Book Review: Treasure Map of Boys By E. Lockhart

I'm going to assume you have read the previous books of the Ruby Oliver Series

At First Sight: Winter break is over and Ruby Oliver is back in the Tate Universe, neurotic as ever and trying to navigate her way through no-boyfriend land and remain a good friend.

Not that the boys in her life are making things easy. Suddenly Jackson - the one that broke her heart -is talking to her again. Noel - the one she (and her friend Norah) wants - is flirting and asking her to be his bodyguard against other girls. Gideon - Nora's brother - is helping her bake.

On top of that, Ruby lost the job she liked, got another job where she has to stare at feet all day long, she's running a bake sale and trying really hard not to be a rotten friend. Therapy with doctor Z seems to be going nowhere and the panic attacks are back with a vengance.

In short, it's hard to be Ruby Oliver but, trying to find her way through the boys, she might find a real treasure in her life.

Second Glance: Treasure Map of Boys is the third installment of the Ruby Oliver series by E. Lockhart and I have to admit it took me a while to read it, though I thought it was fantastically funny and a good read. 

I really liked Ruby during this book, I think I've seen her grown up and even though she's a bit too boy obsessed - which I don't really get because I was never that boy crazy, and not even my more slutty friends were either.  But, anyway, it was a lovely read: fast paced and sweet. 

I still love Megan and Hutch, they are my favorite characters of the series, and probably the only true friends Ruby has ever had. I love how, as Ruby gets to know them better, I get to know the better and see different aspects of their personalities beyond what Ruby saw at the beginning of her story. 

Also, it was nice to finally see Ruby starting to stand up for herself in some matters, and come to certain realizations about what friendship is and isn't - which is so hard to figure out sometimes.

Ruby still gets on my nerves sometimes, and sometimes I want to leap into the book and shake her a little and make her see reason, but I guess that just means I think of her as a friend - as I wouldn't just shake anybody! - and that's always good in my book. 

Oh, and there is a Great Dane and a cute goat, and you know I think that animals make books just that much better!

Bottom Line: The Treasure Map of Boys is a cute, quirky little book about a girl trying to find out what she wants and whom she wants it from. It's funny, touching and a lovely read. 

Favorite Quote: In life, there's no happily-ever-after-into-the-sunset. There's marriage, complete with arguments, bad hair, lost hair, mentally unstable children, weird diets, dogs that fur up the couch, not enough money. Like my parents. That's their life I just described - but then, there they were, talking on the phone about my dad massaging my mom's groin area after yoga; cuddling on the couch; holding hands and wearing stupid Great Dane paraphernalia.

At The Movies: The Hangover 2

Stu, Phil and Alan are back from their Vegas adventures and ready to spend some really tame few days in Thailand, where Stu is taking his turn as the groom.

But then, of course, Alan tampering with a bag of marshmallows leads to them waking up at a hell-hole hotel in Bangkok with a stolen monkey, a Chinese crook and no recollection of what happened the night before.

Also, Stu's 17 year old future brother in law is MIA.

So now, the guys have a few hours to untangle the mess of the previous night, find the missing guy and make it in time Stu's wedding.

I went to see The Hangover - Part II with my sister because she kind of loves Bradley Cooper and well, we both liked the first one just fine.

I found TH2 a bit more racy - some things that happened did make me go, really? was that necessary? - but it was still lots of fun.

Loved how unapologetic the movie was, these guys just went ahead, did crazy things and, though there were consequences to their antics, there is no punishment, they just dealt with what happened like the irresponsible adults that they were.

I think it's a good movie, though maybe not for everyone. I'll give it a B.

Book Review: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle and Peter Gillis

The Deal: An Unicorn learns that she's the last of her kind, and she hadn't realized because she had always lived in the same forest, taking care of the trees and animals there. 

One day, she decides to go out and find out what happened to the other unicorns of the world. She comes across many dangers, and eventually learns about the Red Bull and the King of Haggard, who is connected to the disaperance of the others. 

In her journey, she's joined by a hapless magician and Molly Gruel, who help her get where she needs to go.

