Winner: Destined

And the winner of Destined is....

Erin @ Let's Evaluate

Congrats Erin! I have already e-mailed you. If you don't reply within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a post where I tell you the books that I received this week either by buying them from the bookstore, going to the library or from my mailbox. In My Mailbox was inspired by Alea and turned into a meme by Kristi.

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Lennie plays second clarinet in the school orchestra and has always happily been second fiddle to her charismatic older sister, Bailey. Then Bailey dies suddenly, and Lennie is left at sea without her anchor. Overcome by emotion, Lennie soon finds herself torn between two boys: Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, and Joe, the charming and musically gifted new boy in town. While Toby can't see her without seeing Bailey and Joe sees her only for herself, each offers Lennie something she desperately needs. But ultimately, it's up to Lennie to find her own way toward what she really needs-without Bailey. A remarkable debut novel perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block.

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

PLEASE READ THIS! MY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!

Okay, maybe that was a bit melodramatic, but I’m sorry, I’m feeling a bit melodramatic at the moment. 

Here’s the deal. My name is Brooklyn Pierce, I’m fifteen years old, and I am decisionally challenged. Seriously, I can’t remember the last good decision I made. I can remember plenty of crappy ones though. Including that party I threw when my parents were out of town that accidentally burned down a model home. Yeah, not my finest moment, for sure. 

But see, that’s why I started a blog. To enlist readers to make my decisions for me. That’s right. I gave up. Threw in the towel. I let someone else decide which book I read for English. And whether or not I accepted an invitation to join the debate team from that cute-in-a-dorky-sort-of-way guy who gave me the Heimlich maneuver in the cafeteria. (Note to self: chew the melon before swallowing it.) I even let them decide who I dated! 

Well, it turns out there are some things in life you simply can’t choose or have chosen for you—like who you fall in love with. And now everything’s more screwed up than ever. 

E-Books

Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel

The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher

 Don't You Wish by Roxanne St.Claire

Contest Saturday

Here are some contests that are currently going on right now in the blogosphere that book related. Click the links to enter them. I will hold my own contest each month.

Win a copy of Anna Dressed in Blood HERE. Ends TODAY

Win a copy of Next Door Boys HERE. Ends 11/7

Win a copy of Damage HERE. Ends 11/8

Win a copy of Dark Inside HERE. Ends 11/8

Win a copy of Frost HERE. Ends 11/8

Win a copy of The Silence of Murder HERE. Ends 11/8

Win a copy of Everything We Ever Wanted HERE. Ends 11/9

Win a copy of Graffiti Moon HERE. Ends 11/20

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Title: Shut Out

Author: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Acquired: Received free for an honest review
Age Group: Young Adult

Grade: 88% or B+
Buy It: Amazon

Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

My Thoughts::
After reading The DUFF by Keplinger, I didn't hesitate to accept this book for review and see what else she had in store. The summary seemed interesting, but it turned out to be so much more than that.

What I find to be liking most about Keplinger's writing is her subject choice. People always say that writing about abuse and eating disorders is impressive because the subject is controversial. I think this is true, but I never cared all that much. It's hard to identify and share feelings with a character that is going through something that you can't even imagine going through. That's what makes Keplinger's work so interesting. She keeps controversial subjects that other authors try not to go near (with this book, sex), which opens the viewing circle to so many other girls having the same doubts and feelings.

Every single character in this book pissed me off at one point or another. Though, it wasn't entirely because of what they were saying, doing, or thinking. It was because I could see myself doing those things as well. Keplinger made sure to create a group of characters that showcase all of our insecurities and problems..and sometimes? It's hard to look. Even after all of that, I grew to really feel for the characters, especially Lissa who was so entirely witty.

The plot was pretty original and interesting, though it became predictable. Any regular reader would be able to tell when something was about to happen, good or bad, and even identify what that bad thing would be.

Overall I gained a lot of insight and confidence after reading Shut Out, even though the plot got a bit predictable. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's brave enough to read about teen sex or just wants a boy vs. girl read.