The Best Reader [Search results for vintage] 

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
Published: Bloomsbury (March 26th, 2013)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 320 pages
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Summary:
When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous
But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.
Review:
This book is so darn CUTE! Mallory is dealing with a cheating boyfriend and his emotional relationship with a girl who has been playing an online game with him. Mallory can't believe that he let a game take over and ruin their relationship. While dealing with this, she is going through some of her grandmother's things and finds a list of goals from back in the 60s. Mallory loves the simplicity of the list and that back then no one had to worry about cellphones, the internet, or computers that could ruin their lives.

Mallory's more simplistic lifestyle definitely isn't easy. Staying away from all technology is proving to be an obstacle. And, not everyone is on board with per Pep Club idea. But, there is Jeremy's cousin Oliver who steps up to be part of the club. Mallory is surprised once she gets to know Oliver and their attachment blossoms.

But this book is much more than a romance. It's really about a young girl who is heartbroken and wants to deal with the heartbreak in the best way possible. The new lifestyle is a type of therapy for her.

Mallory was so witty and funny. She may have let her ideas get a bit insane but she had good intentions. It was fun seeing her deal with day to day life without using the items we take for granted. Oliver really seemed to get her quirky personality and, in the end, she realized that maybe Jeremy wasn't right for her. Maybe she was going through her list for other reasons besides the heartbreak.
This is a great feel-good book that would be a perfect summer read.

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This particular post really has no meaning other than to bring some (more) fun into your lives with some fun wedding photos!

This first photo was completely random. Every now and then (when our faces were tired of smiling) the photographer was like "okay — frown picture!" I guess it was a way to relax our faces and it actually worked but it did result in some pretty crazy pictures (neither D or I are really "frown" type of people). When I saw this photo I could help but compare it to the famous "American Dream" painting.

The second picture was completely planned. The Grand Theater is the local theater in Bismarck and as D and I are HUGE movie-goers, we wanted one picture to be in front of the marquee. The Grand is a family owned theater that competes with Carmike and does a great job it! It's a very vintage theater with huge grandstand seating and big red velvet like material that acts as a curtain (like on a stage) that opens when the movie starts. It's a very atmospheric place that D and I love to visit. When we told the photographer that we wanted a picture out there she asked what kind of pose we wanted and this instantly came to mind.

That's it (for today)! Did I make you smile?

My absolute favorite photo!

Over at Reading with Tequila, book bloggers have compiled a list of book blogger recommendations. When I say a list — I mean a LIST! It's 266 books long! The list was compiled by 34 book bloggers and the ranking order "was painstakingly compiled factoring in how high the book was ranked on each bloggers personal list as well as how many bloggers mentioned the book." From this list there will subsequently be a Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge for 2012.

Of the 266 favorites listed — I have read 34 (a measly 14%). For the most part I agree with the standings of the list, although my personal top five would be different. But most of my favorite books are listed — the only one left out that I notice right now is "The Goddess Test" by Aimee Carter.

I think it's important to realize that as book bloggers we look at books different than the "average" reader because we read more than the "average" reader. Our comparisons between books are more vast. We also are in the "know" of good writing versus bad and all of the drama that exists in the publishing/reading/blogging world. I am, of course, alluding to "Twilight."

On this list "Twilight" is listed as # 266. Despite the "bad writing," I would have personally listed "Twilight" much higher on the list simply because I really did enjoy it as a guilty-pleasure read.

What about you? How do you fare according to the list compiled? I see tons of books on my TBR that apparently need to be moved up.:)

Thanks to those book bloggers who have compiled The List:

