Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

Running has always been a huge part of Phoebe's life, she's good at it and she loves it but, when her mother Valerie marries Damian, Phoebe is thrown into a situation from which she cannot run... mostly because Damian is the headmaster of an exclusive private academy housed on an Greek Island in the middle of nowhere and her mother is making her move to said Greek Island an attend The Academy for her senior year of high school.

But that's not all... there are reasons why The Academy is such an exclusive school even though there is only one requirement to be admitted, and that's because said requirement implies being the descendant of a Greek god or goddess (which, by the way, comes with it supernatural powers).

Phoebe wishes nothing more than to return to southern California and her two best friends but even so, there are certain perks to going to the Academy - like her two new friends Nicole and Troy, who like her even though she's a nothos (kind of like a muggle, but in Greek god lore), and Coach Lenny from the Academy's track team, who' s pushing her to keep her spot on the track team and, at times Griffin Blake - and at the same time there are also many downsides to the Academy - like the snotty kids, her evil stepsister Stella, the queen bee Adra, the school work overload and Griffin Blake.

I found Oh. My. Gods. to be a fun quick read, it didn't take me much to read it and it left me with a good after taste. Phoebe, Nicole, Troy and company were funny and smart, I liked Phoebe's focus in running and the way her will and love for the sport shone through (even though I'm SO NOT a runner myself). Griffin was a surprisingly interesting character, going a little beyond the run of the mill jerk/bad boy/good guy.

All in all, a very good read, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading it's sequel Goddess Boot Camp

Grade:
1/2

Book Gossip (#19)

Book Gossip #19 - News from Australia.

It's no secret that I'm a big Melina Marchetta fan, and I'm ever so pleased to inform that her fifth novel will be called The Piper's Son and will be published in March 2010 in Australia. No date yet for when it will be available in the US but it sounds so good I'm already saving to pay for Australian shipping.

Summary and Cover

The Piper's Son

Thomas Mackee wants oblivion. Wants to forget parents who leave and friends he used to care about and a string of one-night stands, and favourite uncles being blown to smithereens on their way to work on the other side of the world.

But when his flatmates turn him out of the house, Tom moves in with his single, pregnant aunt, Georgie. And starts working at the Union pub with his former friends. And winds up living with his grieving father again. And remembers how he abandoned Tara Finke two years ago, after his uncle’s death.

And in a year when everything's broken, Tom realises that his family and friends need him to help put the pieces back together as much as he needs them.

Needless to say that if you have read Saving Francesca you're probably jumping up and down right now. Heads up! takes place five years after Saving Francesca. Honestly, this has become my most coveted book for next spring!

Also! Ms. Marchetta's fourth novel, Finnikin of the Rock, will be published in the US by Candlewick in the Spring of 2010 (February 9th, according to amazon).

For more info on all of Melina Marchetta's books, check her site right here.

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Moving on! Two small tid bits of info about Nora Robert's Brides/Weddings Quartet.

One, so far official cover for book three Savor the Moment is on the left, I've seen the one for the UK and it's basically the same, they just spell it Savour the Moment and the letters are in pink. Beautiful covers anyway.

And Two, the fourth and final book of the series will be called Happily Ever After.

That's it for today!

Happy Halloween

List Maniac # 3 - Spooky-ness!!

ListManiac #3 - Spooky!

Halloween has always been one of my favorite times of the year so I decided to compile a list of the Top 5 Things To Do on Halloween according to Moi.

5. Dress up! - In the words of Cady from Mean Girls, Halloween is the one night of the year when you can dress like a total 'ho and none one can say anything about it!

4. Pig out on Candy - Sugar is and will always be nature's narcotic!! Halloween is the night to enjoy it!

3. Watch a Scary Movie - I admit to not knowing much about scary movies, I've only seen a handful 'cause I usually prefer chick flicks to scariness but I do have a few Halloween night favorites, among them: Interview with the Vampire (which is worth a week of my holding to my jugular vein in fear) and It ( I know, right? I've seen it so many times I laugh more than get scared now). Oh and watching The Simpson's Halloween Special is a must, it never gets old! Plus, lately, I also try to watch some Death Like Me, loved that show.

2. Enjoy scary stories - I don't know about you but I had an uncle who was a master at telling scary stories. Granted, I live in Mexico so we got a HUGE collection of them. Witches, shamans, shape shifters and ghosts! Hell, throw in the chupacabras too if you want to!

1. Scare Someone - My sister and I have this game where we jump out at each other at random times yelling "POUNCE!" at the top of our lungs. We do it all the time but on Halloween we are specially vicious with each other. It's surprisingly fun.

Well, that's me. What are you doing on Halloween?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (2)

What are you reading on Monday? #2

Here is my contribution to It's Monday! What are you reading? a meme started at J. Kaye's Blog.

Finished since last MWAYR?
Death by Denim by Linda Gerber (review here)
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (review here)
Rumors by Anna Godbersen was put on hold.

Currently reading/listening:
Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley

To Be Read Soon:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
To Wed A Wicked Earl by Olivia Parker

That's it from my neck of the woods! I just hope work lets me read at least some of those!

What are YOU reading on Monday?
Let Mr. Linky know!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

To her parents, Jenna Fox was a miracle child from the moment she was born and now, at 17, she's even more miraculous. Jenna has just woken up from a year-long coma and, even though her memory is practically none-existent and her body feels strange, she's still all and everything to her parents.

