JUNE: List of Things to Come!

JUNE: List of Things to Come!

Here is a list of things you can expect to see this month in no particular order whatsoever! This list will be updated as new to-be-reviewed items, interviews, and lists come into the schedule!

(BOOK) Fig - Sarah Elizabeth Schantz

(BOOK) Audrey, Wait! - Robin Benway

(BOOK) Dueling Princes - Tyne O'Connell

(BOOK) Dumping Princes - Tyne O'Connell

(BOOK) Also Known As - Robin Benway

(BOOK) If I Stay - Gayle Forman

(BOOK) Soulmates - Nicole Dykes

(AUTHOR INTERVIEW) Nicole Dykes

(AUTHOR INTERVIEW) Ben Starling

(FILM) Easy A (2010)

(FILM) Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging (2009)

(FILM) About Time (2014)

(FILM) Zombieland (2009)

(FILM) Bridesmaids (2010)

(FILM) Frank (2014)

(FILM) If I Stay (2014)

(FILM) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

(TV) Doctor Who (2005-present)

(TV) Fawlty Towers (1975-1979)

(TV) At Last The 1948 Show (1967-1969)

(TV) Do Not Adjust Your Set (1967-1969)

(TV) Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)

(TV) The Upright Citizens Brigade (1998-2000)

(TV) Sherlock (2010-present)

(LIST) Top 34 Books With Fit Lead Boys I Would Totally Snog!

(LIST) 10 Books You Must Read This Summer!

(LIST) Top 20 Books With Arse Kicking Lead Female Characters!

(BOOK) Atlanta Burns - Chuck Wendig

Summary:
You don’t mess with Atlanta Burns. Everyone knows that. And that’s kinda how she likes it—until the day Atlanta is drawn into a battle against two groups of bullies and saves a pair of new, unexpected friends. But actions have consequences, and when another teen turns up dead—by an apparent suicide—Atlanta knows foul play is involved. And worse: she knows it’s her fault. You go poking rattlesnakes, maybe you get bit. Afraid of stirring up the snakes further by investigating, Atlanta turns her focus to the killing of a neighborhood dog. All paths lead to a rural dogfighting ring, and once more Atlanta finds herself face-to-face with bullies of the worst sort. Atlanta cannot abide letting bad men do awful things to those who don’t deserve it. So she sets out to unleash her own brand of teenage justice. Will Atlanta triumph? Or is fighting back just asking for a face full of bad news?

Date Reviewed: 2/10/15
Stars: 100
Should You Read This: YES, RIGHT NOW!
Age Range: 15+
Review:
With Atlanta Burns, Chuck Wendig creates and introduces the world's most kick-bum girl power character around. I tip my imaginary top hat to you Chuck, with a conspiratorial wink. Truly top rollicking work! As soon as I started this book, I set aside Confessions: The Private School Murders by James Patterson and read nothing but Atlanta Burns for a few days. Atlanta Burns shoots half asleep readers awake and kicks aside the namby-pamby girly-whirly-booby ditzy characters I loathe. Thank you, Atlanta! If I didn't want to be Atlanta so much we would definitely be best mates :) This book will not only appeal to female readers but also boys and people of all ages. Splendid writing, top characters, wickedly action packed plot: what's more to ask? The second book? Hint hint Chuck. I beg of you! From beginning to end you'll want more, I know I do. To the people who didn't like this book: Atlanta doesn't give a rat's left foot and neither do I.


*This isn't the first book that I've won through goodreads first-reads but it's the first one that I've really adored!*

(BOOK) Night at the Fiestas - Kirstin Valdez Quade

Summary:
With intensity, dark humor, and emotional precision, Kirstin Valdez Quade’s unforgettable stories plunge us into the fierce, troubled hearts of characters torn between their desires to escape the past and to plumb its depths. The deadbeat father of a pregnant teenager tries to transform his life by playing the role of Jesus in a bloody penitential Passion. A young man discovers that his estranged father and a boa constrictor have been squatting in his grandmother’s empty house. A young woman finds herself at an impasse when she is asked to hear her priest's confession. Always hopeful, these stories chart the passions and obligations of family life, exploring themes of race, class, and coming-of-age, as Quade's characters protect, betray, wound, undermine, bolster, define, and, ultimately, save one another.