Em @ A Beautiful Madness
Marce @ Tea Time with Marce
Melissa @ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
Sarah @ Sarah Reads Too Much
Jessica @ Book Bound
Alita @ alita.reads.
Riv Re @ Riv Reads
Fiona @ The Book Coop
Ivy Pittman @ Visible Woman Online
The Keeper @ Tales from the Crypt
Creative Mind @ Creative Mind
Jennifer @ Reading with Tequila
Belle @ Belle's Bookshelf
Shannon @ Books Devoured
Suey @ It's All About Books
Jennifer @ Jenaissance
Ash @ Typing Tiara
Amanda @ The Vintage Bookworm
Nulaane @ Katzenjammer
Hilde @ The Turn of the Page
Amy @ Bookzilla
Heather @ Proud Book Nerd
Jennifer @ Fictitious Musings
Penelope Lolohea @ The Reading Fever
Nancy O'Berry @ Romancing the Blog
Samantha @ Paper Cuts
Sana Deen @ Book Sisterhood
Jenn Baker @ PonyTails Book Reviews
Kristie J @ Kristie J
Michelle @ Realizing my Dreams & More
The Book Vixen @ The Book Vixen
Scribacchina @ Parole/Words
Rae Reads @ The Novel Nymph
Janina @ Synchronized Reading

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
Published: Simon Pulse (May 21st, 2013)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Summary:
When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She’s seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath—with candles and a contract and everything—to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she’s spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle—which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude’s fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it’s strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away—no way would she fall for them. But Jude’s defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she’s speeding toward some serious heartbreak… unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she’s beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Review:

Jude definitely portrays being the baby of the family well. She feels the burden of being left at home, alone, and being her parent's last hope, in many ways. She's all they have left and she's really amerced herself into this job. She has a difficult time realizing the severity of her father's diagnosis.

Soon she think that if they are able to fix his old bike that maybe it will help him cope, or even get better. She finds a guy to help and it sure doesn't hurt that he's so hot: ) But there's a catch, he's a Vargas. Jude's sisters have had some bad history with his family. They've gotten their hearts broken one too many times and they don't want her to go through the same fate.

This book is"cute" in many ways. Even though it has a deep meaning based around family and dealing with a disease, it's a nice romance too. I just couldn't fully get into it. I didn't buy the fact that this"oath" was such a big deal. I also didn't really enjoy all the flashbacks and found that I started skipping a few.

My favorite part was getting to know Emilio. He was such a great character and I felt he made Jude a better person. Someone who could deal with what was going on around her instead of being in denial.

I think I've read all of Sarah's books and while this one wasn't my favorite, it's still a good book to check out.

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Tonya Hurley is here today to talk about her book Precious Blood. There's also a fantastic contest that you can sign up for below!

Saints and Sinners Tour By Tonya Hurley
PRECIOUS BLOOD is the tale of three Brooklyn teenagers – Lucy, Cecilia and Agnes – who are at the lowest point of their lives when they encounter Sebastian, an enigmatic guy who believes that each of them may be the incarnation of a namesake historic female martyr.

These martyr legends are some of the first young adult stories that we have. These girls are possibly the first young adult superstars on record – their tales of passion, strength, struggle, the supernatural, suffering, and devotion are what all good love stories are made of.

In the book PRECIOUS BLOOD, the first in THE BLESSED trilogy, Cecilia, Agnes and Lucy are three girls struggling to make it in a gritty, modern day Brooklyn- looking for love, for fame, and for who they really are.

AGNES of THE BLESSED Trilogy

Agnes is in love with love. And, when Sebastian comes to her that fateful night in the emergency room, after her suicide attempt, she is ready to believe in love, and him, whole-heartedly. She is the youngest of the three girls, and a headstrong, hopeless romantic, consumed with the notion of ideal love.

A rebellious bohemian in both dress and attitude, Agnes is an open-minded, carefree spirit most comfortable in her long skirts and thrift store jewelry finds, writing journal entries in her homespun and loungy bedroom with cozy knitted blankets, silk robes, and embroidered cushions everywhere smelling of incense and burning candles. Hers is a world of vintage boutiques and flea market scores, which define her unconventional style and her artsy personality as well as her loyalty to the past and ability to see beauty in things. While she may be a sentimental daydreamer, Agnes is no pushover. She finds herself constantly at odds with her overbearing, divorced and decidedly more practical mother, Martha, with whom she shares a Park Slope brownstone. Martha pushes her toward guys with big futures and family money but Agnes pushes back, holding out for something genuine. Something real. Something everlasting.

Photo Credit: N atalie Shau

Precious Blood by Tonya Hurley
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (May 14th, 2013)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Summary:
What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them?
Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief.
The story begins in PRECIOUS BLOOD and continues in PASSIONARIES, available 1/7/14.

Prize:

The Patron Saints of Summer Prize Pack One (1) winner receives:

· Earbuds (courtesy of Cecilia, Patron Saint of Music) · Sunglasses (courtesy of Lucy, Patron Saint of Sight) · Essie Chastity Nail Polish (courtesy of Agnes, Patron Saint of Chastity) · Copy of Precious Blood

· AND an Agnes t-shirt

Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only. Prizing & samples courtesy of Simon & Schuster.

Rules:

• You must be at least 13 to enter.
• Name and email must be provided and counts as 1 entry.
• Extra entries are possible and links must be provided.
• Contest is US Only and ends July1st
• Once contacted, the winner will have 48 hours to respond.
• The form must be filled out to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Learn more at http://theblessed.com Like The Blessed on Facebook Follow The Blessed and Tonya Hurley on Twitter and join the conversation using #PreciousBlood Follow The Blessed on Pinterest
About the Author
Tonya Hurley is the New York Times best-selling author of the highly acclaimed “ghostgirl “ book series; creator, writer and producer of animated and live action hit television series; writer and director of independent films; writer and director of commercials for Playstation, Gameboy and Warner Home Video; and creator of groundbreaking videogames. Her new young adult trilogy, THE BLESSED, begins with Precious Blood.

Praise for Precious Blood
“Our new favorite dark, sexy rock-n-roll thriller.” (SugarScape.com)
“Intriguing premise, fiery dialogue, and digs about celebrity-obsessed culture that moves at the speed of Twitter… ” (Publishers Weekly)
"… Hurley brings her deadpan wit and blackest humor to the first tale in this trilogy about spirituality, sacrifice and supernatural romance." (MTV Hollywood Crush)

The rest of the Saints and Sinners tour:
Monday, June 17: Meet Agnes the girl at Confessions of a Bookaholic and Agnes the Saint at Candace’s Book Blog.

Tuesday, June 18: Meet Cecilia the girl at Bewitched Bookworms and Cecilia the Saint at A Life Bound by Books.
Wednesday, June 19: Meet Lucy the girl at The Reading Date and Lucy the Saint at All Things Urban Fantasy
Thursday, June 20: Meet Sebastian the boy at Vampire Book Club and Sebastian the Saint at The Book Cellar.
Friday, June 21: In Bed With Books has a Q&A with Tonya.

I'd like to welcome Joanne from Slice of Life as this week's Guest Reviewer.

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

From Amazon.com...

"Many rumors abound about a mysterious gentleman said to be the love of Jane's life—finally, the truth may have been found... .

From p. 1, The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen:

Written as a "true" account of a very private experience for Jane Austen, the reader is given a glimpse into the quiet world of Austen as she finds pleasure in simple family life and reading and writing her beloved novels. Syrie James was successful,I think, in capturing the voice and spirit of Jane Austen, and she was true to known historical facts in Austen's life. The places she lived, family members and events, and the details of her early writing efforts are documented facts and are included in this fictitious memoir. It is a bittersweet story of love and loss, as we all know it must end that way, but it is written in a way that is respectful of the author's integrity.

Given that Jane was a private person and kept her writings mostly for her family's amusement (novels were a new concept and were viewed with disdain), it is perfectly understandable that at some point she gave up on the idea of being a published author when her first efforts at publication resulted in rejection. She felt her works were incomplete and needed revisions.

Enter Mr. Ashford, a man who despite his wealth and status, comes to know and appreciate Jane for all her special qualities and completely supports her writing efforts. As Jane's relationship takes twists and turns, she experiences emotions which will bring new depth and energy to her writings, First Impressions and Sense and Sensibility.

A very good read, poignant with vintage charm, and would work well as a young adult novel — if I was still in the literature classroom, this would definitely be in my class library.

************************* Big thanks to Joanne! Please visit her, share some book love, and check out her original review.