Splendor and Gossip Girl

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted. I have a bunch of reviews coming up for all of you dedicated readers. So because I took so long to jump on the Gossip Girl bandwagon I'm not going to do a full review and because Splendor is the last book of a series I won't do a summary.

Gossip Girl: A-

I enjoyed the story and it is interesting to see into the lives of the wealthy. It is nice to see that those these kids party they are also dedicated to their studies and makes their characters a lot less annoying than those in similar novels. It was also a good look into how gossip can spread like a wildfire and really effect someone's life.

Splendor: A-/A

I really wanted to give this an A or an A+, but the ending disappointed me. I won't spoil it, but not all is well in the lives of our four girls. Two are happy, two are not to start the novel. The couples we love may not survive and new ones may come up. Secrets are revealed and threaten the lives of our beloved society girls. All and all it was a good end to the series and while the ending was not the one I wanted it was still good.

So if you're wondering why I put these two reviews together it is because I often describe the Luxe novels as the Gossip Girl of the late 1800's to early 1900's. While the girls in Gossip Girl are a bit wilder, the characters in each live very similar lives. The characters are at the top of New York society and are what everyone looks at with jealousy. Yet their lives aren't really all that enviable. There are rules to the ways they can conduct themselves and many find themselves wanting to rebel. If you've read both of these series you know what I am talking about.

New Blog

Hey everyone! Check out my new blog Teen Travel which can be found at http://teenagetravel.blogspot.com/. The blog is travel reviews written by teens for teens or families traveling with teens. It is often hard to know whether a location is teen friendly which is why Teen Travel was created. Check it out!

New Puzzle

So this is one of my favorite concentration puzzles. There is another one similar to it that is harder with rectangles. So here is the triangle puzzle. Excuse any not perfect lines because I made this on paint. You can leave your answer as a comment.


How many triangles are there?

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Siddhartha is the story of a man trying to find enlightenment. You follow him over his many stages in life. Today for the first time I am going to use a plot description from an outside source because I cannot for the life of me figure out how to summarize this book in language people will understand.

Born into wealth and privilege, Siddhartha renounces his place among India’s nobility to wander the countryside in search ofmeaning. He learns suffering and self-denial among a group of ascetics before meeting the Buddha and coming to realize that true peace cannot be taught: It must be experienced. Changing his path yet again, Siddhartha reenters human society and earns a great fortune. Yet over time this life leaves Siddhartha restless and empty. He achieves enlightenment only when he stops searching and surrenders to the oneness of all. ~http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Siddhartha/Hermann-Hesse/e/9781593083793/?itm=1.


I disliked this book. It was well written, but it moved so slowly for a book where one chapter (about 15 pages) is three years or more. The characters annoyed me, though they had depth. Technically there is very little wrong in this book, but it was one of the worst books I've ever read. I was forced to read the book for English class, so I couldn't put it down and walk away either. The way the characters talked, though not hard to follow, sounded so fake I almost laughed. Granted it is translated from its original German, but still it must also sound fake in German. I also am one of those who doubts that one can achieve Nirvana, so the entire plot of the book is lost on me. Avoid this book unless you like spiritual quests.

Perfect Fifths

At last the new Jessica Darling book! I have absolutely adored this series, except the fourth book which I read the beginning and the end of and then stopped. This latest and last book is written in a completely different style than its predecessors which are written in diary form. This novel is written in third person, but the narrator knows what both Marcus and Jessica are thinking. Yes the focus of this novel is Jessica and Marcus. The story starts three years after the fourth book (for those who haven't gotten this far in the series stop here as spoilers from previous books will be included) where Jessica rejected Marcus's proposal. Jessica is on her way to Bridget and Perry's wedding on St. John and runs over Marcus. No that was not a typo, Jessica actually runs over Marcus in an attempt to make her flight. The rest of the novel fills in the blanks from the missing three years as Jessica and Marcus catch up with each other. The novel takes place in about 24 hours, but there is an attention to detail that has not been present in the previous books.

I absolutely loved this book. I wasn't sure because it was different than the previous Jessica books, but it really worked. It was well written and the banter between Jessica and Marcus is defiantly  what was missing in the fourth book. Fans of Jessica and Marcus get the ending they wanted and they'll be happy to see both Marcus and Jessica have their lives together. The book is well written, interesting and has everything that fans of the series want. Go read it.