Date Reviewed: 3/3/15
Stars: FIVE
Should You Read This: YES
Age Range: 15+
Review:
I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reader's copy of this through goodreads first reads and I honestly loved this collection of short stories! They all flowed together perfectly yet could stand alone brilliantly! They all were so varied and each one had something interesting, exciting, and real happening. If asked which was my favourite I couldn't say. But what I can say is that I would seriously love to take all of these stories and make them into a whole film!

(BOOK) Rhymes With Witches - Lauren Myracle

Summary
Jane is the sort of quiet, ordinary teenager who can walk down the corridors of her school without being noticed by anyone - especially not the Bitches, the school royalty made up of one girl from each class who is so transcendentally beautiful and fascinating that no one can help but worship her. But miraculously the Bitches do notice Jane and seem to be considering her for the freshman place in their group - she just has to want it more than she's ever wanted anything. And Jane does. So much so that when she discovers the sinister secret to the Bitches' popularity, that they take it from other girls, she goes along with their bizarre rituals. That is, until the night of the Fall Fling, when the Bitches' power is turned against one girl and Jane must choose between participating in an act of terrifying savagery or giving up the popularity she desires so badly.

Date Reviewed: 3/8/15
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: STEER CLEAR AND DON'T READ THIS BOOK!
Age Range: 15+
Review:
God...why do I keep reading books from Lauren Myracle thinking they might be good?! Oh, right, cos Peace Love and Baby Ducks was pretty good. Anyhow, I really don't know how she can have fame and published books when there are so many young authors who are much better than her. Who the bloody hell cares about her degree? Her books are bad. Okay, now on to the review-y bits.

This book yet again made me feel like the author was talking down to me. I loathed the main character which is a crucial part of a book - you have to like the main character! She was so BITCHY! Seriously! She's so whiny and annoying and needy and then her so called best friend was really mean. So, the main girl wants to be popular so bad and everyone worships these popular girls who call themselves 'the bitches' seriously? Yes. Sadly. This book was awful. It could have been better if I'd written it. Also the bitches get popular by stealing things from other girls and giving them to this witchy lady who has all these canibal cats in the school. (Really) I thought this was weird, the book left so many things unanswered (how'd the lady get all weird, why do the cats eat each other, blah blah blah) And at the end of the book, the main girl slightly saves this one loser girl who then pretty much back stabs her and the main girl loses her popularity whilst the loser girl becomes one of the bitches. Seriously. Then this guy who likes the main girl whom she dissed basically makes her feel all happy the end. It was a very lame ending, and an overall lame book.

STEER CLEAR AND DON'T READ THIS BOOK!

(BOOK) The Good, the Bad, and the Furry - Tom Cox

Summary:
Meet THE BEAR - a cat who carries the weight of the world on his furry shoulders, and whose wise, owl-like eyes seem to ask, Can you tell me why I am a cat, please? Like many intellectuals, The Bear would prefer a life of quiet solitude with plenty of time to gaze forlornly into space and contemplate society's ills. Unfortunately he is destined to spend his days surrounded by felines of a significantly lower IQ ...RALPH: handsome, self-satisfied tabby, terrified of the clothes horse. SHIPLEY: mouthy hooligan and champion mouser, rendered insensible by being turned upside-down. ROSCOE: fiercely independent kitten, tormented by her doppelganger in the mirror. And then there's Tom, writing with his usual wit and charm about the unexpected adventures that go hand in hand with a life at the beck and call of four cats ...or three cats and a sensitive poet who just happens to be a foot high and covered in fur.

Date Reviewed: 2/16/15
Stars: FIVE
Should You Read This: YES
Age Range: 14+
Review:
Firstly, I must say that I have had nine cats so far in my life of 17 years. Now four are gone and I have five left (two are bonkers mad). So, I love cats and all animals. The last book about a cat that I read was Dewey by Vicki Myron. I had high hopes for it which were dashed by the depressing author. I was wary about another cat book but this one sounded rather good! So, I read it in four days. After only one page I knew I loved it. Tom Cox writes about his cats and their entanglement in his life, twining the two together to make a humorous masterpiece of a book. There was something laugh-worthy on almost every page, adorable photos, and things that constantly reminded me of my cats. Now that I have read this, I will certainly read Tom's other books. On an end note, I used to have a cat named Violet with owl eyes like Tom's 'The Bear'. She has been gone for several years now but my mum and I always think fondly on the way she'd stare at you and make you feel as if she could see through to your soul. Instead of 'a little bloke inside' like 'The Bear' she probably had a large diva inside (wearing a feather boa and an evening gown).