But, who exactly is Jenna Fox?. Post-coma Jenna, the New Jenna, isn't sure. She doesn't know why she can remember somethings so clearly while almost everything else is a blank, why she doesn't remember the accident that put her in a coma to begin with? Or who her best friends were? Or why her grandmother seems to hate her now?

As the days and weeks go by, Jenna struggles to find a sense of normalcy, she returns to school, makes new friends; and yet, at night, she's haunted by the voices of her old friends and the memory of a place so dark and deep that no one can hear you scream.

The story takes place in a not so distant future, where things like transgenic animals and plants have destroyed many natural ecosystems, antibiotics are nearly useless thanks to their overuse decades before (that would be in our time), and science and medicine are capable to accomplish the unthinkable. The Adoration of Jenna Fox speaks about that future, but more than that it makes you wonder at just how far parents will go for their child; and it also asks a big question, which Jenna tries to answer: what exactly makes us human?

It is hard to talk about Jenna without spoiling, so I'm afraid I might not be explaining myself but, for all that, believe me when I say The Adoration of Jenna Fox is a great book.

Grade:

1/2

Book Gossip (#18)

Book Gossip #18 - Yet another piece of Pretty Little Liar's Gossip.

What is it you ask? Well, only that Pretty Little Liars might hit the TV screen sometime soon. ABC Family is closing a deal to bring the "Liars" as a TV show. They are also trying to sing Lucy Hale (From Privileged, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2) as Aria, the rest of the girls remain un cast.

You can check it out here.

In other news, you can check the first 50 pages of so of Splendor (A Luxe Novel), which comes out next Tuesday, right now at using H&C's Browse Inside feature.

Book Gossip (#3.5)

Book Gossip Update!

Back in Book Gossip #3, I mentioned that Book 8 of the Pretty Liar Series would be called Twisted but today I found out that it will be called WANTED and it's set to be released on June 29, 2010.

No cover for it yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I find one!

Waiting for Halloween

Hello everyone!!!
Just another quick note from me.
So, since Halloween happens to be one of my favorite seasons of the year, I decided to temporarily change my background to commemorate it. This one is also courtesy of The Cutest Blog on the Blog (which my friend Lauren and her friend Leslie helped to pick!)

Once the season is over, we'll have something else - likely the old/new one, but could change too, I haven't decided yet! the lovely thing about these backgrounds is that I can change them as much as I like without the hassle of having to re-arrange all the sidebars and add ons.

Also, the siggy changed! *grins* I'm digging it!

PS. Happy Birthday Lauren!!!!!!

Death by Denim by Linda Gerber

Death by Denim - book three of the Death By series by Linda Gerber (Possible spoilers of Death by Bikini and Death by Latte).

Aphra Connolly now knows what is like living on-the-run. After the events of Death by Latte, Aphra and her mom have been living under the radar in Lyon, France; without contact with her father or with the boy who started it all: Seth.

See, until a year ago, Aphra lived a very normal, borderline boring life in an Island resort owned by her dad, she was a little lonely, and she missed her Mom (who hadn't come with them when they moved to the Island). Then the Mulos arrived and their son Seth pretty much changed Aphra's life, not only because they sort of fell in love but because the Mulos were the key to uncover things Aphra didn't know about her mom, like the fact that she is in fact a super-secret CIA agent.

Now, after living with her CIA agent Mom, Aphra is a bit on the edge all the time, vigilant and aware of her surroundings. So, when she realizes that a man has been following her for a while, she and her Mom pick up and leave Lyon to seek help from the Agency. In Paris, Aphra realizes that there is only one way for her life to go back to normal: to stop The Mole, the criminal boss who has been hunting her, her mom and the Mulos.

Will she see Seth again? Will she feel safe again?

Well, that's what Death by Denim is here for!

At this point I'm not sure if they are going to be more Death by/Aphra Connolly books, but Death by Denim does brings to an end this Mole narrative arc; however, for me, the book felt a little flat. Don't get me wrong, Linda Gerber is a very good writer, her characters are engaging and the story itself is good, but in the end I wasn't charmed with the book, and I had no trouble putting it down between chapters.

Also, since this is the third book, you're already able to pick up the pattern of them - mostly in the fact that Aphra often jumps to a bad conclusion early on and then has to work her way out of it.

All in all, Death by Denim is an enjoyable read, though.

Grade:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (1)

What Are You Reading On Mondays? (#1)

Here is my first contribution to It's Monday! What are you reading? a meme started at J. Kaye's Blog.

Currently Reading:
Death by Denim by Linda Gerber
Rumors by Anna Godbersen

Books to read this week:
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
Killer by Sara Shepard
To Wed a Wicked Earl by Olivia Parker

That's me, what about you?
Let Mr. Linky know!

Book Gossip (#17)

Book Gossip #17

Another day, another cover, this time is the cover for Meg Cabot's Runaway - coming out May 2010, third installment of the Airhead Series - as unveiled in Airhead's Fan page@Facebook.



I love it when the covers fit together nicely. I absolutely hate when they decide to do cover makeover midway though a series.

Summary:

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.

PS - Sorry for the lack of post lately, got a new job and I'm trying to find the balance between work and fun. But I'm still reading! - AG

New Layout!

Hello!
As you can see I changed the layout, mostly because I was having trouble getting a full load of the other one - though I loved it! - and I like this one quite a lot!

The background is from The Cutest Blog in the Block, as well as the banner - I only adapted it.

Anyway, let me know what you think!