Half Price Books

Sooo I only recently (as in, this summer) discovered the wonder that is Half Price Books. Of course I've always known about it. There's a store about five minutes from my house, but I always passed it up for Borders or Barnes and Noble. That is, until I was out with my lovely reader friend and she suggested we go there. I'd been there before when I was younger, but, as stated, I always chose a new book store instead.

What a mistake.

Half Price Books is a store full of treasures. Some books aren't in the best of shape (which sucks for a perfectionist obsessive-compulsor like myself) but the prices are right. Hardcovers aren't super cheap ($8-9), but in comparison to list prices, they are steals. Paperbacks are all half of the list price, which is amazing.

They are having a 20% off everything labor day sale, so my sister and I headed there this morning. I was armed and ready to go! I ended up spending waaaay more than I intended, but the most expensive book I bought was actually one I got for my sister, and it was $5.18. Yeah. That's how cheap this place is. Here is my list of treasures acquired this morning:















How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt (already read--well, listened to--but it was only $4!)

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer (also already read, but it's a classic and one of my favorite books of all time)

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (I saw this movie and loved it! And the book is always better, right?)

Waiting For You by Susane Colasanti (I've read When It Happens by her and loved it, and I vowed to read her other books. This is one that isn't in the best of shape, but it was the only copy they had, and it was $4.50! I can survive a little damage for that price!)

Take Me There by Susane Colasanti (See above. though this one is in almost perfect shape)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (I'm not entirely sure what this is about, but it's a classic, right? And it's so pretty--this copy is smaller, leather-bound, and has a ribbon bookmark--all for only $3!! How was I supposed to pass that up?!)

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (love love love him. Almost perfect condition hardcover for only $2. Two dollars!!)


This is what I call a successful morning.

Sea

Title: Sea

Author: Heidi R. Kling

Pages: 323

Rating: ****

Summary: Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna Jones reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to six-months post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful orphaned boy, Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the truth about her mother’s plane crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to finding answers.

And Sea’s real adventure begins.

Review: This book was really, really good. For romance lovers, of course, but I loved the story.
Sienna takes a trip across the globe to help out at an orphanage for tsunami victims. I loved this because so many of us forget that these people's lives are still devastated. We feel bad and donate some money once we hear about it but after a few months we forget and move on. This is the case with most natural disasters. However, the people who live(d) there's lives are forever changed, often for the worse.
And then, of course, there's Deni. Hot, sweet, deep Deni whose family was killed in the tsunami, leaving him on his own. He is a wonderful love interest. But this wasn't some ordinary love interest. Indonesian culture is very different from ours, as most of us know, especially in regards to dating and marriage. That cultural conflict shows up quite a bit in the story.
I really liked Sienna as a protagonist. She could really relate to the kids because, though she still had her father, she lost her mother to the ocean, just like the children at the orphanage. She was in pain herself, and yet she was there trying to help other kids feel better.
Yes, this story has lots and lots of cheese. But it's not just about the romance, and though I predicted the "plot twist" at the end, it still threw a wrench into the story, and I wanted to find out what was going to happen! This is a great summer beach read, and though I realize summer is over, it could be great for the winter as well. When cuddled up by the fire, you can read about Sienna almost melting in the 100 degree heat.

Recommended for: romance lovers (fans of Twenty Boy Summer and Sarah Dessen, though it's not quite up to those levels)

30 Best Book Engines

Hello all! Again, so sorry for my extended absence. With school starting, I've just been a tad busy.

A site has been brought to my attention that I thought you all might like to know about! It's called 30 Best Book Engines to Finding Your Perfect Summer Read, but it doesn't have to be just about summer books. I've looked at some of the sites and they look AWESOME! So go check it out here!

I also will have a review up shortly for Sea by Heidi R. Kling, which I finished yesterday! (Hint: It was amazing!)

YA Fantasy Showdown

So I recently discovered this "showdown" going on between characters of different YA series! For each "battle", fights have been written out, and you can vote for who you think will win!

Which brings me to the reason for posting. Katniss Everdeen, of The Hunger Games, is up against Eugenidenes (anyone read Queen's Thief? I've never heard of him). She is losing by only 10 votes!!! So go vote for her here!

Other characters still in the race include Katsa from Graceling and Jace from The Mortal Instruments (swoon!)!!

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

Title: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, and June

Author: Robin Benway

Pages: 281

Rating: ***1/2

Summary (from Goodreads): Three sisters, three extraordinary, life-changing powers!

I hugged my sisters and they fit against my sides like two jigsaw pieces that would never fit anywhere else. I couldn’t imagine ever letting them go again, like releasing them would be to surrender the best parts of myself.

