking for a fun recipe book full of voice and character — I highly recommend "Da Cajn Critter."

I am most looking forward to creating the following recipes:

• "Cherry Squares"
• "Jeff's Favorite Mashed Potatoes"
• "Peppermint Shake"
  

"This book was wildly addicting and honest, when I wasn't reading about it I was wondering about what would happen next." — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"Congratulations! You have been admitted to the most prestigious university in the world. Now what are you going to do?

Callie Andrews may not have money or connections or the right clothes, and she may have way too many complications in her love life, what with—

Gregory
the guy she loves to hate
Evan
the guy she'd love to forget
Clint
the guy she'd love to love
and Matt
the guy she really should love
—all vying for her attention.

But she has three fantastic roommates (best friends or her worst nightmare?) and a wholesome California-girl reputation (oops) and brains and beauty and big, big dreams.

Will it be enough to help her survive freshman year at Harvard?"

Why I read this: I'm not sure what made me read this book; I picked it up at BEA and liked the premise, but the cover really threw me off.

Plot: The plot was slow at first, but the tone of Alexis (page 1) was so fantastic it sparked my curiosity. For the first couple chapters, it was Alexis' "pre-chapter" advice that really kept me going. But once all of the characters were introduced (and I quit hearing about soccer and ACLs) and the premise was more thoroughly developed — I couldn't put this book down. I read it during Recreational Reading Fridays at school and in one class I actually laughed out loud! At first I struggled with the back and forth POV, but I found that at times I really did want to know what Gregory or Clint were thinking. It was also really fun reading about college experiences; it's homecoming at my alma mater and I'm feeling a little more than left out, as I'm the only one of my friends graduated and with a "real" job. It was fun reading all of Callie's college experiences and, I'll admit it, I googled Harvard's Graduate School. I can't help it! I miss being a student!

Characters: While fairly predictable and definitely stereotypical, these characters were honest. In reality, there are many freshmen students who fit the exact subscription of Callie and her friends. Many of you may not know, but before transferring to a small, South Dakota college, I attended San Diego State University my freshman year. While reading "The Ivy," I found myself thinking back on my own crazy freshman year. I did everything I was supposed to do, I joined a sorority, I participated in several campus activities, instead of spending hours in the library I watched Grey's, I spent hundreds of dollars on clothes and accessories and soon found myself broke — in retrospect, I completely changed who I was. And why not? I was half way across the country from my family. It took that year for me to realize that I don't belong in California — I'm a midwest girl all through. (Yes, there is a point to this). I feel like the same thing is happening to Callie in "The Ivy;" she's completely changed who she is in order to break onto the "scene." I can't judge her because, hey, I've been there! I can't wait to see what happens next to Callie, I hope she makes the right decision. Besides "The Duff," I haven't read such an honest novel in a very long time.

Cover: As previously stated, this cover didn't draw me to the book.

Random Thoughts: I love that Lauren is from California, went to Harvard, and is now writing creatively. She's 23 years old (same as me) and has really inspired me — hey, if she and Kody Keplinger can do it... what the heck am I waiting for! I am so excited for the next book!

Final Thoughts: While it did take a while to get into it, after the first couple chapters this book was wildly addicting and honest, when I wasn't reading about it I was wondering about what would happen next.

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 8/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 4/10 (It doesn't really speak to me)
Overall: 89/100 B

To the FTC, with love: Review Book

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Well, ladies and gentlemen yesterday concluded the guest Wedding Weeks posts. Huge thanks to Beth, Lorren, Shanyn, and Michelle for all the hard work and time that went into writing those posts and hunting down those pictures. I am so glad to join such a great group of women who can say that they are married and had amazing wedding days.

D's surpise Grooms' Cake. D is a fan of the Red Sox whereas I prefer the Twins. It reads: Together We Have A Ball.
As many of you know, I've had quite a crazy couple months. During the month of May I finished my first year of teaching, found a teaching job in North Dakota, bought a house in North Dakota, attended BEA, and moved. After BEA (as in the Monday after) I moved the 7 hours north and began the tedious practice of unpacking. The following Monday (June 6th — the Monday before the wedding) I began teaching summer school.

You'd never believe that the whole ferris wheel thing was my idea
Summer school has proven to be a bit more work than I had anticipated. I have 25 students for four hours a day — the same 25 students. So basically not only are we covering four different lessons a day (almost a week worth of classes) but I am also challenged to remain interesting that long (and, really, who can be interesting THAT long). So the first two days were extremely stressful — but thank goodness I had a great substitute who came in Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of my Wedding Week.

