Book Review: Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

At First Sight: D.J. Schwenk is, for once in her life, happy to be going back to school after a few months filled with craziness. Even though she had to leave her football days behind, D. J. is happy to be able to play basketball again. Not only because it's her best and probably only chance to get out of Red Bend, Wisconsin and go to college but because she actually loves the game.

But what once was her refuge from the world's craziness and family drama, quickly becomes another source of stress when her oldest brother Win - who is recovering from a spinal chord injury that cut short his promising college football career - starts to put pressure on D.J. to be start looking at schools and scholarships, even though she's still a high school junior.

And to add to the personal drama, D.J. suddenly finds herself in a relationship with her long-time friend Beaner - who is funny and sweet and has a lovely boyfriend smile, though there aren't that many sparks between them. And Brian Nelson, the rival school's QB, and D.J. somewhat-secret ex boyfriend is coming around again, seemingly ready to leave both the ex and the secret behind him.

This time D.J. is, for once, Front and Center in her family and the pressure is on. 

Second Glance: Front and Center is the third and last book of the Dairy Queen series and though it wasn't my favorite of the lot, it was a nice conclusion to D.J.'s story.

In this book, D.J. faces quite the struggle to find her own voice and talk to her own family, mostly about how afraid she is of being really good and how much pressure that would represent, and I loved how she eventually realizes that Win is on her case so much because he wants her to have what she deserves and what he knows she's capable of.

I really liked Brian in this story - I was always a bit hot and cold when it came to him, but I think he finally grew up a little int his one and was ready to treat D.J. the way she deserved to be treated. Oh and Curtis, D.J. youngest brother, he probably has the least lines in the whole book but I adore him.

Bottom Line: Though not my favorite in the series, Front and Center was a great conclusion to a really good series. I've loved seeing D.J. grow up and find her own voice and how realistic it was that she still struggles with with, but in the end she always grows up a little more.

Book Gossip (#4)

Book Gossip #4
Covers

Well, I was just snooping about and I came across 2 covers.
First, Amazon.com posted a cover for Front and Center (Catherine Murdock hasn't updated her site so I don't know if it's the final one)

And then, a friend told me this I could find in Fantasticfiction.co.uk. It's the Brit Cover for Lisa Kleypa's Tempt Me at Twilight

Book Gossip! (#1)

Okay, so no matter how fast I read I can't post as often as I might like, because writing reviews isn't was easy as it sounds, sometimes I truly don't know what to say - especially when I really loved a book - and, on the other hand, I'm a spoiler hound.

I LOVE spoilers - though I try not to spoil anyone in here.

And I'm always coming across lovely tid-bits of gossip and such.

So, I decided to start a new section: Book Gossip!

Where I'll relate and link you all to the information I find!!!



Book Gossip # 1

Release dates:

Tempt Me At Twilight
Tempt Me at Twilight (book three in the Hathaway Series by Lisa Kleypas) is coming out on September 29 according to Amazon.

The story is that of Poppy Hathaway - the third sister - and the mysterious Harry Ruthledge, owner of the Ruthledge Hotel (which Lisa K's fans will recognize as many characters have stayed there over the years, I think the first one was McKenna from Again the Magic).

There is an excerpt of it right here

Front and Center
Catherine Murdock recently updated her site with information about the third book in the D.J. Series following Dairy Queen and The Off Season. It's going to be called Front and Center, it will take place during D.J.'s junior year basketball season.

And I'm so very so excited!

It's coming out on September 19, 2009.

And here is the summary:

After five months of sheer absolute craziness I was going back to being plain old background D.J. In photographs of course I’m always in the background—it’s a family joke, actually, that us Schwenk kids could go to school naked on picture day, we’re all so crazy tall. But I mean I was returning to the background of life. Where no one would really notice me or talk about me or even talk to me much except to say things like “nice shot,” and I could just hang out without too many worries at all.

But, it turns out, other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who’s keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she is DONE WITH, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway . . .

What’s going to happen if she lets these people down? What’s going to happen when she does? Because let’s face it: there’s no way, on court or off, that awkward, tongue-tied D.J. Schwenk can manage all this attention. No way at all. Not without a brain transplant. Not without breaking her heart.

