Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Riddle Answer

Yes, I know the riddle was kind of lame, but I didn't have anything else. The answer was a screwdriver. No new brainteaser, cause I don't have one.

Some Quick Reviews

So, I am back from Disney and school is back in full swing. I came to school today and found out I had a softball game. I have so much work to catch up on, but I thought I would catch up on some reviews.

Violet on the Runway and Violet By Design:

Both amazing books. It is a great read for those interested in the modeling industry and even those who aren't. They are quick reads though, but extremely entertaining.

Dairy Queen:

Well, I'm not to big on football, I'm more of a baseball girl, but this book is amazing. Cows, romance and football surprisingly are an amazing mix. Try this book whether you like football or not.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Greetings!

Well, I know it has been a while, and right now there is no review, though I have finished a bunch of books. Right now I am on vacation at Disney where my dance studio is dancing on Monday. I went to Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios) and Typhoon Lagoon yesterday. The best part is, I get to do Disney with my friends!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott


Kate's life is completely ruined. Her dad quit his job to sell infomercial vitamins and her best friend is acting like she is invisible. Then Will enters her life. She has known him for a little while, and she likes him. But Will is notorious for hooking up with girls, and when he starts to show interest in her, Kate protects herself by not taking what he says seriously. Even though they make out daily during her breaks from selling vitamins, she still doesn't believe he genuinely likes her. But Will was the only one who cared that her best friend ditched her and he was the only one who didn't make fun of her dad's job.

This book is absolutely perfect! Kate is a stubborn, bossy 16 year old whose life was ruined by her father. Will is popular, gorgeous, and completely out of Kate's league- at least she thought so. Elizabeth Scott portrays teenage emotions perfectly. Kate's development in the story was there, but not extreme like in many books. When the book ends Kate's life is still a mess, but it is a much smaller mess. Go to your local bookstore or library and get this book now! And for you who like to read on Google Books, it is not up there!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot


All-American Girl by Meg Cabot

Sam Madison's life couldn't get any worse. She has a C- in German, she got caught drawing celebrity portraits and is now being forced to take art class. She just saved the President from assassination and is now the is the U.S teen ambassador to the U.N. The boy she loves is her sister's boyfriend and the boy who likes her is the presidents son. Really, life couldn't get any worse.

This book is very good, but not my favorite. I loved the characters, especially David (the president's son) and Lucy (Sam's older and popular sister). Sam occasionally got on my nerves, especially with some of her top ten lists. Sam was a completely different illustration of an all-American girl. It is a really good book, though slightly annoying at parts. I do recommend it, because as I said it was really good.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Banning Books

So, it has been a week since I posted the topic of banning books. I only had ten people vote in the poll, one being myself, but the overwhelming majority was against banning books. One thought that it was ok, and and two thought that they should only be banned in school. I hope that it really provided you with something to think about. My opinion is that that banning books will start to lead to Ray Bradbury's prediction in Fahrenheit 451. It leads to the dumbing down of society and takes away our ability to choose. Just my opinion though. And the new riddle for the is what driver doesn't have a license? Answer in a week. Feel free to post your answer in the comments.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Current Read... New to me, but an older book

So, I am currently reading All-American Girl by Meg Cabot. I know many have read it, but I will review it anyway, problem is I left it at school!

Friday, April 11, 2008

The Assist... Review is Here

So, I know I said to wait till Monday for the review, but I finished the book. Enjoy!

The Assist, by Neil Swidey, follows Charlestown High School basketball coach Jack O'Brien and his players through a three years of their lives. The book focuses on O'Brien, Jason White, or Hood, and Ridely Johnson, though it does follow a few other people. O'Brien is unlike any other coach around. He dedicates himself to the game and to his players. His goal, other than winning, is to help his kids of the streets of Boston, go to college and make a better life for themselves. Unfortunately, his intensity is often misinterpreted, and is disliked among the public. Jason, nicknamed Hood for his appearance, is one of the stars of the Charlestown team. A senior when the book starts, he is co-captain with Ridley. Ridley, known as the nicest kid in school, is extremely talented, but not aggressive enough on the court. The book portrays around three years of their lives, following all the twists and turns of life in the projects.

From scholarships to jail time, this book has it all, happy and sad, it shows how some people are determined to get off the streets, and others just sit around waiting for it to happen. I absolutely loved this book. It shows the terrible conditions these kids live in and how it is almost impossible to rise above it. The story was so powerful, and though I usually do not like non-fiction, it has become one of the best books I have read in a while. For those who don't like non-fiction, it is like no other non-fiction book you will ever read. While it is an extremely true story, the writing style that the author chose made it flow like a fictional story. Not to say it sounded fake, but it kept my attention and interest which many non-fiction books can’t do. I was so impressed by this book and I can only sing its praises.