On Wednesday two of my best friends (a personal attendant and a Matron of Honor) came to visit and help out. This was much needed as D left (the state) for his Bachelor Party on Wednesday morning*. Mary and Puffer ran around Bismarck with me constantly getting things off my To Do list. I owe a lot to these two amazing people — Thank You!

On Thursday we had the dress rehearsal. In retrospect everything went flawless, but when I was living it I was a hot mess. A matron of honor (I had two) and a bridesmaid got lost and were late, I didn't have a slip for my dress and it was apparently see through (Mom ran to Target), D's family got him a shirt that had a bride and groom on it with the groom having a ball and chain saying GAME OVER (I was perhaps being a bit overly sensitive), the priest refused to run through it twice (we didn't get to hear the music until the wedding day), and the list goes on. But it all worked out in the end and really, I had forgotten most of those details already.

After dinner we noticed that the very small amusement park next door to us was open (despite the flood warnings) and that it was completely empty. So, bridesmaids and groomsmen in tow, we all boarded the ferris wheel. It was a great photo opportunity and it gave D and I a chance to talk alone — the only one on one time we had Thursday and Friday. It also holds special meaning to us because it was the amusement park where D took me last summer after we had started dating.

All in all, this day was a complete success. Tomorrow stop by for perhaps the final post of Wedding Week showcasing (obviously) my wedding day!

* I told D that if he wasn't back by 4:30 on Thursday evening (dress rehearsal was at 5pm) I could make no guarantees that I'd be walking down that isle on Friday.:)

I better preface this post by saying I mean no disrespect to any other I met at BEA. I'm just thinking out loud.

At BEA I met tons of fantastic authors who have written wonderful books. I purchased books, I was given books, I had books signed, I shook the hands of these authors, and I even took some pictures. 99% of my encounters were fantastic memories that I will never forget.

There were authors I had heard of, never met, and hadn't read their books — like Lauren Oliver, author of "Before I Fall." I absolutely gushed about her to everyone about how great she was and how much I loved her book. But even without meeting her, I would have purchased this book (and had been meaning to forever).

Then there were authors like Violet Haberdasher (author of "Knightley Academy") and Shannon Delaney (author of "13 to Life) who I had never heard of (book or author).

Now "Knightley Academy" sounded like an interesting read, but I probably would have waited to purchase it in paperback if I hadn't met Violet. Before even meeting her, I listened to her explain her book at TAC. She did such a fantastic job appealing to her diverse audience and getting even those out of the loop (like me) interested in the book. I knew right away I would have to purchase it. I secured my copy and waited in line for her to sign it; when it was my turn I was greeted by this HUGE smile and a "Oh you bought my book!" in the most adorable accent ever. Because there was no one behind me I was able to talk to Violet for a short amount of time. This girl is fantastic! Her story of moving to London is so interesting and captivating (I MAY have been distracted by the accent once or twice — what can I say? I'm from the Midwest). I instantly knew that I made the right choice in purchasing this read.

The same relative story goes for Shannon Delaney — "13 to Life" looked good but I could have waited to read it. After meeting her and seeing how absolutely friendly she is I had no choice but to pre-order two copies!

Then there was a specific author who I had heard of (author and book) and was really looking forward to reading this particular book; it was a book I had been wanting for a long time and was just jumping up and down when I was given a copy. When I went up to speak to this author, just for a moment, she barely looked at me and hardly acknowledged me. I introduced myself and told her I was a new teacher and was really excited to read her book and put it on my shelves. She smiled and said "Oh that's great" and began a conversation with another author sitting next to her. I didn't take offense, there was a lot going on after all. I just (extremely awkwardly) was like "Oh, okay" and turned to walk away.

I was still excited to read this book and have read the book. I enjoyed the book and the book will still go on my shelves come fall.

But... this author's social skills (or lack there of) could have really deterred me from reading her book if I hadn't built up this huge excitement before meeting her. The book was a good read, but I think I would have loved it even more if meeting the author was a more pleasant experience. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't approached this author at all and lived in ignorance — loving her book for what it was rather than what my experience with the author was not.

The purpose of this long-winded post: What do you guys think? Is it important for authors to be approachable and friendly? Or am I just a small town girl looking for a smiling face amongst the masses of NYC? If you have had a less than fantastic experience with an author, did you let it affect your view of their book? How much of a role does the author's personality and approachability play in your experience with a read?

