August 2009 | The Bookologist

Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph

Monday, August 31, 2009 | | 0 comments

Title: Shrinking Violet
Author: Danielle Joseph
Publisher: MTV (May 5, 2009)
Pages: 292 pages

Hey, Miami---you're listening to Sweet T on 92.7 WEMD The SLAM! It's after dark now, so don't change that dial...

High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class. But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out---doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into the confident, sexy Sweet T---and to everyone's shock, she's a hit! Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest---and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize---Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare.

Shrinking Violet is an original and unique book. I love it! Danielle Joseph's message is to believe in yourself and don't be afraid to anything you want to do. She's a shy girl who wants to be a DJ. Unique isn't it? It seems like a light book to read but inside you see how she comes out of her own world.

I really adore Tere's Character, it's an exclusive and different character, she stands out from the rest. She's shy but she wants to be a DJ. In the book, Danielle Joseph really shows Tere's character and you can see that she is just so shy. Danielle Joseph's writing is so good that she can make you feel the same way as Tere feels. She really knows how to develop a characters personality and to me not a lot of authors can do as well as Danielle Joseph did. The other characters also had cool personality's, Gavin, Tere's Mom, Stacy, etc...

The title is great, Shrinking Violet, is just a great title, it perfectly matches the book. You already could tell that Shrinking Violet would be about a shy person. It's like those flowers that if you touch them they open up, but if you don't they stay closed the whole time. This can be applicable to Tere's character, maybe.

Overall this is a great book, a positive lesson to learn. A fun, enjoyable book, and you see how Tere's confidence just develops more and more in the book.

Cover: Photobucket

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In My Mailbox (2)

Sunday, August 30, 2009 | | 8 comments

IMM is created by The Story Siren. Sadly I didn't get a lot of books... the mail is really slow! I wanted to buy so many books but I didn't want to spend all my money. But the books I got are really cool, I'm so excited to read all of them! Well this is my In My Mailbox :)

Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra

This book is an MTV book, the last MTV book I read was Shrinking Violet, it was awesome, so I thought I'd give this one a try, and plus it looks really interesting.

Graffiti art. It's bold. It's thrilling. And it can get a girl into serious trouble...

Raised by her single mom (who's always dating the wrong kind of man) in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn't rate, she's heartbroken. Even with winning artist Nathan Ramos--a senior track star and Angel's secret crush--taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she's angry and hurt. She's determined to find her own place in the art world, her own way.

That's when Miguel Badalin--from the notorious graffiti crew Reyes Del Norte--opens her eyes to an underground world of graf tags and turf wars. She's blown away by this bad boy's fantastic work and finds herself drawn to his dangerous charm. Soon she's running with Miguel's crew, pushing her skills to the limit and beginning to emerge as the artist she always dreamed she could be. But Nathan and Miguel are bitter enemies with a shared past, and choosing between them and their wildly different approaches to life and art means that Angel must decide what matters most before the artist inside of her can truly break free.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

She sees dead people-- and they see her. Chloe Saunders used to have a pretty normal life. But that changed on the day she met her first ghost. Locked up in the Lyle House, a group home for troubles teens, she fins out that there's more than the home's teen residents than meets the eye. Will Chlose be able to uncover the dangerous secrets of Lyle House . . . or will its
skeletons come back to haunt her?

This thrilling first volume in the supernaturally charged Darkest Powers series by international bestselling author Kelley Armstong wil keep readers awake well into the darkest time of night.

Bite Me by Melissa Francis

AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire—as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend—whom she's still totally in love with, by the way—is now her stepbrother. A former classmate—who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire—is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood?

I'm most looking forward to this one, this will be my next review! :)

Well thats three books, what did you get in your mailbox? Have a great week!

Create A Cover! FREEZE

| 2 comments

I found this from the lovely Story Siren

CREATE YOUR DEBUT YA COVER

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or clickhttp://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml

The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php

Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.

5 – Post it to your site along with this text.