The Assist... Review coming soon

Okay, almost done with the book. For those waiting for a review, check back on Monday cause I have rehersal tomorrow and a baseball game to watch on today, Saturday and Sunday, it is a good series, and some will be watching it on t.v. Yes it is Sox vs. Yankees! Can't wait! Wait, the first game just started, got to go......

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Book Contest

The Page Flipper is having a giveaway for the book Audrey, Wait. 5 will be given away. I haven't read the book yet, but it is supposed to be amazing! Check it out at http://thepageflipper.blogspot.com/2008/04/contest-audrey-wait.html.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Current Read

Currently I am trying a non-fiction book called The Assist. More on it when I finish it, but right now it is written so well I forget that I am reading a non-fiction book! I love it and you should try it. I'll try to get a review up soon!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Ghost of Spirit Bear

I read the book Touching Spirit Bear in English class last year and did not like it. First off I didn't understand it, it dealt with anger and nature, and second there were some parts that were gross, Cole (the main character) ate a mouse and even more disgusting stuff. I'm not going to do a full review because I know many haven't read the first book and I don't want to ruin it. I liked the book, it really helped me understand the first book, I actually liked it better than the first. It is rare that a sequel is better than the first, but this is one of those instances. The Ghost of Spirit Bear comes out June 17 this year! Really, try both books!

Monday, April 7, 2008

Cool Contest

There is a writing contest going on for girls ages 12-18 Orb 28. Here's the link- http://orb28.blogspot.com/2007/12/call-for-orb28-submissions.html. Last post tonight, I promise!

Touching Spirit Bear




Have any of you read a book for school that you really didn't get, but then you see the movie or read the sequel or something and then get it? I got an advanced readers edition of the book The Ghost of Spirit Bear, the sequel to the book Touching Spirit Bear, and 12 pages in suddenly understood the first book. A little to late, b/c I didn't do so well on the test on Touching Spirit Bear. Well, now I can say it is a good book b/c I understand it.

Spell Check

For those who noticed, yes excercise was spelled wrong in the blog, but the domain is correct because the correct spelling was taken, oh the joys of URLs! I'll try to spell correctly from now on!

Love Red Sox Girl!

To Make You Think

This week instead of a brain teaser, I'm going to give you something to think about. There is a poll at the bottom, so this question relates to that. I would like you to think about the topic and then respond in comments and/or the poll. Banning books, is it ever okay? I hope this gets your brains working, because it is an interesting topic.

A Story I'm Writing

I think I mentioned Book Divas before, but I have posted two stories that I am working on called Story of a Girl and Soldier, so if anyone wants to take a look at them, I'm redsoxgirl!

First Book Review: Lawn Boy


So, I figured I should get the first review up quickly, so I got a book at the end of lunch, started it in study hall and finished it by the end of study hall. So right now I'm guessing you know it is a short book, which it is, under 100 pages. So it's review time.


Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
When a boy turns 12 years old, he recieves a lawn mower for his birthday, a gift from his eccentric grandmother. When a neighbor sees him riding it and mowing his lawn, he gets hired to mow the neighbors lawn. As word starts to get around, he starts to pick up clients, one of them happens to be a stock broker who invests some of the boy's money into stocks. When he has too many clients to handle, he starts to expand and now has a full fledged buisness.
This book, though a short read, is filled with humor and a few good lessons on the stock market. In its 80 something pages it is filled with plot twists, that you don't see coming, and some you do. The characters are great, Arnold, the stock broker stuck in the 70's, the boy's eccentric grandmother, and his parents- very smart, but their jobs don't pay well. The book has a happy ending (of course) and there isn't much more I can say. I reccomend it if you want a quick read, but if you want something long and with a lot of meaning don't pick up the book.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

If you like books...

If you like books, which I hope you do otherwise this blog has no point to you, check out bookdivas.com it is a great place to discuss books and other topics. And yes I know some who are reading this found out about my blog through it, but for those who didn't, check it out.

Welcome!

So, the title says it all. This blog is all about books and exercising your mind. I'll post book reviews as soon as I finish a new book, and once a week I'll post a brain teaser to keep your mind sharp. Mostly this blog is about books, which other than baseball, is my favorite way to spend time. No brain teaser today b/c I am tired and don't feel like finding one!