The Best Reader [Search results for fantastic] 

"A fantastic read that I recommend for any mature reader." — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone."

Why I read this: I thought the title was really unique and captivating. I also loved the fact that Kody was 17 when she wrote this — very impressive.

Plot: I was very impressed with the plot; it was paced perfectly. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it throughout. I found myself tearing up, laughing out loud, and smiling inward and out. One of these moments was towards the end of the book, I finished the last chapter during DEAR at school, and my face lit up and I couldn't help but smile. Of course there were a few students watching me and asked what had happened in the book I was reading. They couldn't believe that a book could be "good enough" to cause that kind of reaction.
Characters:I found Bianca's character to be forced in the beginning while I was still "getting to know her." It seemed like she was being cynical just because she wanted attention or to be "that person." Once I realized exactly why she was the way she was I found myself connecting, not relating, with her. Wesley's character I thought was developed very smoothly, I would have just loved to learn more about him earlier in the novel.

Relatability: I couldn't relate to either Wesley or Bianca's family situations or lifestyle choices, but as an educator I believed in the situations because I know that happens. I think the kids that can relate will be inspired by both Wesley and Bianca.

Cover: Very interesting and eye catching.
Random Thoughts: I'm torn. This was a fantastic novel. I loved the story and the characters. I haven't felt those previously mentioned emotions towards a novel in a few months. It has FANTASTIC tone, just unbelievably real and honest. I would love to tell my kids about Kody's success and how I think it's great that the characters actually SOUND like high school students. I want to share this book with my students more than anything.

BUT.

Because the tone is so real and honest, there's a lot of swearing. I don't think it detracted from the story at all, I never felt it was overly excessive. When Bianca was mad or upset, of course the "bombs" were flying everywhere. But, as a first year teacher, I'm not sure I feel comfortable putting it on my shelves. Is this crazy? As teachers — what do you think? As teenagers — what do you think? As parents — what do you think?

I think my struggling readers would love to have a protagonist they can so easily relate to and who sounds like them. But, I just don't know.

There's also quite a bit of sex (am I the only who didn't have sex in high school?!?). It is very modest and subtle — no "groddy" descriptions. Again, I think my students would like something this real and true to what high school really is — but I'm worried about parent reactions. This would be a lot easier if it wasn't such a fantastic book! What do you think?

Final Thoughts: Regardless of whether or not I bring this book into the classroom, I will be keeping it for my shelves. A fantastic read that I recommend for any mature reader (just maybe not those I'm directly responsible for).

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5 (Fantastic!)
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 99/100 A

This book will be released on September 7th, 2010.

To the FTC, with love: Received from BEA 2010

As expected, yesterday was a fantastic day! Sheila and I spent some time in the Blogosphere before we headed to the Javits Center to check it out and plan our route.

Then we went and found an "off the beaten trail" Mexican restaurant in Times Square to have a nice quiet sit down meal.

We returned to the hotel and relaxed a bit before going to the Strand Bookstore which is known for it's 18 mile long bookshelves. The advertisement doesn't give the bookstore justice. Wall to wall and ceiling to floor — there are books everywhere! It was fantastic, but after walking 40 blocks it would have been nice to have a place to sit and relax. But finding none we we stopped for frozen yogurt before heading to the Jefferson Marketplace Public Library.

While approaching the library I looked to Sheila and said "Look at that castle! Wouldn't it be great if that was the library!" And it was! It was a magnificent library except for the fact that there were no bathrooms for adults. There was one that you could use if you had a child, but despite Sheila's protests, I could not pretend to be an kid.

At the TAC I met some fantastic authors, the first of which was Lauren Oliver! Ooo how I loved her (and I haven't even read her book yet)! (Before I Fall)

Then I met Simone Elkeles (who couldn't believe I was a teacher!). This woman is hilarious! (Perfect Chemistry)

Then I met Kody Keplinger the amazing 18 year old author of DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend).

And Courtney Sheinmel — author of Positively!

Barry Lyga (Goth Girl Rising). This guy cracks me up! He's like the Dane Cook of authors!

Violet Haberdasher, author of Knightley Academy! This looks like a fantastic book! It's the only one I bought there! (I'm quite proud... of the fact I only bought one.)

For answering a question I won a prize pack: "Sea," "Perfect Chemistry," "Fixing Delilah Hannaford," and "The DUFF." But Courtney generously donated a copy of "Positively" as well! And then I bought (using my Educator discount) "Knightley Academy."

On our way home, Sheila and I stopped at Olive Garden for dinner. After a fantastic meal we were faced with a new dilemma: neither of us have ever hailed a taxi! So we did what any other Minnesotans would do and asked the hostess. This hostess was so polite... she even showed us HOW!

We are now officially pros.

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?

Wow, has it really been that long?

Tuesday was super busy in the Expo. I got some great books but stuck to my plan of being selective. Tuesday night I went to the Bookrageous Bash at the Lolita Bar with Heather and Megan and ended up meeting with Kim, Ash, Cass, and Amy and had a great time! It was nice to relax and talk to other bloggers.

Wednesday I spent most of my morning in lines. I stood in line for Rick Riordan for two hours and Ally Condie's "Crossed" for about an hour. Rick's book was personalized for my best friend Button as a "thank you for being in my wedding" gift as it's her favorite author. I spent the rest of Wednesday walking around, talking to people, and taking in all of the sights of the Expo. After the Expo Sheila and I returned to the hotel and to relax before going to the Harper Collins reception and dinner with Heather (and others).

Thursday morning we hit the Expo early again because at 10:30 we left to go on a walking tour of Greenwich Village with Adriana Trigiani. I spent the morning finishing up talking to publishers and other people I had promised a meeting with. We left for Greenwich at about 10:40 and had a great time walking with our tour guide Nikki. Many of the stops on the tour were from Adriana's novel. I'll post pictures next week. We then went to the Standard Grill and met up with Adriana and had a fantastic dinner. This woman is amazingly funny and genuine. I haven't read a novel of hers (yet) but after listening to her stories I am SO excited to get my hands on those books. It was an absolutely fantastic day Adriana — thank you!