There she meets Prince Lir, complicating things more. 

My Thoughts: I'm a huge fan of The Last Unicorn - the movie. I think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of animation ever produced. So I was very excited to read this adaptation of the book by Peter S. Beagle into a comic book. 

The illustrations are lovely, close to the ones to the movie but at the same time a little less dreamy and a bit more sophisticated, and it definitely captures the magic of this tale. And once I got over the fact that I kept trying to read it right to left manga style - since I'm far more familiarized with this style than with US comic books - I enjoyed it a lot, even though I did find the font a bit small.

I don't think I'll ever get over how heartbreaking this tale is, but it remains one of my favorites, and I think this is a very worthy adaptation of it. 

Retro Friday (17): Moby Clique by Cara Lockwood

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time! 

This week I chose Moby Clique by Cara Lockwood. You can read my original review here. 

At First Sight: It's time for Miranda to return to Bard Academy and, after a summer working at her Stepmother's all pink boutique - in the midst of pink stationary and pink edible underwear - she's actually looking forward to going back to Bard.

Until her little sister Lindsay crashes their Dad's new car into the store and gets send to Bard alongside Miranda.

From the start, Lindsay is determined to get Miranda in trouble, mostly because that's Lindsay's favorite past time. Soon Miranda is in trouble with her new dorm mother Mrs. P, Lindsay keeps babbling Miranda's secrets to Heathcliff and running after Miranda's ex, Ryan Kent. She's also at the beck and call of Miranda's nemesis and resident queen bee Parker.

On top of that, and because Bard wouldn't be Bard if something freaky but literary wasn't underfoot, there are rumors of strange men in the woods surrounding the school... strange men dressed as pirates who are kidnapping students.

And, of course, it's up to Miranda and the LITs - a.k.a. Miranda's friends Samir, Blade and Hana, and Heathcliff - to figure out what's going on.


Second Glance: In someways, I think Moby Clique it's my favorite book of the series. Maybe because it's the book with the most Heathcliff in it.

I love that there is always a touch of mystery about every book - there is always a plot going on that needs to be figured out, and I like that because, rather than being distracting, it keeps the story moving.

Also, in this book I grew to like Miranda the most and felt for her as Lindsay's presence shows more of her family life and how little they appreciate Miranda and how much they spoil Lindsay. I really hated Lindsay, she's the type of little sister that gives us little sisters of the world a sucky rep. She's spoiled and bratty and doesn't listen to reason and then acts all innocent and gets away with stuff - I hate people who get away with stuff.

Lindsay does come through, in the end, but I still don't like her, or Miranda's parents.

I do love Hanna, Samir and Blade, they are so funny. And also loved seeing glimpses of Heathcliff's softer side.

Bottom Line: I truly love Moby Clique, like I said I think it's my favorite Bard book. There is more romance, a hint of danger and lots of fun. And I can't wait for the next book, titled A Tale of Two Proms, which is coming out next year. FINALLY. *does happy dance*


Favorite Quote: "So how long have you been waiting for me?" I ask, teasing.
"All summer," he says, completely serious. He reaches up and gently tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. His touch makes all the words in my head simply dry up and disappear. But Heathcliff doesn't seem to mind the lack of conversation. He is, after all, the strong and silent type.  - Miranda & Heathcliff

Stupid Fast Blog Tour - A 10 List by Geoff Herbach (Plus A Giveaway!!!)

Hello everybody! 

I'm so glad to welcome Geoff Herbach to the blog, today. He's he author of Stupid Fast which came out this past June 1st.

Now, there is saying that goes: "The blank page is God's way to show you just how hard is to be God" and I've come to believe it, but more than that it has always amazed me the things that I learn about my self (mostly that I'm deeply, scarily neurotic) when I write - both for the blog and when I need to tell a story - and so, for his visit today, I asked Geoff to tell me 10 things he has learned about himself while writing.

