Waiting on Wednesday (26)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we all feature upcoming books we're eagerly anticipating.

I've altered things a little to include one book that hasn't come out yet and one that has already been published but I still haven't gotten around to reading yet.

Fetching by Kiera Stewart
Wuthering High by Cara Lockwood


Product description of Fetching (November 8, 2011):

Olivia has just about had it with the popular kids at school. She and her friends have done nothing to deserve humiliating pranks and mean name-calling, but that doesn’t stop queen bee Brynne from tormenting them. If only Olivia’s classmates were more like the dogs she helps her grandmother train—poorly behaved, but improvable. Then Olivia hatches a brilliant plan: she and her friends will modify their tormentors’ behavior with the same kind of training that works on dogs. Using cues and responses, distractions and rewards, gets better results than anyone could have guessed. Soon, Olivia and her friends have replaced Brynne as alpha-dogs. But will popularity get Olivia what she really wants?

Why I want to read it:

Behaviorism! Buried under all my book-related work, I actually have a background in psychology. Books like this make my little psychology heart sing. Behaviorism was always a favorite topic of mine. Confession time? I use it all the time on everything from when I used to teach to keeping my own schedules to working with others. It's a subject I find endlessly interesting and I can't wait to see how it's applied in this book. 

Product description of Wuthering High (November 29, 2005):

Fifteen-year-old Mia is not exactly thrilled when she gets the news that her parents are shipping her off to boarding school. It's not like she did anything that bad — all she did was wreck her dad's car and max out her step mum's credit cards. So, off she goes, from Chicago to Bard Academy, an exclusive prep school that treats troubled teenagers with a healthy dose of higher learning and old-fashioned discipline. But all is not what it seems at this educational institute, and Mia and her classmates soon discover that the teachers are actually ghosts, stuck in limbo, some of them famous authors who died before their time, including Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, and Charlotte Bronte. And what's even more disturbing is that not all the ghosts have good intentions. Mia and her friends must stop one evil instructor's plan to bring down the school — and the entire student body with it.

Why I want to read it:

My blogger friend Alex from A Girl, Books and Other Things recommends it, plus I've heard a lot of good things about the series. I'm also always up for boarding schools and ghosts. 

Have any of you read either of these books? Would you recommend them? 

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Supernaturally by Kiersten White (Book Review)

 

Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 309
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Special Shelf
Goodreads Page

This is a sequel to Paranormalcy, but there are 
NO SPOILERS
for Paranormalcy in this review!

Summary

From Goodreads (spoilers for Paranormalcy. Highlight to read): 

A lot has changed in the six months since Evie escaped from the International Paranormal Containment Agency with her shape-shifter boyfriend, Lend. She finally has the blissfully normal life she’s always dreamed of, including: 

1) A real live high school
2) A perfectly ordinary after-school job
3) Her very own locker (and by the way, rusted metal is every bit as awesome as she imagined)

But Evie’s not-so-normal past keeps creeping up on her...and things get pretty complicated when you factor in: 

1) A centuries-old, seriously decaying vampire stalker
2) A crazy faerie ex-boyfriend who is the perpetual bearer of really bad news
3) A major battle brewing between the faerie courts where the prize in question happens to be...Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Review

"The Buffy mark"

There was a blurb on Supernaturally that said something along the lines of “Comes closer than most to hitting the Buffy mark.” Well, Buffy fanatic that I am, any sort of comparison to Buffy usually sets me off…and not in a good way. Because can anything really come close to the awesomeness of Buffy? I didn’t think so. 

Now Kiersten White is no Joss Whedon. Her humor is completely different and it isn’t really fair to either of them to try to compare Evie to Buffy. They’re just different. Yet, that blurb is totally spot on.

What Joss Whedon managed to do so perfectly that makes Buffy epic was create a show that had incredible humor, but also incredible depth and seriousness. These aspects are then balanced in a way where both complement and enhance one another. THIS is where Kiersten White nails it. This is how she "hits the Buffy mark."