After lunch we returned to the Expo to find that our boxes of books down in the shipping area were open and basically pillaged. Of course there were tears when I realized that both "Crossed" and Button's book by Rick Riordan were gone. I have no one to blame but myself as I should have just carried them with me. The other down side is that because I was extremely selective all three days I only had a total of probably 20 books from BEA 2011 at the beginning — today I shipped home about 10. Now, the lesson here (besides guard your ARCS) is that books aren't everything. This mantra is literally what's getting me through the day. I didn't come to BEA for books and I believe that I "preached" that enough before BEA (so perhaps this is a test). I came to network, make connections, and reconnect with "internet friends." I'm most upset over the loss of the signed Kane novel for Button as everything else can be bought later. But again, books aren't everything and definitely not the reason I attended BEA. I had a great trip, met some fantastic authors and bloggers, and, honestly, it could be worse. Our hotel could have been robbed (laptops, Nooks, etc), we could have been mugged (or kidnapped), I could be unemployed and homeless, D could leave me at the altar... the list goes on. Am I upset — yes. Is it my own darn fault — yes. Will I get over it — yes. My added advice to all future BEA goers — take your precious items with you at all times.

After that excitement Sheila and I walked the several blocks to the Post Office (as I didn't want to pay the $37 handling fee for ten books) to mail my small box home. We then traveled to the Atria Reception and had a fantastic time! I met some more great bloggers, publicists, and authors. It was very relaxing and not crowded (thank goodness). After that Sheila and I viewed the Empire State Building (because, why not), returned to the hotel, and are gearing up for the BBC tomorrow.

If you'll be at the BBC tomorrow look for me at the following panels: Ask a Publisher or Publicist, Author Speed Dating, and Technology for Blogging.


I really appreciate all of the bloggers who have come up to me and complimented on the BEA vlogs and my blog in general. You have all made me smile throughout this entire trip and I hope to see you tomorrow and get to know you each a bit better. I'll be posting pictures next week and I'll link this post when I have a bit more time (and am not completely exhausted) at a later time in the near future.

Thanks for all you do and see you tomorrow!

On September 25th a friend and I attended the South Dakota Festival of Books in Sioux Falls. We didn't really know what to expect but we weren't disappointed. There were several sessions we could chose to attend; we first attended "Creating 2-D Characters" hosted by children's author/illustrator Gary Harbor. When we arrived and realized that it was actually a drawing session not a writing session (which now seems obvious), we were a bit worried. However, once it started the session flew by. Gary was extremely charismatic and he taught even the worst artist (me) how to step by step draw cartoon characters! Our second session was "Writing the Last Page First." This session, again, didn't turn out to be what we thought it was and as a result we left early to secure our seats for the third session: "Borrowing Books from the Siouxland Library Using E-Reader." This session was fantastically educational and informative. I had no idea my library system offered free digital downloads of entire books and audio books that I can load onto my laptop and iTouch (and hopefully, eventually, an E-Reader). It was great learning about all the opportunities I didn't know existed.
The next session was the main event of the Festival — "Are Books Obsolete?: Reading in the Digital Age." The three keynote speakers were Michael Dirda (book critic for the Washington Post), Michael Hart (founder of Project Gutenberg) , and Marilyn Johnson (author and librarian) . After the introduction to the speakers I was immediately in awe; I had no idea that this Festival would warrant the appearance of such "note-worthy" book people! It was a fantastic discussion with Michael Hart on one side claiming that everyone has the right to as many books as they can get their hands on (so much so that he THREW into the crowd CDs with the entire Project Gutenberg database on it!) and Michael Dirda on the other who argued the case that just because people have books at their fingertips doesn't mean that they are READING.
As a devote English Major and lover of literature I found myself agreeing with Dirda; perhaps Shakespeare wasn't meant to be read on a computer screen? I'm not sure, I know that I experience a certain sense of accomplishment and pride when I pick up Shakespeare in an old, musty book. But the teacher of today's youth in the digital age side of me whole-heartedly agreed with Hart: students are much more likely to read the classics, such as Shakespeare, if it is on a medium they can relate too (such as an ipod).

It was a fantastic discussion that was heated on both ends but still handled professionally. I felt very privileged to even be in the same room as minds such as these; shortly after the Festival I went online and listened to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow via The Project Gutenberg. If you haven't checked out PG — do it! It's a fantastic resource.
Michael Hart — Founder of Project Gutenberg
All in all it was a fantastic experience; the sessions were informational and anything but dull (most of the time). I was able to walk away from the experience without purchasing a single book (although I did write down some titles to look for in the future). While nothing compares to BEA, I have to admit that the South Dakota Festival of Books did not let me down — I didn't have to worry about getting mugged or pushed into the road and hit by a taxi cab.

"The entire time I read this, I kept thinking: what a great read for middle school boys. My next thought was 'Thank goodness they sent me book two! Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword.'" — Miss Remmers

I read this book in Central Park during BEA!

From Amazon.com...

"August 1611. Jack Fletcher is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan – his beloved father and the crew lie slaughtered by ninja pirates. Rescued by the legendary sword master Masamoto Takeshi, Jack's only hope is to become a samurai warrior. And so his training begins. But life at the samurai school is a constant fight for survival. Even with his friend Akiko by his side, Jack is singled out by bullies and treated as an outcast. With courage in his heart and his sword held high, can Jack prove himself and face his deadliest rival yet?"

This is one of those review books I feel absolutely awful about — I mean, really awful. I put it off and put it off (for months) and the publicist and author were SO nice to me. Chris Bradford even did a guest post! But no matter how much I pressured myself, I could not pick up this book. Finally, when it came time to pack for BEA I decided that I would only bring TWO books: The Paradox of Choice and Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior. After finishing The Paradox of Choice I very begrudgingly picked up this book (simply because I had to).