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10 Things I Found About Myself While Writing - A list by Geoff Herbach

1. I can get out of bed early. Before I started writing seriously, I had to peal my limp self up every day and it was hard and painful and sweaty and it made me dizzy. I began a novel for the first time about 10 years ago and found the only time I had during the day to write without interruption was pre-dawn. I could see this novel was actually something kind of good, which was hard to believe. I’d look in the mirror and shake my head and think, “Is this real?” I started jumping out of bed at 4:45 a.m. ready to blow it out. Weird.

2. Ellipses… I like ellipses… My characters all want to trail off… You won’t find many ellipses in Stupid Fast… Because copy editors don’t like them. (Alex's Note: Who doesn't love ellipses... they set...the mood...)

3. I am not James Joyce or Leo Tolstoy. When I was in college, I looked like a Russian writer. Lots of turtle neck sweaters and big black boots and little goatees and that kind of thing. My friends all looked the same. At night, alone, I watched the movie Sixteen Candles over and over and loved it (while I was struggling to talk coherently in classes about Joyce, I could go on for hours about Sixteen Candles). It took me years of writing to realize my voice has much more in common with writer/director John Hughes than with Joyce or Tolstoy. My brain likes Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller, etc. So, that’s good to know. I know what I should be writing, finally.

4. I never wanted to write funny. I wanted to write serious. When my first stories started coming out, people always laughed and said, “Hi-larious!” This was shocking to me, because I thought my stories were sad and deep. My twitch is to cover up sad with funny, which I didn’t know, and perhaps should speak with a therapist about at some point.

5. I can smoke about a thousand cigarettes a day, which is very disgusting. When I was younger, I’d sit at a table and chain-smoke while I wrote. I wouldn’t even notice all the burning cigarettes. Then, at night, my chest killed and I couldn’t breathe. The next day I’d do it again. Smokey McSmokes. Everything in my apartment was smelly and gross. Thankfully, after years of working at it, I’ve figured out how to not smoke while writing (involves ridiculous amounts of exercise, which wasn’t fun at first).

6. If I write three pages a day, in three months I have a draft of a book. Try it! It’s crazy! It still blows my mind! Three pages! Granted, after the first draft there’s a crap load of work to do, but still! 

7. There are really only two or three things I want to talk about in my writing: authenticity and passion, I think actually cover it. Maybe only two things, then. Of course, one can tell a thousand stories about authenticity and passion, so I think I’m all right.

8. Facebook makes monkey brain, which is bad for writer.

9. The more I write, the more I love everybody. Writing makes me see other peoples’ perspectives and follow chains of mistakes that get people into big trouble and I have empathy and I just start loving to whole freaking world for all the disaster and sadness we all have to make it through… There’s good stuff, too, of course. Thank God.

10. Writers write. I wanted to be a writer when I was a teen, but I didn’t write, because I liked football and girls (I also liked the idea of being a writer and living in Paris in a little apartment and wearing a beret and eating French bread, which I don’t do now, by the way… no Paris apartment, either… I do eat French bread on occasion). Writers write. If you write, you’re a writer. If you don’t, you’re not. You don’t have to publish to be a writer. You do have to write. The more you write, the better you get at writing. The longer you write while writing more, the better you know yourself and the world around you and the better your writing gets. And then, something happens. You do really good work. Writers aren’t born. They write and they get better. I guess it’s called hard work. It’s dedication. Writers aren’t born writers. They become writers by writing. Tough lesson. (And sooooo true)

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Thanks Geoff for the visit and the list!

About Stupid Fast, in Geoff Herbach's words:

It’s about a boy.   It’s about sports.  It’s about being a serious dork.  It’s about a paper route.  It’s about bullying and the opposite.  It’s about a girl.  It’s about hair growth.  It’s about a little brother.   It’s about piano.  It’s about a depressed mother.  It’s about learning to be who you are.  It’s about not hiding.

For more about Stupid Fast, you can click here

And you can check out the previous and future tour stops at Teen {Book} Scene.

Also, we'll be hosting a giveaway for a copy of Stupid Fast, starting today -June 9th - and ending at midnight (central) on June 14th. It's US/Canada only, sorry.

All you have to do is FILL THIS FORM and you're done. Winner will be chosen and announced on June 15th. No need to be a follower to enter.