To wrap up Meg Cabot Week here on La Petite Fille Rousse, I'd like to highlight two of Meg Cabot's adult series that I absolutely loved.
Heather Wells Series
Size 12 Is Not Fat, #1
Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, #2
Big Boned, #3
Heather Wells used to be a famous pop star, but now she is just your average assistant dorm director at a NYC college... well, except for the fact that people keep dying in her dorm. Heather decides to get nosy and do a little bit of investigating herself, but what she finds is even weirder than what she expected. While Heather's struggle with body image is part of her character, it's by no means the focus of these books. This series features crazy college students doing very sketchy things. I found this series to be hilarious and a little bit scary- these are my favorite books by Meg Cabot after The Princess Diaries. I would strongly recommend these to anyone looking for chick lit with a mysterious kick. According to her website, Meg Cabot is working on two more books in this series- I can't wait!
Queen of Babble Series
Queen of Babble, #1
Queen of Babble in the Big City, #2
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched, #3
This series is a lot of fun, but it's hard to describe. Basically, Lizzie Nichols, your average twenty-something American woman doesn't really know what to do with her life. She has kind of a big mouth, but as far as I can tell, the thing that stands out about her most is her love for vintage clothing and fashion. That's probably my fav thing about this series- the amazing clothing descriptions... oh, and the super excellent series ending that blew my mind! Queen of Babble is pretty typical chick lit (by this I meant that it doesn't have Meg Cabot's crazy premise spin of secret powers, etc.). Writing this now makes me really want to reread the series.
Today, I'd like to feature some of Meg Cabot's other YA titles. I've read most of these, but it's been awhile, so I'm just going to touch on each one.
All-American Girl series
All-American Girl, #1
Ready or Not, #2
This is a super fun two-book series about Samantha Madison, an artsy teen living in DC who saves the president from an assassination attempt. This spirals her into the center of media attention, and earns her a position as Teen Ambassador to the UN. To complicate things, she finds herself attracted to the president's son, which only fuels the media's intrusion on her life.
I remember really enjoying these books- perfect summer reads for teens looking for something fun.
How to Be Popular
(Stand Alone)
This is probably my least favorite Meg Cabot book, but it was still funny. Basically, Steph is a social outcast, so she reads a book on How to Be Popular. The plot is kind of predictable- Steph changes herself, ignores her nerdy friends, and then learns a lesson.
Teen Idol
(Stand Alone)
High school student Jenny is surprised when a super hot actor comes to her town for a visit and he pays attention to her! I remember this book as being a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend this a s a good YA stand alone for the beach.
Avalon High Series
Avalon High, #1
Plus three MANGA novels!
I LOVED Avalon High. Basically, this girl moves to a new school and finds herself in the midst of an Arthurian myth being replayed. The first book is a novel, the next three, which I haven't read yet for some reason (my TBR stack is probs the reason) are GRAPHIC NOVELS... How cool is that? I would definitely recommend this to young teens looking for a strong heroine. Apparently this also became a Disney Channel movie, but I haven't seen it.
The Insatiable series combines two of my favorite things... Meg Cabot and vampires. I'm not sure what it is about vampires... There's something so exciting about a super powerful guy desperately in love with an unlikely girl. Anyways. Meg Cabot has fun with her vampires, and in Overbite, they get a bit more evil than in Insatiable.
TEASER: "But when he actually saw Meena Harper emerge from a taxi in front of the Freewell, New Jersey, Police Department... he realized that all the worst-case scenarios he'd been imagining came nowhere close to the horror of this one:
There was a pink scarf tied around her throat." p. 48
Insatiable (Book 1, see my review here) introduces us to Meena Harper, resident of NYC with psychic powers. Meena has the gift to know how people are going to die- this sounds like an awesome power, but it's actually kind of creepy to other people. Meena is determined to use her gift for good even though it causes some uncomfortable conversations. She's doing okay until she finds a new boyfriend, Lucien, who happens to be a vampire. Not just a vampire, but the actual prince of darkness, as in the son of Satan. (Note: this is still a fun book, even if you don't like horror or super dark books, you would probably still enjoy it. The evil is played down and the drama is played up.)
Overbite starts with Meena working for the Palatine, happily living with her brother Jon in a secret location... Lucien is in hiding, but Meena tries to remain anonymous in the city, just in case. She still believes that he has good in him, and she is trying to find information from the Vatican to prove that it's possible. In the meantime, she has bigger problems. She has had repeating nightmares about her ex-boyfriend, and she asks him to meet her in the city to talk. She's in the car with him, trying to figure out how to break the news of his impending death, when the unthinkable happens. A chain of events is set off involving a desperate mission to New Jersey and corruption in unlikely places. Through it all, Meena is pursued by the charming Palatine guard Alaric Wulf and the brooding vampire prince Lucien Antonescu.
Overbite is fast paced and full of mystery- the ending definitely surprised me, and there were several plot twists that made me audibly gasp, much to the amusement of my family who was riding in the car with me. Meena's brother Jon is a really fun character. In this book, he has been hired to work at a church coffee shop, but he still really really wants to work for the Palatine. He's come up with a new invention called the SuperStaker (I'll let you read the book to find out more) that's super cool... Meg Cabot doesn't take her vampires too seriously, and the SuperStaker is proof of that. I'd love to see Edward Cullen (*swoon*) fight one off, haha.
Lucien also goes through major character development during this book. He struggles with choosing between his father's legacy of evil and the good Meena believes he is capable of. I like that he is a deeply flawed character, and he visibly struggles with evil temptations.
Even with all of this drama and action, the book is written in Meg Cabot's humorous voice, and the reader will enjoy the light hearted bits interspersed with the moments of darkness.
As I said above, the ending was unexpected, and I'm not sure what's going to happen with the series. Is there going to be another book? I can't find the info online, but if you know, please leave a comment. EDIT: According to commenter below, this is the last book in the series. :( Bummer for me.
Four stars to an excellent sequel with humor, intrigue, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
Meg Cabot is skilled at creating story premises. It's like she goes, "What would happen if...?" and then develops it into a story world. I mean, I would imagine that's what most authors do, but Meg Cabot's imagination captures what it's like to be a young woman- full of inspiration and tenacity. I love the pure fun of her books, and her ability to recreate the embarrassing incidents all girls live through with humour and grace.
When Lightning Strikes, Book 1
Code Name Cassandra, Book 2
The 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU series
Meg Cabot (2001)
Originally written under pseudonym Jenny Carroll
Can now be purchased together as Vanished (2010)
I just now read these books because I was afraid that they would be scary. I know, I'm a wimp, but I seriously have to be careful about thrillers because they scare the dickens out of me. Needless to say, I found these books to be adventurous and exciting, but not really scary, so that was good!
Basically, Jess is struck by lightning on her way home from school one day, and it gives her the ability to locate missing people. If she sees a picture of a missing child, the next day she wakes up knowing where the child is. Cool, right? Unfortunately, this ability has some scary consequences... Jess finds a child who does not want to be found, and the media and government go crazy for her new ability. The attention scares her older brother who is struggling with schizophrenia, and Jess has to figure out how to straighten things out before they go out of control! Plus, there's a super attractive bad boy with a secret past...
In Book 2, Jess is a counselor at a summer camp, and she is faced with a difficult choice when she is asked to find a missing child... I can't say more than that without spoiling Book 1!
I've only read the first two books in this series (in the Vanished combo-form), but I'd love to read the others. Jess is a typical Meg Cabot heroine- she doesn't quite fit in, but she is courageous and willing to do whatever it takes to do what she thinks is right. There is also an X-Files reference that made me laugh out loud (super awkward when reading in public). The supporting characters are well developed- I love the presence of the older brother with schizophrenia. It's important for authors to incorporate characters who incidentally have mental problems. Real families deal with mental illness, and I love it when books realistically acknowledge this.
Four stars for fun stories- these would make great beach reads! I look forward to reading the rest of the series. PS. This would make a great Disney channel show (haha)!
In preparation for the release of Meg Cabot's new book, Overbite, on July 5th, here's a glimpse into my minor obsession with Meg Cabot! This week, I will feature some of her books- she has written A LOT...
The Princess Diaries series (and associated bonus books!)
The Insatiable series (my review)
How to Be Popular
Teen Idol
Nicola and the Viscount (my review)
The Airhead series (my review)
All-American Girl series
Queen of Babble series
Heather Wells series
The Abandon Series (my review)
The 1-800-WHERE-R-YOU series (have only read the first two)
Pants on Fire (haven't read this yet)
Jinx (haven't read this yet)
The Boy series (have only read the first one)
She Went All the Way (haven't read this yet)
The Mediator series (haven't read these yet)
Victoria and the Rogue (haven't read this yet)
Avalon High series (have only read the first one)
Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series (haven't read these yet)
The Princess Diaries Series- SPOILERS. but this is romance/drama, not a mystery, so you probs don't care.
I don't exactly remember how I got into The Princess Diaries, but I'm pretty sure that my mom took me to see the movie when it came out in 2001. I would have been in... 7th grade? Soon after seeing the movie, I picked up the first book at the library and loved it, although I was surprised at how different it was from the film. I remember reading Volume III: Princess in Love while on a camping trip- this is still my favorite from the whole series, because the ending is so magical and Michael is so hot.
Yes, I have had a major crush on Michael, both in the movie and the books- I love dark haired guys, and my boyfriend of almost 8 years is Jewish, just like Michael. Michael is a musician, a genius, and three years older- how dreamy!
I guess the reason I love The Princess Diaries so much is the characterization... Here's a rundown of my ten favorite characters:
Mia aka Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo (I definitely just wikied that- I forgot Grimaldi!)- Princess Mia herself rocks for the self-discovery she goes through in the later books- she writes her own novel, Ransom My Heart, which is available for you to read! Mia also has a lot of guts- she pulls a fire alarm, stomps on a cell phone, and eventually brings constitutional monarchy to her country. In the books, Mia is actually blonde and looks nothing like Anne Hathaway. 2.
Helen Thermopolis- Mia's mom is a crazy artist who is somewhat irresponsible (particularly when it comes to family planning) but cares about Mia more than anything else in the world.
Mr. G. aka Frank Gianini- Mia's algebra teacher turned step-father is a stand-up guy. He helps Mia with math, takes care of Mia's mom when he gets her pregnant, and is generally a fine male specimen.
Lilly Moscovitz- I spend a lot of time wanting to punch Lilly in the face- she's pushy, selfish, and too smart for her own good- but underneath it all, Lilly is a sensitive girl who needs Mia just as much as Mia thinks she needs her.
Michael Moscovitz- *dreamy* I really would like to smell his neck, just once. Michael is romantic, bossy, and nerdy enough to make me crazy. I'm not sure why Michael works at a garage in the movie, because he is really just a member of the Computer Club until his band Skinner Box gets off the ground.
Tina Hakim-Baba- I wish that I had a friend like Tina- her father is very rich, so Tina has a body guard just like Mia. However, Tina is shy and super super nice- she loves all things romance- and Tina is so unselfish and pure-hearted.
Grandmere- HAHAHA Grandmere is a nightmare. I can picture her with her tattooed eyeliner and cigarette, eye-balling the run in my stockings and cursing me in French. Grandmere is the dowager princess, and she takes it upon herself to prepare Mia to be proper royalty.
Lars- Lars is the most hilarious body guard- he hides Mia's diary for her, exchanges knowing glances with Michael, and generally is a quiet sidekick to Mia's shenanigans, serving as a lookout on a couple occasions and pointing out obvious flaws in Mia's plans.
Boris Pelkowski- Boris is a violin virtuoso who drops a giant globe on his head because of his love for Lilly. The globe scene alone makes him one of my favorite book characters of all times.
Lana Weinberger- Lana is a nasty nasty girl- at least in the first half of the series. I would love to know who Meg Cabot based her off of and whether or not they know about it. I hope no one ever makes me a mean character in a book!
There are other excellent characters that I omitted, but these are my favs!
However, there was a rough patch in my relationship with The Princess Diaries... In Volume VIII: Princess on the Brink, Michael and Mia have a huge fight and he leaves for Japan for an extended stay, essentially ending the relationship. When I got my copy of the book, I was looking forward to a fun read, but I found this book super upsetting, and I cried hysterically for a long time. When I finally stopped crying, I changed my Facebook profile pic:
I took it with my laptop, so I had to write the note backwards, which is why it looks all facacta.
I was so mad! I wanted to write her a letter. I was so upset that I didn't get the next book as soon as it came out, but when I did, I was relieved to find out that Mia sort of becomes less insane and makes good decisions with the help of her therapist. Volumes IX and X were excellent, and by the end of the series, I felt that the story had come full circle with lots of character growth.