Gifted: Better Late Than Never by Marilyn Kaye

Saturday, August 29, 2009 | | 1 comments

Title: Gifted- Better Late Then Never
Author: Marilyn Kaye
Publisher: Kingfisher (June 9, 2009)
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Young Adult

Tough teenage goth Jenna Kelley secretly dreams of a normal life with proper parents. When her mother goes into rehab, Jenna is seriously surprised by the sudden reappearance of her long-lost dad. And even though she can usually read anyone's mind, he's a total mystery. Before long, streetwise Jenna fins herself walking into danger, and she doesn't even know it. . .

Better Late Than Never was dark, secretive, addicting novel. I devoured this in one sitting.

The characters. Jenna Kelley. I adore her character. Sweet, nice person... I really liked how she bonded well with her father. I also love the idea of her being able to read anyone's mind, I wish I was her, that would be awesome! That power of however you call how she can read peoples mind, helps a lot. I also really liked Tracy, she was kind of nice to Jenna. Ken on the other hand, I don't get why the rest of the characters, especially Amanda, got so hooked with him. Now that I thought was cliche. Basically, I think Marilyn Kaye did a great job developing the characters.

Overall this book is a great read. It's not so long, so you could read it in an hour, it depends on how fast you read. You get to know about Jenna's life, especially her dad. I really liked this story, and so when you read it, I also hope you will like it as well, =)

Cover: Photobucket

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Have questions about this book? Email me! bookreviewsya@yahoo.com

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Labels: Review | 3 comments

Title: Along for the Ride
Author: Sarah Dessen
Pages: 383
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Publication Date: June 16, 2009

"You know, if you don't know how to ride a bike, it's nothing to be ashamed of," Eli said.
"I can ride a bike," I said. "I just...I haven't had the opportunity in a while."

Riding a bike is only one of the many things Auden’s missed out on. Even before her parent’s divorce, she was cast in the role of little adult, never making waves, focusing on academics to please her demanding mother.

Now she’s spending the summer before college in the tiny little beach town of Colby with her father and his new wife and baby. A job in a trendy boutique introduces her into the world of girls, their friendships, conversations, romances. And then there’s Eli, an intriguing loner. A former star on the bike circuit and fellow insomniac, Eli introduces Auden to the nocturnal world of Colby. Together they embark on a quest : For Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to put a tragic episode behind him. combine two lonely people with a charming beach town and an endless supply of long summer nights, and just about anything can happen.

All I have to say for this book, was that it was truly amazing! Auden had a unique personality, that was only amplified by her surroundings. Eli, on the other hand, was a cute, down-to-earth guy. All he wanted was to be treated normally; and Auden DID treat him normal. I think that's what made her more noticeable to him. Their adventure together was about everything; love, happiness, grief, sadness...everything and anything!

The book was written beautifully. It was smooth and kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen. Colby and the locals there, only made the book, all the more beautiful.

Another thing I noticed, was the relationship and the personalities of the secondary characters. They were all different (in a good way!) and had a history together. They were all connected and Dessen definitely created the back-story efficiently. I didn't even notice that I knew all of the characters until the end of the book!

Along for the Ride is a great read! You will feel many different emotions and it will bring all kinds of reactions from you! That's what it did to me. I hope you like it as much as I did!

Cover: Photobucket

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Have questions about this book? Email me! bookreviewsya@yahoo.com

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 | Labels: Review | 0 comments

Title: Ghost Girl
Author: Tonya Hurley
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 1, 2008)
Pages: 336 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult

SOMETIMES HIGH SCHOOL REALLY IS A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH.

Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is. Even worse; she's dead. And all because of a guy and a gummy bear.

The plot for this book seemed a bit choppy but also smooth. This was my first time reading a book by Tonya Hurley. I was not so sure if I really liked the book or not, I mean just from the look, it looks great.

The characters, Charlotte she was somehow a unique character, she had some unique parts of her personality, not like Petula, another character, who was SUPER stereotypical. I mean super stereotypical. I really didn't like Petula. Without being said, she was just not a good character that Tonya developed. I think she could have changed her a little.

Overall this book was okay, not too bad, not too great. I was expecting something a bit better. The cover of the book really persuades you to buy it, the cover is very unique. The size, the outside look of the pages, the loosy design, it's an awesome cover, but the inside is what disappointed me.

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Author Interview: Maggie Stiefvater

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 | Labels: Author Interview | 0 comments

All of my life decisions have been based around my inability to be gainfully employed. Talking to yourself, staring into space, and coming to work in your pajamas are frowned upon when you're a waitress, calligraphy instructor, or technical editor (all of which I've tried), but are highly prized traits in novelists, musicians, and artists (I've made my living as one of these since I was 22).

I now live an eccentric life in the middle of nowhere, Virginia, with my charmingly straight-laced husband, two small kids, two neurotic dogs, one criminally insane cat, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki.

I'm an avid reader, an award-winning colored pencil artist, and play several musical instruments, including the Celtic harp, the piano, and the bagpipes. I also mak

e great cocktail party conversation. She wrote this from perspective, it's from her website

Please welcome Maggie Stiefvater!

Who inspired you to become an author?

Ha! Answering this question would mean that I could ever remember a time when I didn’t want to write, which I can’t. I have authors that I look up to -- I very much admire Diana Wynne Jones & Jane Yolen’s long careers, for instance -- but that came after I had already been writing (bad) novels for years.

How old were you when you started to write?

Oops, already sort of answered this question. I wrote stories as soon as I could write, but I got serious about publishing when I was 16. I sent quite a few terrible novels and messy queries off to publishers around then. Quite embarrassing, looking back on it, actually . . . poor editors . . .

What's one thing you’re really proud of?
I’m actually really proud of myself for getting over my fear of crowds and public speaking. I used to be a terrible introvert, absolutely petrified to talk to people at parties. I was pretty much only able to be in front of crowds if I had an instrument to hide behind. But now I’m quite happily flying all over the place for Scholastic, doing public speaking and readings. It was a gradual process all through college and afterwards, but now I really don’t have a bit of nerves, no matter how big the crowd. *phew*

Who are your favorite authors?

I really love The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and I am just starting an ARC of her next one, Her Fearful Symmetry. I mentioned Diana Wynne Jones, but also Susan Cooper, and Melina Marchetta.

Do you have any advice for the young writers who want to become an author?

Read. Constantly. Read what’s selling well in the genre you want to write. Read industry blogs too. There’s so much easy information out there available for nothing that there’s no excuse for being an idiot. You can get published young, but you can’t use it as an excuse. I have a few starting links on my website (www.maggiestiefvater.com).

Do you have any must haves while your writing?
Music. I can’t write without it playing. Not Maggie-rocking-out music, either. It has to be a playlist I’ve carefully put together for my novel, or all I can think about is doing laundry or making cookie dough or running around the house or checking emails . . . anything but sitting down and focusing.

Did you base any of your character in Shiver on any real people?

I base all my characters on real people -- it’s just a question of how many real people go into each one. I will say that Sam and Grace are like me and my husband -- only I’m more like Sam and my husband is more like Grace. Sort of. I like to start with a kernel of truth and then expand hugely on it into someone new.

Thanks Maggie!

Blog Roll

Monday, August 24, 2009 | Labels: Blog Roll | 0 comments

Blogs alphabetically:

A Life Bound By Books

A Passion for Books

A Place For Wicked Good Books

Bloody Bookaholic
Book Butterfly, The

Book Scout, The

Book Shopaholic, The
Bookette, The

Books At Midnight

Books By Their Cover

Bookworming in the 21st Century

Fantastic Book Review

Good Golly Miss Molly
Green Bean Teen Queen

Hiding Spot, The

Juiciliciousss Reviews
Just Blinded Book Reviews
Just Your Typical Book Blog

Karin's Book Nook

Katie's Book Blog

Laina Has Too Much Spare Time
Late Bloomer Online
Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf
Lateiner Gang Book Review Spot

Neverending Shelf, The

Page Flipper, The
Page Turners

Penultimate Page

Pure Imagination

Ramblings of a Bibliophile
Ramblings Of a Teenage Bookworm
Read This Book
Reader's Adventure, A

