I found

a knock-off of a T.V. show. It all started with the Anthony Elementary Scholastic bookfair. Scholastic sent the school a promotional video to get the students excited for some of the books that were going to be sold at that book fair. One of the featured books was Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I couldn't locate the exact video from Scholastic but here is something similar from youtube:



So needless to say I was all jazzed up about reading the book. The book fair came and I purchased the book and read it in a night. I was hooked right away and found it really intense until I only had about 100 pages left. At that point I pretty much knew exactly what was going to happen and which T.V. show had almost that same exact plot going on!!!!!! The whole thing just struck me as really odd that she would take a page from a T.V. show...usually that sort of the thing is the other way around. I am not going to say which T.V. show I am referencing because that really would give the whole thing away. At the same time, I am not going to continue with the series for Found and I don't recommend it.

Breaking Dawn broke

my brain. Seriously...what was up with that book, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer?! I know that there are MANY, MANY readers that feel that way so I'm not alone. The only word I can think of for that book is "overworked." The plot was completely overworked with too many twists, too much gore, and too much tension without a proper release. That stand off was lame-o and weak. Maybe I am being too harsh but I stayed up for many hours to get that book (Barnes and Noble midnight release party) and it just didn't live up to my expectations. In fact, I am not sure if I'll ever be able to read another Stephenie Meyer book again.

Fell off

the reading wagon. I love reading and I love books more than words can ever express. Yet, I haven't read a lot in the past few months. I make other stuff more of a priority and that hasn't made me too happy. So...it is back to hitting the books and here we go!

A Host of Traveling

First, once again I have to apologize for the lack of posts. This summer I have done a host of traveling...and reading too but now I am barely posting.

At the beginning of June I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I was WAAAAYYYY to read another book by Meyer while waiting for her upcoming Breaking Dawn. Even though I was excited I was also nervous to read The Host because it is labeled as sci-fi and I have issues with sci-fi; but I pressed on. The first chapter of the book was hard to get into because it was confusing. I really didn’t know what was going on. After 1/4 into the book, I even went back to the first chapter to get a better grasp. Then once past the 1/4 mark, for me, the book really took off. I was hooked and read until the wee hours to get it finished. Then by the end, I felt sort of weird about the actual ending.

Sometimes it is a good idea to read books more than once and I waited a month, and picked up the book at the beginning of July. Upon second reading I really enjoyed and even the ending grew on me a bit as I fully came to accept the resolution. I was surprised to learn that Meyer is going to turn The Host into a series...it didn’t really strike me as a series book...but of course I will read them to see where she takes the characters next.

For a summary and bonus video on The Host, here is a weblink:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Host/Stephenie-Meyer/e/9780316068048/?itm=1

For those of you who have read, some questions:
1. What do you all think of the book overall?
2. Did you all find it to be “an adult” book as opposed to a book written for teenagers?
3. If so, what made it more adult than teenage?

you say it's your birthday

I finished Estrella's Quinceanera in a couple of days (and a couple of months ago)but am barely writing about it now. I liked the book as I read it but I can't say that it was the best book I've ever read or anything like that. It is about a girl of Mexican descent, Estrella and her family. Estrella is a smart girl who gets a scholarship to go to an upscale prep school so that changes the dynamics between herself and her family and old friends. Then Estrella is facing her 15th birthday which is celebrated in a big way in the Mexican culture with a rite of passage known as a "quinceanera" and Estrella doesn't want one.

It is the typical dilemma of a Mexican girl trying to fit into a "white" world without losing her Mexican side. Why does every book about Mexican girls have to deal with that (i.e. The Tequila Worm). Why can't there be a book with a strong Mexican girl that faces other issues besides that? Suggestions, thoughts, please. :)