Waiting On Wednesday

The book that I'm waiting on this week is...

Title: You Are Here

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Release Date: May 19, 2009

Emma Healy has never fit in with the rest of her family. She's grown used to being the only ordinary one among her rather extraordinary parents and siblings. But when she finds a birth certificate for a twin brother she never knew she had, along with a death certificate dated just two days later, she feels like a part of her has been justified in never feeling quite whole. Suddenly it seems important to visit his grave, to set off in search of her missing half. When her next-door neighbor Peter Finnegan — who has a quiet affinity for maps and a desperate wish to escape their small town — ends up coming along for the ride, Emma thinks they can't possibly have anything in common. But as they head from upstate New York toward North Carolina, driving a beat-up and technically stolen car and picking up a stray dog along the way, they find themselves learning more and more about each other. Neither is exactly sure what they're looking for, but with each passing mile, each new day of this journey, they seem to be getting much closer to finding it.

-Amanda

Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

****Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita****

Originality- 17/20

Characters- 18/20

Remembrance- 7/10

Quote-ability- 8/10

Entertainment- 17/20

Ending- 8/10

Recommend to read- 8/10

TOTAL- 83/100

Grade- B

When Sam's best friend gets her first boyfriend, she's not ready to spend the summer listening to the two of them call each other "pookie." Sick of being a third wheel, Sam applies to be a counselor-in-training at Whispering Pines camp in the New York Catskills. But what she doesn't realize is that it's not going to be all Kumbaya sing-alongs and gooey s'mores. If Ashley, the alpha queen of Whispering Pines, doesn't ruin Sam's summer, then her raging crush on the surfer-blond and flirtatious Hunter just might. At least she has playful Cole, who's always teasing her, but is oh-so-comfortable to hang out with, and the singular gang of girls that become fast friends with Sam-they call themselves the Sleepaway Girls.

Sleepaway Girls was very fun for me to read because I love stories set at camp. The summery feeling of it made Sleepaway Girls even better. I already expected that there would be a lot a drama but maybe not in the way it was presented. I wanted more camp style pranks and less of destroy your life stuff. Even though there was a lot a drama Sleepaway Girls was a cute story too.

The friendships put together are very realistic because friends are easy to make at camp. As a main character Sam was awesome, her other friends were great too but I didn't like how they thought she did too much for other people and made her feel bad about it. Also I understand now why Ashley was so mean to Sam, but after that was sort of resolved I don't know why they're still mean to each other. Now let's talk about the guys.The only one you really get to know is Cole, who seems like the jealous type. He worried too much about if Sam liked Hunter or not. Besides that I loved Cole. He's the kind of guy that every girl wants to know, and he made the story so much better.

Sleepaway Girls was an enjoyable read that I read while sitting out in the sun. It's the perfect book to read on a lazy day; not too serious yet not too fluffy. With it's funny characters, realistic relationships, and camp setting you won't be able to put this one down until you're left wanting more. I really hope I'll get to read more about Whispering Pines!

-Amanda

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa

****The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa****

Originality- 20/20

Characters- 18/20

Remembrance- 8/10

Quote-ability- 9/10

Entertainment- 19/20

Ending- 9/10

Recommend to read- 8/10

TOTAL- 91/100

Grade- A

Meet Haruhi - a cute, determined girl, starting high school in a city where nothing exciting happens and absolutely no one understands her. Meet Kyon - the sarcastic guy who sits behind Haruhi in homeroom and the only boy Haruhi has ever opened up to. His fate is now tied to hers. Meet the S.O.S. Brigade - an after-school club organized by Haruhi with a mission to seek out the extraordinary. Oh, and their second mission? Keeping Haruhi happy . . . because even though she doesn't know it, Haruhi has the power to destroy the universe. Seriously.

The story sort of revolves around Haruhi but it's told in the persepctive of Kyon. As a main character Kyon was very likeable. He was persistent enough with Haruhi but still couldn't control her. He was very cute and somewhat quirky. Haruhi on the other hand was wild. She was out of control and even before Kyon knew the dangers of Haruhi he still didn't try to stop her as much as he should. Some of the things that went on I found very unbelievable and I'm not even talking about the "Haruhi controls the universe" stuff. It was small things like Haruhi forcing one of her club members to dress very sexy and taking off her clothes in front of everyone. I knew she was strange but you have to draw the line somewhere right? In a way I like that the line wasn't drawn. It gave Haruhi room to grow and expand to something bigger.

The whole premise of the story was very interesting. I started to ask my friends questions that were from the book and they thought I was getting philosophical on them. I also enjoyed how the story was set in Japan. I was able to get a view of their culture and how the schools are like there. The ending felt a bit unfinished but I believe that's because the author is still working on the Japanese Manga, which is what this book was translated from. I honestly can not wait to see how Haruhi reacts to what Kyon has to tell her about all of the things he learned that we right in front of her the whole time.

-Amanda

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. Check out The Story Siren to learn more!

For Review:

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel R Russell

New school. New mean girl. New crush.
New diary so Nikki can spill about all of it...

Thoughts: Sorry, that's the best description I could find. The book also came with a purse filled with goodies.

From Contests:

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

Everyone thinks their parents are embarrassing, but Hannah knows she's got them all beat. Her dad made a fortune showcasing photos of pretty girls and his party lifestyle all over the Internet, and her mom was once one of her dad's girlfriends and is now the star of her own website. After getting the wrong kind of attention for way too long, Hannah has mastered the art of staying under the radar...and that's just how she likes it. Of course, that doesn't help her get noticed by her crush. Hannah's sure that gorgeous, sensitive Josh is her soul mate. But trying to get him to notice her; wondering why she suddenly can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn; and dealing with her parents make Hannah feel like she's going crazy. Yet she's determined to make things work out the way she wants — only what she wants may not be what she needs....

Thoughts: Thank you SOOO much Kristi!! I checked the mail yesterday not expecting a thing, and when I saw it, I started opening the envelope in my jammies on the porch. Thanks again!!

-Amanda