80's Pop Culture, Trailer Stacks, and an Easter Egg- Review of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One

Ernest Cline

2011

Amazon/Goodreads

Wade lives in a "trailer stack"- literally a stack of trailers!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is a dystopian novel set in 2044.  Due to global warming and the energy crisis, industrialized nations are collapsing.  People escape into the Oasis, an immersive Internet world, where players are able to build the lives they wish they had in reality.  When the 1980’s-obsessed inventor of the Oasis dies, he leaves his fortune to the winner of a virtual contest within the Oasis.  High school senior Wade Watts is determined to win this fortune- and the most epic videogame of all. 

I enjoyed this fast-paced read because of the incredible world building, the 1980’s pop culture references, and the mysterious clues within the contest.  I even found myself trying to solve the riddles along with Wade.  The characters demonstrate inspiring perseverance and sacrifice in their quest, and teenage and adult readers alike will enjoy the game contained in this book.

For more information, check out the book's website.

Lucky Charm Blog Tour- Interview With Author Marie Astor

Lucky Charm

Marie Astor

Adult Contemporary Romance

Purchase at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords

I love the cute cover!
What a classic, romantic scene.

Author Marie Astor

LPFR: As a newer author, many bloggers may still be unfamiliar with you.  Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

MA: I am a die-hard romantic who wholeheartedly believes in true love, which is why I write in the contemporary romance genre. I am the author of a contemporary romance novel, Lucky Charm, and a short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories. In addition to being a writer, I am an avid hiker, an excellent swimmer, a good skier, and a capable badminton player.

LPFR: Please tell us about Lucky Charm in one sentence.

MA: In a nutshell, Lucky Charm is a story about a girl who loses her faith in love, but it is also a story about friendship and forgiveness, and most importantly, it is a story about being brave enough to believe in love and having the courage to pursue it.

LPFR: What was your inspiration for writing Lucky Charm?

MA: Romance is such a big part of women’s lives – we spend so much time dreaming and worrying about finding that special someone, but when things do not go exactly as planned, we rely on our friends to help us through the tough times. I knew I wanted to write a fun contemporary romance about the role that friendships play in women’s lives and the challenges of opening up to love after getting one’s heart broken.

At first, the idea started out as a short story I wrote, entitled Lady Luck, which is part of my short story collection, A Chance Encounter and Other Stories. By the time I finished the outline for Lucky Charm, the novel turned out to be very different from the short story that inspired it.

LPFR: You handle the unraveling of Annabel’s engagement with honesty and hope.  I went through a broken engagement as well… What advice do you as a romance writer and woman have for others recovering from broken relationships?

MA: Never give up on love! We’ve all suffered from a broken heart - as daunting as it may feel at the time, it is possible to fall in love again.

LPFR: What is your favorite part of the story?

MA: My favorite part of the story is when Etienne takes Annabel for a tour of a chateau – Annabel is expecting them to be part of a tour group, but instead she finds herself sharing a romantic evening alone with Etienne.

LPFR: What are some of your favorite books right now?

MA: I just finished rereading Sidney Sheldon’s If Tomorrow Comes. I absolutely love this book - it’s got romance, intrigue, revenge – what more could a reader want?

LPFR: What are you working on now?  Can we expect another book soon?

MA: I am currently working on my next contemporary romance – it is a love story set at a ski resort. The book should be coming out in November. Please visit my website, http://www.marieastor.com/ for updates. Here is a little preview:

At twenty two Maggie has a lot of important decisions to make: Jeffrey, her aspiring politician boyfriend of five years has just proposed to her, and an acceptance letter from one of the best law schools in the country is lying on her desk. But is that what she really wants? The answer comes most unexpectedly when during a ski trip to Colorado she meets Taylor, a handsome, free-spirited big mountain skier who is the complete opposite of Jeffrey. Maggie’s attraction to Taylor is undeniable, but she is engaged to marry Jeffrey. Will Maggie find the courage to follow her heart?

LPFR: Thank you, Marie Astor, for this interview!

I received a copy of this book from the author for review.  Review for this book to come soon.  Visit the next stop tomorrow August 28th at Housewife Blues & Chihuahua Stories!

A Spanish Convent, Love Triangles, and Lots of Aliens: Review of The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore

The Power of Six

Lorien Legacies, #2

(Sequel to I Am Number Four)

Pittacus Lore (pen name for James Frey)

Will be released on August 23, 2011

(but you can pre-order!!)

**BASIC SPOILER ALERT FOR I AM NUMBER FOUR!!**

The Power of Six is a strong follow-up to I Am Number Four (review here).  The story picks up shortly after the last book ended, but it opens with a new member of the Garde (super-cool young aliens with special powers, only six known survivors of their race).  Marina (Number Seven) and her Cepan (older protector alien, skilled in combat but without the special powers) have been hiding in a convent in Spain for a long time.  Marina is now almost eighteen and skilled with the Legacies she has discovered so far.  The problem is that her Cepan, Adelina, has dedicated her life to the Church and refuses to acknowledge what they are and what their mission is.  With the help of an adorable new orphan named Ella, Marina plots to find the Chest containing her powerful inheritance- she wants to find the other five, before the Mogadorians find her!

