Still Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley

Title: Still Sucks to Be Me: More All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton Smith, Teen Vampire.
Author: Kimberly Pauley
ISBN: 9780786955039
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Page #: 374
Source: From my library

Summary:
"Why it still sucks to be me
1. Here I am, some all-powerful (ha), all-knowing (yeah, right), in-control (totally not) vampire, and my parents and the stupid Vampire Council still get to dictate everything I do.

2. Not only did they make me fake my death and funeral (I didn't even get to go!), but I had to leave behind my BFF Serena and move really far away.

3. Meanwhile my boyfriend George is off "reconnecting with his parents" in Brazil. Land of beaches, bikini babes, and the biggest party in the world. He's probably going, "Mina, who?"

4. Grady asked me to Homecoming and won't take no for an answer.

5. Did I mention cute but oh-so-complicated Cameron, the only other bloodsucking teen in town? That's because I'm trying not to think about him, thank you very much.

6. And ugh, Raven. Is she seriously stalking Serena?

7. Vampire superstrength can't fix this trainwreck. But can I?"
__________________________________________
First Lines:

"I, Mina Hamilton, am officially dead. Officially, officially. You name it, I've got it: death certificate (which I'm not allowed to keep in a scrapbook, per the Vampire Relocation Agency rules), obituary in the paper (depressingly short, if I do say so myself, and ditto on the scrapbooking), and a funeral."
Page 1
__________________________________________
Review:

So, I read the first book over a year ago now... and I think the characters have improved with this book. My last review was a little dumb, so I'm just going to ignore everything I said there.

There's a lot to love about this book. One of the things that really gets my attention is the amount of humor used in this story. It's mostly the snarky side comments throughout, but it keeps the book light and funny even during the insanely drama-tastic moments. Of which, there are quite a few.

I think this second book is tons better, but I think that's because there's a lot more going on. In the first book you're dealing with whether Mina wants to become a vampire and what that would mean and who that would effect. Now it's all about the people around her and trying to keep her family's secret. Not to mention the number of romantic encounters she has to diffuse.

I'll continue recommending the first book to anyone looking for a funny and lighthearted take on the vampire story. This one does the trick. And very well, I might add. It's great for just about everyone - including middle grade readers. So yeah, go pick this one up. You won't regret it.

This story is definitely growing with age... into something more fun, interesting, and mature-ish. I had a few actual "laugh out loud" moments while reading this book. That always leaves a good impression on me. I really hope the author writes another book for these characters. The ending is a full ending, but there's more story to come, it seems.

Speaking of the author, check out her website. She's also the founder of Young Adult Books Central. I was a part of that for a while - very cool. So look around, because she's always involved. Hopefully we'll see more books from her. :)
__________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Manga Maniac Cafe
Karin's Book Nook
Book Crazy
So Many Books, So Little Time
Novel Novice
Fantasy Book Critic

Robyn (Making a Splash) by Jade Parker

Title: Robyn (Making a Splash #1)
Author: Jade Parker
ISBN: 9780545045407
Publisher: Point
Page #: 233
Source: From my library

Summary:
Robyn's Park Rules:
1. Get the kids down the Splash ride safely! So Supervisor Sean will stop checking up on me.

2. Talk with BFF Caitlin about cute boys by Tsunami Wave Pool.

3. Figure out new co-worker Whitney - is she hiding something?

4. Why is Sean always on my case? And when did he get so cute?

5. Survive the summer!
____________________________________________
First Lines:

"'Brawk! Welcome to Paradise Falls! Brawk!'
With my large tote bag slung over my shoulder, I looked up at the parrot sitting on a swing hanging from a tall pole."
Page 1
____________________________________________
Review:

First off... I just need to complain a little about Barnes and Nobel and Amazon's online summary of the book. They didn't even get the name right for one of the main characters! It wasn't super accurate either... who gives those summaries? Did they even read the book?!? This is why I take summaries from the backs of books. Those tend to be about right.

Rant over. Okay... I really loved this book. Like, love love loved it. There are times when I feel like I've read too much paranormal or heavy topic stuff. This is the perfect cure. It's a lighthearted romance novel about two best friends who start working at the water park for the summer. They meet boys, they break up with boys, they realize boys they didn't look at before. And so on. It's wonderful.

The writing is really easy to get into - I really did wish to pick it back up after I started reading. Now... it did only take me a day to get through. That's one downside with these easy, light books. They're just so fast! Now I have to go search for the second book so I can keep my brain in this wonderful space :).

One thing I really appreciated was the lack of cattiness. Lately when you read stuff that is for teen girls and is romance-centered... there's usually some sort of cattiness that keeps you from liking several of the characters. In this book, there are hints of it, but it's never full blown and characters end up hating. That always takes away from the story, and this one did it perfectly.