More info in Catherine Murdock's site


Talking about Sites! Cara Lockwood finally update her site! She has a new book coming soon called Every Demon Has It's Day, it's an adult book (I HATE YOU MTV BOOKS! I TRULY DO AND WILL KEEP DOING SO UNTIL YOU GIVE ME MORE HEATHCLIFF), but I'm sure it will be great.

Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock

Princess Ben tells the life and trials of young princess Benevolence of Montague from the moment she becomes the crown princess of her country until-- well, I'm not going to spoil.
Ben has lead a normal, happy, love-filled life next to her parents Prince Walter and Princess Prudence (or Pence, as everyone calls her), she's only her uncle's heir because Queen Sophia hasn't been able to have a child. But that's not something she thinks about much. She's happy eating and basking in all the love.

Until the day her mother and uncle are brought to the castle dead and her father vanishes. Things are uncertain as Ben's forced to endure both her parents' being gone and the not so tender-mercies of her aunt Queen Sophie who's as warm as an icicle. But there is one nice thing in this whole mess... Ben discovers she has magic powers! and thus begins her secret magic education - even though she's only really good at a couple of spells.

That's only the beginning of this story that reads like and old fashioned, honest to God, fairy tale. It's fun and Ben makes one very endearing narrator. She's plump, and she knows it and doesn't really has any complex about it, and I really appreciate that.

The only part that sort of bothered me a little was the romance between Ben and Florian (Prince from the neighboring country who's forever trying to conquest Montague); they do spend some time together but the LOVE seems a bit out of no-where for me. I guess I could do with more scenes of them together, though I liked them both.

Not my favorite Catherine Murdock book - that would be The Off Season - but it's a good book

Grade:
3/4

The Off Season by Catherine Murdock

A couple of months ago I reviewed Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock, by then I did know it had a sequel The Off Season and I liked the first book enough to read it. Well, I loved it.

D.J.'s life seemed to be reaching a happy note at the end of Dairy Queen as she was learning to speak her mind and was making her dream come true by joining the boy's football team, her brothers were speaking to their dad again and Brian Nelson -the hottie QB from the town next over - seemed to like her.

As The Off Season starts, it seems like good things are going to stick, D.J.'s is becoming friends with Dale, her best friend Amber's girlfriend, and Brian took her on a drive to Minneapolis - in what D.J. regards as the happiest day ever - and they end up making out; her brothers are making it big in college football and everything seems perfect... but soon things start to go sour.

D. J. discovers the family's farm is bleeding money out of the family, she gets injured during a football practice and has to face the fact that if she wants to get a basketball scholarship for college she can't keep playing football, Brian seems embarrassed to be seen with her and won't even acknowledge her in front of his friends, Amber and Dale decide to take off to Chicago, her brother Curtis is caught staying over night at his girlfriend's house. But then the worse thing happens: D.J. oldest brother Win is seriously injured during a game and might not walk again.

It seems like a lot of things are going on in the book, and they are, but they are handled skillfully and it does sound like real life: the struggles and the many problems as well as the small moments of great happiness; and through it all D.J.'s voice carries you through keeping you close to her and wanting her to do well.

I loved this book, more than I loved Dairy Queen and that was a good book. I cried, I cheered and, by the end, felt very hopeful. I love books that leave me hopeful

Grade:

Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock

It has not been the best of years for D. J. Schwenk, and the summer before junior year doesn't look like it's going to be any better. For one she's not speaking to her older brothers, star football players Win and Bill, her younger bother Curtis doesn't speak much at all and, since her Dad bust his hip months ago, D.J. has been pretty much doing everything at the family's Dairy Farm, which means she never has time for herself.

And then, Brian Nelson came along. The same Brian Nelson who plays QB for D.J.'s school's most bitter rival, Brian who was supposed to help at the farm but who quit the very first day after not doing much at all. Eventually he comes back and, after first thinking she would hate him forever - for all Brian was and represented not to mention the rivalry between D.J.'s school Red Bend and Brian's school Hawley - D. J. finds that he's actually the only person she can really talk to. And so, an uneasy friendship starts.

I must say that, for me, the book started a bit slow, but I had heard a lot of good stuff about it so I stuck to it, and I wasn't disappointed. The book progressed slowly as did D.J. and Brian's friendship in a way that was believable and true. D.J.'s voice is wise without her even noticing, which is nice.

In the end, it left me with a smile and I can't wait to read the sequel The Off Season

Grade: