Waiting on Wednesday (7)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted weekly by Breaking the Spine. Here we share what we are looking forward to reading!! If only they would be pubished already!!!

This week's book is:

Vesper

By: Jeff Sampson

Release Date: January 25, 2011

Synopsis (from goodreads.com): Emily Webb is a geek—and happy that way. She’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for parties. And she definitely doesn’t start fights or flirt with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that … the same night a classmate—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.


The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing this. Every night, she gets wilder until it’s not just her personality that changes; she’s also becoming strong, fast, and utterly fearless. Has she been bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely—something not human?

Why I can't wait:

First, I love the cover. The red and that teal color work great together. I also like how you can't see her facial features. You can kinda make up what you want he to look like in your head. I also like the type font. Very mysterious. As for the story line, I like how it is mixed with mystery and paranormal. You have a murder mystey, who did it?, and a paranormal with something not being human. Overall, I think this one might be a hit!!

If you can't wait, try this one:

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading.


This is how you do it:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am currently reading:

Rampant
By: Diana Peterfreund

Here's the Teaser!!

"My hands slipped from the horn, down the creature's face; and I dug in desperately, until I felt something squish beneath my thumb. It's eye."

What is your Teaser Tuesday?

Book #13- Story in Verse- Teen Pregnancy

Planet Pregnancy
By: Linda Oatman High

Synopsis (from goodreads.com): For sixteen-year-old Sahara, “life and death and everything in between” depends on the color of a little stick. She waits three long minutes, praying to Jesus, Mary, and all the saints that the stick will turn blue, meaning she isn’t pregnant. Instead, the stick turns pink and Sahara’s life is changed in a heart beat.

So, what do I think?

Overall: I wasn't a teen when I became pregnant with my first son, but I was still in college and unwed. I found out the night before my 21st birthday. I too was looking for one line, not two. I know exactly how this character felt. My parents wern't the happiest in the world to hear of my news just like hers. I was lucky in that I had a great boyfriend who is now my husband of five years. We even added a second addition to the family last year!! Now, back to  the story. Also having a friend who hid her pregnancy from everyone for a few months, I know how this character is feeling too. I laughed, I cried, and then I sobbed at the end of the book. Overall, I really liked this book.

Characters: I can see these characters in my little Texas town too. The loser boyfriend, the loser dad, and even the rude brothers and sisters. I can even see the mom only caring about herself too. I think the brother and sister probably could have been in the story more, but I really liked the main character Sahara. She was relatable.

Ending: I think the ending is what I liked best about the book. I kinda gave me hope. I know exactly how the release of giving birth and the rush of emotions that follow. You want nothing but the best for your child in those few minutes right after giving birth. I feel the author caught that emotion really well.

Googie's Grade: 3 out of 5 stars!!

If you like this book, you might also like:

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading.

This is how you do it:
1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am currently reading:

Planet Pregnancy
By: Linda Oatman High

Here's the teaser!!

"I've admitted my fib about Blake and the Great Date Rape. Mom's going to take awhile to get over this, I can tell. I might as well accept that I'll be kept on mom's shit list for at least a decade or two. Maybe by the time I turn thirty, she'll have stopped her dirty looks and nasty cuts."

What is your Teaser Tuesday?

Follow me Friday (3)

Follow my Book Blog Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee's View. This is a time where we share a little bit about ourselves to the blogger world and hopefully meet new people and a chance to see other blogs out there.

If you are new to my blog, welcome!! I am still new at this book blogging thing, but I do have another blog where I chronical my weightloss.

I am a teacher and I am really excited about the new school year! I teach English Second Language Learners, which basically means that I teach students who maybe spoke Spanish, Russian, or any other language than English when they were younger. I try and help them get to know the English language more when it comes to readin and writing. I love my job because it is so great when you see the faces of your students light up when they finally have read a good book or realize that they can be writers too!!

This year I am trying out Literature Circles. I am super excited about it. I will let you know how it goes!!

Waiting on Wednesday (6)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. It is a place where all of us book geeks can share what we ar elooking forward to reading when it is published!

This week's book is:

The Lipstick Laws

By: Amy Holder

Release Date: April , 2011

Synopsis (from author's website): At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Kahn, and can ruin anyone's life as easily as snapping her perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the unfortunate few who have crossed her.

For April Bowers, Britney is also the answer to her prayers. With zero friends and nothing close to a boyfriend, April is so unpopular, kids don't know she exists. That is, until Britney notices her. One lunch spent at Britney's table, and April is basking in the glow of popularity.

But Britney's friendship comes with a price tag.

How much is April willing to pay?

Why I can't wait:

I found this book from another author's blog that I follow that I actually featured for WOW a few weeks ago. Carrie Harris and Amy Holder help each other write together. Pretty cool. Her website is really pretty.I can't wait for this book because it reminds me of one of my favorite movies growing up: Clueless. Also it reminds me of Mean Girls with Lindsey Lohan. I remember what it was like in high school and looking at the popular group. I had a group of my own, but the popular group was the place to be. I can now read this book and laugh because I am out of high school and I think teens will like it too.