I love these people

Evie is one of the funniest characters I’ve ever met. Just like in Paranormalcy, the first page--heck, the first line--had me laughing. I knew this book would be awesome by that first sentence alone. Evie's the kind of girl who looks at the world, says exactly what I would be thinking, but does it in a way that’s a million times funnier than I could ever dream of being. The best humor is the kind that resonates, and Evie is so utterly relatable. Whenever I read Evie, all I want to do is make her real and have a million sleepover parties together and buy BFF charm necklaces.

She also so gets my high school gym experience.

And yet…beneath all the cute glitter and pink is a deceptively sad story. It might be easy to get wrapped up in the light tone of the book and believe there is no more here than superficial fun, but that would be a mistake. There’s a darkness here that is breathtakingly tragic.

The characters Kiersten White creates are so real and possess such depth. My heart aches for them. Even the Big Bads are complex people with logical reasons for why they act the way they do. If you’re the type of reader who wants villains that transcend the black and white confines of Good vs Evil, then look no further.

Supernaturally gives greater insight into Paranormalcy’s Big Bad while also introducing a new BB to the mix. While they’re both bad, the funny thing is that I feel protective over them. I like them. Yeah, ok, they’re not good people, but I get them. I see where they’re coming from, even if they’re wrong. I want to cry over their completely heartbreaking stories. The best part is that Evie sees it too, and watching her grapple with the confusion this leads to adds the depth of both character and plot that elevates Kiersten White from “good writer” to “superb writer.” 

Middle books are different

I was blown away by Paranormalcy, and while Supernaturally is made of awesome it doesn’t quite hit the same mark Paranormalcy did. The plot of Paranormalcy really grabbed me and took me on a roller coaster of a ride. The impending threat of the Big Bad going around murdering paranormals and the mysterious nature of that BB kept my eyes glued to the pages.

Supernaturally’s Big Bad is a lot more subtle, and, for me, that subtlety lessened my “OHMYBLEEPINGGOSHWE’REALLGOING TODIEEEEE” excitement that I had going with the first book. Don’t get me wrong, the story is still fun and there’s still a mysterious aspect to unravel (which I sadly managed to figure out too soon), but it didn’t have the same edge-of-your-seat feeling that I loved so much.

In some ways Supernaturally is very much a “middle of a trilogy” book, but in this case that isn’t a bad thing. Evie’s life changed completely in Paranormalcy, and Supernaturally shows Evie dealing with all of that fallout. It’s a very character-driven story. Too often major things happen to characters and the impact of those events is glossed over for the sake of advancing the plot. Now, you know me, I have a very short attention span. I want ACTION! So when I say I truly appreciated the time Kiersten White takes here in letting Evie figure everything out, you can be confident that this isn’t a boring filler book.

(To put it in terms Buffy fans will understand, Supernaturally is Buffy’s season six. There isn't really a gigantic Big Bad like in the other seasons. The focus is instead more inward and focuses on the characters themselves. Supernaturally obviously has totally different events, but think the soul searching and character development end of things.)

Unique paranormals (with proper sparkle placement)

There are so many clichés in YA paranormal books right now that complaining about the clichés is practically a cliché in itself. But Kiersten White? I need to create an altar to bow down in front of and give massive thanks for turning paranormal clichés on their heads (but there will be no animal sacrifices at this altar! Will offerings of sparkly things suffice?)

I may need to offer a few sparkly pink taser holsters in penance for ever doubting her, too. Hear me out though, ok? I mean, Paranormalcy was chock full of a whole bunch of paranormals, and they were all totally different from how we’re used to reading about them (noooo pretty vampires here!), but not in ways that are lame (sparkles are for jewelry, not vampires). This was awesome, but I really wasn’t expecting Kiersten to have the imaginative reserves left after all that to create even more unique paranormals and add even more depth to the already established ones. Now having read Supernaturally? Me=IDIOT.

Diana Peterfreund was the sole occupant of my “Authors who make COMPLETELY AWESOME AND ORIGINAL Unicorns” pedestal, but I now need to put in an order for a wider pedestal. Kiersten White is soo getting a spot on it now. I’m not even going to mention the other paranormals so you don’t get spoiled, but I will say this: Reading Kiersten’s books is like taking a stroll through a paranormal amusement park. (That's a good thing). 