This is a great series for girls who need something fun, light, and romantic. It made my inner-teenage-girl all giddy. I think I may have actually said "aww!" a couple of times. But I'll deny it if you ever bring it up.

As for the author... Jade Parker. I just found out that Jade Parker is actually Rachel Hawthorne who writes other fun romance books and some paranormal. She's a good author, so I'm not particularly surprised. She wrote one book Caribbean Cruising that I ended up reading a few times because it was such a great story. That romance stuff reels me in from time to time.

Great book! Read it :).
____________________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Litter Box... Scoop Daily!
Goodreads has some reviews
Okay, so perhaps these books are a couple years old, but they're still worth picking up. If you can find them, read them. Otherwise you're just missing out! :)

Friday Fill-In (19)

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

1. On vacation, I like lounging by a pool with a book. But I usually end up going to see my family instead :).
2. I usually get a massive sunburn while I'm in the ocean.
3. One of my favorite vacation spots is yet undiscovered. I don't vacation enough to know :).
4. Don't werewolves come out during a full moon.
5. Up, up and away, I'm wishing for a vaca!
6. Bananas are one of my absolute favorite fruits. And are great mixed with pineapples and mandarin oranges. yum!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being off work late, tomorrow my plans include having a restful day and maybe reading and Sunday, I want to clean the apt. It's getting a bit grimy!

Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown

Title: Picture the Dead
Author(s): Adele Griffin and Lisa Brown
ISBN: 97814022371326
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Page #: 258
Book borrowed from my library.

Summary:
"After losing her parents and her brother, falling in love with Will was Jennie Lovell's last opportunity for happiness. But then she lost him too...

As Jennie tries to mend the pieces of her broken life, she feels an eerie presence from something otherworldly... something that won't let her leave the past beind.

Acclaimed author Adele Griffin and bestselling illustrator Lisa Brown have created a spellbinding mystery where the living cannot always be trusted, and death is not always the end."
_______________________________________
First Lines:

"It's dark outside, an elsewhere hour between midnight and dawn. I lie awake, frozen, waiting for a sound not yet audible. My eyes are open before I hear the wheels of the carriage at the bottom of the drive."
Page 1
_______________________________________
Review:

I picked up this book purely because of the author. I hadn't read any reviews - though I've seen some floating around. That means I really didn't have any context for what this book might be. Having said that, I really, really loved this book.

I wasn't anticipating a historical novel (honestly just thought it was a ghost story), but I was delighted to realize that it was. I don't think I have read any historical novels set in Civil War times. That alone made this story stand out for me. It was a perspective that I've never known much about (as a proud Southerner and all - we only studied the effects down there). It was a nice change of pace for me.

It was very interesting that this book started almost in the middle of a story. You don't get any of life before the war - it's all when one of the cousins returns and the things that happen afterward. That's not a problem, the story is so well written that you feel like you know all about the past. There are plenty of cues to what life was like and how relationships formed. Just as a side note... I had to get over the cousins marrying thing at first. I get it's a thing of the times. still. ahem.

One thing I really enjoyed about this story was how well the mystery developed. I honestly thought I had the ending figured out, but there was so much more to it than I expected. It kept me guessing and I really appreciated that. It's more history than mystery, but i definitely works as both.

I can't review this book without talking a little bit about the illustrations. Having the pictures between each of the chapters made this book flow really well. Each of the images gave a little bit of the story that was to come in the next bit. I loved how they were done and how well it enhanced the book.

I absolutely recommend this one - even possibly to middle grade students. i think anyone up through high school and beyond can enjoy this one. Check out the author's website. The illustrator has a Red Room Profile. I'll definitely keep reading their books. Absolutely.
_______________________________________
Other Blog Reviews:

Linus's Blanket
Bookalicio.us
Good Books & Wine
Kid's Lit
Novel Novice
Katie's Book Blog
Tempting Persephone
Lots of other reviews out there, so give them a little look-see. :) Enjoyed this one!

Waiting on Wednesday (16)

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

Here's what I'm waiting on this week:

The Clique: The Manga v.1

by Lisi Harrison

Published: July 13, 2010

Annotation from Barnesandnoble.com:
"Wealthy Massie is determined to exclude middle class Claire, the daughter of her father's old friend, from her seventh-grade clique at a very exclusive private school in Westchester, New York, but after Massie steals her only friend, Claire strikes back."

After reading a few Novel-to-Mangas this week, I've decided I'm very interested in this book that's coming next month. I think it's going to be a lot of fun - as I think the author is fantastic. I haven't read any of this series, so I look forward to it.

What are you waiting on?