So...

Happy Halloween! I am busy with my assignments for school. So, I will be giving out candy... and eating a bit.
Ashley at Books Make Great Lovers is having a contest, for Halloween Costume ideas.

Beautiful by Amy Reed

Rating:
Characters: 18/20
Plot: 18/20
Originality: 17/20
Writing: 18/20
Recommendation: 18/20
Overall: 89/100 or B
Cassie moves from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. She decides that she need to leave her good girl persona behind. She chooses some dangerous friends and is immersed into the world of drug, sex, and secrets. Cassie loves the thrill of her new life, but she also terrified of what could happen. She loses her virginity to a older boy. Cassie also embraces the numbness of drugs. Now she is being called beautiful. Cassie doesn't notice the down spiral that her life is going on and how much danger she is really in.
Cassie is an interesting character. She wants to fit in like most teens do, but she chooses the wrong crowd and had to live with consequences. I am going to admit that I didn't like the ending of what happens to Cassie, because it shows teens that they have the ability to give up, instead of working yourself out of the mess of your own creation. Beautiful was a fast paced book that had a lot of emotion. Also, the plot was well done and interesting. The only flaw that I saw was how she just stopped talking to her friends that lived in Bainbridge Island, it is a 45 minute ferry ride. I have had friends move to Seattle and they still come back and hang out. I also have visited them. I live farther away, then that. I found that not be realistic. It was a fairly original book, about what can happen when you get into drugs so young. It was as sad as the true stories are. Reed is an amazing writer and I am excited for more books from her. She created great characters and the setting to let the story unfold. I recommend that you check out this book, if you liked Crank or the movie Thirteen.

The Winner..

So, The winner of The Michael Jackson Tapes:A Tragic Icon Reveals His Soul in Intimate Conversation by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is Toast.
Email me your address and I'll forward it. Thanks for everyone that entered and I hope that you come back soon.

Waiting on Wednesday(Week Thirty-one)

Title: The Deathday Letter
Author: Shaun David Hutchinson
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: Fall 2010

All fifteen year-old Oliver Travers wanted to do when he woke up Thursday morning was squeeze in a little underwear gymnastics before school, until his mom called him downstairs to tell him he had received a Deathday Letter, which sort of ruined the mood. Content to spend his last day of life at school (where the girls are), Oliver's best friends Shane Grimsley and Veronica (Ronnie) Dittrich convince him to burn his books and ditch school to, you know, have a little actual fun before he kicks the bucket.In a world where only taxes, Deathday Letters, and teenage boy's hormones are certainties, Oliver, Shane and Ronnie embark upon a bus ride that takes them from the post office, to a house filled with college-aged anti-Deathday Letter activists (and Dave Matthews fans), and nearly to prison. And as the end draws near Oliver learns that living is way tougher than dying…and that kissing is wetter than he'd expected.

This book sounds really interesting and I love the cover.

Break by Hannah Moskowitz

Rating:

Characters: 18/20

Plot: 18/20

Originality: 19/20

Writing: 19/20

Recommendation: 18/20

Overall: 94/100 or A

Jonah is on a mission. His mission is to break every bone in his body. Everyone knows that every bone grows stronger than they are before. Jonah wants to be stronger. His brother Jesse has severe allergies and goes to the Emergency Room at least once a month. He also has a baby brother that can't stop crying.

I found this book to be amazing. I can't imagine what it would be like with the idea of break all of my bones. Moskowitz create real characters with their own strength and weakness. The relationships with the other characters were shown amazingly well. I felt like I knew Jonah, Jesse, and Naomi. The plot of Break never slows down. It is a fast pace and original book that is full of emotions. Moskowitz is a great writer and I can't wait for more from her in the future. I recommend that you check out this book, it is an amazing and completely fantastic.

The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale

Rating:

Characters: 17/20

Plot: 17/20

Originality: 18/20

Writing: 18/20

Recommendation: 18/20

Overall: 88/100 or B

Mercy Kaplan is a Texas sharecropper's daughter. She doesn't want to be like her mom, with tons of kid and failing crops for the rest of her life. Mercy longs to be on her own. It is 1918 and the Spanish flu is ripping around the world. After a while she is alone and poor.