Crazy for you

I’m so torn on all of the scenes of peril. I want to go running around screaming in fright, giggle like a seven year old listening to a fart joke (um, still do that), and clap my hands in delight over the new spin on the paranormals. So, uh, Kiersten? Thanks for making me look like a COMPLETE LUNATIC when I read your books in public. Ugh, Readers, take it from me and don’t even try to explain to (non-cool) people why the cloud scene in Supernaturally is made of win. (But, seriously Kiersten, thanks. The reading experience is so worth those weird looks). 

Final proof that Kiersten White is a genius?

The chapter titled "Sparkles Make Everything Better" Yes they do, Kiersten. YES THEY DO!

Bottom line

If you loved Paranormalcy, then I’m certain you’ll love Supernaturally. Luckily I’m tiny so I can hide from you pretty easily if I’m wrong and you try to hunt me down for misleading you. But I don’t think that’ll happen. You definitely have to read Paranormalcy for Supernaturally to make any kind of sense, but Supernaturally ends nicely without any pull-your-hair-out cliffhangers (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!). I can’t wait for the third (and final *sniff*) book, but that’s because I just want more.

My only complaint is that there isn’t nearly enough Reth and I really wanted to learn more about him. His scenes are wonderful, but too infrequent and riddled with cryptic clues. *Sigh* That is just so like him.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

This book satisfies the following challenges: 

• 2nds Challenge
• Most Awaited YA Releases Challenge

Review for the first book in the series: 

Paranormalcy

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Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman (Book Review)

Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman
Release Date: February 17, 2011
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 304
Received: Library
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Page

Summary

From Goodreads:

When high school junior Natalie--or Dr. Aphrodite, as she calls herself when writing the relationship column for her school paper--is accused of knowing nothing about guys and giving girls bad relationship advice, she decides to investigate what guys really think and want.

But the guys in her class won't give her straight or serious answers. The only solution? Disguising herself as a guy and spending a week at Underwood Academy, the private all-boy boarding school in town. There she learns a lot about guys and girls in ways she never expected--especially when she falls for her dreamy roommate, Emilio. How can she show him she likes him without blowing her cover?

Review

Ok, here’s the deal: The story isn’t all that original (except for the part where Natalie—as Nat—gets set up on a date…with a girl. Too funny!) and it does require about a beach-full of grains of salt to believe that a girl like Natalie could actually pull something like this off…but so what? Really, none of that matters because you don’t read a book like this for an original and believable story. You read a book like this because you want to laugh and swoon and just have fun. On that front, mission totally accomplished!

I loved Natalie. In the beginning of the book she’s so completely clueless about guys and relationships, but she thinks she knows it all. I was shaking my head at her throughout this whole part, but you’re supposed to be thinking that. Her mistakes, as embarrassingly bad as they are, are also pretty understandable. This whole part set Natalie up to be a character I could relate to. She only got better as the book progressed and she began to look at herself more honestly.

I said that you read a book like this because it’ll be funny, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I was going to laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this much from a book. Full on, out loud laughter. There’s this one scene (and for those of you who have read the book already all I’ll say is “Basketball”) that had me practically in tears. Not just a chuckle or even a bark of laughter, but side-splitting, tears falling, gasping for breath laughter. I was still losing it pages later at the memory of that scene. And that’s not the only scene that made me laugh like this.

Even with all that humor, there’s a serious side here that I wasn’t expecting at all. Like in Allison van Diepen’s Oracle of Dating series, Jody Gehrman actually includes a lot of good advice. I liked the observations Natalie made about how girls can make guys feel and why guys behave the way they do. I also appreciated how Natalie still embraced her girly side. I almost grabbed a little notebook to jot down all of Natalie’s lessons learned. I wish I could travel back in time and send my younger self a copy of Babe in Boyland.