The book is split back and forth between Marina's story and John's story.  John, if you will recall, has run away from Paradise, Ohio with Six, Sam, and Bernie Kosar, leaving Sarah, the love of his life, behind.  They are major fugitives, suspected of terrorist actions and hunted by the police as well as the Mogadorians. John is still holding on to the letter than his Cepan, Henri, wrote to him before he died, and he hasn't opened his Chest to explore his Inheritance yet.  Meanwhile, both John and Sam have crushes on Six- which makes John feel guilty and Sam feel jealous.

Fortunately, relatively little time is spent on the love triangle(s) aspect.  This book is action packed-  the fight scenes are more frequent and even better than in the first book!  The Garde have such cool powers, and in this book, they use them creatively.  Marina, in particular, uses her powers skillfully.  I remember reading I Am Number Four and wondering why John didn't use this or that power to do whatever, but in this book, he  uses his powers in ways that I hadn't imagined, leaving me impressed with his innovative thinking.  There's also a really cool part where John and Six use their powers to directly help humans by freaking out a bad guy.  Sam also has special moments- he's NOT like Ron Weasley (mostly useless in combat until the very end).  Despite being a human instead of an alien, Sam shows bravery, strength, and skill alongside John and Six.

The only downside was that the book was a little hard to get into- the first 50 pages or so set up the story for both John and Marina, which ends up being a lot of build up.  After that, though, things start to get exciting... There are several cool twists- some in the beginning, and some near the end, and I LOVE twists that I didn't see coming!  The last one hundred pages I couldn't put the book down, and I can't wait for #3!  This book definitely ended on a cliffhanger, but the kind that makes you look forward to the next book, not the kind that makes you write an angry tweet and then delete it.

I would recommend this series to fans of YA Adventure.  This is an alien story, which is kind of different, and it's a lot of fun to read.  Yes, there's lots of violence, and yes, there's sad parts, but the writing gives you a positive, vibrant feeling, and the characters are good natured and warm.  Both boys and girls will enjoy this book, and I think it transcends interest levels- this would be just as good to someone my age as to a fourteen year old.

Check out the website for more info!

Disclaimer:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Music, Love, and a Fateful Porn Shop Meeting: Review of Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

John Green and David Levithan

YA Contemp Romance

2010

I'm guessing the cover, which is beautiful,
is showing city lights on the night the two Wills meet.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the story of two boys, both named Will Grayson, and their struggle to learn to love others and themselves.  John Green and David Levithan each created a character and then had them meet- incidentally at porn shop that neither one was supposed to be at.  This chance encounter brings out different aspects of their personalities as their friends interact and as they compare themselves to each other.

The "first" Will Grayson is a quiet boy with a very loud, very openly gay, very huge best friend named Tiny.  Tiny is a giant football player who falls in and out of love several times each week, and he's working on a musical about his life called Tiny Dancer.  Tiny is the GSA president, and another member, Jane (who at first may be part of the gay or the straight side of the alliance, Will isn't sure), turns out to have awesome taste in music, be very smart, and totally cute to Will.  Can Will discover his place in this group of friends?  Will needs Tiny, but does Tiny need Will?

The "second" Will Grayson is a guy struggling to live with major depression.  Will lives with his mom, who loves him dearly, but clearly has her own problems as well.  He has few friends, none close, except for an online friend named Isaac.  Isaac and Will talk online every night, and they hope to one day meet.  Finally, Will plans to travel to meet Isaac...

I had a hard time getting into this book, but once I got past the first 50 pages, I loved it.  This is an excellent LGBT book about teens, but it's really just a book about LOVE.  Love between parents and kids, love between friends, love between boys and girls, and love between boys and boys.  What is love?  How do you know you are in love?  What will you do for someone who loves you?  Can you make someone love you?

While this book deals with the painful topic of major depression, both Wills are humorous which keeps this from being a depressing read.  There is a dark tone to it, but the use of music lightens things up periodically. The "first" Will Grayson and his friends are into punk/indie music, and they go to a couple of shows and talk about their favorite songs.  A sub-plot of the book is Tiny's production of his musical, including some lyrics, that are super funny while expressing issues and questions surrounding his sexuality and his desire for love (example: a baseball scene with the song "What's Second Base for a Gay Man?").

