A Girl, Books and Other Things

July 6, 2012

Book Review: Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

At First Sight: It's summer in New York City, but for assistant Residence Hall director Heather Wells, the work never ends. Not only does she has a bunch of kids staying at her 'should-be-closed-for-renovations' residence hall (or, as new fiance Cooper calls it: Heather's Island of Misfit Toys), but now she also has Tania Trace - current Queen of Pop - hosting a Rock Camp there too.

With Tania also comes her new husband Jordan - who happens to be Cooper's brother and Heather's ex-boyfriend - and the entire crew of the 'docu-reality' show Jordan loves Tania.

Then, because Fischer Hall's reputation of Death Dorm is well earned, people around Tania start having 'accidents' and soon, one of them turns deathly.

Second Glance: Size 12 and Ready to Rock was such an enjoyable read! I loved being sucked back into Heather's world. She's such a happy, funny person who doesn't just sit and watch as injustices happen. She has a really caring spirit and tries to help other people. I love that about her.

And it was fun to see her with Cooper - now that they are FINALLY a couple, though I did wish there was more of them together. In this book, Cooper gets hired to be Tania's bodyguard, so he's a fair bit, we also get to see some of the Cartwright Family's crazy dynamics and trust me, Cooper and Jordan's sisters are NUTS.

I kind of liked to see the more human side of Tania Trace but, at the same time, I felt she kind of took over the whole story. Like it wasn't Heather solving a mystery, but rather Tania has an stalker!

Other than that, I really enjoyed this new entry to the Heather Wells Mysteries.

Bottom Line: Reading Size 12 and Ready to Rock was like getting re-acquainted with an old friend I hadn't seen in a while, and I was reminded of all the things why I liked her. It's a fun, summer read with lots of humor and bad songs (but in a good way).

Favorite Quote: "That was ABBA," I say with a sniff. "Everyone sounds good singing ABBA, especially in the bathroom. Why do you think they are so popular?"

3/4

Ps - You can't miss the book trailer of Size 12 and Ready to Rock:

July 5, 2012

Speed Date: Peace, Love and Cupcakes: The Cupcake Club by Sheryl Berk and Carrie Beck

The Deal: Kylie has never quite felt like she fit in at her new school, particularly because the queen B, Meredith, dislikes her and keeps the other girls of her grade from being friends with her.

After one disastrous drama-club performance, Kylie feels more in the outs than ever.But with the help of her new drama teacher Kylie decides to form a baking club, and soon she and the other class misfits - Jenna, Lexi and Sadie - are baking like mad.

After a couple less than successful tries, the girls get the baking going - each girl playing to their own strengths, like Lexi's artistic side puts her in charge of decorations and Jenna is the chief taster - and, without even meaning to, a business too.

My Thoughts: Peace, Love and Cupcakes is a rather sweet book, I don't deny it, but it's also a very young book - the characters are all in the third grade - which makes some of the things that happens even more unbelievable than usual.

Still, for the younger crowd, I think it might be very enjoyable - the chapters are short, the language simple and the plot cute - but I can't really see teens or even tweens sticking to the book for long.

What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).

If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

PS - If you're looking for a cupcake book for older readers, try The Cupcake Diaries by Coco Simon or The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

July 4, 2012

Cover Love: Pandora the Curious

The other day I was messing about Good Reads and I found the cover for Pandora the Curious (10th book in the Goddess Girls Series) and I got so excited that I needed to share it.

I'm so happy they have kept the theme of the covers through the series so far, and that the covers totally reflect what happens in the book without giving anything away.

Summary (from GoodReads)

Pandora is quite an inquisitive Goddess Girl--but she could stand to be more cautious. Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy--and probably the most curious of all the students in school. Her quizzical nature is famous--not that she thinks there is anything wrong with being curious, of course

When a godboy named Epimetheus brings a mysterious and fantastical box to school, Pandora's curiosity is piqued. And when it unexpectedly lands in her lap--literally--she can't help but take a look at what's inside. What could be the harm in that? But little does she know that opening the box will open up more trouble than she thought....

Book Coming out in December, 2012.

But first we have The Girl Games on July 10th.

July 3, 2012

Book Review: What I Didn't Say by Keary Taylor

At First Sight: Living in Orcas Island, where everyone knows everyone and their business, Jake Hayes sometimes felt like he had no privacy - and the fact he is one of seven brothers and sisters, doesn't help - but he was popular, well liked and with big plans for the future.

But one night, at the beginning of senior year, Jake's life takes a tragic turn when a out-of-character drunken escapade turns into a freak accident that leaves him mute and with a huge scar on his neck, dashing his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot and leaving him with more than a few regrets.

The biggest of them is that he never got to tell Samantha Shay that he loved her.

After a long stay in the hospital, Jake goes back to the island, where he has to live his recovery in front of everyone, struggling to find a new normal with the help of his friends and, surprisingly, Samantha, growing closer in a way he never thought possible before the accident.

But Sam has her own secrets and her own problems, and she might need more help than Jake himself does.

Second Glance: What I Didn't Say was a very peculiar read. Over all, I liked it, but I also had a few issues with it.

To start with, I found the premise to be different, and the situation Jake finds himself in wasn't one I had read about before. I liked him and his big, loving family and how he makes a conscious decision to move on with his life after the accident, trying hard not to let himself turn bitter.

I liked him and getting to know him, but I had a bit of a problem with Sam. Nothing personal, but I felt this was supposed to be Jake's story and her issues kind of overtook the second part of the book. And I found her story to be a little convoluted and I don't know, I got bored with her sometimes and I couldn't really see why Jake loved her so much.

Bottom Line: What I Didn't Say was a sweet book over all. I kind of expected more from it but it was an enjoyable read all in all, though it had more potential than what it ended up delivering.