The only thing I wasn’t really feeling was the romance. That’s why this isn’t a 5-star Special Shelf book for me. I didn’t find the guy she ends up with particularly attractive (or unattractive), and their scenes weren’t especially swoon-inducing for me. He wasn’t bad or a turn off, but he just didn’t have that spark. Even with this little disappointment, I loved the book so much that I will be purchasing my own copy and getting a copy for my library.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

This book satisfies the following challenges:

• 2011 Debut Author Challenge
• Most Awaited YA Releases Challenge
• Library Reading Challenge

Looking for another book like this? You might like:

The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted Tweet

Discussion: Embarrassing Book Covers

I started doing my usual cover review post for the weekly meme Cover Crazy when I realized this post had become more than just an examination of a cover. What started out as a cover review quickly morphed into a discussion post. I hope you enjoy. 

Everworld series by K. A. Applegate

Hello 1994 with its “cutting edge” computer graphics! But you know what? I don’t think these covers were cool even then. What’s up with that weird eye thing in the first three covers? The fire shooting out of the dragon’s nose in the fifth cover? Oh my gosh, I can barely contain a snort of laughter. That thing on the eighth cover?? The funny thing is these covers are so accurate to the books because they actually do all show scenes from the books...yet they're so incredibly inaccurate to the quality of the story within these atrocious covers.

You agree, these covers are awful, right? Like, “I’m embarrassed to even admit I’ve read these books” kind of bad. That doesn’t even really do it justice. These covers are just too bad for words. I’d hang my head in shame if it weren’t for the fact that, hidden beneath these monstrosities, is a totally amazing series that I will stand behind in spite of those noxious covers.

Really, I swear to you, these books are so, so good. I devoured them within a week and then went through a period of devastating book mourning when it was all over. There’s so much action, character depth, and awesome storytelling. But you would never know it by those covers.

This is what these covers say:

 “This is a series for kids. Little kids. Little kids who get made fun of by their peers. Boys—not girls—read this series, and if puberty doesn’t miraculously change those boys, then the closest they will ever come to contact with a girl is when they hold one these covers that feature a girl’s head.” If you read these books, then this is you:

Yep, we’re looking at loser covers. When I hand this series to my library kids, they look at me like I’ve lost my mind. A teen’s face can be really expressive. Their words say:

“Um, sure…maybe another time?”

But their face is saying:

“Are you #@$! kidding me?? #@$! NO! Lady, are you trying to make me a friendless loser?? And do you realize I’m not 11 years old??”

And then I say to them:

“Trust me. Really. I know the covers are terrible but the stories are really good and they’re actually very mature and deal with subjects that wouldn’t even be appropriate for younger kids. And there’s violence? Did I mention that? Oh yeah, there’s a ton of gore and it’s super graphic! I almost puked and had nightmares they were so graphic. It was awesome!”

By this point they’re usually doing the slow back-away walk and pretending to hear their friend calling them away. And I'm left like this:

Heh....heh...no? Ok then....

So what is my point with all of this?

• Scholastic’s cover designer makes me out to be “Crazy Library Lady Who Doesn’t Understand Cool”
• Ignore these covers because the books are awesome
• The covers might make the books look like they’re appropriate for MG audiences but they are NOT! They’re totally YA.

Are there any books you adore but the covers make you look like you’ve lost your freaking mind for liking them? 
Have you ever gotten “that look” when someone catches sight of the cover? 
What do you think about these covers? Has your faith in me shriveled up like a raisin or do you trust me enough to give this series a try? Want to read my review?

Interested in covers? 
Be sure to check out another Cover Crazy post by Gina from My Precious.

 

More of my Cover Crazy posts

More of my Discussion posts

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Recap 6/18 to 6/24

In case you missed anything, here's a recap of what was posted Saturday, June 18th through Friday, June 24th.

Reviews

Clarity by Kim Harrington

(Click on the link to go to my review)

Memes

In My Mailbox
Waiting on Wednesday

Features

Review Comparison: Clarity by Kim Harrington

 Review Comparison Submissions: Entwined by Heather Dixon
Still open!

How to Make a Sidebar Header

What's Your Status?

A meme created by Zakiya from Butterfly Feet Walking on Life where we recap our reading week. Feel free to visit her site and link up your own What's Your Status Posts. Here's how my week went:

Finished

 Love Story by Jennifer Echols

I was majorly disappointed. 

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

 Surprisingly fun! Give it a try if you're a fan of Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins.

Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
This was fun. Some laugh out loud moments and keeps pretty well in character. I even liked Kitty and Lydia.

Legacy by Cayla Kluver

Yes, you read that right. In last week's recap I had written a DNF review of Legacy, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I picked it up again and read through to the end. I'm...still on the fence. 

(Click on the link to go to Goodreads)

Reviews to come on all of these. 

Currently Reading

Ward Against Death by Melanie Card
Die for Me by Amy Plum 
(Click on the link to go to Goodreads)

Miss anything last week? Click here to read a Recap. 

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How to Make a Sidebar Header

How to Make a Sidebar Header

What You Will Learn

Ever notice how some people have pretty graphics on top of their sidebar sections? On Small Review I have this:

That's a sidebar header and that's what you going to learn how to make today.

Let's Do This!

Step 1: 

What you need first is a picture. This picture will be the image that shows up as your sidebar header. For me, this is the picture I use:

Once you've decided on your picture, find a place to host it (Photobucket, Tinypic, etc) and save the url.


Step 2:

Go to your dashboard and go to Design ---> Edit HTML

Ignore the Expand Widget Template arrow

  

At this point you may want to save a copy of your code, just in case!

Step 3: 

Search for "Sidebar Header" or "Sidebar Heading" or something like that. The section should look similar to this:

Click to make larger

Step 4:

Notice the url? Copy and paste your new url into that section.

OR

You might not have a url in your template. Instead, yours may look something like this:

 

This means that your sidebar header is set to default to a color. You want to change this to make it default to a picture instead. To do this, delete the #fff7f7 (or whatever letters/numbers you have set) and replace it with this:

url ("YOUR URL HERE");

Remember, if you have two sidebars, you must paste your url in BOTH sidebar headings. Your code may say something like "Sidebar 1" and "Sidebar 2" or "Sidebar Left" and "Sidebar Right" or something like that. Just make sure you follow the steps in this post for both sections of code.

Save your changes and you're done! 

Click here to make a request for a future How To post.

The form is anonymous, so please don't feel shy at all!

I'm certainly not an expert, but I'll try my hardest to explain what I do know and research what I don't know.

Click here to read previous How To Posts 

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Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we all feature upcoming books we're eagerly anticipating.


I've altered things a little to include one book that hasn't come out yet and one that has already been published but I still haven't gotten around to reading yet.

Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
The Decoy Princess by Dawn Cook


Goodreads description of Snow in Summer (November 10, 2011):

With her black hair, red lips, and lily-white skin, Summer is as beautiful as her father's garden. And her life in the mountains of West Virginia seems like a fairy tale; her parents sing and dance with her, Cousin Nancy dotes on her, and she is about to get a new baby brother. But when the baby dies soon after he's born, taking Summer's mama with him, Summer's fairy-tale life turns grim. Things get even worse when her father marries a woman who brings poisons and magical mirrors into Summer's world. Stepmama puts up a pretty face, but Summer suspects she's up to no good - and is afraid she's powerless to stop her.

This Snow White tale filled with magic and intrigue during the early twentieth century in Appalachia will be hard to forget.

Why I want to read it:

OOooh a Snow White retelling! I'm all for that. I don't think I've ever seen one set in early 20th century Appalachia either, so I'm really curious to see how the author adapts the story to this setting. And how can I say no to that gorgeous cover?

Product description of Everlasting (June 1, 2010):

Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty.

On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous—and alluring—magic.

The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who—and what—matters most.

Beautifully written and feverishly paced, Everlasting is an unforgettable journey of passion, secrecy, and adventure.
 

Why I want to read it:

Let's see...historical setting, family secrets, a magical stone, a fabled map, murderous bushrangers, a handsome sailor, shipwrecks, adventure, a perilous quest...why would I not want to read it?! This just sounds like everything I love all wrapped up into one beautiful book. The sequel, The Eternal Sea (with a disappointingly meh cover) just came out earlier this month, so I should really get to reading this book already!

Have any of you read either of these books? Would you recommend them? 

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