Why I Read YA...

Some people that I talk to about books, ask me why I read Young Adult books. Besides the fact that I am a "Young Adult"; I read them because I find them more interesting that adult books. I also write books for Young Adults ( I am not published). I think that Young Adult books portray a stronger message. Instead of it just being a story that someone reads for the sake of reading, most YA books teach important things.

I have read YA books that have taught me more about History, Languages, Myself, and to be myself. I think that if there is a book genera that makes you learn all of those things; it's a keeper.

I don't think I could remain sain if I would stop reading. It has become such a big part of my life...

Leap Day by Wendy Mass

... This books was a light read. I found it fun.It switches points of views a lot, but, instead of making the story worse, it makes it better. So, all in all, this was a good book. I don't strongly recommend it, but it was nice

I know this was a short review, but I don't have much time...Sorry.


Silence is silver, but Books are golden...

So here's whats going to happen...

Because I am behind on reviews, I am gong to write them all write now. They will be short, and not in my normal format; but it needs to be done. So, I will set them to be posted throughout the week. I hope you enjoy!

Best Wishes,
Zoe

Why Do I Always Do This?

Okay, I do this a lot. I haven't been posting a lot of reviews. I have been busy doing school work (I have three projects + schoolwork) and reading. Some of you may know that I am trying to read 300 books this year. It is unbelievably hard. It's not that I don't have enough books, believe me, I do. It's that I have been trying to multi-task.

At the end of January or begging of February I will post a list of books that I have read this month. So far I'm at twenty. So, once again, I am sorry for saying sorry do much. And I'm sorry for not posting a lot of reviews.

Best Wishes,
Zoe

I got tagged...

I got tagged by Sarah from Sarah's Random Musings.
Here are the rules:
Link to the person who has tagged you.
Write down six things that make you happy.
Post the rules, tag six others and let them know you did it.
Then tell the person when your entry is complete.


1. Family
2. Friends
3. Books
4. Writing
6. Book Blogging

Because I can't narrow down who I want to tag. I am tagging the people who haven't been tagged yet!

See ya' later!


PS- I just realized that Sarah and I have really similar things that make us happy.

And Then We Made History...

Today is possibly one of the most historical days some of us will live through. If you do not know what I am talking about. Why in the world don't you? Let me just say: Congratulations President Barack Obama! I watched the inauguration in class today, and I was just blown away. His speech was beautiful. Unlike a lot of the presidents before him, President Obama didn't say what he will do, he said what we will accomplish by doing it, and he pointed out that America hasn't been the best it can be. So, weather your a Democrat or Republican, you can't deny this day happening. So, Congrats Mr.President and I know you'll do great!

How To Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles

When I got this book out of the library, I hadn't read the back. But when I got home, I did. I thought to myself "Why in the world did I choose this book. I mean, there were at least 200 other books in the section that I was in, why this one." The answer was simple, something in me, wanted to read that book, and I am happy that I did. So, before I go giving my opinion, here is the summary of the book. (Taken from the Product Description):

Moshav? What’s a moshav? Is it “shopping mall” in Hebrew? I mean, from what Jessica was telling me, Israeli stores have the latest fashions from Europe. That black dress Jessica has is really awesome. I know I’d be selling out if I go with the Sperm Donor to a mall, but I keep thinking about all the great stuff I could bring back home.

Unfortunately for 16-year-old Amy Nelson, “moshav” is not Hebrew for “shopping mall.” Not even close. Think goats, not Gucci.

Going to Israel with her estranged Israeli father is the last thing Amy wants to do this summer. She’s got a serious grudge against her dad, a.k.a. “Sperm Donor,” for showing up so rarely in her life. Now he’s dragging her to a war zone to meet a family she’s never known, where she’ll probably be drafted into the army. At the very least, she’ll be stuck in a house with no AC and only one bathroom for seven people all summer—no best friend, no boyfriend, no shopping, no cell phone…

Goodbye pride—hello Israel.


Let me first explain to you one of the reasons I wasn't really thrilled with what the back of the book said. At the time I wasn't really looking for a novel that involves traveling and drama. I was looking for some kind of kick-butt type of thing. But, in a way, this book kind of had that. In a way Amy (the man character) kicks Israel's butt. She makes the the country work for her, though she doesn't see it and she doesn't want to, she makes the best out of her trip; and actually ends up liking Israel. All in all, this was a goof hear-warming story. It's an easy read, and I recommend it.


Silence is silver, but Books are golden...

Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle

Wow, I am really behind on reviews. I first want to tell you that there might be more reviews coming soon. But, I can't be sure, because every time I say that, they never some soon. On another note. Here's a review of Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle.

No one notices Jane--not the jocks, the stoners, the debaters, the drama geeks, the cheerleaders, and especially not the Bitches, the school royalty made up of one girl from each class who's so transcendently beautiful and fascinating that no one can help but worship her. Imagine Jane's surprise when the Bitches approach her to be their freshman member. She wants this kind of popularity more than anything, but when she discovers the sinister secret of the Bitches' power, she's forced to make the toughest choice of her life.


This is the fifth book (I think) of Lauren Myracles that I have read. And, it did not whatsoever disappoint. I'm not a big fan of books that include the popular group in high-school, but I know a lot of them do. The only thing thats different from those books and this book is that, I actually liked this one. So, hip-hip-horray, for Lauren Myracle, who is a fantastic writer! Go check out some of her books, you most likely won't regret it!


Silence is silver, but Books are golden.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith

So, last week when I came to school, my friend handed me a book and said "Here, read this". I was like "Um...okay, if you say so". Let me just start off my saying this is one of the best Vampire novels I have read. So, here is the "product description":

Elena: the golden girl, the leader, the one who can have any boy she wants.

Stefan: brooding and mysterious, he seems to be the only one who can resist Elena, even as he struggles to protect her from the horrors that haunt his past.

Damon: sexy, dangerous, and driven by an urge for revenge against Stefan, the brother who betrayed him. Determined to have Elena, he'd kill to possess her.

Collected here in one volume for the first time, volumes one and two of The Vampire Diaries, the tale of two vampire brothers and the beautiful girl torn between them.



Like I said, I really enjoyed this book. But, some things I didn't like about it was that some of the characters reminded me of characters in Twilight. But other than that, I loved this book, I just requested the next two from the library, so hopefully they will get there soon!


Silence is silver, but Books are golden...

New Books (5) part 1

So, I haven't done one of these in a while so this is going to be split into 2 parts. Some of these books I have read and not reviewed, some of them I have reviewed, and some of them I haven't read. So, here we go:

Forever... by Judy Blume
A Novel Idea by Aimee Friedman
On Writing by Stephen King
E.E. Cummings: Selected Poems
Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Tales of Edgar Allan Poe
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Extremely Lous and Encredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Devilish by Maureen Johnson
Son of the Mob by Gordon Kormon
Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Kormon
Rhymes with Witches by Lauren Myracle (review coming soon)
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles (review coming soon)
Leap Day by Wendy Mass


So, that was Part 1, and Part 2 will be coming shortly.



Total books read so far in 2009: 9
Total pages read in 2009: 2,312

Forever by Judy Blume

This is the first Judy Blume novel I have read, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Here is the short but nice product description:



The saga of Katherine's and Michael's love is a joyous one, filled with all the wonder of "the first time." They meet on New Year's Eve and become completely involved with each other. It's an idyllic affair—until they're separated that summer...


Like I said this was my first time reading a Judy Blume novel, unless you count when I was in like 3rd grade and read the "Fudge" books. I read this book straight through, it was wonderful. Judy Blume does a fantastic job writing. I strongely suggest reading this book, but only read it if you are a "mature" reader, there are some "mature" parts in it.


Silence is silver, but Books are golden...

Me and Mr.Darcy by Alexandra Potter

The first thing that drew me to this book was the cover, I loved it. The second thing that drew me towards it was the title, it sounded interesting. So, I now give you the description:



After a string of disastrous dates, Emily Albright decides she’s had it with modern-day love and would much rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and spend her time with Mr. Darcy, the dashing, honorable, and passionate hero of Jane Austen’s classic. So when her best friend suggests a wild week of margaritas and men in Mexico with the girls, Emily abruptly flees to England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead. Far from inspiring romance, the company aboard the bus consists of a gaggle of little old ladies and one single man, Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist writing an article on why the fictional Mr. Darcy has earned the title of Man Most Women Would Love to Date.

