Tap & Gown

Title: Tap & Gown
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Series: Ivy League (Book 4)
Genre: Fiction



The Ivy League series follows Amy Haskel, a student at Eli, an Ivy League University. In the first book she is initiated into a previously all male secret society, Rose & Grave. The first three books follow all of the struggles that this new co-ed class has to go through. I read them before I ever started my blog.

I've been waiting for years for my library to get the fourth book in and I finally joined a different library that had the book. It was a bit difficult to get into right away, it'd been so long I had a hard time remembering who everyone was, especially since they all have their Barbarian names and their secret society names. Whew!

After all that, I found myself engrossed in the groups latest difficulties. They are looking for new knights to tap and initiate into the society to take their place. Of course there is lots of competition with the other secret societies and more craziness in Amy's love life. I was really upset at one point, but did feel that the series wrapped up nicely. It was a quick read that I couldn't put down. Finished it in one sitting.

The Last Olympian

Title: The Last Olympian
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 5)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



The fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series was one I couldn't put down. Almost the entire book was the final battle to save Olympus and Manhattan.

When we last left Percy, Camp Half-Blood and all of his friends, they knew the Titan lord Kronos had risen and taken over the body of their "friend" Luke. The big battle was coming, they knew it and were preparing themselves for the battle.

Kronos sends a humongous monster, Typhon to distract the Gods. They all leave Olympus (well, not Posiedan and Hades, they stay in their own kingdoms, they have some grudges). Of course this is what Kronos was hoping on and he starts his advance on Manhattan/Olympus (found on the 600th floor of Empire State Building).

Percy figures out what he is going to do before he does it, in part by a few visions. He cannot convince the Gods to come back and defend Olympus, but he does gather all the half-bloods from camp. It is up to them to hold back the army and save Olympus. We also have the chance to see Percy's Prophecy come true.

Lock & Key

I saw this book at Target, and immediately put it on the waiting list at the library. I thought it looked and sounded interesting.

I wasn't disappointed. Some Young Adult fiction can really be uninteresting, with all of the watered down stores, but some is just incredible and deserves a genre of their own. This is one of the later.

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen tells of Ruby. A seventeen year old girl who has been abandoned by her dead beat mother and is trying to live on her own in the rented house she's been left in. She just wants to stick it out until she's eighteen where she can then legally be on her own.

Of course, that doesn't work out. The owners of the house find her living alone and turn her into social services, where she eventually ends up living with her older sister who she hasn't seen in 10 years.

Ruby has lots of emotional issues throughout the book, trust and asking for help being two of the main ones. She does learn a lot of new things about herself along her journey and makes new friendships. In the end she helps someone just as she's been helped.

I really thought the emotions and theme in this story were right on par and I'm going to look for more books by this author to read.

Cindy Ella

Title: Cindy Ella
Author: Robin Palmer
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult


I had to read this book because it's similar to Cinderella. I felt that the story was nothing special. It was very similar to the Cinderella Story movies (1 & 2). A Cinderella based on Instant Messaging and what not. You know the type. Needless to say, I'm glad I'm done with it and wouldn't read it again. It was just not that great and I already had low expectations.

Battle of the Labyrinth

Title: Battle of the Labyrinth
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 4)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



Book #4 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is Battle of the Labyrinth. As with each of the other books in the series it begins with Percy and his new school. Following set pattern, something happens to get him basically kicked out of school and he flees to Camp Half Blood.

This is the book of Annabeth's quest. She, Percy, Tyson and Grover must enter the Labyrinth, a maze that is below most of the continent (and perhaps then some) where time is skewed. They must battle through new monsters and *gasp* ask a mere mortal for help.

Near the end of this book Kronos is reborn into a body and starts to come after them. They manage to deter him for the time being and I can imagine that the battle to end all will be the fifth and final book of the series, The Last Olympian, due out May 5th.

I am awaiting it anxiously to find the end of our hero Percy's story.

The Titans Curse'

Title: The Titan's Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 3)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



As mentioned in the previous post, I couldn't stop following Percy in his adventures. I finished the third book, The Titan's Curse the same day as the second. Needless to say, I'm already into the fourth.