Reading Inspires
Reveire Media
Reversing The Monotony
Reviews Of A Bookaholic

Sharon Loves Books and Cats
Shut Up! I'm Reading
Shooting Stars Mag

Sophistikatied Reviews

Steph Su Reads
Stop, Drop and Read!
Story Siren, The

Sweet Bonjour, The

Tainted Poet, The
Tales of a Ravenous Reader
Tattooed Books
Teens Read?
Teens Read and Write
That Chick That Reads
TV and Book Addict

Undercover Book Lover (Not Really), The

What Bri Reads
Word for Teens

YA Book Nerd
YA Book Queen
YA Book Realm
YA Reads
Yay! Reads

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Princess Bookie♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

If you'd like to be added, please email me at bookreviewsya@yahoo.com with your blog title and blog URL. Subject line: Blog Roll.

In My Mailbox (1)

Saturday, August 22, 2009 | Labels: In My Mailbox | 18 comments

This will be my first IMM post. IMM is created by Kristi from The Story Siren. I didn't get a lot but I also didn't get too little.

For this IMM post, I'll have a format:

~The Book- Author~
Why I borrowed/bought the book

Sloane Sisters - Anna Carey
I saw a review from The Story Siren, and it seemed really interesting. I know this book was published long time ago, but I don't really get what's new all the time, I read whatever I want to read (if I haven't read it yet)

The A-List - Zoey Dean
I wanted to try out a new series. I heard it's kind of like The Clique.

Ribblestrop - Andy Mulligan
The blurb was really alluring... it seems like a crazy, and random book. I forgot, the author is coming to the country I live in, so I might get a few copies and get it signed.

Glass -Ellen Hopkins- Borrowed
I like verses/poems. :)

Crank - Ellen Hopkins- Borrowed
The same reason for Glass

Cracked Up To Be - Courtney Summers- Borrowed

I really don't know why I checked this book out.

VAMPS - Nancy Collins
The cover looks too good!

Ghostgirl - Tonya Hurley
The whole look of the book seemed cool :D

Well, that's it! What did you get in yours?

Prophecy Of The Sisters by Michelle Zink

Friday, August 21, 2009 | Labels: Review | 3 comments

Title: Prophecy Of The Sisters
Author: Michelle Zink
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; 1 edition (August 1, 2009)
Pages: 352 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult

An Ancient Prophecy Divides Two Sisters--

ONE GOOD...

ONE EVIL...

WHO WILL PREVAIL?

Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, they find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' death, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets.

Lia and Alica don't know who they can trust. They just know they can't trust each other.
MICHELLE ZINK takes readers on an unforgettable journey in her page-turning debut novel.

Prophecy Of The Sister's is a book you can never forget reading. I was so engrossed with the book. Michelle Zink had written this book so perfect that she absorbs you in. From the start to the end it was just a book you could never stop reading. The whole book was just extraordianary.

Michelle Zink executed the plot with great, outstanding skill. The plot was flawless, it was perfect. Everything just clicked. The plot was more than excellent. She has a gift in writing, that only a few authors have. Her writing just blended so well with the whole idea.

In the book, I thought Lia was the one who kept trying and running in all the events and conflicts that happened. To me it looked like she was the only one *busy* (as in trying and trying). The tattoo mark, the book, all these things that Lia encountered, she was the one who was trying to solve each and everything. I really liked how Madame Berrier helped Lia a lot. She was the one who helped Lia solved the things needed to be. She had some background knowledge with Lia's problems, or such as the figuring out what prophecy is/mean. With Alice, she must fight. She has to beat Alice.

Overall Michelle Zink delievers a prophecy inlcuding defeat and hate. With a fantastic plot, fantastic characters, fantastic setting, it's a fantastic novel.

Author Interview: Jennifer Jabaley

Thursday, August 20, 2009 | Labels: Author Interview | 0 comments

Born in New York and raised in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Jennifer Jabaley is a graduate of James Madison University and Southern College of Optometry. She began writing in 2006 and tries to manage optometry, writing and motherhood. She lives in Blue Ridge, Georgia with her husband and two children. (from her webiste)

Please welcome Jennifer Jabaley, author of Lipstick Apology!