The last thing Emily expects to find on her excursion is a broodingly handsome man striding across a field, his damp shirt clinging to his chest. But that’s exactly what happens when she comes face-to-face with none other than Mr. Darcy himself. Suddenly, every woman’s fantasy becomes one woman’s reality. . . .



I read this book straight through, it was a really nice read. Some things I didn't like about it were that some of the characters were too "common", in a way that I sometimes knew what one of them was going to do or say. On the bright side, it was a light, fun book. I recommend it if you enjoy Jane Austen or romance/comedy novels.

Ariel by Sylvia Plath

I have been wanting to read Sylvia Plath for a while, but I could never find any of her books. SO, while I was at the used bookstore, I looked. And, there looking all pretty was The Bell Jar and Ariel.

Ariel was a collection of poems Sylvia Plath write a few months before she died. As I was reading the poems she wrote, I had a glimpse of what was going through her mind months before she committed suicide. I don't really know what to say about this book, but what I can say is that Sylvia Plath was a wonderful writer and poet, and she has affected many peoples lives. I suggest anything written by Sylvia Plath.

The V.C. Andrews Movement

I just joined The V.C. Andrews Movement reading challenge, to find more about it go here.
I joined this challenge because I have had seven V.C. Andrews books sitting on my bookshelf since summer, but I don't have the either of the complete series' that I have (If that makes sense). I meant... I have all of the Logan series and all of the Casteel series. I think everybody should join this challenge, because from what I have heard, V.C. Andrews is a pretty awesome author.

Bookshelf Meme

So, I got tagged by Valentina's Room to do a meme. Thanks Valentina for tagging me! So here it is.

1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…


1. the book that’s been on your shelves the longest:
I have a picture book that belonged to my dad when he was young, and when my family and I moved into my house the book got put on a shelf in my closet so its been there ever since. I believe it was nine years ago.

2. A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.):
I don't really know which one to pick. I will tell you about two books then. The first one is a picture book called Goodnight Moon. Almost everybody in my family ones a copy of this book. My parents believe that everybody should have read it when they were kids. This brings back memories because I have read it so many tomes to so many different people that I am pretty sure I have memorized it. When I was in 3rd grade , the illustrator of the book came to my school and I remember bringing him my copy and my day-care providers copy. But, no matter where I look now, I can't find his signature in either of my two copies, but I have seen it in my day-care providers copy.
The next book doesn't remind me of anything now, but I know it will when I am older. I know this because the book is Paper Towns by John Green. I think that when I look back on this book I will remember John and Hank Green and all of the wonderful things they did, and the joy their video's brought me. I will remember what it feels like to know that you're not the only one in the world who likes what you like, because in the past year since I discovered John Green's books, I have also descovered myself in ways. I descovered that I don't want to be apart of the "popular" crowd, and that its okay to want to be intellectual and like books. The thing that will most remind me of this stuff, is what John put in the Acknowledgments at the end of the book. He wrote "To the nerdfighters, who have taught me so much about the meaning of awesome." To me that is wonderful and magnificent.

3. a book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.):
A week after my birthday last year, I went to a gigantic garage sale that the town next to mine was having. When I was there, I got two poetry books for a total of two dollars. I didn't notice this until afterwards but both poetry books were published in the late eighteen hundreds. Not only was that cool, but one of the poets my dad likes. And, I bought the books from one of my dads old teachers.

4. the most recent addition to your shelves:
I actually got this book today. It is Ariel by Sylvia Plath, it is a collection of poems she wrote in the months before she died. It is sitting next to me as I type this, waiting to be finished,

5. a book that’s been with you to the most places:
This is a very very hard question to answer. Umm... I have brought so many books with me, its hard to tell because of the fact that I take at least one book with me wherever I go. But, I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak I read at any moment I could (if that counts).