*I received this copy through goodreads 'first reads'!*

(BOOK) Let it Snow - Maureen Johnson, John Green, Lauren Myracle

Summary:
An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.

Date Reviewed: 5/24/15
Stars: THREE
Should You Read This: JUST THE FIRST TWO SHORT STORIES!
Age Range: 13+
Review:
Okay...So I finished the first two stories by Maureen and John (which I loved), but six pages into Lauren's story and... My only thought was: A) WHY IS LAUREN WRITING? B) WHY IS HER STORY THE LONGEST? C) WHY ARE ALL HER CHARACTERS SO BLOODY ANNOYING FOR PETE'S SAKE?!?!?! D) WHY DID SHE RUIN THE OTHER TWO AUTHOR'S CHARACTERS?! I should mention that I bought this book because I love John Green's books. I haven't read anything by Maureen Johnson yet but I ended up really liking her story. Now, Lauren Myracle on the other hand I have read three of her books (Peace, Love and Baby Ducks, Rhymes With Witches and ttyl) all of them were terrible and her main characters are all whiny little prats. So my question is: Why was she chosen to write a story for this book? This was published in 2008 and you're telling me there were zero good teen ficton writers out there who could come on board and write a way better ending story? Whatever. Ending Note: READ THE FIRST TWO STORIES AND DON'T BOTHER READING THE THIRD!!

(BOOK) Girl Coming in For a Landing - April Halprin Wayland

Summary:
One girl. One school year. All poems. From friends to first dates, school dances to family fights, this inspiring collection captures the emotional highs and lows of teen life with refreshing honesty and humor. With an authentic voice full of wit and insight, Girl Coming In for a Landing is just like high school: impossible to walk away from unchanged.

Date Reviewed: 1/1/15
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: NO
Age Range: 13+
Review:
Okay so my mum said why don't you read this? I thought, how awful can it be? It seemed fairly interesting and I like some poetry. Anyhow, I didn't like it. There were some okay poems but a lot were just dumb or pointless. My least favourite poem was Period. because she talks about how she can't wait to get her period and blahblah and how she'll call it an exclamation point instead cos it'll be so cool! Really? I'm a girl and trust me there's absolutely no part of a period that deserves an exclamation point unless you have uber bad cramps and you say "Ergh!!" a lot out of annoyance. OVERALL THIS IS A WASTE OF TIME!!!!

(BOOK) First Love - James Patterson

Summary:
Axi Moore is a "good girl": She studies hard, stays out of the spotlight, and doesn't tell anyone that what she really wants is to run away from it all. The only person she can tell is her best friend, Robinson--who she also happens to be madly in love with. When Axi impulsively invites Robinson to come with her on an unplanned cross-country road trip, she breaks the rules for the first time in her life. But the adventure quickly turns from carefree to out-of-control...

Date Reviewed: 9/11/14
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: NO, I FORBID IT!
Age Range: 14+
Review:
*THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS BUT PLEASE READ!!*

I have to say, this book was just okay. Then halfway through I just was kind of wondering why James Patterson (who is in fact a good author sometimes)
would   write this book and make a The Fault in Our Stars clone. I gave it one star because that is the lowest I can go. I wish I could give it zero. The plot is different then The Fault in Our Stars but then so similar its really sad James. Is a cancer story where the guy dies and the girl lives going to be the new norm? Not saying that John Green was the first to imagine the concept but, please, plagiarism is not at all nice. For those of you who think the similarities are nil, well here's a sort of list:

1) girl and boy met while both had cancer.

2) boy and girl go on trip which helps cultivate love.

3) boy and girl go visit author which girl is obsessed with and also wrote letters too.

4) boy and girl fall in love after realising boy will die.

5) they have sex.

6) boy dies.

7) Girl says okay yes I am sad but will move on.

Anyhow, feel free to read both and let me know which you think is better. Personally John, yours is funnier and better.

(BOOK) Confessions: The Paris Mysteries - James Patterson

Summary:
After investigating multiple homicides and her family's decades-old skeletons in the closet, Tandy Angel is finally reunited with her lost love in Paris. But as he grows increasingly distant, Tandy is confronted with disturbing questions about him, as well as what really happened to her long-dead sister. With no way to tell anymore who in her life she can trust, how will Tandy ever get to the bottom of the countless secrets her parents kept from her? James Patterson leads this brilliant teenage detective through Paris on a trail of lies years in the making, with shocking revelations around every corner.

Date Reviewed: 3/11/15
Stars: TWO
Should You Read This: ONLY IF YOU HAVE TO
Age Range: 13+
Review:
Okay...I liked the first two books in this series and then...

(I present to you a list of things that happened in this book which I didn't like.)

1) Tandy and James sleep together and he leaves her in the middle of the night, leaving only a note.

2) Harry is suddenly just smoking pot and getting famous. What? Character change there?

3) Tandy finds James only CP her so called best friend is there in her knickers because she slept with him in his dorm room. James is mean and so is CP. Character change much? Yes.

I really didn't like the way this ended and I felt like the authors could have written a better version. It just left me thinking: WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!? Also I hate James and CP now so, whatever. Was that there point? Or are they just pretending to have slept together for some grander lamer scheme? I also thought in book two that it was a little weird that we never hear anything about Harry or CP liking each other but all of a sudden CP sneaks in and sleeps with Harry and they're in love. What? Whatever, I say.

(BOOK) Dewey - Vicki Myron

Summary:
How much of an impact can an animal have? How many lives can one cat touch? How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world? You can't even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa.

Date Reviewed: 11/26/11
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: THIS IS A WARNING: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IT IS AWFUL AND A WASTE OF TIME!
Age Range: 15+ 
Review:
Anyone glancing at this would think - ah! A lovely read about a cat! You are very extremely wrong. This book has a few mildly interesting things about the cat but loads of things about the author's horrid life. Honestly I wanted to scream whenever she went off pontificating about her life and blah and how terribly lovely her little Spencer Iowa is. Strangely this book was given out to fifth graders as a present in a school in my town before summer and I just thought: Honestly did any of the teachers even read it beforehand? No. Nope. Of course not they just assumed. I wish I'd never read it it was a complete waste of time.

(BOOK) Singed - Elise Jaco

Summary:
A secret. An immeasurable love.
When strange things start happening to fifteen year old Blair Montgomery after a new kid starts at school, she knows something's up, but isn't sure what. She must recover from a tragic accident and move on with her life after what happened. And he's just the one to move on to.
New kid.
Qade.
Qade Dangerfield.
What a name. Girls are all over him. But which one will he choose? And how will he keep his deepest, darkest secret hidden forever?

Date Reviewed: 2/3/15
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: NO
Age Range: 13+
Review:
Okay, so I received this book due to a goodreads 'first reads' giveaway. I feel like this author could have potential if she had an editor to guide her through the writing process. There were many mistakes, spelling and just repeating sentences and or repeating words. The plot was disjointed and unbelievable. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and the story was very short. Honestly, the blurb sounded fairly good but it wasn't.

(BOOK) ttyl - Lauren Myracle

Summary:
Far from being precious, the format proves perfect for accurately capturing the sweet histrionics and intimate intricacies of teenage girls. Grownups (and even teenage boys) might feel as if they've intercepted a raw feed from Girl Secret Headquarters, as the book's three protagonists--identified by their screen names "SnowAngel," "zoegirl," and "mad maddie"--tough their way through a rough-and-tumble time in high school. Conversations range from the predictable (clothes, the delicate high-school popularity ecosystem, boys, boys in French class, boys in Old Navy commercials, etc.) to the the jarringly explicit (the girls discuss female ejaculation: "some girls really do, tho. i read it in our bodies, ourselves") and the unintentionally hilarious (Maddie's IM reduction of the Christian poem "Footprints"--"oh, no, my son. no, no, no. i was carrying u, don't u c?").

Date Reviewed: 1/2/15
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: NO, THROW IT AWAY IN A DUSTBIN!
Age Range:15+

Review:
If you're looking for a lame-o stupid book - step right up for your copy of ttyl!!

First of all, this book is dumb, boring, stupid etc etc.

For your convenience I will now provide a list of the only reasons you should ever bother to read this book:

1) You're stuck on a deserted island and sadly this is the only book around.

2) You want to fall asleep from boredom.

3) You want to be tortured.

4) You want a book that talks down to you.

5) I've run out of ideas.

6) All the books in the world have been burned except this one, sadly.

(BOOK) Geektastic - Various Authors

Summary:
Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside) and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr. With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!

