Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Crank by Ellen Hopkins + Other news

I finally finished reading Crank! yeahh! *pats self on back* Before I review it though i'll tell you my good news. first off my cousins girlfriend Rose had her baby this morning her name is Elizabeth Rose. Second I'm very excited because I was asked to review two new books! Once i get them i'll read them right away so i can review them. Okay i'm done rambling here you go!

***Crank by Ellen Hopkins***

Seventeen-year-old Kristina Snow is introduced to crank on a trip to visit her wayward father. Caught up in a fast-paced, frightening, and unfamiliar world, she morphs into "Bree" after she "shakes hands with the monster." Her fearless, risk-taking alter ego grows stronger, "convincing me to be someone I never dreamed I'd want to be." When Kristina goes home, things don't return to normal. Although she tries to reconnect with her mother and her former life as a good student, her drug use soon takes over, leaving her "starving for speed" and for boys who will soon leave her scarred and pregnant.

So far i've read Impulse, Burned, and now Crank by Ellen Hopkins and they were all great. Crank was fantastic but i think Impulse is still my favorite. I love how Ellen Hopkins writes in verse, it makes the book very interesting to read. Kristina is a very realistic character that you can easily identify with. Everything that happens in this novel could easily happen to anyone. Kristina fell into the dark depths of addiction and she is yet to climb out. I didn't want this book to end but unfortunately it did. The urge to go to Borders and buy the sequel to Crank called Glass is very strong. I would reccomend this book to anyone that would like to read about a difficult topic in a new exciting way.

I am happy to give this book 4 out of 5 muffins!

Happy reading!
Amanda

Sunday, September 28, 2008

I am BACK!!!

I am sooooo sorry! I haven't updated in a long time. School has kept me very busy, i'm involved in Student Council, Mock Trial, and Computer Club. I did read all of the books from the library, and reviews will be up for them soon. Right now i'm reading Crank. So far i love it and i plan to finish it today.

I've been spending A LOT of time using Twitter. If you don't know what twitter is then look it up or something! It is fantastic and very addicting. Come check me out. www.twitter.com/mander_lynn Follow me please!

Because you all have been soooo patient i'm gonna review ALL of the books (except Bermudez Triangle because i just don't have the time or patience) RIGHT NOW! SURRRPRISE!!! *throws major confetti with little sparkles in it* HERE WE GO!! Oh just so you know all of the summary's are from amazon. I don't have THAT much extra time. teehee!

***Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher***

When Clay Jenson plays the casette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Clay spends the rest of the day and long into the night listening to Hannah's voice and going to the locations she wants him to visit. The text alternates, sometimes quickly, between Hannah's voice (italicized) and Clay's thoughts as he listens to her words, which illuminate betrayals and secrets that demonstrate the consequences of even small actions. Hannah, herself, is not free from guilt, her own inaction having played a part in an accidental auto death and a rape.

I read this book straight through. Once i started i could not in any way stop. It gave me a lot of insight. Just knowing that little things that i do that i think are no big deal could seriously alter someone else's life! After reading it I began to take my actions more seriously. I would recommend this book to anyone that needs a little eye-opener or anyone who thinks they can handle a very strong and compelling story about suicide.

This book gets a perfect 5 out of 5 muffins!
***Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen***

Because her aerobics-star mother is taking her famous weight-loss program to Europe, 15-year-old Colie leaves her home in Charlotte to spend the summer with her endearing but uncompromisingly unusual Aunt Mira in coastal Colby, NC. Colie has recently dropped 45 pounds, but unlike her positive-thinking mother, the teen has not succeeded in shedding her negative self-image. With this change of scene, she hopes to escape her role as social victim. Unfortunately, Mira attracts lots of negative gossip. Worse still is the reappearance of Colie's hometown nemesis who continues to spread slanderous rumors about her. Colie feels hopeless until she accepts a job in a restaurant, where two fellow waitresses, both past their high school angst, share their beauty, boy, and life-management secrets with her.

I've read many Sarah Dessen novels. All of them are great and this one is no different. Some things did sound a little far-fetched for example the relationship with Colie and Norman. I mean that a pretty BIG age difference that could be a little illegal. Besides how it's a bit unbelievable i liked it. The characters were all fantastically written and i fell in love with all of them. It was a fast read that i would and do reccomend to all girls.

I give this book 3 out of 5 muffins.

***Lost It by Kristen Tracy***

Idaho teen Tess Whistle is having one weird junior year–she, her family, and her friends are all losing it. Her parents, born again following a serious grease fire in the kitchen, take off unexpectedly to a survival camp in the Utah desert, leaving Tess with her grandmother. Tess's best friend, Zena, reacts to her parents' marital troubles by making elaborate plans to blow up a poodle. And Tess herself, who used to be 100 percent certain that she'd wait until she was married before she had sex and is deathly afraid of the wilderness, loses her virginity out of doors with her boyfriend.

Wow this book was soo fun to read! I think it was about the funniest of the 5 that i read. It had serious moments but they quickly brightened up. Except in the end when Ben stays mad at Tess. That was just crazy. It wasn't that big of a deal and only a crazy person would have taken that little lie so seriously. It was fun to read but i don't think i'll be re-reading it anytime soon. I recommend this book to reluctant readers who liked to be kept entertained.

I give this book 3 out of 5 muffins!

***The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart***
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father's "Bunny Rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Laundau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all-male secret society.
Not when her ex boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew is lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This book was different than any book that i read. It kept me on my toes and it was super funny. Once again this book was a bit weird. Like how MAD Matthew got at Frankie. WHO GETS THAT MAD??? Oh well. I would read this book over and over again. E. Lockhart is a fantastic author and proves it with this book. This has got to my favorite book of hers. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!

I give this book 4 out of 5 muffins!