What inspired you to write Lipstick Apology?

I was inspired to write Lipstick Apology after a phone call with my sister. She was getting ready to go on a trip and it was the first time she was leaving her children. Since I'm the legal guardian in the event of their death, she kept calling me the night before the trip to tell me things "in case the plane went down" It became a little absurd and after the seventh call I said to my husband, "If the plane was going down, she'd whip out her lipstick and scrawl on a tray table the children's bedtime routine." And then I thought, hey, that is a great idea for a book - a note on a tray table.

Are you somewhat the same of different with Emily Carson?

No, I don't think there is too much of me in Emily. I think Emily has insecurities and desires to fit in and be popular like most teenage girls. But fortunately I never had to deal with the loss of parents or a strange apology or moving to a new city.

Where do you usually write?

I like to write at the kitchen table, although if it's loud in the house, I'll retreat upstairs to my office.

Do you have anything you need when you write?

Well, I write longhand, so I use a spiral bound notebook and a gel pen. I also need caffeine and silence.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I have so many favorite authors! Just to mention a few: Sarah Dessen, Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner, Emily Giffin, Carolyn Mackler, Sarah Mylnowski

What's some good advice for those young writers out there?

The best advice I ever heard was to find an idea that really excites you. You will be spending an awful long time with those characters and that plot, so you have a much better chance at completion of a manuscript if you truly love the story.

Are you planning to write other books?

Right now I'm working on an adult chick lit novel.
-----------------------------------
Thank you Jennifer!

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 | | 3 comments

Title: I Heart You, You Haunt Me

Author: Lisa Schroder

Publisher: Simon Pulse (January 8, 2008)

Pages: 240 pages

Reading Level: Young Adult

Ava can't see or touch him,

unless she's dreaming.

She can't hear this voice,

except for the faint whispers in her mind.

Most would think she's crazy, but she knows he's here

Jackson,

The boy Ava thought she'd spend the rest of her life with.

He's back from the dead,

as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

I Hear You, You Haunt Me was a verse novel full of poignant emotions, grief, sadness. She was able to make each and every poem interesting, none of the poems were boring at all. She was able to make all these poems suit Ava's character. She was so sad and depressed with what happened. Her writing is just so great that she can make you feel the same way as Ava feels, she gets you sucked into her writing. It's fantastic.

The characters were well developed. Lisa Schroeder focused on Ava almost the whole time. She really made sure that the reader knows how Ava feels. A lot of grief and sad emotions. She thinks about him almost the whole time. She wants him back. Somehow in the story Ava had a lot of guilt. I don't know why but I felt the same way as here, I was very surprised.

Overall this book was amazing. I recommend this to all the YA people out there, this one is a must- read- book. Lisa Schroeder's writing is extremely great. I have to read Far From You.

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Features

Labels: Features

Cover-Catch

Check out the latest amazing, stunning, beautiful, and gorgeous young adult book covers soon to be released!

Sneaking Around Goodreads

Showcasing a couple of novels that have been discovered through sneaking around Goodreads. Books shown aren't released yet. Check out their pretty covers and intriguing synopsis!

Blogger Blooms

Highlights of recently discovered young adult book blogs by me. These blogs aren't exactly all new, they can be all old as well.

Upcoming Releases

Be on radar and know what's releasing every month! Check out the young adult books that are coming out soon.

Paperback Covers

Look at some of the new, changed paperback covers from their original hardcover release!

Books up for Trade

I have quite a lot of books up for trade and are just sitting on my bookshelf. Visit the page in case you might see something you'd like to trade.

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Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph

Archives

In My Mailbox (2)

Create A Cover! FREEZE

Gifted: Better Late Than Never by Marilyn Kaye

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

Author Interview: Maggie Stiefvater

Blog Roll

In My Mailbox (1)

Prophecy Of The Sisters by Michelle Zink

Author Interview: Jennifer Jabaley

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

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