I quickly realized that I had made a grave mistake.

After the first chapter I was completely enveloped into the story and could not put it down. I just HAD to find out what would happen to Jack. Sheila pretty much had to force me out of Central Park that day! I ended up finishing this book the next day while standing in different lines for autographs at BEA. A few odd looks were thrown my way, I had WONDERFUL new books that people had traveled so far for in my bag, but was reading this book instead — a book that nearly no one seemed to have heard about.

Oh what they don't know.

I'll stop gushing and put myself together for the review.

Apart from this book being absolutely fantastic — the characters were all so clear and each with their own individual voice, the plot was fast moving and well directed, the culture depicted was flawless (well, I don't know since I'm not Japanese... but it sounds legit), and the language was superb. I was a little bit weary, after realizing that the entirety of this novel took place in Japan. I don't speak Japanese. Jack doesn't speak Japanese. I was very curious to see how Chris Bradford could even attempt to bridge this gap between Jack and the Japanese and how Jack would be able to communicate with the Japanese. I simply can't explain how he did it, but Chris Bradford effortlessly seemed to entwine these two impossibly different cultures so successfully that half the time when I was reading I'd forget that Jack was not Japanese! This was one of the most impressive aspects of this book.

The plot was fantastic. Every chapter ended with a "cliff hanger" — which aided the fact that I could NOT put it down! It was fast paced and adventure driven — something my reluctant readers (especially boys) will just love! The entire time I read this I kept thinking, what a great read for middle school or high school (with lower reading levels) boys. My next thought was "Thank goodness they sent me book two! Young Samurai: The Way of the Sword."

There were a few things I didn't necessarily love. The ending came pretty quick — but oh, it was a wonderful ending! So scratch that, now that I think about it, I wouldn't change a thing about the ending. I guess the only thing I can really say I disliked, and yes this will be shallow, was the cover. It was this cover that kept me away from this fantastic read for so long. I'm not sure what it is about it — but I know it will be a "pain in my butt"when I try to sway my boys to read this. I think, as a general society, we are all so driven by the cover of a book, and in this particular case it will be the cover that hinders my students from picking this book up (which is a sad thought indeed).

But hopefully with some pushing and enthusiasm I can get my boys (and girls) to pick this fantastic read up. Stay tuned for a review of Book Two (I forgot to pack it so it's at home) and you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be reading the third as well (out in August).

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 8/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 3/10
Overall: 91/100 A

To the FTC, with love: Review Book

No Spoilers!

"It's a bit hard to review such a talked about book. I don't have really anything to add besides: AMAZING!" — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12."

It's a bit hard to review such a talked about book. I don't have really anything to add besides: AMAZING!

Why I read this: This is clearly obvious. The Hunger Games was fantastic. Period.

Plot: Fast-paced and captivating, Mockingjay did not disappoint. While the ending was a bit abrupt and not as romantically enhanced as I would have preferred, it kept my interest. The ending plot line was absolutely fantastic and heartbreaking at the same time, but it was the perfect ending (except romantically...) .

Characters: The beloved characters of The Hunger Games are still the same beloved characters, sort of. I found Katniss to be less self-centered and whiny and then there's... well, you know. At first this dramatic character change upset me, but now that I've had time to think about it, I realize it made the story that much more intense. I did feel a lack of character connection throughout the novel, even in the Epilogue. This made me sad simply because I needed that connection as closure. But, who am I?

Cover: Perfect for the story. I love it!

Random Thoughts: Absolutely a fantastic read! Thank goodness it was "Recreational Reading" day in all of my classes! What a great invention! Without giving anything away, I'm just going to say: TEAM PEETA!

Final Thoughts: Highly recommended (obviously)! I can't wait to talk about this book with my students who read it in the future!

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 97/100 A

To the FTC, with love: Library Loan

Comments, of course, are always appreciated. But please remember not everyone has read the book yet; I don't want to indirectly be responsible for spoilers being leaked to unexpecting students/readers. Please be "spoiler conscious."

"This novel was absolutely surprisingly fantastic: a book I couldn't put down, a world I didn't want to leave behind, and characters that I'll never forget." — Miss Remmers

Release Date: February 28th, 2012
Publisher: Harper Teen
Challenges: eBook Challenge, +75 Challenge, NetGalley Challenge

"The human race is all but extinct after a war with Partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by RM, a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island while the Partials have mysteriously retreated. The threat of the Partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to RM in more than a decade. Our time is running out.Kira, a sixteen-year-old medic-in-training, is on the front lines of this battle, seeing RM ravage the community while mandatory pregnancy laws have pushed what's left of humanity to the brink of civil war, and she's not content to stand by and watch. But as she makes a desperate decision to save the last of her race, she will find that the survival of humans and Partials alike rests in her attempts to uncover the connections between them--connections that humanity has forgotten, or perhaps never even knew were there."

I found myself in several different instances, in class and at the rink, taking a huge intake of breathe in a surprised fashion (does that make sense?) — loud enough so that students and hockey parents were like "What are you reading?!" At one point in class, I had to shut the Nook and say, "Goodness that was SO romantic!" There were only a few minutes left of class so I explained to the students what I was reading and I hinted at the "romance."

Speaking of romance, was anyone else rooting for Samm? Just wondering...

I know this review is a bit "everywhere" but really — just take my advice and pick up this novel! There really wasn't a single thing that bugged/irked me about it. Despite the "heavy" overtones, Marcus brought some great humor to the story that I really enjoyed; a lot of times I feel like humor in YA is so over dramatized that I get frustrated — not so with this book! In addition to the funny, there were some great surprises and twists that I never EVER saw coming — I didn't even really have an inkling that a surprise was coming (which is probably why I can't help but gasp out loud)! I was even able to somewhat understand or at least deduce what all the medical lingo meant!

This novel was absolutely surprisingly fantastic: a book I couldn't put down, a world I didn't want to leave behind, and characters that I'll never forget. There were moments that were tear-jerking sad, laugh out loud funny, and (as I mentioned) exclaim out loud surprising! How's that for adjectives!

Favorite Memorable Quotes: page numbers are in reference to the NetGalley ebook.
"The first human to communicate with another species in eleven years and he tells me to shut up" (158).
"Well thanks for not shooting anyone, I guess. My contribution was to somehow refrain from peeing myself. You can thank me later" (251).

-Connect with the Author: Blog | Goodreads | Twitter
-BUY THE BOOK: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes and Noble | Nook

To the FTC, with love: eGalley from NetGalley

"This is a fantastic read that's unlike any other I've read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the werewolf/vampire craze (admit it...) — this is unique read and you'll find yourself on the new pixie craze next!" — Miss Remmers

From Goodreads...

"Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane... but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right — not human — in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear."

Why I read this: I received an awesome poster at BEA advertising Need, Captivate, and Entice and I figured I had better have these books on my classroom shelves if I was going to hang the poster. So I purchased Need and Captivate. I love the covers, very eye catching.

Plot: It took me a while to get into the plot because it was SO mysterious. I felt like there were a few too many factors left out. When questions started to be answered, I also felt like it was done in a very sneaky way. There were parts I had to reread because I had assumed I missed the big "oh, yea... " moment only to find out that the moment was three chapters ahead. Apart from that, the plot was fast moving, captivating, and addicting. I hated putting this book down. There were some fantastic "twists" in the plot that I never saw coming — never even considered! That doesn't happen a lot! I love the idea of pixies as well, it kind of threw me off at first and I had to overcome the urge to say, "Pixies?! Come on." But it's written so well that by the end I really was afraid of these man-eating, soul-sucking pixies!

Characters: I really connected with Zara, although I dislike the name. Witnessing her father dying and having to leave home to live with her Grandma in unfamiliar territory. Her personality and fear of life was really easy to relate to for me and for I think most people. I loved Nick! I'd love to see him portrayed on the big screen. I really adored Issie and Devyn as well, reading about their cute innocent romance made my day. I hate to admit it, but I really felt for the Pixie King; I don't want to give anything away, but I could see myself liking his character in the next book.

Cover: I adore this cover. When my students saw it on my desk, especially the girls, they were drawn to pick it up and see what it was about.

Random Thoughts: I love Betty!!

Final Thoughts: This is a fantastic read that's unlike any other I've read. I highly recommend it to any YA reader, but especially to anyone who loves the werewolf/vampire craze (admit it...) — this is unique read and you'll find yourself on the new pixie craze next!

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
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 (LOVE!!!)
Overall: 98/100 A

To the FTC, with love: Bought

Whoo! What a week! Last Wednesday my mom and I spontaneously left for Sioux Falls to get look for an apartment, obtain keys to my classroom and my curriculum materials, and fill out paperwork at the school district.

Surprisingly — everything went fantastic! Not only did I get keys to my classroom, but after calling over 30 apartment complexes I found the perfect apartment about five blocks from school for the right price! It was such a good deal we signed the lease right then and there and I have added four more keys to my key ring (two to the school and two to the apartment).

Mom and I then met up with Tyler, a friend from school, at a Mongolian Grill. It was FANTASTIC! I'll definitely be going back!

On Thursday Mom left for home and I left for Aberdeen for the 4th of July! Dan, Button, and I went to Eclipse before heading off to the lake! Button's lake was fantastic! While unsuccessful, I tried knee-boarding, wake-boarding, and tubing (I even lost a contact!). On the 4th we lit off fireworks and roasted 'smores. Then, to my surprise, Dan brought out his guitar and serenaded me in front of the other 20 or so people around the fire as fireworks went off. It may have been the most romantic moment of my life. Dan explained that he wrote the song, "Harry Potter Romance," before the sixth book came out but it wasn't until he met me (and wanted to impress me) that he finished the song. It worked. If you'd like to listen to the song — check it out at Harry Potter Romance by Piggy's Renditions on Myspace. You don't have to log in or be a member.

My Classroom

My SMARTboard

My desk

My school library!

Awesome plate of stir-fry!!

Tyler and I

Dan and I at the lake (we look gross because we camped...)

Dan serenading me! Bad picture because it was so dark.

"The story, the message, and the love are so real and pure. My students are going to devour this book!" — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"Still haunted by nightmares of her mother’s death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father’s relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother’s plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn’t do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.

But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn’t think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts."

"Sea" was one of the books I most excited for at BEA that I hadn't heard a lot of — I just absolutely adored the cover (a bit shallow, I know). So when I won it I was ecstatic!

Besides a fantastic "I want this now" cover, the story behind the cover is just as mouth-watering. I found that I could not put this book down and read it in only two sittings. It took me a bit longer to actually get into it simply because the love interest (sweet and innocent love interest) disappears just when I think I can't handle any more suspense. But then as soon as Sea begins her journey, I just had to find out what happened!

Parts of this book were a bit predictable, but as soon as I began to get "bored" a new fantastic twist took place and the whole story changed — it really kept me on my toes. So much so that we had just sat down at the best seats in the Jim Patterson stadium and I just had to finish the last few pages. Rude, I know.

Like "Before I Fall," I fell in love with how innocent and real the love interest (preferably #1 — in my opinion) of this story is. The whole time I was reading I was texting my own love interest gushing about how sweet Spider was. I may also have text him the most romantic line in the whole movie — "It's always been you."

Now that I can almost smell your saliva escaping your open mouth — that's all that you get!

Really, this book is fantastic! The story, the message, and the love are so real and pure. My students are going to devour this book!

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 8/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 8/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 96/100 A

This book will be released on June 10th, 2010.

To the FTC, with love: Won from TAC (Teen Author Carnival) during BEA 2010

"

I love being able to say I know the TRUE story of 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.'" — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite specter of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard. The story was immediately matched by a thrice marvelous adventure of Brom Bones, who made light of the Galloping Hessian as an arrant jockey. He affirmed that on returning one night from the neighboring village of Sing Sing, he had been overtaken by this midnight trooper; that he had offered to race with him for a bowl of punch, and should have won it too, for Daredevil beat the goblin horse all hollow, but just as they came to the church bridge, the Hessian bolted, and vanished in a flash of fire. All these tales, told in that drowsy undertone with which men talk in the dark, the countenances of the listeners only now and then receiving a casual gleam from the glare of a pipe, sank deep in the mind of Ichabod... . "

Why I read this: Who doesn't love the story of "Sleepy Hollow" around Halloween! This has been on my TBR list for a long time; when I realized that Gutenberg had it I began listening to it every spare moment I had.

Plot: It was fascinating hearing/reading the plot as it was originally meant to be told; so many people assume they know the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman because of the countless retellings. There is nothing better than reading the original story and realizing how it has been distorted throughout the years via literature and movie renditions.

Characters: The characters really came to life in the original story of Sleepy Hollow. I really understood exactly how nerdy Ichabod was (and not in that Johnny Depp sort of way). I was also given a whole new perspective on Katrina and her coquettish ways.

Cover: If it weren't for my love of literature (or if I were a high school student), I would not pick up this book because of the cover. It just sort of screams dull and old. I definitely vote on a new cover to inspire more contemporary readers to pick this book up.

Random Thoughts: It was fantastic to read/ listen to this book in October when the haunting season has just begun. There were moments of the text that were very heavy because of the large amount of description so it was nice to be listening to it so that I could be multi-tasking. Towards the end when the Headless Horseman makes his appearance the narrator couldn't speak fast enough.

Final Thoughts: This was a fantastic read for October. I love being able to say I know the TRUE story of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." I think on October 29th (it's our Recreational Reading day), I'll have my students listen to this fantastic original.

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 7/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 10/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 8/10
Overall: 95/100 A

To the FTC, with love: Listened to for free from Project Gutenberg

This weekend I had to drag my BFF Button to see Beastly. She hadn't read the book yet so I had to bribe her by paying for her ticket — but I just couldn't wait to see it! Plus, I watched Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" earlier that day and was on a one way track.

I loved the book by Alex Flinn — check out my review of "Beastly. " And in case you haven't seen the trailer, here you go:

If you haven't read the book yet (or don't plan to), you can still see the movie. The movie did leave something rather big out at the end that they alluded to with the cinematography throughout — but you wouldn't know it was missing.

I thought that Alex Pettyfer (Kyle) did a fantastic job and he was great to look at (scarred or not). I know that Alex Flinn (the author of Beastly) has talked to the press recently about the change in the "Beast" from her novel to the screen — most notably the loss of hair and claws. To be honest, when I was reading "Beastly" I didn't really like the hair and claws bit; it felt like it was straight from the Disney movie. I really like how Kyle looked in the film because it seemed more modern and even plausible. There were a few parts where Kyle was "stalking" Lindy (same as in the book) — but he's so good to look at I didn't mind.

I really believed Pettyfer's portrayal of Kyle — it was fantastic acting on his part (albeit a bit of bad writing). I felt his pain and his heart break and, despite my feelings toward Vanessa Hudgens, I couldn't help but sit at the edge of my seat saying "KISS HER!" several times.

Vanessa Hudgens. Vanessa Hudgens made this movie awkward — almost like Kirsten Stewart awkward. Yes, at times Pettyfer was also awkward (see the trailer) but that's just bad writing. I don't know — I just didn't buy into Hudgen's portrayal of Lindy at all.

Random: I'm really glad they left out the chat room bit.

What really made this movie for me was Neil Patrick Harris as the tutor. He did a fantastic job (as always!). I found myself looking for him on screen to be the source of witty banter and conversation. He lightened the mood without taking away from the seriousness of the story. Seriously, if for no other reason — see this movie for NPH!

This movie was well paced and the ending was perfect! I don't quite remember exactly how the book ended — but the movie ending was flawless. Again, I was on the edge of my seat the last five minutes. I liked how they didn't shy away from the fact that the story is a bit cliche: "We've all heard that story." But they did it in such a way that it was new and exciting. I never doubted the ending, but I still willed it to happen.

If you didn't like the book because of the cliches — see the movie. The movie somehow eliminates the awful "nail on a chalkboard" feelings I had when I read the book. If you haven't read the book yet, go ahead and read the book or see the movie first — it's a great story with an amazing actor (Harris) and some great eye candy (Pettyfer — okay, he's a good actor too).

"While a bit of a let down after "Need," "Captivate" surpasses it's predecessor in regards to plot and with an added "drool-worthy" male protagonist (or antagonist)." — Miss Remmers

Book Description:

"Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

A turf war is imminent, since the new pixie king, Astley, is moving in quickly. Nick nearly killed him in the woods on day one, but Zara came to his rescue. Astley swears that he and Zara are destined to be together, that he's one of the good guys. Nick isn't buying it, though Zara isn't as sure — despite herself, she wants to trust the new king. But it's a lot more than her relationship with Nick that is at stake. It's her life — and his."

Why I read this: I enjoyed the first novel in the series, "Need, " and wanted to continue with it.

Plot: I much more enjoyed the plot of "Captivate" than the plot of "Need." With "Need" I felt left out of the loop, constantly curious about what I had missed. "Captivate" was just as fast paced and captivating (no pun intended), but I didn't feel lost in all the mystery. I still love the idea of evil pixies, but I'm not even more in love GOOD pixies! I'm definitely Team Astley (if there were such a team).

Characters: If you look at my review of "Need, " you'll notice a significant decrease in my love (or lack there of) for these two books. "Need," despite the overly mysterious plot, was fantastic. "Captivate," at times, made me cringe and I feel like a lot of it has to do with characters and dialogue. The dialogue felt forced, overly dramatic and self-righteous; I really struggled with the tone and voice of this novel. To me, because it sounded so forced, it sounded fake and weak when the characters were meant to be real and strong. The monologues of self-righteousness just killed me as well as the monologues filled with Buffy pop-culture. While the plot line of Buffy and these novels are extremely similar, I would have never recognized it without the character constantly bringing it up. Now that I'm aware of the similarities it is all I can think of.

All is not lost, however, because of the fantastic character that is Astley. He is the reason I will continue to read this series. Fantastically mysterious and potentially dangerous at the same time, I can't wait to find out what happens next (and I pray that Zara doesn't break his heart)!

Cover: Again, isn't this cover fantastic!!

Random Thoughts: I think I covered most of my random thoughts about dialogue and monologues when talking about characters.

Final Thoughts: While a bit of a let down after "Need," "Captivate" surpasses it's predecessor in regards to plot and with an added "drool-worthy" male protagonist (or antagonist).

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 8/10
Characters: 5/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 8/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 3/5
Style: 3/5
Tone: 3/5
Cover: 10/10 (I LOVED this cover!)
Overall: 85/100 B

To the FTC, with love: Bought

The third NEED novel, Entice, will be released on December 14th, 2010.

"This is the perfect novel for a reader who is looking for a vampire story with depth, with no right or wrong answer, and with something a little more mature than the popular Meyer-esque characters and plot." — Miss Remmers

From Barnes and Noble:

"From the shadowy banks of the river Thames to the wild and windswept Yorkshire coast, Dracula’s eternal muse, Mina Murray, vividly recounts the intimate details of what really transpired between her and the Count—the joys and terrors of a passionate affair that has linked them through the centuries, and her rebellion against her own frightening preternatural powers.

Mina’s version of this gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into Victorian England’s dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and asylum chambers, revealing the dark secrets and mysteries locked within. Time falls away as she is swept into a mythical journey far beyond mortal comprehension, where she must finally make the decision she has been avoiding for almost a millennium.

Bram Stoker’s classic novel offered one side of the story, in which Mina had no past and bore no responsibility for the unfolding events. Now, for the first time, the truth of Mina’s personal voyage, and of vampirism itself, is revealed. What this flesh and blood woman has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than the Victorians could have expressed or perhaps even have imagined."

Why I read this: After seeing a review of this book on a blog (which of course I can't remember), I commented that the book looked fantastic but after going to my local Barnes and Noble and seeing the $25 price tag, I would have to wait for the paperback edition. Hours later the author, Karen Essex, emailed me and offered to send me a copy. I happily (and thankfully) accepted.

Plot: "Dracula in Love" is the story of "Dracula" from Mina's perspective. I really appreciated the way the plot was laid out. Firstly, the narration is absolutely fantastic; Mina brings you in before the first chapter in a prologue. Various references to the man who originally told the story (Brom Stoker) intrigued my interests and added further depth to the story. I haven't read "Dracula" (yet), but I was still able to make connections with the infamous plot line of the original story and follow along. The plot had a very significant supernatural tone to it, which I think fits the time period well. The very small subplot in regards to women's rights and the unsureness of the supernatural helped me to get a feel for the time period. The added supernatural and "eternal" elements to the story really kept my interest, but there did come a point at the end of the novel where I became overwhelmed with all of the supernatural elements.

Characters: While there were a few characters that I had a hard time visualizing, for the most part these characters became very real to me. The characters are written so well that I didn't see the several character "surprises" that Essex had in store. I was genuinely surprised in regards to how certain characters turned out again and again. The Count's love for Mina was so well written and described, you couldn't help pity him. In the beginning Mina was such a likable character who was easy to relate to; in the end, however, she was barely recognizable at the end. While I understand why this is important to the plot, I would have preferred a more reasonable and realistic change to her character.

Cover: This cover is gorgeous! Definitely "grab" worthy.

Random Thoughts: I should mention that this is not like other contemporary vampiric novels; Essex never really says that Dracula is a vampire, it's only subtly implied. This is the primary reason I can't really see any of my freshman picking up this book solely based on the "vampire story." This fact, however, did not bother me. I think adult readers will prefer that there is some sort of thought required in regards to Dracula's existence, rather than being told "Dracula is a vampire, an immortal, who sucks blood from the neck of his victims." Essex's Dracula is full of much more depth than that.

Final Thoughts: "Dracula in Love" is a fantastic love story for anyone who is love with the idea of vampires; having read "Dracula" isn't a requirement to fall in love with the characters Dracula and Mina. Actually, since having finished "Dracula in Love" on Saturday, I am now listening to Stoker's "Dracula." "Dracula in Love" is the perfect novel for a reader who is looking for a vampire story with depth, with no right or wrong answer, and with something a little more mature than the popular Meyer-esque characters and plot.

Yes, I went there.:)

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
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: 96/100 A

To the FTC, with love: Received from Author

This is a bit late, but a few weekends ago (when the movie came out) I saw "I Am Number Four" — yes, Alex Pettyfer is on FIRE. Two book to movie films in less than a month! I reviewed "Beastly " earlier this week also starring Pettyfer based on the book by Alex Flinn. Last August I reviewed "I Am Number Four " by Pittacus Lore. It was the first book I did a book talk of in my classroom and when I loaned out my precious signed ARC, one kid later it had bite marks, torn covers, and dog eared pages. Needless to say it came out of my classroom. I have since loaned it to family friends and coworkers and let's just say this: you can tell the book has been loved. I am DYING to get my hands on the next book, "The Power of Six" (August 23, 2011), and am hoping to score a copy at BEA.