I LOVE the honesty of this book.  The "second" Will Grayson eloquently expresses his feelings and frustrations with his life and depression: "it's not fair, because i didn't ask for dad to leave, and i didn't ask to be depressed, and i didn't ask for us to have no money, and i didn't ask to want to f--k boys, and i didn't ask to be so stupid, and i didn't ask to have no real friends, and i didn't ask to have half the s--t that comes out of my mouth come out of my mouth.  all i wanted was one f--king break, one idiotic good thing, and that was clearly too much to ask for, too much to want (p. 148)."  Will feels a great sense of injustice that his life is so hard.  He knows he's hurting people, but he doesn't want to, he's just trying to survive with the life he has been given.  I think he wants space, too, space to be himself even if it bothers other people.  He wants those around him to realize that he's hurting and may hurt them, and to love him anyways.

There's a scene when the "first" Will is giving Tiny the silent treatment that I really found insightful.  "It's not even that I want to torture him anymore.  I'm just reveling in the glory of not having to hear the neediness and impotence of my own voice (p.158)."  If you've ever argued with someone who is more loud, more demanding, and more assertive that you, you might identify with Will here.  I know that I do.  There comes a point when you feel so helpless that you don't even want to try to get your point across, and there's power in NOT speaking, because the other person needs you to say something in order for him or her to shut you down.  Will is sick of his relationship with Tiny, and he wants to stop feeding his own need for Tiny.

Bottom line: GREAT read.  I'd highly recommend it to all high school students as well as anyone who likes diverse romance books or books about friendship.  I can't wait to read other books by Green and Levithan.

I checked this book out of my local library.

Review of A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

A Tale of Two Castles

Gail Carson Levine

May 2011

Ages 8-12 (or 23...haha)

328 pages 

This is the story of a twelve-year-old girl named Elodie who leaves her family to travel to the town of Two Castles (so named because of the two castles- one belongs to the king, the other to an ogre!!) to become a "mansioner" (aka an actress).  Elodie is very smart- she observes everything which helps her to be a good mansioner.  She hopes to become a free apprentice, as her family is very poor, but once she has embarked on her trip, she finds out that free apprenticeships are no more, and she needs to either find enough money to pay or find other employment.

During her trip, Elodie sees some new things that surprise her.  Some people are dressed strangely, there is a weird obsession with cats in Two Castles, and she meets the dragon Meenore, who hires her as an assistant.  When the ogre, Count Jonty Um, comes to Meenore to ask for help, Meenore sends Elodie back with him to be a secret agent in the castle and protect the Count.  This tale is loosely based on the story of Puss 'N Boots... but are the cats in Two Castles friends or enemies?

I absolutely loved Ella Enchanted, so I always make an effort to read anything that Gail Carson Levine writes.  I found the beginning of this book to be tentative as far as the warm, magical romance that I expect from Levine, but it definitely showed up in the second half of the book.  The plot is well-developed- a mystery with twists, turns, and close calls.  Elodie is a likeable heroine, but the supporting characters are really excellent.  Masteress Meenore the dragon is multi-dimensional, which is refreshing in a mentor (by this I mean that Meenore goes through different moods and challenges Elodie in ways that surprise the reader), and County Jonty Um is the most unique ogre that I have ever read about- I'll let you read the book to find out more!  

I give this book 4 stars and would recommend it for young readers.  You can check out the website to read the first chapter, and here is the book trailer!!

Review of Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens

Libba Bray

390 pages

May 2011

Beauty Queens is the story of a plane full of Miss Teen Dream contestants that crashes on a seemingly deserted island.  Of course, all of the adults have died,  but chaos is averted by Miss Texas, who takes control of the situation and starts to organize the girls. The book starts in the POV of Adina, who admits right away that she thinks the Miss Teen Dream pageant is stupid and she wants to throw the whole thing, but I really liked that it didn't stay in her POV.  We get to experience the POV of many different girls, which is really cool- throughout the story, we find out each girl's secrets and how they perceive the world.  Reality TV pirates and a psycho dictator soon join the story, which add to the humour level significantly.

Throughout the book, social commentary is weaved in through "Commercial Breaks" and foot notes.  Readers will enjoy seeing Sarah Palin represented (I'm now even more terrified of her after reading this book), as well as Justin Timberlake, popping up in an unexpected place (at least, I think it's Justin Timberlake, haha).

Libba Bray really uses this book to create a space for dialogue about the oppression of women, female sexuality, LGBTQI issues, racial stereotypes and identity formation, how we perceive intelligence, and even environmental issues.  At first, it felt really preachy, but it evens out  when you realize that the book isn't Adina "Man-Hater" vs. everyone else, and each girl has her own strengths and weaknesses.  The book even made me think about my life- such as my anxiety about how I look at the gym.

I give this book 5 stars and I recommend it as an excellent YA beach read.  It's full of hot girls and guys, heart-pumping action, and a hilarious pirate captain who reminds me of Russell Brand.

Book Blogger Hop (13)

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books!

This week's topic is:

"Share your favorite post from the last month and tell us why it's close to your heart!"

My favorite post this month was from Top Ten Tuesday- the Top Ten Major Jerks in Literature!  I love this post because I got to remember some of the most hated or naughtiest male characters that I have ever read.  I also love the pictures I included.  It's kind of like going through your old yearbooks and sharing gossip about the people you didn't like. 

If you visit from the Hop, please leave a comment with a link to your post so I can be sure to return the visit!

Book Blogger Convention!

Tomorrow I leave for NYC to attend the Book Blogger Convention 2011.  I'm so excited to meet other bloggers and learn about how to make my blog better.  I had a slow start this year due to some personal problems, but I'm so glad I'm actually able to put focus into my blog again, and by this time next year, I hope to have a far better blog with richer, more frequent posts and a wider reach.

I've started getting emails from authors, asking me to review their books, which is very exciting!  If you are an author, send me a message- chances are I'd love to read and review your book for this blog.

If you see me at BBC, definitely say hello- I'm expecting it to be challenging at first to connect faces to blogs, but I can't wait!

Review of The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

The Big Crunch

by Pete Hautman

2011, Scholastic

280 pages

I decided to read this book after reading a stellar review on a magazine website (the name of which I can't remember).  I had never heard of it before, but it sounded like a fun change from my usual reading. The Big Crunch is the story of two high school students: June, whose family moves about every six months because of her father's job, and Wes, who has just broken up with his first girlfriend.  This story does a great job of avoiding cliches or current trends- Wes is not mesmerized or filled with a desire to drink June's blood upon their first meeting (although he later becomes mesmerized, he never develops the desire to exsanguinate her).  Wes actually thinks that June is sort of weird-looking, and June pity-dates one of his best friends (you learn this from the front cover, not a spoiler).  While I liked the ending, it remains realistic.

The title comes from the theory that the universe will end by crunching in on itself in  a black hole (or something like that- I'm a biology teacher, not a physicist), parallel to how the universe began (the big bang theory).  I can hear Sheldon shutting me down right now.  If you read the book, you will find out what this theory means to the characters.



I loved this book- 5 stars for an excellent, engaging, contemporary love story.  It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it reminded me of my own high school years.  I met my boyfriend in middle school, we started dating after 9th grade, we got engaged at 20, unengaged at 21, and are still together at 23, so I appreciate stories about high school sweethearts and the struggles of falling in love so young.  This is my first time reading Hautman, and he actually has quite a few books, so I'll be checking those out too!

Book Blogger Convention!

I am so excited to have just registered for the 2011 Book Blogger Convention in NYC!  PS I also just booked my own hotel- for someone as travel and adventure challenged as I am, this is a very big deal.  Leave a comment if you are going as well- I skimmed the attendees list and I saw a lot of my favorite blogs, so I can't wait to meet you all!

Early bird registration ends soon- like TOMORROW- so register now if you would like to attend!

WINTER BREAK READING GOAL!

As a teacher, I get tomorrow (Christmas Eve) through January 3rd off, and I'm going to Mississippi with my parents.  I usually get a lot of reading done on vacation, so I'm hoping to finish 2010 with a bang.  Unfortunately, there is no internet available for me there, so I will have to post when I get back!

Here are the books I'm taking with me:

Review- The Dreamkeepers by Gloria Ladson-Billings

Published in 1994, 2nd ed, 2009

I read this book for my Literacy class, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed it greatly.  The book is an ethnographic study of eight teachers who were respected in the community for being successful teachers of African American children.  Instead of viewing African American children as problems in schools, Dr. Ladson-Billings wants to highlight teachers who are able to bring their students to rise above the status quo and achieve high proficiency.  Major themes of this book are respect, community, and culturally relevant pedagogy.

I rate this book 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who works with children/teens.  I learned a lot and am newly inspired to be a better teacher.

Review- A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Published in 2009

Summary from Goodreads:

Talia fell under a spell . . . . Jack broke the curse.

I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic. . . .

I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind.

I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss.

I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen.

Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner!

Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels. . . . The good news: My parents will freak!

Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time?

I picked this book up because I loved Beastly by the same author so much- this book wasn't as good as Beastly, but I still really enjoyed it.  In Beastly, the main character has serious flaws and makes serious progress, but in this book, the growth was less transformative.  A Kiss in Time was still a fun read.  When Jack and him friend stumble upon the princess in the hidden kingdom Euphrasia, the descriptions of the differences between the real world and this lost-in-time world are really funny.  I also really liked the character Malvolia, the evil witch.  You'll see what I mean if you read this book!

4 stars- check it out if you like fairy tales!

VERY EXCITING NEWS (at least to me!)

My copy of Catching Fire has finally shipped from the library after a long time on the waiting list.  Just had to share how psyched I am!  (And yes, I know that I am behind :D  )