Three sisters share a magical, unshakable bond in this witty high-concept novel from the critically acclaimed author of Audrey, Wait! Around the time of their parents’ divorce, sisters April, May, and June recover special powers from childhood—powers that come in handy navigating the hell that is high school. Powers that help them cope with the hardest year of their lives. But could they have a greater purpose?

April, the oldest and a bit of a worrier, can see the future. Middle-child May can literally disappear. And baby June reads minds—everyone’s but her own. When April gets a vision of disaster, the girls come together to save the day and reconcile their strained family. They realize that no matter what happens, powers or no powers, they’ll always have each other.

Because there’s one thing stronger than magic: sisterhood.

Review: If you have sisters, older or younger, you will totally be able to relate to this book. It was a cute, quick read about love, magic, and of course, sisterhood.
Since I myself am the oldest of three girls, I could relate the most to April, but I found that these three sisters mirrored my sisters and I quite well--maybe it's a birth order thing. April is protective, motherly, and yes, a bit bossy--key trademarks of the oldest child. May, being the middle child, just wants to disappear--and does. June, the youngest, wants people to like her and be popular--the fruity, shallow wishes of the baby. The powers they have also relate a bit to birth order--April is able to look out for her sisters' futures, May disappears, and June can read minds.
The plot of this book, thinking back on it, isn't that deep, and yet it sucked me in. The first half of the book is really the girls getting used to their powers, the second half is when the real "action" kicks in. Of course, the ending is quite predictable, but it's cute.
As in Audrey, Wait!, the writing is very real. Nothing wordy or fancy; I felt like this book was taking place in real life. The characters speak normally and as if they are simply talking to each other, not having a written out conversation. The only thing I worry about this is the possibility of it aging--in a few years, slang will be different. Will Robin's books not be as popular when the speech is no longer modern?
All in all a good light read. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as Audrey, Wait!, but it is still worth checking out.

Recommended for: Sisters

I could have sworn I reviewed Audrey, Wait! on here, but apparently not. Check it out on Goodreads or Amazon!!

CUWAC: "A Streetcar Named Desire"

I realize I've slacked off on this meme for a while now, and I sincerely give my apologies. This book is technically a play, but I recently read it at my program at Carleton.

Title: "A Streetcar Named Desire"

Author: Tennessee Williams

Pages: 179

Rating: ***1/2

Summary: Blanche DuBois shows up on her sister's doorstep with a trunk of her belongings and bad news: the family home, Belle Reve, has been lost. Blanche spends the summer with Stella and her husband, the animalistic Stanley Kowalski. With her "nerves", Blanche is a bit unsteady--and not all she appears.

Review: This book--or play, rather--was very interesting. As stated, I read in for a writing program, not necessarily by choice. I can't say I particularly liked any of the characters, but it was very real. This play is a perfect example of gender and class roles in the mid-twentieth century--men are in charge, women just take care of them, and those of working class and just so "common" compared to the upperclass.
After reading the play, we went to see its performance, which was simply outstanding. Plays are always better on stage, where they are meant to be seen. Reading the text is one thing, but seeing it live really helped me grasp some of the deeper content of the play--such as the contrast between desire and death throughout the story. The story has also had a movie adaptation, which I have not seen, but have heard good reviews for.
All in all, a good look at an interesting time period in the United States

Recommended for: historical fiction fans, readers interested in gender roles

Sorry!!

SO sorry for my inactivity recently. I was at a summer writing program at Carleton College, and I didn't have much free time! I highly recommend the program however!!

Here is a great summer read; hope you can get your hands on it before summer's over!

Title: It's Not Summer Without You

Author: Jenny Han

Pages: 288

Rating: ****

Summary (from Goodreads): Last year, all of Belly's dreams came true and the thought of missing a summer in Cousins Beach was inconceivable. But like the rise and fall of the ocean tide, things can change--just like that. Suddenly the time she's always looked forward to most is something she dreads. And when Jeremiah calls to say Conrad has disappeared, Belly must decide how she will spend this summer: chasing after the boy she loves, or finally letting him go.

Review: A good sequel to a great book. It's Not Summer Without You picks up the summer following The Summer I Turned Pretty. With flashbacks to tell us what happened over the past year, I felt like I'd never left Belly's world.
What I really liked in this book was how Jenny included chapters from Jeremiah's perspective. Of course, when they started I thought maybe we'd get some from Conrad's POV too, but to no avail. Jeremiah offers a peek into the other side of the story--the boys' lives.
This book keeps up the love triangle we thought was solved in the first book. Conrad is still infuriating, sexy, and irrestistable, and Jeremiah is still the perfect guy friend (who wants to be more).
All in all, a good summer read. Their problems get deeper, the relationships grow stronger, and it all comes back to Cousins Beach.

Recommended for: beach readers, romance lovers