Unfortunately (ugh, I hate starting like this) — if you haven't read the book yet I wouldn't advise seeing this movie. We all know that movies leave out loads of details from the book, but seeing this movie without first reading the book will, I think, leave viewers completely in the dark. Last week in class two students summed it up perfectly: "it lacked plot." I asked them if they'd read the book and they said no. Without the back story that the book provides, the movie is confusing and the plot falls flat. They only mention in passing at the very beginning of the movie that they are being "hunted down one by one" but it is never explained that it has to be in order and that once Six found Four all bets were off. All of Lorien was left out and Pittacus Lore was never even mentioned. So, please, if you haven't read the book — read it before you see the movie. You'll save yourself a headache.

That aside, as I have read the book, I was able to follow the extremely (almost too) fast paced film. I was able to fill in the left out details and as a result the plot wasn't lacking. Even with the fantastic plot, the characters were lacking a bit for me. Now I'm not one of those people who can't separate books from movies. I am able to view both forms of media as two different entities with the same story. I am not noe of those people who will let a movie "ruin the book" for me. So without comparing my connection with the characters while reading the book, I felt like the character development was extremely lacking. The only character I felt any emotion toward was Number Four. Some of it was bad acting but not always. For instance, Dianna Argon did a great job but I'm still weary of Sarah. I can't place it, but I just don't trust the girl. I was extremely disappointed with Henri; one of my favorite characters in the book and I felt no emotion toward him at all. I was also disappointed with Sam, the nerdy best friend. I just wasn't impressed with most of the characters in the movie.

Although, I will say this: I liked the movie version of Number Six much more than the book! Wow! This girls' got... uh... balls? And, does this face look familiar? Percy Jackson anyone!

The scene I was most looking forward to was the "Haunted Forest" scene and it was perfect. It was exactly how I had envisioned it. It was also great to see the ending — again — how I had envisioned it while reading the book. The dog was perfect as were the Mogadorians were great too.

Overall, this is a great movie (as I had read the book) but I wouldn't recommend it to "standard" movie goers. Take my advice. Read the book — it's fantastic and then see this movie! The two together are a story worth knowing.

I could be completely wrong too — Anna over at Anna Read's loved the movie without reading the book.

“It isn't okay to write "smutty" for "smutty's" sake, it is okay to write a little bit racy and still deliver a good story, a story with characters that students can relate to — Shaun Hutchinson did this with 'The Deathday Letter." — Miss Remmers
The clock is ticking... Ollie can't be bothered to care about anything but girls until he gets his Deathday Letter and learns he's going to die in twenty-four hours. Bummer.
Ollie does what he does best: nothing. Then his best friend convinces him to live a little, and go after Ronnie, the girl who recently trampled his about-to-expire heart. Ollie turns to carloads of pudding and over-the-top declarations, but even playing the death card doesn't work. All he wants is to set things right with the girl of his dreams. It's now or never...
Why I read this: The cover really appealed to me. I don't think I even read the (awesome) synopsis until I actually sat down to read it months after receiving it.
Plot: The plot of this novel is definitely one of a kind. The easiest way to describe it is simply saying that the story is set in an alternate reality, one much like our own except 24 hours before you die you receive a mysterious Deathday letter. This it the situation Ollie is faced with — what does he do with the last 24 hours of his life. Even before the first page I was sucked into this novel as a result of the brief prologue (although I don't think prologue is the best word). I found this book to be a complete page turner — a book I read in one sitting.
Characters: The characters of this novel, especially Ollie, are so honest and real. The tone of this novel, because of the strong characters, was fantastic — very much like the tone of "The Duff. " Together, the tone and the characters, made this novel. Ollie thinks, acts, and speaks like a teenager; in the beginning I thought that no one really acted/thought like that... but after consulting the fiance, it turns out that most teenage boys' brains are occupied by two things: sex and girls. Beware: I have never heard of or read so many inappropriate jokes in my life — but this is precisely why my struggling male readers will love this novel: it was written for them.
Cover: Absolutely ADORE!
Random Thoughts: I loved Ollie's Grandma! For such a small character she was developed extremely well.
Final Thoughts: While filled with sex jokes and inappropriate insinuations, this book will be PERFECT for my male students. It's racy enough to be "rebellious" but has a great enough story and, dare I say, moral to be appropriate for school. My girls loved "The Duff" because it was real and honest and my boys will love "The Deathday Letter" for the same reasons. Both of these novels are could be "border-line" school appropriate, but this is due to the honesty and relatablity of the novels. I'm lucky to have such a great school librarian and administration who would put these books on the shelves even if I didn't ask. The question is this: would you rather have loads of books on the shelves that students don't read because they can't relate to the characters and the characters don't sound like them or are you willing to take a risk on a novel that, depending on the school or community, is "questionable" but that the students will devour and still receive a good story? It isn't okay to write "smutty" for "smutty's" sake, it is okay to write a little bit racy and still deliver a good story, a story with characters that students can relate to — Shaun Hutchinson did this with "The Deathday Letter."
*Before reading "The Duff" and "The Deathday Letter" both books were already on our school library's shelves.
Originality: 10/10 Ending: 10/10 Characters: 8/10 Plot: 9/10 My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10 Theme: 9/10 Imagery: 9/10 Setting: 5/5 Voice: 5/5 (AMAZING sense of voice) Style: 5/5 Tone: 5/5 (Tone was absolutely fantastic!) Cover: 10/10 Overall: 94/100 A
To the FTC, with love: Gift

Amazon.com...

"The author of The Battle for Human Nature explains why too much choice has led to the ever increasing complexity of everyday decisions, why too much of a good thing has become detrimental to human psychological and emotional well-being, and how to focus our lives on making the right choices."

This book started out as a fantastic read — not only could I not put it down but I couldn't shut up about it! I even started highlighting and writing on sticky notes my thoughts so that I could mail this particular book to other people and discuss it!

One particular moment I remember was right after I had started the book after the first segment: I went to a coffee shop with my friend to be nerdy and relax while reading. I went to the counter and asked for tea. The employee asked me if I wanted hot or cold. I took a moment and decided on hot. Then she asked me if I'd like green, black, herbal, (and a couple other choices I don't remember). At this point, I was fairly overwhelmed. I said herbal (thinking that was the most simplistic choice) and she replied with a list of over ten different types of herbal teas. Finally, completely exhausted, I asked her to make whatever she recommended.

