Splashing Away!

I've been shirking my award duties. I've been recieving, but not giving. Bad blogger, bad.

From Jo at Fluidity of Time, I got the Splashy award!
This award is given to the blog that is alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring.

The Rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog/post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash award.
6. Have F~U~N.

What a wonderful award! Thank you so much, Jo! I'm glad I inspire or amuse or whatever someone. It's good to know that someone reads every once in a while :). Here are the bloggers I'm passing this award along to:

(I apologize if any of these people have recieved this award already. I haven't back-checked to see. But they're still ones that inspire me.)
1. Mrs. Magoo Reads
2. Persnikety Snark (What a great blog name!)
3. Pure Imagination
4. Tattooed Books
5. The Neverending Shelf
6. Wrighty's Reads
7. Karin's Book Nook
8. WORD for Teens
9. Reading Extensively

Thanks, again to Jo! You're wonderful and I love your blog too!

Friday Fill-In (6)

Friday Fill-In is a kinda fun meme that's hosted by Janet at the Friday Fill-In blog. Just fill in your answers!

1. A cup of tea in the morning is the perfect start to the day.

2. Pictures on the walls makes a place feel like home.

3. Everything has its beauty but not everything shows it.

4. I am absolutely craving the taste of strawberries?

5. Art makes me feel cultured.

6. LOL I just noticed I forgot to put duct tape on my rain boots so my feet don't get wet.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being snowed in at home, tomorrow my plans include working (unfortunately) and Sunday, I want to watch the closing of the Olympics!

Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

Title: Dirty Little Secrets
Author: C.J. Omololu
ISBN: 9780802786609
Publisher: Walker and Company

Summary:
"From the outside, Lucy's home looks normal. Inside the front door is where the secrets begin. Towering piles of newspapers and magazines. Bags of junk flooding every inch of open space. The rotting smell permeating the air. This is what she's kept from everyone - that her mother's compulsive hoarding has reduced their lives to garbage... literally.

With just two years until graduation, Lucy finally feels like a normal life is within her grasp. Her new best friend, Kaylie, and her longtime crush, Josh, make a future seem almost possible.

Then one morning Lucy comes home to find something she never expected, something that will change her life forever. And she must ask herself - how far can she go to protect her family's secrets?"
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First Lines:

"Everyone has secrets. Some are just bigger and dirtier than others. At least that's what I told myself whenever I stood in a crowd of normal-looking people and felt like I was the only one."
Page 1
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Review:

In the past few months, I've really gotten into the new tv show on A&E called Hoarders. It's such an intense show and really gives you a look into the lives of people with a problem hoarding and how it affects their lives. So when I saw this book was all about a family dealing with hoarding, I was really excited. It's just fascinating to me learning about this disorder and the people it hurts.

This book is such an emotional rollercoaster. You've got Lucy's hate towards her mother because of being blamed or judged about the state of the house, her guilt and sadness about her mother's death, her anger at her siblings for not being there (or not helping when she needs it), and her hope and happiness in finding a "normal" life away from her family. It's amazing how many emotions a person can feel in a matter of 24 hours.

At first it was a little difficult to get into Lucy's mindset - just because the decisions she makes aren't necessarily the ones I would make. But as you read along and get some of the backstory, you really start to feel her pain and her desperation. And you almost see the method in her mother's hoarding - or at least the excuses that are there and why things are the way they are.

This book is written wonderfully! I was pulled into the story immediately and it didn't let me go till I was tearing up at the ending. It's a well written book that tells a part of reality that is rarely discussed (at least until this book and the tv show have come out). I think it's important for people to understand it and this book gives wonderful insight to teens who might not otherwise get it - hence the teasing and stuff at school.

I really plan on putting this book in anyone's hands who are looking for issue driven books - because this one is a stunner. It's emotional (as I said before), but it's also hopeful and freeing almost. I'll definitely be recommending it. I really liked the cover too - it's very realistic without showing the extent of the problem. Very well thought out and the girl fits my image of her in my head very well.

I hope to see more from Omololu in the future! Her website is a fun place to look around - she's got a very active blog that I just followed and look forward to reading. I believe she counts for a debut author as well, so I'm adding her to my challenge list. I know she wrote a children's book before this one, but w000t for the YA debut!
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Other Blog Reviews:

Books at Midnight
Pure Imagination
The Hiding Spot
YA Books Central
Manga Maniac Cafe
Reading Rocks

Again, there are more reviews out there. Seems like lots of people love this one. So take a chance on it! :)

Waiting on Wednesday (8)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.




The Dead-Tossed Waves
by Carrie Ryan
Released: March 9, 2010

From BN.com:
"Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She's content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry's mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry's generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother's past in order to save herself and the one she loves."

I'm pretty excited about this book. After reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I've been ready to get my hands on this one. I do realize that the summary is very similar to the story from the first book, so that will be interesting to see where the story goes. Hopefully it won't be a repeat. A few advance reviews tell me it will be wonderful. :) Here's to hopin'!

Teaser Tuesday (8)

Teaser Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted byMizB at Should Be Reading. This week I'm reading:

Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu

"I didn't even really like popcorn, but I ate it through the whole movie because our fingers brushed as we reached into the bucket at the same time."

Page 12

I haven't started this book yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to it. It gives me something to get excited about on the train ride home. Woo hoo! I've read really good reviews, so bring it on!