6. a bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions:

Once again, this is very hard to choose. I think I will pick a book that I had to read for class; The Odyssey by Homer. I chose this book because I wasn't fond of it, and I had to do an oral report on it. I like this book because for the oral report I didn't talk about what happened in the book, or who the characters were. I talked about the writing style Homer used, and the message The Odyssey gives people. And, that oral report was the best I have ever given. I only got positive feedback, which hadn't happened to anyone else. But, most of all I felt good afterward because I hate oral reports and I didn't even know I had to do one until the day before, I thought all I had to do was a book report. I showed myself that I can stand up in front of people and talk and actually have them listen to what I am saying, as long as what I say, I mean.


I am gong to tag:

Sarah
Kaylee
Em

Frenemies by Alexa Young

A few weeks ago I bought Frenemies, I had heard about it a lot and I thought "Why not voice my opinion on this book?" Well, here it is. Before I give you my opinion, here is the summary from the back of the book:



Avalon Greene Rules the fashion scene at her sunny SoCal middle school with a diamond-clad fist, giving props to classmates for their fashion-do's and calling them out for their most unfortunate clothes-pas. She's determined to host the social event of the season—a soiree in honor of her forever-friendship with Halley! Unfortunately, Halley's new look is one thing Avalon just can't celebrate.


Halley Brandon Just back from art camp, Halley can't wait to share her funky new style with her best friend, Avalon. But when Avalon cries fashion foul, Halley realizes her best friend's true colors may clash with her own. Has their ultra-fabulous friendship finally gone out of style?


From sharing custody of their puppy, Pucci, to drawing up a list of who gets which friends, Avalon and Halley discover what happens when you battle the person who knows everything about you—and isn't afraid to use your secrets to get what she wants.



I admit to having high hopes for this book because I had heard about it so much, but I also went into this book knowing what parts of it were about. I am not a big fan of books that include popularity and materialism, but, though this book has those things, I liked it. I'm not saying that it was the bes book I have ever read, but is was OK. I enjoyed Halley's life more than I did Avalon's, because Avalon seemed kind of rude and more obsessed with money that Halley did. I would recommend this book, but I wouldn't read it with high hopes. Who knows? It could be better than you thought it was gong to be.


Silence is silver, but Books are golden...

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

I recently joined the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. If you wuld like to see the rules and/or join you can go here.

If you love historical fiction, or history, or even if you are looking to expand your reading horizons I would join this challenge.

Here is my list:

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. A Midsummers Nights Dream by William Shakespeare.

Books vs. Movies Challenge

I recently joined the Books vs. Movies challenge. Here are the rules:

"In 2009 read a minimum of 6 books that have been made into movies and then watch the movie.

* Write a review on the Book vs the Movie and be honest about whether or not you think the film-maker was successful in translating the book to film. Please keep in mind that it is impossible to convey everything. You must both read the book and watch the movie within 2009. All genres are acceptable and it doesn't matter when the movie was made.
*
Feel free to display one of the following challenge buttons on your blog (movies
shown are Pride & Prejudice, Marley & Me and Twilight)
*
Please add to the comments of this post and/or the Goodreads group when you've done a review. Periodically throughout the year random prizes will be given out."


If you would like to sign up for this challenge go here.

Some New Years Resolutions...

So, last year I completed my first ever New Years Resolution. It was top read 50 books in one year (at the time I wasn't really into books). I actually ended up reading 106 books last year. So this year I am setting some more New Years Resolutions. Here they are:


1. I want to complete all of the challenges I joined for 2009

2. One of the challenges I joined was to read 100+ books, and on goodreads I joined a challenge to read 300 books, so another New Years resolution of mine is to read 300 books!

3. I would like to post more.

4. I would like to get more organized for school.


Happy New Year everyone, you are all unbelievably awesome and deserve a wonderful 2009!

Happy New Year!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to wish you a very happy New Year, it is 1:48am here, and I am about to go to sleep. I just wanted to let you know that all of you are really awesome and you deserve to have the best year yet! There will probably be a blog post tomorrow morning when I wake up, which is going to be about New Years Resolutions and other stuff. So, Happy New Years and I'll see you soon!