Okay, so I've sort of fallen behind on reviewing. As of now, I have 28 books to review, so I'm going to try to review as many of them as possible on this post. There will be 5 books on this post.
The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg- Summary from Amazon-Penny is sick of boys and sick of dating. So she vows: no more. It's a personal choice. . .and, of course, soon everyone wants to know about it. And a few other girls are inspired. A movement is born: The Lonely Hearts Club (named after the band from Sgt. Pepper). Penny is suddenly known for her nondating ways . . . which is too bad, because there's this certain boy she can't help but like. . .
Review- Truthfully, I loved this book, mostly because my obsession with The Beatles is unheard of, so I loved all the Beatles references and little things about them. Also, I liked Penny, and thought she was funny, and I liked that her character arced over the book, and I loved Penny's parents. though I got annoyed with some of the club members, overall I thought it was good, and I love the cover. A-
Wake by Lisa McMann- Summary from Amazon-For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant.
Review- I loved this book. I thought Janie was interesting, and I thought her ability was so perfectly described. I sympathized with Janie, and I liked that this wasn't just another "girl has an ability, hates it at first, then grows to love it" book. I thought it was different, and I appreciated that. Also, I loved Cabel. Like, I now want to marry Cabel, because he was just so kind and thoughtful towards Janie. Janie's sadness over her mother's alcoholism was well written, and Janie was realistic. Though some of the language seemed to be unnecessary, I thought this book was really excellent. A
High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips- Summary from Amazon-Born into rock and roll royalty, flying in Learjets to the Virgin Islands at five, making pot brownies with her father's friends at eleven, Mackenzie grew up in an all-access kingdom of hippie freedom and heroin cool. It was a kingdom over which her father, the legendary John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, presided, often in absentia, as a spellbinding, visionary phantom.When Mackenzie was a teenager, Hollywood and the world took notice of the charming, talented, precocious child actor after her star-making turn in American Graffiti. As a young woman she joinedthe nonstop party in the hedonistic pleasure dome her father created for himself and his fellow revelers, and a rapt TV audience watched as Julie Cooper wasted away before their eyes. By the time Mackenzie discovered how deep and dark her father's trip was going, it was too late. And as an adult, she has paid dearly for a lifetime of excess, working tirelessly to reconcile a wonderful, terrible past in which she succumbed to the power of addiction and the pull of her magnetic father.
Review- This book was heart-wrenching and so sad. I liked the book, but it depressed me. Reading about Mackenzie Phillips' drug problems was so incredibly sad and though there were some okay parts, most of the book was quite sad. Also, some of the things she did were so out there that it was hard for me to understand who she really was. Although I understand that children of mega rock stars tend to have dysfunctional lives, she took it to a whole new level. I thought the book was good, and it interested me, but it was just so very sad. B
Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle- Summary from Amazon-Fifteen-year-old Carly has a problem—two, actually: her younger sister Anna’s new “real live Hooters-esque boobs.” While Carly was away getting self-actualized at a back-to-nature camp, Anna was busy turning into a hottie, a state that makes “granola-girl” Carly uncomfortably jealous. Now back in her privileged Atlanta suburb, Carly is struggling with feelings of insecurity as she tries to reconcile her newly acquired bohemian belief system with the incredible wealth in which she has been raised. In addition, her crush hardly notices her, she feels trapped between her rival best friends, and her parents seem to be growing more distant with each other by the day
Review- I thought this book was just okay. The story was interesting, and I loved the little details, but quite a few parts of the story were cheesy, and some of the dialogue was not believable. The book was funny most of the time, but sometimes things seemed to be stilted. Also, there was very little action until the party, which made the book seem rushed at the end. All in all, a relatively interesting book, but not great. B-
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume- Summary from Amazon-Davey has never felt so alone in her life. Her father is dead—shot in a holdup—and now her mother is moving the family to New Mexico to try to recover.
Climbing in the Los Alamos canyon, Davey meets the mysterious Wolf, who can read Davey’s “sad eyes.” Wolf is the only person who seems to understand the rage and fear Davey feels.
Slowly, with Wolf’s help, Davey realizes that she must get on with her life. But when will she be ready to leave the past behind and move toward the future? Will she ever stop hurting?Review- Though this book was interesting, I thought it was very depressing. Also, I thought Wolf would be in the book more, and it made me sad. Also, the ending with Wolf? I so did not like it, because it didn't seem like anything was resolved with him. I did like Davey, because her emotions seemed true, and she was easy to sympathize with. I didn't really get drawn into the story as much as i would have liked. Though I enjoyed this book, I didn't like its sadness and ending. B
I swear I will try to post more. Only 23 books left to review!!!
