Watchmen by Alan Moore

Title: Watchmen
Author: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
ISBN: 0930289234
Publisher: DC Comics

Summary:
"This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin."
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Review:
I read this because of the movie coming out soon. It was a lot more intense than I expected to be. I tend to enjoy more action and intrigue in my graphics. More explosions and stuff :). But it was very interesting and I'm glad I picked it up.

It was also a bit confusing. I really don't know that I mean confusing in the normal sense - more like, overwhelming... There was just so much going on - time shifts, memories, stories within stories... it just was more than I was hoping for. There's no simple summary of this book (which is probably why there were so few summaries for me to pull from for my "summary" section up there).

I'm very curious as to how this is going to translate to the big screen. Unfortunately, my hopes aren't too high. The story doesn't really lend itself to a movie format. This is, of course, my opinion only. I hope it is wonderful and wins many awards :). We'll just have to see!

There are a few other online reviews of the book itself: Here, here, and here.

Ivy by Julie Hearn

Title: Ivy
Author: Julie Hearn
ISBN: 9781416925064
Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Summary:
"Ivy is used to being overlooked. The youngest in a family of thieves, scoundrels, and roustabouts, the girl with the flame-colored hair and odd colored eyes is declared useless by her father from the day she is born. But that's only if you look at her and don't see. For Ivy has a quality that makes people take notice. It's more than beauty - and it draws people toward her.

Which makes her the perfect subject for an aspiring painter named Oscar Aretino Frosdick. Oscar is determined to make his mark on the art world, with Ivy as his model and muse. But behind Ivy's angelic looks lurk dark secrets and a troubled past - a past that has given her an unfortunate addiction to a dangerous drug. And when treachery and jealousy surface in the Eden that is the artist's garden. Ivy must learn to be more than a pretty face if she is to survive."
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Review:
Honestly, historical fiction isn't a genre I read that often - but this book was a perfect one to jump into the genre. The story is really interesting and was actually surprising. The story took some twists that I wasn't quite expecting. But that made the story more interesting and sucked you in - just cause you never knew what was going to happen.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is wanting to get into the historical fiction stuff. Especially girls - this is more a girl story than anything else.

There are other blog reviews: Here, here, and here.

Sucks to be Me by Kimberly Pauley

Title: Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe)
Author: Kimberly Pauley
ISBN: 978-0786950287
Publisher: Mirrorstone

Summary:
"Why it sucks to be me...

1. My parents are freaks. Sure, every teenager says that. But I know for a fact mine are bloodsucking vampires.

2. As if high school wasn't bad enough, now I have to go to vampire classes with a bunch of weirdos who actually want to drink blood.

3. Then there's my complete inability to talk in complete sentences around cute boys. (i.e. Nathan. He probably thinks I've got a speech impediment or something.)

4. And I can't tell my best friend Serena about any of this.

5. But the absolute worst thing is that the whole world is about to find out what happened when my parents forced me to decide whether I want to be a campire!

Please don't read this book. It's just embarassing. "
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Review:

This book was so much fun! It was the perfect middle ground between the realistic fiction genre and the fantasy/vampire stuff that's so popular right now. It's very clever the way the "underworld" is portrayed - and how it could be possible today.


There was one thing I kinda felt I needed to take issue with. The main character faces all sorts of stuff that makes her life crazy or not how she wanted it.... but she never gets mad. Never gets upset about anything that's happening to her. Things just seem happy-go-lucky. I wanted her to rage a little. I mean, huge changes as a teenager = angst. That's just the way it happens. In this book, none of the normal rules applied. That's my only issue I had with the book. Otherwise I loved the story.

I would absolutely recommend it to those that love the vampire stuff right now - especially if they want something light and funny. It fills those categories easily.

There are other blog reviews: Here, here, and here! Oh, and here is the author's website.

Girl v. Boy by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout

Title: Girl v. Boy
Author: Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
ISBN: 9781423101574
Publisher: Hyperion

Summary:
"Fifteen year old Luisa Perez is not looking to win any awards for school spirit. In fact, she and her friends make it a point to avoid all activities considered "extracurricular." So when her English teacher volunteers her to be an anonymous columnist for the school paper. Luisa's first impulse is to run. But, unlike her high school dropout sister, Luisa does want to go to college - it may be her only ticket out of the life spent working at the cowboy-themed diner where she waitresses part time - and it would be nice to have something to put on her applications.

Her first assignment is to cover her high school's latest fund raiser, which pits the girls against the boys. Luisa will cover the events from the female point of view, while another anonymous writer provides the male perspective - or, at least, that's how it begins. The two columnists soon find themselves engaged in an epic battle of the sexes - a battle that Luisa is determined to win, even if it means risking the best relationship she's ever had."
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Review:
I am, as a rule, a big fan of chick lit. And I have to say that I loved this book because it was chick lit with some meat to it. The main characters weren't upper-middle class, it wasn't a suburban setting, it wasn't all silly drama (though some of that was included). It's also a funny and realistic look at the different sides of relationships. It was just a really clever book.

I'd really recommend this book to anyone who loves both realistic fiction and chick lit. It's a fast, interesting, and cool story. Enjoy!!

This book is also reviewed here, here, and here. :) Oh and here's the authors' website!

Skinned by Robin Wasserman

Title: Skinned
Author: Robin Wasserman
ISBN:9781416936343
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Summary:

"Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular - until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life.

Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated... and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime - for which they must pay the ultimate price."
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Review:

This book was amazing. It was very much in line with the Uglies series from Scott Westerfeld (which is what I was hoping for). It was such an interesting look at what life would be like once we've destroyed our planet and technology becomes even more advanced. I'm not sure how I felt about the main character in the beginning - I was worried that she wasn't going to grow through the story ... just because it took her so long to get there. But as this is the first book of a trilogy, I do understand that setting up the character is very important.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love of all things science fiction. The author did a good job of making the mechanics of the "artificial body" seem very realistic - as if someday that might be how it works. I was just very excited about this book and want to hand it to everyone :).

There are other blog reviews out there: Here, here, here, and here.

Caught Between the Pages by Marlene Carvell

Title: Caught Between the Pages
Author: Marlene Carvell
ISBN: 9780525479161
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Summary:

"For sophomore PJ Barnes, the hardest thing about high school is scamming a hall pass when he's tardy - which is all the time. And homework is a breeze; he just doesn't do it. Why should he? Nobody - not even his soccer coach - is riding him about it anyway. Nobody with the exception of his English teacher, Mrs. Jordan - and she just won't cut him a break.

But then her personal diary winds up sandwiched between his assignments, and for once, opportunity is knocking for PJ. Mrs. Jordan's journal could be a gold mine with answers to tests and some juicy gossip about fellow students - or even Mrs. Jordan. But PJ's choice to read the journal slams him with unexpected family secrets that hold the keys to his past, and possibly his future - if he doesn't get caught between the pages."

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Review:

This was a great realistic fic book - mostly because the characters seemed so true to life. I can pretty much picture them perfectly. The story itself was very different than I imagined it would be - not that I should ever assume what a book would be like. But I did enjoy what the book was - a mostly light hearted look at a teen boy's life when faced with difficult decisions.

I actually started a journal because of this book about my job. I liked the way the teacher was seen as just stating facts about her students - just to have the information/or maybe just to remember. So, I was inspired by the book, technically.... :)

Other blog reviews are here, here, and here.