I grabbed my mystery cup of herbal tea and returned to my booth with this book and realized that Schwartz has a point! Choices are exhausting but everyone wants them! Few coffee shops could stay open if they only offered black or decaf coffee anymore. This short epiphany continued to fester in the back of my mind for most of the night; I had never realized how choices could stress me out.

Another example: I was at a restaurant with my family this past weekend and ordered breakfast. 2 eggs, toast, and meat. This decision forced other decisions:
"How would you like your eggs cooked?"
"Whole Wheat, White, Rye, or Sour Dough?"
"Bacon or Sausage?"
"Links or Patties?"

Now, even after this book has been shut on my night stand for over a week, I still think about the choices I make everyday and how it gets to a point that it does stress me out. After reading this, I also realized how society forces companies and other industries to have a wide variety of choices and how this has affected my life as a consumer!

Overall — a fantastic, thought provoking read. But about half way through I became exhausted. I'm not sure if the language or content changed, but after a while I was no longer able to relate to what Schwartz was saying. I'm not sure if this is because the information became slightly redundant or if it became more business oriented (an area I know nothing about).

Either way, I do recommend this book simply because I think it's great to evaluate the choices you make everyday. This book was extremely enlightening and thought provoking. I'm extremely interested to hear what others thought of this book.

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 7/10
Characters: NA
Plot: NA
My reaction/enjoyment: 5/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 9/10
Setting: NA
Voice: 5/5
Style: 3/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 64/75 B

To the FTC, with love: Bought

"It's worth it to read two equally fantastic love stories that will have you gasping for surprise and blushing with excitement" — Miss Remmers

Release Date: March 27th, 2012
Publisher: Open Road Media
Challenges: NetGalley, 75+, eBook

"Elizabeth Farr never wanted to return to America. During her family’s vacation abroad, she has fallen in love with England, and is despondent when her father refuses to let her stay. Returning to New York means having her debut into society, and that means a swiftly arranged marriage. Elizabeth will never go to college, never learn to be a reporter—as she sees it, her life is over as soon as the Titanic reaches port. Of course, if she’s unlucky, her life will be over far sooner than that.

As Elizabeth and her family settle into their first-class cabins, Katie Hanrahan, a young Irish girl with dreams of finding fortune in America, makes her way to a steerage berth. Both girls have plans for the future, but love and death are about to intervene."

On Friday (Recreational Reading day) I was all prepared to read "Kill Me Softly" — except when I started up my Nook it wasn't there! Rather than waste a good day of reading by, oh I don't know, grading, I decided to read the galley of "Titanic: The Long Night." Folks, it's literally been forever since I've reread a book — probably since I started blogging! I was wary of dipping back into these pages after all of these years because I didn't want to lose the magic. I was afraid that while reading this novel as an adult I'd pick up on the shallow characters/plot where I didn't as a young reader. I'm happy to say that that didn't happen. As an adult I'm still in love with Elizabeth and Max and (more importantly) I was able to fall in love again with Katie and Paddy. Yes, somehow throughout the years I forgot about this parallel story line (which, actually, happens to be JUST as good as the first — how often does that happen?). When I got to the first switch in narrative it all came back to me and I was immediately excited.

While much of the narration and description came back to me as if I had just read it a week ago, the feelings of excitement, embarrassment (for the characters), surprise, hurt, and love were still there as if I were reading this book for the very first time. Even though I knew what was coming, I found myself anticipating my reaction but each time the feelings somehow felt new and unexperienced. It was amazing.

Overall, this book was just as great as an adult as it was when I was a child. Really, folks — I had my mom (a librarian) make my book a hardcover (via laminating and somehow taking it apart — I don't know, she's apparently a genius) so that it would never "go bad." I loved it that much!

I know this is more of a review of my feelings and experiences rather than the book itself, but I definitely recommend taking advantage of the rerelease and getting your hands on a copy of this book. It's worth it to read two equally fantastic love stories that will have you gasping for surprise and blushing with excitement (no, not that kind of excitement!).

Below is the 1998 cover that I fell in love with and definitely still prefer. Even though Elizabeth is animated — I like her look more than the newer cover. But perhaps that's because of my emotional stake in the novel.:)

PS: This would be a great read for the Titanic Challenge (starting this weekend!).

-Connect with the author: Goodreads
-BUY THE BOOK: Kindle | Barnes and Noble

To the FTC, with love: Galley received from NetGalley (and personal owned copy from 1998)

As most of you know, this year I have discovered my love of the audiobook. I listen to audiobooks primarily when walking our very stubborn dog (who refuses to go outside and play in our huge fenced in backyard by himself to do his 'business') several times a day. Our walk takes about 15-20 minutes and audiobooks have really helped pass the time and make this chore seem like, well, less than a chore. However, because I read faster than I can listen, one huge downside to the audiobook is that it takes longer to get into — literally. This isn't because the book isn't any good it's just that without a strong narrator and a captivating start — audiobooks can fall flat.

Tomorrow, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is released in theaters. After seeing the trailer a few months ago I figured I should read the book before I saw the movie. I received the audio via Interlibrary Loan from my library and downloaded it to my phone and began my walk. It's not unusual (for me) to be a bit bored with an audiobook for the first couple walks, but after three days I was still bored! So I started listening to Pandora's "Swingin' Christmas."

I'm not sure if it's just because I love Christmas music or what, but I'm having a really hard time getting into this audiobook! I know the book must be fantastic and I really do want to read it — but I'm just frustrated that it's taking so long for the audiobook to "get good." I think I'll give it two more days (roughly two hours) but after that, I'm going to have to go to something else.

Do you ever struggle with audiobooks for this reason? Any suggestions of great audiobooks that have a fantastic start?