Percy, Annabeth and Thalia help Grover find 2 new half bloods, Nico and Bianca. They also meet the Hunters who are led by the Goddess Artemis. Apollo arrives and the crew rides in his sun chariot (a flashy sports car that turns into a bus), but not before Annabeth goes missing.

They get to camp and hear a prophecy saying that five of them must make the journey and rescue both Annabeth and Artemis. Thalia and Grover are chosen as the two campers to go on the adventure, but Percy also joins them later.

This is the time when the Titan Lord Kronas is at his closest to being able to rise and take over. Percy and friends must deal with this to the largest extreme so far.

The Sea of Monsters

Title: The Sea of Monsters
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 2)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



The Second Installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians is The Sea of Monsters. It didn't disappoint and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first one. I think this is fast becoming a favorite series of mine and I just wish there was going to be more than 5 books in it.

Upon looking at the cover, initially and throughout reading the story I am amazed at how much is shown, although you'd never know. When checking it out half way through I notice things that I hadn't noticed during the first glance before I started reading it.

Percy meets a homeless boy, Tyson, who is taken in as a charity case at his current private school. Percy is his only friend and often gets picked on because of it. Monsters attack Percy's school and he and Tyson run away to Camp Half Blood with the help of Annabeth and Grover. When they get there everything is crazy. The enchanted tree that helps keep the camp safe is dying and the borders are relaxed. Chiron has been dismissed and nothing is the way it should be. Of course it is up to Percy to save the day yet again.

We meet several new gods this time including Hermes.

The minute I put this book down I picked up the third and started reading it. They truely are an engaging and wonderful story that is hard to leave alone.

The Lightning Thief

Title: The Lightening Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 1)
Genre: Juvenile Fiction



Wow - two posts, one day. I really enjoyed the book I finished today, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It is the first book in the Percy and the Olympians series. This series is for late elementary/early middle school readers.

In this installment Percy learns that he is a demi-god. His father is Poseidon and he enrolls in a Half Blood Summer Camp. Here he meets other demi-gods and starts to hone (only a bit) his abilities. We learn that there is a War about to be had between the Big 3 - Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Zeus had a main thunderbolt that was the inspiration for all other thunderbolts, and it has been stolen. This is the story of Percy's quest to find the thunderbolt, bring it back and stop the war. Of course it doesn't happen nearly as easily as that.

I wish that I knew more about Greek Mythology, and while I know enough, it would be easier to see connections and follow things if I was well versed. The book does explain things well, though for those who are not.

There will only be 5 books in the series and the final one comes out May 2009.

I have a younger brother in fifth grade, and I am definitely going to recommend this series to him. I think it had a very action packed story line and was a quick and easy read (for me). I want to dive right into the next book and am heading off to the library ASAP to pick it up.

This is also going to be a movie (hurray!). Current release date is Feb 12, 2010 according to IMDB.

Walking in Circles Before Lying Down

Title: Walking in Circles Before Lying Down
Author: Merrill Markoe
Series: None
Genre: Chick Lit


What a welcomed change in my reading line up. I walked past this book at Target and was immediately drawn to it. Walking in Circles Before Lying Down by Merrill Markoe was a joyful read that had me laughing.

In this book we meet Dawn. The first few chapters are really back views on her life. We learn about her first dog, her first marriage as well as other things. Then her dog dies, she gets a new puppy and is dumped by her boyfriend. Then it gets interesting.

In her grief she talks to her dog and is shocked to hear him talk back, "Couldn't you smell her on his pants?" He asks. From that point on Dawn can not only hear and have conversations with her dog, but all of the dogs.

Life from the point of view of a dog had me laughing. The dogs like to swear, and have the most interesting comments to make. I loved the conversation she has with the dogs when they follow her into that bathroom. She wonders why they do it and they have an answer for her. I know my dog always wants to follow me into the bathroom (cat too!) so I definitely felt where she was coming from.

There are also some other points of plot such as the All Holiday Tree and her sister who is a Life Coach. I understand they are part of the story, but I could have cared less. It was, however a comical and quick read.