Date Reviewed: 5/16/15
Stars: THREE
Should You Read This: NO
Age Range: 14+
Review:
A lot of my favourite authors contributed to this book (John Green, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, David Levithan, Holly Black) so of course I figured I would love it! Not so. Let me tell you, I was going to buy this from a bookstore but then just checked it out from the library (thank god because it would have been a waste of money). Anyhow I didn't read it straight from cover to cover, I skipped through and read one disappointing story after another. To be honest, the only story in here I really liked was 'I Never' by Cassandra Clare, other than that it was a waste of time to me.

(BOOK) Eclipse - Stephanie Meyer

Summary:
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Date Reviewed: 5/21/12
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: NO
Age Range: 16+
Review:
Wow. Big surprise there.It was awful. Need I say more? Hmmmm well Bells got her way and Whoop de doo they're going to get married! I really despise Bella. Seriously why can't she just be with Jake? Oh, wait, Jake doesn't deserve her.

(BOOK) New Moon - Stephanie Meyer

Summary:
I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect - not healed, but as if there had never been a wound in the first place.

Date Reviewed: 5/10/12
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: NO
Age Range: 16+
Review: Well surprise surprise Bella is as whiney as ever! For gods sake! Will. she. ever. shut. up? Probably not. Anyway, if you want to know what happens in this book, 2/3 of it is Bella carrying on about her lame-o life with out Edward. Boohoohoo Bells GET OVER IT!!!! I don't want to hear anymore about your stupid broken heart! Just be glad Jake is around for you! And Jake, note to you: You could do better.
Okay I'm done.
Not really.
Maybe...
All I have to say is Twilight stinks, and The Vampire Diaries are awesome.
'Nuff said.

(BOOK) Twilight - Stephanie Meyer

Summary:
In the first book of the Twilight Saga, internationally bestselling author Stephenie Meyer introduces Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, a pair of star-crossed lovers whose forbidden relationship ripens against the backdrop of small-town suspicion and a mysterious coven of vampires. This is a love story with bite.

Date Reviewed: 4/27/12]
Stars: ZERO
Should You Read This: NO
Age Range: 16+
Review:
Yup. Sorry Twi-vamp lovers. I didn't like it. Trust me. Read The Vampire Diaries that came out before these books. They are waaaaay better! And there are subtle similarities in this series that happened in The Vampire Diaries. And the guys in The Vampire Diaries sound a lot hotter than Edward over here people. I'm just saying.

(BOOK) Talk to the Tail - Tom Cox

Summary:
Readers of Tom's previous book will be delighted to read what has happened to his six eccentric cats. Why does Janet keep bringing 1980s sweet wrappers into the house? Will 24-hour surveillance of The Bear, using a state-of-the-art cat GPS system, finally solve the mystery of his wanderlust? Tom also writes about his bumbling forays into the remainder of the animal kingdom. He attempts to overcome his crippling fear of horses with disastrous results, chase ostriches in Kenya, put his hand into a tiger's mouth for 0.9 seconds and he meets his 'alter-doggo' -- the spaniel Tom regularly walks who likes to roll around in dead animals. Where will it all end? Will he give in to temptation and get a dog, a goat or even more cats? With this soppy creature-obsessive, anything is possible.

Date Reviewed: 3/26/15
Stars: FOUR
Should You Read This: YES
Age Range: 14+
Review:
There are a couple of things in life you learn...one of them is that Tom Cox is a hilarious writer who has the world's most adorable cats!

(BOOK) Bossy Pants - Tina Fey

Summary:
Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon—from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

Date Reviewed: 10/25/14
Stars: FIVE
Should You Read This: YES
Age Range: 15+
Review:
Hilarious! You have to get the audio though, having Tina read it makes it even better! My mum and I were dying of laughter together :)

(BOOK) If You Ask Me - Betty White

 

Summary: 

Drawing from a lifetime of lessons learned, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White's wit and wisdom take center stage as she tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans, love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity. If You Ask Me mixes her thoughtful observations with humorous stories from a seven- decade career in Hollywood. Longtime fans and new fans alike will relish Betty's candid take on everything from her rumored crush on Robert Redford (true) to her beauty regimen ("I have no idea what color my hair is and I never intend to find out") to the Facebook campaign that helped persuade her to host Saturday Night Live despite her having declined the hosting job three times already.

Date Reviewed: 10/27/14

Stars: THREE

Should You Read This: EH, MAYBE...

Age Range: 13+

Review:

A great book if you're looking to learn a little bit about Betty White. Not a good book if you're looking for a good laugh.