If you can't wait, try this one:

Book #12- Coming of Age

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet
By: Erin Dionne

Synopsis (from Barnesandnoble.com): Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that's not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet's genius sevenyear- old sister will attend middle school with her— and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she—like her family—is anything but average.

So, What do I think?

Overall: I laughed, I cried, and then I laughed some more. I thought this book was too cute! I am usually so stuck in my fantasy world that I am always so suprised when I enjoy a good coming of age story. I really had fun with this book because I had several friends in school who had weird and quirky parents like Hamlet. I also remember how hard it was to fit in junior high school. I was always questioning my coolness like Hamlet, so this was a nice read.

Characters: The main character, Hamlet, was very well written and I could really see her as a teenager. Her sister, Dezzie, was also well written as the brainiac seven-year-old sister. She is way beyond her age with ehr smarts, but Dionne still kept her a little girl by the way she dressed and acted at home. KC is your typical boy who thinks that making fun of girls is a way to show them you like them. Story of my whole junior high experience! Spot on with that character.

Idea: Even though I never had Shakespearean scholars, I still could relate to the idea of the story. Embarassing parents, mean girls, and true friends are the backbones to this great story. The idea of her being named Hamlet was really cute and it set the whole entire story. I loved the too smart sister and the quirky parents.

Googie's Grade: 5 out of 5 stars!!

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme created by Breaking the Spine. This is where we discuss books that we are looking forward to coming out!!

This week's book is:

The Floating Islands

By: Rachel Neumeier

Release Date: February 8, 2011

Synopsis (from goodreads.com): When Trei loses his family in a tragic disaster, he must search out distant relatives in a new land. The Floating Islands are unlike anything Trei has ever seen: stunning, majestic, and graced with kajurai, men who soar the skies with wings.Trei is instantly sky-mad, and desperate to be a kajurai himself. The only one who fully understands his passion is Araene, his newfound cousin. Prickly, sarcastic, and gifted, Araene has a secret of her own . . . a dream a girl cannot attain.Trei and Araene quickly become conspirators as they pursue their individual paths. But neither suspects that their lives will be deeply entwined, and that the fate of the Floating Islands will lie in their hands. . . .Filled with rich language, and told in alternating voices, The Floating Islands is an all-encompassing young adult fantasy read.

Why I can't wait:

I have read another book that takes place on a group of islands and I really enjoyed it. I like the idea of special people being able to fly in between the islands. It makes me think about the others who can't fly. How is their life better or worse not knowing what is going on in the other islands? How do they get across to the other islands? Can they? I think that this book should be interesting and we all know that I love a good fantasy novel!!

If you can't wait, try this one:

What are you waiting on?

Teaser Tuesday (2)

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading.

This is how you do it:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I thought this week that I would give you a teaser from the book that I am writing right now called "Dust" and I would love to get any feedbackor advice to a newbie. I have wanted to write YA novels for the logest time and I have finally gotten enough courage to write.

Here's the Teaser!

"I thrust my hand to the bottom of the box and feel a fat envelope brush my fingers. I pick it up and lean back against the hallway wall. Poodle starts to saunter towards us and pokes her head into the box and lets out a little sneeze. Patrick scoots across the floor scooping Poodle in his arms and is practically in my lap as I open the envelope. You will never guess what is inside."

Not sure about the word saunter, but the dog is pretty prissy (and is a dauchsand named Poodle) so I didn't know what other word to put there. Can you guess what's in the envelope or in the box?

What is your Teaser Tuesday?

Book #11- Coming of Age

13 Little Blue Envelopes
By: Maureen Johnson

Synopsis (from Barnesandnoble.com): When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key to finding them in this funny, romantic, heartbreaking novel.

So, what do I think?

Overall: I started reading this book because I am actually writing a book where the main character receives a letter telling her ot do something and I wanted to see how someone had already done it. It wasn't a book that I was dying to read, but the cover looked cute and the basis of it looked interesting. So? I actually really liked this book. I wish I could have traveled like Ginny around Europe. There were times where my motherly instincts kicked in and I couldn't believe how trusting she was of people she had never met. At 17 there is no way I would have shared hotel rooms with total strangers and gone into someones house I didn't even know. I guess I was living through dreams with Ginny.

Characters: There were a few chracters I think that could have been edited out of the book and it still would have been good. There were a few spots that I thought the characters kind of ruined some parts. I'm not going to say who, but a family, is all I will say. However, I feel some of the chracters were fantastically placed in the book like Keith and Richard. They were perfectly matched for Ginny and just what she needed to get her through this journey.

Setting: Who doesn't love a Europen adventure? I still have yet to go to London and Greece, well anywhere in Europe actually, so it was nice to see it in a book. The descriptions may not have been spot on, but I would never know because I have never seen it!! I feel that the spots she chose in each country were good choices. They all ahd meaning behind them and I liked that.

Extras: At the end of the paperback version, the author has a little Q & A session and I really liked hearing her thoughts on the book. Being an aspiring writer myself, it was nice to see that after the fourth revision she had taken out a lot of stuff that she had originally planned.

Googie's Grade: 4 out of 5 stars!!

If you like this book, you might also like: