Thursday, April 16, 2009

13 Little Blue Envelopes


Title: 13 Little Blue Envelopes
Author: Maureen Johnson
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult



13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (no joke) was a nice little vacation on my Spring Vacation. While sitting in my living room, I was able to visit most of Europe within a short time span.

Ginny has a bit of a crazy Aunt Peg. She lives in NYC and Ginny in the past has gotten to visit her and they always have a whirlwind of a time in the city. This is the aunt I want to be :)

However, Aunt Peg has died, and shortly thereafter Ginny gets a package in the mail. She receives 13 envelopes with very direct instructions. She is to take ONLY a backpack and book a flight to London. She is not allowed to take any kind of guide book, to have any communication with the people she is leaving in the states and no types of electronics.

Aunt Peg leads Ginny on a cross continent (Europe) trip of finding herself and what her Aunt has left behind. Ginny must complete the sometimes odd task in each envelope before she is allowed to open the next. She does encounter a lot of helpful people along the way.

A very fun coming of age type story although I think it slightly ridiculous that someone would send a 17 year old across Europe by themselves without a plan, place to stay or way to contact an adult. But hey, it was a fun story none the less.

The Scarlet Letterman


Title: The Scarlet Letterman
Author: Cara Lockwood
Series: Bard Academy (Book 2)
Genre: Young Adult



Book 2 in Cara Lockwood's Bard Academy Novels was another interesting and quick read. I'm noticing a pattern in the novels. The first one, Wuthering High, follows a story line revolving around that of Wuthering Heights. The Scarlett Letterman, follows the Scarlett Letter, at least parts of it.

We are back at Bard Academy for a second semester. We return to Miranda and friends. This time, Miranda becomes an outcast for keeping her friends and faculty members in the dark. She is required to wear a Scarlett Letterish red vest and is not allowed to interact with anyone on campus.

The third book, Moby Clique is currently the end of the series. The author says that she's up for writing another, the third was released May '08, but they haven't contracted her for one. Bard Academy, once upon a time (think about a year ago too) was toying with becoming a movie or series. I think that since it's been so long ago it's not happening.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Wuthering High


Title: Wuthering High
Author: Cara Lockwood
Series: Bard Academy (Book 1)
Genre: Young Adult


Although I enjoy adult books, every so often I like to indulge in some Young Adult reading. There are really good series there and they are quick reads.

Cara Lockwood's Wuthering High was quite an interesting read. I picked it up based on the idea behind the book, I thought it sounded intriguing

We meet Miranda, a high schooler who has problems acting out. She totals her father's car and maxes out her stepmothers credit card. Her parents decide to send her to Bard Academy.

Bard is located on an island off the coast of Maine. It is very scheduled there and the students aren't allowed to have any kind of electronics whatsoever. No laptops, no musical devices, no phones, ect.

Strange things start happening to Miranda while she's at school and eventually she learns that her teachers are dead famous authors who died before their time. Her counselor for example is Virginia Woolf.

A quick and attention holding read, looking forward to the second book.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Outlander


Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander (Book 1)
Genre: Romance



I have been reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon since my last post. It wasn't that I didn't like the book, or didn't have time to read it, at 850 big pages with small print it simply was a long book.

Outlander follows Claire, a woman who is living in the 1940's. She and her husband, Frank, are in Scotland on vacation. One day she takes a trip to see some stones, similar to Stonehenge. She finds herself transported to another time - the 1700's.

Here she marries another man, Jamie, to save herself from being taken by the English. She and Jamie end up with a beautiful relationship that changes and grows throughout the story. We see the two of them run into trouble after trouble, yet always they seem to come out on top.

I highly enjoyed this story and especially the relationship between Claire and Jamie. It had lots of action, movement and growth. Maybe a long read, but one I enjoyed the whole way through.

This is the beginning of a series, next inline is another huge book - Dragonfly in Amber.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Haunted


Title: Haunted
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld (Book 5)
Genre: Paranormal Romance



Finally I got my hands on the next installment of the Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong. I was looking forward to this story because it was from the point of view of Eve, Savannah's dead mother. It provided an interesting look into the world of ghosts.

In an earlier book Paige and Lucas take an unplanned trip into the ghost world, where they are required to stay. Eve, however, makes a deal with the three Fates so Paige and Lucas can be released back into the living world to take care of Savannah. In Haunted, the Fates cash in their IOU.

They want Eve to capture the Nix, an incredibly powerful demon. Several have tried before her, and none have succeeded. Eve bounces around through different dimensions of the ghost world, angel world and living world before she has enough information to take the Nix down. Of course, like all good battles, this one takes place around the thing that Eve treasures most, Savannah.