If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend it. Mia's voice is authentic, the NYC setting is fun, and the situations Mia finds herself in are comedic and challenging. Fans can continue to enjoy Mia's thoughts by following her blog- on which there may or may not be hints about a wedding to come!
As mentioned above, Meg Cabot also wrote a book as Mia Thermopolis: Ransom My Heart. For Mia's senior project, she writes a historical romance novel- that we can actually read!
During BEA week, I went to the Scholastic Store in NYC to the This is Teen event, and I actually got to meet Meg, which was an amazing experience. There were school kids in front of me (boys and girls who looked to be in middle school), and they were SO EXCITED to meet Meg- apparently they are reading her books for school. It was great to see middle schoolers so excited about reading- especially boys.
Highlight of my year- maybe my decade, unless I get married before 30.
“What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf?“
Great question! I love when the book begins with a little mystery, but it's not so vague that you have to keep flipping around, wondering if you missed something. I also like hot characters and the promise of something interesting to follow. I'll give up on a book if the first chapter is boring or if the writing is too abrasive. I have to admit, I almost gave up on City of Bones because I don't think the first chapter is strong.
Q. ACK! Your favorite book/movie character (example Hermione Granger played by the Emma chick) just walked into the room! Who is it and what would be your first reaction? You get extra points if you include visual stimulation.
Another great question this week. I love Mia Thermopolis from the Princess Diaries played by Anne Hathaway. Although Anne is very different from how Mia's appearance is described in the book, she plays the personality off well. I'd be so psyched to meet her- stay tuned for more on my love for all things Meg Cabot!
If you are visiting, please leave a comment so I can return the visit!
When I reserved Abandon at the library, it was only because it was a Meg Cabot book. I actually knew nothing about the plot, but as you can easily tell from my blog, I am a little bit obsessed with MC, and have been since I was about 15.
Abandon is the first book in the story of high school student Pierce Oliviera (loosely based on the myth of Persephone). I don't want to spoil the mystery that surrounds the first chapters of the book, so I will just say that Pierce is recovering from a NDE (near death experience) and a subsequent disastrous event, referred to at first as "the incident." As a result of her bizarre behavior following and surrounding these events, Pierce is asked to leave her prestigious all-girls school. She moves with her mother to her mom's hometown on Isla Huesos, based on Key West, where she is expected to start high school. Little did Pierce know that she had escaped from one dangerous situation into another even more dangerous one.
This book is full of action- very fast-paced. It reminds me of Rick Riordan's writing (appropriate given the subject matter!) in that it moves quickly between scenes, no pages of descriptions or long transitions to flip through. The beginning is so mysterious that I couldn't put it down until I made it about halfway. It was fortunate that there was sort of a gap between the mystery and the climactic action so I could get some work done, because once I picked it up a second time, there was no stopping.
I give this book 4/5 stars, which on my rating scale means that PERSONALLY I loved it, but I am not sure if it is for everyone. I would definitely recommend giving it a shot, this book is dark and delicious and surprisingly romantic. The male protagonist (or is he?) is a perfect combination of Mr. Darcy, Michael Moscovitz, and Will Herondale- old-fashioned, sexy, demanding, and tortured. LOVE IT!! I've been rereading the PD series, and Mia goes on and on about how she likes it when Michael is bossy (me too ;D), so I laughed when I realized that MC had created this amazing fantasy character whom Mia would swoon for.
Anyways, the ending was epic (shoutout to Jade!), and I can't wait for book 2, Underworld.
1. Lana Weinberger from The Princess Diaries- Lana is one of my fav characters, particularly since I always picture Mandy Moore when reading. She's just so cute but so nasty at the same time!
2. Maryse Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments- I REALLY dislike her. Maybe even hate her. In CoFA I just wanted to punch her, sometimes for just being there.
3. Alicia Bitch Long-Legs from Confessions of a Shopaholic- Grrrrr...
4. Cokie Mason from The Baby-sitters Club- She tried to steal Logan away from Mary-Anne!
5. Nikki from Airhead (Meg Cabot)- how stupid and just really stupid can you be?
6. Renee from Christy Miller, Surprise Endings- I feel kind of bad for her, but she was still so mean!
7. Dolores Umbridge- To this day, she reminds me of my AP Calc teacher... *shudders*
8. Julia from Mark of the Lion- Again, I feel bad for her but yikes!
9. Bellatrix Lestrange- My college advisor said she identified with her. LOL
10. Mimi Force from Blue Bloods- This series got really terrible in the last few, IMO. Mimi's character totally fluctuates (that's all I can really say without spoilers).
Hi, everyone! I am back and feeling much better after the crazy winter. My family situation has calmed down (no foster sister), and I turned in one of my huge grad school projects- a portfolio consisting of 32 pages of single spaced writing as well as video and artifact elements. I still have to complete my action research project and some other things, but on the whole, the end is in sight, and I am able and ready to commit to my blog again.
To start things off, I picked up Abandon by Meg Cabot from the library today (tagline- "The myth of Persephone... Darkly reimagined"). I have waited a long time for this book, and you know that I'm a huge MC fan. I'll be reviewing it as soon as I finish.
Until then, thanks for following, and I am so excited to be back!
I don't normally read romance novels, but as a Meg Cabot fan, I am trying to read some of her less popular work. I was surprised to find that the hero of this book is pretty much identical to Michael Moscovitz of The Princess Diaries, particularly since this book was (according to Goodreads) published after. Nicola, however, is nothing like Mia Thermopolis, so the story was not the same. It did, however, follow the romance novel formula, so I don't think that a summary is necessary.
This book was a fun read, with Meg Cabot's signature voice shining through, and it actually made me think about some things going on in my life, which is not what I would expect from a romance novel. This book is certainly appropriate for teenagers, probably even middle schoolers.
I recommend this as a fun, light read, and definitely good for all Meg Cabot fans. Four stars.
So this book is Meg Cabot's response to the vampire craze. There are several minor, both subtle and unsubtle references to other vampire books/shows (I'm assuming you can guess which ones).
I have been on a bit of a vampire kick lately, and I do have one more vampire book in my physical TBR stack by my bed, but I PROMISE I actually read books other than vampire books- the next two reviews, at least, will be completely different.
Anyways- this book was great. It had an excellent plot involving Meena Harper, a single woman who writes for a soap opera called Insatiable, a sexy vampire professor named Lucien Antonescu (who has a very infamous father), and a VAMPIRE HUNTER named Alaric Wulf who works for the Vatican. I have read at least one other review where the reader didn't particularly like Meena, but I thought she was just fine. It's true, she is a little bit underdeveloped, but sometimes that's refreshing- less description and more people are able to identify with her. Meena's ending really surprised me, but unfortunately I figured out the main twist of the book less than halfway through (whereas none of the characters, who are all supposed to be very smart and observant and have a couple different psychic powers, did not).
I loved this book because it was a different kind of plot, funny, and tongue in cheek. The romance is also more satisfying than some other similar books I have read. I give this book 4 stars, which for me, means that I loved it but I'm not sure other people would. I have to be able to recommend it to almost anyone to give it 5 stars. Most men, for example, and serious people would probably dislike this book, but I imagine that most of my followers would enjoy it. Thanks for reading, and give this book a shot!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
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!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
From Insatiable by Meg Cabot- "Plus, vampires are all rich. I could deal with having some rich guy who wants to kill me- but is nobly restraining himself- being super into me right now."
So if you like Meg Cabot, funny YA books, or books about glamour, this series is for you. And if you read the first book, you have to keep going.
Summary- from Goodreads- "Emerson Watts is on the run: from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.
With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can't explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year's Eve to look forward to, Em's reached the end of her rope... what's the point of even going on?
But when she discovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she knows there's only one person she can turn to.
Will Christopher be able to put aside his personal feelings and help her expose her employer to the world? Is it even fair to get Christopher involved—since if he agrees, there's every chance that Stark Enterprises will try to have them both killed—this time, permanently?
Maybe it would be better for Em to just keep on running."
Oh, and the Goodreads summary seems to leave out the premise of the series- Emerson Watts's brain has been transplanted into Nikki Howard, Supermodel's, body. Kind of like how Mia suddenly becomes a glamorous princess.
Half-way through the book, I was kind of disappointed. Not much seemed to be happening... at all. I was going to give the book 2 stars- but the end really changed my mind. The second half of the book contains more intrigue and more romance, which is what I look for in this kind of YA conspiracy/romance book. I would now give this book 3.5 stars... and the whole series 4 stars. It's interesting, original, and funny. NOT as good as the Princess Diaries or Heather Wells series, but still a good set of books to read for fun.