"It's definitely a page-turner-my-palms-are-sweaty sort of book." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: May 3rd, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Challenges: 100+ Reading Challenge and 2011 eBook Challenge
Review of "Shade"

"Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to. Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart." I kept repeating "I need the next book" when writing my review of "Shade. " This mentality hasn't changed with the second story in this series. While the plot only takes place a short time after the first book, Aura, Zachary, and Logan have all matured tremendously. The added maturity made this book uniquely feel like the characters had matured right along with it's readers (unless, of course, you read these two books back to back). By this I mean, it's been five months since I've read "Shade" and in those five months a lot has happened — I've grown as a person. It's nice to read a novel where the characters have grown right alongside me.

I'm definitely still "Team Zachary" — but I very much appreciate Logan's maturity and his new attitude. It can't be easy to be him right now; a famous ghost who humiliated his (ex-girlfriend), a shade who can't "unshade," and a young male whose love is loving someone else. Now, does this mean he is completely innocent? Absolutely not. Even in "Shade" he still makes some pretty selfish and self-absorbed decisions that impact everyone around him. But I said his character grew, not became perfect. I'm glad that he still makes these mistakes, it's what shows that me that he's still the same person.

Zachary, surprisingly, made some serious mistakes in this novel. But he was the vision of (almost) perfection in "Shade" having waited patiently for Aura to make up her mind all those months; you can't blame him for getting frustrated.

The one thing that sort of still bothers me about these stories is the perception of love (prepare for a tangent). Yes, I was "in love" when I was a teenager and no, he is not the man I'm marrying almost a decade later. In retrospect, when I was sixteen I had no idea what real love was and I had assumed that love was meant to hurt rather than run smoothly (overall). I don't deny that some people are extremely lucky to find their "Prince Charming" at the playground, but I struggle with how absolute Aura's love for these two gentleman are. It seems that she believes that if she likes someone she loves them and if she loves them that she's going to marry them. What about dating? What about, oh I don't know, getting to know each other? Why does it have to be so absolute?

But that's just me.

Overall, for any reader who loved "Shade," "Shift" is a fantastic sequel. Some questions get answered. New questions arise. It's definitely a page-turner-my-palms-are-sweaty sort of book.

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

To the FTC, with love: Review eBook

"It was an okay read... one that lover's of all things 'Titanic' might enjoy." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: February 29th, 2012
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Challenges: NetGalley Challenge, eBook Challenge, 75+ Challenge

"On April 15, 1912, Lydia Beaumont is on her way to a new life with a boundless hope in love and faith. Her new friendship with Caroline Chadwick is bonded even more as they plan Lydia’s wedding on board the “grandest ship ever built.” Then both women suffer tragic losses when the “unsinkable” Titanic goes down. Can each survive the scars the disaster left on their lives?Decades later, Alan Morris feels like a failure until he discovers he is the descendant of an acclaimed, successful, heroic novelist who went down with the Titanic. Will he find his identity with the past, or will he listen to Joanna Bettencourt, Caroline’s granddaughter, who says inner peace and success come only with a personal relationship with the Lord?Will those who survived and their descendants be able to find a love more powerful than their pain?"

Of all those books and movies, I will say that "Hearts that Survive" is definitely different. First of all, the Titanic sinks in the first 200 pages. The last 200 pages is on life AFTER the sinking (which I guess the title implies, but I didn't think that far ahead). For the most part, this book was okay. I did enjoy the characters and the plot was okay, but I did feel like the majority of this book fell victim (not to an iceberg) but to "show don't tell." I felt like this book was a big synopsis of a story of a different book. It was long (the galley was over 400 pages) and it encompassed over 50 years of multiple characters lives and as a result of ALL that material, there were many times that a lot of this story was told rather than shown.

I will say that the characters really kept me from starting a different galley. In the beginning, I was hoping Craven would be the underdog that would eventually get the girl. Unfortunately... well... yea. I don't want to say anything other than that "what wishful thinking... " I enjoyed Lydia's story and grew to like Caroline's (however, I ended up skimming over the beginning). The next generation's story (Lydia's son, etc) I didn't really care about due to much of their stories being skimmed over (not by me but by the author) in simplistic "telling" sentences.

Overall, it was an okay read. Not one I'll recommend to students because I don't think they'd stick with it, but one that lover's of all things "Titanic" might enjoy.

— Connect with the Author: Website | Goodreads
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To the FTC, with love: Galley received from NetGalley