NaNoWriMo Again

So, though it is only September I have signed up for NaNoWriMo again. This year however I have surprised myself and signed up for the regular one instead of the youth program. That means I will be writing 50,000 words in November. What have I gotten myself into? Just kidding, it'll be fun.

Persuasion by Jane Austen

So for school we were given an assignment to read Persuasion or Master and Commander and watch the movie of the book we did not pick. Given that Jane Austen is one of my favorite 19th century British writers I chose Persuasion. I also thought that since I didn't have much time to read on my own this summer I would review my summer reading books. So here is Persuasion by Jane Austen.

At age 19 Anne Elliot was persuaded she was to young to marry Frederick Wentworth, a member of the British Navy of no fortune and no title. Eight years later they are thrown back into each other lives when his sister and her husband, the Admiral and Mrs. Croft, become the tenants of Kellynch Hall after the Elliot family is forced to move to Bath to save money to pay their debts. Frederick Wentworth is now a Captain and has made his fortune but still has not forgiven Anne for rejecting him eight years prior.

I quite enjoyed this book and finished it rather quickly compared to when I read Pride and Prejudice which took me awhile to get into. The story drew me in even though I knew what happened having watched the movie during Jane Austen Week on PBS a couple of years before and watching it on Netflix while reading the book. Also the style of writing did not throw me off as it has in the past. The character weren't perfect, they seemed human. Of course for this book to be considered a classic it has to be well written, so I will stop with technical pieces. At points the plot moved slowly, so be forewarned. If you are not used to the style of writing that Austen uses you may have trouble, but it does not take long to get used to it. I highly suggest this book if you are looking for a substantive read which one can actually enjoy. It is not my favorite Austen book, that slot still goes to Pride and Prejudice, but it is a very good book. Enjoy!

I'm Back...For Real This Time

Hi. Sorry for not posting in so so long, but I got a job as a counselor in training at a camp and with my school reading I did not have much time to read for pleasure. I do have a few reviews for you though, including the books I read for school. Upcoming reviews include the books The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers, Persuasion by Jane Austen, Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. It's late so I have to go, but those reviews should be up soon!!!

Summer Movies

Summer movies kicked off well before the official start of summer with the blockbuster Star Trek. For all those who have not seen it because they claim to not be "trekies", go see it if it is still in your local theatre. As it is a prequel you don't need to know anything about it, but there are jokes thrown in for those who know the old movies and tv series.

This summer looks to be a great movie season with the sixth Harry Potter movie coming out July 15 (took long enough, it was supposed to come out when Twilight did). Though the trailers for it have been scarce, you can find them all over the internet. If you haven't read the books in a while or ever, I would suggest reading them. Personally I just reread the sixth (for the 18th time since I got the book) in preperation for the movie. 

Also the sequel to the hit movie Transformers. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen, though hard to believe, has even more action than the first movie. Though many critics gave it bad reviews, they are being to critical. The movie was made to enjoy, and it does. Even in the most intense battle scenes there is still humor thrown in.

And finally, The Proposal. I was kind of skeptical of this movie, it looked funny but I wasn't sure if it was going to stand out. It was very similar to many romantic comedies, but that didn't matter because it was light hearted and made me laugh. With darker and/or more depressing movies like My Sister's Keeper (depressing) and Harry Potter (darker and depressing) coming out, it is good to have a movie that is fun and light and makes us laugh.

If I started rambling, I apologize. I now leave you to go enjoy the summer and all of its movies. I will have a new review soon. however first I need to find a new book...

The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols

Lori has always been one of the guys when it came to her next door neighbors the Vader brothers. They spend their summers together on the lake wakeboarding and working at the marina. The youngest of the Vader brothers, Adam, is one of Lori's best friends. But Lori secretly has a huge crush on the middle brother Sean, a crush that only Adam knows about. When Sean steals Adam's girlfriend, Lori and Adam pretend to be going out to make Sean and Rachel (the girl Sean stole from Adam) jealous. But plots run deep, and there may be more to this one then what meets the eye.

I had a good time reading this book. As it belongs to the Romantic Comedies collection, it had a perfect amount of humor and romance. The characters are believable, which for these novels sometimes doesn't happen. Sure the story was slightly predictable, but it was highly enjoyable and some parts took me by surprise. I recommend this book as a beach or pool read or just a light read when you want to smile.