Mercy finds a job with Cora Wilder, caring for the widow's two small children. There is something unsettling about Cora. There is also Daniel, Mrs. Wilder's nearly grown stepson. He is just the type of guy that could sweep her right off her feet.

I found this book to be really cute, but with a hint of mystery in the plot. Mercy was a sweet character and was really kind of loving. Daniel was swoon worthy, but he was grumpy at times. The characters were all unique and amazing. I loved the plot of The Goodbye Season. It was dramatic and sad. It was fairly original for a historical novel and had an original take on things. Hale was a great writer and told a great story of love, loss, and murder. I suggest that you check out this book, if you love historical fiction.

Cover Remake...

I made this for Cindy's Something Like Fate cover contest, tell me what you think.

Here is mine for the Unwritten Rule, too.

My Eight Favorite things

My eight favorite things are:

1. My Friends

2. My Family

3. Books

4. Glee (mostly Cory Montieth)

5. Cinammon Bread

6. Texting/Tweeting

7. Musicals

8. Autumn

The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

Rating:
Characters: 16/20
Plot: 16/20
Originality: 20/20
Writing: 17/20
Recommendation: 17/20
Overall: 86/100 or B
The Expressologist is one of those cute books that you can't put down. Jane Turner has a theory that you can tell a lot about a person by what is your regular coffee drink. She keeps a notebook with she calls Espressology. It is not a totally crazy idea, so she starts hooking up friends based by their coffee order. Like she set up her best friend, Emma(medium hot chocolate) with Cam(toffee nut latte). Soon, her boss, Derek gets wind of Jane's espressology. He decides that it needs be an in-store holiday promotion, promising Customers that will have their perfect match for the cost of a their favorite cup of coffee. Things are going so really, but why is Jane so nervous? Maybe it has something to do with a match that she made, but she is the one that set them up. So, she should be happy so them, right?
I found this book to be so cute. Jane's notebook was hilarious and made me laugh so hard. I could relate to Jane's personality. She was a sweet and tried to do the best actions for everyone, but sometimes she had to listen to her heart. The other character could have been developed a lot more and the subplots could have had more detail. The plot was original. I mean I have never seen a book with a similar plot like this. It did seem that it was a bit rushed, especially with the relationship between Cam and Jane and a few other plot points. Though, I was so excited for the match ups of couples, because they were perfect for each other. This is a cute and fun book, that I wish had quite a bit more length.

Traveling to Teen Tours: Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein

Lisa Klein is the author of Ophelia, Lady Macbeth's Daughter, and Two Girls in Gettysburg. Her re-telling of Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughter is a retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth, with a more female centered plot. Both books are really interesting. She started writing Ophelia in 2001 and it was published in 2006. Now, she live in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, two teenage sons, a dog and a cat. You can visit her website at http://www.authorlisaklein.com/.
Rating:
Characters: 17/20
Plot: 18/20
Originality: 17/20
Writing: 18/20
Recommendation: 17/20
Overall: 87/100 or B
Albia grew up with no knowledge of her mother or father. She didn't know that he was the powerful Macbeth. Instead, she knows the dark lures of Wychelm Wood and the moors, where she has been raised by three strange sisters. Macbeth seeks out the sisters to foretell his fate that Albia's life is tangled in with. She even falls in love with Fleance, Macbeth's Rival for the throne. Albia learns that she has second sight and she must decide whether to ignore the terrible future she foresees or she'll have to change it. Will she be able to save the man she loves from her murderous father. And can she forgive her parents for all their wrongs, or must she destroy them in order to save Scotland?
I love a retelling of another book. Practically Shakespeare's books, because it is interesting to be in someone else's shoes. Lady Macbeth's Daughter kept with the storyline well and was very entertaining. Albia is a very kick ass girl for before the Renaissance. I loved her personality and how she was such a free spirit. I also loved how the relationship with Albia and Fleance developed. It was very cute. I also liked how Macbeth was developed. It was awesome that it was from other character's view, then just Albia. The plot made it such a quick and interesting read. I also think that this was an original retelling of Macbeth. The writing was also well detailed. I would check this book out, if you are looking for a strong independent female character.